US drone strike kills local AQAP commander, 2 fighters in central Yemen

US drone strike kills local AQAP commander, 2 fighters in central Yemen

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 12:32 PM PST


The US killed a local al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula commander and two fighters in the first recorded drone strike in Yemen so far this year. The US stepped up the Predator and Reapers strikes in Yemen at the end of December after a seven-week-long pause.

The CIA-operated, remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers killed Mukbel Abbad and two fighters in an attack today as their vehicle traveled in the town of Rada'a in the central Yemen province of Baydah, according to AFP.

Yemeni officials said that Abbad, a senior AQAP leader in the province, was the brother-in-law of Tariq al Dahab, who was the top AQAP leader in Baydah before his death early last year in a feud with his brother Hazam, a senior tribal leader in the town. Hazam was concerned that Tariq's affiliation with AQAP would incur the wrath of the Yemeni government.

AQAP has increased its presence in Baydah province over the past year, and the US has pursued the terror group with drone strikes. On May 28, 2012, the US targeted Kaid al Dhahab, AQAP's emir in the province, and his brother Nabil, who is also a senior leader in the terror group, in a strike in the town of Rada'a.

Kaid took control of AQAP in Baydah after the death of his brother Tariq. Before he was killed, Tariq had seized control of Baydah, raised al Qaeda's banner, sworn allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri, and warned that "the Islamic Caliphate is coming."

Kaid and Nabil were tasked with regrouping AQAP's forces in Baydah after Tariq's death. The two leaders are also the brothers-in-law of slain AQAP leader and ideologue Anwar al Awlaki, who was killed in a drone strike in the fall of 2011.

Increase in strikes in Yemen since the end of December 2012

The US has now conducted five drone strikes in Yemen since Dec. 24, 2012. Prior to the Dec. 24 attack, the last recorded attack by the US in Yemen took place on Nov. 7, 2012. Three of the strikes since Dec. 24 have taken place in and around Rada'a, and two more occurred in the eastern province of Hadramout, another AQAP redoubt.

On Dec. 24, US drones killed Abdullah Hussein al Waeli, a Yemeni operative who escaped from prison two years ago, and a Jordanian in a strike in the village of Maneseeh outside of Rada'a. And on Dec. 29, the drones again struck in Maneseeh, killing AQAP commander Saleh Mohammed al Ameri and two fighters.

US strikes in Yemen

The US is known to have carried out 42 airstrikes against AQAP in Yemen in 2012. Other recent airstrikes are believed to have been carried out by the US also, but little evidence has emerged to directly link the attacks to the US.

Last year's total of 42 strikes was a marked increase from 2011, when just 10 strikes were recorded in Yemen.

Five senior AQAP operatives were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012. The US has targeted both senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, and low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report,US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10]. Obama administration officials have claimed that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homeland.

Since December 2009, the CIA and the US military's Joint Special Operations Command are known to have conducted at least 56 air and missile strikes inside Yemen, including the strike that took place today. [For more information on the US airstrikes in Yemen, see LWJ report, Charting the data for US air strikes in Yemen, 2002 - 2013.]

The pace of the US airstrikes increased as AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia, took over vast areas of southern Yemen starting at the end of May 2011. AQAP seized control of the cities and towns of Zinjibar, Al Koud, Jaar, and Shaqra in Abyan province, and Azzan in Shabwa province.

In May 2012, the Yemeni military launched an offensive to retake the cities and towns held by AQAP. Hundreds of AQAP fighters, Yemeni soldiers, and civilians have been reported killed during fighting that liberated Zinjibar, Jaar, Shaqra, and Azzan.

Since the beginning of May 2011, the US is known to have carried out 52 airstrikes in Yemen. Over the past year, the US has been targeting both AQAP leaders and foot soldiers in an effort to support Yemeni military operations against the terror group. AQAP had taken control of vast areas in southern Yemen and had been expanding operations against the government, with raids on military bases in locations previously thought to be outside the terror group's control.

US intelligence officials believe that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula poses a direct threat to the homeland. The latest AQAP plot against the West, involving an underwear bomb that is nearly undetectable and was to be detonated on an airliner, was foiled earlier this year. The terror group has planned multiple attacks against targets in the US. A strike in Yemen on 2011 killed both Anwar al Awlaki, the radical US-born cleric who plotted attacks against the US, and Samir Khan, another American who served as a senior AQAP propagandist.


More on Ansar al Sharia in Morocco

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:38 AM PST


In previous posts, I wrote about an Ansar al Sharia terrorist cell that was broken up by Moroccan authorities in October of last year. See here and here.

Now Magharebia has added another detail about what may be the same Ansar al Sharia cell in Morocco in a recent article [emphasis added]:
Ever since an al-Qaeda cell in Morocco was dismantled last month, Interior Minister Mohand Laenser has repeatedly underlined that security services needed to be hyper-vigilant.

The group allegedly recruited young Moroccans to join al-Qaeda and the Movement for Tawhid and Jihad (MUJAO) in northern Mali.

In another incident, members of a new Ansar al-Sharia offshoot group were arrested last month for allegedly plotting large-scale terrorist strikes across Morocco.

"This cell, which was seeking to obtain financial and military support from AQIM, was planning attacks on sensitive buildings, security headquarters and tourist sites," he said.



Although this account says the cell was "arrested last month," it sounds like the same cell that was disrupted in late October/early November. Perhaps it is a new cell. Or perhaps additional members of the same cell were arrested in December.

In any event, the Moroccan Interior Minister says this Ansar al Sharia cell was "seeking to obtain financial and military support from AQIM." That's hardly surprising.

