Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Libya's new Congress votes to approve Zeidan Government; six members referred to Integrity Commission | Libya Herald
Congress has voted to approve the government of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.
Tripoli, 31 October:
The National Congress has voted overwhelmingly to approve the government of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.
The vote took place this evening, Wednesday, with 105 members voting in favour, nine voting against and 18 abstaining. The turnout was relatively low, with just 132 members in attendance in total.
It was initially planned that the vote would take place on Monday, but it was postponed on account of dozens of members being away on Haj, elsewhere abroad and elsewhere in Libya. It is understood that many of these members have still not returned. (CONTINUED)
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Congress votes to approve Zeidan Government; six members referred to Integrity Commission | Libya Herald
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Must-Watch Vid: Still Thinking About Voting for Obama? - YouTube
I don't endorse everything in this video, more like 85% of it, close enough to post it.
Must-Watch Vid: Still Thinking About Voting for Obama? - YouTube
Must-Watch Vid: Still Thinking About Voting for Obama? - YouTube
Monday, October 29, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Democracy in Development » Female Leaders in North Africa
Female Leaders in North Africa
by Isobel Coleman
October 26, 2012
October 26, 2012
Moroccans attend a women's rights rally while holding placards reading "Stop abusing girls" in Rabat on February 20, 2012 (Youssef Boudlal/Courtesy Reuters). This morning, I had the opportunity to host at the Council on Foreign Relations (audio available) two civil society leaders who are working to ensure that women’s rights have a central place in the new Middle East: Marianne Ibrahim from Egypt and Souad Slaoui from Morocco. They discussed initiatives in their home countries to empower women and girls, improve interfaith dialogues, and encourage positive policy changes to support human rights and international development. (CONTINUED)
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Democracy in Development » Female Leaders in North Africa
CAN'T HANDLE IT: Egypt’s Shiites enraged by belly dancer who raves to song praising prophet’s daughter
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Shiites denounced Dina’s (R) raving to a song that praises the Prophet’s daughter Fatima. (Al Arabiya)
By Al Arabiya
A belly dancer stirred a wave of anger among Shiites in Egypt as she appeared in an Egyptian movie raving to a song praising Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad and the wife of Imam Ali, highly venerated in Shiite Islam, who called for banning the movie to screen in theaters.
Baha Anwar Mohammed, spokesman of Egyptian Shiites, has condemned belly dancer Dina for her performance in the film “Abdo Mouta” to be offensive and highly disrespectful to the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt), the family of Prophet Muhammad, particularly important to Shia Muslims.
Baha was quoted by Egypt’s al-Sabah newspaper as saying that the country’s Shiites will file a complaint to the general prosecutor against the film demanding to ban it from screening as it insults prominent Islamic figures.
Shiites believe Imam Ali and the rest of Ahl al-Bayt as prophet’s successors. Baha called on Egypt’s Al-Azhar Islamic School and its Grand Mufti to condemn “such abuse” to the prophet’s family.
Dina, the belly dancer, denied her performance in the movie was meant to offend Islamic prominent figures.
Although the song “Virtuous Mother of Hasan and Husain” praises Fatima, the fact that a belly dancer dances to it was seen as highly inappropriate. (continued)
By Al Arabiya
A belly dancer stirred a wave of anger among Shiites in Egypt as she appeared in an Egyptian movie raving to a song praising Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad and the wife of Imam Ali, highly venerated in Shiite Islam, who called for banning the movie to screen in theaters.
Baha Anwar Mohammed, spokesman of Egyptian Shiites, has condemned belly dancer Dina for her performance in the film “Abdo Mouta” to be offensive and highly disrespectful to the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt), the family of Prophet Muhammad, particularly important to Shia Muslims.
Baha was quoted by Egypt’s al-Sabah newspaper as saying that the country’s Shiites will file a complaint to the general prosecutor against the film demanding to ban it from screening as it insults prominent Islamic figures.
