Sunday, August 29, 2010

DTN News: DTN Logos And Colour Variations

DTN News: DTN Logos And Colour Variations Source: DTN News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 29, 2010: The DTN Design, Styles & Logos along with verbiage are associated with Defense-Technology News, Defense News and affiliated blogs respectively.
DTN provides daily comprehensive News on various aspects, such as:
* DTN Asia
* DTN Financial News
And many more.
This information is being released by DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News., Canada
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact:dtnnews@ymail

DTN News: Iraqis Say War "Not Ending" Despite U.S. Drawdown

DTN News: Iraqis Say War "Not Ending" Despite U.S. Drawdown * War will not end without government * Iraqi forces seen as ill-prepared Source: DTN News / Reuters By Waleed Ibrahim (NSI News Source Info) BAGHDAD, Iraq - August 29, 2010: U.S. President Barack Obama's message this weekend that Iraq would "chart
its own course" may have been welcome news for war-weary Americans, but it has fuelled anxieties about the future among Iraqis.
"The war is not ending. The war against terrorism continues here," Nuri al-Moussawi, a 51-year-old Baghdad resident, said. Obama said on Saturday the end of U.S. combat operations on Tuesday, and a fall in U.S. troop numbers to 50,000, helped fulfil a promise he made during the 2008 presidential campaign to end the 7-1/2-year war launched by his predecessor, George W. Bush.But the failure of Iraqi leaders to form a new government almost six months after elections, and persistent attacks by insurgents, have done little to instil confidence among Iraqis.
"The American withdrawal is hasty. The capabilities of our army have not been built yet," Moussawi said.
Overall violence has fallen sharply since the peak of sectarian carnage in 2006/07. Nevertheless, like many Iraqis, Moussawi has little faith in the abilities of Iraq's 660,000-strong police and army to protect the country.
Toppled dictator Saddam Hussein's once feared armed forces were disbanded by U.S. administrators shortly after the 2003 U.S-led invasion and Iraq's army, police, navy and air force had to be rebuilt from scratch.
Suspected Sunni Islamist insurgents have put the domestic security forces to the test, killing 57 at an army recruitment centre on Aug. 17 and more than 60 when suicide car bombers attacked police stations around the country on Aug. 25.
Obama's remarks were seen as a preview of a televised address he plans to give on Tuesday evening from the White House Oval Office. The White House is trying to emphasise Obama's accomplishments ahead of November elections when his fellow Democrats face war-weary voters preoccupied by economic jitters.
But 50,000 U.S. soldiers will remain in Iraq up to an end-2011 deadline set in a bilateral security pact Bush signed with the Iraqi government just before departing the White House.
"Those who say the war in Iraq is ending are committing a mistake" said Hassan bin Hachim 62, an Iraqi day labourer.
"The war will not end unless a real partnership government is formed that includes all the parties, and doesn't marginalise any of the parties," he said.
A Sunni-backed cross-sectarian coalition led by ex-premier Iyad Allawi won two more seats than Maliki's Shi'ite-led alliance in the 325-seat parliament in March elections, but both fell short of a majority needed to govern. Coalition talks have gone nowhere.
If Allawi's bloc ends up being excluded from government, anger among Iraq's once dominant Sunnis could provide new fuel for the Sunni Islamist insurgency opposed to the rise to power of Iraq's Shi'ite majority after the fall of Saddam.
Muhsin al-Timimi, a 47-year-old journalist, hopes for an end to the war in which more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians, and more than 4,400 U.S. soldiers, have died.
"But the war will only end when our politicians agree with each other and form a government. This will lay the ground for a better future. Otherwise the war will continue," Timimi said.
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact:dtnnews@ymail Related News *Iraq says sale of donated U.S. computers legal Aug 29, 2010 *Iraq no pushover in regional power struggle Aug 29, 2010 *Iraq needs intel, not soldiers, as U.S. scales back Aug 29, 2010 *Ground Zero Muslim center may get public financing Aug 27, 2010 *Woman buries brother, discovers dead son Aug 20, 2010

'Blair ignored warnings to go to Iraq war'

Indian Express - ‎14 hours ago‎
... was no concrete evidence of Baghdad possessing weapons of mass destruction to support UK going to war in Iraq, an ex-senior intelligence official says. ...