As I pointed out in the previous two posts, the Moroccans said that an Ansar al Sharia cell was led by a jihadist ideologue affiliated with al Qaeda's websites, had adopted al Qaeda's ideology, and had "established lines of communication with terrorist groups supporting al Qaeda." In addition, the Moroccan press reported that the cell did "not hide their sympathy for extremist movements around the world, first among them al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghre[b]."


'Good Taliban' leader Mullah Nazir killed in US drone strike

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 09:07 AM PST




South Waziristan Taliban leader Mullah Nazir [bottom-center].


The US killed a senior Taliban leader in one of three drone strikes that took place in the Pakistani tribal areas over the past 24 hours; he had identified himself as an al Qaeda leader and also was favored by the Pakistani state. A separate strike killed a commander in the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan along with two Uzbeks.

Mullah Nazir, the leader of the Taliban in the Wazir area of South Waziristan, was killed by the CIA-operated Predators or Reapers in a strike in the Birmal area of South Waziristan, tribal leaders and Pakistani intelligence officials told Dawn. The remotely piloted drones fired a pair of missiles at a vehicle, killing Nazir; two of his deputies, Atta Ullah and Rafey Khan; a commander known as Rata Khan; and two other fighters.

Pakistani officials in South Waziristan said that the Taliban buried Nazir at a graveyard in the Azam Warzak area of South Waziristan.

Nazir and his followers have been the targets of numerous US drone strikes in the past several years. Of the 328 strikes since 2004, 81 have hit targets in South Waziristan. Several of Nazir's deputies and commanders have been killed in those strikes.

In a separate strike, US drones killed Faisal Khan, a Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan commander, and two Uzbeks as they traveled in a vehicle in the village of Mubarak Shahi in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, Dawn reported. The drones circled back and fired a second salvo of missiles as rescue workers attempted to recover the bodies, but it is unclear if anyone else was killed in the follow-on strike.

Additionally, the US killed five "militants" in a strike that targeted a compound in the Angoor Agga area of South Waziristan late last night. The identities of those killed have not been disclosed.

The US has now launched three drone strikes in Pakistan this year. Last year, the US launched 46 strikes in Pakistan, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. In 2011, the US launched 64 strikes; in 2010, when the program was at its peak, there were 117 strikes.

The program was ramped up by President George W. Bush in the summer of 2008 (35 strikes were launched that year) and continued under President Barack Obama after he took office in 2009 (53 strikes that year). From 2004-2007, only 10 strikes were recorded. Although some of al Qaeda's top leaders have been killed in drone strikes since the program began in 2004, al Qaeda has been able to replace those lost in the attacks. [For data on the strikes, see LWJ reports, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2013; and Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2013.]

Background on Mullah Nazir

Nazir has been an influential Taliban commander and had ties to numerous terrorist groups operating in the region, including al Qaeda, the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, and the plethora of Pakistani and Central Asia jihadist groups operating in the region. He has openly supported Taliban emir Mullah Omar and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and wages jihad in Afghanistan. In an interview with the Asia Times, Nazir rejected claims that he opposed al Qaeda, and affirmed that he considered himself to be a member of the global terror organization.

Pakistan's military and intelligence services consider Nazir and his followers "good Taliban" as they do not openly seek the overthrow of the Pakistani state and only wage jihad in Afghanistan. The government has negotiated several peace deals with Nazir. Yet Nazir continued to provide safe have to top al Qaeda leaders and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, despite agreeing not to do so.

Several top al Qaeda leaders, including Ilyas Kashmiri, Abu Khabab al Masri, Osama al Kini, Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan, and Abu Zaid al Iraqi, have been killed while being sheltered by Nazir. [For more information on Nazir and al Qaeda leaders killed while under his protection, see LWJ reports, 'Good' Pakistani Taliban leader Nazir affirms membership in al Qaeda, and US drones kill 'good' Taliban commander in South Wazirstan.]

Mullah Nazir's Taliban faction is one of four major Taliban groups that joined the Shura-e-Murakeba, an alliance brokered by al Qaeda in late 2011. The Shura-e-Murakeba also includes Hafiz Gul Bahadar's group; the Haqqani Network; and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is led by Hakeemullah Mehsud and his deputy, Waliur Rehman Mehsud. The members of the Shura-e-Murakeba agreed to cease attacks against Pakistani security forces, refocus efforts against the US in Afghanistan, and end kidnappings and other criminal activities in the tribal areas.

In June 2012, Nazir banned polio vaccinations in his areas, and claimed that the program is being used by the US to gather intelligence and conduct drone strikes in the tribal areas. His action followed that of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, who shut down the program in North Waziristan earlier that month.

Nazir's death in a drone strike took place just five weeks after he was the target of a suicide attack in Wana in South Waziristan. Nazir survived the suicide bombing, but six other people were killed.


US drone strike kills 5 'militants' in South Waziristan

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 06:29 AM PST


The US conducted its first strike in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal areas this year, killing five "militants," according to reports.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers, which are operated by the CIA, attacked "a house suspected of being a militant hideout," in the Angoor Agga area of South Waziristan, according to Xinhua. Four of the unmanned strike aircraft are thought to have been circling the compound before firing four missiles just after midnight.

Five "militants" are thought to have been killed, but their identities have not been disclosed. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders are known to have been killed.

Today's strike is the first in Pakistan this year. Last year, the US launched 46 strikes in Pakistan, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. In 2011, the US launched 64 strikes; in 2010, when the program was at its peak, there were 117 strikes.

The program was ramped up by President George W. Bush in the summer of 2008 (35 strikes were launched that year) and continued under President Barack Obama after he took office in 2009 (53 strikes that year). From 2004-2007, only 10 strikes were recorded. Although some of al Qaeda's top leaders have been killed in drone strikes since the program began in 2004, al Qaeda has been able to replace those lost in the attacks. [For data on the strikes, see LWJ reports, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2013; and Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2013.]

