White House dismisses ex-CIA chief Tenet's criticism http://rawstory.com/news/2007/White_House_dismisses_exCIA_chiefs_criticism_0427.html
“A senior White House counselor on Friday dismissed former CIA Director's George Tenet portrait of a Bush administration that rushed to war in Iraq without serious debate," reports the Associated Press. The counselor, Dan Bartlett, said per the AP, "The president did wrestle with those very serious questions." Bartlett, the AP article continues, referred to Tenet as a "true patriot" but he "suggested he might have been unaware of the breadth of the prewar debate that led Bush to dismiss other options, such as diplomatic means," for dealing with Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein. "This president weighed all the various proposals, weighed all the various consequences before he did make a decision," said Bartlett. Tenet earlier lashed out at the Bush administration in an interview broadcast on CBS' 60 Minutes, accusing it of distorting his pre-Iraq War claim that the existence of weapons of mass destruction was a "slam dunk."
Democratic Hopefuls Show Political Heft
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/26/AR2007042602957.html?nav=hcmodule
“The overall impression from the first formal debate from this early-starting campaign is that the Democrats have a field of contenders that, by any historical measure, matches in quality any the party has offered in decades,” is the thrust of this analysis in the Washington Post. “At least six of the eight declared candidates -- Biden, Clinton, Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.), former senator John Edwards (N.C.) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson -- showed themselves to be both substantive and direct in their responses. The other two, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio) and former senator Mike Gravel (Alaska), provided a counterpoint of left-wing ideas that drew rebukes for a lack of seriousness from Biden and Obama. The challenges from the liberal flank allowed almost all the others to assert that, despite their criticisms of President Bush's Iraq policy, they are ready to use military force to retaliate against future terrorist attacks...In the segment on Iraq, all the candidates vowed to end U.S. military operations in short order -- with varying dates for withdrawal. Obama repeated his assertion that he opposed the war from the start, while Clinton -- still declining to apologize for her vote to authorize hostilities -- said that "I take responsibility" for her mistake in judgment. Edwards, who has apologized for taking the same stand as Clinton, passed up an invitation to criticize her directly for not having apologized...But for all the pre-primary attention focused on those three, it was by no means clear at the end of 90 minutes that they are any more effective advocates of the Democratic cause than Dodd, Richardson or Biden. The field seems both talented and evenly balanced.”
German prosecutor dimisses Rumsfeld war crimes case http://rawstory.com/news/2007/German_prosecutor_dimisses_Rumsfeld_war_crimes_0427.html
Germany's federal prosecutor announced she will not be proceeding with an investigation against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former CIA Director George Tenet, and other high-ranking U.S. officials for torture and other war crimes committed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo, according to a press release obtained by RAW STORY. Prominent jurists, scholars, and human rights experts from around the world had examined the complaint and found it sound. Many signed on in support. The complaint states that because of the failure of authorities in the United States and Iraq to launch any independent investigation into the responsibility of high-level U.S. officials for torture despite a documented paper trail and government memos implicating them in direct as well as command responsibility for torture, and because the U.S. has refused to join the International Criminal Court, it is the legal obligation of states such as Germany to take up cases under their universal jurisdiction laws.In her decision to not go forward with an investigation, Federal Prosecutor Monika Harms argued that the crimes were committed outside of Germany and the defendants neither reside in Germany, nor are they currently located in Germany, nor will they soon enter German territory. However, the German law of universal jurisdiction expressly states that it is a universal duty to fight torture and other serious crimes, no matter where they occur or what the nationality of the perpetrators and victims is. Attorneys said they are contemplating an appeal of the decision as well as filing similar cases in other countries.
