Watchman Newsletter for July 31, 2008
The Bride More Books
& Things Potential for Strong Earthquake in Pacific Northwest Fox 12 News - A series of shallow earthquakes have been startling residents from Oregon to Idaho and even as far way as Alaska. In the Gem State, the strongest shaking was felt just east of Pocatello. The tremors, all of which are a 4.0 magnitude or less, have been occurring along the Blanco Fracture Zone off the Oregon Coast. Emergency managers say the quakes are no cause for alarm but shouldn't be handled with absolute complacency either. "Future activity cannot be predicted, however people living anywhere in the Pacific Northwest could potentially experience a magnitude 5 or 6 earthquake. Planning is not a prediction, but planning for the worst and hoping for the best is good advice in the disaster preparedness profession," said Susan Reinertson, FEMA's regional administrator. Emergency managers say all Americans should have a 72 hour disaster preparedness kit with food, water, prescription medication and first aid supplies in their homes.
Israeli prime minister to resign in September
Associated Press (July
30, 2008) - Facing burgeoning corruption allegations and
plummeting popularity, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday he will
resign in September, throwing Israel into political turmoil and raising
doubts about prospects for peace with the Palestinians and Syria. Olmert
said he would not run in his party's primary election Sept. 17 and would
step down afterward to allow his successor to form a government. But
because of Israel's political system, he could serve until well into
next year. His decision will end a long public career that has been
clouded by allegations of corruption that have battered him in recent
months. Olmert's popularity dropped below 20 percent at one point after
his bloody but inconclusive war in Lebanon in 2006. Political analysts
had been predicting his resignation for weeks as details of the latest
allegations against him dominated the news. The most damaging inquiry
focuses on Morris Talansky, a 76-year-old American Jewish businessman
who testified that he handed envelopes stuffed with tens of thousands of
dollars to Olmert before he became prime minister, in part financing a
luxurious lifestyle of expensive hotels and fat cigars. Olmert's brief
address from his official Jerusalem residence included harsh criticism
of the police investigations. He said he was choosing the public good
over personal justice. Although he has consistently denied wrongdoing,
he had pledged to resign if indicted. "I was forced to defend myself
against relentless attacks from self-appointed 'fighters for justice'
who sought to depose me from my position, when the ends sanctified all
the means," Olmert said, appearing angry and reading from a text. He did
not answer questions from reporters gathered in his courtyard.
more...
IMF Contemplates System Failure. Could it be the 1.2 Quadrillion in
Derivatives? McAlvany Weekly
Commentary
(July 30, 2008)
Turkey's Ruling Party Escapes Ban
BBC News
(July 30, 2008) - Turkey's Constitutional Court has decided not
to ban the ruling AK Party, accused of undermining the country's secular
system. But the judges did cut half the AKP's treasury funding for this
year. The AKP, which won a huge poll victory last year, denies it wants
to create an Islamist state by stealth. It called the case an attack on
democracy. The powerful military sees itself as the guardian of the
modern secular state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Court president
Hasim Kilic said the financial sanctions imposed on the AKP were a
"serious warning". At least seven of the 11 court judges would need to
vote in favour for the party to be banned. But six judges wanted a ban
and five did not want to do so. "I hope the party in question will
evaluate this outcome very well and get the message it should get," Mr
Kilic said. After the ruling, Turkey's Labour Minister Faruk Celik was
quoted as saying it was a "victory for Turkish democracy". The court
case followed a series of confrontations between the AKP, which has
Islamist roots, and the secular elite. Turkish secularists have staged
huge anti-AKP rallies. The party's attempt to allow Islamic headscarves
to be worn at universities was highly controversial. Last month the
constitutional court said the move to lift the existing headscarf ban
violated the secular constitution. Since the 1960s, more than 20 parties
- mostly pro-Islamist or pro-Kurdish - have been shut down by the courts
for allegedly posing a threat to Turkey's secularist principles.
However, this is the first time that a closure case has been brought
against a governing party with a huge parliamentary majority. EU
officials expressed some relief at the court's ruling on Wednesday. "It
is positive. Turkey is living a tense situation and we very much hope
that the decision by the court will contribute to restore political
stability," said Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy
chief Javier Solana, quoted by Reuters.
Huge Chunk Snaps Off Storied Arctic Ice Shelf
Globe And Mail
(July 29, 2008) - A four-square-kilometre chunk has broken off
Ward Hunt Ice Shelf - the largest remaining ice shelf in the Arctic -
threatening the future of the giant frozen mass that northern explorers
have used for years as the starting point for their treks. Scientists
say the break, the largest on record since 2005, is the latest
indication that climate change is forcing the drastic reshaping of the
Arctic coastline, where 9,000 square kilometres of ice have been
whittled down to less than 1,000 over the past century, and are only
showing signs of decreasing further. "Once you unleash this process by
cracking the ice shelf in multiple spots, of course we're going to see
this continuing," said Derek Mueller, a leading expert on the North who
discovered the ice shelf's first major crack in 2002. Dr. Mueller was
part of a team monitoring ice along the northern coast of Ellesmere
Island last April that discovered deep new cracks - 18 kilometres long
and 40 metres wide - on the edge of Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, a
350-square-kilometre mass of ice that joins tiny Ward Hunt Island to the
bigger Ellesmere. The cracks indicated a split was likely coming.
more...
