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Thread 4. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1084291/posts |
Posted on 02/05/2004 8:31:17 PM PST by Mossad1967
Edited on 02/09/2004 3:20:18 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
SANAA, Yemen, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A purported statement by al-Qaida in Yemen warned Saturday of a "major strike" soon in the United States.
The statement, distributed by the Yemeni Tagamoo Party for Reforms, said: "A major strike, a big event will take place in America soon," reminiscent of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Video of Dog Being Shot Causes Norway Stir
Fri Feb 20,11:55 AM ET
By DOUG MELLGREN, Associated Press Writer
OSLO, Norway - A videotape set to music of Norwegian peacekeepers in Kosovo shooting dogs drew furious reactions in their homeland Friday.
The footage, called "Hotdog," aired on national TV on Thursday night and was edited to look and sound like a music video.
During the video, a soldier is shown shooting a dog at long range with a rifle, and another Norwegian peacekeeper appeared to empty his pistol into it at close range as the animal writhed in agony. It also shows a dog on a leash being shot.
"We see this as very serious and want to get to the bottom of it," said Cmdr. Thom Knustad, spokesman for the Norwegian military's operational command.
Norway has been a major contributor to many international peacekeeping operations, and prefers to see its soldiers as humane and effective.
Outrage over the video has been so intense that the leader of the Parliament's defense committee, Marit Nybakk, said she would demand an explanation from Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold.
The video was circulated among Norwegian Kosovo veterans and others by e-mail, and was posted on the Internet by Norway's largest newspaper, Verdens Gang. The video was e-mailed to Norwegian media outlets, including Verdens Gang.
The newspaper said the video was believed to have been recorded in March 2002 by peacekeepers from the elite Telemark Battalion, which has since returned to Norway. Verdens Gang said it had identified and spoken to some of those shown in the video, but did not report their names.
One of them told the Oslo tabloid that scenes from various events had been pieced together to give a misleading picture. For example, laughter on the soundtrack was from soldiers trying off-road vehicles, he said.
Verdens Gang also said soldiers were believed to have wounded an elderly Kosovo Albanian man in the hand while shooting at dogs and then paid him to remain silent. The military was expected to establish a commission to investigate whether those involved could face military or civilian charges.
Norway has been part of the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo since 1999.
By ANITA SNOW, Associated Press Writer
HAVANA - America's chief diplomat in Havana issued a statement Friday to emphasize that no U.S. military action is planned against Cuba.
The statement by James Cason, chief of the U.S. Interests Section, was distributed to international journalists in Cuba one week after President Fidel Castro challenged President Bush to be clear about how Washington plans to realize a transition to democracy on the island.
For nearly a year, Castro and other officials have publicly expressed concerns that the U.S. military could attack the communist nation.
In a public speech, Castro wondered aloud if Washington was planning to kill him. Last month, Castro directly accused Bush of plotting with Cuban exiles in Miami to assassinate him.
U.S. officials talk about a transition, "but how would they make this transition?" Castro asked in his Feb. 15 speech, suggesting that "the only way is to proceed with an illegal assassination using the scores of techniques they have available."
In his statement, Cason said that President Bush has repeatedly emphasized that Washington seeks a peaceful transition to democracy to Cuba brought about by Cubans.
He also quoted Secretary of State Colin Powell as saying last spring that Washington did not need to take military action against Cuba, because Castro's regime was "an anachronism and would eventually fall of its own weight."
Cason said the Cuban government was "fabricating the threat of a U.S. military attack to engender fear in the Cuban population, to spend scarce resources to maintain large military, security and intelligence structures, and to justify extreme measures in a vain attempt to crush Cuba's nascent independent civil society."
02/20/2004 19:07
Big exercise in the Barents Sea aimed at checking the fighting readiness of Northern Fleet and it strategic nuclear component started with emergency: missile launches from Novomoskovsk submarine failed. According to the exercise scenario, Novomoskovsk submarine crew was supposed to launch intercontinental ballistic missile from underwater targeted at Kura ground in Kamchatka region. Vladimir Putin was waiting for the scheduled missile launches from Archangelsk submarine, but in vain.
First Western information agencies reported that the missile destroyed immediately after being launched, then information appeared that the missile had not left its shaft at all. Later Interfax and ITAR-TASS referred to the source in Northern Fleet Command that the missile launch was blocked by a space satellite signal.