War and no peace

Arab News - ‎1 hour ago‎
He thus took “an important step forward in ending the Iraq war, and doing so “responsibly.” Ending the war “responsibly” is supposed to mean that the over ...

Obama says Iraq war is ending

Xinhua - ‎Aug 28, 2010‎
28 (Xinhua) -- After seven years and thousands of US military deaths, US President Barack Obama on Saturday said the Iraq war is ending. ...

DTN News: Indonesia TODAY August 29, 2010 - Volcano Quiet For 400 Years Erupts In Indonesia

DTN News: Indonesia TODAY August 29, 2010 - Volcano Quiet For 400 Years Erupts In Indonesia Source: DTN News / AP
(NSI News Source Info) JAKARTA, Indonesia - August 29, 2010: A volcano in western Indonesia spewed hot lava and sand high into the sky early Sunday in its first eruption in 400 years. Government volcanologist Surono, who uses only one name, said Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province started rumbling a few days ago and the minor morning eruption had mostly stopped. It sent sand and ash up to a mile (1.5 kilometers) high but lava only moved near its crater. It caused no major damage and "only dust covered plants and trees," he said. He said Mount Sinabung last erupted in 1600, so observers don't know the volcano's eruption pattern and are monitoring it closely for more activity. Evacuations on the volcano's slopes started Friday at the first signs of activity. Up to 10,000 people who fled are staying in government buildings, houses of worship and other evacuation centers in two nearby towns. The government has distributed 7,000 masks to refugees and set up public kitchens so people can cook food, said Priyadi Kardono, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is on the so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail
Related News

Indonesia volcano erupts for first time in 400 years

Telegraph.co.uk - ‎58 minutes ago‎
A volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra erupted for the first time in 400 years, spewing a vast cloud of smoke and ash into the air and sending thousands of people fleeing from their homes.
Indonesian volcano erupts Sydney Morning Herald

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY August 29, 2010 - Double Whammy, Operations Against Islamic Militants And Floods Swamp Fresh Town

