Peace Like A River » Hizballah

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

26 May, 2009 (01:19) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 26 May 2009.

United States & the Americas

JCS – STEPHANOPOULOS: And the chief of staff to Israel’s defense minister, General Michael Herzog, has said that Iran could actually have its first nuclear weapon by the end of 2010 or the beginning of 2011. Do you agree with that? MULLEN: Well, I think you make certain assumptions about what they can do. Most of us believe that it’s one to three years, depending on assumptions about where they are right now. But they are moving closer, clearly, and they continue to do that.
NY Times – The United States is now relying heavily on foreign intelligence services to capture, interrogate and detain all but the highest-level terrorist suspects seized outside the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, according to current and former American government officials.
canada.com – The Canadian military plans to acquire a “family” of aerial drones over the next decade to complete “dull, dirty and dangerous” missions against a range of threats at home and abroad, including terrorism and failed or failing states, newly released documents show.
COHA – 21st Century Socialism Comes to the Honduran Banana Republic
Miami Herald – President Hugo Chavez says Venezuela could eventually withdraw from the Organization of American States and seek Cuba’s help to create an alternative regional group.
LAHT – Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, flanked by his Venezuelan and Bolivian counterparts, Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales, respectively, on Sunday commemorated the 187th anniversary of the Battle Pichincha, whereby Ecuador assured its independence, and said that he will take even more radical measures to implement his “citizen’s revolution.”
Khaleej Times – Israel suspects Venezuela and Bolivia of supplying uranium to Iran, according to a foreign ministry document leaked to media. “We have information according to which Venezuela provides uranium to Iran for its nuclear programme,” the document says. “It seems that Bolivia is also a supplier of uranium to the Iranian nuclear programme,” the document said, adding that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has played a key role in boosting Iran’s ties with Bolivia.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

Russia Today – Another fuel row seems to be brewing between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine needs about $5 billion dollars to fill its gas reservoirs for next winter – a pressing problem for Kiev with Ukraine in financial crisis. This time, Ukraine desperately has to pump up to 20 billion cubic meters of gas into its reservoirs. And there’s no time for delay, since it takes around six months to fill the tanks.
Jurist – The Russian State Duma passed a bill on Friday that would end the ability of the country’s Constitutional Court to select its president and double the length of the court president’s term.
RIA Novosti - Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov has been appointed the new commander of the Russian Airborne Troops, the Defense Ministry spokesman said on Monday. Shamanov is a Hero of Russia. He commanded the 76th Airborne Division during the second Chechen War.
Itar-Tass – Three Chechen policemen have been killed in Ingushetia during the conduct of joint special operations by the personnel of the Ingusheita and Chechnya Ministries of the Interior with a view to finding and apprehending members of illegal armed formations. The three policemen stuck a trip-wire-activated landmine, a source in the republic’s law enforcement agencies has told Itar-Tass.
Georgia MFA – On 24 May 2009 NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simons arrived on an official visit in Georgia.
Interfax – Following the results of Russian-Kazakh talks in Astana six documents were signed in the presence of prime ministers of Russia and Kazakhstan, Vladimir Putin and Karim Masimov respectively.
Javno – Kazakhstan’s security service arrested the head of the state uranium company on suspicion of theft, it said on Monday, the latest in a string of high-profile criminal cases in the Central Asian state. The deepening financial crisis has sharpened divisions among Kazakhstan’s ruling elite and triggered a chain of criminal investigations and arrests in government and industry. In the latest case, KNB, the successor service to Soviet-era KGB, said it had arrested Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the long-serving head of Kazatomprom, one of the world’s biggest uranium producers.
RFERL – Three top officials at Tajikistan’s major uranium-processing facility in the northern city of Khujand have been arrested for allegedly spying for Uzbekistan, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

Middle East

Al Sumaria – A suicide bomber targeting a US Army patrol in a crowded street wounded 34 people in Al Dawasa region in central Mosul while most of the wounded are passers by. The blast destroyed nearby window shops. In Mosul as well, police reported that gunmen raided a house and killed a woman and her daughter in western the city while gunmen killed a Kurdish citizen in the same region.
Voices of Iraq – A combined Iraqi-U.S. force on Monday arrested a “militia commander” suspected of being involved in murders, according to a security source from Wassit province.
Spiegel – The United Nations special tribunal investigating the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri has reached surprising new conclusions — and it is keeping them secret. According to information obtained by SPIEGEL, investigators now believe Hezbollah was behind the Hariri murder.
Al Manar – After the southern city of Nabatiye, Beirut’s southern suburb marked Resistance and Liberation Day Monday as tens of thousands of people gathered at the impressively organized Raya playground to listen to the speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah. Political, military, security and religious figures also attended the massive ceremony that comes amid an intensifying campaign against Hezbollah including the latest report by the German weekly Der Spiegel which claimed that the resistance party was behind the assassination of former Prime Minister martyr Rafiq Hariri.
IRIB – Visiting Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denounced as provocative on Monday a German magazine report which claimed Hezbollah was behind the 2005 murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.
Israel MFA – This morning, the IDF dropped leaflets throughout the Gaza Strip, warning the general public not to approach the security fence between Gaza and Israel at a distance of less than 300 meters. IDF forces will operate against all those who approach the fence, due to the threat that they pose to the civilians of the State of Israel.
Haaretz – The defense establishment is concerned that Hezbollah will try to smuggle advanced anti-aircraft missiles into Lebanon in the near future – yet another reason for the rising tension on the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel has made it clear in past statements that it will consider such a development as crossing a red line, which might necessitate preventative measures.
SANA – The Israeli warplanes renewed Monday their violation of the Lebanese airspace, Lebanese Army Command said in a statement. The statement added that an Israeli drone violated the Lebanese airspace over al-Naqurah city, circling over the southern area and Beqaa and Baalbeck, and then left towards the occupied Palestinian territories
Naharnet – Lebanese authorities have arrested three more suspects on suspicion of spying for Israel, including a senior official in a “non-civilian” institution, the daily Al-Akhbar reported Monday
Asharq Al Awsat – Egypt said on Saturday that police have arrested seven members of an alleged Al-Qaeda-affiliated cell over a Cairo bazaar bombing three months ago that killed a teenaged French tourist. The interior ministry said those arrested over the February attack were a French woman of Albanian origin, a British man of Egyptian descent, two Palestinians, a Belgian man of Tunisian descent and two Egyptians.

Iran

ISNA – Iran’s Navy Force Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Monday Iran has sent six warships and logistic vessels to Aden Gulf and high seas noting the move was unprecedented in the history of Iran’s navy force.
Payvand – Iran Defense Ministry operated its production line for manufacturing 40-mm naval cannons, called Fath (victory) on Sunday, May 24. The assembly line was inaugurated with the presence of Defense Minister Mohammad Mostafa Najjar on the anniversary of one Iran’s greatest triumph during eight-year Iraq imposed war on Iran, when Iranians took back southern city of Khoramshahr from Iraqis.
IRNA – Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces said Sunday Iran’s Army is well-prepared to thwart threats thanks to young personnel and modern equipment.
Times of India – Iran and Pakistan on Monday decided to go ahead with an ambitious project to wheel gas from the Persian Gulf without India and signed a preliminary agreement to build a pipeline for the purpose. The deal, coming after 13 years of negotiations, is being seen more as a tactic to put pressure on India as the project’s financial viability remains doubtful without New Delhi’s participation.
Iran MFA – Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi announced that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is probably to visit Russia in June. He added that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has invited his Iranian counterpart to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit to be held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on June 15-16. Russia, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are the SCO member states while Iran, India and Mongolia are the observer countries.
Reuters – Iranian security forces have arrested 104 “devil worshippers” and seized drugs and alcohol during a party in a southern city, a semi-official news agency reported Monday.
Rooz – The Iranian ministry of communications filtered a number of new websites, including Facebook and Twitter. These websites were accessible until Saturday morning, but joined the long list of filtered websites at about 3 pm Saturday.
HRW – The Iranian government should immediately release ailing political prisoner Behrooz Javid-Tehrani, a human rights activist first arrested during 1999 nationwide student protests, and ensure he has access to adequate medical care, Human Rights Watch said today. Javid-Tehrani, who has been continually detained since 2005, is on hunger strike and suffers from health problems caused by prolonged torture.

Pakistani ground crew personnel assist the unloading of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane at Chaklala Air Base, Pakistan, May 20. The aircraft delivered 120,000 prepackaged Halal meals and tents for use by internally displaced persons created by fighting against radical Islamic insurgents in the northwestern region of the country. The supplies were the first of $10 million in aid scheduled to be provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, in addition to a commitment of over $100 million in aid by the U.S. government. (photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller)

South Asia

Dvids – Afghan and coalition forces killed three men and detained six suspects during deliberate operations targeting militants in Helmand province. In Nadi Ali District, Helmand province, approximately 130 kilometers west of Kandahar, forces conducted an operation to apprehend a key Taliban commander responsible for directing attacks on coalition forces, facilitating bomb-making operations, and violently intimidating on local citizens to gain their cooperation.
Guardian – United Nations officials in Afghanistan are attempting to create a “flood of drugs” in the country intended to destroy the value of opium and force poppy farmers to switch to legal crops such as wheat. After the failure to destroy fields of the scarlet flowers in Afghanistan’s volatile south, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says the answer is to stop the drugs from leaving the country in the first place
UK MoD – It is with sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Sapper Jordan Rossi of 25 Field Squadron, 38 Engineer Regiment, was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday 23 May 2009. Sapper Rossi was killed following an explosion near Sangin in Helmand Province.
Ghosts of Alexander – I’ve been doing updates over at the Afghanistan Analyst, including the list of Afghanistan-related blogs. Some of them are probably worth pointing out here. So I’ll just make context free excerpts from a few of those blogs along with a link
Daily Star – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacked the presence of foreign forces in the region at a summit with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday aimed at tackling terrorism and other security problems. The three neighbors’ first such meeting, which ended with pledges of cooperation but without any specific measures being announced, took place as Pakistan and Afghanistan are battling the spread of Taliban insurgencies in their countries
Dawn – Pakistani troops remained locked in battles with Taliban militants in the northwest Monday, as the military warned it could take up to 10 days to wrest back control of Swat valley’s capital. Ground forces are fighting street-by-street with Taliban fighters in Mingora, the business and administrative hub of the scenic Swat region.
The Post – After stiff resistance, security forces have secured Malam Jabba, the stronghold of militant-terrorists in Swat, said an update issued on Monday by ISPR on Operation Rah-e-Rast. “Malam Jabba, located on main line of communication connects Swat Valley with Mansehra, was being used as a training centre and logistic base by terrorists,” it added.
The News – Balochistan Inspector General of Police Asif Nawaz Waraich said on Monday that a group based in Afghanistan and having Indian support was involved in attacking national installations and destabilising Balochistan, as the province was facing law and order challenges.
Intellibriefs – A Joint Open Letter from Baloch Civil Society and Political Organisations to the United Nations, UNHCR High Commissioner, Human Rights Organizations and to the International community; Balochistan: Pakistan fascist state agencies are kidnapping, torturing and killing Baloch civil Society, Baloch Nationalist and Socialist people extra judicially
Sri Lanka MoD – From the day the Wanni battle took a fierce turn over 10,000 LTTE terrorists surrendered to the military, according to top military officials. The continuous defeats of the LTTE had made its cadres to abandon the outfit in large numbers. Over 7,237 terrorists who had surrendered to the military are now being rehabilitated at various rehabilitation centres. Among them are 1,601 females.

Far East & Pacific

Chosun Ilbo – North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Monday and later test-fired three additional short-range missiles within a range of 160 km from Musudanri, North Hamgyong Province and Wonsan area. The test has sparked fresh speculation about its military capacity. But now doubts are disappearing, with the test this time suggesting a nuclear weapon with 10 times stronger explosive force. Experts speculate the North has managed to improve the nuclear trigger device.
Yonhap – The United States had informed South Korea in advance of Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test, Seoul’s spy agency chief said Tuesday, adding China also knew but had not notified Seoul.
SMH – A rising clique of generals within the North Korean regime is said to be behind the country’s second nuclear test, which plunged the Korean peninsula and wider region into a new era of nuclear insecurity.
Xinhua – Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi attended the 9th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Asia-Europe Meeting here on Monday and delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.
France24 – As Asian and European foreign ministers meet in Vietnam Monday, the Burmese military criticised neighbouring Thailand’s condemnation of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial and accused Bangkok of interfering in its internal affairs.
Xinhua – Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with his Sierra Leone counterpart Ernest Bai Koroma here Monday, both agreeing to push the bilateral friendly and cooperative ties to a new height. Hu gave Koroma a red-carpet welcome, including a 21-gun salute and parade, at the Great Hall of the People.
Manila Times – Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters attacked several army posts as clashes continue in the southern Philippines. The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the troubled region, said its forces fired anti-rockets at the positions of the Army’s 54th Infantry Battalion late Sunday.
The Australian – After decades of diplomatic neglect, Australia wants a new long-term engagement with Africa regardless of whether Canberra gets a temporary UN Security Council seat, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said today. Hosting a visit by Tanzanian Foreign Minister, Bernard Membe, the first from Dodoma in 20 years, Mr Smith said the federal Government was examining its options to expand Canberra’s diplomatic footprint over on the vast continent.
The Age – Kevin Rudd personally blocked the appointment of a senior official he has known since his university days to a high-ranking ambassador’s post. Hugh Borrowman, who until this year headed the international division in the Prime Minister’s Department, was put forward by Foreign Minster Stephen Smith to be Australia’s next top envoy to Germany. (h/t The Interpreter)

Europe

Press TV – A German court hands down a three-year prison sentence to its own spy for shipping goods to a proscribed company in Iran. The businessman, 61, who holds dual Iranian and Canadian citizenships, was reportedly a long-standing paid spy for the German Intelligence Service (BND), whose President Ernst Uhrlau did not want his star mole’s cover blown, reports Germany’s Der Spiegel weekly.
Austrian Times – The reaction of Austria’s right-wing parties to the shooting at a Sikh temple in Vienna has caused fury from Social Democrats. Ewald Stadler, European Parliament (EP) election front-runner for the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) said today (Mon) “problem gurus and hate preachers” should not be allowed into the country.
Copenhagen Post – Contrary to Defence Ministry claims, a top military commander warned the government in 2002 that Afghan prisoners captured by Danish forces and handed over to the the US military would end up at Guantanamo Bay detention facility, reports Politiken newspaper.
Straits Times – Religious elders in Athens fear that the city’s long-marginalised Muslims are a ‘timebomb’ waiting to explode after a sudden eruption of violence offered a glimpse at their sense of anger and frustration.
UK FCO – The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt Hon David Miliband MP, will be visiting Greece and Turkey from 25 to 27 May.
BBC – The government has kept secret the loss of highly sensitive RAF vetting records, which one wing commander says leaves individuals open to blackmail.

Africa

Garowe – A fighter who spoke for Al Shabaab guerrillas told reporters that yesterday’s deadly suicide bombing that killed 10 people was organized by Al Shabaab and intended to inflict “maximum damage” on a government target.
Shabelle – Hussein Nur, a information secretary of Ogaden National Front (ONLF) has Monday denounced the Ethiopian troops of killing more than 50 Somali people in Somali administration in the eastern Ethiopia in over the past days.
Al Jazeera – Scores of rebel fighters have been killed as the Sudanese army fought off an attack on a military base in the North Darfur region, the country’s army has said. Twenty Sudanese soldiers and 43 Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) were killed in the clashes at an army base in the settlement of Umm Baru on Sunday, Brigadier Uthman al-Agbash, a military spokesman, said on Monday.
Magharebia – Five Moroccans face trial in Algeria next month for allegedly trying to join al-Qaeda, El Khabar reported on Monday (May 25th). Algerian authorities reportedly tracked the suspects to Algiers, Boumerdes, Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia. The Moroccans allegedly told an imam they were in those cities to make contact with jihadist groups. The suspects, however, denied terrorism accusations, telling investigators that they travelled to Algeria as illegal immigrants in transit to Italy
CNN – A militant group operating in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria said Monday that it had destroyed several major oil pipelines in response to a military offensive. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had “put out of operation” a Chevron storage facility by destroying several pipelines that fed into it.
Daily Independent – From the Joint Task Force (JTF) came the disclosure on Monday that militants are being funded by wealthy Nigerians and foreigners with sights on crude oil, just as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) destroyed Chevron’s Abiteye flow station in Delta State.
EABW – Rwanda’s campaign to crack down on smuggling has intensified with the importation of speed boats to bolster patrols on Lake Kivu. The investment in boats comes when both traders and tax officials say smuggling through the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been exacerbated by the vast nature of Eastern DRC not ‘having a government.’
IslamOnline – Despite a huge participation, Muslims have performed poorly in Malawi’s fourth multiparty democratic general elections, a development analysts link to the negativity with which the Muslim faith is being seen in the Southern African country.
RIA Novosti – Russia will continue its efforts as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to help build a collective security system in Africa, the Russian president said on Monday. “We have significantly expanded our assistance to African states in training national peacekeeping forces. Our country also participates in all UN operations in Africa,” Dmitry Medvedev said in a letter to African heads of state and government on the occasion of Africa Day.

USS Iwo Jima and Fleet Week New York City 2009

Sailors and Marines man the rails on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, as the ship prepares to dock at Pier 88 in Manhattan. Approximately 3,000 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen will participate in the 22nd commemoration of Fleet Week New York City 2009. (photo by Michael Pendergrass)

The Global War

ynet – Another milestone in the military cooperation between Israel and India was noted Monday, as the first Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) Phalcon landed in western India’s Jamnagar Airbase, thus making the Asian country the first to have an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft.
USASOC – A bell rang out after the name of each departed Green Beret Soldier’s name was read aloud in memory of their time honored commitment and service. The U.S. Army Special Forces Command and Special Forces Association 41st Memorial Day Ceremony paid homage to the fallen Special Forces Soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

20 May, 2009 (01:33) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 20 May 2009.

United States & the Americas

Pacific Council – Leon E. Panetta addressed Council members in his first public appearance since his appointment as Director of Central Intelligence. Among the issues discussed were Al Qaeda’s continuing threats, the Bush administration’s interrogation methods, CIA missile attacks in Pakistan, and Congressional-CIA relations.
DoD, News Briefing with Geoff Morrell – Q Geoff, today Iran’s supreme leader, Khamenei, said that the U.S. military is financing operations to undermine the Islamic republic. Do you have any comment on that? MR. MORRELL: I don’t, other than that it’s terribly ironic, given the fact that the Iranians continue to provide financing and weaponry to undermine our efforts to stabilize the governments in Iraq and Afghanistan. We continue to find, especially in Iraq, caches of Iranian-supplied weapons. EFPs of varying sizes were discovered as recently as last week in operations in Iraq, large numbers of them, in addition to the fact that we continue to see connections between terrorist groups in Iraq and training that they received in Iran.
FBI – U.S. Army Captain Elbert Westley George, III and Sergeant First Class Roy Greene, Jr., both of whom were stationed in Iraq, pled guilty to participating in a scheme to steal U.S. government equipment and sell it to a local Iraqi businessman
canada.com – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is planning her first visit to Canada next week amid new signals from the Obama administration — this time from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — that it hopes to further tighten security along the Canada-U.S. border.
Khaleej Times – Colombia’s defence minister resigned on Monday, saying he will launch a presidential bid if current President Alvaro Uribe decides not to seek a third term. Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos, who has received credit for some of the military’s biggest successes against leftist rebels, said he is stepping down on May 23 after nearly three years in the post. Colombian law says public officials have to step down a year ahead of the May 2010 election in order to seek the presidency.
MSNBC – Thousands of Guatemalans gathered for a march to the National Palace on Sunday to demand the president resign over accusations that he ordered a lawyer killed, a scandal threatening the rule of the country’s first leftist leader more than 50 years
NY Times – President Hugo Chávez’s push to extend his sway in Latin America is waning amid low oil prices and disorder in Venezuela’s own energy industry.
Xinhua – China and Brazil issued a joint communique on Tuesday to boost their strategic partnership as Brazilian president visited Beijing. President Hu Jintao and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva agreed that both countries have enjoyed fruitful cooperation since forging diplomatic ties 35 years ago.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

Kremlin – On May 20, 2009 Dmitry Medvedev will meet with secretaries of Security Councils of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states. The fourth annual meeting of secretaries of Security Councils of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states is being held in Moscow under Russia’s chairmanship.
Itar-Tass – The numerical strength of the Russian military bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia will be reduced by means of the deployment of part of these bases in the Russian territory, Russian First Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Kolmakov said on Tuesday.
Georgian Times – Russia has sent more military hardware to its bases stationed in Georgia`s breakaway region of Abkhazia. Russian news agencies say T90 type tanks and anti-aircraft guns have been deployed to these bases. Similar weapons and tanks will be sent to the occupied South Ossetia soon. The mobilization of heavy military hardware takes place in accordance with the agreement, which Russia will sign with Georgia`s two separatist regions about military cooperation.
EurasiaNet – Dushanbe’s ramshackle airport is the only facility in the world that is hosting NATO and Russian troops simultaneously. Both unassuming military outposts outside the capital of Tajikistan share the same single airstrip and sit quietly at the same end of the airfield.
SRI – Saipem SpA, Europe’s biggest oil services company, said Monday it had won an offshore contract in Kazakhstan worth about $1 billion.
Spiegel – Key countries have signed on to Russia’s South Stream project, giving it an edge over the rival Nabucco pipeline proposal in a race with geopolitical repercussions.
Trend – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received Defense Industry Minister of Pakistan Abdul Gayyum Jatoi, AzerTaj state news agency reported. Jatoi said Azerbaijan is a friendly and fraternal country for Pakistan and added that his visit provides good condition for discussions on further cooperation between Azerbaijani Defense Industry Ministry and the ministry he rules.
Russia Today – All brigades in Russia’s North Caucasus military district are to participate in the Kavkaz-2009 military maneuvers in June 2009
RIA Novosti – Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov announced on Tuesday that the republic had no plans to grant an amnesty for militants in the region.
Kavkaz Center – ”Our dead in Paradise…”. Command of KBK confirms the death of Musa Mukozhev

Middle East

Press TV – Iraq’s Foreign Minister has confirmed that captured al-Qaeda leader Omar al-Baghdadi was behind last months attacks on Iranian nationals in Iraq.
Al Sumaria – Baghdad Operations Command displayed confessions of head of so called Islamic State of Iraq Abou Omar Al Baghdadi who was arrested on April 23 near Al Nidaa’ Mosque in Baghdad. Al Baghdadi affirmed that his gunmen’s source of funding was through charity associations in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria and internally by stealing, seizing employees’ salaries and blackmail.
Al Sumaria – At least four people were killed and more than 20 were wounded in two explosions targeting two cafes in Abu Dsheir region, security sources reported. In Al Karrada District, Major Saad Abbas Al Shumari declared that 30 Al Qaeda members were arrested in a crackdown by Falluja Police in Karmat Al Falluja region when the arrested were preparing to attack a police headquarter.
MNF Iraq – An elite group of Iraqi Soldiers stand ready to spring into action against terrorism and insurgency here. Al Anbar’s 9th Battalion, Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) have one mission; to keep the people of Iraq safe. To stay prepared for this mission, they spend their days training and working with U.S. Special Operations Forces advisors to continually sharpen their skills.
Stars and Stripes – The 5,000-year-old Ziggurat of Ur, one of Iraq’s most famous archeological sites, has been transferred back to the protection of Iraqi security forces, officials say. The ziggurat, a multi-level pyramid believed to have a religious significance, is in Dhi Qar province in southeastern Iraq. Coalition forces have had control of the structure since 2003. They turned it over to Iraqis last week in a ceremony.
Vladimir Socor – On May 16 in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), the Hungarian oil and gas company MOL signed an agreement to acquire a 10 percent stake in Pearl Petroleum, the holder of exploration and production rights in two gas fields in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The fields, Khor Mor and Chemchemal, are earmarked to supply the planned Nabucco gas pipeline to Europe. MOL’s move reconfirms and strengthens this privately-owned company’s commitment to the EU- and U.S.-backed Nabucco project. MOL signed this agreement on the same day when a set of agreements on the rival project, Russian-led South Stream, were also agreed
Al Arabiya – Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned late Monday that his Lebanese Shiite party was ready to fight a new war with Israel as the Jewish state prepares for one of its largest military exercises ever later this month
SANA – In a speech on occasion of the 61st anniversary of the occupation of Palestine broadcast on Monday, Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said the Israeli entity which is based on usurpation, massacres, displacement and occupation isn’t a legitimate entity and cannot be legitimate in any way.
Daily Star – An official from Egypt’s ruling party Jihad Awdeh revealed on Sunday that elements of the Muslim Brotherhood were members of the so-called Hizbullah cell that was arrested in Egypt recently. Arab media reported on Monday that Awdeh accused the Muslim Brotherhood of involvement in the distribution of Egyptian currency that carried a Hizbullah stamp.
Tony Badran – Hezbollah’s Agenda in Lebanon; In recent years, from the late 1990s until the present, it has become commonplace to read and hear arguments and speculation about what Hezbollah’s agenda is in Lebanon. The broad lines of the narrative, which have become conventional wisdom for many reporters and experts, roughly revolve around points that can be broadly classified under the following categories:
Ya Libnan – Two Lebanese men suspected of spying for Israel fled across the heavily fortified border to the Jewish state Monday, the second such escape since Lebanon stepped up a campaign of arrests against those thought to be working for its archenemy, said officials.
AKI – Members of a Yemeni Shia rebel group have told a court they used Israel-made weapons in attacks against the Yemeni army. “During clashes with the Yemeni army, we used not only Russian, but also Israeli weapons,” said one of the militants, quoted by UAE daily al-Khaleej on Tuesday.

