SAUDI ARABIA
► http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097573,00.html
Earlier: Saudi Crown Prince Dies in U.S.
The heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz, died abroad on Saturday after an illness, state TV said. He was 85 years old.
► http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/SKM40715.htm
► http://www.handsoffcain.info/bancadati/schedastato.php?idstato=15000435
HANDS OFF CAIN against death penalty in the world
www.handsoffcain.info
Hands off Cain: abolish the death penalty, stop capital punishment, sign up the worldwide moratorium on executions at the upcoming UN General Assembly.
► http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055636/Sudanese-man-beheaded-Saudi-Arabia-car-park-sorcerer.html
Sudanese man beheaded in Saudi Arabia car park for being a 'sorcerer'
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Abdul Hamid Bin Hussain Bin Moustafa al-Fakki was executed in Medina, in the west of the country, as dozens watched.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13943910
Indonesia's maid trade thrives despite Saudi execution
The case of an Indonesian maid beheaded for killing her Saudi employer shocked Indonesia - but there are still many willing to work overseas, says the BBC's Karishma Vaswani.
► http://www.economist.com/node/21523188
Beheading the golden goose
www.economist.com
INDONESIA takes pride in its amiable foreign policy, sometimes referring to it as "a million friends and zero enemies". But even the most accommodating of countries have their limits.
► http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fb3_1258615704
LiveLeak.com - Arab sheikh and his 9 sons rape and molest Indonesian maid.
www.liveleak.com
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- 'People see me as a strong woman,' Sunarsih says, 'but I was broken inside. I was always crying but I don't want other people to see my cry.' Sunarsih is not this woman'.
► http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/1136718/1/.html
Indonesia slams Saudi 'manners' in execution row - Channel NewsAsia
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday condemned the beheading of an Indonesian maid in Saudi Arabia and accused Riyadh of breaking the "norms and manners" of international relations.
► http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/27/in_saudi_arabia_an_undercover_revolution
► http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/women-saudi-arabia-photos/#/saudiarabia-veiled-woman_3140_600x450.jpg
Women of Saudi Arabia Photos - National Geographic
See photos of Saudi Arabian women, including Bedouin, in this photo gallery from National Geographic.
► http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097573,00.html
Earlier: Saudi Crown Prince Dies in U.S.
The heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz, died abroad on Saturday after an illness, state TV said. He was 85 years old.
Because of oil, the attitude of Arab League countries to the United States is soft. Disputes between countries in the region made the U.S. presence was needed. The U.S. also impressed "to colonize" the Arab. The most important issue is the U.S. has obtained the concession of land for its military bases in seven Arab League member states - Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, UAE, and Kuwait. Oil sales to any nation-state is assured, meanwhile, the U.S. military joined the local security guard.
The history of the U.S. military bases presence is different between each other. For example, in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. gained access there because Saudi Arabia worried about the expansionist politics of Saddam Hussein.
As is known, in 1990 Iraq occupied Kuwait. This action made all the Iraq's neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia became alarmed. This was what made the U.S. has reason to persuade Saudi Arabia to allow its troops based in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, with Iraq, the U.S. bases in Iraq because the Desert Storm Operation which successfully toppled Saddam Hussein in April 2003.
Whatever the reason for the presence of U.S. troops and military bases in the territory of member countries of Arab League, unwittingly, it has changed the status of their sovereignty. De facto, they've turned into a Satellite State, if it does not want to be called as a U.S. puppet! The independence of Arab League is very saggy. Facing the U.S., the Arab League's node has lost its prestige.
Although there was no evidence that the U.S. was controlling the political government of the seven Arab countries, but it could not be avoided, the oil produced by them gradually began to be controlled by the United States. The original reason was for security, but eventually, the U.S control was expanding and became very strong.
Thus, Arab countries were ultimately controlled by the U.S. through oil politics and military politics. In other words, the U.S. actually has controlled the Arabs through the oil-rich country. To the Arab League members who don't have oil, they are free to choose their alliances. Because the U.S. is known as a country ruled by the Israeli lobby, then Israel to penetrate through this pathway.
It was difficult for the Arab League to avoid the penetration of Jewish interests, because the mechanism was superimposed over the present of U.S. forces in Arab countries. Almost all the U.S. weaponry were used in Arab lands, made by Jewish technology or produced jointly by Israeli-American company.
Similarly, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Although Saudi Arabia didn't recognize the existence of Jewish state, but on June 18, 2008, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz made a surprise for the world with his initiative to sponsor the interfaith meeting in Madrid, Spain. About 500 religious leaders from 51 countries attended it. In addition to Christian and Catholic leaders, there were also the representative of the Buddhist and Sikh.
But what was surprising was, King Abdullah used his foundation based in Mecca inviting the religious leaders, including the Jewish religion based in Israel. Even in the conference, for the first time the Jewish religious leaders shook hands with representatives of the royal family. This contradiction and paradoxical showed that to blame the U.S. without correcting the Arab League was a mistake.
Israeli's incursion into Gaza Strip, should not be viewed solely because of Israel's ambitions to reply to Hamas. Invasion could also be seen as part of the Israeli agenda - doing the tests on the type of weapons newly developed. Criticality to see the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is required equivalent with the critical attitude to look at the Arab League position in the dispute. It's hard to say no, they - the Arab League, unconsciously has allowed the Palestinians torn by Israel.
*****
Since the phenomenon of Ben Ali's resignation of Tunisia's presidency, the other Arab countries in the Middle East seemed to gain its legitimacy for "talkative" in bringing about the revolution. Initially followed by revolution in Tahrir which ended with the resignation of President Mubarok absolute power that lasted no less than three decades. Now, countries like Libya, Bahrain, Jordan and even the most conservative countries in the world-class Saudi Arabia did not want to miss taking part in this trend Arab revolution. Related to the latter, I see there is a uniqueness which is not found in the phenomenon of revolution in another Arab countries. If in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, their scholars were pro, or at least they did not denounce the advent of the revolution, then such an attitude was not found in the view of scholars of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Far from defending the demonstrators who demanded the change, their scholars decided that the demonstration as an act was forbidden and un-Islamic. More than just a decision, they even alleged the demonstrations occurred recently in the country as an unforgivable perfidy. Although it did not directly intersect with the political climate, we could certainly empathize with that naive statement was very hurt and broke the spirit of demonstrators.
The situation was still getting worse, now, stronghold demonstrators in Saudi Arabia who denounced oppression and absolute monarchy must deal with two conspiring forces: political forces and power of religious doctrine. Of political power, faction of demonstrators clashed with the royal army's ferocity that would "execute" any person who voiced demand change. As if they were not sufficient to physical violence, Saudi clerics went along to intimidate the justice fighters by impairing their psychology with religious doctrines of their version.
One of the decisions impressed parodis is their claim that the changes can not be done by way of inciting, but by way of Islamic advice. My question is, when will the absolute kings and princes listen to their people's advice? Have those who claimed to be the legal guardian of God's ever heard of the Prophet's word, "Policy of a leader is to follow the good of people?" Or is it just a joke for a country with a symbol of its creed and constitutional in the Book of Allah?
Understandable that the marriage of religion and politics occurred in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a deliberate conspiracy created to reinforce the doctrine of an uncounted sect in the history of Islamic's thought to the world stage. Many observers considered that the case without the political support of Ibn Saud and his successors, Wahhabi ideology may not be able to evolve as it is now. Perhaps because the "debt of honor," the Saudi scholars who incidentally were the Wahhabi wing, felt the need to give support to the political practices of absolute monarchy. Lessons to be learned from clerical conspiracy case and political absolutism practice is to remind us, again, the importance of state secularization project that recently starting to look weaker.
Since the emergence of the phenomenon of religious resurgence today, there is the impression that secularism has lost its confidence and surrender to the undermining of religion. This is shown particularly by the political compromises that eventually accept the demands of certain religious groups as public policy and make it binding for all citizens. Perhaps, making clerical-absolutist conspiracy case in Saudi politics as an analogy to analyze the atmosphere of political and religious tensions is not entirely on target. Nevertheless, the phenomenon can be seen, (associated with some cases which demand the understanding of a particular religion to serve as a constitution), if it is allowed, then it is possible, it will lead to a form of authoritarianism as happened in Saudi Arabia.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a bad example of how religion and the clerical interference in the affairs of state and public settings. As for today, the world's eyes to see that the loyalty of people on what is indoctrinated as "a sacred constitution" can no longer be maintained. The demonstration that appeared in Saudi Arabia can be described as the voice of the deepest human conscience who shouted that "religion" and "sacred constitution" is not enough merely to be the basis of state regulation of public policy. Although still impressed scared and shy, gathering of 12 people at the front door of Al Rajhi Mosque in the capital Riyadh who demanded changes in the absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy, it clearly showed that to create a state based on justice and pro-people took more than just the intervention of the clergy and the sacred law (Islamic law) in determining the face of a nation. For now, we may still be difficult to predict whether the continuation of the revolution in Saudi Arabia will end up like in Tunisia and Egypt, or whether victory will favor the authoritarian group and its conspiracy scholars by way of "killing" the voices of demonstrators.
Maybe it's too simplistic to say that political authoritarianism is simply born out of religion. By not forget the example of communist authoritarianism, the dark history of political Islam on mihna and the examples of recent cases of Saudi Arabia is a proof that a religion with its clerical conspiracy is one variant suspected to be potential to bear the political authoritarianism.
Maybe we will not imitate the Laïcité secularism model which been applied in France or Turkey, but we still will fight for political secularism in a format that is not only friendly to religion, but also firmly. Friendly in the sense of providing room for the adherents of religion to express their beliefs, and decisive in the sense of not compromise with any form of pressure from certain groups who want to impose their beliefs as a regulator of public policy.
To fight for political secularism model as mentioned above, the following points may be taken into consideration.
First, to separate the religious institutions from the state domain. With cut off the state budget to religious institutions, it denotes a firm stance, that the state does not want to be burdened with such private matters of religion and belief issues. The state, in this case could provide protection in licensing forms of existence with internal self-financing. That way, any statements issued by religious institutions are no longer have constitutional power to bind all citizens.
Secondly, withdraw the support for political parties and faith-based financial system. The idea that must be carried by a political party in the secular system is reference to together idealism on the principles of nationality embodied in the the main constitutional, not on the idealism of certain groups. Similarly the financial system, it should be regulated equally, and not just focus on the welfare of certain groups.
Third, revoke the enforcement of Sharia as local regulations and replace it with local laws agreed by all relevant groups and elements of society. The purpose is to avoid the practice of politic authoritarianism from the smallest government line. Through consensus of all groups of society, various forms of people's aspirations can be accommodated, and oppression in the name of majority's dominance can be avoided.
Fourth, in education area, the state's firmness towards religion can be realized in the form of curriculum revision. In this case, the subjects of religion in state schools should be repealed and replaced with the study of ethical or moral which friendly with diversity. This is done to avoid the imposition of a particular paradigm of religious groups as compulsory subjects. It's time for multiculturalism approach and interfaith study are used as an alternative method of learning in schools as a vehicle to introduce the "other" and remove all forms of authoritarian policy.
*****
CZ-Lacalifusa110311
► http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/SKM40715.htm
► http://www.handsoffcain.info/bancadati/schedastato.php?idstato=15000435
HANDS OFF CAIN against death penalty in the world
www.handsoffcain.info
Hands off Cain: abolish the death penalty, stop capital punishment, sign up the worldwide moratorium on executions at the upcoming UN General Assembly.
► http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055636/Sudanese-man-beheaded-Saudi-Arabia-car-park-sorcerer.html
Sudanese man beheaded in Saudi Arabia car park for being a 'sorcerer'
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Abdul Hamid Bin Hussain Bin Moustafa al-Fakki was executed in Medina, in the west of the country, as dozens watched.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13943910
Indonesia's maid trade thrives despite Saudi execution
The case of an Indonesian maid beheaded for killing her Saudi employer shocked Indonesia - but there are still many willing to work overseas, says the BBC's Karishma Vaswani.
► http://www.economist.com/node/21523188
Beheading the golden goose
www.economist.com
INDONESIA takes pride in its amiable foreign policy, sometimes referring to it as "a million friends and zero enemies". But even the most accommodating of countries have their limits.
► http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fb3_1258615704
LiveLeak.com - Arab sheikh and his 9 sons rape and molest Indonesian maid.
www.liveleak.com
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- 'People see me as a strong woman,' Sunarsih says, 'but I was broken inside. I was always crying but I don't want other people to see my cry.' Sunarsih is not this woman'.
► http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/1136718/1/.html
Indonesia slams Saudi 'manners' in execution row - Channel NewsAsia
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday condemned the beheading of an Indonesian maid in Saudi Arabia and accused Riyadh of breaking the "norms and manners" of international relations.
► http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/27/in_saudi_arabia_an_undercover_revolution
► http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/women-saudi-arabia-photos/#/saudiarabia-veiled-woman_3140_600x450.jpg
Women of Saudi Arabia Photos - National Geographic
See photos of Saudi Arabian women, including Bedouin, in this photo gallery from National Geographic.
What I know about Arabs is, they offered me a five camels when I was in Qatar. At that time in 2009, my partner and I went together to visit Jerusalem and we were in transit for several hours in Qatar.
Because we were in Arab lands, we didn't see many people other than Arabs. I did not know what I did when later there was an Arab man who without any hesitate said something to my partner. Of course my partner frowned, we did not understand Arabic. Finally he asked our fellow traveler who understood Arabic to ask that Arab's intent. After our friend explained his question to us, of course my partner wanted to say, "No."
