bladerunner
Banned Idiot
Re: World News Thread
Might have to give the place a miss then, though Im usually in Melb for the mid yr break onwards.
Might have to give the place a miss then, though Im usually in Melb for the mid yr break onwards.
World News Thread & Breaking News!!
- Thread starter kliu0
- Start date
- Status
Re: World News Thread
Victoria is worst hit....takes most of the 1000+ swine flu cases in Australia. Winter = more likely outbreak, so the jump in swine flu cases in Australia is sort of explainable. NZ doesn't have any active jumps. Interesting...perhaps its too cold there?
Victoria is worst hit....takes most of the 1000+ swine flu cases in Australia. Winter = more likely outbreak, so the jump in swine flu cases in Australia is sort of explainable. NZ doesn't have any active jumps. Interesting...perhaps its too cold there?
Re: World News Thread
Beijing opts for injections, not bullets
WHO warns of increasing traffic deaths
Bodies of three foreigners found in Yemen
Speed monitors changed on all of Air France’s jets
Beijing opts for injections, not bullets
WHO warns of increasing traffic deaths
Bodies of three foreigners found in Yemen
Speed monitors changed on all of Air France’s jets
Re: World News Thread
Beijing opts for injections, not bullets
WHO warns of increasing traffic deaths
Bodies of three foreigners found in Yemen
Speed monitors changed on all of Air France’s jets
Beijing opts for injections, not bullets
WHO warns of increasing traffic deaths
Bodies of three foreigners found in Yemen
Speed monitors changed on all of Air France’s jets
Re: World News Thread
A pakistani offensive in South Waziristan is under way. After their push into Swat Valley earlier in the year, the troops now try to uproot the militants from their probably last remaining stronghold. The terrain in the region is very difficult and the offensive will face major hurdles, but at least now the government seems determined, after the series of deadly militant attacks over the last weeks.
This could become a decisive battle in the regions struggle for stability.
Pakistani forces capture village in Taliban stronghold
From Reza Sayah - CNN
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani soldiers and militants battled Saturday in the country's vast tribal region, with more than a dozen insurgents killed in airstrikes, at least four soldiers slain in skirmishes and a key village seized by troops, the military said.
The fatalities come hours after Pakistani troops launched a massive ground offensive backed up by air power targeting the Taliban in South Waziristan, a refuge and a power base for insurgents operating in Pakistan and along the Pakistani-Afghan border.
The highly anticipated offensive, which comes after a wave of suicide attacks in Pakistan, also has prompted the exodus of tens of thousands of civilians, the U.N. refugee agency said.
One military official said Pakistani troops seized control of Kotkai, where Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud has lived with fellow commander Qari Hussein, the mastermind behind some of Pakistan's deadliest suicide attacks.
Another military official said the airstrikes from jet fighters and helicopter gunships targeted militant hideouts in Kotkai and the villages of Badar, Barwand and Khisur, all strongholds of the Taliban and their late leader Baitullah Mehsud. The official asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media. ...
========================================================================
Across the border, meassures are underway to settle the tensions in the aftermath of the Afghan presidential vote and the fraud allegations following it. Hopefully, this process will eventually establish a stable and efficient government.
Allies Press Karzai to Accept Election Audit Results
By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: October 17, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan — Western officials have been pressing Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, to accept the results of a United Nations-led audit, in a last-minute effort to smooth what has become an increasingly contentious election process.
A ruling on the extent of fraud in this country’s Aug. 20 presidential election is expected on Sunday, and if Mr. Karzai’s vote slips below 50 percent as expected, a second round would be required. Western officials say privately that Mr. Karzai seems to be balking at accepting the results, and a flurry of visits and phone calls from officials on Saturday was aimed at averting a crisis.
Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, met with Mr. Karzai at least twice and met separately with his main competitor, Abdullah Abdullah, stressing “the necessity of a legitimate outcome.”
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France, who traveled to Kabul “in the context of tension” provoked by the electoral process, pressed both candidates to “respect” the audit process, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Among the American officials working the phones were Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Richard C. Holbrooke, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan; and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
A pakistani offensive in South Waziristan is under way. After their push into Swat Valley earlier in the year, the troops now try to uproot the militants from their probably last remaining stronghold. The terrain in the region is very difficult and the offensive will face major hurdles, but at least now the government seems determined, after the series of deadly militant attacks over the last weeks.
This could become a decisive battle in the regions struggle for stability.
Pakistani forces capture village in Taliban stronghold
From Reza Sayah - CNN
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani soldiers and militants battled Saturday in the country's vast tribal region, with more than a dozen insurgents killed in airstrikes, at least four soldiers slain in skirmishes and a key village seized by troops, the military said.
The fatalities come hours after Pakistani troops launched a massive ground offensive backed up by air power targeting the Taliban in South Waziristan, a refuge and a power base for insurgents operating in Pakistan and along the Pakistani-Afghan border.
The highly anticipated offensive, which comes after a wave of suicide attacks in Pakistan, also has prompted the exodus of tens of thousands of civilians, the U.N. refugee agency said.
One military official said Pakistani troops seized control of Kotkai, where Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud has lived with fellow commander Qari Hussein, the mastermind behind some of Pakistan's deadliest suicide attacks.
Another military official said the airstrikes from jet fighters and helicopter gunships targeted militant hideouts in Kotkai and the villages of Badar, Barwand and Khisur, all strongholds of the Taliban and their late leader Baitullah Mehsud. The official asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media. ...
========================================================================
Across the border, meassures are underway to settle the tensions in the aftermath of the Afghan presidential vote and the fraud allegations following it. Hopefully, this process will eventually establish a stable and efficient government.
Allies Press Karzai to Accept Election Audit Results
By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: October 17, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan — Western officials have been pressing Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, to accept the results of a United Nations-led audit, in a last-minute effort to smooth what has become an increasingly contentious election process.