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY August 29, 2010 - Double Whammy, Operations Against Islamic Militants And Floods Swamp Fresh Town **Pakistan town submerged amid fight to rebuild levees - BBC News **Pakistan security forces end hostage drama - AP
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including BBC & AP By RIAZ KHAN, Associated Press Writer
(NSI News Source Info) KARACHI/PESHAWAR, Pakistan - August 29, 2010: Pakistan town submerged amid fight to rebuild levees and second story Security forces stormed an army intelligence office in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday and freed two people who had been taken hostage by escaped militant prisoners, officials said.
First....Floodwater has submerged a town in the southern province of Sindh, and threatens another being used as a key staging post for flood relief workers. Sujawal, a town of some 250,000 people, has been submerged while people battle to save the nearby city of Thatta, reports say. Authorities are still trying to rebuild levees around Thatta against the raging Indus river. But water is still advancing on the all-but-abandoned city, reports say. Pakistan's Monsoon Floods Floods 'consuming' southern villages Damage and challenges Army boosted by aid effort Your pictures: Shangla "We fled so hastily that we could not even pick up our belongings," Amena Bibi, a mother of four, told the BBC. "We are sitting in this graveyard under the blazing sun, looking for shade here and there. We have nothing to eat. The floodwater swept away our cows and buffalo."Future hunger The international aid agency Oxfam says Pakistan will face devastating problems in the future, unless flood reconstruction efforts begin immediately. A month after the floods began, the effort is still focused on the first stage of relief, rescuing and evacuating people. But farmers have only a small window in which to plant the next harvest's crops, and that is fast closing, raising fears of future hunger. "Pakistan doesn't have the luxury of waiting for the emergency phase to be over before starting the reconstruction," Neva Khan, Oxfam's country director said. The massive floods have left some 8m people in need of emergency relief. The lack of proper sanitation and cramped living conditions mean disease could spread quickly, says the BBC's Jill McGivering in Islamabad. Four weeks since the flooding began, the scale of this humanitarian crisis is still growing. And on the ground, the amount of aid available is a long way from meeting the need, our correspondent says.
Second story....PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Security forces stormed an army intelligence office in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday and freed two people who had been taken hostage by escaped militant prisoners, officials said. There were no fatalities in the operation and the militants surrendered, said Liaqat Ali Khan, a top police official.
He said the trouble began as about three or four militants were being moved inside the offices. "When they were being shifted from one compound to another, all of a sudden they grabbed guns from one of the guards and opened fire" and took two people hostage, he said. One guard was injured in the shooting. That was followed by a 10-hour gunbattle and the operation to free the hostages. Khan would give no details on the operation. Police officials initially said militants had attacked the army intelligence office from outside. Peshawar is the capital of troubled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where militants often target police and security forces. The shooting began hours after suspected U.S. missiles struck two vehicles carrying militants in northwestern Pakistan, killing nine of them, intelligence officials said. The overnight missile attack occurred in the troubled Kurram tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The slain men were from the Haqqani Network, which is blamed for launching attacks across the border on American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, the two intelligence officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The CIA has repeatedly targeted militant positions in Pakistan's tribal regions, but such strikes in Kurram are rare. ___ **This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail

DTN News: Hong Kong TODAY August 29, 2010 - Hong Kong Rallies Demand Justice In Manila Bus Tragedy

DTN News: Hong Kong TODAY August 29, 2010 - Hong Kong Rallies Demand Justice In Manila Bus Tragedy
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including VOA News - Heda Bayron Hong Kong
(NSI News Source Info) Hong Kong- August 29, 2010: Tens of thousands of people marched in Hong Kong Sunday to demand answers from the Philippine government over the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists in a bus siege in the Manila last week. Despite assurances and apologies from Philippine officials, anger remains among residents here. Residents dressed in black and white walked in silence from Victoria Park in eastern Hong Kong island to the Central business district.
Some carried banners demanding the Philippine government investigate the botched attempt by police to rescue hostages held by a gunman on a tourist bus in Manila last Monday. Eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and several others wounded in the rescue attempt.
There were concerns that the protest would only stoke racial tensions in the city, where more than 100,000 Filipinos work, mostly as domestic helpers. But the rally ended peacefully.Earlier in the day, an interfaith prayer service was held at the central business district, where most helpers congregate on their Sunday day off. Eman Villanueva, vice chairman of the Filipino Migrant Workers' Union, downplayed those concerns.
"Most of the people in Hong Kong know that it is not the Filipino people they should be angry at," he said. "I think that's why there are only isolated cases of dismissals or ill treatment towards Filipinos."
Philippine police say Rolando Mendoza, a former decorated police officer who was fired from his job for alleged extortion, shot the tourists. Philippine President Benigno Aquino has apologized for the tragedy and promised a speedy investigation.
But ties between Manila and Beijing have become strained because of the tragedy. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang canceled his trip to Manila in September, and Beijing refused to receive the Philippine vice president and foreign secretary until the investigation is completed.
Hong Kong police sent five officers and two forensic experts to assist the Philippine investigation. Lai Tung-kwok, undersecretary for security, said Hong Kong police are also conducting their own investigation based on autopsies of the victims and interviews with survivors.
"This will give a lot of factual information that may be of assistance to the Philippine police," Lai said.
The march Sunday also mourned those killed. Many people carried white flowers and wore yellow ribbons. A candlelight vigil followed the march.
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail