China-North Korea: Comment: Chinese and North Korean propagandists appear confused by the notion that a US publication, namely The Onion, could be devoted to satire. Kim Jong-un is possibly the world's least sexy man, which was the point of The Onion feature. The propaganda media in both nations have not commented on their having been duped by themselves. They also seem to fail to appreciate the American sense of humor.
Pakistan: The father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has registered a new political party to contest for the first time general elections expected next year. Pakistanis regard Khan as a hero for building the Muslim world's first atomic bomb.
Comment: Khan is a front-runner for the most anti-US scientist since World War II. He sold or traded his nuclear secrets only to countries that were enemies of the US during the time he was active.
He was not a renegade or a nationalist, as the international press suggests and many senior analysts argued. He was an agent of the Pakistan government in spreading nuclear weapons technology and science to North Korea and Libya and possibly other states hostile to the United States.
Although he is eligible for investigation by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, in Pakistan, eventually he could become president or at least a member of the National Assembly. His defiance of the US and UN resolutions against nuclear weapons proliferation has made him popular in Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia: Update. Saudi state television broadcast the first public images of King Abdallah since the 87-year-old monarch underwent what was described as back surgery 11 days ago. The video shows the king sitting down, as members of the royal family greet him and kiss his hand in a hospital suite in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
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Comment: Quod erat demonstrandum. The King is still alive.
Egypt: Large protests and demonstrations in Cairo and several other large cities continued for a sixth day. Clashes on 28 November in Cairo's Tahrir Square between supporters and opponents of President Mursi left 116 people wounded.
The Egyptian army will not get involved in the conflict between the president and the opposition, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said on 28 November.
Comment: This is the first recent evidence that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces remains intact. Its statement means the army will not rescue Mursi.
Egypt's two highest appeals courts suspended their work Wednesday, 28 November, to protest president Mursi's decrees that gave him nearly absolute powers,. Judges of the Cassation Court decided in an emergency meeting that they will not return to work until Mursi rescinds his decrees, according to Egyptian state TV.
President Mursi will address the nation on Thursday, 29 November, about the decree he issued last week and why it was issued as well as the events that ensued afterwards," according to a presidential source.
Egypt's Constituent Assembly plans to vote on 29 November on the final draft of a new Islamist constitution, Al Arabiya reported. The Muslim Brotherhood announced that the country's constituent assembly will hold an up or down vote on the new draft.
Comment: Mursi's speech apparently will be coordinated with the assembly's vote on the new Islamist constitution it drafted. If it passes, which is a foregone outcome, the constitution will then be put to a national referendum.
Political and revolutionary groups called on 28 November for mass demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square and in other governorates on 30 November to protest against Mursi.
Comment: As yet the US has made no statement criticizing Mursi's usurpation of power or the fundamentally corrupt constitutional assembly. Egyptian courts already have ruled the composition of the assembly is constitutionally flawed for not representing women, Christians, and minority tribes.
Egyptian women need to beware because the president and the constitutional assembly are no respecters of their rights. The Copts and the tribes already know Mursi's biases.
Regardless of his attempts to justify his action, he persists in acknowledging no check on his power and assumes the power to dictate the outcome of any constitutional referendum, if it does not suit him. He recognizes no law except Allah who gave him the electoral victory, he said in a speech last Saturday.
Mursi has usurped the power of the courts, but asked the electorate to trust his good intentions. He has not agreed to abide by the new constitution and has shown disregard for the rule of law. Mursi is ignorant about how a democracy really works, despite his education in the West.
The real questions are why he bothers with a constitution and why Egyptians tolerate this farce.
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