[IsraelTimes] State treasurer says won’t allow taxpayer cash to go to ‘anti-Semitic, discriminatory efforts against Israel’; move includes $143m of investment in parent company Unilever.
#5
But come to think of it...
If a company wanted to quietly purchase back its stock. Lowering the purchase price by taking a planned short term Bite in the Rump, would be one way to save a few $100 million. Then do a PR campaign announcing an "early release" of some already planned for, a not long for this world, Diamond Parachuted scapegoat.
Nothing outside the government -- totalitarians gotta total.
[ToloNews] Bank accounts of some former government officials who fled the country have been closed by the Taliban.
Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban Cultural Commission, said on Thursday that the Taliban has closed some bank accounts of officials who worked in the previous government, but he did not mention names.
“Accounts of some officials from the previous government--most of whom fled the country--have been closed," he said.
At the same time, a letter posted on social media by the Afghanistan Central Bank (Da Afghanistan Bank ) said that accounts of some ministers, deputy ministers, governors, deputy governors, members of parliament, members of provincial councils, mayors and other VIPs should be closed in other internal banks, and be reported to Central Bank.
Officials from Afghanistan Central Bank have not commented to the media over the issue.
[ToloNews] Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned of a sharp increase in violence against journalists and reporters in Afghanistan, saying that in the past two days dozens of violent cases against journalists have been recorded by the RSF.
Reza Moini, head of RSF’s Afghanistan desk, said that in the past 48 hours 24 journalists were detained by the Taliban and were released after several hours.
“In the past 48 hours, dozens of violent cases were registered against journalists in Afghanistan by the RSF,” he said.
On Wednesday, Etilaatroz newspaper in Kabul said five of its reporters were detained by the Taliban while covering a women's protest and gathering news.
Two of the reporters who were detained during the protest said the Taliban beat them badly and they were hospitalized.
Meanwhile, some reporters in the provinces said the Taliban has imposed limitations on them.
The Taliban, however, acknowledged the treatment of reporters but said they will try to prevent such incidents in the future.
“We are regretful of the reporters becoming victims over the past few days. We tried to address their challenges. If they were transferred to a safe place by the Mujahideen, which was interpreted as being detained, we will also work on this and try to see they are treated properly,” said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of Taliban’s cultural commission said.
The organizations that support and defend journalists, both inside and outside the country, have voiced their concerns over the dangerous situation of journalists in Afghanistan and called for the end of violence against reporters.
[KhaamaPress] Former officials of the Taliban ...Arabic for students... believe that the newly announced cabinet of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will last for six months and then the official cabinet will be announced.
The former official has said that the official cabinet will be announced based on the votes and willingness of the Afghan people and will include all classes.
A 33-member all-men caretaker cabinet which was announced on Tuesday, September 7 has triggered mixed reactions inside Afghanistan.
A number of Afghan leaders who are in exile have reacted to the cabinet as being monopolized by a single ethnic group (Pashtoon) and have asked the international community not to recognize as the Taliban will threaten the region and world.
Son of the slain Ahmad Shah Masoud, Ahmad Masoud has called the cabinet illegal and said that they will declare a parallel government which will be transitional and democratic.
On the other hand, political analysts in Afghanistan believe the cabinet to be much required in the current situation in order for the lives of people to come to normal.
They believe that the Taliban want to assess their capacity and see what the possible international and internal reactions are to the caretaker cabinet.
Former Taliban officials believe that the official cabinet of the Taliban will include women, experts and will be all-inclusive.
[ToloNews] The Taliban ...Arabic for students... 's new government in Afghanistan will be led by the Taliban leader Mullah pkesman for the Taliban, said that the group will reject foreigners’ intervention over the name and structure of the next government.
"We will not allow anyone to interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs. The government name, its type, and form belong to the Afghans and they will decide," Mujahid said.
The Taliban also said the new government is the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan."
"The new government in Afghanistan has officially started its work under the name of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission.
In the new cabinet announced on Tuesday, Mullah Hassan Akhundzada was appointed as the head of state (prime minister), with Mullah Baradar and Mawlawi Hannafi as his deputies.
