Fire breaks out at Dubai's The Address Hotel

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Iranian Revolutionary Guards fired rockets near U.S. warships in Gulf: U.S.

Business | Tue Dec 29, 2015 7:31pm EST Related: World, Aerospace & Defense Iranian Revolutionary Guards fired rockets near U.S. warships in Gulf: U.S. Iranian Revolutionary Guards launched rockets near the U.S. aircraft-carrier Harry S. Truman and other warships as they were entering the Gulf on Saturday, giving only brief notice in a "highly provocative" act, a U.S. military spokesman said on Tuesday. NBC News, citing unnamed U.S. military officials, said the Guards were conducting a live-fire exercise and the Truman came within about 1,500 yards (meters) of a rocket. "The rockets were not fired at the Truman and other ships, only near them," the network said. Several Revolutionary Guard vessels fired the rockets "in close proximity" of the warships and nearby merchant traffic "after providing only 23 minutes of advance notification," said Navy Commander Kyle Raines, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command. "These actions were highly provocative, unsafe, and unprofessional and call into question Iran's commitment to the security of a waterway vital to international commerce," Raines said in an email. The Truman, accompanied by two warships from the U.S.-led coalition supporting air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, was entering the Gulf through the Hormuz Strait on a routine transit when the incident occurred, he said. NBC News said the U.S. destroyer Buckley and a French frigate were in the area where the rockets were fired. "While most interactions between Iranian forces and the U.S. Navy are professional, safe, and routine, this event was not and runs contrary to efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime safety in the global commons," Raines said. Iranian and U.S. forces have clashed in the Gulf in the past, especially during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Tehran and six world powers including the United States clinched an agreement in July that would curb Iran's nuclear program in return for lifting economic sanctions. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Events after/ during liberation of Mosul, Ramadi

Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 14m US-dictated tactics in order to hurt Iran: Saudi Arabia keeps pumping oil when low prices hurt its economy independent.co.uk/news/business/… View summary · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 2h With its close relationship to Israel, one wonders what the US wants from Arabs. US should clear out before Arab Hatred becomes a Tsunami. View location · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 2h Many commentators forget that Iraq can easily form an army of seven million trained men to clear the country from all Wahhabi Islamists. View location · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 2h The defeat of ISIS in Ramadi despite US attempt to frustrate and delay its liberation proved that Iraq needs no foreign troops for Mosul. View location · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 2h Bankrupt King Salman and Liar Rajab Erdogan: Saudi to form joint council with Turkey presstv.com//Detail/2015/1… View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 2h The Liberation of Mosul: Iraqi forces must be very careful on the way to take position around Mosul to avoid US intentional Friendly Fires. View location · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 7h Billions for Nuclear Subs, peanut for flood protection: Storm Frank threatens 80mph winds and rain dailym.ai/1mfWeT1 via @MailOnline View summary · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 10h 'Rift between Obama, advisers on Syria' presstv.com//Detail/2015/1… View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 12h Liberation of Mosul: Obama, Erdogan and Barzani each has his own agenda. But all want to divide and fragment Iraq; which the Iraqis reject. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 13h The US said it will take 25 years, but Iraqi PM declares Isis will be 'terminated' in 2016 gu.com/p/4fd3t/stw View summary · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 14h With Price Bandar Bin Sultan $5 billion cash, Jordan and Turkey trained/train Daesh on their soil presstv.com//Detail/2015/1… View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 14h In Reality, Kuwait-hired mercenaries to join 'war on Yemen' presstv.com//Detail/2015/1… View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 14h What is a Democrat to an American? It is being Pro-Israeli, Pro-Saudi Wahhabi Islamist and Anti-Assad, head-chopping 'freedom' fighter. View location · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 14h US Democratisation of Iraq involved hiring hundreds for dirty-work and death squads besides the military and the thousands of Mercenaries. View location · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 14h Yemenis can truly bankrupt Saudi Arabia. Besides the cost of war, Yemenis may be able to bomb Saudi oil producing and refining facilities. View location · Reply Retweet Unlike Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 15h Before ISIS is forced on leaving Mosul no building will be left intact as it has the habit of booby trap every home, bridge or school. View location · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 15h Pro-ISIS, Saudi-paid Iraqi politicians, call the liberation of vastly destroyed Ramadi as a clean operation for no 'Shiites' was involved. View location · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 15h Israel used to kill 10 Arabs for every Israeli soldier killed. This ratio may be reversed if hostilities with Hizbollah move beyond words. View location · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 28 Why Nato is silent: I revealed the truth about President Erdogan and Syria. For that, he had me jailed | Can Dündar gu.com/p/4fdxf/stw View summary · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 28 After 14 years of so-called US 'Democracy': The news from Afghanistan is very bad independent.co.uk/voices/you-won… View summary · Reply Retweet Like

Qanats, Quanat, Badgirs (Windwards)

