Being A Reporter In Pakistan Is A Very Dangerous Occupation

Adnkronos news agency via Associated Press Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad had told Human Rights Watch that he was afraid he would be killed for his reporting.

Pakistani Who Exposed al Qaeda Cell Found Slain -- Washington Times

A Pakistani journalist who wrote last week about the suspected infiltration of Pakistan's navy by al Qaeda terrorists was found dead Tuesday, two days after he went missing in Islamabad.

Syed Saleem Shahzads body was found almost 100 miles north of the Pakistani capital.His face had been battered, and he had a gunshot wound in his stomach, according to sources.

Mr. Shahzad was Pakistan bureau chief of Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online and author of “Inside al Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11.”

Read more ....

Update: Leading journalist 'murdered by Pakistani security service' -- Independent

My Comment: It is cases like this one .... where Al Qaeda and Pakistan's intelligence officers appear to be working together .... that one can understand why they were left out of the loop when the U.S. Navy SEALs went after Bin Laden. Reporting on what are the links between Al Qaeda and Pakistani authorities is a death wish for those who are seeking the truth in that country.

Do Women Prefer Men In Uniform?

Credit: Photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life magazine via Wikimedia Commons.
V-J Day in Times Square, taken on Aug. 14, 1945, is arguably the most famous photograph in the world. A young sailor passionately kisses a nurse as thousands celebrate Japan’s surrender in WWII. The photograph was published in a Life magazine victory spread, along with several other smooch photos.

Uniformly Attractive -- Slate

Is it true that women prefer men in uniform?

During New York's Fleet Week, which runs from May 25 to June 1 this year, some 3,000 sailors, Marines, and members of the Coast Guard descend on the city. It's often said that women prefer a man in uniform. Is that true?

Maybe, maybe not. Hard evidence is scarce, but in a 2006 paper titled "G.I. Average Joe: The Clothes Do Not Necessarily Make the Man," researchers from North Georgia College and State University determined that, for 120 female college students, photos of six ROTC cadets in their "dress blues" were not significantly more enticing than photos of the same cadets in their civilian clothes. The Explainer also came across a marketing survey, conducted by Kelton Research for the retail chain Men's Wearhouse, indicating that while 91 percent of Americans believe that dapper clothing can enhance a less-than-handsome man's appearance, only 37 percent consider military garb more appealing than business suits.

Read more ....

My Comment: I guess a lowly private has a lot of work ahead of him to get the attention of a women that appeals to him.

Picture Of The Day

PAKTIKA PATROL - U.S. Army Sgt. Richard Toon provides security atop a mountain during Operation Oqab Behar VI in Paktika province, Afghanistan, May 20, 2011. Toon is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's Company D, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team. The mission provided security along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. U.S. Army photo by Spc. George N. Hunt

The Hovercraft Finds A Home In The North Korean Military

North Korea plans a fleet of 60 attack hovercraft

North Korea's New Weapon: The Hovercraft -- The Guardian

Look out South Korea, Kim Jong-Il's latest war machine is taking shape 30 miles off your coast.

Think of the great machines of war, and the hovercraft is perhaps not the first that springs to mind. But Kim Jong-il has clearly done his homework on military history, because North Korea is in the process of building a naval hovercraft base 30 miles off the South Korean coast. The hangar-shaped buildings spotted across the international waters will house 60 "attack hovercraft", to be used for "infiltration attacks and landing"

Read more ....

My Comment: Their country is broke, starving, and dysfunctional .... but Kim Jong-il wants his fleet of attack hovercraft. Insanity does not even come close to describing what that regime is all about.

A Medical Miracle And A Story Of Courage

Army Private Channing Moss was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army Photo, Courtesy Channing Moss)

Unexploded Bomb in Soldier's Body: Could Docs Save Him? -- ABC News

Thursday, March 16, 2006, was a beautiful sunny day in Paktika Province, eastern Afghanistan. It borders a lawless region of Pakistan that is home to some al Qaeda and Taliban forces. Snow in the mountain passes along the border had melted giving them access again to Afghanistan where they came looking for American soldiers. They soon found them.

At dawn, the 10th Mountain Division's Alpha Company headed out on a mission. Lt. Billy Mariani, the unit commander, noticed something about his troops.

