Antarctica Wind Chime
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
August 28, 2007
0325 gmt
Africa - European Satellite
Plenty of heat and water vapor/humidity over the tropics of Africa. I tend to want to close the door on more tropical Atlantic storms, but, Africa might hold something in surprise yet.
August 28, 2007
0501 gmt
Indian Ocean Satellite
August 28, 2007
0410 gmt
West Pacific Satellite
August 28, 2007
0329 gmt
Pacific Global Satellite
August 28, 2007
0327 gmt
Western Hemisphere Satellite
Antarctica is cold. There are fewer vortices in the Southern Hemisphere today. 24 hour loop, missing 12 A, 6 A and 9A
August 28, 2007
0300 AM UTC
Antarctica Surface Winds
24 hour loop (click here)
Any turbulence is primarily occurring from East Antarctica toward West Antarctica. But, West Antarctica is primarily calm. That was reflected in some reporting stations as well.
McMurdo, Antarctica
12:00 PM NZST
Elevation :: 112 ft / 34 m
Temperature :: -9 F / - 23 C
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity :: 60%
Dew Point :: -16 F / -26 C
Wind :: Calm
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: 29.61 in / 1003 hPa (Rising)
Visibility :: 7.0 miles / 11.0 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
August 28, 2007
0124 gmt
South Pole Satellite
The vortices have retreated back to latitudes 60 to 45 degrees South. South of Australia there is some heat movement to 75 degrees South. So, this week the troposphere is cooler but the oceans are warmer. When one considers the calories of heat transfer that occurs to result in this type of change it is easier to realize how the oceans are heating even though they are so vast.
August 27, 2007
0600 gmt
Antarctica Jet Stream
It rarely gets quieter than this these days.
August 28, 2007
0300 AM UTC
Antarctica Temperature Satellite
The warmest areas today:
Rothera Point, Antarctica
4:00 AM GMT
Elevation :: 52 ft / 16 m
Temperature :: 20 F / -7 C
Conditions :: Not listed
Humidity :: 63%
Dew Point :: 13 F / -11 C
Wind :: 18 mph / 30 km/h from the NNE
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: 29.20 in / 989 hPa (Falling)
Palmer Station, Antarctica
Elevation :: 26 ft / 8 m
Temperature :: 19 F / -7 C
Conditions :: Clear
Humidity :: 62%
Dew Point :: 11 F / -11.6 C
Wind :: 25 mph / 40 km/h from the NNE
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: 29.29 in / 992 hPa (Rising)
Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.0 kilometers
The coldest areas today:
Vostok, Antarctica
Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3240 m
Temperature – 94 F / -70 C
Conditions :: Not listed
Humidity :: 35%
Dew Point :: -100 F / -73 C
Wind :: 5 mph / 7 km/h from the WSW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)
Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20 kilometers
Davis Lgb 35 Aws, Antarctica
Elevation :: 7687 ft / 2343 m
12:00 PM DAVT
Temperature :: -45 F / -42.7 C
Conditions :: None Listed
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa – no indications listed
University Wi Id 8925, AA
3:20 AM GMT
Temperature :: - 43 F / - 42 C
Conditions :: Not listed
Humidity :: 41 %
Dew Point :: -52 F / -46 C
Wind :: 10 mph / 17 km/h from the WSW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: 29.40 in / 005 hPa (Falling)
The weather in Antactica (Crystal Ice Chime) is...
...and it is cold across the continent and the globe seems much cooler after the huge storms across the globe last week. A similar phenomena occurred with Tropical Storm Chantal and the temperature in Iceland. TS Chantal was short lived, but, during that time there was a huge resolution of temperature in Reykjavik, Iceland. Just previous to TS Chantal the temperatures in Reykjavik were unseasonably warm, almost tropical at 70 F. As Chantal churned in the North Atlantic with latitudes of New York City, the temperature dropped within a few short hours to 52 F. The temperatures in Reykjavik have remained their normal seasonal temperatures since, noting there have been subsequent storms to resolve the heat in the troposphere.
When viewing the satellites today there are far fewer vortices globally, but, I don't anticipate it to remain that way.
Monday, August 27, 2007
I congratulate all those that kept up the "Good Fight" Thank you.I may be biased but I think The NY Times did the initial journaling on this.Fearless
In December 2006, eight United States attorneys were asked by top officials at the Justice Department to resign. The firings drew little notice at the time, but have grown into the most heated point of contention between the Bush administration and the Democrats now in control of Congress outside of the Iraq war.
A string of high-level Justice Department officials have resigned, members of both parties have called for Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's dismissal, and subpoenas issued by the House and Senate judiciary committees for testimony by White House aides have raised the prospect of a constitutional showdown.
The administration initially described the dismissals as having been purely on the basis of performance -- Mr. Gonzales dismissed the whole issue as "an overblown personnel matter." But the official explanations of the handling of the matter changed repeatedly as the ousted prosecutors came forward to recount their experiences, and batches of emails released by the Justice Department showed extensive discussions between officials there and in the White House.
Republicans, while criticizing the manner in which Mr. Gonzales has responded to the issue, have stressed that prosecutors have always served at the pleasure of the president and are political appointees. Democrats, along with some Republicans and retired prosecutors, have charged that the Bush administration was attempting to politicize the justice system by infringing on the traditional autonomy accorded to United States attorneys, who are expected to act in a nonpartisan manner once they are confirmed.
