Archive for July 3, 2012


West seeks to distort Geneva accord on Syria: Russia

Press TV

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks in Moscow on July 3, 2012.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks in Moscow on July 3, 2012.
Russia says the US and its Western allies are seeking to “distort” the agreement reached last weekend in Geneva on a plan for a political transition to end the ongoing conflict in Syria.

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the accord based on proposals by UN envoy Kofi Annan was an “important step” but Western countries had already made statements that contradict what was agreed in Geneva.

“Unfortunately… some Western participants have started in their public statements to distort the agreements that were reached” in Geneva, Lavrov said during a news conference.

The participants of the Geneva meeting agreed that the transitional governing body in Syria “could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups, and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent,” Annan said at a press conference after the meeting.

“These (Geneva) agreements are not there to be interpreted. They mean exactly what is said in the communique and we need to follow the agreements that were made,” Lavrov added.

Lavrov comments come after the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday that Washington did not see any role for President Assad in the new government, even though there was no explicit call for him to step down.

The foreign ministers of Russia, China, Britain, France, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Arab League Secretary General Nabil El-Araby, and the secretary of state of the United States attended the meeting on the situation in Syria at the United Nations office in Geneva on June 30.

PG/JR/IS

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Iraq market bombings kill at least 44

Truck bomb in Diwaniya market near Shia mosque kills at least 40, while four die in two roadside bombs near Kerbala

  • Reuters in Diwanya
  • guardian.co.uk,                                File:Kerbela Hussein Moschee.jpg
Iraqi Shia pilgrims pray in Karbala. Roadside bombs targeting pilgrims near the city . Photograph: Nabil Mounzer/EPA

Bombs killed at least 44 people at markets in Iraq on Tuesday. Authorities said the attacks bore the marks of sectarian attacks on Shia Muslims by al-Qaida Sunni militants.

A bomb in a small truck exploded in a market in the city of Diwaniya, killing 40 and wounding 75, and other blasts killed four more and injured 29 near the city of Karbala.

The Diwaniya bombing was near a Shia mosque where pilgrims gather on their way to Karbala to celebrate the birthday of one of their most important imams, al-Mahdi, this week.

Police announced a partial curfew and blocked all entrances to Diwaniya, 150 km (90 miles) south of Baghdad and 130 km southeast of Karbala..

Ahmed Hassan, 23, a butcher, said: “All of a sudden the explosion happened, I felt the power of the blast, it was so strong, it broke all the glass in my windows. I smelled blood and gunpowder.”

He said a fellow shopkeeper had been taking dead bodies to the hospital morgue.

“We even saw body parts on the top of building, we took them down,” Hassan said, looking pale and confused as he swept glass from his shop floor.

Shoes, toys and vegetables were scattered across the ground and at least 15 shops were destroyed. Two burnt-out vehicles stood near the site of the explosion. Witnesses said the bomb appeared to have been planted in a delivery truck.

Earlier in the day, two bombs in a vegetable wholesale market killed four and wounded 29 near the central Iraqi city of Karbala.

Hussein Shadhan, a provincial council member, speaking at the local hospital, said: “The bombing happened because of sticky bombs attached to two parked cars which went off separately.

“Four of the wounded people are seriously injured and their medical situation is very critical.”

Reuters pictures showed pulverised vegetables covering the blackened market floor. People picked their way through twisted pieces of metal and smashed wooden crates.

Hospital and police sources said earlier they believed the attack had also been targeting Shia pilgrims visiting Karbala.

Salim Hussain, governor of Diwaniya, told Iraqiya state television: “Initial investigations show that today’s bombs bear the fingerprints of an al-Qaida terrorist group.”

NATO tied to Muslim slaughter at Srebrenica

Press TV

Muslim massacre at Srebrenica in 1995

Muslim massacre at Srebrenica in 1995
By Gordon Duff

Documents indicate that NATO misreported combat casualties, in this case numbering up to 6000 as civilian victims and credited their deaths to Scorpion units when, in fact, they were killed in combat with the Bosnian Serb army. However, this still doesn’t mitigate the 4500 civilians killed; the Scorpions involved, but credit the command of Scorpion units to NATO commander and control.”

One of the most brutal incidents in recent history is the massacre at Srebrenica in 1995 by a paramilitary group known as “the Scorpions.” We now have a top level witness and reams of official documents that categorically prove that it was NATO ordered, not only the Dutch “stand down” that led to the killings, but recruited, paid and controlled the Scorpions as well.

It was the trial of Ratko Mladic that may be the destruction of the ICC or at least should be. As Timothy Blanchford-Henchly points out in the Serbian SOS, “The Ratko Mladic trial at the farcical International Criminal Court – that travesty of justice and insult to international law which kidnaps people, illegally detains them and does not apply the principles of due process – has been interrupted indefinitely after the prosecution “forgot” to deliver thousands of pages of evidence to the defense.”

Background

It was this key evidence and this witness, now safely in Belarus that caused the ICC to stop the trial of Ratko Mladic, the “fall guy” documents show was “set up” by the French DRM in 70 communiqués we now hold.

Though, with the breakup of Yugoslavia, the region was left with scores to settle, some between Christians and Muslims, there were other forces at play also. The vast international drug trade had been channeled for decades from the Far East, through processing centers in Turkey and through Yugoslavia.
If the “status quo” is any indication of intent, NATO sitting on Kosovo, Bulgaria, Romania and much of the region, a region now a center of drug trafficking, of international crime and a region increasingly fortified to threaten Russia or Syria or Iran, this may well have been the NATO intent when organizing the formation of the Scorpions and ordering the slaughter of thousands of civilians.

During World War II, more Serbs, by percentage, died than any other people, all Christians, most killed in death camps run by Croatians and Italians, some by Catholic priests, all under the direction of Germany. Prior to that, Serbia had been under Ottoman control for hundreds of years, a corrupt empire that misruled not only the Balkans but the entire Middle East as well.

Worst of these propaganda pieces you will see below, which has now been debunked as the truth about Srebrenica, the CIA, MI 6, DRM massacre, operated through Serbs recruited and trained by Western intelligence agencies is realized.

Centuries of history, from the Ottoman Empire through World War II are filled with killings, ethnic cleansings, murders of hundreds of thousands, Serbs, Greeks, other ethnicities, the Balkans were obviously a tinderbox. The end result was a mythology, some true, much not, blaming some Serbs for acts of war crimes, blaming Croatians and Kosovans too, Albanians, but, as is so often the case, only Serbs were sought and consider able money was spent to present a highly propagandized view of the Balkans that allowed Serbians to be ethnically cleansed, as were Muslims and others, but only Serbs to be blamed.

Entering the mix is the newer mythology, tying Bosnians to Hitler and his SS. Internet websites tying Palestinians to NAZI organizations as a way of justifying victimization in Gaza and the West Bank at the hands of occupying Israeli forces helps paint a broad canvas with something to offer for everyone, everyone who survives at least.

ICC collapse at Ratco Mladic trial

The International Criminal Court at The Hague suffered a fatal blow when it was discovered in May 2012, during the trial of Ratco Mladic that something was very wrong. On May 16, 2012, the trial of Mladic, accused of heading a group called “the Scorpions,” and murdering of up to 6000 Bosnian Muslims suddenly ended. Judges said it was because of “prosecutorial misconduct” in “withholding vital evidence that would have favored the defense. Documents were discovered that categorically proved the most fear mass murderers of recent years were not only not under Mladic’s control, they never heard of him.
They were part of NATO.

That evidence is beyond top secret, well beyond and we have it, documents, testimony, evidence withheld by the ICC, the judges, the prosecutors, evidence that should lead to a new direction with new indictments. Problem is, as usual, the ICC targets “low hanging fruit” or takes “orders” and has yet to show the first signs of either independence or effectiveness.

The ICC feels no shame, itself being in a way, fully complicit “after the fact” in covering up the Srebrenica massacres. Currently, the primary goal of the ICC is to seem irrelevant, understandable, I guess.

Documents turned over to the government of Belarus by a Major of the French DRM, their “external intelligence agency.” In an article from Pravda this week, we are given a broad picture of events in the Balkans that directly contradict much we have been told and places responsibility for the civil wars in the Balkans on Western powers.

The incident in Srebrenica is a tragedy twofold. First of all, the 17 years spent chasing an innocent man while allowing those responsible to, not only continue untouched but to build, in Kosovo and Albania, through NATO, the largest drug empire, distributing Afghan heroin, in the history of the world. This is how the story broke in Pravda.

BELGRADE – A French major, serving with their intelligence services, fled to Belarus with the evidence that war crimes committed in Srebrenica in 1995. The documents he presented shows that the “genocide” blamed on Serbians was organized by the American, British and French secret intelligence service, and carried out by a paramilitary group known as the “Scorpions” in order for the alleged genocide have accused the military and civilian officials of the Republic of Serbian (RS) – learned “Pravda.”

According to our source, the major French military intelligence DRM has evidence that the wartime commander of the VRS Main Staff, Ratko Mladic was not aware of these activities. From the document, which is the possession of Belarus, the French officer requested and received political asylum on the June 29, 2012 in Minsk.

The documents clearly show that Naser Oric and all the commanders of the Army of Bosnia/Herzegovina (Muslim) in this part of eastern Bosnia were under constant control of the western intelligence services. Oric was the Bosnian Muslim commander in Srebrenica and was convicted by the ICC of war crimes against Serbs but found “not guilty” of broader crimes of ethnic cleansing.

Thus the “danse of death” begins, the Muslim commander in Bosnia working for western intelligence agencies, killing Serbian civilians, convicted of such by the ICC. We all knew this but there is something far more important none of us knew, the real reason the Court at The Hague disbanded in “mid-trial” back in May.

“Paper’s submitted by the French Major (name withheld) substantiate that Oric had received 70 “operational directives” to act against Serbian civilians issued by French intelligence services, in particular, the DRM.

Dutch “peacekeeper” battalions stationed in Srebrenica, was warned in advance by the French not to interfere. Copies of these documents are held in Minsk also.

Soon thereafter, Serbian “Scorpion” groups descended on Srebrenica, not answerable nor under the control of Serbia or Ratco but paramilitary groups recruited, trained and paid by the CIA, MI6 and the French DRM.

