Watchman Newsletter for August 22, 2008
We'll soon avenge Mughniyeh's death
The Jerusalem Post
(August 22, 2008) - Hizbullah warned Friday
that revenge for the death of the group's terror chief Imad Mughniyeh
was not far off. "Hizbullah will soon avenge the assassination of Imad
Mughniyeh," said Sheikh Ahmad Morad, a member of the Hizbullah
leadership in southern Lebanon. "The revenge will be shocking and huge
surprises are in store," he added. "We will not allow Israel and its
generals to enjoy stability." Morad was speaking at a Hizbullah rally in
southern Lebanon. Mughniyeh was killed in February in a car bomb in the
heart of Damascus. Israel has denied involvement. On Wednesday, the
Prime Minister's Office issued a renewed warning to Israelis abroad
regarding Hizbullah's intent to attack and possibly abduct Israeli
citizens around the world. As part of its recommendations for Israelis,
the PMO urged them to be wary of "unusual events," to turn down any
tempting offers relating to business or pleasure, to avoid letting
suspicious people or unknown visitors into their hotel rooms or
apartments, to avoid staying in remote locations - especially after
dark, to be accompanied by reliable companions during business meetings
and recreational activities, and to avoid a regular pattern of activity
during lengthy stays. Nevertheless, Sheikh Na'im Kassem, Hizbullah's
deputy secretary-general, gave a speech in Beirut at the start of August
during a conference attended by Lebanese emigrants, in which he called
on Hizbullah supporters living abroad to respect the laws of their host
countries and not to fight Israel on their soil.
NATO Says Russia Has Cut All Military Ties With Western Alliance
Fox News
(August 21, 2008) - Russia has halted all
military cooperation with NATO, the Western alliance said Thursday, in
the latest sign of East-West tension over the invasion of Georgia. NATO
spokeswoman Carmen Romero said the alliance had received notification
through military channels that Russia's Defense Ministry had taken a
decision "to halt international military cooperation events between
Russia and NATO countries until further instructions." She said NATO
"takes note" of the decision, but had no further reaction. On Tuesday,
NATO foreign ministers said they would make further ties with Russia
dependent on Moscow making good on a pledge to pull its troops back to
pre-conflict positions in Georgia. However, they stopped short of
calling an immediate halt to all cooperation. Under a 2002 agreement
that set up the NATO-Russia Council, the former Cold War foes began
several cooperation projects. They include sharing expertise to combat
heroin trafficking out of Afghanistan, developing battlefield
anti-missile technology, joint exercises and help with rescue at sea.
Romero said she was unaware of any specific events under the cooperation
agreement scheduled before early September. NATO itself decided last
week to suspend plans for a Russian warship to join NATO
counterterrorism patrols in the Mediterranean Sea, deciding it was
inappropriate in the wake of the eruption of fighting in Georgia.
Hamas leader: We'll retrieve Jerusalem only by way of jihad
YNet News
(August 21, 2008) - 'Jerusalem will be
returned to the Palestinians not by way of negotiations or hugging and
kissing the enemy, but through blood, shahids and resistance,' Haniyeh
says, adding 'Muslims must protect Al-Aqsa Mosque.' Hamas leader Ismail
Haniyeh said Wednesday that the Islamist group will not accept any
future peace agreement that does not include the return of Jerusalem and
the Jordan Valley to Palestinians hands and the return of Palestinian
refugees to their homes in Israel. Speaking at a ceremony marking 39
years since the fire at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City,
Haniyeh said "no one can cede Jerusalem, the city from which the Prophet
Muhammad ascended to the heavens. "Jerusalem will be retrieved to the
Palestinians not through negotiations or by hugging and kissing the
enemy, but by way of jihad, blood, shahids and resistance. With Allah's
help, Jerusalem will be returned," he said. The Hamas leader added that
"the Israeli-Arabs are safeguarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque; it is as if they
are inside the belly of a whale. They represent the Islamic nation. We
send them our regards, especially to Sheikh Raed Salah (founder of
Islamic Movement in Israel)." Haniyeh said that "according to most all
reports on secret peace talks or agreements, Israel is refusing to
relinquish Jerusalem and the West Bank, refuses to accept the right of
return of Palestinian refugees, refuses to dismantle the settlements and
deems the Jordan Valley vital to its security." On behalf of the
Palestinian nation and Muslims everywhere, I say that we will not accept
any such agreements," he said. The Hamas chief continued to say that
Israel is looking to damage Al-Aqsa and called on all Muslims to
"protect Jerusalem".
Fear of new Mid East 'Cold War' as Syria strengthens military alliance
with Russia Times Online
(August 21, 2008) - Syria raised the
prospect yesterday of having Russian missiles on its soil, sparking
fears of a new Cold War in the Middle East. President Assad said as he
arrived in Moscow to clinch a series of military agreements: “We are
ready to co-operate with Russia in any project that can strengthen its
security.” The Syrian leader told Russian newspapers: “I think Russia
really has to think of the response it will make when it finds itself
closed in a circle.” Mr Assad said that he would be discussing the
deployment of Russian missiles on his territory. The Syrians are also
interested in buying Russian weapons. In return Moscow is expected to
propose a revival of its Cold War era naval base at the Syrian port of
Tartus, which would give the Russian Navy its first foothold in the
Mediterranean for two decades. Damascus and Moscow were close allies
during the Cold War but the Kremlin’s influence in the region waned
after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Yesterday’s rapprochement raised
the possibility that Moscow intends to re-create a global anti-Western
alliance with former Soviet bloc allies. Many in Israel fear that the
Middle East could once again become a theatre for the two great powers
to exert their spheres of influence, militarily and politically. And
with Israel and the US providing military backing to Georgia, Russia
appears set to respond in kind by supporting Syria. Already, Israeli
observers worry that the chaos in the Caucasus may disrupt gas supplies
to Europe and Turkey from the Caspian Sea region, creating a greater
energy reliance on Iran and its vast reserves. The crisis could in turn
allow Tehran to exploit splits in the international community and use
Russia as a backer to advance its nuclear programme. Russia has wooed
Syria in recent years, as it has tried to increase its influence in the
Middle East and increase arms sales. Syria and Israel recently confirmed
they had been holding indirect talks to reach a peace deal after decades
of hostility. Part of Syria’s motivation was to break the international
isolation it has suffered for its strategic alliance with Tehran. A
closer alliance with a resurgent Russia could afford Mr Assad a way out
of any binding commitment. Some Israeli analysts even fear that it could
encourage Syria to try to take back the Golan Heights, captured by
Israel in 1967, by force. The Georgia conflict sparked a mocking speech
with Cold War rhetoric by Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader,
over the performance of Israeli-trained Georgian troops. One of the
Israeli military advisers there was reserve Brigadier-General Gal
Hirsch, who commanded a division in Israel’s inconclusive war with
Hezbollah in 2006, and who resigned his commission afterwards. “Gal
Hirsch, who was defeated in Lebanon, went to Georgia and they too lost
because of him,” the Shia leader taunted. “Relying on Israeli experts
and weapons, Georgia learnt why the Israeli generals failed. “What
happened in Georgia is a message to all those the Americans are seeking
to entangle in dangerous adventures.”
Satellites track Mexico kidnap victims with chips
Reuters
(August 21, 2008) - Affluent Mexicans,
terrified of soaring kidnapping rates, are spending thousands of dollars
to implant tiny transmitters under their skin so satellites can help
find them tied up in a safe house or stuffed in the trunk of a car.