Iran

Press TV – Iran questions Russia’s commitment to the joint construction project of the 1,000-megawatt Bushehr power plant in the south of the country. “If Russia seeks to remain an active economic partner of Iran, it should complete the construction of the Bushehr plant,” the Head of the Majlis Energy Commission, Hamid-Reza Katouzian, said on Monday.
Khamenei – Ayatollah Khamenei said the Americans are mainly seeking to gain dominance over the Kord people, adding the Kord people even out of Iran are considering themselves as Iranians and feel pride in the issue. “However a few people may be deceived by the American promises and money after ignoring the status and position of Kords; they must note that in the long term, they will only gain the disgust of Kord people,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
MEMRI – Abdolmalek Rigi, leader of the Iranian Sunni-Baluchi opposition organization Jundallah, has threatened Sunni clerics in Sistan-Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran with death if they encourage residents to vote in elections.
Payvand – Head of the Iranian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce Asadollah Asgaroladi said the two countries inked 18 agreements on building railway, commerce, mining, engineering and technical cooperation. According to the agreement signed during previous days, the Chinese companies will participate in the projects for the development of Iran’s railways, mining and building sectors and host joint exhibitions. The agreements which are worth $17 billion, were reached during a conference on Iran-China economic cooperation in Tehran that hosted some 500 Iranian and Chinese officials and businessmen.
Fars – Iran’s Judiciary Spokesman Alireza Jamshidi Tuesday announced that the informant of the convicted spy, Roxana Saberi, has been identified and summoned to the court.
Payvand – Photos: Lake Orumiyeh in Iran’s West Azarbaijan Province

451st Combat Communications Squadron, Kandahar

Airman Sergio Saenz and Airman 1st Class Frank Fauland, both satellite communications technicians, 451st Combat Communications Squadron, 451st Air Expeditionary Group, Kandahar, Afghanistan, conducts routine maintenance on a satellite dish on May 17, 2009, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (photo by Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr)

South Asia

AFPS – Coalition and Afghan forces killed seven militants and detained another during operations in Afghanistan over the past two days, military officials said. In a joint operation this morning, militants fired small-arms, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at combined forces as they searched an area in Helmand province thought to be an insurgent hub.
CNN – Militants on Tuesday “mortared” a NATO-led “combat outpost with white phosphorus and high explosive rounds” in Paktika province, the coalition said. No injuries and damage were reported
DoD Buzz – One consequence of the Pakistani military’s counteroffensive against the Taliban in Swat is that it has driven up to 5,000 Pakistani Taliban fighters across the border into Afghanistan, an analyst notes. An ISAF compilation of key metrics released this week shows insurgent attacks in Afghanistan have jumped by more than 60 percent in the first months of this year.
Pentagon – The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died May 15 at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire in Chak, Afghanistan. The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
Jamestown – The Swat Conflict: An Arc of Instability Spreading from Afghanistan to Central Asia and Xinjiang
Daily Times – A major and three soldiers were killed in the ongoing military operation in Swat as security forces killed 16 more Taliban in fierce street battles in 24 hours. Troops cleared more than 40 houses in Kanju and areas ahead of Takhtaband Bridge. The troops and Taliban are engaging in fierce clashes in both areas
Geo – Security forces have regained control on major part of the Sultanwas area after making head way in the Buner District. According to a statement issued by ISPR today (Tuesday), 16 more insurgents have been killed in the fighting. An army officer and three soldiers were also martyred, while 16 soldiers, including army officer, sustained injuries in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast.
The News – Security forces on Tuesday claimed to have killed 13 militants and arrested five foreign combatants in a fierce gunfight near Khapakh check-post in Halimzai Tehsil in the restive Mohmand Agency.
The News – Mehsud tribesmen have started fleeing their areas after President Asif Zardari’s statement about a possible operation in the South Waziristan Agency. In a recent interview, President Zardari was quoted as saying that the Swat operation was just the start and the troops would now extend their offensive to Waziristan.
Times of India – India on Tuesday successfully tested the nuclear capable Agni-II missile from a defence base in Orissa, official sources said. The surface-to-surface missile with a range of over 2,000 km was test-fired from the Wheeler’s Island near Dhamara in the district of Bhadrak, some 150 km from here at 10.06am.
Sri Lanka MoD – Commander of Sri Lanka Army General Sarath Fonseka has confirmed that the body of V.Prabhakaran, psychopathic leader of world’s most barbaric terrorist outfit Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been found short while ago (May 19). According to the defence sources, the LTTE leader who has ordered thousands of Tamil youth to give up their lives for him has tried to save his life until the last moment.

Far East & Pacific

Japan Today – Japan’s economy contracted at the fastest pace since 1955 as exports plunged and companies slashed production. Japan’s real gross domestic product, or the total value of the nation’s goods and services, shrank at an annual pace of 15.2% in the January-March period, the government said Wednesday
Abanti Bhattacharya, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses – China’s Inroads into Nepal: India’s Concerns
Dui Hua - Liu Zhihua, the last-known prisoner serving a sentence for “hooliganism” committed during the spring 1989 protests, was released in January 2009 from Loudi Prison in Hunan Province after receiving a two-year sentence reduction in December 2008, according to information received late last week from a reliable source in China
Reuters – An Indonesian military transport plane carrying 13 crew and about 96 passengers has crashed in East Java, bursting into flames and killing at least two persons on the ground, officials said on Wednesday.
Manila Times – A communist guerrilla commander who had his brother assassinated for giving up their armed rebellion has been arrested, police said Tuesday.
VOA – Fiji’s military government is warning the country’s powerful Methodist Church to stop its criticism of the erosion of democracy in the South Pacific nation. Army commanders threaten to ban a centerpiece of the church’s calendar, its annual conference, and accuse religious leaders of causing instability

Europe

UK MoD – The last British infantry soldiers to serve in Iraq, 79 soldiers from C Company, 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, returned home to their barracks in Germany this weekend.
EUCOM – In the midst of a full-fledged multinational exercise off the coast of the United Kingdom this May, U.S. Navy and Royal Navy leadership are collaborating with one another to form a stronger joint, allied force for current and future operations at sea.
Xinhua – A high-level Chinese military delegation, headed by General Guo Boxiong, vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, visited Berlin on Tuesday and held talks with German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung
ISN – Bosnian security forces have conducted a series of arrests of former El-Mujahid fighters on the basis of illegal residency and potential security threats in an attempt to improve the country’s image in the face of western pressure to help fight terrorism. However, the large-scale operation is facing some setbacks as the whereabouts of many of those slated for arrest remains unknown.
Bild – Some Muslim groups in Germany want to live under Sharia law in Germany, according to a new study. The annual report for the Protection of the Constitution revealed that active groups like ‘Milli Görüs’ want to be able to live under the strict Islamic rules. And the secret service’s yearly report, which will be revealed today by Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, contains some other schocking warnings
IslamOnline – Copenhagen municipality is planning to introduce Arabic classes in all the capital’s schools to boost the integration of Arab immigrants and help promote trade with Arab countries.

Africa

Garowe – Islamist hardliners waging war against Somalia’s U.N.-recognized transitional government have raided U.N. offices and confiscated equipment, Radio Garowe reports. “Al Shabaab fighters armed with weapons broke down the doors and took equipment,” a security guard at a U.N. compound in Jowhar said on the condition of anonymity.
Shabelle – The Islamic Courts Union which supports the Somali government and al-Shabab fought near Jowhar, a key town in Middle Shabelle region 90 kilometers (55miles) north of Mogadishu, witnesses said on Tuesday. Al-Shabab Islamists have captured Jowhar, a strategic town which the long road that connects Mogadishu and central Somalia passes. Locals said the fighting started after al-Shabab fighters attacked a base of the Islamic Courts Union who were routed in recent fighting in Jowhar.
Sudan Tribune – Suspected Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) guerrillas have again struck in Western Equatoria, killing at least two at Bakpara village on Sunday, about eight miles from Nzara town.
Daily Star – Chadian troops are ready to move back across the border into Sudan if rebels there regroup after their first failed offensive, interim Defense Minister Adoum Younousmi said on television Monday.
Magharebia – The leader of al-Qaeda’s Al Ansar military wing, Mesrour Belkacem, was among four terrorists killed late Sunday in a joint Algerian army and judicial police operation in Draa Ben Kheda, near Tizi Ouzou, local press reported on Monday
Matthew Chebatoris – Morocco’s Multi-Pronged Counterterrorism Strategy
Daily Trust – The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND ) has said only five militants were killed during its ongoing standoff with the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in the region.

The Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) is escorted by a rigid hull inflatable boat during a personnel transfer. New Hampshire is participating in Joint Warrior, a two-week NATO exercise off the coast of Scotland. (photo by Lt.Cmdr. Julie Ripley)

The Global War

JFCOM – Navy Adm. Eric Olson, U.S. Special Operations Command commander, reinforced the theme of “balance” at the Joint Warfighting Conference during a keynote speech this afternoon. Balanced warfare reflects how many U.S. special operations forces are operating and combating along with other forces, he said.
USASOC – Sgt. 1st Class Jarion Halbisengibbs received the Distinguished Service Cross, while Capt. Matthew A. Chaney and Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Lindsay received the Silver Star during an award ceremony at the Special Events Center, May 14. The Special Forces Soldiers from Operational Detachment – Alpha 083, received the medals for their heroism in action on Sept. 10, 2007.
GSN – U.S. and Russian negotiators today launched formal efforts to hammer out the terms of a successor agreement to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
AP – Buffett’s bankroll, Obama’s clout and the partnership of a savvy ex-Soviet strongman may turn the steppes of central Asia into a nuclear mecca, a go-to place for “safe” uranium fuel in an increasingly nervous atomic age. The $150 million idea, with seed money from U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett, must still navigate the tricky maze of global nuclear politics, along with a parallel Russian plan.

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

11 May, 2009 (01:37) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 11 May 2009.

United States & the Americas

Washington Post – The Obama administration is preparing to revive the system of military commissions established at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, under new rules that would offer terrorism suspects greater legal protections, government officials said.
The Cable – U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to Egypt next month to deliver a long-anticipated speech about America’s relations with the Muslim world. Afterwards, he will visit Dresden, and the former Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald, Germany, which his great uncle helped liberate, before going to Normandy, France to participate in ceremonies commemorating the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
Naharnet – U.S. House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Baghdad on Sunday for talks with senior Iraqi officials, a parliamentary official said. Her surprise visit comes amid a spike in violence just weeks before U.S. troops are due to pull out of major towns and cities in Iraq, after two years of steady improvement in security.
HS Today – High above the rugged border, an unmanned Predator B drone equipped with night-vision cameras and cloud-piercing radar scanned the landscape for signs of smugglers, illegal immigrants or terrorists. The beefed-up border security is not taking place along America’s chaotic southern border — riven by drug smuggling, gun running and illegal immigration — but, rather, its traditionally boring northern boundary with Canada.
Javno – The Canadian government said on Friday it would appeal a court order that it press Washington to release Omar Khadr, a Canadian held in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The ruling last month by Canada’s Federal Court was a major embarrassment for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
IPS – Many solutions for sustainable development in Mexico lie in the scientific and technological training of its younger generations, say academics. But students in this country, where everyone wants to be a doctor or accountant, are ignoring those fields.
MSNBC – Gunmen killed nine people in three separate attacks in the Mexico’s drug-plagued western state of Michoacan, authorities said Sunday. The state attorney general’s office said gunmen broke into a ranch in a rural area and shot dead five employees, along with four horses and a bull.
NY Times – Venezuelan police uncovered a cache of weapons and explosives at a Caracas apartment and later detained four foreigners on suspicion of planning terrorist acts, authorities said Saturday.
Miami Herald – The army’s setbacks – the narcotics trade does not appear to have been dented – are more than a worrisome embarrassment for the central government in faraway Lima. Critics say President Alan Garcia needs to act fast or risk greater instability. Peru’s cocaine trade – No. 2 after Colombia’s – is booming after a 1990s drop-off. The government calls the insurgents who’ve used it to rearm ideologically bankrupt, but peasants who have coexisted with them don’t necessarily agree. At least not publicly.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

RIA Novosti – Russia will link U.S. plans for a missile shield in Europe with the issues of strategic offensive armaments in relations with the United States, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Sunday.
Washington Times – Rows of missiles and tanks rumbled through Moscow’s Red Square and dozens of combat jets streaked overhead in the Victory Day parade Saturday in the largest display of military might since Soviet times.
Russia Today – A powerful blast has hit a gas pipeline in the west of Moscow, causing a massive fire which has spread across eight hundred square metres. People in different parts of the capital have witnessed the massive fire.
Interfax – The Russian Supreme Court has recognized the international religious organization Tablighi Jamaat as extremist and banned its activity in the Russian territory
Itar-Tass – The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry has officially confirmed the death of the Irkutsk governor in the Sunday helicopter crash.
LA Times – Reporting from Vyshny Volochek, Russia — Here in this town of shuttered factories and stilled textile mills, a forgettable stop on the dreary stretch of bone-crunching road from Moscow to St. Petersburg, there lives an indefatigable entrepreneur. Boris Smorodov has survived the orphanage and the madhouse; struggled through decades of economic and political turmoil; cast around for products to sell and enterprises to build, only to go broke on whims of fate.
Kavkaz Center – According to sources in the Provinces of Nokhchicho (AKA Ichkeria/Chechnya) and Ghalghaycho (AKA Ingushetia) of the Caucasus Emirate, on the night of Thursday, 12 Jumada Al-’Awwal 1430 (7 May 2009), a unit of Mujahideen entered the villages of Muzhichi and Arshty, Ingushetia Province. Next day morning the combat occurred near the village of Bamut, Chechnya Province. The sources reported that the Mujahideen consisted of 100 to 150 fighters had conducted special measures in the specified settlements to reveal the supporters of the infidels and the most active apostates, who participating in a war against Islam.
Reuters – Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili agreed to meet opposition leaders on Monday after a month of street protests in the former Soviet republic.
Ferghana – Southern Yolotan, the biggest gas field in Turkmenistan, located in the south-eastern part of the country, will be possibly developed by the experts of Islamic Republic of Iran.
Xinhua – India will sign a bilateral civil nuclear agreement with Kazakhstan in June, a senior Indian Foreign Ministry official said on Sunday. “According to the pact, to be inked in June, India will buy uranium and technology from the central Asian country under the broad framework of the Inter Governmental Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy,” the official said, on condition of anonymity.

Middle East

Al Sumaria – Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Haj uncovered an agreement between Iraq and Kuwait to end the issue of Iraq due compensations and plans to demark borders between both countries.
RFERL – The brother of Iraq’s trade minister was arrested on suspicion of corruption at a checkpoint in the south of the country, officials have said.
TIME – A rare public appearance by the radical Iraqi cleric in Turkey has renewed speculation about his future plans and what they might mean for Baghdad
Voices of Iraq – Police forces in Thi-Qar province on Sunday said they had arrested a leading figure in the Sadrist movement. “Police forces arrested a Sadrist leader over his suspected involvement in terror cases,” a security source from Thi-Qar police told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Al Manar – An Iraqi police general was assassinated on the street near the oil hub of Basra on Saturday, police said, in a rare instance of violence in the country’s third largest city.
Asharq Al Awsat – The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has condemned recent comments by a senior U.N. envoy in which he criticized the organization for providing support to Palestinian fighters in Gaza from Egypt. Saturday’s statement by Hezbollah accused Terje Roed-Larsen of supporting Israel and said his position provided cover for Israeli “criminal practices.”
Ya Libnan – Arab and Lebanese officials have been quietly mediating with Cairo to prevent the inclusion of Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in the case of the discovered Hezbollah terrorist cell in Egypt, the suspects’ lawyer were quoted as saying
David Schenker – The Arab world is embroiled in a cold war, pitting Iranian allies Syria, Qatar, Hezbollah, and Hamas against “moderate” pro-West states like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. The battle-between competing regional visions of moqawama (resistance) and development and coexistence-has been joined in Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq. The virtual absence of Egypt as a bulwark against Tehran’s militancy has complicated Washington’s efforts to promote moderation and check Iran’s march toward a nuclear weapon. But recent developments suggest that Egypt may finally be taking steps to reestablish itself as a counterweight to a resurgent Tehran.
Jerusalem Post – Authorities arrested five people in southern Lebanon on Friday for allegedly spying for Israel as part of the two countries’ long-running espionage battle, security officials said
Daily Star – They were allegedly sleeper cells of spies set up by Israel to build up a “database” on the secretive Hizbullah until Lebanon unmasked them with the arrest of a retired security officer. The moles had for years fed Israel with data on the Shiite resistance and other groups, including the army, using sophisticated transmission equipment, according to security officials and experts.
Press TV – Explosion of a roadside bomb in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey has killed five, including two members of a state-sponsored rural militia. The incident took place near the city of Sirnak on Saturday.
Today’s Zaman – Twenty-six weapons seized in operations into the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) carried out by Turkish security forces bear the serial numbers of firearms missing from caches of Russia’s security forces, the Moscow-based Novaya Gazeta reported on Saturday.
CNN – A member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi who was captured on videotape torturing an Afghan grain dealer has reportedly been detained, a senior U.S. State Department official told CNN Saturday.

Iran

Jerusalem Post – Iran will turn to China instead of Russia to acquire an advanced air defense system after relations between Iran and Russia hit rock bottom, the official Iranian news agency PressTV reported.
Al Arabiya – An Iranian court ended a hearing on Sunday on the appeal by U.S.-born journalist Roxana Saberi against her eight-year jail sentence for espionage and is expected to issue a verdict in coming days, her lawyer said.
Xinhua – A conference on Iran-China economic cooperation opened on Sunday in Tehran with attendance of hundreds of Iranian and Chinese officials and businessmen.
Fars – Tehran and Ankara have agreed to increase gas exports to Turkey to 23 mcm per day, an Iranian oil official said on Sunday.
Mehr – National Iranian Gas Export Company Managing Director Seyyed Reza Kasaiizadeh announced on Sunday that Iran will start shipments of natural gas to Armenia this week.
IRNA – First Vice President Parviz Davoudi said on Saturday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is to broaden relations with African states
Uskowi on Iran – Iran’s Future President: The Leading Candidates
MEMRI – In his Friday sermon today, Tehran interim Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who is also secretary of the Guardian Council that oversees all ?national elections in Iran, said that Iran’s elections are the “healthiest, the most democratic and the most glorious of their kind worldwide.” He also condemned their “killing of 100 people in two [Afghanistan] villages. For them, murder is routine. Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, America, and Israel are never satiated with blood. We hope to see soon a hard punch in their faces from the people.”
ISNA – Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said the forces have shown that they will never be ambushed.
Iran Focus – Iran’s State Security Forces (SSF) confiscated 84,000 satellite dishes during the Persian calendar year that ended March 20.

security patrol through Achin district in Nangarhar province

Members of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan and Afghan National Army Commandos conduct a security patrol through Achin district in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, April 30, 2009. (photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika)

South Asia

Pentagon – Taliban operatives shaking down villages for money appear to have forced civilians to remain in buildings that were bombed in the course of a long May 4 firefight, the commander of U.S. Central Command said today.
Stars and Stripes – 2nd Platoon soldiers survive harrowing Taliban ambush; On the second day of their operation, soldiers with 2nd Platoon were out on patrol again, not far from where they had gotten into a firefight with Taliban fighters the day before.
UK MoD – Sergeant Ben Ross of 173 Provost Company, 3rd Regiment, Royal Military Police and Corporal Kumar Pun of The 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles were killed as a result of a suicide improvised explosive device during a patrol in Gereshk, Helmand province.
UK MoD – Rfn Sheldon was killed in Afghanistan on the evening of Thursday 7 May 2009 as a result of an explosion when travelling in a Jackal vehicle near Sangin in Helmand province.
Times of India – A bomb blew up a construction company vehicle in a remote eastern Afghanistan area on the border with Pakistan early on Sunday, killing seven Afghan workers, police said.
UNHCR – The UN refugee agency said Friday there was a situation of “massive displacement” in north-west Pakistan, as the confrontation between government forces and militants becomes more widespread and people take advantage of the partial lifting of curfews to move into safer areas. The provincial government estimates between 150,000 to 200,000 people have arrived in safer areas of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) over the last few days, with another 300,000 on the move or about to move.
Dawn – Between 180 and 200 insurgents were killed in the last 24 hours in a fierce military offensive to push Taliban fighters out of Pakistan’s northwestern Swat valley, the military said on Sunday.
Geo – The fierce clashes that took place between the security forces and the militants in Tehsil Ambar of Mohmand Agency left 26 militants dead, while 14 security forces men were also wounded. FC sources told that the series of clashes sparked of when the Taliban attacked a basic health unit of Tehsil Ambar. Meanwhile, three key-commanders of the extremists were killed during operation against the extremists at Maidan in Lower Dir. Security forces have taken control of Chakdara.
The News - A clash between the Taliban militants and security forces in the South Waziristan Agency (SWA) on Saturday left 19 people, including a soldier, dead and four others injured seriously, tribal and official sources said.
Dawn – Six people were killed and three others injured when suspected US drones fired four missiles on two cave-houses in Sararogha sub-division of South Waziristan on Saturday.
Sri Lanka MoD – Continuing its heavy onslaught on LTTE’s desperate attempts to attack the well-fortified Naval cordon, Sri Lanka Navy destroyed 01 LTTE Sea Tiger suicide boat and 01 LTTE attack craft and captured another LTTE suicide boat with an attack craft, killing 14 Sea Tiger carders on board in the seas off Vellemullivaikkal today (9th May 2009) around 0300 hrs (with video)
Hindu – Heavy casualties were reported in the new safety zone (NSZ) under the occupation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in northern Sri Lanka on Sunday, as the military made a major push towards the area in a bid to rescue an estimated 20,000 civilians held hostage by the Tigers. The military and the Tigers blamed each other for the deaths. Sri Lanka Government Health Ministry officials, stranded inside the NSZ along with civilians, said that at least 300 dead and 1100 injured persons were brought to the “makeshift hospitals” operating in the zone.
Daily Star – Dr Wazed Miah, an internationally renowned nuclear scientist and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s husband, was laid to eternal rest yesterday at his family graveyard at Fatehpur of Pirganj upazila in Rangpur at about 3:00pm.

