[IraqSun] Husain Andaryas was a religious fighter in the war against the invading Soviet army in Afghanistan in the early 1980s, but almost a year after the Soviets left, he converted to Christianity. For the next nine years, Andaryas wandered in several regional countries, suffered torture, and was finally offered a job at a church in Virginia, enabling him to migrate to the United States.
Now from his home in Tennessee, Andaryas runs a daily live show on YouTube and Facebook preaching Christianity in the Dari and Pashto languages.
"We have an Afghan church here in Tennessee which has 15 members," Andaryas told VOA, "And we have other, larger, Afghan churches in Kentucky, Los Angeles and elsewhere."
Continued on Page 49
[AlAhram] An Alexandria criminal court issued on Wednesday a preliminary death sentence ...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead... against a 60-year-old man convicted of murdering Coptic priest Arsanios Wadid last month. Sounds fair enough to me.
Preliminary death sentences are issued pending the non-binding consultative opinion of the country’s Grand Mufti, as per Egypt's penal code.
The 56-year-old victim, a priest at the Church of the Virgin Mary and Mar Boulos, was stabbed to death on the evening of 7 April as he was walking along the Mediterranean corniche in Alexandria’s Sidi Bishr district.
The assailant was apprehended hours later and confessed to the crime.
The defendant later recanted his confession, however, claiming that the knife found in his possession was just for self-defence and that he was not aware of what he was doing on the day of the incident, according to the prosecution.
The prosecution added that a mental health evaluation determined that the man showed no signs of a psychological disorder and was fully cognizant and possessed agency while committing the crime.
The prosecution also said that the weapon found in possession of the defendant had the victim’s DNA on it. Hard to argue with DNA.
The prosecution also checked surveillance cameras at the scene of the crime and obtained the testimonies of 17 eyewitnesses.
Also, after conducting interviews with the defendant's relatives, the prosecution learned that he had joined bad boy groups. He had also previously served a 20-year prison sentence for joining an outlawed group. That argues almost as as loud as DNA.
The suspect refused to be defended by a lawyer, and denied the charges against him. "Nope. Nope. Wudn't me!"
The victim was ordained to the priesthood in 1995 by the late Pope Shenouda III, the former head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
[Dawn] The outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban ...Arabic for students... Pakistain (TTP) on Wednesday announced an extension in a ceasefire with the government of Pakistain as talks with the Death Eater group continued in Afghanistan.
In a statement shared with the media via WhatsApp, TTP front man Mohammad Khurasani said that the ceasefire would remain in place until May 30.
"Talks are under way between the committees of the TTP and the government of Pakistain," he said in the statement, adding that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan — the Afghan Taliban — was mediating between the two sides.
Khurasani went on to say that a 32-member committee of the Mehsud tribe in South Wazoo and a 16-member committee from the Malakand division also held talks with the TTP on May 13 and 14.
"The committees called for a ceasefire by both sides in light of the ongoing talks. Therefore, keeping in view the demand, both sides have announced a ceasefire until May 30," he said.
The Afghan Taliban also confirmed the talks in Kabul, with government front man Zabihullah Mujahid saying the Islamic Emirate played the role of a mediator.
In a series of tweets in Pashto, he reported "significant progress" in the talks and also shared that a ceasefire had been agreed upon.
"The Islamic Emirate Afghanistan, in a good faith, is making efforts to take the process forward. We hope that both sides will be accommodating and show flexibility," he said.
Dawn.com reached out to Pak officials for comment and is currently awaiting a response.
A Pak embassy source in Kabul confirmed the visit of the Pak delegation but remained tightlipped about the composition of the team and the details of the talks.
TTP attacks on Pak soil have of late witnessed an uptick.
The previous PTI government and the TTP had agreed to a month-long ceasefire to hold talks last year. However, nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... the Death Eater group had declined to extend the ceasefire after the one-month period ended, accusing the government of failing to honour the decisions reached earlier.
Earlier this month, AFP had reported that another ceasefire, agreed for the Eid period, had been been extended until May 16 in order to hold peace talks. A TTP letter outlining the truce had told fighters "not to violate the decision taken by the central command".
Reports had also emerged about the release of two key TTP leaders, Moslem Khan and Mahmood Khan, and their subsequent handover to the Afghan Taliban. Both leaders were on the list of over 100 detainees, the release of whom is one of the group's key demands.
However, nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... the TTP front man did not comment on the matter when asked by Dawn.com. "I do not have any confirmed information about the prisoners," Khurasani said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/19/2022 00:00 ||
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[OneIndia] Terror groups are not only planning to target the Yatra, but are also carrying out assassinations to create a scare among the people so that they refrain from attending the Amarnath Yatra.
The Union Home Minister has been holding a series of meetings following the assassination of Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... While several derivatives of Pakistain such as the The Resistence Front and the Lashkar-e-Khalsa have grabbed credit for the attack, the Intelligence assessment says that these are just diversionary tactics to help Pakistain get out of the grey list at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Continued on Page 49
Sunlight disinfects, fire clearly clears hidden explosives.
[OneIndia] A forest fire triggered several landmine explosions along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... 's Poonch district on Wednesday.
The fire that started in a forest across the LoC on Monday spread to the Indian side in the Mendhar sector, they said.
The fire triggered the earth-shattering kaboom of nearly half a dozen landmines that were part of the anti-infiltration obstacle system, officials said.
"The forest fire has been raging for the past three days. We along with the Army are dousing the fire.
"The fFire was brought under control but this morning it started in Daramshal block and spread fast due to powerful winds", Forester Kanar Hussain Shah said.
He added that the blaze was later brought under control with the help of the Army as it reached near the border hamlet, he said.