Kidnapping jumped almost 40 percent between 2004 and 2007 in Mexico,
according to official statistics. Mexico ranks with conflict zones like
Iraq and Colombia as among the worst countries for abductions. The
recent kidnapping and murder of Fernando Marti, 14, the son of a
well-known businessman, sparked an outcry in a country already hardened
to crime. More people, including a growing number of middle-class
Mexicans, are seeking out the tiny chip designed by Xega, a Mexican
security firm whose sales jumped 13 percent this year. The company said
it had more than 2,000 clients. Detractors say the chip is little more
than a gadget that serves no real security purpose. The company injects
the crystal-encased chip, the size and shape of a grain of rice, into
clients' bodies with a syringe. A transmitter in the chip then sends
radio signals to a larger device carried by the client with a global
positioning system in it, Xega says. A satellite can then pinpoint the
location of a person in distress. Cristina, 28, who did not want to give
her last name, was implanted along with seven other members of her
family last year as a "preventive measure." "It's not like we are
wealthy people, but they'll kidnap you for a watch. ... Everyone is
living in fear," she said. The chips cost $4,000 plus an annual fee of
$2,200. Most kidnappings in Mexico go unreported, many of them cases of
"express kidnapping" where the victim is grabbed and forced to withdraw
money from automatic cash machines. more...
Russia sends aircraft carrier to Syria
Barents Observer
(August 20, 2008) - The Russian aircraft
carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” is ready to head from Murmansk towards the
Mediterranean and the Syrian port of Tartus. The mission comes after
Syrian President Bashar Assad said he is open for a Russian base in the
area. The “Admiral Kuznetsov”, part of the Northern Fleet and Russia’s
only aircraft carrier, will head a Navy mission to the area. The mission
will also include the missile cruiser “Moskva” and several submarines,
Newsru.com reports. President Assad in meetings in Moscow this week
expressed support to Russia’s intervention in South Ossetia and Georgia.
He also expressed interest in the establishment of Russian missile air
defence facilities on his land. The “Admiral Kuznetsov” also last year
headed a navy mission to the Mediterranean. Then, on the way from the
Kola Peninsula and south, it stopped in the North Sea where it conducted
a navy training exercise in the immediate vicinity of Norwegian offshore
installations.
Monitor: UN peacekeepers in Lebanon co-opted by Hizbullah
World Tribune
(August 20, 2008) - A consultant to the
United Nations said its peace-keeping force in Lebanon has been
effectively paralyzed. An independent monitoring group, registered as a
consultant to the UN, said UNIFIL could not act without permission of
Hizbullah and the Lebanese government it now controls. "They [UNIFIL]
mustn't accept Hizbullah blackmailing," Toni Nissi, general coordinator
of the Lebanese Committee for UN Security Council Resolution 1559 said.
[On Aug. 19, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would lift
any limitations on military operations should Lebanon turn into what he
termed a Hizbullah state. Olmert said Israel had restrained itself
during the 2006 war with Hizbullah to avoid damage to Lebanon.] In a
briefing on Aug. 16, Nissi said UNIFIL has become a hostage of
Hizbullah. He said the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad
Siniora has refused to grant permission to UN peace-keepers to halt
Hizbullah weapons smuggling or deployment south of the Litani River, a
key element of Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the
Israeli-Hizbullah war in 2006. "1701 also calls for the implementation
of [Security Council resolution] 1559, especially the disarmament of the
militias, and calls for sealing the border between Lebanon and Syria and
forbidding the entering of arms and weapons via the border, especially
to Hizbullah," Nissi said. "So Hizbullah is violating 1701 big time, and
not only by hiding its weapons in warehouses in the south. Also, we
haven't seen any weapons coming out of the south after the war of 2006.
So did Hizbullah throw its weapons used in the 2006 war into the sea?"
The monitoring group, with representatives in Lebanon and other
countries, disputed an assertion by UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Claudio
Graziano that Hizbullah was honoring resolution 1701. Graziano also said
UNIFIL maintained excellent relations with the militia. "Is the UNIFIL
mandate to coordinate with Hizbullah or to kick Hizbullah out south of
the Litani?" Nissi responded. Former UNIFIL adviser Timor Goksel said
the 13,500 international peace-keeping force has sought to avoid
friction with Hizbullah. Goksel told a briefing in Beirut that Hizbullah
has established a major presence in southern Lebanon. "I know they are
careful not to challenge UNIFIL and there is practically no visible
Hizbullah fighter to be seen," Goksel said. "As far as UNIFIL is
concerned, this is compliance."
Norway: Russia to cut all military ties with NATO
Associated Press
(August 20, 2008) - Russia has informed
Norway that it plans to suspend all military ties with NATO, Norway's
Defense Ministry said Wednesday, a day after the military alliance urged
Moscow to withdraw its forces from Georgia. NATO foreign ministers said
Tuesday they would make further ties with Russia dependent on Moscow
making good on a pledge to pull its troops back to pre-conflict
positions in Georgia. However, they stopped short of calling an
immediate halt to all cooperation. The Nordic country's embassy in
Moscow received a telephone call from "a well-placed official in the
Russian Ministry of Defense," who said Moscow plans "to freeze all
military cooperation with NATO and allied countries," Espen Barth Eide,
state secretary with the Norwegian ministry said. Eide told The
Associated Press that the Russian official notified Norway it will
receive a written note about this soon. He said Norwegian diplomats in
Moscow would meet Russian officials on Thursday morning to clarify the
implications of the freeze. "It is our understanding that other NATO
countries will receive similar notes," Eide said. The ministry said the
Russian official is known to the embassy, but Norway declined to provide
a name or any further identifying information. A Kremlin official
declined to comment on the report, and the Russian ambassador to NATO
did not reply to messages left on his cell phone. But the Interfax news
agency, citing what it called a military-diplomatic source in Moscow
whom it did not identify, reported that Russia is reviewing its 2008
military cooperation plans with NATO. Officials at NATO headquarters in
Brussels said Moscow had not informed the alliance it was taking such a
step. Washington described the reported move as unfortunate. more...
As US Looks to Improve Ties, Libya Positions Itself in Russia’s Corner
CNS News
(August 19, 2008) - At a time when the U.S.
is moving towards full normalization of relations with Libya, Muammar
Gaddafi’s son has made it clear that the North African nation is looking
to Russia as its strategic partner. In a little-noticed interview with
Russia’s Kommersant business daily, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi said Moscow’s
resurgence, demonstrated by this month’s military incursion into
Georgia, was a positive development for the Arab world. “What happened
in Georgia is a good sign, which means America is no longer the sole
world power setting the rules of the game,” Gaddafi said. “Now there is
balance in the world. Russia is being reborn, and we value that. It is
very good for us, for all of the Middle East,” he said. Gaddafi, who
runs a charity called the Gaddafi Foundation, has frequently undertaken
diplomatic missions on behalf of his father. The second oldest of seven
sons, the 35-year-old is sometimes named as a possible successor to the
unpredictable Libyan leader but has denied ambitions to rule the north
African country – a position he reiterated in the Kommersant interview.
