06 Nov 09
US Generals Flood Israel for Exercise against ‘Specific Threats'
One senior IDF source told BBC magazine, “I've never seen so many American generals.” It is one of the largest-ever joint training drills and is fueling speculation that the United States is preparing for the worst while hoping for the best concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
United Nations General Assembly Endorses the Goldstone Report
The UN General Assembly approved on Thursday an Arab-backed resolution endorsing the Goldstone Report, paving the way for the matter to be sent to the Security Council. A total of 114 nations voted in favor of the resolution and 18 voted against it, with 44 members abstaining.-"Rather than confronting terrorism, the General Assembly chose again to detach itself from reality," said Israel's top UN official, Gabriela Shalev. "Today's debate is anything but genuine and candid.
"Rather than discuss how to better stop terrorist groups who deliberately target civilians, this body launches yet another campaign against the victims of terrorism, the people of Israel," she said.
Syria-Turkey ink cooperation oil, gas agreements
The Syrian Oil Minister Sufiyan Al-Alaw unveiled here on Friday three cooperation agreements inked with Turkey in the fields of oil and gas which will be ratified in the near future.
The first agreement aims at establishing a joint Turkish-Syrian venture for excavation, discovery, and development of oil and gas fields located near the border areas.
The second agreement is to buy a pre-approved gas quantity from Turkey for a five year renewable agreement by the two sides.
The third agreement is to tie the gas networks between the two countries and convene the works by the end of 2011 which will enable the gas to be transferred from Turkey and the neighboring countries such as Azerbaijan, Iran to Syria and other Arab countries.
Syria's statement at UN General Assembly debate on goldstone report
Syria's permanent envoy to the United Nations Bashar al-Ja'afari said that the Syrian delegation has voted in favor of the decision adopted by the UN General Assembly today on holding the Israeli occupation authorities responsible for the crimes they perpetrated during the latest aggression on Gaza.
"Syria sees that the member countries' voting for that decision as a criterion of their credibility towards one of the important aspects in the work of the international organization,"-It urged the UN member countries to support that decision and bring the Israelis who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity to international justice.
Syria gains new confidence on world stage
Emerging from international isolation with a flurry of high-level Western visitors and ties boosted with Turkey, Syria has gained in confidence to the point of holding out on an EU partnership.The European Union hoped to sign a partnership accord on October 26, after a freeze of several years by the EU side, but the Syrian side now insists it must review the terms to protect its interests.
Turkey to host Sudan, Iran leaders at summit
A summit of Islamic countries in Istanbul next week will boost Turkey's quest to deepen ties with the Muslim world, but some of its new friends are not to the taste of its traditional ally, Washington.
Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has an international arrest warrant against him for war crimes, and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, engaged in a standoff with the West over Tehran's nuclear programme, are among leaders who will attend an Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting.
Military jihadists fill 'every branch'
"Muslims should stand up and fight the aggressor." That's what Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan said about America before he and possibly other Muslim soldiers at Fort Hood shot 43 fellow soldiers, killing 12, who were returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Troubling portrait emerges of Fort Hood shooter
His name appears on radical Internet postings. A fellow officer says he fought his deployment to Iraq and argued with soldiers who supported U.S. wars. He required counseling as a medical student because of problems with patients.
Threat of striking Iranian nuclear facilities not a bluff
Israel is not bluffing when it warns that all options are still on the table and that it may strike Iranian nuclear facilities, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said in an interview with the British Sky television channel on Friday.
China urges military cooperation ahead of Obama visit
China urged more contact with the U.S. military on Friday while President Hu Jintao said his nation's plans for space were peaceful, striking a conciliatory tone ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit.
Death toll from U.S. base shooting up to 13
The U.S.-born Muslim is the son of Palestinian immigrants and was raised in Virginia.
Cocaine's charge through Europe undiminished
Cocaine's relentless march through Europe's social order showed no sign of abating in 2009, an annual report into drug use and addiction showed on Thursday.
Senate blocks census US-citizenship question
Senate Democrats have blocked a GOP attempt to require next year's census forms to ask people whether they are a U.S. citizen.
The proposal by Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter was aimed at excluding immigrants from the population totals that are used to figure the number of congressional representatives for each state.
Report: US informed Israel of arms ship
The Iranian arms ship seized by the Israel Defense Forces was discovered thanks to American activity, the London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Friday, quoting Israeli sources.
On Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi praised Mossad agents for helping obtain the intelligence which led to the vessel's capture.
Protesters Arrested at Lieberman's Office
It is protest day, for the Left and the Right, on Capitol Hill.
First out of the gate - 9 Protesters backing a universal health care system briefly occupied Sen. Joe Lieberman's office this morning.
Protesters were arrested, one by one, and dragged out of his office amid chants of "Everyone in and no one out, universal healthcare now!" and "Represent Connecticut, not AETNA!"
Republicans Rally Resistance to Health Care Bill, as House Vote Nears
As a crowd of protesters shouted "kill the bill," House Republicans on Thursday rallied opposition against the Democrats' health care legislation, even as President Obama touted two major endorsements from doctors and seniors groups.
