2007-08-21
Iran ( Islamic Republic of ) ( IR )
International ; weapons ; politics ; proliferation ; energy
The International Atomic Energy Agency reached an agreement with Iranian officials that stated there were no remaining issues and ambiguities regarding Iran 's nuclear program and activities .
U.S. and European officials suspect that Iran 's civilian nuclear energy program masks an effort to obtain technology that could be used in the production of an atomic bomb .
U.S. and European officials suspect that Iran 's civilian nuclear energy program masks an effort to obtain technology that could be used in the production of an atomic bomb .
U.S. and European officials may impose a 4th round of sanctions on Tehran when the U.N. Security Council considers the issue of Iran 's nuclear energy program most likely in September 2007 .
The International Atomic Energy Agency distributed limited copies of the IAEA report before a meeting on 11 September 2007 of the 35 members of the IAEA board .
The findings reflect an agency agreement on 21 August 2007 with Tehran that Iranian officials began publicizing the week of 12 August 2007 .
The accord said that there were no remaining issues and ambiguities regarding Iran 's nuclear program and activities .
According to an account by Reuters news agency the IAEA report said the work plan is a significant step forward .
Reuters quoted a senior U.N. official as stating the Iranian government 's efforts to enrich uranium had slowed .
The IAEA report stated that Iranian officials must continue to build confidence about the scope and nature of Iran 's present and future nuclear program .
Iranian officials on 30 August 2007 stated cooperation with the IAEA possibly to prevent a further round of international sanctions .
Iran 's representative to the IAEA Ali Asghar SOLTANIEH stated to Tehran 's Fars news agency that the report emphasized that there exists no sign or evidence indicating diversion of Iran 's nuclear activities and that all of Iran 's nuclear materials have been audited .
Some Nonproliferation Experts stated the IAEA was ceding too much to Iran .
Arms-control experts David Albright and Jacqueline Shire of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security wrote in a criticism published the week of 19 August 2007 that the idea of closing files violates fundamental safeguards principles and that the agreement does not specify that Iranian officials would provide the IAEA access to key people , facilities , and documents that are needed to verify Iranian answers to the IAEA 's questions .
Independent experts stated Iran 's latest agreement with the IAEA which gives inspectors access to more nuclear sites and information falls short of the West 's demand to halt the production of concentrated uranium that could potentially be used for a bomb .
U.S. State Department spokesman for the Bush administration Tom Casey stated that while the report may offer some new details or insight into the development of Iran 's program Iranian officials have not met any international obligations regarding the nuclear program .
Casey stated the fact that the nuclear program continues to move forward shows that the Iranian regime is continuing on a path of defiance of the international community .
Most Western Nonproliferation Experts stated the Agreement on 21 August 2007 contained little that could dissuade policymakers in Washington , London , Paris and Berlin from moving forward with another round of Security Council sanctions .
Experts stated many of the transparency issues reportedly resolved in the Agreement on 21 August 2007 should have been resolved previously .
Executive Director of nonpartisan Washington think tank the Arms Control Association Daryl G. Kimball stated the agreement does not address the problem that the Iranian government is pursuing an enrichment technology and capability that could lead to the production of nuclear bomb material .
Kimball stated the Iranian government 's design is to deflect criticism and pressure and to claim that progress is being made .
Iranian officials stated a possible reduction in collaboration with inspectors in the event of more sanctions .
The Security Council has voted unanimously to impose sanctions against Iran but the penalties have been limited from U.S. demands under Chinese and Russian pressure .
SOLTANIEH stated in an interview with state-controlled Iranian television that the report and the measures taken make the intervention of any other international organization including the Security Council irrelevant and unjustified .
2007-09-30
Israel ( IL )
proliferation ; technology ; international ; politics
Documents outlining the Israeli proposal to allow the international transfer of nuclear technology to States that have not signed on to nonproliferation rules were distributed to the Nuclear Suppliers Group .
The proposal may complicate the Bush administration 's efforts to win an exemption for India to engage in nuclear trade .
Israeli officials convinced a key group of nations engaged in nuclear trade to adopt new guidelines allowing the international transfer of nuclear technology to States that have not signed on to nonproliferation rules .
Countries including India , Israel and Pakistan that have not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are prohibited from participating in international nuclear trade which includes purchasing reactors , uranium fuel or yellowcake .
Documents outlining the Israeli proposal were distributed to the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group ( NSG ) in March 2007 .
The Israeli presentation was made in a nonpaper that allows for official deniability .
According to a letter from the Chairman of the NSG on 17 March 2007 the Israeli presentation was offered in the context of the NSG 's debate over Indian officials ' bid for an exemption .
Among the nations that have not signed the Treaty only India and Israel would qualify for admission to the NSG under the Israeli proposal .
The Israeli plan offered 12 criteria for allowing nuclear trade with non-treaty states .
1 criterion indicated Israel 's status as an undeclared nuclear weapons state and said a State should be allowed to engage in nuclear trade if the State applies stringent physical protection , control and accountancy measures to all nuclear weapons , nuclear facilities , source material and special nuclear material in the State 's territory .
The documents circulated on Capitol Hill in September 2007 as the Bush administration worked toward an agreement with Indian officials .
Executive Director of the Arms Control Association in Washington Daryl Kimball stated the Israeli document could affect the debate over India .
Kimball stated --
The dynamics at the NSG are that officials from the countries do not want to be obstacles to India which is the largest country and the United States which is the most powerful country .
Consensus on India will be difficult to reach when the NSG meets in November 2007 .
Israel 's proposal gives officials from some countries reason to suggest an alternative approach to a specific exemption .
Israel 's record is good and better than India 's in following international nuclear rules .
Despite ties between Israeli and U.S. governments the Bush Administration rejected the Israeli proposal .
The proposal may complicate the Bush administration 's efforts to win an exemption for India to engage in nuclear trade .
President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice view the Pact as an important part of the Bush administration 's foreign policy legacy .
The deal is controversial in India and Congress must give approval .
Delays in winning approval for the India deal could have a negative effect on the administration 's foreign policy legacy with delay until an election year having the most negative effect .
State Department spokesman Tom Casey stated the U.S. government views the India deal as unique and does not see the deal as a precedent for any other country including Israel .
Spokesman for the Israeli embassy David Siegel stated the suggestion that the Israeli government is demanding an exemption or linking efforts to any other issue including the India debate is grossly inaccurate .
Seigel stated --
The Israeli government has never asked the NSG for any exemption to nuclear supply guidelines or made any Israeli-specific request of the NSG .
Israel is recognized as a full-fledged adherent to the NSG Guidelines .
The Israeli government has urged the NSG to consider adopting a generic , multi-tiered , criteria-based approach towards nuclear technology transfers .
Some officials from NSG countries have previously suggested an approach like the Israeli plan .
If modification of the NSG Guidelines were to take place along the lines proposed by Israeli officials the nuclear nonproliferation regime would be considerably enhanced .
2008-07-26
Iran ( IR )
International ; proliferation
Ahmadinejad announces expansion of Iranian uranium-producing capability .
Iran refuses commitment to halt expansion but hints a possible future halt .
20080726 Iranian President Mahmoud ahmadinejad stated to scholars in the northeastern city of mashbad that Iran had expanded its arsenal of centrifuges producing enriched uranium to over 5000 .
The statement was ahmadinejad 's first asserting an expansion since the 20080400 announcement that Iran was approaching the implementation of 6000 centrifuges .
Iran articulated the goal of 50000 centrifuges operating at the enrichment plant near the town of Natanz .
The international community has demanded that Iran halt the production of nuclear material .
Media reports differed on the number of centrifuges ahmadinejad cited .
An Iranian news agency reported that ahmadinejad stated Iran had 6000 working centrifuges but the agency subsequently removed the statement from the Internet .
Another Iranian news agency stated that ahmadinejad referred to 100000s of centrifuges .
Experts discounted the significance of ahmadinejad 's claim in the absence of information on the centrifuges ' functionality .
A Western diplomat in Tehran speaking under condition of anonymity stated that the quantity of centrifuges is less important than whether the machines are operational and efficient but that ahmadinejad 's assertion will hinder a resolution of the diplomatic standoff between Iran and the West .
Arms control expert Jeffrey G. Lewis of the new America Foundation think tank stated that the Foundation was aware of Iran 's goal of assembling 6000 centrifuges but the operational status of the machines is unknown .
Diplomats and arms control experts stated that the Iranian enrichment program is hindered by technical problems .
Iran has repeatedly asserted that its nuclear program aims to produce only electricity because nuclear weapon production contradicts Islamic principles .
The US , Israel , Europe and the majority of Western arms control experts believe that Iran is pursuing the capability to produce bombs immediately in the event of a decision .
Experts stated that producing weapons-grade uranium from reactor-grade material is relatively simple .
Ahmadinejad stated that after Iran resisted the West 's demands for a halt in nuclear activities , the West still pursued the resumption of negotiations .
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana recently presented Iran with 2 offers --
A US-endorsed package of incentives to cease enriched uranium production
A 6-week pre-negotiation ' freeze for freeze ' period during which Iran would add no centrifuges and the West would refrain from promoting a 4th round of economic sanctions against Iran at the UN Security Council .
US officials repeatedly stated that no negotiations can begin before Iran verifiably halts all enrichment-related activities but the Bush administration recently agreed to the ' freeze for freeze ' proposal and dispatch burns to Geneva .
20080726 during talks in Geneva attended by US Undersecretary of State William J. Burns Iran refused to respond to Solana 's offers .
The talks constituted the highest-level diplomatic contact between the US and Iran for nearly 30 years .
Solana , burns and European envoys set a deadline for Iran to respond positively before initiating new sanctions including prohibitions on selling Iran refined petroleum products vital to the country 's economy .
Iranian officials refused to commit to stopping expansion or to observe the deadline .
20080726 ahmadinejad appeared to suggest that Iran might potentially halt expansion at a higher number of centrifuges that previously expected and for over 6 weeks .
Ahmadinejad stated that the West had consented to the existing 5000-6000 centrifuges in operation provided that the number did not increase .
5000 centrifuges can produce sufficient nuclear material for a power plant or an atomic bomb if the material is highly enriched .
6000 centrifuges running continuously can produce sufficient weapons-grade uranium for 1 bomb in 6 months .
20080500 the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that Iran possessed 3500 centrifuges in operations .
2008-11-14
Iran ( IR ) ; Russian Federation ( RU ) ; China ( CN ) ; France ( FR ) ; United States ( US )
International ; weapons ; proliferation ; Government ; politics ; energy
A diplomatic meeting in Paris concludes with no agreement on further steps to pressure Iran to halt uranium enrichment at Iran 's facility in Natanz .
On 081114 diplomats stated to the media that American , European , Russian and Chinese officials at a meeting on 081113 in Paris did not reach agreement on further actions to persuade Iran to halt uranium enrichment at Iran 's facility in Natanz .
Uranium enrichment is a highly technical process that can produce fuel for a nuclear power plant or fissile material for atomic weapons .
The 081113 meeting ended without any new measures to announce .
After the 081113 meeting the French foreign ministry released a statement declaring the international community had reaffirmed the importance of the dual-track approach of engaging diplomatically with Iran and working towards sanctions .
Russia and China have resisted new sanctions against Iran .
Russia and China have close political and business ties with Iran and feel no domestic pressure to act against the Islamic Republic of Iran .
The United States does not have close political and business ties with Iran and feels domestic pressure to act against the Islamic Republic of Iran .
Russia and China hold veto power over Security Council decisions .
Moscow 's Interfax news agency quoted Russian diplomat Sergei ryabkov as stating that the parties struck no deal on sanctions against Iran at the 081113 meeting and that the Western countries are in favor of the sanctions against Iran while China and Russia did not support sanctions against Iran .
Sergei ryabkov attended the 081113 meeting .
A report released this week says Iran has made significant progress at Iran 's heavy-water research reactor facility near the city of Arak .
Iran 's heavy-water research reactor near Arak could eventually produce plutonium that might be used in a nuclear weapon .
Satellite images published by the Institute for Science and International Security show construction at the heavy-water research reactor facility near the city of Arak has progressed significantly between 080200 and 081000 .
David Albright stated that Iran 's heavy-water research reactor near Arak has evaded the international security community 's notice .
David Albright stated that Iran 's heavy-water research reactor near Arak is making significant progress according to the satellite images and that in a year and a half the heavy-water research reactor near Arak has progressed from building frames to a largely finished facility .
David Albright is a former arms inspector and Director of the Institute for Science and International Security that is based in Washington , D.C. .
Iran stated that Iran is pursuing nuclear technology to produce energy and conduct research .
The United States and its western allies suspect that Iran 's efforts to produce is a precursor to creating a nuclear-weapons infrastructure .
Low-grade uranium production is legal under international arms-control regulations .
The latest developments in Iran 's nuclear technology development show the complex diplomatic and technical challenges facing the incoming foreign policy team of United States President-elect Barack Obama when it takes on the task of stopping Iran from mastering technology that could be used to manufacture and deliver nuclear weapons .
The administration of United States President George W. Bush in its last months in power has managed to synchronize United States policies with the European Union , British , French and German leaders , to press for tougher sanctions and diplomatic action against Iran .
The International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to release a report critical of Iran next week .
The International Atomic Energy Agency is the United Nations 's nuclear watchdog agency .
Due to the Act that no new initiatives regarding Iran 's nuclear program emerged from the 081113 Paris talks the hopes of imposing another set of United Nations Security Council sanctions before the end of President Bush 's term were decreasing .
While diplomatic maneuvering is taking place Iran continues to work towards mastering nuclear and missile technology .
Some Israeli officials have stated their alarm about Iran 's test-firing this week of a solid-fuel , two-stage rocket with a range of 1200 miles .
The city of Tel Aviv is fewer than 650 miles from Iranian territory .
2002-04-06
Russian Federation ( RU )
International ; science ; energy ; weapons
A high-security Russian laboratory complex storing anthrax , plague and other deadly bacteria faces loosing electricity for lack of payment to the mosenergo electric utility .
A large repository of anthrax , plague and other deadly bacteria stored in a high-security Russian laboratory complex 100 miles south of Moscow is facing the threat of loosing electricity .
An official from the Moscow region 's mosenergo electric utility arrived recently at the Russian laboratory complex and threatened to turn off the electricity for lack of payment .
The Russian laboratory complex is a 90-building campus and served as the location for Russia 's secret biological weapons program in the Soviet era .
An incorrect headline in the newspaper Izvestia stated that deadly viruses from a Moscow regional depository threaten Moscow .
There are no viruses at the State Scientific Center of applied Microbiology in obolensk .
At the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology there is every kind of deadly bacteria that was studied for use in the secret biological weapons program of the Soviet Union .
A large virus repository is located in Siberia .
Both Russian and Western officials have stated that it is unlikely that any public health threat would result from a power cutoff at the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology .
Russian and Western officials have stated that there is enough uncertainty that they could not be positive a loss of power at the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology would not cause a public health threat .
General Nikolai N. Urakov stated by telephone that the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology has quite reliable systems of protection in case of emergency .
General Nikolai N. Urakov is the longtime director of the the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology .
The State scientific center of applied microbiology has been working with Western scientists to convert the complex into a biomedical manufacturing site .
General Nikolai N. Urakov stated by telephone that the people at the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology are scared by this threat of a sudden shutdown of electricity because it is a kind of psychological pressure on the people at the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology .
General Nikolai N. Urakov stated by telephone that in the event of a power shutdown at the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology scientists must destroy all bacteriological experiments under way .
General Nikolai N. Urakov would like the United States and Western countries that have contributed about 6 million United States dollars to the transformation of the former bioweapons complex to contribute another 500000 United States dollars per year to pay the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology 's electric bills and arrears .
An American scientist who works closely with the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology stated that the Russian government was responsible for paying for the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology 's electric bills .
Western aid for conversion of General Nikolai N. Urakov 's one time bioweapons laboratory peaked in 970000 because it was learned that Iran had made offers to the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology to purchase its expertise .
Russian scientists and military leaders who now depend on Western financing to destroy nuclear , chemical and biological weapons have been known to orchestrate a sense of crisis to increase financing .
American scientist Randall Lee Beatty is working on the conversion of the State Scientific Center of applied Microbiology in obolensk .
Beatty stated that this threat to cut electricity to the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology is a crisis .
Randall Lee Beatty is a Director of the International Science and Technology Center .
The International Science and Technology Center finances approximately half of General Nikolai N. Urakov 's budget to support about 350 Russian biowarfare scientists and technicians .