A short biography of the key members:
Among those named for the new cabinet are members of the Taliban negotiating team in Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... and some who were imprisoned in the US's Guantanamo detention center.
Mullah Hassan Akhundzada, 65, who is the Prime Minister (head of state) is originally from Shah Walikot district of Kandahar province. Akhundzada held various posts during the first Taliban regime--lasting between 1996 and 2001--such as foreign minister, governor of Kandahar and as a military official in the north of Afghanistan.
Abdul Ghani Barader, 45, a co-founder of the Taliban led by Mullah Mohammad Blinky Omar ...a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality. Died of an unspecified ailment in a Pak hospital... , is from Dehrawood district of Uruzgan province. He graduated from a religious madrasa.
Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob, acting minister for the Defense Ministry, is the son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar. He is 25 years old and from Dehrawood district in Uruzgan.
The acting Director of Intelligence is Abdul Haq Wasiq, 49, from Khogyani district in Ghazni. He graduated from a madrasa in Quetta, Pakistain. Wasiq was in the US's Guantanamo detention center for 13 years and worked as deputy director of intelligence in the previous Taliban regime.
The acting minister of interior, Serajuddin Haqqani, is the son of the late Jalaluddin Haqqani ...founder and until he pegged out titular head of the Haqqani Network. Jalaluddin was one of the few Pashtun warlords who was worth spit... , who led the Haqqani Network.
Mullah Amir Khan Mutaqi, acting minister for foreign affairs, is from Zurmat district of Paktia province. He was working as minister of information and culture in the first Taliban regime.
The acting minister of information and culture, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhah, 53, is from Kandahar province. He spent 12 years in Guantanamo.
The acting minister of justice, Mawllawi Abdul Hakim Haqqani, 53, is from Maiwand district of Kandahar. He graduated from a Pak madrasa and worked in judicial organizations.
The acting minister of borders and tribal affairs, Mullah Noorullah Noori, 53, is from Zabul Province. He was governor of Balkh and Laghman ...Afghan province with a population of about 445,600, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was known as Lampaka, wich is apparently Olde Macedonian for Laghman.The city of Mihtarlam serves as the bucolic capital of the province. The population is half Pashtun, the remainder Tadjik and Pashai. It had a repution for great wealth until it was conquered in the tenth century by Abu Mansur Sabuktigin.
He conquered it and set fire to the places in its vicinity which were inhabited by infidels, and demolishing the idol-temples, he established Islam in them, He marched and captured other cities and killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolatrous and gratifying the Musulmans. After wounding and killing beyond all measure, his hands and those of his friends became cold in counting the value of the plundered property.
After that it was mostly notable for the production of dirt, rocks, and holy men... provinces in the first Taliban regime. He spent 13 years in Guantanamo.
A Taliban interim government, drawn exclusively from loyalist ranks, formally began work this week with established hardliners in all key posts and no women -- despite previous promises of an inclusive administration for all Afghans.
All the top positions have been handed to key leaders from the movement and in particular the Haqqani network -- the most violent Taliban faction, known for devastating attacks.
The dreaded Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice -- previously responsible for arresting and punishing people for failing to follow the movement's restrictive interpretation of sharia -- is being reinstated.
[KhaamaPress] After the humanitarian aid of Qatar, UAE, and Bahrain, Pakistan as Afghanistan’s biggest immediate neighbor provided Afghans with 30 tonnes of Korans food ingredients and medicines on Thursday, September 9.
The aid which includes flour wheat, cooking oil, and medicine were surrendered to the Taliban’s officials in Kabul International Airport by the Pakistani embassy to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan.
This was the first consignment of the total relief assistance Pakistan’s government plans to provide to the people of Afghanistan.
A statement released by the Pakistani embassy based in Kabul, other tranches of the relief assistance to be delivered to Kandahar, Herat, and Khost province soon.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s other neighbor, China announced emergency aid of over 31 million dollars and 3 million doses of corona vaccine to the people of Afghanistan.
