Tunisian Revolution and the Middle East--And Now, The Withdrawal From Afghanistan (M.E.T.)

[visionary]

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/video-of-miners-shot-by-south-african-police/?smid=tw-nytimesworld&seid=auto

Video Shows South African Police Shooting Miners

As our colleague Lydia Polgreen reports, at least 18 striking miners were shot dead on Thursday by South African police officers who opened fire as a crowd approached carrying machetes and sticks at a Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana.

News camera crews were at the mine covering the labor unrest when the shooting began. A crew from eNewsChannel in South Africa captured this video, which shows graphic images of police firing into the crowd.

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak

Police tell Sky News they believe 30 people have died at mine shooting

1:35 AM

https://twitter.com/AJELive

Update: South African police minister Nathi Mthethwa says 30 people were killed in Lonmin platinum mine shooting on Thursday.

1:48 AM

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/18/us-yemen-attack-idUSBRE87H03I20120818

At least 18 killed in Yemen attack on intelligence HQ

Suspected al Qaeda-linked militants killed at least 18 Yemeni soldiers and security guards on Saturday in a car bombing and grenade attack on the intelligence service headquarters in Aden, the Defence Ministry and witnesses said.

The ministry said more bodies were believed buried under the rubble of the building, part of which was leveled in the attack in the southern port city. At least seven others were wounded before the militants fled.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/08/2012818183718864689.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

Somalia moves forward to electing president

Somalia has taken a step toward electing a new president after a committee overseeing the war-torn country's transition to a replacement government named more than 200 parliamentarians, a committee member said.

"We have 202 members readied now and we are working on the reviewing of 40 others that were passed today and we hope the first parliament session will be held around (Monday)," Halimo Yarey, who co-chairs the committee, said on Saturday.

"The rest of the list is still pending because of inter-clan argument and other reasons related to a lack of fulfillment of the conditions," she told reporters.

The legislature is due to elect the next president on Monday under a UN-backed agreement, putting an end to eight years of Somalia's graft-riddled, Western-backed Transitional Federal Government, or TFG.

The Horn of Africa nation has lacked a stable central government since the 1991 ouster of dictator Siad Barre in 1991, which unleashed a bloody civil war and two decades of chaos.

But while the government until recently controlled only a few blocks of Mogadishu, African Union and other troops have since made key territorial gains in their fight against al-Shabab fighters.

With better security, members of the Somali diaspora have returned to invest in their battered homeland, and many now hope that a new government will help the war-torn country stabilise and recover.

So this comittee chooses the parliament members, and they vote for the president?

Not much of an election.

Edited August 18, 2012 by visionary

[TradeTheBeal!]

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/23/us-libya-gaddafi-trial-idUSBRE87M0LU20120823

Trial of Gaddafi son due to start next month

Saif al-Islam, son of Libya's late ruler Muammar Gaddafi, will go on trial next month in the western town of Zintan, a government source said on Thursday.

"The trial of Saif al-Islam is to start next month, probably the second week of the month," the source said.

In April, Justice Minister Ali Ashour told Reuters Saif would be put on trial for financial corruption, murder and rape.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/08/201282322318897454.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

Iran opposition leader Mousavi 'hospitalised'

Leading Iranian opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi, under house arrest for more than a year, has been taken to hospital for treatment for a heart problem, one of his former senior advisors has said.

"Mousavi was taken to the hospital this morning after his blood vessels became blocked," Ardeshir Amir Arjomand, a senior advisor to Mousavi during his presidential campaign and leading exiled opposition figure, said on Thursday.

"He has not been feeling well since last night, but the security forces did not take him to the hospital until this morning because they wanted to install cameras there," Arjomand told the Reuters news agency by telephone from Paris.

Mousavi and fellow reformist Mehdi Karoubi ran for election against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009 and became figureheads for the large protests that followed by Iranians who accused authorities of rigging the vote to bring back the hardline incumbent.

The government denied any vote wrong-doing and said Iran's foreign enemies had plotted to overthrow the country's leaders by stirring up the protests, the biggest opposition demonstrations since the 1979 revolution.

Mousavi, his wife Zahra Rahnavard and Karoubi have been held incommunicado since February last year when the two leaders called their supporters onto the streets for a rally in support of uprisings in the Arab world - the first demonstrations by their pro-reform "Green movement" since street protests were crushed by security forces at the end of 2009.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2012/08/201282665348545366.html

Libya denounces destruction of Sufi sites

Attackers in Libya have bulldozed a mosque containing Sufi Muslim graves in the centre of Tripoli, a day after Sufi shrines in the city of Zlitan were wrecked and a mosque library was burned.

The demolition of the large Sha'ab mosque happened in broad daylight on Saturday, drawing condemnation from government officials and Libyans across the country and abroad.

The president of Libya's newly elected National Congress, Mohamed al-Magariaf, called the prime minister to an emergency meeting on Sunday.