Strike takes place in territory controlled by "good Taliban" leader

Today's strike took place in an area under the control of Mullah Nazir, the leader of the Taliban in the Wazir areas of South Waziristan. Nazir has openly supported Taliban emir Mullah Omar and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and wages jihad in Afghanistan. In an interview with the Asia Times, Nazir rejected claims that he opposed al Qaeda, and affirmed that he considered himself to be a member of the global terror organization. Pakistan's military and intelligence services consider Nazir and his followers "good Taliban" as they do not openly seek the overthrow of the Pakistani state.

Several top al Qaeda leaders, including Ilyas Kashmiri, Abu Khabab al Masri, Osama al Kini, Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan, and Abu Zaid al Iraqi, have been killed while being sheltered by Nazir. [For more information on Nazir and al Qaeda leaders killed while under his protection, see LWJ reports, 'Good' Pakistani Taliban leader Nazir affirms membership in al Qaeda, and US drones kill 'good' Taliban commander in South Wazirstan.]

Mullah Nazir's Taliban faction is one of four major Taliban groups that joined the Shura-e-Murakeba, an alliance brokered by al Qaeda in late 2011. The Shura-e-Murakeba also includes Hafiz Gul Bahadar's group; the Haqqani Network; and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is led by Hakeemullah Mehsud and his deputy, Waliur Rehman Mehsud. The members of the Shura-e-Murakeba agreed to cease attacks against Pakistani security forces, refocus efforts against the US in Afghanistan, and end kidnappings and other criminal activities in the tribal areas.

In June 2012, Nazir banned polio vaccinations in his areas, and claimed that the program is being used by the US to gather intelligence and conduct drone strikes in the tribal areas. His action followed that of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, who shut down the program in North Waziristan earlier that month.

TIM CAMERON FREESTYLING ON FLIPPER IN GAME CHANGER

First Meteor Shower of 2013 Peaks Tonight

First Meteor Shower of 2013 Peaks Tonight
Annual Quadrantids sky show will intensify in wee hours.



Quadrantid meteors streak over the Mojave Desert, California, in January 2012.

Photograph by Wally Pacholka, TWAN


Andrew Fazekas

for National Geographic News

Published January 2, 2013


Kick off the New Year with the annual Quadrantid meteor shower, which will peak tonight into tomorrow morning.

During the peak period between 3 a.m. and dawn local time, as many as a hundred shooting stars per hour will be visible from dark locations in the Northern Hemisphere. (Read about the 2011 Quadrantids.)

While the glare of the waning moon will mute the display somewhat, "don't let that stop you from stepping outside, as intense activity is limited to only six hours," said Jim Todd, planetarium manager at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

There's also no need for binoculars or telescopes to catch this sky show, according to Geza Gyuk, astronomer with the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

Early Thursday morning, "find a site with a clear northern horizon where the shower appears to radiate out from—just off the handle of the Big Dipper—and bundle up and bring a friend," said Gyuk.

"A meteor shared is a meteor squared. One gets so much more pleasure when one can compare notes, gripes, and wonder!" he added.

Quadrantids Named for "Missing" Constellation

During a meteor shower Earth passes through a cloud of sand-grain-size particles left behind by a passing comet. The particles get ionized in the upper atmosphere in a bright flash of light—some of which are brighter than others.

Tiny fragments from the comet slam into the Earth's atmosphere at 90,000 miles per hour (1.4 million kilometers per hour) and burn up 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth, "creating the spectacular display we know as a meteor shower," Todd explained.

Like other meteor showers, the Quadrantids (pronounced Kwa-drun-tids) get their name from the constellation from which the meteors appear to radiate.

Dubbed Quadrans Muralis in the 19th century, this shower's namesake pattern of stars isn't found in any map of the heavens today.

Overcrowded star charts forced the removal of the constellation in 1922.

Astronomers decided to have Quadrans Muralis absorbed by the neighboring constellation Boötes, the Herdsman.

As for the Quadrantids keeping their name, it's likely that astronomers at the time decided to maintain it to avoid any confusion with the already established Bootid meteor shower.

Quadrantids Overlooked But Impressive

Historically the Quadrantid meteor shower is overlooked simply because of its brevity and timing—right in the middle of the most frigid winter nights in the Northern Hemisphere, where they are best seen.

But the Quadrantids are worth a look.

For one, they're prolific: "Nearly as many Quadrantid meteors will fly as can be seen during the larger August Perseid and December Geminid meteor showers," said the Oregon museum's Todd.

(Related pictures: "'Beautiful' Geminid Meteor Showers Grace Skies.")

The Quadrantids are also "well known for producing fireballs—exceptionally bright meteors which can also at times generate persistent trails," Todd said.

What's more, the meteor shower's parent object holds some mystery—it appears to be a recently discovered asteroid dubbed 2003 EH1.

And observational evidence is mounting that this object is most likely an extinct comet nucleus, said Todd, which appears to be the remnant of a larger object that broke apart about 500 years ago.

This unusual cosmic heritage makes sense, as the Quadrantids don't appear in older records.

"Other meteor showers, such as the Perseids and perhaps Leonids, seem to be fairly old, with historical documentation suggesting that they have been observed for thousands of years," said Gyuk.

"For the Quadrantids, there is good evidence to suggest that the shower didn't really start until about 500 years ago—making this also consistent with its very narrow peak in activity."

Countries DAKAR 2012 - BEST OF COUNTRIES Discover the most beautiful countries that DAKAR rally crossed during the 2012 edition.

The Dakar Rally is one of the most mentally and physically grueling races in existence, with all aspects of the contest demanding riders’ complete and continued focus over the course of the 14-stage endeavor. The 2013 edition will be no different since across those 14 stages are 8423 total kilometers (5233 miles) of some of the harshest terrain around, 4146 km (2576 miles) of which will be timed. Equipped with a Road Book, GPS and a machine scrutinized down to the last detail, riders will set out on the largely solitary journey starting in Lima, Peru, on January 5, 2013. They will ride for 15 days and end in Santiago, Chile, on January 20, 2013. The 2013 adventure marks the fifth South American event in the Rally’s history . 

