U.S. demands return of weaponsSANTA CRUZ, Bolivia -- Bolivia and the United States are headed for a showdown over U.S. demands for the return of sensitive arms and equipment provided to an elite counterterrorism force.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has refused.
The United States insisted on the return of the materials after Mr. Morales appointed Joint Counter Terrorism Force members whom the Pentagon does not trust.
"Our armed forces have the task of not turning over ... (more)
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The Coming Resource WarsIt's official: the era of resource wars is upon us. In a major London address, British Defense Secretary John Reid warned that global climate change and dwindling natural resources are combining to increase the likelihood of violent conflict over land, water and energy. Climate change, he indicated, "will make scarce resources, clean water, viable agricultural land even scarcer" -- and this will "make the emergence of violent conflict more rather than less likely."
Although not un... (more)
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Russia Lashes Out at U.S. Over Human Rights ReportRussia has lashed out at a State Department report that criticized its human rights record, accusing the U.S. of a double standard, the Associated Press reported.
The annual State Department report, released Wednesday, said the continued centralization of power under President Vladimir Putin eroded the accountability of Russian officials. It also criticized the government’s rights record in the persistent conflict in and around Chechnya.
The U.S. report &ldquo... (more)
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Talk about Iran military option could backfire, IAF source warnsA former commander of the Israel Air Force, Major General (Res.) Eitan Ben-Eliyahu, warned Friday that speaking publicly about Israel's capacity to orchestrate a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities could make it easier for other countries to stop pressuring Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions.
He was referring to comments made the day before by former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon, who said at a seminar in Washington that Israel definitely has ... (more)
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Iran War About Ethnic Cleansing, Not Oil Bourse: A red herring to distract from real long term agenda of full spectrum dominanceNoted author F William Engdahl is keen to warn that Iran's plans institute a Tehran oil bourse is a red herring that diverts attention from the real long-term geopolitical agenda to remove another Middle East pawn in the quest for Neo-Con world domination.
Arguments put forth by the oil bourse theorists state that the US is worried that if Iran shifts to selling its oil in Euros then the dollar will collapse as the world reserve currency and other nations will quickly follow suit ... (more)
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Peru's dynasty-in-waiting prepares to deliver another anti-US presidentOne of Latin America's most extraordinary political families is poised to produce another of the continent's Left-wing authoritarian leaders with no love for Washington.
Ollanta Humala is one of two favourites to become Peru's next president, a role for which, to believe his mother, he has been groomed from birth.
Ollanta Humala: ‘I am a nationalist and anti-imperialist’
"We have been preparing our children to take power since they were bo... (more)
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Mag: Iran bombing odds are 2:1 by 2007The odds of an American or Israeli airstrike on Iran by March 31, 2007 are 2:1, according to April editions of the Atlantic Magazine. The magazine relies on online betting at tradesports.com, and provides a few details of the circumstances in which each strike might take place.
The Atlantic is known for its predictions of future events, and has held widely respected debates on military strikes on North Korea and Iran. Neither scenarios resulted in a favorable position for the Unit... (more)
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Iran achieves stealth technologyTEHRAN - Iranian experts have gained access to the strategic stealth technology which is only accessed by a few developed countries in the world.
Stealth technology covers a range of techniques used with aircraft, ships and missiles, in order to make them less visible (ideally invisible) to radar and other detection methods.
Iran is currently constructing the biggest L band test room in the Middle East in order to conduct further studies in this regard.
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Russia gold and currency reserves increased to record-high. MOSCOW, March 7 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s gold and foreign exchange reserves increased by 13, 691 billon dollars (by 7.5 percent) for February-January to 195.931 billion dollars, Prime-Tass said Tuesday with reference to the Central Bank.
The size of gold and currency reserves is another record for the whole period of regular publication of this information by the Central Bank.
As compared to January 1, 2006, when the figure was 182.2 billion dollars, the reserv... (more)
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Britons burned to death in car after Basra gun battleTWO British men were burned to death in their car after a shoot-out with police in Iraq yesterday. A third person in the car, also believed to be British, was wounded and rushed away from the scene, in the southern city of Basra. Police Captain Mushtaq Kadhim said Iraqi policemen and two other civilians were also wounded in the shooting.
