[People] A 28-year-old middle school teacher in Georgia was found dead earlier this week amid an investigation into his allegedly "inappropriate" relationship with one of his students, PEOPLE confirms.
Zachary Meadors’ body was discovered slumped over in a vehicle along a Lawrenceville highway on Wednesday night, police say. It appears he shot himself, according to authorities.
Meadors was a sixth-grade English teacher at Freedom Middle School in Stone Mountain where he had taught for two years, according to local TV station WSB. He’d been on leave without pay since Friday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
He was last seen alive on Saturday and was reported missing by his family on Monday.
They told police that he was being investigated over alleged impropriety with one of his students, according to an incident report obtained by PEOPLE, but the allegation was not further described.
WSB reports that he was being sought on charges of child molestation, computer pornography and child exploitation. His suspected victim is a 12-year-old boy, according to the station.
[American Action News] In a fiery exchange at a Washington, D.C. courtroom, a federal judge excoriated career State Department officials of lying and signing "clearly false" affidavits to protect former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from scrutiny over her private email server and Benghazi consulate scandals. (Fox News)
U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said he was "shocked" and "dumbfounded" when he learned that FBI had granted immunity to former Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills during its investigation into the use of Clinton's server, according to a court transcript of his remarks.
"I had myself found that Cheryl Mills had committed perjury and lied under oath in a published opinion I had issued in a Judicial Watch case where I found her unworthy of belief, and I was quite shocked to find out she had been given immunity in ‐ by the Justice Department in the Hillary Clinton email case," Lamberth said during Friday's hearing.
The Department of Justice's Inspector General (IG), Michael Horowitz, noted in a bombshell report in June that it was "inconsistent with typical investigative strategy" for the FBI to allow Mills to sit in during the agency's interview of Clinton during the email probe, given that classified information traveled through Mills' personal email account. "[T]here are serious potential ramifications when one witness attends another witness' interview," the IG wrote.
On Friday, Lamberth, who was appointed to the bench by President Ronald Reagan, said he did not know Mills had been granted immunity until he "read the IG report and learned that and that she had accompanied [Clinton] to her interview."
During one especially tense exchange, Lamberth accused the Justice Department's lawyer of "playing the same word games [Clinton] played."
#5
Coming to the conclusion that the amnesties were part of a Whitewash orchestrated from the White House is just 'crazy conspiracy theory talk', right, Right? (/sarc ... if it was needed)
[Yahoo] A Minnesota Democratic candidate for Congress who is poised to become the first Somali-American elected to the U.S. House has denounced claims that she married her brother and committed immigration fraud as "disgusting lies," and says allegations of campaign finance violations are politically motivated.
Ilhan Omar, who is running in Minnesota's liberal 5th District, continues to be dogged by conservatives who have raised questions about her past. As the election approaches, the attacks are intensifying: Last week, Minnesota Republicans in the 5th District began a digital billboard campaign and launched a website that highlights the allegations, many of which were first raised by conservative media outlets in 2016 as Omar was running for her seat in the Minnesota Legislature.
Omar broadly denied the allegations in a statement to The Associated Press, but declined to provide documents or answer specific questions when pressed.
"We choose not to further the narrative of those who oppose us," Omar's statement said, adding that she believes the claims are being made by people who want to stop a black, female Muslim from sitting in Congress.
She faces Republican opponent Jennifer Zielinski, a virtually unknown first-time candidate, in a congressional district that includes all of Minneapolis and hasn't been represented by a Republican since 1962. The seat is being vacated by U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, who is running for Minnesota attorney general.
Details of the allegations — noted by the journalist to have been previously reported only by conservative bloggers and news sites — can be seen at the link.
#1
A Minnesota Democratic candidate for Congress who is poised to become the first Somali-American elected to the U.S. House has denounced claims that she married her brother and committed immigration fraud as "disgusting lies," and says allegations of campaign finance violations are politically motivated.
Sounds like we agree that if these allegations, or anything like them, are true then such a candidate would not be qualified to hold the office.
#2
Reminds me of the scene in Breaking Bad where the guy pulls a butter knife on Mr White, 'Elliott, if you want to go that way you're going to need a bigger knife.'
#4
Will we get the sound and light show when she looses her head. I think the Democratic Party is in for a surprise next month. It's possible they will actually loose seats in the House. And the Senate. Which in predictable fashion will cause them to double down on their current approach.
[Mercer at WND] Throughout Brett Kavanaugh’s ordeal, Democratic women and their house-trained houseboys had attempted to derail the decent part of the process, rendering a U.S. Senate Supreme Court confirmation hearing a small-minded, mean-spirited, undignified and gossipy affair.
In tenor, the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing resembled a tabloid, a woman’s magazine, or the female-dominated, Trump-watch panels, assembled daily by the Fake News networks.
As to the women folk in the Gallery: They were plain gaga. These libertine "ladies" appeared constitutionally incapable of abiding by standards of decency and decorum, as demanded in such a solemn setting.
Thank our lucky stars we must that Democratic distaff are not yet disrobing, as do their Russian heroines:
Pussy Riot, the Putin-hating, all-girl pop band, specializes in desecrating holy places and flashing holey places.
This kind of abandon, albeit moderated, extended to liberal lady senators. Sen. Kamala Harris and her soul sisters in the Senate conducted themselves like kids who can’t quit interrupting the grownups, nagging for license to break protocol, so as to harangue and harass the "bad" man in the chair.
On the day the Democrats lost ‐ and Kavanaugh won his seat on the high court ‐ a primal, collective, atavistic howl rose from the Senate Gallery’s female quorum.
In response, a journalist in attendance quipped that this is "what the left sounds like." He ought to have stated the obvious. Sure, there are a few male eunuchs among these girls gone wild. But this is predominantly what women of the left sound like.
[Hot Air] Donald Trump couldn’t have asked for better timing for a #MAGA victory lap. With his schedule full of midterm-campaign rallies, the president has extolled his record on the economy as a reason for voters to back Republicans and stay the course. The World Economic Forum agrees, vaulting the US to its top spot among competitive economies for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession.
The U.S. is back on top as the most competitive country in the world, regaining the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2008 in an index produced by the World Economic Forum, which said the country could still do better on social issues.
America climbed one place in the rankings of 140 countries, with the top five rounded out by Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and Japan. All five countries’ scores rose from 2017, with the U.S. notching the second-biggest gain after Japan’s.
The top spot hasn’t gone to the U.S. since the financial crisis stalled output and triggered a global economic slowdown.
"Economic recovery is well underway, with the global economy projected to grow almost 4% in 2018 and 2019," said the report, published Tuesday by the organization that produces the Davos conference on global politics and economics.
Trump has long argued that he pulled the US out of the economic doldrums in which Barack Obama arguably left it with the least-dynamic recovery of the post-World War II period. Critics argue that Trump is simply riding the same economic recovery wave that Obama left. This report, however, notes that the US had the biggest improvement in competitiveness over the past year of the nations it rates, improving almost twice as much as second-place Singapore. If nothing else, Trump can claim credit for his policies amplifying growth and competitiveness with those results.
That may just serve as confirmation for Americans, who increasingly perceive that better days have arrives. A CNBC poll published Monday indicates that a blue wave may have stalled in large part because of growing confidence in the economy. In fact, economic confidence hit an 11-year high ‐ a big plus for Trump and Republicans:
[Townhall] Speaking in South Florida to Parkland students and parents earlier this week, House Minority Leader Pelosi called the activists a "blessing to our country," and said that because of their energy on the issue, gun control would be a priority for Democrats should they take back the House in the midterm elections.
"I admire you so much," she said. "You have the purpose, the generosity of spirit. You have the marchers ‐ you have people who will go out there to make a difference ‐ and you just have a relentless, persistent, dissatisfied approach."
But not all parents of Parkland victims are happy with her proclamation.
Andrew Pollack, whose 18-year-old daughter Meadow died this past Valentine's Day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, responded on Twitter, blasting Democrats for failing his daughter and her classmates.
"What/who failed my daughter:
"•Dem policies
"•Dem Sheriff
"•Dem Super intendant
"•Dem school board
“•Dem teachers union
"Now Nancy Pelosi is saying that if the Dems take back the House they will take away guns to honor Parkland victims
[Mail] Scientists have developed what could turn out to be the most lifelike robotic prosthetic hand yet.
The technology, developed by researchers from Cornell University, takes a page from the machinery used in a car to give the robotic arm dexterity that's comparable to a human.
And to demonstrate this, the hand was able to nimbly catch a can of beer and even crush it with remarkable strength.
probably organized at the Whole Foods store on Alpine Ave up the road from the Univ of Colo at boulder
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10/19/2018 10:34
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#6
We warned the manager of a complex we lived in that one of the kids had chickenpox. She told us not to worry--she'd been taken to several of those when young, and climbed all over her sick little brother--she was immune.
She wasn't. Adults get it harder.
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10/19/2018 19:41
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[Mail] Measles is a highly contagious infection caused by the measles virus.
When someone with measles coughs, sneezes or talks, infected droplets are sprayed into the air, where other people can inhale them and are then infected.