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0U90DX20151227 Iranian architecture at the central desert towns is not limited to the construction of ab-anbars (Ancient Refrigerators) and badgirs (Windwards), but its importance also is in house building and city planning. Another manifestation of Iranian architecture in Kavir lands is the construction of Quanat (underground water channel). It consists of a series of wells connected to each other through an underground channel, carrying water from underground depths to its surface. Excavation of quanat presupposed mastery of certain techniques of which only Iranians were fully aware. Heroclotus writes that Iranians were inventors of quanat. "Iranians were the first nation to carry water from underground channels, to the surface. They were inventors of quanat. Iranian architects have also created extremely valuable monuments in areas such as water and irrigation, dams, canals, and bridges or rivers. Excavation of Suez Canal between the Nile river and the Red Sea during the reign of Achaemenids was carried out under the supervision and initiation of Iranian engineers and architects. In the vicinity of the canal a stone inscription was discovered from the time of the Achaemenid king Darious the Great together with an account of how the canal was constructed. The Athos canal in Greece, too, had been another masterpiece of Iranian architecture. Remnants of the canal stand up to this day. A qanat tunnel near Isfahan. A qanāt (Arabic: قناة‎, Persian: قنات‎‎/کاریز) is a gently sloping underground channel with a series of vertical access shafts, used to transport water from an aquifer under a hill. Along the length of a qanat, which can be several kilometers, vertical shafts were sunk at intervals of 20 to 30 meters to remove excavated material and to provide ventilation and access for repairs. The main qanat tunnel sloped gently down from pre-mountainous alluvial fans to an outlet at a village. A qanat is an underground irrigation system fed by springs or groundwater. They are common throughout the Middle East, and they can be found all the way from the Gobi Desert to Spain. They have different names in different cultures: in Berber Arabic, they’re called foggara; in Persian, qarez; in Spanish, acequia, and in Turkish, qanat. Above is an image created by Sue Hutton showing a cross-section of a qanat in Oman. Structures of this type collect water in the rock, sand, and gravel aquifers at the edges of the mountainous region in northern Oman. They run underground for kilometers, and emerge at oases. In Oman they are also known as dawoodi or iddi falaj. Besides its use in irrigation, a qanat can also be used together with a windcatcher to cool a building without using any electrical power. Many qanat in Iraq were destroyed during the American invasion. -- SYNOPSIS: I spent most of the day walking through Yazd. The water museum shed light on the qanats (water channels). Restored historic houses made me understand the badgirs (wind towers). How effective ancient technology can be. Yazd is quite a big town, but for someone like me, most everything of interest is in the old town. Typical for the skyline of Yazd are the Badgirs or wind towers. Big and small, old and new, they define the roofs alongside the ever present domes. Invisible, on the other hand are the qanats, or water channels which crisscross the town way below ground. All these features represent ancient genius at work and prove that coping with the heat can be done, and the supply of water can be guaranteed, by simple, low-tech means. The domes are used for anything from mosques, to baths, to homes. Almost every mud-brick structure is built with a vault of some sort to avoid direct sun exposure. It proves to be very effective. I could not quite imagine though, how a tower on the roof could make much of a difference until I stood beneath one. Many of the traditional villas in town have been converted into restaurants, hotels, or museums and are therefore accessible. Today, I got the grand tour at one of the most beautiful of them, the Mehr Hotel. Many of the suites have their own badgirs. Directly beneath the wind towers it feels as if you had an air conditioner running! There are small sitting rooms into which you can retreat from the summer’s heat. Imagine how healthy this is. Badgirs can be small single-shaft towers, or they can have multiple compartments. Even the slightest breeze can be caught and transported down into the shaft. Hot air exits through different openings. Put a badgir over a pool and you can cool the water which in turn evaporates and cools its surroundings. Very impressive. I have come across many dried out qanats, but at the Mehr Hotel, the qanat was operational. One has to go down a narrow tunnel of steep steps until you reach a level easily 5-10 meters below ground. It is as if you had your own spring running through the house. Clear, fresh mountain water is supplied constantly and a room next to the water is equipped again for relaxation or to sleep there. Even in a torching 50 degrees Celsius outside, there will be a cooling 10-15 degrees down there! I finally understood a bit more about the qanats after visiting the water museum in Yazd. Extensive English explanations helped! To this day, there are crews of qanat builders. First, the crew identify a water source hopefully way up in the mountains. Then they figure out where the water needs to go. They start digging at the end, for example in Yazd, working their way backwards to the water source. A slope has to be created upwards to the source which controls the stream of water just right. It should not gush too fast and it should not trickle too slowly. The slope is literally determined by ropes and strings! Just like the Romans who transported water over hundreds of kilometers above ground, these qanats do the same below ground. No computer technology is at work here. The province of Yazd alone has over 3000 qanat channels, some very recent. The qanat workers dig tunnels no wider than 80 centimeters and tall enough to stand in. They dig channels with pick axes and remove the dirt with buckets. The men and the dirt ascend from the ground into shafts that are dug frequently via pulleys that look like small wind mills. The dirt then is deposited around these shafts which punctuate the desert landscape like moon craters. When the water level drops, the qanats can be dug deeper. But today, many of them lay dormant since the water level has dropped beyond reach and more modern canalization is used to supply water. I was surprised to see the pictures of the qanat diggers. Almost all of them are old men. This must be an extremely demanding physical job. I wonder, if the new generation is not interested in picking up this old trade, or if it was just a coincidence that the crew represented at the museum is an aging one. I love to learn about these things and thumbs up to the Yazd Water Museum for providing multi-lingual signage. I was trekking around town from 1 to 6 PM. No big deal if it had not been for a hot and sunny day. Despite my sun factor 50 sun screen, I returned burned. But worse, I returned with a fever. I will blame that darn scarf for it, but it may have happened without it. I never have taken heat very well and I remember my childhood days of sunstrokes well. I am heading straight to bed and hope that tomorrow, I will be over this. Good night. 5 comments so far Add Your Comment Reply Maria Torffield said: 2010.04.24 07:38 I was just now opening the search engine Bing.com and it opened with a photo of Badgirs. There was a link to a very interesting comment with more info to search and connect to other sites: http://www.metafilter.com/26911/BadgirsWindcatchers Reply Maria Torffield said: 2010.04.23 13:29 Elaine, Did you get to see Trumpey’s straw bale house? If yes, what was you experience? From what I have read he is using something that is called the stack effect in the building design industry. This effect has been used for ventilation all over the world for centuries in vernacular architecture. It is based on the temperature difference of the inside to the out side. Since hot air rises a natural flow will cause cool air to infiltrate the building thought openings on the bottom while the hot air is leaving the building through openings in the top. The physics of the Badgirs (wind towers) in Yazd are more advances, The towers are designed to create a down flow of warm air cooling it while going through the brick channel. Some times the air is channeled down further through the basement which is linked to the payab, the water level of the qanat, to cool the air even more through the mountain cold water. The warm air in the building will rise and leave in a channel on the opposite side in the tower. This is a far more complex use of natural cooling than the stack effect and I think really unique to this area and very remarkable!!! Regarding streams and springs running through houses, it is certainly very important to understand the nature and characteristic movement of water. Unfortunately this is something that has gotten lost in our modern approach and mistakes are often made when trying to integrate natural water sources into a house design. The old technology of Yazd shows an incredible understanding of natural, characteristic water flow. The water channels run thought out town and under foundations with out causing damage to the houses. Something we certainly could learn from in our western culture. If you like to know more check out the link I posted above! Best, Maria Reply Elaine Wilson said: 2010.04.19 09:39 Elisabeth: I know of two contemporary uses of the tower and water channel here in the US. The tower concept has been built into Joe Trumpey’s straw bale house in Grass Lake. There is a tower going above the center area of the house which I believe is being used to pull warm air up and out of the house. The house is made of straw bales with adobe on the outside and inside, so the walls are very thick. I was also in a house in Kansas a couple of years ago that belongs to the family of my brother-in-law. The house is built over a spring and stream which flow underneath. The spring keeps the house naturally cool in summer and warm in winter and you can hear it if you are quiet. It is wonderful, but has been something of a problem in terms of upkeep. I think the foundation keeps eroding… Elaine Reply Solveig said: 2010.04.15 09:52 Hi Elisabeth and Maria, Thank you for enlightening me. This is indeed fascinating architecture. I hope to see this with my own eyes one day … and install a badgir on my roof. Reply Maria Torffield said: 2010.04.11 19:27 Hi Elisabeth, I hope by now you are back to your energetic self. I am very excited you saw the Qanats and Badgirs, this is such a great example of vernacular architecture. I found a great article about these methods with detailed explanations and drawings. here the link for readers who want to know more about it: Title: RESOURCE QUALITY CASCADES IN TRADITIONAL LOW EXERGY TECHNOLOGIES: THE QANATS AND BADGIRS OF YAZD by Prof. Susan ROAF http://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB14196.pdf

Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau sets 2 records in 24 hours: diamonds, property

Hong Kong apartment sells for record $76.7 mn AFP AFP – Fri, Dec 25, 2015 6:40 AM AEDT . Property prices in Hong Kong, famous for its sky-high rent and super-rich tycoons, have more than doubled in 6 years due to record low interest rates and a flood of wealthy buyers from mainland China A luxury apartment in Hong Kong sold for a record HK$594.7 million ($76.7 million), days before Christmas, making it the most expensive flat in the city and possibly in Asia, reports said Friday. An unidentified buyer paid more than HK$103,700 per-square-foot for the 5,732 square-foot (532 square-metre) unit at the luxury 39 Conduit Road apartment tower in the southern Chinese city's upmarket Mid-Levels residential area, The Apple Daily and The Standard reported. The condominium, on the 46th floor with a view of the iconic Victoria Harbour and a 1,754 square-feet rooftop, had a list price of HK$646.48 million on developer Henderson Land Properties' website. The price beats the previous record HK$470 million paid for a luxury unit which takes up the entire eighth floor of the Opus Hong Kong, a 12-storey residential building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, in 2012. Henderson Land was not available for comment Friday, a public holiday. This comes as analysts said a US interest rate hike could put an end to the housing boom in the Chinese city which maintains a decades old peg with the US dollar. Hong Kong-based brokerage CLSA warned the residential market was at a "turning point", with prices possibly dropping 17 percent by 2017, while other firms have tipped falls of up to 30 percent. Hong Kong's de facto central bank last Thursday raised its base interest rate by 25 points to 0.75 percent after the US Federal Reserve announced its first rate increase in more than nine years. But chief analyst for Midland Realty Buggle Lau said the record-breaking purchase does not reflect the bigger picture of the overall property market in the city. "The super-rich, I don't think the small increase in the interest rates have any impact on their purchasing power," Lau said. "This is exceptional, it can't reflect the whole market," which he described overall as "sluggish". Property prices in Hong Kong, famous for its sky-high rent and super-rich tycoons, have more than doubled in six years due to record low interest rates and a flood of wealthy buyers from mainland China. Many residents complain they can no longer afford decent accommodation in the city of seven million people, and analysts say property ownership is out of reach even for the upper middle class. =================================================================================== Date November 13, 2015 Read later Frederik Balfour Joseph Lau, 64, made his fortune in real estate. Photo: Gcmt Pure coincidence or impeccable timing? Either way, Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau has just pulled off a twofer for the history books. On Wednesday night he paid 48.6 million Swiss francs ($67.92 million) at Sotheby's in Geneva for a 12.03-carat blue diamond, the most ever spent on a gem at auction. Then, less than 24 hours later, his company Chinese Estates Holdings Ltd sold an office tower in Hong Kong for $HK12.5 billion ($2.25 billion), more than twice the previous record for a commercial sale. Mr Lau, 64, who made his fortune in real estate, has been on a buying spree, collecting paintings from blue-chip artists as well as jewellery. He also generated headlines last year when he was convicted in Macau for bribery and money laundering in a trial he didn't attend. He's appealing the conviction. Mr Lau's company sold the 26-storey Mass Mutual Tower in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district to Chinese developer Evergrande Real Estate Group Ltd. Chinese Estates paid HK$460 million for the tower when it bought part of it in 1987 and the rest in 1991, yielding a 27-fold return. Advertisement It was the company's third property sale to Evergrande this year, said Chinese Estates spokeswoman Eunice Yeung. In July, it sold a residential, commercial and hotel complex in the western Chinese city of Chengdu for HK$6.5 billion. The company sold another property in nearby Chongqing for HK$1.75 billion. The previous most-expensive transaction for an office tower in Hong Kong was the HK$5.4 billion paid by Citigroup Inc. to a unit of Wheelock & Co. in 2014. Lichtenstein painting Mr Lau has also been busy on the auction circuit this year. On May 12 he picked up Roy Lichtenstein's painting "The Ring (Engagement)" at Sotheby's New York auction for $41.7 million, just a day after purchasing Pablo Picasso's "Buste de femme" across town at Christie's for $67.4 million. Unlike Liu Yiqian, a Chinese billionaire collector who this week bought an Amedeo Modigliani nude for $170.4 million and pays for his purchases using his AMEX card, Mr Lau wired the money to the two auction houses in New York, according to copies of receipts obtained by Bloomberg. Mr Lau's diamond purchase on Nov. 11 came a day after he paid 28.7 million Swiss francs for a 16.08-carat pink diamond at a sale by Christie's in Geneva. Both purchases were made for his seven-year-old daughter Josephine, his office said. Known as the "Blue Moon," the record-breaking gem had a pre-sale estimate of 34.2 million francs to 53.7 million francs, according to Sotheby's website, and has the highest possible colour grade of fancy vivid blue. Mr Lau renamed it "The Blue Moon of Josephine" and christened the pink diamond "Sweet Josephine." Bribery conviction Last year he bought pieces of jewellery for another daughter, 13-year-old Zoe: the 9.75-carat "Zoe Diamond" for $32.6 million at Sotheby's New York, and the "Zoe Red" ruby for HK$65 million ($8.4 million) at Christie's Hong Kong. Not all headline news about Mr Lau has been good. In March 2014 he stepped down as chairman of Chinese Estates after he was convicted in Macau for bribery and money laundering in connection with land secured for a luxury housing project. Mr Lau, who did not attend the trial, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison. As Hong Kong and Macau do not have an extradition treaty, he remains free. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/hong-kong-billionaire-joseph-lau-sets-2-records-in-24-hours-diamonds-property-20151112-gkxy1f.html#ixzz3vQjhISwW Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook ===================================================== Tallest Seattle Tower Said to Sell for Over $700 Million by empty text Hui-yong Yu empty text June 4, 2015 A group led by Gaw Capital Partners agreed to buy Columbia Center, Seattle’s tallest tower, for more than $700 million, said two people with knowledge of the deal. The price would be a record for an individual office building in the city. Gaw Capital, the Hong Kong-based property investment company led by Goodwin Gaw, is joining with other Asian investors to buy the 76-story building, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the sale is private. The seller is Boston-based Beacon Capital Partners, which in 2007 paid $621 million for the tower, at the time the highest price paid for a single Seattle office building, according to property-research firm Real Capital Analytics Inc. Columbia Center is the second-tallest U.S. building west of Chicago, after U.S. Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles. Brokerage Eastdil Secured LLC is representing Beacon in the sale. Foreign investors are flocking to U.S. real estate for returns that exceed yields on fixed-income assets with a similar moderate-risk profile. Seattle’s large base of technology jobs has helped make the city one of the top U.S. markets for property investors. Sylvia Lee, a Gaw Capital spokeswoman, said she had no immediate comment. Andy Wattula, the Beacon executive who oversees asset management and acquisitions in the Pacific Northwest, declined to comment. Gaw Capital’s planned purchase was cited in a May 29 report by CBRE Group Inc., the world’s biggest commercial-property broker. Columbia Center, at 701 Fifth Ave., has about 1.5 million square feet (139,400 square meters). There’s an observatory on the 73rd floor and a private club on the top two floors. Occupancy at the property, built in 1985, is about 87 percent. Amazon.com Inc. had been the main tenant in Columbia Center before it left for a new headquarters campus starting in 2010. Its departure coupled with the financial crisis left the building more than a third empty. Beacon renegotiated the debt, added amenities and signed new tenants including Dropbox Inc., a Web service for sharing files.

