how to hope

An NYT interactive timeline of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's upbringing, education and movements before his Christmas Day festival of terror.
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Mexican police have arrested four members of the ruthless "Zetas" drug cartel in connection to the retaliatory killing of a Marine's family last week. The KIA Marine's mother and three family members were executed in the middle of the night following an operation that killed "the boss of all bosses" Arturo Beltran Leyva.

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The AP has released a two page summary of an intelligence report which outlines an Iranian attempt to secretly import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore, or "yellowcake" from Kazakhstan. Al-Jazeera reported that state employees may have interacted with Iran on their own accord without the approval of the central Kazakh government.

The Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement that it "categorically repudiates certain news media reports alleging Kazakhstan's connection to a possible deal to supply uranium to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and considers them groundless insinuations damaging the reputation of our country.

"All the operations with nuclear materials in Kazakhstan, including our cooperation regarding the peaceful use of atomic energy with foreign countries, are subject to [International Atomic Energy Agency] comprehensive safeguards."

Today, Kazakhstan announced that it has surpassed Canada and Australia to become the world's largest producer of uranium in the world.
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State Department spokesman, Ian Kelly has confirmed that 8 Americans were killed by a suicide bomber in a "US military base in the Regional Command East" in the Southeast Afghan Khost province. The New York Times has reported that "at least six Americans, some of whom may have been C.I.A. operatives" were killed.
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US-China trade tensions have increase once again as the Obama administration has applied $2.8 billion in import tariffs on Chinese steel pipes used in oil wells.

Annual two-way trade between the countries is approximately $409 billion.

The Commerce Department will decide if Chinese companies are "dumping" products into the US market while China announced on November 6 an anti-dumping probe into American cars in China.
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Please, please, please check this incredible photojournalist website. cheers. www.petervanagtmael.com

enter the stache

A top aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei has said that opposition leaders are "enemies of God" and may face execution. This statement comes two days after the nephew of Mir Mousavi was run over by an SUV and then shot in the chest. According to Mohsen Makhmalbaf, a Paris based film-maker, the Iranian secret police contacted Seyed Mousavi "several times" explicitly saying: "We will kill you." The Iranian government maintains that the nephew of Iran's top opposition leader was killed by terrorists.
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Here is an excellent side-by-side comparison of the House and Senate health care reform bills. The interactive feature compares mandates and subsidies for individuals, public option, effects on medicare and medicaid, abortion, illegal immigration, total costs and plans to cover costs.

This excellent health reform article articulates the wishes and spoils of special interests groups including: health insurers, large and small business, labor unions, hospitals, pharmaceutical co's, physicians, the AARP. The Hill's Jeffrey Young writes "no special interest got everything they sought, but there was something for everyone."

Also in health care, Governors Paterson and Schwarzenegger of New York and California respectively have spoken out against the Senate version of the bill saying it will worsen their states already dire fiscal situations.
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A huge explosion ripped through a Shi'a Ashura procession in Karachi on Monday killing approximately 36 people. Rioting and mass arson broke out in the aftermath which saw the destruction of between 2,000 and 3,000 businesses. The destroyed business were largely "pagri" operations, where patrons have partial, uninsured ownership stakes. Pakistani officials estimate that 10,000 jobs will be lost with the destruction of these establishments.

drum roll

German encription experts have coordinated a hack of international cellular telephone encription codes to "demonstrate the weaknesses of the security measures protecting the global system for mobile communication (GSM) and to push mobile operators to improve their systems."

The GSM code, which is now freely circulating on the internet, will compromise the security of phone calls of more than 3b people in 212 countries. 3G phone transmissions use a different security code and will not be affected.
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North Tehran- Anti-government protestors arrest and beat Basij. Interestingly the protests have spread beyond the affluent neighborhoods of northern Tehran into many cities throughout the country. Also, anti-government crowds are populated with more and more traditionally dressed Iranian, which leads analysts to believe the Mousavi movement is gaining more widespread support. Feb. 12th is the next Iranian national holiday and could be witness to the next round or widespread demonstration.

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WSJ op-ed by McKinnon on Orszag monumental challenge to decrease US federal spending. Mr. Orszag is aiming to drop the deficit to 3% of total GDP within 5 years. In fiscal year 2015, this would mean elimination of $180 billion in spending which roughly equates to the combined annual spending of the departments of Commerce, Energy, Interior and Transportation.