We will fire missiles at China, says Taiwan
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21618193-663,00.html
TAIWAN has said for the first time it would fire missiles at Chinese airfields and missile launch sites if its archrival ever attacked the island. The details emerged as Taiwan military leaders discussed the results of simulated attack scenarios, part of the island's annual military exercises that began last month and which the defence ministry said showed Taiwan could successfully repel a Chinese attack. Taiwan's military has not in recent history openly said it would launch a large military strike against China if it were attacked and in the past its plans have been largely defensive in nature. The admission comes during accelerated military spending by China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and refuses to rule out an invasion to take it back. The exercise, run over five days last week, used computers to simulate attack scenarios by China in the year 2012, beginning with an air and sea blockade, followed by cruise missile attacks on the island's airbases, air defence weapons and radar sites. It also modeled an amphibious assault and landings by enemy forces. The exercise was conducted in the secretive joint operations command centre located in a fortified bunker in mountains near the capital, the defence ministry said. In the simulation, however, Taiwan responded with ground-based missiles to counter the enemy's threat from the air and sea. Taiwan and China have lived in a state of preparedness for major armed confrontation since 1949 when the former Chinese Nationalist government lost a civil war to Mao Zedong's Communists and fled to the island. Local media and analysts suspect the simulated missile was most likely based on the Hsiung Feng 2E cruise missile, which is still being developed by Taiwan. Military officers declined to say which areas in China were targeted, but insisted their missiles would only be used against military facilities. Analysts and Taiwan military officers say the likely targets would be in areas adjacent to Taiwan along China's west coast where Beijing has deployed nearly 1000 short-range cruise missiles, according to Taiwan government estimates. China also has 700 fighter and bomber aircraft within strike range, along with 400,000 ground troops, according to a Pentagon report on China's military power. By comparison, Taiwan has 130,000 ground forces and 330 combat aircraft, according to the Pentagon. The exercise was observed by a delegation of US officials, including former commander of US forces in Asia, retired Admiral Dennis Blair.The defence ministry will hold live military drills in May in the next stage of the annual exercise, officers have said.
Head of U.S. Forces Korea calls on S.K. to up missile defense http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/205517.html
In a document submitted to the U.S. Senate’s Armed Services Committee on April 23, General Burwell Bell, commander US Forces in Korea, urged South Korea make concessions related to the so-called ‘Missile Defense’ system. Bell said the importance of Theater Missile Defense to protect the Korean peninsula is gaining after North Korea test-fired missiles last year. Bell said that South Korea must buy a system that is fully compatible with the U.S. system, hinting that South Korea should buy the newest Patriot Missile models (Pac-3) that U.S. Forces Korea currently uses. In addition, Bell said a continued supply of the Patriot Pac-3 system, combined with early warning systems, Aegis-equipped destroyers and high-altitude protection, would allow the U.S. forces in South Korea to have what he called a multi-level anti-missile capability in the future. Such remarks came as South Korea is trying to build up its own anti-missile system. Currently, South Korea is pushing to buy 48 units of Patriot Pac-2 missiles from Germany starting in 2008 to replace outdated Nike missiles. Compared with the Pac-3, the Pac-2 is cheaper and reportedly has limited compatibility with the U.S.-led missile defense system. In addition, the South Korean government has expressed its intention of not joining the U.S.-led defense system because it says such a system would be ineffective in a small region like the Korean peninsula. Bell also commented on the possibility of a review of U.S. base relocations in South Korea, as well as asking South Korea to increase its payment to the U.S. for maintaining troops in Korea, while at the same time asking the U.S. government and Congress to allot more money to U.S. Forces Korea. The remarks are likely to see backlash from South Korean officials who have complained about the breakdown of defense cost sharing for U.S. Forces Korea, as well as how the budget is allocated. There are currently 29,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, as the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, rather than a peace treaty
Kuwait Sends a Signal
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htintel/articles/20070423.aspx
Westerners who live in the Persian Gulf (working for oil companies, governments and so on) have their own intelligence system, used to predict what the next disaster will be, and whether it's time to get out of the region. For example, all the talk about the U.S. invading Iran has generally been ignored by the Western expats in the Gulf. The reason was simple; the Kuwaitis weren't doing anything. For centuries, Kuwait was the canary in the coal mine as far as Iran went. Kuwait has a large Shia minority, and many families that have Iranian branches. These days, Kuwait is also a major American ally in the region. So all the talk of America attacking Iran was dismissed as long on the Kuwaitis were going about their business as usual. Now, however, the Kuwaitis are doing something, and that is making the expats, and many of the natives, nervous. Kuwait has publicly announced government ministries are preparing for the possibility of war between Iran and the United States. The Kuwaitis are not implying that such a war is a sure thing, but they are acknowledging that such a conflict is now a real possibility. Currently, about 15,000 American troops are stationed in Kuwait, which serves as a staging area and logistics base for U.S. operations in Iraq. The war has been a bonanza for the Kuwaiti economy, as many goods and services for U.S. troops have been bought in Kuwait.