Thousands were killed by these groups on orders from the western powers who submitted reports blaming the Serbian government, Ratco and blaming the Dutch peacekeepers who had actually been ordered to stand aside by NATO.”

Offer of testimony at the ICC

The French intelligence officer, identified only as “Major TD” has agreed to come to the Hague and testify to CIA, MI6 and French involvement in the planning and execution of the genocide at Srebrenica.

He is said to possess a full list of all “Scorpions” that were recruited and written statements of Scorpion unit commanders and others as to how they were recruited, paid and what commands they received from NATO. Records now held in Belarus cover direct commands that led to the killing of 4500 Bosnian Muslims.

These are now available to the court, should the trial continue, documents that would lead to the indictment of dozens of top NATO commanders, Dutch peacekeepers and the questioning of western diplomatic personnel and political leaders, questioning that could lead to a new round of war crime indictments.

We aren’t holding our breaths, waiting for the ICC to respond to hard evidence that their own “client states” are fully complicit in the most publicized massacre in modern history.

There was a plan that if VRS try to prevent the massacre of young man is killed. Major knows even the name of the person who was in the immediate environment and Mladic who is supposed to do.

Additional evidence kept from the court that led to the suspension in proceedings showed that the majority of those killed in Srebrenica were members of the Army of Bosnia/Herzegovina (Muslim) who were cut off the VRS, Bosnian Serb Army while making their way out of the Tuzla region.

Documents indicate that NATO misreported combat casualties, in this case numbering up to 6000 as civilian victims and credited their deaths to Scorpion units when, in fact, they were killed in combat with the Bosnian Serb army. However, this still doesn’t mitigate the 4500 civilians killed; the Scorpions involved, but credit the command of Scorpion units to NATO commander and control.

Reason for coming forward

“Major TD” states that he is coming forward with the documents he secured, because he wishes the families of the victims of Srebrenica to know the full truth about who killed their loved ones and why. T.D. served as a Lieutenant in command of a DRM unit in Bosnia at the time and has direct personal knowledge of the events reported here and has, as we had stated previously, made himself available for testimony and offers his documentation for consideration by the prosecutors at the ICC.

TD states very simply, “I could not live with this burden on my conscience.

Conclusion

What we have are a number of iconic episodes.

1. Serbs were demonstrated to be beasts
2. NATO was seen to be the savior of mankind
3. The Netherlands was blamed for standing aside during a massacre, a nation of cowards
4. The “Scorpions” was a “sexed up” CIA/DRM/MI6 front group that could be used to conveniently victimize potential Serbian war criminals.

In truth, the Balkan wars after the fall of communism were among the most vicious in history. For every Kosovan killed by a Serb, a Serb was killed by a Kosovan. In fact, Kosovo and Albania have long been the home of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world.

They are now full partners with the CIA and NATO though the current president of Kosovo is an accused war criminal himself. In an article from Global Research, “The report, the existence of which has not been previously reported, was widely distributed among all NATO countries, according to former NATO sources interviewed by GlobalPost. And year after year as the nascent democracy of Kosovo struggled to move forward and Thaci rose to political prominence, more detailed allegations and intelligence reports, totaling at least four more between 2000 and 2009, would name Thaci, these sources add.

The reports were widely available to U.S. and NATO intelligence officials, and at least two were readily available on the internet. In one 36-page NATO intelligence report obtained by GlobalPost, Thaci merits a page to himself with a diagram linking him to other prominent former KLA members who are themselves linked to various criminal activities that include, extortion, murder and trafficking in drugs, stolen cars, cigarettes, weapons and women.

A diagram from a NATO intelligence report detailing alleged links between the current prime minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, and other people alleged to be involved in organized crime in Kosovo.

Today, Thaci is the prime minister of Kosovo. In fact, he was just recently re-elected to his second term.

In spite of US officials knowing about the numerous and detailed allegations against Thaci and many of his former colleagues in the KLA, he has remained a valued ally of successive US administrations. It is unknown which US officials have seen the reports. But a NATO diplomat said it was common knowledge that Thaci is suspected of criminal activity, “Whenever you looked at him always in the briefings it was ‘suspected of organized crime.’”

And when asked if he heard the accusations against Thaci and others over the years, Daniel Serwer, a former senior American diplomat in the Balkans and now a senior fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said, “Absolutely. It’s been a common allegation.”

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright publicly embraced Thaci. Former President George W. Bush hosted him in the Oval Office. Vice President Joseph Biden also welcomed him to the White House, in July. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited him in Kosovo as recently as the fall.”

There is, in fact, a very simple answer to “why” when assessing NATO intention, actions in Central Asia, encirclement of Russia, threats against Russia, Libya, Syria, drone attacks from Pakistan to and soon “through” Africa. One need only to look at hard evidence that “stares us in the face,” evidence buried in lies and self-righteousness, evidence of genocide in the Balkans.

GD/PKH

Iran will duplicate captured US RQ-170 spy drone: IRGC cmdr.

PressTV

The RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft was downed by Iran

The RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft was downed by Iran’s armed forces in the east of the country on December 4, 2011. (File photo)
Tue Jul 3, 2012 2:40PM GMT
7

The important issue is that hundreds of technologies have been used in this drone every one of which is important for us in operational, information, and technological terms and we have found information that enemies did not want us to find.”

Commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh

A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran has gained enough information from the US drone it captured last year to duplicate the aircraft.

“The American RQ-170 drone will be undoubtedly duplicated,” Commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh noted on Tuesday.

Rejecting foreign media reports about Iran’s inability to decode drone’s information, the IRGC commander said the Islamic Republic has already proven its prowess by sending codes which made the drone land on the Iranian soil.

“The important point is that hundreds of technologies had been applied in this drone every one of which is important in operational, information, and technological terms and we have obtained information that the enemies did not want us to have,” he added.

In response to the question whether Iran will sell the drone’s information or its technologies to countries like Russia, Hajizadeh stated that any decision in this regard would be taken at higher levels of the Iranian government.

On July 1, Iran’s Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the country has obtained new technical information regarding the downed US RQ-170 Sentinel reconnaissance drone.

“Acquiring the details and technical specifications of the RQ-170 is taking its normal course, and new achievements have been made in this respect; however, we do not intend to publicize them,” he added.

The US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft was downed, with minimal damage, by the Iranian Army’s electronic warfare unit on Sunday December 4 when flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225km) from the Afghan border.

After capturing the aircraft, Iran announced that it intends to carry out reverse engineering on the captured RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft, which is similar in design to a US Air Force B-2 stealth bomber.

The RQ-170 is an unmanned stealth aircraft designed and developed by the Lockheed Martin Company.

The drone is one of America’s most advanced spy aircraft. Its loss is considered a major embarrassment for Washington.

SS/PKH/IS

Earthquakes

RSOE  EDIS

Date/Time (UTC) Magnitude Area Country State/Prov./Gov. Location Risk Source Details
03.07.2012 06:05:28 2.1 North America United States California Valle Vista VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. There are nuclear facilities nearby the epicenter. USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 05:35:26 2.2 Middle America Mexico Baja California Alberto Oviedo Mota There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 05:30:23 5.1 Asia Japan Chiba Kawaguchi There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 05:30:41 2.6 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 05:30:59 2.9 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 05:31:17 3.8 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 05:31:35 2.1 Europe Portugal Faro Sagres VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 04:25:24 4.7 Pacific Ocean – West Guam Asan-Maina Municipality Asan-Maina Village VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 04:27:33 4.7 Pacific Ocean – West Guam Asan-Maina Municipality Asan-Maina Village VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 04:25:44 2.7 Europe Greece Ionian Islands Limni Keriou VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 04:26:07 2.7 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 03:10:29 2.2 North America United States California East Foothills VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 03:05:39 2.6 North America United States California Nubieber There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 04:26:26 2.2 Europe Greece South Aegean Emponas There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 04:26:46 2.3 Europe Greece South Aegean Fanai There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 03:20:22 3.5 South-America Chile Antofagasta Calama There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 03:21:59 4.6 Asia Japan Fukushima Namie VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 03:20:44 4.6 Asia Japan Fukushima Namie VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 03:21:04 2.7 Europe Italy Sicily Saponara Villafranca There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 03:30:35 4.3 North America United States Alaska Adak There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 04:27:06 4.3 North-America United States Alaska Adak There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:20:22 4.6 South-America Bolivia Potosí Villa Alota There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 03:05:58 4.3 South America Bolivia Potosí Villa Alota There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 02:20:47 3.2 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:21:07 3.4 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:21:26 3.3 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:21:46 3.5 South-America Chile Antofagasta Calama VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:22:07 3.7 Europe Greece Ionian Islands Volimai VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:55:39 5.7 South America Peru Ica Hacienda Ullujaya VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 02:22:27 5.8 South-America Peru Ica Hacienda Ullujaya VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:22:47 3.2 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:23:07 3.4 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:30:37 2.4 Middle America Mexico Baja California Alberto Oviedo Mota There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 02:23:26 2.2 Europe Italy Emilia-Romagna San Prospero VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:15:23 4.4 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:15:40 3.8 North-America United States Alaska Atka There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:00:35 3.8 North America United States Alaska Atka There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 01:15:59 2.3 Europe Norway Nordland Hemnesberget VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:16:20 3.1 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:23:44 3.1 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:24:03 3.4 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:16:39 3.1 Asia Turkey Van Toyga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:16:58 3.2 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:17:15 2.9 Asia Turkey Manisa Akhisar There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:17:38 3.9 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:17:57 2.6 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 02:55:30 3.0 Caribbean British Virgin Islands Road Town VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
03.07.2012 01:18:18 3.2 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:18:36 3.5 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
03.07.2012 01:18:55 3.4 Europe Spain Canary Islands La Restinga There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details

**********************************************************************************************************

Extreme Temperatures/ Weather / Drought

Excessive Heat Warning

TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
NORTHERN INDIANA
LINCOLN IL
WILMINGTON OH
ST LOUIS MO
PADUCAH KY

Excessive Heat Watch

DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
MOUNT HOLLY NJ

Heat Advisory

WILMINGTON OH
PITTSBURGH PA
KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
QUAD CITIES IA IL
LA CROSSE WI
GREEN BAY WI
TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
ABERDEEN SD
DES MOINES IA
MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
SIOUX FALLS SD
CHARLESTON WV
ST LOUIS MO
NORTH PLATTE NE
RAPID CITY SD
02.07.2012 Extreme Weather USA State of Alabama, [Alabama-wide] Damage level Details

Extreme Weather in USA on Monday, 02 July, 2012 at 14:47 (02:47 PM) UTC.

