West Asia News and Discussions (YEMEN, gulf)

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Philip
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/com ... 00354.html
Robert Fisk
Monday 20 July 2015

What a choice for Egypt – a megalomaniac president or the madness of Isis

Egypt is following the path of so many other countries that are being torn apart. If you torture your people enough, Isis will germinate in their wounds
The images of an Egyptian gunboat exploding off the coast of Sinai last week were a warning to our Western politicians. Yes, we support Egypt. We love Egypt. We continue to send our tourists to Egypt. Because we support President Field Marshal Abdel Fattah el-Sisi – despite the fact that his government has locked up more than 40,000 mostly political prisoners, more than 20,000 of them supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, hundreds of whom have been sentenced to death. The Egyptian regime continues to pretend that its Brotherhood enemies are the same as Isis. And Isis – in its dangerous new role as the Islamist power in Sinai – has killed hundreds of Egyptian troops, more than 60 of them two weeks ago, after which a military spokesman in Cairo announced that Sinai was “100 per cent under control”. However, after last week’s virtual destruction of the naval vessel, we might ask: who does control the peninsula?

Yet, while the biggest battle is fought in Sinai since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, we psychologically smother this conflict with our fears about Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen. So relieved are we in the West that a secular general has replaced the first democratically elected president of Egypt that we now support Sisi’s leadership as benevolently as we once supported that of Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Americans have resumed arms supplies to Egypt – and why not when Sisi’s men are fighting the apocalyptic Isis?

To Egyptians, though, it all looks a bit different. They are being treated to Sisi’s almost Saddam-like mega-mind. This includes his grotesque ambitions for a new super-capital to replace poor old Cairo, to be completed in a maximum of seven years, not far from the new two-lane Suez canal which must be finished – and those who know Egypt will literally gasp here – in a maximum of 12 months. The “new” Cairo is going to be 700sqkm in size and will cost £30bn. The unveiling of this preposterous project a few weeks ago was accompanied by none other than our own Tony Blair, who used to be a British prime minister but is now (among other burdensome chores) advising the Egyptian president through a UAE-backed consultancy.

This “spendthrift dream of modernity”, as the American writer Maria Golia puts it, betrays an indifference to Egyptians’ real interests. Over 60 per cent of Cairo – the real Cairo that exists today – was built in the past few decades and is spread across miles of tree-bald rotting concrete estates of poverty and heat. Its thousands of newly developed villa-suburbs high above the city are largely empty; no one can afford to purchase them. Could there be a better environment for Isis?

So let’s take a brief look at Sisi’s real Egypt. Rather than rejuvenate the weary, fetid city that Cairo became under the British and then King Farouk and then Nasser and then Sadat and then Mubarak, Sisi wants to start all over again. There is already a New Cairo outside the original Cairo – it was constructed as an expansion of the city under Sadat and Mubarak – so Sisi’s megalopolis will be new New Cairo, a second attempt to alleviate social failure.

The President need not worry too much about industrial disputes in his fantasy city. The Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court has made strikes illegal on the grounds (Brotherhood-like) that practising the right to strike – albeit legalised under Article 13 of the Egyptian constitution – “violates Islamic sharia”. The court has already “retired” three civil servants and imposed penalties on 14 others for striking in the governorate of Monufia, arguing that withdrawing labour “goes against Islamic teachings and the purposes of Islamic sharia”. Under Islamic law, the court announced with almost Isis-style formality, “obeying orders by seniors at work is a duty”. This was a very weird ruling. The teachings of the Prophet forbid alcohol consumption (mercifully, for millions of Muslims, cigarettes had not been invented in the seventh century), but trade unions would have been incomprehensible in any ancient caliphate.

Not that the Egyptian government has much to worry about from its officially sanctioned unions. Gebali al-Maraghy, chairman of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation, declared in an interview with Al-Musry Al-Youm newspaper that “our task is to carry out all the demands made by the President … increasing production and fighting terrorism”. Former deputy prime minister Ziad Bahaa Eddin found the court’s ruling absurd. “Didn’t we demonstrate against the constitution drafted by the Muslim Brotherhood because it attempted to mix religion with the state?” he asked.

Read more:
• Saudi Arabia arrests hundreds of suspected Isis jihadists
• Life as a woman under Isis
• First rule of refugees – don’t be a Muslim if you want help

True. Indeed, we in the West are now encouraging a very familiar “new” state in Egypt: paternalistic, dictatorial, haunted by “foreign” enemies – it’s only a matter of time before the Egyptian government declares Isis an arm of Mossad – in which an ocean of poverty is regarded as the very reason why ever more draconian laws must be used against free speech. The people want bread, we are told, not freedom; security rather than “terrorism”.

Egypt is, in fact, following the path of so many other countries that are being torn apart by Isis. For, if you torture your people enough, Isis will germinate in their wounds.

Thus Sinai is now as much under the “control” of Isis as it is of Egypt. The Cairo bomb that assassinated President Sisi’s chief prosecutor proves that Isis operations have crossed the Suez Canal. And even the Egyptian navy can be attacked.

Was there ever a more potent symbol of our choice? Between the devil and the deep blue sea
PS:"Fat-Al-Sissy" is well on the way road to perdition and will surely suffer the same fate as one A.Sadat.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by vijaykarthik »

I remember my words from earlier. Might end becoming very famous last words.

I was mentioning to my mates that Egypt will have it far worse under Sissy... and the way its looking so far, I have made a good initial first estimate!

