Thursday, April 30, 2015

Patriot Act Faces Revisions Backed by Both Parties

WASHINGTON — After more than a decade of wrenching national debate over the intrusiveness of government intelligence agencies, a bipartisan wave of support has gathered to sharply limit the federal government’s sweeps of phone and Internet records.

On Thursday, a bill that would overhaul the Patriot Act  and curtail the so-called metadata surveillance exposed by Edward J. Snowden was overwhelmingly passed by the House Judiciary Committee and was heading to almost certain passage in that chamber this month.

An identical bill in the Senate — introduced with the support of five Republicans — is gaining support over the objection of Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, who is facing the prospect of his first policy defeat since ascending this year to majority leader.

The push for reform is the strongest demonstration yet of a decade-long shift from a singular focus on national security at the expense of civil liberties to a new balance in the post-Snowden era.

Under the bipartisan bills in the House and Senate, the Patriot Act would be changed to prohibit bulk collection, and sweeps that had operated under the guise of so-called National Security Letters issued by the F.B.I. would end. The data would instead be stored by the phone companies themselves, and could be accessed by intelligence agencies only after approval of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court.

The legislation would also create a panel of experts to advise the FISA court on privacy, civil liberties, and technology matters, while requiring the declassification of all significant FISA court opinions.  Read More at Patriot Act, nytimes
Patriot Act Faces Revisions Backed by Both Parties


Obama Nominates Gayle Smith to Lead U.S.A.I.D. - nytimes

WASHINGTON — President Obama nominated Gayle Smith, a senior White House official, on Thursday to be the next administrator of theUnited States Agency for International Development, administration officials said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Smith, a longtime development and Africa specialist in the Clinton and Obama administrations, would succeed Dr. Rajiv Shah, who left the agency in February after five years on the job.

Ms. Smith, 59, who is well-known in Washington development circles, would be responsible for leading the government’s response to humanitarian disasters like the earthquake in Nepal, the refugee crisis in Syria and the receding Ebola epidemic in West Africa, as well as managing the agency’s $20 billion budget.

She would also have to figure out a way to duplicate her predecessor’s skillful managing of congressional Republicans. Dr. Shah was widely credited with successfully defending the agency’s budget at a time of belt-tightening and intense partisanship. He was also known for innovative programs that sought to tackle global health and development challenges in unusual ways.   Read More at nytimes

Obama Nominates Gayle Smith to Lead U.S.A.I.D

TOLOnews 28 April 2015 TAWDE KHABARE / تودی خبری ۰۸ ثور ۱۳۹۴



Afghans Mark 8th Saur - Anniversary of Najibullah Government’s Collapse  Read More

Learning About The Quran ... From A Catholic Archbishop - Tom Gjelten

For years, Fitzgerald has been urging his fellow Christians to acquaint themselves with Islam and its holy book, the Quran. It has been a challenging mission at a time when many non-Muslims associate Islam with violence and when many Muslims think the West has declared war on their faith.

"The more you understand a religion, the better it is," Fitzgerald says, "whether it's Christians studying Islam or Christians studying Christianity or Muslims studying Christianity. I think this helps in your relations."

In his class he often highlights differences between Christianity and Islam, though in such a way as to encourage respect for distinctive Muslim approaches.

"In our ceremonies we read the scripture — the Gospel is read," he said in a recent classroom session. "In Islamic prayer, it is not read, it is recited. The imam has to know the Quran. So it's very good to become a ... ," and then Fitzgerald wrote the wordhafiz on the blackboard, explaining that it means someone who has memorized the Quran from start to finish.

Noting that Muslims view the Quran as a sacred object and are careful about who touches it and how, Fitzgerald challenged his students to consider why the book is held in such esteem in Islam.

"Would there be anything comparable in Catholic Christianity?" he asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "In a way, the Quran is a sacrament, isn't it? It's a sign of the presence of God."

"A well-informed Christian can teach Islam better than an ill-informed Muslim,"  Saritoprak says.

