Gazette 082213

Thursday August 22nd 2013

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Egypt's Mubarak released from jail

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been released from prison after appealing against his detention.

He was flown out of Cairo's Tora prison by helicopter to a hospital, but is now expected to be put under house arrest.
Mr Mubarak, 85, still faces charges of corruption and complicity in the killing of demonstrators during the protests that toppled him in 2011.
His release is seen by many as a sign that the military is rolling back the changes that flowed from the uprising.
Egypt is currently under a state of emergency amid the bloodshed which has accompanied the army-backed interim government's crackdown on Islamists opposed to the army's ousting of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on 3 July.
Hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood - the movement from which Mr Morsi comes - have been detained, including its most senior leader Mohammed Badie, who was wanted over alleged incitement to violence and murder.

Area Near Al-Aqsa Mosque Collapses

An area collapsed near the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem late Tuesday, reported the Turkish Anadolu news agency.

An eyewitness told the agency that the collapse occurred near the Bab as Silsila, on the western part of the mosque.

It is the second collapse near the western wall within five years, Cum'a Usayle, an eyewitness, told Anadolu.

"The collapse has caused a deep hole there. It is dangerous for the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It poses danger especially for children and women," he said.

The report claimed that no security precautions around the area have been taken by Israeli officials so far, nor has there been a statement about the incident.

The Al-Aqsa Foundation and Cultural Heritage Organization accused Israel, as it usually does, of paving the way for demolishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque by “building new settlements and digging dozens of tunnels.”

Arabs continuously accuse Israel of "Judaizing" the Temple Mount, sometimes resorting to ridiculous propaganda such as accusing Israel of using chemicals to erode the foundations of the mosque in order to cause it to collapse.
At the same time the Waqf, which was left in charge of the Temple Mount after Israel liberated it during the 1967 Six Day War, consistently destroys Jewish antiquities on the compound in a direct violation of a ruling by the Supreme Court.
The Waqf has removed every sign of ancient Jewish presence at the site. At the entrance to the Temple Mount, a Waqf sign says, “The Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard and everything in it is Islamic property.”

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas several months ago accused Israel of trying to “destroy” the Al-Aqsa Mosque by allowing Jews to pray on the Temple Mount.

Speaking to a Saudi-based newspaper, Abbas said that "the Al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger," claiming that Israel prevents PA Arabs from praying at the mosque, while allowing “extremist Jews" to worship there. This, he claimed, is proof that Israel has a "malicious" and dangerous plan to destroy the mosque and rebuild the “false” Holy Temple in its place, as he put it.

Worst assault on Christians since the Middle Ages?

 

Barbaric acts of rage: Egyptian Christians hacked to death by Muslim Brotherhood

The atrocities of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) are numerous and brutal. The acts of violence against Christians are well documented. One attack last month left at least four Christians dead.
On July 10, pro-Morsi and MB supporters hacked a Christian to death. The Blaze says a mob of Muslim extremists were hot on their tail.
Emile Naseem and his nephew tried to escape by climbing onto the roof of a building. They jumped from one building to the next until there were no more rooftops left.
The mob overpowered Naseem and his nephew when they returned to the street. They were hacked with axes, beaten with clubs and tree limbs, as a result of the attack the uncle died.

Blasts rock north Israel as rockets fired from Lebanon

Explosions were heard near Israel's northern border with Lebanon on Thursday, witnesses and AFP correspondents said, as Lebanese security sources said militants had fired four rockets into Israel.

Witnesses reported hearing several blasts near the northern coastal town of Nahariya.
No casualties or damage were immediately reported.
"We heard about four or five explosions, and then the sirens went off for about a minute," a woman named Yasmin from the northern village of Klil told AFP.
A security source in Lebanon said that four rockets were fired at Israel from the south.
"Unknown gunmen fired four rockets from two positions, south and east of Tyre, at Israel," the source said as residents in the area said they heard four blasts.
The Israeli army said the Iron Dome defence system intercepted one rocket.