Russian launches for Saudi Arabia satellites http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htspace/articles/20070427.aspx
Saudi Arabia put six more satellites into orbit, giving it a total of twelve circling the earth. The six new ones were launched by a converted Russian ICBM. For the last two years, Russia has been offering cheap ($14 million per shot) satellite launch services using converted ICBMs. After developing a new third stage, the Russian "Rokot" (demilitarized SS-19 ICBMs) are available for use as low cost launchers. The Russian price comes out to about $3,300 per pound of stuff put into space. This is a third of the rate when using a regular commercial launchers. Each Rokot launch can put about 1.9 tons into low orbit. This is sufficient for many commercial satellites, and is especially handy for the increasing number of communications and photo satellites going up. The Russians will have a lock on this low cost market until the end of the decade, when their supply of Cold War surplus ICBMs run out, and equally cheap commercial launchers (in development) come on the market. The United States has a similar satellite launching program, using recycled Minuteman 2 ICBMs, to put half a ton into low earth orbit. These are launched from a space port off the coast of Virginia.
Russia will counter U.S. missile shield: Putin http://today.reuters.com/misc/PrinterFriendlyPopup.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-04-27T152901Z_01_L27670234_RTRUKOC_0_US-SHIELD-RUSSIA-PUTIN.xml
President Vladimir Putin on Friday renewed criticism of U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in Eastern Europe, telling Czech President Vaclav Klaus at a Kremlin meeting that the proposed missile shield would be used to track Russian military activities. "These systems will monitor Russian territory as far as the Ural mountains if we don't come out with a response," Putin told Klaus. "And we will indeed do this. Anyone would." Moscow's top brass say the missile shield does not pose any immediate military threat for Russia, but warn that Russia will have to develop new anti-missile technology to counter it. Speaking at a news conference with Klaus, Putin compared the missile shield plan with the deployment of U.S. Pershing-2 missiles in Western Europe in the early 1980s, which triggered a bitter diplomatic crisis in the final years of the Cold War. In a sign of growing tensions, Putin announced in a speech on Thursday that Russia was freezing its commitments under the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, a deal hammered out at the end of the Cold War to maintain the regional strategic balance.
EU Urges Russia to Resume Oil Supplies to Lithuania http://www.mosnews.com/money/2007/04/26/lithuaniaoil.shtml
On Wednesday, April 25, the EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and European MPs adopted a joint statement, urging Russia to stop using its energy as a political weapon and resume oil supplies to Lithuania. The statement also says that Russia and the European Union are mutually dependent on energy, and that majority of problems arise from political disagreements. RIA Novosti reported that Piebalgs told MPs in Strasbourg he intended to pressure Russia into ratifying the Energy Charter, adding he had received a letter from the Russian Industry and Energy Minister expressing hope that oil supplies along the Druzhba pipeline to Lithuania’s Mazeikiu Nafta refinery will be resumed in the near future. Leaders of the 25-nation EU, increasingly concerned over energy security, are pushing for Russia to sign the Energy Charter, which would compel the country to open up its vast reserves and pipelines to European companies and to provide safeguards for investors. The European Union, which imports more than a quarter of its oil and natural gas from Russia via Ukrainian pipelines, faced a brief disruption last winter when Moscow suspended gas deliveries to Ukraine over a price dispute, sparking doubts over Russia’s reliability as a supplier. However, Russia, which has restricted European companies’ access to its energy sector, insists that energy security works both ways, and wants Europe to offer purchase safeguards for its energy if it wants Russian producers to guarantee steady deliveries. President Vladimir Putin, who met with EU leaders at an informal summit in the Finnish town of Lahti last October, assured them that Russia was a reliable energy supplier, but reiterated his refusal to sign the charter in its current form. Last July, an oil spill on the western section of the Druzhba pipeline caused shipments to Mazeikiu Nafta to be suspended. As MosNews reported, Lithuania has accused Moscow of dragging its feet on the repair work, which is ongoing. Russia’s continued suspension of crude supplies to the refinery was seen by analysts as a punitive measure following the Lithuanian government’s decision to sell it to PKN Orlen, rejecting Russian bids. Russia’s energy spats with Belarus and Ukraine have undermined its reputation as a reliable energy supplier and drawn accusations that it is using energy resources as a political lever.
