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The first commanding officer of SEAL Team Six - the US military's vaunted counter-terrorism unit that would hunt down and kill Osama Bin Laden - died Sunday at age 81. Richard 'Dick' Marcinko was tasked with designing the counter-terrorist team after the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. Marcinko, along with another Navy representative, was on a task force to help free the American hostages in Iran, but were unsuccessful. The mission, known as Operation Eagle Claw, highlighted deficiencies within the US military command structure and revealed the need for a full-time counter-terrorist team. Marcinko launched the United States' third SEAL...

LONDON, April 26 (IranMania) - Thousands of religious hardliners chanting "Death to America" gathered in Iran's central desert to celebrate a failed US hostage rescue mission 26 years ago, AFP reported. The anniversary of the US military debacle came amid a mounting war of words with Washington, reported to be mulling the use of force to rein in the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear programme. Iranian officials used the occasion to tell US leaders that they risked yet more "divine intervention" if they dared to again set foot on Iranian soil. "The Tabas incident should act as a reminder to US...

dense sandstorm that has blanketed Israel with thick yellowish-brown dust in recent days is the worst that the Jewish state has ever endured, the Environmental Protection Ministry said Friday. According to the ministry, the current storm, which began Tuesday, and the one experienced in February of this year have seen the highest concentration of dust particles in the air since the creation of the state in 1948, Channel 10 reported. The storm is expected to continue throughout the weekend and begin dissipating Sunday. A sharp rise in temperature on Wednesday added to the already difficult weather conditions, and forecasters on...

Used generators to restore power after sandstormA Saudi bridegroom had to call the civil defence to save his wedding after a sandstorm disrupted power and threatened the concert. Civil defence units rushed to the wedding in Darma town, 60 km south of the capital Riyadh, and used their generators to supply power to the place for three hours. “Our men used generators to restore power for three hours to the couple will go ahead with their wedding,” civil defence spokesman Major Mohammed Al Hammadi said, quoted by the Saudi news network Al Arabiya.

The legend of the lost Persian army has survived over two and a half millennia - despite a blatant lack of hard evidence. But now two Italian experts believe they have found its remains. Twin brothers Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni uncovered hundreds of human bones, weapons and jewelery in the Sahara desert, west Egypt, that they believe belonged to the 50,000-strong army.

Herodotus wrote of a 50,000-man strong army that set out on foot into the Egyptian desert in 525 B.C. and was never heard from again ... until today.A pair of Italian archaeologists have uncovered bronze weapons, a silver bracelet, an earring and hundreds of human bones in the vast desolate wilderness of the Sahara desert. Twin brothers Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni are hopeful that they've finally found the lost army of Persian King Cambyses II. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Cambyses II and his armied were buried by a cataclysmic sandstorm in 525 B.C. He wrote, "a wind...

On a bare patch of ground outside the entrance to Sadr general hospital, 15 women clad from head to foot in black squatted in a sandstorm, wailing and waiting for their dead. Lightning flashed, thunder rolled and the women’s robes were spattered with mud falling from a sky filled with rain and sand, but they did not notice. “Ya’mma, Ya’ba” (“Oh mother, oh father”), cried Amira Zaydan, a 45-year-old spinster, slapping her face and chest as she grieved for her parents Jaleel, 65, and Hanounah, 60, whose house had exploded after apparently being hit by an American rocket. “Where are...

BBC News, Baghdad More than 400 people have died in Sadr City in recent weeks The radical Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has rejected preconditions set by the government for talks to end Iraqi army attacks on his militia force. Prime Minister Nouri Maliki ordered a national crackdown on militias just over a month ago, including on fighters linked to Moqtada Sadr's Mehdi Army. Sporadic fighting between Shia militia and government troops has continued in Baghdad's Sadr City over the weekend. In the latest clashes at least eight people have been killed. This brings the total number of deaths...

Air pollution in Beijing reached its highest level on Tuesday as a sandstorm from the north shrouded the capital in dust, choking pedestrians and delaying flights, the government and reports said. Air pollution measured between levels four and five at monitoring stations throughout the capital, according to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau's website. Level five represents the worst air quality under the bureau's monitoring system and automatically triggers warnings for people to stay indoors and refrain from outdoor activities. "Preparations must be made to guard against the sandstorms, close doors and windows, wear face masks and carry tissue to avoid...

Chinese meteorologists warn of severe sandstorms and spring drought Source:www.chinanews.cn BEIJING, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said on Wednesday that the country's northern regions were likely to experience more frequent and severe sandstorms in spring, while eastern regions would receive less rain than last year. "Sandstorm days" were forecast to increase significantly in eastern Inner Mongolia and northern Heibei, with a rising possibility of severe occurrences. Eastern regions could expect less rain. Some areas, especially parts of Jilin and Liaoning provinces, were prone to "relatively severe" drought in the spring. As a result, local forest management...