News about United States attorneys, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
A string of high-level Justice Department officials have resigned, members of both parties have called for Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's dismissal, and subpoenas issued by the House and Senate judiciary committees for testimony by White House aides have raised the prospect of a constitutional showdown.
The administration initially described the dismissals as having been purely on the basis of performance -- Mr. Gonzales dismissed the whole issue as "an overblown personnel matter." But the official explanations of the handling of the matter changed repeatedly as the ousted prosecutors came forward to recount their experiences, and batches of emails released by the Justice Department showed extensive discussions between officials there and in the White House.
Republicans, while criticizing the manner in which Mr. Gonzales has responded to the issue, have stressed that prosecutors have always served at the pleasure of the president and are political appointees. Democrats, along with some Republicans and retired prosecutors, have charged that the Bush administration was attempting to politicize the justice system by infringing on the traditional autonomy accorded to United States attorneys, who are expected to act in a nonpartisan manner once they are confirmed.
News about United States attorneys, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Wonder why Rove left?
North Atlantic nations call on EU to focus on Arctic
Polar bear track. Polar bears are only found in the north polar regions.
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
Elevation :: 33 feet / 10 meters
Temperature :: 52 F / 11 C
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity :: 88%
Dew Point :: 48 F / 9 C
Wind :: Calm
Pressure :: 30.12 in / 1020 hPa (Steady)
Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Overcast 7500 feet / 2286 meters
(Above ground level)
Temperature :: 52 F / 11 C
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity :: 88%
Dew Point :: 48 F / 9 C
Wind :: Calm
Pressure :: 30.12 in / 1020 hPa (Steady)
Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Overcast 7500 feet / 2286 meters
(Above ground level)
Storms pound Ohio, knock out power
August 26, 2007
Kouts, Indiana
Photographer states :: One of the Downed Powerline Towers in Kouts Indiana after the storm of Wed. Aug 15th
Beleaguered residents of the flood-ravaged Midwest found fresh damage on Sunday from a batch of tornado-bearing thunderstorms that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers.
Powerful storms rolling through the Upper Midwest during most of the past week caused disastrous floods from southeastern Minnesota to Ohio that were blamed for at least 18 deaths. Tornado warnings were issued Saturday afternoon for parts of central and southeast Ohio. Downed trees and power lines were reported in the southern part of the state, said National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Hatzos. Flooding this week spread across an 80-mile (129-kilometer) swath through the northwest and north central parts of the state. Gov. Ted Strickland was to tour more of the damaged areas on Sunday. In southern Michigan, about 42,000 customers still lacked power Sunday, utilities said. The weather service confirmed tornadoes touched down Friday in at least four areas, including a single 26-mile (42-kilometer) stretch. One of the twisters cut a path a quarter-mile (400 meters) wide, snapping and uprooting hundreds of trees, the weather service said.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The USA can vanquish this? No way. Not on a good day. Impeach !!!
George Walker Bush has set the world on it's ear. He, Cheney, Gates, Rumsfeld and every USA General either active or retired since the illegal invasion into Iraq, has caused an escalation in fear of one country of another. We are on our way to hell in a handbasket all so the Neocons could have a 'feel good moment' as they count their profits.
Enough !
Enough !
Maliki: Turkey’s bombardment violation of Iraq’s sovereignty
When Turkey lined troops on the border with Iraq, Iran wasn't going to stand by and watch while Turkey got the upper hand in the area. Iran did what Iran needed to do and that was to take care of the PKK before Turkey did, so there was no reason for invasion into Iraq in the first place. PM Maliki however didn't like either country meddling.
Iraq's beleaguered prime minister on Sunday took a swipe at the governments of Turkey and Iran, both countries he has visited recently, and challenged their recent artillery bombardments inside Iraq in the Kurdish-dominated northern region where both the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the anti-Iranian Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PEJAK), linked to the PKK, have found refuge.
"The bombardments by Iran and Turkey are violations of Iraq's sovereignty. We will not allow these violations, but this must come through diplomatic channels. We will inform our brothers in Turkey and Iran about that through the Foreign Ministry," Maliki said at a news conference held in Baghdad.
Maliki's remarks came after Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül voiced support for a possible cross-border operation by neighboring Iran into Iraq to fight PEJAK there last week, saying countries have the right to defend their borders.
Some 2,000 families have reportedly fled mountainous northeast Iraq due to the Iranian shelling and have taken shelter in tents outside the zone. One resident said they left their village after PEJAK members told them there would be massive clashes in the region soon. "Unfortunately, terrorists have the ability to operate in Iraq's north due to a power vacuum in Iraq," Gül told a press conference in response to a question on reports that Iran was preparing for an incursion into Iraq. "They pose a threat to Turkey as well as to other neighbors; therefore, every country has the right to defend its borders and take legitimate measures for its own security," he said. In recent days news reports on Iraqi Kurdish Web sites and Turkish agencies said Iran's army crossed the border into neighboring Iraq and shelled the Kandil Mountains, located in northern Iraq, where PEJAK has camps.