"We have a strong emphasis on expertise in the Islamic tradition," Saritoprak says. "One of the sayings of the Prophet [Muhammad] is that wisdom is something a Muslim should have, no matter where it comes from."

Muslims, Saritoprak says, are advised to "seek knowledge even if it is in China."

Fitzgerald's main message for Christians, nevertheless, is that Islam is a religion worth of their respect, just as Christians want Muslims to respect Christianity.

Saritoprak has a similar view.  "People are enemies of what they are ignorant about," he says — citing what he says is another verse from the Quran. - Read More

Learning About The Quran ... From A Catholic Archbishop

رئیس جمهور غنی: با تروریستان در افغانستان هیچ معامله ممکن نیست - رادیو آزادی

رئیس جمهور افغانستان میگوید: سیاست حکومت وحدت ملی، سیاست حذف کردن نیست اما به گفته وی در این حکومت برای خارجی ها جای وجود ندارد. محمد اشرف غنی در آخرین روز سفرش به هند هم چنان گفت که با تروریستان در افغانستان، هیچ معامله ممکن نیست. آقای غنی هم چنان در دیدار با شماری از اعضای اتاق تجارت و صنایع افغانستان، از آنها خواست تا از راه سرمایه گزاری، برای ثبات افغانستان کمک کنند.

رئیس جمهور غنی در پایان سفرش به هند، گفت که حکومت وحدت ملی در افغانستان از سیاست حذف کردن حمایت نمیکند. به گفته وی اگر اختلاف های سیاسی وجود داشته باشد، از طریق گفتگو حل شده میتواند. آقای غنی پیش از آنکه دیروز دوباره به کابل بیاید، به خبرنگاران در دهلی نو گفت که حکومت وحدت ملی، همه شمول است: "هر کسی که با حکومت قانونی ما به دلایل سیاسی موافق نیست، باید از راه سیاسی پیش آید. این موضوع ذوقی نیست. حتمی است. ما با ایجاد حکومت وحدت ملی آشکار ساخته ایم که یک سیاست همه شمول را پیروی میکنیم و طرفدار حذف کردن نیستیم."

رئیس جمهور غنی افزود که پایان هر اختلاف گفتگو است و به گفته او، از راه مذاکره، هر قضیه بررسی شده میتواند و از آن نتیجه گیری میشود. اما آقای غنی تاکید کرد که معامله در چهار چوب دولت افغانستان با تروریستان خارجی ممکن نیست: "تفاوت میان طالبان و شبکه های تروریزم بین المللی در چیست؟ دومی در پالیسی آینده ما جا ندارد. اگر آنها براساس شرایط کشور های شان زاده شده اند و یا نظریه بی ثباتی جهان را مطرح میکنند، ما باید بیرون از چهارچوب سیاسی افغانستان با آنها معامله کنیم. قانون اساسی افغانستان برای هر افغان جا دارد، اما سایر گروه های تروریستی، برای همه ما تهدید هستند."  Read More

Afghanistan fighting season could kill record number of civilians: aid agencies

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Fighting in Afghanistan this year could kill and injure a record number of civilians and force a growing number of people from their homes, aid agencies said on Thursday.

Taliban insurgents last week announced the start of their annual spring offensive, warning of increased attacks on foreign embassies and government officials, as well as military targets

Last year was the worst for civilians since the United Nations began keeping records in 2009, with more than 10,000 killed or injured in the conflict in 2014.

"We predict an increase in civilian casualties this year," the U.N. deputy special representative for Afghanistan, Mark Bowden, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

"Hospitals have already noted twice the number of casualties coming in this year compared to the same period last year," he added.  Read More

Afghanistan fighting season could kill record number of civilians: aid agencies

Indian, Afghan leaders pledge to fight militants, build trade

(Reuters) - Afghanistan's president called on Tuesday for regional cooperation to defeat militants, saying he wants to "make Afghanistan a graveyard of terror" but needs help fromIndiaPakistan and other neighbors.