U.S. companies vulnerable to foreign buyers
Reuters
(July 29, 2008) - With a record volume of international takeovers
of U.S. companies, it almost appears America itself is up for sale. The
weak dollar and slumping stock prices of U.S. companies has created a
window of opportunity for international buyers to snatch up American
icons such as beer brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc and the landmark
Chrysler Building in New York. "The dollar has depreciated so much that
America is on the sale rack," said Sung Won Sohn, a professor of
economics at California State University. "America has such an appetite
for foreign goods -- Chinese imports and oil -- that U.S. dollars have
gone overseas. Now, many Americans aren't happy that foreign companies
are buying pieces of America with the money we gave them in the first
place," Sohn said. In the second quarter, acquisitions of U.S. companies
by international buyers totaled $124.3 billion, marking the highest
total for any second quarter on record and jumping 23 percent over the
year-earlier quarter, according to research firm Dealogic. International
takeovers represented 22 percent of all U.S. merger activity in the
first half of the year, up from 17 percent in the first half of 2007,
according to research firm Dealogic. InBev NV's deal to acquire
Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion gave Belgium the distinction of being the
most active foreign buyer of U.S. assets in the first half of this year,
followed by Spain and Canada, Dealogic said. The Anheuser-Busch deal
ranked as the second-biggest cross-border acquisition of a U.S. company
in history, following Vodafone Group Plc's $60.3 billion
acquisition of AirTouch Communications in 1999, according to Thomson
Reuters. Other U.S. assets recently falling into international hands
include Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc, which agreed to be acquired by
Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, the world's largest generic
drug company, for $7.46 billion; and eye care company Alcon Inc which is
being bought by Switzerland's Novartis AG for about $27.7 billion.
Earlier this month, Swiss drugmaker Roche AG made a bid to acquire the
shares of its U.S. partner Genentech Inc it does not already own for
$43.7 billion. Even the Pennsylvania Turnpike awarded long-term leasing
rights to a Spanish-led investor group for $12.8 billion. Although some
investment bankers and analyst pin the spike in cross-border activity to
the weak dollar, others contend that strategy and the desire to expand
globally were the motivators behind many of these recent corporate
deals. "Strategic buyers don't wake up in the morning and say: 'This
currency is cheap. I'm going to go do a deal.' They do a deal because
it's strategic and makes sense," said Herald Ritch, president and
co-chief executive officer of investment bank Sagent Advisers. "There's
no question that, on the margin, currency levels tend to influence
decisions, but strategic deals get done because they fit a company's
strategy," Ritch said. European companies have been the most active
buyers of U.S. assets, with 314 deals so far this year, compared with
117 deals by Asian acquirers, and 33 by African and Middle Eastern
buyers, according to Thomson Reuters. "Europe and the U.S. dominate deal
activity globally, so it makes sense that deals between those areas
would predominate," Ritch said. Although some investment bankers view
the second quarter's record pace of U.S. takeovers as an anomaly, Sohn
said the 13-percent depreciation of the dollar against major currencies
over the past 18 months should fuel more acquisitions. "There are
trillions of dollars overseas that have to be put to work. This is just
the tip of the iceberg," Sohn said.
California 'dodges bullet' as 5.4 earthquake rocks region
Breitbart.com
(July 29, 2008) - A 5.4 magnitude earthquake shook Southern
California on Tuesday, spooking millions from Los Angeles to San Diego
in a juddering reminder of the region's vulnerability to seismic shocks.
No major injuries or damage were reported following the quake, which
struck at 11:42 am (1842 GMT) near the town of Chino Hills, 33 miles (50
kilometers) east of Los Angeles at a depth of 7.6 miles (12 kilometers),
the US Geological Survey said. The tremor was felt across Los Angeles,
with the office block housing AFP's bureau on Sunset Boulevard in
Hollywood swaying and shuddering after the quake. Offices and
restaurants could be seen evacuating workers and customers. The quake,
which was followed by 27 minor aftershocks, rippled across California
and Nevada, rattling city officials in San Diego, tourists in Disneyland
and residents as far east as Las Vegas, officials said. California
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the region had been lucky to avoid a
major disaster.
U.S. Intel: Iran Plans Nuclear Strike on U.S.
Newsmax
(July 29, 2008) - Iran has carried out missile tests for what
could be a plan for a nuclear strike on the United States, the head of a
national security panel has warned. In testimony before the House Armed
Services Committee and in remarks to a private conference on missile
defense over the weekend hosted by the Claremont Institute, Dr. William
Graham warned that the U.S. intelligence community “doesn’t have a
story” to explain the recent Iranian tests. One group of tests that
troubled Graham, the former White House science adviser under President
Ronald Reagan, were successful efforts to launch a Scud missile from a
platform in the Caspian Sea. “They’ve got [test] ranges in Iran which
are more than long enough to handle Scud launches and even Shahab-3
launches,” Dr. Graham said. “Why would they be launching from the
surface of the Caspian Sea? They obviously have not explained that to
us.” Another troubling group of tests involved Shahab-3 launches where
the Iranians "detonated the warhead near apogee, not over the target
area where the thing would eventually land, but at altitude,” Graham
said. “Why would they do that?” Graham chairs the Commission to Assess
the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack,
a blue-ribbon panel established by Congress in 2001. The commission
examined the Iranian tests “and without too much effort connected the
dots,” even though the U.S. intelligence community previously had failed
to do so, Graham said. “The only plausible explanation we can find is
that the Iranians are figuring out how to launch a missile from a ship
and get it up to altitude and then detonate it,” he said. “And that’s
exactly what you would do if you had a nuclear weapon on a Scud or a
Shahab-3 or other missile, and you wanted to explode it over the United
States.” The commission warned in a report issued in April that the
United States was at risk of a sneak nuclear attack by a rogue nation or
a terrorist group designed to take out our nation’s critical
infrastructure. "If even a crude nuclear weapon were detonated anywhere
between 40 kilometers to 400 kilometers above the earth, in a
split-second it would generate an electro-magnetic pulse [EMP] that
would cripple military and civilian communications, power,
transportation, water, food, and other infrastructure," the report
warned. While not causing immediate civilian casualties, the near-term
impact on U.S. society would dwarf the damage of a direct nuclear strike
on a U.S. city. “The first indication [of such an attack] would be that
the power would go out, and some, but not all, the telecommunications
would go out. We would not physically feel anything in our bodies,”
Graham said. As electric power, water and gas delivery systems failed,
there would be “truly massive traffic jams,” Graham added, since modern
automobiles and signaling systems all depend on sophisticated
electronics that would be disabled by the EMP wave. “So you would be
walking. You wouldn’t be driving at that point,” Graham said. “And it
wouldn’t do any good to call the maintenance or repair people because
they wouldn’t be able to get there, even if you could get through to
them.” The food distribution system also would grind to a halt as
cold-storage warehouses stockpiling perishables went offline. Even
warehouses equipped with backup diesel generators would fail, because
“we wouldn’t be able to pump the fuel into the trucks and get the trucks
to the warehouses,” Graham said. The United States “would quickly revert
to an early 19th century type of country.” except that we would have 10
times as many people with ten times fewer resources, he said. more...