In Rajouri district, another huge fire broke out in the Sunderbandi area near the border which spread to other forest areas, including Ghambhir, Nikka, Panjgraye, Brahamana, Moghala, officials said on Wednesday.
The fire also erupted in Kalakote's Kalar, Ranthal, Chingi forests.
"The fire came from across the border and also spread to LOC areas of Upper Kangdi and Dok Banyad", the official said.
The forest fires was brought under control, without a human loss, they said.
Another massive fire was broke out in the agriculture fields along International Border (IB) in Jammu district, officials said.
The fire spread to several kilometers of area close to Beli Azmat borer out post (BoP) of the BSF, they said, adding it was brought under control.
#3
I check it every morning:
https://www.fireweatheravalanche.org/fire/state/texas
Posted by: ed in texas ||
05/19/2022 10:01 Comments ||
Top||
#4
This part of the reason why people keep wanting to outlaw landmines. Heavy rainfall can move them around, fires can cause them to explode, vegetation can make them unfindable later and the list goes on and on... Still, they serve a purpose and will continue being used until the need ends.
#5
All those palatial homes in the app ad, does the risk include this:
Humaira Asghar, known as “Dolly” to her 11.5 million TikTok fans, faces charges for allegedly setting a forest fire while shooting a TikTok video in Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad.
[IsraelTimes] Loai Sakas, who took the gold in the under-75 kilogram weight class, was refused a handshake by the Moroccan opponent he defeated in the semifinals.
[IsraelTimes] Alena Douhan says measures, put in place after Washington’s withdrawal from nuclear deal, worsen humanitarian situation in Islamic Theocratic Republic and are ’violation of international law’.
An independent United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... expert said Wednesday that the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites.... was "devastating," describing them as illegal and urging that they be lifted.
"During our visit, we were able to identify [the] devastating humanitarian impact of sanctions," said Alena Douhan, the UN special rapporteur focused on the impact of unilateral sanctions.
"The measures imposed against Iran violate international law — they are illegal," Douhan added, speaking to news hounds at the end of a 12-day visit to Iran, the first to the Islamic republic by a special rapporteur since 2005.
"The best option is that they are lifted," said Douhan, whose official title is "special rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... Her mission comes during a stalemate in talks between Iran and world powers to revive a 2015 agreement, which gave Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/19/2022 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[IsraelTimes] Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Lynn Hastings has condemned an Israeli court’s order that a Gazook humanitarian worker who has been on trial for years remain behind bars for another 45 days at least.
Courts have repeatedly extended Muhammad Halabi’s detention since his initial arrest in 2016, on charges he funneled approximately $7 million in annual aid to Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... ’s Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, rulers.
The allegations against Halabi, who managed the Gaza office of the World Vision Christian aid group, have been subject to significant speculation and plagued by mysterious delays.
Halabi’s backers say $7 million is more than three times the annual budget for the World Vision Gaza office. Prosecutors have also provided minimal concrete evidence throughout the proceedings since Halabi’s widely publicized indictment in August 2016.
The Justice Ministry has declined to provide a justification for the lengthy detention, saying the case is classified.
"According to Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, minimum guarantees of a fair trial include the right to be tried without undue delay," tweets Hastings.
Halabi’s drawn-out trial has also garnered the attention of the Biden administration (aka the Wilmington comorra) ...the gang of subgeniuses trying to pass themselves off as the adults in charge of the series of calamities characteristic of the administration of a mentally challenged geriatric case... , and diplomats from the US embassy in Jerusalem have attended several of the hearings.
Hamas continues marching through Palestinian institutions.
[IsraelTimes] Islamist terror group activists take 28 seats to Fatah’s 18, as PA’s ruling party sees its West Bank support and legitimacy dwindle.
Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", activists won a landslide victory in student elections at the flagship Birzeit University north of Ramallah on Wednesday night, in a possible indicator of how West Bank Paleostinian public opinion is shifting.
The Hamas-linked Islamic Allegiance Bloc took 28 seats out of 51 on the student council. The Fatah-linked Yasser Arafat Bloc won just 18, reflecting the dwindling popularity of the party which dominates the Paleostinian Authority.
Continued on Page 49
[IsraelTimes] Israel has announced new entry curbs on foreigners, including professors and students headed to Paleostinian institutions
American officials have strongly protested a planned new Israeli policy restricting foreigners’ entry into the West Bank, Channel 12 news reported Wednesday.
The network said sources within the administration have intimated that a failure to reevaluate the wide-reaching restrictions, set to come into effect in July, could lead to a punitive postponement or even suspension of the process to add the Jewish state to the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
Continued on Page 49
So the Biden administration claims, anyway. Possibly the Israeli representative even said those words.
[IsraelTimes] USAID chief Samantha Power tells congressional panel that Israeli officials recognize that economic stability in West Bank and Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... is critical after Trump cut aid.
Israeli officials have expressed "enthusiasm" to their American counterparts over the Biden administration (aka the Wilmington comorra)
Continued on Page 49
#3
The language of diplomacy is the language of nuance.
There are times when "You are? That's wonderful!" can actually mean "You stupid mother-*bleep*ers!"
[IraqiNews] Beirut — Hezbollah’s opponents might rejoice at their loss of majority in parliament but Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... ’s packed political calendar now sets the stage for protracted deadlocks at best or violence at worst.
Sunday’s polls passed without any major incident, in itself an achievement in a country which has a history of political violence and is suffering its worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
05/19/2022 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.
...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead...
Also, after conducting interviews with the defendant's relatives, the prosecution learned that he had joined
...Arabic for 
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it .jpg "Kashmir")
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites....
...the gang of subgeniuses trying to pass themselves off as the 
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