BUSHFIRE ADVICE MESSAGE

I sell land on this Earth for as cheap as 10 cents/ Sq.M to a price equivalent to price of 2 Aussie Mangoes/ Sq.M. I hope tomorrow I will be selling and leasing Moon's Surface. (Earth is rising over the Moon's Surface), Source: https://www.facebook.com/RealEstateSA5000/photos/a.899877783394135.1073741829.899009183480995/920077631374150/ Letter of Invitation: I would be available to answer any queries regarding best suburbs to integrate socially, just to let you know 21 suburbs of South Australia which are red-flagged by Australian banks. I am happy to provide detail answers to any questions with reference to Property Investment, Subdivision, Development, Buying/ Selling Residential, Commercial, Rural Properties and Businesses. I am available in person (Tue/Thu at 1289 South Rd, St. Marys, SA 5042 12 to 5 p.m) or on cell to answer any questions, and concerns you have to decide about your Real Estate. (Cell: 0431 138 537, Email: Saqlain@Dukesrealestate.com) Click here to invest in South Australian Residential Commercial, Rural Properties, Schools & Businesses. Fire Origin / Fire Name: WORROLONG Note: The following message is to be read on air verbatim as soon as possible and then at regular intervals thereafter or until the message expires or is superseded by another message related to this incident. ======================== BUSHFIRE WATCH AND ACT Fire Origin / Fire Name: WORROLONG Note: The following message is to be read on air verbatim within 10 minutes of receipt, and then repeatedly, at regular intervals of no more than 30 minutes until the message expires or is superseded by another message related to this incident. BUSHFIRE WATCH AND ACT Message ID: 0000401 Time Message Issued: 11:17 Date Message Issued: 24/12/2015 Issued for Worrolong and Glenburnie CFS advises that a bushfire at Glenburnie in the Lower South East near Bishop Road, Worrolong Road, Old Gold Road and Casterton Road near Mount Gambier may threaten your safety. This Bushfire Watch and Act Message is in place for the following area(s) Worrolong and Glenburnie. The WORROLONG fire is travelling in a South easterly direction towards Casterton Road, Old Gold Road, and the Princess Highway . The uncontrolled fire is burning in Grass. What you need to do Check and follow your Bushfire Survival Plan and prepare for a bushfire in your area. If your plan is to leave or you are not prepared, leave now. Only leave if the path is clear to a safe place. Well prepared and actively defended homes can offer safety. You should not enter this area as the roads may not be safe. Stay tuned to this radio station on a battery-powered radio for updates. For information about bushfires, check the CFS website www.cfs.sa.gov.au or call the Bushfire Information Hotline on 1300 362 361 . This message must not be broadcast after: 24/12/2015 13:02 Stay informed Fires can threaten suddenly and without warning. Be prepared to enact your Bushfire Survival Plan without receiving an emergency warning. The CFS cannot guarantee a fire truck will be there to protect your property so you need to: •Know what the bushfire dangers are for your area - visit www.cfs.sa.gov.au/incidents •On a daily basis, know the Fire Danger Rating for your area and what you need to do - visit www.cfs.sa.gov.au/firebans •Act decisively the moment you know there is danger •Watch for signs of fire, especially smoke and flames •Put your Bushfire Survival Plan into action (avoid a 'wait and see' response) Look and listen for information on television, radio, internet, mobile phones and by speaking with neighbours. •CFS website www.cfs.sa.gov.au •Bushfire Information Hotline 1300 362 361 for hearing or speech impaired users, phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 1300 362 361 or teletype service TTY 133 677 then ask for 1300 362 361 . Other options are available at National Relay Service •the CFS fireApp •CFS on Facebook or Twitter •On local ABC radio, FIVEaa, or one of our other Emergency Broadcast Partners •Alert SA Message ID: 0000400 Time Message Issued: 11:06 Date Message Issued: 24/12/2015 CFS is responding to a fire near WORROLONG Old Gold Rd, Fairbanks Rd ,Casterton Rd and Worrolong Rd travelling in a South Easterly direction in the Lower East 4 Klms North East of Mount Gambier. What you need to do People in the area should check and follow their Bushfire Survival Plans. More information will be provided by the CFS when it is available. This message must not be broadcast after: 24/12/2015 11:54