Strange isn't it. Sisi inverse becomes ISIS. And KSA supports them ISIS for fun and snacks and US / NATO consortium discreetly supports them all. All only accidentally though.
Its not wrong when a lot of analysts scratch their collective heads and wonder what the f is happening because its actually an absolute Charlie foxtrot. Everywhere in W Asia. An absolute free for all with all kinds of leverages and support structure.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by vijaykarthik »

Allying with Israel against Shia Iran is just a tactical move by the Wahabi Saudis ; ultimate aim, as the Book preaches and which is their strategic long term aim to convert Darul Harb nations ( like India , Israel, US, UK etc ) into Darul Aman
If it were a tactical move, then it should as a pretty vague one at that which KSA has been trying to keep at, against odds, for about 10+ years. I think the tide has changed a bit and KSA doesn't mind accepting Israel as a reality if it helps in thwarting Shiites.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by chanakyaa »

vijaykarthik wrote:?...Strange isn't it. Sisi inverse becomes ....
Very interesting. I thought two "s" stood for she-ya and shoe-ni and one "I" for international and other "I" couldn't figure out..
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

Nice observation VK! Not coincidental.Fate plays funny tricks. Fisk should take note of your observation.Write to him-he only reads hand-written letters or so I read somewhere.

There is a famous astrologer/clairvoyant in our capital,once a humble peddlar,consulted by the very rich and very powerful-corporate captains and political PMs, who told me of his theory of sounds and words connected to one's fate."Shree Lanka,Shree Perumbudur..." he said in allusion to RG's fate and location of the dastardly deed.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by vijaykarthik »

the suicide bombs in turkey should be an interesting episode to watch. I think the IS is perhaps hitting turkey to tell them that they need help and cant do w/o support. Or it could be the Kurds trying to teach turkey a lesson? they recently got off the ceasefire and it should be easy to put the blame on IS while they set off bombs. Isnt it that a few border towns were attacked a few days back too.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Multatuli »

'Isis suicide bomber' strikes Turkish border town as Syrian war spills over

Islamic State militants suspected to be behind blast that has killed at least 30 leftwing activists at cultural centre in Suruç, near Kobani, in worst attack since 2013

...

The blast hit a cultural centre in the small town of Suruç, where young people from the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations had been gathering for a press conference before a planned visit to the Syrian Kurdish enclave of Kobani to assist with its reconstruction.

...

The victims had reportedly planned to travel to Kobani to deliver toys, plant a memorial forest, as well as build a library and a playground.

...

Turkey’s Kurds have long been angry at what they perceive as Turkey’s inaction against Isis activities inside the country and at Turkey’s borders, and many Turkish Kurds believe that Ankara directly supports the Islamist militants against Kurdish fighters.

The PKK also blamed the Turkish government for Monday’s bomb attack, arguing that Ankara had “supported and cultivated” Isis as a weapon against the Kurds.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/j ... ian-border


Horrifying moment woman suicide bomber killed dozens of students as they ate lunch in Turkey: 31 victims of ISIS attack were on their way to Kobane to deliver aid

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... urkey.html
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by ramana »

The KSA arrests and Turkey blasts could mean the ISIS wave is being deflected into these sponsors lands as Assad's Syria is turning out to be hard target.
jihadi wave is turning on itself.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Falijee »

Sunni Pakistan To Help Crack Down On Dissidents In Shia Bahrain
Ahlul Bayt News Agency - Informed sources disclosed that Islamabad has agreed to send mercenaries to help the Bahraini riot police force crack down on dissidents on the Persian Gulf tiny island.

"Pakistan has agreed with dispatching a group of its nationals to Bahrain to help the Manama regime with repressing people's peaceful protests," informed Bahraini sources said. Farsnews reported.
Since mid-February 2011, anti-regime protesters have been holding demonstrations on the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa family to relinquish power. Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others wounded as a result of the ongoing violent crackdown on peaceful rallies in Bahrain.
So much for the so-called Islamic Solidarity :((
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Falijee »

Erdogan's Daughter Heads a Covert Hospital to Help ISIL Injured Members
A discontented nurse working clandestinely for a covert medical corps in Şanlıurfa—a city in Southeastern Turkey, close to the border with neighboring Syria— divulged information about the alleged role which Sümeyye Erdogan[*] plays in providing extended medical care for ISIL wounded militants transferred to Turkish hospitals.
[*] This piece of news combined with other past reported items leaves no doubt that Turkey, slowly but surely, is going the Islamic way like S.A.
A London-educated scion of wealthy family and the eldest daughter of totalitarian President Erdoğan, Sümeyye Erdoğan, more than once announced her intention to be dispatched to Mousl, Iraq’s once second-biggest city and ISIL's stronghold to do relief works as a volunteer which drew public ire and vast condemnation from Turkey’s opposition parties. Moreover, the Turkish opposition parties accuse the administration of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of seeking diligently to hide the truth concerning numerous financial malfeasances Erdoğan son, Bilal Erdoğan, is involved.