Read more ....

My Comment: Soldiers helping their fellow soldier under the most extreme situations.... this is what makes the U.S. military incredibly unique in today's world. A true Band of Brothers story.

Bringing Home The Remains Of The ‘Earliest Navy SEALs

Image from The Intrepid Project

War Dead From 1804 Could Be Repatriated -- Washington Times

Congress moves to bring home remains of the ‘earliest Navy SEALs’.

More than two centuries after they died off the coast of present-day Libya, the remains of the first 13 Navy commandos in U.S. history - in the words of one supporter, the “earliest Navy SEALs” - are one step closer to coming home.

The U.S. House of Representatives, brushing off prior opposition from Defense Department officials, voted last week to insist the Pentagon get them back.

Read more ....

My Comment: I know that we have more important priorities than bringing back the remains of fallen soldiers over 200 years ago .... but then again .... these are fallen American soldiers, and they (like all other soldiers) do deserve to be brought back home and buried with honor. I say bring back them home, and spare no expense.

More information on the Intrepid Project can be found here.

Inspectors Try To Pierce Iran's Nuclear Program

Inspectors Pierce Iran’s Cloak of Nuclear Secrecy -- New York Times

The International Atomic Energy Agency last week presented a report to its board that laid out new information on what it calls “possible military dimensions” of Iran’s nuclear program, clarifying the central issue in the long clash between Tehran and the West over nuclear technology.

The nine-page report raised questions about whether Iran has sought to investigate seven different kinds of technology ranging from atomic triggers and detonators to uranium fuel. Together, the technologies could make a type of atom bomb known as an implosion device, which is what senior staff members of the I.A.E.A. have warned that Iran is able to build.

Read more ....

My Comment: Taking 5% of the information that you have .... and trying to figure out the other 95% .... that is in essence what the job as a nuclear inspector is like when it comes to Iran.

Mexico's Drug Wars Is Now On Guatemala's Border

Mexico's Southern Border Awash In Crime And Violence -- Miami Herald/McClatchy News

ALONG THE USUMACINTA RIVER, Mexico -- If the border that separates the United States and Mexico is fairly easy to penetrate, then Mexico's other border - the southern one, abutting Guatemala - is virtually a sieve.

For a few pesos, boatmen along this jade-hued jungle river will take people or cargo across, no questions asked. On one recent day, rustlers could be seen driving long-horned cattle from trucks at river's edge onto waiting boats.

Read more ....

My Comment: Central America is already awash with crime and violence .... throwing in Mexico's drug war is not the recipe for better times.

There's "Dissent And Dislike" For The President At The CIA

Ex-Intel Chairman Hoekstra Says There's "Dissent And Dislike" For Pres At CIA -- Human Events

The former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said last week that there is an undercurrent of “dissent and dislike” for President Obama among the rank-and-file of the Central Intelligence Agency. This hostility, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) told HUMAN EVENTS, is the result of the continuing investigations of CIA agents regarding enhanced interrogation techniques of suspected terrorists—investigations, he emphasized, “of which the President and [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder should say, ‘These proceedings are closed.’”

Read more ....

My Comment: The CIA is not the only organization that has a dislike for President Obama .... but even with this "dislike", I doubt that the intelligence services will actively disobey and/or disrupt White House policies and objectives.

Syrian President Issues Amnesty To His Opponents

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. © RIA Novosti. Sergei Guneev

Syria's Assad Offers Amnesty To Political Prisoners -- Christian Science Monitor

Assad's conciliatory gesture is unlikely to halt the momentum of Syria's opposition, which is meeting in Turkey to discuss a transition to democracy.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in a clear conciliatory gesture to anti-regime protesters following weeks of brutal suppression by his security forces, announced Tuesday a general amnesty for all “crimes” committed before May 31.

According to Syrian TV, the amnesty will apply to all political prisoners as well as to the banned Muslim Brotherhood. More than 1,000 people have died and 10,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks as part of a crackdown by the Syrian authorities to stamp out an unprecedented uprising that has shaken Mr. Assad’s 11-year hold on power. There was no immediate word on when the detainees would begin to be released.

Read more ....