The published interview appeared on the same day that the U.S.
government announced a breakthrough agreement with Libya on compensation
for terror victims, paving the way for the full normalization of
bilateral ties. Asked whether his strong statements were not risking
Libya’s newly-improved ties with the U.S., Gaddafi told the Russian
paper that although his country has good relations with both the West
and Russia, “Libya chose Russia as its strategic partner.” “Of course,
Russia is our strategic partner, and we cannot compare it with any other
country for closeness. That’s obvious.” Gaddafi said Libya backed
Moscow’s position that Georgia had initiated the recent conflict – by
mounting an offensive against separatists in a Russian-backed breakaway
province – and forced a Russian military response. Libya would back
Russia in the U.N. Security Council, he said. Libya, which has been
improving relations with the West since pledging to stop supporting
terrorism and shutting down its non-conventional weapons programs, in
January began a two-year stint on the council. Its conduct there has at
times drawn strong criticism. more...
Israeli missile defense system detects Syrian tests
World Tribune
(August 19, 2008) - Israeli officials said
the Syrian military conducted tests of both ballistic missiles and
tactical rockets in the spring and summer of 2008. "It was the kind of
test that Iran conducted earlier this year and meant to show that Syria
could fire missiles simultaneously from a range of batteries in the
southern and central parts of the country," an official said. The Syrian
tests were detected by Israel's Arrow-2 missile defense system. The
Arrow's Green Pine early-warning radar was said to have a range of more
than 800 kilometers, which covers most of Syria, Middle East Newsline
reported. Officials said the Syrian tests included that of the Scud D
ballistic missile, with a range of 700 kilometers and which can contain
a chemical warhead. They said North Korea has helped Syria develop a
two-stage Scud D meant to frustrate Israel's missile defense system.
They said the launches appeared to test Syria's command and control
network required to sustain a missile attack on Israel. Syria was also
said to have fired the Soviet-origin SS-21 rocket during the exercise.
The single-stage SS-21 has a range of more than 70 kilometers and was
said to be capable of striking Israeli strategic facilities. Officials
said Syria has about 1,000 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles,
including the Scud B and Scud C. They said Iran and North Korea have
been helping Syria integrate a range of missile and rocket batteries
into a nationwide network. Israel responded to the Syrian missile
launches with a missile defense exercise in August. Officials
acknowledged that neither Israel's Arrow-2 nor the U.S.-origin Patriot
systems could intercept most of Syria's missiles and rockets. Israel's
Channel 2 television disclosed the Syrian missile and rocket exercise on
Aug. 18, the eve of a visit by President Bashar Assad to Russia. Assad
was expected to discuss with his Russian hosts the prospect of
purchasing the Iskander-E rocket, with a range of 280 kilometers.
Report warns of global fallout from invasion of Georgia, faults U.S.
intelligence World Tribune
(August 19, 2008) - Russia's invasion of
Georgia demonstrated Moscow's growing power and is making waves in the
Middle East, a report by a leading U.S. analyst said. The report by the
Institute for Contemporary Affairs asserted that Iran would be
emboldened by Moscow's successful military campaign. "The long-term
outcomes of the current Russian-Georgian war will be felt far and wide,
from Afghanistan to Iran, and from the Caspian to the Mediterranean,"
the report, titled "The Russian-Georgian War: Implications for the
Middle East," said. "The war is a mid-sized earthquake which indicates
that the geopolitical tectonic plates are shifting, and nations in
the Middle East, including Israel, need to take notice." Authored by
Ariel Cohen, the report said Russia's strategic goals included
increasing control of energy pipelines to Turkey. Cohen also warned
Israel not to provoke Moscow or rely on U.S. support against Iran,
Middle East Newsline reported. "U.S. expressions of support of
the kind provided to Georgia — short of an explicit mutual defense pact
— may or may not result in military assistance if/when Israel is under
attack, especially when the attacker has an effective deterrent, such as
nuclear arms deliverable against U.S. targets," the report said. "In
the future, such an attacker could be Iran or an Arab country armed with
atomic weapons. Israel can and should rely on its own deterrent — a
massive survivable second-strike capability." The report criticized
the U.S. intelligence community, which failed to detect Russian
efforts to annex Georgia's Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Cohen, who
warned that Ukraine was Moscow's next target, said the Bush
administration did not prepare the Georgian military for a Russian
attack. "This is something to remember when looking at recent American
intelligence assessments of the Iranian nuclear threat or the
unsuccessful training of Palestinian Authority security forces against
Hamas," Cohen said. Cohen said a pro-Russian regime in Georgia would
result in Moscow's full control of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
and the Baku-Erzurum natural gas pipeline, both of which reach Turkey.
Israel has been receiving some of its oil from Ceyhan and has a "stake
in the smooth flow of oil from the Caspian." The report said Russia
financed and armed the Russian ethnic community in Georgia to foment
unrest. Cohen compared this to Iran's use of proxies to attack Israel
from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. "This use of small, ethnically-based
proxies is similar to Iran's use of Hizbullah and Hamas to continuously
attack Israel," the report said. "Tbilisi tried for years to deal
with these militias by offering a negotiated solution, including full
autonomy within Georgia." Cohen, a senior researcher at the
Washington-based Heritage Foundation, said Russia plans to extend its
influence throughout the Middle East. He cited Russian Navy bases in the
Syrian ports of Latakia and Tartous and plans to establish a presence in
Libya. "Clearly, with the renewal of East-West tensions as a result of
Russia's moves against Georgia, it will be much more difficult to obtain
Moscow's agreement to enhance sanctions and international pressures on
Iran," the report said. "The struggle to diplomatically halt its
[Iran's] nuclear program will become far more difficult."
Top Russian general names Israel as Georgian arms supplier
The Jerusalem Post
(August 19, 2008) - Russia's deputy army
chief, Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, accused Israel on Tuesday of arming
the Georgian military with mines, explosive charges, special explosives
for clearing minefields and eight kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles. "In
2007, Israeli experts trained Georgian commandos in Georgia and there
were plans to supply heavy weaponry, electronic weapons, tanks and other
arms at a later date, but the deal didn't work out," Nogovitsyn told a
Moscow press conference. Nogovitsyn also said that the Russian soldiers
had detained 20 mercenaries near the Georgian city of Poti, including
three Arabs, all wearing Georgian army uniforms. Nogovitsyn also said
that Israeli troops in 2007 had trained Georgian commando troops. He
added that Russia had begun pulling its troops out of Georgia on Monday,
in accordance with the French-brokered ceasefire. Georgia's Deputy
Defense Minister Batu Kutelia said that Georgian corporals and sergeants
train with German alpine units, the navy work with French instructors
and special operations and urban warfare troops are taught by Israelis.
An Israeli defense official told The Jerusalem Post recently that Israel
had rejected frequent requests for arms from Georgia in the months
leading up to the outbreak of hostilities with Russia. "Several months
ago, we carried out an evaluation of the situation in Georgia and
realized that Georgia and Russia were on a collision course. We have
good relations with both, and don't want to back either in this
conflict," the official said. "We therefore made a decision to
drastically minimize sales of weapons to Georgia." Some of the Israeli
sales with Georgia in the past included night-vision equipment, rifles
and unmanned drones for gathering intelligence. Israel did not agree,
however, to upgrade the drones to those that possess high
intelligence-gathering capabilities, the defense officials said.
Georgia's defense minister, Davit Kezerashvili, is a former Israeli who
is fluent in Hebrew, and is said to have contributed to military
cooperation.
30 dead in worst weekend of Mexico violence this year
Breitbart
(August 18, 2008) - More than 30 people
died in the worst weekend of violence this year in the northern Mexico
state of Chihuahua, the scene of daily drug gang turf wars, police said
Monday. Heavily-armed assassins killed nine people in separate incidents
late Sunday in the border town of Ciudad Juarez, local police said,
following the slaying of 21 people the previous night -- including a
baby and a four-year-old boy -- at a village dance in the town of Creel.