Erdoğan who always sheds crocodile tears for the plight of Syrian trapped between the hammer of hunger and the anvil of ISIL extremism, conceals the fact that his own son, Bilal Erdoğan, is involved in lucrative business of smuggling the Iraqi and Syrian plundered oil. Bilal Erdoğan who owns several maritime companies, had allegedly signed contracts with European operating companies to carry Iraqi stolen oil to different Asian countries.
Juicy details provided as above :mrgreen:
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Multatuli »

ramana wrote:

The KSA arrests and Turkey blasts could mean the ISIS wave is being deflected into these sponsors lands as Assad's Syria is turning out to be hard target. Jihadi wave is turning on itself.
Ramannaji, I do not think the attack in Turkey a case of blowback. You only have to look at the target of the suicide bommer, they were leftist oriented (anti-Islamist) and mostly Kurdish activists. My assessment is that it was a joint Turkish-ISIS operation: the Turkish President Erdogan/deep state requested an attack on the gathering of the Kurdish activists and ISIS obliged.

The arrests in Saudi Arabia is also not a case of blowback as you mention. The ISIS isn't turning on KSA because of Syria being a hard target. The ISIS networks in KSA are a natural consequence of the Saudi rulers and clerics giving full support to all kinds of Wahabi/Salafi terrorists everywhere and particularly in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

The Saudi rulers/mullahs incite hatred for Shia's and other Kuffars all over the planet, yet they expect the jihadi's not to attack the Shia's in Saudi territory! The Saudi royals and mullahs may be sophisticated (hypocritical) enough to distinguish between attacks on Shia's on foreign soil and inside Saudi Arabia, but the average Jihadi does not, in fact they consider any such distinction as hypocrasy (and quite rightly so).

The existence of pro-Islamic State jihadi networks in KSA is a blowback from the Saudi support and incitement of Sunni terrorism, but this was bound to happen, irrespective of how the situation in Syria develops.

The blowback you refer to, has yet to come.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Shanu »

Turkey seems to be getting nice blowback for their ISIS love.

Kurds are killing them.
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/ ... g-and-039/

and ISIS is killing them too..
http://www.euronews.com/newswires/30433 ... -official/

all their well laid plans may just turn on them - paki style.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Prem »

Falijee wrote:Erdoğan who always sheds crocodile tears for the plight of Syrian trapped between the hammer of hunger and the anvil of ISIL extremism, conceals the fact that his own son, Bilal Erdoğan, is involved in lucrative business of smuggling the Iraqi and Syrian plundered oil. Bilal Erdoğan who owns several maritime companies, had allegedly signed contracts with European operating companies to carry Iraqi stolen oil to different Asian countries.
I happen to mentioned this last week in Oil and Gas Dhaga. And they are discounting oil big time to fast empty the oil fields there. Worst they facilitate the shipping with the help of enemy known for Business acumen. Sarre Milleh Hue hain. GOI is crazy and still controlling crude import. This " private" oil market is goon expand only and not shrink when Iran oil come to market. Indians have the ability to siphon the siphon oil marketeres.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Multatuli »

Suicide Bomber in Suruc Is Said to Be a Turk With Possible Ties to ISIS

The suicide bomber who killed at least 32 people at a cultural center in southeastern Turkey has been identified as a Turkish citizen who is believed to have had ties to the Islamic State, a senior government official said Wednesday.

The bomber, Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz, a 20-year-old university student who had recently returned from Syria, was identified through DNA testing, according to reports in the Turkish news media.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/world ... .html?_r=1


Here is more on the clashes between the Turkish army and ISIS.

As it happened: Turkish army engages in first gunfight with ISIL after soldier killed on border

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/live-t ... sCatID=359
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Falijee »

Saudi King Too Old And / Or Sick To Walk To The Beach :D

Elevator readied on French Riviera sands for Saudi king
VALLAURIS: Preparations are underway for the arrival of the king of Saudi Arabia and an entourage of hundreds[*] at the family's mansion on the French Riviera.
[*] Locals should be warned to keep their womenfolks indoors :D ; Are Saudi women included in the entourage; just wondering :eek:
The head of security for the Alpes-Maritime region on Friday confirmed the beach will be closed during the visit. Francois-Xavier Lauch wouldn't confirm reports of a royal entourage of 1,000, but said that 400 to 500 rooms at luxury hotels in Cannes are reserved.
A petition against the “privatisation” of the public beach gathered more than 45,000 signatures in eight days.
“We're sick and tired of this messing around,” said a local woman, more succinctly.[*]
[*] But then the Aam Abduls and Ashias :mrgreen: of France are not aware that this 'gesture' will go a long way in facilitating (useless!)French Arms Sales to The Desert Kingdom!
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by chanakyaa »

EE-You's doormat is getting very bold...

(Source: Stratfor) Analytical Guidance: Turkey Intensifies Its Role in Syria
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Singha »

also I am sure the british 'escort' industry has been pressed into service at the highest levels to arrange a rotating tableau buffet for the idle saudi princes as it was the last time these royals visited (to spain I think)
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Bhurishrava »

Turkey launches air strikes on PKK targets in Iraq
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -Iraq.html

Amusing that Turkey has decided to equate between Islamist and leftist terrorists.
"Turkey cannot stand by as Kurdish, Leftist and Islamic State militants target Turkey,” said Mr Davutoglu. “We will take necessary measures against whoever constitutes a threat to our border."
However, on Friday night, the Kurdish guerrilla group, the PKK, which has campaigned for autonomy from Turkey for four decades but is now also fighting Isil, said Turkish jets had bombed its rear bases over the border in northern Iraq.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by abhik »

Falijee wrote:Saudi King Too Old And / Or Sick To Walk To The Beach :D

Elevator readied on French Riviera sands for Saudi king
VALLAURIS: Preparations are underway for the arrival of the king of Saudi Arabia and an entourage of hundreds[*] at the family's mansion on the French Riviera.
[*] Locals should be warned to keep their womenfolks indoors :D ; Are Saudi women included in the entourage; just wondering :eek:
May be they will first go to the auction in Paris like in the Liam Neeson movie onlee.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Singha »

the bombing isis part is just a cover for bombing the kurds.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by arun »

Today’s papers carry news of Turkey and Saudi Arabia bombing insurgents.