A ruling on the extent of fraud in this country’s Aug. 20 presidential election is expected on Sunday, and if Mr. Karzai’s vote slips below 50 percent as expected, a second round would be required. Western officials say privately that Mr. Karzai seems to be balking at accepting the results, and a flurry of visits and phone calls from officials on Saturday was aimed at averting a crisis.
Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, met with Mr. Karzai at least twice and met separately with his main competitor, Abdullah Abdullah, stressing “the necessity of a legitimate outcome.”
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France, who traveled to Kabul “in the context of tension” provoked by the electoral process, pressed both candidates to “respect” the audit process, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Among the American officials working the phones were Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Richard C. Holbrooke, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan; and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
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Re: World News Thread
Still some unrest in Chile. The army is being brought in to support order in some regions and help stabilize the region for rebuilding.
But Chile has been hit hard by the quake.
Extra troops deployed amid Chile earthquake unrest
23:10 GMT, Monday, 1 March 2010
Thousands of Chilean troops are heading to the country's devastated earthquake zone as reports emerge of desperate survivors turning to looting and arson.
President Michelle Bachelet said a total of 7,000 troops would soon be in place in areas around Concepcion.
The city, Chile's second-largest, was the closest to the epicentre of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake.
At least 723 people have been confirmed dead, with 19 more missing, officials say, with the toll expected to rise.
Ms Bachelet said reinforcements would join the troops already in the provinces of Bio Bio and Maule, bringing the total to some 7,000.
Concepcion will see another night under a dusk-to-dawn curfew, with reports emerging from the city of residents clashing with police as they lay siege to shops and supermarkets in the search for food.
The army was called in to help the police force deal with looters, some of whom filled shopping trolleys with groceries while others made off with plasma TVs and other electrical appliances.
Some 160 people were arrested for looting and breaking the curfew, police said on Monday.
Clashes with looters saw one 22-year-old man shot and killed.
And by Monday evening tensions had flared once more, with troops deployed to the streets after a blaze began in a looted supermarket.
Chilean newspaper La Tercera reported that despite the presence of troops, a huge fire was intentionally started at a building housing the Polar department store.
The blaze caused the building to collapse, La Tercera reported. Marco Riquelme, a regional spokesman for the department store, told La Tercera the incident was a "clear example" of the "chaotic situation" survivors were enduring in Concepcion. ...
========================================================================
The IAEO says Iran is still not cooperating on the nuclear issue, and finally Russia seems to be more intent on supporting further sactions. It'll now be interesting to see if that can create enough pressure to force movement on the issue, or if Iran feels save enough to go on with China still covering it's back.
MARCH 1, 2010, 4:46 P.M. ET
New Momentum for Iran Sanctions
VIENNA—The new head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran isn't cooperating with U.N. inspectors, and Russia appeared to move closer to supporting sanctions, adding momentum to efforts at the U.N. Security Council to pressure Tehran to rein in its nuclear program.
IAEA chief Yukiya Amano, speaking to reporters at his first scheduled news conference since he took the post in December, defended his agency's impartiality in a Feb. 18 report that said Iran may be working on a missile capable of carrying a nuclear payload.
The IAEA board of governors, which is meeting this week, is expected to recommend that the report be forwarded to the Security Council for consideration during discussions on possible sanctions.
The report and Mr. Amano's speech Monday represent a shift from the less-confrontational stance of Mr. Amano's predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei, who led the agency for 12 years.
Mr. Amano said Iran is cooperating with the mandate of the IAEA to make sure no known sources of uranium are being diverted for military use. But he said there is much that Iran keeps off limits to inspectors charged with verifying whether its nuclear program is peaceful or military in nature.
The Feb. 18 report listed questions of "concern" that prevent the IAEA from declaring Iran's nuclear program to be peaceful, as Tehran claims. On Monday, Mr. Amano said the report was based on an impartial analysis of credible information from multiple sources.
Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh said the findings in the report were "unjustified."
U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies said the report presents a "factual" list of the IAEA's concerns and will "help focus Security Council Members on how far Iran has to go" to meet its international requirements.
Mr. Davies said the international community, led by the U.S., China, Russia, France, the U.K. and Germany would now need to "find new ways to change Iran's direction."
China, however, has opposed sanctions, and Russia has dragged its feet. In Paris Monday, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said Moscow was ready to consider new sanctions, but insisted that any measures not harm the Iranian population.
Mr. Medvedev's comment echoed previous statements from Russia, which has alternately expressed willingness and reluctance to support efforts to punish Iran.
But French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France and Russia had "extremely close" positions regarding sanctions against Iran. France, with the U.S, has been particularly aggressive in pursuing new sanctions.
Mr. Sarkozy said any sanctions should be "intelligent" and not harm the Iranian population, a spokesman for the president said. The two leaders didn't discuss details of what sanctions should be imposed, according to the spokesman.
In an October deal brokered by Mr. ElBaradei, the U.S., France, Russia and Iran tentatively agreed that Iran should export most of its stocks of low-enriched uranium for further enrichment to fuel a medical research reactor in Iran. Iran later backed out of that deal.
In a letter on February 18, Iran asked the IAEA to seek potential suppliers willing to sell fuel required for a medical research reactor. Mr. Amano said he forwarded the Iranian request to potential suppliers, and that the October deal also "remains upon the table."
Mr. Davies said there are few countries capable of providing nuclear fuel according to Iran's particular needs. He said these countries "would have qualms" about unilaterally supplying fuel to Iran.
—Max Colchester in Paris contributed to this article.
========================================================================
Medvedev visiting France. The presidents will sign a deal selling Mistral warships to Russia, wich Russia says it needs and would built trust between the countries. On the other hand, those sales cause some unease in eastern Europe, with the short Russia-Georgia war still in good memory, as well as in other NATO countries.