Leaving Lima, riders will head to Pisco and then complete a loop in Stage 2 where they will encounter immense chains of sand dunes, paying homage to the Saharan Desert terrain in which the contest was born. They will then move south down the coast through Nazca, Arequipa and Arica before heading east at Calama, crossing over the Andes Mountains into Argentina. Moving inland will take riders over all varieties of terrain and through incredible variations in altitude before they’re turned back toward the ocean following the ninth stage stop in Cordoba. The remaining five stages take riders back west through La Rioja and Fiambala until they reach Copiapo at which point they turn south, following the coastline of Chile until they reach the finish in Santiago.

Even though the race has yet to start there’s already been one major shift that will affect the outcome. Three-time Dakar champion Marc Coma will be unable to compete due to lingering injuries sustained during the Rally of Morocco in November of 2012. Despite efforts at rehabilitation with physiotherapists and doctors, he continues to suffer from shoulder issues that affect his range of movement. Following the announcement it 

Cyril Despres is a favorite to win Dakar in 2013 now that one of his main rivals, Marc Coma, is out due to injury.

was revealed that AMA National Hare and Hound Champion Kurt Caselli had been selected to ride in Coma’s stead, giving the American rider his first crack at the toughest rally race in the world and marking a milestone in his professional career.

“It has always been a goal in my career to compete in the Dakar,” said Caselli. “There would be no way possible for me to achieve this without the ongoing support of KTM. To be able to race the greatest off road race in the world aboard the best bike in the world is truly a blessing. This is not only a milestone in my career but also in my life.”

Caselli’s KTM teammate, Cyril Despres, winner of the 2012 Dakar, will chase his fifth career Dakar victory in 2013. He comes having won the 2012 Rally of Morocco by over six minutes ahead of Husqvarna’s Joan Barreda in a race that serves as the final official contest where teams preparing for Dakar compete before the big show in January. With Coma out, the French rider is considered the favorite to win, but no amount of past glory can predict the outcome of the race ahead, especially since Dakar is an endurance race pitting man and machine versus the terrain. One unseen rock or hazard can quickly spell the end of the race for even the most seasoned rider.

“I am always cautious,” said Despres. “I always say that my biggest rival on the Dakar isn’t the other competitors but the desert itself. That is the thing on the Dakar that no one can master.”

Though Coma will be out of the action , Despres will still have plenty of competition from other teams. Factory Honda backed Team HRC will field three riders, Helder Rodrigues, Johnny Campbell and Javier Pizzolito, marking 2013 as the first time Big Red has put full factory support behind a Dakar team in over two decades. When the team was initially announced there were five riders, but Sam Sunderland and Felipe Zanol were injured during pre-Dakar testing in the Mojave Desert and are now unable to compete. All five raced in the Rally of Morocco and Rodrigues proved to be the 

Team HRC lost Sam Sunderland and Felipe Zanol after they were injured during testing in the Mojave Desert.

strongest rider of the team in the event, earning a number of stage wins. Except for a mid-rally crash, Rodrigues would have been on pace to challenge Despres for the overall win. The Portuguese rider took third-place overall finishes in both the 2012 and 2011 Dakar, making him one of the most potent threats to Despres’ bid for a second consecutive title.

Campbell has a lifetime of race experience and is one of the few riders beside Caselli who will represent the United States in the event. He has been a dominant figure in Baja Racing for more than 20 years and has raced the Dakar on both two and four wheels. Pizzolito ran his first Dakar in 2010, which ended soon after the start due to mechanical issues, but he returned in 2011 and finished 19th overall. The Argentine rider took a DNF in 2012 and returns to prove his mettle before the home crowd in 2013. All three Team HRC riders will mount the newly developedCRF450 Rally bike, which Honda revealed this October at the Intermot show in Germany and first raced in the Rally of Morocco. 

Husqvarna Rally Team by Speedbrain has also put together a squad of fierce competitors for Dakar 2013, including Barreda, Paulo Goncalves, Alessandro Botturi and Matt Fish. Barreda and Goncalves both vied for top spots in the 2012 Rally of Morocco, with Barreda finishing second overall and Goncalves taking fifth. The two were also regularly competitive against the likes of Coma and Rodrigues during the 2012 Cross Country Rally World Championship. Fish notched a number of top-10 stage finishes during the Cross Country Championship, and Botturi earned honors as best rookie in the 2012 Dakar, finishing eighth overall.

Francisco "Chaleco" Lopez of Chile took third-place overall in 2010 and returns to challenge for another Dakar podium in 2013.

Jordi Viladoms will also pilot a Husqvarna TE449RR prepared by Speedbrain, but will be supported by Chilean team Tamarugal XC. He placed fourth overall in Dakar 2012 and was a consistent podium finisher during the Cross Country Rallies Championship. He even secured an overall win at the 2012 Sardinia Rally Race, which he took by almost 10 minutes ahead of Botturi. 2013 will be the seventh time he’s competed in Dakar.

Other riders to watch include local hero Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez of Chile, who took third place overall in 2010 and who finished the 2012 Rally of Morocco in third as well aboard his KTM 450 Rally bike. Dutch rider Frans Verhoeven has secured Yamaha Factory support for both the 2013 and 2014 Dakar and has multiple stage victories as well as a career best eighth-place overall result, which he took in 2009. Factory KTM has also put support behind a “B” team made up of South African riders Darryl Curtic and Riaan Van Niekerk, as well as Polish rider Jakub “Kuba” Przygonski. 

Motorcycle USA will provide daily coverage of the 14-stage Dakar Rally, so check back often for updates on all the action. 