France: Force An Option In Syria If Assad Used Chemical Weapons

PARIS — France's foreign minister on Thursday raised the possibility of the international community using force if it is proven that Bashir Assad's regime used chemical weapons in an attack the Syrian opposition says killed over 100 people.
Laurent Fabius spoke a day after the U.N. Security Council called for "a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation" of the latest allegations against the regime, in a statement that diplomats say was watered down by objections from Syria allies Russia and China.
Opposition forces and activists have said that at least 136 people, including many children, were killed in the Wednesday attack in which most bodies bore no sign of wounds. The United States, Britain, France and others have demanded that a team of U.N. experts already in Syria be granted immediate access to investigate the site.
Speaking on RMC radio, Fabius did not make clear how the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime might be proven. But if there is proof of a chemical weapons attack by the regime, "we need a reaction by the international community .... a reaction of force," he said.
Fabius excluded boots on the ground as an option, "but a reaction that can take a form, I don't want to be more precise, of force."
France has been at the forefront of efforts to rid Syria of Assad. It was the first to back the opposition Syrian National Coalition and appoint a coalition ambassador in Paris. With Britain, it pressed for the lifting of European arms sanctions, though once they were lifted pulled back and said it is supplying non-lethal military equipment plus humanitarian aid.

Islamic militants execute 25 police officers in the Sinai Peninsula

Since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi on July 3, the violence in Egypt has been happening on an almost daily basis.
Not only have attacks been going on in the cities of Egypt but also on the Sinai Peninsula.
Attacks in the Sinai Peninsula have left dozens dead. It's reported on Aug. 7 the Egyptian Army killed 60 terrorists and arrested over 100. (To date there has been no solid proof of the Egyptian military's claim.)
On Aug. 19, The Long War Journal reported that Islamic militants allegedly killed around 25 police officers in the Sinai. The report says: "The policemen were ambushed while they were traveling to their barracks near Rafah. It remains unclear exactly how they were killed."

Why Saudi Arabia is taking a risk by backing the Egyptian coup

King Abdullah fears the Muslim Brotherhood, which challenges the kingdom's claim to be the protector of Islam

It took almost 60 years for the CIA to own up to its role in the British-backed coup that overthrew Iran's prime minister Mohammed Mossadegh on August 19, 1953. But Saudi Arabia's backing for the recent Egyptian coup, which its head of intelligence, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, had worked so tirelessly to achieve, was instantaneous. When Adli Mansour, the former head of Egypt's supreme court, was sworn in as interim president, King Abdullah sent him a message praising the Egyptian army for having saved the country from a dark tunnel.
The Saudi monarch followed this up last Friday with a speech whose bluntness was atypical of the man. "Let the entire world know," he proclaimed "that the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stood and still stand today with our brothers in Egypt against terrorism, extremism and sedition, and against whomever is trying to interfere in Egypt's internal affairs." This was unusual, not only because Abdullah was aiming his words at his other ally, the United States, and the Gulf state's regional rival Qatar, whom he accused of "fanning the fire of sedition and promoting terrorism, which they claim to be fighting". It was rare because the monarch, who prefers behind the scenes diplomacy, was so explicit.
The kingdom has backed its words with money, and oil. It has already put together an $12bn (£7.7bn) aid package along with the UAE and Kuwait which is four times as much as the military and economic grants from the US and the EU combined ($1.5bn and $1.3bn respectively). On his return from meeting the French president at the weekend, the foreign minister, Saudi al-Faisal, vowed to compensate Egypt for any loss of EU or US money. Barack Obama's impotence in the Middle East is being paraded by the US's closest Arab military ally.

Morsi Supporters Call for 'Day of Martyrs' on Friday

Supporters of deposed Egyptian president call on Egyptians to hold "Friday of Martyrs" protests against the military.

Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi have no intention of backing down on their protests against the military.

With Friday, the day on which the largest protests usually take place following prayers at the mosques, just around the corner, a group of Morsi supporters is calling on Egyptians to hold "Friday of Martyrs" protests against the military.

A grouping calling itself The National Coalition to Support Legitimacy, which has been demanding Morsi's reinstatement, said in a statement quoted by Reuters on Wednesday, "We will remain steadfast on the road to defeating the military coup."

Almost 900 people, including more than 100 soldiers and police officers, have been killed since the authorities forcibly dispersed Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in Cairo last Wednesday.

The ongoing violence since the military deposed Morsi in July has prompted the Egyptian government to begin deliberations on whether to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, as it had been for years until the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak.

The United States and the European Union are both reviewing aid to Cairo in light of the bloodshed, but Saudi Arabia, a foe of the Brotherhood, has promised to make up any shortfall.