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Israeli authorities have arrested Mordechai Vanunu for allegedly disclosing intimate details concerning the countries clandestine nuclear program.

be afraid, call me "al"

The Mexican Navy Special Forces have killed Arturo Beltrán Leyva, one of Mexico's three most-wanted drug lords in the central city of Cuernavaca. "The Boss of Bosses" was shot and killed in a four hour shootout in a condominium which housed Americans retirees and Mexican vacationers.

Following the raid, hit men from Leyva’s gang executed the family members of one of the Navy sailors killed in the raid. The killings occurred only hours after the burial of the fallen soldier.

Timeline of Mexican anti-narcotics operations.

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Last night Columbian guerrillas dressed in army uniforms kidnapped Luis Cuellar, the governor of the Southern state of Caqueta. The governor’s wife and three children were left behind. Columbian President Alvaro Uribe is offering 1 billion pesos ($487,000) for information leading to his return. Caqueta, close to Colombia’s southern border with Ecuador, is a longtime rebel stronghold and center of cocaine production.

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The FBI is investigating a cyber-security breech into various subsidiaries of Citigroup which resulted in the theft of approximately $10 million. Citi has yet to acknowledge any such occurrence. US officials have fingered Russia as possibly responsible for the attack.

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Malaysian government officials admitted that two US-made fighter jet engines disappeared from an air force base. Apparently, the engines were sold by officers of the military officer to South American arms dealers. GREAT!!

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Conservatives Iranians staged a pro-Khamenei rally in Qom following this weekend’s anti-government rallies surrounding the funeral of senior reformist cleric Montazeri. The demonstrators shouted “the blood in our vessels is a gift to our leader!”

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A United Nations investigatory panel has said that those responsible for the murder and rape of hundreds of unarmed protestors in Guinea should be referred to the International Criminal Court. The late September attack left at least 156 dead or missing and 109 women raped or sexually abused. The attacks were “widespread and systematic” which is grounds for being tried as a crime against humanity.

The report names three individuals specifically as complicit in the attacks: Capt. Moussa dadis Camara, the country’s leader; Lt Abouchar Cherif Diakite, chief of the Presidential Guard and Moussa Thebgoro Camara, the head of special services. A witness to the massacre reported Lt. Diakite to say, “Nobody gets out of here alive. They must all be killed. They thing there is democracy here.”

snow day

Afghan police put down a Taliban attack in the volatile southeastern town of Gardez. The military said five attackers, a number of whom were wearing suicide vests, had attempted to storm the small outpost. Four policeman and seven civilians were wounded during the fighting which last for approximately four hours.

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A shortage of construction workers in India is fettering the growth of the countries economy. Derek Michael Shah, the head of Larsen & Toubro minerals and metals division said, “No engineers who graduate presentely want to go into construction. They want to go to Banlgore (IT industry) and have a cushy life.” The World Bank estimates India will need to triple the number of engineers to keep up with fast paced industrial growth.

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Afghan President Karzai has announced his new cabinet ministers. The selections were met with moderated optimism by US officials; however, Aghans themselves were far less enthused. The difference in sentiment toward Karzai’s selections highlights the (perhaps unsurprising) disconnect between Washington and the Afghan street.

A detailed profile of each cabinet nominee is available here.

Mohammad Quraish, an Afghan civil servant said, “Aghans don’t have any faith in these ministers.”

The Official State Department statement read: "We are awaiting an official announcement and want to see that the nominations put forward reflect President Karzai's stated commitment to good governance and integrity and professionalism within his cabinet."

“Every one of these ministers will leave the country if things get worse. Even now most of their family members are abroad,” said Mohammed Mehdi Saie, an Afghan businessman.

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In Copenhagen, President Obama spoke of cutting US emission by approximately 17% by 2020 and more than 80% by 2050, an international mechanism to review progress and adequate assistance for developing nations. The text of the President’s speech is here.

The text of Chinese President Wen Jiabao’s speech is here.

The text of the Copenhagen Accord is located here.

mousavi, my friend

Pictures from Mousavi's facebook feed. Montezari funeral procession and clash with basiji.

forida avenue grill

Former deputy United Nations envoy to Afghanistan, U.S. Ambassador Peter Galbraith is suing his former employer for being fired without due process last September.