Home prices drop by record 15.8 pct. in May
Associated Press
(July 29, 2008) - Home prices tumbled by the steepest rate ever
in May, according to a closely watched housing index released Tuesday,
as the housing slump deepened nationwide. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller
20-city index dropped by 15.8 percent in May compared with a year ago, a
record decline since its inception in 2000. The 10-city index plunged
16.9 percent, its biggest decline in its 21-year history. No city in the
Case-Shiller 20-city index saw price gains in May, the second straight
month that's happened. The monthly indices have not recorded an overall
home price increase in any month since August 2006. Home values have
fallen 18.4 percent since the 20-city index's peak in July 2006. Nine
metropolitan cities — Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego,
San Francisco, Seattle, Wash., Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C. —
posted record declines in May. And the value of housing in Detroit is
now lower than it was in 2000. But a possible bright spot in an
otherwise dismal report, seven metros — Tampa, Fla., Boston, Detroit,
Minneapolis, New York, Dallas and Atlanta — showed smaller annual
declines. Las Vegas recorded the worst drop, with prices plunging 28.4
percent in the month. Miami came in a close second, with prices down
28.3 percent. Charlotte, N.C., posted the smallest drop at 0.2 percent.
Until April, the North Carolina city had been the last metro still
showing price gains.
Hamas Uses Truce to Stock Missiles, Explosives, and Weapons
Bridges For Peace
(July 28, 2008) - Four tons of explosives, 50 anti aircraft
missiles, and large amounts of weapons as well as ingredients required
to manufacture rockets have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip by Hamas
since the recent tahdiya or so called truce with Israel went into
effect, Yuval Diskin head of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) told
the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. Hamas, he said, is also in control
of the vast network of tunnels in Gaza used to smuggle the goods into
the narrow strip of land, and the truckloads of cement Israel permitted
to be transferred to Gaza, [which] have been used to build bunkers, he
said. Diskin also expressed concern that the recent swap between
Hizbullah and Israel may have a reverse effect, and encourage terror
organizations to increase their efforts to abduct Israeli soldiers or
civilians. Commenting on the situation in Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert declared the situation must be monitored in order to ensure that
five years down the line, Israel will not find itself in the position of
asking how the situation got out of hand. Defense Minister Ehud Barak
noted that the truce has also provided Israel time to prepare for any
eventuality, a situation it should take advantage of. Barak admitted
that Hamas was doing far more than expected to prevent truce violations,
and supported Israel’s lack of response to Hamas violations. Barak
warned however that Israel’s lack of response does not mean that it will
be prevented from taking action when the time arises. Minister of
Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni however shared a different opinion and
declared that Israel should respond every time Hamas violates the truce.
“Israel's response needs to give the message that we won't accept fire,
regardless of which organization it comes from," Livni declared. Diskin
also expressed concern that the recent swap between Hizbullah and Israel
may have a reverse effect, and encourage terror organizations to
increase their efforts to abduct Israeli soldiers or civilians. During
the same meeting, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni spoke of the shaky Gaza
cease-fire, telling the cabinet that "Israel needs to respond to truce
violations, fire against fire." "Israel's response needs to give the
message that we won't accept fire, regardless of which organization it
comes from," she said. Livni also declared that the border crossings
used to transfer goods into Gaza should remain closed until a deal
concerning the release of Gilad Shalit is sealed.
Uzi Dayan joins Likud, says Netanyahu incorrupted
YNet News
(July 28, 2008) - Uzi Dayan announced Monday that he was joining
the Likud party and planning to run for a seat in the Knesset. He
praised Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu's war on corruption, saying
that he found the Likud to be a suitable partner in fighting this
disease. Netanyahu said that the former general was an enterprising and
talented person. "Dayan has revealed his original outlook and Zionist
commitment. He brings these two characteristics to the Likud and the
State. Uzi is also a brother in arms." Following his release from the
army, Dayan formed the political party and social movement Tafnit
(turnaround). Dayan announced at the time that the party would place in
the top of its platform the struggle against the "public corruption",
but it failed to gain any Knesset seats in the 2006 general elections.