New "persecution of Christians" have launched worldwide

New "persecution of Christians" have begun worldwide, especially in Muslim states, particularly in the Middle East where Christians are essentially threatened with extinction. 200 million Christians, about 10% of Christians worldwide, "dealt disadvantaged in society, harassed or oppressed actively for their beliefs."

H Civitas, the famous British "think tank" for the civil society,  adopted recently an extensive study on " Christianophobia ", signed by Rupert Shortt, scholar, editor of The Times Literary Supplement and fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford. The study makes it clear that Christians worldwide suffer more hostility than any other religious group, while politicians appear essentially "blind" before the extent of violence against Christians in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Among half to two thirds of the Christians of the Middle East have been forced either to migrate or killed during the last century, leaving the land where Jesus was born without Christians. Apart from violent attacks, killing and plunder, the study notes that "Christians who say their religious beliefs are employed in public services find their professional advancement virtually impossible." Recall that in Britain, where the research was published there have been cases of Christians who even threatened with dismissal because pectoral cross worn when working in the public and private sectors.

Often the persecution and "Christianophobia" relate to fears of authoritarian regimes that Eastern Christianity is a "Western belief" that aims to katavarathrosi them. And contributed to this wasteful use of the term "Crusade» (crusades) by George W. Bush, creating the feeling that one is imminent coordinated attack of Christianity on Islam, which had to fight back.

The state prosecution of Christianity occurs in greater China, where more Christians imprisoned than anywhere else in the world, says the UK Telegraph.

The actual hostility against Christians is constantly growing, and unfortunately help the "Arab Spring," which brought more assertive Islamic political forces in things. The study recorded hundreds of cases of attack by fanatics against Christians, mostly in Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Nigeria, Burma and China.

The only Christian minister in Pakistan, the Catholic Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated last year. The Telegraph carries that after the murder was videotaped message with the words: "I prefer to die for my principles and for the justice in my community rather than to compromise. Share with you that I believe in Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us. "

The Primate of the Orthodox Church, the Syrian Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John of Damascus called all Christians to remain in Syria despite the continuation of the civil war. In his first speech after his election called on the warring parties to end the conflict. In audiovisual message posted on the internet, dissidents threatened to attack two Christian villages where residents do not prosecute government troops there.

Note that the politicians in the western world or icily indifferent to religious genocide taking place on a large scale, as demonstrated by the study of Shortt, or fear that any expression of concern will be featured racist, brandishing political cost.

ΠΗΓΗ: http://www.pentapostagma.gr/2012/12/think-tank.html#ixzz2GZCJavd2

COMET ISON

ΜΑΛΟΝ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΟΣΜΟΥ ΑΝΑΒΛΗΘΗΚΕ ΓΙΑ ΛΙΓΟΥΣ ΜΗΝΕΣ!

In 2013 a comet called Ison will put on a once in a lifetime show. The comet is expected to be visible to the naked eye for several months in late 2013, and could at times be brighter than the Moon.
It will be visible from all around the world.

At the moment it is a faint object, visible only in sophisticated telescopes as a point of light moving slowly against the background stars. It doesn't seem much – a frozen chunk of rock and ice – one of many moving in the depths of space. But this one is being tracked with eager anticipation by astronomers from around the world, and in a year everyone could know its name.

Comet Ison could draw millions out into the dark to witness what could be the brightest comet seen in many generations – brighter even than the full Moon.

It was found as a blur on an electronic image of the night sky taken through a telescope at the Kislovodsk Observatory in Russia as part of a project to survey the sky looking for comets and asteroids – chunks of rock and ice that litter space. Astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok were expecting to use the International Scientific Optical Network's (Ison) 40cm telescope on the night of 20 September but clouds halted their plans.

It was a frustrating night but about half an hour prior to the beginning of morning twilight, they noticed the sky was clearing and got the telescope and camera up and running to obtain some survey images in the constellations of Gemini and Cancer.

When the images were obtained Nevski loaded them into a computer program designed to detect asteroids and comets moving between images. He noticed a rather bright object with unusually slow movement, which he thought could only mean it was situated way beyond the orbit of Jupiter. But he couldn't tell if the object was a comet, so Novichonok booked time on a larger telescope to take another look. Less than a day later the new images revealed that Nevski and Novichonok had discovered a comet, which was named Comet Ison. A database search showed it has been seen in images taken by other telescopes earlier that year and in late 2011. These observations allowed its orbit to be calculated, and when astronomers did that they let out a collective "wow."

Comet Ison has taken millions of years to reach us travelling from the so-called Oort cloud – a reservoir of trillions and trillions of chunks of rock and ice, leftovers from the birth of the planets. It reaches out more than a light-year – a quarter of the way to the nearest star. In the Oort cloud the Sun is but a distant point of light whose feeble gravity is just enough to hold onto the cloud. Every once in a while a tiny tug of gravity, perhaps from a nearby star or wandering object, disturbs the cloud sending some of its comets out into interstellar space to be lost forever and a few are scattered sunward. Comet Ison is making its first, and perhaps only visit to us. Its life has been cold, frozen hard and unchanging, but it is moving closer to the Sun, and getting warmer.

Ison's surface is very dark – darker than asphalt – pockmarked and dusty with ice beneath the surface. It's a small body, a few tens of miles across, with a tiny pull of gravity. If you stood upon it you could leap 20 miles into space taking over a week to come down again, watching as the comet rotated beneath you. You could walk to the equator, kneel down and gather up handfuls of comet material to make snowballs, throw them in a direction against the comet's spin and watch them hang motionless in front of you. But it will not remain quiet on Comet Ison for the Sun's heat will bring it to life.