Randall Lee Beatty stated that it is known that the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology has not paid its electricity bill for 14 months .
Randall Lee Beatty stated that the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology is one of the important archives for dangerous pathogens in the world and it would be a shame if those archives were destroyed for not paying the electricity utility .
Approximately 3000 strains of bacteria are stored at the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology and many of the bacteria are stored in cryogenic casks cooled with liquid nitrogen and isolated from the environment by layered enclosures and oversize air-handling systems that all depend on electricity to function .
The greatest danger from a shutdown of electric power at the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology would be the defrosting of live germs that are currently preserved in a frozen state .
A biological warfare expert at the Monterey Institute of International Studies named Raymond zilinskas stated that the main threat from cutting power to the State Scientific Center of applied microbiology would be to the organisms themselves rather than that they might escape .
Raymond zilinskas stated that in the worst case the bacteria would be defrosted from minus 70 degrees and it would be a real mess to clean up afterward because it would not be known for certain whether all the bacteria was dead .
The confrontation between the mosenergo electric utility and the State Scientific Center of applied Microbiology in obolensk is another example of how the basic capitalist imperative for enterprises to be self-sustaining can clash in a dangerous way with the old remnants of Soviet weapons science .
Due to an overdue power bill in 000000 the Russian National Power Company cut off electricity to a strategic base where nuclear missiles stood on high alert .
The nuclear missile silos themselves did not lose power .
Armed troops marched to the substations and turned the power back on .
In 010100 and 010200 the national utility , United energy systems cut power to a number of military installations around Russia .
The military installations that lost power included the Russian space forces monitoring center on the Kamchatka Peninsula .
In most cases of military installations having their electricity cut off the electricity has been quickly restored .
Often investigations show that the tug of war with the utility forces the military to spend budgeted funds for electrical power instead of diverting money for other uses .
Some of the budgeted funds cut at times have included the building country residences for generals .
2004-07-24
Brazil ( BR )
International ; crime ; Government ; narcotics
Brazil to implement law allowing air force to target drug trafficking aircraft in Brazilian airspace .
US concerned over liability in the event of misidentification of a civilian plane .
Brazil announced that the air force will begin shooting down aircraft used in trafficking illegal drugs in Brazilian airspace .
The plan requires 8 precautionary steps before the order to shoot down a plane may be issued .
Prior to the policy taking effect late 20041000 a publicity campaign will notify ranchers and others of the need to file flight plans .
The Law to permit such an action was originally approved in 1998 but 1995-2003 President Fernando Henrique Cardoso never put the policy into effect .
The United States dissuaded Cardoso from signing the decree out of concern that the accidental downing of civilian aircraft could expose the US government and companies to lawsuits .
20010400 the United States reduced previous support for operations targeting drug-running aircraft when a Peruvian jet shot down a small plane misidentified as a drug carrier and killed an American missionary and her child .
Relatives of the victims sued the US government and won a settlement due to the Government 's provision of intelligence and technical support to the operation .
A US State Department official stated --
US law may forbid assistance to countries that implement shoot-down laws under certain conditions .
The US agrees with the Brazilian assessment that the threat posed by drug traffickers is both very serious and increasing .
The US government has consulted the Brazilian Government about the provisions of US law .
Brazilian Defense Minister Jose Viegas stated that Brazil has encountered difficulties in securing US support for the plan but recent bilateral talks led to certainty that the decree would be accepted by the US government without exposing Brazil to commercial sanctions .
Brazilian officials have expressed hope that the policy will be endorsed by the US before going into effect .
The US is scheduled to provide 10.2 million dollars in drug and law enforcement aid to Brazil in 2004 .
Former air force chief and current Director of the Air Institute at estacio de sa University in Rio de Janeiro General Mauro Jose Miranda gandra stated that the measure was a courageous step by the Government but the impact may be more political than practical because of self-imposed restrictions by the Brazilian government .
Brazilian officials stated that the policy would be inapplicable against aircraft with children on board .
Viegas stated that the limitation was necessary .
Gandra stated that the provision undermines the decree 's essential purpose by granting immunity to drug-smuggling aircraft carrying children and thus introducing the possibility of kidnapped children being used as human shields .
Viegas stated in an interview in Brasilia that the government will use the law to more powerfully dissuade drug traffickers who have previously entered Brazilian airspace feeling unthreatened by the air force .
The Government was prompted to act due to the deteriorating public security situation with increasingly powerful and violent drug gangs in Sao Paolo and particularly Rio de Janeiro .
Rio de Janeiro drug gangs have more firepower than the police and have successfully attacked police stations and forced businesses and schools to close .
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated in a 2003 interview with foreign correspondents --
The policy is a matter of national sovereignty and security .
Some pilots of drug-running aircraft felt so confidently immune from retribution as to make obscene gestures at pursuing Brazilian air force pilots .
The constitutionality of the law has been questioned under Brazil 's prohibition of the death penalty as punishment for criminal acts .
Some legal experts and other commentators stated that contrary to government claims , the Statute amounts to a de facto execution of drug traffickers .
The daily newspaper O Estado de Sao Paolo stated in an editorial the week of 20040718-20040824 -- the extreme measure raises ethical and juridical problems exceeding any potential benefits .
The penalty will be applied extrajudicially by administrative decision of the Commander of the Air Force .
This person will gain life and death power over crew members and passengers of irregular flights .
In 2002 Brazil inaugurated the 1.4 billion dollar SIVAM radar system allowing the government to monitor air activity throughout the expansive Amazon region for the first time .
The system uses American technology .
Illegal Flights initially declined 30 percent due to trafficker 's concerns about improved tracking capabilities but subsequently reaccelerated .
Brazil recorded 4128 unauthorized flights in 2003 .
Some of these flights were innocent violations by ranchers in the Amazon flying between plantations .
Viegas stated that there was a significant increase in deliberate violations of Brazilian airspace , apparently by drug smugglers realizing that the government was incapable of retaliation .
20010400 Rio de Janeiro 's most notorious drug boss , Fernandinho Beira-Mar , was captured in Colombia in a guns-for drugs pipeline involving left-wing guerrillas .
Brazil 's northern Amazon corridor has become an increasingly busy and essential route in the global drug trade and is used for smuggling arms , gold and diamonds .
Reportedly one of the most important drug - and gun-smuggling routes in supplying Europe with cocaine runs from Colombia across the northern tier of the Amazon to Suriname .
Colombia is the only country that currently has a policy of targeting drug trafficking aircraft .
Colombia is the source of much of the cocaine and heroin sold in the United States .
2005-07-16
Venezuela ( VE )
International ; weapons ; leader ; military
The Venezuelan president 's weapons deals with Russia , curbs on military cooperation with the United States , and his plans to train as many as 2 million Venezuelan civilians to repel a possible invasion by superpowers have the US and his domestic critics worried .
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez 's weapons deals with Russia , curbs on military cooperation with the United States , and plans to train as many as 2 million Venezuelan civilians to repel a possible invasion by imperialist superpowers have the United States and Chavez 's domestic critics worried about what the leftist former military officer is planning .
Chavez insists that the moves are purely defensive and born of an overdue need to update obsolete military hardware and protect Venezuela from nations that might want to take control of Venezuela .
Venezuela is South America 's largest petroleum-producing state .
Chavez 's domestic opponents scoff at the idea that the US would ever invade Venezuela and charge that Chavez 's true intention is to arm a huge cadre of loyal reservists who would protect Chavez against any internal uprising and to pose as a militarized counterweight to US influence in Latin America .
Cuban leader Fidel Castro is Chavez 's his major ally and Chavez is growing closer to Castro .
Chavez 's detractors in the US government say that it is even more troubling that Chavez 's arms purchases and indoctrination of civilian militias could be part of a strategy to restructure Venezuelan democracy in the image of Cuban-style militarized socialism and foment leftist revolutions throughout South America .
US military strategists say they are increasingly concerned that radical movements inspired by Chavez could foment such revolution .
The political mainstream in Latin America has shifted leftward since the late 1990s .
This leftward shift is largely in reaction to the perceived failure of free-market economics .
Leftists have been elected to lead Brazil , Argentina , Chile , Uruguay , Ecuador and Venezuela .
Chavez 's supporters at home counter that the United States has a century-long history of open as well as covert armed intervention in Latin America 's domestic politics and say that it has no right to question Venezuela 's defense preparations .
Carlos Roque Espinoza Leon said that Venezuelans never ask what the US Marines are doing .
Espinoza Leon is a pro-Chavez defense specialist who serves in Venezuela 's National Assembly .
Espinoza said that Peru has 500000 rifles and no one says anything .
Espinoza said no one complains that Colombia is the most militarized country in Latin America .
Espinoza said US history is full of aggression in Latin America .
Espinoza said Venezuelans have to do whatever is necessary to protect Venezuela .
Chavez has famously said that the Venezuelan so-called Bolivarian revolution is peaceful but not unarmed .
Chavez was first elected in 980000 and has a popularity rating of 71 percent in an independent poll by polling firm Datanalisis .
Venezuelan military analyst Alberto Garrido said Chavez is looking for allies in Russia , China , and Iran in order to promote a multi-polar world which will counteract US dominance and encourage grassroots Movements in Latin America to throw off US governmental influence .
Lorenzo Campos is a farmer in Anzoategui state in northern Venezuela and is training as a reservist .
Campos said Venezuelans want the world to know that Venezuelans are not preparing to attack anyone and that the mission is to protect Venezuela .
In May , Chavez 's government announced details in 050500 of an $ 18.6 million deal with a Russian firm to purchase 100000 AK-103 assault rifles with 30 rounds of ammunition each and the technology transfer for Venezuela to manufacture the rifles .
The deal works out to $ 186.22 per rifle .
This price is considerably less costly than the US mail-order price of $ 825 to $ 850 for the same weapon .
The Government of Venezuela also intends to buy 10 Russian helicopters , 10 Spanish transport planes , and 6 Spanish naval craft .
Venezuelan officials say the government is negotiating with Brazil to buy around 24 air support and training planes .
Chavez has insisted and even his staunchest retired military Critics here agree that the purchases are essential to update old weaponry such as the military 's decades-old Belgian FAL rifles .
Retired General Fernando OCHOA ANTICH said that it is an exaggeration to say Chavez is engaged in an arms buildup .
Ochoa was defense minister in 920000 when then-Lieutenant Colonel Chavez launched a failed coup .
Ochoa stated that Venezuela has n't purchased arms in 25 years and said and Chavez is not aggressively buying weapons in a way that would threaten his neighbors .
Ochoa said Venezuela has never bought Russian arms before and suggested Chavez is doing it to become independent from the US .
Ochoa asked why Chavez is buying a caliber of rifle which is popular among subversive forces in Latin America and stated that the political support Chavez gives to radical leftist movements makes Chavez a continental menace .
The US Pentagon has openly questioned what Chavez will do with the old FAL rifles and whether Chavez might share weapons or ammunition with guerrilla forces in Latin America .
The US government has provided no evidence of Chavez arming or funding leftist insurgencies .
Military analysts and specialists on the Colombian FARC guerrillas say the rebels have plenty of money for weapons from drug trafficking and would not be interested in old Belgian rifles or in assistance from Chavez .
A 030000 study published by the US Defense Intelligence Agency reported that more than half of the weapons seized from Colombian guerrillas from 980000 to 010000 that had markings of foreign militaries were of Venezuelan origin .
The implication was that corrupt or sympathetic members of the Venezuelan military may be aiding guerrillas .
Perhaps more distressing to Chavez 's domestic opponents is the ideological training that critics say Chavez has in mind for the military and for new civilian reservists .
Chavez called earlier in 050000 for so-called Revolutionary units to start preparing the public to resist a superpower aggressor and said the first step would be to train from 100000 to 2 million volunteers in the coming years to back up active-duty armed forces .
Military analysts estimate Venezuela 's active-duty armed forces number 83,000 .
People 's defense units would be created in neighborhoods , State companies , and the Free University established under Chavez and would report directly to the president .
The government insists the reserves will support the armed forces and not act as a fifth column against a possible anti-Chavez coup .
Espinoza said the reserves are not to be used as shock troops for any political party and that if there were a civil war , it would be up to each person to take their own side .
General Julio Ramon Quintero viloria is commander of the reserves .
Quintero said in an interview that the armed forces hope to train 50000 civilians over 20 weekends in the second half of 050000 and could train 300000 more in 060000 .
Quintero said that Venezuelans do n't want to be the colony of any empire and have to be ready for any possibility .
100000 reservists in 050600 engaged with the Venezuelan navy in a massive war game to repel a stronger country that had invaded .
40 employees of the state oil company participated in a similar exercise with 1200 soldiers in 050600 .
Pro-Chavez circles here warn of asymmetrical warfare .
Asymmetrical warfare is a term coined by US military strategists to describe a conflict between unequal combatants where the weaker side employs guerrilla tactics .
The US government has given $ 3.3 billion in mostly military aid to Colombia in the past 5 years .
Chavez loyalists fear that the US government could instigate a proxy war between Colombia and Venezuela as a way to oust Chavez and control Venezuelan oil .
A senior US official in an interview dismissed the notion that the United States Government wants to invade Venezuela as complete and utter nonsense .
The official said the chavista side wishes to make the relationship negative because they 've made a political calculation that Mr. Chavez reached power by constantly being in confrontation with the US .
Another development that has troubled the United States is Chavez 's rollback of military cooperation and joint exercises .
The US military had a Cooperation Office for 50 years in a Venezuelan Fort .
Chavez shut it down in 040000 .
5 US military trainers and students participating in an exchange program were ordered to leave the country in 050400 .
Analysts say that it is likely Chavez is trying to indoctrinate his public and armed forces .
Analysts say that there is no proof that Chavez will use those forces to aid leftist revolutions elsewhere .
2007-06-18
Korea , Democratic People 's Republic of ( KP )
proliferation ; international
The North Korean government may be prepared to begin shutting down a plutonium producing reactor in June 2007 as the first step toward disabling the Unit by December 2007 .
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill stated on 18 June 2007 that the North Korean government may be prepared to begin shutting down a plutonium producing reactor in June 2007 as the first step toward disabling the Unit by December 2007 .
Hill is the head American negotiator on North Korea 's nuclear weapons program .
Hill stated stalled efforts to dismantle North Korea 's nuclear weapons program could move ahead after the weekend of 16 June 2007 and 17 June 2007 when Pyongyang officials invited inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit for talks on verifying and monitoring a shutdown .
Following talks with Chinese negotiator Wu Dawei Hill stated the shutdown has long been anticipated .
Hill stated the shutdown could occur in a matter of weeks not months .
The Associated Press reported from Vienna , Austria that the IAEA stated on 18 June 2007 that a team would visit Pyongyang the week of 24 June 2007 to discuss the manner in which inspectors will verify the shutdown .
Hill stated IAEA inspectors will hold talks with Pyongyang officials on sealing the reactor which would include the installation of television monitors at the site .
North Korean officials refused to proceed with a February 2007 agreement to begin decommissioning the Yongbyon reactor until funds worth 25 million dollars in accounts linked to North Korea held in a Macao Bank were transferred to North Korea .
The money was frozen when officials from the United States accused the Banco Delta Asia of complicity in financial crimes on behalf of North Korea .
The funds were wired on 14 June 2007 to the New York Federal Reserve Bank after months of disagreement over the method of returning the funds .
The funds were to be sent to Russia 's Central Bank before a transfer to an account controlled by the North Korea government in a Russian commercial bank .
Hill stated talks will occur the week of 17 June 2007 with disarmament negotiators from Russia , South Korea and Japan on steps to recoup some of the time lost while the financial transfer was being organized .
The discussions will also involve setting a timetable for resumption of 6-nation arms control talks .
Under the agreement reached in February 2007 North Korean officials pledged to shut down the Yongbyon reactor and allow inspectors to verify and monitor the shutdown in return for a 50000-ton shipment of fuel oil .
North Korean officials will declare all nuclear programs and disable all facilities in return for a further 950000 tons of fuel oil in the next phase of the Agreement .
Hill stated the technical possibility of concluding the next phase of the agreement by December 2007 .
2007-08-27
Iran , Islamic Republic of ( IR )
International ; weapons ; proliferation ; Government ; energy
Leading arms control experts criticize a new nuclear activities plan released by Iran and the U.N. 's International Atomic Energy Agency as ineffectual and dangerous .
On 27 August 2007 Iran and the U.N. 's International Atomic Energy Agency released a plan for resolving issues by December 2007 .
The issues have been unresolved for 4 years .
