All-purpose news and politics thread: One Step Beyond!

[king mob]

A helicopter crashed into a plane in London this morning in what was a terrible accident but could have been much, much worse.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21040410

[Jeff Brady]

A helicopter crashed into a plane in London this morning in what was a terrible accident but could have been much, much worse.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21040410

Crane, not plane.

I was thinking, how could that have been much worse until I clicked the link.

[jmc247]

If the experience of women in the US military is anything to go by, it's not rape on the battlefield they need to be concerned about.

What do you mean?

[Michael P]

What do you mean?

Rape in the barracks, rape at the academies, rape by independent military contractors...

[Spike-X]

Rape in the barracks, rape at the academies, rape by independent military contractors...

That's what I mean.

[jmc247]

Rape in the barracks, rape at the academies, rape by independent military contractors...

That certainly is quite bad, well at least we don't have the concept that families should honor kill their daughters after being raped... a notion which Iraq is currently fighting.

[jmc247]

Good News that should put a smile on the face of anyone who cares about their fellow man. I just wish more rich western nations weren't so blind to the suffering of others including my own.

Mali crisis: 'Timbuktu joy after life of fear'

The historic city is a World Heritage site, renowned for its architecture, manuscript libraries and centuries-old shrines to Islamic saints - revered by Sufi Muslims but which the Salafi militants consider idolatrous.

Following France's intervention in Mali last week, a Timbuktu resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told BBC Africa about reaction in the city to the Islamist fighters' apparent withdrawal.

We are happy, we want to thank France because they did well [although there are no French troops in Timbuktu at present]. They beat men, women, children. They cut people's hands”.

Now, we feel free. [From the time the French intervention began], the Islamists began to panic.

Some left town, they went about 60km (40 miles) outside Timbuktu, and other headed towards Douentza. The city is quiet. They left by car [the same cars they used to get into Timbuktu]. There were many of them, but now only a few are left, and they are not strong. They are trying to hide in town.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21042561

Of course Western security is involved in this as well.

AQI veterans have been leaving Syria over the past several months on orders to help the organization take root in North Africa so they have been working to help local Islamist groups learn to wage war and conduct terror. That represents part of the reason for the increased problems.

US intel believes some Benghazi attackers tied to al Qaeda in Iraq

U.S. intelligence believes that assailants connected to al Qaeda in Iraq were among the core group that attacked the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, a U.S. government official told CNN.

That would represent the second al Qaeda affiliate associated with the deadly September 11 attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

Previously, intelligence officials said there were signs of connections to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the North African wing of the terror group.

The revelation that members of al Qaeda in Iraq are suspected of involvement in the Libya attack comes at a time when there is a growing number of fighters from that group also taking part in the Syrian civil war.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/1...qaeda-in-iraq/

Another part is simply when a regime falls like Gaddafi's weapons are going to get around and they have been getting into the hands of Islamists groups that with help of AQI vets are teaching them how to use them to wage an insurgent/terrorist war.

[king mob]

The scandal over traces of horsemeat in beefburgers seems to be in it's last furlong.

At least 10,000 of the frozen burgers withdrawn from sale by a leading UK supermarket following the discovery of meat contaminated with horse DNA are to be processed down to their core components, with the fats removed and sold on for energy generation.

Iceland said waste animal tissue would be converted into fuel through the "rendering" process while Sainsbury's said it would sell the meat to generate energy through anaerobic digestion plants.

Seven major British supermarkets are withdrawing a number of their beef products after horse and pig DNA was found in burgers and ready meals sold by four groups in the UK and Ireland. Aldi, Iceland, Lidl and Tesco were selling products which tested positive for equine DNA.

ABP Food Group, which owns the implicated meat suppliers Silvercrest and Dalepak Hambleton, said it was likely that up to 10m burgers would be recalled following the scandal after horsemeat was found in burgers, leaving supermarkets and their suppliers with a dilemma about what to do with the meat mountain.

Iceland said it had so far collected 2,126 units of the two burger lines it withdrew after the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) report identified the rogue DNA.

The meat will either have steam or boiling water added to it to ensure fat rises to the surface, or it will be dehydrated to release any useful organic materials – the useful parts will be used in the energy sector.

Although not implicated in the FSAI report, Sainsbury's has withdrawn one line from sale.