Ashraf Ghani made his comments after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Some Indian analysts fret that New Delhi may be losing influence in Afghanistan because of Ghani's efforts to forge closer ties with neighbors Pakistan and China.

"We are the battlefield. We are fighting on behalf of our friends from India to Russia," Ghani said in a speech to the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), a government think-tank.

Earlier, Modi pledged continued support for Afghanistan's fight against the Taliban and renewed his commitment to developing both land and sea trade routes with the country.

"We share Afghanistan's pain over persisting terrorism and extremist violence that destroy lives and derail progress," Modi said in remarks distributed by his office, adding that Indiawould continue to help build the Afghan military and had delivered three Cheetal helicopters.

Modi also said India should join an existing Afghan-Pakistan Trade and Transit agreement to allow goods to flow by land from Afghanistan to eastern India and back.

He said developing a deep-water port in the Iranian city of Chabahar would give land-lockedAfghanistan a route to the sea other than through Pakistan, India's regional arch-rival.

"We believe that Afghanistan's direct surface link to India and the rest of South Asia, and increased connectivity to sea, could turn Afghanistan into a hub that connects Asia's diverse regions and beyond," Modi said.

Ghani thanked India for $2.2 billion in aid over the past decade and outlined an ambitious vision for his nation to achieve peace and regain its centuries-old status as a crossroads for regional trade.

"Our vision today is to be guided by that potential where again the energy of Central Asia will flow to South Asia where pipelines, fiber optics, railways, and connectivity, air, ground and virtual will connect us," Ghani said.

In his speech, Ghani said Afghanistan offered vast natural resources such as copper, iron ore and rare earth metals estimated at $1 trillion to $3 trillion that could be used for regional economic development. -  Read More

Indian, Afghan leaders pledge to fight militants, build trade

The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050 - pewforum

Why Muslims Are Rising Fastest and the Unaffiliated Are Shrinking as a Share of the World’s Population

The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world’s major religions, as well as by people switching faiths. Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion. If current trends continue, by 2050 …

As of 2010, Christianity was by far the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31%) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth. Islam was second, with 1.6 billion adherents, or 23% of the global population.

If current demographic trends continue, however, Islam will nearly catch up by the middle of the 21st century. Between 2010 and 2050, the world’s total population is expected to rise to 9.3 billion, a 35% increase.1 Over that same period, Muslims – a comparatively youthful population with high fertility rates – are projected to increase by 73%. The number of Christians also is projected to rise, but more slowly, at about the same rate (35%) as the global population overall. 

As a result, according to the Pew Research projections, by 2050 there will be near parity between Muslims (2.8 billion, or 30% of the population) and Christians (2.9 billion, or 31%), possibly for the first time in history.2  Read More at The Future of World Religions:

The Future of World Religions

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Welcome to the U.S.: The Prime Minister of Japan’s State Visit - whitehouse.gov

Yesterday, Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe arrived in Washington, D.C. for the beginning of a State Visit with President Obama. Prime Minister Abe’s visit is a tribute to the partnership between the United States and Japan that for seven decades has made enduring contributions to global peace, security, and prosperity.

"Across seven decades, our nations have become not just allies, but true partners and friends."  Read More

Read More at For Immediate Release
Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Abe of Japan in Joint Press Conference

INTERVIEW: ‘Our people are killed to show a spectacle’ - The Indu

Ghani says terror targets all of Afghanistan’s neighbours from India to Russia.

In a wide-ranging interview, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani discusses issues as varied as trade and terror with Suhasini Haidar.   

After your meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there were no agreements signed, no announcements on strategic cooperation… how did the meetings go?

The meetings went extremely well, there are a series of agreements that will be signed within the next three months. So the framework is in place, and we are proceeding.   -  Read More

Saudi king resets succession to cope with turbulent times

(Reuters) - Saudi King Salman appointed a nephew as new heir and made his young son second in line to rule on Wednesday, a major shift in power towards two princes who have overseen a more assertive stance at a time of almost unprecedented regional turmoil.