Far East & Pacific

Xinhua – The construction of the China-Russia oil pipeline conforms with the strategic goals of China and Russia to diversify the former’s energy imports and latter’s energy exports, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Liu Guchang has said. The move reflects the two countries’ confidence and determination to tide over together the current global economic downturn, Liu said in a recent written interview with Xinhua on Sunday.
Yonhap – North Korea has carried out a reshuffle of government organizations, shifting the jurisdiction over its overseas espionage and cash cow operations from the Workers’ Party to the military, sources said Sunday. The North has separated its two major spying and cash-generating overseas trade units — Room 35 and Operation Unit — from the Workers’ Party and transferred them to the People’s Armed Forces, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
Chosun Ilbo – North Korea on Saturday continued its rhetorical assault on the rest of the world, saying talks with the South would be pointless. “There simply is no need to even consider holding talks between the North and the South while the Lee Myung-bak group is publicly trying to smear the name of our republic and bluntly denying it,” the North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland said in a statement.
VOA – Analysts say there is a lot of debate as to how much leverage China can exert on North Korea and whether Beijing could persuade Pyongyang to rejoin the six-party talks.
AP - The secular party of Indonesia’s president tripled its share of the vote in parliamentary elections as support for religious parties nose-dived in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.
Manila Times – Government troops have captured a remote rebel base of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and a mansion allegedly owned by a senior leader wanted for a string of attacks in Mindanao.
Straits Times – Despite successive arrests like that of Mas Selamat Kastari revealed last week, a handful of militant masterminds and scores of hardliners remain on the run in South-east Asia.
SMH – Australian military personnel were involved in a cover-up of an investigation into the alleged involvement of special forces soldiers in the killing and maiming of Afghan civilians. Information held by the Defence Department contradicts claims by the Defence Force chief, Angus Houston, that SAS troopers had nothing to do with an incident that left an Afghan man dead, a woman blinded and her daughter badly injured.

Europe

Radio Netherlands – The European Union opened talks in Prague on Friday with leaders from the Caspian sea region and beyond to breathe some life into the ambitious Nabucco pipeline project, designed to take non-Russian gas to Europe. The project is intended to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian resources through cooperation with Caspian, Central Asian and Middle East countries
euobserver – The EU risks continued energy dependency on Russia and a sharp rise in natural gas prices unless it unblocks EU accession talks with Turkey, Ankara indicated on Friday (8 May). At an energy summit in Prague, Turkish President Abdullah Gul signed a declaration promising to close an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) in June on building the Nabucco gas pipeline through his country.
Al Jazeera – Scuffles have broken out after about 1,600 people demonstrated against a rally held by a group opposing the building of a mosque in the German city of Cologne. The rally, held by Pro Koeln, a right-wing group, led to violence after left-wing demonstrators demanded entry to it on Saturday.
Expatica – The University of Vienna on Wednesday announced a new course on Austrian values for Islamic religion teachers, following recent controversies involving Muslim tutors. The one year “Muslims in Europe” course is to provide participants with a better understanding of Austrian society, its political and judicial system, and fundamental values like democracy and human rights, the university said.
AKI – Police in southern Italy on Friday seized 10 million euros worth of assets from a suspected member of the Calabrian mafia or ‘Ndrangheta, Francesco Faillace. Police seized the assets in the Cassano Jonio area near the city of Cosenza.
Stockholm News – The Swedish Navy has now deployed two corvettes and one support ship in Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden. As from May 15 will they take action against pirates and protect UN food transports in the area. But the ships lack protection against even the simple weapons used by the pirates
euronews – Urgent talks involving politicians, local groups and the police are underway in Portugal, after a third night of rioting outside Lisbon. At least twelve people were arrested in the Bella Vista district of Setubal as gangs of youths protested the death of one of their friends after a police chase.

Africa

Garowe – Fighting among Islamist militias reignited in the Somali capital Mogadishu Saturday night and continued into Sunday, with at least 25 people killed in battles described as the worst since Ethiopian troops withdrew in January, Radio Garowe reports.
Garowe – Mogadishu residents reported that Islamic Courts Union (ICU) fighters, who are seen as the pro-government Islamist militia, lost territory during Sunday’s fierce street battles. Sheikh Hassan Mahdi, a senior member of Hizbul Islam faction, said Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam fighters jointly captured the ex-Defense Ministry building, Stadium Mogadishu and Wardhigley police station from ICU militias, who were forced to flee.
Shabelle – Large displacement has started in the warring zones of Wardhigley and Yaqshid districts in the Somali Capital Mogadishu as heavy fighting is continuing for the fourth day in Mogadishu, witnesses said on Sunday. Residents said that it is the first time that such large displacement happens in the capital since the Ethiopian troops left the country after two years of ill-fated occupation.
Sudan Tribune – The Government of Chad urged its followers to mobilize for battle as commanders claimed victory in clashes in which hundreds of Sudan-backed rebels were reportedly killed after crossing deep into Chad from their bases in western Darfur. In clashes Thursday and Friday south of Abeche in eastern Chad, 225 rebels and 22 soldiers were killed, according to the government.
Magharebia – The Algerian terrorist leader known as “El Para” rejected al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and voiced his support for national reconciliation efforts, local press reported widely on Saturday (May 9th). In a document titled “Repentance and Denunciation”, Ammari Saifi stated that he rejected armed action, adding that “jihad was no longer legitimate” in Algeria. The former paratrooper and one-time top militant in the Sahara region said that by indiscriminately killing civilians, al-Qaeda had chosen a path far removed from religion.
Times Online – Jacob Zuma moved swiftly to assure investors that South Africa would not lurch leftwards under his rule by appointing the widely respected former Finance Minister, Trevor Manuel, to head a powerful new planning unit within the presidency. Mr Zuma, who was inaugurated as the country’s third black president on Saturday, announced an inclusive Cabinet designed to appeal to all sectors of society.
ANGOP – MPs in the Democratic Republic of Congo have passed a law granting amnesty to militias in the east of the country. It will include “acts of war” committed since 2003 but does not offer amnesty to those accused of war crimes such as rebel leader Laurent Nkunda.
BBC – Guinea’s military coup leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara has said he will not run in forthcoming elections. Capt Camara said none of the other leaders who helped bring him to power in December’s coup would run either.

The White House released this image on May 8, 2009, showing a VC-25 presidential aircraft over the Statue of Liberty in New York City captured by a photographer aboard an F-16 fighter jet. During an April 27 photo opportunity, the aircraft flew as low as 1,000 feet and many New Yorkers believed they were seeing a repeat of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In the wake of the incident, Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, tendered his resignation, May 8

The Global War

US Navy – Naval Submarine Kings Bay welcomed USS Florida (SSGN 728) (Gold) home from its maiden deployment as a guided missile submarine to May 8. Florida is the first ever Atlantic Fleet Ohio-class SSGN to be forwarded deployed.
US Navy – USS George Washington (CVN 73), with its crew of approximately 3,200 Sailors, departed from its forward-deployed homeport in Yokosuka, Japan, May 6 for sea trials and carrier qualifications in the Western Pacific after successfully completing its first Selective Restricted Availability (SRA).
Dawn – Turbulent Pakistan has replaced Iraq as the place to go for militants bent on striking the West, but the threat of US attacks means al Qaeda recruits may spend more time out of sight in a classroom than on an assault course. Long a favoured destination of British militants of Pakistani descent, Pakistan’s northwestern tribal areas are now attracting Arabs and Europeans of Arab ancestry who three years ago would probably have gone to Iraq to fight US forces.

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

30 April, 2009 (01:43) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 30 April 2009.

United States & the Americas

FBI – The remaining two men convicted of plotting to kill members of the U.S. military during an armed attack on a military base were sentenced today to federal prison terms of life for one defendant and 33 years for the other
HS Today – The FBI has made cybercrime one of its top three priorities and currently has full time cyber officers deployed in 60 countries, Shawn Henry, assistant director for the agency’s Cyber Division, said at the RSA conference last week. “Through those efforts we have arrested almost 100 people, recovered millions of dollars,” Henry said.
The National – US Senators have introduced a new bill to restrict Iran’s imports of petrol, targeting a key energy source for the country’s economy. The proposed law, supported by 25 members of the Senate, would grant the Obama administration the power to bar any company that sells petrol to Iran from operating in the US market.
Kevin Casas-Zamora, Brookings Institution – Panama at the Polls: A Study in Political Weakness
COHA – Paraguay’s President Lugo: A Beloved Pastoral Leader Now Going Through an Exceedingly Rough Patch
Miami Herald – Mexican police on Wednesday arrested suspected Zeta gang leader Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, one of Mexico’s 24 most-wanted drug traffickers.
Javno – Chile’s government has reached an agreement to buy 18 second-hand F-16 fighter planes from the Dutch government, Defense Minister Fancisco Vidal said on Tuesday, in a deal valued at $270 million. “This is not an arms race, it is renewal of equipment,” Vidal told reporters. “Chile has renewed equipment over the past 10 years which was totally obsolete. Chile has not increased it’s military might.”
Guardian – Britain has quietly ended nearly a decade of military aid to Colombia’s armed forces after accusations of gross violations of human rights, including the murder of civilians who were shot and reported as guerrillas killed in combat.
Trend – Seven Colombian soldiers were killed Wednesday in a clash with leftist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the northeastern Perija mountains, on the Venezuelan border, dpa reported.
NIS News – In cooperation with various other countries, Dutch authorities have rounded up a big cocaine gang that had links with Hezbollah. Seventeen suspects were arrested on Curacao, the biggest island of the Netherlands Antilles, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM) has revealed. International cooperation between police and judicial services of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles, Belgium, Colombia, Venezuela and the US led to the arrest of the 17 suspects by the Curacao police.

An F-16 Aggressor disconnects from a KC-10 Extender after being refueled during exercise RED FLAG-Alaska, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 22, 2009. RED FLAG is being conducted on the the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex, which provides 67,000 square miles of airspace. (photo by Senior Airman Jonathan Snyder)

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

Kremlin – A meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers is taking place today. But I specially wanted to meet with the defence minister of the People’s Republic of China, because your country is our strategic partner, with whom we have special relations in all different sectors, in the economy, in internal and foreign contacts, and of course also in defence and military-technical policy. We have wide-ranging cooperation in this area, and I think it is in our countries’ and peoples’ interests. Our cooperation is not directed against other countries, but aims to guarantee our countries’ defence capability and strength, and is very useful.
Gazprom – Net sales of natural gas increased by RR 738,698 million, or 48%, to RR 2,266,401 million in the year ended 31 December 2008 compared to the year ended 31 December 2007. This increase was primarily due to the increase of the volume of gas sold to Europe and other countries and higher gas prices in all geographical segments.
Itar-Tass – Russia will help South Ossetia and Abkhazia to protect their borders against a feared new Georgian attack that Tbilisi may be heartened to launch after a NATO exercise next month
WSJ – Russia and Ukraine failed to break the ice in talks on energy relations, after Ukraine gave no public assurances that it would invite Moscow to take part in a natural gas-pipeline overhaul planned with the European Union.
UPI – Beijing, however, did not become wealthy by squandering its reserves, and the deals it is seeking in Kazakhstan make the initial deals signed by Kazakhstan after 1991 with Western companies seem positively benign. Being short on liquidity, however, the Kazakh government is going to have to agree to Beijing’s terms, and if recent deals are anything to go by, the terms will involve ceding significant chunks of Kazakhstan’s hydrocarbon industry to Chinese ownership.
RIA Novosti – Joint military exercises of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states will be held in 2010 in southern Kazakhstan, Anatoly Serdyukov said Wednesday after a session of the SCO defense ministers.
RFERL – The head of the Interior Affairs office in Tajikistan’s Khatlon Province says several members of groups related to the unregistered Islamic Jamaat-ut Tabligh have been detained in the Bokhtar and Baljuvon districts and the southern city of Qurghon-Teppa
Saban Kardas – Turkey and Armenia’s Rapprochement Watched Carefully by Azerbaijan

Middle East

Khaleej Times – At least 41 people were killed and 68 wounded on Wednesday when two car bombs ripped through a busy market in Baghdad’s Sadr City slum, mowing down families as they crowded around a popular ice cream parlour, police said
Al Sumaria – Iraqi Interior Ministry announced the arrest of Al Qaeda related gang involved in bombings and killings in Baghdad and provinces such as Babel, Salahuddin, Karbala and Anbar since 2005.
Voices of Iraq – Joint security forces on Wednesday arrested six members of the so-called “al-Naqshabandiya group” in the southwest of Kirkuk, according to the local police chief. “A joint force of police and army personnel, backed by U.S. troops, launched a security raid on the wee small hours of Wednesday (April 29) in Atshan, al-Bu Sahr, Kabouma villages in al-Huwaiyja, southwest of Kirkuk,” Brig. Sarhad Qader told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Marine Corps Gen. James Conway, Dod Briefing – I can’t speak of success in Iraq without bragging a little about the MV-22 Osprey. Our third tiltrotor squadron just wrapped up successful combat operations in Iraq while we were still there. The squadrons performed as we expected. They did it without incident or fanfare and through every type of assault support mission required. The way it was able to shrink the battle space was especially impressive. One of my commanders in Iraq compared it — being able to turn Texas into a place the size of Rhode Island.
Al Jazeera – Lebanese officials have released four generals held over the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former prime minister. Their release from Roumieh prison came hours after a UN tribunal for Lebanon ordered their release on Wednesday, after ruling that there was insufficient evidence to hold them. The generals had been held without charge in Lebanon for nearly four years, but were recently transferred to UN custody.
Daily Star – The March 14 Forces said Wednesday Hizbullah was exerting pressure in Kesrouan and Jbeil to hamper an alliance between the March 14 Forces and independent candidates.
ynet – Egypt’s president warned regional adversaries Wednesday that he would not tolerate what he called their tampering his country’s security and stability, a reference to Iran and Hizbullah, which it supports.
Ya Libnan – Egyptian authorities were trying to identify the real names of three Hezbollah members who supervised the work of the so-called Hezbollah cell in order to give their names to the Interpol to detain them and hand them over to Cairo.
Hurriyet – Nine soldiers in a U.S.-made armored personnel carrier were killed in a roadside blast in southeastern Turkey, army chief Gen. Ilker Basbug said Wednesday. A tank and an M-113 armored personnel carrier were on a mission to secure the region before the passage of a military convoy when the explosion occurred.
Xinhua – One Turkish soldier was killed in an armed attack in Hakkari province of southeastern Turkey on Wednesday, broadcaster CNNturk reported
Sabah – A police crackdown on radical groups in Istanbul led to a five-hour shootout with a leftist militant who hurled explosives and opened fire from an apartment building. Three people were killed and eight others injured, the government said. The militant attacked police as they closed in on him Monday during a police sweep against leftist, Kurdish and other radical groups operating in the city.

Iran

Press TV – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will play a more active role in securing the southeastern regions of Iran, a senior commander says. “The IRGC will fight against bandits, so that people in southeastern Iran will also perceive the sweet taste of sustainable security,” Fars news agency quoted IRGC Chief-Commander, Maj. Gen. Mohammad-Ali Jafari as saying.
Press TV – A new commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has vowed strong commitment to enhancing Iran’s military might even further. Pakpour was named Commander of the IRGC Ground Force in a ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday.
Benny Avni – Japan’s Nikkei newspaper last week quoted unnamed sources from “Western intelligence organizations” saying they are investigating a suspicious ship that traveled recently from North Korea to Iran, carrying “several dozen tons of enriched uranium hidden in its cargo.” (As a result of the Iranian-North Korean alliance, I’m told, Japan increasingly shares intelligence data with several Middle Eastern countries.)
Al Manar – Iran said on Tuesday that members of a “terrorist” network arrested for plotting bomb attacks aimed at disrupting its June presidential election were linked to the US and Israeli spy agencies.
IRNA – Iranian and North Korean officials signed a letter of agreement here Wednesday night for production of city buses and coaches in Ardebil.
Payvand – Iranian scientists have benefited from nanotechnology to produce hydride batteries with a higher discharge capacity and a longer cycle-life.
Press TV – Iran says it has showed documents to the International Monetary Fund and has proved that US claims regarding money laundering in Iran are baseless. The US brings about baseless accusations with special political aims against Iran to divert public opinion away from the illegal actions taken by American banks, claimed the chief of Iranian Central Bank (CBI), Mahmoud Bahmani.
Chatham House – Iran Thirty Years On; This is a summary of a meeting held at Chatham House on 12 February 2009 with Professor Gary Sick

South Asia

AFPS – Afghan and coalition forces today killed an estimated 42 insurgents during operations in Oruzgan, Helmand and Lowgar provinces.
Times Online – A senior British army officer and six other military personnel survived when a tethered donkey laden with explosives was detonated as their armoured vehicle passed in southern Afghanistan. The soldier riding in the vehicle’s turret was covered in so much donkey blood and guts that his colleagues thought he had been mortally wounded by the blast, south of Garmsir in southern Helmand province.
Military.com – Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents today threatened a new operation against international troops in response to a surge of thousands of extra U.S. Soldiers due in the coming weeks.
Ghosts of Alexander – The US Army Combined Arms Center Blogs are good. And the US Army and USMC Counterinsurgency Center Blog is one of the better ones. Although not as good as Bill and Bob’s Excellent Afghan Adventure or Afghanistan Shrugged as far as military blogs go, but good nonetheless. The Counterinsurgency Center blog pointed out an interesting series of articles.
Geo – Security forces Wednesday took control of Dagar town, headquarters of Buner district. Security forces sources told media that heliborne forces successfully landed at Dagar and surrounding areas and secured Dagar, headquarters of Buner district,” the military added in a statement. Troops launched an operation in Buner town near the Swat valley on Tuesday, in an intensified effort to flush out Taliban militants. Earlier, security forces ended operation against militants in Lower Dir.
Dawn – At least 25 people were killed and over 40 others injured in a fresh wave of ethnic violence in different parts of Karachi on Wednesday. About 20 vehicles were torched. Tension and panic gripped parts of the city as unidentified attackers went on a shooting spree, killing most of the victims at point-blank range.
Daily Times – At least six people were killed and two injured when two missiles were fired by a suspected US drone in South Waziristan on Wednesday, according to officials and tribal elders. The strike targeted Kani Garam village of the agency.
The News – At least 10 shops were destroyed in three consecutive explosions in Adezai village while a remote-controlled bomb was recovered from outside the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka MoD – The Unilateral Ceasefire declared by the LTTE is a total bluff as Tiger terrorists have made seven suicide attempts within 24 hours using human bombs, explosive laden truck, motorbikes and a double cab against the troops operating in Rettavaikkal, Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday (Apr 29).

Far East & Pacific

Japan Times – Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada will meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon on Friday to discuss the future of the bilateral alliance, the Defense Ministry has said. Hamada has been eager to propose announcing a new Japan-U.S. Joint Declaration on Security to cope with global issues and is therefore expected to exchange views with his counterpart on how the two countries can beef up their defense partnership
Chosun Ilbo – North Korea on Thursday threatened to test a second nuclear bomb and an intercontinental ballistic missile unless the UN Security Council lifts sanctions and apologizes.
Asia Times – China’s US$25 billion aid and credit package for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is part of its strategy to strengthen already booming economic ties with the region through soft power. By wooing developing nations such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia with strings-free aid, China can also secure valuable infrastructure and natural resource deals – and usurp American influence in the region.
Jakarta Post – Army chief of staff Gen. Agustadi Sasongko is flying to Sentani in Papua to meet the protesting soldiers that have put Papua in red alert. Papua Military spokesman Lt. Col. Susilo said Thursday that Agustadi left Jakarta Wednesday night, soon after the soldiers violently protested against what they called the theft of their money by their commander.

Europe

IPS – An official investigation shows that it is more and more likely that a CIA prison existed in Poland at the height of the “war on terror”.
UK MoD – A multi-million pound contract to build new state-of-the-art Defence Intelligence facilities at RAF Wyton in Huntingdon was announced by Minister for the Armed Forces Bob Ainsworth this week.
Russia Today – The Moldovan government has withdrawn from involvement in NATO-led drills scheduled for May 6 through June 1 in Georgia, according to the Interfax news agency.
Javno – Libya and Britain agreed to transfer prisoners on Wednesday, opening a legal window for the repatriation of a Libyan jailed for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. The deal to allow the transfer of prisoners between the two countries was one of four agreements on judicial cooperation ratified in Tripoli.
Islam in Europe – Denmark: 18% of Muslims want to see Sharia law implemented
Ioannis Michaletos – The modern facet of the European extremism

Africa

Garowe – At least three people including a senior intelligence official were killed Wednesday in the semiautonomous Somali state of Puntland, Radio Garowe reports. Yasin Tolwaye, the Puntland Intelligence Service (PIS) chief in Mudug region, died at the scene after a hand grenade was thrown under his vehicle in the central town of Galkayo, witnesses said.
Shabelle – Professor Mohamed Omar Dalha, the deputy speaker of the Somali parliament has said on Wednesday that they have released more Somali people who were in the prisons of Syria. Professor Dalha who returned in Mogadishu on Tuesday told Shabelle radio that they had met with the Syrian president and requested him to release many Somali people who were in the jails of his country.
Sudan Tribune - Forces of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are moving under supervision of the Chadian army in the Sudan-Chad borderlands, according to a report from a state-run Sudanese news agency, while Sudan-backed rebels admit they are prepping for an offensive into Chad. Fighters from the JEM ride in the back of a vehicle through the bush (file Photo Reuters) Five Chadians who had crossed into West Darfur by pickup truck in the area of Khor Baranga were apprehended by Sudanese armed forces. On Saturday the JEM amassed a force of 120 trucks beside four trucks registered with the Chadian army with Chadian mortars.
Magharebia – Algeria deployed military reinforcements to the southern provinces of Adrar and Ouargla, local press reported on Wednesday (April 29th). The move aims at cracking down on arms trafficking networks that supply weapons from Niger and Mali to al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb.
BBC – An ammunition dump on the outskirts of the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam has exploded killing at least three people.
This Day – In what looked like an upswing after a lull, the Military Joint Task Force said yesterday it killed six militants who attacked their men without provocation at Samaa, near Buguma, in Rivers State. The JTF also freed a vessel Pacon One along Bonny Fairway Buoy, while on patrol of the area. The vessel was also allegedly attacked by pirates who attempted to hijack it before a naval patrol came to their rescue and freed them from the attackers.