Thailand jails Iranians on bomb plot

A court in Thailand has jailed two Iranian men for their roles in an attempted bomb plot in the capital, Bangkok, in February 2012.

The two men said they were innocent, but the court found them guilty of charges that included illegal possession of explosives.
The men were detained after a huge explosion accidentally damaged the house they were staying at.
One man had his legs blown off after he tried to throw a bomb at police.
The two were among six suspected of involvement in the bomb plot after the accidental blasts in the Ekamai area in central Bangkok.
The two defendants were part of what Thai officials believe was a team sent to Thailand to target Israeli diplomats in Bangkok.
The blasts came a day after two bomb attacks targeted Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia.
Israel has accused Iran of orchestrating the attacks, a charge which Iran denies.

Robert Mugabe sworn in again as Zimbabwe president

Africa's oldest leader takes oath of office for fifth term as MDC boycotts ceremony and critics insist election was not credible
Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, Africa's oldest leader at 89, has been sworn in for a new five-year term in the face of criticism from opponents and the west that his re-election in July was not credible.
Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980, has told critics to "go hang" and has vowed to press ahead with nationalist policies forcing foreign firms to turn over majority stakes to black Zimbabweans.
He took his new oath of office before the bewigged chief justice, Godfrey Chidyausiku, at a ceremony in a 60,000-seat football stadium in Harare witnessed by thousands of cheering supporters, diplomats and delegations from the region.
His longtime rival and opponent in the last three elections, Morgan Tsvangirai, boycotted the ceremony. He has denounced the 31 July election as a "huge fraud" and a "coup by ballot", alleging massive rigging by Mugabe's Zanu-PF party. Mugabe and his ruling party have rejected these allegations.
This will be Mugabe's fifth term as president of the southern African state since 1987. He also served as prime minister after independence in 1980 ended white minority rule in the country previously known as Rhodesia.
Mugabe and senior officials from his ruling Zanu-PF party are the target of sanctions imposed by western governments, which have accused them of staying in power through massive human rights violations and vote rigging.

A possible far-left challenge to Hillary in 2016 

Remember that Hillary Clinton positioned herself as more moderate than Barack Obama in 2008 and will be expected to do so again in 2016. But the far left, the likes of MoveOn.org and The New Party, have long since taken over the Democrat Party since they unanimously elected Howard Dean as their national chairman. The more “progressive” far left wing of the party, or the “Democratic wing of the Democratic Party” as Howard Dean used to say, remains firmly in control of the party.

 

There will be a large constituency, among Democrat Party primary voters, who will desire a more progressive candidate than Hillary Cinton, to support for president in 2016. Guess who spoke in Iowa today, speaking at a Federation of Labor event about electing more liberal Democrats to the state legislature there? Yes, Howard Dean, the very liberal former Democrat Governor of the People's Republic of Vermont. Vermont is geographically one of the most beautiful states in the country, it's a great place to visit, and they have some great skiing there, but their politics have moved far to the left in the last generation or so. They repeatedly elected Dean as their governor during the 1990s.

 

I know many will remember the infamous Howard Dean scream in Iowa in 2004, but remember also that we as voters will always give a candidate a second chance and maybe even a third chance. Howard Dean could easily emerge in 2016 as the far left alternative to Hillary Clinton for president in 2016.

'I am Chelsea Manning,' says jailed soldier formerly known as Bradley

Manning says she plans to undergo hormone therapy as soon as possible and wishes to be referred to by female pronouns 
The US soldier who was sentenced as Bradley Manning on Wednesday plans to undergo hormone therapy and has asked to be recognised as a woman.
In a statement on Thursday Manning said she would like to be known as Chelsea E Manning and be referred to by female pronouns.
"As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me," she wrote.
"I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transition."
Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents. She was found guilty of 20 counts, six of them under the Espionage Act, but her lawyers argued during the trial that Manning was acting out of a sense of duty to her country.
"I also request that, starting today, you refer to me by my new name and use the feminine pronoun (except in official mail to the confinement facility)," Manning's statement read. "I look forward to receiving letters from supporters and having the opportunity to write back."
She thanked her supporters for helping to "keep me strong" during her arrest and trial and for funding her defense.
During her trial it emerged that Manning had emailed a picture of herself, wearing a long blonde wig and lipstick, to her supervisor. In the subject line Manning had written: "My Problem".
Manning's lawyers argued that this was an example of how the soldier's supervisors failed her on numerous occasions and contributed to the stress she was under.

