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Showing posts from October 6, 2013

Car bomb blasts Swedish, Finnish Consulates in Benghazi

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TRIPOLI, Libya –   A car bomb exploded outside a building housing the Swedish and Finnish consulates in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Friday, badly damaging it but causing no casualties, Libyan and Swedish officials said. The blast reflected the deep insecurity in the North African nation, where multiple armed militias run rampant -- many of them dominated by Islamic militants -- and the central government is too weak to rein them in. The violence is particularly sharp in Benghazi, the country's second largest city, which has seen frequent killings of Libyan security officials and a string of attacks on diplomatic facilities, most notably the Sept. 11, 2012 storming of a U.S. diplomatic post that killed the ambassador and three other Americans. The attack comes in the wake of a U.S. special forces raid last weekend that snatched an al Qaeda suspect from the streets of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, spiriting him off to custody in a U.S. warship. Many militiamen and Islamic m

Iraq Carries Out 42 Executions In Single Week

Agence France Presse Oct 10, 2013 Iraq has executed 42 "terrorism" convicts over the past week, the justice minister said Thursday, defying condemnation of its extensive use of the death penalty as violence intensifies. "In the course of the past week, the ministry has carried out the death sentences handed down against 42 people, one of them a woman, who were all convicted of terrorism offences, in accordance with Article 4 of the anti-terrorism law," Hassan al-Shammari said. Iraq executed 23 people during two days in September, most of them convicted on terrorism charges, the ministry said on October 1. Executions in Iraq, which are usually carried out by hanging, have drawn widespread condemnation from the European Union, the United Nations and human rights watchdogs. Source  http://huffpost.com/us/entry/4076400

Iraq and Kurdistan: Double standards

“Keep safe!”  the presenter of the Dutch radio program I visited in Amsterdam said to me as a farewell. We had been speaking live on radio about the bomb attack in Erbil, and the influx of thousands of refugees. I had tried to make clear that Erbil, even though it was attacked on September 29, is a haven of peace compared to the rest of Iraq. His well-meant wish spoiled it all. It is hard to convince the world that Kurdistan differs from Iraq. This starts at the Turkish Airlines check-in counter at Amsterdam airport , where the clerk asks passengers if they have visas for Iraqi Kurdistan. Somehow, the airline has failed to inform staff that European and American passengers to Erbil and Sulaimani receive entry on arrival and are in no need of an Iraqi visa. Even my journalist colleagues do not make the differentiation.  They were not interested in a story about the Erbil attack, considering that bombs explode daily in Iraq. I wanted to scream that Iraqi Kurdistan is the safe part, and b

Suicide bomb in Afghanistan as Kerry visits

At least three people have been killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan, the day after US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived there for crucial talks. A car blew up outside a police station in Jalalabad. Two Afghan policemen and a civilian died. Several people were injured. Most foreign forces are due to withdraw from the war-shattered country by the end of next year but Washington wants to maintain a military presence. Kerry and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have narrowed some of their differences in discussing a security deal. One obstacle has been the US refusal to guarantee protection for Afghanistan if attacked, amid fears this could lead to calls for offensive action against another ally, neighbouring Pakistan. Source http://www.euronews.com/2013/10/12/suicide-bomb-in-afghanistan-as-kerry-visits/

Judge, Businessman Found Killed In Chechnya

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A judge and a businessman from Chechnya have been found murdered in the neighboring Russian Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. Officials from the republic's Interior Ministry say the bodies of businessman Isa Atayev, 47, and Chechen Arbitrary Court Judge Adam Agakhadzhiev, 41, were found in a ditch along the Vladikavkaz-Pyatigorsk highway early on October 9. The bodies showed evidence of gunshot wounds. The two had gone missing the previous day. The North Caucasus is Russia's most violence-plagued region. Attacks against officials, law-enforcement officers, and judges are often linked to organized crime or the Islamist insurgency. After two unsuccessful separatist wars in Chechnya in the mid-1990s and early 2000s, the Islamist militancy spilled over into other North Caucasus republics, such as Kabardino-Balkaria, Daghestan, and Ingushetia. Based on reporting by RIA Novosti and Interfax Source  http://www.rferl.mobi/a/25132504.html

Passion of Pakistani Sufis infuriates Taliban

The Times of India SEHWAN SHARIF, Pakistan: Yielding to the hypnotic beat of drums and the intoxicating scent of incense, the woman danced herself into a state of trance, laughing and shaking uncontrollably alongside hundreds of others at Pakistan's most revered Sufi shrine.  Swathed in red, the Sufi colour of passion, she shouted invocations to the shrine's patron saint in an ecstatic ritual repeated daily in the dusty town of Sehwan Sharif on the banks of the river Indus.  With its hypnotic rituals, ancient mysticism and a touch of intoxicated madness, Sufism is a non-violent form of Islam which has been practised in Pakistan for centuries - a powerful antidote to extremism in places such as the province of Sindh. It is scenes like this, where men and women dance together in a fervent celebration of their faith, that make Sufis an increasingly obvious target in the conservative Muslim country where sectarian violence is on the rise.  At a crossroads of historic trade routes,

Israeli killed in West Bank attack

The Times of India JERUSALEM: Palestinians wielding axes and iron bars killed an Israeli man outside his home in the West Bank, Israeli police said on Friday, the latest in a series of attacks on Israelis in the area.  Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the man was "brutally attacked with iron bars and axes" at about 2am after he went outside to investigate suspicious noises. "We strongly believe this was a terror attack," Rosenfeld said.  His partner witnessed the assault from a window and she escaped from a back door of the house, Rosenfeld said.  The Israeli news website Ynet said the woman was lightly injured when she tripped on barbed wire while running away and later underwent surgery. According to the reports, the slain man was a reservist, a colonel in his fifties.  The woman, identified as Monique Mor by Channel 10 TV, later spoke to the station from a hospital bed.  "Everybody knew him, he was a military man for many years," she said. The man,