Following the Afghan election, Mr. Galbraith was livid with the International Election Commission when they first disqualified tens of thousands of fraudulent votes for Hamid Karzai, then reversed the decision under intense political pressure. Galbraith then accused his boss Kai Eide, the Norwegian born head of United Nations operations in Afghanistan, of concealing this and other instances of fraud. Mr. Galbraith's outrage is clearly articulated in this scathing Washington Post op-ed of his former boss.

Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon was said to fire Mr. Galbraith after staff members for the UN mission to Afghanistan fell into "open rebellion".

A senior US diplomat familiar with UN Afghan mission said,"It is pretty weird that at the United Nations, if you were running around pinching derrieres of female staff, or embezzling funds, it would take months before you were fired," the diplomat continued. "Or if you were merely incompetent, it could take a year or more. But if you happen to say something is wrong about massive fraud in an election, you'd be gone in a week."

Earlier this year Galbraith, who had been the top American advisor in Kurdistan, Iraq and a leading voice for Kurdish separatism, admitted he had business "activities" in the Kurdish oil sector.
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A US General in Norther Iraq has added pregnancy to the list of offenses for which soldiers may face court martial.

Gen. Cucolo said, "I've got a mission to do, I'm given a finite number of soldiers with which to do it and I need every one of them.

"So I'm going to take every measure I can to keep them all strong, fit and with me for the twelve months we are in the combat zone," he said.

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Prominent Iranian dissident cleric Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri has died of heart failure. Riot police already line the streets of Qom as opposition leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi have urged followers to attend his funeral scheduled for Monday morning at 5:30am. This could get ugly.

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Clive Crook's op-ed: "The honest case for a bungled health care reform"

norris hot springs eternal

Militants in Iraq have used store bought software to hack the video feeds of Predator drones. Department of Defense and C.I.A. officials believe the intercepted information was used to evade the unmanned aircrafted but did not report instances of militants gaining flight control.

The US has identified the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as colluding with Shi'a militants in Iraq to intercept drone video feeds. The article linked above provides no evidence for this claim.

The USAF is slated to purchase hundreds more Reaper drones, a newer model, whose video feeds could be intercepted in much the same way as with the Predators. A Reaper costs between $10 million and $12 million each and is faster and better armed than the Predator. General Atomics expects the Air Force to buy as many as 375 Reapers. Sight (super tight).
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Here is an excellent op-ed by James Mackintosh concerning the precidential implications of Tzipi Livni's British arrest warrant and the subsequent political backlash from British, Israeli and US politicians.

Mackintosh's final paragraph-- "We face a choice. We can apply international law as we apply domestic law, taking the politicians out of it (mostly) and being left with situations such as the Livni prosecution. Or we can accept international law for the jurisprudential farce it has been since it was invented and stop pretending it has any special moral force. We can’t claim it has moral force and then decline to prosecute people just because they are our friends."

Waxing. . . Last Spring I accompanied Lucas to a lecture at the Elliot School by Lawrence Freedman, the distinguished historian and author of "A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East". He spoke at length about Iraq, Iran and Israel and how our history in the region will/should impact our foreign policy in the future. He then opened up for questions.

The microphone wound its way through the auditorium through the tastefully clasped hands of "Dr. S0-and-so, Senior Advisor to What's-his-name" and "Professor Bluehair from Didn't-get-in-here, You". After the release of much wind and a noticeable increase in the room's temperature the microphone found its way into the clammy hands of yours truly.

I introduced myself as "name-you-know, drummer for Surprise! Arizona" (now Natives) to low chuckling and the turning of faces. I began my question with a reference to this article, which detailed a statement by the Arab League denouncing the International Criminal Court's warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. According to the article, The Arab League opposed the warrant because "Many Arabs also see it as an example of Western double standards, arguing that Israelis should be prosecuted for crimes against Palestinians and Americans for abuses in Iraq."

I asked- if our unquestioning support for Israeli leadership undermines other regional interests, including the prosecution of a perpetrator of genocide, is it then time to reconsider the nature of our relationship with Israel, Pakistan, Egypt, etc?