Mohammadden majority countries it seems have little inhibition in applying disproportionate and relatively indiscriminate force by use of weapons with a good prospect of collateral damage when it comes to anti-insurgency operations that involve fellow Mohammaddens. For a religion whose adherents go to great lengths to claim that theirs is “The Religion of Peace” this is indeed strange. Off course countries whose majority population follows the other two Abrahamic religions, namely Israel / Judaism and the US / Christism, also seem to have little inhibition in doing the same thing though it must be said that they do not target co-relgionists nor tout, anywhere close to the same degree as do Mohammaddens, that theirs is the ”Religion of Peace”.

Another thing to note is that Mohammadden majority countries seem to think nothing of violating the territorial integrity of other Mohammadden countries. Turkeys counter insurgency operations violated territory of Syria and Iraq while Saudi Arabia violated that of Yemen.

Hope our Ministry of External Affairs have taken note of this fact to mute the inevitable criticism from some Mohammadden majority countries when India opts to do the same in order to counter Mohammadden Terrorism:

Turkish Air Force Strikes Kurds In Iraq, Islamic State In Syria

Saudi-led airstrikes kill 120; deadliest in Yemen conflict
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Falijee »

Saudi millionaire blocks traffic on one of London's busiest roads to get his £1m Porsche washed and polished for supercar season[*]

[*] If this report is true, then the City Of London should have the guts to impose a very heavy fine on these idle Royals of Saudia. :x
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by ramana »

Falijee wrote:Saudi millionaire blocks traffic on one of London's busiest roads to get his £1m Porsche washed and polished for supercar season[*]

[*] If this report is true, then the City Of London should have the guts to impose a very heavy fine on these idle Royals of Saudia. :x

He will most likely take his business to Paris.
So not likely.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by ramana »

Singha wrote:the bombing isis part is just a cover for bombing the kurds.

Correct. All Anti ISIS ops are to take care of others.
India can identify the recent terrorists as Pak ISIS and do the same.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Y. Kanan »

Whoever it was earlier in this that confidently predicted a Houthi victory in Yemen was clearly delusional, as I told him at the time:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/y ... 12350.html

The Saudis have retaken the capital Aden and their proxy fighters (AQAP, Sunni tribals, remaining Sunni govt troops) are on the offensive all over the country. The Houthi are falling apart, and the populations in areas they control are being subjected to starvation thanks to constant Saudi bombing. The Houthis are a valiant bunch, but they are hopelessly outnumbered, outgunned and under assault from all sides.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Falijee »

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Tells Female M.P. To Shut Up ! :mrgreen:
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has told a female deputy from the Peoples' Demnocratic Party (HDP), who was responding to him during a speech in Parliament, to “shut up as a woman”[*] in remarks that drew protest from women.
[*] Is definitely necessary :D if Turkey is to 'wrest control ' from Saudia and be leader of Ummah :twisted:
Arınç, one of the co-founders of Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AK Party), said at a celebration of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan: "The woman should have chastity. ... She should not laugh in front of everyone :| and not be inviting :?: in her behavior. She should protect her honor."
Jo Ankara mae gandu woho....... :rotfl:

On a more serious note Is'nt Turkey cited as an epitome of a 'liberalized Islamic state' - an oxymoron statement for sure :D
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Post by Falijee »

Suspicions Now Confirmed : Senior Western official: Links between Turkey and ISIS are now 'undeniable'
A US-led raid on the compound housing the Islamic State's "chief financial officer" produced evidence that Turkish officials directly dealt with ranking ISIS members, Martin Chulov of the Guardian reported recently.
The officer killed in the raid, Islamic State official Abu Sayyaf, was responsible for directing the terror army's oil and gas operations in Syria. [*]The Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) earns up to $10 million a month selling oil on black markets.
[*] Other reports have suggested that the Erdogan extended family is also involved in the racket!
NATO member Turkey :!: has long been accused by experts, Kurds, and even Joe Biden of enabling ISIS by turning a blind eye to the vast smuggling networks of weapons and fighters during the ongoing Syrian war.
A Western diplomat, speaking to The Wall Street Journal in February, expressed a similar sentiment: "Turkey is trapped now — it created a monster and doesn’t know how to deal with it."[*]
[*] As they say " you make your bed, no you sleep in it " :mrgreen:
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Lisa »

Falijee wrote:Saudi millionaire blocks traffic on one of London's busiest roads to get his £1m Porsche washed and polished for supercar season[*]

[*] If this report is true, then the City Of London should have the guts to impose a very heavy fine on these idle Royals of Saudia. :x
Its not true. Its a parking bay.

As for going to Paris, go, but he will be alone. Supercar Season is a London exclusive sport.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by chanakyaa »

Saudi Arabia to buy 600 Patriot missiles for $5.4 bn

Did KSA (again) fell victim to successful mijjiles salesman or stockpiling is ahead of fireworks over per-she-ya? In that case, the aimless extracurricular activities in Yeh-man, are they a practice run??
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Falijee »

Saudi Arabia asks to be dropped from 9/11 lawsuit
Saudi Arabia asked on Thursday to be removed as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by victims of the attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001. :lol: -
In December 2013 Saudi Arabia was reinstated as a defendant in the case, after having been removed some nine years earlier by a judge who said the kingdom was protected from prosecution by sovereign immunity. :D
Sean Carter, a lawyer for the 9/11 families, said the judge must consider whether Riyadh provided “operational assistance” to the hijackers.