Iraq's beleaguered prime minister on Sunday took a swipe at the governments of Turkey and Iran, both countries he has visited recently, and challenged their recent artillery bombardments inside Iraq in the Kurdish-dominated northern region where both the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the anti-Iranian Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PEJAK), linked to the PKK, have found refuge.
"The bombardments by Iran and Turkey are violations of Iraq's sovereignty. We will not allow these violations, but this must come through diplomatic channels. We will inform our brothers in Turkey and Iran about that through the Foreign Ministry," Maliki said at a news conference held in Baghdad.
Maliki's remarks came after Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül voiced support for a possible cross-border operation by neighboring Iran into Iraq to fight PEJAK there last week, saying countries have the right to defend their borders.
Some 2,000 families have reportedly fled mountainous northeast Iraq due to the Iranian shelling and have taken shelter in tents outside the zone. One resident said they left their village after PEJAK members told them there would be massive clashes in the region soon. "Unfortunately, terrorists have the ability to operate in Iraq's north due to a power vacuum in Iraq," Gül told a press conference in response to a question on reports that Iran was preparing for an incursion into Iraq. "They pose a threat to Turkey as well as to other neighbors; therefore, every country has the right to defend its borders and take legitimate measures for its own security," he said. In recent days news reports on Iraqi Kurdish Web sites and Turkish agencies said Iran's army crossed the border into neighboring Iraq and shelled the Kandil Mountains, located in northern Iraq, where PEJAK has camps.
NATO defends air power after friendly fire deaths in Afghanistan
A turbulent past as well as a chaotic present describes the country of Afghanistan perfectly. (click here)
Bomb Attacks Kill 3, Wound 8 in Afghanistan (click here)
By VOA News 25 August 2007
Authorities in Afghanistan say attacks by suspected insurgents have killed three people and wounded at least eight others.
Police say a roadside bomb Saturday in Kandahar province killed three Afghan security guards and wounded at least two others.
In another incident, Afghan officials say six people, including two foreigners, were wounded Saturday when a suicide car bomb exploded near a vehicle convoy traveling through the capital, Kabul. The nationality of the wounded foreigners is not yet known.
There has been no claim of responsibility for either attack....
Let's just break this down.
Russia is not about to fight a war at it's borders, it's not going to put up with a missile shield in Georgia, with a 'nut case' for a President and it isn't going to tolerate any Polish missile shield either.
Additionally, Putin has openly protested the increase in NATO troops, regardless of their need in Afghanistan. One might remember Afghanistan is sandwiched between former Soviet states, Pakistan and Iran. That is as much as a security threat to Russia and Iran as missile shields in Europe. If the USA enters into a war with Russia or Iran, Afghanistan will fall as Pakistan will join with Russia and more than likely China. Musharraf has nothing to lose at this point.
Georgia hastens NATO radar move as Russia rift continues (click here)
Relations between Georgia and Russia are becoming ever-more strained as more accusations fly and Georgia speeds up its entry into NATO. The ex-Soviet state looks set to integrate its radar into the NATO system by the end of the year, earlier than planned. At the commands of Georgian radar, NATO would have quicker information about Russian flying habits.Neighbourly tensions are mounting between the two countries, especially with Abkhazian and South Ossetian separatists tucked in between them. Tblisi has accused Moscow of encroaching on its airspace. The deputy defence minister said that on Tuesday a plane flying from Russia entered five kilometers inside Georgia's borders.That came two weeks after another allegation - that a Russian plane had fired a missile onto Georgian land. Two independent groups of western experts agree that Georgian airspace was violated on the day the missile struck.Moscow denies both counts, even dismissing the claims as "nonsense".
The region has to solve it's own problems. We can't do it for them.
This is the latest in a series of missile tests by Pakistan this year (click here)
Bush's War Proliferation has to stop.
The USA has to come away from 'brinkmanship' to insure there isn't a nuclear nightmare in the Middle East.
There is absolutely no movement in any direction except escalating tensions.
Shalit family to 'celebrate' Gilad's second birthday in captivity (click here)
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent
Friends and family of the Israeli soldier abducted by Palestinian militants last year plan to celebrate his 21st birthday Tuesday in a public rally in Tel Aviv. Gilad Shalit's relatives plan to place a large birthday cake in the middle of Rabin Square. The organizers will hand out refrigerator magnets reading: "Gilad Shalit, we're waiting for you back home," and "Indifference can kill." Shalit was abducted near the Gaza security fence on June 25 last year by a group of militants from Hamas, the Popular resistance Committees and a previously unknown group calling itself the Army of Islam. Hamas has reportedly been holding Shalit since the abduction....
Hamas sources differ on report of renewed attacks (click here)
By Amos Harel, Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent
Hamas officials offered differing opinions Sunday on the question of renewing terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Israel. A political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Ahmad Yousef, told Haaretz that the Shin Bet's assessments that they are intensifying efforts to undermine diplomatic dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority through a series of spectacular terrorist attacks are inaccurate. "There is no change in the Hamas position. Israel is threatening us and attacking us - we are only responding to provocations. But we do not intend to initiate any action, like the resumption of suicide bombings," Yousef said.