His verbatum response was (and I think Lucas would confirm): "Hmm, that's a good question. . . I . . well, how do I say this. . . sometimes. . . your friends are guilty." I think Mr. McIntosh would agree and add, sometimes we're guilty too.

healing the blind roberts

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya- 22nd anniversary of Hamas

"Negotiations have failed, and the negotiators said after 18 years that the result is zero," he told the crowd, who were dressed in the party's green and waving flags.
"We say today in the name of the Palestinian people ... Hamas will not go back on its line of resistance and struggle until it achieves for our people their freedom and independence, God willing."

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American and European intelligence agencies have acquired a neatly typed Persian document which describes a plan for measuring the output of a neutron initiator—a necessary piece of equipment for triggering a nuclear explosion. Though the document is crystal clear in subject, its origin and ultimate purpose are not. The CIA has yet to confirm the documents authenticity.

“This information’s been sloshing around for well over a year. It’s not new to the intelligence people. They’ve taken account of it. If, in fact, the document’s on the level, it shows the Iranians at some point were interested in testing an initiator. That’s not a warhead or the core of a bomb. It’s another reminder — as if one were needed — that the Iranians have a lot of explaining to do when it comes to things nuclear.”-anonymous American official

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Credit Suisse will pay US authorities over $536 million for violations related to what the company is calling “payments during the period 2002 to April 2007 involving parties that are subject to US economic sanctions” (aka Iran). The bank's press release is posted here.

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Here is the statement from British Foreign Minister David Milliband concerning the British courts warrant for the arrest of Tzipi Livni.

peoples

The notion of a single Palestine is increasingly inappropriate as the West Bank and Gaza Strip continue to diverge economically, politically and socially. The increasing difference between the two Palestinian states has forced a readjustment of the “two-state” paradigm in consideration of the, now, three distinct entities. The mutually exclusive policies of Israel toward each Palestinian entity (moderate restrictions in the West Bank and blockade/isolation of Gaza) beg the question: what strategy produces a more peaceful, moderate Palestine, or specifically Gaza? Is Israel justified in blockading Gaza to defang the pugnacious Hamas, or do policies of attrition create the underlying economic destitution necessary to justify the “long-war” of Islamic extremists?

The Washington Post examines Sami and Tayseer Barakat, living in Gaza and the West Bank respectively, in expose’ of the differing realities in both Palestinian territories.

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MUST SEE: “Two Peoples, Divided”: A series of reports examining how Israelis and Palestinians increasingly live separate lives.

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China will displace nearly 500k people to accommodate a reservoir and canal to carry water from the Yangtze in the South to the arid plains of the North.

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Today the U.S. House of Representatives will consider H.R. 2194, the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act. The bill will bolster existing laws regarding Iran sanctions by giving the President the power to impose sanctions against companies that supply Iran with – or support its domestic production of – gasoline and other refined petroleum products. Such companies would be denied access to the U.S. market. The sanctions are mandatory but could be waived. Among the largest multinational companies providing these imports to Iran are Vitol (Switzerland), Reliance (India), Total (France), and Shell (Netherlands). A summary of the bill is available here.

Also on the floor, H. Res. 894, honoring the 50th anniversary of the recording of the album “Kind of Blue” and reaffirming jazz as a national treasure. Your tax dollars at work.

to the nine(s)

Sexting goes to the Supreme Court.

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The Supreme Court the lawsuit filed by four former Guantanamo inmates against Donald Rumsfeld and ten top Pentagon officials. The Supreme Court found that the defendants enjoy immunity.
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A British court issued an arrest warrant for former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni for her role in the 22-day bombing of the Gaza Strip almost one year ago. The Israeli media reported that Ms. Livni cancelled a planned trip to Britain fearing detainment.

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Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, plead not guilty to torturing Muhamed Shapur, an Afghan migrant. Here is the (graphic) video of the Sheikh torturing Mr. Shapur.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yw72iS0fvw

berlusconi, broke nose and teef

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/77f535a0-e81c-11de-8a02-00144feab49a.html

grazing on time

Copenhagen sputters as poor nations challenge rich to do more.

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Droughts in Africa are challenging the traditional existence of nomadic pastoralists who eek their existence in the arid lands of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia. The African continent is/will be affected most intensely by climate change and these tribes personify the daily struggle of the world’s poor against environmental degradation beyond their control. Must read article.

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Sporadic weather patterns threaten glacial water deposits in Bolivia, China and India.