Carter argued that his team have evidence two Saudi government employees helped two of the 9/11 hijackers who could not speak English find a flat in San Diego on their arrival to the US.

Documents filed with the court claim that one of the Saudi government employees helped the two hijackers by temporarily housing them in his flat and followed up by co-signing and guaranteeing a lease for their own home.

The government employee also allegedly helped the two men open a bank account with $9,000 of his own money.

The US government’s 9/11 Commission said in a report over 10 years ago that there was no evidence Saudi Arabia had funded al-Qaeda, the group blamed for carrying out the attacks.
- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-asks-be-dropped-911-lawsuit-930176822#sthash.e13ugY6G.dpuf
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by ramana »

^^^Jonathan Pollard is slated to be released.

No connection to Iran nuke deal.

Not!
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

arun wrote:Today’s papers carry news of Turkey and Saudi Arabia bombing insurgents.

Mohammadden majority countries it seems have little inhibition in applying disproportionate and relatively indiscriminate force by use of weapons with a good prospect of collateral damage when it comes to anti-insurgency operations that involve fellow Mohammaddens. For a religion whose adherents go to great lengths to claim that theirs is “The Religion of Peace” this is indeed strange. Off course countries whose majority population follows the other two Abrahamic religions, namely Israel / Judaism and the US / Christism, also seem to have little inhibition in doing the same thing though it must be said that they do not target co-relgionists nor tout, anywhere close to the same degree as do Mohammaddens, that theirs is the ”Religion of Peace”.

Another thing to note is that Mohammadden majority countries seem to think nothing of violating the territorial integrity of other Mohammadden countries. Turkeys counter insurgency operations violated territory of Syria and Iraq while Saudi Arabia violated that of Yemen.

Hope our Ministry of External Affairs have taken note of this fact to mute the inevitable criticism from some Mohammadden majority countries when India opts to do the same in order to counter Mohammadden Terrorism:

Turkish Air Force Strikes Kurds In Iraq, Islamic State In Syria

Saudi-led airstrikes kill 120; deadliest in Yemen conflict
This is not just Muhammedan phenomenon. It's an Abrahamic phenomenon done more by Christian-majority nations that is being learned by Muhammadans.

Look at the events...

America bombed every country that it wanted without any fear or respect for international conventions.
Russia did the same.
The worst offenders are the EU countries who claim to be at the forefront of human evolution.
Recently British Prime Minister threatened to bomb Syria to preempt terror attacks on Britan.
Now turkey, Saudi Arabia etc joined this game. They are bombing regions in Iraq, Syria, Yemen etc without fear.

Even our Pakistan did similar stuff in Afghanistan borders. It openly facilitates attacks in Afghanistan, thru non-state actors.

Then why can't India do the same? It definitely can. India entered Seychells, Maldives, Sri Lanka etc.,

Its a different matter what happened in each of these cases.

In my honest opinion, India's biggest mistake is the non-align movement.

If it joined NATO publicly, it would have pushed Pakistan into WARSA. In the worst case both India & Pakistan remained in NATO, then India could bomb Pakistan to its hearts content.

If it joined WARSA pact, it would be have resolved PoK issue back in 1960s when Russia was taking over Afghanistan.

Yes, there will be indian deaths. But we are a billion people. At least 10-15m people die every year. Use it to strategic empowerment.
Shanu
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Shanu »

Things are heating up in Libya.

IS attacking the oil ports...3 attacks in 72 hours. Many soldiers from the internationally recognized Government have been taken hostage.

Two attacks on 31st July -
Five soldiers were killed and 15 have been missing since the Islamic State fighters attacked the checkpoint outside the eastern town of Ajdabiya, near the oil port of Brega, one military official said. Two more soldiers were killed when the government sent reinforcements. Five were wounded.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/07/3 ... AM20150731
Five Libyan troops loyal to the internationally recognised government were killed Friday and another 18 are missing after an attack on an eastern checkpoint allegedly carried out by the Islamic State group, a state news agency said...He added that the attack was against a military checkpoint "located on the desert road between the two cities of Ajdabiya and Tobruk" in eastern Libya.
http://news.yahoo.com/five-libyan-troop ... 35020.html

And today.. another
Five people were killed and 12 wounded during clashes in eastern Libya between forces loyal to its internationally recognised government and Islamist groups, medics said on Sunday.
Fighting broke out on Saturday in the town of Ajdabiya, near the oil port of Brega, and a war plane attacked suspected Islamist positions to the south of the town, residents said.
http://www.firstpost.com/world/five-kil ... 75956.html

IS probably wants to expand influence before the NATO strikes arrive.
"A group of Western nations are planning to send ground troops into Libya to train local authorities and launch attacks against a branch of the Islamic State group, military sources have told The Times of London."
Philip
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

There was an amazing stat about the entire contribution by the mega ME powers,the Saudis,Qataris,UAE,et al. against ISIS.Al Q,whoever. With all the majesty of their hundreds of billions of weapons,etc. the entire air strikes of this gang has been a paltry 108. Even little Denmark has supposedly made more strikes than this lot! The US/NATO,etc. have made over 1000 or 2000+.This perfectly underscores the Saudis who love to threaten annihilation of their enemies but are too afraid to do so and want it done by others!