Drug-related violence in Mexico has killed 2,682 people since the start
of the year -- nine more than in all of 2007 -- with nearly half in
Chihuahua state, daily El Universal reported Saturday. Ciudad Juarez --
across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, where local drug gangs are
battling the powerful Sinaloa cartel -- has the highest murder toll,
with some 800 so far this year, according to an AFP count. Federal
authorities have deployed more than 36,000 soldiers across the country
since early 2007, including 2,500 in Ciudad Juarez, in an effort to
combat drug trafficking and related violence. But the murder rate has
climbed dramatically in two years, from 1,410 in 2006.
Israelis: War With Hezbollah Inevitable
Newsmax
(August 18, 2008) - The Israeli army says
Hezbollah has re-armed with 40,000 rockets — triple the number it had at
the start of the Lebanon War two years ago. Therefore, many Israelis
believe another war with Hezbollah is inevitable. "The war set the stage
for a more comprehensive Middle East conflict," said Israeli analyst
Michael Oren. "It set into motion a dynamic in the Arab world, where
much of the Arab street believes that Hezbollah won that war, and there
is tremendous expectation on Hezbollah to continue the struggle."
Hezbollah fired 4,000 rockets into Israel during the 34-day conflict.
But a massive Israeli air and ground assault failed to deal a knockout
blow to 5,000 Hezbollah guerrillas in South Lebanon, prompting an
official Israeli inquiry to describe the government's and army's
handling of the war as a failure. Oren says there were failures, but
also achievements. "Israel wreaked tremendous havoc in Lebanon in 2006,"
Oren said. "We destroyed all of Hezbollah's infrastructure, much of its
civilian headquarters, we killed about a quarter of their fighters, that
is a prohibitive number of casualties for any modern fighting force, and
yet perception is everything in the Middle East and the perception was,
in the Arab world at least, that Israel was bested in that conflict."
Under the U.N. ceasefire resolution that ended the war, about 13,000
international peacekeepers have deployed in South Lebanon. But Israel
charges that they have failed to fulfill their mandate of preventing
weapons smuggling to Hezbollah from Syria and Iran. With a bristling new
arsenal of rockets, Oren believes a Hezbollah attack on Israel is just a
matter of time. "Israel would then have to reply into Lebanon, possibly
drawing in the Syrians and ultimately the Iranians," Oren said. And with
the possible involvement of regional superpowers, the next war could be
much worse than the last one.
Lisbon treaty would have helped in Georgia crisis, says France
EU Observer
(August 18, 2008) - French president
Nicolas Sarkozy has used the ongoing crisis between Russia and Georgia
to put the case for the EU's new treaty, currently facing ratification
difficulties. In an opinion piece in Monday's edition of French daily Le
Figaro, Mr. Sarkozy, who currently holds the EU's six month presidency,
wrote that the Lisbon Treaty would have given the bloc the tools it
needed to handle the Moscow-Tbilisi war. "It is notable that had the
Lisbon Treaty, which is in the process of being ratified, already been
in force, the European Union would have had the institutions it needs to
cope with international crises." He named the most important innovations
as being the "stable" European Council President - instead of the
current half-yearly system - " a High Representative endowed with a real
European diplomatic service and considerable financial means in order to
put decisions into force in coordination with member states. " The short
pitch for the Lisbon Treaty also revealed a little how the French
president views the role of the EU's first long-term president of the EU
- a post that can be held for up to five years. The treaty itself is
ambiguous about the president's exact role with the potential for
conflict rife with member states and EU officials divided about whether
the position should be ceremonial or have real teeth. Entwined in this
question is how much the president should represent the EU in external
policy, a policy area that is foreseen for the EU's foreign policy
chief. In the Figaro article, Mr. Sarkozy suggests that the president's
position in such crises as the Russia-Georgia one would be one of
"acting in close consultation with the heads of state and government
most affected." This would very much put the President in the foreign
policy field. It would also foresee a formal hierarchy among member
states as it would give priority to those considered most affected. This
kind of scenario has been predicted by some smaller member states who
fear that the president would have an all-powerful role, reducing the
say of certain governments, although the working principle of the bloc
is that member states are equal. But Mr. Sarkozy's words of support for
the Lisbon Treaty come amid doubt that it will ever come into force.
Although ratified by the vast majority of national parliaments, it was
rejected by Irish voters in a referendum in June. All member states need
to ratify the document for it to go into place. At the moment, Dublin is
considering its options. It could either put the treaty to another
referendum or try and figure out a legal contortion allowing it to use
parliamentary ratification only. But the January 2009 deadline by which
governments had hoped to have the treaty in place is certain to be
missed.
Russia: Poland risks attack due to U.S. missiles
MSNBC
(August 15, 2008) - A top Russian general
said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a U.S. missile interceptor
base exposed the ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear
weapons, the Interfax news agency reported. The statement by Gen.
Anatoly Nogovitsyn was the strongest threat that Russia issued against
the plans to put missile defense elements in former Soviet satellite
nations. Poland and the United States on Thursday signed a deal for
Poland to accept a missile interceptor base as part of a system the
United States said was aimed at blocking attacks by rogue nations.
Moscow, however, felt it was aimed at Russia's missile force. "Poland,
by deploying (the system) is exposing itself to a strike — 100 percent,"
Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of staff, was quoted as saying. He added,
in clear reference to the agreement, that Russia's military doctrine
sanctions the use of nuclear weapons "against the allies of countries
having nuclear weapons if they in some way help them." Nogovitsyn that
would include elements of strategic deterrence systems, he said,
according to Interfax. At a news conference earlier Friday, Nogovitsyn
had reiterated Russia's frequently stated warning that placing
missile-defense elements in Poland and the Czech Republic would bring an
unspecified military response. But his subsequent reported statement
substantially stepped up a war of words. more...
Lebanon, Syria open diplomatic relations
The Jordanian Times
(August 15, 2008) - Syrian President Bashar
Assad and Lebanese President Michel Sleiman agreed on Wednesday to
establish diplomatic relations between their countries at ambassadorial
level, a Syrian official said. Damascus has been under pressure from the
United States and other governments including France to treat its
smaller neighbour more as a sovereign state by taking steps including
opening a Beirut embassy and demarcating borders with Lebanon. "The two
presidents... have instructed their foreign ministers to take the
necessary steps in this regard, starting from today," Buthaina Shaaban,
an adviser to President Assad said. Syria had dominated Lebanon until
the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri triggered
pressure for it to end a 29-year military presence in the country.
Sleiman, who had been army chief before his election, was received at a
hilltop palace overlooking Damascus. He was appointed head of Lebanon's
military when Syria still controlled the country and describes his ties
with Damascus as excellent. The two countries announced last month in
Paris that they intended to open diplomatic relations for the first time
since they gained independence in 1943. Wednesday's agreement formally
set those ties on the highest level. It was Sleiman's first visit to
Syria since his election in May as part of a Qatari-mediated deal that
defused a bitter political conflict between an anti-Syrian majority
coalition and an alliance of groups backed by Damascus. Syrian Foreign
Minister Walid Mouallem told Lebanon's As-Safir newspaper that Sleiman's
visit was "a starting point and a true foundation for future relations".
Syria's opponents in Lebanon, including Saudi-backed politician Saad
Hariri, have accused Damascus of assassinating Rafiq Hariri and other
anti-Syrian figures and fomenting instability since its withdrawal.
