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Showing posts from November 26, 2017

Lebanon — a tale of two occupations

One thing that seems beyond doubt is that the days of double talk are over. It is no longer possible to get away with fake slogans amid dangerous realities in more than one area of the Arab world. As such, wise observers have become aware of what is going on and will not be fooled easily. Post-1920 political entities, post-1979 political Islam (Sunni and Shiite), the relationship between state and non-state militias and armed groups, and various types of liberation and revolutionary slogans are now all under scrutiny. A few days ago, my colleague and friend Amir Taheri uncovered an important side of the problems afflicting the region, almost all of which revolve around the Iranian role throughout the Arab world. I was around in 1982 when what became Hezbollah was created in the political “kitchen” of the Iranian Embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus. The Iranian ambassador then was Ali Akbar Mohtashami, who later became interior minister. Damascus later became Hezbollah’s regi

Net activists launch digital cybersecurity advent calendar

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'Tis the season to be careful. From now until Christmas, Germans can get daily lessons on how to protect themselves online by opening the doors of a virtual advent calendar provided by anti-surveillance advocates. Normally advent calendars are about opening up. But while the virtual calendar published by the German anti-online surveillance group  Digitalcourage  invites users to peep behind doors, what they find there are tips about how to shield themselves from the prying eyes of governments and companies. The calendar was launched on December 1 with a list of alternative search engines to Google, Yahoo or Bing that don't collect user data. These include MetaGer, ixquick and Qwant. ourage e.V. @digitalcourage Das heißt nicht „googeln“, das heißt „startpagen“! Oder „metagern“? „ixquicken“? Unser  # Adventskalender  weiß mehr.   https:// digitalcourage.de/adventskalende r/1  … Most people aren't all that concerned with keeping what they do online a

China will deploy troops in Syria increasing number of militants of Chinese origin (Uighurs) join Daesh

China will deploy troops in Syria increasing number of militants of Chinese origin (Uighurs)  join Daesh  What is China’s incentive for greater involvement in Syria, which will lead to further competition between Washington and Beijing? China will deploy troops in Syria as Beijing is very concerned about the increasing number of militants of Chinese origin (Uighurs) who have joined Daesh in Syria and Iraq. China does not interfere in any country unless there are economic and political benefits. Its Defense Ministry is considering sending two special forces units to fight terrorists in Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, as some of them have Chinese nationality and would pose a high risk if they return home. An estimated 5,000 Chinese militants are fighting alongside various insurgent groups in Syria. Moreover, China has invested tens of billions of dollars in Syrian infrastructure. Beijing does not want Syria to become a base for Uighurs to launch terrorist attacks against Chinese

Despite Greek shelter, Yazidis struggle to integrate

SERRES, Greece: Although Ibrahim Hondeta’s Yazidi family reached Greece a year ago after fleeing persecution, they still fear being the target of violence and are fighting to keep their community together. Having run the gauntlet of invasion, combat, killings and enslavement by Daesh terrorists in Iraq, the members of this religious minority have found temporary shelter in the largely agricultural region of Serres in northern Greece. The camp they have been allocated to is one of the best in the country — their prefabricated homes have air conditioning and solar panels to heat water. The grounds are clean and there is a playground for the children. Many hope to be reunited with other Yazidis stranded in Greece, but with the country struggling to manage more than 50,000 refugees and migrants stranded on its territory, that is not always an option. “Creating a camp just for Yazidis is neither possible nor viable,” said a Greek official with knowledge of refugee management efforts. The c

Potsdam Christmas market bomb alarm prompts more police patrols

Police are boosting their presence at Christmas markets in the eastern state of Brandenburg after a bomb scare. Investigators are seeking the sender of a mysterious package that turned out to be harmless. Christmas markets in the eastern German state of Brandenburg were to open as usual on Saturday  following a bomb scare  Friday   in the state capital, Potsdam. However, police will be stepping up their patrols at the markets throughout the state and "particularly in Potsdam," a police spokesperson said. Police are still looking for the person who sent a package containing a metal cylinder, nails and powder to a pharmacy next to the market in Potsdam city center, triggering an evacuation of the entire nearby area for several hours. Continuing threat The state chairman of the police union in Brandenburg, Andreas Schuster, told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Saturday that the package, which was disposed of in a controlled explosion by police, had probably b

The new Gulf war How Yemen became the most wretched place on earth

A report from a conflict zone the world ignores ALONG the road from the port city of Hodeida to Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, rugged mountains rise sharply from a coastal plain, then level off, giving way to a raised plateau. Old stone farmhouses overlook terraced fields, fed by mountain rains. To the south are lush forests, where baboons and wildcats live. Yemen’s vast deserts spread to the east. The diversity of the landscape is breathtaking. But amid all this natural beauty, there is misery. Yemen was the poorest country in the Middle East even before the outbreak of war in 2014 between Houthi rebels and government forces. The conflict has heaped devastation upon poverty. Since fighting began Yemen has suffered the biggest cholera outbreak in modern history and is on the brink of the harshest famine the world has seen for decades. The conflict has shattered the water, education and health systems. The UN says that it is the world’s worst current humanitarian crisis. Three-quarters

Honduras suspends rights as violence spreads over delayed vote count

TEGUCIGALPA:  Honduras suspended constitutional rights to give the army and police more powers to contain unrest, a senior government official said on Friday, after at least one person was killed in protests and looting triggered by a contested election. Ebal Diaz, a high official for the council of ministers, spoke on a Honduran news program shortly after the Central American country’s electoral tribune said it would aim to resume a controversial presidential vote count on Saturday. “The suspension of constitutional guarantees was approved so that the armed forces and the national police can contain this wave of violence that has engulfed the country,” Diaz said on the national television. He said the order would take effect at 1200 ET (0500 GMT), but did not give details of what rights would be suspended. At least one protester died, over 20 people were injured and more than 100 others were arrested for looting after opposition leaders accused the government of trying to stea

Yemen’s General People’s Congress hold Houthis responsible for ‘igniting war’

Yemen’s General People’s Congress (GPC) are holding Houthis responsible for "igniting war," a statement from the party founded by ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday as fierce clashes erupted in the capital Sanaa. Forces belonging to the GPC arrested a Houthi leader in Kaziz military camp south of the capital, as there were reports that the building of Yemen's state television was surrounded by the Republican Guard. Sanaa has been under Houthi militia control since 2015, in a move described as a coup by the legitimate Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Arab countries.  On Saturday, fierce clashes were also reported near Saleh's home. The Yemeni GPC called on armed forces and government employees to disobey Houthi orders. According to Al Arabiya Channel sources, the conflict has also directly affected the capital where traffic flow has come to a complete halt amid safety concerns. Clashes spread across Sanaa On

When the Way Out of Boko Haram Is an Ancient Slave Route

The Daily Beast meets the migrants, the smugglers, and the middlemen in a commerce that takes men, women, and children from one hell to another. A recent  CNN video showing a slave auction —migrant men being sold one after another near the Libyan capital—shocked viewers around the world. It prompted  calls for dramatic action by some European leaders , most notably French President Emmanuel Macron. But as The Daily Beast’s correspondent Philip Obaji Jr. has discovered in a year-long investigation, the reality is far worse than the CNN video suggests.  Several of the migrants he talked to already had been enslaved once at the hands of Boko Haram, a faction of which has pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State. Having escaped, they fled to the streets of Nigerian cities or to displaced persons camps, and then raised money to pay smugglers to take them to Libya. Once there, they hoped they’d be able to make it across the Mediterranean to Italy.  The Daily Beast has report