World News Thread & Breaking News!!

[B.I.B.]

Personally I think we should stay out of it but what do I know!

anyway just my 2c

It is a pity that politics are going to prevent Assad from being truly punished for his crime.

 

[Equation]

It is a pity that politics are going to prevent Assad from being truly punished for his crime.

Yeah, but he's not the only guilty one, what about the "rebel" forces as well?

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

as my favorite Radio show host says "Too Many Villains"

 

[Dolcevita]

It is a pity that politics are going to prevent Assad from being truly punished for his crime.

Yes too many Villains.

It's a shame political hypocricy and double standard is preventing the US from being punished for its crime.

The US knew Saddam Hussien was using sarin nerve gas since 1983. Yet in 1987 fully aware that Saddam Hussien was going to use nerve gas, the US helped provide intelligence on Iranian troop concentrations near Basra.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

From 1983 until 1987, the U.S. more or less sat on (and internally discussed) intelligence containing strong evidence of Iraq's chemical weapons use — early on, that meant mustard gas. Retired Air Force Col. Rick Francona told the magazine that he first learned of Iraq's chemical weapons use in 1984. All that time, Iran was publicly saying that Iraq had used chemical weapons against them. They just didn't have any evidence to take to the U.N. Then, Iran concentrated a large number of troops near the Iraqi city of Barash, near a vulnerability in Iraq's defenses:


In late 1987, the DIA analysts in Francona's shop in Washington wrote a Top Secret Codeword report partially entitled "At The Gates of Basrah," warning that the Iranian 1988 spring offensive was going to be bigger than all previous spring offensives, and this offensive stood a very good chance of breaking through the Iraqi lines and capturing Basrah. The report warned that if Basrah fell, the Iraqi military would collapse and Iran would win the war.

President Reagan read the report and, according to Francona, wrote a note in the margin addressed to Secretary of Defense Frank C. Carlucci: "An Iranian victory is unacceptable."

The U.S. authorized intelligence sharing with Iraq, and gave Iraq the location of those troops. Iraq then conducted a series of devastating sarin gas attacks. You can view all of the declassified documents (or read the whole report) at Foreign Policy.

 

[Jeff Head]

Regarding Syria and Assad. When General Dempsey (Joint chiefs of Staff) said hundreds of missiles, aircraft, ships, etc. would be necesssary for an effective standoff attack on Syria, he certainly never meant hundreds of US Navy ships, The US Navy has about 285+ combat ships, far less if we consider just those capable of being involved in such a mission. The largest number of assets would be the missiles themselves. Each of those cruise missiles costs over a million dollars each, and it would mean hundreds of millions of dollars in missiles, if not billions, to sufficienty degrade Syria.

But why would Assad conduct such an attack? I think it much more likely that the rebels themselves did whatever was done in Damascus. Assad is already holding them at bay and reversing their fortunes over the last couple of months. Why would he invite retailiation by the US in such a situationn? He wouldn't. The only plausible time he would use those weapons was if he was absolutely on the verge of falling from power completely and hole up in his HQ with everything coming down around him. He is no where near that situation.

On the other hand, the rebels fortunes have been waining. They have every reason to fake an attack by Assad to get the US and the West to come charging in on their side. Where would they Rebels get such weapons? Two possibilities. Some captured during the war from Assad...or, think Libya. Think Benghazi.

BTW, there is now video evidence of the FSA (Free Syrian Army) launching chemical attacks against Syrian positions and villages.

[video=youtube;6Iqns5xeoYk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Iqns5xeoYk[/video]
​

Finally, what is in the true US best interest in all of this.

By all accounts the rebels are absolutely filled with extreme, Islamic Jihadists either part of, or closely affiliated with Al Quida. Is there any sane or rational reason we the US people would want them to win in Syria? Of course not. Assad is far better for US interests than they would be. Clinton and both Bush presidencies found ways to work with Assad and keep him on a tight leash with the help of Israel. He does not slaughter his Christian or other minorities. He helps maintain a fragile balance of powers between ethnic and cultural forces (Kurds, Shias, and Sunnis) and he has Russias backing which also helps maintian some form of watch and influence over Iran. Al Quida would fill none of those bills, and in fact would seriuosly exasberate all of them.

