After capturing the largest dam, Syrian rebels seize military air base in Aleppo

Damascus, Syria (Tue, Jan 12) – Syrian rebels are cruising fast to capture the strategically important locations in Syria with the passage of time and according to latest information; anti-Assad forces have captured a military air base in northern Syria, a day after seizing control of the country's largest hydro-electric dam.

After capturing the largest dam, Syrian rebels seize military air base in Aleppo

Voice of America reported citing Rami Abdul-Rahman, Director of Observatory for Human Rights based in UK, that al-Jarrah air base, located in Aleppo province, was taken after violent clashes with pro-Assad forces.

The capture of the air base comes a day after Syrian rebels seize the country’s largest dam in one of their biggest strategic victories since the crisis began back in 2011.

A Syrian government representative, on condition of anonymity, denied that the rebels on Monday captured the dam, saying that "heavy clashes are taking place around it." But a raw video uploaded by activists on internet showed gunmen walking around the facility's operations rooms and employees apparently carrying on with their work as usual.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Syria is "self-destructing" and is calling on the Syrian government and the U.N. Security Council to take action.

Ahmadinejad in Egypt on historic visit, President Morsi welcomed him on Cairo airport

CAIRO, Egypt (Tue, Feb. 05) – Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi welcomed Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad at the Cairo International airport on Tuesday. 

Ahmedinejad in Egypt on historic visit, President Morsi welcomed him on Cairo airport

This is undoubtedly a historical visit by any Iranian State head since Iran’s Islamic revolution in 19779, which shows the more open ties that have developed since Egyptians elected an Islamist head of state.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi kissed his Iranian counterpart as he got off from his plane at Cairo airport, footage broadcast by Egyptian state television showed.

Since the early 2011 revolution that deposed longtime Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak, Iran has taken significant steps to recover its relations with Egypt. And now Ahmadinejad is leading the Iranian delegation to the Cairo summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which begins February 6, which will show the world that two regional powers are coming close.

According to AP News; security officials, on condition of anonymity, say Iranian President has also plans to visit the pyramids in Giza.

 

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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran President in Egypt, Ahmadinejad in Egypt, Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi, Historic visit, Iran’s president on historic visit to Egypt, Ahmadinejad Reached Egypt, 

National Labor Relations Board's appointments by President Obama are unconstitutional: Ruled by U.S. Court of Appeals

Washington, DC (Fri, Jan 25) – Three recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) made by President Obama in 2012 have been declared as “Violation of Constitution” by a federal appeals court in Washington.

National Labor Relations Board's appointments by President Obama are unconstitutional:  Ruled by U.S. Court of Appeals

According to details; President Obama sidestepped the Senate to fill open spots on NLRB by appointing Deputy Labor Secretary Sharon Block, union lawyer Richard Griffin and NLRB counsel Terence Flynn to fill vacancies on the Board on January 4 last year. Recess appointments have a shelf-life of two years.

FOX News reported that Obama administration’s lawyers disagree with the ruling commented that President had the authority because the Senate was in recess; while the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled otherwise because the Senate was officially in session — and not in recess — at the time.

The case is a test of the White House’s authority to bypass Congress’ power to block nominations and if the decision stands, it could invalidate hundreds of decisions made by NLRB since the appointments were made.

White House attorneys are expected to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court but the White House had no immediate comments over the ruling.

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Obama, President Obama, Violation of Constitution, NLRB Appointments, National Labor Relations Board, Sharon Block, Richard Griffin, Terence Flynn, NLRB

Raja Rental's Arrest Orders Issued by Pakistan Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Tue, Jan 15) – As per media reports; the apex court of Pakistan ordered to detain Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the Rental Power Plants case on Monday (Jan 14).

Raja Rental's Arrest Orders Issued by Pakistan Supreme Court

According to details; the Supreme Court of Pakistan gave 24 hours notice to authorities to obey the orders while the court also ordered to arrest all other respondents in the case.