Description
Several storms caused major damage around the Tennessee Valley Sunday. The Claysville Snack Bar in Guntersville bar was completely blown away by the storm. In Limestone county, a huge tree landed on top of an RV in Coxey. It’s unknown if anyone was inside. Extreme heat from the Midwest to eastern parts of the U.S. helped fuel severe thunderstorms that knocked out power to millions over the weekend. Crews are still working to restore electricity to the millions who are without power as they try to cope with the heat. A grocery store chain helped in parts of Virginia and Maryland Sunday by giving away 10-pound bags of ice to those in need. “People have been clearing debris from roads together so we like the sense of community, but we would like our power back just because it is so hot and we’d like to get back to normal if we possibly can,” said one storm victim. So far, 16 people have died and four governors have declared a state of emergency.
02.07.2012 Extreme Weather Germany MultiStates, [Bavaria, Hessen, Saxony and Baden-Wurttemberg] Damage level Details

Extreme Weather in Germany on Monday, 02 July, 2012 at 14:32 (02:32 PM) UTC.

Description
Weekend electrical storms killed four people, injured at least 100 others, caused power outages and disrupted train service across Germany, officials said. Officials said a woman was killed in Bavaria Saturday when a tree fell on her car while three women golfers were killed by a lightning strike Friday in Hessen. Many of the people who were wounded sustained their injuries while outdoors, reported on Sunday. At least 51 festival-goers were hurt, nine seriously, when lightning struck a mast at the “With Full Force” heavy metal outdoor festival in Saxony. A festival in Baden-Wurttemberg was cut short Sunday after wind tossed tents and debris, injuring at least 10 attendees. Eighteen others were injured at a Volksfest in Bavaria when wind-blown tree branches were hurled into the crowd, officials said. The German weather service said 8,135 lightning strikes were recorded in the Berlin area alone.

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State Of Emergency Declared Across Mid-Atlantic After Deadly Storms, Heat Wave (Photos)

Violent storms in the DC area have killed at least 13 people, uprooted thousands of trees and left over 1.3 million homes and businesses without power across the Mid-Atlantic during a powerful heat wave. Popular Internet services went down too.

States of emergency were declared in Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, Ohio, and West Virginia on Saturday after storm winds hit almost 130 kilometers per hour and caused a series of fatalities, while reports from power companies have warned it may take up to a week to restore electricity. Officials are extremely concerned about the outage occurring in the middle of a record heat wave. The area affected by the storms was far ranging, including New Jersey and Indiana. However, the most extensive damage occurred in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.

At least four people were killed by falling trees, reports the Washington Post, citing local police officials. Two of the fatalities occurred in the Springfield area of Virginia’s Fairfax County. A male driver was killed at Old Keene Mill Road and Bauer Drive when a tree struck his car. A 90-year-old woman was killed in her bed when a tree fell on her house.

A falling tree has also killed a 71-year-old woman in her bed in Silver Spring in Maryland’s Montgomery County. And a 25-year-old Edgewater man died when a tree fell on his car as he drove on Harwood Road in Anne Arundel County.

One person died in Washington, DC, after accidentally touching a live electrical wire. Following the incident the Pepco electric service provider issued a warning urging people to be cautious around the numerous downed power lines.

Two more deaths have been reported in Albemarle county and two others in Bedford county, both in the state of Virginia. One person is reported missing after a boat capsized Friday night off Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County, Maryland. Four others have been rescued.

Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell said Friday night’s storm had triggered the largest non-hurricane power outage in state history. It has also forced the closure of 250 roads because of fallen trees.

“This is a very dangerous situation for Virginia,” McDonnell said. “Recovery will be difficult… It’s going to be days before power is fully restored in the commonwealth.”

President Barack Obama has called McDonnell and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, as well as the governors of Ohio and West Virginia, to offer the federal government’s help.

Hurricane-like storms have also knocked out an Amazon data center in Ashburn, Virginia. A number of popular Internet services, including Netflix, Pinterest, Heroku and Instagram have been cut off for several hours, something that did not go unnoticed by their users worldwide.

“Severe thunderstorms caused us to lose primary and backup generator power to an Availability Zone in our east region overnight,”

an Amazon spokeswoman Tera Randall said on Saturday.

“We have restored service to most of our impacted customers and continue to work to restore service for our remaining impacted customers.”

Meanwhile, temperatures have been breaking the 100°F-mark (38°C) for two days in a row, and are not expected to be any lower on Sunday. Local authorities have open libraries, swimming pools and cooling centers to provide residents with respite from the heat.

Malls around the region are jammed with people buying power outlets for their phones and computers. Long lines are also reported at gas stations where power is still available.

More storms are expected later on Saturday, though they are unlikely to be as widespread or powerful as Friday’s.

“>Local resident Betty Coll (L) shows friend Joe Straub (R) damages in front of her house after a powerful overnight storm in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012 in Falls Church, Virginia (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)
Local resident Betty Coll (L) shows friend Joe Straub (R) damages in front of her house after a powerful overnight storm in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012 in Falls Church, Virginia (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)“>Local resident Betty Coll (L) shows friend Joe Straub (R) damages in front of her house after a powerful overnight storm in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012 in Falls Church, Virginia (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)
Local resident Betty Coll (L) shows friend Joe Straub (R) damages in front of her house after a powerful overnight storm in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012 in Falls Church, Virginia (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)“>Debris from the storm-damaged Park Tanglewood apartments, some of which were exposed when high winds tore open a hole in the roof and knocked out the electricity, sits atop cars and utility lines in the parking lot in Riverdale, Maryland, June 30, 2012 (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
Debris from the storm-damaged Park Tanglewood apartments, some of which were exposed when high winds tore open a hole in the roof and knocked out the electricity, sits atop cars and utility lines in the parking lot in Riverdale, Maryland, June 30, 2012 (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)“>
“>People react upon seeing storm damage in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington, June 30, 2012 (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
People react upon seeing storm damage in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington, June 30, 2012 (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

See Full Article And Photos Here

Red Flag Warning

FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE

RIVERTON WY
BILLINGS MT
GREAT FALLS MT
CHEYENNE WY
BISMARCK ND
SALT LAKE CITY UT
POCATELLO ID
RAPID CITY SD
MISSOULA MT

Fire Weather Watch

GLASGOW MT
Today Forest / Wild Fire USA State of Montana, [Near to Townsend] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Tuesday, 03 July, 2012 at 03:00 (03:00 AM) UTC.

Description
Crews battled a wildfire near Townsend. Officials said it charred about 450 acres as of Sunday evening. The blaze was reported at about 3:15. Broadwater County crews have enlisted the assistance of the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service, according to Sheriff Brenda Ludwig. The fire is off of Indian Creek Road and was actively burning in Bureau of Land Management and Montana National Guard lands. It has entered the Limestone Hills Range. No structures were threatened as of Sunday evening. Indian Creek Road and Old Woman’s Grave Road were closed to help fire crews. Even though the roadways have been reopened, Ludwig urged nonresidents to stay out of the area. Broadwater County Fire Chief Ed Shindoll said the cause of the blaze is under investigation. His department has about 25 firefighters, Forest Service has a crew of 17 on the blaze and the DNRC has nine personnel. A DNRC helicopter was being used Sunday afternoon but had to leave due to high winds, Shindoll said. A storm was making its way through the area at about 6 p.m. “It just started sprinkling here,” Ludwig said. Broadwater County, as well as Lewis and Clark and Jefferson counties, were under a severe thunderstorm watch until late Sunday night. “We have to watch and see what the storm brings,” Shindoll said. “Winds have been pretty steady at probably 30 miles per an hour plus and they haven’t died down yet.” Ludwig said the fire area got a small amount of moisture.”Every little bit helps,” she added. Crews will be on the fire throughout the night.
Today Forest / Wild Fire USA State of Arizona, [Safford Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Tuesday, 03 July, 2012 at 02:55 (02:55 AM) UTC.

Description
Firefighters continue to battle the 8,000-acre Grapevine Fire in the Safford Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest. The blaze is burning at low elevation in grass and bush, and crews continued to hold the fire south of Highway 266 from the west side Forest Boundary east to Gillespie Wash, fire officials told KPHO-TV on Sunday. The fire has led to the closure of Coronado National Forest lands south of State Route 266, known as Greasewood and Kane Spring Mountains. No structures have been destroyed. Firefighters said the fire, which was caused by lightning, is 10 percent contained.
02.07.2012 Drought USA State of Nebraska, [Nebraska-wide] Damage level Details

Drought in USA on Monday, 02 July, 2012 at 19:26 (07:26 PM) UTC.

Description
Gov. Dave Heineman has declared a state emergency due to the current drought conditions throughout Nebraska. The declaration allows state workers to help with emergency situations that arise from the drought, and frees up resources for the effort. It also gives greater flexibility to the Nebraska National Guard and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency to use resources as needed. Heineman says the drought poses an imminent threat to the ability of local governments to respond. The governor has also directed the state Department of Roads to move up the scheduled start of roadside haying in 55 counties.

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Storms, Flooding,  Landslides

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

GREEN BAY WI
TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
DULUTH MN

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

NORMAN OK

Hurricane force storms batter Washington DC

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by

Parts of the US mid-Atlantic region have been battered by hurricane force storms, following a day of record heat. Report by Sam Datta-Paulin.

Severe Storm Risk NYC, Boston, DC July Fourth Fireworks

By , Expert Senior Meteorologist

There is a risk of locally damaging thunderstorms on Independence Day, which could not only impact daytime picnics and festivals, but also evening fireworks in the Northeast.

Just about every major city and small community has some sort of fireworks display on or around the Fourth of July. However, storms erupting in over a dozen states could impact activities and have some folks running for cover.

Dry air nosed into the Northeast late in the weekend, reducing the risk of violent thunderstorms for a couple of days.

Unfortunately, another surge of humid air ahead of an approaching cool front could have the atmospheric volatility index on the rise for July Fourth from the Ohio Valley states to the mid-Atlantic and New England.