Symptoms present themselves between 10 to 14 days after infection and include fever, cough, runny nose, and a total-body skin rash.
Once common, the disease is now rare due to the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends children receive the first dose at 12 to 15 months old and the second dose at four to six years old.
Before the measles vaccine was available, more than 500,000 cases were diagnosed in the US every year, with about 500 annual deaths.
According to the CDC, as of September 8, 2018, 137 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 24 states and Washington, DC.
Five of Rockland's 11 confirmed cases came from people who brought the virus in from out of the country.
Rockland County spokesman John Lyon said three of the measles carriers were from the area traveling together in Israel, one was from the area traveling alone in Israel, and was from Israel traveling alone.
The other six patients have secondary cases, meaning they became sick after being exposed to one of the primary patients.
According to Israel's Ministry of Health, the country is facing a measles outbreak with at least 623 Israelis contracting the virus this year.
[DW] More ceasefire violations have been reported in eastern Ukraine, with four soldiers killed in a fight with rebels. The latest truce deal between Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists had only been agreed a day earlier.
Four Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and seven have been wounded in a battle against pro-Russian separatists who were trying to take over observation posts on a Luhansk highway in eastern Ukraine, Defense Ministry spokesman Dmytro Gutsulyak said Thursday.
Another soldier was killed in artillery fire elsewhere in the conflict zone, he added.
"The Russians ... are trying to attack the positions of our troops, violating the ceasefire," said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, adding that the soldiers were attacked with high-caliber artillery.
[Patheos] Officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and forcibly placed her on a plane to New Delhi, India. Sources within the organization state the senator’s recent blood test proved she is part Indian. That was all President Trump needed to sign the executive order shipping Senator Warren back to her people.
"We aren’t tolerating illegals from Mexico, illegals from Narnia, or illegals from India," President Trump tweeted. "So long, Pocahontas!"
Those close to Senator Warren suspected something like this would happen. Longtime friend Andrew Canard warned her not to release the results of her DNA test proving she was part Native American. *"OK, what I actually told her was Release the results when you square off with him in the third Presidential debate on live TV. You get to toss it in his face in front of the nation and laugh in his orange face, Canard quipped. "She didn’t listen, and now she’s flying to the subcontinent."
What experts are noting is no one in America is asking "Can he do that?" anymore. It’s as if everyone in the United States has accepted the idea the presidency is indeed Imperial. Many social scientists believe this is to be expected in a population which believes the Judicial and Legislative branches of government are advisory bodies to the Executive.
Some Democrats are happy Senator Warren is out of the picture. One anonymous Democrat politician stated, "When I heard she was getting ready to run in 2020, I got the same sinking feeling from when John Kerry became the candidate years ago. I don’t want to live through that again."
Meanwhile, Senator Warren is reported to be enjoying her time in the cargo hold of the jumbo jet speeding her to the world’s largest democracy (i.e., India). President Trump was going to give her a ticket in coach, but Republicans noted they didn’t want her irritating other passengers with her shrill voice and uppity vagina.
*In my humble opinion this is one of the reasons why most Democrats don’t stand a chance against Trump. They don’t understand how to maximize their weapons. They keep trying to sell the steak when in all reality people vote on the sizzle. Reality stars like Trump understand that! If Warren becomes the candidate, Trump is going to roll over her. What do you think?
[DW] As Brexit approaches, figures show that Germans who made Britain their home are increasingly applying for repatriation. The majority are the families of those who fled because they were persecuted by the Nazi regime.
An increasing number of people living in the UK have applied for repatriation to Germany since the June 2016 referendum result for Britain to leave the EU, according to government figures.
Individuals who were persecuted by the Nazis and their descendants made up the majority of those applying, a report on Friday said.
Of the 3,731 applications since 2016, 3,408 referred to the German Constitution's Article 116. Under the article, former German citizens who were deprived of citizenship on "political, racial, or religious grounds" ‐ and their descendants ‐ are entitled to have citizenship restored.
Read more: Will Brits say 'au revoir' to French dream post-Brexit?
Tens of thousands of Jews fled Germany for the UK before and during World War II. They included some 10,000 children who were evacuated as part of the so-called "Kindertransport" between December 1938 and August 1939, most of whom never saw their families again.
#2
Does this mean they will settle in Germany or that their second passport will give them freedom of movement in the EU after Brexit is finally consummated?
Whichever it ends up being, I wish them joy of it, but suspect it won’t make them happy.
[Wash Times] Radio host Rush Limbaugh is confident that the unreliability of political polling will be highlighted once again once the midterm election results roll in.
A preview for "El Rushbo’s" Thursday interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity offers a prediction from the famous conservative: Republicans will hold onto the House and Senate in large part because of political developments over the past month.
The radio host noted the confirmation process of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh as a key motivator for Republicans.
"The Democrat Party deserves to lose in the single biggest landslide defeat in my lifetime just for the actions they’ve taken in the last month," he said in promotional material shared by Fox News Insider.
Mr. Limbaugh said that he doesn’t have survey data to back up his claims but instead is relying on historical instances where professional pollsters wound up looking clueless.
#2
Like the media, the pollsters - polltroons? - never get called out for just making stuff up. But then polling outfits, lamestream media and lackademia are all joined at the hip.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/19/2018 7:13
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#3
...but instead is relying on historical instances where professional pollsters wound up looking clueless.
Just look at 2016 - Brexit and Trump's campaign were both 'missed' by the pollsters by a combination of a) oversampling Europhiles / Londoners and Democrats and b) ignoring / downplaying the other side. Bookmakers and betting sites give a more accurate picture than these assholes. After those two polling 'fiascoes' (their excuse), there's no doubt in my mind that stuff was deliberate and will be again.
#5
We never participate in polling of any kind, and we are highly conservative voters. I suspect a disproportionate number of conservatives are as zealously private about their opinions. I think this attitude plus the squishy independants who say what they think makes the pollster happy on the leading style question explains 5-7% inherent polling error.
#6
Every state-wide or local poll shows Republicans ahead. National polls show Democrats ahead. Now why would any pollster show a national poll in a midterm except to deceive folks regarding popular vote totals.
#7
On the bright side, if the Dems end up with a razor thin majority in the house, the Senate being solid republican will stop them from doing anything major in terms of legislation.
Senate will still hold the aces: judges, and ultimate stopping power of anything the Dems sen over to them.
So what will the Dems do with Pelosi in charge of the house again? Try to impeach Trump? Try to impeach Kavanaugh? Senate would hold the trials, and they'd have enough defectors to where they couldn't pass the articles of impeachment anyway. And if the government gets shut down, this isnt your old spineless GOP - Trump will pull a Reagan and bypass the press and lay the blame loudly and squarely on Pelosi and the obstructionist Democrats.
So if they win - they lose because they will never be radical enough for their hard left party, who will get pissed off in 2020, they will be played by Trump as "Do Nothing Democrats" setting them up for his fall-guy for the campaign in 2020, making Pelosi and the hard left a oat anchor for whoever the Dems nominate.
Id rather the GOP keep the house, but if they don't, its likely to work out OK for 2020.
Posted by: Boss Spoper5850 ||
10/19/2018 15:17
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[IsraelTimes] The pair allegedly flew to Istanbul in March 2016 seeking training from Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... and Nusra Front, intending to return to Israel and commit terror attacks
Two Jaffa residents were indicted Thursday for allegedly attempting to join jihadist groups in Syria in order to receive training that would enable them to carry out terror attacks upon their return to Israel.
The two, Abed al-Malek Asfur and Adam Abu-Shahada, face terrorism charges over their 2016 trip to Istanbul in a bid to join the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front, one of the jihadist rebel groups still fighting the forces of the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war.
According to the indictment, filed Thursday in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, Asfur became interested in Islamic State and al-Nusra in 2013. He made the decision to join al-Nusra in late 2015. In early 2016, he contacted a jihadist operative on Twitter who directed him to another man on the Telegram network.
Asfur made contact with the Nusra pointman, then appealed to his friend Abu-Shahada to join him. Abu-Shahada agreed.
The two flew to Istanbul in March 2016 carrying NIS 25,000 ($6,850) in cash. Abu-Shahada declared at the airport he was heading to Istanbul to research academic study opportunities in the city.
Once in Istanbul, the indictment says, the two purchased warm clothing and sneakers in preparation for the military training they believed they would undergo in Syria. They contacted the Nusra pointman, who promised to contact them within a short time. After many days passed, and their contact failed to respond to several attempts to contact him, Asfur and Abu-Shahada concluded their contact had become unavailable.
The two returned to Israel.
The indictment carries multiple charges, including attempting to travel from Israel to Syria, which is illegal under Israel’s "enemy states" law. It also charges Abu-Shahada with lying to the authorities in his declaration at Ben Gurion Airport about seeking to study in Istanbul.
Comparatively few Arab Israelis have joined jihadist groups in Syria in recent years, with the Islamic State group the most popular among them. But the Shin Bet security service has said it views the possibility of Israeli citizens joining IS to be a "serious security threat." A few dozen Israeli Arabs from northern Israel have been nabbed Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! for alleged links with IS in recent years. Roughly 20 are now believed to be among its ranks in Syria and Iraq.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/19/2018
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[RT] That a free press underpins British democracy is an enduring myth that has been allowed to go unchallenged, up there with unicorns and the Loch Ness Monster.