Syria denies the allegations. more...
Iran, Turkey fail to reach deal on new pipeline
Associated Press
(August 14, 2008) - Iran and Turkey signed
several cooperation agreements Thursday but failed to complete a deal
for building a new natural gas pipeline — a project the United States
has opposed. Washington argues an energy deal by NATO ally Turkey with
Iran would send the wrong message while the West threatens Tehran with
new economic sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. The
West believe Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, which Tehran
denies. On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Turkish
President Abdullah Gul witnessed the public signing of a series of
agreements for cooperation in anti-drug efforts, environmental matters,
transportation, tourism and culture. The two nations also issued a joint
statement stressing their determination for further cooperation in
energy but they couldn't come to agreement on construction of the
proposed gas pipeline. "There are some snags," Turkey's interior
minister, Besir Atalay, said without providing any details. Turkish
Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said that "the negotiations will continue"
on the pipeline project, which is aimed at ensuring reliable supply of
Iranian natural gas to Turkey. Turkey already receives gas through an
existing pipeline from Iran, but its flow often is sporadic during the
winter. Relations between Turkey and Iran improved since Turkey's
Islamic-rooted governing party took power in 2002. Previous Turkish
governments had accused Iran of trying to export radical Islam to
secular Turkey, which hopes to join the European Union. The United
States also opposes plans for Turkish investment in Iran's South Pars
gas fields and the possibility of the Islamic Republic selling its gas
to European markets via an existing pipeline that carries gas to Europe
through Turkey. Is Temple Mount God's time bomb? WorldNet Daily (August 14, 2008) - Was the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem more than a place of worship? Was it, indeed, a roadmap to future events – a kind of prophetic landmark whose significance is only now revealed through the development of satellite imagery? That is the contention of an explosive new book, "Temple at the Center of Time: Newton's Bible Codex Deciphered and the Year 2012," by David Flynn, a book that has risen dramatically to No. 1 among unexplained mysteries, No. 1 in world history and 73 overall on Amazon.com. The book asserts it has "deciphered Isaac Newton’s greatest paradox: None other than 'the unified field theory' of Bible prophecy." Sir Isaac Newton was not only a great thinker in physics, the book explains, but had extensive knowledge of the Scriptures with a special interest in prophecy. Newton believed there was a hidden code, a type of time-encrypted language. He believed the key to deciphering this code was the Temple of Solomon. He wrote extensively on the length measurements of the Temple and suggested it intersected time and dimension, serving as a prophetic and supernatural structure. According to Flynn, although Newton never cracked this code, he was on the right track and was limited only by the lack of sophisticated satellite technology. "The description of Jerusalem as a terrestrial center point, situated in the center of the world, is found in Philo's Legatio and Gaium," Flynn notes. "The world is like a human eyeball. The white of the eye is the ocean surrounding the world, the iris is this continent, the pupil is Jerusalem, and the image in the pupil is the Holy Temple." To make his case, Flynn starts by illustrating what the reader soon learns is the first of numerous extraordinary time-distance anomalies. The prisca sapentia framework of Newton suggests that the distance between the temple of Jerusalem and the capital city of any nation historically effecting the chronicles of Jerusalem would be supernaturally connected. This relationship would be significant with respect to units of time, expressing meaning in line with God's divine plan as recorded in the word of his prophets. For instance, if a measurement is made from the point of the temple of Jerusalem's foundation stone to the palace of Balthazar – the political center of Babylon and the exact location where the writing on the wall occurred – the distance should relate to the period in which Babylon most influenced Jerusalem. Such a relationship exists and is the important distance of 539.86 statute miles. What makes this measurement unusual is that Babylon, which played such a significant role in Hebrew antiquity, was measured and numbered in its relationship to Jewish history in Daniel chapter five during the famous handwriting on the wall. When the prophet interpreted the manifestation, he proclaimed in verses 25-28: Daniel 5:25-28 That very night King Belshazzar was slain, and Darius
the Mede became king. Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians on the 16th
day of Tishri of the Jewish calendar, which correlates to Oct. 12, 539
B.C. Curiously, the number 539 is also the distance in statute miles
between the temple of Jerusalem's foundation stone to the palace of
Balthazar, as confirmed by modern satellite measurement. more...
Ocean dead zones become a worldwide problem
Associated Press
(August 14, 2008) - Like a chronic disease
spreading through the body, "dead zones" with too little oxygen for life
are expanding in the world's oceans. "We have to realize that hypoxia is
not a local problem," said Robert J. Diaz of the Virginia Institute of
Marine Science. "It is a global problem and it has severe consequences
for ecosystems." "It's getting to be a problem of such a magnitude that
it is starting to affect the resources that we pull out of the sea to
feed ourselves," he added. Diaz and co-author Rutger Rosenberg report in
Friday's edition of the journal Science that there are now more than 400
dead zones around the world, double what the United Nations reported
just two years ago. "If we screw up the energy flow within our systems
we could end up with no crabs, no shrimp, no fish. That is where these
dead zones are heading unless we stop their growth," Diaz said in a
telephone interview. The newest dead areas are being found in the
Southern Hemisphere — South America, Africa, parts of Asia — Diaz said.
Some of the increase is due to the discovery of low-oxygen areas that
may have existed for years and are just being found, he said, but others
are actually newly developed. Pollution-fed algae, which deprive other
living marine life of oxygen, is the cause of most of the world's dead
zones. Scientists mainly blame fertilizer and other farm run-off, sewage
and fossil-fuel burning. Diaz and Rosenberg, of the University of
Gothenburg in Sweden, conclude that it would be unrealistic to try to go
back to preindustrial levels of runoff. "Farmers aren't doing this on
purpose," Diaz said. "The farmers would certainly prefer to have their
(fertilizer) on the land rather than floating down the river." He said
he hopes that as fertilizers become more and more expensive farmers will
begin seriously looking at ways to retain them on the land. New
low-oxygen areas have been reported in Samish Bay of Puget Sound,
Yaquina Bay in Oregon, prawn culture ponds in Taiwan, the San Martin
River in northern Spain and some fjords in Norway, Diaz said. A portion
of Big Glory Bay in New Zealand became hypoxic after salmon farming
cages were set up, but began recovering when the cages were moved, he
said. A dead zone has been newly reported off the mouth of the Yangtze
River in China, Diaz said, but the area has probably been hypoxic since
the 1950s. "We just didn't know about it," he said. Some of the reports
are being published for the first time in journals accessible to Western
scientists, he said. Nancy N. Rabalais, executive director of the
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, said she was not surprised at
the increase in dead zones. "There have been many more reported, but
there truly are many more. What has happened in the industrialized
nations with agribusiness as well that led to increased flux of
nutrients from the land to the estuaries and the seas is now happening
in developing countries," said Rabalais, who was not part of Diaz'
research team. She said she was told during a 1989 visit to South
America that rivers there were too large to have the same problems as
the Mississippi River. "Now many of their estuaries and coastal seas are
suffering the same malady." "The increase is a troubling sign for
estuarine and coastal waters, which are among some of the most
productive waters on the globe," she said.