While not quite the same setup and crushing outcome as the Derecho of this past Friday and Saturday, thunderstorms that form in the afternoon and evening will have the potential to bring localized power outages from damaging wind gusts and frequent lightning strikes.

Brief downpours from the storms can also cause disruptions to outdoor plans.

The storms are likely to hit some areas that were missed (New England and the northern mid-Atlantic) by the Derecho and could overlap areas that were hit (Ohio Valley and the southern mid-Atlantic) by the system.

Southeastward progress of the cool front will be critical for the bulk of the thunderstorm activity.

Odds favor showers and thunderstorms to be in the vicinity of the Great Lakes during the morning and midday hours on Independence Day. Slightly cooler, more stable conditions are likely in the region by the evening.

During the afternoon, building storms are likely to be passing through the northern Appalachians and part of the Ohio Valley. Much of this area will clear out in time for evening fireworks, but a few places may not. Cities on the bubble with the storms include Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and State College.

During the evening, the risk of strong to severe storms is likely to extend from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., to the central and southern Appalachians.

Spotty storms and showers can erupt ahead of the “main batch of thunderstorms and linger in their wake.” The details of which may not be known until July 4th itself.

We will continue to update you on the situation. Be sure to check AccuWeather.com for the latest radar in your local area.

Since the holiday is in the middle of the week, there may be no desirable options for rescheduling fireworks, if storms come calling at the wrong time. Fortunately, most storms in this pattern will be brief. Despite some delays, the storms should generally move on in less than an hour.

In areas where rain falls and ceases just prior to fireworks, calm, moist conditions in its wake potentially could inhibit smoke from clearing, perhaps leading to poor viewing conditions.

In other parts of the nation, it is drought and fire danger that is foiling fireworks plans.

Just a Reminder

Keep an eye out for rapidly changing weather conditions on your holiday ventures.

During a thunderstorms, severe or not, lightning poses the greatest risk to your life.

If you can hear thunder, you are at risk for being struck by lightning.

Seek shelter in a building or hard-top vehicle as storms approach. (Picnic pavilions, trees and golf carts are not safe places to be during thunderstorms.)

ReutersBy Ian Simpson
Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Relentless heat gripped much of the eastern United States for a fourth straight day on Monday, with about 2.1 million homes and businesses without power after violent storms and soaring temperatures killed at least 18 people.

Power companies warned it could take several days to restore electricity completely in some areas as much of the United States sweltered in a heat wave. Two hundred and eighty-eight temperature records were set nationwide on Sunday.

“Above-normal temperatures will continue to affect a large portion of the country from the northern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic over the next few days,” the National Weather Service said.

Many areas will see temperatures from 90 degrees Fahrenheit to more than 100 degrees (37.7 C), it said in a statement. Excessive heat warnings and advisories remained over much of the mid-Mississippi Valley and southern states.

Severe thunderstorms were possible in Kentucky and Missouri and in the north-central states, the weather agency said.

Emergencies were declared in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington because of damage from a rare “super derecho” storm packing hurricane-force winds across a 700-mile (1,100 kilometer) stretch from the Midwest to the Atlantic Ocean.

About 2.1 million homes and businesses from Illinois to New Jersey were still without power, with the biggest concentration in the Washington area.

With power lines down across the region, the U.S. government told federal workers in the Washington area they could take unscheduled leave or work from home on Monday and Tuesday.

Baltimore Gas & Electric said about 213,000 customers remained affected. Almost 1,200 utility workers from 12 states and Canada are helping restore power or are on their way to central Maryland, the company said.
By , Senior Meteorologist
A dust storm known as a “haboob” rolls into downtown Phoenix on Tuesday night, July 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers)

Monsoon moisture will be on the increase across the Four Corners region this week, increasing the rain chances for the region and putting Phoenix at risk for another haboob.

A haboob is a type of intense dust storm carried by strong winds that are usually the aftermath of a thunderstorm.

Recent thunderstorms that have dotted the Four Corners region have produced more dry lightning strikes than substantial rainfall.

That will change starting Tuesday when the door is opened for monsoon moisture to start streaming northward.

The initial surge of moisture will help ignite a cluster of thunderstorms across southeastern Arizona and southern New Mexico Tuesday afternoon.

The desert areas of southern Arizona, including Phoenix, may then become the target of a haboob Tuesday night as these thunderstorms track westward. Gusty winds racing away from the thunderstorms would trigger the massive dust storms.

The added moisture in the air will also allow the thunderstorms to drop substantial rainfall Tuesday afternoon and night.

The same can be said across more of the Four Corners region as the week progresses and the monsoon moisture spills northward.

Significant rain-producing thunderstorms are definitely great news for a region where numerous wildfires are burning, but the welcome rain could come at a cost.

Too much rainfall in a short amount of time threatens to trigger flash flooding. Streams, creeks and arroyos could quickly turn into raging waterways.

Areas recently burned by wildfires are highly susceptible to not only flash flooding, but also mudslides with the severely charred soil not able to absorb the rain as quickly as normal.

Where the rain pours down on the burn areas in the mountains, the flooding rain and mud could flow down to impact the neighboring lower elevations.

Gusty winds racing away from the thunderstorms will not only be confined to the desert areas of Arizona but could also occur elsewhere across the Four Corners region. A shift or increase in wind where a wildfire is burning will create serious problems for firefighters.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists will also be monitoring the potential for some of the thunderstorms to turn severe with damaging winds.

High Wind Warning

GREAT FALLS MT

Gale Warning

POINT ST GEORGE TO POINT ARENA
POINT ARENA TO POINT CONCEPTION
MEDFORD, OR

Amateur Videos: Huge waterspout filmed on Sochi shoreline

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by

Witnesses were able to film a huge waterspout moving along the shoreline near the Russian coastal city of Sochi. It closely passed vessels at sea before hitting the city with heavy rain and hail. There are no reports of damages.

Flash Flood Warning

GREEN BAY WI 
MARQUETTE MI
DULUTH MN

Flash Flood Watch

ALBUQUERQUE NM

Flood Warning

TALLAHASSEE FL
JACKSONVILLE FL
TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
SPOKANE, WA
DULUTH MN
MISSOULA MT

Flood Advisory /  Flood Watch

FAIRBANKS AK
DULUTH MN
02.07.2012 Flash Flood Malaysia Pulau Pinang, George Town Damage level Details

Flash Flood in Malaysia on Monday, 02 July, 2012 at 13:16 (01:16 PM) UTC.

Description
Heavy rain that persisted for more than two hours from noon on Monday resulted in several major roads in George Town being cut off due to a flash flood. A check by Bernama found that among the roads that were affected were Jalan P. Ramlee, part of Jalan Perak, Jalan Logan, Kampung Makam, Jalan Sungai Pinang, Jalan Anson and Jalan Patani. The water level in certain areas rose to as high as 1.5 metres but no one was evacuated. However, the flood resulted in hundreds of vehicles being trapped for almost four hours due to traffic congestion. A senior officer of the Jalan Perak Fire Station, Shahrulnizam Che Hassan said the station had received a report from the public that a handicapped woman was trapped in her home. “During the incident at 1.44pm, the water level rose up to chest level and firemen had to break open the door of the 40-year-old woman’s house to take her out,” he said when contacted, here. He said the woman did not suffer any injury and had to stay with her neighbour until the flood subsided. A resident in Jalan P. Ramlee, Lee Eng Hong, 60, said his house was damaged by mud brought by the flash flood. He said he could not remove is car and motorcycle to higher ground as the flood occurred swiftly and the flood water entered his home. Meanwhile, Disaster and Operations Officer of the Department of Civil Defence, North-East District, Noor Mohd Saidi Noor Lajis said the department was monitoring the flood situation which was reported to be receding.
02.07.2012 Complex Emergency Bangladesh Multiple Regions, [Between Chittagong and Coxs Bazar] Damage level Details

Complex Emergency in Bangladesh on Wednesday, 27 June, 2012 at 07:57 (07:57 AM) UTC.

Description
More than 55 people have been killed in landslides in southeast Bangladesh after three days of rains that triggered flash floods and severed transport links, officials said Wednesday. The army has been deployed to help with search and rescue efforts in the affected hill region of Chittagong, said the region’s chief administrator, Sirajul Haq Khan, who warned that the toll could rise. According to Khan, at least 26 people died in a series of landslides and flash floods in and around Chittagong port and the district of Cox’s Bazar. In neighbouring Bandarban district, 30 bodies have been recovered from multiple landslide sites, local administrator Tariqul Islam said. “Rescue efforts had been hampered as communications have been largely snapped because of flash floods and heavy rain,” Islam said. “Ten of the victims were children and scores of others were injured,” he said. Bandarban police chief Saiful Ahmed said most of the victims were asleep when the huge chunks of mud buried them alive. “One family has lost 12 members,” Ahmed said. Chittagong port received 40 centimetres (16 inches) of rain in a single 12-hour period on Tuesday. Flights in and out of Chittagong’s Shah Amanat International Airport have been suspended since Tuesday afternoon. According to the state Disaster Management Information Centre, around 50,000 people were affected by the flash floods, and many of them forced to take shelter on higher ground. Train links between Chittagong and the rest of the country were also severed after a railway bridge collapsed due to a rain-triggered flash flood.

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

Today Epidemic Hazard Cuba Departmento de Granma, Manzanillo Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in Cuba on Tuesday, 03 July, 2012 at 03:06 (03:06 AM) UTC.

Description
Two people died and more than 50 remain hospitalized in the eastern city of Manzanillo, where an outbreak of cholera required authorities to set up a quarantine at the Celia Sanchez Manduley Provincial Surgical Clinic,” reported the Miami-based Café Fuerte website, though there has been no confirmation or denial of the incidents in the official state-run media. “The hospital can’t cope, the aisles are full of stretchers with patients…now with more than 50 people, including children and adults who are hospitalized as a result of the disease,” was a statement attributed to Manzanillo resident Misleidi Calvente Figueredo. Calvente said several communities have been quarantined, while all Manzanillo health care workers have been mobilized. Police and State Security officers are reported to be guarding the medical center, according to testimonies received from residents. Fortunately, Cuba is not without experience in fighting cholera, as hundreds of Cuban doctors have worked in a campaign against the disease in the neighboring country of Haiti.
Biohazard name: Cholera
Biohazard level: 2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
Symptoms:
Status: suspected
02.07.2012 Epidemic Hazard MultiCountries [Uganda and DRC] Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in MultiCountries on Monday, 02 July, 2012 at 06:49 (06:49 AM) UTC.