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Last Monday, students demonstrated on campuses throughout Iran, yet their anger is no longer limited to President Ahmadinejad with chants of “Death to the oppressor; whether it is the shah or the leader!” The “leader” refers Ayatollah Ali Khameni, the highest authority of the Islamic Republic.

say Xe

Blackwater, now unpronounceably renamed “Xe Services”, participated in “snatch and grab” operations while under contract for protective services in Iraq. Blackwater teams partnered with the C.I.A., Navy Seals or Army Delta Forces to capture and kill high-value militants in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2004 and 2006. Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Blackwater, said Thursday that the company was never under contract to participate in clandestine raids with the C.I.A. or with Special Operations personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else. Mmmmminteresting.

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Following the announcement of windfall taxes on the bonuses of French and British bankers all eyes are on the United States for the prospect of similar action.

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more oil, moil

Royal Dutch Shell has won the contract for the expansive Manjoon oil field in Iraq, beating Total of France. Shell accepted a fee of $1.39/barrel and promised to boost production to 1.8m barrels/day from 46,000 barrels/day currently.
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As Central and South American drug cartels have expanded their cocaine trade to Europe, West African nations have fallen under the corrupting influence of these powerful organizations. The central governments of Guinea-Bissau, Ghana and Burkina Faso (among others) are crying foul as the criminal networks within their countries have flowered and expanded control in partnership with militant Islamist groups.

In 2001, 273kg of cocaine were seized off the West African coast. In 2007, seizures totaled 14.5 tons. The UNODC estimates that 50 tons, valued at around $2b, flows through the region annually.

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The American students apprehended in eastern Pakistan will be deported to the United States, according to Pakistani officials. The 5 DC area students attempted to connect with Islamic extremist networks in the Af-Pak border region through Facebook and Youtube. Bloomberg reports the total number of American scheduled for deportation following Pakistani investigation at 6 (idk?).

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The Pakistan military offensive into Taliban strongholds in North and South Waziristan has forced militants back to Afghanistan. 'The Paks, I think, are doing a good job of putting pressure on their side of the border and we're obviously going to do an even better job of putting pressure on the Afghan side the border,' Gates said, referring to US President Barack Obama's decision to deploy 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

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Firebomb attack on a mosque in Yasuf, West Bank. BBC News implicates Israeli settlers.

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The “music” may have stopped for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

smoke and merrs

boys play in fumigation, mumbai

The United States and Russia have been meeting secretly in Switzerland toward a deal that could greatly reduce the number of nuclear weapons, submarines, bombers and missiles. The talks will extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) of 1991 which expires this coming Friday at midnight.

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The British government has issued an official recommendation urging business owners to mark Israeli products produced in West Bank settlements so that consumers who want to boycott such items will find it easy to identify them.

b.0.-war is peace

gimme that, that, that buck

Britain and France will impose nearly identical taxes on exhorbitant bonuses of bankers. Needless to say the bankers are wicked pissed.

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China loves Africa. In 2006 Chinese government firms signed a total of $60b in trade deals with various African nations and Angola briefly surpassed Saudi Arabia as the largest exporter of oil to China. Last year trade between China and Africa rose 45% to a whopping $105b, a tenfold increase over the year 2000. Yet dealings with the corrupt government in Zimbabwe and the murderous government in Sudan beg the question, is this realationship beneficial to African peoples? David Pilling says yes.

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Pakistani Intelligence (ISI) has arrested five Americans in the Eastern city of Sarghoda. The college-aged men allegedly fled the Washington, D.C. to join Islamic radicals in the Af-Pak border regions. A pakistani security official said, "They are believed to have come here to join jihad."

america, cluck yeah.

The US State Department has chosen not to renew the protective services contract of ArmorGroup North America for their work at the embassy in Kabul. "The recent allegations of misconduct and various contract compliance deficiencies led us to conclude it was in the best interest of the government to compete a new contract," said P.J. Crowley, assistant secretary of state for public affairs.

I would say this counts as “contract compliance deficiencies”. America, cluck ya.
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The Afghan army has increased its wages “close to” those of the Taliban. In the first 7 days of December, after the pay raise, the army fielded 2,600 new recruits compared with 4,303 in all of November.

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Pakistan is tightening the flow of hawala, the informal transfer of money, in an attempt to quell contributions to terrorist groups. The Pak govt believes that three years ago $4b was entering the country through legitimate channels while $6b was transferred through hawala. Pakistan's central bank governor believes that more than 75% of all money transferred to Pakistan from the Middle East and elsewhere is now monitored by the government.

its so cold in the D

China has executed a securities trader for the embezzlement of $14 million dollars.


