Dreams Into Lightning 2

Morning Report: 2012-05-25

Jason Abdo convicted. YNet: 'A federal jury has convicted an AWOL Muslim soldier of attempting to blow up a Texas restaurant full of American troops. The Waco jury convicted Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo of the most serious charge, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, which could land him in prison for life. ...'

The butler did it. The butler who serves in the apartments of Pope Benedict was arrested on Friday in connection with an investigation into leaks of confidential documents, a senior Vatican source said.

Morning Report: 2012-05-24

African unrest in Tel Aviv. Demonstrations Reuters: 'Fleeing poverty, fighting and authoritarian rule, some 60,000 Africans have crossed illegally into Israel through the relatively porous desert border with Egypt in recent years. That has jarred the Jewish state, with its already ethnically fraught citizen population of 7.8 million. Some Israelis warn of a gathering demographic and economic crisis while others say a country born after the Holocaust has a special responsibility to offer foreigners sanctuary. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said some 15 percent of city residents were "illegal foreign workers" and the number was growing. Interior Ministry data show 82 percent of the African migrants are men, 15 percent women and the rest children. ...' Arutz Sheva:

Over 1,000 people took part Wednesday evening in a protest against Israel's growing illegal immigrant population. The protesters called on the government to send the infiltrators back to their countries of origin.

MK Danny Danon (Likud), who heads the Knesset Lobby to Prevent Infiltration, addressed the protesters and said: "The terrible situation that has formed here has only one solution and we need to talk about it and we must not be ashamed: expel them now!"

"The state of Israel is at war with an enemy state that has formed within Israel and has its capital in southern Tel Aviv," he stated.

Protesters who live in the working class neighborhoods that are flooded by the illegal immigrants spoke of harassment and physical attacks that have become a daily occurrence. Several cases of sexual assaults against Jewish women have been reported in recent months. ...

The protest in Tel Aviv against migrants led to 12 arrests; the suspects were released on bail. The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court has extended the remand of a man suspected of recruiting teens and giving them weapons to target Africans during the recent demonstrations. Two protesters were arrested for an attempted attack on a foreign worker. Yitzhak Halevi, mayor of the border city of Eilat, called for immigration enforcement:

He called on the government to implement the decisions it has already made to deal with the matter.

Halevi said the security fence on the Egyptian border needs to be completed within a short time, and that the government needed to expedite the construction of a detention center for illegal aliens. He also called on the government to fine those who employe illegal aliens. ...

Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned the violence, adding: 'The migrant problem must be solved and we will solve it. We will complete the construction of the fence within a few months and soon we will begin sending the migrants back to their countries of origin.'

Mladic trial to resume. Reuters: 'The genocide trial of Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic is set to resume at the Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal on June 25 four weeks later than initially planned, The Hague-based court said on Thursday. Mladic, who was arrested in Serbia in May 2011 after 16 years on the run, is accused of genocide for his role in the siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo and for orchestrating the killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995; Europe's worst massacre since World War Two. ...'

ICC clears way to try four Kenyans for violence. Reuters: 'The International Criminal Court on Thursday cleared the way for the trial of four Kenyans accused of being behind the violence which erupted after the country's elections in December 2007. The four men, who include Uhuru Kenyatta, a former presidential hopeful and the son of Kenya's founding president, have denied the charges and claimed the court did not have the right to try them. More than 1,220 people died in the post-election violence. ...'

More on south Tel Aviv. For my pictures of Allenby Street in southern Tel Aviv, see here, here, and here.

Morning Report: 2012-05-23

Mona Eltahawy takes on MSNBC. Jihad Watch cites Eltahawy's response to the "islamophobia" canard on the Melissa Harris-Perry show:

In response, Eltahawy was right on point: "It’s not me that makes Muslims look bad. It’s those atrocities that make Muslims look bad." I have made this point hundreds of times -- but the Islamic supremacists' "Islamophobia" fog machine is intent on obscuring it, with eager help from the Leftist mainstream media. ...

Follow the link for a transcript. And don't miss her article in Foreign Policy.

Kyrgyzstan signs transport agreement with NATO. Interfax reports: '"A signing ceremony of the agreement between the government of Kyrgyzstan and NATO on the ground transit (by trucks and railroad) of cargo for the International Security Assistance Force through the Kyrgyz territory took place within the framework of the NATO summit in Chicago on May 22," the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry's press service told Interfax. ...'