A Foreign Office spokesman said he was aware of unsubstantiated reports of an incident involving non-Arabs. The Ministry of Defence said it was a... (more)
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Russia 'to break ranks' in Iran nuclear row Western countries were alarmed last night by signs that Russia was ready to break ranks and agree to Iran's demand to continue nuclear "research and development", fearing that this would make it easier for Teheran to develop nuclear weapons.
Briefed about the latest Russian proposals, Mohammed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressed the hope that a compromise could be reached "in the next week or so".
But Condolee... (more)
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AFGHANISTAN: Survey predicts rise in opium production in 2006KABUL, 6 March (IRIN) - A recent survey shows that Afghan farmers are planting more poppy this year than in 2005, in what remains the world's biggest opium producing country, the United Nations warned on Monday.
A rapid assessment survey of poppy production was carried out jointly by the Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in December 2005 and January 2006. The study was carried out by 70 local field surveyors in 469 villag... (more)
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U.S. urges UAE to end its boycott of IsraelThe Bush administration said yesterday it is pressing the United Arab Emirates to drop its economic boycott of Israel -- a major sticking point in the proposed takeover of key U.S. ports by a UAE-owned firm.
A joint U.S. agency team traveled to the oil-rich Gulf kingdom last month to discuss the boycott, and a senior Commerce Department official will press Dubai again during a visit this month, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said.
"The United States w... (more)
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Expert on Iraq: 'We're In a Civil War': U.S. Officials Deny Violence Has Risen to That Level, but ABC News Analysts See a 'Serious Lack of Realism'BAGHDAD, March 5, 2006 — - As Pentagon generals offered optimistic assessments that the sectarian violence in Iraq had dissipated this weekend, other military experts told ABC News that Sunni and Shiite groups in Iraq already are engaged in a civil war, and that the Iraqi government and U.S. military had better accept that fact and adapt accordingly.
"We're in a civil war now; it's just that not everybody's joined in," said retired Army Maj. Gen. William L. Nash, a former mi... (more)
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Kremlin Thwarts Washington Interests — U.S. Task ForceThe Bush administration should stop pretending Russia is a genuine strategic partner and adopt a new policy of “selective cooperation” and “selective opposition” to the authoritarian government of President Vladimir Putin, a U.S. bipartisan task force has concluded, the Washington Post reported.
“U.S.-Russian relations are clearly headed in the wrong direction,” the task force wrote in its report. “Contention is crowding out consensus. The... (more)
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US envoy hints at strike to stop Iran · Bolton says nuclear plant can be 'taken out'
· UN agency meets to send report to security council
The US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, has told British MPs that military action could bring Iran's nuclear programme to a halt if all diplomatic efforts fail. The warning came ahead of a meeting today of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which will forward a report on Iran's nuclear activities to the UN security council.
... (more)
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As Crisis Brews, Iran Hits Bumps in Atomic Path: It Would Take Over A Decade For Iran To Get NukesWhen Iran defiantly cut the locks and seals on its nuclear enrichment plants in January and restarted its effort to manufacture atomic fuel, it forced the world to confront a momentous question: How long will it be before Tehran has the ability to produce a bomb that would alter the balance of power in the Middle East?
Iran's claims that it is racing forward with enrichment have created an air of crisis as the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency prepares to meet tomor... (more)
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Pro-Kremlin figure to lead ChechensFormer rebel Kadyrov has been accused of major human rights violations
MOSCOW - The leader of a pro-Kremlin militia accused of major human rights violations was confirmed Saturday as the new prime minister of Chechnya, the strife-torn southern Russian republic that has been the scene of two brutal wars in the past 11 years.
Ramzan Kadyrov, 29, the son of an assassinated Chechen president, was unanimously approved by the republic's People's Assembly to replace Sergei... (more)
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Dubai Firm Submits to Broader U.S. Review WASHINGTON - A United Arab Emirates company formally submitted Friday to a highly unusual, broader examination by the Bush administration of potential security risks over its plans to take over significant operations at major U.S. ports.
The British company runs major port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.
The Treasury Department , which governs the review panel, is expected to conduct another preliminary scrutiny t... (more)
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