Anyhow, it is clear that the Obama administration is once more showing its antipathy towards true US interests in the region and their inclination to be well disposed towards extremist Islam players (like the Muslim Brotherhood). It also provides the Obama administration with significant distraction away form his worsening domestic issues and scandals.

Any attack by the US and its allies on Syria would be a collosal boondoggle that would have significant, far reaching negative impact to US interests in the region, and to the region itself as a whole.

 

[cn_habs]

Maybe Obama thinks he has a good chance of destabilizing Iran by taking out Assad who is her only ally in the region. Of course he realizes that he`d be aligning with Al-Qaida but maybe he wants to isolate Iran that badly. Just saying...

From an economic standpoint, an unstable Middle East means that the crude will go up even further delaying the world-wide economic recovery just as QEs come to an end.

 

[delft]

Maybe Obama think he has a good chance of destabilizing Iran by taking out Assad who is her only ally in the region. Of course he realizes that he`d be aligning with Al-Qaida but maybe he wants to isolate Iran that badly. Just saying...

From an economic standpoint, an unstable Middle East means that the crude will go up even further delaying the world-wide economic recovery just as QEs come to an end.

But the oil companies are happy.

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

..... right.

Maj. Nidal Hasan sentenced to death for Fort Hood shooting
By Michael Graczyk and Nomaan Merchant
The Associated Press

Jury deciding fate of Fort Hood gunman
Fort Hood gunman won't call witnesses, testify
FORT HOOD, TEXAS — A military jury sentenced Maj. Nidal Hasan to death on Wednesday for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, giving the Army psychiatrist what he believed would be a path to martyrdom in the attack on unarmed fellow soldiers.

The American-born Muslim, who has said he acted to protect Islamic insurgents abroad from American aggression, never denied being the gunman. In opening statements, he acknowledged to the jury that he pulled the trigger in a crowded waiting room where troops were getting final medical checkups before deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The same jurors who convicted Hasan last week had just two options: either agree unanimously that Hasan should die or watch the 42-year-old get an automatic sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole.

Hasan had no visible reaction when the verdict was read Wednesday, staring first at the jury forewoman and then at the judge.

Officials said he will be taken back to a county jail and then transported on the first available military flight to the military prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. The timing on the flight wasn’t immediately clear.“He is a criminal. He is a cold-blooded murderer,” Col. Mike Mulligan said Wednesday in his final plea for a rare military death sentence. “This is not his gift to God. This is his debt to society. This is the cost of his murderous rampage.”

For nearly four years, the federal government has sought to execute Hasan, believing that any sentence short of a lethal injection would deny justice to the families of the dead and the survivors who had believed they were safe behind the gates of the Texas base.

And for just as long, Hasan has seemed content to go to the death chamber for his beliefs. He fired his own attorneys to represent himself, barely put up a defense during a three-week trial and made almost no effort to have his life spared.

Mulligan reminded the jury that Hasan was a trained doctor yet opened fire on defenseless comrades. He “only dealt death,” the prosecutor said, so the only appropriate sentence is death.

He was never allowed to argue in front of the jury that the shooting was necessary to protect Islamic and Taliban leaders from American troops. During the trial, Hasan leaked documents to journalists that revealed him telling military mental health workers in 2010 that he could “still be a martyr” if executed.

When Hasan began shooting, the troops were standing in long lines to receive immunizations and doctors’ clearance. Thirteen people were killed and more than were 30 wounded. All but one of the dead were soldiers, including a pregnant private who curled on the floor and pleaded for her baby’s life.

The attack ended only when Hasan was shot in the back by an officer responding to the shooting. Hasan is now paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair.