By making Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, crown prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, 30, deputy crown prince, King Salman has effectively decided the line of succession for decades to come in the world's top oil exporter.

The announcement means the kingship will pass to a new generation for the first time since 1953, when the throne passed from the founder of the dynasty, King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, to the first of six of his sons who have held it since.

The appointments signal a tougher foreign policy, particularly towards regional foe Iran, but little change to a firm hand against dissent at home, where Riyadh this week said it had detained 93 suspected Islamic State militants.

Almost all powers under the king are now concentrated in the hands of the pair, who each chair committees determining all security and economic development issues in Saudi Arabia, and have led Riyadh's month-old campaign of air strikes in Yemen.

In another big shift, Salman replaced veteran Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who had served in the role since October 1975, with the kingdom's Washington ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, the first non-royal to hold the post.

The new crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, enjoys closer personal ties with U.S. officials than almost any other senior royal, diplomats have said.

He is also a member of the same branch of the royal family as Salman - the Sudairis - which include the present king and descendants of his six full brothers, rather than those of his dozens of half brothers, including his predecessor, King Abdullah, who died in January.  Read More

Saudi king resets succession to cope with turbulent times


U.S. military sends jets to northern Afghan city under siege

(Reuters) - The U.S. military has sent fighter jets to Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz, where Taliban insurgents have launched a major offensive and overrun government checkpoints close to the main city, U.S. and Afghan sources said.

The US military declined to say why the jets had been dispatched to the area, but confirmed they were on a mission outside regular operations.

"We can confirm there were U.S. jet aircraft flying in the Kunduz area in the past 72 hours, no munitions dropped," a U.S. military spokesman said, but declined to comment further.

Officials this week said hundreds of Taliban militants had attacked police and army checkposts in the province, the insurgents' last stronghold before U.S.-led forces drove them from power in 2001.

Two air strikes were conducted in the province, the interior ministry said in an internal report, including one in the city district on Monday.  Read More

U.S. military sends jets to northern Afghan city under siege

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Obama Welcomes Japan's Abe with South Lawn Ceremony



President Barack Obama welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the White House for talks on Tuesday (April 28) to showcase newly strengthened defense ties and advance a long-delayed Pacific tra  More
Obama Welcomes Japan's Abe with South Lawn Ceremony ...

Obama welcomes Abe to White House with high ceremony

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared progress Tuesday in trade talks between their two nations, stopping short of announcing a breakthrough in negotiations that are central to a massive 12-nation trade deal that would open markets around the Pacific rim to U.S. exports.

Obama conceded the domestic obstacles both he and Abe face to concluding a Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, but said the deal would be an integral component of his effort to increase U.S. influence in Asia.

“The politics around trade can be hard in both our countries,” Obama, who faces stiff resistance from members of his own party, said during a Rose Garden news conference with Abe. “Both of us are committed to getting this done.”

Referring to trade barriers on vehicle imports that have been one of the main sticking points in the U.S-Japan trade talks, Obama said: “There are many Japanese cars in America, I want to see more American cars in Japan as well.”

Abe said he is eager to see “the early conclusion” of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, adding that on outstanding issues over trade barriers “we welcome the fact that significant progress was made.”  Read More at PBS

Obama welcomes Abe to White House with high ceremony

President Ghani & India PM Narendra Modi Joint Press Conference



President Ghani & India PM Narendra Modi Joint Press Conference  More

President Ghani’s remarks at Indian Council of World Affairs , New Delhi, India



Read More:

Monday, April 27, 2015

Imam-e-Kaaba urges Iran, Saudi Arabia to unite over Quran and Sunnah -- geo.tv

LAHORE: Imam-e-Kaaba Shaikh Khalid al-Ghamidi on Sunday urged the people of Saudi Arabia and Iran to unite over the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
Speaking exclusively to Geo News in an interview on the program 'Jirga', the Imam urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to shun their differences.  The Imam said that enemies want to hurt Muslims by creating divisions within their ranks, and that the unity of the Muslim Ummah is the need of the hour.
"As the Imam of Haram Sharif, I call upon all Muslims, whether it is our Saudi or Iranian brothers, to unite over the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Today, our enemy does not want to see us united. They want to see us divided like this," he said in the exclusive interview with Saleem Safi.
"A Muslim is the flag-bearer of Quran and Sunnah. It is critical that we unite while shunning sectarian differences," he said.
Speaking about Taliban and the Islamic State or Daesh militant groups, the Imam said that those who misinterpret the Quran and apply Quranic verses about infidels on other Muslims are “Khwarij”.  More at Imam-e-Kaaba

امام کعبه: جنگجویان طالب و داعش از دایره اسلام خارج اند

نا قضین حقوق بشر چهاردهه اخیر باید محاکمه شوند -- رادیو آزادی

گذشت نزدیک به چهل سال از هفت ثور1357 و بیش از بیست سال از هشت ثور 1371 هنوز هم نتوانسته است بر زخم های قربانیان این دو روز تاریخی در افغانستان مرهم بگذارد. گفته می شود که در حدود چهل سال گذشته، افغانستان گرفتار بحران هاى مختلف شده و همواره با مشکلات روبرو بوده و بیشتر اوقات شاهد جنگ و ناآرامى بوده است. اما آیا تا کنون یکی از عاملین نقض حقوق بشر چهاردهه اخیر در افغانستان به محاکمه کشانیده شده است؟

ادعا می شود که افراد متهم در این ارتباط در حال حاضر در پُست های بلند حکومتی ایفای وظیفه میکنند. تا کنون برای رضایت خاطر قربانیان جنایات ضد بشری در افغانستان چه اقدامی صورت گرفته است؟ گروه هماهنگی عدالت انتقالی می گوید، تامین عدالت برای این قربانیان در سال های گذشته در حد شعار باقی مانده است. اما اعضای این گروه می خواهند تا از جنایات جنگی پرده برداشته شود و افرادیکه در چهاردهه گذشته مرتکب نقض حقوق بشر شده اند، محاکمه شوند.

رحیم جامی یک عضو این گروه به رادیو آزادی گفت، به هدف تحقق عدالت انتقالی ابتدا باید یک کمیسیون حقیقت یاب در این رابطه تشکیل و مستندسازی صورت گیرد. اما وی شرط اساسی برای تطبیق عدالت انتقالی در کشور را، لغو قانون مصالحه و آشتی ملی خواند: "زمانی که حکومت کمیسیون حقیقت یاب را شکل بدهد، این کمیسیون مستندسازی می کند و بالاخره کاراش را انجام داده زمینه برای ایجاد محاکمه اختصاصی فراهم می گردد، اما یک شرط اساسی بر ایجاد کمیسیون حقیقت یاب و محکمه اختصاصی این است که قانون عفو که در شورای ملی پاس شده باید لغو شود، اگر این قانون حکمفرما باشد جنایتکاران با استناد به همین قانون خود را برائت می دهند و عدالت در این مورد تامین شده نمی تواند."

قانون مصالحه و آشتی ملی حدود نُه سال قبل از سوی ولسی جرگه افغانستان تصویب شد. در این قانون آمده است که تمامی جناح های سیاسی و طرف های متخاصم دو نیم دهه جنگ، شامل برنامه مصالحه ملی بوده و مورد تعقیب عدلی و حقوقی قرار نمی گیرند. بر اساس این قانون، گزارش های سازمان دیده بان حقوق بشر که درباره متهم شدن رهبران جهادی و شخصیت های ملی کشور نشر گردیده، فاقد اعتبار است.