There's also significant economic interests on the line, especially in the energy sector.
Another topic was Iran, were Russia seems to be more and more unhappy, too.
Medvedev Begins 3-Day Visit to France
By STEVEN ERLANGER - Published: March 1, 2010
PARIS — The president of Russia, Dmitri A. Medvedev, came to Paris on Monday with warships, natural gas and a special relationship with Europe on his mind. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, greeted him warmly on the start of what will be a three-day visit, designed to enhance the prestige of both men, profit their companies and remind French voters that Mr. Sarkozy’s foreign policy is not beholden to Washington.
Despite open American criticism from the Obama administration and from Congress, as well as from European Union allies in the Baltics, Mr. Sarkozy announced that France had entered “exclusive negotiations” to sell four Mistral-class amphibious assault ships to Russia.
The Russian naval commander has said that with the Mistral, which can carry helicopters or tanks, Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia would have been much faster. The arms sale would be the largest by a NATO country to Russia; Mr. Sarkozy said the ships would be sold without sophisticated technology.
But in a joint news conference with Mr. Medvedev Monday evening, Mr. Sarkozy said that Russia is “a partner,” no longer an enemy, and that “it’s time to turn the page” on the cold war. “How are we to say to Russian leaders — ‘We need you for peace, like on Iran,’ but then say: ‘We don’t trust you’? That would be totally inconsistent.”
Mr. Medvedev called the deal “a symbol of trust between our two countries” and pressed for “Russia and France to be partners on European security,” something that will put Washington’s teeth on edge.
Mr. Sarkozy, for his part, said that France was now a full member of NATO and an ally of the United States, and that “Russia has nothing to fear from NATO.” Still, Mr. Sarkozy said, “we should think together of what the security architecture of Europe should look like,” and said he would like to draw Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, whose country has an even more privileged relationship with Russia, into the conversation.
The two men, of equal, modest height and both in solid-color neckties, also praised an important deal signed on Monday between the main French natural gas company, *** Suez, and the Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom. *** Suez agreed to acquire a 9 percent stake in the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, intended to send Russian gas directly to Western Europe while avoiding Poland and Ukraine. In return, Gazprom will supply *** Suez with up to an additional 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas annually from 2015. Nord Stream has previously been largely a Russo-German deal.
Poland’s foreign minister, Radislaw Sikorsky, once compared Nord Stream — which bypasses traditional gas transit countries and thus renders them vulnerable to pressure if Moscow should restrict gas supplies — to the secret 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of non-aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and that secretly divided up Europe.
The French electricity giant, EDF, has already taken a 10 percent stake in the Gazprom pipeline South Stream, to run under the Black Sea. Both pipelines compete with Nabucco, a proposed but troubled pipeline backed by the United States and the European Union.
There will be other deals for one of Russia’s major partners, with French investments in Russia last year outstripping those of the United States, according to Mr. Medvedev aides. There should be some celebration, too, with the two countries having in January inaugurated a “France-Russia” year of cultural exchanges and high-level visits.
The European Union’s position on Russia has been divided, at best, especially after the brief war with Georgia and the virtual annexation by Russia of two breakaway Georgian enclaves, effectively changing the post-war borders of Europe. Mr. Sarkozy, then in the rotating presidency of the European Union, rushed to Moscow to end the war, but the agreement he reached with Mr. Medvedev then has never been fully carried out.
Russia, especially its powerful prime minister, Vladimir V. Putin, who is expected to visit France again in June, has been clear about creating a special relationship with Europe and undermining the NATO alliance with Washington as an outdated relic of the cold war and a divided Europe. Mr. Medvedev himself has proposed a new “security architecture” for Europe that would supersede NATO but allow Russia a sphere of interest in eastern Europe, a proposal that Europeans reject.
Mr. Sarkozy did not criticize the idea in public, and Mr. Medvedev emphasized that it was open to changes.
Iran was also a topic of discussion, with France pushing both Washington and Moscow hard for painful sanctions on Iran, as the best and perhaps final chance to pressure Tehran to give up uranium enrichment, as the Security Council has demanded. Mr. Medvedev has expressed disappointment and criticism of Iranian behavior, and Moscow is seen willing to vote for another set of sanctions on Iran, if not necessarily crippling ones; China has opposed new sanctions, arguing for another round of diplomacy.
On Monday, Mr. Sarkozy said that Mr. Medvedev, on the topic of new Iran sanctions, “told me of his receptiveness to the question of sanctions so long as they don’t create humanitarian dramas.” Mr. Medvedev said that the sanctions should be “smart,” adding: “These sanctions should not target the civilian population.”
Senior French officials, however, think that if the sanctions are not crippling and profound, Tehran will never respond as the West desires.
Mr. Medvedev also said that the United States and Russia are “near an accord” on a new treaty on strategic nuclear weapons to replace an expired one.
Mr. Medvedev, his wife and his large delegation are staying at the Ritz Hotel, where security is high. He will visit Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, while he and Mr. Sarkozy will inaugurate a large exhibit of Russian art at the Louvre.
Still some unrest in Chile. The army is being brought in to support order in some regions and help stabilize the region for rebuilding.
But Chile has been hit hard by the quake.
Extra troops deployed amid Chile earthquake unrest
23:10 GMT, Monday, 1 March 2010
Thousands of Chilean troops are heading to the country's devastated earthquake zone as reports emerge of desperate survivors turning to looting and arson.
President Michelle Bachelet said a total of 7,000 troops would soon be in place in areas around Concepcion.
The city, Chile's second-largest, was the closest to the epicentre of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake.
At least 723 people have been confirmed dead, with 19 more missing, officials say, with the toll expected to rise.