These gutless sheikhs of Araby will be mincemeat if there is a serious internal revolt led by ISIS.perhaps this is inevitable one day. Why the Saudis roped in the Egyptians to do some of their dirty work in the Yemen.

PS: Too true.
http://www.rt.com/news/311407-migrant-crisis-eu-policy/
Migrant flow to Europe is result of US, EU military ops in Middle East – Czech president
Christian migrants from Eritrea and Ethiopia attend the Sunday mass at the makeshift church in "The New Jungle" near Calais, France, August 2, 2015 © Pascal Rossignol

Christian migrants from Eritrea and Ethiopia attend the Sunday mass at the makeshift church in "The New Jungle" near Calais, France, August 2, 2015 © Pascal Rossignol / Reuters

The flow of immigrants to Europe stems from the Western states’ military interventions in Iraq, Libya and Syria, which have contributed to the emergence of terrorist groups in the Middle East, Czech President Milosh Zeman told local media.

“The current wave of migration [to Europe] is rooted in the crazy [US] idea to launch an intervention in Iraq, which allegedly had weapons of mass destruction, but nothing was found,” Zeman said in a video interview with the Czech Repubic’s Blesk newspaper published on Sunday.

On top of this, the US’ desire to “restore order” in Libya and Syria only resulted in the escalation of conflicts in both countries and the emergence of terrorist organizations, prompting people to flee the area, Zeman said.

He added that not only the US was to blame for the migrant chaos, but its Western allies that helped to “coordinate operations in Libya” as well.

He announced his intention to speak at the regular session of the UN General Assembly later this year and propose that the UN create military units to destroy terrorist training camps.

READ MORE: Police use force to separate pro and anti-migrant rallies at British Eurotunnel terminal

Zeman also lashed out at immigrants on Sunday after tensions at a refugee detention center in the Czech Republic’s northeast prompted police to use tear gas. About 100 illegal immigrants waiting for deportation staged a demonstration on Friday, damaging the building of the center, according to local authorities.

"No one invited you here. But now you are here, you must respect our rules, as we respect the rules when we go to your country," the president said.

According to police, 3,018 illegal migrants have been intercepted by Czech law enforcement so far in 2015. The figure is almost 50% higher than in the first half of 2014.

Meanwhile, late on Saturday, about two hundred migrants, according to AP estimates, once again stormed the Eurotunnel terminal near the French port town of Calais in a bid to reach the UK. Police reportedly stopped the crowd by using a chemical irritant. More than a hundred attempts to enter the tunnel have been documented by security forces in this week alone. A man was fatally hit by a truck during one of attempts.

READ MORE: Sweden’s 3rd largest city hit by multiple blasts, police plead for help to tackle violence spike

The chaos in Calais, where thousands of migrants have been making nightly attempts to access the Eurotunnel terminal, has shown “a system that is breaking down,” Morgan Johansson, the Swedish justice and migration minister, told BBC Radio 4’s World This Weekend.

He accused Britain of failing to “take the responsibility that they should,” and criticized Prime Minister David Cameron for the wording he uses with regard to migrants.

“I hear what he is saying about ‘illegal immigrants’ and ‘swarms’ and I think he is trying to divide people, that that is not a constructive way.”

The refugee camp set up near Calais, dubbed the “Jungle,” houses up to 10,000 immigrants. Xavier Bertrand, French MP and mayor of the northern city of Saint-Quentin, who is familiar with the situation, told RT the conditions at the camp “are severe.”

British Home Secretary Theresa May and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve have stressed that resolving the crisis and stopping the flow of immigrants is their “top priority,” Britain’s Sunday Telegraph and France’s Journal du Dimanche reported. The two top officials also urged to the EU to “address this problem at root.”

“We must break the link between crossing the Mediterranean and achieving settlement in Europe for economic reasons,” they added.

Under the Le Touquet treaty signed in 2003, the British border was moved to French Calais and British border control was stationed at French ferry terminals. This was done as part of an effort to close the infamous Sangatte refugee camp and stop the flow of illegal immigrants from reaching the UK to claim asylum.

French officials have made calls to scrap the agreement and move the border back to Dover and Folkestone. No official steps, however, have yet been taken.

In 2014, the UK received 31,400 asylum applications, while 63,100 were submitted to France and 81,300 to Sweden, according to data provided by the British Red Cross.
PPS:The Saudi king is going home early from his Riviera sojourn.perhaps the French protests put him off quaffing his champagne in private!
Falijee
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Falijee »

Saudi Monarch Takes His (Holiday) Business To Ummah Land :mrgreen:

Saudi king cuts short controversial holiday in France
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has cut short a holiday on the French Riviera where the closure of a beach for his security caused an uproar.[*]

After only eight days of what was planned as a three-week stay, the king flew on to Morocco, officials said.
[*] So cash diplomacy did not work this time :shock:
A Saudi source quoted by Reuters said the king's departure was part of his holiday programme and not connected to the media coverage the visit had attracted.


The French and British Escort and/or entertainment industries, to say the least, will be 'extremely disappointed' and will surely be pressing for 'breach of contract' and other monetary damages :twisted:
He said a temporary lift connecting the beach with the villa - which had also angered local residents - would be removed in the coming weeks.

Building the lift had involved pouring a large concrete slab on the sand.