More News On Syria's Amnesty Offer To Its Political Prisoners

Syrian president issues amnesty -- Al Jazeera
Syrian president declares general amnesty -- RIA Novosti
Syrian Leader Bids for Calm With Amnesty -- New York Times
Syrian President Offers Opponents General Amnesty -- Voice of America
Assad Orders Release of Political Detainees, Syrian State Television Says -- Bloomberg
Syria decrees general amnesty, opposition says too little -- AFP
Syria: Bashar al-Assad 'grants general amnesty' -- BBC

My Comment: This offer of amnesty is not going to fly .... especially when stories like this one are being circulated.

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- May 31, 2011

Ratko Mladic's Arrival At Hague Bolsters Promise Of International Courts -- Robert Marquand, Christian science Monitor

Ratko Mladic's extradition to The Hague Tuesday to face 11 counts of war crimes in Bosnia reflects a growing acceptance of seeking justice in global courts instead of the battlefield.

Bosnian Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic was placed on a Hague-bound airplane Tuesday after losing his appeal not to be sent there on 11 counts of war crimes in Bosnia. His arrival the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), set up in 1993, further legitimizes global efforts to establish laws and courts to prosecute crimes that for most of human history took place with impunity and were usually resolved by wars, treaties, time, and forgetting.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

How to Track China’s Navy Ambitions -- James R. Holmes, The Diplomat

Iran sees threat to its clout amid Arab Spring -- Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor

Syrians are tired of Assad's 'reforms' -- Fadwa al-Hatem, The Guardian

The endgame for Syria's bloody junta -- Burhan Ghalioun, The Guardian

Egypt Rushes Toward Sharia and War -- Robert Spencer, Human Events

The Real Endgame In Greece That European Leaders Are Privately Praying For -- Gregory White, Business Insider

Is it too late for Serbia to join the EU? -- Joshua Keating, The Cable/Foreign Policy

The U.S. could get on the right side of history in Burma -- Fred Hiatt, Washington Post

Was Salvador Allende Assassinated? -- FOX News

The Numbers Are Grim -- New York Times editorial

Bush II goes to war whether Congress likes it or not -- Gene Healy, Washington Examiner

State secrets privilege: Time for Congress to end the rubber stamp -- Washington Post editorial

GRE Round Up for May 31

The latest from the Gun Rights Examiners:

Anthony Bouchard/Cheyenne:

• The Patriot Act and the slippery slope

Yih-Chau Chang/Oakland:

• Robbed Twice In Public, Woman Doesn't Want Her Life Risked A 3rd Time

Dave Workman/Seattle:

• Deadline today for comments on multiple long gun sales reporting plan

• NEWS FLASH: More than 337K Washingtonians licensed to carry

Kurt Hofmann/St. Louis:

• Obama and 'gun control': 'Under the radar,' or is the radar going unwatched?

World News Briefs -- May 31, 2011 (Evening Edition)

Yemen Unrest Deepens, Downward Spiral Spreads -- Voice of America

Yemeni government troops in Sana'a are again fighting members of the Hashid tribe, just one of several forces, including militants and anti-government protesters, seeking to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The street battles followed a brief truce between the government and forces loyal to Sheikh Sadek al-Ahmar, and threatened once again to push Yemen toward civil war.

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

U.S. yanks diplomat from Bahrain after he's threatened.

Hamas opens memorial to dead flotilla activists.

Yemeni military battles opponents on several fronts. Yemen truce ends with blasts, stokes civil war worries. Yemen unrest: UN says 50 killed in Taiz since Sunday.

Gunfire, explosions hit Syrian town: activist.

Activists vow new aid flotilla to Gaza.

Israel Minister: Strike on Iran could be necessary.

West Bank site holy to Jews emerges as flashpoint.

Majority of both Palestinians and Israeli expect new intifada.

ASIA

US senator: Decision soon on Marine base in Japan.

Pakistani jets kill 18 in attacks on militants.

Karzai: NATO risks being seen as 'occupying force'.

India, Pakistan fail to make progress on glacier.

China says foreigners stir Inner Mongolia unrest.

The United States and Pakistan: Partnership in risis.

Japan recovery takes hold, but debt downgrade looms.