The plan is meant to allay suspicions about Iran 's past nuclear activities .
Agency officials stated that the plan is a breakthrough .
On 28 August 2007 at a news conference in Tehran Iranian President Mahmoud ahmadinejad stated that --
investigation into Iran 's nuclear activities is now closed .
No other member of the International Atomic Energy Agency has cooperated as well as Iran .
Iran is a nuclear nation .
Iran has the nuclear fuel cycle .
Iran will not succumb to international pressure to curb Iran 's nuclear projects .
Iran 's nuclear projects are for peaceful purposes .
The United States and some European nations believe that Iran 's nuclear projects are for the purpose of making nuclear weapons .
Several Western Governments and leading arms control experts stated that Iran is attempting to avoid further punishment by the U.N. Security Council .
The Western Governments include the United States and France .
The Governments and experts believe that Iran is attempting to --
slow the arms control process .
avoid answering questions about Iran 's past treaty violations .
Physicist and President of the Institute for Science and International Security David Albright stated that --
There is no way to verify Iran 's claims .
The International Atomic Energy Agency has no access to people , documents , sites .
The International Atomic Energy Agency loses the right to ask further questions in the future .
The unusual development sets a bad precedent .
The International Atomic Energy Agency may have been tricked because it was eager for a deal .
The International Atomic Energy Agency plan announced that --
Iran resolved questions about Iran 's past experiments with plutonium with no explanation how .
Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies mark Fitzpatrick stated that --
The International Atomic Energy Agency plan is superficial .
The International Atomic Energy Agency plan draws out negotiations for many months .
The International Atomic Energy Agency plan could leave the International Atomic Energy Agency with incomplete and misleading answers from Iran .
The International Institute for Strategic Studies is located in London .
Plutonium is a material that can be used to make nuclear weapons .
The Institute for Science and International Security is a private research organization located in Washington .
The International Atomic Energy Agency is based in Vienna .
2007-11-15
Iran ( Islamic Republic of ) ( IR )
proliferation ; international ; business
A list from the Nuclear Suppliers Group shows that Iran has been denied purchases of nuclear-related materials approximately 75 times since 1998 because of suspicions the purchases could have been used for building bombs .
A list from the Nuclear Suppliers Group shows that Iran has been denied purchases of nuclear-related materials approximately 75 times since 1998 because of suspicions the purchases could have been used for building bombs .
The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group is an offshoot of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and is charged with monitoring international trade to ensure that nuclear technology transferred for peaceful purposes is not directed to military use .
The Nuclear Suppliers Group is composed of technologically advanced countries .
According to the Nuclear Suppliers Group 's mission statement countries act on an individual basis to block trades that violate export controls devised to maintain international cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear energy .
The Nuclear Suppliers Group has no enforcement power beyond notifying companies of violating the group 's guidelines .
The Nuclear Suppliers Group keeps data private and meets largely in secret .
Most of the denials of purchase have occurred since 2002 and have resulted from interventions by members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group .
The list of trade denials was made available by a diplomat from a country interested in exposing the extent of Iranian efforts to acquire so-called dual-use items that can be converted to weapons production .
The list was made available on condition that neither the diplomat nor the diplomat 's country be identified .
The list names companies from Australia , Finland , Sweden , the United Arab Emirates and Iran that were prevented from carrying out deals because the items being sold were suspected of being militarily useful .
The listed items being offered for sale in the blocked deals included Nickel powder , petrochemical plant components , compressors , furnaces , steel flanges and fittings , electron microscopes , radiometric ore-sorting machines , valves and tubing , lasers , a rotary drilling rig , a mass spectrometer and a nitrogen production plant .
The Iranian end users included the Government of Iran and Iran 's Atomic Energy Organization , power companies , engineering , petrochemical and oil-refining and gas companies , aircraft industries , schools , universities , engine manufacturers , mineral research centers , a helicopter support company and a plasma physics center .
The diplomat stated the 75 denials represented actions by only 7 of the 45 member States .
The diplomat stated the actual number of denials of sales of dual-use products to Iran is probably much higher than 75 .
Western diplomats stated that the government in Tehran uses front companies to receive and convert technology to weapons production without being detected as the standoff with Iran over Iran 's nuclear program has continued .
Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty but not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group .
2008-08-08
Georgia ( GE ) ; Russian Federation ( RU )
International ; Government ; dissent ; war and conflict ; weapons ; politics
On 8 August 2008 Russia conducted airstrikes on Georgian targets .
The airstrikes escalated conflict in a separatist area of Georgia .
On 8 August 2008 Russia conducted airstrikes on Georgian targets .
The airstrikes escalated conflict in a separatist area of Georgia .
The conflict is a test of Russia 's power and military reach .
Earlier on 8 August 2008 Russian troops and armored vehicles entered South Ossetia .
Presence of Russian troops supported the separatist area in its bitter conflict with Georgia .
The U.S. , other Western nations and NATO condemned the violence .
The U.S. , other Western nations and NATO demanded a cease-fire .
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demanded Russia withdraw its forces .
Russian soldiers remained in Georgia .
Georgian officials report there was at least 1 airstrike on the Black Sea port of Poti late on 8 August 2008 .
Russia and Georgia showed no indication of relenting .
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin stated that war has started .
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili accused Russia of a well-planned invasion .
Georgia mobilized military reserves .
On 8 August 2008 Georgian government web sites crashed intermittently .
The crashes are signs of a cyber-warfare campaign against Georgia .
The dispute could renew a sustained conflict in the Caucasus region .
The Caucus region is an important conduit for the flow of oil from the Caspian Sea to world markets .
Conflict in the caucus region has lasted for years along Russia 's borders .
The conflict has taken place most recently in Chechnya .
Russia 's military incursion into Georgia indicates Russia 's confidence and resolve .
Russia 's military incursion provided a test of the capacities of the Russian military .
Putin attempted to modernize and re-equip the Russian military during his 2 presidential terms .
Earlier in 2008 Russia announced it was broadly expanding support for the separatist regions .
Georgia labeled Russia 's support an act of annexation .
Throughout 8 August 2008 reports conflicted about whether Georgian or Russian forces had won control of Tskhinvali .
Late on 8 August 2008 it was unclear whether ground combat had taken place between Russian and Georgian soldiers or had been limited to fighting between separatists and Georgian forces .
Tskhinvali is the capital of Georgia .
Georgia is mountainous .
Georgia is a rebel province .
2008-09-19
Iraq ( IQ )
International ; Telecom ; technology ; crime ; leader ; media ; dissent
Iranian News Agency Fars stated that hackers known as group XP defaced or blocked 100s of Shiite-related websites .
The official website of Iraq 's Shiite leader the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was among the websites defaced and blocked .
Group XP stated on the defaced website that any website that contained material contrary to Sunni teachings would be hacked .
The official website of Iraq 's Shiite religious leader the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was defaced and blocked in a sectarian-motivated cyber attack on Shiite-related sites .
It was not clear whether the attack began on 18 September 2008 or the morning of 19 September 2008 .
By the evening of 19 September 2008 Al-Sistani 's website was offline .
Another website related to 1 of Al-Sistani 's religious organizations , www.al-shia.com , was also affected .
An alternative address , www.sistani.com , was still operational .
Iranian News Agency Fars stated that group XP had blocked access to approximately 300 Shiite-related sites on 18 September 2008 and 19 September 2008 .
Neither the hacking claim nor an Iranian assertion that group XP was based in the United Arab Emirates could be verified independently .
Several Iranian news sites stated on 19 September 2008 that many of the Shiite and Iran-related web sites that had been attacked were running normally again .
A statement signed group XP was posted on the home page of Al-Sistani 's web site and stated that the attack was on behalf of Sunni Muslims .
The statement said --
Group XP had carried out similar attacks on other Shiite sites in the Persian Gulf and Iraq .
Group XP erased the site as group XP has done with other Rafidha sites .
Rafidha means rejecters and is an insult used by Sunni extremists to describe Shiites .
Al-Sistani promoted sexual deviance and an Iranian agenda in Iraq as Al-Sistani was born in Iran .
Any website with material that was contrary to Sunni teachings would be punished .
The statement also consisted of a youtube video clip of American comedian bill Maher ridiculing a fatwa by Al-Sistani on whether certain positions of sexual intercourse were permitted for married couples .
The ayatollah 's office in Najaf declined to comment on the cyber attack .
Fars reported that a counterattack had been carried out against 2 major Wahhabi web sites which belong to puritanical strain of Sunni Islam that is dominant in Saudi Arabia .
2008-10-08
Somalia ( SO ) ; Ukraine ( UA ) ; Kenya ( KE )
Crime ; weapons ; international ; money
Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian freighter carrying a large cargo of arms are approaching a deal for the ship 's release .
Questions have emerged regarding the shipment of arms en route to Kenya and of a possible clandestine arms deal between Kenya and South Sudan .
On 08 October 2008 Maritime officials and associates of the Somali pirates who on 25 September 2008 hijacked a Ukrainian freighter carrying a large cargo of arms stated that the pirates may soon be collecting their ransom .
After difficult negotiations likened by several people involved to bazaar-style haggling the parties are close to reaching a deal in which the pirates would be paid millions of dollars and the ship freed .
A businessman in xarardheere , Somalia named Ahmed Omar stated that the pirates and the ship owners have agreed on a ransom of approximately 8 million U.S. dollars and the ship may be freed on 08 October 2008 or 09 October 2008 .
Xarardheere is a notorious pirate base on the coast of Somalia .
Maritime officials in Kenya stated that critical details have yet to be agreed upon .
One such detail involves the pirates ' request for a guarantee that they would not be arrested or attacked by the armada of American warships currently encircling them .
A Kenyan maritime official stated anonymously that such negotiations are complex and involve more than the financial aspect .
On 08 October 2008 the official stated that progress is being made and the parties are approaching an agreement .
The pirates initially requested 35 million U.S. dollars and then reduced their request to 20 million U.S. dollars .
The pirates have consistently expressed willingness to negotiate the financial figures .
More than 25 ships have been hijacked in 2008 off the Somalia coast with a typical ransom of between 1 and 2 million U.S. dollars .
The pirates aboard the Ukrainian ship have stated that upon receipt of payment in American dollars and preferably in 100 dollar bills the ship , its cargo and the 20 sailors on board will be released .
The original country of destination for the arms shipment aboard the Ukrainian ship is being questioned .
Shortly after the freighter was hijacked on 25 September 2008 the Kenyan government claimed that the weapons on board were being shipped for Kenya 's military .
The ship was en route to Kenya 's main port of Mombasa .
The weapons on board the ship included 33 T-72 tanks , 150 grenade launchers , 6 anti-aircraft guns and a large quantity of ammunition .
Evidence has subsequently emerged that the weapons were part of a clandestine arms deal between Kenya and the separatist region of southern Sudan .
The deal would most likely have remained secret had the pirates not hijacked the ship and begun speaking to the media by satellite phone .
Ukrainian officials have been adamant in denying any wrongdoing .
Ukrainian diplomat in Kenya oleh belokolos stated --
Ukraine does not supply or have plans to supply any armaments to the Government of South Sudan .
All the appropriate paperwork has been validated .
Ukraine abides by all United Nations rules and arms control agreements .
Ukraine inherited enormous stockpiles of weaponry after the collapse of the Soviet Union and is now a major arms dealer .
The deal with Ukraine is considered suspicious given that Kenya has mostly relied on the United Kingdom and other western countries for its supply of heavy weapons .
Kenyan politicians were demanding answers and have called for several commissions to examine the situation .
Southern Sudan is an autonomous region that is currently increasing its military and that uses Soviet-designed tanks .
The American military stated that its priority is to ensure that the weapons were not unloaded from the ship and sold to Islamist insurgents in Somalia .
The pirates have denied interest in the weapons and claimed to have been unaware that the cargo included tanks when they hijacked the ship .
Pirate spokesman sugule Ali stated in an interview last week that the pirates ' sole interest in the deal is money .
2008-11-28
Afghanistan ( AF )
Narcotics
Head of the U.N. drug office Antonio Maria Costa said that Afghanistan has produced so much opium in recent years that the Taliban are cutting back poppy cultivation and stockpiling raw opium in an effort to support prices and preserve a major source of financing for the insurgency .
Head of the U.N. drug office Antonio Maria Costa said that Afghanistan has produced so much opium in recent years that the Taliban are cutting back poppy cultivation and stockpiling raw opium in an effort to support prices and preserve a major source of financing for the insurgency .
Costa said this to reporters last week as the U.N. Drug Office Office prepared to release its latest survey of Afghanistan 's opium crop .
The survey showed that poppy cultivation had retreated in much of Afghanistan and was overwhelmingly concentrated in 7 of 34 provinces where the insurgency remains strong , most of those in the south .
The survey was issued November 27 , 2008 .
The United Nations found that the result was a 19 percent reduction in the amount of land devoted to opium in Afghanistan even though the total tonnage of opium produced dropped by just 6 percent .
The study stated that the high output per acre was attributed to a good growing season in the south .
The southern region is a heavily irrigated area where the Taliban maintained a strong presence in 5 provinces and have systematically encouraged opium cultivation as a way to finance their insurgency for several years .
The U.N. estimates the insurgents made as much as 300 million dollars from the opium trade last year .
Costa said a lot of war effort can be funded with 2 to 300 million dollars .
The Taliban have producing an amount of opium that far exceeds world demand due to 3 successive years of bumper crops .
Costa said the result was a glut that was depressing the price , which dropped by approximately 20 percent .
Costa said that the fact that prices had not collapsed already was evidence that the Taliban , drug lords and even some farmers have stockpiled the opium .
An increasing amount is also being processed in Afghanistan .
Costa added that insurgents have been holding significant amounts of opium .
Costa said the surplus is as much as 11000 tons , or more than twice world demand in the last 3 years and threatened to devalue their stockpiles .
The United Nations found that Afghanistan produced 8500 tons of opium in 2008 .
World demand was estimated at about 4400 tons per year .
The Taliban this year are taking a passive stance toward cultivation and putting less pressure on Afghan farmers to plant opium poppy .
This then supports the current price .
Costa is an Italian diplomat who has served at the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime for 6 years .
2001-10-05
South Africa ( ZA )
International ; terrorism ; Government ; money
The South African government imposed a ban that prohibits the recruitment of people inside or outside of South Africa for mercenary or foreign military assistance .
On 011006 The Citizen newspaper stated that it is illegal for South Africans to be involved in mercenary activity or to render foreign military assistance inside or outside of South Africa .
The Citizen newspaper stated that the South African Foreign Ministry announced on 011005 that the South African government imposed the mercenary activity ban following reports that 1000 Muslims with military training have enlisted to leave South Africa for Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban against the United States .
A report claims that Muslims Against Illegitimate Leaders has claimed that the 1000 Muslim men with military training have volunteered their services and have received the backing of local businessmen .
Reports claim that all of the 1000 Muslim men with military training are over the age of 18 .
Muslims Against Illegitimate Leaders is a Cape Town-based group .
The report was refuted by the Muslim Judicial Council .
South Africa 's Foreign Ministry stated that South Africa 's Foreign Military Assistance Act prohibits the recruitment of people inside or outside of South Africa for mercenary or foreign military assistance .
South Africa 's Foreign Military Assistance Act means that no person is allowed to offer military assistance to any State , organ of State , group or other country , unless permission is granted by the National Conventional Arms Control Committee .
South Africa 's Foreign Military Assistance Act means that foreign military assistance could be rendered only in accordance with an agreement approved by the National Conventional Arms Control Committee .
The South African Foreign Ministry stated that any person found in violation of South Africa 's Foreign Military Assistance Act or any person that fails to receive permission to participate in foreign military activities could be prosecuted and sentenced to a fine , imprisonment or both .
2002-07-01
Peru ( PE )
International ; money ; crime ; human rights ; Government ; narcotics ; politics ; leader
Former Peruvian spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos convicted of illegally taking control of the National Intelligence Service during ex-President Fujimori 's tenure .
Montesinos has been sentenced to 9 years and 4 months for the conviction .
Montesinos plans to appeal the sentence .
On 1 July 2002 former Peruvian spy chief during the government of ex-president Alberto Fujimori , Vladimiro Montesinos , was convicted of illegally taking control of the National Intelligence Service when Montesinos was supposed to be only an adviser to the spy agency .
Montesinos was sentenced to 9 years and 4 months in prison for abuse of authority .
The sentence also ordered Montesinos pay a fine of 3 million dollars as compensation to the State .
Anti-corruption judge Saul Pena stated Montesinos has admitted to the abuse of authority charge .
