http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518788,00.html
Antipiracy efforts off the coast of Somalia are starting to really get under way. They tried to attack what they thought was a merchant ship, but had a nasty surprise when it turned out to be a french warship armed with soldiers. The three pirate boat convoy started speeding towards the vessel only to have outboards and a helicopter released from the warship. The 11 pirates immediately surrendered. On their 30 foot supply ship, the only things that were found were potatoes and gasoline.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518996,00.html
President Obama is back trying to negotiate peace talks with Middle Eastern powers. This time, he is trying to persuade Iranian and Syrian officials to listen and help get concessions for Palestine, rather than just go for a militaristic effort. Both presidents of the Middle Eastern countries have declared that they will continue until Palestine has regained the Holy Land once more. Robert Gates, who is touring the Middle East, says that all talks will be transparent to our allies so that no one will be surprised when something happens. He has been meeting with leaders from other countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. THe U.S. has sent special envoys to Syria to speak with leaders and arrange negotiations for a Presidential meeting between several countries.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518962,00.html
The United States has moved forward to work things out diplomatically with the Chinese rather than just explode and criticize their actions. Two U.S. vessels were doing routine submarine searches in international waters in the Yellow Sea, which is completely legal, when they were disrupted by two Chinese fishing vessels that got dangerously close. They had a standoff confrontation for about an hour, while the U.S. ship was shooting its water cannon. This is the fourth time an incident like this has occurred in the past couple of months. Instead of exploding, the United States govenrment has decided to try different diplomatic strategies. The ships signaled in to WAGOR 17 who came and told the Chinese fishing vessels to leave.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
7
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,514557,00.html
A Delta Airline pilot accidently hit the terrorist hijacking signal on a flight from New York to Tel Aviv. This triggered the Israeli military to send out two jets to escort the plane to its landing. Nobody was hurt. This shows the increased security is effective at preventing mishaps from happening, although the communication problem that prevented the pilot from telling air control that it was an accident. These kind of mishaps are unfortunate, but it is a good thing that the Israelis were prepared to take care of the situation.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,514924,00.html
With the recent pirate attacks in Somalia, the United States, among other nations, have the need to figure out a way to prevent future attacks. One of the strategies is to attack the pirate bases that are on land. They have a plan that will be proposed to President Obama to create a Somali Coast Guard which will aim to prevent this. It will be funded by the United States. Analysts believe that the pirates need to be disrupted from their land base in order to effectively take them out. The Somali people would be required to help this movement, which is usually not well taken from non-Somalis.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,515115,00.html
The Serbian government is attempting to extradite Peter Egner from his retirement home in Bellevue, Washington. Egner is claimed to have been a part of the Nazi-run Einsatzgruppe which is a Serbian police force that rounded up Jews and supposedly killed 17,000 of them. The Serbs have requested that he be extradited once his citizenship has been revoked. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against him for witholding information on his citizenship application. Egner is trying to fight it currently, but the future looks grim for the 87 year old man.
A Delta Airline pilot accidently hit the terrorist hijacking signal on a flight from New York to Tel Aviv. This triggered the Israeli military to send out two jets to escort the plane to its landing. Nobody was hurt. This shows the increased security is effective at preventing mishaps from happening, although the communication problem that prevented the pilot from telling air control that it was an accident. These kind of mishaps are unfortunate, but it is a good thing that the Israelis were prepared to take care of the situation.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,514924,00.html
With the recent pirate attacks in Somalia, the United States, among other nations, have the need to figure out a way to prevent future attacks. One of the strategies is to attack the pirate bases that are on land. They have a plan that will be proposed to President Obama to create a Somali Coast Guard which will aim to prevent this. It will be funded by the United States. Analysts believe that the pirates need to be disrupted from their land base in order to effectively take them out. The Somali people would be required to help this movement, which is usually not well taken from non-Somalis.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,515115,00.html
The Serbian government is attempting to extradite Peter Egner from his retirement home in Bellevue, Washington. Egner is claimed to have been a part of the Nazi-run Einsatzgruppe which is a Serbian police force that rounded up Jews and supposedly killed 17,000 of them. The Serbs have requested that he be extradited once his citizenship has been revoked. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against him for witholding information on his citizenship application. Egner is trying to fight it currently, but the future looks grim for the 87 year old man.