Foreign Policy on Egyptian candidates. Kate Brooks at Foreign Policy:

Egypt has produced some good headlines over the few millennia of its existence: There's its rise as the center of Arab and Islamic culture, the building of the pyramids, and even, reportedly, a spat between a pharaoh and a hard-luck local tribe that produced some nasty plagues. But there's one story that has always eluded it: the drama of a competitive presidential election. On May 23, that all ends. ...

Go to the link for the rest, and a slide show.

Morning Report: 2012-05-22

Guinea-Bisseau junta to turn power over to civilians, says spokesman. 'Six weeks after it toppled the government and derailed elections, Guinea-Bissau's military junta said on Tuesday it was handing power back to the West African state's civilian leaders. This follows a deal between the self-styled Military Command and the regional bloc ECOWAS that put in place transitional president Manuel Sherifo Nhamadjo, installed a 600-strong ECOWAS force and promised new elections in 12 months. ...'

Malawi's Joyce Banda to fight anti-gay legislation. Via Harry, the Scotsman reportsMALAWI’S president

Joyce Banda has declared she wants to repeal laws banning homosexual acts, going against a trend across Africa in which gays are increasingly being singled out for prosecution.

Ms Banda, who assumed the presidency in April when her predecessor died, made the announcement yesterday in her first state of the nation address.

“Indecency and unnatural acts laws shall be repealed,” she said.

But repealing a law requires a parliamentary vote, and it is unclear how much political support Ms Banda has for sweeping changes in the impoverished and conservative nation. ...

One Libya or two? Michael Totten at Commentary:

The Libyan city of Benghazi, the “capital” of the east and the second largest city in the country, held a referendum this past weekend on whether or not to declare political autonomy. The results aren’t in yet, but it’s likely to pass.

Muammar Qaddafi knew if an uprising against him were to break out that it would start in Benghazi. His regime never had much support in the east. His family was from the west, which to the people of Benghazi practically made him a foreigner. ...

Read the rest at the link.

Shurat ha-Din's Darshan-Leitner to receive Moskowitz Prize. 'Attorney Nitsana Darshan- Leitner, director of civil rights nonprofit organization Shurat HaDin (The Israel Law Center), will receive the Moskowitz Prize for Zionism, awarded annually to three Israelis deemed to best personify modern Zionism in Israel, for her work in taking Israel’s fight against terrorism to the courtroom. ...'

Morning Report: 2012-05-17

Court awards $322 million claim against Syria to family of US terror victim. Shurat haDin:

May 16, 2012: The United States district court for Washington D.C. has handed down a decision today in the amount of $332 million against the government of Syria for its role in an April 2006 terrorist attack perpetrated in Israel. The suicide bombing killed 11 civilians and injured scores of others. One of those murdered in the bombing was Daniel Wultz, an American student from Florida. His family brought the lawsuit against the Syrian Arab Republic and other parties alleging that Damascus had allowed the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which carried out the attack, to be headquartered in the Syria and provided other material support to the terrorist group. The civil action demanded compensation and punitive damages against the Syrian government as well as numerous Syrian military and intelligence officials.

For several months prior to April 17, 2006, the PIJ planned and made preparations to murder and injure Jewish civilians by carrying out a suicide bombing in a crowded public location in Israel. On April 17, 2006, a Palestinian operative of the PIJ, Sami Salim Mohammed Hammed (“Hammed”) arrived at the Rosh Ha’ir restaurant near the Old Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv ...

Syrian National Council head Burhan Ghalioun to resign. 'The head of Syria's main opposition alliance, the Syrian National Council, has said he will resign amid growing criticism and rifts within the group. Burhan Ghalioun, who was re-elected as SNC leader on Tuesday, said he would step down once a replacement is found. ...'
US airstrike kills 2 al-Qaeda in Yemen. Long War Journal:

The US killed two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in an airstrike in eastern Yemen today. The strike is the sixth by the US in the past week, and takes place as the Yemeni government is intensifying military operations against AQAP strongholds in the south.

Today's strike took place in the town of Shibam in eastern Hadramout province. Unmanned US drones, the Reapers or Predators, fired missiles at a vehicle as it was traveling in the eastern city, according to AFP. Two AQAP operatives were killed in the airstrike. The identities of those killed have not been disclosed. ...