"What is truly regrettable and suspicious is that some of those who took part in these destruction activities are supposed to be of the security forces and from the revolutionaries," Magariaf told reporters on Saturday night.

http://brown-moses.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/images-of-shrines-and-mosques-destroyed.html

Images Of Shrines And Mosques Destroyed By Extremists In Libya

Yesterday Libyans all across twitter were in a rage over this and claiming collusion by the interior ministry and security services to protect the extremists.

The latest news this morning is that the interior minister has been forced to resign.

There still has not been any major arrests of the purpetrators yet though.

[visionary]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/30/world/africa/south-africa-mine-violence/index.html

270 miners charged in co-workers' deaths

South African authorities have charged 270 miners with murder in the killings of 34 fellow workers, even though police are believed to have fired the fatal shots.

The workers were arrested after the deadly clash with police and were charged under a common-law provision that faults them for being involved in the clash.

Police spokesman Dennis Adrio said that some of those killed in the clash had gunshot wounds in their backs and that weapons were recovered at the scene.

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/31/us-bahrain-protest-idUSBRE87U16Q20120831?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=286409

Thousands join peaceful Bahrain anti-government protest

Tens of thousands of people chanting anti-government slogans and holding up pictures of jailed activists took part on Friday in Bahrain's first authorized opposition protest since June.

No clashes occurred at Friday's march along a 3-km (2-mile) stretch of a highway west of the capital of Manama. Protesters carried Bahraini flags and held up images of rights activist and protest leader Nabeel Rajab, calling for his release.

Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based, has been in crisis since a revolt led by majority Shi'ite Muslims began 18 months ago to demand democracy in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

[visionary]

http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=13530

Anti-extremism demonstration draws hundreds in Tripoli

A demonstration against the recent attacks on buildings by Salafist extremists took place this evening in Tripoli’s Martyrs’ Square.

The event, which started at 6pm and lasted around an hour and a half, drew a crowd of around seven hundred people. It featured speakers from prominent Sufis, a spokesman from the League of Ulema, and Jamal Ben Issa, head of the Supreme Revolutionary Council.

“We know who’s behind these attacks,” said the spokesman from the league of Ulema “I don’t even want to use the word.” Many in the crowd seemed sure that he was referring to islamist influence from Saudi Arabia.

Sadat El-Badri, the leader of Tripoli Local Council, was in the crowd, having made a speech yesterday condemning the attacks. In the address he also called for an effective mechanism for disarming in Libya, saying that the police and army should be the only two armed groups in the country. He also called for the re-establishment of the judicial system and respect for the rule of law and human rights.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/201292153136133412.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

Mali Islamist group 'kills Algerian diplomat'

A heavily armed hardline Muslim movement that has taken control of large swathes of Mali has reportedly claimed to have executed an Algerian diplomat who was kidnapped during their takeover of northern Mali, according to a statement published by a Mauritanian news agency.

Taher Touati, the Algerian vice-consul "was executed this morning [sunday] at dawn" read the statement from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa [MUJAO] published by online news agency ANI, known for carrying reliable information on extremist groups in the region.

"The Algerian government must take complete responsibility for the consequences of its stubborness and the misguided and irresponsible decisions of its president and its generals," read the statement.

In separate news, MUJAO seized another town, moving closer to government-held territory and signalling possibly expanding ambitions.

A convoy of lorries carrying men entered the town of Douentza early on Saturday morning and disarmed the local militia, witnesses and a spokesperson said.

Douentza is located about 800km northeast of the capital, Bamako, but is near the de facto border with Malian military-held territory that currently divides half of the country from the other.

The separatist leader Oumar Ould Hamaha told the AP news agency by telephone that the MUJAO had seized Douentza after a brief standoff with the local self-defence militia. Witnesses said there were no casualties.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/201292165153495957.html

Deaths in US drone strike in Yemen

At least five people suspected of having links to al-Qaeda and three civilians have been killed by a US drone strike in central Yemen, officials and local tribal leaders say.

The strikes took place in the city of Radaa, in al-Bayda province, on Sunday, on two vehicles that were believed to be carrying armed fighters, they said.

"Five were killed and eight injured and we are still investigating who these men are and in what way they were linked to al Qaeda," one official said.

Three women were also killed in the strike, a local tribal chief told the AFP news agency. He said that the strike had targeted Abdulraouf al-Dahab, a local al-Qaeda leader, but that it failed to kill him.

The attack took place at around 4:00pm local time (13:00 GMT) on the road between the village of Hama and Dahab's village Manasseh, he said.

Other local and security sources confirmed that the attack had taken place.

Some tribesmen and military officials, however, said that no fighters had been killed in the air strike, and that 14 civilians, including three women and three children, had been killed.