Abbas, Olmert to Meet This Week (click here)
Mohammed Mar’i & Hisham Abu Taha, Arab News
GAZA CITY/RAMALLAH, 27 August 2007 — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are expected to meet again this week, Palestinian sources said yesterday.
Abbas earlier said that the Palestinian Authority would not consent to population exchanges as part of a permanent agreement that would leave some settlement blocs with Israel.
The Palestinian president was referring to a proposal formulated by Israeli President Shimon Peres while he was still vice premier, in which Israel would transfer to the Palestinian state areas equivalent to 100 percent of the territories conquered in the June 1967 war.
Mideast Peace: Critical Twelve Months Ahead (click here)
Walid M. Awad, Arab News
Israel’s Labor Party leader and defense minister, Ehud Barak, is not happy with the apparent resumption of peace talks, and seems to be frustrated with what he perceives as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s attempts to reach a peaceful agreement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Barak, who flaunted the opportunity in the year 2000 at Camp David in Washington to strike a final status agreement with the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, apparently, cannot entertain the idea that someone else can perhaps succeed where he failed. An Olmert peace deal with Abbas could mean the end of the political life of Barak; hence the recent intensification of the previously much taunted phrase “there is no Palestinian partner,” invented and propagated by Barak in late 2000 to justify his failure at the Camp David Summit in Washington....
Substantive Plan for Ending the Iraqi War (click here)
Jonathan Power, Arab News
...Here is a plan that will require not just American and British consent but active support from all over. It needs the full weight of the European Union and real credible backing from Moscow and Beijing. It also demands that the rest of the world pull their weight too — with troops, professionals and finance. Nearly every country in the world has a vested interest in making sure that Iraq does not go from bad to worse, that Iraq doesn’t become a major recruiting ground and front for Al-Qaeda.
For those who have doubts they should re-read the UN Charter. It was written with situations like this clearly in mind — when such is the hell that only the combined will and willingness of mankind can rectify the destruction being done.
Warner may back Dems' bill on withdrawal
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) (L) seated next to incoming committee chariman Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)
By HOPE YEN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- GOP Sen. John Warner, who wants U.S. troops to start coming home from Iraq by Christmas, said Sunday he may support Democratic legislation ordering withdrawals if President Bush refuses to set a return timetable soon.
"I'm going to have to evaluate it," Warner said. "I don't say that as a threat, but I say that is an option we all have to consider."
Warner, a former Navy Secretary and one-time chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is seen as someone who could influence the debate among senators who have grown increasingly uneasy about the unpopular war.
Warner's suggestion last week about bringing back some troops put him at odds with Bush, who has insisted that conditions on the ground should dictate any such decisions. Warner long has opposed legislation pushing for timetables....
What Do They Want? Kirkuk! When Do They Want It? Now!
Kurdish PKK fighters in northern Iraq. Photograph: Michael Howard
Michael Howard in Qandil Mountain
Friday August 18, 2006
Turkey and Iran have dispatched tanks, artillery and thousands of troops to their frontiers with Iraq during the past few weeks in what appears to be a coordinated effort to disrupt the activities of Kurdish rebel bases.
Scores of Kurds have fled their homes in the northern frontier region after four days of shelling by the Iranian army. Local officials said Turkey had also fired a number of shells into Iraqi territory.
Some displaced families have pitched tents in the valleys behind Qandil Mountain, which straddles Iraq's rugged borders with Turkey and Iran. They told the Guardian yesterday that at least six villages had been abandoned and one person had died following a sustained artillery barrage by Iranian forces that appeared designed to flush out guerrillas linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), who have hideouts in Iraq.
Although fighting between Turkish security forces and PKK militants is nowhere near the scale of the 1980s and 90s - which accounted for the loss of more than 30,000 mostly Turkish Kurdish lives- at least 15 Turkish police officers have died in clashes. The PKK's sister party in Iran, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (Pejak), has stepped up activities against security targets in Kurdish regions. Yesterday, Kurdish media said eight Iranian troops were killed....
Scores of Kurds have fled their homes in the northern frontier region after four days of shelling by the Iranian army. Local officials said Turkey had also fired a number of shells into Iraqi territory.
Some displaced families have pitched tents in the valleys behind Qandil Mountain, which straddles Iraq's rugged borders with Turkey and Iran. They told the Guardian yesterday that at least six villages had been abandoned and one person had died following a sustained artillery barrage by Iranian forces that appeared designed to flush out guerrillas linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), who have hideouts in Iraq.
Although fighting between Turkish security forces and PKK militants is nowhere near the scale of the 1980s and 90s - which accounted for the loss of more than 30,000 mostly Turkish Kurdish lives- at least 15 Turkish police officers have died in clashes. The PKK's sister party in Iran, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (Pejak), has stepped up activities against security targets in Kurdish regions. Yesterday, Kurdish media said eight Iranian troops were killed....
Over the past week, with Iranian shells raining down on Iraqi villages in Kurdish areas along the border zone in the north, Iran's leaders have engaged the United States in a high stakes game that has gone virtually unreported in the elite media.
Iran has massed thousands of troops along its northwestern border in preparation for a ground assault against Iranian Kurdish fighters who have sought refuge in the rugged Qanbil mountains in northwestern Iraq.