Because if a clutch of right-wing reactionary billionaires owning the bulk of a nation's major newspaper titles and media constitutes a free press, the word 'free' has been stripped and shorn of all meaning.
Yet, while the aforementioned ‐ let's be kind here ‐ 'anomaly' has long been understood by anyone of adult years with the ability to put their underpants on the right way round in the morning, the extent to which the British establishment press and media has been penetrated by intelligence services and acts as a conduit for their agenda is less well known.
That it is less well known remains one of life's great mysteries nonetheless. Scratch your average British journalist and you have yourself a frustrated spook; someone who would be on their toes at the sound of a car door slamming shut in the street, while harbouring fantasies of coming across Vladimir Putin in a dark alley one night and scoring one for the Empire.
Take Con Coughlin, for example, Defence Editor at The Daily Telegraph (more colloquially and accurately known as The Daily Torygraph). Coughlin is a product of a private school production line that has unleashed more knaves on the world than spittle on a dentist's chair. While his outing as an MI6 asset may have been a long time coming, now that it has, it marks yet another nail in the coffin of a media class whose relationship to truth and objectivity belongs in the box marked non-existent.
#2
Is it GRU rather than FSB? Either way, amusing that RT’s latest genius is so thoroughly exercising his vocabulary in this one, though not his brains. Or hers, as the case may be.
[Daily Caller] The Democratic nominee in Georgia’s gubernatorial election had to walk back comments that suggested the agriculture and hospitality industries weren’t worth working in.
The controversy began when Stacey Abrams was giving a speech at Georgia Southern University as part of her "We Are Georgia" bus tour.
"I want to create a lot of different jobs because people shouldn’t have to go into agriculture or hospitality to make a living in Georgia. Why not create renewable energy jobs because ‐ I’m going to tell ya’ll a secret ‐ climate change is real," Abrams said Tuesday at the campaign rally.
Throughout the campaign, Abrams has been a big proponent of solar and wind energy, and has made fighting climate change a part of her campaign platform. The Democratic candidate went on to claim in her Tuesday speech that the state could create 25,000 to 45,000 "good paying" jobs if renewable energy industry is recognized as "not only the future," but also as "the now."
The insinuation that agriculture wasn’t worth working in drew backlash from her critics. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is the Republican nominee in the election, suggested her comments were "hurtful" and an indication that she was spending too much time with her "socialist backers in San Francisco."
#2
georgia is about the worse place in the US for wind power
they already have a number of wind towers on hill ridges and people see with their own eyes that the blades don't revolve at all about half the time
Posted by: lord garth ||
10/19/2018 6:21
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#3
Wind and solar "energy" are economically unsustainable relying on subsidy.
The taxes needed to subsidise them kill many more jobs than any created in the "green" sector. This is amplified by the fact green subsidies effectively go to land-owners and so the money goes to title owners, not for work done.
#7
The Future will wait not an hour!
Our Vision: Renewable Power!
The spin must be endless,
Maintained, when it's windless,
By batteries filling the tower.
#9
It came from the future and sprawled in
A spot dark, Satanic (no Walden!)
And thoroughly shitty.
Though shiny and pretty,
It uglied the hell outta Malden.
#15
We need giant hamster wheels used to generate power. If you are on welfare you can walk (or run) in the wheel for a certain amount of time each day to earn your check.
#17
AlanC & TW, thanks for your understanding. ;-) But I was even wronger! The turbine that so irked me apparently resides on a little tongue of Boston (Charlestown, even... why do I feel a "Man Who Never Returned" parody coming on?) that protrudes across the Malden Bridge, nowhere near Malden, which makes sense given how most things in New England named for a given town are off in other towns on the way there. Sigh... ya get a little distracted and suddenly the whole world is full of surprises. And superfluous commas.
[IsraelTimes] Pompeo insists move doesn’t signal a change in administration’s position on city’s status; Ramallah accuses White House of adopting ’Israeli narrative’
The State Department announced Thursday that it would bring its main diplomatic mission to the Paleostinians under the auspices of the US Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, marking an implicit downgrading of the facility’s status and a fresh blow to its already strained ties with the Paleostinians.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the move was meant to "achieve significant efficiencies and increase our effectiveness" following the opening of the embassy in May. He insisted the merger of the two missions did not signal a change in US policy on the status of Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Gazoo Strip.
"The United States continues to take no position on final status issues, including boundaries or borders," Pompeo said in a statement. "The specific boundaries of Israeli illusory sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties."
Pompeo said US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman would be in charge of the tie-up and that the new Paleostinian Affairs Unit inside the embassy would remain, as before, at the consulate general building on Agron Street in the western part of Jerusalem.
"We will continue to conduct a full range of reporting, outreach, and programming in the West Bank and Gazoo as well as with Paleostinians in Jerusalem," he said.
The announcement was met with immediate anger from the Paleostinians, who accused the White House of working to bring the entire West Bank under Israeli illusory sovereignty.
With Trump’s announcement, the US became the first country to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The decision to move its embassy was followed by Guatemala and Paraguay, though the latter later announced it would return its diplomatic mission to Tel Aviv, sparking a diplomatic row with Israel.
Leaders from a number of other countries have also expressed potential interest in moving their countries’ embassies in Israel to Jerusalem, including close US ally Australia earlier this week.
Since the fallout over Trump’s Jerusalem recognition, the US made a number of other moves that have been denounced by the Paleostinians, including ending its contributions to the UN’s agency for Paleostinian refugees. It also announced the closure of the Paleostinian Liberation Organization’s diplomatic mission in Washington over what it said was the Paleostinians’ refusal to engage in peace talks with Israel.
[Express] ISIS has taken 700 people hostage in an area in Syria controlled by US-backed forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed.
The Russian leader said the depraved terrorists had expanded its control in territory controlled by US and US-backed forces.
ISIS issued Russia with an ultimatum and vowed to execute ten people every day.
Speaking in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Putin said the hostages included several US and European nationals.
Putin told the Valdai discussion forum in Sochi: "They have issued ultimatums, specific demands and warned that if these ultimatums are not met they will execute 10 people every day.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
10/19/2018
01:13 ||
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#1
this is either a misreport or someone is making stuff up
ISIS is not advancing; they do have some hostages from earlier times and, among ISIS are some US and Euro nationals who decided to fight for ISIS but are now perhaps under arrest by ISIS
Posted by: lord garth ||
10/19/2018 2:01
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#2
First time I've seen any of #2's comments before they get flushed. Seems like a bot for sure to me...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/19/2018 7:10
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#3
This a weird story. All sources for this attack on the El Bahra refugee camp lead back to Russian sources.
Russian posturing before an attack across the Euphrates?
[IsraelTimes] Washington says it will pay $5 million for capture of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000...
...al-Qaeda has become an ally of the government of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his backers Soddy Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against the Houthis. Over the past decade, the terror group has built up ties with Yemen’s many tribes, and uses anger against American airstrikes to gain recruits...
leader Khalid Batarfi, who called for attacks on Jews and Americans everywhere
The United States on Thursday offered a $5 million reward to find al-Qaeda leader Khalid Batarfi, who urged worldwide attacks on Jews and Americans after Washington recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The Saudi-born Batarfi is a veteran of the jihadist fighters who backed the Taliban ...Arabic for students... in Afghanistan and has become a big shot of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which the United States considers the global network’s deadliest branch.
In a video released in January, Batarfi called US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... ’s precedent-breaking declaration on Jerusalem "a declaration of a new Jewish-Crusader war" and called on Moslems to "rise and attack the Jews and the Americans everywhere."
"The Moslems inside the occupied land must kill every Jew, by running him over, or stabbing him, or by using against him any weapon, or by burning their homes," he said.
The US State Department said it was offering $5 million to anyone who could lead authorities to Batarfi or contribute to his arrest or prosecution.
The United States also raised from $5 million to $10 million the reward offered for Qasim al-Rimi, considered the emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
He is already under US and UN sanctions after being linked to a deadly 2008 attack outside the US embassy 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. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... and for his alleged support to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called underwear bomber who unsuccessfully tried to blow up a US-bound flight on Christmas Day in 2009.
Formed by the 2009 merger of al-Qaeda’s Saudi and Yemen operations, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has carved out its own territory in war-battered Yemen despite being frequently targeted by US drones.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/19/2018
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RIACE (ITALY) (AFP) via France 24 - The artisan shops in Riace's historic centre are shuttered and its alleyways quiet as locals wait to see what will happen to Italy's world-renowned model of migrant integration.
The mayor of the hilltop hamlet in Calabria was hounded out of town earlier this week for favouring illegal immigration, but Domenico Lucano has vowed to fight on to protect the way of life here.
He will have to do it from afar as he is banned from Riace, once a ghost town before Lucano, 60, opened the door to migrants and asylum-seekers.
"I'm not going to give up. Riace represents an idea which counters barbarism and we'll go on even without state aid," Lucano said in an interview with AFPTV.