Europe's major
economies contract
BBC News
(August 14, 2008) - The 15 economies of the
eurozone contracted by 0.2% between April and June, heightening fears
that the euro area is sliding towards recession. The eurozone's first
decline since it was created in 1999 was driven by a slowdown in exports
and consumer spending. The German economy, Europe's largest, shrank by
0.5% in the second quarter compared with the previous quarter. And in
both France and Italy GDP shrank by 0.3% in the second quarter. The
slowdown was less pronounced in the wider European community of 27
nations including the UK, which contracted by 0.1%. However Estonia,
where the economy contracted for the second consecutive quarter, is now
considered to be in recession. Ireland, whose economy contracted in the
first quarter of the year, has not yet released its second quarter
growth figures. Compared to the second quarter of 2007, the eurozone
economies grew by 1.5% and the 27 European Union countries grew by 1.7%.
The news weakened the euro, which was already well down from its recent
highs against the dollar. But high eurozone inflation, which was
unchanged on the month, made it unlikely that the European Central Bank,
which raised interest rates last month, will reverse its stance. Spain
was the only one of the major eurozone economies to see its economy
expand between April and June. It grew by 0.1% compared with the
previous quarter. Figures also released on Thursday showed that prices
across the euro area rose by 4% in July compared to a year earlier. The
European Central Bank increased interest rates in July by 025% to 4.25%
in a bid to combat rising prices. The July figure is the same as June's
inflation rate, but although the rate of increase is not quickening,
economists said rising prices were still a concern. "Although inflation
has been stable at 4.0 % in July, it is still way above target," said
Jörg Radeke from the Centre for Economics and Business Research. "Hence,
the possibility that the European Central Bank is cutting interest rates
in 2008 to support the sickening economy is remote." more...
Russian Tanks Head for Tbilisi, Georgia, Despite Ceasefire Pledge
Bridges for Peace
(August 13, 2008) - Hours after a European
Union ceasefire between Georgia and Russia appeared to be taking shape,
Russian tanks rolled into the Georgian city of Gori on August 13, later
pressing deeper as they headed towards the capital Tbilisi. To the west,
Abkhazian separatist forces backed by Russian forces pushed out Georgian
troops and even moved into Georgian territory itself, defiantly planting
a flag and laughing that retreating Georgians had received American
training in running away. The developments came less than 12 hours after
Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvilli said he accepted in principle a
cease-fire plan brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy who arrived
in the region and met with both Georgian and Russian leaders in an
effort to restore calm. On Tuesday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
declared that Russia would halt all of its military activities in
Georgia. About 50 Russian tanks entered Gori on Wednesday morning,
according to a top Georgian official, Alexander Lomaia. The city of
50,000 sits on Georgia's only significant east-west road near the South
Ossetia border, a region where fierce fighting has taken place. Russia's
deputy chief of General Staff Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn insisted
Wednesday that no tanks were in Gori, adding that Russians went into the
city to try to implement the truce with local Georgian officials but
could not find any. The EU peace plan's concept of having both sides
retreat to their original positions was running into the stark reality
of Russian dominance on the battlefield.
Japan on brink of recession as economy shrinks
AFP
(August 13, 2008) - Japan said Wednesday
its economy contracted in the second quarter as falling exports and weak
consumer spending sent Asia's largest economy hurtling toward its first
recession in six years. The slump reflects the rapidly deteriorating
global economic climate, with fears of a recession in the eurozone also
mounting as the fallout from the US financial crisis ripples around the
world. Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.6 percent in the
three months to June from the previous quarter, the Cabinet Office said,
marking the first time in a year that the world's second-biggest economy
has contracted. The economy shrank by 2.4 percent on an annualised
basis, matching market expectations. The slump put Japan on the cusp of
outright recession, which is usually defined as two or more straight
quarters of economic contraction. The last time that happened in Japan
was in 2001, when the recession lasted for three quarters. Tokyo share
prices slumped 2.1 percent as the weak growth figures added to jitters
about problems in the US banking sector. GDP growth for the first
quarter of 2008 was also revised down to 0.8 percent quarter-on-quarter
from 1.0 percent previously. Economic growth "will remain very weak
throughout this fiscal year," said Mamoru Yamazaki, chief economist for
Japan at RBS Securities. "The increase in oil and commodity prices is
damaging corporate profits," while rising inflation is hurting
households, he said. more...
Report: Judge Says University Can Deny Course Credit to Christian
Graduates Taught With Creationism Texts
Fox News
(August 13, 2008) - A federal judge has
ruled the University of California can deny course credit to Christian
high school graduates who have been taught with textbooks that reject
evolution and declare the Bible infallible, the San Francisco Chronicle
reported. U.S. District Judge James Otero of Los Angeles ruled Friday
that the school's review committees did not discriminate against
Christians because of religious viewpoints when it denied credit to
those taught with certain religious textbooks, but instead made a
legitimate claim that the texts failed to teach critical thinking and
omitted important science and history topics. Charles Robinson, the
university's vice president for legal affairs, told the Chronicle that
the ruling "confirms that UC may apply the same admissions standards to
all students and to all high schools without regard to their religious
affiliations." But a lawyer for the Association of Christian Schools
International, two Southern California high schools and several students
who brought about the initial lawsuit in 2005 told the Chronicle that
the ruling would be appealed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in
San Francisco. "It appears the UC is attempting to secularize private
religious schools," attorney Jennifer Monk told the Chronicle. The paper
said rejected texts include a book for the course Christianity's
Influence on America, published by Bob Jones University, which
"instructs the Bible is the unerring source for analysis of historical
events" and "Biology for Christian Schools," whose first page says "if
[scientific] conclusions contradict the Word of God, the conclusions are
wrong," Otero wrote in his ruling.
U.S. green lights anything into oil
WorldNet Daily
(August 13, 2008) - A Georgia company
looking to solve America's energy problem has finally teamed up with the
federal government, hoping to make millions of barrels of oil every day
from virtually anything that grows out of the Earth.
Bell Bio-Energy,
Inc. says it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Defense
Department to build seven test production plants, mostly on military
bases, to quickly turn naturally grown material into fuel. "What this
means is that with the seven pilot plants – the military likes to refer
to them as demonstrations – with those being built … it gives us the
real-time engineering data that we need to finish the designs for a
full-scale production facility," J.C. Bell, the man behind the project,
told WND today. "In 18 months or so, we will start manufacturing oil
directly from waste and we will build up to about 500,000 barrels a day
within two years. In another six months, we'll reach a million barrels a
day." As the United States now imports about 13 million barrels of oil a
day, the only obstacle then to total energy independence from foreign
sources will be the money needed to develop the processing plants, he
said. "Working with the USDA we've identified enough waste material
around the country, we truly believe we can make the United States
totally energy independent of foreign countries in about five years," he
said.
WND originally reported on the project in March as Bell, an
agricultural researcher, confirmed he'd isolated and modified specific
bacteria that will, on a very large scale, naturally and rapidly convert
plant material – including the leftovers from food – into hydrocarbons
to fuel cars and trucks. That means trash like corn stalks and corn cobs
– even the grass clippings from suburban lawns – can be turned into oil
and gasoline to run trucks, buses and cars. He said he made the
discovery standing downwind from his cows at his food-production
company, Bell
Plantation, in Tifton, Ga. "Cows are like people that eat lots of
beans. They're really, really good at making natural gas," he said. "It
dawned on me that that natural gas was methane."
WND also
reported how the national news media more or less ignored his
announcement of a potential solution to America's dependence on Middle
East nations for its oil. But the U.S. military was listening. And Bell
now confirms his agreement with the Department of Defense, the Defense
Energy Support Center and the Army will have seven demonstration
facilities built at Fort Benning and Fort Stewart in Georgia, Fort Bragg
in North Carolina, Fort AP Hill in Virginia, Fort Drum in New York and
Fort Lewis in Washington, as well as one more installation in San Pedro,
Calif. "We should have all of the plants running within 60 days," he
said. "This is a big step in our growth, from the engineering that we
develop with these plants, we will be able to build our full-scale
production facilities and be in full production in the next 12 to 18
months. "Everyone now accepts the fact that we can make oil through
bacterial action and now it is just a matter of time and money until we
are turning out one million to two million barrels per day," he said.
more...