PM Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was given the title of “Raja Rental” after he was accused of receiving kickbacks in the rental power projects. He was also accused of buying property in London from money earned through corruption in various scams.

With reference to the same case; last year on March 30, the SC had instructed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to continue against those who were in the post of minister for water and power from 2006 till the next general elections. As a result, on April 20, NAB issued arrest warrants for 33 persons, including PM Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.

He has been defending himself in the Supreme Court.

The Karachi Stock market also crashed immediately after the court’s order, as the 100-index fell by 450 points.

Court’s order came at a time when Minhajul Quran International (MQI) chief Tahirul Qadri was leading a long march in Islamabad to demand electoral reforms.

Participants of the march were seen celebrating while chanting “Long Live Supreme Court” when Qadri mentioned the court’s decision during his speech.

The Karachi Stock market also crashed immediately after the court’s order, as the 100-index fell by 450 points.

Report Tags:

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Raja Rental, Rental Power Plants, Pakistan, Prime Minister, Politics, Supreme Court,

"America is the most corrupt nation.": Jackie Chan

HONG KONG (Sat, Jan 12) – Reported by madn3wz

"America is the most corrupt nation.": Jackie Chan

Famous martial art hero Jackie Chan becomes a controversial personality by showing his anti-American sentiments in his recent interview on a Hong Kong television show.

According to details; “Rush Hour,” star said in his interview that America is “the most corrupt country in the world” and that the Chinese people should be proud of their country.

Chan’s anti-Americanism may come as a shock to his American fans but the Washington Post describes that the Hong Kong star often found himself entangled into the political discussion in China. Chan usually saves his political comments for a small and controlled audience but he was not reluctant to show his anti-Americanism.

In the recent interview; Chan discussed China’s recent progress, eliminating dishonesty from its government; while calling America "the most corrupt [country] in the world." Chan then maintains, blaming US for the world's troubles.

Chan said (with some translation help from the Post):

“If you talk about corruption, the entire world, the United State, has no corruption? (The United States) is the most corrupt in the world. Where does this Great Breakdown [financial crisis] come from? It started exactly from the world, the United States. When I was interviewed in the U.S., people asked me, I said the same thing. I said now that China has become strong, everyone is making an issue of China. If our own countrymen don’t support our country, who will support our country? We know our country has many problems. We [can] talk about it when the door is closed. To outsiders, [we should say] “our country is the best.”

This interview is most likely not so startling to Chinese viewers. Chan has been thrilling disagreement for a few years now for criticizing Taiwan and Hong Kong as models of what can go wrong when you have “too much freedom.” 

Report tags: Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan Anti-America, Anti-American Sentiments, America, USA, Anti-Americanism, Jackie Chan's Anti-Americanism

Video: Bal Thackeray Funeral -- Uddhav Thackeray Lit the Pyre

MUMBAI, India (Sun, Nov. 18) – Reported by madn3wz

Bal Thackeray Funeral -- Uddhav Thackeray Lit the Pyre

Shiv Sena supremo  Bal Thackeray’s final rites have been offered at Shivaji Park, where he launched the Shiv Sena forty six years ago at a colossal gathering on Dussehra. More than 200,000 people, including several big names, have gathered at the extensive ground as Mr Thackeray was consigned to the flames.

Lakhs of Shiv Sainiks and supporters break down as son Uddhav Thackeray lit the pyre.

At 9:00 AM in the morning Thackeray's body was brought out of his house in suburban Bandra, wrapped in the tricolor, for funeral procession. His son, Uddhav, broke down just before the funeral procession started. A glass box carrying the 86-year-old Sena patriarch's body was then loaded onto a flower bedecked truck.

The Shiv Sena has taken permission to perform his last rites at the park at 6 pm; he will also be given full state honours. This is the first funeral to be held at Shivaji Park; the ground had special significance for Bal Thackeray, who launched his political party here in 1966. It was the venue for many of his rallies over the years, including his last public address on Dussehra this year, when he spoke to the crowd through a recorded video message.