By the end of summer it will become visible in small telescopes and binoculars. By October it will pass close to Mars and things will begin to stir. The surface will shift as the ice responds to the thermal shock, cracks will appear in the crust, tiny puffs of gas will rise from it as it is warmed. The comet's tail is forming.

Slowly at first but with increasing vigour, as it passes the orbit of Earth, the gas and dust geysers will gather force. The space around the comet becomes brilliant as the ice below the surface turns into gas and erupts, reflecting the light of the Sun. Now Ison is surrounded by a cloud of gas called the coma, hundreds of thousands of miles from side to side. The comet's rotation curves these jets into space as they trail into spirals behind it. As they move out the gas trails are stopped and blown backwards by the Solar Wind.

By late November it will be visible to the unaided eye just after dark in the same direction as the setting Sun. Its tail could stretch like a searchlight into the sky above the horizon. Then it will swing rapidly around the Sun, passing within two million miles of it, far closer than any planet ever does, to emerge visible in the evening sky heading northward towards the pole star. It could be an "unaided eye" object for months. When it is close in its approach to the Sun it could become intensely brilliant but at that stage it would be difficult and dangerous to see without special instrumentation as it would be only a degree from the sun.

Remarkably Ison might not be the only spectacular comet visible next year. Another comet, called 2014 L4 (PanSTARRS), was discovered last year and in March and April it could also be a magnificent object in the evening sky. 2013 could be the year of the great comets.

As Comet Ison heads back to deep space in 2014 the sky above it would begin to clear as the dust and gas geysers loose their energy. Returning to the place where the Sun is a distant point of light, Comet Ison may never return. Its tail points outward now as the solar wind is at its back, and it fades and the comet falls quiet once more, this time forever.

Police in Peru Burn Over 5 Tonnes of Drugs

Ατάκες Παπακωνσταντίνου στην Επιτροπή Διαφάνειας

Snow Sculptors Create Massive Horse Sculpture in NE China

Romfea.gr | Μια Ρωσική Εκκλησία από χιόνι φιλοτέχνησαν επαγγελματίες τεχνίτες του πάγου, πέριξ της Εθνικής Οδού στην βορειανατολική Κίνα.

Μέχρι σήμερα χιλιάδες έχουν δει το έργο τέχνης, το οποίο χρειάστηκε πάρα πολλές μέρες εργασίας για να ολοκληρωθεί.

NICE PHOTO

LIGHTNING

Coma out for the Dakar 2013

Coma out for the Dakar 2013 - Caselli in!!posted Dec 21, 2012 7:07 PM by The Dakar [ updated Dec 21, 2012 7:14 PM ]




Coma out for the Dakar 2013! KTM, the brand whose factory teams and bikes have sealed eleven consecutive Dakar Rally victories announced in a press conference in Barcelona on Friday that one of its key riders, Spaniard Marc Coma will be unable to ride in the 2013 edition of the world’s most famous rally.
Marc Coma, who injured his shoulder in an accident in the Morocco Rally in October, is not completely fit. The team has therefore decided he should not tackle the event that involves more than 8000 km of perilous riding over the world’s toughest offroad terrain through Peru, Argentina and Chile.
Alex Doringer (KTM Rally Factory Team Manager): “Marc is one of our key riders and together with his teammate Cyril Despres has giving KTM the last seven Dakar titles. While we are disappointed that he is unable to ride, the health and welfare of our factory riders is the most important consideration. If he is not 100 percent fit, it is better for him to sit out the 2013 rally.” Coma, winner of three Dakar titles and the reigning World Cross Country World Championship is, together with his teammate Despres, recognized as one of the world’s finest exponents of rally sport.
A deeply disappointed Coma spoke after the press conference saying: “We worked really hard with the doctors and the physiotherapists right up until the last minute but we have to be realistic. One of the muscles in my shoulder is still giving me problems and there is a lack of movement. This is the logical consequence and we must be honest and clear about the situation.”




Coma, who will now concentrate his efforts on regaining complete fitness ahead of the rest of the 2013 season and looking forward to the Dakar 2014 said he was sad for the team but underlined that the Dakar is a ‘winning project’ for KTM so there was no alternative than to make this announcement. Team manager Alex Doringer said he hoped Marc would be at the start in Lima to wish the team well and see them launch their attack.
Doringer underlined that in view of the high profile that the Dakar Rally has for KTM, that the company had always taken the precaution of having a reserve rider registered with the Dakar organizers, ASO. He said they had now given the green light for the accredited reserve rider to step in and ride Coma’s KTM 450 Rally bike.
“We always took the precaution to have a reserve rider properly registered in case of such circumstances and it will be KTM USA’s Kurt Caselli who will step in to ride Coma’s bike. We want him to ride the Dakar without any pressure, embrace the adventure and learn from the experience,” Doringer said.
Caselli is at the forefront of the US offroad scene and is the current AMA National Hare and Hound Champion. He is a multiple national title winner in premium US offroad events, has been a stalwart in the US International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) Championship and was a member of the KTM team that recently finished second in the 2012 edition of the legendary Baja 1000. Caselli’s start number is yet to be confirmed.
Kurt Caselli: “It has always been a goal in my career to compete in the Dakar. There would be no way possible for me to achieve this without the ongoing support of KTM. To be able to race the greatest off road race in the world aboard the best bike in the world is truly a blessing. This is not only a milestone in my career but also in my life.”

DAKAR TIME

ΕΝ ΑΝΑΜΟΝΗ ΤΗΣ ΕΝΑΡΞΕΩΣ ΤΟΥ ΝΤΑΚΑΡ 2013 ΑΣ ΖΕΣΤΑΙΝΟΜΑΣΤΕ ΜΕ ΛΙΓΑ ΠΛΑΝΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 2012

Αποκλεισμένα από το Ντακάρ 2012 όπου είχε κατακτώντας τη 2η θέση συνολικά, Robby Gordon εισέρχεται με ένα Hummer που, μετά από προκαταρκτικούς ελέγχους, πληροί όλες τις κανονιστικές απαιτήσεις. Ο Αμερικανός θα είναι στη γραμμή εκκίνησης στις 5 Ιανουαρίου και προσθέτει το όνομά του στη λίστα των υποψηφίων για τον τίτλο.