Description
A cholera out break has been reported at Karambo near Bunagana border post and Busanza border line at Uganda’s border with DR Congo, Kisoro District Health Officer Dr. Steven Nsabiyunva has said. The outbreak comes at the peak of the influx of refugees from DR Congo to Uganda. Speaking to the New Vision at his office on Friday, Dr Nsabiyunva said the district health team was considering making a quarantine to protect refugees already at Nayakabande refugee reception center and the district population at large. He urged health officials at Nyakabande to ensure proper use of mobile toilets and to emphasize hand washing. “We are considering isolating new comers as one way of controlling spread of the disease and protecting the district population. Cholera is spread through exposing food to excreta of an infected person. It is characterized by acute vomiting and diarrhea. If left untreated it can kill in 24 hours. Asked about cross border trade in food items, the doctor said his office was still trying to put in place control measures. In February this year, an outbreak of dysentery hit the camp and has reportedly lingered on due to poor disposal of excreta. “Saucepans are used for bathing and washing clothes while basins are used for serving food” said a source at the refugee center who preferred anonymity.
Biohazard name: Cholera Outbreak
Biohazard level: 3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed

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Solar Activity

1MIN News July 2, 2012 – No Electricity for S0 [As I upload, %4 Battery life]

Published on Jul 2, 2012 by

Youtuber: dontfear2012 — is that the flare pattern you saw too? lol

Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/cme-based/ [CME Evolution]

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

24 Hours of Solar Flare Onslought! – July 2, 2012

Published on Jul 2, 2012 by

Solar activity continued at moderate levels on Sunday with a pair of M-Class flares around Sunspot 1513. The largest of these events was an M2.8 flare at 19:18 UTC Sunday afternoon. Sunspot 1515 located in the southern hemisphere is largest region on the visible solar disk, but has so far only produced C-Class solar flares. Both 1513 and 1515 retain Beta-Gamma magnetic configurations and may produce additonal M-Class flares on Monday.

The solar wind remains above 600 km/s and minor geomagnetic activity will be possible at very high latitudes. Visible aurora will be possible around the polar regions. – Solarham.com

Earth Facing M5.6 Solar Flare + Coronal Mass Ejection – July 2, 2012

Published on Jul 2, 2012 by

Strong M5.6 Flare – Sunspot 1515 Around 10:52 UTC Time – July 2, 2012. There is an associated coronal mass ejection which may have an earth directed component. However, early data from Stereo Ahead shows that it will mostly head south and miss us entirely. The next variable will be whether or not the coronal mass ejection cloud expands enough to encompass the Earth as well.

ALMOST X-FLARE:

Big sunspot AR1515 erupted on July 2nd at 10:52 UT, producing an M5.6-class solar flare that almost crossed the threshold into X-territory. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:

A pulse of x-rays and UV radiation from the flare illuminated Earth’s upper atmosphere, producing waves of ionization over Europe. Such waves alter the propagation of low-frequency radio transmissions. In Lofoten, Norway, Rob Stammes recorded the ionospheric disturbance using a 60 kHz receiver: data.

The eruption also hurled a CME into space, but not directly toward Earth. The south-traveling cloud could deliver a glancing blow to our planet’s magnetosphere on July 4th or 5th.

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Space

  Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name Apporach Date Left AU Distance LD Distance Estimated Diameter* Relative Velocity
(2008 YQ2) 03rd July 2012 0 day(s) 0.1057 41.1 29 m – 65 m 15.60 km/s 56160 km/h
(2005 QQ30) 06th July 2012 3 day(s) 0.1765 68.7 280 m – 620 m 13.13 km/s 47268 km/h
(2011 YJ28) 06th July 2012 3 day(s) 0.1383 53.8 150 m – 330 m 14.19 km/s 51084 km/h
276392 (2002 XH4) 07th July 2012 4 day(s) 0.1851 72.0 370 m – 840 m 7.76 km/s 27936 km/h
(2003 MK4) 08th July 2012 5 day(s) 0.1673 65.1 180 m – 410 m 14.35 km/s 51660 km/h
(1999 NW2) 08th July 2012 5 day(s) 0.0853 33.2 62 m – 140 m 6.66 km/s 23976 km/h
189P/NEAT 09th July 2012 6 day(s) 0.1720 66.9 n/a 12.47 km/s 44892 km/h
(2000 JB6) 10th July 2012 7 day(s) 0.1780 69.3 490 m – 1.1 km 6.42 km/s 23112 km/h
(2010 MJ1) 10th July 2012 7 day(s) 0.1533 59.7 52 m – 120 m 10.35 km/s 37260 km/h
(2008 NP3) 12th July 2012 9 day(s) 0.1572 61.2 57 m – 130 m 6.08 km/s 21888 km/h
(2006 BV39) 12th July 2012 9 day(s) 0.1132 44.1 4.2 m – 9.5 m 11.11 km/s 39996 km/h
(2005 NE21) 15th July 2012 12 day(s) 0.1555 60.5 140 m – 320 m 10.77 km/s 38772 km/h
(2003 KU2) 15th July 2012 12 day(s) 0.1034 40.2 770 m – 1.7 km 17.12 km/s 61632 km/h
(2007 TN74) 16th July 2012 13 day(s) 0.1718 66.9 20 m – 45 m 7.36 km/s 26496 km/h
(2007 DD) 16th July 2012 13 day(s) 0.1101 42.8 19 m – 42 m 6.47 km/s 23292 km/h
(2006 BC8) 16th July 2012 13 day(s) 0.1584 61.6 25 m – 56 m 17.71 km/s 63756 km/h
144411 (2004 EW9) 16th July 2012 13 day(s) 0.1202 46.8 1.3 km – 2.9 km 10.90 km/s 39240 km/h
(2012 BV26) 18th July 2012 15 day(s) 0.1759 68.4 94 m – 210 m 10.88 km/s 39168 km/h
(2010 OB101) 19th July 2012 16 day(s) 0.1196 46.6 200 m – 450 m 13.34 km/s 48024 km/h
(2008 OX1) 20th July 2012 17 day(s) 0.1873 72.9 130 m – 300 m 15.35 km/s 55260 km/h
(2010 GK65) 21st July 2012 18 day(s) 0.1696 66.0 34 m – 75 m 17.80 km/s 64080 km/h
(2011 OJ45) 21st July 2012 18 day(s) 0.1367 53.2 18 m – 39 m 3.79 km/s 13644 km/h
153958 (2002 AM31) 22nd July 2012 19 day(s) 0.0351 13.7 630 m – 1.4 km 9.55 km/s 34380 km/h
(2011 CA7) 23rd July 2012 20 day(s) 0.1492 58.1 2.3 m – 5.1 m 5.43 km/s 19548 km/h
(2012 BB124) 24th July 2012 21 day(s) 0.1610 62.7 170 m – 380 m 8.78 km/s 31608 km/h
(2009 PC) 28th July 2012 25 day(s) 0.1772 68.9 61 m – 140 m 7.34 km/s 26424 km/h
217013 (2001 AA50) 31st July 2012 28 day(s) 0.1355 52.7 580 m – 1.3 km 22.15 km/s 79740 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

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Mysterious Booms / Rumblings

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife / Hazmat

03.07.2012 Biological Hazard China Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, [The area was not defined.] Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in China on Monday, 02 July, 2012 at 14:18 (02:18 PM) UTC.

Description
China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has reported an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced Monday. The disease has killed 1,600 chickens raised by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a unique economic and semi-military government organization of about 2.5 million people. A total of 5,500 XPCC-farmed chickens showed symptoms of suspected avian flu on June 20, according to the MOA. The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory Monday confirmed the epidemic was H5N1 bird flu after testing samples collected at the farm, the MOA said. Local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area, where a total of 156,439 chickens have been culled and safely disposed of to prevent the disease from spreading, according to the MOA. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. It can be fatal to humans.
Biohazard name: H5N1 – Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Biohazard level: 4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.: Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed
02.07.2012 Biological Hazard Philippines Central Visayas, [Tagbilaran Strait] Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in Philippines on Sunday, 01 July, 2012 at 04:52 (04:52 AM) UTC.

Description
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR-Bohol) raised an alarm against gathering and eating shellfish from the tide flats of Tagbilaran City bay following a suspected case of red tide. BFAR-Bohol head Cresencio Pahamutang explained the alarm is based on an algal bloom, which is what caused the red coloration in the waters (red tide) that witnesses observed on the sea below Matig-a Lodge along Burgos Street, Tagbilaran City. Pahamutang said BFAR confirmed the reports based on the latest results from the 10 monitoring stations set up at specific points between Dauis Bridge in Junction Mansasa to Maribojoc Bay. According to Pahamutang, a worker at the Matig-a Lodge reported the unusual discoloration in the waters, prompting the BFAR to investigate by going to their monitoring stations. From their tests, Pahamutang shared that from the usual three cells per liter average yield in the collecting stations, they noticed around 1,475 to 1,365 cells per liter. A total ban and alarm against shellfish gathering and eating was issued when the mirco-organisms monitored reach 10,000 units per liter, he explained. With the noticed unusually high concentration of algal micro-organisms in the Tagbilaran Strait, the BFAR said they have coordinated with the Provincial Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council as well as Poblacion 1 Barangay Chairman Arlene Karaan to advise people to stop harvesting shellfish from the mentioned areas. Pahamutang said these algae, also called dinoflagellates have toxins that are usually absorbed by bottom feeding shellfish, making them unfit for human consumption. For fishes from the area, the BFAR chief said as long as the fish is properly prepared before cooking, it may not be affected as much.
Biohazard name: Red Tide
Biohazard level: 0/4 —
Biohazard desc.: This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms: Algal bloom happens when an unusually large concentration of aquatic micro-organisms amass in a coastal area, often causing discoloration. When the algae is present in high concentrations, water can be discolored from murky, to purple to pink or red, thus, its common name the red tide.
Status:
02.07.2012 HAZMAT Israel Southern District, [Mekorot Water Company, Near to Ein Yahav] Damage level Details

HAZMAT in Israel on Monday, 02 July, 2012 at 19:24 (07:24 PM) UTC.