Sainsbury's said the retailer could not reveal the volume or the value of the products withdrawn "due to commercial sensitivities", but added that none of its food waste goes to landfill.

"The products withdrawn from stores will be sent to anaerobic digestion plants," the spokeswoman said. "This is the most efficient method of generating energy from waste, and part of our broader 'zero food waste to landfill' strategy. We are the UK's largest retail user of anaerobic digestion."

An Aldi spokeswoman said its withdrawn products had not been pulped or destroyed yet. "They are still being tested, a process that takes a lot longer than 24 hours," she said.

She would not comment on whether that meant products that were cleared would go back on the shelves.

Tesco said it would take advice from the Food Standards Agency over how to dispose of the frozen burger products it withdrew from sale following the revelations.

Tesco said: "The products have been isolated from sale and are in frozen storage pending investigation." But he confirmed that "the products will not re-enter the food chain".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013...converted-fuel

[Paradox]

Eating horse is scandalous? What's wrong with horse? I mean besides the weird human thing about "Oh, we make friends with this animal and eat these others."

[Puppetmaker Grae]

Eating horse is scandalous? What's wrong with horse? I mean besides the weird human thing about "Oh, we make friends with this animal and eat these others."

Nothing wrong with eating horse, as long as you know you're eating horse.

[king mob]

Eating horse is scandalous? What's wrong with horse? I mean besides the weird human thing about "Oh, we make friends with this animal and eat these others."

We don't eat horse in this country so we really don't want to have Shergar turn up in the food chain, however the serious point is that there's contamination in the food chain and that what food is labelled as containing has horse DNA, which could be anything. This breaks a load of regulations so hence why supermarkets are having a bit of a mare over this.

[Paradox]

I think eating horse is less dangerous than some of those puns.

[Captain Clarkie]

I think eating horse is less dangerous than some of those puns.

I bridle at that assertion, I say thee Neigh!

[jmc247]

Syrian rebels accuse jihadist groups of trying to hijack revolution

A schism is developing in northern Syria between jihadists and Free Syrian Army units, which threatens to pitch both groups against each other and open a new phase in the Syrian civil war.

Rebel commanders who fight under the Free Syrian Army banner say they have become increasingly angered by the behaviour of jihadist groups, especially the al-Qaida-aligned Jabhat al-Nusra, who they say aim to hijack the goals of the revolution.

The rising tensions are palpable in the countryside near Aleppo, which has become a stronghold for the well-armed and highly motivated jihadists, many of whom espouse the Bin Laden worldview and see Syria as a theatre in which to conduct a global jihad.

Syrian rebel groups, on the other hand, maintain that their goals are nationalistic and not aimed at imposing Islamic fundamentalism on the society if and when the Assad regime falls.

Fighting between the well-armed jihadists and the regular units who accepted their help from late last summer would mark a dramatic escalation in the conflict that has claimed in excess of 60,000 lives. However, commanders in the north say such an outcome now appears unavoidable.

"We will fight them on day two after Assad falls," one senior commander told the Guardian. "Until then we will no longer work with them."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013...ack-revolution

Assad better fall soon as AQI's front group in Syria keeps on growing stronger and stronger.

Anyway, the EU Parliament after months of on and off debate finally offically voted in favor the partnership agreement.

EU Parliament Backs Historic Partnership Agreement With Iraq

MEPs backed the EU’s first-ever partnership deal with Iraq on Thursday, aimed at helping it complete the transition to democracy, rebuild and normalise relations with the international community.

The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) will boost ties in a range of areas, from trade and investment to development. The non-preferential trade agreement, in force provisionally since 1 August 2012, includes basic trade cooperation rules to help Iraq prepare for eventual WTO accession.

“The PCA is a symbol of the EU’s determination to play an important role in Iraq’s transition. We must however match our political ambitions and the strategic stakes involved with the human and financial resources needed,” said the rapporteur, Mario Mauro (EPP, IT).

Under the renewable 10-year deal signed on 11 May 2012 and now endorsed by the House, ministers will meet each year to review progress with peace, democracy and the rule of law. The EU will also help Iraq accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The agreement also promotes human rights and fundamental freedoms and seeks to combat terrorism and the proliferation of weapons.

http://www.eurasiareview.com/1701201...ent-with-iraq/

[king mob]

The hostage crisis in Algeria seems to be getting worse

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/midd...e-live-updates