But, because I wanted to know the intent of the arab man, I gave a gesture on my partner. He really understood it. And he said to our friends to say "Yes" to the Arab.
Do you want to know his answer? The Arab declared his intention to take me as his wife, and this was said by him to my partner because he thought my partner was my brother. Or maybe because he looked at my face like an Arab woman... ahaahaa.Our companion told us about it with a grin. I laughed heartily. My partner grumbled and upset. He cursed the Arab with our language. The Arab did not understand it and he was still waiting an answer from "my brother".
Then "my brother" answered his question by kissing my lips sloppily, and it just was witnessed by the Arab eyes. With a rogue artificial style, he squeezed my butt while kissing me, but I saw his eyes waiting for that Arab's reaction. I laughed in his kiss, but my lips had been locked by his lips. (Finally, he had to account for the way he kissed me with more good and decent in our Arabian's evening)
Just in seconds, we both saw the Arab man was soon moved from where he stood. His face's expression was seen trying hard to hold something. (Maybe he was thinking hard how to make his camels breed more quickly. Or he feared all his camels have died). The three of us were still laughing at him.
Didn't want this stupid thing interfered with his mood, I asked my partner, "Dahling, do you believe this? It could be, but I'm sure, still he tried to woo me while his harem is full of (probably) more than 1000 women ... ahahahha!"
"Do not forget the deal, hon. Five camels were you!
"...
So, every time we talk about the Arabs, he - and especially me - can not release it from the talk about camels.
In addition to idolize women (as we see the food hawker on the street), they are also fond of torture, sodomy or rape the women. No wonder why God revealed the Quran in Arab's land, and not in China or Africa, for example. Can you imagine how depraved they are on period where there is no holy book? Even after there's the Koran, they are still depraved and cruel! (For example : Gaddafi,...Oh no! I am too judgmental. Of course, not all Arabs as my supposition. I am sure, many of them are good Arabs.
Chuck Norris, etc, etc.)
AFGHANISTAN - PAKISTAN
Turkey is hosting talks between the presidents and military chiefs of Afghanistan and Pakistan in Istanbul in an effort to ease mistrust between the two neighbours. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been undermined by allegations that Pakistan supports Afghan militants. In an exclusive interview with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, the BBC's Jonathan Head asked whether such talks could really bring peace to the region.
Turkey is hosting talks between the presidents and military chiefs of Afghanistan and Pakistan in Istanbul in an effort to ease mistrust between the two neighbours. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been undermined by allegations that Pakistan supports Afghan militants. In an exclusive interview with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, the BBC's Jonathan Head asked whether such talks could really bring peace to the region.
PAKISTAN
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15388051
US presses Pakistan on militants
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls on Pakistan to take "strong steps" to deny Afghan insurgents sanctuary on its soil.
► http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/20/politics/afghanistan-clinton/index.html
Clinton: 'We intend to push the Pakistanis very hard' - CNN.com
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met the Afghan president and other government officials Thursday for talks aimed at boosting reconciliation efforts.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15410154
Obama: All US troops leaving Iraq
All US troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, President Obama announces, bringing to an end a nine-year military campaign there.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15412662
Pakistan and India win UN seats
Pakistan wins a UN Security Council seat alongside regional rival India, as a total of six new temporary members are elected.
► http://news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-back-pakistan-wars-u-karzai-023316217.html
Afghanistan to back Pakistan if wars with U.S.: Karzai
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday.
► http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/23/karzai-says-afghanistan-would-back-pakistan-if-us-attacks/
Karzai Says Afghanistan Would Back Pakistan if U.S. Attacks
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said if the United States and Pakistan ever went to war, his country would back Islamabad, drawing a sharp rebuke Sunday from Afghan lawmakers who claimed the country's top officials were adopting hypocritical positions.
► http://www.understandingwar.org/themenode/pakistan-and-afghanistan
Pakistan and Afghanistan | Institute for the Study of War
Pakistan and Afghanistan share an immense border stretching 1510 miles (2430 km)along the southern and eastern edges of Afghanistan.
►
What can China and India learn from one another?
Asia Society's first Asian Arts and Ideas Forum — called The Chindia Dialogues — kicks off this Thursday and runs through Sunday at Asia Society New York. The Chindia Dialogues brings.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15388051
US presses Pakistan on militants
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls on Pakistan to take "strong steps" to deny Afghan insurgents sanctuary on its soil.
► http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/20/politics/afghanistan-clinton/index.html
Clinton: 'We intend to push the Pakistanis very hard' - CNN.com
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met the Afghan president and other government officials Thursday for talks aimed at boosting reconciliation efforts.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15410154
Obama: All US troops leaving Iraq
All US troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, President Obama announces, bringing to an end a nine-year military campaign there.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15412662
Pakistan and India win UN seats
Pakistan wins a UN Security Council seat alongside regional rival India, as a total of six new temporary members are elected.
► http://news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-back-pakistan-wars-u-karzai-023316217.html
Afghanistan to back Pakistan if wars with U.S.: Karzai
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday.
► http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/23/karzai-says-afghanistan-would-back-pakistan-if-us-attacks/
Karzai Says Afghanistan Would Back Pakistan if U.S. Attacks
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said if the United States and Pakistan ever went to war, his country would back Islamabad, drawing a sharp rebuke Sunday from Afghan lawmakers who claimed the country's top officials were adopting hypocritical positions.
► http://www.understandingwar.org/themenode/pakistan-and-afghanistan
Pakistan and Afghanistan | Institute for the Study of War
Pakistan and Afghanistan share an immense border stretching 1510 miles (2430 km)along the southern and eastern edges of Afghanistan.
►
What can China and India learn from one another?
Asia Society's first Asian Arts and Ideas Forum — called The Chindia Dialogues — kicks off this Thursday and runs through Sunday at Asia Society New York. The Chindia Dialogues brings.
THAILAND
FLOOD 2011
Flooding leaves 17 elephants, many of them babies, stranded for weeks on a small concrete island in the Thai city of Ayutthaya.
Major floods are occurring during the 2011 monsoon season in Thailand, most severely in the Chao Phraya but also in the Mekong River basin. Beginning in late July and continuing for over two months, the floods have caused 307 reported deaths, affected over 2.3 million people, and caused damages estimated at up to 156.7 billion baht (5.1 billion USD) as of 18 October. The flooding has inundated about six million hectares of land, over 300,000 hectares of which is farmland, in 58 provinces, from Chiang Mai in the North to parts of the capital city of Bangkok near the mouth of the Chao Phraya. It has been described as "the worst flooding yet in terms of the amount of water and people affected". Seven major industrial estates have been inundated by as much 3 meters (10 feet) and estimated it will be around for 40 days.
Various regions of Thailand are prone to seasonal flash-flooding due to their tropical savanna climate. The floods often occur in the North and spread down the Chao Phraya River through the central plains, in the Northeast along the Chi and Mun Rivers flowing into the Mekong, or in the coastal hillsides of the East and South. Remnants of tropical storms that strike Vietnam or the peninsular south commonly increase precipitation, resulting in further risk of flooding. Drainage control systems, including multiple dams, irrigation canals and flood detention basins, have been implemented, but are inadequate to prevent flood damage, especially to rural areas. A lot of effort, including a system of drainage tunnels begun in 2001, has been put into preventing the enormous flooding of the capital city, which lies near the mouth of the Chao Phraya and is prone to flooding, with considerable success, Bangkok having seen only brief and minor flooding since the major flood of 1995. Other regions, however, have experienced severe flooding as recently as 2010.
With the monsoon season well underway in 2011, with noticeable rainfalls started from May, major flooding began as Tropical Storm Nock-ten made landfall in Northern Vietnam, causing heavy precipitation in Northern and Northeastern Thailand and flash flooding in many provinces beginning 31 July.[4][5] Within one week thirteen had been reported dead, with ongoing flooding in the provinces of Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phrae, and Uttaradit in the North, and Bung Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon and Udon Thani in the upper Northeast. The upper-central provinces of Phichit, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai were also flooded as the flooding spread down the overflowing Yom and Nan Rivers. Prachuap Khiri Khan on the gulf coast was also affected.
Flooding was still ongoing by late August, as heavy rains were expected to continue further than usual due to the effect of La Niña. Floodwaters reached 50 cm in downtown Nan and already became the highest recorded in 16 years in Phitsanulok Province, while large areas in the downstream provinces of Nakhon Sawan, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya and Nakhon Nayok were being increasingly affected and the death toll continued to rise to 37 by 22 August. The Bhumibol and Sirikit Dams were increasing discharge rates to compensate for incoming flow.
By 19 September almost all lower central provinces were being affected by flood, i.e. Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi, the last two of which sit on the northern border of Bangkok. Broken floodgates resulted in water from the Chao Phraya flowing through irrigation canals and inundating large areas of paddy fields in Singburi, Ang Thong and Ayutthaya, but lessening the strain on Bangkok as the fields served as water retention areas. Boats were employed to run against the river flow while anchored in an attempt to increase the river's discharge rate.
By the beginning of October, most dams were already near- or over-capacity and being forced to increase their rates of discharge, potentially worsening downstream flooding. Flooding in Ayutthaya worsened as flood water entered the city proper, inundating the Ayutthaya Historical Park and forcing evacuations. Barriers protecting industrial estates failed, resulting in flooding of dozens of major factories and country-wide disruption of manufacturing supply chains. In Nakhon Sawan, the sandbag barrier protecting the city was breached, resulting in rapid flooding of the city. Hundreds of patients had to be transferred out of Ayutthaya and Nakhon Sawan Regional Hospitals by boat as water levels rose over the hospital floors and power supplies and life support systems were disrupted.
As floodwaters drained southwards from Ayutthaya, Bangkok was becoming seriously threatened by mid-October. In Pathum Thani Province bordering Bangkok to the north, continuous efforts to reinforce and repair sandbag flood walls were undertaken to prevent the Chao Phraya and Rangsit Canals from overflowing into Bangkok. Several districts in eastern Bangkok which lie outside Bangkok's flood wall, as well as parts of the surrounding Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Chachoengsao and Nakhon Pathom Provinces, became flooded as water was diverted from the Chao Phraya to the Nakhon Nayok River and outlying canals.
As flood barriers in Pathum Thani failed, even more industrial estates as well as suburban residential areas became flooded. Parts of the Phahon Yothin Highway leading out of Bangkok became inaccessible, causing severe traffic jams on alternative routes. Disruption of a barrier protecting the Khlong Prapa water supply canal early on 20 October allowed floodwaters to enter the canal and rapidly flow down to Sam Sen in central Bangkok, overflowing and flooding several areas along the banks. Although the breach was controlled, residents panicked and have illegally parked cars on flyovers and parts of the elevated expressway. Parts of Thammasat University's Rangsit Campus, which was serving as the largest evacuation centre, became flooded.
As the situation continued, several floodgates controlling the Rangsit/Raphiphat canal system became overwhelmed and were forced to release water towards more residential areas. Residents of several districts of Bangkok, especially those bordering Pathum Thani, have been told to prepare for flooding.
Centralised flood monitoring and relief operations began in mid-August. Recently-appointed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra made tours of flood provinces beginning 12 August and assigned cabinet members and members of parliament to visit affected people, pledging support to local administration organisations. The 24/7 Emergency Operation Center for Flood, Storm and Landslide was set up on 20 August under the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department of the Ministry of Interior to coordinate warning and relief efforts. The government also allocated extra flood-relief budgets to the affected provinces. The Prime Minister has also pledged to invest in long-term prevention projects, including the construction of drainage canals.
The armed forces have been mobilised to distribute aid to affected people, and civilian groups and organisations are also involved, with volunteers packing sustenance kits and delivering aid to some areas. A Flood Relief Operations Center (FROC) has been set up at Don Mueang Airport to coordinate the delivery of aid, superseding the Emergency Operation Center because it could not exercise adequate authority. The stadium at Rangsit Campus of Thammasat University is serving as a shelter for evacuees, mostly from Ayutthaya. However, many people in the flooded areas are refusing to leave their homes for fear of looting.
China, Japan, the Philippines, the United States, and New Zealand have pledged support and assistance for relief operations.
On 16 October 2011, the USS George Washington (CVN-73) aircraft carrier, as well as several other United States Navy ships were deployed to Thailand to assist in relief work. It was not clear to the US government whether or not the Thai government required US naval assistance due to mixed signals from the Thai government. An anonymous US defense official said that they were "ready to help but we haven't got a request." The United States to date has not received a formal request for assistance.
As the flooding threat against Bangkok increased, discontent with the government response and the FROC has mounted. The government has been criticised for underestimating the extent of flooding, giving mixed or conflicting information, and not giving adequate warnings. Failure of government units to share data and cooperate have been reported as contributing to the problem. Administers of the FROC and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have been criticised for playing politics and refusing to cooperate at the expense of the general population.
Copying the technique suggested by King Bhumibol to help quicken the flow of water through the much shallower Khlong Lad Pho canal, Yingluck placed hundreds of boats in the Chao Phraya River to churn the waters with their propellers to increase the flow of water down to the sea. Yingluck was criticized for this by Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, who called the operation a "waste of time" as there were high sea tide at the time. Smith Dharmasarojana, former Director-General of the Meteorological Department and Chairman of the National Disaster Warning Council Foundation, also criticized the operation, claiming that "accelerating boats in the middle of the wide Chao Phraya River is a waste because they propel only the water on the surface."
Yingluck was criticized by Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Democrat Governor of Bangkok, for providing 800,000 plastic-lined paper sandbags. "I don’t know how strong these bags are. Once I saw these paper bags I was in shock," he said, refusing the sandbags. The government claimed that the sandbags, which were produced by Thai Styrenics Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of state petrochemical company PTT, were suitable for flood embankments.