Under the programme he started, Riace's abandoned houses were restored, artisan shops were opened and the tourists flocked to see a place where around 400 of its 1,800 inhabitants are foreigners, from Africa to Pakistan and Syria.
But last week the Italian interior ministry ordered the programme shut down after an investigation, which was launched in 2016, uncovered alleged administrative wrongdoing.
[IsraelTimes] Terror group vows ’harsh measures’ against perpetrator of attack that hit Beersheba, releases video warning Israeli leaders not to make ’mistake’
The Gazoo Strip’s Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®, rulers said Thursday that they would launch an investigation into rocket fire at Israel the previous day, in an apparent bid to quell fears of a new war.
At the same time, the terror group’s military wing released a video warning Israeli leaders against making a "mistake."
Israeli children in communities near the border returned to schools that had been closed on Wednesday, after the predawn rocket fire from Gazoo badly damaged a family home but caused no injuries in the southern city of Beersheba. A second rocket fell into the sea in the Tel Aviv area.
[IsraelTimes] Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... , received a delegation of senior Egyptian intelligence officials in the Gazoo Strip on Thursday, a day after Egyptian General Intelligence Services head Abbas Kamel postponed a planned visit to the coastal enclave, the West Bank, and Israel.
The Egyptian delegation that met Haniyeh included Ayman Badia, the deputy chief of the Egyptian General Intelligence Services; Ahmad Abdelkhaliq, the official in charge of the Paleostinian file in the Egyptian General Intelligence Services; and Hamam Abu Zeid, another senior Egyptian intelligence official, al-Risala, a Hamas-linked newspaper, reported.
The report said the Egyptian delegation met with Haniyeh to discuss intra-Paleostinian reconciliation.
The al-Risala report said the Egyptian delegation also met with Haniyeh to talk about a possible ceasefire between the terror group and Israel.
[FOX] The Army has successfully fired a 155mm artillery round 62 kilometers (38.5 miles) - marking a technical breakthrough in the realm of land-based weapons and progressing toward its stated goal of being able to outrange and outgun Russian and Chinese weapons.
"We just doubled the range of our artillery at Yuma Proving Ground," Gen. John Murray, Commanding General of Army Futures Command, told reporters at the recent Association of the United States Army Annual Symposium.
Currently, most land-fired artillery shot from an M777 Towed Howitzer or Self-Propelled Howitzer are able to pinpoint targets out to 30km (18.6 miles) - so hitting 62km marks a substantial leap forward in offensive attack capability.
Murray was clear that the intent of the effort, described as Extended Range Cannon Artillery, is specifically aimed at regaining tactical overmatch against Russian and Chinese weapons.
"The Russian and Chinese have been able to outrange most of our systems," Murray said.
#4
Double the range and now you have an area twice as large in which you have aquire the target. At what point will we see a return to large caliber howitzer and field cannon. At least in units that can be stationed father back. Or it what point will the Navy's work on electromagnetic coil guns bleed over into the Army's equipment. On top of that the Crusader Programs work on liquid propellants may come into play. Of course the bigger the gun, the slower the rate of fire etc.
[PJ] One of the 15 Saudis shown on video walking into the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul shortly before journalist Jamal Khashoggi was apparently murdered, Mashal Saad al-Bostani, was involved in a fatal car crash in Riyadh, according to the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak.
Few details of the accident have emerged, but the newspaper, a semi-official organ of the Turkish government, claims the accident was "suspicious."
Meanwhile, another Turkish media outlet, the Hurriyet Daily News, reports that the Saudi consul in Istanbul, Mohammad al-Otaibi, may be the target of the "next execution." News accounts quoting from a Turkish intelligence recording that purportedly caught Khashoggi's murder and dismemberment said that al-Otaibi may be targeted because of his reluctance to have the execution take place at the consulate.
Al-Otaibi was caught on audio tape during Khashoggi’s interrogations ‐ during which the journalist’s fingers were cut off and he was beheaded ‐ telling them to "do it somewhere else outside or I will be in trouble."
He returned to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday before Turkish police searched his residence.
Surveillance footage showed consulate vehicles with diplomatic plates arrived at the consul’s home about two hours after Khashoggi, 60, walked into the consulate.
Saudi Arabia has called the allegations "baseless" and claimed the writer left unharmed later in the day.
Crime scene investigators concluded a second search of the consulate and the consul’s residence overnight Thursday.
If the Saudis are, indeed, "tying up loose ends," this won't be the only "accident" to befall the alleged killers.
Two big caveats to this story. The news outlets reporting the "suspicious accident' are tools of the Turkish government. The story would not have appeared at all without the blessing of the highest authorities.
#1
Fortunately for Saudi Arabia all 15 Saudi executioners died on 9/11/2001, unfortunately along with several thousand U.S. citizens in New York City, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and aboard numerous airliners along the East coast of the United States.
#3
The propaganda war against Saudi Arabia via Turkey on the behest of Iran is a sharp object in this war. And they all know the democrats will always protect the scum of the earth of the most destructive like Iran.
#4
There are too many unknowns and unsubstantiated things about the Khashoggi story. This story has remained far longer than usual in the news cycle. Too bad there wasn't this kind of attention given to Bhenghazi at the time instead of that bullshit narrative spooned up by Obama, HRC and and an all-to-willing complicit Deepstate Press.
[National Review] The Justice Department has launched an investigation into child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania, according to reports Thursday.
Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed at least three dioceses in the state for documents on sexual-abuse cases and testimony from Church leaders.
A grand-jury report in August described allegations of child sexual abuse by 301 priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses affecting more than 1,000 children over the last 70 years. The state’s statute of limitations prevented all but two priests mentioned in the report from being charged with a crime.
Bishops and other Church leaders followed a "playbook for concealing the truth," pressuring victims not to report the abuse and convincing law enforcement not to investigate, the report found.
[The Federalist] This week, Harvard University went to trial over the claim it discriminates against Asian-American applicants. Affirmative action moved back onto the main stage of American politics, particularly as this is an issue where replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy with Justice Brett Kavanaugh could make a difference at the Supreme Court. Yet the political discussion of this hot-button issue again proceeds with little recognition of a basic fact: racial preferences in college admissions are wildly unpopular.
Eighty-five percent of Americans oppose considering race in the college admissions process, according to "Hidden Tribes," a recent report from the left-of-center group More in Common. Of the seven "tribes" identified in the report, racial preferences were supported only by progressive activists, the furthest-left 8 percent of Americans. Ironically, progressive activists are almost the least diverse of the tribes, except the furthest-right 6 percent.
Only 40 percent of progressive activists oppose racial preferences in college admissions. But among traditional liberals (a group comprising 11 percent of Americans), 72 percent oppose racial preferences. Passive liberals (15 percent), who have more African-Americans, women, and younger people than average, are several points even less supportive.
Nor is the "Hidden Tribes" polling an outlier. In September, public television’s WGBH published a poll finding 72 percent of adults disagreed with prior Supreme Court rulings allowing colleges to consider race in making admissions decisions. Indeed, racial preferences were disapproved by majorities of black, Hispanic, and Asian respondents in the survey.
As the disapproval from minority groups suggests, the rejection of the policy does not appear to be solely the product of prejudice. In the WGBH poll, 86 percent of respondents opined that campus diversity is at least a somewhat important goal. Similarly, in the "Hidden Tribes" polling, 81 percent of Americans believe there are serious problems of racism in the country, with 75 percent agreeing that acts of racism are at least somewhat common.
#2
...but, but, but think of all the administrative positions that are threatened by any action to end race based admissions. Then think of the departments that generate those SJW degrees required of those administrators. "Gentlemen, We've Got to Protect Our Phony Baloney Jobs!"
#4
Make it all color/gender blind. Age, GPA, and extracurriculars (which would be worded so as not to reveal the sport, which could give a clue to the gender).
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/19/2018 14:09
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[FOX] U.S. and Mexican officials have agreed on a plan to handle the approaching migrant caravan making their way up from Central America, a senior administration official told Fox News on Thursday.
Under the deal, which was developed over the course of several months, Mexico requested that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) establish shelters along its southern border with Central America, the official said.
Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Geronimo Gutierrez elaborated on the request, during an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report.”
[The Hill] A retired Army general said in an interview Thursday that if anyone can bring the 17-year-long Afghanistan war to an end, it's President Trump.
"Based on his success in dealing with some fairly hard characters ‐ [North Korean leader] Kim Jong [Un], China, some others ‐ if anybody can do it, President Trump can," retired Maj. Gen. Gary Harrell told Hill.TV's Buck Sexton on "Rising."
Harrell, a former Delta Force commander in Afghanistan who retired in 2008 after nearly 35 years in service, also praised Gen. Scott Miller, the top commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
"I think President Trump has the right man on the ground in Scott Miller," Harrell said.
Asked his views on how to bring the conflict in Afghanistan to an end, Harrell emphasized the need "to develop a solid line of communication down through General Miller and the envoy, but they need to be able to talk to the Afghan people."