Maritime forces sail in formation during the 50th anniversary of UNITAS

Maritime forces from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Germany, Mexico, Peru, and the United States sail in formation during the 50th anniversary of UNITAS, the U.S. Navy’s longest-running annual multilateral exercise Atlantic Ocean, April 23, 2009. The exercise to aimed at increasing interoperability among participating navies. (photo by Petty Officer Seth Johnson)

The Global War

AKI – A documentary-style video from Al-Qaeda’s North African branch released on the Internet shows children promoting jihad or holy war and inviting others to join them. The video also contains footage of previous messages by Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Yahya al-Libi.
US Army – U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency officials announced today the destruction of 60 percent of the U.S.-declared stockpile under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
US Navy – The executive officer of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) was relieved of his duties April 29. Cmdr. David L. Burnham was relieved following non-judicial punishment held by Commander, Carrier Strike Group 3, Rear Adm. Mark A. Vance.

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

22 April, 2009 (02:07) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 22 April 2009.

United States & the Americas

WSJ – Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon’s $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project, the Defense Department’s costliest weapons program ever, according to current and former government officials familiar with the attacks. Similar incidents have also breached the Air Force’s air-traffic-control system in recent months, these people say. In the case of the fighter-jet program, the intruders were able to copy and siphon off several terabytes of data related to design and electronics systems, officials say, potentially making it easier to defend against the craft.
FBI – Somalian Pirate Brought to U.S. to Face Charges for Hijacking the Maersk Alabama and Holding the Ship’s Captain Hostage
Globe and Mail – 30,000 Tamil protesters pack Parliament Hill; In largest rally of 14-day demonstration, community leaders call on Harper government to take a stand on civil war plaguing Sri Lanka
Xinhua – The European Union (EU) has earmarked 4.5 million euros (5.8 million U.S. dollars) in a project designed to help Central American countries combat organized crimes and international drug trafficking, chief of Nicaraguan National Police (PN) Aminta Granera said on Tuesday.
Xinhua – The Ecuadorian government has formally began negotiations with a Chinese firm to build the country’s biggest hydropower plant, the Energy Ministry said on Tuesday.
Washington Post – Violence has plummeted here since President Felipe Calderón dispatched thousands of soldiers to take over public security, a strategy designed to crush the drug gangs that turned Juarez into a symbol of lawlessness.
Independent – A Venezuelan opposition leader who says he is a victim of political persecution by the government of President Hugo Chavez has arrived in Peru but has not requested political asylum, Peru’s foreign minister said today.
AFPS – The Navy’s longest-running annual multilateral exercise got underway yesterday off the Florida coast, with 11 participating nations working together to promote maritime security and stability in Latin America. Navy Adm. James Stavridis, commander of U.S. Southern Command, called the 50th UNITAS Gold exercise a milestone for naval cooperation in the Western Hemisphere. Initially launched to strengthen participants’ capability to defend the Americas against Soviet submarines, the exercise changed over time to address evolving security challenges, Stavridis noted.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

Energy Business Review – Russian Energy Ministry official said that Moscow and Beijing have signed a $25 billion agreement under which Russia will transport China with oil for 20 years in exchange for loans to Russian state companies, media sources reported
SRI – Kazakhstan refused on Tuesday to take part in NATO-organised war games in Georgia in a show of support for Russia, which has bitterly criticised the plan.
RIA Novosti - The first six Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopters have been delivered to Russia’s North Caucasus military district, a military source said on Tuesday. “The first six Mi-28N helicopters have been put in service with combat units [in North Caucasus],” the source told RIA Novosti, without specifying the schedule for further deliveries. The Mi-28N is the latest modification of the Mi-28 attack helicopter, manufactured by the Rostvertol plant in southern Russia.
Itar-Tass - The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) “exposed and cut short the operation of an officer of the Georgian intelligence who wormed his way into Russia for intelligence and other subversive activities,” a FSB representative told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. The FSB reported the arrest of a career officer of the Georgian special service of foreign intelligence, Mamuke Maisuradze, who was engaged, on orders of his superiors, “in creating a network of agents in the Krasnodar Territory”.
RIA Novosti – A member of an illegal armed gang that targeted law enforcement officers in Ingushetia has been shot dead in the North Caucasus republic’s Nazran District, security services said Tuesday.
RFERL – Chechen authorities have launched special operations to locate what they say are hundreds of resistance fighters in the mountainous Vedeno region of the southern Russian republic, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reports. Local law enforcement officials told RFE/RL that some 500 rebels, led by the self-proclaimed leader of a “Caucasus Emirate,” Doka Umarov, are still active in the Itum-Kala and Vedeno districts.
ISN – President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s 15-19 April state visit to China may have gotten Kazakhstan over a big financial hump, but at a substantial cost. In a deal that emerged as the centerpiece of Nazarbayev’s visit, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the state energy giant, gained a major stake in the MangystauMunayGaz (MMG) energy concern
EurasiaNet – With its energy strategy for Central Asia in grave danger of unraveling, Russia is striving to create an appearance of normalcy as the first step in reasserting its energy role in the region
Robert Cutler – The leaders of Russia and Turkmenistan have been unable to agree on terms for the (re)construction of a Soviet-era gas pipeline in western Turkmenistan. While subsequent negotiations are not excluded, Ashgabat has declared its intent to allow companies other than Gazprom, including Western companies, to bid for the work. In the context of recent developments, a pattern begins to form that may signify the breaking of what is left of Russia’s hold on Central Asian gas transport, to which its relationship with Turkmenistan has been central in the post-Soviet era.

Middle East

Al Sumaria – Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki reaffirmed his rejection to the return of defunct Baath Party to the political process. He stressed that Iraq which has overcome dictatorship and faced challenges, terrorism and outlaws still needs awareness and unity.
MNF Iraq – Tikrit Emergency Response Battalion planned, led and facilitated an operation April 13, which led to the arrest of three suspected key members of a Bayji-based insurgent cell. According to Iraqi intelligence, the cell [comprised of members of the former Iraqi Army] led kidnapping raids and coordinates attacks against ISF and Coalition forces.
Voices of Iraq – Joint security forces on Tuesday arrested five gunmen of the so-called “al-Naqshabandiya” group in east of Baaquba city, according to a security source.
Israel MFA – Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day 2009
Haaretz – Egypt has accused Lebanese officials of providing Hezbollah operatives with false documents that they approved with official stamps, the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat on Tuesday quoted Egyptian sources as saying.
NOW Lebanon – Egypt’s foreign ministry summoned an Iranian official on Tuesday after Tehran criticized Egypt’s claim that it had arrested members of Hezbollah for allegedly planning attacks in the country. Foreign ministry official Mohammad el-Zarqani summoned Mohammad Rajabi, the head of Iran’s special interests office in Egypt, to Cairo’s “absolute rejection” of the criticism, a statement said.
NOW Lebanon – Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Shibani said on Tuesday that the partnership between Tehran and Beirut remained and assured that his government would provide Lebanon with the necessary support when needed. Shibani told al-Alam Iranian TV that accusations against Iran for supporting a specific Lebanese party, a reference to Hezbollah, came from biased parties, referring to the March 14 alliance.
Daily Star – Unidentified men robbed a jewelry store in the Bekaa town of Anjar, and another five robbed Al-Mawarid Bank in the Bekaa town of Chtaura, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Tuesday.
Daily Star – Dubai’s top police officer denied claims Tuesday that a key suspect in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri had been arrested in the emirate after spending over a year on the run. Mohammad Zuhair Siddiq was “not arrested on Dubai territory,” Dubai’s police chief General Dahi Khalfan told the Ash-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, adding that he had no knowledge off his arrest elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
International Rail Journal – Jordan plans to start construction next year of a 1600km railway running from the Syrian border via the capital Amman to the Red Sea port of Aqaba with links to the Iraqi and Saudi borders. The project, which is due for completion in 2013, will cost Dinars 4.5 billion ($US 6.4 billion).
Javno – A Turkish court on Tuesday sentenced the mayor of the biggest city in the Kurdish southeast to 10 months in prison for spreading propaganda for PKK separatist rebels, state-run Anatolian news agency said.
Asharq Al Awsat – Turkish police detained 19 people in raids on suspected al Qaeda militants on Tuesday, state-run Anatolian news agency said. The operations took place in five provinces in central and southern Turkey. Police also seized guns and computers from suspected al Qaeda cell houses, Anatolian said.

Iran

Press TV – Iran has explained why it needs a nuclear program, stressing that all nations should have the right to use peaceful nuclear energy. Mohammad Saeedi, the deputy director for international affairs of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), issued a statement on Iran’s nuclear program in a conference in Beijing. Saeedi stressed that all countries should have the right to have nuclear power plants “without any discrimination.” He noted that Iran’s need for energy is rapidly increasing and the country will be forced to use new energy resources.
IWPR – Tehran Accused of Complicity in Growing Weapons Trade; Officials in west of Afghanistan seeing more and more Iranian-made weapons in hands of insurgents. (I had posted about that here)
Middle East Quarterly – A Target of Convenience by Michael Rubin; On April 13, Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old Iranian-American journalist, appeared before a closed hearing of a revolutionary court to answer charges of spying for the United States — potentially capital charges.
Rooz – Veteran politician Hashemi Rafsanjani coupled his “silence” over the mismanagement by ?Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s administration with his differences of view with ayatollah ?Khamenei and the latter’s express support of the current ninth administration.
Fars – Meeting of the Iranian and Pakistani officials for finalizing a deal for exporting Iran’s gas to the energy-hungry south-Asian nation through a multi-billion-dollar pipeline would be held in May, an Iranian official said.
UAE Daily News – Turkey’s Petrochemical Holding Corp. (Petkim) said monday it would build petrochemical facilities in Iran, the first-of-a-kind petrochemical cooperation between both countries. Petkim said in a statement it signed a prelimintary contract with Iran’s NPC International Limited (NPCI) to establish facilities to to produce 1.65 million tons of methanol and 300,000 tons of polyethylene each year
ISNA – The Managing Director of Iran’s South Aluminum Corporation (Salco), Mohammad Mehdi Mostaghimi said Iran and China are working to implement Iran’s biggest aluminum industrial project.
MEMRI – Iranian Judiciary Authority spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi has said that the authority will deal harshly with websites that disseminate propaganda for the Baha’is.

U.S. Marines patrol abandoned village of Now Zad

U.S. Marines conduct a security patrol through the abandoned village of Now Zad in Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 12, 2009. (photo by Cpl. Pete Thibodeau)

South Asia

AFPS – One militant was killed and a suspect was detained during a joint operation today by coalition and Afghan forces in southern Afghanistan. The operation’s target was an associate of a local Taliban leader suspected of aiding the transport of weapons, ammunition and fighters into northern Kandahar province.
UNS – A Coalition forces precision strike destroyed an anti-aircraft weapons system in the Nad Ali district, Helmand province, in the early morning hours April 21. Coalition forces learned through villagers that militants in the area had obtained a ZPU-1 anti-aircraft gun and were staging it on the back of a pick-up truck for use against friendly forces’ helicopters.
CSIS – a discussion with Michèle Flournoy, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan (video and audio)
Daily Times – After a peace deal with the NWFP government, the Swat Taliban are expanding their operations into nearby regions. Dozens have been streaming into the Buner district to take over mosques and government offices, BBC reported. On Tuesday, local sources told Daily Times the Taliban were patrolling bazaars in some tehsils of the Buner district. They said armed Taliban were guarding the entry and exit points of Gadezai, Salarzai and Ghashezi tehsils and other areas of the district.
The News – The frightened people of Buner, which has now fallen into the hands of the Taliban, have given horrible accounts of their ordeal, saying they were driven out of their homes at gunpoint by Afghan Tajiks. Let the whole Pakistan know that we have been invaded by the Afghan Tajiks who have come from the other side of the border. They are not the local Taliban the media has wrongly reported,î said an elderly man. These Afghan Tajiks are said to be using interpreters to communicate with the local Pakhtoons as they do not understand Pashtu.
Times of India – The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) have now banned political parties in the Bajaur region of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Both the separatist organizations have also issued a jirga banning meeting of more than three persons at a same place. According to the Daily Times, the decision was taken after four persons were killed in a clash between the activists of these two groups. The latest ban adds to the long list of activities that the Taliban has prohibited in the region.
Geo – Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior, Rehman Malik asked on Tuesday Tehrik Nifaz-e Shariat-e Mohammedi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Mohammed to read the Constitution before challenging it as all state affairs were being run in accordance with the national document, what he said, is Islamic and conforms to the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Malik said that over 10,000 foreign militants were taking refuge in tribal areas and Afghan currency and arms were being used in terrorist activities in Pakistan.
Sri Lanka MoD – 53 Div makes-inroads as LTTE face last stand at Mullaittivu; Thousands of civilians kept pouring seeking safety with Sri Lankan security forces from LTTE hostage with latest estimates of the exodus surpassing 49,000: the most successful hostage rescue operation ever launched by a military force in modern time. Meanwhile, 53 Division troops operating Northwest of Karaiyamulliavalai have flanked the western edge of the NFZ facilitating safe passage of civilians across the shallow water stretch since yesterday evening (April 20). At least 12 terrorists were killed and 15 others wounded
CBS – Sri Lanka’s Tamil rebels said Tuesday that 1,000 civilians died in a government raid on their territory that the military says freed thousands of noncombatants from the war zone. The military denied the accusation.

Far East & Pacific

JoongAng – North cuts short meeting on Kaesong, South Korean delegation leaves after only a 22-minute session at complex; South Korea and North Korea met briefly at Kaesong for their first government-level encounter in more than a year but no details of the meeting were available as of press time.
Yonhap – North Korea claimed Wednesday that South Korea has arbitrarily moved a military demarcation line marker in a “serious military provocation” violating the armistice of the Korean War.
Xinhua – Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met with U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead here on Tuesday on the sidelines of a four-day celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.
Irrawaddy – Burma’s military junta is carrying out a policy of “Burmanization” in areas under its control, using land confiscation and intermarriage, sometimes by force, to dilute ethnic identities, according to a new report by three exiled ethnic groups released on Tuesday.
Straits Times – A powerful homemade bomb exploded at a public market in the southern Philippines, injuring two people, the military said on Wednesday. The improvised explosive device was fashioned from a 60mm mortar shell rigged to a timing device, and went off late on Tuesday at the market in a town in Sultan Kudarat province

Europe

DutchNews – The security service AIVD on Tuesday warned companies, local government and other institutions to be aware of espionage, arguing that there are many foreign spies active in the Netherlands. ‘The Netherlands is an interesting target for many countries because of its high-value technological industry and the presence of large groups of migrants,’ the AIVD said at the presentation of its 2008 report. Morocco had attempted to build up a network of informers and Russia is also active in the Netherlands, the AIVD said. And China has not only tried to influence political decisions but has also attempted to access government and company computer networks, the organisation claims.
Spiegel – Germany’s biggest terror trial since the 9/11 attacks begins on Wednesday. Four men will be put in the dock, but prosecutors still haven’t been able to catch a fifth man who is believed to have supplied detonators for bombs and also served as an informant for the Turkish secret service.
David Perl, JCPA - The Growing Threat of Radical Islamic Groups in Germany
CNN – Nine of the 11 Pakistani nationals being held in an alleged terror plot in northern England were released Tuesday, according to police
HS – Finland expected to opt out of joint Nordic air patrols over Iceland; Disagreements in ministries over Nordic projects in Arctic Ocean

Africa

Garowe – At least 7 people were killed and 15 wounded in southern Somalia after Al Shabaab hardliners attacked a clan militia base in the outskirts of Kismayo, Radio Garowe reports. The fighting erupted overnight Monday and continued into Tuesday morning, in a town called Bulo Haji, which is located 90km southwest of Kismayo, a strategic port city and the capital of Lower Jubba region.
Garowe - A senior commander of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) was gunned down in Mogadishu Tuesday for the second time in six days, Radio Garowe reports. Sheikh Mohamed Mohamud “Agoweyne” was shot to death by two young men armed with pistols, according to witnesses.
Sudan Tribune – A Sudanese diplomat said today that some rebel groups in his country may have collaborated with the Lebanese group Hezbollah in smuggling arms to Egypt. It is not clear if he was referring to Darfur rebel groups fighting in Western Sudan. Khartoum has long accused Israel of providing support to Darfur rebels.
Reuters – Gunmen in Nigeria attacked an oil tanker off the coast of the Niger Delta on Tuesday, kidnapping the ship’s captain and an engineer, private security sources said.
The Standard – It had taken only 30 minutes to snuff out the lives of up to 30 men on Monday night, only hours after hordes of armed young men arrived in the village, in motorbikes and on foot, in clear view of the police. It was not immediately clear why the murders were committed, but residents suspect the proscribed Mungiki sect was avenging the killing of 15 of their members in neighbouring Kirinyaga District, actions that were similarly ignored by the police. The suspected Mungiki members were killed by self-styled four vigilante groups going by the name of ‘The Hague’, alluding the UN International Criminal Court that has been proposed for local leaders implicated in last year’s post-election violence.
The Citizen – Three people are feared dead while four were seriously injured in fresh ethnic clashes on Friday between Kurya and Ngoreme tribes at a village in Serengeti District. More than 40 houses were torched at Mosongo village after three youths from Ngoreme tribe reportedly sparked the latest clashes.

The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer pulls pier side during a port visit to U.S. Naval Base, Marianas Islands. The Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit are on a scheduled deployment supporting global maritime security (photo by Cpl. Karl Launius)

The Global War

DOT, Maritime Administration – piracy resources and links
Russia Today – A pro-al Qaeda magazine, Jihad Recollections, has put fitness tips and special diets for Osama bin Laden followers alongside articles of terrorist activity on its website, Gazeta.ru reports. The magazine warns Islamists against visiting Western style gyms, which are “full of music and semi-naked women.”

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

20 April, 2009 (01:50) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 20 April 2009.

United States & the Americas

NY Times – Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency during the last two years of George W. Bush’s presidency, said Sunday that the Obama administration’s recent release of memos detailing harsh interrogation techniques would limit the agency’s ability to pursue terrorists in the future.
NPR – President Obama told Latin American leaders Saturday he looks forward to working together, even though they may not always agree. The President is attending a summit meeting with 33 other leaders from North, South and Central America in Trinidad. He says he wants to move forward with a new sense of partnership
Globe and Mail – In a case that police say is without precedent, an Iranian-Canadian has been charged with trying to export technology that could have helped Tehran get the nuclear bomb it so desperately seeks.
IMF Survey – The IMF approved a credit line for Mexico of $47 billion in the first use of a new instrument designed to bolster strong performing economies against fallout from the current global economic crisis.
CBS – Eight Mexican law enforcement officers were killed Saturday in a brazen attack on a police convoy transporting an important drug suspect to a prison in western Mexico.
Javno – Bolivia Aims To Untangle Plot To Kill Morales; Police moved to arrest a gang that officials say traveled from Ireland or Croatia to kill leading public figures in the Andean nation.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

RIA Novosti – Russia’s envoy to NATO has dubbed the alliance’s exercises due in Georgia in early May “insanity.” The Cooperative Longbow 09/Cooperative Lancer 09 command-and-staff exercise, led by the Western military bloc, will be held from May 6 through June 1 in Georgia, and will not feature light or heavy weaponry.
RIA Novosti – The Regional Response 2009 military exercises got underway in Azerbaijan on Saturday, the country’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The exercises, under NATO’s Partnership for Peace program, run until April 26 and are intended to contribute to Azerbaijan’s Individual Partnership Action Plan.
MDB – Economic Crisis and Russia’s Defense Industry
Nicholas Eberstadt, World Affairs Journal - Drunken Nation: Russia’s Depopulation Bomb
NY Times – It is a rift that has had far-reaching consequences for the West, culminating in the war in August that was easily won by Russia and that caused the worst strains between Washington and Moscow since the end of the cold war. And even as tempers have now cooled a little, the bad blood between Mr. Saakashvili and Mr. Putin is a primary reason that this part of the world remains such a source of concern for the United States.
EurasiaNet – Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan’s trip to Yerevan may have been brief, with little publicity, but it has nonetheless further fueled Armenia’s ongoing debate about mending ties with Turkey.
Times of India – Energy hungry China has signed a loan for oil deal with neighbouring Kazakhstan, which will get $10 billion for financing oil and other projects. This is the four deal signed by China since February offering loans and investments totaling $46 billion.
David Trilling – From Central Asia and Back (with photos)
BBC – Russia, China and three central Asian countries are conducting a joint military exercise in Tajikistan. The operation involves helicopters, military aircraft and armoured vehicles and up to 1,000 military personnel.
RFERL – Much of Central Asia’s water flows from the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, leaving downstream countries Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan dependent and worried about the effects of planned hydropower plants upstream.

Middle East

Al Sumaria – Four citizens were killed and eight others wounded due to mortars attack on residents in Diyala Bridge region in Baghdad. In a separate incident, Defense Ministry spokesman Brigadier Mohammed Al Askari held Al Qaeda responsible for the suicide bombing that targeted Al Habaniya military base.
Voices of Iraq – A Saudi accused of being a senior Al-Qaeda leader in southern Iraq has been arrested in the port city of Basra along with three of his aides, an Iraqi army official told AFP
WSJ – Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s political opponents scored a victory Sunday, electing a critic of Mr. Maliki’s as speaker of parliament.
Asharq Al Awsat – In the first comment by the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo on the case of “Hezbollah in Egypt” – especially after reports surfaced that two Fatah members were arrested in the case along with other Palestinians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Syrians, and Sudanese – Dr Barakat al-Farra, the Palestinian ambassador on duty and Fatah representative in Egypt, strongly criticized the Lebanese Hezbollah organization and its Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.
Haaretz – An Israeli espionage ring recently exposed in Lebanon had succeeded in infiltrating the ranks of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, the London-based Arabic-language daily al-Hayat reported on Saturday.
Jerusalem Post – Egyptian state security prosecutors have requested the harshest penalty, which includes the possibility of a death sentence, for a Hizbullah member accused of leading a terrorist cell that plotted attacks in the country, according to a report in Sunday’s pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat.
AKI – The Iran-backed militant Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah has infiltrated the largely secular Palestinian party Fatah, one of its officials, Barakat al-Ezz, told Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Youm. Al-Ezz was commenting on reports that two Fatah militants were among 49 people arrested in Egypt for allegedly belonging to a Hezbollah cell in the country.
INN – The Israeli heroin market, worth half a billion dollars in 2008, is largely supplied by channels running through south Lebanon, according to estimates by the Anti-Drug Authority. Police, who were able to stop only a fraction of the drug smuggling in the past year, said a significant portion of the funds made their way to Hizbullah.
Gulf Daily News – A main suspect in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Al Hariri has been arrested in the UAE, it was reported yesterday. UAE-based Al Arabiya said Mohammed Zuhair Al Siddiq was arrested in the emirate of Sharjah and was being held by UAE security authorities.
The National – Gulf investors plan to create a giant Islamic bank aimed at reinvigorating lending and economic growth across the region. The Sharia-compliant bank, which is tentatively named Al Istakhlaf – Arabic for “development” – expects to raise US$10 billion (Dh36.73bn) in paid-up capital before it opens for business later this year, according to Adnan Yousif, the chairman of the Union of Arab Banks.