On Tuesday, villagers found leaflets bearing the official Islamic Republic of Iran logo, ordering them to leave the area or face the consequences.
"Our enemies, mainly the Americans, are trying to plant security hurdles in our country (Iran)," the leaflets said. "They achieve this through using agents in the areas of Qandil and Khanira inside the Kurdish region. 'The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran will work on cleansing this area."
Hundreds of Iraqis from the villages of Qandoul and Qal'at Diza, close to the Iranian border in the province of Sulaymanyah, fled as a result of the Iranian shelling, according to wire service accounts....
Iran has massed thousands of troops along its northwestern border in preparation for a ground assault against Iranian Kurdish fighters who have sought refuge in the rugged Qanbil mountains in northwestern Iraq.
On Tuesday, villagers found leaflets bearing the official Islamic Republic of Iran logo, ordering them to leave the area or face the consequences.
"Our enemies, mainly the Americans, are trying to plant security hurdles in our country (Iran)," the leaflets said. "They achieve this through using agents in the areas of Qandil and Khanira inside the Kurdish region. 'The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran will work on cleansing this area."
Hundreds of Iraqis from the villages of Qandoul and Qal'at Diza, close to the Iranian border in the province of Sulaymanyah, fled as a result of the Iranian shelling, according to wire service accounts....
Georgia is in no way a democracy. One might ask, why is Bush even putting a missile shield in Georgia with a power hungry tyrant of a president?
French airs ... The French aerobatic team Patrouille de France performing yesterday over Zhukovsky airfield, outside Moscow during the International
Gulf set to go nuclear
MANAMA: Nuclear power plants could be built in the Gulf, following talks with international experts in Vienna.
Officials are fresh back from talks between the GCC and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to map out the possibilities.
A final feasibility report is expected by March 5, it was revealed yesterday.
The draft report will be discussed at further GCC-IAEA talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 24, according to a statement released by the Electricity and Works Ministry.
Assistant Under-Secretary for Planning and Projects Dr Khalid Burashid has just returned from the Vienna talks.
Available fossil fuel resources, primarily oil and gas, in the GCC will meet rapid development in the region for many years to come, said the statement.
"However, it is felt necessary at this point of time to deploy the nuclear option, with technical and financial capabilities within these states, for peaceful applications, including research and development."
MANAMA: Nuclear power plants could be built in the Gulf, following talks with international experts in Vienna.
Officials are fresh back from talks between the GCC and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to map out the possibilities.
A final feasibility report is expected by March 5, it was revealed yesterday.
The draft report will be discussed at further GCC-IAEA talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 24, according to a statement released by the Electricity and Works Ministry.
Assistant Under-Secretary for Planning and Projects Dr Khalid Burashid has just returned from the Vienna talks.
Available fossil fuel resources, primarily oil and gas, in the GCC will meet rapid development in the region for many years to come, said the statement.
"However, it is felt necessary at this point of time to deploy the nuclear option, with technical and financial capabilities within these states, for peaceful applications, including research and development."
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=191917&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30160
Iran rejects reports of slower nuclear work
TEHRAN, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - Iran rejected Sunday reports that it has recently scaled down its controversial nuclear activities.
Iran has been at the center of international concerns over its nuclear program, which some countries, particularly the United States, suspect is geared toward nuclear weapons development. Tehran has consistently denied the claims, saying it needs nuclear power for civilian purposes.
"There has been no slowing, no halt or retreat in Iran's peaceful nuclear program. Our [nuclear] activities continue," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said.
The Iranian diplomat said his country had agreed as planned with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on a timetable to clear up remaining questions over the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear program.
Iran has come under pressure for rejecting three consecutive UN resolutions against its nuclear program since last year. The six countries negotiating the dispute - the UN Security Council permanent members plus Germany - have demanded that Tehran suspend all uranium enrichment before negotiating a solution to the nuclear program.
Iran insists that it needs nuclear power purely to generate electricity. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced early April the start of uranium enrichment on an industrial level.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070826/74728254.html
Poll: Poles Still Oppose US Missile Base
Friday August 24, 2007 12:01 PM
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - A majority of Poles continue to oppose hosting a U.S. missile defense base, according to a poll released Friday.
The survey, by the publicly funded CBOS institute in Warsaw, said that 56 percent of those questioned oppose putting the base on Polish territory - a level of resistance that has remained fairly steady over the past months. The poll said that 28 percent favor the plan.
A similar poll in July put opposition at 55 percent and support at 28 percent.
The U.S. wants to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic, contending the system will protect most of Europe from long-range missile strikes from Iran.
Russia, however, has expressed outrage at the idea of U.S. military installations so close to its borders, and threatened the shield could lead to a new arms race.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6873388,00.html
Austrian defense minister criticized for calling U.S. missile shield a 'provocation'
VIENNA, Austria: Austria's defense minister came under fire from the Czech Republic on Thursday after accusing the U.S. of a "provocation" for pressing ahead with plans to build a missile defense shield in Europe.
Norbert Darabos told the Die Presse newspaper in an interview published Thursday that he does not view the possibility of a rocket attack by Iran as a serious threat. Darabos urged U.S. officials to seek a compromise with Russia, which fiercely opposes the plan.