Analysis: Iraq sliding towards new dictatorship. Toby Dodge at IISS sees troubling trends in Baghdad:

Maliki first took control of the Dawa Party by ousting his former boss, Ibrahim al-Jaafri, appointing himself secretary-general and filling the party ranks with loyalists. From 2007 he focused on the military, undermining the chain of command by expanding and taking control of the office of the commander in chief. He appointed a loyal general to oversee the ‘operations centres’ that coordinated security in troubled provinces. Finally, Maliki set up a separate institution for elite US-trained, special-operations troops so that he, rather than the Ministry of Defence, exercised control over them; this in essence created a praetorian guard. ...

Read the rest at the link.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey play friends. Meliha Benli Altunsik at Foreign Affairs reviews the ups and downs of Saudi/Turkish relations from the Iraq War to the Arab Spring, and the Iranian challenge.

US plan to strike Iran "ready". Yeah, I know, you're as tired of the speculation as I am. But the BBC reports that US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said that a plan to attack Iran is "ready" in case diplomatic measures fail to stop Iran's nuclear program.

Morning Report: 2012-05-03

ISAF captures Uzbek al-Qaeda-linked leader. Long War Journal: 'Coalition and Afghan special operations forces captured a leader of the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan during a raid today in northern Afghanistan. The IMU leader, who was involved with assassinations and suicide operations, is the second commander from the group to have been targeted in the district in the past three days. ...'

Profile of would-be bridge bomber Joshua Stafford. This Ain't Hell has the details on this winner. At age 23, his only interest is "smoking weed".

Egypt's frontronner Amr Moussa no friend of Israel. Al-Monitor: 'Cancellation of the gas agreement between Israel and Egypt is only a harbinger of things to come. If Amr Moussa will indeed be elected Egypt’s president, the experts anticipate additional escalation. Moussa, considered the leading candidate in the presidential race of our southern neighbor, earned his popularity in large due to his hard-line attitude toward Israel. It is no accident that Egypt’s hit parade includes the song “I hate Israel and love Amr Moussa” ...'

Morning Report: 2012-05-02

Taliban to start spring offensive. Long War Journal: 'The Taliban statement, which was released in English and other languages, said that the "Al Farooq Jihadi spring operation" offensive will begin on May 3, and will target foreign and Afghan security forces, Afghan political and government officials, the Afghan High Peace Council, and anti-Taliban militias. The statement is attributed to "The Leadership Council of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," which is better known as the Quetta Shura. ...' The statement coincided with an assault that missed President Obama's visit by just hours: 'A Taliban fighter detonated a car bomb at the main gate of the compound at about 6:15 a.m. local time. The four other fighters, wearing suicide vests and armed with assault rifles, hand grenades, and rocket-propelled grenades, then entered a parking area in the outer perimeter of the base, according to a report received by The Long War Journal. ...'

May Day thugs cause damage, attempt more. In San Francisco's Mission District, a group of protesters vandalized shops and cars on Valencia Street on the eve of May Day. Elsewhere, some individuals had more serious trouble in mind. From the Belmont Club:

WKYC has links to the actual criminal complaints filed against Connor Stevens, Brandon Baxter, Douglas Wright, Anthony Hayne and Joshua Stafford in connection with an alleged plot to blow up the Route 82 Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge and perhaps to subsequently attack targets in Chicago in connection with the coming NATO summit. ...

The complaints are worth reading to gain a glimpse into the more extreme fringes of Occupy, to whom some of the suspects belonged or even had leadership positions in. In that universe, the enemy is the Federal Reserve, the One Percent, Fusion Centers and other targets. Since these proved hard to attack it is alleged the suspects decided to focus on the measly bridge.

According to the criminal complaints, the suspects allegedly discussed ways of communicating secretly, spoofing their IP addresses, using untraceable electronic transfers and using peer-to-peer networks to avoid detection by the Man. However, they neglected to avoid the acquaintance of an FBI confidential human source ...

Go to the post for links, and Fernandez' reflections on the incident.

China and technology. Strategy Page reports the latest information on the PRC's efforts to steal and appropriate American technology, and how Beijing hopes to succeed where the old Soviet Union failed.