The military officials said Sunday's airstrikes were based on faulty intelligence that the passengers were al-Qaeda members. Missiles fired from the warplanes hit two vehicles carrying local residents returning to their villages.

https://twitter.com/gregorydjohnsen

Great, great piece by @MicahZenko on the US and its war in Yemen http://on.cfr.org/KGaiOe Must Read for your Labor Day

10:55 AM

I continue to believe that there will be serious repercussions for US bombings in Yemen that result in deaths of civilians

11:01 AM

Still have yet to find a Yemen specialist who thinks the US is on the right track in Yemen

11:11 AM

Good question - currently a lot of hubris from US officials on Yemen, along lines of: "trust us, we know more than you."

11:13 AM

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/201294144715296506.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

Kenya navy shells Somali port town

The Kenyan Navy has shelled Somalia's port town of Kismayo, the remaining significant stronghold of al-Qaeda-linked fighters in preparation for the ground forces to capture the town, a military spokesperson has said.

Col Cyrus Oguna said on Tuesday that seven people believed to be members of the al-Shabab militia group were killed in the shelling.

He said the attack on Saturday and Monday that targeted an arms store, a mounted gun position and a road block set up by the fighters.

Oguna said Kenyan ground troop are moving closer to Kismayo in preparation of an assault to take over the town. The takeover will be soon, he said.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/2012948020958529.html

Bahrain courts uphold activists' conviction

Bahrain court upholds life sentences for activists

A Bahrain court has upheld jail sentences against 20 opposition figures convicted of plotting to overthrow the Western-allied government, including eight prominent activists facing life in prison.

Tuesday's decision is likely to deepen the nearly 19-month-long crisis between Bahrain's Sunni rulers and Shia-led protesters demanding a greater political voice in the strategic Gulf kingdom, which is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet.

The group on trial includes some of the most high-profile leaders. Among the eight sentenced to life is rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who staged a 110-day hunger strike earlier this year in protest. The other 12 have lesser prison terms, ranging from five to 15 years, with seven of them convicted in absentia.

Mohammed al-Tajir, a human-rights lawyer, told Al Jazeera: "We are shocked at this judgment. The judge dismissed the appeal".

The decision could also escalate street clashes that have occurred nearly nonstop since the Arab Spring-inspired uprising began in February 2011. More than 50 people have been killed in Bahrain's unrest.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/20129594148817996.html

Mauritania sends Gaddafi spy chief to Libya

Mauritanian authorities have handed over Muammar Gaddafi's ex-spy chief to Libya nearly five months after he was arrested for entering the country illegally, state television reported.

"Mauritanian authorities hand over ex-Libyan spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi to Libya," read a newsflash on the screen written in Arabic on Wednesday.

An official in the ministry of foreign affairs who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said that Senussi boarded a flight at 9am local time (0900 GMT) and was headed to Tripoli.

A delegation from Libya, including the defence minister and army chief of staff, were in the capital Nouakchott on Tuesday for a visit which several official sources said was in connection with the extradition.

Senussi, a brother-in-law and feared former right-hand man of the slain Libyan dictator, was arrested in Mauritania in March and charged two months later for illegal entry and use of forged documents.

Libya has since pushed hard for the extradition of the man who is also wanted by France and the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/05/us-kuwait-court-election-idUSBRE8840R520120905

Kuwait to rule on electoral law September 25, protests possible

Kuwait's top court will announce on September 25 whether current electoral boundaries are constitutional, a ruling that could spark protests in the increasingly politically divided oil producer.

The government asked the court to rule on a 2006 law that divides Kuwait into five constituencies, a move some opposition figures say is a bid to abolish the current boundaries and gerrymander victory in elections expected this year or next.

Opposition activists took to the streets in protest on August 27 and have promised to turn out again if the court rules in favor of the government and declares the law unconstitutional.

---------- Post added September-5th-2012 at 10:31 AM ----------

https://twitter.com/ChangeInLibya

BREAKING: KEIB IN PRESS CONFERENCE NOW TO CONFIRM SENUSSI CAPTURE

10:05 AM

https://twitter.com/FreeBenghazi

Assisting Abdullah Senussi down the aircraft stairs is the Libyan Chief of Staff Yusuf Mangoush pic.twitter.com/dHEo6pic

9:41 AM

Pic#2: Abdullah Sennusi disembarking from aircraft onto Libya soil. Loving the pilot trying to take pic w/ Senussi pic.twitter.com/F23d3tKK

9:59 AM

Pic#3: Abdullah Senussi disembarking from aircraft, assisted by Libya Chief of Staff, Yusuf Mangoush pic.twitter.com/FI1SWlL5

10:01 AM

Pic#4: Closeup of Abdullah Senussi as he disembarks from aircraft onto Libya soil pic.twitter.com/YsugrvkP

10:03 AM

https://twitter.com/Libyan4life

Congrats AlKeib. You accomplished something in your role as PM. Yay!

10:26 AM

Senussi knows he's going to die either by execution or in a cell. They need something to hold over him to get talking. #CatchHisKids

10:29 AM

[visionary]

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120906135232

The race to be PM: A week is a long time in Libyan politics

The Islamists, supporting the electricity minister, are facing an internal divide as a group of Salafists has refused to support Barassi as the prime minister owing to his membership of the Muslim Brotherhood. The differences between the two groups are ideological and exist in all countries where the two groups are found. Other would-be Barassi supporters are also hesitant as they think the prime minister should not be from the east of Libya as the speaker of GNC is himself from the east.