Dayan said during the press conference, "Six years ago I took the public
road, a long and uneasy road. I dealt with many issues voluntarily. The
Tafnit party has decided to join the Likud, and the main thing is an
agenda, and the agenda is a Zionist and Democratic Jewish state,
restoring security, a strong and growing economy and education, and a
clean and worthy governmental system." He added that he had realized it
would be impossible to act as part of a small and independent party, and
that in order to make a change he must join the Likud, because the party
headed by Netanyahu has the power to do it. "Benjamin Netanyahu ran the
country and the Finance Ministry with amazing incorruptibility," Dayan
said. As for the war on corruption, the retired general noted that "Tafnit
waved the flag of the war on corruption. We are all victims of
corruption, and Netanyahu too has led a move inside the Likud to clean
the ranks, indicating his intentions. I feel that the Likud people are
fighting with me shoulder-to-shoulder." more...
Iran's Ahmadinejad in Turkey In Next Month
Iran Mania
(July 26, 2008) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is
expected to pay an official visit to Turkey at the invitation of his
Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, PressTV reported. The visit would take
place late in August and diplomatic sources in Ankara have declared that
a date for the visit will be set soon, Turkish Daily reported on Friday.
During the meeting agreements would be signed to further strengthen
economic ties between the two neighboring countries. In May, Ahmadinejad
in a meeting with Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said the two
countries have the potential to turn into major economic powers in the
world. The Turkish state minister said that the trade volume between the
two countries could reach USD 20b by the end of 2011.
Study reveals signs of toxicity of GE maize approved for human
consumption Current
(July 26, 2008) - "Laboratory rats, fed with a genetically
engineered (GE) maize produced by Monsanto, have shown signs of toxicity
in kidney and liver, according to a new study.(1) This is the first time
that a GE product which has been cleared for use as food for humans and
animals has shown signs of toxic effects on internal organs. The study,
published today in the journal “Archives of Environmental Contamination
and Toxicology”, analysed results of safety tests submitted by Monsanto
to the European Commission when the company was seeking authorisation to
market its GE Maize variety MON863 in the EU. (2) The data shows that
MON863 has significant health risks associated with it; nonetheless, the
European Commission granted licences to market the maize for consumption
by both humans and animals. (3) The incriminating evidence was obtained
by Greenpeace following a court case (4), and passed on for evaluation
by a team of experts headed by Professor Gilles Eric Séralini, a
governmental expert in genetic engineering technology from the
University of Caen. (5) In a joint press conference with Greenpeace at
Berlin, Professor Séralini said, “Monsanto’s analyses do not stand up to
rigorous scrutiny – to begin with, their statistical protocols are
highly questionable. Worse, the company failed to run a sufficient
analysis of the differences in animal weight. Crucial data from urine
tests were concealed in the company’s own publications.” Greenpeace is
demanding the complete and immediate withdrawal of Monsanto’s MON 863
maize from the global market and is calling upon governments to
undertake an urgent reassessment of all other authorised GE products and
a strict review of current testing methods. “This is the final nail in
the coffin for the credibility of the current authorisation system for
GE products. Once it’s known that a system designed to protect human and
animal health has approved a high-risk product despite clear evidence of
its dangers, we need to start ‘strip-searching’ all GE products on the
market, and immediately abort this flawed approval procedure,” said
Christophe Then, Genetic Engineer campaigner, Greenpeace International.
more...
Report: Convoy shipping arms to Hizbullah destroyed in Tehran blast
YNet News
(July 25, 2008) - London-based Daily Telegraph reports of
mysterious blast in military convoy leaving Revolutionary Guards Base
last weekend. At least 15 people killed in explosion, but Iranian
authorities seeking to silence incident. Was sabotage responsible for
disrupting a shipment of arms from Iran to Hizbullah ? The London-based
Daily Telegraph newspaper reported Friday of a mysterious explosion
which devastated an Iranian supply convoy intended to reach Hizbullah.
According to the report, the strong blast took place in one of Tehran's
suburbs as a military convoy left a Revolutionary Guards' ammunition
storehouse. At least 15 people were killed in the explosion. Western
sources reported that the blast took place on July 19 and that the
convoy was carrying military equipment for the Lebanese terror
organization. It was also reported that senior Revolutionary Guards
officials banned the Iranian media from reporting the explosion, even
though it was heard throughout the capital. The Guards launched an
investigation into the incident. An official source told the newspaper
that the strong explosion was heard across Tehran, adding that the
Revolutionary Guards were trying to silence the incident despite the
fact that many people were killed. Additional explosions and mysterious
incidents which have taken place in Iran recently are being investigated
by the Revolutionary Guards. In one of the incidents, a blast rocked a
mosque in the city of Shiraz, where weapons were being displayed,
killing 11 people. Iranian Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni
Ejei said following the incident that the main suspect in the affair was
arrested. "The terrorist group had ties with the US and Britain. These
countries were informed of the arrest by the Foreign Ministry," he said,
"but the countries did nothing to prevent these terror groups'
activity." more...
One dead as three quakes hit China's disaster area
Breitbart.com
(July 24, 2008) - One person was killed and at least 17 injured
on Thursday as three powerful earthquakes hit the area of China's
southwest that was devastated by a massive tremor in May, local
authorities said.