با آنکه رویداد هفتم و هشتم ثور در تاریخ افغانستان دو رویداد متقابل خوانده می شود، اما گفته می شود که از نظر پیامد برای قربانیان و آسیب دیده گان آن از هم تفاوتی ندارد. شماری از باشنده های شهر کابل این دو روز را مسبب اصلی آغاز بدبختی های مردم این کشور می خوانند. آنان هفت و هشت ثور را محکوم کرده می گویند که جنایتکاران جنگی باید محاکمه شوند:  

"نام من وکیل غازی وزیری است، من در وقایع هفت و هشت ثور در همین کشور بودم اما هر دوی آن را محکوم می کنم، این دو روز برای افغانستان تباهی آورده است، جنایتکارانی باید محاکمه شوند که این کشور را چور کردند، وطن را تباه کردند و در نتیجه آن حدود هشتاد هزار نفر در شهر کابل کشته شد."

"اسم من محمد هارون است، جنایتکاران جنگی هفت ثور،هشت ثور و تا کنون باید به پنجه قانون سپرده شوند و به هر شکل که باشد باید جزای خود را ببینند."

هفت ثور سال 1357 مصادف با کودتای رژيم خلق عليه ریاست جمهوری داوود خان در افغانستان است. در این کودتا داوود خان با هجده تن از اعضای خانواده اش در ریاست جمهوری افغانستان کشته شد و قدرت با حمایت شوروی سابق به دست حزب دیموکراتیک خلق افتاد. پس از پیروزی این حزب، نور محمد تره کی رئیس این حزب، به حیث اولین رهبر این نظام اعلام گردید.

به اساس گزارش ها، این حکومت هزاران تن از مخالفان سیاسی اش را زندانی و به قتل رسانیده و سپس در قبر های دسته جمعی دفن کردند. سال ها بعد حکومت شاهی هالند نزدیک به دو سال قبل فهرست نام های نزدیک به پنج هزار تن را که در سال های 1357 و 1358 از سوی ادارۀ استخبارات رژیم کمونیستی به قتل رسیده اند، به نشر رساند. اما گفته می شود که پیروزی مجاهدین هم تغییری مثبت را که انتظار می رفت به همراه نداشت و آغازگر جنگ های داخلی در کشور بوده است.

بیست و سه سال قبل از امروز مجاهدین پس از چهارده سال مبارزۀ مسلحانه بر ضد نیرو های اتحاد شوروی سابق و حکومت کابل، ریاست جمهوری داکتر نجیب الله را با سقوط مواجه کردند و به تاریخ هشتم ثور 1371 به رهبری صبغت الله مجددی حکومت اسلامی را به وجود آوردند. مجاهدین پس از گرفتن قدرت در کابل نتوانستند یکپارچه گی شان را حفظ نموده و بر سر تقسیم قدرت به تفاهم برسند.

گزارش ها می رسانند که هر گروه در تلاش این بود تا با اتکاء به نیروی نظامی، گروه رقیب را از صحنه خارج کند که در نتیجۀ آن شهر کابل به ویرانه مبدل شد و صد ها هزار تن کشته، معلول و یا هم آواره شدند. ... Read More

THIS DAY IN HISTORY - Cold War 1978 -- Afghan president is overthrown and murdered

Afghanistan President Sardar Mohammed Daoud is overthrown and murdered in a coup led by procommunist rebels. The brutal action marked the beginning of political upheaval in Afghanistan that resulted in intervention by Soviet troops less than two years later.

Daoud had ruled Afghanistan since coming to power in a coup in 1973. His relations with the neighboring Soviet Union had grown progressively worse since that time as he pursued a campaign against Afghan communists. The murder of a leading Afghan Communist Party leader in early April 1978 may have encouraged the communists to launch their successful campaign against the Daoud regime later that month. In the political chaos that followed the death of Daoud, Nur Mohammed Taraki, head of the Afghan Communist Party, took over the presidency. In December 1978, Afghanistan signed a 20-year “friendship treaty” with the Soviet Union, by which increasing amounts of Russian military and economic assistance flowed into the country. None of this, however, could stabilize the Taraki government. His dictatorial style and his decision to turn Afghanistan into a one-party state alienated many people in the heavily Moslem country. In September 1979, Taraki was himself overthrown and murdered. Three months later, Soviet troops crossed into Afghanistan and installed a government acceptable to the Russians, and a war between Afghan rebels and Soviet troops erupted. The conflict lasted until Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev withdrew the Soviet forces in 1988.  Read More at History