The use of flood barriers has resulted in multiple disputes between people on the different sides; those on the flooded side being angry that they were unfairly affected, and often attempting to sabotage the barriers, sometimes resulting in armed confrontation. Farmers in Phichit Province, among others, fought over the maintenance of sandbag barriers and sluice gates. Residents in areas outlying Bangkok are also dissatisfied that their homes are flooded while Bangkok is being protected. Arguments over the construction of the controversial Kaeng Suea Ten Dam have also risen.
Local resistance to the building and maintenance of flood barriers has disrupted government work in several instances. Residents in some areas have sabotaged barriers and threatened government workers with firearms.
Since the flood had arrived at Pathumthani province, the media presented flood-related news more frequently and made car owners in Bangkok and nearby precincts panic. Many designated car parks were full at that time. Therefore, a lot of them had chosen to park their vehicles on expressways, intersections or anywhere they perceived would not get flooded. This aggravated traffic problems and there were several unreported accidents. No deaths had been reported.
One notable error in communications between Thai medias and foreign companies was the lack of information in English. Japan's Toshiba says, "it is critical for the government to provide more accurate flood information and implement long-term prevention measures." The other foreign investors also shared this anxiety. Another notable example of insufficient communication was with Rohm Integrated Systems, one of the largest Japanese semiconductor manufacturers who had a manufacturing plant in Navanakorn. The company received very little information about the flood and could not move critical equipment in time.
The flooding has been described as "the worst flooding yet in terms of the amount of water and people affected". As of 18 October, flooding has affected 2,484,393 people from 824,848 families, with 317 deaths and 3 missing persons reported by the 24/7 Emergency Operation Center for Flood, Storm and Landslide (EOC). Damage estimates of at least 185 billion Baht by the latest estimation by Federation of Thai Industry (Central region section) which includes 95 billion Baht damage on Thai industry, 25 billion Baht damage on Thai Agriculture and 65 billion Baht damage on the housing in the communities and suburb villages. A large part of the damage stems from the effect on the manufacturing industry, with 930 factories in 28 provinces affected, including multiple industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani Provinces which have been flooded. The flooding has been estimated to result in decrease 0.6 to 0.9 percent in economic growth. Schools, 1,053 of which have been affected as of 19 September, were forced to end the term early.
Major associated damage is to the job base that has been hurt because factories are flooded and many workers laid off or fired. Speculation has been voiced that some number of the factories may never open again, which will result in from some to significant job loss in Central Thailand. Further, due to agricultural lands being flooded, farmers along with those who work in the rice mills and paddy warehouses are out of work. Thailand poor are not known to keep a reserve of capital to tide them over emergency times, raising fears of hunger and a rising crime rate. Many of the rice fields have been damaged causing starvation.
On 8 October 2011 the 10 metre high water blockage in Nikom Rojna industrial estate, which housed many manufacturing plants, had collapsed. [11] The strong current had interfered reconstruction effort and resulted in the whole area being non-operational. One of the major manufacturing plants, Honda, was left virtually inaccessible.
Thailand is the world's 2nd biggest producer of HDDs. 25%[33] of the world's hard drives are made in Thailand. And many HDD factories have been flooded, including Western Digital's, therefore industry analysts are predicting harddrive shortages worldwide as a result.
(SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA)
VICTOR BOUT 2010
► http://mssparky.com/2010/08/viktor-bout-coming-to-america/
» Viktor Bout – Coming to America Ms Sparky
www.mssparky.com
I see the Viktor Bout aka "Merchant of Death" and the alleged owner of the charter airline(s) used to transport KBR personnel and cargo in and out of Baghdad is finally being extradited to the US.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15565305
Viktor Bout guilty of arms deal
A former Soviet military officer is convicted in a New York court of attempting to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian terror group.
FLOOD 2011
Flooding leaves 17 elephants, many of them babies, stranded for weeks on a small concrete island in the Thai city of Ayutthaya.
Major floods are occurring during the 2011 monsoon season in Thailand, most severely in the Chao Phraya but also in the Mekong River basin. Beginning in late July and continuing for over two months, the floods have caused 307 reported deaths, affected over 2.3 million people, and caused damages estimated at up to 156.7 billion baht (5.1 billion USD) as of 18 October. The flooding has inundated about six million hectares of land, over 300,000 hectares of which is farmland, in 58 provinces, from Chiang Mai in the North to parts of the capital city of Bangkok near the mouth of the Chao Phraya. It has been described as "the worst flooding yet in terms of the amount of water and people affected". Seven major industrial estates have been inundated by as much 3 meters (10 feet) and estimated it will be around for 40 days.
Various regions of Thailand are prone to seasonal flash-flooding due to their tropical savanna climate. The floods often occur in the North and spread down the Chao Phraya River through the central plains, in the Northeast along the Chi and Mun Rivers flowing into the Mekong, or in the coastal hillsides of the East and South. Remnants of tropical storms that strike Vietnam or the peninsular south commonly increase precipitation, resulting in further risk of flooding. Drainage control systems, including multiple dams, irrigation canals and flood detention basins, have been implemented, but are inadequate to prevent flood damage, especially to rural areas. A lot of effort, including a system of drainage tunnels begun in 2001, has been put into preventing the enormous flooding of the capital city, which lies near the mouth of the Chao Phraya and is prone to flooding, with considerable success, Bangkok having seen only brief and minor flooding since the major flood of 1995. Other regions, however, have experienced severe flooding as recently as 2010.
With the monsoon season well underway in 2011, with noticeable rainfalls started from May, major flooding began as Tropical Storm Nock-ten made landfall in Northern Vietnam, causing heavy precipitation in Northern and Northeastern Thailand and flash flooding in many provinces beginning 31 July.[4][5] Within one week thirteen had been reported dead, with ongoing flooding in the provinces of Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phrae, and Uttaradit in the North, and Bung Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon and Udon Thani in the upper Northeast. The upper-central provinces of Phichit, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai were also flooded as the flooding spread down the overflowing Yom and Nan Rivers. Prachuap Khiri Khan on the gulf coast was also affected.
Flooding was still ongoing by late August, as heavy rains were expected to continue further than usual due to the effect of La Niña. Floodwaters reached 50 cm in downtown Nan and already became the highest recorded in 16 years in Phitsanulok Province, while large areas in the downstream provinces of Nakhon Sawan, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya and Nakhon Nayok were being increasingly affected and the death toll continued to rise to 37 by 22 August. The Bhumibol and Sirikit Dams were increasing discharge rates to compensate for incoming flow.
By 19 September almost all lower central provinces were being affected by flood, i.e. Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi, the last two of which sit on the northern border of Bangkok. Broken floodgates resulted in water from the Chao Phraya flowing through irrigation canals and inundating large areas of paddy fields in Singburi, Ang Thong and Ayutthaya, but lessening the strain on Bangkok as the fields served as water retention areas. Boats were employed to run against the river flow while anchored in an attempt to increase the river's discharge rate.
By the beginning of October, most dams were already near- or over-capacity and being forced to increase their rates of discharge, potentially worsening downstream flooding. Flooding in Ayutthaya worsened as flood water entered the city proper, inundating the Ayutthaya Historical Park and forcing evacuations. Barriers protecting industrial estates failed, resulting in flooding of dozens of major factories and country-wide disruption of manufacturing supply chains. In Nakhon Sawan, the sandbag barrier protecting the city was breached, resulting in rapid flooding of the city. Hundreds of patients had to be transferred out of Ayutthaya and Nakhon Sawan Regional Hospitals by boat as water levels rose over the hospital floors and power supplies and life support systems were disrupted.
As floodwaters drained southwards from Ayutthaya, Bangkok was becoming seriously threatened by mid-October. In Pathum Thani Province bordering Bangkok to the north, continuous efforts to reinforce and repair sandbag flood walls were undertaken to prevent the Chao Phraya and Rangsit Canals from overflowing into Bangkok. Several districts in eastern Bangkok which lie outside Bangkok's flood wall, as well as parts of the surrounding Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Chachoengsao and Nakhon Pathom Provinces, became flooded as water was diverted from the Chao Phraya to the Nakhon Nayok River and outlying canals.
As flood barriers in Pathum Thani failed, even more industrial estates as well as suburban residential areas became flooded. Parts of the Phahon Yothin Highway leading out of Bangkok became inaccessible, causing severe traffic jams on alternative routes. Disruption of a barrier protecting the Khlong Prapa water supply canal early on 20 October allowed floodwaters to enter the canal and rapidly flow down to Sam Sen in central Bangkok, overflowing and flooding several areas along the banks. Although the breach was controlled, residents panicked and have illegally parked cars on flyovers and parts of the elevated expressway. Parts of Thammasat University's Rangsit Campus, which was serving as the largest evacuation centre, became flooded.
As the situation continued, several floodgates controlling the Rangsit/Raphiphat canal system became overwhelmed and were forced to release water towards more residential areas. Residents of several districts of Bangkok, especially those bordering Pathum Thani, have been told to prepare for flooding.
Centralised flood monitoring and relief operations began in mid-August. Recently-appointed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra made tours of flood provinces beginning 12 August and assigned cabinet members and members of parliament to visit affected people, pledging support to local administration organisations. The 24/7 Emergency Operation Center for Flood, Storm and Landslide was set up on 20 August under the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department of the Ministry of Interior to coordinate warning and relief efforts. The government also allocated extra flood-relief budgets to the affected provinces. The Prime Minister has also pledged to invest in long-term prevention projects, including the construction of drainage canals.
The armed forces have been mobilised to distribute aid to affected people, and civilian groups and organisations are also involved, with volunteers packing sustenance kits and delivering aid to some areas. A Flood Relief Operations Center (FROC) has been set up at Don Mueang Airport to coordinate the delivery of aid, superseding the Emergency Operation Center because it could not exercise adequate authority. The stadium at Rangsit Campus of Thammasat University is serving as a shelter for evacuees, mostly from Ayutthaya. However, many people in the flooded areas are refusing to leave their homes for fear of looting.
China, Japan, the Philippines, the United States, and New Zealand have pledged support and assistance for relief operations.
On 16 October 2011, the USS George Washington (CVN-73) aircraft carrier, as well as several other United States Navy ships were deployed to Thailand to assist in relief work. It was not clear to the US government whether or not the Thai government required US naval assistance due to mixed signals from the Thai government. An anonymous US defense official said that they were "ready to help but we haven't got a request." The United States to date has not received a formal request for assistance.
As the flooding threat against Bangkok increased, discontent with the government response and the FROC has mounted. The government has been criticised for underestimating the extent of flooding, giving mixed or conflicting information, and not giving adequate warnings. Failure of government units to share data and cooperate have been reported as contributing to the problem. Administers of the FROC and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have been criticised for playing politics and refusing to cooperate at the expense of the general population.
Copying the technique suggested by King Bhumibol to help quicken the flow of water through the much shallower Khlong Lad Pho canal, Yingluck placed hundreds of boats in the Chao Phraya River to churn the waters with their propellers to increase the flow of water down to the sea. Yingluck was criticized for this by Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, who called the operation a "waste of time" as there were high sea tide at the time. Smith Dharmasarojana, former Director-General of the Meteorological Department and Chairman of the National Disaster Warning Council Foundation, also criticized the operation, claiming that "accelerating boats in the middle of the wide Chao Phraya River is a waste because they propel only the water on the surface."
Yingluck was criticized by Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Democrat Governor of Bangkok, for providing 800,000 plastic-lined paper sandbags. "I don’t know how strong these bags are. Once I saw these paper bags I was in shock," he said, refusing the sandbags. The government claimed that the sandbags, which were produced by Thai Styrenics Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of state petrochemical company PTT, were suitable for flood embankments.
The use of flood barriers has resulted in multiple disputes between people on the different sides; those on the flooded side being angry that they were unfairly affected, and often attempting to sabotage the barriers, sometimes resulting in armed confrontation. Farmers in Phichit Province, among others, fought over the maintenance of sandbag barriers and sluice gates. Residents in areas outlying Bangkok are also dissatisfied that their homes are flooded while Bangkok is being protected. Arguments over the construction of the controversial Kaeng Suea Ten Dam have also risen.
Local resistance to the building and maintenance of flood barriers has disrupted government work in several instances. Residents in some areas have sabotaged barriers and threatened government workers with firearms.
Since the flood had arrived at Pathumthani province, the media presented flood-related news more frequently and made car owners in Bangkok and nearby precincts panic. Many designated car parks were full at that time. Therefore, a lot of them had chosen to park their vehicles on expressways, intersections or anywhere they perceived would not get flooded. This aggravated traffic problems and there were several unreported accidents. No deaths had been reported.
One notable error in communications between Thai medias and foreign companies was the lack of information in English. Japan's Toshiba says, "it is critical for the government to provide more accurate flood information and implement long-term prevention measures." The other foreign investors also shared this anxiety. Another notable example of insufficient communication was with Rohm Integrated Systems, one of the largest Japanese semiconductor manufacturers who had a manufacturing plant in Navanakorn. The company received very little information about the flood and could not move critical equipment in time.
The flooding has been described as "the worst flooding yet in terms of the amount of water and people affected". As of 18 October, flooding has affected 2,484,393 people from 824,848 families, with 317 deaths and 3 missing persons reported by the 24/7 Emergency Operation Center for Flood, Storm and Landslide (EOC). Damage estimates of at least 185 billion Baht by the latest estimation by Federation of Thai Industry (Central region section) which includes 95 billion Baht damage on Thai industry, 25 billion Baht damage on Thai Agriculture and 65 billion Baht damage on the housing in the communities and suburb villages. A large part of the damage stems from the effect on the manufacturing industry, with 930 factories in 28 provinces affected, including multiple industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani Provinces which have been flooded. The flooding has been estimated to result in decrease 0.6 to 0.9 percent in economic growth. Schools, 1,053 of which have been affected as of 19 September, were forced to end the term early.