Ms Bachelet said reinforcements would join the troops already in the provinces of Bio Bio and Maule, bringing the total to some 7,000.
Concepcion will see another night under a dusk-to-dawn curfew, with reports emerging from the city of residents clashing with police as they lay siege to shops and supermarkets in the search for food.
The army was called in to help the police force deal with looters, some of whom filled shopping trolleys with groceries while others made off with plasma TVs and other electrical appliances.
Some 160 people were arrested for looting and breaking the curfew, police said on Monday.
Clashes with looters saw one 22-year-old man shot and killed.
And by Monday evening tensions had flared once more, with troops deployed to the streets after a blaze began in a looted supermarket.
Chilean newspaper La Tercera reported that despite the presence of troops, a huge fire was intentionally started at a building housing the Polar department store.
The blaze caused the building to collapse, La Tercera reported. Marco Riquelme, a regional spokesman for the department store, told La Tercera the incident was a "clear example" of the "chaotic situation" survivors were enduring in Concepcion. ...
========================================================================
The IAEO says Iran is still not cooperating on the nuclear issue, and finally Russia seems to be more intent on supporting further sactions. It'll now be interesting to see if that can create enough pressure to force movement on the issue, or if Iran feels save enough to go on with China still covering it's back.
MARCH 1, 2010, 4:46 P.M. ET
New Momentum for Iran Sanctions
VIENNA—The new head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran isn't cooperating with U.N. inspectors, and Russia appeared to move closer to supporting sanctions, adding momentum to efforts at the U.N. Security Council to pressure Tehran to rein in its nuclear program.
IAEA chief Yukiya Amano, speaking to reporters at his first scheduled news conference since he took the post in December, defended his agency's impartiality in a Feb. 18 report that said Iran may be working on a missile capable of carrying a nuclear payload.
The IAEA board of governors, which is meeting this week, is expected to recommend that the report be forwarded to the Security Council for consideration during discussions on possible sanctions.
The report and Mr. Amano's speech Monday represent a shift from the less-confrontational stance of Mr. Amano's predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei, who led the agency for 12 years.
Mr. Amano said Iran is cooperating with the mandate of the IAEA to make sure no known sources of uranium are being diverted for military use. But he said there is much that Iran keeps off limits to inspectors charged with verifying whether its nuclear program is peaceful or military in nature.
The Feb. 18 report listed questions of "concern" that prevent the IAEA from declaring Iran's nuclear program to be peaceful, as Tehran claims. On Monday, Mr. Amano said the report was based on an impartial analysis of credible information from multiple sources.
Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh said the findings in the report were "unjustified."
U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies said the report presents a "factual" list of the IAEA's concerns and will "help focus Security Council Members on how far Iran has to go" to meet its international requirements.
Mr. Davies said the international community, led by the U.S., China, Russia, France, the U.K. and Germany would now need to "find new ways to change Iran's direction."
China, however, has opposed sanctions, and Russia has dragged its feet. In Paris Monday, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said Moscow was ready to consider new sanctions, but insisted that any measures not harm the Iranian population.
Mr. Medvedev's comment echoed previous statements from Russia, which has alternately expressed willingness and reluctance to support efforts to punish Iran.
But French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France and Russia had "extremely close" positions regarding sanctions against Iran. France, with the U.S, has been particularly aggressive in pursuing new sanctions.
Mr. Sarkozy said any sanctions should be "intelligent" and not harm the Iranian population, a spokesman for the president said. The two leaders didn't discuss details of what sanctions should be imposed, according to the spokesman.
In an October deal brokered by Mr. ElBaradei, the U.S., France, Russia and Iran tentatively agreed that Iran should export most of its stocks of low-enriched uranium for further enrichment to fuel a medical research reactor in Iran. Iran later backed out of that deal.
In a letter on February 18, Iran asked the IAEA to seek potential suppliers willing to sell fuel required for a medical research reactor. Mr. Amano said he forwarded the Iranian request to potential suppliers, and that the October deal also "remains upon the table."
Mr. Davies said there are few countries capable of providing nuclear fuel according to Iran's particular needs. He said these countries "would have qualms" about unilaterally supplying fuel to Iran.
—Max Colchester in Paris contributed to this article.
========================================================================
Medvedev visiting France. The presidents will sign a deal selling Mistral warships to Russia, wich Russia says it needs and would built trust between the countries. On the other hand, those sales cause some unease in eastern Europe, with the short Russia-Georgia war still in good memory, as well as in other NATO countries.
There's also significant economic interests on the line, especially in the energy sector.
Another topic was Iran, were Russia seems to be more and more unhappy, too.
Medvedev Begins 3-Day Visit to France
By STEVEN ERLANGER - Published: March 1, 2010
PARIS — The president of Russia, Dmitri A. Medvedev, came to Paris on Monday with warships, natural gas and a special relationship with Europe on his mind. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, greeted him warmly on the start of what will be a three-day visit, designed to enhance the prestige of both men, profit their companies and remind French voters that Mr. Sarkozy’s foreign policy is not beholden to Washington.
Despite open American criticism from the Obama administration and from Congress, as well as from European Union allies in the Baltics, Mr. Sarkozy announced that France had entered “exclusive negotiations” to sell four Mistral-class amphibious assault ships to Russia.
The Russian naval commander has said that with the Mistral, which can carry helicopters or tanks, Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia would have been much faster. The arms sale would be the largest by a NATO country to Russia; Mr. Sarkozy said the ships would be sold without sophisticated technology.
But in a joint news conference with Mr. Medvedev Monday evening, Mr. Sarkozy said that Russia is “a partner,” no longer an enemy, and that “it’s time to turn the page” on the cold war. “How are we to say to Russian leaders — ‘We need you for peace, like on Iran,’ but then say: ‘We don’t trust you’? That would be totally inconsistent.”
