[NYTIMES] Chelsea Manning ...formerly Bradley Manning before he decided to become a girl. He, or she or whatever it was, was a misfit Army intel analyst who decided to leak all the secrets he could lay hands on. Currently doing 35 years in Leavenworth and writing editorials for the New York Times.... has declined an offer to speak at Harvard after a dean at the university revoked his invitation for her to be a visiting fellow there.
Douglas W. Elmendorf, the dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, told Ms. Manning in a phone call at about 12:30 a.m. on Friday that the school was no longer offering her the fellowship, according to a source familiar with the conversation. The decision was made public shortly afterward.
Harvard had faced harsh criticism for including Ms. Manning, a former Army private convicted of leaking classified information, in the visiting fellows program at the school’s Institute of Politics. Ms. Manning was named to the group on Wednesday, joining Sean Spicer, the former White House press secretary, and Corey Lewandowski, a former campaign manager for President Trump, among others. Fellows travel to Harvard to meet with students and discuss politics and other topics.
Mr. Elmendorf told Ms. Manning, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for providing classified information to WikiLeaks, that she was still invited to speak at Harvard. But he said that the school could no longer give her the title of visiting fellow. The school was concerned that the title implied an endorsement and did not want to come across as endorsing Ms. Manning and her views, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... Security Directorate (TSD) has warned against the holding of any unauthorized demonstrations in Tripoli. The TSD is part of the Ministry of Interior aligned with Faiez Serraj and his designated and internationally-recognized Government of National Accord / Presidency Council (GNA/PC).
The TSD warning was a shot across the bows of Abdul Basit Igtet who has called for a demonstration in Tripoli’s Martyr Square on 25 September.
The TSD did not mention Igtet by name in its statement released yesterday. However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... the statement is seen as a clear message by the Serraj administration and his aligned militias to Igtet.
The TSD said in its statement that within its role of ensuring the security of citizens, general public order, the protection of state and private property and assets, and its role of ensuring the right of citizens to peacefully demonstrate in order to express their opinions and express their demands within law 65 of 2012 which organizes the right to peaceful demonstration ‐ it also seeks to ensure that the right of Libyan citizens to peaceful demonstration is not exploited or directed negatively by others in order to reach specific ’’political positions’’.
The TSD said that it was ’’with the calls for reform and improvement ...which are a natural right’’.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] The UN has been hit by a new set of accusations that it mishandled allegations of sexual misconduct against peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR).
On Thursday, Code Blue, a campaign by a US-based NGO seeking greater accountability for UN troops, said it had received 14 internal UN reports that detailed fact-finding inquiries into complaints made against troops within the UN peacekeeper mission in CAR (MINUSCA).
The reports showed how cases were repeatedly mishandled and botched by UN authorities.
Sharanya Kanikkannan, a lawyer with Code Blue, said the UN was filtering out complaints in the early stages and throwing out cases before they could be properly investigated.
"The filtering ensures that there is no access to justice for the vast majority of victims since they cannot gain access to law enforcement authorities without first convincing UN staff to believe them," Kanikkannan said.
If allegations are found to be credible, it is the responsibility of the alleged perpetrators' home countries to prosecute them, but if the UN decides that the case is not credible, the case is dropped.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
LOL "botched", sure. More like deliberately mishandled so as not to generate any convictions. Fuck the UN. Why do we give them money?
Posted by: Herb McCoy7309 ||
09/16/2017 8:36 Comments ||
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#2
Well, its something they have in common with our DoJ. It's not botched, its buried. All for the ruling caste.
#4
If allegations are found to be credible... Right, credible, like the good folk of Germany who all have amnesia about what they saw and did under the Nazi rule.
[Al Jazeera] Rights groups have condemned the recent arrests by Saudi authorities of dozens of prominent religious figures, intellectuals and activists this week as "a coordinated crackdown on dissent".
The arrests were made ahead of a call by exiled opposition figures for demonstrations following Friday afternoon prayers, which did not appear to attract much support amid a heavy security deployment.
On Sunday, online activists said up to 20 influential Saudi religious scholars had been placed in durance vile ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... , including some of the kingdom's most influential preachers.
Two days later, there were reports of more detentions of preachers and scholars.
Human rights NGO Amnesia Amnesty International on Friday voiced concern over the arrests.