• 

Φράνσις Φορντ Κόπολα είχε Ματ Ντίλον λένε "δεν ξέρεις ένα βουητό δεν είναι ένα βουητό χωρίς εμένα;" λίγο πριν από την τελική σκηνή της ταινίας ξένοι . Είναι ακριβώς σε αυτό το πνεύμα που Robby Gordon έχει σιγοβράζει μακριά για αρκετές εβδομάδες, εν αναμονή της επίσημης επιβεβαίωσης της συμμετοχής του στο Ντακάρ το 2013. Ενώ οι αναγκαίοι έλεγχοι που διενεργούνται σε Hummer του, ο Αμερικανός φαινόταν από μακριά στα πληρώματα που θα ανταγωνίζονται για τον τίτλο σε λίγες εβδομάδες ». Ακριβώς όπως και ο συμπαίκτης του από το προηγούμενο έτος Nasser Al Attiyah και την επιστροφή Carlos Sainz, τόσο εξοπλισμένα με ολοκαίνουργια buggies, η Καλιφόρνια σόουμαν θα έρθει να αμφισβητήσει την Minis του Stéphane Peterhansel και Nani Roma. Το H3 που πυροδότησε τη συζήτηση για το 2012 έχει ελεγχθεί στα εργαστήρια της Σαρλότ: έχει αρχικά κηρυχθεί ικανοί να πηδούν στους αμμόλοφους του Περού, την Αργεντινή και τη Χιλή, μεταξύ 5 και 20 Ιανουαρίου του επόμενου έτους. Gordon, ο οποίος θα εμφανίζει τον αριθμό 315 στις αγώνα το αυτοκίνητό του στη Λίμα, έχει επίσης ως στόχο να βελτιώσει την 3η θέση που αποκτήθηκε το 2009, κατά την πρώτη της Νότιας Αμερικής Ντακάρ. . Ο "επαναστάτης" θα πλαισιώνεται από συγκυβερνήτης του το 2011, Kellon Walch. Αλλά με την τεράστια ποσότητα των buggies και 4Χ4 ικανή να ανταγωνιστεί στο υψηλότερο δυνατό επίπεδο, θέσεις στο βάθρο φέρει ένα ακόμη υψηλότερο τίμημα!

EIKONEΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΣΠΗΛΑΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΓΕΝΝΗΣΕΩΣ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΝ ΙΕΡΟ ΝΑΟ

Εντός της μεγαλοπρεπούς Βασιλικής της του Χριστού Γεννήσεως στη Βηθλεέμ ξεχωρίζει η θαυματουργός εικόνα της Υπεραγίας Θεοτόκου, της επονομαζόμενης Βηθλεεμίτισσας.

Η είσοδος για το Ιερό Σπήλαιο

Ο Ιερός Ναός εσωτερικά (δίπλα στο καθολικό). Εκεί που διακρίνεται η μορφή του μοναχού, κατεβαίνει κανείς τα σκαλοπάτια και βρίσκεται μπροστά στο Άγιο Σπήλαιο της Γεννήσεως του Χριστού

Ο Ιερός Ναός της Γεννήσεως

Το Άγιο Σπήλαιο της Γεννήσεως του Χριστού

Το καθολικόν του Ιερού Ναού της Γεννήσεως

XΡΟΝΙΑ ΠΟΛΛΑ. ΚΑΛΑ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΑ

Συρία: Σφαγή από αεροπορική επίθεση έξω από αρτοποιείο

Δεκάδες άνθρωποι έχασαν τη ζωή τους από αεροπορική επιδρομή που πραγματοποιήθηκε έξω από αρτοποιείο στην πόλη Χάμα στην κεντρική Συρία, όπως ανακοίνωσαν οι ανταρτικές δυνάμεις, με ορισμένες πηγές να ανεβάζουν τον αριθμό των νεκρών στους 200.




«Δεν μπορούμε να έχουμε ακόμη έναν ακριβή αριθμό, γιατί εξακολουθεί να επικρατεί σύγχυση για το ποιος είναι νεκρός και ποιος έχει τραυματισθεί», δηλώνει στέλεχος του ανταρτικού κινήματος.




Η αεροπορική επιδρομή πραγματοποιήθηκε στην Χαλφάγια, μία πόλη που πρόσφατα ανακαταλήφθηκε από τους αντάρτες σε μία νέα προέλασή τους στην επαρχία της Χάμα.




Μέσα σε αυτό το φόντο, ο ειδικός απεσταλμένος της διεθνούς κοινότητας για την ειρήνη στη Συρία Λαχντάρ Μπραχίμι αφίχθη την Κυριακή στη Δαμασκό, όπως διαπίστωσε απεσταλμένος του Γαλλικού Πρακτορείου.




Ο απεσταλμένος του ΟΗΕ και του Αραβικού Συνδέσμου κατέλυσε στο ξενοδοχείο Σέρατον, στο κέντρο της Δαμασκού, σύμφωνα με την ίδια ενημέρωση. Ο Μπραχίμι εισήλθε οδικώς στη Συρία για την, μη προανακοινωθείσα αυτή επίσκεψη, από τον Λίβανο, όπου είχε φθάσει προηγουμένως αεροπορικώς, σύμφωνα με την ανακοίνωση των αερολιμενικών αρχών του Λιβάνου.




Από την πλευρά του, ο Σύρος υπουργός Πληροφόρησης (Τύπου) Ομράν αλ Ζόχμπι διαβεβαίωσε κατά τη διάρκεια συνέντευξης Τύπου στη Δαμασκό πως δεν έχει ενημερωθεί για την επίσκεψη του Μπραχίμι.