Description
One person was killed and ten were injured on Monday when a pipe of flowing hydrochloric acid exploded at a drilling installation operated by the Mekorot water company near Ein Yahav in the Arava region of the South. The injured were evacuated by helicopters and ambulances to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. One person was in critical condition, four in serious condition, and five others were lightly injured. The Environmental Protection Ministry said there is no danger to area residents as a result of the explosion. After exploring the area, a team of ministry workers determined that the risk range is only 200 meters, and that the closest residential population is five kilometers away from the site. The staff members provided instructions to police officers on site as to how to properly protect themselves and enter the facility, the ministry added. MK Dov Henin (Hadash), chairman of the Knesset’s Joint Committee on Environment and Health, warned of the dangers that such glitches in a pipe system can cause and called for firmer regulations in response to Monday’s event. “Time and time again we see that the status quo in the field of hazardous materials in Israel is forfeiting the lives and health of citizens, workers and bystanders,” Henin said. “Glitches in hazardous materials are not inevitable and we can prevent them but in order to do this, a true revolution in regulations of this field is required.” Such new regulations, Henin explained, should include high standards for hazardous material facilities as well as for all the transmission systems associated with the plants. “I intend to convene the committee to discuss the accident that occurred and the lessons that need to be learned from it from corner to corner,” Henin said. Police closed Highway 90 to traffic in both directions.
02.07.2012 HAZMAT United Kingdom England, Colchester [Severalls Business Park] Damage level Details

HAZMAT in United Kingdom on Monday, 02 July, 2012 at 12:32 (12:32 PM) UTC.

Description
A suspected chemical leak left 30 people needing medical treatment. A 400 metre exclusion zone was set up in Severalls Business Park in Colchester and hundreds were told to leave the area as noxious fumes filled the air.

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Articles of Interest

By Jillian MacMath, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
The above graphic is circulating on Twitter referring to the lockout of union workers from Consolidated Edison after reaching an impasse in contract negotiations. Tweeted by user J. Simone Posner.

Customers are fearing a blackout across New York state, as temperatures continue to push into the 90s this week and Consolidated Edison is without more than 8,000 of its utility workers.

Negotiations between Con Ed and the workers union collapsed on Sunday just hours after the existing contract expired, causing Con Ed to close its walk-in centers, suspend meter reading and limit work on major construction projects.

Negotiations between Con Ed and the union lasted more than ten days and involved various issues, such as pensions, wages and health care.

After Con Ed’s request for the union to sign a two-week contract extension fell through, Con Ed ordered that union workers not show up for work on Monday. The impasse was a result of Con Ed’s demand that the union not strike without giving seven days notice.

Con Ed said it is has trained managers working on essential operations in the absence of its utility workers, but the union has responded publicly that Con Ed managers don’t have the technical knowledge to handle serious problems.

This has many customers fearing the worst: a blackout amid a heat wave.

“So, is there a betting pool running to see how long it takes for a black out because of the ConEd lockout?” twitter user Allison Sommer’s tweeted this morning.

Garnering support for the union, a graphic is also circulating on Twitter, adorning the Utility Workers Union crest and the phrase “We didn’t strike, They locked us out.”

There’s no word yet how long the lockout will last, but Con Ed has stated that they will call in management retirees if it becomes necessary.

New York state may see severe, gusty storms across New York state Tuesday night through Wednesday, increasing the risk for power outages.

“The main concern with these storms will be strong and potentially damaging wind gusts, and locally flooding downpours,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Erik Pindrock. “There will also be just enough wind shear for an isolated tornado; however, that will not be the rule.”

It is not expected that the storms will be particularly damaging.

“Anyone that experiences a severe thunderstorm could face a loss of power; however, I don’t believe this particular setup will be close to as bad as what we saw last Friday with millions of people losing power,” Pindrock said.

But tensions remain high between Con Ed and many of its 3.2 million customers.

“If theres a blackout and someone dies,” Brian Konash tweeted Monday, “only NYPD will stand between [Con Ed] and the pitchforks.”

The Con Ed power outage map updated as of 1:45 p.m. EDT on Monday.

For the most up-to-date map click here.

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[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

Politics and Legislation

‘US respects no one’s sovereignty’

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by

At least eight people have been killed in the latest US assassination drone strike in the northwestern tribal belt of Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. The unmanned aircraft fired two missiles at a house in North Waziristan on Sunday morning.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Syed Tariq Pirzada, strategic affairs analyst, to hear his opinion on this issue.

 

 

 

Lasting peace possible only if Israel ends occupation: Iran

TEHRAN, July 2 (MNA) – The Iranian ambassador to the Human Rights Council has said that lasting peace can be established in the region only if the Zionist regime ends its occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Ambassador Mohammad Reza Sajjadi made the remarks in Geneva on Monday in a speech during a meeting of the Human Rights Council after Richard Falk, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights on Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, presented his report to the council.

Following are excerpts of the text of Sajjadi’s speech:

My delegation would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for his detailed report submitted to the council.

Highlighting the violation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory with reference to (the) “Israeli regime(‘s) policy and practice of targeted killing” as well as “widespread and abusive use of administrative detention procedures”, the report obviously illustrates flagrant violation of human rights in the Palestine and draws attention to some horrific incidents (caused) by so-called “Israeli Defense Forces.”

The incidences of extrajudicial executions or assassinations underscored in the report as well as the recent upsurge of violence by (the) Israeli regime in Gaza are just (the) tip of (the) iceberg demonstrating that this regime continues and even intensifies its heinous crimes against the oppressed and defenseless Palestinian people in defiance of human rights principles, international law, UN resolutions and even the basic norms of decency. What is perplexing is that the Israeli regime, enjoying the unflagging support of the Western bloc, continues to perpetrate its crimes and violations with a sense of impunity.

It is high time for the council to defend more effectively the human rights of (the) Palestinian people and adopt a firm position and urge the international community to counter the said regime’s inhumane policies and practices against the defenseless Palestinians.

The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the settlement of the Palestinian crisis would be achievable only if the inalienable rights of the people of the occupied Palestine (are) fully recognized, restored, and maintained.

The only solution to the Palestinian issue (necessary for the) establishment of peace is restoration of the sovereignty right to Palestine and putting an end to occupation.

The Palestinian people should be allowed to express their opinions freely regarding their fate and future and the kind of state and government they want to have through a referendum with the participation of all (the) Palestinian people.

EP/PA
END
MNA

 

 

 

 

Egypt’s Mursi meets with Christian leaders, activists to broaden support

The Muslim Brotherhood’s President-elect Mohamed Mursi (C) meets with Christian leaders from different denominations at the presidential palace in Cairo. (Reuters)

The Muslim Brotherhood’s President-elect Mohamed Mursi (C) meets with Christian leaders from different denominations at the presidential palace in Cairo. (Reuters)

By AL ARABIYA WITH AGENCIES

Egyptian youth activists and Christian leaders met with President-elect Mohammed Mursi on Wednesday to work towards “achieving the goals of the uprising which ousted his predecessor Hosni Mubarak last year,” the Egypt Independent newspaper reported.

Egyptian activist Wael Ghoneim, known for his prominent role during the January 25 Revolution, said the meeting discussed the importance of transparency in all decisions made by Mursi’s government, which is due to be installed after he is inaugurated at the weekend.

Ghoneim has previously said he has several reservations on the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mursi even though he voted for him.

“Many people did not vote for Mursi because he is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or the chairman of its political wing the Freedom and Justice Party, but because they did not want to opt for a member of the former regime,” Ghoneim said earlier this month in reference to the election runoff which saw Mursi pitted against former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.

In the talks Mursi held with the youth activists, Asmaa Mahfouz, one of the founders of Egypt’s April 6 Youth Movement, said Mursi’s promises “are calculated but he seems to mean well for Egypt,” Egypt Independent reported.

Mursi also met with Christian leaders and the families of those killed in the uprising, seeking to broaden support before a handover of power by the ruling generals, due by June 30.

His first appointments as president-elect of Egypt will be a woman and a Coptic Christian, his spokesman has told the Guardian this week, as he moves to allay fears of the Brotherhood.

Samah al-Essawy said that although the names of the two choices had not been finalized, they would be Mursi’s two vice-presidents.

When the appointments go through, they will constitute the first time in Egypt’s history that either a woman or a Coptic Christian has occupied such a high-ranking position.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday congratulated Egypt’s newly elected Islamist president, but cautioned that the election was just a first step towards true democracy.

“We have congratulated President (Mohammed) Mursi and the Egyptian people for continuing on their path to democratic transition,” Clinton told reporters in Helsinki.

President-elect Mursi, of the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood, is in the process of forming a government after he was proclaimed Egypt’s first democratically elected president on Sunday, a year and a half after street protests toppled veteran strongman and U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak.

“We have heard some very positive statements so far,” Clinton said, hailing among other things Mursi’s pledge to honor international obligations, “which would, in our view, cover the peace treaty with Israel,” signed in 1979 and which many feared could be abandoned with an Islamist in power.

However, Clinton cautioned, “one election does not a democracy make.”

The historic vote was “just the beginning of hard work, and hard work requires pluralism, respecting the rights of minorities, an independent judiciary and independent media,” she said.

“We expect President Mursi to demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity that is manifested by representatives of the women of Egypt, of the Coptic Christian community, of the secular, non-religious community and young people,” she added.

 

 

100 Iranian MPs call for blocking Hormuz Strait

TEHRAN, July 2 (MNA) – The Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has put forward a proposal to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz to prevent the passage of tankers that carry oil for the countries that have imposed sanctions on Iran, an Iranian MP announced on Sunday.
Speaking to the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency, MP Ebrahim Aqa-Mohammadi said that the proposal had been signed by 100 MPs as of Sunday.

The measure would be a response to the European Union’s oil embargo on Iran that took effect on July 1 and a new U.S. law that penalizes countries that do business with the Central Bank of Iran by denying their banks access to the United States market. The law came into force on June 28.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategic shipping channels. It connects the vast majority of the world’s countries with the crude oil that fuels their economies.

At its narrowest point, the strait is 21 miles wide, with a two-mile shipping lane on either side. On average, 14 supertankers sail through the strait every day.

MP Arsalan Fat’hipour said on Sunday that if Iran is unfairly targeted, it will not allow “even one drop of oil” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Fars News Agency, he also played down the effects of sanctions against Iran and said, “We have been sanctioned for 33 years and have faced worse conditions than this, but nothing happened.”