The military called nearly 90 witnesses at the trial and more during the sentencing phase. But Hasan rested his case without calling a single person to testify in his defense and made no closing argument. Even with his life at stake during the sentencing hearing, he made no attempt to question witnesses and gave no final statement to jurors.

Death sentences are rare in the military, which has just five other prisoners on death row. The cases trigger a long appeals process. And the president must give final authorization before any service member is executed. No American soldier has been executed since 1961.

Hasan spent weeks planning the Nov. 5, 2009, attack, including buying the handgun and videotaping a sales clerk showing him how to change the magazine.

He later plunked down $10 at a gun range outside Austin and asked for pointers on how to reload with speed and precision. An instructor said he told Hasan to practice while watching TV or sitting on his couch with the lights off.

When the time came, Hasan stuffed paper towels in the pockets of his cargo pants to muffle the rattling of extra ammo and avoid arousing suspicion. Soldiers testified that Hasan’s rapid reloading made it all but impossible to stop him. Investigators recovered 146 shell casings in the medical building and dozens more outside, where Hasan shot at the backs of soldiers fleeing toward the parking lot.

In court, Hasan never played the role of an angry extremist. He didn’t get agitated or raise his voice. He addressed the judge as “ma’am” and occasionally whispered “thank you” when prosecutors, in accordance with the rules of evidence, handed Hasan red pill bottles that rattled with bullet fragments removed from those who were shot.

Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report from Fort Hood.

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

CHINA
31 August 2013 Last updated at 03:11 ET
China chemical leak in Shanghai 'kills 15'
A chemical leak of liquid ammonia from a cold storage unit in Shanghai has killed 15 people, according to China's official news agency.
There were also 26 people injured in the leak at around 11:00 local time (03:00 GMT), Xinhua reports.
Local media published pictures of firefighters at the scene.
China's industrial safety regulations are sometimes ignored by local authorities focused on boosting economic development, observers say.
Local media say that the incident occurred in the city's northern district of Baoshan at a refrigeration unit owned by a seafood company, AFP reports.

MIDDLE EAST
31 August 2013 Last updated at 17:32 ET
Yemen violence: PM Basindwa unhurt in assassination bid
Yemeni Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa has survived an assassination attempt unharmed, officials in the capital Sanaa say.
Gunmen in a vehicle opened fire on the PM's motorcade as he returned home from his office, one of his advisers said.
It is the first time Mr Basindwa has come under attack, the AFP news agency says, although other members of his cabinet have previously been targeted.
The government is battling militants of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
A senior intelligence officer was killed by suspected militants in southern Labous province late on Friday.
Mr Basindwa was a senior opposition figure before being appointed in November 2011 to head the government set up after veteran leader President Ali Abdullah Saleh left power.
One of his aides, Ali al-Sarari, told Reuters news agency security forces were trying to track down the vehicle used in the attack.
Earlier this month, the US and several other Western countries temporarily shut their embassies in Sanaa after reports of an imminent al-Qaeda attack.