More details on Chicagoan David Headley’s connection with Laskar-e-Taiba and the Mumbai attacks last Thanksgiving.

Picture essay of Darfuri refugee camps. Incredible. (I couldn’t get it to embed, sorry. I’ll get better at this I swear.)


A draft EU statement has called for Iran to return to the negotiating table by January or the block will “take necessary steps” to prevent nuclear armament. Sanction slam dance?


Rare dissent in North Korea as prices rise and temperatures drop.

Defense Secretary Gates was "surprised" by President Karzai's assertion that the Afghan government would be unable to fiscally sustains its own security forces for at least 15 years.

indian rails and good ol' nappings

The World Bank and the Indian Government are currently in talks to bring Indian Railways to Africa and other developing nations.

WB President Robert Zoellick said, ““It fulfils what I was hoping to achieve when I first came to the bank, which is to draw in some of the emerging economic development [countries] into the development process whether by sharing information, sharing business models and expanding investment.”

Indian Railways has already supplied locomotives to Mozambique, Tanzania, Mali and Senegal and train cars to Angola. In the war-torn countries of Mozambique and Liberia the company has invested in the rehabilitation of track.

Mr. Zoellick also highlighted the potential partnership between the Indian healthcare sector and developing African nations. He said “In some service industries, including health, I would like us to partner, through the International Finance Corporation, to support those industries going to other developing countries, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, and provide these additional services,” he said.

According to the IFC’s website to organization “fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing capital in the international financial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments.“IFC helps companies and financial institutions in emerging markets create jobs, generate tax revenues, improve corporate governance and environmental performance, and contribute to their local communities. The goal is to improve lives, especially for the people who most need the benefits of growth.”

To view a full disclosure of the IFC’s investments and advisory projects click here.

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Iran accused Saudi Arabia on Tuesday of handing over a senior Iranian nuclear scientist to the US. What is clear is that Shahram Amiri, who has won a national award for his service to the nuclear program, disappeared in May or June while on hajj in Saudi Arabi. What is not clear, is why or by whom.

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al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has kidnapped 4 Europeans in Mali and Mauritania. Pierre Camatte (pictured below) was taken from his hotel in Mali on November 25. He doesnt really look to torn up over it.

texas tea off

The Iraqi oil ministry hopes to finalize contracts with foreign oil companies by the end of this year according to Iraq's deputy oil minister for exploration, Abdul Kareem Leaby. Contracts for 10 Iraqi oil fields will be auctioned on December 11-12 to a slew of major international oil companies.



Oil companies prefer to sign production-sharing agreements where each company holds an equity stake in the oil itself; however, the Iraqi government has established service contracts in recent deals. Production sharing agreements are significantly more lucrative for oil companies than service contracts yet elicit specters of a colonial past due to the high level of foreign control over projects.



Iraq’s oil minister Hussain al-Shahristani said, “We have shown that we can attract international companies to invest in Iraq and boost production through service contracts. They will not have a share of Iraqi oil, and our country will have total control over production.”

Over the past few months a number of preliminary agreements have been reached with foreign oil majors. Eni (Italy), Occidental (US) and Korea Gas conglomerate signed a preliminary agreement to develop the Zubayr field, which has an estimated 4.1 billion barrels of oil.

In June, British Petroleum and the China National Petroleum Company successfully bid for Iraq’s Rumaila oil field which is estimated to hold 17.8 billion barrels of oil.

Shortly thereafter, Exxon Mobil (US) and Royal Dutch Shell (headquartered in the Netherlands) signed an initial contract to develop West Qurna, believed to have at least 8.6 billion barrels of oil.

It is interesting to note that these companies are accepting significantly lower prices per barrel than they originally bargained for. In their deal for Qurna, Exxon accepted a price of $1.90/barrel after arguing for about $4.00/barrel at the outset.
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Secretary of Defense Gates met with Aghan President Karzai today in Kabul. At a joint news conference following the meeting President Karzai said it would be 15 years until Afghanistan would be fully able to fund its security force.

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The European Union backed away from a Swedish proposal which named East Jerusalem as the de facto capital of a future Palestinian state. EU foreign ministers instead called for negotiations to determine the status of city as a future capital for both Israel and Palestine.