Iran

ITIC – Iran increases its political and economic presence in Latin America
Al Manar – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad slammed the Zionist entity as the “flag bearer of racism” on Sunday before leaving for a UN conference on racism in Geneva, the state broadcaster reported. “The Zionist ideology and regime are the flag bearers of racism,” he was quoted as saying.
Press TV – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called on Islamic countries to pave the way for enhanced relations and close friendship. “We’ve entered a new world that should be developed by Muslims,” President Ahmadinejad said in a Sunday meeting with the visiting former Turkish prime minister Necmettin Erbakan in Tehran.
Michael Ledeen – The president’s response to the sentencing of Roxana Saberi—eight years in prison—is a testament to the power of Iranian blackmail and Obama’s own pigheaded refusal to understand the nature of our enemies. His “disappointment” in the mullahs’ action (echoed almost to the letter by Secretary of State Clinton) suggests that he hoped, maybe even expected, something better from them. And that, in turn, demonstrates a refusal to see Iran for what it is.
ISNA – Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant has entered testing stage by dummy fuel, an official said Sunday. The loading stage of dummy fuel has been ended and the plant has entered cold test stage, the official who asked anonymity said. Iran in February loaded Bushehr nuclear power plant by dummy fuel rods loaded with lead instead of low-enriched uranium.
Mehr – Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Mohammad-Reza Sheibani elaborated on Iran’s participation in rebuilding Lebanon’s war-torn areas after the end of Israel’s 34-day offensive against that country in 2006
Press TV – The Iranian Vice-president, Parviz Davoudi, says the country sees the road ‘completely open for oil and gas relations with China’. “We consider Iran as one of the most stable countries in the Middle East to provide the necessary energy sources for China,” Davoudi said on Saturday at a press conference at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual summit in southern China’s Hainan Province.
IRNA – A delegation comprising Iranian nuclear officials and experts arrived in Beijing on Sunday to attend an international conference on “Energy in the 21st Centurey”.
Payvand – Photos: Army Day Celebrated with Military Parades Across Iran

South Asia

VOA – Afghan officials say Taliban militants stormed a police checkpoint in western Farah province Saturday night, killing five police officers.
NY Times – Turning Tables, U.S. Troops Ambush Taliban in Korengal Valley With Swift and Lethal Results
Dawn – Pakistani jets and helicopters attacked suspected militant bases in a tribal area on the Afghan border on Sunday, killing at least 12 militants, a military official said.
The News – Twenty-seven persons, including 25 soldiers, were killed and 47 others injured when a suicide attacker rammed his explosive-laden car into a security forces convoy near the Doaba checkpost here on Saturday.
Geo – Sources said that US drone fired two missiles on a house at Gangikhel area of South Waziristan, which killed at least eight persons.
Times of India – A five-member team probing the public “flogging” of a teenage girl by the Taliban in Pakistan’s troubled Swat valley has concluded that the video footage of the alleged incident which sent shock waves across the country was “fake”. The probe team, formed after the Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry took suo motu notice of the issue, has “completed its investigation and handed over a report to me,” federal interior secretary Kamal Shah was quoted as saying
Sri Lanka MoD – Sri Lankan soldiers of 53 and 58 Divisions were just 700m to 800m short of the bridge on the A-35 road (Paranthan – Mullaittivu) at Vellaimullaivaikkal last night (Apr 18), defence sources said. According to the sources, troops after a daylong march along the A-35 axis readjusted their forward boundary that extend across A-35 to the northern bank of the Nanthikadal lagoon. The manoeuvre is aimed at opening up a main road access to the No Fire Zone [NFZ], where nearly 70,000 civilians have been held hostage by LTTE terrorists, said the sources.

USS Essex in the Philippines for Balikatan 2009

The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex pulls into the Philippines for Balikatan 2009, an annual combined, joint-bilateral exercise involving U.S. Military and Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel as well as subject matter experts from Philippine Civil Defense Agencies. (photo by Seaman Apprentice Taurean Alexander)

Far East & Pacific

Javno – North Korea’s army issued a fresh warning to the South on Saturday not to join a U.S-led initiative against the flow of weapons, saying it would be considered an act of war. North Korea has expelled international inspectors and threatened to restart its nuclear plant after being chastised by the United Nations for a rocket launch, which many see as a disguised long-range missile test.
Japan Times – Japanese precision tools and steel were found in missile-making equipment taken from a North Korean freighter detained at an Indian port in June 1999 while en route to Pakistan, a former senior Indian official said Saturday. While North Korea is known to have provided missile knowhow to Pakistan in return for nuclear weapons technology, this is the first concrete example of how Japanese equipment has played a part in North Korea’s proliferation of missile technology.
Manila Times – An Italian Red Cross worker held by Muslim extremists in southern Philippines is still alive, a senior police official said on Sunday, amid growing concern about the hostage’s health. Philippine security forces are on heightened alert after the kidnappers tried to flee during a successful attempt to free another captive on Saturday
Xinhua – Thai government will spend more than 50 billion Baht (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) to develop infrastructure and improve livelihood of people in four southernmost provinces in an effort to resolve violence in the region, a senior official said.

Europe

NY Times – Spanish officials said Sunday that the arrest of a man suspected of leading the Basque separatist group ETA over the weekend was a severe blow to the group and vowed to capture whoever becomes its next leader.
BBC – Turkish Cypriot nationalists have swept to victory in a parliamentary election in northern Cyprus that could hamper peace talks with Greek Cypriots.
euobserver – Sarkozy described Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, as stupid, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, as simply following Mr Sarkozy’s lead and Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, as “absent.” By the end of the lunch, he had also cast the new American president, Barack Obama, as inexperienced and not up to speed on the issue of climate change.
euronews – A Belgian navy ship is on its way to fight piracy off Somalia, as part of international efforts to stop a growing number of attacks on commercial vessels.

Africa

Garowe – Somali lawmakers in the country’s national capital Mogadishu voted Saturday to implement Islamic law, or Shari’ah, as the national legislation.
Radio Netherlands – The Dutch navy has released seven suspected Somali pirates who hijacked a Greek-owned tanker in the strategic Gulf of Aden shipping lane on Saturday, Dutch and NATO authorities said. “NATO does not have a detain policy, a national policy will apply and under these circumstances, the Dutch law cannot prosecute,” he said.
VOA – Somali pirates attacked two new ships off the Horn of Africa Saturday. In one assault, a NATO commander said pirates captured a Belgian vessel, the Pompei, traveling south to the Seychelles islands.
BBC – A British man held hostage in Nigeria for more than six months has been freed, a military official said. The official said Robin Barry Hughes was handed over to the military in Nigeria’s southern oil region.
Sudan Tribune – Murle armed men attacked seven locations in Akobo County Saturday killing 14 people and wounding 25 others, area Member of Parliament said.
afrol – Malawi expects to see more foreign earnings with the opening of the new uranium mine in the northern part of the country by the end of the year. The new project, raising hopes of Malawi’s natural resources potential, will get a US$ 220 million investment through an Australian mining group, Paladin Energy Ltd, which will own all the mining rights with government holding the reserved 15 percent stake
IslamOnline – As South Africans charge their batteries for this week’s general elections, the Muslim community has something new to look for: a new Islamic party contesting the polls with high hopes and a clear political agenda.

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Hampton is guided into Naval Base Point Loma after a six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. Commanded by Cmdr. William Houston, USS Hampton visited Guam, Saipan, Yokosuka and Singapore while overseas. (photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class April Currie)

The Global War

Copenhagen Post – Former Danish prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is ‘a major enemy’ of Islam, according to the Taliban, who have indicated his appointment as Nato secretary general will lead to an intensification of the war in Afghanistan.
US Navy – The Navy officially accepted delivery of the amphibious assault ship Makin Island (LHD 8) on April 16 from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB) in Pascagoula, Miss. Makin Island will be the eighth Wasp-class amphibious assault ship. Second only to aircraft carriers in size, LHDs are the largest amphibious warships in the world.
Dvids – USS Robert G. Bradley arrived in Algiers for a two-day visit aimed at strengthening the maritime partnership between the U.S. and Algeria. During the visit, the ship’s crew will have a chance to host various Algerian officials aboard, as well as be hosted by their Algerian Navy counterparts.

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

4 March, 2009 (01:16) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 4 March 2009.

United States & the Americas

Treasury Dept – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated 11 companies under Executive Order 13382 for their ties to Iran’s Bank Melli. E.O 13382 is an authority aimed at freezing the assets of Weapons of Mass Destruction proliferators and those who support them. Bank Melli has been designated as a proliferator by the United States, the European Union, and Australia for its role in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Additionally, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1803 calls on all Member States to exercise vigilance with respect to activities between financial institutions in their territories and all Iranian banks, particularly Bank Melli.
AFPS – The “umbrella crisis” in the financial world is complicating an already complicated world, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen shared his top three priorities with students at the Chilean War College. The chairman is visiting Latin American countries to help improve and maintain military-to-military contacts. Latin America is every bit as important as any other part of the world, the chairman said.
Bangkok Post – The United States government has admitted for the first time that it had a secret jail in Thailand where suspected al-Qaeda operatives were flown in to be interrrogated, including being subjected to “waterboarding”.
ICG – To keep Haiti on course and avoid further unrest, its government needs to build a broad national consensus, reaching out to parliament and civil society. The socio-economic situation today is worse than at the time of the April 2008 riots.
MercoPress – Bolivia revealed Tuesday that 35.500 people have contracted the benign strain of the mosquito transmitted dengue disease while 20 have died from the deadly haemorrhagic variant. There are also fears that before the rainy season is over 50.000 people could be infected.
BNA – An announcement by the Ecuadorian government that it will finally lift a ban on mining and allow companies to resume operations is “positive news,” the president of Aurelian Resources, Dominic Channer, told BNamericas.
Xinhua – Visiting Panamanian President Martin Torrijos and President Hugo Chavez agreed to boost bilateral commercial ties after holding talks on Tuesday. The two leaders held talks in the Miraflores Place on issues of common concerns in a bid to strengthen friendly and cooperative ties, according to local media reports.
El Universal – The Venezuelan government condemned on Tuesday Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos’ statements, and branded the official as a “threat to the stability and the sovereignty of Latin American countries.” In a press release, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry described as “reprehensible the arrogant attitude” of Santos, who last Sunday advocated as “legitimate right to self-defense” the attack on “terrorists who are systematically assaulting the population of a country, even though they are not within its territory.”

Adm. Mullen and Brazilian Minister of Defense Nelson Jobim

U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, right, and Brazilian Minister of Defense Nelson Jobim, center, walk past a Brazilian ship in the Amazon River in Ipiranga, Brazil, March 2, 2009. (photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adam M. Stump)

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

RIA Novosti – Russia’s president denied on Tuesday media reports claiming that Washington had pledged to drop its Central European missile shield plans if Moscow helped resolve Iran’s controversial nuclear program.
Moscow Times – Russia and Spain signed an energy agreement Tuesday that will give Spanish companies greater access to Russian fields and could smooth the path for Russian firms to buy stakes in Spanish companies.
Itar-Tass – A ferry line between Varna and Kavkaz was opened in the Bulgarian seaport on Tuesday. Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin sent greetings to the ceremony participants. He congratulated Bulgaria on the 113th anniversary of the Bulgarian liberation from the five-year Ottoman rule as a result of the Russian-Turkish War 1877-1878 and stressed that the opening of the ferry line on the Bulgarian national holiday was symbolic. “Bulgaria is not only a strategic partner of Russia, it is also close to us historically and culturally. We are closely interrelated with the Bulgarian people. Thus, it is important to further develop interstate relations,” Levitin said.
Asia Times – Continuing its efforts to firm alliances in the region, Russia has initiated cooperation with former rival Turkey in a variety of political and economic areas, taking advantage of Ankara’s cooling relations with the United States and the European Union. Washington is waking up to its worst nightmare: strategic cooperation among the powers of Eurasia.
Ukrainiana – The Verkhovna Rada Tuesday fired Volodymyr Ohryzko, Ukraine’s foreign affairs minister, who had recently reprimanded Russian ambassador Viktor Chernomyrdin for meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs.
Kyiv Post – The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, has overturned the presidential veto on the Ukrainian law, entitled “Provisional investigative commissions, the special provisional investigative commission and provisional special commissions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.”
SRI – Nikolay Tokarev, president of Russia’s Transneft, and Nurbol Sultan, head of Kazakh KazTransOil, met in Moscow last week to discuss cooperation in infrastructure projects, Interfax reported. They reportedly discussed the expansion of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline and the Atyrau-Samara oil pipeline.
Georgian Times – Abkhaz separatists begin military exercises along the administrative border of the breakaway region. The preparation works have been already over. The Russian army has deployed tanks and other military hardware to the training field. Russian officers will conduct the exercises.
Trend – A meeting will take place between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia over the next two months, the Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuri Merzylakov, said on March 3. According to the diplomat, both sides supported this idea.
MEI – MEI Bulletin for March 2009 focuses on Central Asia and the Caucasus

Middle East

MNF Iraq - Early Tuesday morning, a joint 12th Iraqi Army Division and Coalition force patrol discovered a large weapons cache in the Mumbar Garhat district of Kirkuk province. The weapons cache consisted of launchers, 120mm shells, 60mm mortars and firing systems, RPK rounds, improvised mortar tubes, blasting caps and several other supporting items. The cache was safely disposed of by a joint US and Iraqi Army team.
Voices of Iraq – A U.S. soldier was killed on Tuesday in a missile attack on the base in Mosul, the media adviser of the U.S. forces said. A police source had said earlier that eight Katyusha rockets hit the U.S. base in southern Mosul on Tuesday.
MEMRI – Iraqi media reported that Iran has suddenly taken over the Iraqi island of Umm Al-Rasas, located east of Basra province in southern Iraq. It was further reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry sent messages to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry demanding to annex the Iraqi oil port of Khor Al-Amaya to Iranian territorial waters.
Haaretz – Israel Navy chief Maj. Gen. Eliezer Marom was spotted partying at south Tel Aviv’s GoGo strip club on Monday night. “I only spent a short time at [the strip club],” Marom said following the report. “I stopped by to say hello to a friend.” Following the incident, Marom wrote a letter of apology to Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
ITIC – In the past several days, 42 days after the completion of Operation Cast Lead, there has been a surge in the number of rockets fired at Israel.
NOW Lebanon – Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported on Tuesday that Head of the Defense Ministry’s Diplomatic-Security Bureau Amos Gilad told participants at a Tel Aviv University conference on Lebanon that Hezbollah wanted to turn Lebanon into a major threat for Israel because of Iran’s support. The paper reported that Gilad said Tehran’s goal was to create a balance of terror through the establishment of “Hezbollistan” in Lebanon.
Daily Star – Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare met with Hizbullah officials before leaving Beirut for The Hague last week, according to sources from the tribunal’s investigative team. Sources from the UN commission probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri told Lebanon’s opposition leaning As-Safir newspaper that Bellemare had met with unidentified Hizbullah officials and denied reports that Hizbullah had refused to cooperate with the tribunal.
Hizballah – Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem launched the party’s electoral campaign in the Beqaa valley on Sunday saying that Hizbullah considers these elections as important, but not fateful. He also said that the opposition was represented in the cabinet and that foreign ambassadors and officials were “standing in line to talk to Hizbullah and, except for US and ‘Israel’, we have good relations with all. He said 10,000 people were involved in Hizbullah’s electoral campaign in the Beqaa region and that the party has been effectively working on its campaign for three months. “We want the Resistance to pave the way for development and we want development to reinforce the Resistance,” The Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General declared.
Al Manar – Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri traveled to Tehran on Tuesday to take part in a conference on Israeli “war crimes” against the Palestinian people. MPs Hasan Haballah (Loyalty to the Resistance), Nabil Nicolas and Salim Aoun (Change and Reform) as well as MP Marwan Fares left Beirut on Monday to attend the conference.
Al Arabiya – The United Arab Emirates has begun implementing a strategic plan to build a new port for exporting crude oil in order to counter Iranian threats to hinder marine traffic by closing the Strait of Hormuz. The emirates of Abu Dhabi and Fujairah started in January constructing a port through which 70 percent of Abu Dhabi’s crude oil will be exported.

Iran

ISNA – Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman dismissed the statement of the Foreign Ministerial meeting of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council over Iran’s triple islands calling it interference in Iran’s interior affairs. The three islands have been inseparable parts of Iran over the history and the claims that are raised in this regard every while are legally baseless and unfounded and will not harm Iran’s sovereignty over the islands at all, Hassan Qashqavi said.
IRNA - Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency has officially announced that some 400 uranium mines have been identified nationwide, which will help posterity benefit from nuclear energy.
Fars – Russia is ready to help Iran in selling its gas to European countries, visiting Russian Energy Minister Sergey Ivanovich Shmatko said on Tuesday.
Mehr – A top Iranian lawmaker called on Saudi Arabia to take measure to rectify its religious police’s disrespectful behavior toward Iranian pilgrims visiting the holy sites in Mecca and Medina. “We hope that this problem would be resolved before the concerned officials of the Islamic Republic take a decision,” Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chairman Alaeddin Boroujerdi told reporters on Tuesday.
IRIB – IRI Prosecutor General Qorban-Ali Dorri Najafabadi said Tuesday that the only way to prevent any repetition of the Zionist regime’s Gaza crimes was to hand a severe punishment to the perpetrators.
IRNA – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that he sees bright prospects for Iran-Turkey ties, it was reported on Tuesday. Receiving Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim, president Ahmadinejad referred to growing relations between Tehran and Ankara and said the two countries should make efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation to the highest level.
Press TV – Two Iranians who had been kidnapped by unknown gunmen on the highway linking Herat to Islam Qala in Afghanistan have been released. The hostages were set free in a Tuesday military operation, local security officials said.
MEMRI – The Iranian media are reporting that a senior official in the Hendijan police, in Khuzestan province, southwestern Iran, has been killed in an ambush set by unidentified forces. No opposition organization has yet taken responsibility for the killing.
NCRI – 1,000 workers of Dena Tire and Rubber Company went on strike over pay dispute with the management since last week in the southern city of Shiraz. On Monday, the striking workers gathered on company grounds demanding their unpaid salaries and benefits for the past three months and an amount owed to them by the management from the last year (Persian calendar year starting March 21). It has become a habit for the mullahs’ regime to steal from what little the workers make toward the end of the year.
ISNA – Photos: Maranjab salt desert, Iran

South Asia

Air Force – In Afghanistan, Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs dropped general purpose 500-pound bombs, striking a large group of anti-Afghan fighters amassed for an attack on a coalition forward base near Asmar. The strike repelled the attack, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy force.
CentCom – Coalition Forces kill four militants near Kandahar; Coalition Forces engaged several militants March 1, killing four, while conducting operations in Maywand District, Kandahar Province, approximately 80 km northwest of Kandahar. Coalition Forces learned through intelligence sources that enemy combatants were using the karez (water irrigation) system in Maywand District to hide weapons and munitions.
Geo – Two soldiers were gunned down by militants in scenic Swat valley on Tuesday. According to Swat Media Center, soldiers were martyred when they were carrying water tanker.
Geo – Five people were gunned down at Eastern Bypass in Quetta on Tuesday. The D.I.G. Operation confirmed that five people were killed in firing incident.
All Things Pakistan – In this still-developing story, unknown gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus near Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, leaving several security officials dead and several Sri Lankan cricketers were rushed to the hospital.
Sri Lanka MFA – President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani of Pakistan telephoned President Mahinda Rajapaksa today (03 March 2009) in Kathmandu, to strongly condemn the terrorist attack on the visiting Sri Lanka Cricket team in Lahore today, in which several team members were injured. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama was associated with the President during the telephone discussions. President Rajapaksa who is currently on a State Visit to Nepal, has decided to return to Sri Lanka cutting short his visit by a day, after completing his official engagements, as a result of this terrorist attack.
Sri Lanka MoD – Infantrymen of the 58 Division have further advanced into the Puthukkudiyiruppu built-up amidst heavy LTTE resistance as terrorists made desperate attempts to hold their last stronghold, battlefield sources in Mullaittivu said. Intense fighting was reported between troops and LTTE terrorists in Puthukudiyiruppu town perimeter yesterday, 2 March, security sources said. Meanwhile, troops of 10 Gajaba Regiment (10 GR) have found an underground bunker in the fringes of Puthukudiyiruppu junction yesterday. The bunker is believed to be used by the LTTE senior cadre, Bahanu, who is said to have withdrawn with his cadres to the rear LTTE defences in the face of heavy military assaults.
Times of India – Indian involvement in the terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team cannot be ruled out, Lahore Commissioner Khushro Pervaiz was quoted as saying Tuesday. India was trying to weaken Pakistan, added Gen (retired) Hameed Gul, a former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He told Geo News that India wanted to declare Pakistan a terrorist state and the firing on the Sri Lankan team was related to that conspiracy.
India MEA – We are shocked at the audacious attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers at Lahore this morning. We offer our sympathies and good wishes for their speedy recovery as well as, of those other individuals who have been caught up in the attack. Terrorism based in Pakistan is a grave threat to the entire world. It is in Pakistan’s own interest to take prompt, meaningful and decisive steps to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure once and for all.
Daily Star – Newly appointed BDR Director General Brig Gen Md Mainul Islam said yesterday video footage taken during the massacre in Pilkhana shows movement of some unknown people wearing BDR uniforms.
Daily Star – A number of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel, who fled the BDR headquarters at different times during February 25-26, have told The Daily Star how a group of masked Jawans forced them to take up firearms during the first hour of mutiny. “Take up arms, else none of you will survive,” a BDR Jawan from Battalion-24 quoted a masked Jawan, brandishing a gun and firing blank shots into the air, as saying.
BBC – Police in Bangladesh say they have arrested the alleged leader of a mutiny staged by border guards last week which left 74 people dead. Syed Tauhidul Alam was the “ringleader” behind the mutiny and was arrested along with at least four other men in a Dhaka slum, the officials said.