Ahmadinejad in new Israel tirade before Turkey trip
Reuters
(August 13, 2008) - Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh verbal attack on Israel on
Wednesday on the eve of a visit to Israel's close ally Turkey, saying
Western countries should not support the Jewish state. The comments
highlight the difficult path which Turkey, a member of NATO, must follow
during the two-day visit which reflects its desire to remain on good
terms with its neighbor and secure future energy needs. "Western
countries should not support them (Israel) so much. The life of this
regime has come to an end," Ahmadinejad said in comments translated into
Turkish in a live interview broadcast by Turkey's NTV and CNN Turk
channels. "Our position is clear on this issue. A referendum should take
place in Palestine. If they withdraw from invaded lands it would be a
good step," he said. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan have come under criticism at home and abroad for inviting
Ahmadinejad. Ankara has said his visit was necessary given a standoff
between Iran and the West over Tehran's disputed nuclear enrichment
program, but analysts said the visit was more about ensuring
centuries-old ties during a period of global tensions. Ahmadinejad said
the talks on Iran's nuclear program were on a "good path".
PA: Reported peace offer unacceptable
The Jerusalem Post
(August 12, 2008) - The Palestinian
Authority said on Tuesday it would reject an Israeli peace proposal
published in the Hebrew press a day earlier which included withdrawal
from most of the West Bank. They said such a plan, which they did not
confirm receiving, would be unacceptable because it did not call for the
establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its
capital. Under the proposal, which was published in Haaretz,
Israel would withdraw from 93 percent of the West Bank, in addition to
all of the Gaza Strip, after the PA regains control over the Gaza Strip.
Olmert had presented PA President Mahmoud Abbas with the proposal as
part of an agreement in principle on borders, refugees and security
arrangements between Israel and a future Palestinian state, the report
claimed. In exchange for West Bank land that Israel would keep, Olmert
proposed a 5.5% land swap giving the Palestinians a desert territory
adjacent to the Gaza Strip. Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat said the
Palestinians were unaware of the existence of such a proposal. "At no
time were the Palestinians presented with a detailed set of proposals by
[Prime Minister] Ehud Olmert or any Israeli official," he said. "All the
details mentioned in this report are either completely untrue or are not
linked to reality." The Prime Minister's Office neither confirmed nor
denied the Haaretz report. Its spokesman Mark Regev said that
progress had been made in the negotiations, including with respect to
borders, but that in other areas there was still important work that had
to be done. Nabil Abu Rudaineh, spokesman for
Abbas said "the Israeli proposal [in Haaretz] is not acceptable"
and called it a "waste of time." He added that "the Palestinian side
will only accept a Palestinian state with territorial continuity, with
Jerusalem as its capital, without settlements, and on the June 4, 1967
boundaries." Abu Rudaineh said the proposal showed that Israel was "not
serious" about reaching peace with the Palestinians on the basis of a
two-state solution. Erekat said the Palestinians
would not accept any solution that excludes the issues of Jerusalem and
the "right of return" for the Palestinian refugees. "The era of partial
agreements and phased tactics has gone," Erekat added. "The talks [with
Israel] are continuing despite the wide gap between the two sides."
more...
Fed holds first auction for 84-day loans
Yahoo Finance News
(August 12, 2008) - The Federal Reserve has
auctioned another $25 billion in loans to the nation's banks and given
them more time to pay the money back in an effort to combat a serious
credit squeeze. The Fed announced Tuesday that the money would be loaned
at a rate of 2.754 percent. In the latest auction, the Fed offered the
loans for an extended period of 84 days, rather than the 28-day period
for the previous loans. It marked the Fed's latest attempt to be
innovative in providing the nation's banking system with the cash it
needs to combat a serious credit crisis stemming from mounting mortgage
loan losses. The credit squeeze hit with force a year ago and the
central bank has shoveled out billions of dollars in loans. From
September through April it also was aggressively cutting interest rates
to keep the financial turmoil from pushing the country into a deep
recession. The Fed's interest-rate setting panel met again last week and
for the second meeting held interest rates unchanged amid concerns that
lowering rates further could stoke inflation pressures. Fed policymakers
instead indicated that they are likely to hold rates steady for an
extended period. That signal bolstered financial markets that had been
worried higher inflation pressures might prompt the Fed to start raising
rates even though the economy remains weak. The latest Fed auction was
held on Monday with the results announced Tuesday. It saw 64 bidders
seeking a total of $54.8 billion in funds. The Fed had announced that it
would auction off $25 billion for 84 days. In two weeks the Fed will
auction $75 billion in loans for 28 days. The Fed began the auction
process last December in an effort to increase use of its discount
window borrowing facility, believing that the auctions would help remove
the stigma that banks feared was attached to their petitioning for
direct loans from the Fed's discount window.
'Syria and Hizbullah gaining strength'
The Jerusalem Post
(August 12, 2008) - Defense Minister Ehud
Barak said on Tuesday that "it is not a coincidence that the IDF is
holding intensive drills in the Golan Heights," adding that UNSC
Resolution 1701 was not accomplishing what it set out to do. "Hizbullah
has gained significant strength in the last couple of years," said Barak
during an IDF Armored Corps drill in the North. "We are closely
following a possible violation [of the resolution] caused by the
transfer of advanced weapons systems from Syria to Hizbullah. The
necessary preparations have been made, and regarding all the rest - I
always prefer not to talk, rather to take action when the time comes."
Barak expressed optimism with regards to the IDF's capabilities. "The
army is regaining its strength, and coming back to the right morals,
carrying out the right exercises and it is our obligation as the
government to ensure that the proper means are available to carry out
such drills in a correct and intensive manner." Referring to a proposed
budget cut to the Defense Ministry, Barak said: "We live in a country
where security and defense consist not just of tanks and planes, but
also of fostering excellence and caring for the population through
education and social welfare." Nonetheless, Barak emphasized that
"security and defense take precedence over quality of life and in a
country such as ours, we do not have the luxury of cutting the defense
budget." The defense minister also addressed the Gaza ceasefire and the
strengthening of the group. "So far, the ceasefire has proved
promising," he said. "There have been ten instances where rockets were
launched in the past 6 weeks, compared to the hundreds of attacks that
occurred in the past. Every week that passes with the ceasefire in place
enables us to gain strength and to maximize the possibility or the
probability of bringing about the right conditions for the release of
[captured IDF soldier] Gilad Schalit. Barak added that "in the meantime,
the government must care for the social and economic infrastructure as
well as the preparation of the home front in the Gaza periphery and the
surrounding areas. more...