The president interrupted the daily press briefing Thursday to note that the American Medical Association and AARP had just endorsed House Democrats' health care plan.
Pay problem parents not to breed - mayor
AN outspoken Kiwi politician has proposed a new solution to the country's child abuse problem - pay the "appalling underclass" not to breed.
Michael Laws - who stirred up controversy by calling the late Tongan King a "bloated brown slug" - has again hit the headlines.
Key Pakistan Taliban town 'falls'
Pakistani forces have captured the strategically important town of Ladha from the Taliban in ongoing clashes in South Waziristan, officials say.
According to the military, 28 militants and five soldiers have been killed in battles over the past 24 hours.
The army went on the offensive in South Waziristan on 17 October to root out militants behind a wave of bombings.
Saudi jets 'attack Yemen rebels'
The Saudi air force has attacked rebels in northern Yemen following Wednesday's killing of a Saudi security officer in a border area, reports have said.
Saudi F-15 and Tornado jets targeted strongholds of the Houthi rebels on the Yemeni side of border, spokesmen for the group and Arab media said.
US hits China pipes with tariffs
The US Commerce Department has imposed anti-dumping tariffs of up to 99% on imports of Chinese tubular goods.
The department alleged China had been selling its oil well pipes at prices that were much lower than normal.
The announcement is the latest in a series of trade disputes between the US and China, which called the move an "abuse of protectionist measures".
Serbia to apply for EU membership this year
Serbia plans to formally apply for EU membership by the end of this year and has pledged it will to apprehend war criminals as soon as possible, Belgrade's foreign minister Vuk Jeremic told European lawmakers on Thursday (5 November).
"The basic groundwork is there for Serbia to submit its official application for EU membership. We hope to do so by the end of this year," Mr Jeremic said in front of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee.
EU pessimistic about Copenhagen climate change deal
Europe has given up hope that a binding global treaty on climate change can be achieved at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December.
On Thursday (5 November), EU leaders and officials bluntly briefed reporters in Barcelona at the last series of international talks ahead of the summit that such a deal will not be achieved for as much as another year.
EU military chiefs nervous about Lisbon Treaty implications
EU military chiefs are nervous that their advice will not carry the same weight once the new Lisbon Treaty is in place and that the planned diplomatic service will not contain enough experienced military personnel.
Europe's chiefs of defence gathered in Brussels on Wednesday (4 November) to review all military operations under the EU flag and to witness the handover of power from outgoing EU military committee chair, Frenchman Henri Bentegeat, to Sweden's Hakan Syren.
US soldier kills 13 in Texas shooting
US military officials were starting Friday to piece together what may have pushed an Army psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress to turn on his comrades in a shooting rampage that killed 13 people and wounded 30 in Texas.
The suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was on a ventilator and unconscious in a hospital after being shot four times during the shootings at the Army's sprawling Fort Hood, post officials said.
Ayalon: Threat of striking Iranian nuclear facilities not a bluff
Israel is not bluffing when it warns that all options are still on the table and that it may strike Iranian nuclear facilities, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said in an interview with the British Sky television channel on Friday.
"The one who's bluffing is Iran, which is trying to play with cards they don't have," Ayalon reportedly said.
'Signs Iran tested advanced nuke tech'
The International Atomic Energy Agency has demanded that Iran explain evidence that it has experimented with advanced nuclear warhead technology, The Guardian reported overnight Thursday.
According to the report, the technology, called "two-point implosion," is considered to be a secret in the US as well as the UK. It allows development of smaller, simpler warheads, which are easier to place on missiles than older designs.
Embattled UN rethinking Afghan-Pakistan role
The United Nations is sending about 600 foreign staff out of the country or into secure compounds because of the deadly Taliban attack on U.N. workers, warning the Afghan government Thursday that international support will wane unless it cracks down on corruption fueling the insurgency.
Iranian Student Becomes Unlikely Hero for Criticizing Ayatollah
An unassuming college math student has become an unlikely hero to many in Iran for daring to criticize the country's most powerful man to his face.
Mahmoud Vahidnia has received an outpouring of support from government opponents for the challenge — unprecedented in a country where insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a crime punishable by prison.
05 Nov 09
Netanyahu Challenges UN on Weapons Ship
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the terrorist weapon shipment captured in an IDF raid this week constituted a war crime, and criticized the United Nations for its failure to respond to the incident. He noted the timing of the weapons shipment, which took place as the UN prepared to debate a report condemning Israel for its Cast Lead counterterror offensive in Gaza.
A/H1N1 virus now dominant flu virus in all countries, says WHO
The A/H1N virus has become the world's dominant influenza virus but so far there are no signs showing the new virus has mutated into a form different than when it was first identified, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
"It's clear that the pandemic virus has become the dominant influenza virus in all countries," Dr. Keiji Fukuda, special adviser to the WHO director-general on pandemic influenza, said at a press briefing.