Far East & Pacific

Japan Times – Aegis destroyers carrying Standard Missile-3 interceptors will be deployed to the Sea of Japan to prepare for a possible North Korean missile launch, defense sources said Tuesday. North Korea claims it is preparing to launch a satellite into orbit, but Japan’s missile defense guideline allows the defense minister to order an intercept when a rocket to launch a satellite appears likely to fall onto Japanese soil or territorial waters.
Yonhap – North Korea on Wednesday accused the United States and South Korea of trying to attack the communist state and warned of further retaliations in case of any territorial intrusion. “Our military and people cherish peace and do not want war,” Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, said in a commentary. “But should the enemies invade even 0.001 mm into our territory, we will mobilize all our potential and deal retaliatory strikes that will be hundred times and thousand times more powerful.” The accusation comes as the two allies plan to go ahead with their joint military exercise starting next week despite mounting inter-Korean border tensions. The U.S. plans to mobilize 26,000 troops and a nuclear-powered carrier in this year’s drill to test its ability to quickly deploy forces should North Korea invade.
China Foreign Ministry – Q: In its 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released on February 25, the US State Department once again criticized China’s human rights. Do you have any comment? A: The Chinese Government attaches great importance to protecting and improving human rights. China’s constitution and laws respect and guarantee human rights… We urge the US side to reflect on its own human rights problems, stop acting as a “human rights guardian” and stop interfering in other’s internal affairs by releasing human rights reports.
PACOM – Preparations are underway for Pacific Partnership 2009, the fourth in a series of annual U.S. Pacific Fleet humanitarian civic assistance missions, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT) announced on his blog March 3. “This year we plan to head to Oceania and bring much needed supplies, medical, dental, veterinary and engineering aid to this region that has such a rich history with the United States,” said Adm. Robert. F. Willard in his blog posting. The mission will visit Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga.

Europe

German Defense Ministry – Defense Minister Dr. Franz Josef Jung met on Tuesday, 3rd March, in Moscow with Defense Minister Anatoly Serdjukow… Defense Minister Jung thanked him once more for the possibilities of transit of goods for our soldiers in Afghanistan through the Russian territory.
UK MoD – The final Scottish regiment to serve in Iraq has come home to RAF Lossiemouth to a joyful welcome yesterday, Monday 2 March 2009, where they were greeted by emotional friends and family as well as rousing Scottish music and drams of whisky.
European Union – Javier Solana European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), will meet the Georgian Prime Minister, Nika Gilauri, on Wednesday, 4 March 2009. The High Representative and Prime Minister Gilauri will discuss the latest developments in Georgia and EU-Georgia relations.
Jerusalem Post – The Netherlands and France have sharply chastised the UN for singling out Israel in the preparatory text for its upcoming “Durban II” anti-racism conference, but said they are not yet ready to boycott the event.
Eye on the UN – Durban Watch
EurActiv – In a move that surprised and infuriated some, the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) suddenly decided to switch candidates at the top of its party list for the EU elections last week. EurActiv Hungary reports. Without consulting the party’s only MEP, Péter Olajos, who had been considered favourite to head the list, the MDF leadership decided to nominate former finance minister Lajos Bokros instead, a member of the Socialist cabinet in the 1990s.
Expatica – Europe has seen a significant increase in anti-Semitic attacks since Israel’s 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip and the onset of the global economic crisis, a report said on Monday. The study by the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) showed the number of anti-Semitic incidents in EU countries declined in 2007 and most of 2008 only to see an upsurge since December.
Expatica – Switzerland’s top central banker, Jean-Pierre Roth, will retire at the end of 2009, the Swiss National Bank said in a statement Friday. Roth, 63, who also chairs the board of directors at the Bank for International Settlements, the bank for central bankers, is also credited with expanding SNB’s international profile.
ISN – Ueli Maurer, the new Swiss minister of defense, has hit the ground running. Since taking over the office from his predecessor Samuel Schmid at the beginning of January 2009, he has already tackled several important orders of business for his department. What became known as the “Nef affair” in the Swiss press, plus the occurrence of several military training accidents during the same time period, simultaneously took their toll on the public image and general respectability of the army. Repairing these previous inadequacies and rebuilding the public and professional reputation of the armed forces has therefore been one of Maurer’s biggest goals, since coming to office.

Africa

Garowe – A new batch of African Union peacekeepers arrived in Somalia’s capital Tuesday, days after 11 Burundian peacekeepers in Mogadishu were killed in a suicide bomb attack, Radio Garowe reports. A military transport plane delivered 500 new soldiers from Burundi, which will reinforce a 3,500-strong AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM.
Shabelle – Mohamud Hassan Guuleed, the spokesman of WFP for Somalia has said on Tuesday that WFP signed a deal with the Islamic administration in Middle Jubba region in southern Somalia. Mr. Guuled who is in Nairobi told Shabelle radio that the agreement was about how the World Food Program agency would work again in Middle Jubba region afer the Islamic administration in the region accused the aid agencies for supplying an expired food for the people in the region that caused to their work in the region.
Al Bawaba – The Algerian army has killed 16 armed Islamist fighters during an operation in the mountains of Blida province, about 100 kilometres south of Algiers, local media reported Tuesday. The 16 militants belonged to the same group and were killed near Soulahane on Saturday during a search operation that has been under way for several days, newspapers and the state-owned Chaine III radio reported.
Xinhua – President Omar al-Bahir, addressed a crowd at the inauguration ceremony for Merowe Dam, the country’s largest hydropower project. The 9.7-km dam is the longest one in the world with a total capacity of 1.25 million kilowatt, twice as much as Sudan’s existing power supply.
MEMRI – Arab and Touareg nomads from northern Mali and Niger have sent a threat via a third party to Al-Qaeda Maghreb, telling the organization that if it does not release the six people it abducted, including two Canadian diplomats, the tribes will launch a war against it. It was reported that the treat came after tribal leaders met with a top Algerian security element in southern Algeria.
New Times – The Japanese government will soon open an embassy in Rwanda, to facilitate the “good cooperation between the two countries”, the Japanese Ambassador, Shigeo Iwatani confirmed yesterday.
Rwanda MFA – On Tuesday, 3rd March, 2009 the Government of Japan extended to the Government of the Republic of Rwanda a Grant assistance amounting to 300 million Japanese yen (approximately 1.5 billion Rwf) for the Food Security Project for Underprivileged Farmers.
Rwanda MFA – Rwandan troops began pulling out of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, after an unprecedented joint operation with Congolese troops against FDLR elements. The actual retreat came after a ceremony in the Eastern North-Kivu capital of Goma between Congolese and Rwandese officials of which included the two armies’ Chief of Staff, thus underscoring their agreement to work for peace, following years of war and regional instability.
APA – The extradition of the captured Congolese renegade rebel General Laurent Nkunda to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may take some time, according to the Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Tuesday. Speaking during a press conference Tuesday in Kigali, the Rwandan President Paul Kagame said the discussions about his case were still going on between the two countries with their foreign ministers slated to meet next week.
OGJ – ContourGlobal, New York, signed a contract with Rwanda’s government to extract solution gas from Lake Kivu to generate electricity. The $325 million KivuWatt project is to start generating 25 Mw in 2010 and another 75 Mw 2 years later. Power from a plant at Kibuye, Rwanda, is expected to ultimately supply Uganda, Congo (former Zaire), and Burundi as well as Rwanda. ContourGlobal plans to develop, build, and operate several barges to extract methane from lake water at 350 m. It will process the gas and move it by pipeline to the Kibuye generator, which will more than double the amount of power produced in Rwanda.
Japan MFA – The Government of Japan has decided to provide a Japanese ODA loan of up to two billion yen to the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania as the “Sixth Poverty Reduction Support Credit.”
AFRICOM – West Africa has seen an “absolutely shocking” increase in narcotics trafficking, which disrupts local communities and threatens the entire region, U.S. Africa Command’s civilian deputy told Ghanaian reporters March 2, 2009, while visiting a fishing community near the coastal city of Sekondi.

Secretary Gates and French Minister of Defense Herve Morin

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, right, escorts French Minister of Defense Herve Morin through an honor cordon into the Pentagon to discuss bilateral issues, March 3, 2009. (photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly Burgess)

The Global War

Raymond Ibrahim – Having written at length on various aspects of Islam, it is always my writings concerning doctrinal deceit that elicit (sometimes irate) responses. As such, the purpose of this article is to revisit the issue of deceit and taqiyya in Islam, and address the many ostensibly plausible rebuttals made by both Muslims and non-Muslims. The earliest rebuttal I received appeared last year, days after I wrote an essay called “Islam’s doctrines of deception” for the subscription-based Jane’s Islamic Affairs Analyst. Due to the controversy it initiated among the intelligence community and abroad, the editors were quick to publish an apologetic counter-article by one Michael Ryan called “Interpreting Taqiyya.”
Straits Times – China announced on Wednesday that its defence spending would rise by 14.9 per cent in 2009, as it insisted its expanding military power posed no threat to the rest of the world.
US Navy – Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) from Special Boat Team 20 (SBT-20), completed multiple free-fall parachute jumps Feb. 22-March 6, in preparation for an upcoming deployment. The Sailors jumped out of a plane at altitudes of up to 12,500 feet to maintain their free-fall jump qualification, which they need to be assigned to a Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery System (MCADS) detachment.

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

4 February, 2009 (00:44) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 4 February 2009.

United States & the Americas

Marine Corps Times – A classified Pentagon report urges President Barack Obama to shift U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, de-emphasizing democracy-building and concentrating more on targeting Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuaries inside Pakistan with the aid of Pakistani military forces. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has seen the report prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but it has not yet been presented to the White House, officials said Tuesday.
Geoff Morrell, Pentagon spokesman – The secretary for some time now has been talking about his belief that the commander needs additional forces in Afghanistan as well. There needs to be established a baseline of security in Afghanistan. We are – the mission fundamentally is a counterinsurgency operation. That has been the case. That likely will continue to be the case, albeit with more troops, if that’s what the president signs off on. But no matter what your overall strategy may be, we need to reverse the trends that we are seeing in some parts of the country in terms of a deteriorating security situation
AFPS – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has selected a Navy four-star admiral to lead an assessment of operations at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a senior Defense Department official said.
Jurist – Six detainees from the Guantanamo Bay military prison, including three Uighurs, are seeking refugee status in Canada with the support of Canadian sponsors. The Uighurs were last year deemed not to be unlawful enemy combatants. Lawyers for the men have said that US authorities have admitted the men were mistakenly picked up, and are ideal candidates for refugee status in Canada. They also have said that the men will face torture or even death if they are allowed to return to China.
Toronto Star – The House of Commons has endorsed a big-ticket stimulus package in a vote that ensures the survival of the minority Conservatives
DID – Colombia’s recent military modernization announcements coincide with the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ release of their Military Balance report for 2009. That report cites Venezuela’s continuing arms buildup in the region, which has triggered corresponding modernization drives in nearby countries, including Colombia and Brazil.
CNNt – The Bank of Mexico auctioned off billions of dollars Tuesday in an attempt to support the faltering Mexican peso. The measure did not have the desired effect, however, with the dollar commanding 14.5 pesos at the end of the day, 45 percent more than in August.
Javno – Guatemala is struggling to contain a surge in drug smugglers from Mexican cartels who are increasingly controlling chunks of the border area, President Alvaro Colom said on Tuesday. Mexico’s powerful drug gangs killed some 5,700 people in Mexico last year, as an army crackdown sparked fresh turf wars, and they are setting up camp in Guatemala where they use the porous border to move Colombian cocaine north by land.
US Navy – Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO) and U.S. 4th Fleet hosted the seventh annual U.S. Military Group (MILGP) Navy Section Chief Conference Jan. 26-30. Navy section chiefs are U.S. Navy representatives working with the MILGP at U.S. embassies worldwide to coordinate a variety of maritime programs within their host country. This conference involved Navy section chiefs from the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of focus, which encompasses the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

RIA Novosti – Kyrgyzstan will demand the closure of a U.S. military base on its territory, used to support antiterrorism operations in neighboring Afghanistan, the Central Asian state’s president said on Tuesday. Kurmanbek Bakiyev is on a two-day visit in Moscow, where he also secured deals to write off Kyrgyzstan’s $180 million debt and to receive a $2 billion discounted loan and $150 million in financial aid from Russia.
Russia Today – Russia and Belarus have signed a deal on a joint air defence system. Belarusian president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, travelled to Moscow to sign the agreement at a meeting of the Russia-Belarus Union State Supreme Council.
Kremlin – On February 4, 2009, a special session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, as well as a special session of the Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community, at the head of state level, will be held in Moscow. The Collective Security Treaty Organisation comprises Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The members of EurAsEC are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
abc.az – Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer arrived in Baku today with a two-day visit. The major issues of the forthcoming talks will be Poland-Azerbaijan ties as well as the EU Eastern Partnership Programme initiated by Poland and Sweden
APA – The President of Azerbaijan denied reports on Russia’s pressure on Azerbaijan concerning the Nabucco Project. “There was no pressure from Russia. We have no energy problems with Russia”.
Press TV – The Azeri security service says it has disbanded a group of ‘terrorists’ who was planning to bomb the Baku-Novorossiysk Pipeline. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Azerbaijan’s Security Ministry said the main objective of the group was to destabilize the country by exploding the pipeline and preventing the export of oil.
RIA Novosti – Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company GNKAR said on Tuesday in January it exported via the Baku-Novorossiisk pipeline some 167,200 metric tons of crude, which is a 34.7% decline against the same period last year.
Interfax – Kazakh government gains control over BTA Bank and Alliance Bank; The Kazakh State Financial Supervision Agency (FSA) has made a recommendation and the government has accepted it to purchase 78.14% of common shares in BTA Bank.
Robert Hamilton, CSIS – Georgian Military Reform – An Alternative View

Middle East

Voices of Iraq – Iraqi security sources arrested a woman who confessed to being behind 28 suicide bombings that occurred in Baghdad and Diala, an official source from Baghdad’s Operation Command (BOC) said on Tuesday. “However, our information indicates that she has recruited 80 female suicide bombers,” he added.
Al Sumaria – Major General Andy Salmon, commander of coalition forces in southeastern Iraq affirmed that British troops in Iraq have largely met the conditions required for their withdrawal and are in progress of pulling out from the country by May 31
Poland MFA – The Polish authorities followed closely the course of the local elections which took place on 31st January in 14 provinces in Iraq. We noted with satisfaction the professional organisation of the elections and the generally peaceful way in which voting was carried out. The high frequency recorded among all social groups was particularly pleasing, including in particular in the provinces in which the Polish Military Contingent had until recently been overseeing security.
Haaretz – Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Thursday that the transfer of particular weapons systems from Syria to Hezbollah would obligate Israel to take action in Lebanon. During a tour of the northern border on Tuesday, Barak addressed concerns that Syria was looking to transfer anti-aircraft missiles to the Lebanon-based militants group, vowing that Israel would respond to such an illicit deal
Naharnet – Hizbullah on Tuesday declared that Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun tops its priorities in the forthcoming parliamentary elections. “Our battle is that of Aoun,” announced Hizbullah MP Ali Ammar. He was apparently referring to the document of understanding between Aoun’s FPM and Hizbullah.
Hizballah – The head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun called for PM Fouad Saniora, the head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt and the head of the Future movement MP Saad Hariri to be tried for harming relations with Syria
NOW Lebanon – Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that Hezbollah would not create conflict between Lebanon’s factions as a means to influence the outcome of the coming elections
Hurriyet - A new (Turkish)government regulation that provides for the establishment of a special police unit to coordinate the fight against terrorism was published in the Official Gazette yesterday. The Special Security Department unit will be under the authority of the Police Department and will be composed of five subdivisions, the regulation said. The decision to create this new unit was made upon the request of the Interior Ministry on Dec. 29, 2008.
News Yemen – Yemeni security authorities have reportedly deployed hundreds of troops in areas bordering Saudi Arabia to prevent al-Qaeda operatives from entering the country to carry out terrorist attacks following threats by leaders in the so-called the al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula.
Asharq Al Awsat – Yemeni juridical sources have revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that five Syrian and eleven Yemeni suspects are set to be tried for carrying out terrorist attacks in a number of governorates in Sana’a, Hadramaut and Aden.

Iran

AP - Cyprus has given the United Nations a report on the cargo of a container ship suspected of carrying arms from Iran to Gaza, authorities said Tuesday. The Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a brief written statement that its report to the U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee contains the findings of authorities who made two inspections of the ship. No details about the ship’s cargo were given. Cyprus’ foreign minister has said authorities were trying to determine whether the ship had contravened U.N. resolutions.
Cyprus Foreign Ministry – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces the following concerning the ship MONCHEGORSK: A team of experts from the Republic of Cyprus has proceeded with two inspections of the cargo of the above ship on January 29 and February 2. The Republic of Cyprus today submitted a report on the findings of the inspections to the competent UN Security Council Sanctions Committee.
Iran Focus – India’s Reliance Industries, widely believed to have stopped fuel sales to Iran, exported three cargoes to Tehran in January, trade sources said on Tuesday. “They sent one 36,000-tonne gasoline cargo, and two 27,000-30,000 tonne gasoil cargoes for Bandar Abbas port in January,” said one of the traders.
Fars – Tehran and Islamabad share common interests in curbing extremists, Chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Tuesday. “The Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan can create a better situation in the region and secure the common interests of their people by expanding their political and economic ties”, Rafsanjani added in a meeting with the new Pakistani Ambassador, Mohammad Bakhsh Abbasi.
Payvand – Press TV has received confirmation that the first domestic Iranian satellite has been placed into orbit via two carrier rockets. Omid (meaning ‘Hope’ in Persian) was sent into space by the Iranian-produced satellite carrier Safir 2 early on Tuesday.
Uskowi on Iran – Additional photos of Iran’s space launch
IRNA - Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Tuesday that the new era of convergence and reconstruction in the African continent has begun. Given the very good historical ties between Iran and African countries, he said that Iran has throughout history spared no efforts to back liberation struggles of African states and bilateral economic ties have improved significantly, Mottaki said.
Mehr – Iran’s new stealth fighter will make its maiden test flight by the end of summer 2009, the commander of the Iranian Air Force stated on Tuesday. Hassan Shah-Safi told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on military industrial research in Tehran that military experts are now working on the project.
NCRI – As such, without taking into account prisoners who have faced cruel punishments such as stoning or limb amputations, the number of prisoners hanged in the first month of 2009 has reached 59
PanArmenian – Nabucco can’t be implemented without Iran’s participation, Iranian Ambassador to Georgia Mojtaba Damirchi said.
Canberra Times – Stand on the roof terrace of the Ali Qapu palace overlooking the central square of Isfahan, Iran’s most beautiful city, and you begin to grasp the significance of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629), arguably the country’s most brilliant ruler. Before you lies the masterpiece of urban planning that integrated the political, economic, religious and social elements out of which he built a nation. Here is an architecture which perfectly expresses the political economy of its ruler and enabled him to claim his country was at the centre of the world.

assisting pilots of the Afghanistan army air corps

U.S. Air Force Capt. Tom Shearer enters an AN-32B passenger aircraft prior to a flight in Afghanistan on Jan. 27. Shearer is deployed with the 438th AEAG to Afghanistan to mentor and assist pilots of the Afghanistan army air corps. (photo by Staff Sgt. James Harper)

South Asia

VOA – NATO’s supreme commander, John Craddock, is in Afghanistan for talks with officials and troops trying to combat an increasingly violent insurgency. NATO did not release further details.
CFR – This report provides a definition of Afghanistan reconstruction oversight and a summary of recent developments that have affected reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. It also includes an overview of significant initiatives underway to improve the recontruction strategy.
US Army – More than 100 Afghans and Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new $180,000 Bakshi Khiel Bridge in the Rokha district of Afghanistan’s Panjshir province Jan. 26.
Pak Tribune – Suspected Islamic militants blew up a bridge in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, closing a crucial supply line for NATO troops in Afghanistan as officials said 50 extremists were killed in military operations. The 100-foot (30-metre) iron bridge in the Khyber district, built on a culvert under the British Raj, was destroyed early in the morning and all traffic on the road came to a standstill, official Tariq Hayat told AFP. Australian Wing Commander Mark Larter, a spokesman for the NATO force in Afghanistan, played down the temporary closure.
Geo – Unknown militants have set on fire eight NATO containers in Landi Kotal area of Khyber Agency on early Wednesday, Geo News reported. Sources said, no loss of life was confirmed in the incident.
Geo – An explosion ripped through a mosque in Imam Gate area of the city on Tuesday, killing one worshipper while 18 others were injured. According to Geo news correspondent, Saeedullah Marwat, the hand grenade blast took place in Madni mosque during Maghrib prayer
The News – Unidentified militants blew up two boys schools in Salarzai Tehsil of the restive Bajaur Agency on Tuesday. The militants have so far destroyed 27 schools in the Bajaur Agency.
Daily Times – Fifteen Taliban were killed on Tuesday as fighting continued in Swat, bringing to 50 the total number of Taliban killed overnight, officials said. In a bid to escape the pitched battles, around 20,000 civilians had fled their homes in districts of Swat in the past week, many taking refuge in camps set up by authorities, AFP quoted local officials as saying.
Dawn – A bride and groom were among at least four people killed in a shootout at a wedding party in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, a local official said Tuesday.The incident took place in Dashtgoran village, 18 kilometres east of Dera Bugti town in the gas-rich province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
The Post – Some unidentified people blew up two gas pipelines with explosives in Dera Bugti that suspended the gas supply to Loi and Pir Koh gas plants.
Times of India – As India awaits Pakistan’s response to its terror dossier, the Pakistan Interior Minister on Tuesday said the Mumbai attacks were planned outside Pakistan and that the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) final report will be handed over to India in a week’s time.
Rediff – Investigations have revealed that 26/11 Mumbai killers communicated with each other using coded language. Rediff.com has learnt that each terrorist, who was part of the 26/11 attack, was given a Thuraya satellite phone. Sabahuddin says none of the operatives was supposed to mention the number assigned to them during conversations. Even when a diary entry was to be made, they never stored the real satellite phones numbers handed over to them. The only way to decode the numbers was with the help of the code number 1212

Far East & Pacific

Asia Times – The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has increased its participation in a broadening array of multilateral security arrangements in recent years. One of the most high-profile aspects of this trend is the dramatic expansion in Chinese peacekeeping deployments (of civilian police, military observers, engineering battalions, and medical units) to United Nations operations: since 2000, when China deployed fewer than 100 peacekeepers, there has been a remarkable 20-fold increase in its contributions.
China Daily – China is poised to revise its energy development plans by nearly doubling its nuclear power capacity in the next decade, energy authorities have said. The revision is still awaiting approval from the State Council, the Chinese-language 21st Century Business Herald yesterday cited sources close to the National Energy Administration (NEA) as saying.
Nosint – Chinese attack submarines sailed on more patrols in 2008 than ever before, according to information obtained by Federation of American Scientists from U.S. naval intelligence
Yonhap – The United States Tuesday warned North Korea not to test fire a ballistic missile, saying any such launch would be in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution. The spokesperson was responding to reports that North Korea is preparing to test launch a long-range missile capable of reaching the mainland U.S., in an apparent effort to attract the attention of the new U.S. administration.
The Australian – Fanatical Muslim cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika, who wanted to wage jihad by launching “terrible acts of violence”, has been sentenced to at least 12 years in jail after becoming the first person in Australia convicted of leading a terrorist organisation.
Graeme Dobell, The Interpreter – Fiji’s military regime is a slow-motion folly that seems to roll inexorably towards further disaster. And the disaster dynamic is now confronting the Pacific Islands Forum. The Forum is edging towards the expulsion of Fiji, knowing that this would deeply damage the Forum itself.
Japan Times – Fiscal constraints continued to push down Japan’s official development assistance, leaving the country in fifth place in 2007, according to the white paper on ODA submitted Tuesday to the Cabinet. Net bilateral ODA disbursements in 2007 marked an annual drop of 31 percent to approximately $76.79 billion. A top donor in the 1990s, Japan now ranks behind the United States, Britain, Germany and France, the report says. “Aid to Africa and assisting climate change issues will be the distinctive feature of Japan’s ODA,” a Foreign Ministry official told reporters.
Bangkok Post- Negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia over Preah Vihear have stumbled over the spelling of the name of the famed ancient temple. A Thai official said yesterday officials of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission were trying to find a way around the problem so border negotiations could proceed.
Straits Times – Indonesia and Singapore have agreed on the western segment of their maritime border after nearly four years of negotiations, officials here said. The new borderline was drawn between Indonesia’s Pulau Nipah and Singapore’s Sultan Shoal, and is the first agreed upon since the two countries last signed a border pact in 1973.
Irrawaddy – A Burmese special drugs squad has arrested several associates of the influential businessman Aik Hawk, also known as Hsiao Haw, following the seizure of heroin in a series of raids in Rangoon, according to well-informed sources. Aik Hawk, who is in his 40s, is the son-in-law of Bao Youxiang, the chairman of one of the largest armed groups in Burma, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), which is heavily involved in the drugs trade.