Hidden in plain sight: Big risks at failed Third Avenue fund were clear to some

Business News | Wed Dec 23, 2015 5:16pm EST In the months before the blowup of Third Avenue's junk bond fund in early December, investors and financial advisors called the New York-based investment company to voice their concerns about the growing percentage of hard-to-trade, illiquid assets in the fund's portfolio. "I would call up and they would say, 'We're under control, we have plenty of cash,'" said Richard Berse, president of Northstar Financial Advisors Inc in New Jersey. But Berse, who had as much as $2.5 million in client money in the fund, got burned. Less than a month after his last call to Third Avenue Management LLC, the $789 million Focused Credit Fund abruptly blocked investor withdrawals and announced on Dec. 9 it would liquidate the fund's assets. The extent of the losses are unclear. Brad Alford, chief investment officer of Alpha Capital Management in Atlanta, also said he told Third Avenue the fund was too volatile because it was holding too much in illiquid assets. "I just became very uncomfortable with it," said Alford, who pulled out of the fund this summer. The biggest mutual fund blowup since the 2008 financial crisis underscores how difficult it can be to rein in a mutual fund taking outsized risks compared with its peers, even though Focused Credit officially had many overseers. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which is now investigating the fund’s meltdown, did not get involved until it was clear Third Avenue’s only recourse was to liquidate the fund, according to people familiar with the situation. Executives at Third Avenue and its parent company, Affiliated Managers Group Inc, declined to comment or did not respond to several requests to comment for this story. When compared with other junk bond funds, Focused Credit carried an elevated amount of risk. The fund disclosed, for example, that its so-called Level 3 assets, or securities that are hard to value and trade, were 20 percent of assets at the end of July. That was higher than any other U.S. junk bond fund with at least $500 million in assets, according to a Reuters analysis of fund disclosures. And the fund had 76 percent of its portfolio exposed to very low rated "CCC+" rated securities and below, compared with a median level of 22 percent among similar junk funds, according to analysts at Citigroup. Launched in 2009, Focused Credit found its way into the portfolios of mom-and-pop investors, pension plans and nonprofits, fund disclosures show. It differed from other junk bond funds because it favored creditor claims and stock warrants tied to companies going through bankruptcy. One of its biggest investors was Boston-based Fidelity Investments' Strategic Advisers Income Opportunities Fund, which had a $128 million stake at the end of October. Fidelity declined to comment on the fund’s current exposure. Graystone Consulting, Morgan Stanley's independent adviser to institutional and wealthy clients, originally recommended the fund in 2014 via a due diligence report that clearly highlighted the fund’s liquidity risks, Morgan Stanley spokesman James Wiggins said. Graystone then produced an updated assessment in 2015 in which liquidity risk is also highlighted, he added. “Graystone stands behind its review process. Third Avenue has a strong track record as an investment manager and has found historical success in illiquid instruments,” Wiggins said. BLUNT AND AUTOCRATIC Third Avenue, led by long-time chief executive David Barse, did not recognize the danger the fund was in until it was too late. In fact, fund management team members discussed internally that they believed the fund still could ride out a storm of redemptions less than 90 days before the fund's collapse, said former and current employees who requested anonymity. Inside Third Avenue, some of the company's 100 or so employees were unsettled by Barse's management style, which they saw as blunt and autocratic, according to interviews with about a dozen former and current Third Avenue employees. Perhaps most importantly, Barse's hard-charging personality made it hard for subordinates to bring him bad news, these sources said. In recent years, some even complained to AMG, the parent company of Third Avenue, but Barse, who had led the firm more than two decades, remained firmly in control. Barse sometimes berated employees in front of colleagues, reducing them to tears, according to the current and former employees. In the months before Focused Credit's collapse, key people jumped ship as the fund hemorrhaged assets, declining to less than $1 billion from more than $3 billion in 2014. Three of Focused Credit's eight-member team, for example, left during the first half of 2015, according to current and former Third Avenue employees. Barse, 53, did not return messages seeking comment. He made a positive impression in some circles. Barse is a trustee of Brooklyn Law School, where he graduated in 1987. The chair of the school’s board, Stuart Subotnick, said he didn’t know what to make of the criticism. “David is a tough guy. I would imagine there are a lot of guys in that business who are jealous of him or don’t like him, and this was an opportunity to dump on him,” Subotnick said. AMG Chairman Sean Healey, who declined comment for this story through a spokeswoman, personally got involved in the discussions that led to what the two sides ultimately described as Barse's mutually agreed departure from the firm after the junk bond fund's demise, according to people familiar with the situation. Under Barse's direction, assets at Third Avenue peaked at $26 billion in 2006, but by the time of his departure managed assets had dwindled to about $8 billion. And investment advisory fees at the firm's flagship Value Fund were just $22 million in the fiscal year ending Oct. 31, 2014, down 77 percent from $97.2 million in fiscal 2007, fund disclosures show. "I hope you appreciate that David and everything he stood for are being disassociated from the fund," said Martin Shubik, an 89-year-old Yale University economist who is an independent director for the Focused Credit Fund. Five of the fund's six other independent directors did not return messages or referred questions to Jim Hall, Third Avenue's general counsel, Hall did not return messages seeking comment. The sixth director could not be reached. DEAN OF DISTRESSED INVESTING The board charged with oversight of Third Avenue's five mutual funds, including Focused Credit, largely allowed Barse and his top lieutenants to run operations as they saw fit. That's according to past and current employees who had direct knowledge of interactions between Barse's team and independent fund board directors. Some mutual fund experts criticize outside directors, in general, for not challenging investment company management teams. It’s not uncommon, for example, for some directors at large mutual fund companies to sit on the boards of dozens of funds and to receive fees from each in what critics call a cozy rubber stamping operation for management. "People know what side their bread is buttered on," said Alan Palmiter, a Wake Forest University professor who studies the fund industry. Founded in 1986 by Martin Whitman, now 91, Third Avenue prides itself on finding deep value in beaten-up securities. "Cheap and safe" is the company's guiding principle. Whitman, considered the dean of American distressed investing, remains chairman and a portfolio manager at Third Avenue. He did not return messages seeking comment. Whitman, Barse and other top executives sold their controlling stake to AMG in 2002. But day-to-day operations did not change. A cornerstone of AMG’s approach is operational autonomy and independence, allowing principals such as Barse to run fund operations. "That's their business model and if they change it, no one would ever sell to them again," said billionaire investor Mario Gabelli, who founded fund management firm GAMCO in 1977. (Reporting By Tim McLaughlin, Ross Kerber and Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Martin Howell)

Six U.S. troops killed by suicide bomber in Afghanistan

Mon Dec 21, 2015 | 4:16 PM EST AFGHANISTAN-ATTACK-USA-FATALITIES AFGHANISTAN-ATTACK-USA By Mirwais Harooni and Phil Stewart KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Six American troops were killed in Afghanistan on Monday when a suicide bomber on a motorbike struck their patrol near Bagram air base, a U.S. official said, in the latest high-profile attack claimed by Taliban insurgents. Just days ago, the Pentagon warned of deteriorating security in Afghanistan in the second half of 2015 and a rise in the number of effective strikes by Taliban insurgents. NATO's Resolute Support mission in Kabul said that the attack killed six Resolute Support troops and wounded three others but declined to provide the nationalities of casualties. A U.S. official said all six killed were Americans. More than 2,300 U.S. troops have died in the Afghan war since the 2001 invasion. The police chief of Parwan province said three Afghan police had been wounded in the bombing, which was carried out just days after other suicide attacks on Kandahar air base in southern Afghanistan and on a Spanish embassy guesthouse in the Afghan capital, Kabul. ADVERTISEMENT Bagram, around 40 km (25 miles) to the north of Kabul, is one of the main bases for the 9,800 U.S. troops left in Afghanistan after international troops ended combat operations last year. District Governor Abdul Shukur Qudusi said the suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol. The attack underlined the Taliban's ability to hit high-profile targets linked to the U.S.-backed government, which wants to reopen the peace process aimed at ending the 14-year-long insurgency. On Monday, Taliban forces in Helmand closed in on the district of Sangin as they tightened their grip on the volatile southern province. In a report to the U.S. Congress released last week, the Pentagon said casualties among Afghan national defense and security forces, or ANDSF, rose 27 percent from Jan. 1 to Nov. 15, compared with the same period last year. Although the Pentagon praised Afghan forces for regaining territory and becoming increasingly capable of staging large-scale operations, it assessed their overall performance as "uneven and mixed." (Reporting by Mirwais Harooni in Kabul and Phil Stewart in Washington; writing by James Mackenzie; editing by Nick Macfie and Grant McCool)

Exclusive: Iran to match stance with Russia in push for Syria deal

Fri Dec 18, 2015 | 5:46 PM EST Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L), who arrived to attend the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), meets with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, November 23, 2015. Reuters/Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin Exclusive: Iran to match stance with Russia in...X By Parisa Hafezi and Louis Charbonneau Brother of Lebanese militant Samir Qantar mourns him on Facebook . Reuters 1 hour ago     . ˠ ➕ ✕ . .. . . BEIRUT (Reuters) - The brother of Lebanese militant Samir Qantar mourned him on his Facebook page on Sunday without giving details about his death, but said his brother was a martyr. "With pride we mourn the martyrdom of the leader Samir Qantar and we are honored to join families of martyrs," Bassam Kantar said on his Facebook page. Syrian government loyalists said Qantar, who joined Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group after Israel released him as part of a prisoner swap in 2008, was killed in an Israeli strike in Syria on Sunday. (Reporting by Mariam Karouny; Editing by Michael Perry) =========================== UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran has decided to unify its stance with Russia's in the push for a political deal to end Syria's civil war, Iranian officials said, in a sign it could ease its opposition to the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as part of the agreement. While maintaining its firm backing for Assad in public, Russia has recently made clear to Western nations that it has no objection to him stepping down as part of the peace process, diplomats said. Iran's decision to step up its coordination with Russia was made after a meeting last month between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, according to a senior Iranian official with knowledge of the discussions. Like Russia, Iran has insisted publicly that Assad should only step down if he is voted out in an eventual election. "What was agreed was Iran and Russia will pursue one policy which will benefit Tehran, Moscow and Damascus," the senior Iranian official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "Iran seriously believes that the Syrian nation should decide about their fate. But first calm should be restored." "It is possible that the Syrian people decide Assad should leave, and then he must leave," the official added. "If he cannot serve his country and his people, then a capable successor should run the country." A second Iranian official told Reuters that Iran and Russia are in "full harmony over Syria and Assad's fate". "The meeting between Putin and the Supreme Leader Khamenei was very successful and now Iran and Russia share the same view on Assad," the official said. "SHARP DIFFERENCES" The question of Assad's departure is the biggest sticking point among major powers as they hammer out plans for a political process in Syria leading to elections within two years. ADVERTISEMENT U.S. and European officials say that Assad has lost credibility due to persistent repression and rights abuses and cannot run in any elections along the lines major powers agreed in two ministerial meetings in Vienna. But Western powers, Turkey, Saudi Arabia reluctantly agreed to allow him to remain in place during a transition period. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday there remain "sharp differences" on the fate of Assad. He was speaking in New York, where 17 nations including Russia, the United States, and regional rivals Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia met on Friday to discuss a road map for peace in Syria. The plan includes a ceasefire, talks between the Syrian opposition and government on a unity government and backing the continued fight against Islamic State militants is the focus of a meeting After his meeting with Putin, Khamenei publicly criticized the United States, saying its policies in the Middle East were a threat to Moscow and Tehran alike and calling for closer bilateral ties with Russia. Russia and Iran are intervening militarily on behalf of Assad against anti-government forces in the five-year civil war that has claimed more than a quarter million lives. Both former Cold War enemies may have an interest in solidifying a new relationship based on a shared mistrust of the West and a desire to counter U.S. hegemony in the Middle East. During the first two rounds of ministerial talks on Syria in Vienna, Iran reluctantly signed on to the road map, which is based on the so-called Geneva Communique from June 2012. The Geneva Communique called for political transition in Syria and Tehran never formally embraced it because of the implication that it could mean the end of Assad. "Iran was not happy with those communiques but it allowed them to go ahead," a senior Western diplomat said this week. He was referring to the two communiques agreed in Vienna on Oct. 31 and Nov. 14. Iran had repeatedly described the question of Assad as a "red line". Western diplomats say that Iran will have to move further towards Russia's position and fully abandon Assad if there is to be a viable diplomatic solution that ends the war in Syria. The United States and European and Gulf Arab nations insist that Assad must step aside by the end of any transition period and that he should not stand in future elections. One Western official said it would be crucial for Russia and Iran to agree precisely on how to abandon Assad. Even if the Iranians are beginning to acknowledge the possibility of Assad's departure, that goal that remains elusive. (Editing by Stuart Grudgings)