More benefit cuts under ObamaCare

EMPLOYERS SLASHING COVERAGE - UVA dumps spouses - The University of Virginia announced Wednesday it will stop offering health insurance to some employees’ spouses citing rising costs under ObamaCare. According to a press release on the university’s website, “Provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act are projected to add $7.3 million to the cost of the University health plan in 2014 alone.” This follows news that UPS would be dumping an estimated 15,000 from the company’s plan. Chief National Correspondent Jim Angle follows the story today.
[A new study from consultants Towers Watson says 40 percent of businesses surveyed plan to change their health plans next year in light of the law.]
Nevada union trashes ObamaCare - Nevada’s AFL-CIO passed a resolution Wednesday saying ObamaCare would, “lead to the destruction of the 40 hour work week, higher taxes and force union members onto more costly plans”
[FNC’s William LaJeunesse reports on the ObamaCare provision that exempts some 6 million American Indians from penalties under the law.]
OBAMA TURNS COLLEGE RECRUITER - Ed Henry wants to know: “The White House says the bus tour through universities and high schools is focused on college affordability. But since a new Gallup poll found young adults are least likely to say they're familiar with the health law, will he also use this swing to rally his campaign base ahead of the Oct. 1 sign up deadline?”

Court halted NSA email surveillance

A National Security Agency surveillance system illegally gathered up to 56,000 personal emails by Americans annually, declassified court documents show.

Officials revealed that a judge in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ruled the programme illegal in 2011.
The communications were between people with no links to terror suspects.
The US government faces mounting criticism over its surveillance operations after the leaks of US whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
The court, whose rulings are normally kept secret, said the NSA may have violated US law for collecting as many as 56,000 emails on an annual basis between 2008 and 2011.
But intelligence officials speaking to reporters anonymously say the scooping of emails was unintentional, blaming it on a technological problem.
The NSA was unable to separate out emails between Americans with no direct connection to terrorism, so the agency was collecting tens of thousands of "wholly domestic communications" every year, the court documents said.
In the ruling, Judge John Bates criticised the NSA over the breach of privacy, marking it as "the third instance in less than three years in which the government has disclosed a substantial misrepresentation regarding the scope of a major collection programme".

Obama proposes college-ranking system

BUFFALO, N.Y. — President Obama on Thursday unveiled a broad new plan that aims to make college education more affordable by launching new college ratings and allocating federal financial aid based on those results.

The plan, which Obama rolled out as he started a two-day campus bus tour in Buffalo, would create a rating system beginning in 2015 to evaluate colleges on tuition, the percentage of low-income students, graduation rates and debt of graduates.
Eventually, as an incentive for schools to make improvements in these areas, federal financial aid would be awarded based on those ratings.
Obama aims to create the ratings through executive action, but the plan to reallocate federal aid based on the ratings would require congressional approval.
“The bottom line is this: We’ve got a crisis in terms of college affordability and student debt,” Obama said, addressing a basketball arena packed with students at the University at Buffalo.
“We understand that in the face of greater and greater global competition, in a knowledge-based economy, a great education is more important than ever,” Obama said. He called a college education “an economic imperative,” adding, “We’ve got to create more pathways into the middle class.”

Coptic Christians March on White House, Washington Post

Egyptian Christians critical of media coverage and Obama response to violence in Egypt

A group of Egyptians protested in front of the White House Thursday afternoon to “expose” what they say is “the clear bias of the Obama administration and the American media in support of the Muslim Brotherhood and its terrorist ideology.”
Hundreds of Egyptians, who travelled to Washington, D.C. from around the United States, gathered in front of the White House before marching to the offices of the Washington Post, news network CNN, and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group that protestors called the Brotherhood’s “embassy.”
Protest organizers called on “all Egyptians” living in the U.S. to join their march, which took place as violence in Egypt continues to rage between the Muslim Brotherhood and secular military forces.
The marchers’ final stop was the Egyptian military attaché’s D.C. office, where the activists chanted their support for “the Egyptian army for its heroic stand against [Muslim Brotherhood] terrorism.”
“We are against the Muslim Brotherhood,” protestor Ramez Mossed told the Free Beacon. “He [Obama] supports the Muslim Brotherhood. He has a big hand in Egypt and the mess in Egypt. We’re trying to tell him, ‘Don’t support the terrorists. Please be fair.’”