Israel to build new settlement in West Bank
Associated Press
(July 24, 2008) - A key committee has approved construction of
the first new Jewish settlement in the West Bank in a decade, an Israeli
official said Thursday. The news infuriated Palestinians, who said the
decision could cripple peace efforts. The only hurdle that remains is
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who plans to approve the Maskiot settlement
within weeks, the official said. Barak had signaled to the national
planning committee that it should authorize the plan, the official said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the Defense
Ministry did not officially announce the settlement would be built in
the Jordan Valley Rift, an arid north-south strip that forms Israel's
eastern flank with Jordan. Asked why Israel was moving ahead with the
politically charged plan, the official said that it has been in the
pipeline for years. Israel originally announced in 2006 that it would
build Maskiot, then froze the plan after international outcry. But
earlier this year, nine Israeli families settled in mobile homes at the
site, which Palestinians claim as part of a future state. A number of
Israeli politicians however, have said Israel needs to retain control of
the Jordan Valley as a buffer between a future Palestinian state and
Jordan. The issue remains to be resolved in negotiations between Israel
and the Palestinians. Settlers say around two dozen more families are
waiting to join them. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Israel
of undermining U.S.-backed peace talks. "This is destroying the process
of a two-state solution," Erekat said. "I hope the Americans will make
the Israelis revoke the decision. I think they can make the Israelis do
this." The U.S. Embassy had no comment. But on her last visit to the
region in June, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said settlement
building "has the potential to harm the negotiations."
Jim Deeds: End of the World? No, Not Really. Just Time to Adjust Your
Thinking McAlvany Weekly
Commentary
(July 23, 2008)
Strong Quake Jolts Northern Japan
Newsmax
(July 23, 2008) - Japan's weather agency says a strong earthquake
with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 struck off the northern Japanese
coast. The Meteorological Agency says there was no danger of a tsunami,
or seismic waves, from the 12:26 a.m. (11:26 a.m. EDT) quake, which
occurred about 75 miles below the ocean's surface off the coast of
Iwate. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Japan is
one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.
Food crisis looms in East Africa
BBC News
(July 22, 2008) - More than 14 million people in the Horn of
Africa need food aid because of drought and rocketing food and fuel
prices, the United Nations has warned. The UN World Food Programme says
it urgently needs $400m (£200m) to prevent starvation in the east
African region. Ethiopia is worst hit, with 10 million people - some 12%
of the population - in need of extra food supplies. Somalia, Eritrea and
Djibouti are also affected, along with northern parts of Kenya and
Uganda. Economic events outside Africa - which are driving up food and
fuel prices - are exacerbating the crisis caused by a lack of water in
the region. The UN - backed by the main international aid
non-governmental organisations - has warned of dire consequences for
millions of people living in what a BBC correspondent says is a
vulnerable region. Ethiopia has nearly exhausted its food reserves, the
government having used stocks already in the hope that food prices would
fall, making it cheaper to replenish its stores. Instead, costs have
risen further. More expensive fuel means the costs of transporting and
distributing food have soared, and the WPF says the local price of grain
is nearly three times higher than it was a year ago. In Somalia, 2.6m
people were in need of food aid at the start of this year. Mark Bowden,
the UN's humanitarian co-ordinator for the region, projects that that
figure will have risen sharply by the end of 2008. "We're now estimating
that by the end of the year 3.5m people will need assistance... which is
a frightening figure to have to deal with," he said. "People are
reducing their food intake... we only have months before we go into a
major crisis." The WFP fears that if rains due in September and October
fail, the situation will get even worse. It says the current food
shortages are worse than two years ago, when 11m people needed food aid.
Solana: EULEX operational by autumn
New Kosova Report (July
21, 2008) - European Union’s mission in Kosovo EULEX will be
fully operational within fall, said EU’s foreign policy chief Javier
Solana after the statement by Ban Ki-Moon that allows EULEX’s operation
according to Resolution 1244. Solana said that in Kosovo currently there
are 400 members of EULEX and “until this mission is completely
established, UNMIK will have all the responsibilities.” He added that
EU’s aim is to have the mission completely operational by autumn. Solana
made these statements immediately after the United Nations Secretary
General, Ban Ki-Moon, announced that he had made recommendations for the
start of reconfiguration of the UNMIK mission in Kosovo. Ki-Moon will
present a more detailed quarterly report on Kosovo to the UN Security
Council on 25 July.
IDF MI chief: Hamas, Hizbullah May be Planning Imminent Attack
The Jerusalem Post (July
20, 2008) - Head of Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin
warned on Sunday of a possible terror attack by Hamas or Hizbullah in
the near future along the Gaza Strip and Lebanon borders, respectively.
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Yadlin said Hizbullah still had
many outstanding issues with Israel which could be used to justify such
an attack, such as the Shaba Farms, the village of Ghajar, IAF flights
over Lebanon and Imad Mughniyeh's assassination in February - for which
the group has blamed Israel. Of Gaza, Yadlin said some organizations
which have not signed on to the cease-fire are planning a major attack.
However, Yadlin said Hamas was succeeding in enforcing the cease-fire on
the Palestinian side but assessed that the fact that border crossings
were not open "according to Hamas's expectations, constitutes a
potential for eroding the cease-fire." While weapons smuggling
continued, Egyptian activity in Sinai "diminishes the amount of arms
smuggling, but quality weaponry still finds its way into the Gaza
Strip." Yadlin also said that Israel's enemies were continuing to arm
themselves. But he added those enemies were worried of the possibility
of a "hot summer" and did not intend to initiate a war with Israel
during US President George W. Bush's remaining time in office, or before
they had armed themselves sufficiently.