CTD arrests suspected financier of Safoora Goth massacre

CTD arrests suspected financier of Safoora Goth massacre Dawn.com | Imtiaz Ali — Updated about 7 hours ago Whatsapp 19 Comments Email Print KARACHI: The counter terrorism department (CTD) on Friday arrested the vice-chancellor of a private university from Karachi over charges of financing Al-Qaeda and allegedly aiding the Safoora Goth massacre, DawnNews reported. Adil Masood Butt, a close aide and the business partner of Safoora Goth attack’s main suspect Saad Aziz, was arrested by CTD from the Clifton area of the metropolis. Giving details, the CTD sources revealed that Butt’s name surfaced as the financier of the attack after the joint investigating team (JIT) interrogated another suspect, Khalid Yousuf. The evidence of Butt’s involvement was further established after his bank records were investigated, the counter-terrorism department said. Later, addressing a press conference to announce the arrest, CTD head Raja Umer Khattab said that Butt was the business partner of Saad Aziz alias Tin Tin. "Butt had studied at Indiana University in USA and later set up his own 'College of Accountancy and Management Sciences (CAMS),’ which has three branches in Karachi where around 2,000 students are studying," Khattab said. Women facilitators Khattab said during investigation it was revealed that that there is a strong 'women operated' network working alongside this group. The network includes Khalid Yusuf Bari's wife, Saad Aziz's wife and mother-in-law and Mufti Tauseef's wife who brainwash other women. The CTD head claimed that Khalid Bari's wife used to spread the Islamic State’s ideology through digital means. "These women also served the militant outfits by arranging suitable matrimonial matches and funds for the terrorists," said Khattab. He requested the general public to remain watchful while giving zakat or charity to any organisation, lest they will be included in any such investigation as facilitator for any terrorist activity. The highly educated suspect Adil Butt received his early education at Saint Patrick and Saint Paul schools before moving to the United States (US) for higher studies in 1987 where he obtained an MBA degree from New York’s Fordham University in 1992. In 1994, Butt, along with his partners, opened the College of Accounting and Management Sciences (CAMS), the institute has three branches and about 2,000 students are enrolled in the institute. In the year 2000, Butt became a follower of Dr Israr Ahmed and joined Tanzeem-i-Islami. He met Khalid Yusuf Bari, Sheba Ahmed and Dr Akmal Waheed through TI. Later, he left TI but remained in touch with Dr Waheed and allegedly started funding the terrorists through him. Fearing intelligence agencies, Waheed later stopped Butt from meeting and funding him directly but instead started sending a man, Umer Jalal, who collected the funds from him in NED University, where Butt worked as a lecturer. Umer Jalal too was linked to Al-Qaeda and was a part of the terrorist network which included Akmal Waheed, Saad Aziz, Mufti Tauseef , Saleem Ahmed and Suleman Saeed, according to the CTD press release. At least 43 people were killed and 13 others wounded on May 14 when armed men opened fire inside a bus carrying members of the Ismaili community near Safoora Chowk in Karachi. Sindh Police Inspector General Ghulam Haider Jamali said 60 people were on board the bus when six gunmen entered and executed 43 passengers. Ahmed Marwat, spokesman for Jundullah, a splinter group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had claimed responsibility for the attack. ================================================= Assistants of terror: How women raise funds for Da’ish in Karachi By Faraz Khan Published: December 21, 2015 165 SHARES Share Tweet Email PHOTO: AFP PHOTO: AFP KARACHI: It all started with a request. Short and simple. “Aap se darkhwast hai [We’re making a request to you]”. And that was enough. It was a code, used by Islamic State-inspired militants to raise funds for their activities in the metropolitan city. The women’s wing of the Middle Eastern terror outfit was mainly responsible for generating funds. Once the money had been collected, the women would give it to the male members of the group, who then passed it on to their head honchos. Another code came into play when the middle man came to receive the money. “Amanat de do [Please return the keepsake],” he would say. These words were enough. CTD to target ‘women’s wing’ of Islamic State-inspired group in Karachi Women’s role The women’s wing usually met at The Faith Academy school. “They [women] sent darkhwasts [requests] to well-off women, seeking donations for IS by using the name of the school,” explained an official of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). “After collecting the money, they used to hand it over to the male wing of the outfit,” he added. “Then Adil Butt, the recently-arrested CEO of the College of Accounting and Management Sciences (CAMS) used to hand over the funds to a person, identified as Omar, alias Jalal Chandio, who used the code word ‘Amanat de do’.” On Friday, CTD in-charge Raja Omar Khattab uncovered a group of women tasked by the militant group to arrange for marriages of their operatives and also raise funds for their activities. Though there are around a dozen women in this group, six of them were particularly active in collecting funds from different parts of the city. Three of them are accused of abetting the Safoora bus carnage in May, 2015. Female attacker from DG Khan praised Da’ish chief One of them is the wife of Omar alias Jalal Chandio, a key suspect of the Safoora attack, while another is the spouse of Adil Butt. The latter was arrested on December 2 from his residence in the Defence Housing Authority for his alleged role in the assault. Arrests likely CTD officials are likely to arrest the wife of Safoora attack mastermind Saad Aziz and other women affiliated with the IS-inspired group operating in the metropolis. “We were delaying the arrests because they are women,” said a CTD official. “But now the stage has come to arrest them. The women will be detained at the CTD’s detention centre where women police will be deployed round the clock.” Officials claim the women’s wing is being operated by the families, particularly the wives of the suspects arrested in connection with the Safoora carnage and other terrorist attacks in Karachi. Aziz’s wife and mother-in-law are key suspects in the case. So are the wives of retired PIA engineer Khalid Yousuf Bari, who was also arrested for his involvement in the attack, and Mufti Tauseef, who is an absconder in the case. Bari’s wife, along with the wife of Mufti Tauseef, and some other women are operating a strong network, said the official. But the key role lies with Bari’s wife. “Bari’s wife has a vital role in generating funds and brainwashing well-off women to garner support for IS. She also organised Aziz’s wedding,” said an official. Forensic experts are examining the laptops, cell phones and other valuables to get more evidence. “Bari’s wife also used to run an organisation – Idara al Zakra Academy – comprising around 20 women who used to generate funds in the names of donations, zakat and khairat for the terror outfit,” explained CTD in-charge Raja Omar Khattab. “Their other responsibility is to recruit women into the organisation through sermons and videos about IS by distributing USBs,” he added. Inconsistent policy: Da’ish outlawed despite doubts over its existence CTD officials say they have been keeping a close eye on the activities of this women’s wing. Besides, they have also started keeping watch on various educational institutions in Karachi, as well as other parts of Sindh, as the group has a considerable following in various colleges, universities and other educational institutions in the province from where they recruit highly-educated people. Four of their recruits have so far been arrested for their involvement in the Safoora carnage. Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2015.