AFRICA

Libya's Gaddafi: I will not leave my country. Zuma says Gaddafi refuses to leave Libya.
Gaddafi appears on Libyan state television with South Africa leader Zuma who says tyrant is open to a truce. UN: Food, medicine dwindling in Gadhafi-held Libya.

ICC rejects Kenya bid to halt election violence probe.

Police violence reaching new levels in Morocco with Sunday beatings.

Somalia surge in child casualties, says UN.

North, South Sudan agree demilitarized zone: AU. North and south Sudan agree to border talks over disputed region. Sudanese army appoints military governor for Abyei.

Kampala warns Khartoum over military invasion of oil-rich state.

Egypt's Mubarak unfit for prison move: prosecutor.

Egypt’s Christians fear violence as changes embolden Islamists.

EUROPE

Mladic extradited to UN court in The Hague. Serbia judges reject Ratko Mladic extradition appeal.

More blows to Berlusconi coalition.

Germany furious after Iran delays Merkel's plane.

European food contamination kills 16, sickens 1150. Killer bacteria claims victims in Germany, Sweden.

Europe weighs options for new Greek package.

AMERICAS

Spanish court indicts 20 Salvadoran military officials.

Memorial Day marked by parades, flyovers, flags.

Bananas, Colombian death squads and a billion dollar lawsuit.

Brazil federal leaders discuss Amazon conflict.

Report questions official Haiti quake death toll.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Supreme Court tosses out lawsuit accusing John Ashcroft of misusing his power.

Report: Over 400 al-Qaida terrorists now in Sinai.

ISAF targets Taliban leader of al Qaeda cell based in Quetta.

North Caucasus the next terror battlefield for al Qaeda?

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

US home price double dip erases post-crisis gains.

Eurozone crisis risks 'systemic' fallout, says Draghi.

'Perfect storm' looms for world's food supplies. Food prices set to double by 2030, aid group says.

U.S. March home prices suffer double-dip setback.

India's economy grows at slowest pace in over a year.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Gates Goes To Asia To Reassure Allies On U.S. Commitment To The Region

GATES' WAVE - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates waves to the crowd gathered to mark Rolling Thunder at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., May 29, 2011, saying it will be his last Memorial Day address before he retires in June. Rolling Thunder is an annual event in which thousands of veterans ride motorcycles through the city to call attention to prisoners of war and those missing in action. DOD photo by Fred W. Baker III

Gates Travels To Asia With Message Of Continuity -- Reuters

Defense Secretary Robert Gates heads to Asia for a final time as Pentagon chief on Tuesday, looking to reassure allies the United States is committed to regional security despite tightening defense budgets and his own imminent departure.

Gates, who leaves office at the end of June, will meet his counterparts from Australia, China and other countries at the Shangri-La security dialogue in Singapore before traveling to Brussels for meetings with officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Read more ....

More News On Secretary Gates And His Last Trip Abroad As "Pentagon Chief"

US role in Asia on agenda for Gates' final trip -- Seattle PI/AP
Gates to Reaffirm U.S. Commitments to Asia -- U.S. Department of Defense
On his last trip abroad, Gates to argue that tighter budgets won’t cut US role in Asia -- Washington Post
Gates to Display U.S. Military Staying Power on Final Trip to Asia -- Bloomberg
Gates to reassure Asian allies on US military ties -- AFP
Gates heads to Singapore on last trip as Pentagon boss -- CTV news

The New Age Of Warfare Will Use Mini-Weapons

Raytheon is developing a 13-pound GPS-guided "smart bomb" intended to be dropped from a drone. (Jim Muntz/Raytheon Co. / May 31, 2011)

Pentagon Seeks Mini-Weapons For New Age Of Warfare -- L.A. Times

In an effort to cut costs and avoid civilian casualties, manufacturers are developing small 'smart bombs,' drones that resemble model planes and microscopic crystals to tag enemy targets.

Under mounting pressure to keep its massive budget in check, the Pentagon is looking to cheaper, smaller weapons to wage war in the 21st century.

A new generation of weaponry is being readied in clandestine laboratories across the nation that puts a priority on pintsized technology that would be more precise in warfare and less likely to cause civilian casualties. Increasingly, the Pentagon is being forced to discard expensive, hulking, Cold War-era armaments that exact a heavy toll on property and human lives.

Read more ....