Europe

EurActiv – Lawmakers in the European Parliament are considering inviting Russia to join the Union’s Nabucco gas pipeline project, to avoid competition with rival projects sponsored by Moscow in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute. The proposal is contained in a report on the EU’s strategic energy review, which is set be voted upon in the European Parliament.
European Voice – The Russia-Ukraine gas crisis has bolstered political support for Nord Stream. There is one clear winner from the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine: the proposed Nord Stream pipeline, which will bring Russian gas to Europe via the Baltic sea.
Moscow Times – European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and a team of key commissioners will hold difficult talks in Moscow this week over old and new trade disputes and a new visa feud, diplomats said Tuesday. Many governments have thrown their weight behind the proposed Nabucco pipeline that would carry gas from Iran and the Caspian basin to Europe, bypassing Russia. But some see the $13 billion project threatened by Moscow’s plans to build the Nord Stream and South Stream pipelines, not least because Russia might be the only viable source for gas to fill Nabucco. Poland, the Baltic and some Scandinavian states heavily oppose Nord Stream, which would run under the Baltic Sea and is supported by Germany and Gazprom. The Czech presidency of the European Union will use a May 21-22 summit with Russia to discuss energy security.
UN – The United Nation’s top court has ruled that Ukrainian ownership of Serpent Island – a rocky outcrop in the Black Sea – does not entitle the country to exclusive rights to an undersea area, thought to be rich in hydrocarbons, it had disputed for decades with Romania.
AP – Spanish police arrested 13 people Tuesday on suspicion of links to organized crime and terrorism groups. A police statement said the detainees — 11 Pakistanis, a Nigerian and an Indian — are suspected of belonging to an international crime gang involved in passport forgery, drug trafficking and people-smuggling. Police said they were investigating whether the group may also have supplied forged documents to international terror groups.

Africa

Shabelle – The Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab Tuesday urged its fighters and Somalis to intensify a holy war against African Union (AU) peacekeepers in Mogadishu. Major Bahuko Baridgye, the spokesman of the AU forces, denied the allegations and said that the roadside bomb explosion had killed three civilians and wounded one of their soldiers.
Garowe – Islamist militants who spearheaded a bloody insurgency in Somalia have declared war on the Horn of Africa country’s new president, even as a global council of Islamic scholars issued a document supporting him, Radio Garowe reports.
Sudan Tribune – Sudanese warplanes and aircraft conducted air assaults around Muhageria town in South Darfur this morning, reported the UN-African Union hybrid peacekeeping operation in Darfur (UNAMID). The bombing has gone on for weeks since the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement seized the town on January 15.
IWPR – The pending indictment of Omar al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court, ICC, appears to have eroded critical support for the embattled Sudanese president among his notorious janjaweed militia allies.
AFP – Seven Rwandan Hutu rebels were killed Tuesday in clashes with a joint DR Congo-Rwanda operation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the military said. “The joint forces took back the town of Fatua after intense fighting,” said a statement from the army chiefs of staff, adding that seven rebels from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) had been killed.
UNICEF – UNICEF welcomed today the release of 85 children by the Mayi Mayi armed group in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Of these children, 65 were released on 29 January, and another 20 on 1 February. The children are between the ages of 7 and 17, five of them being girls.
IRIN – The joint military operation by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda to dislodge armed militias from North Kivu Province has prompted an increase in combatants willing to be repatriated, President Joseph Kabila said
Jennifer Parenti, Joint Force Quarterly – China-Africa Relations in the 21st Century
Henry Lee, Belfer Center – Pressured by skyrocketing demand, Chinese oil companies have branched out across the globe seeking new oil supplies to feed the country’s economic growth. By 2006, China had made oil investments in almost every part of the world, including Africa. These initiatives have not been without controversy
Xinhua – Chinese President Hu Jintao will pay state visits to Saudi Arabia, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Mauritius from Feb. 10 to 17, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu announced Tuesday.

A CV-22 Osprey flies over Florida's Emerald Coast, Jan. 31. The crew and aircraft are assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. While over the water, the crew practiced using the hoist, a means to rescue stranded personnel. (photo by Senior Airman Julianne Showalter)

The Global War

UPI – The Russian government of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has made clear that its price for negotiating and signing a new strategic arms-reduction treaty with the United States will be the scrapping of U.S. plans, energetically pursued under the Bush administration, to build a base to house 10 Ground-based Mid-course Interceptors in Poland.
RIA Novosti – The S-300P surface-to-air missile system
US News – The Mystery of the Ex-FBI Agent Missing in Iran; Richard Levinson’s wife and Florida lawmakers appeal to the Obama administration for help on the case
Chatham House – UN and EU Sanctions: Human Rights and the Fight Against Terrorism – The Kadi Case; This is a summary of the International Law Discussion Group meeting held on 22 January 2009 at Chatham House.
DoD IG – Department of Defense Principal Deputy Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble testified before the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan on “Lessons From the Inspectors General: Improving Wartime Contracting.”
Air Force Live – Anyone browsing the aisles at local shops this week may come across a surprising new find in the toy section, a new line of action figures for each of the military branches. What caught our eye? The Air Force Special Tactics Action Figure.

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

25 November, 2008 (01:11) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 25 November 2008.

United States & the Americas

CTB – Today, the jury hearing the second Holy Land Foundation terrorism trial delivered guilty verdicts against HLF and all of the individual defendants, a stunning victory for federal prosecutors.
AFP – Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver currently being held at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be transferred to Yemen, CNN reported, citing unnamed US sources.
Washington Post – A Justice Department lawyer today urged an appeals court to overturn a judge’s order to release a group of Chinese Muslims at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison into the United States.
NPR – A surge of diamond mining in northern Canada aims to be a boon for the economy. Running a mining operation in the remote tundra region of the Northwest Territories is costly and challenging, but demand for conflict-free diamonds is high.
Fidel Castro, Granma – Al-Qaeda, spawned by the empire itself, is a typical example of an enemy that the hegemonic power places where it needs to in order to then justify its actions, in the same way that, throughout history, it has manufactured enemies and attacks aimed at advancing its plans for domination. The pretext of the National Security of the United States to justify its crimes preceded the attacks that destroyed the Twin Towers on September 11.
LA Times – Turnout was heavy Sunday in Venezuelan state and local elections, which were seen as a referendum on President Hugo Chavez’s decade in office and could be a decisive factor in whether he attempts to abolish term limits and extend his powers. Late Sunday, the National Electoral Council reported that Chavez’s gubernatorial candidates were leading in 17 of 22 states, two of which, Tachira and Carabobo, were too close to call. Chavez’s party appeared set to lose the Caracas mayoralty, however.
IMF – Although Latin America will not be immune to the financial crisis, many countries in the region are likely to ride out the storm better than previously because they now have stronger economic policies in place, according to Nicolas Eyzaguirre, the new Director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department.
Miami Herald – A gang of drug hitmen is leaving funeral wreaths with death threats directed at local policemen in the northern Mexico city of Hermosillo. State police say six of the wreaths were left on the city’s streets, along with hand-lettered posters signed by the Gulf drug cartel. One of the signs found on Monday reads “This is a message for the entire state police force, if you mess with us we are going to kill you and your entire family.”
Global Voices – About seven months after the global food crisis was showing up on people’s radar and two months after the global financial crisis made headlines, Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister decided that the time was right to address the nation regarding the state of the economy. The money quote of the speech was “Tighten your belts” – and bloggers have had a lot to say about the subject.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

Kremlin – QUESTION: For a long time, Latin America was seen as part of the United States’ sphere of influence, and this remains the case today. In what light can we see your visit to this region? DMITRY MEDVEDEV: In the light I spoke about during the summer when I set out the five main principles of Russia’s foreign policy. One of these principles, if you recall, is our desire to develop relations with countries with which we would like to have privileged ties. This includes the CIS countries, and the countries of Latin America, with many of which we had strong and serious relations during the Soviet period. Now the time has come to restore these relations. Peru is also a country with which we would like to build special privileged relations
Russia Today – Prime Minister Putin’s reversed his opposition to the World Trade Organization by backing a new round of accession talks which start on Monday. But negotiators have admitted that in the first years Russia will give WTO members more than it gets. If Russia wants zero-tariff trade with the WTO’s 153 members, Washington is demanding the Kremlin first privatize state giants.
Lt Col Erik Rundquist – Traveling down the path of Russia’s military reform, some government officials and various interest groups are trying to determine what the transformed military ultimately will look like. Additionally, the recent tragedy aboard the Nerpa (a Russian Akula-class submarine) has cast doubts on the proficiency of the Russian military industrial complex, which is a critical engine in developing technological solutions for transformational change. In both the organizational and industrial cases, there continues to be vociferous opposition within Russia.
Moscow Times – The Central Bank said Monday that it widened the ruble’s trading band by 30 kopeks on both ends for the second time in two weeks, effectively allowing a gradual devaluation of the currency to continue. The Kremlin and Central Bank have said there will be no sharp devaluation, which would carry considerable political risks. But a weakening of the currency would help make Russian exports more attractive and slow the rate at which the country has to burn through its foreign exchange reserves.
Intellibriefs – Orenburg Governor Alexei Chernyshov gave an interview to RIA Novosti’s New Theme on Russian-Indian Affairs magazine during his visit to New Delhi
Kommersant – Nino Burjanadze has always been in the right place at the right time. The daughter of a famous Georgian official, she was introduced into Eduard Shevardnadze’s circle, but she managed to dissociate herself from him to head the rose revolution with Mikhail Saakashvili. She is mostly likely to become the next Georgian President.
Kavkaz Center – According to the KC source in the headquarters of South-Western Front (SWF) of Armed Forces of the Caucasus Emirate combat actions are going in the forests of Urus-Martan district for more than a week. The source reported that military activity is associated with the fact that occupational gangs of “Spetsnaz” and formations of local apostates tried to hold in the areas of responsibility SWF combat operations against the Mujahideen.
EurasiaNet – Agreements signed at Baku’s recent Energy Summit mark a significant show of Azerbaijani support for projects that could break Moscow’s regional stranglehold over export routes. The documents are the first such affirmations since the August war between Georgia and Russia. Local experts caution, however, that implementation of Baku’s pledges is contingent on world energy prices and the global financial crisis, as well as on the South Caucasus’ changing geopolitical climate.
Kyiv Post – Ukrainian officials on Monday rushed to Moscow for talks aimed at resolving a natural gas debt dispute and setting a price for Russian gas supplies in 2009. Russia says it will not sign any contracts for next year until Ukraine, crippled by a severe financial crisis, pays $2.4 billion in debt for gas that has already been delivered. Ukraine says it owes only $1.3 billion.
Ukrainiana – On November 22 I joined the thousands of people from all over Ukraine who braved the rainy snow to participate in the Holodomor remembrance service. This year, the event took place in the newly-opened Holodomor Memorial Park in Kyiv. (photos)

These arches once stood as doorways to shops, now are remnants of a past culture in the Shrine of Hatra, in Hatra, Iraq, Nov. 20. Hatra is one of three areas in Iraq that is a World Heritage site. (photo by Staff Sgt. JoAnn Makinano)

Middle East

MNF Iraq – Coalition and Iraqi forces detained 42 suspected terrorists and seized weapons caches during recent operations across Iraq, military officials said. In two separate operations in Baghdad yesterday, troops captured eight suspected members of an insurgent network. Military officials said the network, known as Asaib Ahl al-Haq, engages in roadside bombings, kidnappings and sectarian killings. Also in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district yesterday, troops apprehended six alleged members of the Kataib Hezbollah network.
USASOC – Iraqi Security Forces, with Coalition Forces advisors, arrested a suspected Jaysh al Mahdi special groups criminal leader during an operation in central Iraq Nov. 20-21. A reported JAM-SG battalion commander and two others were arrested Nov. 21 in Al Qurna during an Iraqi Special Operations Forces operation. This operation led to the detention of a man who has allegedly worked with Iranian intelligence for the past three years. “(The JAM-SG commander) is well known throughout western Qurna neighborhoods as a very smart and capable leader who receives directives from Islamic Revolution Guards Corps – Quds Force,” said an operation commander.
Michael Yon – The Iraq War is over. Flames still burst from various sources and wild cards remain, such as the potential that Muqtada al-Sadr might stomp his feet and encourage his diminished militias to attack us. Yet support for Sadr among Shia is hardly monolithic.
Washington Post - Three bombings targeting Iraqi government employees and the U.S.-fortified Green Zone killed at least 20 people and left scores wounded Monday, two days before the Iraqi parliament is expected to vote on a controversial security agreement with the United States.
Asharq Al Awsat – Syria on Monday rejected U.S. allegations that it is allowing terrorist networks to use its territory to attack Iraq. U.S. Embassy charge d’affaires in Damascus, Maura Connelly, told a security conference of Iraq’s neighbors held in Syria on Sunday that militant groups continue to receive weapons, training, funding and guidance from abroad. She was apparently referring to Syria and Iran.
Haaretz – Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that Hezbollah had tripled its strength since the 2006 war in Lebanon, and that the pro-Iranian organization now possesses 42,000 rockets, some of which are capable of striking Ashkelon, Yerucham, and Dimona, Army Radio reported.
NOW Lebanon – Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt told As-Safir newspaper on Monday that he was keeping his speeches calm, according to the Doha Agreement’s recommendations. On Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel’s speech, in which he called for the disarmament of Hezbollah, Jumblatt said that he agreed with Gemayel that the best course of action was gradually to assimilate Hezbollah’s weapons.
Xinhua – Wanted Fattah al-Islam new leader Abdul Rahman Awad escaped from Ain el-Helwe Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon to Iraq five days ago, Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV reported Monday.
Olivier Guitta – CIA Director Michael Hayden said last week that al-Qaida was still the largest threat to the United States. He added, “If there is a major strike on this country, it will bear the fingerprints of al-Qaida.” But some analysts say that the focus should not go entirely on al-Qaida, stressing that the capabilities of the Shiite organization Hezbollah should not be underestimated.
DTN – An in-depth look at Hassan Nasrallah, who advocates the destruction of Israel and the U.S. alike.
FBTTB – It’s painful enough to listen to Michel Aoun preach about the alleged failure of the American model, and how he allegedly made all the successful choices in the past. But now Sunni Mount Lebanon mufti, Mohammad Ali al-Jouzou has sailed into the Aoun-Hizbullah twilight zone:
PanArmenian – Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said the RA will continue negotiations for normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Iran

Fars – Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said here on Monday that his troops have arrested members of a network of Israeli spies who collected and transferred information about Iran’s nuclear and military centers.
Press TV – Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has arrived in Tehran to hold talks on defense cooperation, regional and international issues. Speculation has been rife that enhancement of military cooperation between Iran and Lebanon would be one of the main issues on the agenda of talks.
IRNA – Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani Monday in meeting with Armenia Republic’s Secretary of National Security Cuncil Arthur Baghdasarian stressed need for more expansion of Tehran-Yerevan comprehensive ties

South Asia

AFP – NATO commanders in Afghanistan need more troops and equipment to combat the Taliban, the alliance’s top officer warned Monday, as insurgent attacks mount in southern and eastern regions. US General John Craddock said that, based on a new assessment, the commanders would need three military brigades, around 10,000 troops, on top of the single brigade the United States is set to deploy in January.
UK MoD – It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that a Royal Marine from 45 Commando Royal Marines was killed as a result of an explosion in the Kajaki area of Helmand province on Monday.
CentCom – Coalition forces detained eight suspected militants including the targeted individual during an operation aimed at further decimating the Haqqani leadership in Paktika, Saturday. The force searched a compound in Orgun District, targeting a Haqqani commander known to plan and conduct attacks against local civilians, GIRoA and Coalition forces.
Khaleej Times – Pakistan’s eight-month-old civilian government has disbanded the political wing of the military intelligence agency ISI to concentrate its focus on counter-terrorism, the foreign minister said on Sunday.
MEMRI – Reiterating his offer of talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has stressed that negotiations with the militant groups in Afghanistan are the only solution to ensuring security in Afghanistan. Karzai again offered full protection to Taliban leader Mullah Omar in case he agreed to his offer of talks.
Dawn – A bomb blast injured at least eight people Monday at an Imam Bargah in Peshawar, officials said. The bomb, planted inside the Imam Bargah in the crowded neighbourhood of Hashtnagri, went off just after evening prayers, they said.
Geo – At least 15 militants were killed and six others injured in three separate incidents in Tehsils Charbagh, Matta and Khwazakhela of Swat district on Monday. According to media centre, the first incident occurred at Mangal Thaan in Charbagh Tehsil when security forces backed by gunship helicopters, targeted a vehicle of militants.
Geo – At least 25 militants were killed and 40 others detained in ongoing military operation in Machni on Monday. Meanwhile, security forces, after flushing the militants out of 21 villages, took control of the vacated areas in Machni. Media persons were taken to the area left by militants after an intensive operation.
The News – Five militants were killed and several others sustained injuries in fresh air raids and artillery shelling in different areas of the troubled Bajaur Agency on Sunday. Sources said personnel of the security forces, backed by jet fighters, gunship choppers and artillery, moved towards the headquarters of the Nawagai Tehsil and adjoining villages and took control of the area.
IRNA – Pakistani and Iranian authorities have agreed to declare the Pakistani southwestern city of Quetta and the Iranian Zahedan as “Twin Cities” to strengthen brotherly and cordial relations between the neighbouring countries.
Gulf News – Three days after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s path-breaking advocacy of no first use of nuclear weapons, the country’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi arrives in Delhi Tuesday on a four-day visit that seeks to invigorate the peace process between the two countries.
Times of India – India would make Pakistan a barren land in the next six years by blocking its water through construction of dams in violation of the Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah said on Monday. Shah said India had constructed dams at various rivers and continued doing so in violation of the Indus Water Treaty.
AFP – At least 27 soldiers and 120 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed as government forces battled their way to the outskirts of the rebels’ political headquarters, the defence ministry said on Monday. Heavy fighting raged along three fronts as troops closed in on the town of Kilinochchi, the ministry said.

Far East & Pacific

Sam Bateman and Joshua Ho – The world has been shocked by the recent spate of piracy attacks off Somalia. Inevitably there has been speculation that sea robbers in Southeast Asia might imitate these attacks. However, there are good reasons why this will not occur.
BusinessWeek – News that Chinese authorities have detained Huang Guangyu, the country’s wealthiest tycoon, could hardly have come at a worse moment for his company, consumer electronics retailer Gome Electrical Appliance Holdings. What’s happening to its chairman remains unclear. Trading in Gome shares was suspended on Nov. 24 in Hong Kong in the wake of Chinese media reports that Huang has been detained in connection with alleged stock manipulation of a company owned by his brother.
CNN – North Korea announced Monday it was suspending the 18-month-old rail service across the border that has divided the peninsula since 1953 in protest of the “confrontational” policies of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
Bangkok Post – Protests on Monday forced parliament to cancel its planned joint session, and left anarchy on the streets from Government House all the way to the old Don Mueang airport. The People’s Alliance for Democracy declared victory, but failed to gain its objective. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resolved to stay in office, and the military showed no sign it intended to seize power.
Manila Times – A former close congressman-ally of President Gloria Arroyo fired the first salvo on Monday during an impeachment hearing, accusing her of having direct knowledge of a controversial nationwide broadband deal involving ZTE Corp., a Chinese telecommunications giant.
New Zealand Herald – The number of New Zealanders moving to Australia last month set a record, and the flow of people moving here from other countries continued to slow. Statistics New Zealand figures issued yesterday show 47,800 people left to live in Australia in the year to October.
US Navy – The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) arrived in Hong Kong Nov. 22 for a scheduled port visit. The visit comes at the conclusion of a tough, 11-day stretch, during which Essex Sailors participated in ANNUALEX 20G, a bilateral exercise conducted annually with Japan, and a Unit Level Training Assessment-Certification.
Air Force – OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea; The leadership of 7th Air Force changed hands during a change-of-command ceremony here Nov. 24. Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Remington assumed command from Lt. Gen. Stephen G. Wood as Army Gen. Walter Sharp, the U.S. Forces Korea commander, and Gen. Carrol H. “Howie” Chandler, the Pacific Air Forces commander, presided over the ceremony. In addition to commanding the 7th Air Force, General Remington also serves as the United Nations Command deputy commander, USFK deputy commander and its Air Component Command commander.

Europe

France24 – The stand-off between Lille Mayor Martine Aubry and former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal over the leadership of the Socialist Party could end up in court as both Royal and Aubry followers said they would take legal action.
LA Times – The Iranian French professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes de Sciences Sociales here has explored the underworld of Islamic extremism through rare access to impeccable sources: the militants themselves. He has conducted in-depth interviews in French prisons with 15 inmates convicted of terrorism-related offenses such as the assassination by Al Qaeda agents of an anti-Taliban leader in Afghanistan and a plot to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Paris.
Spiegel – A judge in Kosovo has ordered three Germans suspected of throwing explosives at the EU office in Pristina to be held for 30 days. According to information obtained by SPIEGEL, the men are intelligence officers. Now politicians in Berlin are looking for answers.
RIA Novosti – The United States supports a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Moldova and its breakaway republic of Transdnestr, but demands that Russia withdraw its troops from the region, the U.S. ambassador to Moldova said on Monday.
Daily Star – Cyprus on Monday accused Turkey of interfering in its oil exploration and protested that a Turkish warship had impeded a Norwegian-flagged exploration vessel off the island’s coast earlier this month. “We have made all the necessary protests and taken every conceivable action,” Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou told reporters after the November 13 incident was made public.
Xinhua – Chinese President Hu Jintao flew into Athens Monday for a state visit to Greece, which he said would be successful with the joint efforts by the Chinese side and the Greek side.
ABC – China’s Cosco Pacific Ltd. will receive a 35-year concession to manage two container wharfs at Greece’s main port of Piraeus, a 831.2 million euro ($1 billion) port deal.