Major associated damage is to the job base that has been hurt because factories are flooded and many workers laid off or fired. Speculation has been voiced that some number of the factories may never open again, which will result in from some to significant job loss in Central Thailand. Further, due to agricultural lands being flooded, farmers along with those who work in the rice mills and paddy warehouses are out of work. Thailand poor are not known to keep a reserve of capital to tide them over emergency times, raising fears of hunger and a rising crime rate. Many of the rice fields have been damaged causing starvation.
On 8 October 2011 the 10 metre high water blockage in Nikom Rojna industrial estate, which housed many manufacturing plants, had collapsed. [11] The strong current had interfered reconstruction effort and resulted in the whole area being non-operational. One of the major manufacturing plants, Honda, was left virtually inaccessible.
Thailand is the world's 2nd biggest producer of HDDs. 25%[33] of the world's hard drives are made in Thailand. And many HDD factories have been flooded, including Western Digital's, therefore industry analysts are predicting harddrive shortages worldwide as a result.
(SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA)
A woman holds a toddler as she walks through floodwaters in an area near the Chao Praya river in Bangkok on October 29, 2011. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images)
Thai soldiers hold onto each other against the water flowing into a neighborhood after a wall was breached by the swollen Chao Phraya River in Bangkok on October 30, 2011. (Altaf Qadri/AP)
Thai residents make their way across a flooded street close to the rising waters of the Chao Phraya river on October 30, 2011 in Bangkok. (Daniel Berehulak /Getty Images)
Thai residents make their way across a flooded street close to the rising waters of the Chao Phraya river on October 30, 2011 in Bangkok. (Daniel Berehulak /Getty Images)
Thai residents make their way across a flooded street close to the rising waters of the Chao Phraya river on October 30, 2011 in Bangkok. (Daniel Berehulak /Getty Images)
Thai flood victims pack a crowded evacuation center on October 30, 2011 in Bangkok. Thousands of flood victims have been forced to take shelter at crowded evacuation centers around the capitol city. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
A Thai man wades along chest-deep floodwaters in the outskirts of Bangkok on October 27, 2011. (Aaron Favila/AP)
Houses in a residential area are submerged in the northern section of Bangkok on October 30, 2011. (Kyodo News/AP)
Thai workers and soldiers try to fix the breach at a temporary wall during high tide in Bangkok on October 30, 2011. (Aaron Favila/AP) #
Flood victims watch TV at the Don Muang airport, which had become an evacuation center, on October 23, 2011 in Bangkok. It has since been evacuated. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)
A man floats on a truck tire with supplies of beer as floods advance into central Bangkok on October 26, 2011. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)
A Thai child carries a gas tank through floods in Rangsit district on the outskirts of Bangkok on October 21. Children make up around a quarter of the nearly 800 deaths the United Nations has tallied since July across Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines, which have been ravaged by some of the worst flooding in decades. Drownings are a huge unreported epidemic in Southeast Asia, killing an estimated 240,000 children up to 17 years old each year - mostly because the majority of kids in the region simply never learn to swim. (Aaron Favila/AP)
An elderly woman is evacuated along flooded streets near the Chao Phraya river on October 25, 2011 in Bangkok. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
Thai Dhammakaya monks push a truck, stuck in mud, as they work to fortify the flood gate at Khlong Rapi Pat on October 25, 2011 in Khlong Luang, on the outskirts of Bangkok. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
A woman hangs onto a street sign in chest-deep water on October 24, 2011 in Rangsit on the outskirts of Bangkok. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
A man with bottles of water wades down a flooded street on October 24, 2011 in Bangbuathong, Thailand. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
People push their belongings through floodwaters during an evacuation from a flooded market in Bangkok October 24, 2011. (Sukree Sukplang/Reuters)
An exhausted man gets a boat ride to an evacuation center on a flooded street on October 23, 2011 in Bangbuathong, Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
An exhausted man gets a boat ride to an evacuation center on a flooded street on October 23, 2011 in Bangbuathong, Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
A family floats back on a handmade raft to their house (seen behind) on October 23, 2011 in Klong Luang, on the outskirts of Bangkok. (Daniel Berehulak /Getty Images)
A family evacuates at night along the flooded streets October 22, 2011 in Bangbuathong on the outskirts of Bangkok. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
Thai residents make their way through flooded streets across sandbags on October 22, 2011 in Pathum Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok. (Daniel Berehulak /Getty Images)
This pair of photographs from NASA shows images from space of the Bangkok metropolitan area (lower center) taken by the Terra satellite on November 12, 2008 (left) and the same area on October 19, 2011, illustrating the flood surge north of the city. (NASA/AFP/Getty Images)
A Thai man bathes on the street after becoming homeless when his home flooded October 21, 2011 in Pathumthani on the outskirts of Bangkok. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
A man paddles a makeshift raft through a flooded area in the suburbs of Bangkok October 20, 2011. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)
An elderly woman walks on a wooden bridge across floodwaters in Bang Bua Thon, in Nonthaburi province, suburban Bangkok, on October 18, 2011. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images)
A Thai rescue worker sits next to a crocodile caught in a flooded area in Ayutthaya province October 15, 2011. (Sukree Sukplang/Reuters)
Motorcycle taxi driver Chatchawal Phuengwut holds a python he caught in floodwaters just outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok October 28, 2011. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)
A Thai boy holds aloft banknotes to keep them dry while he swims during the flood in Nonthaburi province, suburban Bangkok, on October 15, 2011. (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images)
This aerial picture shows an under-construction temple surrounded by floodwaters outside the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok on October 11, 2011. (Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images)
Vehicles at a Honda car factory are submerged in floodwaters in the Rojana industrial district in Ayutthaya province, central Thailand on October 16, 2011. (Sakchai Lalit/AP)
Thai factory workers walk through floodwaters as they evacuate the area of Nava Nakhorn industry estate in Pathum Thani province, suburban Bangkok, on October 18, 2011. (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images)
Thai residents make their way through flooded streets on October 22, 2011 in Pathum Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
People queue to buy bus tickets to leave the Thai capital at a bus terminal in Bangkok October 27, 2011. (Kerek Wongsa/Reuters)
A Thai worker looks at an aircraft parked in floodwaters at Don Muang airport in Bangkok on October 27, 2011. (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images)
Thai soldiers wade through floodwaters and evacuate dogs in Bangkok on October 26, 2011. (Sakchai Lalit/AP)
Thai residents make their way across a flooded street near the Chao Phraya river on October 29, 2011 in Bangkok. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
A resident sleeps with her dog on an elevated bed that stands in the floodwaters in Chinatown near the Chao Praya river in Bangkok on October 27, 2011. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman in need of medical attention is evacuated by boat from the flood waters in Bangkok's Bang Phlat district October 30, 2011. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)
A flood victim rides through the water using a homemade tall three-wheeler in Bang Phlad district, Bangkok on October 30, 2011. (Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters)
A man walks along sandbags as flood waters rush through a market near the overflowing Chao Phraya river on October 29, 2011 in Bangkok. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
A resident pulls her belongings as she wades through her flooded neighborhood in Thon Buri outside Bangkok on October 28, 2011. (Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters)
A resident pulls her belongings as she wades through her flooded neighborhood in Thon Buri outside Bangkok on October 28, 2011. (Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters)
VICTOR BOUT 2010
► http://mssparky.com/2010/08/viktor-bout-coming-to-america/
» Viktor Bout – Coming to America Ms Sparky
www.mssparky.com
I see the Viktor Bout aka "Merchant of Death" and the alleged owner of the charter airline(s) used to transport KBR personnel and cargo in and out of Baghdad is finally being extradited to the US.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15565305
Viktor Bout guilty of arms deal
A former Soviet military officer is convicted in a New York court of attempting to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian terror group.
LIBYA
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816
UN concern over Libyan weapons
The United Nations Security council expresses concern over the fate of the massive weapons stockpile built up in Libya under Col Gaddafi.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15530640
Libya appoints academic as new PM
Libya's interim authorities name Tripoli-based academic Abdurrahim al-Keib as the new prime minister, days after declaring the country "liberated".
►
Italian supermodel faces sacking for revealing truth about 'normal' Gaddafi family -- Sott.net
Vanessa Hessler, who has long been the face of the telecoms firm told a magazine that not only was the Qaddafi family normal, but that the rebels who ousted the dictator were financed by foreigners and that the Libyan people had prospered under him."
►
Gaddafi’s death plotted: South African intelligence
africanoutlookonline.com
Reporting Africa from the African perspective
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15566259
Gaddafi son Saif 'trying to flee'
International prosecutors say Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, may be trying to flee Libya with the help of mercenaries.
► http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/11/01/idINIndia-60252620111101
Gaddafi son Saadi wants arrest warrant dropped: lawyer | Reuters
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Saadi Gaddafi, son of the former Libyan leader, has asked Interpol, via his lawyer, to revoke a request for his arrest on the grounds that Libya's new rulers are not able to give him a fair trial.
► http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/sep/01/libya-saif-gaddafi-defiant-live-updates
Libya: Muammar Gaddafi vows to fight on - Thursday 1 September 2011
Muammar Gaddafi vowed to fight on and Nato pledged to remain on a war footing until he goes.
►
NATO Bombs the Great Man-Made River Project in Libya: Humanitarian Disaster Looming -- Sott.net
It is a war crime to attack essential civilian infrastructure. 95% of Libya is desert and 70% of Libyans depend on water which is piped in from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System under the southern desert.
► Arab Spring Air War Libya What in England America
www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk
Analytic philosophy, including moral and political analytic philosophy, is not deep, airy or arcane. It has nothing to do with such performers as Ludwig Wittgenstein in Cambridge past, or French self-publicists of the present day.
New Libya, probably only a few people who remind you. See, your work is so beautiful with your new appointment of prime minister. Do not forget to clean the NTC from people who suddenly member. And most importantly, I am waiting for the results of NTC's investigation of your former leader's death. What is so hard, hmmm...? From the type of bullet removed from Gaddafi's corpse, in fact, you can initiate this investigation of the little things. For example, who owned the gun? Where did they get that kind of weapon? etc, etc,. For God's sake, for the sake of justice in criminal law's eyes, who should be responsible for Gaddafi's death? Or, do you or they intend to close this case as put the junk into the shredder? If not, drag one person as the perpetrator! But, well... I can't avoid the allegations of conspiracy in this case...
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816
UN concern over Libyan weapons
The United Nations Security council expresses concern over the fate of the massive weapons stockpile built up in Libya under Col Gaddafi.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15530640
Libya appoints academic as new PM
Libya's interim authorities name Tripoli-based academic Abdurrahim al-Keib as the new prime minister, days after declaring the country "liberated".
►
Italian supermodel faces sacking for revealing truth about 'normal' Gaddafi family -- Sott.net
Vanessa Hessler, who has long been the face of the telecoms firm told a magazine that not only was the Qaddafi family normal, but that the rebels who ousted the dictator were financed by foreigners and that the Libyan people had prospered under him."
►
Gaddafi’s death plotted: South African intelligence
africanoutlookonline.com
Reporting Africa from the African perspective
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15566259
Gaddafi son Saif 'trying to flee'
International prosecutors say Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, may be trying to flee Libya with the help of mercenaries.
► http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/11/01/idINIndia-60252620111101
Gaddafi son Saadi wants arrest warrant dropped: lawyer | Reuters
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Saadi Gaddafi, son of the former Libyan leader, has asked Interpol, via his lawyer, to revoke a request for his arrest on the grounds that Libya's new rulers are not able to give him a fair trial.
► http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/sep/01/libya-saif-gaddafi-defiant-live-updates
Libya: Muammar Gaddafi vows to fight on - Thursday 1 September 2011
Muammar Gaddafi vowed to fight on and Nato pledged to remain on a war footing until he goes.
►
NATO Bombs the Great Man-Made River Project in Libya: Humanitarian Disaster Looming -- Sott.net
It is a war crime to attack essential civilian infrastructure. 95% of Libya is desert and 70% of Libyans depend on water which is piped in from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System under the southern desert.
► Arab Spring Air War Libya What in England America
www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk
Analytic philosophy, including moral and political analytic philosophy, is not deep, airy or arcane. It has nothing to do with such performers as Ludwig Wittgenstein in Cambridge past, or French self-publicists of the present day.
RUSSIA
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15527462
FBI releases Russian spy videos
The FBI releases video showing how Anna Chapman and other members of a Russian spy ring secretly exchanged information and money in the US.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15531891
Medvedev behaving 'like dictator'
Ex-Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov criticises the Kremlin in a BBC interview, accusing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev of acting "like a dictator".
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15527462
FBI releases Russian spy videos
The FBI releases video showing how Anna Chapman and other members of a Russian spy ring secretly exchanged information and money in the US.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15531891
Medvedev behaving 'like dictator'
Ex-Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov criticises the Kremlin in a BBC interview, accusing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev of acting "like a dictator".
SYRIA
►
Foreign Intervention: Debating the Taboo of the Syrian Opposition
Paris - In Syria, the mere mention of foreign intervention is enough to divide the opposition into warring camps. This is at least how things appear on the surface. Close examination of the Syrian opposition parties’ positions, however, reveals that there is not that much difference between them.