My Comment: Warfare is rapidly becoming a conflict of economics .... the use of expensive jet planes and pricey bombs do not make sense in today's conflicts .... especially when a low cost drone with a small missile can do the same job.

'Food Prices Will Double In 20 Years Causing Mass World Hunger'

Food Prices Will Double By 2030, Says Oxfam -- The Daily Mail

* Demand for food will rise 70 per cent by 2050

The prices of some staple foods will more than double by 2030 unless world leaders reform the global food system, Oxfam has warned.

The aid charity warned that millions more people could suffer food shortages in two decades due to a 'perfect storm' of ecological and sociological factors.

Read more ....

More News On Oxfam's Report That Food Prices Are Set To Double by 2030

Food prices could double within 20 years, warns Oxfam -- The Telegraph
Food prices to double by 2030, Oxfam warns -- The Guardian
Oxfam Urges Reform Of 'Broken Food System' -- Radio Free Europe
Food crisis will create millions more hungry: Oxfam -- CBC
Rising food prices increase squeeze on poor - Oxfam -- BBC
Hunger crisis worsens, food system broken: Oxfam -- Reuters
Oxfam: 'Broken' food system leaving millions hungry -- CNN
‘Number of hungry people in India rose by 65 mn between 1990-2005’ -- The Hindu

Mundane...

Duplicative...[Read]

We'll see.

[Via DB]

We're the Only Ones Trained Enough

Jay McDonald, president of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, said it is ridiculous to compare a trained police officer to a regular citizen who happens have a concealed carry permit. 

"We are required to meet a much higher level of training and re-training for how to properly handle our weapons and we are trained to know in which situations to shoot and not to shoot," McDonald said. "If they want to require the same level of training for CCW holders as I have to meet as a law enforcement officer, then we will drop our opposition."[More]

Can anybody think of one good reason why we should be required to feed this parasite?

President Obama's National Security Team Is Now In Place

President Obama, followed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Gen. Martin E. Dempsey at the White House on Monday. Philip Scott Andrews/The New York Times

Obama Wraps Up Reshaping of National Security Team -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — In announcing Monday that he would nominate Gen. Martin E. Dempsey to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Obama concluded a broad reshuffling of his national security team just as the administration is heading into a new debate over bringing American troops home from Afghanistan.

General Dempsey, who if confirmed by the Senate would take over from Adm. Mike Mullen as the nation’s highest ranking military officer, has not taken a public position on how many troops should be withdrawn starting in July, the date set by the president for beginning to reduce the United States military presence in Afghanistan.

Read more ....

My Comment: It is going to take me a while to get around the idea that General Petraeus now runs the CIA and General Odierno will head the U.S. Army .... but in general .... this reshaping of the National Security team holds no surprises.

The Safety Dance

We can dance if we want to...[Watch]

And don't you forget it.

Unbelievable how many authoritah-worshipers think they got what they asked for.  On a different continent, in a different time, we'd have called them "good Germans."

[Via Orygunner]

We're the Only Ones Until Death Do Us Part Enough

Police say Franklin Co. deputy kills ex-wife in Roanoke and wounds a state trooper on I-81 [More]

Obviously more trustworthy to be armed in public than you or me...

[Via a ton of you]

I Love You, You Love Me...

Brave teacher. [Read]

Criminal that people are forced by their government to be helpless, unable to protect the most vulnerable entrusted to their care...

I wonder if any of the guns being used outside by those who not only laugh at--but count on--such restrictions were "walked"? Or sold to them by the same "officials" who restrict the "law-abiding"?

[Via Zachary G]

Civil War In Libya -- News Updates May 31, 2011

Defections, Protests Hit Libyan Regime -- Washington Post

TRIPOLI — South African President Jacob Zuma met Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi Monday but appeared to make no breakthrough in his attempt to broker a peace deal, as the regime was hit by a wave of high-level defections and the reemergence of protests in the capital.

Zuma, who also visited Tripoli in April, reiterated that Gaddafi had accepted an African Union peace plan calling for a cease-fire and dialogue, a plan explicitly rejected by rebels and implicitly by NATO, who maintain Gaddafi has to leave before any cease-fire can take effect.

Read more ....