6
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513318,00.html
John Solecki, part of the United Nations' refugee agency, was released from captivity. He was captured on February 2nd when his car was ambushed. The driver was shot. Solecki spent two months as a captive and was threatened with decapitation while in the custody of the captors. He had been working for the United Nations in this division for several years and had never experienced this. Solecki ran the agency's operations in Quetta. His main task was to help Afghan refugees who came across the Pakistani border. The group claiming responsibility is a new group known as the Baluchistan Liberation United Front.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513578,00.html
Iran has announced that they are now better equipped to move into final stages of building better nuclear weapon fuel. President Mahmoud was seen in one of the latest nuclear power plants observing uranium enrichment facilities. Their number of centrifuges has reportedly been increased to 7,000 from the 6,000 that were reported in February. Iran has denied the accusations that they are trying to build a nuclear weapon. "The process is distinct from uranium enrichment, which produces fuel for a light-water reactor." This report comes the day after President Obama's cabinet contacted Iran to talk about their nuclear program. "Ahmadinejad was attending celebrations for Iran's National Day of Nuclear Technology, which marks the day in 2006 when Iran enriched uranium for the first time."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513135,00.html
Jorge Alberto Mendez, a naturalized citizen of the United States, spent an estimated 11 months crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to go to Ciudad Juarez. While he spent time there, he would gain entry into women's homes and proceed to rape them on threat of having a gun. It is estimated that Mendez has raped around 19 women, the youngest being 13 years old. Mendez who is 42 years old has a wife and worked in El Paso as a chemical engineer. He is currently being detained in a Mexican prison. He was found with pornographic materials on his person. Ciudad juarez, a traditionally violent and drug filled city, has a very depleted police force and Mexican soldiers have been positioned there to fight crime.
John Solecki, part of the United Nations' refugee agency, was released from captivity. He was captured on February 2nd when his car was ambushed. The driver was shot. Solecki spent two months as a captive and was threatened with decapitation while in the custody of the captors. He had been working for the United Nations in this division for several years and had never experienced this. Solecki ran the agency's operations in Quetta. His main task was to help Afghan refugees who came across the Pakistani border. The group claiming responsibility is a new group known as the Baluchistan Liberation United Front.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513578,00.html
Iran has announced that they are now better equipped to move into final stages of building better nuclear weapon fuel. President Mahmoud was seen in one of the latest nuclear power plants observing uranium enrichment facilities. Their number of centrifuges has reportedly been increased to 7,000 from the 6,000 that were reported in February. Iran has denied the accusations that they are trying to build a nuclear weapon. "The process is distinct from uranium enrichment, which produces fuel for a light-water reactor." This report comes the day after President Obama's cabinet contacted Iran to talk about their nuclear program. "Ahmadinejad was attending celebrations for Iran's National Day of Nuclear Technology, which marks the day in 2006 when Iran enriched uranium for the first time."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513135,00.html
Jorge Alberto Mendez, a naturalized citizen of the United States, spent an estimated 11 months crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to go to Ciudad Juarez. While he spent time there, he would gain entry into women's homes and proceed to rape them on threat of having a gun. It is estimated that Mendez has raped around 19 women, the youngest being 13 years old. Mendez who is 42 years old has a wife and worked in El Paso as a chemical engineer. He is currently being detained in a Mexican prison. He was found with pornographic materials on his person. Ciudad juarez, a traditionally violent and drug filled city, has a very depleted police force and Mexican soldiers have been positioned there to fight crime.
5
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517235,00.html
Israel's Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, has asked Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense for the United States, if they can purchase a United States missile defense system. The goal would be to stop incoming missiles from neighboring countries like Syria and Lebanon. They currently have a missile defense system that is more equipped for primitive, makeshift rockets rather than more technologically advanced weapons. Israel is also looking to purchase a defense system that is designed to protect against long range weapons that could potentially come from Iran, who is producing weapons capable enough to travel 1,250 miles. The Israeli government believes that Iran is currently the biggest threat with near nuclear capabilities.