There are talks in some circles that Islamists can bring a candidate other than Awad Barassi to avoid this internal split. That man is rumored to be Mohammed Barween, who has been credited with successfully organizing Misrata’s local council elections in February.

If no consensus is reached, Mustafa Abushagur looks set to benefit from this split. Surprisingly, Abushagur is now tipped to be the candidate most favored by the Salafists, if only because they dislike him less than all the others. Widely considered a moderate, there is certainly no love lost between Abushagur and the Salafists, with one of his senior aides recently describing them in less than diplomatic terms.

Another candidate now being talked about is none other than Mahmoud Jibril. The NFA leader was a late entrant but picked up momentum because of his aggressive strategy and widespread popularity. However, Jibril has again taken the back seat in the past couple of days, according to party sources. In the last few days there have been reports of fresh talks between the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Justice & Construction Party and Jibril’s National Forces Alliance to reach agreement over a compromise candidate for prime minister

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/opinion/how-drones-help-al-qaeda.html?_r=2

How Drones Help Al Qaeda

“DEAR OBAMA, when a U.S. drone missile kills a child in Yemen, the father will go to war with you, guaranteed. Nothing to do with Al Qaeda,” a Yemeni lawyer warned on Twitter last month. President Obama should keep this message in mind before ordering more drone strikes like Wednesday’s, which local officials say killed 27 people, or the May 15 strike that killed at least eight Yemeni civilians.

Drone strikes are causing more and more Yemenis to hate America and join radical militants; they are not driven by ideology but rather by a sense of revenge and despair. Robert Grenier, the former head of the C.I.A.’s counterterrorism center, has warned that the American drone program in Yemen risks turning the country into a safe haven for Al Qaeda like the tribal areas of Pakistan — “the Arabian equivalent of Waziristan.”

Anti-Americanism is far less prevalent in Yemen than in Pakistan. But rather than winning the hearts and minds of Yemeni civilians, America is alienating them by killing their relatives and friends. Indeed, the drone program is leading to the Talibanization of vast tribal areas and the radicalization of people who could otherwise be America’s allies in the fight against terrorism in Yemen.

The first known drone strike in Yemen to be authorized by Mr. Obama, in late 2009, left 14 women and 21 children dead in the southern town of al-Majala, according to a parliamentary report. Only one of the dozens killed was identified as having strong Qaeda connections.

Misleading intelligence has also led to disastrous strikes with major political and economic consequences. An American drone strike in May 2010 killed Jabir al-Shabwani, a prominent sheik and the deputy governor of Marib Province. The strike had dire repercussions for Yemen’s economy. The slain sheik’s tribe attacked the country’s main pipeline in revenge. With 70 percent of the country’s budget dependent on oil exports, Yemen lost over $1 billion. This strike also erased years of progress and trust-building with tribes who considered it a betrayal given their role in fighting Al Qaeda in their areas.

We seem to be doing more and more drone strikes lately no matter if we're killing more random people or targeted militants.

It's getting to be very worriesome and disturbing.

I'm not one to say we should just stop trying to take these guys out, or not get involved around the world, but we need to seriously review the drone strikes and their results and find a way to either make them way more reliable, or limit them to very serious targets.

Working with local tribes and villages to find, alienate, and arrest or kill the bad guys should be the main focus, not lazy drone escalation.

Edited September 7, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/iran-blog/2012/sep/07/ahmadinejad-iran-presidential-election?CMP=twt_gu

Who will succeed Ahmadinejad in Iran's presidential election next year?

It might not be long until Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidential term comes to an end but he doesn't seem to believe it will finally happen. During a recent interview on state television in which a journalist mentioned that his presidency would finish within a year, the president interjected, laughing: "How do you know?"

Under Iranian law Ahmadinejad cannot run for a third term, and on Friday officials announced the next election would be held on 14 June 2013. The last was in 2009 when Ahmadinejad took office for a second term amid allegations of fraud and unrest.

The president's joking response prompted speculation that he planned to preserve his dwindling power by grooming someone in his inner circle as his possible successor. Ahmadinejad's opponents pointed the finger at his close confidant and chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, as a likely candidate.

Mohammad Dehghan, who sits on the parliament's executive board, criticised Ahmadinejad and accused him of pursuing a Putin/Medvedev-style reshuffle.

The president's office denied suggestions that Mashaei would put his name forward for the presidency.

Speculation is rife about who will be Ahmadinejad's successor. Tehran's mayor, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, is one name often mentioned. Another is Saeed Jalili, the chief nuclear negotiator and a close ally of Khamenei. Many also tip Ali Larijani, the parliamentary speaker.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/20129993748641196.html

SA miners 'killed while trying to surrender'

Al Jazeera has learned that some of the South African miners who were shot dead at the Marikana mine last month may have been trying to surrender.