More News On The Civil War In Libya

FACTBOX-Latest military activity in Libya -- Reuters

Fresh NATO Libya Raids As Rebels Reject New Truce Offer -- Radio Free Europe
INTERVIEW-Top Libyan defector says end near for Gaddafi's rule -- Reuters
Kadhafi 'finished,' Italy says amid stalemate -- Yahoo News/AFP
Italy pledges money, fuel for Libyan rebels -- Seattle PI/AP
Italy offers financial help to Libya rebels -- Financial Times
Italy Pledges Oil, Cash to Libyan Rebels -- Wall Street Journal

Kadhafi not prepared to leave Libya: S. Africa -- AFP
Libya's Gaddafi: I will not leave my country -- Reuters
Zuma’s Office Says Qaddafi Intent on Staying in Libya -- New York Times
Libya: Zuma says Gaddafi will not quit -- BBC
Gaddafi not prepared to leave his country, says Zuma -- Vanguard

African peace effort appears a no-go in Libya -- L.A. Times
S.African law firm 'may defend Kadhafi' -- AFP
Gaddafi must accept reality and leave -- Gulf News editorial
TIMELINE-Libya's uprising against Muammar Gaddafi -- Reuters

THOR's Hammer

I received the following email from THOR Global Defense Group:

I just added some great new photos of the XM408 rifle to our website, you can view the link here:

http://www.thorrifles.com/photos/category/1-xm408

Please feel free to distribute these as you need in print or on your website; contact me if you have any questions or need more information on the XM rifle

Well, you know me.  I'd seen a magazine review that only mentioned "official" use. So I sent the following reply:

Is it available to the civilian market?

And heard immediately back from them:

These are now commercially available, let me know if I can assist you with one!

Well, yeah,with the paying part would be nice...

Some day.  The last time Sweetie came home with a lottery ticket, I told her all she's gotta do is get six lousy numbers and she can't even do that right (Owww...).  So I'm counting on this ticket I bought at the NRA Annual Meeting to show her how someone who really knows what he's doing gets things done:

Serbia Extradites Former Bosnian General Ratko Mladic To The Hague

Serbia Extradites Ratko Mladic To The Hague -- BBC

Ratko Mladic is being flown from Belgrade to a UN tribunal in The Hague, after a Serbian court rejected an appeal against his transfer.

Serbia's justice minister said she had signed the extradition order. After the hearing, the former Bosnian Serb army chief was taken to the airport.

He faces genocide charges over the Bosnian conflict in the 1990s.

Read more ....

More News On Ratko Mladic Being Extradited To The Hague

Mladic on way to Hague to face war crimes charges -- Yahoo News/AP
Serbia says Mladic on flight to war crimes tribunal -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Serbia rejects appeal against Mladic transfer to UN court -- Yahoo News/AFP
Ratko Mladic to be extradited to The Hague after appeal rejected -- The Telegraph
Judges reject Mladic's appeal against extradition -- MSNBC
Serbia rejects appeal, extradites Mladic to The Hague -- Globe And Mail
Thousands of Mladic supporters in Bosnia protest their hero's arrest -- Canadian Press

Memorial Day

Yesterday I stood watching a very young woman and her two very young sons crying and asking “Where is daddy” or “why, why, why” and knowing that in all likelihood these armed state enforcers are home with their families sickened and frightened me. [More]

Jesse Mathewson attended that rally we talked about the other day.

So Much For Talking. North Korea Threatens To Cut Hotline To The South

North Korea has said it will never deal with the current South Korean government (AFP/File, Jung Yeon-Je)

North Korea Threatens to Close Hotline With South -- New York Times

SEOUL — With relations between North and South Korea still tense and limited, the North threatened Monday to abandon a military hot line with the South and close a jointly operated office where officials from both Koreas interact.

The North also said it would never again deal with President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea, calling him a “traitor,” although the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, said only last month that he was willing to participate in a summit meeting with Mr. Lee.

Read more ....

More News On The Tensions Between North And South Korea

NKorea threatens to cut off hotline with SKorea -- Stars and Stripes/AP
Kim Jong-il Severs Communication with S.Korea -- Chosun Ilbo
North Korea pledges not to talk with South -- Korea Times
N. Korea won't deal with S. Korea govt: statement -- AFP
South Korea regrets the North cutting ties -- CNN

My Comment: While this severing of ties is a disappointment .... it should not be a surprised. What is a surprise is a secret visit by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to South Korea .... not surprising .... no one wants to talk about it.