Iran, Turkey discuss ways
to further cooperation, nuclear issue
Mathaba (July
19, 2008) - The Iranian minister who visited Turkey at the
invitation of his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan left Ankara on Friday
evening. During the meeting, Mottaki and Erdogan stressed the need for
broadening Tehran-Ankara economic ties by carrying out more projects in
energy field including construction of power plants. Mottaki also
briefed Erdogan on latest developments on Iran's peaceful nuclear
program hoping that the upcoming talks between nuclear Iran and the
Group 5+1 would lead to positive outcome. Iran's top nuclear negotiator
Saeed Jalili arrived in Geneva, Austria, on July 18 to take part in the
talks due to be held on Saturday. In a major shift from a long-standing
policy, the US State Department announced on Wednesday that Under
Secretary of State William Burns, the third-highest US diplomat, would
join the 5+1 talks with Iran. The Turkish prime minister told Mottaki
that Ankara was happy that the trend of talks between Iran and the West
was progressing. Erdogan stressed that peaceful negotiations was the
only solution to Iran's nuclear standoff with the West. Mottaki also
held two rounds of talks with his Turkish counterpart and also met
Turkish President Abdullah Gul. His visit to Turkey was part of a
regional tour which had earlier took him to Oman and Syria.
Iraqi Sunni bloc rejoins government
Associated Press (July
19, 2008) - Iraq's largest Sunni Arab political bloc returned to
the government fold Saturday after calling off a nearly one-year boycott
of the Shiite-dominated leadership — another critical stride toward
healing sectarian rifts. The return of the National Accordance Front
does more than politically reunite some of Iraq's main centers of power.
It was seen as a significant advance toward reconciliation and efforts
to cement security cooperation between Shiite-led forces and armed Sunni
groups that rose up against al-Qaida in Iraq. The United States has
pressured Iraq's government to work toward settling the sectarian feuds,
which brought daily bloodshed until recent months. The hope is that more
parties staked in the future of Iraq could mean a quicker exit for U.S.
and other foreign forces. Iraq's sharply improved security situation is
already bringing plans for a pared-down British force. more...
Strong Earthquake Rocks Solomon Islands
The Australian (July
19, 2008) - A STRONG earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands
today but there were no immediate reports of damage and a tsunami alert
was not issued. The magnitude 6.7 undersea quake struck at 8.27pm local
time (7.27pm AEST), 287km east of Kira Kira on San Cristobal island. It
is 527km east of the capital Honiara, the US Geological Survey said. It
occurred at a depth of 38km, the organisation said. The Pacific Tsunami
Warning Centre in Hawaii did not issue an alert for the region. An
8.0-magnitude earthquake in the western Solomons in April last year
triggered a tsunami that killed more than 50 people and displaced
thousands.
Quake Off East Coast of Japan Shakes Tokyo Buildings
Bloomberg.com (July
19, 2008) - A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck off Japan's eastern
coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. There were no
reports of injuries or damage, public broadcaster NHK said. The quake
struck at 11:39 a.m. Japan time, 125 kilometers (75 miles)
east-northeast of Iwaki, a city 180 kilometers north of Tokyo, at a
depth of 27 kilometers, the USGS said. Japan's weather agency issued a
tsunami alert for coastal areas, warning of waves of up to 50
centimeters (20 inches) from the quake, which shook buildings in central
Tokyo. The agency removed the warning at 1:20 p.m. local time. Coastal
areas of Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures were hit by waves of up to 20
centimeters about one hour after the earthquake hit, NHK reported.
Japan, which experiences about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes
annually, lies in a zone where the Eurasian, Pacific, Philippine and
North American tectonic plates meet and occasionally shift, causing
quakes. Twelve people died and 10 remain missing after a 6.8- magnitude
earthquake in the north of Japan last month, according to the
government's Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the CFSP, signs agreement on
security of information with the European Space Agency
Council of the European Union (July 18, 2008)
- Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy (CFSP), signed an agreement today, on behalf of the
European Union, with the European Space Agency (ESA) on arrangements for
exchanging classified information. The agreement, signed with the
Director General of ESA, Mr Jean-Jacques Dordain, marks a further
milestone in EU/ESA relations and will facilitate the work of those
involved in advancing European policies and industries in the space
sector. Background The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe's
gateway to space. early all of the 17 members of this international
organisation are also members of the EU. Its mission is to shape the
development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in
space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe. ESA's
programmes are designed to find out more about the earth, its immediate
space environment, our solar system and the universe, to develop
satellite-based technologies and services and in so doing to promote
European industries. Although ESA is an independent organisation it
maintains close ties with the EU. For example, the joint EU/ESA European
Space Policy sets out a basic vision and strategy for the space sector
and tackles issues such as security and defence, access to space and
exploration. On the back of this policy ESA is able to provide the tools
needed for Europe's activities in space. Cooperation between the ESA and
the EU is formalised in particular through the ESA/European Commission
Framework Agreement, which establishes a common basis and appropriate
practical arrangements for efficient and mutually beneficial cooperation
between the two. Recent tangible joint initiatives that have come about
as a result of cooperation with ESA include the European global
navigation satellite system, or 'Galileo', and the Global Monitoring for
Environment and Security services, known as the 'GMES'. Under these
joint EU/ESA initiatives there is a pressing need for the EU to be able
to exchange classified information with ESA. While to a limited extent
this was already possible under an administrative arrangement dating
from 2003, last year it was decided that the EU ought to have a
fully-fledged agreement with ESA on the security and exchange of
classified information.
Hizbullah moves into 'every town'
The Jerusalem Post (July 17, 2008)
- Hizbullah is bolstering its presence in south Lebanon villages with
non-Shi'ite majorities by buying land and using it to build military
positions and store missiles and launchers, The Jerusalem Post has
learned. The decision to build infrastructure in non-Shi'ite villages -
where Hizbullah has less support - is part of the group's post-war
strategy under which it has mostly abandoned the "nature reserves,"
forested areas in southern Lebanon where it kept most of its Katyusha
rocket launchers before the Second Lebanon War. Behind the change is the
mandate given to UNIFIL by the United Nations after the war in 2006.