Somalia Raid Was a Bad Idea, Even if the Target Was a Brutal Terrorist Group

Shortly after the terrorist attack on a Kenyan mall (and one day after the 20 th   anniversary of the infamous Black Hawk Down incident in Mogadishu, Somalia) ,   U.S. Navy SEALs   raided   a seaside town in Somalia ,   r e p o r t e d l y   a i m i n g   that reportedly aimed  . Their reported aim was  to capture or kill Abdukadir Mohamed Abdulkadir, also known as Ikrima , a Kenyan national who has allegedly been involved in plotting terror attacks against Kenyan targets such as the parliament and the U.N. headquarters complex   in Nairobi. He is also considered to be a member of al-Shabaab, the group that carried out the recent   mall  attack in Kenya, as well as   al  Al- Qaeda. The raid took place last weekend, as did a similar raid (this time  comprised of the Army’s Delta Force) in Libya targeting Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, alias Anas al-Libi. U.S. courts indicted al-Libi in 2000 for his alleged involvement in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The Li

House of ADC Ukl Chairman bombed

Source:   Hueiyen News Service Imphal, October 11, 2013: Unidentified armed miscreants exploded a bomb inside the residential building of Chairman of ADC Ukhrul John Raleng located at Shangakpham at around 3.30 pm today. However, no one was injured in the attack. Meanwhile, Tangkhul Katamnao Long, Imphal (TKLI) has strongly condemned the attack and life attempt on Chairman ADC Ukhrul by unidentified miscreants who exploded a bomb inside the residential building of the Chairman. In a statement, Vice President of TKLI Thotchan R.Shimray appealed to the perpetrators to openly come out and clarify on their grievous crime and amend themselves so that peaceful co-existence and all embracing atmosphere prevails in this disturbed land. * This news is as published by respected news daily at Imphal, whose name is duly marked as 'Source'. E-Pao.net is not responsible for it's sanctity & originality. * Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site

My Conversation With Hamas - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

From June 2006 until October 2011, Ghazi Hamad, deputy foreign minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, and I, Gershon Baskin, founder of IPCRI, the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information   conducted a secret back-channel   negotiation for the prisoner exchange deal that released Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. After successfully bridging what were thought to be unbridgeable gaps, we continued to talk to find a way of bringing about a long-term ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Our last conversation was over the phone on Oct. 2. About This Article Summary : Gershon Baskin, founder of the Israeli Palestinian Center for Research and Information, recounts his conversation with Ghazi Hamad, Hamas' deputy foreign minister. Author:   Gershon Baskin Posted on:   October 11 2013 We have conducted hundreds of hours of discussions over these years. I am often asked, “ Is there anyone to talk to in Hamas ?” Hamad is thought to be one of the most

Pak Taliban bans bookshops from selling `I am Malala`

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has reportedly warned that those who are found selling the book titled `I am Malala`, authored by Malala Yousufzai, who was shot by the Taliban, will face serious consequences. The TTP said that Malala had not performed any act of bravery but swapped her religion Islam with secularism for which she is being rewarded. A spokesman for the group, Shahidullah Shahid said that they knew that Malala would get awards from the enemies of Islam. Shahid warned that media and international community should keep in mind that students of Jamia Hafsa, Islamabad, were never given any award despite their immense bravery, Dawn News reports. He further said that the Taliban will not lose an opportunity to kill Malala and those who were found selling her book will be targeted, the report added.  Earlier, Malala Yousafzai said that she wanted to become the Prime Minister, following in the footsteps of her role model late Benazir Bhutto, and aspired to use that position

MILF hopes to sign power-sharing annex after talks extension

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia —   The Moro Islamic Liberation Front hopes to reach an agreement with the Philippine government peace panel on at least one of the last two remaining annexes of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB). In an exclusive interview with GMA News, MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said: “That is our hope. That is why we’re still talking with the other side because our hope is that, if possible, we would be able to bring home at least one of the annexes, but we are still struggling.” The 41st round of talks for Mindanao peace was supposed to end on Friday, but was extended until Saturday in anticipation of the signing of at least the power-sharing annex of the FAB. Iqbal added that the power-sharing annex, along with the annex on wealth sharing were the heart and soul of the peace agreement. “When there is resources, there is power, and that government which is the Bangsamoro government will be strong enough to address the problem in Mindanao,” Iqbal

Report: Congo rebels profiting from illicit gold

M23 fighters in eastern Congo are bankrolling their rebellion by smuggling illicit gold that is entering jewelry stores and banks worldwide, according to a report published Thursday. The Washington-based anti-genocide advocacy group Enough Project identifies three main gold exporters it believes are helping the M23 rebels and their allies to sell gold from eastern Congo, from which an estimated $500 million worth is traded annually. The group says the individuals who are indirectly purchasing smuggled gold in Uganda and Burundi without exercising due diligence should be added to the list of those facing U.N. sanctions. "That's not to say that somebody else couldn't try to take it over but gold smuggling is a highly illicit business where people find it very difficult to trust one another," said Sasha Lezhnev, senior policy analyst for the Enough Project. "So building up those trust relationships again would take quite a long time." The report highlighting M2