Should shaving your beard be cause for federal terrorism scrutiny?

So it should come as no surprise to see real indicators of overt malevolent intent conflated with innocent actions, such as shaving a beard, or paying in cash, or traveling an “illogical” distance to a gun-related event. [More]

This morning's Gun Rights Examiner column has a close shave with a known "hatriot" extremist and "homegrown terrorist."

Somebody ought to report him. I know when I tried to I never got a response.  Warn others against this radical by sharing the link?

This Day in History: May 31

The expedition you are appointed to command is to be directed against the hostile tribes of the six nations of Indians, with their associates and adherents. The immediate objects are the total distruction and devastation of their settlements and the capture of as many prisoners of every age and sex as possible [More]

North - South Sudan Crisis -- News Updates May 31, 2011

North-South Sudan Agree On Demilitarized Zone Along Border -- Voice of America

North and south Sudan have agreed to set up a joint security mechanism to manage tensions along their disputed frontier once the country splits into two in July. The deal establishes a demilitarized zone to be jointly monitored under international supervision. Ethiopia is offering to send peacekeepers to act as a buffer between opposing forces.

Senior northern and southern military commanders signed the accord late Monday after three days of talks at an Addis Ababa hotel.

Read more ....

More News On The Conflict Between Birth And South Sudan

Sudan agrees demilitirised zone for north-south border -- BBC
Sudan's north and south agree to demilitarised border zone -- The Guardian
North, south Sudan agree on demilitarised zone -- AFP
North, South Sudan agree demilitarised zone - AU -- Reuters
Sudan, Southern Sudan agree to border talks over disputed region -- CNN
North, south Sudan discuss Abyei as tension simmers -- Reuters
North Sudan demands South withdraws troops from border states -- Irish Times
Sudan Says Southern Troops in North Will Be 'Legitimate Targets' -- SFGate/Bloomberg
Sudan Border Strategy May Bring in Ethiopian Peacekeepers -- New York Times
Thousands flee Sudanese bombing amid food and fuel shortages -- Washington Post
Fresh Crisis as South Sudan Inches to Independence -- Alert Net
Abyei occupation makes it harder to avoid war -- Katrina Manson, Financial Times
Sudan’s Peaceful Partition, at Risk -- Douglas H. Johnson, New York Times
Massive Humanitarian Tragedy in Abyei (And How to Prevent it from Getting Worse) -- Mark Goldberg, UN Dispatch
Why Kenya, Uganda should shiver over Sudan’s Abyei crisis -- Charles Onyango-Obbo, The East African
TIMELINE-Sudan's disputed Abyei region -- Reuters

Unrest In Yemen -- News Updates May 312, 2011

Cease-Fire in Yemen Capital Breaks Down -- New York Times

SANA, Yemen — The field of battle expanded again in Yemen on Tuesday as a cease-fire between government forces and opposition tribesmen in the capital broke down, renewing fears that the country’s continuing political stalemate could drag it into civil war.

The fighting came a day after the government pounded a major coastal city with airstrikes to dislodge Islamic militants and, to the west, smashed the country’s largest antigovernment demonstration in clashes that killed at least 20 protesters.

Read more ....

More News On The Unrest And Violence In Yemen

Yemen security official: Islamists kill 5 soldiers -- Yahoo News/AP
Deadly clashes in Yemen capital as troops kill 7 in Taez -- Yahoo News/AFP
Dozens Die in Yemen Protests -- Wall Street Journal
Continuing fierce battles erupt in Yemen's capital, breaking truce deal -- Xinhuanet
Yemen Fighting Intensifies on More Fronts, At Least 20 Killed -- Voice of America
Yemen truce ends in blasts, stokes civil war worries -- Swiss Info/Reuters
Yemen unrest: UN says 50 killed in Taiz since Sunday -- BBC
Yemen: 'Over 50 Killed By Govt Troops' -- SKY news
UN: 50 Dead in Taiz Crackdown -- Voice of America
More than 50 killed in Yemen city of Taiz: U.N. -- Reuters
20 feared dead as Yemeni security forces storm protest camp -- Washington Post