Morning Report: 2012-04-19

Iraq bombings kill 37. 'Bombings struck several areas in Baghdad and to the north Thursday, killing at least 30 people in the first major attacks in Iraq in nearly a month. The violence stoked fears that insurgents were trying to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government amid rising sectarian tensions. In all, officials said extremists launched 12 attacks in the Iraqi capital and in the cities of Kirkuk, Samarra, Baqouba, Dibis and Taji. ...' Times of India: 'Twenty-two civilians, 10 police, three members of an anti-Qaeda militia and two soldiers were killed in dozens of attacks, including 14 separate car bombings, 13 other bomb attacks and three suicide bombings. ...'

Israeli FM to visit Azerbaijan. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will visit Azerbaijan on April 23 to discuss bilateral relations. His last visit there was in 2010.

Sudan vows to take South's Helgig oil region. 'Clashes between the two armies have intensified since South Sudanese forces occupied the disputed oil-producing region of Heglig on April 10. Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir today vowed to retake the area in what he said would be “the decisive battle.” ...'

Morning Report: 2012-04-18

Argentina nationalizes Spanish energy firm YPF. 'The Argentine government's decision to reclaim what was once its state-owned oil company through expropriation is straining diplomatic relations with Spain, where the news was met with objections. The Spanish energy company Repsol purchased Argentina's oil and gas company, YPF, in 1999 during a period of privatization. But Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced this week a government plan to take YPF back through legislation that would expropriate a 51% share of the company. ...' This while Spain has been preoccupied with other distractions.

Guinea-Bisseau coup. Guinea-Bisseau is a small West African country wedged in between Senegal and Guinea. Here's The Economist's Baobab on the ongoing coup:

INTERNATIONAL experts like to tell developing countries they must focus on stuff they do well. If you have fertile soil and lots of rain, grow rice rather than strive for global high-tech leadership. Guinea-Bissau on the swampy west African coast is following that advice more closely than most. It has little chance of rivalling nearby Ivory Coast in cocoa production or beating Guinea at extracting minerals. Climate and geology conspire against it. But it has proven especially good at one thing: the nation of 2m people has seen at least four military coups in the last 14 years. They happen more regularly than elections in many neighbouring countries. No president has served a full term since its independence from Portugal in 1974....

Learning from the experience of Mali, the new bosses made it a point to capture the President early in the game. The military apparently took exception to a planned crackdown on the country's thriving cocaine-import business.

Totten on Tunisia. Beyond the New Carthage:

“I’m not getting in another car with you,” I said and began walking briskly back toward the terminal, leaving him to deal with the policeman on his own.

He didn’t argue. He even nodded at me with a respectful look on his face, respectful because he could see that I wasn't an idiot and that I chose the perfect moment to get away from him.

I'm telling you this story for a reason. Last year the Tunisian government declared a state of emergency in the wake of a rising crime wave. Five times in the last year—including a week after this incident happened—the Tunisian government extended the state of emergency. Crime is out of control, at least compared with the country's normal low level.

I’d like to tell you the crime rate is still low by international standards. Maybe it is. But somebody tried to rob me (or worse) before I even got out of the airport. ...

Read the rest at the link to find out how the rest of Tunisia - on the surface, and below the surface - differs from the "bubble" around the capital city, Tunis.

Morning Report: 2014-04-15

Pakistan Taliban launch jailbreak assault, frees 400. Long War Journal:

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan launched a nighttime assault on a prison in northwestern Pakistan, freeing nearly 400 inmates, including "hardcore militants."

A Taliban force estimated at 150 fighters launched the attack on the prison in the district of Bannu at 1:00 a.m. local time and clashed with prison personnel for nearly two hours, according to AFP. The heavily armed Taliban fighters blew open the front gate and lobbed grenades and fired on prison guards during the attack. Other Taliban fighters blocked off the surrounding roads to prevent Pakistani reinforcements from reaching the prison.

Ihsanullah Ihsan, a spokesman for the Taliban Movement of Pakistan, claimed credit for the assault and said the group would provide more details on those who were freed. ...

Afghan Taliban attack embassies. Those guys are on a roll. 'Attackers in Afghanistan launched a coordinated wave of assaults Sunday, targeting a heavily protected district of the capital that includes embassies and the presidential palace, as well as trying to strike an airbase used by American troops, officials said. Government facilities, and the American, German and Russian embassies in Kabul were targeted, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said, saying up to seven locations were attacked.'