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
30 August 2013 Last updated at 16:07 ET
Colombia troops to patrol Bogota after protests
Colombia is deploying troops in the capital, Bogota, following violent protests in support of a strike by small-scale farmers.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the troops were needed "to assure normality".
Clashes with police broke out after thousands of people took to the streets in support of the farmers. At least two people have died.
Farmers say government policies are driving them into bankruptcy.
"Last night, I ordered the militarisation of Bogota and I will do the same today in any municipality or area that needs the presence of our soldiers," President Santos said in a televised address after an overnight cabinet meeting.
"It's unacceptable that the actions of a few impact the lives of the majority."
On Friday, the farmers' leaders said they would no longer block highways but would retain roadside pickets.
They said they would resume negotiations with the government on Saturday.
Water cannon
President Santos also said he was deploying up to 50,000 troops on the nation's road network to counter protests and blockages.
He had earlier described the protests as "valid", but urged demonstrators to keep them peaceful.
Clashes broke out on Thursday afternoon after tens of thousands of people marched peacefully in support of a 10-day protest by small-scale farmers.
Correspondents said masked youths threw stones and bricks, and fought riot police who responded with tear gas and water cannon.
The two deaths occurred overnight in the western districts of Suba and Engativa, although the circumstances are not yet clear, Bogota security chief Alfonso Jaramillo said.
Interior Minister Fernando Carrillo said that those who had resorted to violence were "vandals, not farmers".
The protests have united potato growers and milk producers with teachers, health workers and students.
Roadblocks set up by protesters have disrupted food supplies to major cities and towns.
On Wednesday the government announced measures - including better prices for agricultural products and more access to loans - to ease the pressure on farmers.
The government also promised more protection from products imported at lower prices from countries with free-trade agreements with Colombia.
But the small-scale farmers have so far rejected the government's offer.
They say that free trade agreements with the European Union and the US, which have recently come into force, are flooding the market with agricultural products at prices they are unable to match.
They also complain that rising fuel and production costs have turned small-scale farming into a loss-making business.

AFRICA
31 August 2013 Last updated at 21:02 ET
Boko Haram 'kills 24 Nigeria vigilantes in ambush'
Suspected Boko Haram fighters have killed at least 24 members of a vigilante group in north-eastern Nigeria, security officials say.
They say another 34 people are missing after the attack near the town of Monguno in Borno state.
The officials said militants wearing army uniforms ambushed more than 100 vigilantes on Friday.
Nigeria's army has encouraged the formation of vigilante groups to help fight back against the Islamists.
Revenge attacks
The militants attacked the vigilante youths on the outskirts of Monguno, about 160km (100 miles) north-east of the state capital Maiduguri.
The vigilante youths had been on a mission to capture Boko Haram militants in their camps when they were ambushed, the Sunday Tribune reports.
The vigilantes had originally arranged to go with the army but after some hours of waiting for the soldiers to arrive they moved in by themselves.
They were ambushed by militants who "had disguised in military uniforms with three captured patrol vehicles of the security agencies", sources told the paper.
There are fears that the death toll could rise further.
Boko Haram has waged a deadly insurgency in Nigeria since 2009.
In May, President Goodluck Jonathan declared an emergency in three north-eastern states, including Borno, saying the group threatened Nigeria's existence.
An offensive was launched against the group - which says it is fighting for the creation of an Islamic state in Nigeria - and the military encouraged the formation of vigilante groups to help.
But now it appears Boko Haram is taking revenge against such groups, say observers - adding weight to fears that the vigilante groups may trigger an escalation of the violence.
Last week, at least 20 vigilantes were killed in two separate attacks in Borno.

INDIA
31 August 2013 Last updated at 10:29 ET
Delhi gang rape: Teenager found guilty
A teenager has been found guilty of taking part in the fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus last year.
He was convicted on charges of rape and murder over the crime, committed when he was aged 17.
The teenager, who cannot be named, has been sentenced to three years in a reform facility, the maximum term possible for a juvenile.
He had denied the charges, as do four adult men also on trial for the same attack.
The victim's mother left the court in tears, and told reporters that the teenager should be hanged.
"By not punishing this teenager, this verdict is encouraging other teenagers to indulge in such acts and does not provide any safety to girls," she said, according to Reuters news agency.
The time that he has served in detention since his arrest will count towards his sentence, correspondents say.
The four others accused in the case could face the death penalty.
A fifth adult defendant was found dead in his cell in March and prison officials said they believed he hanged himself.
The gang rape of the 23-year-old woman last December caused uproar across India and triggered a national debate about the treatment of women.
The verdict in the case of the teenager - now aged 18 - had been deferred several times before.
He was six months short of becoming an adult at the time of the crime and many, including the family of the victim, had demanded that he should be treated as an adult and face the death penalty for the crime.
Meanwhile, a special fast-track court dealing with the trial of the four men accused in the case has been hearing closing arguments.
A judge who has been hearing the case since the trial began in February is expected to deliver his verdicts in mid-September.
In March, India passed a new bill containing harsher punishments, including the death penalty, for rapists.
Correspondents say the court hearings are being closely followed in India.
The victim, a physiotherapy student who also cannot be named for legal reasons, was with a male friend when she was attacked on a bus and thrown from the vehicle.
Police said the assailants beat both of them and then raped the woman. She died in a Singapore hospital on 29 December from massive internal injuries.