The humanitarian assistance comes as the Taliban officials have called on the international community to provide the people of Afghanistan with unconditional humanitarian assistance to prevent a humanitarian crisis.
The humanitarian aid which was announced in Afghanistan’s neighboring countries’ conference on Wednesday, September 8 also includes food and medicines.
The virtual conference on Afghanistan was arranged by Pakistan in which the foreign ministers of China, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan had taken part.
Afghanistan’s neighbors unanimously agreed that cooperate in arresting and eliminating the fleeing terrorists.
Chinese foreign minister said that the four countries can cooperate in fields including helping Afghanistan in keeping borders open, providing humanitarian aid, deepening counterterrorism cooperation, and strengthening COVID-19 prevention.
Wang Yi called on the Taliban to hit terrorists in the region and also asked the neighboring countries to strengthen sharing intelligence so that they prevent fleeing terrorists from Afghanistan and eliminate them.
Though China has welcomed the interim cabinet announced by the Taliban, Chinese analysts believe that China will not recognize the caretaker government of the Taliban immediately.
Taliban have always said that China as Afghanistan’s biggest neighbor and one of the leading economic power in the world can play a major role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and added they can be good partners in the future.
[KhaamaPess] The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in a statement said that people are no longer allowed to arrange demonstrations until and unless they have permission from the ministry of interior affairs.
The statement reads that for the time being, no group and no one is allowed to protest no matter under which name and for what purpose.
The Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... released the statement after some protests in the past five days in Kabul and province turned violent mostly peaceful.
As per the statement, some people are taking to the streets in Kabul and provinces who are prompted by some parties and have disturbed the order of lives and have threatened the security of citizens.
"Protestors should have permission from the ministry of justice and should inform security forces at least 24 hours in advance to ensure the security of protest. They should also share the slogans of protest, the time and the starting point and ending point of the demonstration with the relevant bodies." Reads the statement.
Kabul and other provinces have been witnessing protests which are being arranged by women for their participation in the cabinet and against the so-called interference of Pakistain in Afghanistan.
Totalitarian conquers always impose the new rules in a stepwise progressions, so that the frogs get used to the heating water.
[IsraelTimes] Citing hardline Islamic modesty standards, spokesperson says: ’It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it’
Australia’s SBS TV has quoted a Taliban ...Arabic for students... spokesperson as saying that women’s sports — and women’s cricket specifically — will be banned by his group in Afghanistan.
"In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this," the network quoted Ahmadullah Wasiq, the deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, as saying.
"It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed."
Wasiq last month told SBS that the Taliban would allow men’s cricket to continue and that it has given approval for the men’s national team to travel to Australia for a test match in November.
Australia’s Sport Minister Richard Colbeck said the Taliban’s decision on women’s sport was "deeply concerning" and he urged organizations such as the International Cricket Council to take action.
"Excluding women from sport at any level is unacceptable," Colbeck said in a statement. "We urge international sport authorities, including the International Cricket Council, to take a stand against this appalling ruling."
Related: Ahmadullah Masiq has a Twitter account here, possibly of interest if you speak Pashto, dear Reader, or are interested in videos of boy athletes
[FOXNEWS] Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that while the Taliban promised to form an "inclusive" government upon taking control of Afghanistan, there does not appear to be any indication they are actually doing this. I noticed that. Not a single woman, black, or Hispanic was named.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Kuwait, Austin referenced the Taliban's claim that they would work toward having an "open, inclusive Islamic government," unlike what they had when they controlled Afghanistan before U.S. forces landed in the country nearly 20 years ago.
"You know, I think the whole international community was hopeful that they would be inclusive as they kind of said they would be weeks and months ago, but we've not seen evidence of that early on," Austin said.
The Taliban recently announced members of their new government, and not a single woman was included. A Taliban spokesperson on Monday said positions within the government are now in an "acting capacity" but added that many members of the old guard are part of the new government.
#6
Austin is one of those guys who scratches his ass, sniffs his fingers and isn't surprised to discover they smell like sh*t.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/10/2021 11:20 Comments ||
Top||
#7
The Taliban obviously need to appoint some sub-Saharan blacks to senior cabinet positions. They need to consult with Ben Crump for some appropriate candidates.