The United States argues that the system, which would include 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system based in the Czech Republic, would help guard against a potential threat from Iran.
"I do not see this danger," Darabos, a Social Democrat, said in the interview.
"I regard it as a provocation that the U.S. now develops a missile shield in Eastern Europe," he said, contending that Washington's plans were "unnecessarily reviving old Cold War debates."
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/23/europe/EU-GEN-Austria-US-Missile-Defense.php
INTERVIEW - NATO, Georgia to share radars in 2007 – Tbilisi
By Niko Mchedlishvili
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's radars will probably be integrated into NATO's radar system by the end of this year, earlier than planned because of worries about Russian activities, the Georgian Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
"Recent incidents prompted discussions in Brussels, at NATO headquarters, to speed up these procedures, so that Georgia is incorporated into that system as soon as possible," Georgian Deputy Defence Minister Batu Kuteliya told Reuters. "They should probably be finished late this autumn."
The announcement came a day after Georgia accused Russian aircraft of trespassing earlier this week into its airspace and two weeks after it accused a Russian jet of dropping a missile on its soil. Moscow has dismissed the allegations as nonsense.
Integration of Georgia's radars into the NATO system will mean that NATO controllers will have real-time information about any incursions into Georgian airspace, Kuteliya said in an interview.
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-29119820070823
Inside Track: Georgia's Path to Authoritarianism
by Ana Dolidze08.24.2007
…How is it, then, that Saakashvili’s reputation within the U.S. government appears to be untarnished? Like Shevardnadze, Saakashvili knows that his strongest cards are Georgia’s Western orientation and his friendship with the United States. Saakashvili is a canny and shrewd politician who understands there is a price for U.S. support. So, as he makes eloquent speeches to Western audiences about political reforms and successful democratization initiatives undertaken in Georgia, he adroitly increases Georgia’s military participation in Iraq, and he welcomes a proposal to station the new U.S. missile-defense shield in Georgia.
Saakashvili was considered by many as the "great hope" for Georgia’s transformation into a democratic and free-market society. But soon after the Rose Revolution of November 2003, he began to concentrate power in presidential hands.
Saakashvili accomplished his campaign to increase executive authority and restrict civil rights by targeting the Parliament, the media and the judiciary. The methods used to undermine each democratic institution are similar: legislative restrictions, political arm-twisting, blackmail and persecution….
…Several media outlets were closed down in the first half of 2004: TV companies (Channel IX, Iberia), newspapers (Mtavari Gatzeti, Dilis Gazeti, Akhali Epoka, Tribune), Omega magazine and Media-News Information Agency. In February 2004, the largest TV companies ended their evening political talk shows….
…The success or failure of democracy in Georgia must be a real concern for the United States. The legitimacy of this regime will ultimately be determined by its democratic and economic reforms. If the United States continues to accept at face value the democratic, political, economic, social and judicial reforms the government says it is making, yet turns a blind eye to the realities on the ground in Georgia, then the United States will be complicit in reinforcing, if not permitting, Saakashvili’s march towards Putin-style autocracy. Legitimacy in Georgia today depends on timely interventions from the West, providing constructive, critical engagement to encourage Georgia to demonstrate through results—not just words—that Georgia’s commitment to democracy is firm.
Ana Dolidze is a lawyer and former chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association.
You might ask yourself, what will the reaction to a nuclear Middle East be once the EU realizes it's vulnerability. The nuclearization of the world is simply INSANE. This is Bush's dreamscape and it's out of control !!!! Georgia has a 'nutcase' for a president. What's next on his agenda, to take over Russia?
Sukhoi combat aircraft. Video
Military planes developed by the Sukhoi design bureau, established in 1939, make up 69% of the Russian Air Force fleet. Since 2000, Sukhoi has been considered the leader of the Russian aircraft industry. Video footage from the MAKS-2005 air show. (34 sec./1.39Mb, shows: 1920
Military planes developed by the Sukhoi design bureau, established in 1939, make up 69% of the Russian Air Force fleet. Since 2000, Sukhoi has been considered the leader of the Russian aircraft industry. Video footage from the MAKS-2005 air show. (34 sec./1.39Mb, shows: 1920
http://en.rian.ru/video/20070823/73854707.htm
Russia’s Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers. Video
Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bomber are equipped with cruise missiles with extended flight range. They are capable of destroying designated targets anywhere in the world. (90 sec./3.36Mb, shows: 3304)
http://en.rian.ru/video/20070822/73430717.html
Kapanina aerobatics with in-cockpit camera.