MJH/PA/HG
END
MNA

 

 

Syrian opposition discusses transition in Cairo meeting, FSA boycotts

At least 250 members of various Syrian opposition groups have gathered in Cairo to discuss a common political vision for their country. (Reuters)

At least 250 members of various Syrian opposition groups have gathered in Cairo to discuss a common political vision for their country. (Reuters)

By Al Arabiya with Agencies

A meeting for the Syrian opposition groups kicked off in Cairo on Monday mainly to discuss a new international plan for a transitional Syrian government. They are also expected to hold talks on Tuesday with Arab ministers in a bid to agree on a shared platform, Egyptian media and the Arab League said.

The Arab League chief called on the fragmented Syrian opposition to unite during the opening session of the meeting.

Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi addressed nearly 250 members of the Syrian opposition at the meeting on Monday in an effort to get disparate groups to pull together. It is the first time the Arab League hosts a meeting of the Syrian opposition.

Arabi said the opposition “must not miss this opportunity” to unite, adding that the Syrian people are more valuable than any factional disagreements.

Syria-based rebel fighters and activists earlier on Monday said they would boycott the opposition meeting in Cairo, denouncing it as a “conspiracy” that served the policy goals of Damascus allies Moscow and Tehran.

“We refuse all kinds of dialogue and negotiation with the killer gangs … and we will not allow anyone to impose on Syria and its people the Russian and Iranian agendas,” said a statement signed by the rebel Free Syrian Army and “independent” activists.

The signatories criticized the agenda of the Cairo talks for “rejecting the idea of a foreign military intervention to save the people … and ignoring the question of buffer zones protected by the international community, humanitarian corridors, an air embargo and the arming of rebel fighters.”

The boycotting groups said the talks follow the “dangerous decisions of the Geneva conference, which aim to safeguard the regime, to create a dialogue with it and to form a unity government with the assassins of our children.”

“The Cairo conference aims to give a new chance to (U.N.-Arab League) envoy Kofi Annan to try again to convince Assad to implement his six-point plan. .. while forgetting that thousands have been martyred since the plan came into force,” they said.

No transition in the presence of Assad

Reema Flaihan, spokesperson of the Local Coordination Committees (LCC), had told Al Arabiya that the responsible committee has prepared a document for the transitional period, which has been signed by the different opposition members.

According to reports, the opposition figures will most probably reject any discussion of a national unity government in the presence of President Bashar al-Assad.

On the ground, as many as 77 people have been killed in violent crackdown on dissent across the country on Sunday.

The Syrian opposition on Sunday branded an international plan for a transition in strife-torn Syria a failure, as the death toll mounted.

World powers meeting in Geneva on Saturday agreed that the transition plan could include current regime members, but the West did not see any role for Assad in a new unity government.

Russia and China insisted that Syrians themselves must decide how the transition takes place, rather than allow others to dictate their fate.

Moscow and Beijing, which have twice blocked U.N. Security Council resolutions on Syria, signed up to the final agreement that did not make any explicit call for Assad to cede power.

Extra powers to Annan and his team

In a special interview with Al Arabiya, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshiar Zebary said that the principles agreed on in Geneva will give extra powers to Annan and his team for the sake of finding a solution to the Syrian crisis.

Official Syrian media slammed the outcome, in rare agreement with the main opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) and the LCC which organize protests.

The SNC said it had expected “more serious and effective action” to emerge from the Geneva talks and reiterated that Assad must quit power.
“The Syrian people were hoping that the international community would adopt more serious and effective measures in dealing with the regime, whose bloody behavior has become clear,” the SNC said.

“The Syrian National Council affirms that no initiative can be accepted by the Syrian people unless it clearly calls on Bashar al-Assad and the tyrants around him to step down.”

It also charged that the Geneva plan “lacked a clear mechanism for action and a timetable” to hold the regime accountable, and warned that this could mean “more bloodshed.”

The LCC said the outcome showed once again a failure to adopt a common position.

It called the transition accord “just one version, different in form only, of the demands of Russian leaders allied to the Assad regime and who cover it militarily and politically in the face of international pressure.”

Iran, a strong ally of Assad, said the Geneva meeting was “unsuccessful” because Damascus and Tehran were not invited.

The United States and European nations reportedly opposed the presence of Iran, although U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan and U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon had wanted Tehran to attend.

The Geneva deal came despite initial pessimism over the talks amid deep divisions between the West and China and Russia on how to end the violence that the Observatory says has killed more than 15,800 since March 2011.

Syria’s neighbor Turkey, which attended the Geneva talks, scrambled fighter jets after Syrian helicopters flew close to its border, the army said on Sunday, hiking tensions following last month’s downing of a Turkish plane.

Six F-16 warplanes took off from airbases in south Turkey on Saturday after Syrian helicopters flew closer to the border than is normal, the army said, specifying there had been three incidents but no violation of Turkish airspace.

Sunday’s highest concentration of deaths was in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.

Annan said on Saturday it was up to the Syrians to decide who they wanted in a unity government. But he added: “I would doubt that Syrians… would select people with blood on their hands to lead them.”

The United States and France both said it was clear there was no future role for Assad.

 

Iran says ready to upgrade Egypt ties to ambassadorial level

TEHRAN, July 2 (MNA) — Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday that Iran is ready to upgrade its relations with Egypt to the level of ambassador whenever the Arab country announces its readiness.
“Iran has always expressed its interest in upgrading political relations between Tehran and Cairo to the level of ambassador, and, whenever the Egyptian side is ready, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to enhance ties between the two countries.”

Salehi described current relations between Iran and Egypt as “good”, adding, “However, the Egyptian side has so far set some conditions for enhancing political relations with Iran, but the election of (Mohamed) Morsi to serve as the Egyptian president has opened a new chapter in the country’s foreign policy.”

“The Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran hopes that the prospects of Egypt’s foreign policy will become brighter and that the country’s new government will take more serious measures to have more comprehensive and deeper relations with the Muslim world,” he added.

The Iranian foreign minister also said, “The Egyptian people did a great job by electing Morsi to serve as the president and brought the revolution to fruition.”

EP/PA
END
MNA

 

 

 

 

The Middle East peace process is a ‘trick,’ says U.N. rights rapporteur

Richard Falk, a special U.N. rapporteur for human rights, said Palestinians in the occupied West Bank were offered no protection in Israeli law. (File photo)

Richard Falk, a special U.N. rapporteur for human rights, said Palestinians in the occupied West Bank were offered no protection in Israeli law. (File photo)

By AFP
GENEVA

The U.N. pointman for Palestinian human rights launched a blistering attack on the international community Monday, accusing it of conspiring in Israeli settlement policies and branding the peace process a “trick.”

Richard Falk, the special U.N. rapporteur for human rights in the occupied territories, also took aim at the so-called Middle East Quartet’s peace envoy Tony Blair over his efforts in the region.

Falk, who spoke to reporters after addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, said Palestinians in the occupied West Bank were offered no protection in Israeli law and that their treatment was akin to apartheid.

“I think one has to begin to call the reality by a name,” he said, likening the “discriminatory dualistic legal system” in the West Bank to the former system in South Africa.

In his report to the council, Falk expressed his concern about Israel’s use of administrative detention, the expansion of settlements and violence by settlers.

Israel in March severed contacts with the council after the 47-member body said it would investigate settlements in the occupied territories, which are considered illegal under international law.

Peace talks between the two sides have been on hold since September 2010, with the Palestinians refusing to resume them without a moratorium on settlement building.

“The peace process is a trick rather than a way to find a solution to the problem,” Falk said.

He also criticized the work of the former British prime minister Tony Blair in the region.

“Tony Blair has not much to show for his 86 visits to the Middle East… (it is) an extension of the peace process which I regard as a failure because while time passes the settlement culture continues.”

“The international community is conspiring – maybe unwittingly – in a process that has no way of bringing justice to the people involved in this conflict,” he said of settlements.

At least 3,500 buildings were under construction in the West Bank in 2011, Falk reported, not including Israeli settlements in annexed east Jerusalem.

Such building on Palestinian land “more or less closes the book on the reality and feasibility” of a two-state solution to the conflict, Falk said.

“The credibility of the Human Rights Council is very much at stake if there is nothing that is done about the non-cooperation or non-compliance” by Israel with the council’s recommendations, he said.

“The language of censure doesn’t help the Palestinian people if there is no action.”

Settler violence against Palestinians was a new feature of the drive to occupy the Palestinian territories, especially around Hebron and Nablus, he added.

“Many people say the Israeli government is an extension of the settlers and I think that is an accurate description,” he said.

Falk said Palestinians were disillusioned by the international peace efforts and had resorted to extreme measures such as hunger strikes to raise awareness of abuses including illegal detention by Israel.

But such action was ignored in Western media, Falk said, sending “the unfortunate signal that only violent protests will be noticed internationally.”

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Economy

‘Lazy Greeks myth, red herring in explaining crisis’

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by

Peter Mertens, leader of the Workers’ Party of Belgium, believes the Eurozone debt crisis is pushing member states towards “a very large number of social conflicts.” Mertens told RT that Europe faces three alternatives – saving the euro with “authoritarian measures by taking national sovereignty overnight to the European level”, breaking up into “two, three or four Europes”, or adopting a socialist model, “where banking system is public, where energy system is public, where there is democracy.” He believes Europe needs radical changes to its financial sector.

See transcript: http://on.rt.com/r9ai58

Big banks craft “living wills” in case they fail

 David Henry and Dave Clarke | Reuters

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Five of the biggest banks in the United States are putting finishing touches on plans for going out of business as part of government-mandated contingency planning that could push them to untangle their complex operations.

The plans, known as living wills, are due to regulators no later than July 1 under provisions of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law designed to end too-big-to-fail bailouts by the government. The living wills could be as long as 4,000 pages.

Since the law allows regulators to go so far as to order a bank to divest subsidiaries if it cannot plan an orderly resolution in bankruptcy, the deadline is pushing even healthy institutions to start a multi-year process to untangle their complex global operations, according to industry consultants.

“The resolution process is now going to be part of the cost-benefit analysis on where banks will do business,” said Dan Ryan, leader of the financial services regulatory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York. “The complexity of the organizations will shrink.”

