Category Archives: International

International, U.S.

World War 3: Major Mujahideen offensive, embassies attacked, U.S./NATO forces attacked, Mujahideen say this is the “official” beginning of their Spring Offensive

April 15, 2012, the U.K. embassy in Kabul was hit by two rockets, probably RPGs.  The house where one embassy official lived was also attacked with Rocket Propelled Grenades.

Several large explosions and lots of gunfire heard in Kabul.  U.S. and German embassies attacked.  German officials say they have taken no casualties.  U.S. officials say their embassy is in lockdown mode, no casualties at this time.

Witnesses say Afghan Parliament building, as well as the Russian and Iranian embassies, were also attacked.

Hotels used by foreign officials have been attacked.  Firefights ongoing between Mujahideen and Afghan government forces in the Zambaq Square area of Kabul.

A U.S. led soldier was killed at an airbase near Jalalabad.

In Paktika Province a government building has been taken over by Mujahideen.  Afghan government forces are engaging.  A mine was planted at a Gardiz city school, which went off wounding several children.

In Nangahar Province several large explosions and firefights.  A suicide bomber targeted the U.S. led provincial reconstruction team building.  Two suicide bombings at the local airport.  Several people killed.  Local officials say firefights ongoing.

In Kandahar a local policeman was killed when a suicide bomber targeted his police truck, with a explosives laden tricycle.

Sunday’s attacks by Mujahideen come after the Afghan government announced they had killed three “prominent Taliban leaders” on Saturday, in Nuristan Province.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)  had also claimed to have killed 14 militants in the past 24 hours.

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Herat airport attacked, NATO helicopter down, Australia makes vague Defense pact with Afghanistan, U.S. will keep special ops in Afghanistan

Overnight five rockets hit the Herat airport in western Afghanistan, according to local police. No further info.

A local official in Khost Province says a U.S./NATO/ISAF helicopter went down.  ISAF confirms, but as is SOP for ISAF they refuse to give any details.

“The Australian Defense Minister said Australia is interested in forging a strategic partnership with Afghanistan.”-statement from Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai

The above statement has Australians wondering what’s going on?  In five weeks the Australian government is going to sign some kind of deal with Afghanistan, that could cost Australian taxpayers hundreds of millions of Australian dollars.

The Afghan Embassy in Australia also said the deal would involve ”security, development, trade and investment, cultural and people-to-people links and migration and humanitarian affairs”.  According to Australian media, Australian officials haven’t mentioned a thing about any such “deal”.

What the Australian government has said, in response to questions, is that such a deal was mentioned in a speech by the Prime Minister back on November 21, 2011!

However, that “mention” was vague: “This kind of co-operative country to country approach is an important framework for our long term plans. We seek an enduring relationship with Afghanistan beyond 2014 as Afghanistan takes on responsibility for its own security and governance.’‘-Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia

U.S. Admiral Bill McRaven, the head of U.S. special operations, has revealed that the so called U.S. troop withdrawal in 2014 is actually a troop replacement.

He said regular troops will be replaced with special operations teams that will shepard the Afghan government forces.

However, according to the Associated Press, this plan hasn’t even been presented to Defense Secretary Panetta, or President Obama.  The plan was put together in February by several high ranking military officials, including Central Command’s General James Mattis and overall Afghanistan war commander General John R. Allen.

Pentagon officials say this is one of many plans that are meant to keep a U.S. combat troop presence in Afghanistan, while at the same time drawing down the majority of troops.

 

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Russia to station naval fleet off Syria…Permanently

“A decision has been made to deploy Russian warships near the Syrian shores on a permanent basis.”-unnamed Russian Defense Ministry official

April 13, 2012, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that a Russian naval fleet will continuously patrol the Mediterranean Sea, near the Syrian coastline.

The Black Sea Fleet will deploy to Syria around May.   Currently the Russian Kashin class guided missile destroyer Smetlivy is patrolling near Syria.

International, U.S.

H3N2: First child case in U.S. state of Utah. Old folks home hit in Ireland.

April 12, 2012, a girl in Utah has become the first child in the U.S. to be infected with H3N2v swine flu, this year.  Back at the beginning of March three elderly people died from H3N2 in Maryland.

Utah state officials will not say how old she is.  She reportedly recovered after taking tamiflu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said she became ill after visiting a pig farm.  However, many of the previous H3N2 cases in the U.S. did not involve exposure to pigs.

H3N2v is related to H1N1.

In Fahan, Donegal, Ireland, a nursing home has been hit by the virus.

On April 9 it was reported that 14 people had become infected, with six dying.

Government officials reprimanded the nursing home for not reporting the illnesses sooner: “The lesson to be learned is, where you are dealing with vulnerable people in a private or a public nursing home, keep the Department of Health informed when anything … outside the norm occurs so we can help.”-Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State for the Elderly

The European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control said at least 12 old people throughout Europe have died since February 2012 (not counting the recent Irish cases).  They also say the number of deaths involving old people is surprising, since most studies are saying it’s children that are most vulnerable to H3N2v.

 

 

 

 

International, U.S.

Pacific Ring of Fire: April 12, Two quakes hit Gulf of California, four more in Sumatra

For April 12, 2012, around and adjacent to the Pacific Ring of Fire (PRoF) there have been 10 magnitude 5+ quakes.

Gulf of California: 6.2 and 6.9  (USGS saying the epicenters were in the Gulf of California, but news media reporting it being felt in Mexico City)

West Coast northern Sumatra: two 5.0s, 5.1 and 5.3

East coast Honshu, Japan:  5.3 and 5.6

North Indian Ocean (adjacent to/borders PRoF): two 5.0s

International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S. led forces kill Afghan teacher. Locals taking the law into their own hands; ears being cut off. Australian C-130 attacked

April 12, 2012, Afghans in Faryab Province are protesting the killing of a teacher the night before, by U.S. led forces.

Protestors clashed with local police, at least two protestors are dead, 20 wounded.

International Security Assistance Force admit that U.S. led forces killed two civilians on April 11.  One in Faryab Province, the other in Kandahar Province.

ISAF claims the men were connected to anti-government Mujahideen, but the protestors in Faryab Province say the teacher had no connections to any militant group.

In Kandahar witnesses, and the provincial police chief, say U.S. troops shot and kill a man who was walking with his daughter.  The U.S. troops gave no explanation for the killing.

ISAF also stated that another U.S. led troop was killed on April 12.  As is their SOP they did not give details.  At least 109 occupation troops have been killed so far this year.

In Kundunz Province a suicide bomber killed three civilians and two police officers, wounding another five civilians.

In Kapisa Province Afghan government officials escaped with their lives after their vehicle ran over a mine.  The mine exploded, only one official was wounded, they were riding in a protected police vehicle.

In Helmand Province a civilian vehicle ran over a mine, which killed two children and wounded six other people.  As a result locals turned on the man who planted the mine, and cut off his ears, before police arrived.

However, the locals prevented the police from arresting him, and said they will prosecute and punish the man themselves.

Recently Afghan villagers stoned to death two men who had killed a old man they claimed was spying for the United States.

The Australian Minister of Defense, Stephen Smith, was riding in a C-130 when it came under attack while taking off from Kandahar airbase.

“The Hercules was immediately placed in full lockdown with all occupants ordered to don helmets and assume crouching positions on the floor of the plane.”-News Limited

The C-130 was not the target of the rocket attack. Kandahar airbase is constantly attacked and even the Australian Defense Minister said it was “not uncommon or unusual at Kandahar”.

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: New oil spill in Gulf of Mexico. Oil market bubble bursting? Blame War for your high prices! U.S. backed Oil War continues in Sudan. India #1 buyer of Iranian oil

“The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting an over flight assessment for a report of a rainbow sheen approximately one mile by 10 miles spotted near the Mississippi Canyon block 807 in the Gulf of Mexico……trying to identify the responsible party.”-Petty Officer Bill Colclough, U.S. Coast Guard

April 12, 2012, the USCG is investigating a report, by Royal Dutch Shell, of an oil spill located between two Shell off shore platforms, near the U.S. state of Louisiana.

Shell says it is not coming from its Mars and Ursa rigs.  It could be natural seepage.

The International Energy Agency says international oil stockpiles are so high, and demand is so low, that it expects oil prices to continue to drop.

Isn’t it funny how not even a  year ago the oil industry “experts” kept telling us that demand was still high, and that we could expect $150 per barrel, or more?