Strong wind derails train, killing 4 in Xinjiang www.chinaview.cn 2007-02-28 09:16:48 URUMQI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least four passengers were killed and more than 30 injured in a train derailment in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region early Wednesday, rescuerssaid. According to sources with the Urumqi Railway Bureau, 11 cars of Train No. 5806 were derailed by a strong windstorm around 2:00 a.m,, soon after it left the Turpan station. The train runs between Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang region, and Aksu, a city in southern Xinjiang. The accident occurred between Zhenzhuquan station and Hongshanqu station, about 20 to 30...

Photo #1. 050505-F-4903I-191, 5 May 2005, Sandstorm over Tallil Air Base, Iraq. The Photographer: Staff Sgt. Darcie Ibidapo, United States Air Force (USAF). The Links: http://www.DefenseLINK.mil/DODCMSShare/NewsPhoto/2005-05/050505-F-4903I-191.jpg (big image, high-resolution), http://www.DefenseLINK.mil/photos/NewsPhoto.aspx?NewsPhotoID=6526 (source), http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20061106.htm (ALT text, smaller image) Photo #2. 050427-M-5607G-001, 27 April 2005, Evening sandstorm arriving at Al Asad, Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The Photographer: Cpl. Alicia M. Garcia, United States Marine Corps (USMC). The Links: http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/050427-M-5607G-001.jpg (large image, high-res), http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=23979 (source), http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20061106.htm (ALT text, smaller image) Photo #3. 050427-M-5607G-006, 27 April 2005, Yep, these early nightfall sandstorm clouds will definitely engulf Al Asad, Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The Photographer: Cpl....

Beijing is covered by desert sandstorm By Richard Spencer in Beijing (Filed: 18/04/2006) Beijing's 14 million residents woke to find their houses, cars and bicycles covered in thick, yellow dust yesterday after the worst spring sandstorms for five years. Workers start to clear the some of the 300,000 tons of sand dumped on the Chinese capital, Beijing Officials said 300,000 tons of sand whipped up by fierce winds in the Gobi desert more than 1,000 miles away were dumped on the city in a storm that began on Sunday evening. It was the second such storm in a week, the...

Seasonal Sandstorms: a Survival Guide Satellite images released by the Korea Meteorological Administration of sandstorms that blanketed the nation between 4:30 a.m. Saturday (top) and 11 a.m. on Sunday. As the annual sandstorms are blown into Korea from the arid wastes of Mongolia, the annual health questions emerge. Are an itchy nose and itchy ears a sign of danger? Will sunglasses protect the eyes? The Chosun Ilbo has the lowdown on surviving seasonal sandstorms. First of all, bear in mind that you inhale as much as three times more dust than normal when the sandstorms descend. And the dust contains...

A clean-up operation began Wednesday across northern Israel, after a day of storms, including a tornado, wrought large-scale destruction in the area and left 70 people injured. Israel Radio reported that Agriculture Ministry officials and insurance agents visited the western Galilee on Wednesday afternoon to inspect the damage caused by the storms. Large numbers of greenhouses in the area sustained damage in the storms, the radio said, in particular avocado, lychee and summer fruit crops. The village of Julis in the Galilee suffered hundreds of thousands of shekels of damage in Tuesday's strong winds. Homes in the village had broken...

The cloud heading this way is almost as big as the United States, Lushine said. Thought this was out of the ordinary. The size anyhow. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nationworld/story/5040423p-4596815c.html

MIAMI -- An enormous, hazy cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert is blowing toward the southern United States, but meteorologists do not expect much effect beyond colorful sunsets. The leading edge of the cloud _ nearly the size of the continental United States _ should move across Florida sometime from Monday through Wednesday. "This is not going to be a tremendous event, but it will be kind of interesting," said Jim Lushine, a severe weather expert with the National Weather Service in Miami. He said the dust could make sunrises and sunsets spectacular. It might not have much effect...

Another storm is headed toward South Florida -- and it's not a hurricane. Born in the desert of North Africa, an immense cloud of Saharan sand is being swept across the Atlantic Ocean by the tradewinds. By early next week, South Floridians will experience hazy blue skies, bright orange sunsets and coats of reddish dust on their cars, the National Weather Service said Friday. ''This is not going to be a tremendous event, but it will be kind of interesting,'' said Jim Lushine, a severe weather expert with Miami's weather bureau. The sand is lifted from the Sahara Desert, piggybacking...

Dust in the wind: A wall of sand moves through Al AsadSubmitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft WingStory Identification #: 2005426134811Story by Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Arledge AL ASAD, Iraq (April 26, 2005) -- A dust storm similar to special effects on the big screen bellowed across the western desert of Iraq on April 26. The storm was spawned near the border of Syria and Jordan. Forward Operating Base Korean Village experienced tornadoes around 2 p.m. The storm moved in a northeasterly direction until it reached Al Asad, around 6:45. Weather forecasters here described the storm as a downburst. "A downburst...

Click on link to see the satellite photo. The Canary Islands are the only inhabited area affected.