Ex-communist states' backing for Georgia rooted in Soviet trauma
Breitbart.com
(August 12, 2008) - A traumatic history at
the hands of the Kremlin and enduring fears of Russia are the root of
the staunch backing for Georgia offered by Poland, the Baltic states and
Ukraine, analysts say. In an unusual step Tuesday the leaders of
ex-communist Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine went to
Georgia for what they called a called a show of support for the former
Soviet republic after Russia's assault. "Our visit is a sign of the
solidarity of our five countries with the Georgian nation, which has
been a victim of aggression," Poland's President Lech Kaczynski told
reporters. "Once again, Russia has shown its true face," he said. On
Saturday, Poland and the Baltic states had as "former captive nations"
of the Soviet Union issued a joint statement calling on the EU and NATO
to oppose Russia's "imperialist" policy towards Georgia. Fear of Russia
cuts deep, said Bartosz Cichocki, an expert at the Polish Institute for
International Affairs. "These nations still remember how in 1939 the
Soviet army crossed into their territory to purportedly defend the
rights of ethnic minorities," he said, referring to the invasion at the
start of World War II, when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sealed a
pact to carve up Poland and the Baltic states. "And they still remember
their dependence on Moscow," which lasted five decades, he told AFP.
Poland, which broke free from Moscow's orbit in 1989, and the Baltic
states, which like Georgia and Ukraine were part of the Soviet Union
until it collapsed 1991, are all firm supporters of Tbilisi. "In the
Baltic states and Ukraine, independence is still seen as something
fragile and not necessarily built to last. So if it's not defended
actively, it can't last," Cichocki explained. Poland and the Baltic
states are solidly anchored in the West. Warsaw joined NATO in 1999 and
the EU in 2004, while the Baltic trio entered both in 2004. They back
Georgia and Ukraine's efforts to obtain what they see as those crucial
shields. "People are certainly afraid that Russia could attack Lithuania
just like Georgia. And you see that kind of view among politicians,"
said Lithuanian political scientist Kestutis Girnius. While arguments
rage between Moscow and Tbilisi about who started fighting, Poland and
the Baltic states see Georgians as the victims. "We're Georgia's closest
friend in the region. We've suffered the same kind of violence," senior
Lithuanian foreign ministry official Zygimantas Pavilionis told AFP. The
Baltic states were scarred by Soviet rule. On June 14, 1941, tens of
thousands of their people were herded onto cattle trains and shipped out
to the far eastern reaches of the Soviet Union, where many died.
Moscow's deportation drive was cut short when the Nazis turned on their
erstwhile allies on June 22, 1941, pushing the Red Army out of the
Baltic states as they invaded the Soviet Union. In 1944, however, the
Soviets ended the Nazis' own bloody occupation, and began a new wave of
deportations lasting into the 1950s. Poles, meanwhile, remember the
Soviet killing of some 22,000 Polish POWs in 1940 in what became known
as the Katyn massacre, as well as the brutality of communist rule after
the war. more...
My Latvia (Part 1 of 2):
0:09:58 My Latvia (Part 2 of 2):
0:07:58
Is the U.N. advocating homosexuality and pedophilia?
One News Now
(August 11, 2008) - The United Nations has
granted consultative status to two homosexual activist groups. For at
least a decade now, activist groups have hammered away at the United
Nations for recognition and they have finally won. Matt Barber of Liberty
Counsel finds that unacceptable. "They are associated with pedophile
groups like
NAMBLA
and others, and have advocated lowering the age of consent to levels
that would essentially foster pedophilia," he explains. Barber believes
it is wrong to equate homosexual behavior with the color of one's skin,
or their gender, and give them special status. "For the U.N. to side
with radical homosexual activists, in this case, has only served to
further discredit the U.N., and I think it's problematic in further
damaging their reputation," he contends. Activists, according to Barber,
will be trying to use the United Nations and the International Court to
force their agenda on an international level, including imposing it on
Christians who believe homosexuality is a sin. Son of Hamas leader declares his faith in Christ One News Now (August 11, 2008) - Israel can never be at peace with the "wicked and cruel" men who lead Hamas -- that's the warning issued by Masab Yousef, a Muslim man who converted to Christianity four years ago and has just made a public declaration of his faith. Yousef, who now prefers to be known as "Joseph," is the oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a political leader of the Hamas organization. Baptist Press reported on Friday that the younger Yousef gave his life to Christ in 2004, four years after a friend invited him to a Bible study and he began to read the scriptures for himself. He explains that he remained a Muslim at that time and thought he would remain on. "But every day I saw the terrible things done in the name of religion by those who considered themselves 'great believers,'" he states. "I studied Islam more thoroughly and found no answers there. I re-examined the Koran and the principles of the faith and found how it is mistaken and misleading." He cautions Israelis and their friends that they should not be deceived into thinking that peace with Hamas is possible. "You will never, but never have peace with Islam," he says. "Islam...will not allow them to achieve a peace agreement with the Jews." In addition he says the culture of Islam "sanctifies death and the suicide terrorists..." and that supporters of Hamas "don't understand that they are led by a wicked and cruel group that brainwashes the children and gets them to believe that if they carry out a suicide attack they'll get to Paradise." But there is only one way to Paradise, says Yousef -- "the way of Jesus who sacrificed himself on the cross for all of us."
Exclusive: Hizbollah 'stronger than before' and ready to strike Israel
Telegraph UK
(August 2, 2008) - Hezbollah has
significantly built up its military arsenal on the Israeli border and is
ready to respond with force to any provocation, its senior commander has
told the Telegraph. The political and military group's senior commander
in southern Lebanon said in a rare interview that Hezbollah was far
stronger now than when it fought the Israeli army in a conflict in 2006.
Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, who leads Hezbollah's forces on Lebanon's border
with Israel - the crucial battlefront of any future war, was speaking in
the port city of Tyre. "The resistance is now stronger than before and
this keeps the option of war awake. If we were weak, Israel would not
hesitate to start another war," he said. "We are stronger than before
and when Hezbollah is strong, our strength stops Israel from starting a
new war... We don't seek war, but we must be ready." Hezbollah, whose
missiles killed 43 Israeli civilians during the war of 2006, is
considered a terrorist organisation by the US and Britain. Other sources
say Hezbollah has trebled its arsenal in the last two years – from
10,000 missiles to about 30,000. These new weapons have longer ranges
and heavier warheads. They include the Zelzal missile, which could
strike as far south as Tel Aviv, and the C802 anti-shipping missile,
capable of sinking Israeli warships. Any American strike on Iran, for
example, could be the trigger for a Hezbollah attack on Israel. Hassan
Nasrallah, Hezbollah's overall leader, started the 2006 conflict with
the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers whose corpses were recently
returned to Israel. Mr Kaouk did not deny that Hezbollah was reliant on
Iran for military hardware and support. "We are proud of our friendship
with Iran and with Syria and every country which helps us to gain our
rights," he said. His remarks will be examined closely in Washington as
Iran presses ahead with its nuclear programme. Iran is currently
weighing its response to the West’s latest offer of incentives to
suspend the enrichment of uranium but has signaled that for now it is
not about to change its stance. Asked where Hezbollah's weapons came
from, Mr Kaouk said: "All parties in Lebanon are getting weapons. No one
asks from where." Iran is Hezbollah's supplier and paymaster. Tehran's
regime and Hezbollah are fellow Shias and their alliance is a crucial
power factor in the Middle East. Iran delivers the missiles to southern
Lebanon through Syria. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fighters travel to Iran for
military training. If the US attacked Iran's nuclear facilities,
Hezbollah could retaliate by firing its missiles into Israel. Hence Iran
possesses a vital interest in building this arsenal. Asked how Hezbollah
would respond to an attack on Iran, Mr Kaouk replied: "I doubt that
Israel will attack Iran because they know the consequences." Mr Kaouk
said the 2006 war, which claimed 1,100 Lebanese lives, had been a
success. "Israel didn't achieve any of its goals. The known goal of
Israel is 'death to Hezbollah'. Hezbollah is still here." |
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