Africa

AP - Shipping officials from around the world called Monday for a military blockade along Somalia’s coast to intercept pirate vessels heading out to sea. But NATO, which has four warships off the coast of Somalia, rejected a blockade.
BBC – Civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have surrounded and stoned a UN convoy after it was stopped by soldiers searching for rebels. The army took more than 20 men from the convoy, tied them up and presented them as fighters loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda. But the UN said the men were from the Mai Mai pro-government militia and it was transporting them as part of a demobilisation process.
CBS – Soldiers went on an overnight looting and shooting spree in a sprawling Congolese refugee camp, stealing from hungry and traumatized people who have fled fighting in the country’s east, witnesses said Monday.
AFP – South African President Kgalema Motlanthe warned Monday that Zimbabwe’s political deadlock could bring the troubled nation to collapse as he announced new talks to save a stalled unity accord.
BBC – Senegal is sending troop reinforcements to the border with Guinea-Bissau, after the weekend attack on its President Joao Bernardo Vieira. Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade has ordered the army to take “all necessary measures” to strengthen the border.
BBC – Three men have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Mauritania for reportedly belonging to a group linked to al-Qaeda’s North African wing. The sentences are said to be the harshest since the country introduced anti-terrorism laws three years ago.
Bua – South Africa and Russia are to consolidate and strengthen their bilateral relations at the inter-sessional meeting of the Inter-governmental Committee on Trade and Economic Co-operation (ITEC) on Tuesday. South Africa’s major imports from Russia consist of the nickel group of minerals, accounting for over 65 percent of imports. SA multinationals Anglo American, Standard Bank, De Beers, JCI, Barloworld, Capespan and Bateman have substantial interests in Russia.
Magharebia – Five terrorists convicted of belonging to al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb were sentenced to prison by a Mauritanian court on Sunday, local and international press reported. Abdellahi Ould El Moctar, Hakim Mohamed Ould M’Bareck and Ahmed Ould Hadi, who received 10-year sentences from the Nouakchott court, had been extradited from Mali to stand trial. Teyib Ould Salek received 5 years in prison for recruiting terrorists and financing terrorist acts. His wife was sentenced to 2 years for supporting her husband’s activities.

USS Mitscher returns from Joint Warrior Exercise 08-2

Family members wait while the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher returns to her homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Nov. 22. After participating in Joint Warrior Exercise 08-2 a multinational, multi-warfare exercise designed to improve interoperability between allied navies and prepare them for combined operations during upcoming deployments. The biannual exercise serves as the United Kingdom's advanced certification course and is on par with a U.S. Joint Task Force exercise used to certify U.S. Navy ships. (photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Todd Stafford)

The Global War

Washington Post – Kurdish officials this fall took delivery of three planeloads of small arms and ammunition imported from Bulgaria, three U.S. military officials said, an acquisition that occurred outside the weapons procurement procedures of Iraq’s central government.
Voices of Iraq – The undersecretary of Kurdistan’s regional Ministry of Interior (MOI) on Monday said that the region’s government does not sign contracts to buy arms without Baghdad’s permission, denying news reports that depicted Kurdistan had received Bulgarian dispatches of arms.
Guardian – The UK foreign secretary, David Miliband, will warn in a speech today that “the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran poses the most immediate threat to the stability” of the Middle East. But he also explicitly states that the British-backed EU and UN sanctions “are not an attempt at regime change.”
David Albright and Andrea Scheel – Unprecedented Projected Nuclear Growth in the Middle East: Now Is the Time to Create Effective Barriers to Proliferation
Air Force Live – An article, entitled “U.S. Air Force Generals Lose One,” posted November 18 on StrategyPage.com asserted erroneous information about changes to the Air Force’s Cyber Command. Brigadier General Mark O. Schissler, Director of Air Force Cyber Operations wrote a rebuttal correcting the record. Below is his counter piece.
AKI – Syria and Iran are happy about the existence of Al-Qaeda because its members attack their enemies for them, according to the leader of Islamic jihad in Egypt, Sayed Abdel Qader ibn Abdelaziz. Abdelaziz, also known as Doctor Fazel, makes his claims in a new book, excerpts of which are published in the Arab daily, Al-Sharq al-Awsat.
Rosoboronexport – The 3rd International Tri-Service Defence Event, INDO DEFENCE 2008 EXPO & FORUM, is held in Jakarta, Indonesia, since 19 till 22 November 2008 at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base. Since its very inception in 2004 “Indo Defence” became one of the largest and authoritative defence shows in the Asian Pacific region. The event is hosted biannually by the Indonesian Ministry of Defence and is seen as a bridge for military-technical cooperation between European and South-East Asian countries.

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

Cables, dispatches and memoranda

24 November, 2008 (00:41) | Daily Roundup | By: Jeff Kouba

Cables, Dispatches and Memoranda A brief world news roundup for 24 November 2008.

United States & the Americas

CBS – U.S. President-elect Barack Obama pledged in a telephone conversation with Afghan President Hamid Karzai that fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and the region would be a top priority during his administration, Karzai’s office said Sunday.
Xinhua – Leaders from APEC member economies on Sunday vowed to boost regional economic integration and food security, and to combat climate change and corruption, in a declaration issued after a two-day meeting in the Peruvian capital.
The National – Venezuela will urge Opec to cut oil production for the third time in as many months when the exporters’ group meets on Saturday in Cairo.
IRIB – Hundreds of people rallied Saturday in Peru outside of the US ambassador’s residence to denounce visiting President George W. Bush, blaming him for poverty and human rights abuses. “Fascist Bush, you are the terrorist!” hundreds of people chanted as they marched through the streets of the capital of Peru.
Miami Herald – A clash between rival groups of prisoners left seven dead in a prison on the outskirts of the capital of Guatemala. Five prisoners were decapitated, authorities reported. The prisoners started the revolt in reaction to the arrival of several gang members, who were removed from another prison in the south, known as El Boqueron, which had also had disturbances, said the spokesman
Latin American Herald Tribune – Lawmaker Mario Fernando Hernandez and attorney Marcio Antonio Collier, members of the ruling Liberal Party, were killed Saturday in San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras, the police reported. The crime took place eight days before the primary elections to be held Nov. 30 in Honduras to choose the candidates for president, three vice presidents, mayors and legislators.
Miami Herald – Paraguay’s government says Brazil violated its sovereignty when an army unit crossed the border into its territory without authorization. Paraguay’s foreign and defense ministries said Thursday in a statement that the incident was ”confrontational and provocative.” But Brazilian Ambassador Eduardo Dos Santos said the alleged breach was part of a regular training exercise that “doesn’t have the importance it may appear to have.”
John Thomson – The kinds and extent of fraud already being applied by the Venezuelan government to the crucial elections today are unprecedented. Having originally won election to the presidency in 1999 in a remarkably clean contest, Hugo Chavez has progressively moved the process to one of unmitigated electoral larceny.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

Kommersant – Latin America’s potential has long been underestimated. Meanwhile its potential does not boil down to its enormous natural resources only. Latin American markets’ solvency has grown considerably in the past decade. In addition, groundbreaking political shifts have been under way in the region. All these factors prompted Moscow’s “second opening” of Latin America.
Kyiv Post – Gazprom threatened to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine in the New Year – just as it did in the last months of 2006 and 2007. Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kuprianov uttered the threat while speaking live on the Russian Vesti television channel on November 22.
Reuters – Gunfire broke out on Sunday on the South Ossetian de facto border after a convoy carrying the Georgian and Polish presidents approached, forcing them to turn back, officials said.
Russia Today – Four people have died and eight wounded in a bomb explosion in Southern Russia. The blast occurred in a village near the Chechen republic’s capital Grozny. It targeted a police patrol, which had arrived to investigate a reported shooting.

Middle East

MNF Iraq – Coalition forces apprehended six alleged Katai’b Hezbollah network criminals without incident during two operations early Sunday in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district. Acting on intelligence information, Coalition forces targeted an alleged Katai’b Hezbollah special operations group member believed to be responsible for attacks against Iraqi and Coalition forces.
AFP – Separatist Kurdish rebels on Saturday claimed responsibility for an explosion at an oil pipeline linking Iraq with southern Turkey, an agency close to the rebels reported. The twin pipeline linking the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan was still ablaze, the report added. The blast occurred Friday at a section of the pipeline near the town of Midyat in the southeastern province of Mardin.
Haaretz – Hezbollah engaged in military practice drills south of the Litani River on Saturday, according to a report by the pan-Arab satellite news station Al-Arabiya and cited by Israel Radio.
ITIC - Hamas recently participated in a digital communications exhibition in Tehran and was involved in establishing a group calling itself “The Digital Intifada.” Its objective was to develop websites to fight Israel and encourage the criminal activity of hacking Israeli websites.
Reuters – Egyptian police detained 17 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s strongest opposition group, on Saturday on suspicion of holding an illegal meeting, security sources said. The men were being held on accusations of belonging to a banned group and holding a gathering without a permit, charges authorities frequently levy against Brotherhood members.
Al Arabiya – The Saudi government on Saturday denied reports that it has offered political asylum to Afghanistan’s fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. A foreign ministry spokesman “denies totally the report … according to which Saudi Arabia has offered political asylum to the Taliban leader,” the state news agency SPA reported.
The National – An Abu Dhabi project to build the world’s biggest aluminium smelter is steaming ahead despite the global economic slowdown and financial crisis that are jeopardising other major industrial projects in the Gulf.

Iran

Xinhua – Iran’s Navy Force commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayari said Sunday that Iran would hold a war game early December in “Oman Sea, Persian Gulf and Hurmoz Strait,” Iranian Students news agency (ISNA) reported. The forthcoming war game is dubbed “Unity 87,” Sayari said, adding that “All the movements of the enemy in Oman Sea, Persian Gulf and Hurmoz Strait are under control and the enemy will never dare to enter Iran’s waters.”
Press TV – “Two newly-manufactured missile boats, named ‘Kalat’ (Fortress) and ‘Derafsh’ (Flag), as well as a light submarine will become operational on November 27,” said the chief Iranian navy commander, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, on Sunday.
Uskowi on Iran – Amid growing concerns over an Israeli military strike on Iran, The Iranian government is threatening retaliatory strikes against Israel. President Ahmadinejad and his administration are using the renewed talks of war as their best hope to ride out the country’s worsening economic crisis and win a second term during the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for June 2009.
Payvand – Ali Ashtari who was convicted of spying for Israel’s intelligence services was hanged in Tehran on November 17, an official at the Information Ministry said on Saturday. Ashtari was arrested in early 2007 and then sentenced to death for cooperation with the Zionist regime’s spying services last summer.
Press TV – Three men accused of carrying out a fatal bombing in a mosque in Iran have confessed to being brainwashed by a Western terrorist cell. The three confessed in a Saturday hearing at the Islamic Revolution court to ‘being brainwashed into launching a terrorist attack in the country,’ according to IRNA.
Payvand – Photos: Autumn in Isfahan, Iran

A coalition forces soldier watches for insurgents as a camel passes behind him during combat operations in Shah Wali Kot District, Kandahar province, Nov. 22. The operation was successful, resulting in several small caches being destroyed and 17 insurgents killed (photo by U.S. Forces Afghanistan)

South Asia

Al Jazeera – The Taliban is stepping up attacks on US and Nato supply convoys in Afghanistan, a spokesman for the armed group has said. “Up to now our operations on the highways leading to Kabul have been weak. We’re about to boost the attacks … until the government and the Americans are smashed,” Zabiullah Mujahid, told Al Jazeera.
Col. Johnson, 4th BCT, 101st Airborne – In our area, our flagship development project is the $100 million, USAID-funded Khost to Gardez Road, which we call the K-G Pass Road. It will connect the Khost Province, where I’m at, with the rest of the interior of Afghanistan. It also cuts at the heart of the operational intent of our main enemy in this area, the Haqqani Network, which aims to isolate Khost and has a clearly stated objective to prevent the road’s construction. Currently, there is only a narrow, winding dirt road that works its way agonizingly through mountain passes at 10,000 feet. It is the only real throughway for commercial traffic. The K-G Pass Road will be transformative for this region, especially for the people that live astride it, who traditionally have not readily supported the central government, and for the centers of commerce, as well.
LA Times – The Marines of the Two-Seven were not even supposed to deploy to Afghanistan. Their original destination was Iraq, and when they were sent here in April as a stopgap measure to help an overwhelmed NATO force, the plan had been to spend the time mentoring Afghan national police. It didn’t turn out that way.
The News – Bomb blasts and military operations against insurgents killed 31 people in Afghanistan, including a French soldier, who stepped on a mine on Saturday and eight wedding-goers, authorities said.
NATO - An Australian team replaced the Dutch Marine Corps Nov. 18 in its mentoring role for the Afghan National Army in Uruzgan province.
Jakarta Post – NATO-led troops killed a senior Taliban commander in southern Afghanistan, the military alliance said in a statement Sunday. Mullah Assad was a senior Taliban operational commander for southern Helmand province, and was killed in an operation on Wednesday, NATO said. It did not say where Assad was killed.
Guardian – Gurkha soldiers refused to leave a dead comrade behind enemy lines even though they knew they would face ‘extreme fire’ from Taliban forces. The first accounts of the courageous recovery of the body of the first Gurkha killed in Afghanistan can be revealed today as British troops continue to defend the strategic former Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala in Helmand province.
Times Online – On Friday, three Hellfire missiles from a Predator destroyed a mud-built bungalow in a North Waziristan village. Among the five people killed and six injured, were Rashid Rauf, the British militant alleged to have masterminded a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners in 2006, and two senior Al-Qaeda comrades, Abu Nasr Al-Misri and Abu Zubair Al-Masri. Questions will be raised about what, if anything, London knew about an attack by coalition forces that resulted in the death of a British citizen.
A Pakistan News – At least three policemen were killed when unknown militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at a security checkpost in Bannu here late night Friday.
Dawn – A blast ripped through a mosque in Hangu’s Tull district on Saturday. According to reports, several people were injured and three of the wounded have been taken to the Civil Hospital.
Geo - At least 3 persons, including a child, were injured when a series of 3 blasts occurred with intervals at the building of Punjab Institute of Language (PIL) near Gaddafi Stadium Saturday night in Lahore.
AKI – Various militant organisations are present in the southern port city of Karachi and may figure in the terror network’s plans. This is what the the Government’s top advisor for interior affairs, Rahman Malik, told Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday.
IRNA – Thousands of mourners protested in the Pakistani southwestern city of Quetta on Saturday against the assassination of a Shiite cleric. Unidentified gunmen, riding motorcycle, shot dead Allama Sheikh Hasan Zakiri when he was returning home after leading Friday prayers, police officer Abdul Salam Banglazai said.
Khaleej Times – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday said India was failing in its efforts to crush a Maoist rebellion plaguing vast swathes of the country. Addressing a conference of senior police and security officials in New Delhi, Singh once again described the ultra-leftist insurgency as “the most serious internal security threat” India was facing.
Daily Star – In Bangladesh, the long-awaited parliamentary election will now be held on December 29 and upazila on January 22, announced the Election Commission (EC) yesterday, meaning most likely an end to the impasse over the polls. The new dates are the upshot of the last few days’ hectic negotiations between the EC, caretaker government and political parties.
Colombo Page – Sri Lanka Army troops on Friday overran the LTTE’s Entry/Exit point at Omanthai in Vavuniya after clearing the defence lines of the LTTE in the area, the military said today. The Defence Ministry said that troops of the Task Force 2 are now consolidating defences at Omanthai. “The domination over Omanthai will enable the Army to further extend the defence lines linking Mankulama – Oddussudan- Kumulamumai,” the Ministry said.
TamilNet – At least 43 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and more than 70 wounded in the latest fighting that broke out at Nalloor on Poonakari – Paranthan road, LTTE officials told TamilNet correspondent in Vanni Sunday evening. The fighting went on amid pouring rain and floods.

Far East & Pacific

Bangkok Post – Tension was high throughout Bangkok early Monday as anti-government protesters massed for a march to seize the Royal Plaza area near parliament, which could climax six straight months of 24-hour protests. On Sunday, red-shirted opponents met to oppose them.
Irrawaddy – Burma’s best-known comedian Zarganar and the prominent monk Ashin Gambira were among 35 regime critics sentenced to long prison terms in another day of trials in Rangoon’s Insein Prison on Friday.
AP – Several thousand demonstrators waved flags and chanted in Taiwan’s capital Saturday to protest the detention of former President Chen Shui-bian on graft allegations. Judges ordered the 57-year-old Chen jailed Nov. 12, and he has refused solid food since then. Chen denies allegations of money laundering and embezzling money from a presidential fund and says the government of President Ma Ying-jeou is persecuting him for his anti-China views.
news.com.au – A top Islamic council in mostly Muslim Malaysia has told Muslims to avoid yoga because it uses Hindu prayers and encourages a union with God that is blasphemous. The latest edict from the National Fatwa Council reflects a growing swing towards a conservative brand of Islam in the multi-ethnic country that has prompted worries among non-Muslims.
RFERL – Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday he would like to see an end to a territorial dispute that has soured bilateral ties since the end of World War II. For over 60 years, Moscow has been reluctant even to discuss Japan’s demands that Russia return four tiny disputed Pacific Ocean islands seized by the Red Army in the final days of the war.
Gulf News – The five countries working to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear programme plan to meet in early December with Pyongyang to formalise the process it will follow to verify it has abandoned atomic weapons, US officials said on Saturday.
Independent – It’s a hard life raising crops in Australia, as farmers often remind the 85 per cent of Australians who live on the coast. Recent rains in New South Wales provided a bit of relief from the worst drought in a century, but now those living on the land face another challenge: locusts.

Europe

IRIB – Al-Manar TV network condemned Germany’s decision to ban the Lebanese television station’s programs. Germany’s Interior Ministry banned the Lebanese television station on Friday claiming that it violated German Constitution.
Hizballah – Hizbullah on Saturday blamed the ‘Zionist Lobby’ in Europe for the decision by Germany’s Interior Ministry to stop airing broadcasts of the organizations Al-Manar television station.
The Local – Despite a huge potential client base, Germany has proven reluctant to adapt its legal and tax systems to attract Islamic finance, which has enjoyed stellar success in Britain. However Islamic investment funds based abroad are beginning to make considerable inroads into the property market of Europe’s biggest economy.
BBC – Protesters in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik have clashed with police during a demonstration over the handling of the financial crisis. The group outside the police station broke away from a much larger group of several thousand people who had gathered outside parliament to demand the government’s resignation.
Jim Hoagland – But as the quick, elegant Spaniard talked on, it became clear that some aspects of personality, and of national interests, might constrain the restoration of Spanish-American relations that both leaders favor. Zapatero is, after all, a committed Socialist whose 2004 election victory over Spain’s conservatives was widely (and wrongly) viewed abroad as a fluke. He would never repeat it in 2008, it was said, until he did in March. Untutored by defeat, Zapatero can be brash and provocative, while Obama works at being cautious and reassuring.
NY Times – A summer of embarrassing rivalries between Ségolène Royal and Martine Aubry has culminated in a narrow and disputed vote for the new Socialist party leader, Aubry.

Africa

Asharq Al Awsat – The Saudi ambassador in Nairobi has disclosed to Asharq al-Awsat that the hijackers had reduced the amount of the ransom for the Sirius Star from $25million to $15 million and pointed out that the Somali deputy prime minister was leading the negotiations with the hijackers as both belong to the same tribe.
RIA Novosti – Warships from all of the Russian Navy fleets will be involved in measures to fight piracy in the Horn of Africa region, Russia’s Navy commander said on Sunday. NATO and the EU have recently announced plans to increase their naval presence in the Gulf of Aden and will launch on December 8 a joint naval operation, dubbed Atalanta, against piracy near the Somali coast.
Chris Parry – That pirates are exposing the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of international shipping has not been lost on al-Qa’ida and Hezbollah, which have frequently stated their desire to gain a maritime capability, mainly to enable attacks on offshore and land-based installations from the sea.
Garowe – Somali police killed at least 15 insurgents when the group attacked the home of a district commissioner in Mogadishu, government officials said Friday.
Reporters without Borders – A Radio Okapi journalist Didace Namujimbo, who was killed by a single shot to the head near his home in Bukavu, the capital of the eastern province of Sud-Kivu
AFP – Rebels said Sunday rival forces were mostly staying out of the buffer zones created by their unilateral withdrawal from key fronts in strife-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
France24 – Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda slammed the deployment of an additional 3,000 troops in eastern DR Congo saying they could not usher peace. Nkunda held his first rally in Rutshuru, north of Goma, to garner support
VOA – Officials in Guinea-Bissau say the situation is “under control” after an overnight attack on the home of President Joao Bernardo “Nino” Vieira. Military and government sources in the West African country say a group of soldiers fired on the president’s home in the capital, Bissau, early Sunday. Witnesses say a gun battle between attackers and security guards lasted several hours before calm was restored.

discussions of International Security Assistance Forces, Regional Command South

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, far right, and other defense ministers of Regional Command South pose for a photo and hold discussions in Cornwallis Park, Nova Scotia, Nov. 21, 2008. Gates is taking part in discussions of International Security Assistance Forces, Regional Command South, which is comprised of forces from Canada, Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Netherlands, Romania, United Kingdom, and the United States. (photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jerry Morrison)

The Global War

Times Online – In the baking heat of the Negev desert, the Israeli air force’s top guns are training for a secret mission. No one here knows if, or when, a raid will get the political go-ahead but the pilots say it could be their third attack in three decades on a nuclear plant and easily the most dangerous. In a further indication that this squadron is preparing for conflict, 80 US technicians based at the nearby Nevatim air base in the Negev have installed the world’s most advanced X-band radar system, with a range of 1,250 miles, that will hugely enhance Israel’s tactical capacity in the air.
Newsweek – Only weeks before dropping North Korea from an official U.S. blacklist of countries that support terrorism, the Bush administration apparently thwarted the transfer of missile parts (possibly including gyroscopes for guidance systems) from Pyongyang to Iran, U.S. officials tell NEWSWEEK. On Aug. 4, an Ilyushin aircraft operated by North Korea’s state airline was granted routine permission by India to fly from Burma to Tehran via Indian airspace. Three days later, the office of India’s prime minister “hurriedly” asked authorities to withdraw clearance, according to the Indian Express newspaper. Two U.S. officials, who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive information, confirm the Bush administration asked India to block the flight.
LA Times – Moscow and Washington have made the same mistakes in their conflicts there, says Ruslan Aushev. He offers advice for the U.S. as it enters the eighth year of war. Retired Lt. Gen. Ruslan Aushev served for five years in Afghanistan during the Soviet Union’s nearly decade-long battle with mujahedin there. He was wounded and named a Hero of the Soviet Union. Aushev, 54, who later served as president of the Caucasus republic of Ingushetia, is now chief of the Committee of Afghan Veterans.
Nosint – A $3.1 billion price hike for an ageing Russian aircraft carrier is severely straining ties with India. Indian anger over the issue was fuelled yesterday when it was disclosed that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had cut back next month’s New Delhi visit to a single day.

Sights & Sounds

Sphere: Related Content

Comments: -

« Older entries