"In recent years, we cannot recall a week in which so many prominent 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... n figures have been targeted in such a short space of time," Amnesty's Samah Hadid said.
The organization said the rights situation in the Gulf state had "deteriorated markedly" since Prince Mohammed bin Salman took over as crown prince and heir to the throne on June 21.
US-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW) also suggested the arrests could be connected to the prince's efforts to consolidate power.
"These apparently politically motivated arrests are another sign that Mohammed bin Salman has no real interest in improving his country's record on free speech and the rule of law," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director.
Whitson added: "Outlandish sentences against peaceful activists and dissidents demonstrate Saudi Arabia's complete intolerance toward citizens who speak out for human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. and reform."
Activists this week circulated on social media lists of people detained, including prominent Islamic preachers Salman al-Awdah and Awad al-Qarni, as well as some people with no clear links to Islamist activity or obvious history of opposition.
Awdah and Qarni, who have millions of followers on social media, were among Saudi scholars who opposed the presence of US troops in the kingdom during the 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait.
They have both been accused of links to the Moslem Brüderbund, which Saudi Arabia has blacklisted as a "terror group".
The detentions follow widespread speculation, denied by officials, that King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians.... bin Abdulaziz Al Saud intends to abdicate to his son, Crown Prince Mohammed, who dominates economic, diplomatic and domestic policy.
The Saudi authorities have not commented on the latest arrests of activists.
But at the start of the week, the attorney general warned that any attack on "national unity" or the "image of the state" amounted to a "terrorist crime".
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has condemned the violations of 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 and their ally, ousted President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... , against journalists and the media.
The union, in its report on the sidelines of UNHCR meetings in Geneva revealed that the violations affected more than 200 journalists and media organizations, calling for the release of journalists tossed in the calaboose Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! The year 2017 appears to be more violent and hostile towards journalists, according to the report, which documented 130 violations by Houthis and Saleh allies against journalists during the first half of this year, up 30 percent from the same period last year.
These violations ranged from the threat of suspension, torture and murder, hacking of news sites to the kidnapping and prosecution of journalists and their property.
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09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] 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... is ready to sit at the negotiating table to try to end the dispute with its neighbors, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said on Friday in Berlin.
"We spoke about Qatar’s readiness to sit at the table to solve this issue," The Qatar Emir told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel ...current chancellor of Germany and the impetus behind Germany's remarkably ill-starred immigration program. Merkel used to be referred to by Germans as Mom... in Berlin.
"We disagree with some Arab countries on the definition of terrorism," he said. "We want a solution that satisfies all sides," he added.
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... , the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, citing that the Gulf state is financing terrorism and questioning Doha’s ties with Iran.
Merkel said she was concerned that there was still no solution to the crisis, adding she supported efforts by Kuwait and the United States to mediate an end to the dispute. "We are not siding with any party and we are in contact with Saudi Arabia and the UAE," she said.
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09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Islamic World League will hold a conference on "Civilizational Communication between the United States of America and the Islamic World" on Saturday, September 16th, 2017 in New York City, USA.
Representatives of Islamic institutions from all over the world and their American counterparts along scientific, intellectual from all over the world are set to take part.
The conference, which will last for two days, will focus on a number of themes naming: "The Cultural Contribution between the United States of America and the Islamic World: The Reality and the Aspirations", "Islam’s Contribution to the Promotion of World Peace", "Moslems in the United States of America: Integration and Citizenship", "The intellectual trends in employing religious freedoms", "Communication between the United States of America and the Islamic world", "Common civilizational and humanistic traits" and " Mutual exchange between the United States and the Islamic world" including many other topics.
A distinguished group of academics and researchers from all around the world will participate in the conference. There will also be mutual dialogue sessions between a number of Moslem and American students.
The Secretary General of the Moslem World League Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Karim al-Issa explained that the league aims at highlighting the Islamic civilization and its pioneering historical experience in opening up to other civilizations, which emphasizes the concepts of cultural exchange, and consolidate the idea of human brotherhood based on righteousness, justice, charity and companionship, as well as reviewing evidence from Islamic history about coexistence with the people of the world.
Especially, since the United States of America has a distinguished record of trustful, honest and lucrative relationships with the Moslem World. He added that religious and intellectual extremism is an abnormal and isolated case that the Islamic world fought so it does not spread and cause harm to others.