"And try to win them over to where they are not so much focused on doing things the way their great-great-great grandfather did things, and bring them into the modern world a little bit. I don't know that that's easy, and I'm not sure it's doable," he added.
The U.S. currently has around 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of its training and advisory efforts as well as various counterterrorism operations.
The U.S.-led coalition has tried to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table through an increase in troops and airstrikes.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Yemeni army, with support from the Arab Coalition supporting legitimacy, blocked an attempt by the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... militias to open routes between Hodeidah and Sanaa.
The sources added that Houthi militias had sent reinforcements to attack army posts but suffered severe losses, and failed to infiltrate the road to Hodeidah from Sanaa from the Kilo 10 area.
The army’s media center said that 70 Houthis were killed during violent battles where the Arab Coalitions’ vigorous air raids caused severe losses on the militias’ fronts in Hodeidah.
Sources said that the air raids targeted Houthi gatherings and bases killing dozens, and destroying an armed vehicle.
In a related development, the Yemeni army backed by the Arab coalition liberated areas after intense fighting with the Houthis in west Taiz.
A military source reported that the Houthi militias’ members tried to attack a post for the Yemeni army in Taiz, leading to the killing of eight members of the coup militias, while 15 others were maimed.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Failed logistics lose wars
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2018 9:49
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] In the latest web of fabricated news coverage based on uncorroborated sources - surrounding the disappearance of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , on October 2 - is the Saudi citizen named Waleed al-Shehri.
Ottoman Turkish newspapers published al-Shehri’s picture as among the 15 Saudis who has been dubbed by the frenzied media as an alleged Saudi intelligence team who arrived in Istanbul to carry out the liquidation of the missing journalist.
Waleed al-Shehri in a tweeted video said that it was three years ago that he had visited Turkey, that too on a transit flight from Gay Paree.
Previously, a baseless scenario that emerged around the disappearance of Khashoggi, falsely accused Saudi tourists who were in Istanbul’s Ataturk airport with being the crew of a private Saudi jet that was linked to Khashoggi’s disappearance in Istanbul.
Several pictures surfaced of the tourists at the Ataturk airport, in the regular commercial airlines' terminal, and not the one for private jets. They were also shown to be regular tourists, who do not work as crewmembers. One of the misused pictures is of a man and his wife at the airport, with regular travelers behind them.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
If this were a professional hit, the hit team would arrive by ones and two and no one would ever know the size of the team. They certainly would not arrive by private air. The film of Khashoggi entering the Consulate is so fuzzy it could be my grandmother passing as a male. Finally, if there was a team of 15 needed to do the job there should be photographs of them entering the Consulate --just as there is a (questionable) film of Khashoggi entering the Consulate. Finally, no one has discussed the possibility that Erdowan (who now claims to be the putative head of the Ikhwan al-Musliman)has had a falling out with Khashoggi, a known Muslim Brother.
[Al Jazeera] Security forces in the Comoros have intensified their crackdown against anti-government protesters on the island of Anjouan, with witnesses reporting heavy gunfire and residents fleeing amid a wave of unrest against constitutional changes.
President Azali Assoumani on Thursday sent in reinforcements to quell a nascent uprising on the opposition stronghold as festivities continued for a fourth day between security forces and armed protesters.
Residents of the island are angry at Assoumani's plans to extend term limits and end rotation of the presidency between the country's three main islands after one term, a move that disadvantages Anjouan which was next in line.
An official at Anjoun's airport told the AFP news agency a significant contingent of security forces arrived on the island to quell unrest there.
Residents said the old medina quarter of Anjouan's capital Mutsumudu, with its narrow, intersecting alleyways, has become the epicentre of the fighting.
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[RADIOSHABELLE] At least two Ugandan soldiers working under the umbrella of African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Mission In Somalia (AMISOM) were killed in an ambush by al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... fighters in Lower Shabelle, Ugandan military said on Wednesday.
AMISOM convoy travelling in Marka town has come under attack which prompted festivities between the forces and the assailants.
Lt.-Col. Deo Akiiki, Uganda’s deputy military spokesperson said his country lost two soldiers in an al-Shabaab attack on AMISOM convoy.
"I can confirm there was an ambush on our troops, who were on patrol in Marka and we lost two soldiers. We also have some injuries," Akiiki said.
The official did not disclose the number of the injures Ugandan soldiers sustained during the attack saying AU is still assessing the matter.
"We are waiting for the details, names of deceased soldiers and injured from AMISOM so that we inform their next of kin and family," he stated.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[DAILYCALLER] Wilfred Michael Stark has a long history of attacking Republicans and has been previously arrested multiple times.
Stark was employed by American Bridge 21st Century, founded by David Brock.
Despite multiple arrests and complaints, Brock did not fire Stark until now.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
A law suit against his employers should be instituted.
That he had many physical unwanted contacts with Republican staffers while continuing to be employed as an agent of whatever they are, makes them liable at least for conspiracy to intimidate Republican supporters.
Posted by: Daniel ||
10/19/2018 1:18
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#2
First time I've seen any of #2's comments before the y get flushed. Seems like a bot for sure to me...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/19/2018 7:09
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[ALMASDARNEWS] The so-called "Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... " (ISIS) continued their reign of terror against the people of east Syria this week, as their turbans executed more civilians from the Deir Ezzor province.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Islamic State executed five civilians from the town of al-Sha’afah on charges of ’espionage’.
The Islamic State turbans accused the civilians of working with the U.S. Coalition and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Deir Ezzor Governorate.
No further details were released by SOHR or any local activists.
Recently, the Islamic State has carried out several executions in response to a series of battlefield losses they suffered at the hands of the Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
With their ’caliphate’ fragmented in southern and eastern Syria, the Islamic State has begun executing hostages in an effort to force the SDF and SAA to halt their operations against them.
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[PULSE.NG] Ecuador expelled Venezuela's ambassador Carol Delgado on Thursday over "offensive" comments against President Lenin Moreno by a Venezuelan government minister, the foreign ministry said.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[ALMASDARNEWS] The situation in Aleppo is incredibly tense at the moment, as both the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and jihadist rebels trade blows around the bustling provincial capital.
The hostilities began this evening when the jihadist rebels in the southwestern countryside of Aleppo launched a plethora of missiles towards the historical city.
According to a military source in Aleppo city, the jihadist rebels inside the Rashiddeen 4 and 5 areas fired a dozen missiles into the New Aleppo District, causing several kabooms around the residential neighborhoods.
Shortly after the jihadist attack, the Syrian Arab Army responded with their own missile barrage, hitting a number of targets inside the Rashiddeen area.
The two would then trade blows at the same time, with the jihadist rebels taking the brunt of the missile exchange.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[AmericanPartisan] On 2 OCT 2018, Washington Post journalist and middle eastern political activist Jamal Khashoggi went missing after entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Some in the course of the last news cycle has alleged this to be a much deeper incident than it appears on the surface; a vanished journalist, murder, international intrigue, a Saudi administration in conflict with Turkey; both jockeying for power in a region bound for widespread war in the coming years. Over a year post-living in exile after being banned from the Kingdom of al Saud, Khashoggi returned to the assumed security of the nation of his familial ancestry while continuing a career of revolutionary praxis through media in the mideast region. Needing a legal certificate of divorce from the Saudi government, Khashoggi felt safe approaching the embassy- in and out, no harm, no foul.
How wrong he was.
Embassies and consulates are nerve centers for declared spooks of a nation. Formal intelligence officers working in a nation must be declared. Journalists, on the other hand, can get placed into positions of unique access and are often conduits for sensitive information. In any country where intelligence operations are being run (and that’s all of them) a nation’s embassy serves as the hot spot for intelligence and in turn, counterintelligence. With Khashoggi, we find an example of split loyalty divided between revolutionary Marxism and a convenient ally found in the politics of revolutionary Islam. Possibly best examining this juxtaposition is his quote from a WaPo piece in late August:
#1
Too much for my tiny brain to wrap myself around, but it seems like when he was younger he was a terrorist, probably in line with MB. Now as a "journalist", when he is too old to fight, he continues his jihad by advocating that the Middle East needs MB to take over as the dominant political driver so they can get terrorism under control.
I think the only real reason this is still in the news is the Media claimed him as one of their own and they hope it can be used to hurt Trump (even if doing so screws up the middle east).
#9
"Now as a "journalist", when he is too old to fight, he continues his jihad by advocating that the Middle East needs MB to take over as the dominant political driver so they can get terrorism under control. What am I missing?"
In its history the Muslim Brotherhood has spawned at least a half-dozen terrorist organizations in Egypt alone, and two in Jordan. The Ikhwan itself created in 1942-43 a terrorist element, the so called Special Section, which had within it a 'secret apparatus' whose activities remained most secret. Its reduction has never been admitted. When Morsy took over in Egypt following the Arab Spring he freed the terrorist convicts (who have since led the Islamist movement in the Sinai) and then began to prorogue the political parties. Thus, when Islamists like Khashoggi start talking 'democracy' best to check your wallet.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] One of the pro-Iranian actors involved in the Syrian civil war is Hezbollah. The organization has been involved in the Syrian war since the very beginning.