Shiites believe Imam Ali and the rest of Ahl al-Bayt as prophet’s successors. Baha called on Egypt’s Al-Azhar Islamic School and its Grand Mufti to condemn “such abuse” to the prophet’s family.
Dina, the belly dancer, denied her performance in the movie was meant to offend Islamic prominent figures.
Although the song “Virtuous Mother of Hasan and Husain” praises Fatima, the fact that a belly dancer dances to it was seen as highly inappropriate. (continued)
Syria rebels use ‘PlayStation controllers’ to fire mortar rounds: report
Rebels prepare a homemade mortar-launcher in Aleppo, which is fired using a PlayStation controller. (AFP)
Amongst the homemade weapons are various explosives, a hand-grenade and a portable rocket-launcher, in addition to a PlayStation controller used to fire mortar rounds.
Abu al-Fadhel, a former scientific researcher, along with other technicians are capable of producing hundreds of weapons daily.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Syria rebels use ‘PlayStation controllers’ to fire mortar rounds: report
Saturday, October 27, 2012
OBAMA THE NOT COMMANDER:'Stand Down': U.S. Had Two Drones, AC-130 Gunship, and Targets Painted in Benghazi
by AWR Hawkins
27 Oct 2012, 12:02 PM PDT
Reports indicate two drones and an AC-130 gunship were in the area when Benghazi was attacked, yet their resources were not used.
This runs completely against the current explanation coming out of the White House, which is that Obama did everything he could once he learned of the attack.You'll remember that in the second presidential debate, Obama said that as "soon as I was aware the Benghazi consulate was being overrun, I was on the phone with my national security team." The not-so-subtle intimation is that Obama was stepping up to the protect the U.S. personnel who were in Libya. And in the wakes of their deaths, which weren't "optimal," we have been assured that stronger action wasn't taken stronger because those options weren't available.
Sec. of State Leon Panetta gave us another version this same excuse, saying: "The U.S. military did not get involved during the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi last month because officials did not have enough information about what was going on before the attack was over."
There are three huge problems with the excuses Obama and Panetta are making.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: 'Stand Down': U.S. Had Two Drones, AC-130 Gunship, and Targets Painted in Benghazi
Friday, October 26, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Syria: Despite Denials, More Cluster Bomb Attacks | Human Rights Watch
Compelling New Evidence of Use
- Remnants of AO-1SCh antipersonnel fragmentation bomblets recovered after an October 16 cluster munition strike at Eastern Buwayda. Markings on these indicate that the bomblets are from batch number 47 produced in 1974 at the Soviet munitions factory corresponding to the marking code of 55.© 2012 Private
- © 2012 Human Rights Watch; Incident Data: Human Rights Watch; Reference data: NASA, USGS, ESRI, Google, OSM
Following an October 14, 2012 report by Human Rights Watch on Syria’s use of cluster bombs, Syria’s army issued a statement denying it was using cluster bombs and saying it did not possess such weapons. Since then, Human Rights Watch has gathered new evidence of ongoing cluster bomb attacks by Syria’s air force and has confirmed them through interviews with victims, other residents and activists who filmed the cluster munitions, as well as analysis of 64 videos and also photos showing weapon remnants of 10 new cluster bomb strikes in or near the towns of Salkeen and Kfar Takharim in the Northern governorate of Idlib; Eastern al-Buwayda, Talbiseh, Rastan, and Qusayr in Homs governorate; al-Bab in Aleppo governorate; al-Duwair and al-Salheya in Deir al-Zor governorate; and Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Syria: Despite Denials, More Cluster Bomb Attacks | Human Rights Watch
With Friends Like These
When Barack Obama first ascended to the presidency, his American supporters exulted: now that the hated Dubya Bush was out of the picture, the world would finally “like” us again! It’s as if they were all in junior high school and considered the United States a Facebook page, and nothing was more important than having the whole world click our “like” button. Now that the end of Obama’s tenure approaches, it is abundantly clear exactly which world leaders “like” him and why they want him to have a second term.