At least 34 men died when police opened fire on striking workers at the platinum mine, 100km north of Johannesburg.

A key human rights organisation in South Africa launched an independent investigation into the police shootings on Sunday.

The Legal Resource Centre (LRC) said that it had obtained multiple witness testimonies that blame police brutality for the killings of strikers who were calling for pay raises.

Some witnesses have said that police shot protesters who were either trying to escape confrontations with police by hiding behind rocks, or while surrendering to authorities.

The LRC also said it has forensic evidence that suggests a police cover-up of the killings.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/201299111132894215.html

Wave of deadly bomb blasts hits Iraq

Suspected al-Qaeda fighters and other armed groups have killed at least 44 people in a wave of attacks in Iraq, gunning down soldiers at an army post and bombing police recruits waiting in line to apply for jobs.

Sunday's violence, which struck at least 11 cities and also wounded nearly 100 people, highlighted armed groups' attempts to sow havoc in the country and undermine the government.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks but security forces are a frequent target of al-Qaeda's Iraq branch, which has vowed to reassert itself and take back areas it was forced from before US troops withdrew from the country last year.

In the deadliest attack, gunmen stormed a small Iraqi Army outpost in the town of Dujail before dawn, killing at least 10 soldiers and wounding eight more, according to police and hospital officials in the nearby city of Balad, about 80km north of Baghdad.

Journalist Ahmed Rushdi, reporting from Baghdad, told Al Jazeera that according to him it was not only al-Qaeda that was behind the attacks.

"It is also the insurgency against the government and the political parties, because there is a major political dispute between al Maliki and his opponents," Rushdi said.

"It is another day in the major failure of the security forces in Iraq. The people here are asking themselves; what is the government doing to regain control of the situation? There seems to be no real intelligence data concerning these attacks."

In a separate development, an Iraqi court has found the nation's Sunni vice president guilty of running death squads against security forces and Shias, and has sentenced him to death in absentia.

Edited September 9, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/malonebarry

As night draws down on an awful day for Iraq, the blasts continue.. Now three car bombs in Baghdad -- 11 dead, 39 injured so far.

1:17 PM

[visionary]

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268782/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=oq9OQD9p

Saudi: Foreign minister recovering in Los Angeles

Saudi Arabia says Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal is recovering from abdominal surgery in the United States.

Prince Saud will spend several weeks "at his palace in Los Angeles" following surgery in a Saudi hospital, the ministry said in a statement Monday.

The Royal Court said Thursday that the 72-year-old prince left a hospital in the oil-rich kingdom. He was operated upon to remove a "simple" blockage in the intestines due to adhesions resulting from previous surgery.

Prince Saud is a nephew to King Abdullah. He has been foreign minister since 1975.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/201291014123979878.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

'Key al-Qaeda leader killed' in Yemen

Yemen's army website said on Monday that Shehri, a Saudi national, was killed, along with six other fighters, in a military operation in the remote Hadramawt province in eastern Yemen.

"The Saudi terrorist Said al-Shehri, the second man in al-Qaeda, was killed in a quality operation by the armed forces in Hadramawt," the 26sep.net news website reported.

"Six other terrorist elements accompanying him were also killed," the army site added quoting what it said was a "high-ranking source," without mentioning when the operation took place.

AQAP is described by Washington as the most dangerous and deadliest wing of al-Qaeda.

A Yemeni security source told the Reuters news agency that Shehri was killed in an operation last Wednesday which was thought to have been carried out by a US drone, rather than the Yemeni military.

The source said another Saudi and an Iraqi national were among the others killed.

Shehri is a former inmate of the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay who was released to Saudi Arabia in 2007 and put through a Saudi rehabilitation programme for fighters.

Edited September 10, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/201291083927688186.html

Bribery allegations blight Somalia election

Somalia’s presidential elections have been marred by allegations of bribery, with up to $50,000 said to have changed hands among members of parliament, Al Jazeera has learnt.

Senior diplomatic sources deployed in the region to ensure honest and fair election, have confirmed that the process of vote buying has been under way over the last few days.

It was hoped that the vote for a new president, the first of its kind in decades, would alter the political landscape of the nation and be a milestone in the war-ravaged country's quest to end two decades of violence, corruption and infighting.

The incumbent president, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, is up against 25 candidates including prominent Somalis who have returned from overseas.

Among his strongest rivals is prime minister, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, and the main opposition figure, Hassan Sheikh.

If no one candidate secures a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting and a simple majority in the second, the election would go to a third round.

https://twitter.com/AJELive

First round of Somalia presidential poll: Pres Sharif-64; Opp. leader Hasan Shiekh Mahmoud-60; PM Abdiweli Ali-30 http://aje.me/Q8IaH6

12:40 PM

https://twitter.com/AmbassadorRice

For 3 years, Pastor Nadarkhani faced a death sentence in Iran, a clear violation of his human rights. Today he is finally free.