GCC builds $1.65 trillion economy on real estate

Filed on December 15, 2015 | Last updated on December 15, 2015 at 07.13 am According to IMF, the GCC's economy is estimated to reach $2 trillion by 2020, with the UAE contributing $502 billion. - Getty Images Region's growth at 5%, well above the global average rate of 2.8%. Hinting at positive growth rates for the real estate markets in the GCC, Al Masah Capital published its report announcing a booming GCC economy at $1.65 trillion in 2014 compared to $535.7 billion a decade ago. The reports were in comparison with global real estate market investments, which fell back in 2014 due to policy changes in China and other Asia-Pacific countries, leading to a weakening in land sales. Global real estate investment fell in 2014 for the first time in five years, dropping 6.3 per cent to $1.21 trillion from $1.29 trillion in 2013. While the recent drop in oil prices have subdued GDP growth in the short term, the GCC economy is expected to recover on the back of supportive economic policies and strong performance in the non-oil sector. According to International Monetary Fund, the GCC's economy is estimated to reach $2 trillion by 2020, with Saudi Arabia contributing $902 billion, followed by the UAE ($502 billion), Qatar ($269 billion), Kuwait ($196 billion), Oman ($81 billion) and Bahrain ($40 billion). Al Masah also observed that the GCC region as a whole is still heavily reliant on oil revenues, while the non-oil sector comprising of manufacturing, real estate, tourism, hospitality and trade has emerged as the major growth engine, especially in the UAE. Consequently, despite the steep decline in oil prices, GDP growth in GCC was not severely affected due to strong performance of the non-oil sector and large cash buffers, which ensured steady levels of spending and investment. Over the last five years, the GCC economy has grown at an average annual rate of five per cent against the world average growth rate of 2.8 per cent. Within the GCC region, Qatar recorded the highest growth rate of 9.7 per cent, followed by Saudi Arabia (5.2 per cent), the UAE and Bahrain (four per cent each). The increased contribution of the non-oil sector to the economy has been the major reason for the relatively better performance by GCC countries, surpassing the growth rates of developed countries in the last five years. After the global financial crisis, the GCC has emerged as an attractive destination for global investors and the real estate and construction sectors have become key economic barometers for the growth in the region. GCC countries are also organising mega events such as Dubai World Expo 2020 and the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, which will provide a major boost to the region's tourism, as well as the real estate industry in the coming years. However, private equity investment in GCC real estate is still recovering from the effects of the economic recession in 2009. The recovery rate has been slow due to cautious investor sentiments and the industry has a long way to go before it reaches the pre-2009 levels of investment. The hospitality, residential and office lease markets remain buoyant in the GCC, whereas the retail segment is expected to continue its aggressive expansion in the coming years. With major ongoing commercial projects, GCC real estate markets are attracting considerable interests from private sectors to indicate potential for further growth. Views expressed are by Al Masah Capital and do not reflect the newspaper's policy.

Wall saga blocks road

December 16, 2015 dec16_4676 Carl Pfeiffer @CarlPfeiffer9 25 High Street, Gawler East (CC11/367). Council agreed to pay 50% of the total quoted cost of $4450 ($2225) in repairing the southern section of the Local Heritage Wall located at 25 High Street, Gawler East, and payment be made to the terms and conditions of the Gawler Historic Walls Grant Scheme. ========================= THE rapidly deteriorating condition of a heritage wall has forced Gawler Council to cordon it off from the public and close one direction of High Street. Work began to repair the wall several months ago following ongoing discussions between council and its owners, following six years of deliberations before reaching an agreement. However, the early hot weather this summer has taken its toll on the historic structure, which is now in such a state of disrepair that pieces of it regularly fall onto the High Street footpath and pose a danger for both vehicles and pedestrians. This has forced council to take action by installing heavy-duty bunting around the structure and implementing a temporary traffic light system to control vehicles which can now only utilise one lane of the two-way street. Council chief executive Henry Inat confirmed the landowner had engaged a stonemason to begin a trial technique on a portion of the wall. “If this is successful it will be applied to the rest of the wall,” he said. The trial technique has now been applied to a larger section of the wall, not because it was initially successful, but because rapid deterioration meant it was in danger of collapsing. At least a third of Gawler’s heritage walls are in need of urgent repair and, despite allocating money towards the issue, council appears no closer to solving the problem. Currently, there are more than 300 privately-owned heritage walls around the town, with at least 121 of those in need of repair. Council has committed $25,000 over the past two years through a competitive grant scheme to provide support to repair and restore the walls. The scheme involved wall-owners matching council’s grant contribution dollar for dollar. However, only six private owners have, so far, taken advantage of the scheme. ============================== Kerry Kezzen Haydon The ridiculousness of this is they make a huge fuss about their heritage wall yet just up calton road,on east terrace they've allowed a developer to knock down a building that has real historical signifigance to build pokey little units. The building, sold as a gentlemans bungalow, has been a nunnery a school building and has had james martin stay there but for a little profit and extra rates its been entirely demolished, no trace left. You wonder who these people know that they can get permission,from council to erase history in a matter of months, when it takes other property owners years to arrange to fix a wall. The ridiculousness of this is they make a huge fuss about their heritage wall yet just up calton road,on east terrace they've allowed a developer to knock down a building that has real historical signifigance to build pokey little units. The building, sold as a gentlemans bungalow, has been a nunnery a school building and has had james martin stay there but for a little profit and extra rates its been entirely demolished, no trace left. You wonder who these people know that they can get permission,from council to erase history in a matter of months, when it takes other property owners years to arrange to fix a wall. Edited · Like · 3 people · Reply · Report · 7 hours ago Andrew Rowe A good downpour of rain and that "heritage" wall would be history. That road block is a major inconvenience adding to Gawler's already congested traffic. Like · 6 people · Reply · Report · Today at 8:56am Penny McNicholl Perhaps more should have been done prior to it reaching this point. You know maintained before it crumbled not unlike the Lutheran school walls. Theres a few in Gawler just being left to crumble, all well and good until someone gets hurt. Like · 2 people · Reply · Report · Today at 9:07am Graham Dorey 1. Should never have been left to get to this stage. Decision to fix or remove should already have been made BEFORE it got to this stage. 2. Surely given the amount of traffic on this road, cars can see each other and take turns at going past the obstruction WITHOUT having to install lights like this? Does not drive with due care apply? Who is going to go down the street at 3 in the morning and Stop at the light if the street ahead is clear? Edited · Like · 1 person · Reply · Report · 7 hours ago Suzy Mansfield All the rest of the owners are probably waiting for their walls to deteriorate to the point of not being able to be repaired. ;-) Like · 1 person · Reply · Report · Today at 8:41am Rhiannon Flowers Let that wall go. A few metres of wall is nothing when the gasworks has been left to rot. Like · Reply · Report · 1 hour ago Gary Cluse Spending $25,000 on 121 walls equates to $206 each. Do tell me how this will fix the problem ? Seem like more money has been spent diverting traffic via signs etc and bollards. Maybe invest more and simply get it done Like · 2 people · Reply · Report · 5 hours ago Michelle Dunstan oh and heres me thinking it was being repaired and the road restrictions were in force because someone was actually doing something to repair it... :( Like · Reply · Report · 4 hours ago Shannon Waters I wonder if the council is charging the owner for the cost of the traffic adjustments? Like · 1 person · Reply · Report · Today at 9:42am David Heintze They have had to wait a ridiculous amount of time for this wall to fall over...... Michael Squires nothing a good stone mason cant fix if they whanted it fixed. Like · 1 person · Reply · Report · Today at 10:19am Erny Landherr Pull the damn things down and make it safe. These walls are not worth saving. Like · 2 people · Reply · Report · 8 hours ago Adam John Pellen Have a look at what's been done today. Like · Reply · Report · 9 hours ago Michael Lord Benny Burgess Photo Like · Reply · Report · Today at 8:44am David Atherton Adam John Pellen LMFAO Like · Reply · Report · 11 hours ago =============================================== Gawler’s great walls deteriorating Featured General July 31, 2015 jul22_6873 AT least a third of Gawler’s heritage walls are in need of urgent repair and, despite allocating money towards the issue, Gawler Council appears no closer to solving the problem. Currently, there are more than 300 privately-owned heritage walls around the town, with at least 121 of those in need of repair. Council has committed $25,000 over the past two years through a competitive grant scheme to provide support to repair and restore the walls. The scheme involved wall owners matching council’s grant contribution dollar for dollar. However, only six private owners have taken advantage of the scheme so far. Gawler Mayor Karen Redman said because of the large number of walls and the backlog of maintenance identified, council had committed to contributing grants over 10 years to assist private landowners. “In addition, fees associated with the lodgement of applications when seeking to repair heritage walls are waived to provide a further incentive for repairs to be made and council’s heritage adviser is also available to assist at no cost,” she said. “Council expects ongoing interest from owners to take advantage of the grant scheme.” Of the 121 walls identified, the work required is usually replacement of stone, where damp or weathering has reduced the integrity of the walls, and restoration of plaster pointing. The urgency of work mostly relates to deterioration of walls caused by lack of maintenance or sometimes inappropriate repairs. Walls with structural problems generally occur in sloping areas where they have been built or converted to retaining walls with build-up of earth behind the walls. Mayor Redman said it was important council preserves as many walls as possible. “The historic stone walls of Gawler are a significant feature of the town’s character and links to early European settlement,” she said. “There is a need for significant ongoing investment to maintain these heritage walls.” High Street wall Among the best-known heritage walls in Gawler is one located on High Street. The wall badly needs repairs, with discussions between council and its owners progressing for more than six years. Mayor Redman said council had undertaken a series of recent discussions with the wall owner and a stonemason, who had provided a quote for the necessary repairs. “We have been advised, following a meeting this week with council representatives, the owner, CEO and the stonemason, that after preparatory work is completed by the owner, repair work can be started in October/November,” she said. “This wall requires expert intervention and such skilled stonemasons are not easily available in our local community.” Mayor Redman said council’s involvement depended on the level of co-operation with the High Street wall owners as “council has to balance issues of heritage protection, development approval and management of public safety”. “We understand the work is proposed in stages and would be expected to take a few months,” she said. “The owner has requested financial assistance from council, with this not finalised as yet.”