After four years of apologizing for American arrogance, alternately either bowing to or embracing Islamic fundamentalists, insulting our oldest and closest allies like England and Israel, and driving other allies out of power altogether, Obama has indeed won over a certain sector of the world – the sector comprised of the most America-hating dictators on the planet. And they “like” Obama because he has diminished, if not crippled, American economic and military might, and because his goal conforms with theirs – to move us into a post-American world in which we are no longer the lead actor on the world stage. In short, he has alienated our allies and embraced our enemies.
Case in point: Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, who at the end of September publicly announced his support for our Saboteur-in-Chief’s reelection bid. “If I were American, I’d vote for Obama,” Chavez said in a television interview. Of course he would – Chavez is a power-mad socialist. He’s certainly not going to get behind capitalist Romney and his Ayn Rand-inspired running mate Paul Ryan. The America-bashing, Hezbollah-supporting thug also pronounced Obama to be “a good guy” and speculated correctly that if Obama were Venezuelan, “I think… he’d vote for Chavez.”
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: With Friends Like These
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Assad’s regime main suspect in Lebanon’s high-profile assassination
Saturday, 20 October 2012
According to analysts, the murder of General Wissam al-Hassan in a car bombing on Friday showed that even in its weakened state, Syria could still take action on the ground in Lebanon. (Reuters)
They said the murder of General Wissam al-Hassan in a Beirut car bombing on Friday appeared to show that even in its weakened state Lebanon’s neighbor and former occupier Syria could still take action on the ground.
“Hassan was targeted daily by pro-Syrian newspapers in Lebanon and Damascus accused him of aiding rebels hostile to (President) Bashar al-Assad,” said Ghassan al-Azzi, a politics professor at Beirut’s Lebanese University.
Assad’s regime main suspect in Lebanon’s high-profile assassination
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Crowley Saves Obama with False Fact-Check
Crowley's False Fact Check Saves President, Derails Debate
We're done with the second presidential debate, but it was apparent 45 minutes in that between the questions Crowley chose and her handling of who was allowed to speak and when, that this debate was a total and complete set up to rehabilitate Barack Obama. If these are truly undecided voters, they're apparently undecided between Obama and Green Party. Moreover, as I write this, Obama's already enjoyed four more minutes of speaking time than Romney. In a ninety-minute debate, that's a big deal.
The lowest and most dishonest part Crowley's disgraceful "moderation" was when she actually jumped into the debate to take Obama's side when the issue of Benghazi came up. To cover for his and his administration lying for almost two weeks about the attack coming as the result of a spontaneous protest over a YouTube video, Obama attempted to use as cover, he claimed he had called the attack a "terrorist attack" on that very first day during his Rose Garden statement.
Romney correctly disputed that.
Crowley, quite incorrectly, took Obama's side and the crowd exploded.
Here's what Obama said that day:
No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.
Context matters and the context here is that Obama connected this "act of terror" to … a mob action over a YouTube video -- not a deliberate terrorist attack. Obama was using the term generically and it would be almost two weeks before he used it again.
Let's not forget that Susan Rice said declaratively on the five Sunday shows four days later that it was NOT an act of terror.
And during those two weeks the Obama administration lied like a rug. For Crowley to step in and attempt to correct Romney on a statement that is at best arguable, was completely out of line. FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Crowley Saves Obama with False Fact-Check
Monday, October 15, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
MORE CONFIRMATION OF HEZBOLLAH FIGHTERS IN SYRIA: Over a thousand Hezbollah agents operating in Syria
Over a thousand Hezbollah agents operating in Syria
Sunday, 07 October 2012
Lebanon's Islamist group, Hezbollah, is allegedly supporting the Assad regime. (Reuters)
Hezbollah is long believed to be providing ground support for there gime of incumbent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in its bid to quash the national uprising that began in March of 2011.
Sources close to the Lebanese- Shiite Hezbollah and members of Syria’s rebel alliance - the Free Syria Army - as well as Western diplomats, have stated Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian crisis.