Στην προηγούμενη επίσκεψή του στη Δαμασκό, οπότε είχε συναντηθεί με τον πρόεδρο Μπασάρ αλ Άσαντ και άλλους αξιωματούχους, ο Μπραχίμι είχε προσγειωθεί στο διεθνές αεροδρόμιο της συριακής πρωτεύουσας, το οποίο όμως έχει κλείσει πλέον εξαιτίας των σφοδρών συγκρούσεων που σημειώνονται στην πέριξ αυτού περιοχή.




Εν τω μεταξύ, η κυβέρνηση της Συρίας έλαβε αποστάσεις την Κυριακή από τα σχόλια του αντιπροέδρου της χώρας, κατά τον οποίον καμία από τις δύο αντιμαχόμενες πλευρές μπορεί να κερδίσει τον εμφύλιο πόλεμο, υποστηρίζοντας πως οι κυβερνητικές δυνάμεις είναι ακόμη πανίσχυρες.




Την περασμένη εβδομάδα, ο αντιπρόεδρος Φαρούκ αλ Σαράα-ο οποίος δεν βρίσκεται στον στενό κύκλο του προέδρου Μπασάρ αλ Άσαντ-είχε υποστηρίξει σε έντυπη συνέντευξή του πως η χώρα έχει ανάγκη από μία κυβέρνηση εθνικής ενότητας καθώς καμία πλευρά, ούτε οι αντικαθεστωτικοί αντάρτες, ούτε οι κυβερνητικές δυνάμεις, μπορούν να επικρατήσουν στρατιωτικά.




«Υπάρχουν 23 εκατ. άνθρωποι στη Συρία, ο καθένας με την προσωπική του άποψη, αυτή ήταν μία από τις 23 εκατ. απόψεις», υποστήριξε ο υπουργός Πληροφόρησης (Τύπου) Ουμράν αλ Ζαάμπι στη διάρκεια συνέντευξης Τύπου στη Δαμασκό. Ο Ζαάμπι υπογράμμισε στους δημοσιογράφους πως ο συριακός στρατός παραμένει ισχυρός παρά μία μακρά σειρά από προελάσεις και καταλήψεις εδαφών από τις ανταρτικές ομάδες σε όλη τη χώρα. Ο ίδιος υπαινίχθηκε πως πολλές αναφορές για επιτυχίες των ανταρτών είναι «φαντασιοπληξίες, δημοσιογραφικού σκοπού νίκες».




«Έχω να δώσω μία γενική συμβουλή σε εκείνες τις πολιτικές δυνάμεις που αρνούνται τον διάλογο: τα χρονικά περιθώρια στενεύουν. Βιαστείτε και αρχίστε να κινείσθε προς την κατεύθυνση μίας πολιτικής λύσης», πρόσθεσε ο Ζαάμπι. «Αυτά τα στρατιωτικά εγχειρήματα για να ανατραπεί η κυβέρνηση, για να εκδιωχθεί ο πρόεδρος, για την κατάληψη της πρωτεύουσας, ξεχάστε τα. Αυτή είναι η συμβουλή μου», διεμήνυσε ο ίδιος.




Ο υπουργός πρόσθεσε επίσης πως η Συρία ουδέποτε θα χρησιμοποιήσει τα χημικά της όπλα, εάν έχει, σε οποιοδήποτε σημείο μέσα, ή έξω, από τη χώρα. Είναι η πρώτη φορά που κυβερνητικό στέλεχος επισημαίνει σαφώς πως δεν υπάρχει πρόθεση να χρησιμοποιηθεί το χημικό οπλοστάσιο της χώρας, παρά τις περί του αντιθέτου αιτιάσεις των ΗΠΑ και της Δύσης, που δηλώνουν ότι διαπιστώνονται σχετικές προετοιμασίες.




Την ίδια ώρα, ο Οργανισμός Ισλαμικής Συνεργασίας (ΟCI) κατήγγειλε την Κυριακή τις απειλές που έχουν εκτοξεύσει ισλαμιστές μαχητές ενάντια σε χριστιανικές κοινότητες στη Συρία, απευχόμενος συνάμα την μετεξέλιξη της πολιτικής σύρραξης σε θρησκευτικό πόλεμο στο εσωτερικό της χώρας. Σε ανακοίνωσή του, ο ΟCI εκτιμά πως τέτοιου είδους απειλές «αντιβαίνουν στις αρχές του Ισλάμ, που διακηρύσσουν την ανεκτικότητα, την αδελφοσύνη και την ειρήνη».




Ο πανισλαμικός Οργανισμός, που στις τάξεις του απαριθμεί 57 μέλη, προειδοποίησε για τον κίνδυνο «διολίσθησης σε μία δογματική σύρραξη» στη Συρία. Σε βίντεό τους, που αναρτήθηκε χθες στο διαδίκτυο, οι αντάρτες κατά του Μπασάρ αλ Άσαντ προειδοποιούν τους κατοίκους της Μχάρντα και ντ' αλ Σκιλμπίγια (δύο χριστιανικών κοινοτήτων στο κέντρο της Συρίας) πως θα τους επιτεθούν προκειμένου να απομακρύνουν μονάδες των κυβερνητικών δυνάμεων που σταθμεύουν εκεί.




Με ένα ποίμνιο 1,8 εκατ. πιστών, η συριακή ορθόδοξη κοινότητα έχει παραμείνει στο περιθώριο της εμφύλιας σύρραξης. Η κεφαλή της Εκκλησίας και μεγάλο τμήμα των πιστών της, φοβούμενοι τους



ισλαμιστές, έχουν λάβει θέσεις υπέρ του Άσαντ.