“Easing first quarter 2012 fundamentals have seen prices recently lose most of the $5 per barrel they gained in March. The muted impact so far is partly because much of this extra supply has been stockpiled on land or at sea.”-IEA statement

But don’t expect lower gas prices, as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said, the Northern Hemisphere summer driving season is always used as an excuse to raise prices: “U.S. oil demand remains a key uncertainty to the existing demand assessment. The upcoming driving season might be affected by high retail gasoline prices and the pace of the economic recovery.”-OPEC statement

The International Energy Agency says consumers can blame the high fuel prices on wars and rumors of wars: “We cannot discount the possibility that prices will remain high so long as geopolitical uncertainties remain.”-IEA statement

Sudan launched an offensive to re-take the largest oil field from South Sudan: “Within the next 72 hours, we shall have pushed all of their troops out of our territories.”-Rabie Abdelaty, Sudanese spokesman

The Heglig field produces about 60,000 barrels per day.  Last week U.S. supported South Sudan captured the Heglig.

India has just surpassed China, as Iran’s number one oil buyer.  In the first quarter of 2012 India imported 433,000 barrels per day from Iran.  China’s import rate for Iranian oil was only 256,000 bpd.  That’s according to  Petrologistics.

It could be that China had made a huge oil deal with Russia, but now Russian courts could threaten that deal.

Russian prosecutors are investigating the 30 year deal, over a discount giving to China.  That discount results in a reduction in profits, over the 30 years, of $3 billion USD.  Many Russians are not happy about that.

China imports 300,000 bpd from Russia’s Eastern Siberian oil fields.

 

 

 

 

International, Technology, U.S.

Pacific Ring of Fire: Busy April 11, 2012; Indonesia, Mexico and U.S.A.

April 11, 2012, has turned out to be a busy day for magnitude 5+ earthquakes, around or adjacent to the Pacific Ring of fire.

Oregon, United States, experienced a 5.9 quake just off its coastline.

Alaska, United States, had a 5.5 quake.

Michoacan, Mexico got hit with a 6.5 quake.

The Banda Sea area (east of Indonesia, north of Australia) had a 5.3 quake.

And then there’s Sumatra, Indonesia, and the Indian Ocean area.  32 quakes ranging from magnitude 5 to 8.6 in just 24 hours!

The west coast of the northern island of Sumatra got hit the most and the hardest: 22 times, including an 8.2 magnitude and an 8.6 magnitude!

The North Indian Ocean got hit ten times, including a 6 magnitude quake.

Altogether, at least 36 magnitude 5 or greater earthquakes around, or adjacent to the Pacific Ring of fire in a 24 hour period (using USGS records).

Business/Economics, International, Technology

World War 3: Iran reveals military upgrades; stealth detecting radar, laser targeting and gatling guns

April 11, 2012, Iranian military officials announced their indigenous tank, Zolfaqar-3, has been upgraded with the latest in laser targeting.

The Zolfaqar tank (not to be confused with many other Iranian weapons using the same name) was developed over the decades by experimenting with U.S. M60 tanks, British Chieftain tanks and Soviet/Russian T-72 tanks.

The production version looks a lot like the U.S. M1 Abrams but armed with a Russian 125mm auto-loading main gun.

It probably uses the same “chobham” armor that the British Challenger tank uses, as it was Iranian engineers who developed it and then requested the British company Vickers to make them a new tank with it.  That tank became the Challenger, but it never made it to Iran because of the 1979 Revolution.

The Zolfaqar-3 reportedly weighs 36 metric tons (39.6 tons) and has a 780 hp diesel piston engine (the U.S. M1 has a 1,500 shp turbine/jet engine which uses diesel).

Iran has built their own version of the M134 Minigun.  The Iranian gatling gun fires 7.62mm bullets (not sure if its x39mm, or x51mmNATO, or x54mm) at a rate of 4000 to 6000 rounds per minute (it’s designed to take out a lot of troops in one pass).

Iran announced this weapon in 2010, but they are claiming that all their military units, designated to use the minigun, are now equipped with it.

Iran has also developed a radar system designed to detect stealth aircraft. Iranian media reported that the radar can detect aircraft with a “very low radar cross section”.

The new radar is called Samen, and is due to begin operations by March 19.