This is the first ruling of more than 50 charges against Montesinos which include corruption , drug trafficking , illegal arms deals and human rights violations .
Montesinos is alleged to run a network of bribes .
A leaked videotape showed Montesinos bribing a congressman to switch to the government party and triggered events that culminated in Fujimori 's resignation in November 2000 .
Fujimori is accused of dereliction of duty and embezzlement and has been in self-imposed exile in Japan since resigning to avoid the legal action from the Peruvian authorities under the protection of dual nationality .
Montesinos fled Peru in October 2000 but was captured in Venezuela on 23 June 2001 .
Montesinos heard the sentence at the Callao Naval Base where Montesinos has been imprisoned since 2001 .
Montesinos stated Montesinos would consult with a defense lawyer to appeal .
2002-07-25
Hong Kong ( HK )
International ; Government ; crime ; weapons ; narcotics
Hong Kong police making efforts to prevent triads or transnational criminal syndicates to engage in criminal activities
Recently , the Hong Kong police have smashed a transnational theft syndicate , a cross-boundary criminal syndicate and a local triad gang specializing in exploiting youngsters to commit various crimes .
The Oriental Daily News opined that the recent Hong Kong police efforts to cut down 5 of the so-called Triad branch leaders or district team leaders within a short 3-week period demonstrates the police 's determination to eradicate criminal activities .
The Hong Kong police recently has been working closely with the Guangdong Public Security Bureau for exchange of intelligence and has carried out a series of raids and operations .
During 020718-020724 the Hong Kong police cracked down on triad activities , including drug trafficking , illegal arms possession , theft , burglary and robbery , the selling of pirated and obscene recordings , dutiable cigarettes and trafficking in dangerous drugs .
On 020724 the police dispatched over 100 staff reportedly stormed a propitiation dance and wine party organized to settle some disputes by 2 triad groups at a disco nightclub in mongkok , Kowloon .
The police eventually arrested 3 branch leaders and 14 core Triad members .
Police sources confirmed to the Xinhua New Agency on 020725 that all 17 arrested are still being detailed for questioning .
Hong Kong police sources were quoted as saying that the success of the operation in netting all 17 was the result of the police 's effort to infiltrate into the relevant gangs here .
Police sources also intimated that more crackdowns by the Hong Kong Police on other Triad gangs will follow .
The Hong Kong police 's effort in fighting organized criminals involves actively cooperating with police on the Chinese mainland and in other regions .
The first so-called targeting Conference of the International Drug Enforcement Conference ( IDEC ) far east region was held in Hong Kong earlier in 020700 .
Hong Kong was chosen to host the event following the decision of the IDEC meeting held in Bolivia in 020200 .
Some 42 senior anti-narcotics officers from the Chinese mainland , Hong Kong , Australia , Indonesia , Japan , South Korea , Myanmar , the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand and the United States met .
The Hong Kong police 's internal news letter recently reported that the conference aimed to provide a flexible and forward-thinking environment for sharing information and taking positive action against the organized criminals of transnational drug trafficking .
The Hong Kong police 's exchange of intelligence with the police on the Chinese mainland has been particularly intense .
An 11-member delegation from mainland China 's National Narcotics Control Commission visited Hong Kong recently to study how the police here enforce their anti-narcotics laws .
The 11-person team was chaired by the Deputy Director of Bureau of narcotics control of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security Chen cunyi and was briefed by the Hong Kong Police as led by Hong Kong 's head of narcotics bureau Ip Lau Chuen on enforced actions carried out in Hong Kong .
The Hong Kong police and China 's National Narcotics Control Commission also exchanged mutual concerns and discussed a number of issues which included investigations to counter drug trafficking and money laundering activities .
The mainland party closed their visit after meeting with Hong Kong 's deputy assistant commissioner for crime Yam TAT wing and held discussions on a proposal to further cooperate in combating cross-boundary drug trafficking activities .
2002-07-25
Peru ( PE )
Narcotics ; crime ; military ; government
Peruvian military document discloses former intelligence head Montesinos ' links with drug trafficking
A document signed by a former high-ranking officer of the Peruvian army and disclosed on 020725 mentions links with drug trafficking and could further compromise the situation of the former head of the National Intelligence Service of Peru Vladimiro Montesinos .
A front-page story in Peru 's national daily El Comercio said Montesinos could have authorized the military leadership at Alto Huallaga to deal in drugs so as to find the leaders of the rebel group shinning path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement .
Alto Huallaga is located northeast of the capital Lima .
The story is based on the final report of the Attorney General ' s office .
The Attorney General ' s Office report collected an accusatory document handed over by an unnamed Peruvian army general .
El Comercio said that in 920000 the government of then-president Alberto Fujimori put into effect the intelligence operation Scorpion to fight terrorism and drug trafficking in the Amazon region .
As part of the SCORPION plan several agents infiltrated into the groups to gather information on the main rebel and drug-trafficking commanders .
There also were additional orders for transporting cocaine as a cover for the agents .
Montesinos was a close adviser to former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori .
Fujimori resigned in 001100 over a bribery scandal and is now imprisoned in Lima for alleged connection with the scandal .
2002-08-29
Nepal ( NP )
terrorism ; dissent ; military
Soldier injured during bomb defusion in Kathmandu after state of emergency expires .
A Kathmandu police officer reports --
1 soldier of the Royal Nepal Army was seriously injured on 29 August 2002 when a bomb disposal team attempted to defuse the bomb left at an electricity pole in okubahal near Sundhara in Lalitpur district in Kathmandu .
Anti-government insurgents are believed to have planted the bomb .
The injured soldier has been admitted to the army hospital in Kathmandu .
There is no report of any other damage or casualty in the incident .
This is the second bomb explosion in Kathmandu since the morning of 28 August 2002 when a bomb exploded at bishalbazar supermarket in the heart of the city .
The explosion damaged the windowpanes of approximately a dozen shops and injured 2 customers .
A state of emergency expired the evening of 28 August 2002 and the Nepali government has not yet decided to re-impose it .
2002-09-05
Nepal ( NP )
terrorism ; politics ; dissent
Anti-government insurgents in Nepal escalate bombings and murders following end of state of emergency .
Insurgents plan attacks during mid-term parliamentary elections .
20020828 a nine month long nationwide state of emergency in Nepal expired .
Violence by anti-government insurgents across Nepal has escalated and bomb threats and explosions have occurred throughout the country .
At least 5 major bomb incidents occurred in the Kathmandu Valley 20020828-20020904 .
20020828 a bomb exploded at a supermarket in the center of Kathmandu city , injuring 2 .
20020829 in Lalitpur district , Kathmandu valley 1 soldier was killed by a bomb .
After 20020829 2 separate bomb incidents occurred at the municipality in Lalitpur district and a shop in Kathmandu city .
20020904 a bomb exploded at the Kathmandu metropolitan office .
Outside the Kathmandu Valley anti-government guerrillas have murdered many activists from the ruling Nepali Congress party and others and burned or bombed several buildings .
An underground insurgent leader stated in an interview with the English language daily newspaper The Kathmandu Post that insurgents would comprehensively and violently disrupt mid-term parliamentary elections on 20021113 .
20020829 the British Embassy to Nepal warned British nationals of increasing anti-government offensives and advised them to avoid areas cordoned off by Nepali security personnel .
The embassy stated that intelligence assessments suggest that anti-government guerrillas may be preparing an urban campaign to complement their rural activities .
The US State Department stated that after recent bombings US citizens and interests are at heightened risk from anti-government insurgents in Nepal , particularly outside the Kathmandu Valley .
20020903 the US State Department publicly stated that anti-government insurgents plan new violence before the general strike declared for 20020916 .
The Nepali government is considering re-imposition of the state of emergency to maintain law and order .
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba stated that Deuba would consult with concerned persons and political parties on the possible extension of the state of emergency .
Due to the tension Deuba aborted a planned trip to Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development and returned immediately to Nepal after a nine-day visit to Europe .
20011126 the Nepali government imposed a stated of emergency when anti-government guerrillas unilaterally defied 4 month long cease-fire negotiations with the Government and attacked army barracks and police posts .
2002-10-19
Nepal ( NP )
terrorism ; dissent
Several policemen killed and wounded by guerrillas in Nepal following a breakdown in peace talks between guerrillas and the Nepali government .
State-run Radio Nepal reported on 20 October 2002 that at least 3 policemen were killed and 19 others wounded the evening of 19 October 2002 when their vehicle was ambushed by anti-government guerrillas in western Nepal .
Radio Nepal quoted a security official as stating --
3 police personnel including an inspector and a sub-inspector were killed when 2 police vehicles were moving towards Tikapur area in Kailali district in search of the guerrillas .
The policemen killed and wounded were all in the first vehicle .
The driver of the vehicle was also killed in the ambush .
5 police personnel are still missing .
The wounded police personnel were brought to Kathmandu and Nepalgunj for treatment and additional security personnel were mobilized in the area to defend against the guerrillas .
Anti-government insurgents have increased their violent activities across the Himalayan kingdom since the 9-month-long nationwide state of emergency expired at the end of August 2002 .
The Nepali government initiated peace talks with the guerrillas in August 2001 in order to find a peaceful solution to the guerrilla insurgency that has killed more than 5000 people including policemen , guerrilla members and civilians since it began in the Himalayan kingdom in 1996 .
The 3 rounds of talks held were inconclusive as the guerrillas demanded the establishment of a republican State , an interim government and a new constitution , which the Nepali government rejected .
More than 3700 guerrillas and hundreds of security personnel have been killed since the Nepali government imposed the state of emergency on 26 November 2001 following a series of attacks by the guerrillas on government security forces after the guerrillas broke 4-month-long cease-fire talks with the government on 23 November 2001 .
2002-11-23
China ( CN ) ; Russian Federation ( RU ) ; Kazakhstan ( KZ ) ; Kyrgyzstan ( KG ) ; Tajikistan ( TJ ) ; Uzbekistan ( UZ )
International ; terrorism ; politics
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan reports that the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will proceed with the construction of the SCO and begin anti-terrorism discussions at a meeting in Moscow on 23 November 2002 .
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan stated on 23 November 2002 that the member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ( SCO ) have progressed in the construction of the Organization and the cooperation among member nations .
Tang and 5 foreign ministers from Russia , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will meet in Moscow on 23 November 2002 for discussions of the SCO 's construction and a series of international and regional issues .
Tang stated that mechanism construction is the current focus for SCO and that preparation work for creating a secretariat had entered a key stage under the joint efforts of coordinators and experts from the 6 countries .
Tang also stated the Chinese government seeks to complete the drafting of relevant documents before next year 's SCO summit and to attempt to officially open the secretariat after the summit .
Tang stated the SCO still faces a very stern anti-terrorism fight and cited the October 2002 hostage crisis in Moscow .
Tang stated the fact that the terrorist attack in Moscow was masterminded by national separatists and regional extremists demonstrated the necessity and correctness of efforts in reducing the 3-forces of terrorism , separatism and extremism .
Tang stated that all SCO members should deepen and expand security cooperation by adopting deals on jointly fighting against the 3-forces and terrorist organizations and by creating a regional anti-terrorist organization in Kyrgyz capital Bishkek as soon as possible .
Tang stated that the Chinese government appreciated and supported some Central Asian countries ' proposals on enhancing anti-drug cooperation .
Tang stated that the Chinese Government signed multilateral anti-drug cooperation pact .
Tang stated anti-drug measures as one of the top tasks of regional anti-terrorist organizations .
Tang stated that economic cooperation is a key area for cooperation between the SCO members , stating --
To gain substantial benefits from economic and trade cooperation , all Member States should strengthen political common sense over economic and trade cooperation and regard economic and trade cooperation as a strategic problem that could affect regional security and the SCO 's development .
Tang also referenced a volatile world situation and stated that the common and pressing task of all SCO members is to manage threats from untraditional security spheres including terrorism , drug trafficking , weapons smuggle , transnational monetary crimes .
Tang stated that peace and development still dominate the current age as the general situation of the world is stable and the economy is developing forward in waves .
Tang stated that the international community was watching the organization closely as more countries and international organizations were willing to conduct dialogues and cooperation with the SCO .
Tang stated that the SCO should further enhance the exchange and cooperation with other parties through wider visibility and a more positive post , which may not only strengthen SCO 's international influence but also reflect SCO 's principles of no-alignment , not-against-a-third-party and opening-up .
Tang stated that the SCO will pass a temporary pact on SCO 's foreign policies at the meeting on 23 November 2002 .
Tang stated that the pact will officially start the SCO 's exchange activities with other organizations and promote the Shanghai-spirit of mutual trust and benefit , equality , cooperation , multicultural respect and the search for common development .
2002-12-28
Iraq ( IQ )
International ; proliferation ; weapons
On December 28 , 2002 United Nations inspectors searched 7 Iraqi sites for banned weapons .
United Nations arms inspectors on December 28 , 2002 visited 7 sites in Iraq in order to search for prohibited weapons of mass destruction according to spokesman Hiro Ueki .
A team of biological experts from the United Nations Monitoring , Verification and Inspection Commission visited the Yaffa juice plant of the National Food Industries Co. in Baghdad 's zafaraniyah industrial area .
The Yaffa juice plant is self-financed , has a mixed ownership and is a previously declared and monitored site due to the presence of some dual-use equipment .
A biological team returned to the Al Kindi veterinary vaccines site as a follow-up to the previous inspection carried out on December 22 , 2002 .
Some United Nations Monitoring , Verification and Inspection Commission missile experts conducted an unannounced visit to the Al qaib warhead-filling factory in the Al Qa Qaa complex which undertakes filling of warheads of Al Samoud and Al Fatah missiles .
A United Nations Monitoring , Verification and Inspection Commission chemical team with support from the missile and biological teams inspected the Ibn Younis center , which was a mechanical design establishment in Baghdad .
The site was located within a large compound occupied by other companies and institutions including a regional office of the ruling bath Party and the whole compound was inspected by the United Nations arms experts according to Hiro Ueki .
On December 28 , 2002 other inspectors carried out field operations separately in the Hadre Air Force munitions test site near Mosul which is about 400 kilometers north of Baghdad and two private trading companies .
Currently there are 105 inspectors in Iraq , 99 of whom are from the United Nations Monitoring , Verification and Inspection Commission and six from the International Atomic Energy Agency .
The inspectors must give a first report to the United Nations Security Council about Iraq 's weapons programs by January 27 , 2003 .
2003-04-28
France ( FR ) ; India ( IN )
International ; weapons ; military ; money ; Government ; technology
France and India will sign an estimated 2 billion US dollar deal for manufacture in India under licensed production of 6 advanced diesel-propelled Scorpene submarines .
French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie conducted security dialogue with Indian leaders about the deal .
On 28 April 2003 France offered India long-term military cooperation on joint development , technology transfer and sale of high-tech weapons systems .
France and India will sign an estimated 2 billion US dollar deal for manufacture in India under licensed production of 6 advanced diesel-propelled Scorpene submarines .
French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie conducted security dialogue with Indian leaders .
Alliot-Marie stated that --
International cooperation is necessary especially after the recent war in Iraq .
France wants to deepen the intensity of its defense relations with India .
France will upgrade the weapon systems that France sold to India and maintain them at optimal operational use .
France offered the sale of its upgraded Mirage 2002-5 to India along with technology transfer and thermal imagers for India 's Russia-made T-72 and T-90 tanks and angular determination system for artillery .
France agreed to --
string high-intensity mines on the line of control in Kashmir .
check cross-border terrorism .
upgrade fire control systems of Indian tanks .
Before delegation-level talks on 28 April 2003 Alliot-Marie had a 1-to-1 meeting with Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes .
Alliot-Marie arrived on Sunday .
2003-06-24
France ( FR )
International ; Government ; dissent ; crime ; terrorism ; leader
The French foreign minister characterizes recent raids on People 's Mujahedeen in Paris as part of fight on terrorism .
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said on 030624 that the French Government considers the crackdown of the Iranian armed opposition group the People 's Mujahedeen as part of the operations against terrorism .
At French radio France Info de Villepin said that the People 's Mujahedeen Organization has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in Iran and said that this dimension of terrorism can not be hidden .
De Villepin said that the arrests were a decision of justice and that there is no diplomatic factor in this affair .
De Villepin said the French had acted strictly on the basis of justice and with the determination to make all efforts to fight terrorism .
The headquarters of the People 's Mujahedeen in northwest Paris was raided by the French police 030622 .
The People 's Mujahedeen accused the French authorities of carrying out the operation as part of a deal with the Iranian government .