12:17 PM

The United States stands with all those in #Iran who remain imprisoned simply because of their faith.

12:18 PM

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/201291094118439921.html

US transfers Bagram jail to Afghans

The US has formally handed over the controversial Bagram prison to the Afghan government.

The move on Monday to place more than 3,000 detainees under Afghan control at the prison, which has been dubbed the country's "Guantanamo Bay", is part of a deal to transfer all prisons to Afghan control before the withdrawal of NATO forces at the end of 2014.

The Afghan government has hailed the transfer of Bagram prison as a victory for sovereignty.

Analysts, however, said that the move is more symbolic than substantial and human rights advocates have raised concerns about abuses of administrative detention.

Questions remain over the fate of the inmates, who include Taliban fighters and terror suspects, 50 foreigners not covered by the agreement, and hundreds of Afghans arrested since the transfer deal was signed on March 9.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/201291083927688186.html

BREAKING: Somalia's parliament elects a professor as the country's new president.

2:31 PM

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/201291083927688186.html

Somali MPs elect Hassan Sheikh as president

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is Somalia's new president, according to official results from Mogadishu.

The former opposition leader had been considered to be a "dark horse" candidate, reported Al Jazeera's Peter Greste.

Mohamud came second to the incumbent president, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, in the first round of voting among Somalia's parliamentarians, but passed the 50 per cent threshold in the second round, and ended up winning by 190 votes to 79.

"People here have told me that they all want change," said Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from Mogadishu. "People want a new president, and it seems that is what they have got.

"Part of what happened today came after some alliances were formed between Hasan Sheikh and Prime Minister Abdiweli Ali."

The prime minister had been vying to become head of state, but came third in the first round of polling among the country's MPs, and conceded defeat. It appears his supporters threw their weight behind the opposition candidate, pushing him over the electoral threshold. There was an hour between the results of the first round being announced and the beginning of voting in the second, during which much political horse-trading reportedly took place.

"I spoke to Hassan Sheikh on Sunday," said Nazanine Moshiri. "He is a moderate, whereas the current president is viewed as an 'Islamist'. He is an academic and might be able to unite the various clans behind him.

Edited September 10, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/20129111174999675.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

Kuwaitis rally for democratic reforms

More than 3,000 Kuwaitis have protested in front of the parliament demanding the election of a prime minister from outside the ruling al-Sabah family.

Monday's protest was also against a government move to amend the electoral law and was attended by 21 lawmakers from the opposition-majority parliament which was elected in February before being dissolved months later after the constitutional court declared the polls illegal and reinstated the previous pro-government parliament.

"We have decided as people that (Prime Minister) Jaber al-Mubarak will be the last prime minister... from the al-Sabah" family, prominent Islamist MP Walid al-Tabtabaie told the rally.

The al-Sabah family can "be the emirs but the ministers will be from among us," he said at the so-called "Determination Square" located opposite the parliament.

"Our problem is with the members of the family who must be kept away from ministerial positions. There must be a law that organises the work of the ruling family," said former MP Khaled Shakheer.

"I will come every evening to the Determination Square with the people until our demands are met," he told the demonstrators.

The protest was called for by Nahj an umbrella group of Islamist and independent opposition and youth activists who have called for activating the constitutional monarchy concept in Kuwait.

[visionary]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/11/world/meast/egpyt-us-embassy-protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Protesters attack U.S. diplomatic compounds in Egypt, Libya

Angry protesters attacked U.S. diplomatic compounds in Libya and Egypt on Tuesday, citing in both instances an online film considered offensive to Islam.

In Cairo, several men scaled the walls of the U.S. Embassy and tore down its American flag, according to CNN producer Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, who was on the scene.

In Libya, witnesses say members of a radical Islamist group called Ansar al-Sharia protested near the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, where NATO jets established no-fly zones last year to blunt ground attacks from then Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

The group then clashed with security forces in the city, blocking roads leading to the consulate, witnesses said.

The Libyan government notified the United States that an employee at the U.S. Consulate was killed, a State Department official told CNN.

The State Department does not have independent confirmation of the death, the official said. The nationality of the worker was not immediately known.

Libya's General National Conference condemned the attack, saying it "led to the regrettable injury and death of a number of individuals." Lawmakers said in a statement Tuesday night that they were investigating.

Several individuals claimed responsibility for organizing the demonstrations Tuesday, including Salafist leader Wesam Abdel-Wareth, who is president of Egypt's conservative Hekma television channel.

Mohamed al-Zawahiri -- the brother of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri -- added, "We called for the peaceful protest joined by different Islamic factions including the Islamicc Jihad (and the) Hazem Abu Ismael movement."

"We were surprised to see the big numbers show up, including the soccer Ultra fans," he said. "I just want to say, how would the Americans feel if films insulting leading Christian figures like the pope or historical figures like Abraham Lincoln were produced?"

He added that "the film portrays the prophet in a very ugly manner, alluding to topics like sex, which is not acceptable."

Uh....