Efforts to combat terrorism
The conference will emphasize as well that extremism is present in a small percentage within the Islamic world. According to the latest estimates, one in two hundred thousand people are identified as bad boys. This low percentage is due to both intellectual and military campaigns and efforts.
It is claimed there are a billion Muslims worldwide. That would mean there are 5,000 Muslim extremists. But according to the EU counter-terror chief, there are 50,000 radical Islamists in the EU today, so perhaps the latest estimates are a tad optimistic.
The Secretary General of the Moslem World League said that in order for extremism to regain its strength and attract new elements, it will bet on provocations of counter-extremism and "Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... ", indicating that extremism is a general and comprehensive concept that is not limited to Islam.
He emphasized that the contemporary and ancient history is a living proof of the tolerance of Islam.
The Secretary General underlined that the Kingdom 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... was strongly present in the global peace initiatives, supported them at all levels and initiated a serious and effective effort to combat extremism and terrorism intellectually and militarily which made Saudi Arabia a global platform in this sense.
American 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... and a number of American politicians, intellectuals and media outlets attended the opening of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh.
The Islamic Summit was an exceptional historic summit which brought together the two countries under the slogan "Together, we prevail" which took place last May.
The secretary General praised the speech of the American President, who focused with detailed explanation on the distinction between moderate Moslems and bad boy terrorists.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
Raaazzberries. The idiot might check with his own Crown Prince, who may have realized that we are not biting that bait any longer and decided al Saud will become a modern nation and do modern nation things that include recognizing other national sovereignties and do not include seeking a Global Caliphate, whether by smooth words or the bloody ax.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Friday that 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 ... statements threatening to target the UAE and its capital proves why the Operation Decisive Storm was needed.
"The Iranian-backed militias are really dangerous and have vile objectives," he said in a series of tweets Friday morning.
Gargash added that the Decisive Storm was launched after realizing the danger of shifting strategic balance, which is confirmed by these Houthi threats. He stressed that the Arab alliance is fighting a necessary battle for the future of the region.
"We are not afraid of the Houthi threats and stupidity; it reveals the desperation of those who defend fragmented illusions, and it certainly reveals the intentions for the Arabian Gulf region security and stability," Gargash wrote.
The UAE minister also said that the challenges we are facing requires more solidarity among Arab countries. He said that the Arab coalition is an example of this solidarity.
Gargash’s tweets came hours after open threats made by Houthi militia leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi.
In a speech broadcast by pro-coup al-Maseera channel in Yemen, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi threatened to bomb areas in neighboring countries with missiles, targeting oil ships on the international shipping lines opposite to the Yemeni coast if the legitimate and coalition forces made move toward Hodeidah.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
Why the hell is genetic engineering not far enough along yet to have a pee-pee shrinking variety of qat?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/16/2017 14:12 Comments ||
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[DAWN] Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Thursday that the escape of two undertrial prisoners from the Central Jail Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... in June was the result of criminal negligence by jail officials. He said 15 officials concerned had been jugged I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! in this connection. However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... three of them were later released on bail.
Also on Thursday, officials and sources said that Sherlocks probing into the escape of the two undertrial prisoners claimed to have found "key link" that might help police trace them. They said the escapees ‐ who are alleged members of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... (LJ) ‐ were believed to have stayed for 10 days in a village in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... before travelling to Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... Talking to news hounds after attending the concluding ceremony of the three-day urs of Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi here, the chief minister said that the escape of the two prisoners could not be ignored because police and other security agencies made hectic efforts to arrest them. The escape from jail was a criminal matter and the government was taking it very seriously and that was the reason it had suspended some bigwigs, he added.
Answering a question, Mr Shah said he had no report whether the escapees had fled to Afghanistan or were hidden somewhere in the country. However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... he added, "we are in close contact with other provinces and all agencies, including police, Rangers and intelligence agencies, which are working in close coordination to arrest them."
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09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The Afghan Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... have announced that they would support Pakistain against any threat by the Trump administration, pledging to stand by the government in case of any aggressive design pursued by the United States against the country.
Surprisingly, the announcement was not made public by the Emarat Islami Afghanistan, the official name of the Afghan Taliban, and was released by Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... , chief of his own faction of the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...a Pak religious party. It is usually part of the govt, never part of the solution... , from Akora Khattak where he runs his madressah.