Whereas previously Hezbollah could gain favor with a particular part of the non-Shiite population of Leb through confrontation with Israel, now the participation of Hezbollah in the Syrian conflict was ambiguously interpreted in Leb and affected the sympathies of the Lebanese.
Many Lebanese politicians and public persons condemned Hezbollah and encouraged not to fight against the Syrian people. It is noteworthy that Hezbollah has long ceased to be a marginal pro-Iranian group and right now it has serious control over Leb’s domestic and foreign policy.
On the one hand, the war in Syria is a tribute to Iran’s loyalty; on the other hand, it is a guarantee of their survival. If Assad’s regime falls in Syria, Hezbollah will be cut off the weapon supplies from Iran.
MILITARIZED GROUPS Together with the Iranian forces, Hezbollah is also involved in the development and training of militarized groups, consisting mostly of Shiites and Alawites. One of such groups is Jaishal-Sha’bi. Although the military capacity of these groups remains in doubt, Assad’s regime uses them mainly for security and patrolling.
In the Syrian battles, Hezbollah suffers significant losses. Hezbollah’s commanders, such as Abdel Hamid Mahmoud Shri, Ali al-Hadi al-Ashiq, Mustafa Badreddine were killed during the war.
It is noteworthy that Hezbollah’s losses in Syria far exceed its losses during the war with Israel. So if during the 2006 war Hezbollah lost 250-500 fighters, in Syria their losses are already about 2,000 fighters.
In general, Hezbollah fighters’ discipline and level of preparation are higher and better than the Shiite forces of Evil from Iraq, or certain military units of the Syrian army have. In certain cases, Hezbollah’s commanders also obtained tactical control over small units of Syrian military forces during offensive operations.
For example, as it happened in Homs. The American side is of the view that Hezbollah has deployed up to 7,000 fighters in Syria.
Taking into account Hezbollah’s relatively modest mobilization resources, it is a massive figure for this organization. Besides participation in the military actions on the regime’s side and organization of ethnic cleanings in favor of the regime, Hezbollah took part in a series of systematic abuse of Sunnis, in particular, when they were passing through checkpoints.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A key leader of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq and Syria Khurasan (ISIS-K) was among at at least a dozen murderous Moslems killed during the operations of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in eastern Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province of Afghanistan.
The provincial government media office in a statement said the Special Operations Forces of the Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS), conducted operations in Jamal Khel, Deewana Baba, Kandar, and Chenar Kali areas of Achin, leaving at least 12 murderous Moslems dead.
The statement further added that four hideouts of the terror group were also destroyed during the same operations.
According to the governor’s office, a key leader of the terror group who was operating as the shadow judge of ISIS-K, Waliullah Mansor who was also famous as Yasir, was among those killed.
Some heavy and light weapons belonging to the murderous Moslems of the terror group were destroyed, the statement said, adding that the security forces and the local residents have not suffered casualties during the operations.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A Pak family having links with the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group has been tossed in the slammer ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... while three suicide kaboom vests have been confiscated in separate operations in eastern Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province of Afghanistan.
Provincial governor’s front man Ataullah Khogyani told news hounds Wednesday that a Pak man identified as Mohammad Afzal, who is originally a resident of Lahore city of Pakistain, was arrested with his wife and two children as they were trying to return to Pakistain.
Khogyani further added that the family was arrested in Bandar area of Achin district before they manage to use the Torkham gate to return to their country.
In the meantime, Khogyani said the Afghan intelligence operatives confiscated three suicide kaboom vests during a separate operation in Bati Kot district of Nangarhar.
He said the vests contained potent explosives of HME type that could inflict heavy casualties and massive damages in the event the vests were used by the Lions of Islam during the attacks.
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[Breitbart] Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said Tuesday that the "blue wave" is comprised of "undocumented" immigrants, among many others.
Abrams made these comments in front of supporters at the Clayton County campaign office during an event with Senator Elizabeth Warren, as first reported by The Washington Free Beacon.
"The thing of it is, the blue wave is African American. It’s white, it’s Latino, it’s Asian-Pacific Islander," said Abrams, "it is disabled, it is differently-abled, it is LGBTQ, it is law enforcement, it is veterans."
"It is made up of those who’ve been told that they are not worthy of being here. It is comprised of those who are documented and undocumented."
[Al Jazeera] Abdulrahman Siwar al-Dahab, who led a coup in 1985 to overthrow Gaafar Nimeiry, died at a military hospital in Riyadh.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
For years General Swar al-Dihab was director of the very Islamist international Islamic Dawaa (outreach) Organization. (His deputy for years was Obama's half-brother.)
[ALMASDARNEWS] The so-called “Islamic State” (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) launched a counter-attack in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, today, targeting the areas controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Daesh reportedly began their counter-assault on Thursday morning by storming the Syrian Democratic Forces’ positions in the Badiya Al-Sha’afah area of southeastern Deir Ezzor.
According to pro-opposition activists via social media, the Daesh attack killed at least seven members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, while another two were captured in the process.
The Islamic State was also able to seize several points from the Syrian Democratic Forces after a series of intense battles in the Badiya Al-Sha’afah area.
Since its capture by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Badiya Al-Sha’afah area has been the scene of some of the most intense clashes inside Syria.
The Islamic State has used the rugged terrain around this area to carry out hit-and-run attacks against the SDF troops, causing a number of casualties in their ranks.
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Chief Executive of Jamiat Islami Ata Mohammad Noor reacted to the assassination of Kandahar Police Chief and prominent Afghan security official Gen. Abdul Raziq.
In a statement posted online, Noor claimed that Gen. Raziq’s assassination in a safe place and under strict security measures prove that he has been due to the conspiracies of his rivals and inner circles having links with the top government officials.
The Taliban militants group in Afghanistan claimed responsibility behind the attack in southern Kandahar province that left the prominent Afghan security official and Police Chief of Kandahar Gen. Abdul Raziq dead.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement claimed responsibility behind the attack and said the attack was carried out an infiltrator of the group Abu Dujana.
Mujahid went on to claim that the attack was carried out during a meeting in the provincial government compound and as a result a number of other senior officials have sustained injuries.
The NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in a statement confirmed the incident and said two Americans have sustained injuries but the RS and U.S. forces Commander Gen. Scott Miller has escaped the attack unhurt.
“At Kandahar palace today: Afghan-on-Afghan incident, as initial reports indicate. 2 Americans wounded. Gen. Miller uninjured, attacker reportedly dead,” the Resolute Support Mission said in a statement.
In the meantime, reports indicate that provincial intelligence chief Abdul Momin Hussain Khel has also been killed and provincial governor Zalmai Weesa and the commander of 404 Maiwand Zone Abdul Nabi Elham have sustained injuries.
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Top|| File under: Taliban
[Aljazeera] The top security leadership of Afghanistan's Kandahar has been assassinated in a brazen gun attack claimed by the Taliban, leaving a power vacuum in the crucial province ahead of Saturday's elections.
General Abdul Raziq, one of Afghanistan's most powerful security officials, was killed along with Kandahar's intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin, when a bodyguard opened fire after a meeting in the southern province, officials said.
Deputy provincial governor Agha Lala Dastageri said Kandahar Governor Zalmai Wesa also died of his wounds after being taken to a local hospital, although security officials in the capital maintained Wesa was wounded but survived.
Citing US military officials, TOLOnews reported that Wesa survived the attack after undergoing surgery, adding that he is in stable condition. General Scott Miller, the top US commander in Afghanistan who had been at the meeting with Raziq only moments earlier, was also uninjured in the attack.
In their claim of responsibility, the Taliban said they had targeted both Miller and Raziq, who had a fearsome reputation as a ruthless opponent of the armed group.
The killing of Raziq is a major blow to the Afghan government ahead of parliamentary elections on October 20, which the Taliban have vowed to disrupt. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Kabul, said two US official were also wounded in the attack.
"There was a meeting between the US top commander in Afghanistan Scot Miller and top government representatives in Kandahar. After that meeting, there was gunfire inside the governor’s compound.
"In that gunfire, the intelligence chief, and the top police commander were killed. Two Americans were injured," Ahelbarra reported. He should have never left Kandahar and Spin Boldak. If they can get Raziq, they can get anyone.
Security forces swarmed the city after the attack at the provincial governor’s office where the senior Afghan and foreign officials had gathered, witnesses told AFP.
The Taliban said General Abdul Raziq, the powerful police chief of Kandahar province with a fierce reputation for brutality, was the target of the shooting.
Raziq was killed and six of his bodyguards maimed, a provincial security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"The shooting happened as they were leaving the meeting," the official said, adding two members of Afghanistan’s spy agency also were maimed.
#2
Raziq was no certainly no choir boy. His father had been murdered by the Taliban in Kandahar Province so he had plenty skin in the game, or hatred for the Taliban as it were. He was particularly brutal during his tenure as the Afghan Border Patrol (ABP) Chief.
He had an excellent network of paid informants in the Provence. Getting detained by the ABP anywhere around Spin was a sure fire ticket to Khashoggiland.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] An old Christian Lebanese political group, the Lady of the Mountain Gathering, wanted to hold a meeting in the Bristol Hotel or Rotana Hotel in Beirut to discuss the Lebanese political situation in light of the severe crisis stemming from the difficulty in the formation of a new government following the elections.
