Tag Archives: war

International, U.S.

Pakistan orders 250 U.S. officials out of the country

Pakistan has given the U.S. embassy 40 days to remove 250 U.S. officials.

Pakistan says the U.S. officials are involved in high-level espionage and anti-state activities.

U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, cut short his vacation to deal with the situation.  The situation has gotten worse in Pakistan, because the United States has greatly increased the number of drone attacks.  Pakistani officials, and independent observers, say the majority of people killed in the U.S. drone attacks are civilians.  In some cases the target of the attack is totally missed, and dozens of bystanders are killed.  U.S. officials have dismissed independent investigations that show that several hundreds of children have been killed.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Confirmed, U.S. & EU push to unfreeze Libyan assets is because Rebels are broke, African countries opposed

The United States, Europe and other countries are pushing for the United Nations to unfreeze billions in Libyan assets.  This is on top of what the U.S. is unfreezing.

A Libyan rebel official admitted in a press conference they needed the money “…for supplies…to pay salaries.”

From the beginning the African Union has been oppossed to the NATO action in Libya.  Libya is a member of the African Union, and the AU wasn’t even consulted by the the United States and Europe, before the United Nations was tricked into approving military action against Libya.

South Africa, one of the most powerful members of the AU says it will vote no on unfreezing Libyan assets.

 

International

Bab al-Azizia a trap for Rebels, being hit from all sides

Reports that the Bab al-Azizia military compound in Tripoli, is under intense attack by government forces.

The fighting has been going on for hours.  Initially rebels found hidden tunnels under the compound.  Government forces were hiding inside and began attacking the rebels.

Then in the early hours of the next morning government forces appeared on the streets of Tripoli, heading towards Bab al-Azizia.  Witnesses say government forces surrounded the compound, the rebels having to fight government forces from inside, and outside the compound.

International

Reporters held in Rixos Hotel freed after Libyan official in London issued order

Libyan government forces let at least 35 reporters go free.  They were hold up in the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli.

It happened after Mahmud Nacua, the Libyan charge d’affairs at the Libyan embassy in London, urged the government forces to let the journalists go free.

CNN’s Mathew Chance said the government gunmen “…literally cast away their weapons and said they were sorry to us.”

International

South Korea says Libyan Rebels attacked and looted their Embassy, Russia says if Rebels win Russia will officially recognize them

South Korean news agency Yonhap, says their ambassador’s residence in Tripoli, was attacked by about 30 people. They stole “television sets and other gadgets”, but no-one was hurt during.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, is urging peace talks between rebel and government forces. Medvedev says Russia will consider establishing formal relations with the rebels if they can unite the country.

 

 

Business/Economics, Fukushima

Japan Megadisaster boosts Insurance sales!

The Non-Life Insurance Rating Organization of Japan said insurance companies gained more than 2.51 million new earthquake contracts, since the 11 March 2011 megadisaster.

Not surprisingly the biggest gains were in the areas hardest hit: Fukushima Prefecture saw a 49.6% increase.  Iwate Prefecture 26.4% increase.  Miyagi Prefecture up 22.3%.

Fukushima

Radiation decontamination in Japan will be complicated

The Japanese government is about to vote on a standardized decontamination plan.

Here’s a list of suggested decontamination procedures for cities and towns:

High pressure washing of homes and buildings, including rain gutters.

Trimming of outer leaves and branches on bushes and trees.

Pulling up smaller plants and removal of top soil.

Washing roads, including flushing joints on asphalt and concrete roads, removing mud and dirt along roadsides.

All removed soil and plant material must be treated as nuclear waste.

The Japanese government will vote on a standardized plan on 26 August 2011.  The amazing thing is that it’s been more than five months since the start of the ongoing nuclear disaster, and they’re just now coming up with a standardized national government decontamination plan.

International

U.K. to hold emergency National Security meeting about Libya, secret tunnels found under military compound, BBC now claims foreign reporters held by government forces

The British Prime minister’s office is holding an emergency National Security Council meeting on Libya. The meeting is being chaired by Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Rebels claim they’ve found tunnels under the Bab al-Azizia compound.  Sounds like fighting is taking place, rebels say they’re trying to “clear” the tunnels.

Despite many earlier reports from foreign reporters at the Rixos Hotel, saying rebels were threatening their lives, the BBC is now saying it’s Libyan government forces that’re doing the threatening.  They say one of their reporters was threatened when he tried to leave the hotel.

 

International

Gaddafi tours Tripoli, Rebels take Filippino citizen hostage

Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi has taken a brief tour of Tripoli, just to prove he is still alive, and still in Tripoli.  He’s made a TV address asking loyal Libyans to “cleanse the city”.

NATO responded with two air strikes.  Witnesses say the explosions were huge.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs reports that one of their citizens was taken hostage by rebels.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

U.S. to give Libyan Rebels $1.5 million, Germany pushes for UN to give Rebels cash, could mean Rebels are broke and will fall apart without being paid

President Obama is giving Libyan rebels $1.5  million in frozen Libyan funds.  At the same time Germany is demanding that the United Nations give the rebels funds that were frozen under the UN sanctions.

Germany is also going to issue rebels a huge $140 million loan, within days.

What this means is the fragile Libyan rebel alliance (aka Transitional National Council) has run out of money to pay for military operations, which include mercenaries.  A BBC report said the rebel alliance is so fragile that it could fall apart as soon as the war is over.  It’s more likely it’ll fall apart if it runs out of cash.