Mr. Medvedev called the deal “a symbol of trust between our two countries” and pressed for “Russia and France to be partners on European security,” something that will put Washington’s teeth on edge.
Mr. Sarkozy, for his part, said that France was now a full member of NATO and an ally of the United States, and that “Russia has nothing to fear from NATO.” Still, Mr. Sarkozy said, “we should think together of what the security architecture of Europe should look like,” and said he would like to draw Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, whose country has an even more privileged relationship with Russia, into the conversation.
The two men, of equal, modest height and both in solid-color neckties, also praised an important deal signed on Monday between the main French natural gas company, *** Suez, and the Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom. *** Suez agreed to acquire a 9 percent stake in the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, intended to send Russian gas directly to Western Europe while avoiding Poland and Ukraine. In return, Gazprom will supply *** Suez with up to an additional 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas annually from 2015. Nord Stream has previously been largely a Russo-German deal.
Poland’s foreign minister, Radislaw Sikorsky, once compared Nord Stream — which bypasses traditional gas transit countries and thus renders them vulnerable to pressure if Moscow should restrict gas supplies — to the secret 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of non-aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and that secretly divided up Europe.
The French electricity giant, EDF, has already taken a 10 percent stake in the Gazprom pipeline South Stream, to run under the Black Sea. Both pipelines compete with Nabucco, a proposed but troubled pipeline backed by the United States and the European Union.
There will be other deals for one of Russia’s major partners, with French investments in Russia last year outstripping those of the United States, according to Mr. Medvedev aides. There should be some celebration, too, with the two countries having in January inaugurated a “France-Russia” year of cultural exchanges and high-level visits.
The European Union’s position on Russia has been divided, at best, especially after the brief war with Georgia and the virtual annexation by Russia of two breakaway Georgian enclaves, effectively changing the post-war borders of Europe. Mr. Sarkozy, then in the rotating presidency of the European Union, rushed to Moscow to end the war, but the agreement he reached with Mr. Medvedev then has never been fully carried out.
Russia, especially its powerful prime minister, Vladimir V. Putin, who is expected to visit France again in June, has been clear about creating a special relationship with Europe and undermining the NATO alliance with Washington as an outdated relic of the cold war and a divided Europe. Mr. Medvedev himself has proposed a new “security architecture” for Europe that would supersede NATO but allow Russia a sphere of interest in eastern Europe, a proposal that Europeans reject.
Mr. Sarkozy did not criticize the idea in public, and Mr. Medvedev emphasized that it was open to changes.
Iran was also a topic of discussion, with France pushing both Washington and Moscow hard for painful sanctions on Iran, as the best and perhaps final chance to pressure Tehran to give up uranium enrichment, as the Security Council has demanded. Mr. Medvedev has expressed disappointment and criticism of Iranian behavior, and Moscow is seen willing to vote for another set of sanctions on Iran, if not necessarily crippling ones; China has opposed new sanctions, arguing for another round of diplomacy.
On Monday, Mr. Sarkozy said that Mr. Medvedev, on the topic of new Iran sanctions, “told me of his receptiveness to the question of sanctions so long as they don’t create humanitarian dramas.” Mr. Medvedev said that the sanctions should be “smart,” adding: “These sanctions should not target the civilian population.”
Senior French officials, however, think that if the sanctions are not crippling and profound, Tehran will never respond as the West desires.
Mr. Medvedev also said that the United States and Russia are “near an accord” on a new treaty on strategic nuclear weapons to replace an expired one.
Mr. Medvedev, his wife and his large delegation are staying at the Ritz Hotel, where security is high. He will visit Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, while he and Mr. Sarkozy will inaugurate a large exhibit of Russian art at the Louvre.
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Re: World News Thread
The new government in Kyrgyzstan still struggles to gain effective controll over the whole country. Two month after the former president was ousted, there's no riots for some days already in parts of the country.
It seems the Kirgyzs government was also looking for russian military help to control the situation, something Russia so far is reluctant to do. But they say they would be willing to help in other ways.
The new government in Kyrgyzstan still struggles to gain effective controll over the whole country. Two month after the former president was ousted, there's no riots for some days already in parts of the country.
It seems the Kirgyzs government was also looking for russian military help to control the situation, something Russia so far is reluctant to do. But they say they would be willing to help in other ways.
Re: World News Thread
The Caucasus is also flaring up lately. Islamist rebels have attacked the Chechen president in his home village. The attack was thwarted, but is a reminder of the ongoing instability in the region.
The nationalist rebellion there seems to have been put down after the chechen wars. But al Qaeda linked groups seem to have turned that into an islamist insurgency. Over the past years, the insurgency has become more violent and sophisticated, with coordinated attacks taking place. It has also spread to other republics in the region, like Dagestan and Ingushetia.
During the last decade we have seen those conflicts becoming a lot more international and linked to each other. The middle east probably made the beginning from Plastine over Iraq to Afghanistan, with exchanges taking place. From there the network seems to have spread to NE Africa - see al Shabab in Somalia - and the arabian peninsula - activity in Yemen lately.
Is anybody aware of how closely the Caucasus entity is linked to the overal Qeada structure from the mid-east?
I wonder to what extent that security issue can be taken by NATO / Russia to increase cooperation there. On the other sinde, however, Russia so far has not exactly tried to adress the underlaying problems of the insurgency in the area either.
Islamist rebels launch deadly attack on Chechen president's village
At least 19 people including five civilians die as insurgents strike against pro-Moscow leader Ramzan Kadyrov
Luke Harding in Moscow - guardian.co.uk, Sunday 29 August 2010 18.12 BST
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen president The Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov, in his home village of Tsentoroi. Photograph: Reuters
At least 19 people were killed today after Islamist rebels launched an audacious attack on the heavily defended residence of Chechnya's pro-Kremlin president, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Chechen officials said that 12 insurgents and two guards were killed after the rebels slipped into Tsentoroi, Kadyrov's home village, also known as Khosi-Yurt, in the early hours of this morning . Russian TV reported that five civilians had also been killed in fierce fighting. [...]