[IsraelTimes] The main suspect in the trial over the November 2015 attacks in Paris claims three co-accused knew nothing about the plot, in his latest unscheduled intervention to disrupt proceedings.
“They helped me but they knew nothing at all” about the attacks plot, says Salah Abdeslam, the sole survivor of the group of assailants who killed 130 people.
“They are in prison but did nothing,” he adds before his microphone is cut by the presiding judge who then suspends the hearing.
[Just The News] A congressman from Wisconsin, where thousands of Afghan evacuees are being temporarily resettled, says the Biden administration is creating a significant security risk by failing to aggressively vet refugees' social media before allowing then to reach U.S. destinations.
Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican, told Just the News that the failure to vet social media posts for possible extremism is just one of several byproducts of a chaotic Biden administration exit strategy that has moved immigrants to U.S. installations in third countries before adequate security checks could be completed.
"They said, get them on the planes, and we'll sort the immigration status out later," Tiffany said during a wide-ranging interview on the John Solomon Reports podcast. "And Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken acknowledged that this last weekend, on the Sunday news shows that that's exactly what they did. That is a terrible way to handle national security."
Tiffany said veterans of the Afghan war told him one of the most effective tools the military had for early identification of people who pose terrorism risks or were radicalized was through social media surveillance.
"It appears that the Biden administration, the State Department, is not doing any checks on social media," he said. "And that's one of the No. 1 places you can find at this point what people's true beliefs are. I mean, employers across the United States, they check social media all the time when they're interviewing people. ... And that is not happening here in this vetting process, which is a huge hole."
#3
Of course they're not vetting social media or anything else about Afghan refugees, they already have their hands full with surveillance on the natural born, law abiding citizen.
[IsraelTimes] The acting director of the European Commission, the European Union’s executive branch, has said that official Palestinian school textbooks contain “very deeply problematic content” and that changes are “essential,” according to an Israeli watchdog group.
The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE) says in a statement that the comments were made this morning by Henrike Trautmann during a meeting of the EU Parliament’s Working Group Against Antisemitism in Brussels.
“It is very clear that the study does reveal the existence of very deeply problematic content… changes to the curriculum are essential,” said Trautmann, whose directorate oversees all aid to the Palestinian education sector, according to IMPACT-SE.
“Full compliance of all educational material with UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, coexistence and non-violence must be ensured as must any reference of antisemitic nature need to be addressed and taken out,” she adds.
No operative decision has been made to cut any funds.
If there are no real consequences, you don't see it as a real problem.
The parliament’s Budget Committee will make that — and other — decisions at a meeting later this month.
[NPASYRIA] On Thursday, the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said that his forces are strategically patient and did not escalate with The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... on the border, despite its violation of the truce, and that they are continuing the intra-Kurdish dialogue and other communities.
He considered that improving the economic situation in northeast Syria is inseparable from the fight against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS).
Abdi’s speech came when he was hosted in a virtual seminar held by the Washington-based Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy.
Abdi said that no escalation or penetration of the border with Turkey took place during the nine years of his forces’ control over north and east Syria.
He added that they are trying to show strategic patience and not to escalate despite Turkey’s violation of the truces, especially the truce sponsored by Mike Pence, the former US Vice President in 2019, as any escalation in the region will ultimately benefit ISIS, where the activity of its sleeper cells is currently increasing in the east of the country and on the Syrian-Iraqi border.
Abdi noted to special efforts and moves made by the administration of the US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S., father of Hunter. He blames Trump for losing Afghanistan.... to pressure the Ottoman Turkish side to stop the escalation and the recent Ottoman Turkish attacks on the region.
From August 12 to early September, the Ottoman Turkish forces escalated their targeting of villages and towns north of Hasakah, killing and wounding dozens of civilians and SDF members amid frequent shelling on the countryside of Hasakah, Manbij and Ain Issa, causing partial displacement from some villages.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/10/2021 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11125 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
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.