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Violent clashes continue in Iran.

goodbye blue monday afternoon

Greek police suppressed a second day of rioting in Athens today as students and "anarchists" took to the streets one year after the shooting death of 15 year old boy by a police officer.

Members of Congress thread loop-holes and enjoy bought-and-paid-for travel around the globe. Privately financed trips for members of both House and Senate have dropped significantly since the enactment of ethics rules to limit corporate influence; however, instances of bent and broken rules persist.

A Chicago man has been charged as an accomplice in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. According to the Justice Department the perp gathered intelligence later used by the Pakistani terrorist group Laskar-e-Taiba in the siege which killed 170 last Thanksgiving.

goodbye blue monday!

-National Students Day brings clashes to Tehran. Check this cool article on how Looks like a pretty good showing. . .

http://www.youtube.com/user/UNITY4IRAN#p/u/2/R6nZJfJvf3M

-Israeli PM Netanyahu said Sunday that his government’s 10 month moratorium on settlement expansion is not contingent upon the peace process and will resume regardless of the status of negotiations. The announcement follows intense protests by Israeli settlers last week who oppose any restrictions to construction.


-President Bashir arrests major Southern leaders as election nears in Sudan. The April 2010 poll is the first multi-party contest in 24 years.

-Carlyle Group will sextuple its initial investment in China Pacific Insurance Group when the company offers itself publicly in the Hong Kong stock exchange.

reapers and predators and pakistan

CIA has indicated they will increase the use of non-piloted aircraft in the border regions of Pakistan. The increase accompanies the troop surge announced on Tuesday by the POTUS at West Point—the same speech in which the he said “Moving forward, we are committed to a partnership with Pakistan that is built on a foundation of mutual interest, mutual respect, and mutual trust.”

The Pakistanis have allowed the ongoing drone activity because a) they have no choice, and b) the strikes marginally beneficial to the Pak army’s war effort in the West because the strikes often target enemies of the central government; however, due to the complete popular opposition to US military activity within their borders the Pak government has consistently spoken out against drone attacks. This trend has continued with the latest statement from Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit who said there were limits to Pakistani cooperation, and the drone attacks were counterproductive.

‘This has never been part of our discussions. There are clear red-lines as far as we're concerned,’ he said when asked if there were any talks between Washington and Islamabad on expansion of drone attacks to Baluchistan.

‘We have clearly conveyed our red-lines to them.’

This PR exchange comes as Pakistan Taliban fighters carried out a coordinated suicide-machine gun attack in a Rawalpindi mosque frequented by the Pak military. 39 dead, at least 80 wounded.

Also, NATO will expand its force in Afghanistan by 7k troops. Britain, Italy and Poland will beef up their individual commitments by between 680 and 1,200. Georgia will produce approx. 900 new soldiers. The U.S. has been pressing France and Germany for greater troop deployment but as of today neither countries have committed to greater involvement. Womp womp.

The increase in international forces create a ratio of roughly 2:1, waaaaaay better than the "coalition of the willing".

the end of non-existence

I am lucky enough to spend a substantial part of my day reading the news. Reuters, financial times, bbc, nyt, the journal and others (including a fox sprinkling) keep me going when I am simultaneously surrounded by people and completely alone.

In effort to reach out and share stories I felt were important to me or my friends or Americans or whomever, I used to post certain stories on facebook. Bad idea. Perhaps if I thrown my arm around my computer, held a camera at arm’s length and snapped hot party pics of me and my favorite news stories I would have received a warmer response from the fb crowd, but alas—my posts were rejected wholesale. My aunt called me pretentious. Sad face emoticon.

Thus a change in venue. Gchat status anyone? I know it’s a stretch but I could throw up 5 or 6 stories I had read that day with a quick tag line in my gmail account and away I went. People could read the stories if they wanted without having their news feed clogged with items of substance (zing, im still bitter) and often times I would score a nice little chat with whichever of my friends was reading the stories. A couple of people, literally two, commented on how they liked the stories and used my status as a resource throughout the day. Cool.

Like any American I decided that bigger is better (plug liquid Extense) and so here I am with an expanded format. I thought that with a little more room I could embed the articles I find interesting within a limited commentary without have to rotate throughout the day. Maybe it will work, maybe not. All three of you will have to decide.

-ray