►
Foreign Intervention: Debating the Taboo of the Syrian Opposition
Paris - In Syria, the mere mention of foreign intervention is enough to divide the opposition into warring camps. This is at least how things appear on the surface. Close examination of the Syrian opposition parties’ positions, however, reveals that there is not that much difference between them.
ISRAEL - PALESTINE
► http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE79U1VG20111031
Palestinians granted full membership in UNESCO | World | Reuters
PARIS (Reuters) - The United Nations' cultural agency decided Monday to give the Palestinians full membership of the body, a vote that will boost their bid for recognition as a state at the United Nations. UNESCO
►
UNESCO grants Palestine membership
Palestine has been admitted as a full member to the UN cultural and scientific organization, UNESCO.
► http://www.haaretz.com/new>s/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-compile-list-of-heritage-sites-as-part-of-unesco-campaign-1.389136
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-compile-list-of-heritage-sites-as-part-of-unesco-campaign-1.389136
► http://un-truth.com/palestine-palestinians-2/state-of-palestine-admitted-to-full-membership-in-unesco
UN-Truth » State of Palestine admitted to full membership in UNESCO
Despite a near-100% certainty that U.S. funding [representing 22% of the agency's budget] will be cut, UNESCO member states voted this afternoon in Paris to admit the State of Palestine into full membership of the UN’s Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.
► http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/11/01/174
Israel accelerates building of 2,000 settler homes after UNESCO move
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15556801
Anger at Israeli settlement plan
The US joins international criticism of an Israeli plan to speed up settlement building after the UN's Unesco grants Palestinians full membership.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15527035
Tunisia issues an international arrest warrant for Suha Arafat, the widow of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, on suspicion of corruption.
► http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE79U1VG20111031
Palestinians granted full membership in UNESCO | World | Reuters
PARIS (Reuters) - The United Nations' cultural agency decided Monday to give the Palestinians full membership of the body, a vote that will boost their bid for recognition as a state at the United Nations. UNESCO
►
UNESCO grants Palestine membership
Palestine has been admitted as a full member to the UN cultural and scientific organization, UNESCO.
► http://www.haaretz.com/new>s/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-compile-list-of-heritage-sites-as-part-of-unesco-campaign-1.389136
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-compile-list-of-heritage-sites-as-part-of-unesco-campaign-1.389136
► http://un-truth.com/palestine-palestinians-2/state-of-palestine-admitted-to-full-membership-in-unesco
UN-Truth » State of Palestine admitted to full membership in UNESCO Despite a near-100% certainty that U.S. funding [representing 22% of the agency's budget] will be cut, UNESCO member states voted this afternoon in Paris to admit the State of Palestine into full membership of the UN’s Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.
► http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/11/01/174
Israel accelerates building of 2,000 settler homes after UNESCO move
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15556801
Anger at Israeli settlement plan
The US joins international criticism of an Israeli plan to speed up settlement building after the UN's Unesco grants Palestinians full membership.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15527035
Tunisia issues an international arrest warrant for Suha Arafat, the widow of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, on suspicion of corruption.
BUDDIES
HALLOWEEN DAY
►
What the Costumes Reveal: Pathological Revelry over their Victims' Suffering -- Sott.net
On Friday, the law firm of Steven J. Baum threw a Halloween party. The firm, which is located near Buffalo, is what is commonly referred to as a "foreclosure mill" firm, meaning it represents banks and mortgage servicers as they attempt to foreclose on homeowners and evict them from their homes.
►
What the Costumes Reveal: Pathological Revelry over their Victims' Suffering -- Sott.net
On Friday, the law firm of Steven J. Baum threw a Halloween party. The firm, which is located near Buffalo, is what is commonly referred to as a "foreclosure mill" firm, meaning it represents banks and mortgage servicers as they attempt to foreclose on homeowners and evict them from their homes.
U.S.A
America's Unsavory Allies
A look at the some of the bad guys the U.S. still supports.
By : URI FRIEDMAN | OCTOBER 28, 2011
► http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/28/america_unsavory_allies
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/node/1040727
www.foreignpolicy.com
America's Unsavory Allies
A look at the some of the bad guys the U.S. still supports.
By : URI FRIEDMAN | OCTOBER 28, 2011
► http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/28/america_unsavory_allies
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/node/1040727
www.foreignpolicy.com
B B C
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbusiness-15545032
Rich countries are 'pessimistic'
People are upbeat in developing countries but pessimistic in the rich world, a BBC survey of economic attitudes finds.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbusiness-15545032
Rich countries are 'pessimistic'
People are upbeat in developing countries but pessimistic in the rich world, a BBC survey of economic attitudes finds.
P O L A N D
► http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3907876/Pilot-lands-plane-safely-br-without-wheels.html
Pilot lands plane safely <br/> without wheels
THIS is the moment a Boeing 767 crash-landed today with 220 passengers on board.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-15553049
Day in pictures: 2 November 2011
Safe landing: The Boeing 767 came down on foam sprayed on the tarmac in an attempt to dampen any fires that broke out
► http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3907876/Pilot-lands-plane-safely-br-without-wheels.html
Pilot lands plane safely <br/> without wheels
THIS is the moment a Boeing 767 crash-landed today with 220 passengers on board.
► http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-15553049
Day in pictures: 2 November 2011
Terrifying touch down: The Boeing 767 hits the ground in Warsaw on its belly after a catastrophic failure of all its landing gear
Relief: Passengers from the Boeing 767 were confronted with a media scrum as they disembarked the plane following an horrendous ordeal
Upset: Some traumatised passengers did not want to speak to reporters as they tried to leave the airport but, right, others relived their ordeal for the news crews
Broken but unbowed: The Boeing 767 sits on the tarmac at Warsaw airport tonight having stood up to the impact of the emergency landing
Drama: Flames and sparks burst from the aircraft as it slides along the ground without any means of braking
Rescue: Fire engines spray fire retardant foam on the LOT Polish airlines plane after it comes to a standstill. Astonishingly none of the 230 people on board was injured
Knock-on effect: Passengers sit next to their luggage as flights were cancelled at Warsaw airport because of the incident with the Boeing 767
Miraculous: Passengers escaped down the plane's emergency chutes after the landing at Warsaw. No one was injured.
Tadeusz Wrona, pilot of the Boeing 767 of Polish LOT airlines, who made a successful emergency landing on Tuesday, speaks during a news conference at Warsaw airport, November 2, 2011. (Reuters/Peter Andrews)
LIFE STYLE
Married briefly, and getting a divorce .....
Maybe love can come up with a romantic way, but if it would take me away from my solitude, it should come up with a way of knocking on my financial box, first.
► http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/
Kim Kardashian videos, photos and blog- Official website
Kim Kardashian photos, pictures, galleries and videos. Read Kim’s latest blog and get updated news on the star of the E! hit reality show Keeping up with the Kardashians.
► http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/15/news/la-heb-kim-kardashian-wedding-dress-vera-wang-20110815
Kim Kardashian slimming down for wedding to Kris Humphries? Might be typical bride anxiety
Kim Kardashian may have had a fabulous body already, but her appearance in a floor-length white dress at the Do Something Awards had celeb bloggers taking note of the reality-TV starlet's slimmer
► http://www.usmagazine.com/stylebeauty/news/super-slim-kim-kardashian-wows-in-tight-white-dress-2011158
Super-Slim Kim Kardashian Wows One Week Pre-Wedding
www.usmagazine.com
The reality superstar showed off her trim pre-nuptial figure at the Do Something Awards
►
Kim Kardashian to file for divorce from Kris Humphries
www.dailytelegraph.com.au
KIM Kardashian will file for divorce from husband Kris Humphries Monday, after 72 days of marriage.
► http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2011/10/report-kim-kardashian-kris-humphries-divorcing/
Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries Divorcing
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries on their wedding day, Aug. 20, 2011. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are kaput. The reality TV star released a statement through her publicist confirming that she's divorcing her NBA player husband of 72 days. "After careful consideration, I have decided to end my...
Married briefly, and getting a divorce .....
Maybe love can come up with a romantic way, but if it would take me away from my solitude, it should come up with a way of knocking on my financial box, first.
► http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/
Kim Kardashian videos, photos and blog- Official website
Kim Kardashian photos, pictures, galleries and videos. Read Kim’s latest blog and get updated news on the star of the E! hit reality show Keeping up with the Kardashians.
► http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/15/news/la-heb-kim-kardashian-wedding-dress-vera-wang-20110815
Kim Kardashian slimming down for wedding to Kris Humphries? Might be typical bride anxiety
Kim Kardashian may have had a fabulous body already, but her appearance in a floor-length white dress at the Do Something Awards had celeb bloggers taking note of the reality-TV starlet's slimmer
► http://www.usmagazine.com/stylebeauty/news/super-slim-kim-kardashian-wows-in-tight-white-dress-2011158
Super-Slim Kim Kardashian Wows One Week Pre-Wedding
www.usmagazine.com
The reality superstar showed off her trim pre-nuptial figure at the Do Something Awards
►
Kim Kardashian to file for divorce from Kris Humphries
www.dailytelegraph.com.au
KIM Kardashian will file for divorce from husband Kris Humphries Monday, after 72 days of marriage.
► http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2011/10/report-kim-kardashian-kris-humphries-divorcing/
Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries Divorcing
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries on their wedding day, Aug. 20, 2011. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are kaput. The reality TV star released a statement through her publicist confirming that she's divorcing her NBA player husband of 72 days. "After careful consideration, I have decided to end my...
Cisca Zarmansyah — with Valentino Vie and Adriaan Zef.
I had a little lamb, it tasted good with carrots and beef. It's also available in spangle, nut, wanker, spanner, muller. Out of it: trolley, trash and limited edition sober!
PARTNER
F R A N C E
Charlie Hebdo (Charlie Weekly) is a French satirical political weekly newspaper, successor of Hara-Kiri, created in 1960. Its editor is cartoonist Charb. Irreverent and stridently non-conformist in tone, the publication has a strongly left-wing, anarchist slant.
In the new Charlie Hebdo, Charb, Gébé and Cabu hold all the responsibilities. Val serves as editor and Gébé as artistic director. Under Val's direction, the journal carries a leftist view. The magazine is published every Wednesday, with special editions issued on an unscheduled basis.
In the early hours of November 2, 2011 — the publication date of a special edition called "Charia Hebdo", purporting to have Muhammad as guest editor — its offices were destroyed in a firebombing attack, and its website was hacked and replaced with an image of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the words "Laa ilaha illallah," ("No God but Allah.") after that, the site was empty.
In the early hours of November 2, 2011 the newspaper's office in the 20th arrondissement was fire-bombed and its website hacked. The attack was presumably linked to its decision to rename a special edition to "Sharia Hebdo", with the Prophet Mohammed listed as the "editor-in-chief".
The editor of Charlie Hebdo, Stéphane Charbonnier ("Charb"), was quoted by AP stating that the attack had been carried out by "stupid people who don't know what Islam is" and that they are "idiots who betray their own religion". Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, said his organization deplores "the very mocking tone of the paper toward Islam and its prophet but reaffirms with force its total opposition to all acts and all forms of violence."François Fillon, the prime minister, and Claude Guéant, the interior minister, voiced support for Charlie Hebdo.
The tasteful humor satire magazine is not just this time published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. In 2007, the magazine republished the controversial cartoons published by Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten.
► http://www.todayszaman.com/news-261736-oic-condemns-french-magazine-for-insulting-prophet-muhammad.html
OIC condemns French magazine for insulting Prophet Muhammad
The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, strongly condemned on Wednesday the publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on the cover of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, which included in the issue highly offensive editorial and anti-Islam content.
► http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/nov/02/muhammad-cartoon-french-magazine-charlie-hebdo-video ]
Muhammad cartoon sparks attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo - video
► http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/02/us-france-fire-magazine-idUSTRE7A117N20111102
French weekly firebombed after it portrays Mohammad
PARIS (Reuters) - A firebomb attack gutted the headquarters of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday after it put an image of the Prophet Mohammad on its cover.
► http://volokh.com/2011/11/03/times-paris-bureau-chief-charlie-hebdo-mohammed-cover-issue-outrageous-unacceptable-and-condemnable/
The Volokh Conspiracy » Time’s Paris Bureau Chief: Charlie Hebdo Mohammed-Cover Issue "Outrageou
www.volokh.com
Okay, so can we finally stop with the idiotic, divisive, and destructive effortsby "majority sections" of Western nations to bait Muslim members with petulant, futile demonstrations that "they" aren’t going to tell "us" what can and can’t be done in free societies? Because not only are such Islamophobic antics futile and childish, but they also openly beg for the very violent responses from extremists their authors claim to proudly defy in the name of common good.
See also : a satirical weekly French newspaper : Le Canard enchaîné
► http://lecanardenchaine.free.fr/traitementinfo_saddam.html
Le Canard enchaîné
Le site du célèbre journal satirique réalisé par des élèves de 1ère ES du Lycée de la Borde Basse à Castres (81) dans le cadre du Travail Personnel Encadré (TPE).
UN to Investigate Jyllands-Posten "Racism"
Saturday December 10th 2005
Responding to a complaint by the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) over twelve caricatures of the prophet Muhammad published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten last September, Louise Arbour - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - has appointed two UN experts on racism to carry out a detailed investigation into what Arbour characterizes as a "disrespect for belief."
Why did Jyllands-Posten publish the cartoons? The Copenhagen Post explains: Jyllands-Posten called for and printed the cartoons by various Danish illustrators, after reports that artists were refusing to illustrate works about Islam, out of fear of fundamendalist retribution. The newspaper said it printed the cartoons as a test of whether Muslim fundamentalists had begun affecting the freedom of expression in Denmark."