Putin Blasts Foreign Interference Into Russian Affairs in State of the Nation Address
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2007/04/26/putincondemns.shtml
“There is a growth in the flow of money from abroad for direct interference in our internal affairs,” Putin said in his annual state of the nation address, delivered to the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament. “There are those who, skillfully using pseudo-democratic rhetoric, would like to return to the recent past—some to loot the country’s national riches, to rob the people and the state; others to strip us of economic and political independence,” Putin said. Putin did not cite specific countries as sources of the funding, but the comments echoed recent Russian official complaints against U.S. funding of democracy-promoting organizations in Russia. Officials have repeatedly alleged that such funding aims to provoke mass opposition protests such as those that helped propel pro-Western leaders into power in neighboring Georgia and Ukraine in recent years. Opposition forces charge Putin is strangling democracy through an array of measures to centralize power and increase the influence of large political parties such as his allied United Russia party, which dominates the Russian parliament. This December’s parliamentary elections will see seats distributed entirely on a party-list basis, eliminating the opportunity for small parties to win seats through strong local support in particular district—a change that critics say is among the measures to smother opposition. The death Monday of Putin’s predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, drew new attention to complaints that Putin is heading the country away from democracy.
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| China to buy 4 N-reactors from US |
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1949537,prtpage-1.cms
China will purchase four state-of-the-art nuclear reactors from the United States at an estimated cost of $8 billion. The US has agreed to the transfer of AP1000 technology, which is believed safe, cost efficient and advanced compared with the 1970s-era reactors that dominate in China. The deal with Westinghouse Electric Company, in which the extent of technology transfers includes design of equipment and nuclear facilities as well as technical support, will be completed in May, and the first of the four reactors will begin to generate power by 2013, the state media reported on Tuesday. Meanwhile, China is looking to fuel its nuclear power industry with largely self-developed technology by 2020 as it gradually reduces its reliance on imported technology, a senior academic of the nation's top science institute said. China's first self-developed pressurised water reactor is expected to be put to use by 2017. As it seeks to reduce its reliance on coal-fired, polluting plants, China is committed to increasing nuclear power generation capacity to 40 gigawatt by 2020, about five times the installed capacity in 2005. Last week, China announced plans to build a strategic reserve of natural uranium. China's nine operating nuclear power units generated 54.8 billion kwh of electricity in 2006, or 1.9 per cent of the country's total. China plans to increase its nuclear power capacity to 40 million kilowatts by 2020, to account for four per cent of the country's total electric power, according to the country's medium and long-term development plan for nuclear power building. China built its first nuclear power plant in east coastal Zhejiang Province in 1991.
The Department of Energy proposed two ``national interest electric transmission corridors,'' the first of their kind under a 2005 law that could overcome local objections in order to relieve bottlenecks in the electricity grid. The proposed Southwest corridor would be composed of seven counties in southern California, three in Arizona and one in Nevada. The mid-Atlantic corridor would run north from Virginia and Washington, D.C., and include most of Maryland, all of New Jersey and Delaware and large sections of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The proposed corridors were announced a day after some House Democrats criticized the 2005 law's possible effects. The law gave the federal government greater say on where high-priority transmission lines should be built. If states and regional groups fail to build such lines, the government could order them built. Concerns about congestion in the electrical grid were heightened after a major blackout in 2003 that swept from Ohio to Canada and New York City. Still, local representatives fighting proposed towers in their communities were incensed by the announcement. Authorities will hold public meetings on the corridors in San Diego, Arlington, Va., and New York City. Once the 60-day comment period ends, the law calls for state regulators to try to strike an agreement on where new lines should be built. If state authorities do not approve any construction after a year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has the authority to intervene and approve a grid project if the new line is deemed necessary to satisfy national power needs. While the two corridors proposed Thursday are the first, they may not be the last. A report last year identified several other potential corridors, including sections of New England, the Phoenix-Tucson area in Arizona, the Seattle-Portland area in the Pacific Northwest, and the San Francisco Bay area.