According to the mandate, the peacekeeping force can patrol freely
throughout southern Lebanon but cannot enter villages or cities without
being accompanied by soldiers from the Lebanese Armed Forces, which
regularly tips off Hizbullah ahead of the raids. News of the change in
Hizbullah strategy came as Israel is trying to persuade the UN to
strengthen UNIFIL's mandate to give it the right to patrol the villages
freely. "Hizbullah is moving into every town that it can," a senior
defense official told the Post. "This is in order to evade UNIFIL
detection." On Thursday, Lebanese complained they were receiving
recorded phone messages from Israel promising "harsh retaliation" for
any future Hizbullah attack. The automated messages also warn against
allowing Hizbullah to form "a state within a state" in the country. The
phone messages end with the words: "The State of Israel." There was no
immediate confirmation from Israel, though similar reports surfaced of
Israeli phone campaigns during the 2006 war trying to persuade Lebanese
not to support Hizbullah. Lebanon's official National News Agency said
residents in the country's south and east, as well as in Beirut
reporting receiving the calls. It said Telecommunications Minister
Jibran Bassil contacted the United Nations to complain, calling it a
"flagrant aggression against Lebanese sovereignty." Also Thursday,
defense officials warned that with the prisoner swap completed,
Hizbullah would no longer need to restrain itself and might decide to
avenge the assassination of the group's operations chief, Imad Mughniyeh,
who was killed by a car bomb in Damascus last February. As a result, the
IDF has slightly increased its level of alert along the border, based on
the assessment that even if a retaliatory attack took place abroad the
violence would spread to the Israeli-Lebanese border.
EU Lisbon treaty officially ratified by UK
The Independent (July 17, 2008)
- Britain has officially ratified the controversial Lisbon Treaty, it
was announced today. The Government confirmed that the final stages of
passing the agreement have been completed. But the future of the deal is
still in doubt as EU leaders consider how to respond to Ireland's
surprise referendum "no" vote last month. Under the UK's ratification
process, both houses of Parliament must pass the treaty. The Queen then
gives Royal Assent, and signs goatskin "instruments of ratification"
along with the Foreign Secretary. These are then sealed, bound in blue
leather, and deposited with the Italian ministry of foreign affairs in
Rome. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said all these stages had now
been completed. "The documents were lodged in Rome yesterday," he said.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband is due to deliver a statement to
Parliament on the matter later. The process had been stalled while a
High Court challenge was considered over the Government's refusal to
hold a referendum on the treaty, but that was dismissed last month.
Under EU rules, all 27 member states must ratify the Treaty before it
comes into effect.
Waiting
For Islam's Messiah CBN
News (July 17, 2008) - Iran's
president believes Allah has chosen him to prepare the world for the
coming of an Islamic 'savior' called the Mahdi. But before the Mahdi's
return, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes there must be global chaos - even
if he has to create it himself. Whether it's his belief that Israel
should be wiped off the map, denials of the Holocaust, obsession with
going nuclear, or support for radical Islamic terrorist groups, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad is a man on a divine mission. To understand him, and that
mission, you have travel to the small dusty village of Jamkaran tucked
in a corner of Iran's holy city of Qom. On a recent Tuesday afternoon,
CBN News made that journey heading south out of Iran's capital, Tehran.
Some 95 miles, and a couple of wrong turns later, we arrived at the
Jamkaran mosque on the outskirts of Qom. Behind the Jamkaran mosque
there is a well. According to many Shiite Muslims, out of this well will
emerge one day their version of an Islamic 'savior.' They call him the
Mahdi or the 12th Imam. Ron Cantrell has written a book about the Mahdi.
He explained, "The Mahdi is a personage that is expected to come on the
scene, by Islam, as a messiah figure. He is slotted to come in the end
of time, according to their writings, very much like how we think of the
return of Jesus." Shiite Muslims believe the Mahdi, a descendent of the
Prophet Mohammed, vanished in the middle of the 9th century. Cantrell
told us, "The 12th Imam disappeared, around the age of 9, with a promise
that he would return and he would bring Islam to its total fruition as
the world's last standing religion." Enter Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Since
becoming the president of Iran in August 2005, Ahmadinejad has emerged
as the Mahdi's most influential follower. Cantrell said, "[Ahmadinejad]
has stated that his mandate is to pave the way for the coming of this
Islamic 'messiah'." In almost all his speeches, Ahmadinejad begs Allah
to hasten the return of the Mahdi. At a recent military parade attended
by CBN News in Tehran, Ahmadinejad said, "Oh, Allah, please facilitate
Imam Mahdi's early return and make us one of his supporters." He said
something similar last September just before ending a speech at the
United Nations in New York. Ahmadinejad said, "Oh mighty Lord, I pray to
you to hasten the emergence of your last repository [a reference to the
Mahdi], the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one
that will fill this world with justice and peace." more...
Dinars for Dollars: Arabs Buying Out Collapsing Western Banks
Israel National News
(July 16, 2008) - First it was Citibank.
Now it's Barclay's and New York City's Chrysler Building skyscraper.