The Shiv Sena chief died on Saturday afternoon, after a prolonged illness at the age of 86. Thackeray, who was critically ill since last Wednesday, was declared dead by Dr Jaleel Parkar who was treating him. The Sena chief had been suffering from respiratory problems and pancreatic disease. 

Watch video of funeral procession below:

 

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U.S. Presidential Election: Absentee Ballots Burned in Plane Crash in Afghanistan

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Sat, Oct 27) – Reported by madn3wz

Micro-blogging site Twitter has been abuzzed tonight by a story broke on Yahoo! News according to which a mysterious plane crash on Friday (October 19) has caused to destroy absentee ballots being sent to U.S. military serving in Afghanistan.

Absentee Ballots Burned in Plane Crash in Afghanistan Could Effect the Results

 

The cause of the crash is still being investigated and officials are claiming that it was Just an accident because there is no way that the U.S. government would try to deprive brave Americans for voting, not even if they were voting for Mitt Romney.

According to Yahoo! News; 4,700 pounds of incoming mail to the troops were destroyed as a result of a transport plane crash at Shindad Air Base on October 19; but fortunately the lost mail was limited to only one zip code.

The story is just buzzing on Twitter, and it is creating a great stir. Many Tweets have expressed shocked suspicion, and many have pointed at the possibility of a wicked plan to destroy these military votes which are widely considered Republican shoe-ins.

Officials at Federal Voting Assistance Program in their email to state election offices said they did not know if any ballots were destroyed.

But they suggested to election officials to send a new ballot again to anyone who asked one since the first ballot may have been damaged in the crash and fire.

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US Election, GOP Election in U.S., Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, US President, Twitter, Yahoo News, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Military ballots

Watch VIDEO: Hillary Clinton's ugly trip to Egypt ended in thrown shoes and tomatoes

ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT (Mon, Jul 16) – Hillary Clinton may have visited hundreds of countries as U.S. Secretary of State but few visits might have ended as badly as her recent trip to Egypt. 

Hillary Clinton's ugly trip to Egypt ended in thrown shoes and tomatoes

Angry protesters threw tomatoes and shoes at U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's motorcade on Sunday during her first visit to Egypt since the election of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.

A tomato hit an Egyptian official on the face, and shoes and a water bottle landed near the armored vehicles carrying Clinton's delegation members in the port city of Alexandria after she delivered a speech on democratic rights.

Protesters also chanted: "Monica, Monica", a reference to Former President Bill Clinton's extra-marital affair. Some chanted: "leave, Clinton", Egyptian security officials said.

Though it was unclear who the protesters were or what were their political affiliations, but they showed their hatred for U.S. influence on their country's political system. Protests and demonstrations have become common in Egypt since former President Hosni Mubarak, long-time US ally, was brought down by massive uprising last year.

Later on Clinton left for Israel on her last leg of 8-nation tour. She arrived in Israel today for top-level talks with Israeli officials expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme and the stalled peace process.

Egypt is gripped by political uncertainty as two major forces, the military and the Muslim Brotherhood, engage in a power struggle over the future of a country that remains without a permanent constitution, parliament or government.

On Saturday night, protesters outside Clinton's luxury hotel in Cairo chanted anti-Islamist slogans, accusing the United States of backing the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power.

In her speech at the newly re-opened U.S. consulate in Alexandria, Hillary Clinton rejected suggestions that the United States, which had long supported former Mubarak, was backing one faction or another in Egypt following his ouster last year.

"I want to be clear that the United States is not in the business, in Egypt, of choosing winners and losers, even if we could, which of course we cannot," she said.

"We are prepared to work with you as you chart your course, as you establish your democracy," she added. "We want to stand for principles, for values, not for people or for parties."

Watch here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axM5kGdH_so) people chanting Monica and throwing tomatoes on Clinton’s motorcade.