As Pentagon generals offered optimistic assessments that the sectarian violence in Iraq had dissipated this weekend, other military experts told ABC News that Sunni and Shiite groups in Iraq already are engaged in a civil war, and that the Iraqi government and U.S. military had better accept that fact and adapt accordingly. "We're in a civil war now; it's just that not everybody's joined in," said retired Army Maj. Gen. William L. Nash, a former military commander in Bosnia-Herzegovina. "The failure to understand that the civil war is already taking place, just not necessarily at the maximum level, means that our counter measures are inadequate and therefore dangerous to our long-term interest. "It's our failure to understand reality that has caused us to be late throughout this experience of the last three years in Iraq," added Nash, who is an ABC News consultant. ...
http://www.abcnews.go.com
censor News |
Editor - 10:36:00 03-06-06
|
 Indonesian Dies of Bird Flu Symptoms; Polish Fowl Carried Virus |
A pregnant Indonesian woman being treated for symptoms of avian influenza died today in Jakarta. Dead swans found in the Polish city of Torun were infected with the bird flu virus, a veterinary institute said. Tests results for the Indonesian woman are pending, said Ilham Patu, a doctor at the Sulianto Saroso hospital in Jakarta. Her child didn't survive. Swans found March 3 in Poland carried the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu, said Dorota Stankiewicz, a veterinary office spokeswoman in Torun, a city of 200,000 people. Avian flu infected at least 33 people in the first two months of this year, killing 20 of them, according to the World Health Organization in Geneva. Confidence among investors in the dozen euro nations dropped in March as the spread of the virus into Western Europe last month damped optimism in the prospects for economic growth. ...
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=akytA041k4tQ&refer=home
full News |
Editor - 10:26:00 03-06-06
|
| Iraq's Parliament to Convene for the First Time Sunday; 14 Killed in Series of Explosions |
Iraq's president said Monday he would convene the new parliament for the first time on March 12, beginning a 60-day countdown during which lawmakers must elect a new head of state and sign off on a prime minister and Cabinet. A string of explosions in Baghdad and north of the capital, meanwhile, killed at least 14 Iraqis and wounded 52. A U.S. soldier was reported killed in insurgency-plagued western Anbar province, pushing the American military death toll to 2,300 since the beginning of the war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The violence underscored a dangerous leadership vacuum as Sunni Arab and Kurdish politicians increased pressure on Shiite Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to abandon his bid for a new term, and leaders of Iraq's Shiite majority struggled to overcome internal divisions. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1692063&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
full News |
Editor - 10:20:00 03-06-06
|
| Iran said to step up plans for Shahab missiles |
As Iran pursues a nuclear program the West fears is aimed at producing bombs, Tehran also appears to be stepping up development of missiles capable of carrying atomic warheads, diplomats citing intelligence say. According to an intelligence report given to Reuters by a non-U.S. diplomat, a covert Iranian program run by people closely linked to Iran's military includes plans to arm its Shahab-3 missiles, which experts believe have a maximum range of around 2,000 km (1,240 miles), with nuclear warheads. The report, which could not be independently confirmed, surfaced as the United States and its allies seek to highlight the potential security dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran. The report said it was code-named Project 111 and that the "aim is arming Shahab-3 missiles with nuclear warheads." ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1692090
full News |
Editor - 10:10:00 03-06-06
|
| Uzbekistan jails opposition chief |
A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced another opposition leader to more than 10 years in prison. Sanjar Umarov, head of the Sunshine Uzbekistan Opposition Alliance, was convicted of alleged economic crimes. He was arrested shortly after calling on members of parliament to discuss economic reform. Critics say Mr Umarov is the latest victim of the Uzbek government's determination to quash all criticism and political dissent. A court in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, sentenced Sanjar Umarov to a total of 14 years in prison, but said the sentence should be reduced to just over 10 years under an amnesty agreement. Umarov was also ordered to pay more than $8m in fines. He was found guilty of heading a criminal group laundering money through offshore companies, tax avoidance and hiding foreign currency. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4778526.stm
full News |
Editor - 10:07:00 03-06-06
|
| Can-a-day soft drink habit that puts a stone a year on teenagers |
TEENAGERS who consume a can of sugary drink a day are likely to be up to a stone (6.4kg) heavier after a year than those drinking unsweetened versions, research suggests. A study by American scientists has pointed to the impact of sugar-sweetened drinks on weight, and the global epidemic of childhood obesity. Researchers who monitored the weight of 100 teenagers, half of whom were put on to unsweetened drinks, concluded that a single 330ml can a day of sugary drinks translated to more than 1lb of weight gain every month. The full effect of sugary drink consumption is revealed in a study published today in the journal Pediatrics. The findings come as experts predict that childhood obesity rates will rise sharply in the next five years, with a profound impact on everything from public health care systems to the economy. ...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2072059,00.html
full News |
Editor - 10:05:00 03-06-06
|
|
| post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
|
|