Muslim Arabs are buying out collapsing Western banks and businesses and
gaining growing international power, but some Arab investors are worried
their investments may go down the drain with the American economy. The
current financial crisis in the United States has spread to other
countries because of a massive debt that was not backed by enough real
and liquid collateral. Banks and businesses gasping for financial breath
are up for sale at basement prices, but no one is certain if the
basement is the bottom. "The possibility remains that more Arab white
knights will be sought to rescue ailing financial institutions," wrote
Dr. Mohammed Ramady, a former banker and Visiting Associate Professor at
the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in the Financial
Adviser magazine. He said he fears that Arab investors will end up
chasing their investments with more money to keep them from going under.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Council of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates
kingdom of Abu Dhabi last November announced it was bailing out the
mammoth Citibank financial institution, formerly headed by Bank of
Israel Governor Prof. Stanley Fischer, with $7.5 billion. Next in line
was Britain's Barclay's Bank, which raised $9 billion from investors in
the oil-rich kingdom of Qatar and in Asian countries. The Abu Dhabi
Investment Council last month forked out approximately $800 million for
a 75 percent stake in New York City's 1,046-foot-tall Chrysler Building,
which was the world's tallest building for a year until the Empire State
Building surpassed it in the 1930's. The purchase of American banks by
foreigners has been blocked in the past by security and political
considerations, but the barriers have come down, wrote Dr. Ramady. "How
long this lasts is only a matter of guesswork, as once again, the
specter of foreign takeovers of 'national' symbols will be hard to
accept," he added. In a more serious vein, The Australian
editor-at-large Paul Kelly wrote earlier this month that the foreign
investments, headed by Arabs, signal a major change in international
power. "The energy, financial and political woes that grip the U.S.
signal a decisive shift in world power, mocking the liberal delusion
that Barack Obama or John McCain can return American prestige and power
to its pre-Bush year 2000 nirvana," he wrote. "There is no such nirvana.
There is instead a new reality: the greatest transfer of income in human
history [and] the rise of a new breed of wealthy autocracies that
cripple U.S. hopes of dominating the global system and demands on the
U.S. to make fresh compromises in a world where power is rapidly being
diversified." more...
We only get one strike
The Jerusalem Post (July 16, 2008) -
An Israeli attack on Iran seems inevitable. If it succeeds, it will
return to Israel its deterrent power and send a clear message to the
saber-rattling jihadists that they were too early in beginning the
countdown for the disappearance of the Jewish state. If it fails, or
fails to achieve the majority of its objectives, it could amount to an
act of national suicide. Fanatical Muslims on every side will be
encouraged by the failure and outcome of an Iranian retaliation which
would cause heavy damage to the whole center of our country. Iran would
unquestionably be joined by its proxies on our borders, Hizbullah and
Syria on the north and Hamas on the south, the PLO jihad brigades under
various names, and the Arabs of Israel. The latter have already shown
their ability to block major traffic arteries and demonstrated that
their loyalties rest with their Arab brethren, not with the Jewish
state. The repeated declarations of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that
the aim of Iran is to wipe Israel off the world map should not be taken
as the empty, fiery words of a fanatical Muslim dictator, but as a plan
of action. True, Iran does not need a pretext, but an Israeli attack on
any nuclear installation in Iran, or just an invasion of Iranian air
space could be used as an excellent reason for mounting an all-out
missile attack. Since the late ninth century, the Shi'ites have been
expecting the emergence of the hidden imam-mahdi, armed with divine
power and followed by thousands of martyrdom-seeking warriors. He is
expected to conquer the world and establish Shi'ism as its supreme
religion and system of rule. His appearance would involve terrible war
and unusual bloodshed. Ahmadinejad, as mayor of Teheran, built a
spectacular boulevard through which the mahdi would enter into the
capital. There is no question that Ahmadinejad believes he has been
chosen to be the herald of the mahdi. Shi'ite Islam differs from Sunni
Islam regarding the identity of the mahdi. The Sunni mahdi is
essentially an anonymous figure; the Shi'ite mahdi is a divinely
inspired person with a real identity. However both Shi'ites and Sunnis
share one particular detail about "the coming of the hour" and the
dawning of messianic times: The Jews must all suffer a violent death, to
the last one. Both Shi'ites and Sunnis quote the famous hadith
attributed to the Prophet Muhammad: The last hour will not come unless
the Muslims fight against the Jews, and the Muslims would kill them
until the Jews hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and the stone or
the tree would say: "Muslim! Servant of Allah! Here is a Jew behind me;
come and kill him!" Not one Friday passes without this hadith being
quoted in sermons from one side of the Islamic world to the other.
more...
Americans may be losing faith in free markets
Los Angeles Times
(July 16, 2008) - For a generation, most people accepted the idea
that the core of what makes America tick was an economy governed by free
markets. And whatever combination of goods, services and jobs the market
cooked up was presumed to be fine for the nation and for its citizens --
certainly better than government meddling. No longer. Spurred by the
continued housing crisis, turmoil in financial markets, spiking oil
prices, disappearing jobs and shrinking retirement savings, the nation
and its political leaders have begun to sour on the notion that the
current market system is the key to a fair, stable and efficient
society. "We're at a hinge point," said William A. Galston, a senior
fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington who helped craft
President Clinton's market-friendly agenda during the 1990s. "The strong
presumption in favor of markets, which has dominated public policy since
the late 1970s, has been thrown very much into question." Now, to a
degree not seen in years, politicians and outside experts are looking
with favor at more, not less, government involvement in the economy. Of
course, Americans always grouse during troubled times. And as market
advocates are quick to point out, the current run of bad economic breaks
has yet to result in the throwing over of free-market principles in
favor of some drastically different approach -- such as a
government-directed economy. "There may be a backlash against markets at
the moment," acknowledged Kevin A. Hassett, economic studies director at
the American Enterprise Institute in Washington and an advisor to
presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain. "But the backlash
doesn't seem to be informed by any alternative view of how the world
works." more... |
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