They also wanted to discuss the poor economic conditions of the country and the prevailing corruption and various conflicts within the state administration. However, those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things... the management of both hotels refused to give permission for convening of the meeting.
Continued on Page 49
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[DAWN] An Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad on Thursday sent the owner and producer of a web channel on judicial remand to Adiala Jail in a case pertaining to running alleged anti-judiciary content on their channel.
Hans Masroor, the owner of a web channel Naya Pakistain, and the producer of the channel Ahsan Saleem were both tossed in the clink Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! by Islamabad police and presented before the court.
This decision was taken in reference to an FIR lodged against former senator Faisal Raza Abidi in the Secretariat cop shoppe, accusing him of using "highly insulting and inappropriate language" against the chief justice and the judiciary in an interview.
This FIR also accuses him of "undermining the honour of the chief justice [and] inciting the public".
The FIR, which was registered under Section 7 of the ATA and includes different sections of the Pakistain Penal Code, does not specify the programme it is referring to.
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[DAWN] The Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. High Court (PHC) on Thursday set aside the punishments awarded to 74 convicts by military courts in various cases of terrorism.
Accepting their appeals against the military courts' verdicts, a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Lal Jan Khattak overturned the death and life sentences that were handed to the convicts.
The court overturned their sentences after concluding that the charges against the accused had not been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Though a short order, the bench ordered that the convicts be released. Nearly 50 of them had been sentenced to death, while the rest were serving jail terms.
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan National Police (ANP) forces have thwarted a plot by the anti-government armed bully boyz to carry out rocket attack on Kabul city.
The Kabul Police Commandment in a statement said the ANP forces have discovered and defused two BM1 type rockets before the bully boyz manage to use them in an attack on city.
The statement further added that the rockets were discovered from Paghman district during an operation of the Afghan National Police forces.
According to Kabul Police Commandment, the rockets were prepared and ready to be launched on the city but the police forces managed to discover and defuse the rockets, thwarting bully boyz bid to target the city.
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[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) resumed their large-scale offensive in the al-Safa region of al-Sweida, today, after a 24 hour hiatus to fend off an Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS).
Led by their elite 4th Armored Division and 5th Corps, the Syrian Arab Army began their push up the steep cliffs of the al-Safa region this morning, striking several sites controlled by the Islamic State terrorists.
Not long after launching their large-scale assault, the Syrian Arab Army found themselves involved in a fierce battle with the Islamic State murderous Moslems at one of several rocky cliffs in the al-Safa region.
According to a military source in the placid provincial capital of Sweida, the Syrian Arab Army managed to advance up one of the highest peak in the al-Safa region, leaving them only a short distance from imposing fire control over much of the area.
The military source said that the Syrian Arab Army did suffer over ten casualties trying to make this advance; they would also inflict heavy losses in the Islamic State’s ranks.
The Syrian Arab Army is now working to secure several hilltops in the al-Safa region, as they look to eliminate the last remnants of the Islamic State in southern Syria.
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[DAWN] Desperate Rohingya families living in camps in Bangladesh are selling girls into forced labour to raise money, the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... ’ migration agency said on Wednesday.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said it had identified 99 cases of human trafficking since September last year. It cautioned that the actual number was likely to be far greater.
"The stories we commonly hear are of vulnerable people being approached by traffickers with false promises of work and a better life," IOM spokeswoman Dina Parmer said.
"Others may be aware it is dangerous, but feel their situation is so desperate that they are willing to take extreme measures, perhaps sacrificing one family member for the sake of the others," she said in a statement.
A Bangladeshi charity, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), has started a campaign to is raise awareness among refugees about the dangers of trafficking.
"More than 1,000 have been identified as victims of human trafficking," said Jishu Barua of the YPSA.
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Top|| File under: Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
[Al Ahram] Æthiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Thursday that soldiers who marched on his palace last week had "nefarious aims" and wanted to abort the government's reforms.
In an address to parliament, Abiy gave details for the first time of the incident that took place on Oct. 10 in which he met with several hundred soldiers. The government had initially said they marched on his office to demand pay rises.
"The approach taken (by the soldiers) was not only unconstitutional and dangerous, the intent was to abort reforms," Abiy said. "Five to 10 people with nefarious aims" had instructed the soldiers." He gave no further details.
"Had we not taken a cautious approach, it could have led to a dangerous situation."
The incident took place amid a spate of violence that has displaced over 2.2 million people posing a challenge for Abiy who took power in April and has instituted a series of reforms.
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Top|| File under:
#1
Well, it looked like you handled it okay, but you need to understand that a special Love must be made for your Military.
You really need to learn how nations develop and maintain stability.
[DAWN] A member of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ...Crown Prince of 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... as of 2016.... 's entourage during several trips abroad walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul just before writer Jamal Khashoggi vanished there, a surveillance photo leaked on Thursday shows, drawing the kingdom's heir-apparent closer to the columnist's alleged slaying.
The man, identified by Ottoman Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, has been photographed in the background of Prince Mohammed's trips to the US, La Belle France and Spain this year.
Ottoman Turkish officials say he flew into Istanbul on a private jet along with an "autopsy expert" October 2 and left that night. That was the same day Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Prince Mohammed's rise to power, entered the consulate and was not seen again.
Saudi Arabia, which initially called the allegations "baseless," has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The News Agency that Dare Not be Named over recent days, including on Thursday over Mutreb's identification. The AP could not immediately reach Mutreb for comment.
But Mutreb's appearance at the consulate, as well as later at the consul general's residence, adds to the growing pressure on Saudi Arabia amid international outrage over the disappearance of the writer, whom Ottoman Turkish officials say was killed and dismembered.
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Ever since Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went missing in Istanbul, the name Hatice Cengiz has dominated the scene and remained at the forefront of news headlines amid the mysterious aura of the past 13 days.
So who is this Ottoman Turkish woman that emerged from behind her Twitter account to claim that she is Khashoggi’s fiancée?
Hatice graduated from the Sharia college in the University of Istanbul in 2013 and got her MA in 2017 from the Faculty of Social Sciences ‐ History Department at Salahaddin University after finishing a field study about sects in Oman.
Continued on Page 49
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Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
I bet humma is jealous...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/19/2018 7:04
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#2
iHH has been on US radar for years. It was founded in Istanbul in 1995 and shortly after was active with Islamist elements in Bosnia. It was closed in 1998 after Turkish authorities found bombs on its premises. It was later reopened but has been under suspicion for years. Early information was supplied in the case USA vs. Abdurrahman Mu. Alamoudi, Court, E. District of Va., Criminal case No 03-A, 22 October 2003.
[Al Ahram] Egypt's Dar al-Ifta, the body responsible for issuing religious edicts, announced on Thursday the launch of the World Fatwa Index to regulate the issuance of Islamic religious edicts (fatwas).
The announcement was made by Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Allam during the fourth international conference by Egypt's General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, which was held in Egypt to discuss the modernisation of Islamic fatwas.
The index, which will be prepared by Egypt's Dar al-Ifta (the House of Fatwas) and then proposed to conference members, aims to regulate the issuance of fatwas and combat radical discourse.
It also offers regulations to guide those working in issuing Islamic legal advice.
The three-day conference, which was held under the title: The renewal in Fatwas - Theory and Practice, brought together Moslem scholars and senior holy mans from 73 countries.
Allam also announced the launch of a global charter of fatwas, which offers a comprehensive code of ethics and defines criteria for the issuance of fatwas. The charter, which will also offer content for reference by scholars in this regard, will be available in several languages.
The move is designed to "face chaos in the field of fatwas and Islamic discourse in general," Allam said.
Allam called on Wednesday for the modernising of Islamic fatwas and the correction of false religious concepts as key to eliminating Lion of Islam ideas.
At the closing ceremony, Allam introduced a list of recommendations produced by participating countries including: modernising fatwas to fight radical calls by Lion of Islams, using social networking tools to disseminate accurate fatwas, consulting with economic, political social and medical experts in producing well-founded fatwas, as well as urging scholars and students to study the modernisation of fatwas.
The conference also called for launching the first observatory to map the future course of ifta.
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[DAWN] Pakistain slipped by one position in the Global Competitiveness Index 2018 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday as compared to last year, ranking 107 out of 140 countries, with a score of 4.0.
With an overall ranking of 107 out of 140 countries, Pakistain was at 109 for institutions; 93 for infrastructure; 127 for ICT adoption; 103 for macroeconomic stability; 109 for health; 125 for skills; 122 for product market; 121 for labour market; 89 for financial system; 31 for market size; 56 for business dynamism; and 75 for innovation capacity. In 2017, Pakistain ranked 106 out of 135 countries.
GDP per capita stands at $1,541.1; 10-year average annual GDP growth at 3.6 per cent; five-year average FDI inward flow as percentage of GDP at 0.7 per cent.
In the area of the freedom of press, the country’s score was worst with ranking of 112. The judicial independence which is considered 1‐7 as the best, Pakistain ranked 70, while in budget transparency the score was 77.