War monument removal sparks deadly riot http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21631462-1702,00.html
ESTONIAN authorities moved a Soviet-era war memorial from central Tallinn under cover of darkness today setting off riots that left at least one dead and sparking fury in Moscow. As Estonian authorities cordoned off the central square where the Red Army war memorial has been for decades, about 1000 pro-Russian demonstrators gathered nearby to protest. Their demonstration turned into a riot in which police used water cannon, rubber batons, and flash and sound grenades to disperse crowds and prevent youths from forcing their way through a police cordon. More than 300 people were detained following the riots which were the worst the Baltic state has seen since restoring independence from Moscow in 1991. A government emergency commission met during the night and ordered the controversial monument removed from the square to a new location, which is being kept secret, the Government press office said. Ethnic Estonians see the memorial as a symbol of 50 years of Soviet occupation while Russia considers it a symbol of the fight against Nazism in World War II. The plan to relocate the statue has caused anger in Moscow, which says the Estonians are glorifying fascism by insisting on moving it. The Estonian Government voted last year to move the monument to a less prominent location after scuffles broke out at the memorial between pro-Russian supporters and ethnic Estonians. Estonia and its Baltic neighbours were annexed by the Soviet Union at the close of World War II and only regained independence in 1991.
Carrefour puts India entry on hold http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1963561,prtpage-1.cms
Carrefour, the world's second-biggest retailer, has postponed plans to enter India until policy on foreign investment in the segment was clear, according to a report in the Economic Times. Foreign multiple-brand retailers are limited to cash-and-carry and franchise or licence operations in India. The French firm was also waiting to see the structure of a proposed venture between India's Bharti Enterprises and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for cash-and-carry and the back-end. Details of the venture were to be finalised in April. India's fragmented $300-billion retail industry is forecast to more than double by 2015, but the proposed entry of big foreign retailers has triggered political concerns and protests from small shop owners who fear loss of jobs.
Myanmar to crack down on Indian rebel bases
Myanmar is set to begin a military offensive following New Delhi's request to crack down on rebel bases. New Delhi had asked Mayanmar to evict Indian separatists from its soil, said Indian officials said on Friday. New Delhi has mounted pressure on Yangon to launch a military offensive against Indian militant groups – mainly the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF). The ULFA, a rebel group fighting for an independent homeland in Assam, is on the run since the Indian Army launched a crackdown in January after the group killed 80 people. At least five major militant groups from India's northeast, where numerous tribal and ethnic groups are fighting for greater autonomy or independence, have training camps in the dense jungles of Sagaing in northern Myanmar. The NSCN-K, a rebel group fighting for an independent tribal homeland in Nagaland, operates out of Myanmar with the outfit's general headquarters located in Sagaing. Myanmar had earlier pledged that the junta would not let Indian rebels operate from its soil. The country last year launched a military operation against the NSCN-K, killing at least a dozen rebels and overrunning several of their bases. India and Myanmar share a 1,640-km long unfenced border, allowing militants from the northeast to use the adjoining country as a springboard to carry out hit-and-run guerrilla strikes on Indian soldiers. The rebels say they are seeking to protect their ethnic identities and allege that the central government has exploited the resources in the region rich with mineral, tea, timber and oil. Over 50,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in the northeast since India's independence in 1947.
Gere's arrest warrant outrages legal experts http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Geres_arrest_warrant_outrages_legal_experts/articleshow/1962371.cms
A Jaipur additional chief judicial magistrate on Thursday ordered the arrest of Hollywood actor Richard Gere for landing a peck on the cheeks of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, triggering an outrage among the country's top legal experts who called it a "cheap publicity stunt" that bordered on "judicial indecency". Former attorney-general Soli Sorabjee, who is one of the most respected legal luminaries of the country, took little time to describe the stunt as reminiscent of the "Taliban moral police". Other top legal experts too called it yet another instance of "hounding orders on frivolous complaints". They said the Indian judiciary would become a laughing stock in the world and urged the high court to take suo motu notice of the order and quash it. Magistrate Gupta, who issued the controversial ruling, found Gere's conduct objectionable and in violation of sections 294 and 34 of the IPC. Section 294 says, "Whoever to the annoyance of others does any obscene act in any public place shall be punished with imprisonment of three months or with a fine or both."
Kublai Khan's pearl up for grabs http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Gulf/Kublai_Khans_pearl_up_for_grabs_/articleshow/1962789.cms
A saltwater pearl insured for $5 million is due to be auctioned in May in Abu Dhabi. The 115-gram pearl is believed to have been the possession of the grandson of Ghengis Khan, the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan in the 13th century. According to media reports, the pearl is expected to attract bids of up to $8 million. Kublai Khan was the fifth Khagan or Great Khan (1260-94) of the Mongol empire as well as the founder and the first emperor (1271-94) of the Chinese Yuan dynasty.
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