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/09/white-house-disavows-cairo-apology-135247.html#.UE_2UXEJvks.twitter

Obama administration disavows Cairo apology

The Obama administration is disavowing a statement from its own Cairo embassy that apologized for anti-Muslim activity in the United States.

"The statement by Embassy Cairo was not cleared by Washington and does not reflect the views of the United States government," an administration official told POLITICO.

The U.S. embassy in Cairo put out a statement early Tuesday that apologized for an anti-Muslim film being circulated by an Israeli-American real estate developer.

"The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions," the embassy said in a statement published online.

Oh Lord...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/nycsouthpaw/us-embassy-in-cairo-deletes-controversial-tweets

US Embassy In Cairo Deletes Controversial Tweets

In response to a firestorm of domestic controversy, the U.S. Embassy to Egypt deleted tweets standing behind a controversial statement from their official twitter account. See screenshots below.

http://statedept.tumblr.com/

Statement by Secretary Clinton on the Attack in Benghazi

I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on our mission in Benghazi today. As we work to secure our personnel and facilities, we have confirmed that one of our State Department officers was killed. We are heartbroken by this terrible loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and those who have suffered in this attack.

This evening, I called Libyan President Magariaf to coordinate additional support to protect Americans in Libya. President Magariaf expressed his condemnation and condolences and pledged his government’s full cooperation.

Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.

In light of the events of today, the United States government is working with partner countries around the world to protect our personnel, our missions, and American citizens worldwide.

https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses

****, I knew the guy who was killed at the US consulate in Libya, this is ****ing terrible

12:48 AM

Edited September 12, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

With the parliamentary election of the Prime Minister of Libya happening tomorrow...or today to be exact, here are profiles of some of the main candidates:

http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=13905

The contenders for Prime Minister: Dr Ibrahim Awad Barasi

The present electricity minister, Awad Barasi, is one strong contender whilst the other two are former prime minister Mahmoud Jibril and the present deputy prime minister Mustafa Abushagur.

Awad Barasi spoke to the Libya Herald about his candidacy, his work as the electricity minister and the ongoing standoff within the Islamist circles over his involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB).

Barasi and Jibril represent two very different groups within the Congress. Barasi is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Justice and Construction Party (J&C) whilst Jibril is the head of the National Forces Alliance. Abushagur has emerged as a compromise candidate because of the divisions within the congress members, thus making the competition between the three even more tough.

Barasi, who graduated from the University of British Columbia, Canada, was serving as the vice president of DEWA, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority before he made his way back to Libya during the revolution last year. He says: “After changing the flag at the Libyan embassy last year, we started doing our bit in taking care of the refugees in Tunisia and worked in the relief aid till the executive office was formed.”

Asked how he introduced de-centralisation in the ministry, Barasi says: “Libya is divided into six regions in terms of the electricity but everything was centralised and controlled from Tripoli. We empowered the local regions, gave them authority to make decisions on everything like human resources, finance, legal, purchasing and the like. Now they’re independent.”

Barasi prides himself on fighting the corruption from the first day he took the office. He says he has been threatened on several occasions by armed men for removing corrupt people. “The whole structure was faulty. GECOL (General Electric Company of Libya) was in charge of everything. They had what was called the companies of GECOL which they would hire to do their own work. So, GECOL itself was the owner, consultant and the contractor. They couldn’t refuse any offer and the corruption was widespread.”

“What I did was to remove the companies from the GECOL and put them under the ministry. So now GECOL is the client, they evaluate different offers and decide on merit,” He continues: “I also changed the board of directors of all the companies under the ministry with honest people. We put a certain criteria and brought people from different regions of Libya to serve on the board of directors.” He also adds with a smile, “Now, because of these strict actions against corruption, I also have a lot of enemies”.

http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=14072

The contenders for Prime Minister: Dr Mahmoud Jibril

Mahmoud Jibril has played a prominent role in Libyan political life ever since Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi brought him into the previous regime as part of his modernisation programme in 2007.

Having served as head of the National Economic Development Board as well as National Planning Council, Jibril defected from the regime along with several other leading figures at the outset of last year’s pro-democracy in uprising.

The former minister’s decision to abandon the regime at a time when the revolution’s success was far from assured earned him plaudits with many Libyans and paved the way for his subsequent emergence as one of the country’s most popular grass-roots politicians.

Others criticised Jibril for the large amount of time he spent outside of the country during the fighting, although his supporters have argued that garnering and maintaining international support was central to his role as the National Transitional Council’s de facto prime minister, given the body’s central function as an interlocutor between Libyan revolutionaries and the outside world.

Following the fall of Sirte in October 2011, Jibril resigned from the NTC, a move he said was consistent with a prior pledge to stand down once the fighting was over, although conflict with other leading members appears also to have been a factor. Others have said the decision was part of a calculated move to prepare himself for a re-entry into political life ahead of the forthcoming national elections.