Former world female aerobatic champion Svetlana Kapanina, who had an informal chat with President Vladimir Putin at the opening of the MAKS-2007 air show near Moscow, performing stunts. (81 sec./3.05Mb, shows: 1110)
http://en.rian.ru/video/20070822/73351871.html
Russian air show generates billions
Published: Aug. 26, 2007 at 8:15 PM
ZHOKOVSKY, Russia, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The value of contracts signed at Russia’s MAKS-2007 air show has exceeded $3 billion, Russia’s RIA Novosti News Agency reported.The MAKS-2007, held outside Moscow every two years, this year gathered more than 540 Russian companies and 247 foreign firms from 39 countries, the event’s organizers said.The aviation show featured more than 260 aircraft and about 200 demonstration flights.Military-related contracts signed at the MAKS-2007 totaled $400 million, RIA Novosti said.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Business/2007/08/26/russian_air_show_generates_billions/2406/
Indian flavour at Russian aerospace show
By Sergei Stefanov, Moscow, Aug 23 : Russia is displaying the upgraded MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighter specially developed for India at the ongoing MAKS-2007 international aerospace show at Zhukovsky outside Moscow. An agreement might also be signed during the show on the joint development by Russia and India of a multi-role transport aircraft (MTA)"Some months ago Russia arranged a demonstration flight of the first MiG-29K. Indian Navy officers were delighted with the plane and dubbed it the Sea Wasp," said Sergei Chemezov, director-general of Rosoboronexport, Russia's main state arms exporter.
http://www.newkerala.com/july.php?action=fullnews&id=55574
Air Show Arrest Confusion
Updated: 15:18, Friday August 24, 2007
Foreign Office officials are arguing with Moscow over the nationality of three men picked up at a Russian air show.
The Interfax news agency quoted a senior policeman as saying that three Britons were being held and the FSB, Russia's federal security and intelligence service, was investigating.
But a Foreign Office spokeswoman told AFP: "They're not British.
"They're English-speaking tourists and they were detained. They have been released."
Other reports coming out of Moscow suggest that they weren't even arrested, but just detained temporarily for going through the wrong barrier.
Iran blasts US missile shield plans at Central Asian summit
This is a map of the EU. It shows Georgia and Poland the two nations Bush proposes to place the missile defense shield. Also to note is Turkey. Why would Iran say anything regarding an issue some distance from it's borders and with of all countries, Russia? Because Russia is an Iranian ally and when Russia is threatened so is Iran. Iran also feels the USA breathing down it's neck. If Bush believes for one minute threatening Russia is going to make things easier in Iraq, he can forget it. The more Bush squeezes both Iran and Russia to war, the worse the circumstances of the people of Iraq and more likely of USA, Iranian and Russian confrontation.
Of course this is the 'fear' regarding Iran. However, it's necessary to realize during the 'fishing' expedition in Maine, Putin stated he would assist with Iranian nuclear issues.
IAEA Chief Receives Award from Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (click here)
Citation Recognizes Dr. ElBaradei's Contribution to International Cooperation
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei has received an award from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his 'Contribution to International Cooperation'. The award recognizes Dr. ElBaradei's "high professional skill, broad range of vision, fidelity of principles, ability through dialogue to find ways to solutions of the most complicated international problems with the aim of the use of atomic energy for the welfare of mankind and prosperity all over the world"....
This is not an empty gesture by Russia. It has high hopes for surmounting the issue of World Peace. Russia wants disarmament. Russia has a program to supply fuel rods to any nation that wants nuclear power and they will remove the used rods for disposal. At one time, Russia was hoping Iran would become a partner with this plan, however, Iran is so paranoid of invasion under it's current president of any attempt by the West or Sunni nations, Iran insists on it's own nuclear enrichment facility. So, basically, if anyone wants to say, Russia is trying to gain faux favor with the IAEA; they are grossly wrong. While Putin has had both his oars in the water trying to stop the insanity in the Middle East over nuclear proliferation, Bush has done nothing but provoked same. Currently, India is attempting to be the new 'nuclear warehouse' to the Middle East.
King urges speeding up nuclear energy programme (click here)
....The national nuclear energy strategy involves five components, the first of which is energy generation designed to meet the growing demand for electric power and water desalination, Touqan told the meeting.
The second is the utilisation of uranium, available in large quantities in the country, especially in the vast deposits of phosphates.
The third component covers the cycle of nuclear fuel and processing nuclear waste in accordance with international standards.
According to the minister, the fourth element of the strategy deals with the Kingdom’s readiness to prepare the required studies and invest in qualifying Jordanian human resources in the field of nuclear energy.
The fifth component tackles securing the needed funds for the project without straining the treasury with any extra financial burdens, according to the minister.
In April, the Lower House endorsed the nuclear energy draft law founding the commission, whose duties include handling technology transfer of peaceful nuclear energy use and starting investment projects in the field of electricity generation and water desalination, as well as in the agriculture sector and medical industry.
During his visit to the Kingdom in April, Mohammad Al Baradei, head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressed support for the Kingdom’s efforts to develop a peaceful nuclear programme.
King Abdullah, during talks with Baradei, said Jordan, an IAEA member and a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, will become a regional model for the peaceful use of nuclear energy in line with international rules.
With all due respect for any Arab leader capable of acquiring peaceful nuclear power, there is no reason for them to explore that venue of energy. There are more ways alternative energies can be harnessed in The Middle East that should be explored first, which are far more economical to build. In my opinion, these are all the beginnings of nuclear proliferation regardless the treaty.