Afghan president is overthrown and murdered - Apr 27, 1978

Sunday, April 26, 2015

ولی احمد نوری - درود به روان پاک شهدای هفت ثور و نفرین به قاتلان حیوان صفت سردار محمد داؤد

درود به روان پاک شهدای هفت ثور و نفرین به قاتلان حیوان صفت سردار محمد داؤد  -  Read More at  ولی احمد نوری

روزسیاه هفت ثور 1357هـ ش، یک پارچۀ منحوس از تاریخ افغانستان  - Read More at  دیپلوم انجنیر کریم عطایی

مدافعۀ ارگ جمهوري افغانستان بمقابل هجوم باغيان خلقي و پرچمي توسط قطعات گارد در جريان کودتاى هفت ثور ١٣٥٧  - Read More at فضل الرحمن تاجيار

ملت افغانستان در گرو جنایتکاران ۷ و ۸ ثور  -  Read More at  ملالی موسی نظام

جریان واقعی سفر تاریخی 1977 مرحوم محمد داوود خان به ماسکو ( در جریان 27 سالیکه از کودتای منحوس و ضد ملی 7 ثور.... ) - Read More at عبدالجلیل جمیلی

در سوک سی و هفتمین سال سقوط اولین جمهوریت بخش اول  - Read More at نجیب داوری

President Obama at White House Correspondents' Dinner


President Obama at the 2015 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, D.C. April 25, 2015. - More

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Complete coverage of the 2015 White House correspondents' dinner  Read More at Washingtonpost

Europe’s Promised Action on Migration Crisis Is Criticized as Inadequate

BRUSSELS — Struggling to cope with a growing migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, European leaders promised on Thursday to triple their spending on border protection and approved plans to intensify efforts to root out smugglers’ boats before they could set sail, among other measures.

But experts and advocacy groups said the plans announced by leaders meeting in Brussels were far too small in scale to stem the flow of illegal migrants or prevent disasters like the capsizing of a ship carrying mostly African migrants off the coast of Libya last weekend, which killed as many as 900 people. Funerals for 24 of the victims were held Thursday in Malta, but few of the migrants’ bodies have been recovered.

Migrants from Africa and the Middle East, buffeted by war and abetted by ruthless smugglers, have been crossing the Mediterranean in increasing numbers in unseaworthy boats. Many never make it.

Leaders’ efforts to formulate a response are hindered by intense budget pressures, a patchwork of migration policies across the 28-member European Union and a simmering backlash against immigrants across the Continent.

Officials said Thursday that the European Union planned to triple the budget of its Triton border protection operation, now at about 3 million euros, or $3.22 million, a month. The force now includes two aircraft, two helicopters, six coastal patrol boats and about 65 officers, bloc officials said.

But experts and nongovernmental organizations said the problem’s scale and root causes had not been addressed. Amnesty International noted that the Triton operation patrols only within 30 miles of the Italian and Maltese coasts, far from where many of the deaths at sea occur. Others contended that extending the search-and-rescue program could encourage even more desperate migrants to try to reach Europe.  Read More at NYT

European Leaders Vow To Do More To Help Arriving Migrants

At a summit in Brussels, they pledged more money and military resources to saving lives of migrants who try to cross the Mediterranean. They also introduced a plan to target traffickers' boats.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:  European leaders say it is time to target the smugglers who lead migrants across the Mediterranean. They are massively increasing their operations after a devastating weekend. Hundreds of people died as an overcrowded boat capsized. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports on the European Union response.

SORAYA SARHADDI NELSON, BYLINE: EU President Donald Tusk said last night that member states will triple the money they spend on the ongoing EU operation patrolling the Mediterranean. That brings the total to nearly $10 million a month. Read More at NPR
European Leaders Vow To Do More To Help Arriving Migrants

Flood Of Desperate Refugees Tests Spaniards' Tolerance