CHINA
28 August 2013 Last updated at 12:22 ET
Chinese general's son Li Tianyi denies rape at trial
The son of a high-profile Chinese army general has denied rape, in a case that has caused public outrage.
Li Tianyi, 17, is charged along with four others with raping the woman at a Beijing hotel in February after having drinks at a bar, state media say.
Beijing newspapers said he denied any sexual relations with the woman, who he alleged was working as a prostitute.
Reports said she was not at the hearing because she is in hospital suffering from stress.
Li Tianyi is the son of army Gen Li Shuangjiang, known for his renditions of patriotic songs on television.
The teenager was sentenced to detention for a year in 2011 over a road rage incident which triggered an outcry.
He was behind the wheel of a BMW car with no licence plates in Beijing when he confronted a middle-aged couple in another vehicle blocking his way.
He assaulted the couple and shouted at shocked bystanders, telling them not to "dare call police".
His father apologised to the couple over the incident.
Li Tianyi's mother Meng Ge is also a well-known singer in China's People's Liberation Army.
The case of Li Tianyi has inflamed public anger at the children of the political elite, who are often seen as spoilt, reckless and above the law, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.
The People's Daily newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, even weighed in on Li Tianyi's latest case, saying the failure of prominent families to educate their children could antagonise the public, our correspondent adds.
In July, hackers demanding justice attacked the website of one of the law firms representing Li Tianyi, according to media reports.

and after all that we need to get a little on the lighter side of life.

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
30 August 2013 Last updated at 18:16 ET
Mexico exports 100% blue agave tequila to China
Mexico's agriculture ministry says drinks firms have shipped their first load of top quality tequila to China.
More than 70,000 bottles of the 100% blue agave tequila were loaded onto a container, due to arrive on the Chinese market in a month.
China banned finest quality tequila over fears of high methanol content. But President Xi Jinping lifted the ban after a visit to Mexico in June.
Tequila firms hope to make China their second biggest market after the US.
Mexican officials say they expect to send 10 million litres of tequila to China over the next five years.
Quality juice
Tequila is distilled from the juice of the blue agave plant.
A certificate of origin is applied to drinks produced in five Mexican states, including Jalisco, where the town of Tequila is located.
President Xi and his Mexican host, President Enrique Pena Nieto, paved the way for the move during their meetings in June.
The head of Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture, Enrique Martinez, then travelled to China to make final arrangements for the lifting of restrictions.
Mexico will also start exporting pork to China, EFE news agency reported.
Efforts are continuing aimed at making produce including lemons, avocadoes, asparagus and spring onions available to Asian markets, officials said.

Chinese get $%!# faced on the good stuff!

 

[Jeff Head]

Wow, the Obama administration has so many faces that it is almost impossible to really know who or what they are.

This morning individuals on Obama's national security team are now saying he is not "bound," by what congress votes and that he would/could act unilaterally even if they vote against him in congress, and do it anyway!

These people are simply crazy and sophomoric when it comes to national security and international relations.

I am ashamed to say that they are the leaders of our nation.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

The Obama administration indicated on Sunday that it would launch military strikes against Syria even if it failed to get the backing of the US Congress, claiming evidence that sarin gas had been used in chemical attacks outside Damascus last month.

Less than a day after the president vowed to put an attack to a congressional vote, secretary of state John Kerry said the administration was determined to act against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, and did not need the backing of Congress to do so.