Khomeini grandson registers for Iran Assembly election on February, state broadcaster IRIB reported

Khomeini grandson registers for Iran Assembly election on February, state broadcaster IRIB reported Hassan Khomeini, a grandson of the Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, casts his ballot in a parliamentary election in Tehran in this March 2, 2012 file photo. Reuters/Stringer/Files A grandson of Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini registered on Friday for February's election of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, state broadcaster IRIB reported. Hassan Khomeini, 43, a politically moderate cleric, will be the first member of the family of Iran's revolutionary founder to test his popularity at the ballot box. In a conditional endorsement of the move, incumbent Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Khomeini last week he should be careful not to bring his grandfather's name into disrepute, a source close to Khomeini said. Hardliners close to Khamenei have voiced concerns about Hassan Khomeini's candidacy, warning of the risk of a reformist alliance emerging at the top of Iran's political establishment. Khomeini is close to centrist President Hassan Rouhani, whose popularity has risen since his government struck a deal on Iran's nuclear program with world powers in July. Rouhani is hoping to cash in on that support to help like-minded politicians win a majority in the assembly and in a parliamentary election that will be held on the same day. Khamenei is 76, so the new assembly is expected to play a significant role in choosing his successor since its members are only elected every eight years. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and John Stonestreet)

Andrew Forrest buys historic Cottesloe mansion 'Tukurua' as dispute resolved

I just thought to let you know this investment opportunity. This Detached Single Story Unit is situated on a Fantastic Quiet Location! Close to School, Elizabeth Rise, Munno Para Malls, German Club. Situated back to back with The Boys Scout Association ,SA This is a detached Home on a spacious Lot of 439 Sq.M. The home is cheaper than price of land itself. Asking just $220,000. It was recently rented at $295/ week. This 3 bedrooms beautiful home in Elizabeth Downs, all carpeted, 1 bathroom, single carport, 430sqm land abutting back to back with The Boy Scouts Association SA Branch (Guides SA) is situated next to German Club opposite Elizabeth Downs School, Oval & Church. Owner have recently laid new floating boards in living room and lounge. Express your interest now. This one won't stay long being cheaper then land itself. Call Saqlain 0431 138 537 for further info and inspection. http://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-sa-elizabeth+dow…, ‪#‎ElizabethDowns‬, ‪#‎GermanClub‬, ‪#‎Scouts‬, ‪#‎GuidesSA‬, ‪#‎MunnoPara‬ http://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-sa-elizabeth+downs-121516166 ======================== By Rebecca Trigger and Courtney Bembridge Updated about an hour ago Andrew Forrest buys historic Cottesloe mansion 'Tukurua' as dispute resolved By Rebecca Trigger and Courtney Bembridge Updated about an hour ago Historic mansion Tukurua in Cottesloe is up for sale 27 July 2014 Photo: Historic mansion Tukurua in Cottesloe has been bought by mining magnate Andrew Forrest. (Louise Merrillees) Related Story: Expensive real estate or priceless asset? Related Story: Cottesloe mansion could sell for as much as $50m Map: Cottesloe 6011 Mining magnate Andrew Forrest has bought a historic mansion in the exclusive Perth suburb of Cottesloe for a vastly-reduced price tag after the 81-year-old owner agreed to settle following a public dispute over the contract. Tukurua, a sprawling 5,001-square-metre beachside estate built as a summer house for WA's first attorney-general Septimus Burt, went on the market in mid 2014 with speculation it could fetch up to $50 million. Mr Forrest and the owner Edward Smith put out a joint statement confirming the sale, believed to be in the ballpark of $16 million. The iconic property was left to Mr Smith when the previous owner and his close friend Dorothea Cass died in 1994. At the time it went on the market, Mr Smith told the ABC he was looking to downsize after spending years restoring the property, which was ravaged by sea water and the passage of time. Mr Forrest signed a contract with Mr Smith earlier this year to sell the grand 21-room property for $16 million. However, Mr Smith later made a public appeal to Mr Forrest to withdraw from the contract, saying he wanted to stay in his home of 43 years. During the very public dispute, Mr Forrest announced he would use the vast property to house some of the 12,000 Syrian refugees coming to Australia as part of a special humanitarian intake. Mr Smith then erected a sign up on the balcony of the home, saying he would borrow $1 million and donate it to support Syrian refugees if Mr Forrest agreed to back out of the contract. Mansion sale Photo: Ted Smith said the process of selling the property was difficult given he had lived there for more than 40 years. (ABC News: Louise Merrillees) In the statement, which a spokesman for Mr Forrest said was a condition of settlement, Mr Smith apologised "unreservedly for any suggestion that Mr Forrest may have acted improperly". "This was not the case and it was not my intention to imply this," the statement said. "The process was difficult for me to accept, given I have lived in the home for more than 40 years. "I am confident Tukurua is going to a family that will cherish this heritage home and look after it for Western Australia as I have. "The sale was very amicable, with the finer details taking a little longer to work out, but the Forrests have also graciously allowed myself and my charitable interests to remain in the home rent free for an extended period to complete my personal affairs." Mr Smith will be able to stay in the property until March 2017, and will then move to an annex behind the building where he will stay until June 2017. Mr Forrest has agreed to discharge all interest accruing on the failed settlement, set at 9 per cent annually on a $9 million final payment after an initial deposit was paid. A spokesman for Mr Smith said his client would likely stay in Perth once he moved out of the historic home. Mr Smith was not available for comment. A spokesman for Mr Forrest said Mindaroo, Mr Forrest's charity arm, would be guided by state and federal authorities as to whether refugees could be housed at the property once it is vacated by Mr Smith. Mr Forrest currently lives in a five-bedroom home on a smaller block in the same suburb he bought for $2.7 million in 2000.

NSW budget 2015: Government ‘greedy’ for not helping first home buyers

The State Government has been branded “greedy” for not sharing its bumper $7.2 billion stamp duty haul with Sydney first-home buyers, with the Premier and Treasurer labelled “out of touch”. Stamp duty revenue was $1.2 billion more than budget forecasts, and forward estimates indicate a further $32 billion will be collected over the next four years. First home buyers have once again been left out in the cold despite property being the biggest contributor to the NSW economy.” The budget also contained no new financial incentives for first-home buyers, despite a 13.1 per cent surge in Sydney property pricesover the past year. In contrast to last year’s budget, the threshold of $750,000 for the First Home Owner Grant – which only applies to new properties – was not lifted. Mr Gunning was disappointed that the first home buyer grant for existing property was not reintroduced, saying this “highlights that the Treasurer and Premier are out of touch with the market”. Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian told Domain that increasing supply would be more advantageous for first home buyers than lifting the threshold for the $15,000 grant. “The worst thing we can do is put any more heat in the market,” she said. “Our lever is supply, and that’s why we’re producing more dwellings.” Ms Berejiklian said 8000 people received the First Home Owner Grant for new properties last year – an increase of 25 per cent on the previous year. However, the Real Estate Institute’s Mr Gunning said most first home buyers were in the market for existing properties. He said the State Government had chosen to “ignore … stamp duty bracket creep, which adds thousands of dollars to property transactions”. Mr Gunning said the government was misguided in its view that a cut to stamp duty rates, which had been left untouched for 30 years, would worsen Sydney’s affordability crisis. “Lower volumes drive higher property prices, while higher volumes slow the market and improve affordability,” he said. The government should also look at creating incentives for people to relocate from Sydney to regional NSW in the form of stamp duty concessions and job creation, he said.

Bank of America to increase its prime lending rate to 3.50% from 3.25%, effective immediately