I think that it would be smart for Israel to acquire a missile defense system that protects them from long range attacks. The next war could easily be fought on their soil against other Middle Eastern countries. Iran is a very real threat with their president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, publicly saying that Israel needs to be destroyed. As one of our greatest allies, it is our duty to help the Israeli people as much as possible, in my opinion.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517383,00.html
Fidel Castro has come back to Cuba's limilight with his essay that is criticizing President Barack Obama for reading too much into his brother Raul's words. Raul Castro, dictator of Cuba, said "Cuban leaders would be willing to sit down with their U.S. counterparts and discuss 'everything,' including human rights, freedom of the press and expression, and political prisoners on the island." Fidel, his older brother and former dictator of Cuba, has declared that this was not Raul's intention and that President Obama is wrong. Words have been exchanged on both sides about reducing tensions and even the trade embargo. Fidel has blasted the United States by saying that Cuba will continue to levy the tax on money sent into Cuba from the United States and saying that Cuba will not release political prisoners if the United States will not release the 5 Cuban spies.
I personally don't think that Cuba should be dealt with until the Castro family is out of power and it is not a dictatorial state. I believe we should try to negotiate the release of prisoners, but we cannot do anything about the levied tax. It is a crummy situation to be in, but I believe the United States should not show weakness towards something we have stood strong on for the past 50 years.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517388,00.html
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has gone to Afghanistan to judge how the new training program is going for Afghani militants in Wardak and to also give a Purple Heart. Admiral Mike Mullen talks about the program being new and having it tested on 240 Afghani citizens. The program is being run by the Afghan Interior Ministry and funded by the United States. General David McKiernan, head of U.S. and Nato forces in Afghanistan, said that if this program is successful then it will be implemented in different regions of Afghanistan.
I agree with the idea to train Afghans because it will help keep U.S. soldiers safer. I think that we need all the support we can get with this style of guerilla warfare, especially from the native people. The warfront in the Middle East needs to be transferred over to Afghanistan from Iraq, where things are starting to get better.
Israel's Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, has asked Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense for the United States, if they can purchase a United States missile defense system. The goal would be to stop incoming missiles from neighboring countries like Syria and Lebanon. They currently have a missile defense system that is more equipped for primitive, makeshift rockets rather than more technologically advanced weapons. Israel is also looking to purchase a defense system that is designed to protect against long range weapons that could potentially come from Iran, who is producing weapons capable enough to travel 1,250 miles. The Israeli government believes that Iran is currently the biggest threat with near nuclear capabilities.
I think that it would be smart for Israel to acquire a missile defense system that protects them from long range attacks. The next war could easily be fought on their soil against other Middle Eastern countries. Iran is a very real threat with their president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, publicly saying that Israel needs to be destroyed. As one of our greatest allies, it is our duty to help the Israeli people as much as possible, in my opinion.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517383,00.html
Fidel Castro has come back to Cuba's limilight with his essay that is criticizing President Barack Obama for reading too much into his brother Raul's words. Raul Castro, dictator of Cuba, said "Cuban leaders would be willing to sit down with their U.S. counterparts and discuss 'everything,' including human rights, freedom of the press and expression, and political prisoners on the island." Fidel, his older brother and former dictator of Cuba, has declared that this was not Raul's intention and that President Obama is wrong. Words have been exchanged on both sides about reducing tensions and even the trade embargo. Fidel has blasted the United States by saying that Cuba will continue to levy the tax on money sent into Cuba from the United States and saying that Cuba will not release political prisoners if the United States will not release the 5 Cuban spies.
I personally don't think that Cuba should be dealt with until the Castro family is out of power and it is not a dictatorial state. I believe we should try to negotiate the release of prisoners, but we cannot do anything about the levied tax. It is a crummy situation to be in, but I believe the United States should not show weakness towards something we have stood strong on for the past 50 years.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517388,00.html
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has gone to Afghanistan to judge how the new training program is going for Afghani militants in Wardak and to also give a Purple Heart. Admiral Mike Mullen talks about the program being new and having it tested on 240 Afghani citizens. The program is being run by the Afghan Interior Ministry and funded by the United States. General David McKiernan, head of U.S. and Nato forces in Afghanistan, said that if this program is successful then it will be implemented in different regions of Afghanistan.
I agree with the idea to train Afghans because it will help keep U.S. soldiers safer. I think that we need all the support we can get with this style of guerilla warfare, especially from the native people. The warfront in the Middle East needs to be transferred over to Afghanistan from Iraq, where things are starting to get better.
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