This is a claim Hezbollah has repeatedly denied.
Despite the attempt to distance themselves from such allegations, a senior Hezbollah commander was buried in the east Lebanese Beqaa valley this week, Syrian rebels claim he was killed in their country, The Times reported.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Over a thousand Hezbollah agents operating in Syria
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Hezbollah ‘mercenaries’ helped a fearful Assad early in revolt: Leaks
Hezbollah ‘mercenaries’ helped a fearful Assad early in revolt: Leaks
Friday, 05 October 2012
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
Classified files obtained by Al Arabiya confirm Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian bloody crackdown. (Al Arabiya)
Hezbollah, the Lebanese guerrilla movement and one of the strongest allies of the Baathist regime in Damascus, has consistently denied any role in the Syrian unrest. Classified files obtained by Al Arabiya confirm Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian bloody crackdown. (Al Arabiya)
The group even dismissed a video aired on Al Arabiya in August showing a man named Hassan Salim al-Meqdad believed to be one of its commanders under arrest by Syrian opposition fighters.
A document stating the arrival of 250 Hezbollah members in Aleppo, Syria on May, 23, 2011. (Al Arabiya)
A document that was sent on May 23, 2011 from Col. Saqr Mannoun, head of Branch 291 of the Air Force Intelligence to President Bashar al-Assad stated, “The first batch of support personnel from Hezbollah, numbered 250, were received and housed in Ramsis hotel in Baroun Street in the province of Aleppo; waiting for my sir’s orders.”
Aleppo was clam and heavily secured under Assad’s iron grips in the early months of the uprising, and it made sense for the regime to receive foreign backers there.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Hezbollah ‘mercenaries’ helped a fearful Assad early in revolt: Leaks
Friday, October 5, 2012
MIDEAST - Fear quiets 2 cities on Turkey-Syria border
Fear quiets 2 cities on Turkey-Syria border
AKÇAKALE / TEL ABYAD
Residents of Turkey’s Akçakale and Syria’s Tel Abyad wait in fear and silence after a killer shelling in the former and Ankara’s response to it
Hüseyin Hayatsever huseyin.hayatsever@hdn.com.tr Turkish border town Akçakale, where a mortar from Syria hit a house and killed five civilians on Oct. 3, is now calm and quiet and residents expect to return to their daily routine soon, although they fear a possible increase in conflicts around their town.
The conflict between Syrian rebels and Syrian government forces intensified near the Turkish border after rebels captured the border gate last month.
Nevertheless, when a mortar shell from Syria killed five people, residents here in Akçakale expressed their fury at the Turkish government authorities. A group of people held a march to protest just hours after the incident on Oct. 3, but they were dispersed with pepper spray. On Oct. 4, people also protested high ranking officials including Labor Minister Faruk Çelik at the funeral ceremony of the victims.
When strolling around, life seems to be flowing normally in the center of Akçakale, which is a couple of hundreds of meters away from the Syrian border. When asked how they consider the situation, some residents blame the al-Assad administration for the shelling and express their support for Turkey’s retaliation.
A 36 year-old Akçakale resident, who called the Syrian rebels his “brothers,” told the Hürriyet Daily News: “Enough is enough. Al-Assad has killed civilians not only in Syria but also in Turkey with the latest incident. Turkey is doing what has to be done. He [al-Assad] calls them [rebels] terrorists, but what have they done to be called this? All they do is to say ‘La ilahe illallah’ [Allah is the only god].”
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: MIDEAST - Fear quiets 2 cities on Turkey-Syria border
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Turkey Strikes Syria After Syrian Mortars Kill 5 Civilians in Turkish Town
October 03, 2012
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said Turkish forces responded "immediately" by using radar to shell the sources of the Syrian mortar fire.
Erdogan said Ankara acted within international law and will never fail to retaliate for what he called Syrian provocations against Turkey's national security.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE:Turkey Strikes Syria After Syrian Mortars Kill 5 Civilians in Turkish Town
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
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