Letter of Invitation: I would be available to answer any queries regarding best suburbs to integrate socially, just to let you know 21 suburbs of South Australia which are red-flagged by Australian banks. I am happy to provide detail answers to any questions with reference to Property Investment, Subdivision, Development, Buying/ Selling Residential, Commercial, Rural Properties and Businesses. I am available in person (Tue/Thu at 1289 South Rd, St. Marys, SA 5042 12 to 5 p.m) or on cell to answer any questions, and concerns you have to decide about your Real Estate. (Cell: 0431 138 537, Email: Saqlain@Dukesrealestate.com) Click here to invest in South Australian Residential Commercial, Rural Properties, Schools & Businesses. Citibank raises its base lending rate to 3.50% from 3.25% - @CNBCnow See original on twitter.com  banking  21m Bank of America to increase its prime lending rate to 3.50% from 3.25%, effective immediately - @CNBCnow See original on twitter.com  United States  26m US stocks rally after the Federal Reserve raises key rate; Dow gains about 224 - @CNBC Read more on cnbc.com  economic indicators  37m US dollar trades lower against its main rivals after the Federal Reserve raises its benchmark interest rate - @MarketWatch Read more on marketwatch.com  banking  41m PNC Bank raises its prime rate to 3.50%, effective tomorrow - @CNBCnow See original on twitter.com  US economic indicators  59m Federal Reserve Chair Yellen: US income prospects are improved, car sales up, housing 'has been recovering very slowly' - @CNBC Read more on cnbc.com  US economic indicators  1h Federal Reserve Chair Yellen: We have seen 'substantial improvement' in US labor market conditions End of alert  United States  1h Federal Reserve Chair Yellen, in response to a question, says the bank could study negative interest rates if the economy needed it - @MarketWatch Read more on marketwatch.com  United States  1h Federal Reserve Chair Yellen: I'm confident about the fundamentals of the US economy End of alert  US economic indicators  1h CBOE volatility index hits session low as Federal Reserve's Yellen speaks, last down 12% - @ReutersBiz See original on twitter.com  US economic indicators  1h Federal Reserve's Yellen: Economic recovery has come a long way, still room for labor market improvement; monetary policy remains accomodative - @CNBCnow See original on twitter.com  US economic indicators  1h Federal Reserve Chair Yellen urges press not to 'overblow' the significance of first quarter-point rate hike End of alert  United States  1h Federal Reserve's Yellen: Recent softness in US inflation data is attributed to 'transitory' factors that are expected to abate - @WSJ Read more on blogs.wsj.com  US economic indicators  1h Federal Reserve Chair Yellen: The stance of US monetary policy remains 'accommodative;' committee expects only gradual increases in fund rate will be warranted. End of alert  US economic indicators  1h Federal Reserve Chair Yellen: 'The economic recovery has clearly come a long way although it is not complete' - @BCAppelbaum =================================================== The Federal Reserve System‍—‌also known as the Federal Reserve or simply as the Fed‍—‌is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, largely in response to a series of financial panics, particularly a severe panic in 1907. Over time, the roles and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve System have expanded, and its structure has evolved. Events such as the Great Depression in the 1930s were major factors leading to changes in the system. The U.S. Congress established three key objectives for monetary policy in the Federal Reserve Act: Maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. The first two objectives are sometimes referred to as the Federal Reserve's dual mandate. Its duties have expanded over the years, and as of 2009 also include supervising and regulating banks, maintaining the stability of the financial system and providing financial services to depository institutions, the U.S. government, and foreign official institutions. The Fed conducts research into the economy and releases numerous publications, such as the Beige Book. The Federal Reserve System's structure is composed of the presidentially appointed Board of Governors or Federal Reserve Board (FRB), partially presidentially appointed Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks located in major cities throughout the nation, numerous privately owned U.S. member banks, and various advisory councils. The federal government sets the salaries of the Board's seven governors. Nationally chartered commercial banks are required to hold stock in the Federal Reserve Bank of their region, which entitles them to elect some of their board members. The FOMC sets monetary policy and consists of all seven members of the Board of Governors and the twelve regional bank presidents, though only five bank presidents vote at any given time: the president of the New York Fed and four others who rotate through one-year terms. Thus, the Federal Reserve System has both private and public components to serve the interests of the public and private banks. The structure is considered unique among central banks. It is also unusual in that the United States Department of the Treasury, an entity outside of the central bank, creates the currency used. The Fed considers the Federal Reserve System "an independent central bank because its monetary policy decisions do not have to be approved by the President or anyone else in the executive or legislative branches of government, it does not receive funding appropriated by the Congress, and the terms of the members of the Board of Governors span multiple presidential and congressional terms." The U.S. Government receives all the system's annual profits, after a statutory dividend of 6% on member banks' capital investment is paid, and an account surplus is maintained. In 2010, the Federal Reserve made a profit of $82 billion and transferred $79 billion to the U.S. Treasury

Never again Iraq to fall under Turkish Rule; regardless how much support you get from NATO

gendarme 1. A member of the French national police organization constituting a branch of the armed forces with responsibility for general law enforcement. 2. Slang A police officer. ========================== Twitter | Search | Log in | Sign up Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @ AdnanDarwash 6,115 Tweets 23 Following 29 Followers View more photos Tweets Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 17h In response to Trump, the 57 Islamic States should stop issuing visas to US citizens for a period of 100 days prior to November election. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 19h The sight of bombed out streets in Syria must please the Israelis. One wish Israeli towns face similar fate for what they have done to Syria View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 19h To Erdogan: Turkish Soldiers near Musil can only be interpreted as an attempt to help ISIS survive another day before they are driven away. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 20h To Erdogan: What can 1000 Turkish soldiers do when 300,000 US-led military force failed to pacify Iraq? View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 21h Anti-Islamic Trump in USA and Anti-Jewish Le Pen in France will ensure that Western politics (albeit not clear yet) will not be the same View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 22h In Iraq, USraeli agents must be careful: In 1958, Iraqis killed the entire Pro-British Royal family and dragged the corpses of UK agents. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 22h Arabs must consider voting for Trump in order to cut US support for Saudi Arabia which has been financing terror in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash 22h Arabs must consider voting for Fascist Le Pen against Jewish Sarkozy; to close MOSSAD training schools in France and to cut aids for Israel. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 12 One can easily conclude that all armed groups currently fighting in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen are supported by USraelis and their allies. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 12 Putin hopes to capitalise on the stupidity of the US in waging Jewish wars on Arabs and Muslims and to assert Russia as a Super Power. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 12 The Americans aim to implement an Israeli design to weaken and fragment all countries surrounding Israel using all means including Terror. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 12 The Iranians want to help Al-Assad and Hizbollah in resisting USraeli design to weaken and fragment Syria using armed resistance groups. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 12 The Saudis are implementing USraeli design for Syria which aims at removing AL-Assad, Expelling the Russians and Destroying Hizbollah. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 Many Native Americans, Blacks,Vietnamese and Iraqis will attend the funeral: US empire in its death throes: Analyst presstv.com//Detail/2015/1… View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 Baghdad the capital of reading has educated nationalists who love Iraq and Palestine. ISIS and its USraeli-Saudi mentors will sink in Iraq. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 @faisalislam Botled water cost more than either Petrol or Milk? View conversation · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 US-imported corrupt Iraqi leaders couldn't challenge Erdogan. Ayatollah Al-Sistani ordered Turkish troops to leave Iraq and they will leave. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 Successive US presidents supported Israeli atrocities, while ignoring Muslims' complaints, then foolishly ask "why do they hate us?". View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 Which one President Trump bars from US? 1. Friendly Saudi Wahhabi* 2. Hazim Abdul-Kareem ** 3. Moses Issa Abraham* * Muslim ** Christian View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 Enhanced Interrogation: The Foreign Office didn't mention in its bid for re-election to the Human Rights Council independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi… ================================== Twitter | Search | Log in | Sign up Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @ AdnanDarwash 6,115 Tweets 23 Following 29 Followers View more photos Tweets Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 Spot On: Ken Livingstone says the Saudis are a greater threat to the UK than Russia independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n… View summary · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 Only US fools think others are fools: US dodges RT’s question about Turkish troops in Iraq, gets personal — RT USA rt.com/usa/325550-ira… View summary · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 ISIS is A “Saudi Army in Disguise.” shar.es/1GHgf2 via @grtvnews View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 William Hague/Friends of Syria supported Jihadists: Donald Trump claims more Muslims join ISIS than the British Army dailym.ai/1lT52xd View summary · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 Five-star Hotel Syrian Rebels: Rifts overshadow Syria meeting in Riyadh presstv.com//Detail/2015/1… View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 11 CIA awarded ISIS-style terrorist attacks to the likes of Blackwater: ‘From Nazis to ISIL, US profits off war’ presstv.com//Detail/2015/1… View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 Nazis believe the Aryan Race is Ueberall. Similarly, Jews believe they are the Chosen people and God made them superior to others. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 Erdogan as Shameless as Netanyahu: ‘Out of question’: Erdogan rules out Turkish troop withdrawal from Iraq — RT News rt.com/news/325539-ir… View summary · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 To Erdogan: Never again Iraq to fall under Turkish Rule; regardless how much support you get from NATO or from your USraeli mentors. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 To Erdogan: The Othman Empire was so backward that its mal-dressed and under-paid Gendarmes were robbing impoverished Iraqis. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 To Erdogan: The Iraqis were so fed up with the Othoman Empire that they preferred joining the Christian British to fight the Muslim Turks. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 To Erdogan: The Othman Empire was so backward that the Iraqis had very few schools or paved roads between AD1534-1918. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 To Erdogan: Iraqis have experienced first hand the rule of the backward, narrow-minded and uncivilised Turks between 1534 and 1918. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 To Erdogan: During the Turkish/Othman Empire rule of Iraq, only Sunni Muslims were allowed to be government employees. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 To Erdogan: The most hated and very cruel Othman Emire ruled Iraq from 1534-1918. It was the darkest era in Iraq history. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 Would NATO, which virtually became an American intervention force, support Turkish incursion in Iraq and assume all relevant consequences? View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 US and Turkey want to stop Iraq defeating ISIS; in Mosul and Ramadi. If Turks insist on keeping troops inside Iraq, hell will break loose! View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 300,000 US Soldiers and mercenaries failed to secure post Saddam Iraq. Sending Arab and Turkish troops to make Muslims kill each other. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 To US Political Zombies: Besides being ruled by Terrorists and Corrupt Criminals; Israelis refuse to recognise Jesus and or Christianity. View details · Reply Retweet Like Adnan Darwash Adnan Darwash @AdnanDarwash Dec 10 'Democratic America' Elected Mad Bush I, Imbecile Reagan, Fornicating Clinton, Foxy Nixon and War Mongers (Truman, Kennedy, Bush II, Obama). View details · Reply Retweet Like Load older Tweets Enter a topic, @name, or fullname Settings Help Back to top · Turn images off