In case you never saw the Muhammad drawings
► http://web.archive.org/web/20080209153538/http://blog.newspaperindex.com/2005/12/10/un-to-investigate-jyllands-posten-racism/
Newspaperindex - the blog | Newspapers of the world, media, free speech and update on the newspaper.
Responding to a complaint by the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) over twelve caricatures of the prophet Muhammad published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten last September, Louise Arbour - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - has appointed two UN experts on racism to carry out a detailed investigation into what Arbour characterizes as a 'disrespect for belief."
► http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/things/depictions-of-muhammad-in-islamic-art.htm
Depictions of Muhammad in Islamic Art - ReligionFacts
The unique beauty of Islamic art derives in large part from its longstanding rejection of depictions of humans and animals in religious art.
►http://zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/
Mohammed Image Archive
www.zombietime.com
► http://zombietime.com/mohmmed_image_archive/islamic_mo_full/
Mohammed Image Archive
SOURCE :: http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/medieval/jpegs/holkham/misc/48/1500/04800419.jpg
► http://zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/dantes_inferno/
Mohammed Image Archive
The Mohammed-Cartoon Controversy, Israel, and the Jews: A Case Study1
Manfred Gerstenfeld
► http://www.jcpa.org/phas/phas-043-gerstenfeld.htm
The Mohammed-Cartoon Controversy, Israel, and the Jews: A Case Study - Manfred Gerstenfeld
www.jcpa.org
The Mohammed-Cartoon Controversy, Israel, and the Jews: A Case Study - Manfred Gerstenfeld
The Danish Cartoons Row: Re-Drawing the Limits of the Right to Freedom of Expression?
► http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1317702
The Danish Cartoons Row: Re-Drawing the Limits of the Right to Freedom of Expression? by Aurel Sari.
On 30 September 2005, the Jyllands-Posten, a Danish daily newspaper, published a series of twelve satirical cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.
► http://www.islamfrominside.com/Pages/Commentary/Danish%20cartoons%20and%20desacralization.html
Danish cartoons and the sacred
www.islamfrominside.com
This page looks plain and unstyled because you're using a non-standard compliantbrowser. To see it in its best form, please upgrade to a browser that supports web standards. It's free and painless.
► http://www.lecfcm.fr/
Le Conseil Français du Culte Musulman - Site Officiel
www.lecfcm.fr
Site officiel de l'instance representative du culte musulman en France. Le Conseil Francais du Culte Musulman
François Hollande, the Socialist Party presidential candidate told the newspaper Le Monde, the incident demonstrated the attack on press freedom and "respect the opinion" is the eternal battle. "Fundamentalism in all its forms must be eradicated," he said.
Meanwhile, the French Council for the Muslim Religion(CFCM), condemned the arson. But CFCM argued the incident indicated that French Muslims offended by what Charlie Hebdo reported. "CFCM regrets very mocking tone toward Islam and the Prophet, but reiterates not to justify any act of violence," said the CFCM.
Tareq Oubrou, head of the Association of French Imams, said the attack was not acceptable. He added that press freedom was very important, but still there were things that should be recognized related to the sensitivity of the situation faced by Muslims. "I personally ask the Muslims to think openly and do not take too seriously to what Hebdo Charlie," he hoped.
As reported earlier, Charlie Hebdo made a provocative recent issue. In the current issue, they claimed to be "Sharia Weekly magazine," and included the name of the Prophet Muhammad as the chief editor and guest editor.
Surprisingly, in the magazine's front page was written "100 lashes if you do not die of laughter". Then, there is a page containing images of the Prophet Muhammad's reddened nose. Then, under it was written "Yes, Islam is synonymous with humor". Shortly after the circulation of that issue, Charlie Hebdo's office was burned by an unknown group. What was done by Hebdo not the first time. Previously, in 2006, the magazine was featuring caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. Thanks to the controversial issue, finally the magazine's circulation has increased dramatically.
Charb said the cartoon was intended to celebrate the victory of An Nahda Party in elections in Tunisia as well as the establishment of policies of Islamic Sharia in the constitution of Libya recently.
*****
French policemen stand in front of the damaged offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.(Reuters)
Charlie Hebdo (Charlie Weekly) is a French satirical political weekly newspaper, successor of Hara-Kiri, created in 1960. Its editor is cartoonist Charb. Irreverent and stridently non-conformist in tone, the publication has a strongly left-wing, anarchist slant.
In the new Charlie Hebdo, Charb, Gébé and Cabu hold all the responsibilities. Val serves as editor and Gébé as artistic director. Under Val's direction, the journal carries a leftist view. The magazine is published every Wednesday, with special editions issued on an unscheduled basis.
In the early hours of November 2, 2011 — the publication date of a special edition called "Charia Hebdo", purporting to have Muhammad as guest editor — its offices were destroyed in a firebombing attack, and its website was hacked and replaced with an image of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the words "Laa ilaha illallah," ("No God but Allah.") after that, the site was empty.
In the early hours of November 2, 2011 the newspaper's office in the 20th arrondissement was fire-bombed and its website hacked. The attack was presumably linked to its decision to rename a special edition to "Sharia Hebdo", with the Prophet Mohammed listed as the "editor-in-chief".
The editor of Charlie Hebdo, Stéphane Charbonnier ("Charb"), was quoted by AP stating that the attack had been carried out by "stupid people who don't know what Islam is" and that they are "idiots who betray their own religion". Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, said his organization deplores "the very mocking tone of the paper toward Islam and its prophet but reaffirms with force its total opposition to all acts and all forms of violence."François Fillon, the prime minister, and Claude Guéant, the interior minister, voiced support for Charlie Hebdo.
Cover of Charlie Hebdo, newspaper in France
The tasteful humor satire magazine is not just this time published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. In 2007, the magazine republished the controversial cartoons published by Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten.
This is a reduced resolution version of a PDF newspaper page for an article on page three of Jyllands-Posten's culture section KulturWeekend, entitled "Muhammeds ansigt", from September 30, 2005, which sparked the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.
Descriptions of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons
Below are descriptions, explanations for Danish cultural references and English translations of Danish and Persian captions for the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons (see image) that were the center of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy. Clockwise from the top left-hand corner:
* On a blue background, the caricaturized version of journalist and writer Kåre Bluitgen, wearing a turban with the proverbial orange dropping into it, with the inscription "Publicity stunt". In his hand is a child's stick drawing of Muhammad. The proverb "an orange in the turban" is a Danish expression (originating in the play Aladdin by Danish poet and playwright Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger) meaning "a stroke of luck": here, the added publicity for his book.
* The Islamic star and crescent merged with the face of Muhammad; his right eye is the star, the crescent surrounds his beard and face.
* Muhammad with a bomb in his turban, with a lit fuse and the Islamic creed (shahadah) written on the bomb.
* A gentle styled caricature of Muhammad wearing loose pants with his arms tucked in the sleeves of a type of loose fitting tunic. His outfit is likely a salwar kameez. A glowing crescent around his turban suggests a halo or possibly a pair of horns.
* A schematic stick drawing of five almost identical figures. Each of them resembles a headscarf seen from the side and has a Star of David and a crescent where the face should be. A poem on oppression of women is attached to the cartoon: "Profet! Med kuk og knald i låget som holder kvinder under åget!", which could be translated as: "Prophet, you crazy bloke! Keeping women under yoke!" The poem is in the form of a grook, short, aphoristic poems created by the late Danish poet and scientist Piet Hein.
* Muhammad with a walking stick seemingly on a desert trek, with the sun on the left, low on the horizon. He has a concerned expression on his face. He is leading by rope a donkey or mule behind him that is carrying a burden.
* A nervous caricaturist at work, sweating profusely, looks over his shoulder and partially hides what he's doing with his left arm as he shakily draws the portrait of a bearded keffiyeh-wearing man, labelled "MOHAMMED". There is but one light on in the room he is in and it only shines from directly above his head covering only the drawing he works on.
* This drawing pictures a scene in an oriental palace. Two angry Muslims charge forward one holding a scimitar, the other holding a bomb and possibly carrying a rifle or scimitar on his back, while their leader (presumably Muhammad) addresses them with: "Rolig, venner, når alt kommer til alt er det jo bare en tegning lavet af en vantro sønderjyde", referring to a drawing in his hand. In English, his words are: "Relax, friends, at the end of the day, it's just a drawing by a 'South Jutlander' infidel".
* A 7th grade Middle-Eastern looking boy in front of a blackboard. Sticking out his tongue, he points to a Persian passage written on the board with chalk, which translates into "The editorial team of Jyllands-Posten is a bunch of reactionary provocateurs". The boy is labelled "Mohammed, Valby school, 7.A", implying that he is a second-generation child of immigrants to Denmark rather than the founder of Islam. On his shirt is written "FREM" and then in a new line "-TIDEN". Fremtiden means the future, but Frem (forward) is also the name of a Valby football team whose uniforms resemble the boy's shirt. The cartoonist who drew this particular cartoon was the first to receive death threats and left his home in Valby.
* Muhammad wearing an imamah (turban) and prepared for battle, with a kilij in his hand and likely a scimitar tucked in a shoulder strap scabbard behind him. He is flanked by two women in niqabs, having only their wide open eyes visible through band shaped eye openings while an equivalently sized band shaped black bar censors his eyes as though it was cut from one of the niqabs. His face is quite obscured by a thick grey beard and bushy eyebrows.
* Muhammad, dressed like a mullah, stands on a cloud as if in Heaven, greeting freshly arrived dead suicide bombers with "Stop Stop vi er løbet tør for Jomfruer!" Translated in English: "Stop, stop, we have run out of virgins!", an allusion to the reward of seventy two virgins promised to Islamic martyrs (known as Shahid).
And in the centre:
* A police line-up of seven people wearing turbans, with the witness saying: "Hm... jeg kan ikke lige genkende ham" ("Hm... I can't really recognise him"). Not all people in the line-up are immediately identifiable. They are: A generic Hippie, right-wing politician Pia Kjærsgaard, possibly Jesus, possibly Buddha, possibly Muhammad,generic Indian guru or possibly Danish stand-up comedian Omar Marzouk, and journalist and writer Kåre Bluitgen, carrying a sign saying: "Kåres PR, ring og få et tilbud" ("Kåre's public relations, call and get an offer").
► http://www.todayszaman.com/news-261736-oic-condemns-french-magazine-for-insulting-prophet-muhammad.html
OIC condemns French magazine for insulting Prophet Muhammad
The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, strongly condemned on Wednesday the publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on the cover of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, which included in the issue highly offensive editorial and anti-Islam content.
► http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/nov/02/muhammad-cartoon-french-magazine-charlie-hebdo-video ]
Muhammad cartoon sparks attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo - video
► http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/02/us-france-fire-magazine-idUSTRE7A117N20111102
French weekly firebombed after it portrays Mohammad
PARIS (Reuters) - A firebomb attack gutted the headquarters of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday after it put an image of the Prophet Mohammad on its cover.
► http://volokh.com/2011/11/03/times-paris-bureau-chief-charlie-hebdo-mohammed-cover-issue-outrageous-unacceptable-and-condemnable/
The Volokh Conspiracy » Time’s Paris Bureau Chief: Charlie Hebdo Mohammed-Cover Issue "Outrageou
www.volokh.com
Okay, so can we finally stop with the idiotic, divisive, and destructive effortsby "majority sections" of Western nations to bait Muslim members with petulant, futile demonstrations that "they" aren’t going to tell "us" what can and can’t be done in free societies? Because not only are such Islamophobic antics futile and childish, but they also openly beg for the very violent responses from extremists their authors claim to proudly defy in the name of common good.
Firefighters walk in front of the damaged offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris November 2, 2011. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
See also : a satirical weekly French newspaper : Le Canard enchaîné
- Suzanne Daley, A Print Devotee Scoops the Competition in France, New York Times, March 25, 2011
- A site about the Canard enchaîné (in French)
- Le Canard enchaîné (Lille School of Journalism)
► http://lecanardenchaine.free.fr/traitementinfo_saddam.html
Le Canard enchaîné
Le site du célèbre journal satirique réalisé par des élèves de 1ère ES du Lycée de la Borde Basse à Castres (81) dans le cadre du Travail Personnel Encadré (TPE).
UN to Investigate Jyllands-Posten "Racism"
Saturday December 10th 2005
Responding to a complaint by the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) over twelve caricatures of the prophet Muhammad published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten last September, Louise Arbour - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - has appointed two UN experts on racism to carry out a detailed investigation into what Arbour characterizes as a "disrespect for belief."
Why did Jyllands-Posten publish the cartoons? The Copenhagen Post explains: Jyllands-Posten called for and printed the cartoons by various Danish illustrators, after reports that artists were refusing to illustrate works about Islam, out of fear of fundamendalist retribution. The newspaper said it printed the cartoons as a test of whether Muslim fundamentalists had begun affecting the freedom of expression in Denmark."
In case you never saw the Muhammad drawings
► http://web.archive.org/web/20080209153538/http://blog.newspaperindex.com/2005/12/10/un-to-investigate-jyllands-posten-racism/
Newspaperindex - the blog | Newspapers of the world, media, free speech and update on the newspaper.
Responding to a complaint by the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) over twelve caricatures of the prophet Muhammad published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten last September, Louise Arbour - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - has appointed two UN experts on racism to carry out a detailed investigation into what Arbour characterizes as a 'disrespect for belief."
► http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/things/depictions-of-muhammad-in-islamic-art.htm
Depictions of Muhammad in Islamic Art - ReligionFacts
The unique beauty of Islamic art derives in large part from its longstanding rejection of depictions of humans and animals in religious art.