The royal party generated mixed emotions among the local population. :rotfl:

While some were unhappy at the closure of the beach, many traders warmly welcomed the king and his wealthy entourage.
Are you near the beach that was closed for King Salman? What do you think about his departure? You can get in touch by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:[*][/b]
[*][/b] More juicy details to follow :!:
wig
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by wig »

Saudi Arabia may go broke before the US oil industry buckles-It is too late for OPEC to stop the shale revolution. The cartel faces the prospect of surging US output whenever oil prices rise
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/oilp ... ckles.html

excerpts of the article. it mentions that efficiency of output per well has risen. Thus a shortage of new wells is not a reason for the Saudis to rejoice.
If the oil futures market is correct, Saudi Arabia will start running into trouble within two years. It will be in existential crisis by the end of the decade.
The contract price of US crude oil for delivery in December 2020 is currently $62.05, implying a drastic change in the economic landscape for the Middle East and the petro-rentier states.
The Saudis took a huge gamble last November when they stopped supporting prices and opted instead to flood the market and drive out rivals, boosting their own output to 10.6m barrels a day (b/d) into the teeth of the downturn.
Bank of America says OPEC is now "effectively dissolved". The cartel might as well shut down its offices in Vienna to save money.
If the aim was to choke the US shale industry, the Saudis have misjudged badly, just as they misjudged the growing shale threat at every stage for eight years. "It is becoming apparent that non-OPEC producers are not as responsive to low oil prices as had been thought, at least in the short-run," said the Saudi central bank in its latest stability report.
"The main impact has been to cut back on developmental drilling of new oil wells, rather than slowing the flow of oil from existing wells. This requires more patience," it said.
One Saudi expert was blunter. "The policy hasn't worked and it will never work," he said.
By causing the oil price to crash, the Saudis and their Gulf allies have certainly killed off prospects for a raft of high-cost ventures in the Russian Arctic, the Gulf of Mexico, the deep waters of the mid-Atlantic, and the Canadian tar sands.
Consultants Wood Mackenzie say the major oil and gas companies have shelved 46 large projects, deferring $200bn of investments.
The problem for the Saudis is that US shale frackers are not high-cost. They are mostly mid-cost, and as I reported from the CERAWeek energy forum in Houston, experts at IHS think shale companies may be able to shave those costs by 45pc this year - and not only by switching tactically to high-yielding wells.
Advanced pad drilling techniques allow frackers to launch five or ten wells in different directions from the same site. Smart drill-bits with computer chips can seek out cracks in the rock. New dissolvable plugs promise to save $300,000 a well. "We've driven down drilling costs by 50pc, and we can see another 30pc ahead," said John Hess, head of the Hess Corporation.
It was the same story from Scott Sheffield, head of Pioneer Natural Resources. "We have just drilled an 18,000 ft well in 16 days in the Permian Basin. Last year it took 30 days," he said.
The North American rig-count has dropped to 664 from 1,608 in October but output still rose to a 43-year high of 9.6m b/d June. It has only just begun to roll over. "The freight train of North American tight oil has kept on coming," said Rex Tillerson, head of Exxon Mobil.
He said the resilience of the sister industry of shale gas should be a cautionary warning to those reading too much into the rig-count. Gas prices have collapsed from $8 to $2.78 since 2009, and the number of gas rigs has dropped 1,200 to 209. Yet output has risen by 30pc over that period.
Until now, shale drillers have been cushioned by hedging contracts. The stress test will come over coming months as these expire. But even if scores of over-leveraged wild-catters go bankrupt as funding dries up, it will not do OPEC any good.
The wells will still be there. The technology and infrastructure will still there. Stronger companies will mop up on the cheap, taking over the operations. Once oil climbs back to $60 or even $55 - since the threshold keeps falling - they will crank up production almost instantly.
OPEC now faces a permanent headwind. Each rise in price will be capped by a surge in US output. The only constraint is the scale of US reserves that can be extracted at mid-cost, and these may be bigger than originally supposed, not to mention the parallel possibilities in Argentina and Australia, or the possibility for "clean fracking" in China as plasma pulse technology cuts water needs.
Mr Sheffield said the Permian Basin in Texas could alone produce 5-6m b/d in the long-term, more than Saudi Arabia's giant Ghawar field, the biggest in the world.
Saudi Arabia is effectively beached. It relies on oil for 90pc of its budget revenues. There is no other industry to speak of, a full fifty years after the oil bonanza began.
Philip
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

I thought that the Saudis ME oily-garchs invested v.heavily in property in the west,blue-chip stocks/cos.,where they hold the max shares. They may now have to sell them back or since they have so much of desert,build massive solar power plants and export the power to the world.
Aditya_V
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Aditya_V »

wig wrote:Saudi Arabia may go broke before the US oil industry buckles-It is too late for OPEC to stop the shale revolution. The cartel faces the prospect of surging US output whenever oil prices rise
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/oilp ... ckles.html


Mr Sheffield said the Permian Basin in Texas could alone produce 5-6m b/d in the long-term, more than Saudi Arabia's giant Ghawar field, the biggest in the world.
Saudi Arabia is effectively beached. It relies on oil for 90pc of its budget revenues. There is no other industry to speak of, a full fifty years after the oil bonanza began.
I think the Saudis have one more major industry.
Aditya_V
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Aditya_V »

Philip wrote:I thought that the Saudis ME oily-garchs invested v.heavily in property in the west,blue-chip stocks/cos.,where they hold the max shares. They may now have to sell them back or since they have so much of desert,build massive solar power plants and export the power to the world.
This is personal wealth. Like Dynasties in India, these will continue to be wealthy in years to come but as a country the average Saudi will go down the drain.