The assault on Kadyrov's fortress-like headquarters appears to be a symbolic blow against Chechnya's pro-Moscow president rather than a genuine assassination attempt. It is a reminder that, despite frequent Kremlin claims to the contrary, Kadyrov and other local leaders have failed to stop the Islamist insurgency in Russia's northern Caucasus.
"This is a very painful strike not only against Ramzan [Kadyrov] but against Moscow," Alexei Malashenko, an expert on the north Caucasus at Moscow's Carnegie Centre, said. "Tsentoroi is like a fortress with a lot of tanks and military men. I've been there several times."
"The situation in the North Caucasus is now much more difficult than [Vladimir] Putin or [Dmitry] Medvedev imagine it. We are talking about a growing Islamist opposition and hundreds or even thousands of militants in Chechnya alone, with more young men joining them up in the mountains. It's a civil war. Invisible or visible, it's a war." [...]
Despite two brutal Kremlin wars in Chechnya, Russia's Islamist rebellion has multiplied in recent years and has spread to the neighbouring republics of Dagestan and Ingushetia. Over the weekend, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed it was winning this struggle, and had shot dead 30 rebels in the month of August. Over the past few days violence has spiked across the region, possibly in response to the killing on 21 August by federal forces of Magomedali Vagabov, a top rebel leader in Dagestan. [...]
Kadyrov previously fought on the side of the rebels but switched sides and was installed by the Kremlin as Chechen leader in 2007.
The Caucasus is also flaring up lately. Islamist rebels have attacked the Chechen president in his home village. The attack was thwarted, but is a reminder of the ongoing instability in the region.
The nationalist rebellion there seems to have been put down after the chechen wars. But al Qaeda linked groups seem to have turned that into an islamist insurgency. Over the past years, the insurgency has become more violent and sophisticated, with coordinated attacks taking place. It has also spread to other republics in the region, like Dagestan and Ingushetia.
During the last decade we have seen those conflicts becoming a lot more international and linked to each other. The middle east probably made the beginning from Plastine over Iraq to Afghanistan, with exchanges taking place. From there the network seems to have spread to NE Africa - see al Shabab in Somalia - and the arabian peninsula - activity in Yemen lately.
Is anybody aware of how closely the Caucasus entity is linked to the overal Qeada structure from the mid-east?
I wonder to what extent that security issue can be taken by NATO / Russia to increase cooperation there. On the other sinde, however, Russia so far has not exactly tried to adress the underlaying problems of the insurgency in the area either.
Islamist rebels launch deadly attack on Chechen president's village
At least 19 people including five civilians die as insurgents strike against pro-Moscow leader Ramzan Kadyrov
Luke Harding in Moscow - guardian.co.uk, Sunday 29 August 2010 18.12 BST
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen president The Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov, in his home village of Tsentoroi. Photograph: Reuters
At least 19 people were killed today after Islamist rebels launched an audacious attack on the heavily defended residence of Chechnya's pro-Kremlin president, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Chechen officials said that 12 insurgents and two guards were killed after the rebels slipped into Tsentoroi, Kadyrov's home village, also known as Khosi-Yurt, in the early hours of this morning . Russian TV reported that five civilians had also been killed in fierce fighting. [...]
The assault on Kadyrov's fortress-like headquarters appears to be a symbolic blow against Chechnya's pro-Moscow president rather than a genuine assassination attempt. It is a reminder that, despite frequent Kremlin claims to the contrary, Kadyrov and other local leaders have failed to stop the Islamist insurgency in Russia's northern Caucasus.
"This is a very painful strike not only against Ramzan [Kadyrov] but against Moscow," Alexei Malashenko, an expert on the north Caucasus at Moscow's Carnegie Centre, said. "Tsentoroi is like a fortress with a lot of tanks and military men. I've been there several times."
"The situation in the North Caucasus is now much more difficult than [Vladimir] Putin or [Dmitry] Medvedev imagine it. We are talking about a growing Islamist opposition and hundreds or even thousands of militants in Chechnya alone, with more young men joining them up in the mountains. It's a civil war. Invisible or visible, it's a war." [...]
Despite two brutal Kremlin wars in Chechnya, Russia's Islamist rebellion has multiplied in recent years and has spread to the neighbouring republics of Dagestan and Ingushetia. Over the weekend, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed it was winning this struggle, and had shot dead 30 rebels in the month of August. Over the past few days violence has spiked across the region, possibly in response to the killing on 21 August by federal forces of Magomedali Vagabov, a top rebel leader in Dagestan. [...]
Kadyrov previously fought on the side of the rebels but switched sides and was installed by the Kremlin as Chechen leader in 2007.
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Junior Member
Re: World News Thread
This has been one weird day for military news:coffee:
Iceland is set to give a private army contractor the green light in what critics are calling the most ambitious move by a corporation to perform tasks once reserved for national militaries.
Few countries have suffered worse from the global crisis than Iceland, an island of 320,000 in the northern extremes of the Atlantic Ocean that was once hailed – due to its commitment to sophisticated, albeit highly risky financial services – as one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the world. Those halcyon days are over.
Today, the debt-ridden NATO country is struggling to contain the fallout from a massive exodus of talent as highly educated residents flee the island for employment opportunities elsewhere. These dire economic conditions, observers say, paved the way for a mysterious “private army” to assume control of an airbase in the country.
The private military training company, ECA Program Ltd., reportedly paid $160 million to fill the security void left in the country after the US military abruptly yanked its forces from the Keflavik airbase in March 2006.