According to the statement, the Ittehad Ulema-e-Afghanistan ‐ a little known entity ‐ had after a meeting announced their support for Pakistain against an American aggression.
The meeting between the Afghan Taliban and Emarat Islami Afghanistan held under the banner of `Ittehad Ulema-e-Afghanistan’ was led by Mufti Mehmood Zakri. Representatives of various groups and religious organizations reportedly attended the meeting. It was not clear how those religious leaders are different from the Afghan Taliban.
Later, they sent a written statement to Maulana Haq, extending full support to Pakistain in case of an attack by the US or India. They said they would fight for Pakistain like they had rendered sacrifices for their own country [Afghanistan].
They urged Pak political and religious parties to shun their differences and forge unity among their ranks.
They also vowed that the Afghan Taliban would continue their jihad in Afghanistan and would struggle for the implementation of Islamic system in their country.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said on Wednesday the onus of satisfying the United States about its concerns is not on Pakistain.
"We are here to give our point of view logically and with evidence. We will explain our position. But it’s not for us to satisfy them," Mr Dastgir told news hounds at the defence ministry.
The government is currently, in Mr Dastgir’s words, "reassessing ties with the US", and has simultaneously undertaken a regional outreach ahead of talks with the US on future bilateral engagement.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, after accompanying Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to the UN General Assembly session in New York next week, is expected to visit Washington for the awaited meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
You may remember Pakistan. They were the country who killed 3 million unarmed civilians many to whom were women and children ( hindus ) who just happen NOT to be Moslems ( dirty kuffir infidel Idol worshippers ) in just eight months, mostly as crowds ( of dirty hindu kuffirs) machine gunned from trucks by the Mighty Pakistainy Army during the Bangla Desh War. The same Paki Army that was stopped up ( 93,000 Moslem soldiers who were defeated in under two weeks because they ran away from the Indian Army ( largely Hindus) and wet their pants while being loaded on Cattle cars and shipped out by rail to the Desert in the Rann of Kutch ( the Mother of all Coochies ) and sold by the regiment load back to Pakistain over a six year period for cash and then dumped on the streets of Karachi piecemeal where they hanged the PM of Paki six months later ( having 93,000 loser soldiers ( Moslem wankers ) dumped on the streets didn't go down well for some reason...it sort of made the mighty Pak Army look like a bunch of fags ).
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The parliament of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region convened for the first time in two years on Friday to vote on a plan to hold a referendum on independence on Sept. 25.
The central government in Baghdad opposes the plan, which was announced earlier this year by Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani ... hereditary head of the Kurdish Democratic Party, maybe a little too close to the Medes and the Persians for most people's tastes... ’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Iraq’s neighbors, Iran and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , have also expressed their opposition to the plan as they fear an independent Kurdish state could fuel separatism among their own Kurdish populations.
The parliament met in the KRG capital, Erbil, in northern Iraq.
Western powers worried
Barzani earlier on Friday said the vote won’t be delayed, despite pressing requests from the United States and other western powers worried that the tension between Baghdad and Erbil would distract from the war on ISIS murderous Moslems who continue to occupy parts of Iraq and Syria.
"We still haven’t heard a proposal that can be an alternative to the Kurdistan referendum," Barzani said in a speech at a rally in the Kurdish region, referring to talks held with US and western envoys this week in Erbil. "The vote won’t be delayed," he added.
Gorran, the main opposition movement to Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), boycotted the parliament session in Erbil. It was a dispute between Gorran and the KDP that caused the assembly to suspend its sessions in 2015.
US urges Iraqi Kurdistan to call off independence vote
The United States Friday urged Iraqi Kurdistan to call off plans for an independence referendum later this month, warning the vote was distracting from efforts to stabilize the region and combat ISIS group.
"Holding the referendum in disputed areas is particularly provocative and destabilizing," the White House said a statement. "We therefore call on the Kurdistan Regional Government to call off the referendum and enter into serious and sustained dialogue with Baghdad."
Planned for September 25, the vote faces strong opposition from the federal government in Baghdad as well as neighboring Iran and Turkey, which fear it will stoke separatist aspirations among their own Kurdish minorities.
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09/16/2017 00:00 ||
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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.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has condemned the violations of the 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Friday that the 
[DAWN] Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Thursday that the escape of two undertrial prisoners from the Central Jail 
the 
Massoud Barzani