Finally, by evening the official version became: no missile launches had been scheduled for the exercise. The Command said "conditional missile launch" was scheduled by the exercise plan. According to Russian Navy Commander Vladimir Kuroedov, all the elements of the exercise were conducted in a regular regime. "Ballistic missiles launch was scheduled as "conditional launch". The submarine did it twice - first in one area, then in another. We were watching it", said the Navy Commander. The Admiral explained that "conditional launch means electronic launching missile not leaving the shaft". Meanwhile, the Navy Press Department had announced the scheduled missile launches before the exercises started.
Then another emergency happened: the ballistic missile launched the following day from Karelia submarine in the Barets Sea, deviated from the set trajectory and was self-destructed. According to the Navy Commander assistant, the missile was launched from the submarine under normal conditions, but after 98th second of its flight the missile started deviating from its set trajectory, and its system of self-destruction snapped itself into action. Currently the expert commission is studying the causes of the accident, RIA-Novosti reports.
Luckily for the Navy Commanders, the President did not see this, he had left for Plesetsk Space Center. This makes no difference - Vladimir Putin has already made certain conclusions.
Military expert Alexander Golts said in a Die Welt interview that every time when experiencing failure, Russian military is giving way to inventing lies. "Such a reaction demonstrates degradation of the military", Mr. Golts says. According to him, the very sad fact is that the military is making fun out of the President by hiding the truth from him. The expert says Vladimir Putin reminds "a puppet in the hands of the military".
According to another military expert, Deputy Director for Center of Analysis, Strategy and Technology Maksim Pyadushkin, "the reputation of Russian military has been badly damaged (no difference will the fact of emergency be proved or not). The military exercise was supposed to demonstrate all the military power, and all available vessels were brought sea including the air-craft carrier". Mr Pyaduskin believes that it is good that the President saw the alleged accident - his reaction in the form of providing support to the military should follow up immediately.
In foreseeable future Strategic Missile Forces will obtain the latest technical equipment, Vladimir Putin assured the military after the exercise in Plesetsk Space Center. The President said he has a most positive impression from the exercise in Plesetsk: this is a breakthrough in the sphere of the newest weapons.
According to the President, the newest technologies are a tool for modernizing Russian Army. Vladimir Putin emphasized that the exercise by no means is directed against the USA. This was a big exercise, and the foreign counterparts had been informed in advance about it. Today the assumed enemy is not a certain country as it was in the Soviet time, but our common enemy - international terrorism.
Molnia rocket-carrier delivers to the orbit space satellites both for military and civil use. President is observing this from the command post. New military satellite is being directed onto the orbit. The President is observing launches of two more rockets. Two hours after Molnia was launched, intercontinental RS-18 ballistic missile was launched from Baikonur Space Center, then 1.5 hours later intercontinental mobile Topol-M rocket was launched from Plesetsk Space Center. Summing up the exercise results, Vladimir Putin said: Russia determines its military strategy taking inti consideration new threats. Whatever they are, they will be responded adequately, Vladimir Putin said.
Northern Fleet specialist recalled the saying, "Rocket fell in swamp, work results from salary level". Its irony is not in submariners" pay (for the last 1.5 years it doubled), but in the problem that such complex equipment as strategic nuclear missiles needs regular control and financing. However, Minister of Defense Sergey Ivanov confessed many times that financing is provide on minimum sufficient level, the Izvestia wrote.
Won't miss it, thanks.
For starters...and most importantly, a komodo can get up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 300lbs. and would have me and mine for lunch!
They are furocious hunters! They will bite their pray and hunt it down for 3 days until it dies of gangreen.
A beardie, on the other hand, only can grow up to 2 feet long! I can handle an omnivour that small!
They are really quite comical too. These are the lizards that can stand up on hind legs, puff out their 'beard' style scales and run!
They are alot of fun and the babies go for $60.00 apiece. Breedable adults go for $300 apiece in the exotic animal circles.
Freep mail me if you want any. Breeding season is about to start. With the cargo ships being held off shore....exotic animal imports aren't doing too well. Anyone with a love and art for breeding should look into this niche now.
ESPECIALLY aquarium hobbyst. I dare anyone to find chromides now. This is a fun, educational, lucrative market.
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