According to military analysts, the company will purchase up to 30 Russian-built Sukhoi-27 fighter jets from Belarus and base them at Keflavik where air forces worldwide may pay to use them for mock “dogfights” in aerial war games.
The planned purchase of the fighter jets, which are heavily employed by the air forces of Russia and China amongst others, represents the largest single order for military aircraft by a private investor. The first shipment of aircraft is expected in October.
Despite the economic boost it will provide to the cash-strapped country, the project is facing harsh opposition.
One group, called the Campaign Against Militarism (CAM), has expressed its condemnation of the ECA Program, claiming the company is a front for a mercenary group that was denied permission to operate in Canada. CAM is also known for its efforts to force Iceland out of NATO.
Mercenaries or market players?
According to information available on its website, ECA “answers the training needs of armed forces around the globe. This is possible thanks to the fielding of an integrated system that is composed of individual assets such as aircraft, drones, cruise missile simulators, ground based air defenses, radars, passive ELINT components and jamming complexes. The integration is obtained thanks to the resilient, fully off-road mobile, Command and Control, Communications, Counter-measures (C3CM) backbone.”
At the same time, ECA Program Ltd. stresses that it is “fully independent from any specific government and thus more open to international cooperation” and is not “representing, or influenced, by any military-industrial complex.” Despite these words of assurance, the project is facing increasing hostility as well as suspicion as not all of its claims are adding up.
Melville ten Cate, ECA’s Dutch co-founder, told the Financial Times that ECA has agreed to buy 15 Sukhoi Su-27 “Flanker” jets from BelTechExport, a Belarusian arms export company, with the option to purchase another 18 of the aircraft.
The Financial Times report, quoting an anonymous company official, said the government was “close to giving conditional approval to ECA,” while adding that Reykjavik would “consult its NATO allies” before a final decision was made, he added. So far, so good. But upon further investigation, there appears to be some loose threads in the official story.
The FT article went to say that “much about the deal is shrouded in mystery and several defence industry officials have questioned its credibility – including some that Mr. ten Cate says are involved.”
BelTechExport, for example, denied knowledge of the deal on Monday, after having “previously confirmed it to the Financial Times.” Meanwhile, an official at the Belarusian agency responsible for approving arms exports said he was not aware of the negotiations and Rosoboronexport, the Russian state arms exporter, denied any involvement.
Finally, the sheer overhead costs involved in the purchase and upkeep of 30 sophisticated fighter jets, not to mention the cost of paying for pilots, mechanics and control tower personnel, are causing many observers to question if the company has received the financial blessing of some foreign government. Indeed, any talk of a "private military contractor" these days immediately drags up bad memories of Blackwater (now known as Xe Services), the US company that attracted significant controversy due to its contractual work in Iraq.
Although no connection to outside military contractors or sovereign nations has been revealed, according to a report in The Reykjavik Grapevine, “much is unknown about the source of the company's (ECA Program, Ltd.) finances, and their activities remain obscure – few sources apart from the ECA's own website even mention the work the company has done.”
ECA had originally been hoping to base its operations at Goose Bay airbase in Canada, but turned to Iceland after Canadian authorities went cold on the proposal.
According to military sources, the Russian fighter jets would not carry live ammunition and no training would take place in Icelandic airspace. The extent of the company’s “ground based air defenses, radars, passive ELINT components and jamming complexes,” however, remains largely unknown at this time, yet may be of future interest to Russia, especially given the recent move by the White House to build an anti-missile system in Eastern Europe.
One senior company official at ECA, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, denied that the two complexes would be interoperable.
Several Moscow officials, meanwhile, have expressed their surprise at the revelation that Belarus is willing to sell so many state-of-the-art Russian jet fighters to a NATO country. Although such a sale does not represent a security threat for Russia, they say, it does underscore just how severe the global financial crisis has been to many countries that are now willing to undermine their national security to make a quick buck.
This has been one weird day for military news:coffee:
Iceland is set to give a private army contractor the green light in what critics are calling the most ambitious move by a corporation to perform tasks once reserved for national militaries.
Few countries have suffered worse from the global crisis than Iceland, an island of 320,000 in the northern extremes of the Atlantic Ocean that was once hailed – due to its commitment to sophisticated, albeit highly risky financial services – as one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the world. Those halcyon days are over.
Today, the debt-ridden NATO country is struggling to contain the fallout from a massive exodus of talent as highly educated residents flee the island for employment opportunities elsewhere. These dire economic conditions, observers say, paved the way for a mysterious “private army” to assume control of an airbase in the country.
The private military training company, ECA Program Ltd., reportedly paid $160 million to fill the security void left in the country after the US military abruptly yanked its forces from the Keflavik airbase in March 2006.
According to military analysts, the company will purchase up to 30 Russian-built Sukhoi-27 fighter jets from Belarus and base them at Keflavik where air forces worldwide may pay to use them for mock “dogfights” in aerial war games.
The planned purchase of the fighter jets, which are heavily employed by the air forces of Russia and China amongst others, represents the largest single order for military aircraft by a private investor. The first shipment of aircraft is expected in October.
Despite the economic boost it will provide to the cash-strapped country, the project is facing harsh opposition.
One group, called the Campaign Against Militarism (CAM), has expressed its condemnation of the ECA Program, claiming the company is a front for a mercenary group that was denied permission to operate in Canada. CAM is also known for its efforts to force Iceland out of NATO.
Mercenaries or market players?
According to information available on its website, ECA “answers the training needs of armed forces around the globe. This is possible thanks to the fielding of an integrated system that is composed of individual assets such as aircraft, drones, cruise missile simulators, ground based air defenses, radars, passive ELINT components and jamming complexes. The integration is obtained thanks to the resilient, fully off-road mobile, Command and Control, Communications, Counter-measures (C3CM) backbone.”