JPMorgan Chase & Co , Bank of America Corp , Citigroup Inc , Goldman Sachs & Co and Morgan Stanley are among those submitting the first liquidation scenarios to regulators at the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, according to people familiar with the matter.

The five firms, which declined to discuss their plans for this story, have some of the biggest balance sheets, trading desks and derivatives portfolios of financial institutions in the United States.

Great Britain and other major countries are imposing similar requirements for “resolution” plans on their big banks, too.

The liquidation plans are coming amid renewed questions about the safety of big banks following JPMorgan’s stunning announcement last month that a trading debacle has cost it more than $2 billion – a sum far too small to endanger the bank, but shocking enough to bring back memories of the financial crisis.

 

Read Full Article Here

 

Iran to boost gasoline output by one million BPD

Published on Jul 2, 2012 by

As the US and European Union intensify sanctions on Iran’s energy industry, Iran continues to develop its oil facilities using domestic capability.

Press TV’s Amir Mehdi Kazemi reports from Tehran.

Amid a global crackdown against alleged black money in secret accounts of Swiss banks, their bankers are selling a new safe-haven idea to their rich clients from India and other countries — the high-value 1,000 franc notes to be stored in safe deposit boxes.

These boxes — kept inside the premises of Swiss banks — are also said to be being used to stash gold, diamond, paintings and art works among other valuables — apparently because of limited risk of catching the preying eyes of foreign governments having signed banking information exchange treaties with Switzerland.

According to industry sources, bankers are telling their rich clients that Switzerland’s tax and information exchange treaties with India and other countries are mostly limited to funds in customers’ savings, deposit and investment accounts, and do not apply to the safe deposit boxes.

As a result, the demand has soared to record high levels for the safe deposit boxes and the 1,000 Swiss franc banknotes in Switzerland, as rich of the world are rushing to get them.

As per the data available with Switzerland’s central bank SNB (Swiss National Bank), the thousand-franc notes now account for 60 per cent of total value of all Swiss banknotes in circulation, up from about 50 per cent a year ago.

Replying to PTI queries, SNB confirmed that there was a significant surge in demand for thousand-franc notes and admitted that this could be due to a trend to store the money and a higher demand was being noticed from abroad for these high-value currency notes.

SNB did not reply to specific queries about demand from India and said that it did not have any data on deposit boxes.

Just one thousand-franc banknote is worth about Rs 60,000 in Indian currency, making it easier to store large amount of money in form of these notes

‘Sanctions only hurting EU, Iran cashing in on exemptions’

Published on Jul 2, 2012 by

The EU embargo of Iranian oil is now in place, along with fresh U.S. sanctions against countries dealing with Tehran. The measures are aimed at pressurizing Iran to curb its nuclear programme. The Islamic Republic says however that it’s been stockpiling money as a buffer and that selling oil remains no problem – thanks to America exempting some countries from penalties – including China and Singapore. Author and journalist Afshin Rattansi says the sanctions are unlikely to have the desired effect.

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Wars and Rumors of War

Economy and drugs dominate Mexico poll

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by

Two of the main issues expected to dominate Mexico’s presidential election on Sunday are the economy and the country’s “War on Drugs”.

Mexico’s economy is growing at a rate of four per cent, but 20 million youths are out of school and out of work.

Meanwhile, more than 50,000 people have been killed since December 2006, in the fight against drug gangs and organised crime.

Al Jazeera’s Adam Raney reports from Ciudad Juárez.

Armed Angels: Children dragged into grown-up war in Syria

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by

The urgency for international agreement on Syria is underlined by the growing daily violence there. As Maria Finoshina reports, even the youngest in the country are being dragged into the conflict.

Missiles, bombs, drones & battleships: London ready for Olympics?

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by

High-tech battleships and missiles are on stand-by to protect London during the upcoming Olympics. Some are concerned it looks more like war games than a sporting event. But as RT’s Laura Smith explains, heavy weaponry may not be enough to tackle the real threat.

‘Removing Assad will add to Syria chaos’

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by

Russia and China want the Syrian people to resolve the Syrian issue while the US and its allies who are causing the bloodshed is firm about dictating terms.

Interview with James Fetzer, professor and philosopher, Madison.

Syrian No-go: Rebels won’t talk until Assad out

Published on Jul 2, 2012 by

Syria’s rebels have rebuffed the latest plan for peace. World powers pushed for a unity government at talks in Geneva at the weekend – but the opposition insists Assad has to go. The deal was forged to try and end the drawn-out conflict, which the UN says has claimed more than 10-thousand lives. RT’s Maria Finoshina reports.

UN Rights chief arms flow increasing into Syria

Published on Jul 2, 2012 by

Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, tells Al Jazeera that violence in Syria is being fuelled by the increasing flow of weapons to both the sides.

 

Assad to Kremlin: I can finish the revolt in two months, replaces army chiefs

DEBKA

Turkish military convoy heading for Syrian border

In a phone call to the Kremlin Sunday, July 1, Syrian President Bashar Assad said he needed just two months to finish off the revolt against his regime. “My new military tactics are working,” he said in a secret video-conference with Russian intelligence and foreign ministry officials who shape Moscow’s policy on Syria.

Reporting this exclusively, debkafile’s intelligence sources also register the fleeting life span of the new plan for ending the Syrian war which UN envoy Kofi Annan announced had been agreed at a multinational Action Group meeting in Geneva on Saturday, June 30. Within 24 hours, the principle of a national unity transitional government based on “mutual consent” was rejected by the regime and the Turkish-based opposition leaders alike, as the violence went into another month.

On the first day of July, 91 people were reported killed in the escalating Syrian violence after a record 4,000 in June.
The new military tactics to which Assad referred are disclosed here:
1.  The sweeping removal of most of the veteran Syrian army commanders who led the 16-month bloody assault on regime opponents and rebels. They were sent home with full pay to make way for a new set of younger commanders, most of them drawn from the brutal Alawite Shabiha militia, which is the ruling family’s primary arm against its enemies.
The regular commanders had shown signs of fatigue and doubts about their ability to win Assad’s war. Their will to fight on was being badly sapped by the mounting numbers officers and men going over to the opposition camp in June.
One of the tasks set the new commanders is to stem the rate of defections.
To keep the veteran commanders from joining the renegades and reduce their susceptibility to hostile penetration, the officers were not sacked but retired on full pension plus all the perks of office, including official cars.
2.  But a higher, unthinkable level of violence is the key to Assad’s “new tactics.” He has armed the new military chiefs with extra fire power – additional tank and artillery units, air force bombers and attack helicopters – for smashing pockets of resistance and unlimited permission to use it. Already the level of live fire used against the rebels has risen to an even more unthinkable level which explains the sharp escalation of deaths to an average of 120 per day.
On the Syrian-Turkish border, tensions continue to mount. Monday morning, Turkey was still pumping large-scale strength including tanks, antiaircraft and antitank guns, artillery, surface missiles and combat helicopters to the border region.
Saturday, half a dozen Turkish jets were scrambled to meet Syria helicopters approaching their common border.
In Tehran, Brig. Gen. Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of Iran’s IRGC Aerospace Division, warned Ankara that if its troops ventured onto Syrian soil, their bases of departure would be destroyed. The threat was made during Hajizadeh’s announcement of a three-day missile exercise starting Monday in response to the European oil embargo.  He reported that long-, medium- and short-range missiles would target “simulations of foreign bases in the northern Semnan Desert,” without mentioning any specific nation except Turkey.

 

Bulgaria : No Turkey-Syria War Looming, NATO Chief Says

Novinite.com (Sofia NewsAgency)

Bulgaria: No Turkey-Syria War Looming, NATO Chief Says
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark gives his monthly press briefing in Brussels, in Brussels, Belgium, 02 July 2012. EPA/BGNES

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has played down the risk of a military confrontation between Turkey and Syria.

Rasmussen also said Ankara was justified in beefing up its defenses along the Syrian border, as cited by international media.

Turkey, a key NATO member, has strengthened its troop presence and air defenses along its southern border after Syria shot down one of its jets on June 22, heightening tensions between the neighbors caused by an uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Asked if he was concerned about Turkey‘s military buildup and whether there was a risk it could lead to a confrontation with Syria, Rasmussen said told a news conference:

“I commend Turkey for having shown restraint despite the very tragic aircraft incident,” Rasmussen told a news conference in Brussels on Monday.

“I find it quite normal that Turkey takes necessary steps to protect its population and its territory,” he said.

He added NATO had received no request from Turkey to deploy AWACS surveillance planes or other military equipment.

At an emergency meeting in Brussels last week, NATO allies condemned Syria‘s shooting down of the Turkish military plane, but stopped short of threatening a military response.

Syria says it shot down the Turkish jet in self-defense and that it was brought down in Syrian air space. Turkey says the jet accidentally violated Syrian air space for a few minutes but was brought down in international air space.

Turkey scrambled six F-16 fighter jets in three separate incidents responding to Syrian military helicopters approaching the border on Sunday, its armed forces command said on Monday.

Meanwhile, Arab states and Turkey urged Syria‘s divided opposition on Monday to unite and form a credible alternative to the government of President Bashar al-Assad, but rifts swiftly emerged at talks in Cairo.

The unity calls were made at the opening of a two-day meeting organized by the Arab League to try to rally Syria‘s opposition, which has been beset by in-fighting that diplomats say have made it tougher for the world to respond to the crisis.

Sixteen months into an uprising against Assad, squabbling among the opposition makes it less likely to be able to win international recognition or to get more than half-hearted foreign support.

“It is not acceptable to waste this opportunity in any way. The sacrifices of the Syrian people are bigger than us all and more precious than any differences or individual and party interests,” Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said, addressing the roughly 200 Syrian politicians and activists.

 

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Articles of Interest

Inside Story – Sudan: Breaking the barrier of fear

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by

As the Sudanese government intensifies its crackdown on anti-government protests that have been going on for almost two weeks, activists have called for a massive demonstration against the government’s austerity measures.
The protesters defiantly dubbed their anti-government rallies “licking elbows” after officials issued a statement telling people who are dissatisfied with the government to do just that.

The protests that were sparked by austerity measures have spread from the capital Khartoum to other areas of the country, with people now openly calling for an end to the 23-year-old rule of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s president.

Fast and Furious & The 2nd Amendment

The War On Drugs

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