India needs to develop Industries especially states like Kerala which need to plan for these changes.
Philip
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

British ambassador to Lebanon signs off with viral blog post

"Guns, greed and God. Game of Thrones with RPGs. Human rights and hummus rights," writes Tom Fletcher, Her Majesty's Ambassador to Lebanon, in final blog entry
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -post.html
Mr Fletcher arrived in Lebanon in autumn 2011
By Colin Freeman
05 Aug 2015

As farewell notes go, it reads more like the work of a swashbuckling war correspondent than a communique from Her Majesty's diplomatic corps. There are diatribes against corrupt politicians and warlords, encounters with divas and rappers, and even a gleeful tale of being offered a buttock implant.

Yet it comes not from the pen of some modern-day Hemingway but Tom Fletcher, Her Majesty's Ambassador to Lebanon, whose colourful valedictory notice after a four-year posting has broken with centuries of HMG tradition. Not just because of its impassioned, unstuffy prose- but because people outside of the dusty corridors of the Foreign Office have bothered to read it.

In contrast to the vast majority of articles written by serving ambassadors, most of which are studies in inoffensive blandness, Mr Fletcher's punchy recollections on his time have proved a huge hit in Lebanon since he published them last week.

His praise of the country for taking in refugees from neighbouring Syria, and for not succumbing to the war engulfing the wider region, has seen his piece go viral on the Internet, with some Lebanese even suggesting he should lead the country.

"Tom’s words are inspirational and real. I would question if a Lebanese person could speak of the country and its potential like this," said one comment on his blog. Another added: "I would have campaigned for you to become a president 'cos you love this country."

Oxford-educated Mr Fletcher, a rising star in the Foreign Office who has acted as a policy adviser to David Cameron, arrived in Lebanon in autumn 2011, just as the Arab Spring was igniting the deadly conflict in neighbouring Syria.

As well as helping the British government make sense of it all, his job has been to encourage peace and implement a UK-run training programme for the Lebanese army.

Or, as his distinctly non-mandarin style puts it: "Warlords and wasta (corruption). Machiavellis and mafia. Guns, greed and God. Game of Thrones with RPGs. Human rights and hummus rights ... Your politics are also daunting, for ambassadors as well as Lebanese citizens. When we think we’ve hit bottom, we hear a faint knocking sound below."

Despite what must have often been a thankless task, given that the war in Syria has done nothing but escalate since his arrival, Mr Fletcher appears to have taken to his posting with gusto.

On top of his daytime job, he has become a favourite on the diplomatic social circuit, taken part in several running marathons, and met with many of liberal Beirut's pop stars and artists.

He jokingly summarises it as "Four marathons, 100 blogs, 10,000 tweets, 59 calls on Prime Ministers, 600+ long dinners, and 52 graduation speeches". Commenting on the Lebanese fondness for plastic surgery – breast and buttock implants are especially popular – he wryly notes: "I was even offered a free buttock lift, but its value exceeded our £140 gift limit, so that daunting task is left undone."

• War is a million miles away when the Lebanese begin to party

Humour aside, Mr Fletcher also makes some candid observations on the Lebanese people he came to know and love. Without naming names, he blasts the country’s wealthy businessmen-power brokers, who he says undermine peace efforts and then lay the blame on other countries, be it Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel or Britain. Many, he adds, have also had the cheek to ask the British embassy to fast track visas for cousins and friends when visiting the UK.

Overall, though, he is generous in his praise for the Lebanese, who, after going through full-scale civil war themselves in the 1980s, have not succumbed again despite being home to Sunnis, Shias, and Christians.

"When the Middle East was in flames, and its people caught between tyrants and terrorists, the Lebanon I will remember sent its soldiers to protect the borders; confronted daily frustrations to build businesses and to educate its children; and showed extraordinary generosity to outsiders, be they ambassadors or refugees," he writes.

He adds: "The real dividing line is not between Christianity and Islam, Sunni and Shia, East and West. It is between people who believe in coexistence, and those who don’t."

Whether Mr Fletcher's piece has gone down as well in Whitehall as it has in Lebanon is not known. However, in writing a regular blog, he followed Foreign Office guidance in recent years that has encouraged ambassadors to abandon their traditional aloofness and engage more with the Internet and Twitter.

Not all such attempts have succeeded, either proving tediously anodyne, or inadvertently causing offence. The previous ambassador to Lebanon, Frances Guy, was denounced by Israel in 2010 after writing a blog that described a senior leader in the Hizbollah militia movement as a "decent" man.

Her successor has had rather better luck, with his blog on diplomacy and Middle Eastern affairs becoming required reading among foreign policy analysts. Especially popular was a tongue-in-cheek guide last year to the art of networking at business functions. Tips included: “Don’t thrust your business card at people until you think they might actually keep it,” and “Never get caught looking over people’s shoulders for more productive targets.”

His Twitter account has more than 40,000 followers, and as he proudly mentions in his valediction, has been used to conduct "online scraps with terrorists" and even "the first RT of a Western diplomat by the President of Iran."

Mr Fletcher, who is married with two children, is now taking a sabbatical, lecturing for New York University at its Middle East campus in Abu Dhabi. Judging by the warm welcome that his parting act of candour has received, he may have much to teach his students about the modern diplomat's art.
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