This claim the Iranian government has denied .
17 Mujahedeen members are now under judicial investigation for alleged links to a terrorist organization and for funding terrorist activities .
Some 160 people were initially detained in the police crackdown of over 10 of the People 's Mujahedeen 's locations in France .
A Paris map with streets related to the United States Embassy marked out , bulletproof jackets , transmission equipment , more than 200 computers and about 9 million US dollars in cash were seized during the police raids .
The People 's Mujahedeen has been classified by the United States , the European Union and Iran as a terrorist organization .
The People 's Mujahedeen was formed in the 1960s by college-educated young Iranians and was described as an Islamic leftist Organization .
The People 's Mujahedeen staged terrorist attacks inside Iran in the 1970s and killed several US military personnel and civilians working on defense projects in Teheran .
The People 's Mujahedeen was part of the broad coalition that initially supported the Iranian Revolution and participated in the takeover in 790000 of the US embassy in Teheran .
The People 's Mujahedeen fell out with the Government and has built military bases in Iraq and political bases in Europe since the 1980s .
The People 's Mujahedeen in recent years claimed responsibility for the assassination of several persons in the Iranian regime .
These assassinations include that of the Teheran Evin prison 's former director assodalah Ladjevardi in August 980800 and of former Commandant in chief of the Iranian army General Ali Sayad Chirazi in 990400 .
2003-07-09
Australia ( AU )
International ; weapons ; Government ; leader
Despite pressure from the United States and the creation of the Proliferation Security Initiative , Australian Prime Minister John Howard is hesitant to use military force to intercept suspected drug - or weapon-smuggling vessels belonging to the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea .
Australian Government is hesitating at using Australian military to intercept the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea ( DPRK ) ' s vessels suspected of trafficking weapons or drugs .
Australian Prime Minister John Howard was quoted on 9 July 2003 by the Australian Associated Press as stating that the Australian government is not at this stage considering military contributions .
Howard stated the Australian government is considering ways and means of dealing with a very big problem and the Australian Government must choose descriptors and words sensibly because the Australian government is dealing with a volatile issue and a country that is not operating according to Convention .
Howard referenced future talks with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Roh Woo-hyun on the issue when Howard visits the region during the week of 14 July 2003 .
American government has recently formed a proliferation security initiative that consists of 11 members .
The Proliferation Security Initiative started a meeting 9 July 2003 in Brisbane .
Members of the Proliferation Security Initiative are considering ways of intercepting ships or aircraft suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction .
The American government has reportedly suggested the Australian military could be involved in stopping nations from transporting weapons both on the high seas and through Australian territorial waters .
2003-11-07
South Africa ( ZA ) ; Brazil ( BR ) ; India ( IN )
International ; politics
Brazilian President Lula da Silva arrived in Pretoria , South Africa on 031107 for bilateral political and economic discussions with South African President Thabo Mbeki scheduled for 031108 .
The South African Press Association reported on 031108 that the Brazilian President Lula da Silva arrived in Pretoria , South Africa on the evening of 031107 for bilateral political and economic discussions scheduled for the morning of 031108 with South African President Thabo Mbeki .
The discussions will be held in Pretoria , South Africa .
South African foreign affairs spokeswoman manusha Pillay stated that Lula da Silva 's aircraft landed at Waterkloof Air Force base shortly after 1730 Greenwich Mean Time .
Lula da Silva 's visit to South Africa follows the second meeting of the South Africa-Brazil Joint Commission held in Pretoria in 030500 .
The Joint Commission was jointly chaired by South African Foreign Minister Dlamini-Zuma and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim .
Dlamini-Zuma participated in the Brazil-Africa Forum in Fortaleza , Brazil , in 030600 .
The South African Foreign Affairs Department stated that The historic and strategic India-Brazil-South Africa agreement which resulted from the Brazil-Africa Forum had outlined plans for trilateral political and economic cooperation between India , Brazil and South Africa .
India , Brazil and South Africa formed part of a group at recent World Trade Organization negotiations , which advocated support for the development agenda of under-developed countries .
The South African Foreign Affairs Department stated that relations between South Africa and Brazil were strategic in the sense that Brazil had the largest population of people of African origin outside the continent of Africa .
The South African Foreign Affairs Department stated that South Africa and Brazil shared opinions on a variety of global issues including the importance of multi-lateralism and the expansion of the United Nations Security Council .
Discussions between Lula da Silva and Thabo Mbeki would also address new threats to international security such as terrorism , drugs , illegal weapons trafficking and AIDS .
The South African Foreign Affairs Department stated that Brazil is South Africa 's largest trading partner in Latin America .
Trade between Brazil and South Africa totaled 696 million United States dollars in 020000 and 296 million United States dollars more in the trade balance going to Brazil .
The South African Foreign Affairs Department stated that the South African delegation is to brief the Brazilians on progress with the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa ' s development .
2004-04-03
Russia ( RU )
International ; Government ; technology ; military ; space ; leader
French President Jacques Chirac became the first Western leader to visit the top-secret Russian Titov test and control space center in Krasnoznamernsk
On 040403 visiting French President Jacques Chirac became the first Western leader to visit the top-secret Russian Titov test and control space center .
Chirac flew into Krasnoznamernsk for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the space center .
Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov greeted Chirac at the space center some 40 km southwest of Moscow in Krasnoznamernsk .
The closed Soviet-era military facility was founded in 570000 and collects and analyzes all information gathered from Russia 's military spy satellites .
The space center is also involved in launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and is working on a plan to develop defensive early warning systems .
Putin held two-hour meeting with Chirac .
Russian Space Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin reported to Chirac and Putin and said it is one of Russia 's priorities to expand space cooperation with France .
France is a leader in the European Space Agency .
Chirac 's visit has come while the Russian Government has displayed uneasiness about NATO 's latest expansion to the Russian borders and the European Union 's imminent enlargement within the former Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe .
At the press conference following the meeting Putin said that Russia 's activities in defending national security are non-aggressive and not targeted against anyone .
The Titov space center is a military facility and is run by Russian space forces and operates under tight security .
Putin said Chirac 's visit there indicated that Russia is developing the most advanced systems of weapons but finds it possible to acquaint its French partners with these projects .
Putin stressed that this points to Russia 's transparency and openness in security matters .
2004-04-07
Philippines ( PH )
International ; terrorism ; media
Philippine Immigrations Bureau 's record showed that two high-profiled terrorist suspects had most likely been staying in the Philippines .
ABS-CBN news channel reported on April 7 , 2004 that the Philippine Immigrations Bureau 's record showed that at least 2 high-profiled terrorist suspects had most likely been staying in the country .
ABS-CBN News Channel stated that one of the two suspects was identified as Isamudin Raduan Hambali .
Hambali was allegedly the mastermind of the Bali bombings in 2002 .
The Philippine Immigrations Bureau record showed Hambali was allowed to enter and leave the Philippines in 2001 .
Hambali was blacklisted as the most wanted terrorist in Asia .
Hambali was arrested in Thailand in February 2004 and in 2007 .
The Immigrations Bureau stated that they only recently received intelligence reports on Hambali 's record in the country .
According to the records Osama bin Laden 's brother Sheik Mohammed Khalid has been able to travel in and out of the country a number of times .
Sheik Mohammed Khalid is allegedly funding terrorist networks in the Philippines .
The military and police have been placed on high alert for the holy week starting April 5 , 2004 .
6 Abu Sayyaf suspects were captured last week in separate raids in Metro Manila .
The suspects ' plot to launch terrorist attacks allegedly as devastating as the Madrid bombings in Spain was foiled .
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said in a statement on April 7 , 2004 that the government is closely watching foreigners in the country who may have taught the local rebels and terrorists to make bombs or have laundered money from the al-Qaeda terrorist group .
ABS-CBN news channel is a local television station in Manila .
2004-04-29
China ( CN ) ; Germany ( DE )
International ; Government ; technology ; politics ; economy
Chinese premier discusses plans for broad cooperation with important trade partner Germany ahead of European visit .
Wen states that the main purpose of the Germany visit is to advance trade , economic and technological exchanges .
In an interview with Dieter stolte on 29 April 2004 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stated that the governments of China and Germany should establish solid cooperation , enhance consultations on major international issues and further strengthen trade and technological exchanges .
Wen was interviewed before his imminent visit to Europe by the publisher of Die Welt .
Wen is scheduled to visit 5 European nations including Germany starting 2 May 2004 .
Wen stated that the Chinese people are familiar with Germany particularly due to the profound influence of Karl Marx on China 's revolution and economic construction .
Wen stated that many world-renowned thinkers , writers , philosophers and artists are German .
Wen stated that forerunner of German classic philosophy Gottfried leibnitz called China 's Confucian thought an influence on the Enlightenment movement in 18th century Germany .
Wen stated that the purpose of his visit to Germany is to advance trade , economic and technological exchanges .
The governments of China and Germany are expected to further increase cooperation in this regard .
Wen spoke of his brief visit to Frankfurt during a tour of Nordic nations in 1988 and stated that the friendship between China and Germany is sincere , active and fruitful .
Wen pledged to establish a development goal for Sino-German relations stating that mutual trust constitutes the foundation of bilateral relations .
Wen stated that trade between China and Germany has amounted to 41.8 billion U.S. dollars totaling one-third of China-Europe trade volume .
Wen stated that both China-German and China-Europe trade are expected to double by 2010 .
Wen stated that the governments of China and Germany plan close cooperation in high-tech research and development and among medium and small-sized enterprises .
Wen stated that it is important to create channels for settling trade disputes between the 2 countries and that China and Germany should address each other 's concerns .
China considers Germany the most important trade partner of Europe .
To support this statement Wen cited that 600 of the 7000 Chinese enterprises that invest internationally are in Germany .
Wen stated that the Government of China will support enterprises which invest in Germany with loans , insurance , foreign exchange , finance and investment .
Chinese investment in Germany is much less than German investment in China since China has only recently started investing in this respect .
Wen stated that German investment projects in China have exceeded 3500 with total investment near 10 billion U.S. dollars .
Some German firms such as Volkswagen , Siemens and Daimler-Chrysler have a reputation for high quality and efficiency .
Wen stated that Chinese enterprises can make progress and learn modern management by cooperating with German partners .
Wen stated that Germany is China 's closest European partner in technology transfer .
Wen stated that China considers Sino-EU relations a crucial part of China 's diplomatic strategy and that China and Europe developed a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2003 .
Wen stated that he was optimistic that the EU would lift the arms embargo on China soon and would give China market economy status .
Wen stated that the arms embargo is an outdated result of the cold war .
Wen stated that China is deeply concerned with the current situation in Iraq and is sympathetic to the Iraqi people .
Wen stated that China and Europe have similar positions on the issue of Iraq 's reconstruction .
Wen stated that the United Nations should play a dominant role in the process of Iraq 's reconstruction and that every country should participate .
Wen stated that China is willing to participate in Iraq 's reconstruction process .
Wen stated that it is easy to win a war but much more difficult to win peace .
Wen stated that he is deeply worried about the increasing tension between Palestine and Israel and that the Chinese government hopes the disputes between the 2 countries can be resolved through political negotiation so that the countries can peacefully share land .
With regard to the situation in Palestine and Israel Wen stated that relevant UN resolutions must be implemented .
Wen stated that the Chinese government supports plans for peace in the Middle East and remains firmly opposed to violent retaliation .
When asked to comment on how to temper China 's rapidly growing economy and how to realize balanced growth Wen stated that the Chinese economy is very healthy in general with fast growth , increasing corporate profits , improving agricultural production , expanding foreign trade volume and rapidly growing fiscal revenue and individual incomes .
In order to restrict the excessive fixed asset construction that caused a rise in capital good prices and strained the supply of coal , electricity , oil and transportation , the Chinese government will increase its macro economic control and employ all necessary administrative methods .
Wen stated that the Chinese government will control the loan and land supply and will advance reform in the structural and systematic causes of current economic problems .
With regard to the issue of social balance Wen stated that China 's new leadership has begun to resolve problems of coordination between urban and rural development and between different regions and has focused on balancing economic growth with social progress , domestic construction with external works , and development with respect for nature .
When asked to comment on German Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder 's promise to support sale of nuclear fuel from Hanau to China Wen stated that cooperation between China and Germany in this field is exclusively for peaceful utilization of nuclear energy with equality and mutual benefits .
2004-09-22
China ( CN ) ; Kyrgyzstan ( KG )
International ; Government ; crime ; dissent ; terrorism
China and Kyrgyzstan pledge to make joint efforts to crack down on terrorism and other threats to regional and global security .
China and Kyrgyzstan agreed in a joint communique that terrorism , separatism and extremism still pose major threats to regional security and stability .
The communique was signed by visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Kyrgyz counterpart Nikolai Tanayev on 040922 .
The communique said China and Kyrgyzstan will strengthen coordination and cooperation among the relevant authorities in accordance with the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism , separatism and extremism and the China-Kyrgyzstan Agreement on cooperation in combating terrorism , separatism and extremism .
The communique added that China and Kyrgyzstan will continue to adopt strong measures within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ( SCO ) in jointly fighting all forms of terrorism in order to maintain peace and tranquillity in China and Kyrgyzstan and in the region as a whole .
China and Kyrgyzstan agree that the crackdown on the terrorist force of Eastern Turkistan is a major part of the international anti-terrorism campaign .
The so-called Eastern Turkistan terrorist group comprises a number of secession-minded terrorist cells .
The communique said that China and Kyrgyzstan agree to promote consultations and cooperation on issues of common concern within the framework of the United Nations and other international organizations .
China and Kyrgyzstan said in the communique that peace , stability and a just and rational world political and economic order should be established on the basis of the UN Charter and norms and principles of international law .
China and Kyrgyzstan also agree that international disputes should be solved by peaceful means and the United Nations should play a leading role in safeguarding peace and security in the world and efforts should be made to diversify modes of development .
China and Kyrgyzstan further agree in the communique that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 's purposes and principles conform to reality and the development trend and the SCO 's activities are conducive to regional peace and stability .
The communique said China and Kyrgyzstan are willing to work together with other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and take effective measures in fighting terrorism , separatism , extremism , drug trafficking , illegal immigration and cross-border crimes .
The communique said China and Kyrgyzstan are also ready to expand cooperation in economy and other fields with other SCO members , promote the relations between the SCO and other countries and international organizations , and strengthen the SCO 's role in maintaining regional and global peace and development .
2004-10-09
Viet Nam ( VN ) ; Germany ( DE )
International ; Government ; technology ; politics ; economy ; money ; leader
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder attended meetings with Vietnamese government leaders after the 5th Asia-Europe Meeting summit in Hanoi .
German and Vietnamese officials signed 5 documents on financial , technical and business cooperation totaling over 260 million dollars .
Media reports stated on 10 October 2004 that Vietnamese and German officials have pledged to further Vietnamese and German relations in such fields as investment , trade and technology and to support each other in the United Nations ( UN ) .
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder attended the 5th Asia-Europe Meeting summit in Hanoi on 8 October 2004 and 9 October 2004 .
During separate talks and meetings with Schroeder held on 9 October 2004 Vietnamese leaders stated that the Vietnamese government supports the German government 's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and wants to strengthen Vietnamese relations with Germany .
Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai stated that the visit by Schroeder is important to the Vietnam-German relationship and the closer cooperation between the 2 continents .
Vietnamese and German officials signed 5 documents on financial , technical and business cooperation totaling over 260 million US dollars .
The documents cover financial cooperation for 2 stages in the 2003-2005 period and the purchase of 16 locomotives for the Vietnam Railway Corporation and equipment for a local cement plant .
Vietnamese State President Tran Duc Luong stated in a meeting with Schroeder that the Vietnamese Government would like to receive more technology transfer and experience from Germany and that Vietnam is developing under the industrialization process .
Schroeder stated that German officials attach great importance to Vietnam in an attempt to strengthen bilateral ties .
The German Government supports the Vietnamese government 's bid for a non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council in the 2008-2009 term and encourages small - and medium-sized German enterprises to do business with Vietnam .
The German government offered the Vietnamese government official development assistance worth more than 480 million dollars in the 1990-2003 period primarily for poverty reduction , agriculture development , healthcare and economic reforms .
The Vietnam-Germany trade volume rose 7.7 percent in 2003 to reach 1.4 billion dollars , of which 815.4 million dollars came from Vietnamese exports .
2004-12-19
Hong Kong ( HK ) ; China ( CN )
technology ; international
Hong Kong universities collaborate with universities , businesses and government sectors of mainland China to coordinate training programs and research centers to promote high-tech research , commercialization , and technology transfer .
In 2004 Hong Kong tertiary institutes actively contributed to improved relations between Hong Kong and mainland China in the research and development of high technology .
Hong Kong universities have collaborated with tertiary education , business and government sectors of mainland China to direct training programs and research centers to promote research commercialization and technology transfer .
In June 2004 Hong Kong Polytechnic University ( PolyU ) joined national university science and technology park of the Virtual University Park in Shenzhen , China becoming the first tertiary institution of Hong Kong to establish research centers and training facilities in mainland China .
President of PolyU Poon Chung-kwong stated that both public and private sectors in Hong Kong are strengthening connections with mainland China in various areas .
Poon stated that cooperation between Hong Kong and mainland China will facilitate universities to more effectively promote technology transfer and human resources development in the mainland creating positive results for both Hong Kong and China .
City University of Hong Kong ( CityU ) and the University of Science and Technology of China ( USTC ) in Anhui province signed an agreement in June to jointly establish a high level joint research center in Suzhou .
The University of Science and Technology of China is a university established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences ( CAS ) .
The agreement is based on the principle of mutually beneficial collaboration in which both universities complement each other 's strengths in working together on joint research projects , supervision and teaching of research students and in administering professional training opportunities .
In addition to partnering with education institutes Hong Kong universities have also joined large-scale high technology exchange programs in mainland China in order to enhance communication between the mainland and Hong Kong in the discipline .
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ( HKUST ) demonstrated its latest achievements in research and development at the 6th annual China Hi-Tech Fair ( CHTF ) held in Shenzhen in October 2004 .
HKUST demonstrated more than 30 new technologies and products covering a wide range of technologies including nanotechnology , multimedia , logistics and RFID technology , advanced manufacturing , and biotechnology .
HKUST also collaborated with a prominent mainland manufacturer on the development of a nanomaterial-based high-capacity lithium battery .
This collaboration is the most recent in a series of successful technology transfer agreements reached by HKUST .
HKUST President Paul Ching-Wu Chu stated --
HKUST is increasing funding to research new technologies required by industry in the Pearl River Delta .
The University will continue to leverage its extensive relationships with international research institutions and multi-national corporations to enhance the development of advanced technologies which can find immediate practical application in China .
Resolutely support the thread starter ! I compose a poem in reply :
Pledge to fight to the death defending the Diaoyu Islands and the related islands
Fleets bumping fishing boats . Little evil Japanese ghosts stirring up trouble and unrest . With hearts of thieves and arrogant form , they again show their wolfish appearance
Never go back to that time , our humiliating appearance when signing the treaties . China be strong , swords be sharp and knives be shining , let 's bury the approaching enemies !
September 11th , 2010
I agree with the analysis of the thread starter , resolutely bump up . If war really comes , I would like to be Hua Mulan , to protect our home and defend our homeland , to spread the prestige of our China , to pledge to fight to the death defending our national dignity .
I very much wish I had been born in those passionate and upsurging times of Mao Zedong , the Long March , losing my head and shedding my blood , completely extinguishing all the enemies that wrong China , spreading our dragon prestige !
How Long are We Going to Tolerate Japan ?
My fellow citizens :
Hello , everyone ! We all know the " September 18th " Incident , but now Japan again has a premeditated plan for another " September 18th " on the sea , another " Lugou Bridge on the sea " .
Japan surprisingly defied the strong condemnation of the whole world , openly invaded our country 's sacred territory , " the Diaoyu Islands " .
As we all know , the " Diaoyu Islands " have always belonged to China ; due to historical reasons , what originally belongs us has become controversial .
My fellow citizens , ours is ours , what need is there to negotiate ! Japan thus goes even further - wants to create a fact of occupation . Can we allow this ? No - absolutely not !
My fellow citizens , Japan 's militarism has brought the people of Asia grave disasters .
Especially China suffered the ravages of Japan for as long as several decades .
In the Northeast , Japanese Unit 731 cruelly conducted human body experiments on living people of China , Korea and other countries , the method of which were extremely brutal ; the Nanjing Massacre added a layer of blood to the ancient capital which will never fade away ; the big bloody battles at Hengyang and Changsha laid bare the bones of the dead over a thousand kilometers and killed off everything ...
My fellow citizens , of the heinous crimes committed by Japan in China , there are too many instances to cite , difficult to record without exhausting all bamboo strips .
It 's just as if those ten million deceased souls who lost their lives are wandering over the Pacific Ocean , finding it difficult to rest in peace .
All the people who experienced that era must still remember it vividly ; even our younger generations also will cry with tears streaming down our cheeks , and our blood boils with indignation , whenever we turn to this page of history and read !
Now Japan actually wants to reverse the verdict on the history of its aggression - fellow citizens , fellow Chinese in Asia , wake up !
Although it is painful to look back at these hundred years of shame , we must go face it ; although historical issues have not been resolved , let us create and choose history !
Since there is responsibility , we are not afraid . The territory is small , but it is related to the matter of dignity ; no matter how the winds and clouds changes , the interests of the country and national unity are the guarantee of honor ; even though scarred with wounds , we can not let our native lands be separated !
My fellow citizens , for the Chinese nation , the advent of the twenty-first century means a time when we are beset with difficulties inside while being pressed from outside , and we will face many challenges .
The Taiwan issue , the Tibet issue , the South China Sea issue , the surrounding environment , as well as the foreign forces which are aggressive to China - which way should we go ?
What to do , fellow citizens ? Please take a look at the map of the world , that crescent-shaped encirclement is suppressing our breathing , strangling our development , and coveting our national territory .
We do not want to make enemies , but are never afraid of enemies ; we do not want war , but are never afraid of war .
We must urgently arrange arms , strengthen all military forces on land , on sea , and in the air .
Over thousands of years , the Chinese nation has flourished several times , but before it has never had ambition to expand its territory outward .
Not imposing on others what we do n't want ourselves , what we follow is a foreign security strategic philosophy which applies benevolence and virtue .
The tolerance and liberalness of a country are like those of an individual - we avoid hurting others , but must insist on not being hurt ourselves .
Tolerance is certainly not fear , and sincerity does not have to be cowardice .
China exempting Japan from war reparations for World War II was in service of peace , benevolent peace .
My fellow citizens , the People 's Heroes Monument is a condensed history of the Chinese nation striving for continuous self-improvement
The solemn and magnificent posture represents a sacred expectation for peace .
The thought-strings of my memory have been agitated from time to time - many heroic , stirring , and tragic scenes of shining spears and armored horses spring up in my mind .
My thoughts go through those yellowing pages of history , as if I saw Emperor Kangxi , the famous ruler of a generation , contemplating alone about how to achieve unification of the territory in his audience hall , hundreds of years ago ; also as if I saw Abraham Lincoln , former U.S. President , wandering alone in the dark of a great hall , thinking about the integrity of the Union .
" Although it is peaceful throughout the world , it is certainly dangerous to forget war ! " My fellow citizens , we want development and peace , but we must never exercise forbearance blindly . The " Boxer Protocol " of national betrayal and humiliation has aggravated China 's poverty and backwardness in modern time - falling behind will lead to being bullied .
Without strength , where does peace come from !
We must focus on national defense education , build up a Great Wall in the hearts of 1.3 billion people , and must establish the full range of a national defense system having the ability to both attack and defend ;
The best defense is to attack - we should strengthen forces which can engage in ultra-long-range attack , improve combat capability throughout all of aerospace , of great depth , and over great distances . On the premise of avoiding influence on national economic development , increase investment and construction of the defense industry , accelerate modernization and internationalization of military equipment , and establish a high-quality , high-tech elite division .
The battle horn is about to sound , the people are already fully equipped and ready to go .
Without the people 's support we will accomplish nothing ; with the support of the people , we will be all-powerful .
My fellow citizens , it is time for us to say " no " to others . Therefore , we must achieve :
1 . Establish guaranteed funds , improve working environment and mechanisms , recruit back to China the hundreds of thousands of IT professionals who have emigrated to and linger in the United States and around the world .
2 . Create a few nuclear-powered aircraft carrier battle groups .
3 . Manufacture 5000 advanced combat aircraft of various kinds .
4 . Accelerate the research and deployment of high-speed intercontinental ballistic missiles which can break missile defense systems and whose range is more than 10,000 nautical miles .
5 . Resume nuclear experiments , and establish military forces in space .
6 . Retain 1000 nuclear bombs equivalent to ten million tons of TNT , and when necessary , install nuclear warheads on all short - and middle-range missiles .
7 . Retain 30 strategic nuclear submarines with the ability to inflict three devastating nuclear strikes against enemies .
8 . Abandon the commitment to not use nuclear weapons first .
9 . Retain the right of pre-emptive strike when national security is threatened .
My fellow citizens , only if we have self-confidence and self-improvement , can we strive to be strong . Qin Shi Huang unified China . Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan . In our responsibilities we must carry on the farsightedness , insight , and strong will of our predecessors .
Now , that piece of land trembling far away from the embrace of the motherland is shaking , moaning , and calling . Fellow citizens , let us carry forward the unfulfilled wishes of previous generals , moving forward courageously !
When reading over history , the heaviness and anger in my heart simmer into concern for the nation . Although I was born to cloth gown and am one of the common people , for the prosperity of the motherland , for the motherland being splendid once again , I am willing to voluntarily serve our country , and I will have no regrets even if I die ! My sincere patriotic heart is adequate to show to heaven !
Here , I 've composed a poem in classical ci form , to voice the aspirations of my heart .
Paint the deep red lips
Protect the Diaoyu Islands
Bitterly lost our Ryukyu Islands
How can we allow the Diaoyu Islands to fall to other countries
One hundred years of vicissitudes
Smoke and clouds chase the flying waves
Youngest brother is still a tender youth
Wandering in all directions , bearing a seal
Looking over to the flag
Brandish our weapons and cross to the east
Let the horses drink from the Pacific Ocean
June , 26th , 2002
Other articles : " A book for Taiwan compatriots-I have a dream " , " The necessity for building memorials museums or temples for Chinese national heroes " , " How long will we tolerate it " , " China is expecting the Olympics , but would never beg for the Olympics " , " If we forget the hardship of history , there will be more history of hardship " , " I am Chinese " , " There is only one Chinese nation , there is only one Chinese culture " , " With the over-development of sports , the state may decline " , " ' Wealthy country , strong people ' or ' wealthy officials , poor people " ? " , " Disgusting Ren Zhiqiang , shut your filthy mouth " , " Hateful housing prices ! Pitiable people ! " , " Google , you have no right to make irresponsible remarks to China " , " How long will we tolerate the US " , " Japan deserved the bombing-strongly oppose Ban Ki-moon presenting a bouquet in Hiroshima " , " Be strong , my brothers and sisters " , " Do we need low-level entertainment stars , or talents in technological innovation ? " , " Contemporary garbage writer , shameless Li Yinhe , please let the children off the hook "
Why do n't we fight with little Japan ?
What do Chinese still tolerate ...
They are riding even on our head
Is this still what Chinese with guts do ?
We should tell the whole world , that Chinese ca n't be bullied at will by others ...
It is time to show our strength ! China has been calm for too long !
Currently our citizens ' lives are all too carefree ! The officials are too extravagant .
Now we already have no cohesion ! China needs to start a war ! A harsh slap in the face of the countries which follow the United States ' rear !
Let them know that the US is not a panacea ! If we win , it may increase China 's influence ! and improve the cohesion of the citizenry ! If we lose , we can clean out those incompetent bureaucrats , and make those trash get out ! Let China have new blood and get updated . , Get up , China !
Go , China , go
I suggest that China strengthens the guard on the Diaoyu Islands , make it daily , protect the fishermen and the sovereignty of our country ; if Japan dares to invade our territory with military force , we will fight a small-scale war of self-defense , regardless of the cost . China can not lose !
We need shows in life , but it is really p. to show yourself within someone 's embrace .
I 'm just passing by
The whole society is like this , not to mention the stars
Damn it being not sexy
It 's totally unacceptable
Agree , just cheap entertainers . Their reputation in feudal China somewhat makes sense .
Their life looks glorious
a group of people of nine professions
Life is hard .
: shocked :
That 's normal , it has always been the case that a whore is heartless and a performer is unrighteous
They want money , not the face
Have a look at the " wolf with glasses " near Ms. Fan , you will know the actress has no choice but drink with him or she will be forced out or even framed .
SOB
It 's ok as long as there is something to eat : loveliness :
No one is easy . Life is like a show , you must have a look at the script to know how to perform
All are SB
There are top scorer in the Imperial Examination in all 360 walks of life ! What effort and endeavor behind those top scorer in the Imperial Examination ! This is humiliating the word " bean vermicelli " !
Haha
Overdoing
The reality
Shoot those hooligans
Cheap performers
Cheap performers !
The entertainment circle is a dirty one , all men in it are birds and beasts and scum
Pity them , but who is to blame ? Those female stars are not easy
Everybody is doing this , how can you make money if you do n't do this
She is a proud woman in front of others but is in melancholy mood when staying alone ...
To put it plainly stars nowadays are just popular prostitutes in ancient times . Now that they are famous prostitutes , it should be just normal to drink with some high officials or even sleep with them
Stop talking about others just behave yourself
What should we do in the future ! Ability alone is n't enough to become successful ! Are we goin ' to face such hard choices too ?
More suffering is under the disguise of glorious looks , 't is the undisputable fact .
It 's not so bad , they 're just playing in their own circle , out of sight , out of mind ,
Not like the old guy Zhang Jizhong not only behaved like a hooligan in his own circle , but also thinks he is virtuous without any talent . He makes TV series when he has nothing to do to wreck people of the whole country .
Both take what they need
When can China have a pure , innocent girl ?
A story is now very shocking in the entertainment world . It is rumored that Hsu Yuki has been forced out because she refused to drink with a guest as arranged by the company and has to switch to work as a lawyer 's assistant instead to make ends meet .
Much envied super stars often encounter social engagements or circumstances which they do n't welcome but have to join in ,
After all , there are many things they ca n't decide themselves 'cause that will have to do with many aspects and the interests of many people ,
Sometimes a dinner party which seems very normal for us ordinary people may not be that simple for stars as we imagined .
A star will have lots of contracts and her source of money will be rolling if she tackles well ; If she does n't tack well , what comes after her heel would be forcing out or even frame-ups ...
There are two kinds of smart female stars . Those of the first kind always hold very high integrity and sternly reject all such invitations ;
the second kind are good at playing the trick and making their objectives achieved with their seed money ,
It 's rumored that even some super female stars won their first roles in this way .
After drinking some alcohol , the advertiser or show sponsor may take the chance to lie on the female star 's shoulder , feel her chin or kiss her cheek , and endurance is the attitude most adopted by the female stars .
They are the very people of lower nine professions
Those stars are just pretending , they are all actually living a much damned better life than this
Agree , just cheap entertainers . Their reputation in feudal China somewhat makes sense .
Agree !
Ah well , it is not easy to be an actress
They deserve it . They asked for that .
It dawned on me nothing is easy !
The women are birds and beasts , and the men are worse than birds and beasts
Braawwk !
Braawwkkk !
It did n't take long .
Route 288 , the circumferential highway running around the south - western quadrant of the Richmond New Urban Region , opened in late 2004 .
Already it is changing development patterns for the worse and causing localized traffic congestion around its exits .
The Richmond Times - Dispatch tells the tale today about the impact on the Huguenot Trail in Powhatan County .
Traffic has more than doubled in one section of Huguenot Trail since 288 opened , reports Will Jones .
Speeding and accidents have surged as well :
17 accidents have been reported near the intersection of Winterfield Road so far this year , up from 12 for all of 2004 .
Dale Totten , resident engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation , noted that VDOT would four - lane the road for about $ 13 million if it had more money .
Of course , VDOT has no more money for road construction in the Richmond region .
One reason is that VDOT , at the behest of local politicians and boosters , spent all its friggin ' money on 288 !
Where 's Homer Simpson when you need him ?
This is a major `` D'oh ! '' moment .
As we predicted , Route 288 is generating residential development in scarcely populated areas all around its exits , overtaxing the local country roads .
While the limited access highway might provide limited traffic relief for people driving back and forth between Chesterfield and Goochland counties , other people are making choices about where they live and work ,
and they are creating traffic congestion in new places .
The only thing that surprises me is how rapidly this is happening .
Even I thought there might be a lag of three or four years .
If Route 288 has already created a $ 13 million road - construction in just this one exist , think of the liability it has created for all of its exits !
Here 's another prodiction :
After a few more years of scattered subdivision development and approval of mega-commercial projects at major 288 intersections , the need for new road improvements will soar .
Before the end of the decade , we may well see the unfunded liability zoom well past the original $ 400 million it took to build the original highway .
To the brainiacs who thought Route 288 was such a great idea :
Thanks for nothing .
I think we could have spent the $ 400 million better elsewhere .
I do n't think you can blame 288 for creating those people .
If there enough of them to create new traffic congestion in new places , then what is the alternative ?
Additional traffic congestion in old places ?
Now you understand how people like TMT in Fairfax feel .
I 'd usually take the pro-road position -
but with the glaring needs in other parts of the state , 288 was definitely excess ...
You have a city , Richmond , that has virtually no traffic .
The rush hour is 30 minutes long ...
And you give them a beltway through a largely rural area .
A road to no where ...
Just think if this money had been spent on another potomac crossing or road improvements that are desperately needed in NOVA ?
Virginia Centrist , To add insult to injury , the rest of the state helped pay for 288 in last year 's budget deal -- wiped the slate clean of debt .
It was very nice of y' all to oblige us .
Did n't make much sense , though .
It 's the same old problem .
If you get out ahead of the need you are accused of causing sprawl .
If you build where the need is already acute , then the claim is you ca n't pave your way out of congestion .
Anonymous -
That 's a fair point .
5:26 makes a good point .
However , this situation hammers home the validity of the state auditor 's report finding that the CTB and VDOT fail to fund transportation projects based on a comprehensive state transportation plan , but rather , based on whoever does the best job of lobbying .
I submit that this is a disgraceful situation that should not be tolerated .
Moreover , Senator Chichester and his toadies would make this worse by pouring more money into this flawed institution .
What is the purpose of transportation - related expenditures ?
In Virginia , it 's to benefit private business plans and not to serve the public interest .
You all are dead wrong .
No less than Walter Stoch stated that 288 money was intended to be paid from economic development money .
Come on folks !!
TMT : I do n't understand your point .
when was the last time you were stuck in traffic that you were n't on your way to or from some sort of business ?
It seems to me that the whole point of roads is to facilitate the public interest in getting to and from private businesses .
Then , of course there is the sunday drive , the trip to grandma 's , and the soccer games , but still , the overwhelming need is to support business .
Since our road expenditures nowhere near match the increase in business or state domestic product , it is no wonder we suffer congestion problems .
If we recognize that roads primaarily benefit businesses then we should do two things :
let business pay for more of our transportation bill , ( which they will pass to us , of course ) and incentivize them to locate where they put the least stress on the system , even if that means more overall travel .
Why is it so hard to understand ?
The solution is functional human settlement patterns and a balance between transport system capacity and land use generated travel deman .
All else is spin .
EMR
TMT said `` In Virginia , it 's to benefit private business plans and not to serve the public interest . ''
I do n't see the point of this statement because it appears to demonize private business plans and put the public interest above all else .
I think they are so tightly intertwined that they are virtually one and the same .
Obviously there are local problems because this cookie dough is lumpy ,
but in the aggregate if we demonize business long enough we will eventually find out we all work for the Devil .
I do n't see there is any point in claiming as `` a solution '' a balance that is dynamic and ever changing in nature .
Even you see rail to Dulles as a positive because Dulles is a job center that promotes bi-directional demand on the rail .
I agree .
In fact that may be sufficient reason to build it , all by itself .
All I 'm saying is that the exact same logic should apply to roads :
they should have destinations at both ends in order that we get maximum use out of our investment :
we need more places in order to get closer to the balance you say we need .
Reality check here -
I drive past Watkins Landing every morning and evening .
I commute back and forth to work on the Huguenot Trail .
I 've never seen anything remotely resembling a `` flood '' of traffic .
It 's a 55 mph zone - 75 to 100 cars in `` a morning '' - over how much time ?
The Huguenot Trail road widening was already planned , due to the heavy demands of development on the Chesterfield side , the new schools , and a whole bunch of existing developments that were zoned years ago and at that time funneled through Robious Road .
288 , for those of us that actually use it , is wonderful - instead of Powhatan and Western Chesterfield being bottlenecked by lack of roads ,
we can actually get some commercial development and have the ability to work closer to where we live .
You may think that 's not rational land use .
I have no desire to live in any city ,
I will not work in a downtown area ,
I will not use mass transit , which is not safe for female commuters that work long and irregular hours ,
and I happen to LIKE large lot development .
How exactly I 'm supposed to keep horses on a 1/4 acre lot is beyond me .
Gas could go to $ 10 a gallon
and I 'd still pay to live in the country .
Many people have legitimate preferences - horses , hunting , gardening , certain types of small business - that makes them NOT want to live in an urban core .
This infatuation with city living truly baffles me .
Anonymous 6:37 , You have every right to live in the country if that 's where you wish to live .
But you do n't have a right to have the rest of the state to underwrite construction of a $ 400 million highway to make it easier to shop and get to work .
What 's consistently overlooked in the debate ovre 288 is what else that $ 400 million could have been spent on .
How much traffic congestion could have been alleviated had the money been applied to other pressing road projects or , god forbid , even non-road projects .
Ray Hyde - My comments were directed at investors who lobby to place roads near where they own property and the incompetent system that funds these requests without regard to their link or lack thereof to a master transportation plan .
I am 24 and a mother of a 2 and a half year old .
Me and my son 's father have been broken up since August .
I want to start dating other people and my son 's father says if I do he will have nothing to do with his son .
He is very possesive and controlling but he has no right to be as we are not together .
He has too much going on in his life right now and he thinks we can work when I have told him several times I dont love him and he does not love me .
I want him to be there for his son without needing me too .
But he has no one his family and him dont get along and have their own issues .
I do n't want to be miserable anymore and the longer he is around the more miserable I will be .
I dont want him to not be there for his son as he is a good father or he at least tries .
I do believe every child needs both parents weather they are together or not .
But he thinks if he cant have me no one can .
What do I do to move on with my life .
Your ex is threatening you using your son ... bad , bad , bad .
You ca n't give in to that or it will just escalate .
You have a right to live your own life and be happy , so do n't cave to his threats .
If he really loves his son , he 'll see him regardless , but this is just a typical control method that people like him use .
Others say things like , " I 'm going to kill myself if you leave me " ... get it ?
Date .
Meet all kinds of people .
Do what you want .
If the price is , he voluntarily walks out of both of your lives , you 're probably better off without him .
I 'd agree - one other thing it is none of his business whether you date or not .
I would n't tell him .
Not because of his threat - but because your personal life is none of his business .
Can you document his threats ?
You really need to .
Quit taking his calls , make him leave voice mail .
Make him email or text you .
Keep those records .
Get a lawyer and get a divorce .
If you ca n't afford one , try legal aid .
Tell your ex that all communication needs to go through the lawyer .
The bus drivers want exact change , the till people want exact change , the people who deliver your food want exact change ...
Do they not realise that you do n't get piles of change from the bank ,
someone somewhere is going to have to take the notes ?
People are getting lazy .
I do like to get as near as possible as i woud n't like to be couting coppers all day
take a £ 20 note on the bus , they just tell you to get on cos theyre lazy as hell
its illegal to pay certain amounts in loads of coins . such as you can only pay something like 30pence in 1ps
Hello I started university in September , did n't immediately gel with it obviously like most people .
However , I knew it would take me some time to adjust , because I have always been very introverted , and shy and especially anxious and all the rest of it .
The first night I was here , all my housemates and I went out and it was the hardest thing I have ever ever had to do .
To go into the SU bar on my own , sober .
Anyways more to the point ; Here are the facts :
- I am not enjoying university having been here 5months or so ; I 'm disillusioned by the course , not enjoying the projects set , and I do n't like the course delivery as much .
The University made out it was much better than it seems .
- I had a bad start to the first term ; student finance was delayed , adding to my stress levels , I was so worried I was unable to progress with work , conclusively it all piled up .
- I was assigned a counselor through the university ; had seen her for about 5-6weeks ( block sessions ) , if I 'm honest it did n't really work ; because I was never open with her .
Only half-halfheartedly .
- Now the work-load is up to my neck , I have major deadlines to hit , I am depressed , the anxiety is resulting in me feeling miserable all the time .
In no longer have a counselor because you can only have them for so many sessions at a time , and I doubt it will help much this time , if it has n't already .
- I lack motivation , do n't feel comfortable with any of my lecturers , feel like I want to give in , but ca n't bring myself to it , because I will end up in a dead end job , and I aspired to ' be someone ' .
- I would rather be dead than not be educated , and live a life I want to live ( and dropping out of uni would make matters worse ) .
- I 'm 21yrs old ( turn 22 this year ) , do n't have much time left for failing need to do something .
I failed college once over , did another course so I could get to uni do n't want to go through the system over and over and consistently fail .
Can someone please give me some advice please ?
Perhaps go and see your doctor , and see if there 's any way you can get your deadlines extended to try and ease the pressure a bit ?
Send your tutors a similar email to this post ( do n't worry they 've seen it all before - some much more uncomfortable admissions too - I know as I used to work in a Uni Dept admin ) and they will consider mitigating circumstances .
Break your work into manageable chunks .
Concentrate on one bit of work at a time ( obvs the most urgent assignment first ) .
Do n't shut yourself off from your housemates , and well done for trying new things from the very beginning now keep at it !
I 'd reccomend you go and see your doctor too .
If you 've always been an anxious person you might benefit from speaking to someone ( my friend got therapy on the NHS for anxiety , so its really normal ) .
And try and get deadlines extended , if you 're honest I 'm sure your uni will allow it .
It 's getting hard to keep strong and keep carrying on with life .
My mum is getting divorced - she had a horrible time with my step-father and her new found freedom has sent her round the bend .
She 's epileptic and a manic depressive with a huge anger problem .
She 's horrible to me , constantly .
I ca n't cope with her outbursts and nasty hateful remarks when I 'm at home .
I 'm 18 , a full-time sixth former at a high pressure private school ( on a 95 % bursary ) and I 'm at breaking point .
I ca n't do work at home , because she shouts at me .
So then my teachers get angry at me .
One minute she 's lovely , and it 's like having my mummy back , then the next , she turns into the most spiteful human alive .
I 'm not going to pass my A2 exams , I 've already accepted defeat , that this year of my life is going to make me a failure .
Maybe I can come back from this , who knows . I 've got the most amazing university offers , but I ca n't even accept them - I 'll never make the grades .
I wish I could wipe her out of my life - things would be so much better without her .
But then , I think I 'm just being selfish .
But surely , my life is n't meant to be like this ?
It should be so much better . B
ut I feel as if I have no control over this downhill spiral .
And I do n't know what to do .
Thanks for reading .
It 's nice to vent .
You ca n't get her sectioned for that .
Does she even have a history of mental illness or a diagnosis ?
You do n't know for sure that you wo n't get good grades so accept places if you can .
Life throws **** at you all the time .
If it 's not someone in your family , it 's an outsider .
I had to deal with verbal abuse from my dad for a long 8 years before I came to uni and honestly , the only reason why I 'm here is because it was the only way out .
Work hard if you really want out .
Really sounds like you need support from somewhere else if she ca n't give it to you consistently .
You could call Childline or something similar ?
You could go to the library on saturdays and do a good 8 hours of studying there .
Is there a friend 's house you could go to - form a study group ?
So you want her sectioned cos she is a bit of a pain in the arse and you 've blamed all your problems on her ?
I know what you 're feeling .
My Mum was spat out of hell too .
I highly recommend taking up smoking
Oh grow up tsr and stop negging its was a joke !!!
I think over the last year or 2 i 've become a much weaker person and in a way have dulled down my personality inorder to try and make some friends at uni .
But being overly-nice to people has lead them to believe that they can say or do whatever the hell they want to me ...
they show absolutely no respect .
e.g. i 'll say hello to someone from uni and they 'll ignore me , but 30 minutes later they 'll decide they want my help with some work ... and i 'll give it to them .
It 's causing alot of anger and distress in my life and is really starting to effect my concentration in uni .
has anyone got any experience in handling this sort of thing or how to go about gaining some respect again ?
Just say no .
Do it gradually if it 's not something you 're particularly comfortable with .
You could start with ' No , sorry but I 'm busy '
Of course , do n't go over the top with it lest you go in completely the opposite direction .
If , in your mind , you 're thinking no - say it .
When they start to realise that you 're not going to bend over backwards for them , they 'll start respecting you more .
well this is such a bad attitude really , of course you can be respected if you 're nice but not to the point where you just let them do anything to you , that 's not being nice it 's being a fool .
I do n't know if anyone will read this , but I just feel desperate and feel the need to tell someone .
This September I left home , and started at University . I was incredibly anxious about doing this , but rather delayed thinking about it until I got here ! Now I 'm here , and have been for over two weeks , I feel terribly overwhelmed by it all and feel unintelligent and socially awkward .
I have been struggling emotionally for the majority of my life since moving to Secondary School , although I did lose my dad at around the age of 9 and always used to blame that for my feelings . I have had two periods of counselling in my life , over roughly 15 months from December 2009 until around March this year .
I feel at the moment like the problems in my life are incredibly overwhelming , and are making me ever more doubtful of my always low self-esteem . I have no ability to concentrate on work , often find myself becoming very quiet in social occasions , and doubt myself over anything and everything .
Neither of my counsellers have diagnosed me with depression , and both have suggested I do not suffer from it , but it is a huge worry to me , as depression was the cause of my dad 's death , suicide .
I have tried to solve my problems before , and have found exercise and meditation particularly useful , and have also tried things like self-help books and tapes . But my general feeling , is , ' Is this what my life will be ? My one chance at existance , my one chance of being a young man , I am wasting it ! ' And these feelings are beating away at me .
I simply do n't know what to do , and when I think of things to do , I never follow through with it . Friends often say I 'm lazy , and I ca n't disagree a lot of the time . I feel like everything anyone could do to help , people have tried , and time and time again I fail .
Sorry to anyone whose read this jumbled mess , and I feel a bit like a self-seeking moaner , but I truly do feel desperate .
Its not uncommon for people 's existing feelings about themselves to become more intense when they are in new situations and feel the pressure to socialise with strangers and fit into new roles , i.e. being a university student .
I am not a health professional and I can only speak from personal experience which is why I strongly suggest you see a qualified health professional about your feelings and worries about depression .
Most people feel unintelligent and awkward when they first get to uni - you 're definitely not alone there . But I would really recommend that you get an appointment with your uni counselling services . It does n't really matter whether anyone has told you that you are depressed or not , you are obviously having some problems at the minute and could use some support - labels are n't as important as your experiences . Meditation and exercise are really helpful , so definitely try to do those . But yeah , you will have to engage with help and life in general to get somewhere - but do n't beat yourself up about feeling unmotivated to do anything at the minute , lots of people feel like this and hopefully it will pass as you begin to feel better . Being unkind to yourself will only make you feel worse - be kind to yourself and get some help .
Good luck .
I think a lot more people feel the same way as you do , but medicate themselves by using friends . Whilst it probably is n't a ' solution ' as such , being around friends whilst being depressed is definitely better than being alone and being depressed . Either way , if you fancy a chat , feel free to PM
If i were you id focus on an idol . Someone you aspire to ( not want to be them but someone who your admire and have respect for ) e.g. someone who came from a bad background and ended up successful and happy with a family and married etc etc
Focus on what you want to achieve in life , you havent stated what your studying , or indeed why .... is it because you wanted the experience ? Because your mum wanted yo to go ? Because u need a degree for the career you want to do ?
Either way , sum up why youre there and work your bottom off to get the best grades you can , cos once you get ur degree , you wil have something you can say " hey i didnt fail , it was hard work and i passed "
X
hope this helps
I 'm pretty much non-autistic ( not diagnosed with dyspraxia but I think the doctor misdiagnosed ) , but I walk on my toes nearly all of the time .
It 's more comfortable to me .
What made them decide toe-walking is a sign of autism since it seems so random and is n't always indicative ?
Well I might have signs of something on the autism spectrum but who does n't have one or two ?
You guys know what I mean .
Walking on toes can be a symptom of autism .
Having a headache can be a symptom of brain tumours .
Feeling tired a lot can be a symptom of leukaemia .
Symptoms do n't always apply but if they happen in a lot of cases ( which it clearly must do in this instance ) it 's worth noting , since otherwise nothing would ever get diagnosed .
I used to walk on my toes , but that was because I was born with strange toes that curled under and had to be straightened with surgery two years ago .
My brother 's autistic but I have n't noticed this with him either , but the spectrum is so broad and I myself probably have mild asperger 's because I have problems with communication and do n't pick up on social reactions/body language .
But then I do n't have a proper diagnosis and even having some symptoms might not mean you have a certain condition .
I walk on my toes not as much since years of being told not to .
I have dyspraxia .
So maybe you are dyspraxic or have short tendons .
People who do dance / gymnastics / ballet etc have it drilled into them , to the point where I find it more comfortable now = P
I would n't read too much into random " symptoms " like that
hello , i am a 12 year old girl ( 13 in two days ) who is addicted to self harming
i started when i was seven as i slit each firnger indevidually with sissors , and from that day i never stopped ,
it has got worse as i have a scar on my leg as i slit in my ex boyfriends name with stables , as i wont stop cutting unless i bleed ,
i have sevral slits on my arm ,
they healed , then i cut myself with staples i robbed from school and a razor .
when i cant find anything to cut with i take around 5 paracetmols and other drugs and i take them with larger and vodka .
as im writing this i am really tempted to cut my arm or burn myslef ,
i am addicted , when ever one heals i cut again
it think about it everyday ,
i am 12 and i am already sick of my life .
the source of this is that ; when i was 7 my dad left , and he doesnt want to know me anymore ,
he just cares about his new little girl and wife , his new life , where im not wanted .
my best mate died when i was 10
i had a reltionship with a boy who is 16 and i am forbidden to speak to him because of what happend and the age diffrience
also my mum suffers from bi polar and i have depression
i dont what to stop ,
i dont care what i do to myself , i want to do it again and again to tourture myslef , i hate me .
however , my best mate , i love him , loads , he means the world to me and if i do anything then he will ,
i dont tell him but he finds out ,
i dont want to hurt him , i dont want him to hurt himself
what do i do
thanks you for reading
Are you on any drugs or getting any therapy ?
It might be an idea to talk to your school nurse or your GP and tell them what 's going on .
Perhaps there 's a teacher at school who you trust and could tell .
If you tell people they can help you ,
if you keep it bottled up inside it 's likely to only get worse .
Trust me , it 's better to get these things as early as possible rather than let them get even worse .
Please do n't do this ,
I 'm 17 I started self harming last year , mainly cutting my arms , but I have stopped since the last few months ,
its hard but you can do it .
I feel so much happier , but seeing the scars is both a painful reminder of how I felt at that time , how strong my feelings were that I would want to do such a thing to myself !
And , also strength , you can do it , I found salvation in poetry writing and keeping a journal ,
self harming is addictive , but you can overcome it ,
remember your self harming does not define who you are .
You can overcome it .
So I think Ive got a form of OCD because for the past year , I 've found that everytime I go out , especially to Uni , I 'm always checking my belongings to make sure I have n't lost or left anything .
I often have to check twice at one go , then after 30 seconds for some reason I cant resist checking again !
Why is this !?
Am I going crazy or something ?
It happens most often when I 'm carrying many things , but that is rarely and even still daily I 'm checking many times . And is this OCD to any extent ?
What can I do about this ?
If I do n't check , I get very very anxious , which does sort of go away after 15-30 mins , but often the anxiety is so much that I ca n't wait that long .
I feel if I lost my wallet or phone , then I 'm doomed or so I feel .
I just wish I could go out without worrying every 2 mins whether I 've left or lost something .
I really dont know what to do , and am afraid of going to the GP .
They 've probably never heard of some compulsion like this and I just dont know what to do
Do any of you have a similar ' ritual ' ?
People would think I 'm crazy , but it 's very strangely difficult to get yourself out of this .
What advice could you give me ?
I used to do this on my way to college-I had a list of items I knew I had on me and used to check compulsively on the bus .
I now have more severe anxiety and think this was just a warning sign so just try and wean yourself out of the habit while it 's relatively fresh-definitely visit your doctor but also tell yourself not to keep checking these things ( easier said than done I know ) .
Doctors will have seen much worse cases so do n't worry about that !
I did about OCD in psycology today : P
To get rid of it , one way could be just to avoid the compulsive act so do n't check to see whether you have lost something , just leave it ( :
Even though your anxiety levels would increase for a duration , they will gradualy decrease so hopefully , overtime your OCD will disappear ( :
To me that just sounds like you being overly anxious , as opposed to having really bad OCD .
I am very obsessional to the point where I get up 20 times a night to check the locks in my house are all locked a particular way .
Sometimes although I know they 're locked I 'm convinced they 're not .
I think it becomes a real problem when the obsession starts to really interrupt your everyday routine .
You definitely are n't crazy though do n't worry and your GP will be understanding of the issue I 'm sure .
I go to therapy ( for other reasons also ) and they have encouraged me to pick a number of times to check , obviously that is less than 20 , and to stick to it and cut down that way .
I think the idea is to teach me , I 'm still ' okay ' if I check 5 times or 20 times .
So far I have been a lot better , I think there is definitely hope of improvement for anyone that wants it .
Usually I 'm pretty calm about things and like to take things as they come and not to worry too much .
However , over the last month or two I 've found myself becoming really anxious about things , and I 'm not talking about a mere out of the blue feeling of nervousness .
I have begun to feel irrationally panicky about a variety of things which beforehand would n't worry me too much or even cross my mind as something to cause alarm bells to ring in my head .
I 'm not sure if it 's the change in lifestyle ( going from care-free student to unemployed graduate ) that is causing this or if it 's a sign of other issues , but it 's beginning to bug me as it 's affecting my confidence and happiness .
I 've spoken to a few people about it including my parents but they all think the same : that I 'm going through a random phase and that I should hold off taking action until it is clear that it is a serious problem
So was wondering what 's the best thing to do ?
Speak to a doctor about it and see if anti-anxiety pills could take the edge off of things ?
See if I can speak to a counsellor ?
Or should I take the advice given by the close people around me and just keep an eye on the anxiety until it becomes a problem ?
Well I woudnt try to keep an eye on ur anxiety for a start because that will make u tense and more likely to become more panicky ( circle of demise there )
what I would try to do is focus on something that is garunteed to make you smile or feel happier as soon as you start to feel a bit panicky about anything .
Or if u cant do that-when you start to feel panicky , get one of your friends to make you laugh ( it works for me and i suffer from random panic attacks lol
This started happening to me , where I 'd just start being really anxious over tiny things , although from the sound of things , not as severely as you .
What I find helps is just talking about what is making you anxious to someone else .
Perhaps not in a moany way but I found that mentioning the thing that I was worried about to my mum and seeing her react to the situation in a calm way ( like I should have been reacting ) made me feel better about it because I knew it was n't a big deal and I did n't need to be anxious about it .
However , if it gets worse , then yes , go to the doctor 's .
I have a friend who suffers from severe anxiety that can prevent her from leaving the house and doing things because she 's so worried about what can go wrong .
The doctors gave her medication and it 's made her much better .
Xinhua News Agency , Beijing , September 1st , by reporter Guojun Yang
When meeting with Chavalit Yoncayu , vice-premier and concurrent Minister of Domestic Affairs of Thailand , at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse today , Huaqing Liu , vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission said that China placed a great deal of importance in developing friendship with the government , people and Armed Forces of Thailand , especially the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries .
Huaqing Liu said that , the people of China and Thailand have traditional friendship and the relationship between the two countries was also very friendly too .
He said that this visit by vice-premier Chavalit and mutual visits by other high - level leaders of China and Thailand were beneficial in promoting further development of relationships and the efficient cooperation in all fields between the two countries .
Chavalit said that he was extremely happy to meet vice-chairman Liu .
He said that in recent years , the development of China 's economy has accelerated , and the government and the people of Thailand feel extremely happy .
He said that he agreed with Huaqing Liu 's opinion that Thailand and China should further develop various forms of economic and trade cooperation .
( End )
Xinhua News Agency , Beijing , September 1st
Guofang Shen , The foreign ministry spokesperson , announced at a news conference held this afternoon that President Gentzs Aerpade of the Hungary Republic , would pay a State visit to China from September 14th to the 17th at the invitation of president Zemin Jiang .
He also announced that Casymier Auye Muba , premier of the Gabon Republic , would pay a formal , friendly visit to China from September 6th to the 11th at the invitation of Peng Li , premier of the State Council .
At the invitation of Peng Li , premier of the State Council , premier and first vice-president of the Tanzania United Republic , John Malsela will pay an official visit to China from September 9th to the 13th .
( End )
Xinhua News Agency , Bishket , April 23rd , by reporters Menjun Ju and Xiaoguang Hu
Principles of parties concerned from China and Kirghizia signed six documents here today .
Premier Peng Li and Kirghizian President Akayev attended the signing ceremony .
The six documents are : an agreement on Chinese providing a loan to the Kirghizia government , an agreement on forming a combined Economy and Trade Committee between the Sino - Kirghizian governments , an note exchange on the presenting of materials to Kirghizia by China , a cultural cooperation agreement between the two countries of China and Kirghizia , ratification letters on exchanging consular treaties between the two countries , an agreement on cooperating on the China Trade Promotion Council and the Kirghizian Chamber of Industry and Commerce .
After the signing ceremony , Kirghizian President Akayev and Premier Peng Li respectively answered questions from reporters .
Akayev highly commended the results of the conference with Peng Li
He expressed that , this visit by Premier Peng Li would promote the peace , security and stability of the Central Asian region .
He felt that , the recently signed documents were very important in enforcing good neighborhood relations and friendly cooperation between both countries .
Premier Peng Li said that , this visit had improved mutual friendship and understanding and set a good foundation for further cooperation between China and Kirghizia .
He expressed hopes that the Central Asian region would be stable and developed , and that the standard of living of the people would continuously improve .
Peng Li hoped that the Kirghizian news media would relay greetings from the Chinese people to the Kirghizian people .
( End )
Xinhua News Agency , Tokyo , September 1st , by reporter Yiguo Yu
The Japanese delegation participating in the Sixth Far East and South Pacific Region Handicapped Sports Meet held a grand swearing in ceremony in Tokyo this afternoon .
A Japanese flag hung from the Chairman 's stage .
Sportsmen , coaches , doctors , nurses and officials of the delegation sat neatly below the stage .
An atmosphere of confidence and eagerness for progress filled the ceremony ground .
Vice-minister of the Japanese State Welfare Ministry , Souyasen , delivered a " bolstering departure speech " to the delegation .
Souya said , the Far South Sports Meet was an international sports meet that attracts the world 's attention , and the scale of this sports meet to be held in Beijing is the largest to date .
He hoped that all the athletes would " fully demonstrate the strength and skill that they cultivate daily , as the competitors representing Japan , they should carry out competition with athletes from various countries honestly " .
Souya emphasized , the Japanese delegation must make use of this opportunity of participation in the Beijing Far South Sports Meet " to deepen friendship with athletes from various countries , and expand the scope of international friendliness . "
Souya handed over the delegation flag of the Japanese delegation to the head of the delegation and Director of the Tokyo Handicapped Integrated Sports Center , Banminyan .
From this tight , orderly , warm and serious swearing in ceremony , this reporter felt that , the Japanese Handicapped Sports Team was a team that was well trained , disciplined and possessed fighting spirit .
The Japanese delegation will fly to Beijing on the 2nd .
After the closing ceremonies of the Sports Meet , they will continue to remain in Beijing for two days , to carry out interaction activities with relevant Chinese parties and visit and tour , and return to Japan on 13th .
( End )
In the script " Mongolian handicapped athletes prepare for the Far South Sports Meet " broadcast today , the " Sports Association Chairman Lahagewasu " at the end of paragraph three should be changed to " Sports Association Chairman Lahagewasulen " .
Xinhua News Agency , August 31st .
Xinhua News Agency , Seoul , August 31st , by reporter Shuifu Tang
The first " Le Tian Cup " China and Korea Go competition started today at Fushan , the second largest city of Korea .
In the first round of competition , the Chinese team defeated the relatively stronger Korean team with a score of 4 : 3 .
In the competition today , both sides each have 7 Go players participating .
Weiping Nie ( 9th level ) , Xiaoguang Liu ( 9th level ) , Hao Chang ( 6th level ) and Dayuan Cao ( 9th level ) from the Chinese team defeated Guibing Cui ( 6th level ) , Xiuying Zhang ( 9th level ) , Fengzhu Xu ( 9th level ) and Xuange Lin ( 8th level ) from the Korean team respectively .
Among which , Weiping Nie , Xiaoguang Liu and Hao Chang both achieved victories in the middle games .
Dayuan Cao achieved victory with an advantage of seven and a half ' mu ' .
Xunxuan Cao ( 9th level ) , Changhao Li ( 7th level ) and Changhe Liu ( 6th level ) from the Korean team defeated Jing Liu ( 5th level ) , Xiaocun Ma ( 9th level ) and Jianhong Wang ( 7th level ) from the Chinese team respectively .
Among which , Xunxuan Cao achieved a victory in the middle game .
Changhao Li and Changhe Liu achieved victories with advantages of six and a half ' mu ' and seven and a half ' mu ' respectively .
When receiving reporters telephone interviews , Runan Wang , leader of the Chinese delegation presented that , overall speaking , the strength of the Korean team was stronger than the Chinese team .
However , the Chinese team performed better today , and therefore achieved victory .
The performance of our young competitor , Hao Chang , was especially outstanding today , defeating Fengzhu Xu of the Korean team in the middle game .
Fengzhu Xu has won many championships in international competitions before .
He had achieved complete victory in nine games with Chinese Go players before .
The Go teams from China and Korea will shift to Seoul on September 1st , and will hold the second competition in the Le Tian Hotel on the 2nd .
According to the rules discussed and agreed upon by both sides , if the two teams draw with 7 : 7 , then the final result will be determined by the result of the competition between Weiping Nie of the Chinese team and Xunxuan Cao of the Korean team .
The prize money of the competition this time is 100,000 US dollars , the team that wins will get 70,000 US dollars , while the team that loses will get 30,000 US dollars .
( End )
Xinhua News Agency , Rome , September 1st , by reporters Aiguo Yang and Changrui Huang
The 1 - meter diving board preliminaries of the Seventh World Swimming Championship were held here this morning .
Chinese competitor Lan Wei and Sheng Chen both received qualification for the semi-finals .
In the preliminaries , Wei Lan , who is 26 years old this year , from Guangdong , with outstanding skill , occupied the lead position with a total score of 355.35 points .
Sheng Chen , who is 19 years old this year , from Hubei , is temporarily in the sixth position , the a total score of 342.60 points .
The competitor who is temporarily in second place is the German athlete Bao Lizuo , with a total score of 355.02 points , slightly lower than Wei Lan .
The competitor from Zimbabwe , Si Aiwan , who is temporarily in third place , has a total score of 354.39 points .
After the competition , the chief coach of the Chinese diving team said to our agency 's reporter : " Sheng Chen is a little nervous today . "
He also said : " Our athletes are not very used to carrying out competition under strong sunlight . "
At home , they carry out indoor training mostly .
Looks like we still need to train more outdoors . "
He felt that , there were more new competitors from our country participating in this competition .
They still lack experience in international competitions .
The preliminary competition for the women 's 10 - meter platform diving will be held this afternoon .
Mingxia Fu , who won the championship for our country at the World Championship and the Olympic Games , and the competitor from Hebei , Bin Chi , who won the championship at the World Cup will participate in the competition .
( End )
Xinhua News Agency , Rome , September 1st , by reporters Changrui Huang and Aiguo Yang
The performance of the female competitors of the Chinese diving team , Mingxia Fu and Bin Chi , in the first 6 rounds of the 10 - meter platform diving preliminary competition at the Seventh World Swimming Championships held here today was ideal , and hopes of entering the heats are in sight .
At the time this reporter dispatched , in the first 6 rounds of competition , Mingxia Fu and Bin Chi are temporarily occupying the first and third positions with total scores of 339.12 and 290.19 points respectively .
If accidents do not occur , their hopes of entering the heats are already in sight .
Occupying the second position is the US competitor , Richard .
Her performance was 303.00 points .
In the preliminary men 's 1 - meter platform diving competition this morning , our competitors Lan Wei and Sheng Chen have already gained rights to the heats .
The results of today 's preliminary women 's water - polo competition are : the Hungarian team defeated the Canadian team by 13 : 7 , the French team defeated the Brazilian team by 10 : 9 , the Australian team defeated the German team by 10 : 8 , the Russian team defeated the Dutch team by 7 : 6 , the US team defeated the Kazakhstani team by 10 : 5 , and the Italian team defeated the New Zealand team by 12 : 2 .
There are 12 teams totally participating in the competition .
( End )