In respect of terrorism incidence, Pakistain was further close towards the bottom. In the area of train efficiency, where the best index is 1-7, Pakistain was placed at 52, whereas in airport connectivity, the country was placed at 41.
The United States tops the 2018 rankings, confirming its status of most competitive economy in the world, according to the WEF. Overall, the United States scored an average of 85.6 points when the nearly 100 indicators were measured on a scale of 0 to 100.
That is still a far cry from what WEF considers the optimal conditions for a competitive economy, but well above the global average of 60 points. WEF hailed the US for its business dynamism and vibrant entrepreneurial culture, its flexible labour markets, the depth, breadth and relative stability of its financial system and its market size.
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[DAWN] Hindu hardliners blocked intersections, threatened drivers and ordered a 12-hour strike on Thursday as they stepped up their campaign to bar women from one of India's holiest temples.
The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in the southern state of Kerala was meant to allow women from Wednesday following an order last month by India's highest court.
But hundreds of traditionalists, throwing stones at baton-wielding police, defied the order ‐ surrounding and shouting at any woman attempting to make it to the hilltop site.
Angry young men also surrounded and smashed the car windows of female television news hounds and threatened others, including an AFP news hound. Another female correspondent was kicked.
Overnight local Hindu groups declared a 12-hour shutdown of local businesses, telling drivers that their vehicles would be attacked if they took anyone towards the temple.
"Some men came to the parking lot early Thursday and warned taxi drivers against defying the shutdown call," taxi driver Praveen, in the town of Pathanamthitta, told AFP.
"They warned drivers at several nearby parking lots and hotels. Anyone who defies it will be risking damage to his vehicle," he added in an account corroborated by other drivers.
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Top|| File under:
#2
Amritsar. Ramlila. High drama,
All wonder and fireworks... and trauma.
A ravenous demon,
Its eyes unseen, gleamin',
Brings thunder and darkness. Hey Rama!
#3
I hold no brief for Hinduism, but under what authority exactly does their Supreme Court get to overrule the gods?
Posted by: james ||
10/19/2018 19:44
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Top||
#4
Said the Lord, of these jurists' resistance
To the fists of His Hindoo assistants,
"Your taking up space
Makes a heckuva case
In my mind, so I find for existence!"
[ALMASDARNEWS] Agreements on the demilitarized zone in Idlib have not been implemented by The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire.... as of yet, but Russia is grateful to its Ottoman Turkish partners for the work they are doing, Russian President Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... told a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday.
"No, they haven’t implemented [them] as of yet, but they are working on this," Putin said when asked whether Turkey had met its part of engagements. "We see that they are working. Things are not that easy, on the contrary, everything is difficult," the president said.
"But they are carrying out their obligations, and this demilitarized zone, which we agreed to set up, the 15 to 20-kilometer deep Idlib de-escalation zone, is being created," the president added.
Not all bully boyz have been withdrawn, the Russian leader said.
"The Ottoman Turkish partners are doing everything to comply with their commitments," Putin said, adding that the Ottoman Turkish partners had even deployed a military hospital to that region. He characterized Turkey as a "rather tough and rather efficient" party in fight against terrorism.
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[Al Jazeera] 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... and Kuwait will struggle to resume oil production from jointly operated fields any time soon due to operational differences and souring political ties between the previously close Gulf OPEC allies, sources familiar with the matter said.
The two countries halted output from the jointly run oilfields - Khafji and Wafra - in the so-called Neutral Zone more than three years ago, cutting some 500,000 barrels per day or 0.5 percent of global oil supply.
As oil prices rose to a four-year high above $85 per barrel this year, Washington has been pressing its top Gulf ally Riyadh to reduce crude prices by increasing production.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ...Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia as of 2016.... visited Kuwait last month to discuss a resumption of oil output from the zone.
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Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
[DAWN] US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert is said to be one of the candidates US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... is considering to replace his outgoing ambassador to the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... , Nikki Haley ...Trump administration's ambassador to the UN. First woman to serve as Governor of South Carolina, and the second Indian-American governor in the country, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. At the age of 39, Haley was the youngest governor in the U.S., a distinction formerly held by Jindal. She is a Republican, which really grates on the Dems... , Politico a daily news magazine reported on Wednesday.
Ambassador Haley made her mark on television by her strong support to the Trump administration and Israel.
The White House is looking for someone telegenic to replace her, according to the Politico news report.
Nauert, former Fox News host, is currently serving at the State Department’s spokesperson and acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. She is said to have grown closer to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo which makes her a front runner for the post.
"White House aides view her as a capable advocate for the Trump administration’s foreign policy. She is also a leading candidate to replace White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders when she leaves the White House," the report said.
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#1
The White House is looking for someone telegenic to replace her, according to the Politico news report.
I understand the Boob:Brain ratio.
Why aren't they looking for someone intelligent like Ambassador Haley?
Mr. Trump has long preferred to be surrounded by employees who are physically attractive as well as capable. I doubt, however, that telegenic takes primacy for him over capable.
That’s exactly the kind of thing critics do, and sometimes they’re right.
[DAWN] South Korean progressives on Thursday accused the government of caving into xenophobic sentiment by rejecting a plea for refugee status by hundreds of asylum seekers from war-ravaged Yemen, whose arrival on a resort island earlier this year fired up the rubes.
Justice Party front man Choi Seok said South Korea was neglecting its responsibility as a member 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... and letting public sentiment influence critical decisions on human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... "The Yemeni refugees have risked every danger to come to our country, just so that they could survive," Choi said.
"It's no different from the people of our own country half a century ago when they wandered around foreign countries as refugees through war and division. We should no longer ignore the voices of people who seek to live."
South Korea's Justice Ministry on Wednesday said it would not grant refugee status to nearly 400 Yemenis, saying instead it would issue one-year humanitarian stays to 339 of them.
The ministry rejected stay permits for 34 asylum seekers but said they could appeal, and postponed decisions for another 85 applicants, citing the need for further interviews.
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#1
Fine. Progressives can host the families. When they get tired of goats running around the back yard, maybe they'll learn.
#5
As I recall, the 400 or so Yemenis were quite 'well-to-do' and were really looking for a US satellite to serve as a visa gateway rather than as a refuge.
[DAWN] The Supreme Court on Thursday disqualified a member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, belonging to Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz, after finding him guilty of possessing a bogus degree.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar heard the case pertaining to the fake degree of PML-N’s Ziaur Rehman.
During the course of proceedings, Justice Nisar asked Rehman about his qualification, to which the PML-N leader said that he had studied Hadith and Fiqah from a seminary.
Upon this the chief justice asked Rehman to recite any five Hadith in Arabic, however, the PML-N leader could not recite a single Hadith.
"How can you complete matric and a religious course from seminary in the same year?" questioned Justice Nisar.
"Moreover, the head of the seminary has informed the apex court that you never completed any course from there," the chief justice told Rehman
Subsequently, the bench observed that the degree of Rehman was fake and he was not liable to remain a member of the provincial assembly.
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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.
[People] A 28-year-old middle school teacher in Georgia was found dead earlier this week amid an investigation into his allegedly "inappropriate" relationship with one of his students, PEOPLE confirms.
[Hot Air] Donald Trump couldn’t have asked for better timing for a #MAGA victory lap. With his schedule full of midterm-campaign rallies, the president has extolled his record on the economy as a reason for voters to back Republicans and stay the course. The World Economic Forum agrees, vaulting the US to its top spot among competitive economies for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession.
[Patheos] Officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and forcibly placed her on a plane to New Delhi, India. Sources within the organization state the senator’s recent blood test proved she is part Indian. That was all President Trump needed to sign the executive order shipping Senator Warren back to her people.
[RT] That a free press underpins British democracy is an enduring myth that has been allowed to go unchallenged, up there with unicorns and the Loch Ness Monster.
...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. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
RIACE (ITALY) (AFP) via France 24 - The artisan shops in Riace's historic centre are shuttered and its alleyways quiet as locals wait to see what will happen to Italy's world-renowned model of migrant integration.
...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank...
[National Review] The Justice Department has launched an investigation into child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania, according to reports Thursday.
[FOX] U.S. and Mexican officials have agreed on a plan to handle the approaching migrant caravan making their way up from Central America, a senior administration official told Fox News on Thursday.
Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
[Breitbart] Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said Tuesday that the "blue wave" is comprised of "undocumented" immigrants, among many others.
[Aljazeera] The top security leadership of Afghanistan's Kandahar has been assassinated in a brazen gun attack claimed by the Taliban, leaving a power vacuum in the crucial province ahead of Saturday's elections. 
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
Crown Prince of 
[DAWN] Hindu hardliners blocked intersections, threatened drivers and ordered a 12-hour strike on Thursday as they stepped up their campaign to bar women from one of India's holiest temples.
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
...Trump administration's ambassador to the UN. First woman to serve as Governor of South Carolina, and the second Indian-American governor in the country, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. At the age of 39, Haley was the youngest governor in the U.S., a distinction formerly held by Jindal. She is a Republican, which really grates on the Dems...