Five months later, on 14 March 2012, Jibril duly re-emerged in the Libyan national consciousness when he was elected leader of the National Forces Alliance, a 58-party and organization coalition that stood as a single political entity in July’s National Congress elections.

The NFA – which both supporters and opponents have described as towards the liberal-pragmatic end of the political spectrum – won a comprehensive victory in the elections, taking 39 of the 80 seats available for political parties, against no fewer than 130 rivals.

http://www.shabablibya.org/news/the-contenders-for-prime-minister-dr-mustafa-abushagur

The contenders for Prime Minister: Dr Mustafa Abushagur

After an absence of 31 years, he returned to Libya in May 2011, to Benghazi where he became an adviser to the NTC. He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister last November.

Abushagur sees himself as the candidate who can unite the country unlike the other two front runners. “I’m the candidate that can break the deadlock”, he said in an interview with the Libya Herald.

He says he would head a government of national unity, appointing ministers from across the party spectrum.

Asked whether any members of the present government would remain in office, he says “very few”, although that indicates that some would. Perhaps that is because, he says he feels that there needs to be continuity with the policies of the present government,

For him, the private sector is a key to rebuilding the economy. “We must have a free market”, he says. He would positively encourage it. He also wants to make Libya more accessible to outside investors and technology. “We are still in the fax age”, he says. He wants to change the regulatory system, cut red tape and bring Libya up to date. He also says he wants to end subsidies.

For him, security is the priority. “We need to take weapons off the streets”, he says. But this should not be achieved by simple force it. Young people with guns are frustrated because they do not have job, he points out; security and jobs therefore go together. “We have to give opportunities to young people”, he says. The government needs to enter into dialogue with Libya’s youth to address the problem. They have earned the right to be consulted, he says. “They were willing to give their lives” for a better Libya. As such, they have already been part of the solution to Libya’s problems.

The other priorities for a government that will, at most, have tenure of only a year and a half, are government services — he highlights health, education and transport infrastructure.

The government will also have work for reconciliation, he believes. “But there must be justice too” he adds.

http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=14020

The contenders for Prime Minister: Dr Mohamed Berween

Mohamed Berween would probably be one of the first to admit that he is not a frontrunner in the election to become prime minister at the moment. But with the race seemingly gridlocked there is all to play for. He hopes to be the man who comes up through the middle on 12 September, the man whom the Congress members decide they can rally round.

The upshot was that he was asked to head the commission to organise Misrata’s local council elections.

By any standards, he did a remarkable job: registering voters, devising the voting system, vetting candidates, organising and overseeing the vote — and all on a shoestring budget, and in just two months. The whole process had to be done from scratch.

It brought him national recognition and respect. Since then, he has been asked to brief several towns and cities on the local electoral road map that he created — Tripoli, Khoms, Zliten, Derna as well Imsalata, Gharian, Sabratha, Ajdabiya, Sebha, Ghat and Ghadames have all wanted to hear his ideas. In effect, they became the local election guidebook and he the guide. Such was his standing that, prior to the elections for the National Congress, there were many voices saying that he should organise them.

There are three main components to his platform: strong government, effective structures and priorities for what will, he points out, be a relatively short term for the next government — one and a half years at most.

What he means by ‘effective structures’ is that the government has to know the scale of demand on its services. “We must start from basics”, he says. “We have to know how many people there are.”

He wants a national census within four months of the new government taking office. He points to the scandal over the NTC’s payout to the revolutionaries, with billions flowing out of the government’s coffers simply because it did not know to whom and to how many people it was paying the money.

Berween calls himself a Jeffersonian — which entails a fundamental belief in democracy, equality of political opportunity and in government operating for the benefit of the people, not of vested interest groups.

“You have to accept the results of the democratic process”, he declares, even if one does not like them. Without that, there is no democracy, he points out.

He put that belief into practice last month when he was called upon to preside over the election of a new leader and deputy leader of Misrata local council to replace the two men who had resigned. When a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Salim Beit Almal, was elected and revolutionaries attending the election then objected and demanded the election be annulled, Berween refused saying that the result was the democratic choice and had to be respected.

Berween is a pragmatist, but he is passionate about democracy in Libya and the rule of the majority. Looking out of the window of Tripoli’s Mehari Radisson Blu hotel to the rubble across the road that is all that remains of the Sidi Al-Sha’ab Al-Dahmani shrine and mosque, he had harsh words for the Salafists who have destroyed it and other Sufi shrines across the country. They had no right to act as they did. It was a clear case of a minority imposing its will on the majority, and by force.

[ixcuincle]

http://twitter.com/jaketapper/statuses/245834632078163968

US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, has been killed, ABC News has learned. Special Report airing now.

---------- Post added September-12th-2012 at 07:05 AM ----------

This anti-Muslim sentiment is out of control. Why can't we be more damn tolerant. Stop angering Muslims. Stop threatening to burn Korans and stop making incendiary troll films against the Muslim religion

And I'm not Muslim

Nothing of good could come of an AMERICAN making an incendiary movie like this...come on