Ten Reasons Why Russia Can’t Trust Uncle Sam
The West says that it is perplexed by Russia's "aggressive" behavior of late, and suggests that Moscow is desirous to regain its past superpower status, and even a little empire. But if cashing in on oil is imperialism, how do we explain the following U.S. moves:
10. Scrapping the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
9. "Mission Accomplished"
8. Pentagon Spending Spree
7. NATO XXL
6. New Military Bloopers
5. Think-Tank Saber Rattling
4. Cheney Comfort
3. Gates' Gated Community
2. EU Culpability
1. Don't Worry, These anti-Missile Missiles won't Hurt You, Really -
10. Scrapping the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
9. "Mission Accomplished"
8. Pentagon Spending Spree
7. NATO XXL
6. New Military Bloopers
5. Think-Tank Saber Rattling
4. Cheney Comfort
3. Gates' Gated Community
2. EU Culpability
1. Don't Worry, These anti-Missile Missiles won't Hurt You, Really -
Georgia open to talks on missile shield
The director of Moscow's Center for Policy Studies, Dr Vladimir Orlov, told ISN Security Watch that "Russia is suspicious that this is only a stage of a greater American plan to surround Russia, first from the west and then from the south - in Georgia and the Ukraine. And with the final stage of paralyzing Russia's own strategic missile capabilities." (click here)
...Robert Gates, US defence secretary, visited Moscow last week in an attempt to ease concerns. But after talks with senior officials, Vladimir Putin, the president, threatened to stop implementing a 1990 treaty limiting non-nuclear arms staged in Europe, partly because of the US plans.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said it was unacceptable for Nato infrastructure to be “creeping up to the Russian border”....
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said it was unacceptable for Nato infrastructure to be “creeping up to the Russian border”....
Experts Confirm Jet Entered Georgian Airspace From Russia
August 16, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- A team of international experts has concluded that an aircraft entered Georgian airspace from Russia and dropped a missile on August 6.
The group of defense specialists from the United States, Sweden, Latvia, and Lithuania released their findings in Tbilisi late on August 15. They said the plane flew from Russian to Georgian airspace and back three times.
The experts described the missile as a Russian-designed KH-58, which is intended to take out radar systems. The team added that Georgia's air force "does not possess aircraft equipped with or able to launch" that missile.
A team of Russian investigators is due in Georgia today to conduct its own probe.
'Many Questions To Answer'
"These will be bilateral talks with Russia, which are taking place at our request," Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said today at a cabinet meeting in Tbilisi. "Today we will share the evidence we have with a high-ranking group of Russian experts and listen to what they have to say. They have many questions to answer."
Georgia's ambassador to the UN, Irakli Alasania, meanwhile, spoke with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the investigation's findings on August 15. The Georgian Foreign Ministry also said that Alasania urged Ban to call a special session of the UN Security Council to discuss the incident.
"At our request," Bezhuashvili said, "the Peacebuilding Commission will report to the UN Security Council in connection with this incident. The UN has the report from the international experts [issued on August 15]. It also has a report from the [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe], which was issued on the second day [after the August 6 incident]. So I think the international community has all the facts and evidence, which is consistent with what we have been saying since the first day."
March Incident In Kodori
Georgia alleges that Russian aircraft violated its airspace on August 6 and dropped or jettisoned a missile, which did not explode. Georgian officials say the missile landed in the Gori region, near breakaway South Ossetia.
Russia denies the allegations.
Tbilisi is also pressing the Security Council to look into an incident in March in which Georgia alleges three Russian helicopters fired on the Kodori Gorge. The gorge, which Georgian officials call Upper Abkhazia, is the only part of the breakaway region still under Tbilisi's control.
Georgia accuses Russia of supporting pro-Moscow separatists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The group of defense specialists from the United States, Sweden, Latvia, and Lithuania released their findings in Tbilisi late on August 15. They said the plane flew from Russian to Georgian airspace and back three times.
The experts described the missile as a Russian-designed KH-58, which is intended to take out radar systems. The team added that Georgia's air force "does not possess aircraft equipped with or able to launch" that missile.
A team of Russian investigators is due in Georgia today to conduct its own probe.
'Many Questions To Answer'
"These will be bilateral talks with Russia, which are taking place at our request," Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said today at a cabinet meeting in Tbilisi. "Today we will share the evidence we have with a high-ranking group of Russian experts and listen to what they have to say. They have many questions to answer."
Georgia's ambassador to the UN, Irakli Alasania, meanwhile, spoke with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the investigation's findings on August 15. The Georgian Foreign Ministry also said that Alasania urged Ban to call a special session of the UN Security Council to discuss the incident.
"At our request," Bezhuashvili said, "the Peacebuilding Commission will report to the UN Security Council in connection with this incident. The UN has the report from the international experts [issued on August 15]. It also has a report from the [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe], which was issued on the second day [after the August 6 incident]. So I think the international community has all the facts and evidence, which is consistent with what we have been saying since the first day."
March Incident In Kodori
Georgia alleges that Russian aircraft violated its airspace on August 6 and dropped or jettisoned a missile, which did not explode. Georgian officials say the missile landed in the Gori region, near breakaway South Ossetia.
Russia denies the allegations.
Tbilisi is also pressing the Security Council to look into an incident in March in which Georgia alleges three Russian helicopters fired on the Kodori Gorge. The gorge, which Georgian officials call Upper Abkhazia, is the only part of the breakaway region still under Tbilisi's control.
Georgia accuses Russia of supporting pro-Moscow separatists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
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