►http://zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/
Mohammed Image Archive
www.zombietime.com
► http://zombietime.com/mohmmed_image_archive/islamic_mo_full/
Mohammed Image Archive
► http://zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/dantes_inferno/
Mohammed Image Archive
The Mohammed-Cartoon Controversy, Israel, and the Jews: A Case Study1
Manfred Gerstenfeld
► http://www.jcpa.org/phas/phas-043-gerstenfeld.htm
The Mohammed-Cartoon Controversy, Israel, and the Jews: A Case Study - Manfred Gerstenfeld
www.jcpa.org
The Mohammed-Cartoon Controversy, Israel, and the Jews: A Case Study - Manfred Gerstenfeld
The Danish Cartoons Row: Re-Drawing the Limits of the Right to Freedom of Expression?
► http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1317702
The Danish Cartoons Row: Re-Drawing the Limits of the Right to Freedom of Expression? by Aurel Sari.
On 30 September 2005, the Jyllands-Posten, a Danish daily newspaper, published a series of twelve satirical cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.
► http://www.islamfrominside.com/Pages/Commentary/Danish%20cartoons%20and%20desacralization.html
Danish cartoons and the sacred
www.islamfrominside.com
This page looks plain and unstyled because you're using a non-standard compliantbrowser. To see it in its best form, please upgrade to a browser that supports web standards. It's free and painless.
► http://www.lecfcm.fr/
Le Conseil Français du Culte Musulman - Site Officiel
www.lecfcm.fr
Site officiel de l'instance representative du culte musulman en France. Le Conseil Francais du Culte Musulman
François Hollande, the Socialist Party presidential candidate told the newspaper Le Monde, the incident demonstrated the attack on press freedom and "respect the opinion" is the eternal battle. "Fundamentalism in all its forms must be eradicated," he said.
Meanwhile, the French Council for the Muslim Religion(CFCM), condemned the arson. But CFCM argued the incident indicated that French Muslims offended by what Charlie Hebdo reported. "CFCM regrets very mocking tone toward Islam and the Prophet, but reiterates not to justify any act of violence," said the CFCM.
Tareq Oubrou, head of the Association of French Imams, said the attack was not acceptable. He added that press freedom was very important, but still there were things that should be recognized related to the sensitivity of the situation faced by Muslims. "I personally ask the Muslims to think openly and do not take too seriously to what Hebdo Charlie," he hoped.
As reported earlier, Charlie Hebdo made a provocative recent issue. In the current issue, they claimed to be "Sharia Weekly magazine," and included the name of the Prophet Muhammad as the chief editor and guest editor.
Surprisingly, in the magazine's front page was written "100 lashes if you do not die of laughter". Then, there is a page containing images of the Prophet Muhammad's reddened nose. Then, under it was written "Yes, Islam is synonymous with humor". Shortly after the circulation of that issue, Charlie Hebdo's office was burned by an unknown group. What was done by Hebdo not the first time. Previously, in 2006, the magazine was featuring caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. Thanks to the controversial issue, finally the magazine's circulation has increased dramatically.
Charb said the cartoon was intended to celebrate the victory of An Nahda Party in elections in Tunisia as well as the establishment of policies of Islamic Sharia in the constitution of Libya recently.
*****
I S R A E L - I R A N
► http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/02/uk-military-iran
UK military steps up plans for Iran attack amid fresh nuclear fears
www.guardian.co.uk
British officials consider contingency options to back up a possible US action as fears mount over Tehran's capability
► http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/11/02/uk-israel-missile-idUKTRE7A118Y20111102
Israel test-fires ballistic missile - report | Reuters
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel test-fired a ballistic missile from a military base in central Israel Wednesday, Israel Radio said.The report said the launch was carried out from the Palmachim facility.
► http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4143755,00
IDF ready to strike Iran
www.ynetnews.com
Opinion, Ron Ben-Yishai: Op-ed: Israel’s message to world – either you stop Iran’s nuclear program, or we will.
► http://news.antiwar.com/2011/11/02/britain-prepares-to-attack-iran/
Britain Prepares to Attack Iran -- News from Antiwar.com
With Defense Ministry officials saying that they believe the US may soon "fast-forward" plans to attack Iran, Britain’s military is stepping up its own preparations for such an attack under the assumption that they will join in on the war.
► http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-u-k-preparing-for-military-strike-on-iran-nuclear-facilities-1.393361
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-u-k-preparing-for-military-strike-on-iran-nucle
www.haaretz.com
► http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=-2011-10-22
Turkish foreign minister: allegations against Iran are very serious - Hurriyet Daily News
www.hurriyetdailynews.com
NATO member and close US ally Turkey cast doubt on Friday over allegations that Iranian agents plotted to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington, saying it did not believe Iran would be engaged in such an act.
►
Turkey, Iran to collaborate against terrorism - Hurriyet Daily News
Turkey and Iran vowed Friday to collaborate in their fight against Kurdish militants.
► http://www.irna.ir/ENNewsShow.aspx?NID=30645790&SRCH=1
Iran Embassy criticizes Turkish Hurriyet paper for misquoting Salehi
Ankara, Nov 3, IRNA – Iranian Embassy in Ankara rebuffed on Thursday Turkish Hurriyet newspaper for misquoting Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.
► http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9927203
The NATO Secretary General will not move for a military strike into Iran's nuclear facilities. "I confirm it, NATO has no desire to intervene in Iran, and NATO is not involved in the Iran issue," said NATO Secretary General Anders Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as quoted by the Associated Press on Friday (11/04/2011). His statement appeared at the time of Israel's claim to want to plan an attack on Persian country as well as allegations the U.S and other Western countries that Iran was building nuclear weapons.
NATO Secretary General supported the diplomatic steps to solve the Iranian nuclear issue. He also urges Iran to cooperate with the United Nations and stop its uranium enrichment program. Rasmussen also dismissed the comments as saying that Israel held the joint exercises and missile tests with NATO in Italy.
Italian Defense Ministry spokesman Capt. Emiliano Biasco earlier said Israel was practicing on the Sardinia island - Italy with other nations. Notwithstanding that, Biasco didn't give clear information related to the military exercises. NATO and Israel's relationship is quite closely. Israeli warships even had time to participate in joint exercises with NATO in the Mediterranean Sea.
Rumors about the Israeli attack to Iran is enough to enliven the media, but the U.S. has also already commented, they will not attack Iran. A former Iranian intelligence official even says that the attack's plan will not happen because Israel also understands the risks will be experienced when Israel attacks the Persian country.
*****
► http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/02/uk-military-iran
UK military steps up plans for Iran attack amid fresh nuclear fears
www.guardian.co.uk
British officials consider contingency options to back up a possible US action as fears mount over Tehran's capability
► http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/11/02/uk-israel-missile-idUKTRE7A118Y20111102
Israel test-fires ballistic missile - report | Reuters
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel test-fired a ballistic missile from a military base in central Israel Wednesday, Israel Radio said.The report said the launch was carried out from the Palmachim facility.
► http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4143755,00
IDF ready to strike Iran
www.ynetnews.com
Opinion, Ron Ben-Yishai: Op-ed: Israel’s message to world – either you stop Iran’s nuclear program, or we will.
► http://news.antiwar.com/2011/11/02/britain-prepares-to-attack-iran/
Britain Prepares to Attack Iran -- News from Antiwar.com
With Defense Ministry officials saying that they believe the US may soon "fast-forward" plans to attack Iran, Britain’s military is stepping up its own preparations for such an attack under the assumption that they will join in on the war.
► http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-u-k-preparing-for-military-strike-on-iran-nuclear-facilities-1.393361
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-u-k-preparing-for-military-strike-on-iran-nucle
www.haaretz.com
► http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=-2011-10-22
Turkish foreign minister: allegations against Iran are very serious - Hurriyet Daily News
www.hurriyetdailynews.com
NATO member and close US ally Turkey cast doubt on Friday over allegations that Iranian agents plotted to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington, saying it did not believe Iran would be engaged in such an act.
►
Turkey, Iran to collaborate against terrorism - Hurriyet Daily News
Turkey and Iran vowed Friday to collaborate in their fight against Kurdish militants.
► http://www.irna.ir/ENNewsShow.aspx?NID=30645790&SRCH=1
Iran Embassy criticizes Turkish Hurriyet paper for misquoting Salehi
Ankara, Nov 3, IRNA – Iranian Embassy in Ankara rebuffed on Thursday Turkish Hurriyet newspaper for misquoting Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.
► http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9927203
The NATO Secretary General will not move for a military strike into Iran's nuclear facilities. "I confirm it, NATO has no desire to intervene in Iran, and NATO is not involved in the Iran issue," said NATO Secretary General Anders Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as quoted by the Associated Press on Friday (11/04/2011). His statement appeared at the time of Israel's claim to want to plan an attack on Persian country as well as allegations the U.S and other Western countries that Iran was building nuclear weapons.
NATO Secretary General supported the diplomatic steps to solve the Iranian nuclear issue. He also urges Iran to cooperate with the United Nations and stop its uranium enrichment program. Rasmussen also dismissed the comments as saying that Israel held the joint exercises and missile tests with NATO in Italy.
Italian Defense Ministry spokesman Capt. Emiliano Biasco earlier said Israel was practicing on the Sardinia island - Italy with other nations. Notwithstanding that, Biasco didn't give clear information related to the military exercises. NATO and Israel's relationship is quite closely. Israeli warships even had time to participate in joint exercises with NATO in the Mediterranean Sea.
Rumors about the Israeli attack to Iran is enough to enliven the media, but the U.S. has also already commented, they will not attack Iran. A former Iranian intelligence official even says that the attack's plan will not happen because Israel also understands the risks will be experienced when Israel attacks the Persian country.
*****
I was quite amazed as well when reading excerpts of the book. It explained that the nostra has predicted on the 3rd world war in 2010, right in November. The incident began when the Pope's murder in the VIII Century 46 Quatrain by the Antichrist in Vatican which made the Vatican covered or protected itself. The murder occurred because the pope attempt to make peace and to uncover the truth. Because of this, pope's position to be dangerous.
* At Century II, Quatrain 97 predicted that the pope and his followers would be killed in a European city at the crossroads of two major rivers in the spring when the roses were blooming.
* Century II, Quatrains 3 and 4 predicted the continued unrest in the world, which made the world's leaders tried to take up arms with advanced technology (nuclear), it was seen in countries that have a coast on Mediterranean sea.
* The first bomb would fall on the Mediterranean sea near the east coast of the Mediterranean in rugged areas of dark, and would make the destruction of marine ecosystems and human life on the coast.
* Century III, Quatrain 83 described the Nostradamus prediction that nuclear weapons were dropped by the middle eastern countries would make the intervention of European countries because of the fears threatened the oil's supply. The opportunity was used by a leader of the crazy country by utilizing the arsenal in Europe.
* Parts of the Mediterranean coast of Europe, especially France and Italy became uninhabitable, and Italy would get a substantial burden of the incident.
Well, it was a little quote about forecast to a third world war in 2010, which seemed to describe the countries in Europe would suffer from the damage. This was only a forecast only, still a lot of the inaccuracies when compared with the truth of what happened. It is up to you, believe it or not.
Some Russian experts believed that World War III would begin 100 years after the first and would take the lives of hundreds of millions people. Some scientists argued it was now under way, approaching the completion of its first phase. Konstantin Sivkov, the first vice chancellor for Russian geopolitical issues academy, developed a scientific concept of reason, phases, and the time frame of World War II. He shared his predictions with Svobodnaya Pressa.
Read more on :: http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/25-03-2010/112718-world_war_three-0/
To be sure, the end of the cold war (Volume 1) between the USA vs. USSR is not the end of the strife of mankind worldwide. It seems the cold war (second volume) even being started, because there is China, an old friend of Russia. China is proving itself as one of the world's highest civilization. With a bright face, China demonstrates Tits first aircraft carrier, amid territorial disputes with several Southeast Asian countries (Vietnam & the Philippines). China's first aircraft carrier itself is the success of China's first aircraft carrier to make, although it is the result of modernization of Russian aircraft carrier which was abandoned in Ukraine.
Indeed, since the year 2000, China is very aggressive to renew their fleet of combat. Up until now, it's grown into one super power in the world (the strongest number 3 after the USA & Russia. (based on http://www.globalfirepower.com/'s version
The allies also took quick action. Back to the disputed region in southeast Asia (Vietnam, Philippines, PRC) Philippines as one of USA allies in southeast asia tried to whine to the USA. USA, as if shouting loudly, "Hey China, I am still here" then sending one of its mother ship to South China sea. Finally, China softened by issuing a statement that their aggressiveness to increase the combat power would not affect the stability of Pacific region. China added, they did not intend to surpass the USA.
The more exciting, Britain as an ally of USA and France was also preparing two units of Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. From war ship technology magazine (magazine of the Royal Institution of Naval Architecht based in London) the UK through SDSR (Strategic Defence & Security Review), published on 19 October 2010 confirmed that they planned to build two aircraft carriers with their respective capacities of each was 65 000 tonnes. Both ships would be named HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. They would be resolved in 2016-2020 with the superior aircraft launch technology.
Apparently, World War III will run with more practical. The large and sophisticated equipment of mass destruction makes it less likely to meet and confront each other. Only by pressing the red button, one nuclear will slide and destroy the pentagon, or maybe just pressing warning button and a little siren sounded, then the Singapore will end, for example.
The most exciting part was probably the episode of fighting a war strategy, because the slightest error would be fatal, could be result in the sinking of an aircraft carriers, completed with many hundreds of crew, dozens of jets and thousands of ammunition.