At the same time, ECA Program Ltd. stresses that it is “fully independent from any specific government and thus more open to international cooperation” and is not “representing, or influenced, by any military-industrial complex.” Despite these words of assurance, the project is facing increasing hostility as well as suspicion as not all of its claims are adding up.
Melville ten Cate, ECA’s Dutch co-founder, told the Financial Times that ECA has agreed to buy 15 Sukhoi Su-27 “Flanker” jets from BelTechExport, a Belarusian arms export company, with the option to purchase another 18 of the aircraft.
The Financial Times report, quoting an anonymous company official, said the government was “close to giving conditional approval to ECA,” while adding that Reykjavik would “consult its NATO allies” before a final decision was made, he added. So far, so good. But upon further investigation, there appears to be some loose threads in the official story.
The FT article went to say that “much about the deal is shrouded in mystery and several defence industry officials have questioned its credibility – including some that Mr. ten Cate says are involved.”
BelTechExport, for example, denied knowledge of the deal on Monday, after having “previously confirmed it to the Financial Times.” Meanwhile, an official at the Belarusian agency responsible for approving arms exports said he was not aware of the negotiations and Rosoboronexport, the Russian state arms exporter, denied any involvement.
Finally, the sheer overhead costs involved in the purchase and upkeep of 30 sophisticated fighter jets, not to mention the cost of paying for pilots, mechanics and control tower personnel, are causing many observers to question if the company has received the financial blessing of some foreign government. Indeed, any talk of a "private military contractor" these days immediately drags up bad memories of Blackwater (now known as Xe Services), the US company that attracted significant controversy due to its contractual work in Iraq.
Although no connection to outside military contractors or sovereign nations has been revealed, according to a report in The Reykjavik Grapevine, “much is unknown about the source of the company's (ECA Program, Ltd.) finances, and their activities remain obscure – few sources apart from the ECA's own website even mention the work the company has done.”
ECA had originally been hoping to base its operations at Goose Bay airbase in Canada, but turned to Iceland after Canadian authorities went cold on the proposal.
According to military sources, the Russian fighter jets would not carry live ammunition and no training would take place in Icelandic airspace. The extent of the company’s “ground based air defenses, radars, passive ELINT components and jamming complexes,” however, remains largely unknown at this time, yet may be of future interest to Russia, especially given the recent move by the White House to build an anti-missile system in Eastern Europe.
One senior company official at ECA, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, denied that the two complexes would be interoperable.
Several Moscow officials, meanwhile, have expressed their surprise at the revelation that Belarus is willing to sell so many state-of-the-art Russian jet fighters to a NATO country. Although such a sale does not represent a security threat for Russia, they say, it does underscore just how severe the global financial crisis has been to many countries that are now willing to undermine their national security to make a quick buck.
Re: World News Thread
The Caucasus is just a confused bloody mess. There's no good guys. Kadyrov is a brutal, violent, monomaniacal thug, but he's brought some stability to Chechnya so the economy could get going again, at least a bit. The anti-Russian forces in the area are harder to pin down. Some of them are certainly Islamist, and a few are undoubtedly tied to wider jihadi networks in the Mideast. We know there's a fairly substantial contingent of Chechens in eastern Afghanistan/tribal regions of Pakistan, mainly connected with the Haqqani network. My guess is that those Chechens mostly got their start in the "War of Independence" back in the 90s, were radicalized and decided to participate in international jihad rather than stay in a homeland that had basically nothing to offer them but death in a futile struggle.
Also at play in that area are powerful criminal gangs, and clans that are well armed and not afraid to take on and kill anyone to avenge any sort of perceived insult. For example, the Yamadayev clan (one of the most powerful clans if I understand correctly) pursued a feud with Kadyrov himself (it didn't go too well for them, he assassinated almost all of their leaders) because of a car accident. They recently made peace with Kadyrov because he's an insane sonofabitch and he whooped their asses, but still it shows you that Chechens and other Caucasian ethnicities will fight the security forces and each other in a serious way without having much of a political agenda or military organization.
A lot of the random violence you see in the Caucasus is somewhere between an actual insurgency and individual families and clans taking personal revenge for insults or killings by the security forces. And of course there's heavy crime and inter-clan feuds to provide background gunfire.
Hell of a mess for Russia to deal with.
The Caucasus is just a confused bloody mess. There's no good guys. Kadyrov is a brutal, violent, monomaniacal thug, but he's brought some stability to Chechnya so the economy could get going again, at least a bit. The anti-Russian forces in the area are harder to pin down. Some of them are certainly Islamist, and a few are undoubtedly tied to wider jihadi networks in the Mideast. We know there's a fairly substantial contingent of Chechens in eastern Afghanistan/tribal regions of Pakistan, mainly connected with the Haqqani network. My guess is that those Chechens mostly got their start in the "War of Independence" back in the 90s, were radicalized and decided to participate in international jihad rather than stay in a homeland that had basically nothing to offer them but death in a futile struggle.
Also at play in that area are powerful criminal gangs, and clans that are well armed and not afraid to take on and kill anyone to avenge any sort of perceived insult. For example, the Yamadayev clan (one of the most powerful clans if I understand correctly) pursued a feud with Kadyrov himself (it didn't go too well for them, he assassinated almost all of their leaders) because of a car accident. They recently made peace with Kadyrov because he's an insane sonofabitch and he whooped their asses, but still it shows you that Chechens and other Caucasian ethnicities will fight the security forces and each other in a serious way without having much of a political agenda or military organization.
A lot of the random violence you see in the Caucasus is somewhere between an actual insurgency and individual families and clans taking personal revenge for insults or killings by the security forces. And of course there's heavy crime and inter-clan feuds to provide background gunfire.
Hell of a mess for Russia to deal with.
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