*****
2011 G-20 Cannes summit
Meeting of the G-20 leaders in Cannes, France, (Thursday 3 Novembre 2011) was dominated by a discussion of global crisis problem. The crisis in several countries which use the euro currency now is the common enemy of all countries in the world.
Greece became one of the country that got under the spotlight of the European Union's top brass. Even at the beginning of the meeting, the referendum plan proposed by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreu became a hot topic brought by Germany and France.
G-20 host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned the Greeks wouldn't get more help "one penny" from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), if the country won the referendum which would be held on 4 December. The referendum was intended to determine whether to accept the aid package proposed by the Europeans.
Greek crisis is now moving like a snowball. The EU also urged Papandreu government for loyalty to duty and its willingness to join the European Union. Without help, according to high officials in Cannes, possibly Greece was not able to pay the civil servants and face a huge debt that could force the country to leave the euro currency. "We don't want the euro is destroyed, we don't want Europe is devastated," said Sarkozy, who corroborated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Previously, some European Union officials begged China to help Europe out of the crush of crisis. But China answered the request by "China-can-not-promise-to help-if-the-situation-in-Greece-is-not-yet-clear". Meanwhile, President Hu Jintao said Europe was the one who could handle their own problems.
Shares in Asia and Europe on trade have plummeted ahead of the meeting of G-20 leaders. Trading for stocks in Europe fell between 1.5% to 2.5% on the concerns over the collapse of Greece.
Hu Jintao held a dinner with Sarkozy on Wednesday night. After the meeting the officials said they probably would donate 100 billion dollars to help but be reassured that the investment was safe. "Beijing wants to be assured and guaranteed, this mechanism is safe, "said Li Daokui of China's central bank told Le Figaro.
G20 summit, which was also attended by leaders from other Asian countries including Japan, Indonesia and India would take place over two days.
*****
Meanwhile, the position of Prime Minister George Papandreou is really stuck now. Today, Greece's largest opposition party demanded that the transitional government was formed immediately. This led to speculation that the election would delay the convening of flushing assistance to prevent default.
Opposition party leader Antonis Samaras refused to share power with Papandreou and asked him to resign. Previously, Papandreou, 59, received criticism from domestic and international on his proposal to hold a referendum on the European bailout.
"I never overlook any topic of discussion, including my own position. I'm not bound by anything. I repeat, I'm not interested in re-election but only want to save this country," said Papandreou in the presence of MPs last night.
Papandreou's inability to resolve the political impasse was pressing Greece to the default. It was very likely to occur even if Papandreou would cancelled the referendum option. Level of public confidence in Greece to Papandreou seemed to have thinned. If later he suffered the defeat in voting, President Karolos Papoulias party could combine together and form a national government under the leadership of a new prime minister or invite opposition parties to form a government. Under the Greek law, the election can be held within three weeks.
*****
Our Time is Limited
The population of the world that have exceeded 7 billion is a warning to all of us. Increasing mass protest is a form of aspiration towards a very obvious fact: that the increasing of economic uncertainty, market instability, and the growing inequality have reached a critical point.
Too many people living in fear. Their spirit broken by the uncertainties. They also become angry because of the waning prospects for the future. Whether at the dinner table and in the field, they wonder, "Who will feed our families and communities?" In these difficult times, the biggest challenge faced by the government is not diminishing resources, but less confidence. People no longer believe that the leaders and public institutions will do the right thing.
G-20 meeting in Cannes, France, on 3-4 November 2011, carried out with such a dramatic backdrop. The leaders of the world's largest economy has a historical opportunity - and a historical responsibility - to overcome the trust deficit. In order to do that, they must unite. In the midst of crisis and uncertainty, they should offer a clear purpose and a bold solution.
It is not the time for unimportant bargaining. At a meeting in 2009 in London, the leaders of the G-20 has demonstrated the courage and creativity in stabilizing the global financial system. We need the same leadership as ambitious as it is today.
We are all aware that our budget is very thin. In many parts of the world, fiscal austerity into a new lifestyle. It is clear that the priority in Cannes at the moment is to support decisions taken in Brussels on the euro zone crisis. However, it's clear that any response taken in order to overcome these double challenges must have the global scale.
Moreover, the response taken must be equipped with the social agenda of an ambitious long-term. They can't possibly get rid of those most vulnerable to the crisis - those who are poor, women, young people, and planet Earth itself. Those who are not directly responsible are those who pay the highest prices. Ask them to wait while other issues are being addressed, is not only counterproductive, but also immoral.
In Cannes, the world leaders should agree a plan of concrete actions, which can promote the welfare of all peoples and nations. Not only those who have the power.
For the poor, the G-20 meeting in Seoul last year, the leaders recognized a fundamental reality: that sustainable growth couldn't be achieved without development. Countries with emerging economies became the owners of the future. In Cannes, the leaders must show the strong support for pro-growth agenda, pro-poor as contained in the Millennium Development Goals.
They already know which way to be efficacious. They must continue to invest in policies and programs that provide multiple results. Some of them are the women and child health, food and agriculture, as well as gender equality.
For women and young people around the world, they have the courage to take to the streets, demanding their rights, and speak more loudly in the economic and political life. Simultaneously, women and youth are a two-thirds of the world's population. In any case, they are part of the world economy in the future. They must listen to their aspirations. They must do everything possible to meet their needs and create new opportunities, ranging from reproductive health to the work field.
For the same planet as well, there will be no sustainable growth without development. There can be no sustainable development without protection of planet Earth. Health, prosperity, and our collective prosperity depend on how we protect the "natural capital" which is owned by the earth, air, river, sea, land, and forests, as well as the diverse flora and fauna that accompany it.
In June next year, 20 years after the first Earth Summit, the United Nations will hold a major conference about reforming sustainable building. Rio +20 is an opportunity to define a clear path towards a better future that have an integrated solution of interrelated problems. This means there are new initiatives in food security and water. That means, it increases the resilience to climate change and renewable energy, including the innovative ways for funding.
In spite of everything, they must look ahead and think strategically, where they will be a decade from now. Three years ago in London, the leaders argued over how to "stimulate" the global growth in short term. In Cannes, they must focus to boost long-term investment, make the right decisions to shape the future world.
In its broad membership (geographically), the G-20 needs to address the growing crisis of equality. If they fail, the future will strike back at us. Social exclusion and profound instability would interfere with the prospect of peace, security, and prosperity for all people.
For world leaders at Cannes, this meeting is a test. The world is watching you. Any decision taken will affect every nation and individual, either directly or indirectly. A failure can be fatal.
With wisdom and view of the advanced, you can use this opportunity to build a foundation of economic prosperity of a healthy, green, and inclusive for everyone. By moving along, now, you can avoid the failure and bring change for future generations. Make sure you don't make a mistake: because you can't retract a wrong decision.
*****
(CZ-Pr/G20/110211/V-AZ)
Meeting of the G-20 leaders in Cannes, France, (Thursday 3 Novembre 2011) was dominated by a discussion of global crisis problem. The crisis in several countries which use the euro currency now is the common enemy of all countries in the world.
Greece became one of the country that got under the spotlight of the European Union's top brass. Even at the beginning of the meeting, the referendum plan proposed by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreu became a hot topic brought by Germany and France.
G-20 host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned the Greeks wouldn't get more help "one penny" from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), if the country won the referendum which would be held on 4 December. The referendum was intended to determine whether to accept the aid package proposed by the Europeans.
Greek crisis is now moving like a snowball. The EU also urged Papandreu government for loyalty to duty and its willingness to join the European Union. Without help, according to high officials in Cannes, possibly Greece was not able to pay the civil servants and face a huge debt that could force the country to leave the euro currency. "We don't want the euro is destroyed, we don't want Europe is devastated," said Sarkozy, who corroborated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Previously, some European Union officials begged China to help Europe out of the crush of crisis. But China answered the request by "China-can-not-promise-to help-if-the-situation-in-Greece-is-not-yet-clear". Meanwhile, President Hu Jintao said Europe was the one who could handle their own problems.
Shares in Asia and Europe on trade have plummeted ahead of the meeting of G-20 leaders. Trading for stocks in Europe fell between 1.5% to 2.5% on the concerns over the collapse of Greece.
Hu Jintao held a dinner with Sarkozy on Wednesday night. After the meeting the officials said they probably would donate 100 billion dollars to help but be reassured that the investment was safe. "Beijing wants to be assured and guaranteed, this mechanism is safe, "said Li Daokui of China's central bank told Le Figaro.
G20 summit, which was also attended by leaders from other Asian countries including Japan, Indonesia and India would take place over two days.
*****
Meanwhile, the position of Prime Minister George Papandreou is really stuck now. Today, Greece's largest opposition party demanded that the transitional government was formed immediately. This led to speculation that the election would delay the convening of flushing assistance to prevent default.
Opposition party leader Antonis Samaras refused to share power with Papandreou and asked him to resign. Previously, Papandreou, 59, received criticism from domestic and international on his proposal to hold a referendum on the European bailout.
"I never overlook any topic of discussion, including my own position. I'm not bound by anything. I repeat, I'm not interested in re-election but only want to save this country," said Papandreou in the presence of MPs last night.
Papandreou's inability to resolve the political impasse was pressing Greece to the default. It was very likely to occur even if Papandreou would cancelled the referendum option. Level of public confidence in Greece to Papandreou seemed to have thinned. If later he suffered the defeat in voting, President Karolos Papoulias party could combine together and form a national government under the leadership of a new prime minister or invite opposition parties to form a government. Under the Greek law, the election can be held within three weeks.
*****
Our Time is Limited
The population of the world that have exceeded 7 billion is a warning to all of us. Increasing mass protest is a form of aspiration towards a very obvious fact: that the increasing of economic uncertainty, market instability, and the growing inequality have reached a critical point.
Too many people living in fear. Their spirit broken by the uncertainties. They also become angry because of the waning prospects for the future. Whether at the dinner table and in the field, they wonder, "Who will feed our families and communities?" In these difficult times, the biggest challenge faced by the government is not diminishing resources, but less confidence. People no longer believe that the leaders and public institutions will do the right thing.
G-20 meeting in Cannes, France, on 3-4 November 2011, carried out with such a dramatic backdrop. The leaders of the world's largest economy has a historical opportunity - and a historical responsibility - to overcome the trust deficit. In order to do that, they must unite. In the midst of crisis and uncertainty, they should offer a clear purpose and a bold solution.
It is not the time for unimportant bargaining. At a meeting in 2009 in London, the leaders of the G-20 has demonstrated the courage and creativity in stabilizing the global financial system. We need the same leadership as ambitious as it is today.
We are all aware that our budget is very thin. In many parts of the world, fiscal austerity into a new lifestyle. It is clear that the priority in Cannes at the moment is to support decisions taken in Brussels on the euro zone crisis. However, it's clear that any response taken in order to overcome these double challenges must have the global scale.
Moreover, the response taken must be equipped with the social agenda of an ambitious long-term. They can't possibly get rid of those most vulnerable to the crisis - those who are poor, women, young people, and planet Earth itself. Those who are not directly responsible are those who pay the highest prices. Ask them to wait while other issues are being addressed, is not only counterproductive, but also immoral.
In Cannes, the world leaders should agree a plan of concrete actions, which can promote the welfare of all peoples and nations. Not only those who have the power.
For the poor, the G-20 meeting in Seoul last year, the leaders recognized a fundamental reality: that sustainable growth couldn't be achieved without development. Countries with emerging economies became the owners of the future. In Cannes, the leaders must show the strong support for pro-growth agenda, pro-poor as contained in the Millennium Development Goals.
They already know which way to be efficacious. They must continue to invest in policies and programs that provide multiple results. Some of them are the women and child health, food and agriculture, as well as gender equality.
For women and young people around the world, they have the courage to take to the streets, demanding their rights, and speak more loudly in the economic and political life. Simultaneously, women and youth are a two-thirds of the world's population. In any case, they are part of the world economy in the future. They must listen to their aspirations. They must do everything possible to meet their needs and create new opportunities, ranging from reproductive health to the work field.
For the same planet as well, there will be no sustainable growth without development. There can be no sustainable development without protection of planet Earth. Health, prosperity, and our collective prosperity depend on how we protect the "natural capital" which is owned by the earth, air, river, sea, land, and forests, as well as the diverse flora and fauna that accompany it.
In June next year, 20 years after the first Earth Summit, the United Nations will hold a major conference about reforming sustainable building. Rio +20 is an opportunity to define a clear path towards a better future that have an integrated solution of interrelated problems. This means there are new initiatives in food security and water. That means, it increases the resilience to climate change and renewable energy, including the innovative ways for funding.
In spite of everything, they must look ahead and think strategically, where they will be a decade from now. Three years ago in London, the leaders argued over how to "stimulate" the global growth in short term. In Cannes, they must focus to boost long-term investment, make the right decisions to shape the future world.
In its broad membership (geographically), the G-20 needs to address the growing crisis of equality. If they fail, the future will strike back at us. Social exclusion and profound instability would interfere with the prospect of peace, security, and prosperity for all people.
For world leaders at Cannes, this meeting is a test. The world is watching you. Any decision taken will affect every nation and individual, either directly or indirectly. A failure can be fatal.
With wisdom and view of the advanced, you can use this opportunity to build a foundation of economic prosperity of a healthy, green, and inclusive for everyone. By moving along, now, you can avoid the failure and bring change for future generations. Make sure you don't make a mistake: because you can't retract a wrong decision.
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(CZ-Pr/G20/110211/V-AZ)
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