Yemen security official: Islamists kill 5 soldiers -- Seattle PI/AP
Eight Yemen soldiers dead from ‘Qaeda’ clashes -- Khaleej Times/AFP
Al-Qa'ida fighters kill Yemeni troops -- The Australian
YEMEN: Civilians flee violence in the south -- IRIN
UN rights chief deplores ‘reprehensible’ violence against Yemeni civilians -- UN News Centre
Foreign Office urges Britons to leave Yemen while they can -- The Independent

Yemen's Saleh cedes Al Qaeda hotbed to militants. Why? -- Christian Science Monitor
The implosion in Yemen -- Khaleej Times editorial
Jihadists Threaten to Seize Yemem -- Max Boot, Commentary

Major Cyber Attacks Will Now Be Viewed As An Act Of War

Cyber Combat: Act of War -- Wall Street Journal

Pentagon Sets Stage for U.S. to Respond to Computer Sabotage With Military Force

WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S. to respond using traditional military force.

The Pentagon's first formal cyber strategy, unclassified portions of which are expected to become public next month, represents an early attempt to grapple with a changing world in which a hacker could pose as significant a threat to U.S. nuclear reactors, subways or pipelines as a hostile country's military.

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More News On How The U.S. And U.K. Will Respond To A Major Cyber Attack

DoD: Cyber attack is act of war -- DoD Buzz
Pentagon: Cyber Attacks Can Qualify as Acts of War -- Newser
Pentagon says computer hack is act of war -- Tech Eye
US 'to view major cyber attacks as acts of war' -- Physorg.com

The U.K. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), above, is taking a lead role in developing cbyer-weapons programme. Photograph: Reuters

Cyber weapons 'now integral part of Britain's armoury' -- The Telegraph
UK developing cyber-weapons programme to counter cyber war threat -- The Guardian
Government plans cyber weapons programme -- The Guardian
Stuxnet attack forced Britain to rethink the cyber war -- The Guardian
Cyber weapons are integral part of the UK’s armoury, says defence minister -- Computerworld UK
Cyber warfare: Britain developing 'virtual weapons' to combat hacker threat -- Daily Mail

U.S., U.K. see cyberwar as facet of regular war -- CNET
21st century warfare -- Rick Moran, American Thinker

Afghanistan War News Updates -- May 31, 2011

Afghan President Warns NATO Against Airstrikes -- Voice of America

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned NATO that launching airstrikes on houses while targeting militants will not be allowed, as he continued to press U.S. and NATO forces about civilian casualties.

President Karzai said Tuesday the Afghan people can no longer tolerate the attacks, and that the U.S.-led coalition risks being seen as an "occupying force" if the bombings continue.

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More News On Afghanistan

Afghan leader warns NATO not to become "occupying force" -- Reuters
Hamid Karzai warns Nato not to act as occupier in Afghanistan -- The Telegraph
Karzai orders NATO to stop airstrikes in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Karzai: Afghans 'Can No Longer Tolerate' NATO Strikes That Hit Civilians -- NPR
Karzai Warns NATO Against Air Attacks on Afghan Homes -- New York Times
Karzai demands that NATO cease airstrikes on houses -- L.A. Times
Karzai says no more airstrikes on homes -- UPI
Afghan president warns NATO against airstrikes that kill civilians -- CNN
Afghan leader Karzai issues 'last warning' to Nato -- BBC

NATO: Hits on Afghan houses to continue -- Yahoo News/AP

ISAF Joint Command morning operational update -- Dvids
Factbox: Security developments in Afghanistan -- Reuters
U.S. soldiers brace for big fight in Afghanistan -- CBS news
Taliban insurgents hit NATO base, downtown Herat in coordinated attacks -- L.A. Times
Taliban Attack in Herat, Far From Their Usual Areas -- New York Times
Insurgents attack Afghan NATO base, downtown Herat blast kills at least 4 -- Washington Post
Afghan Soldier Fatally Shoots Australian Mentor -- New York Times/AP

Obama team turns focus to Afghanistan withdrawal -- USA Today
Cost of war in Afghanistan will be major factor in troop-reduction talks -- Washington Post
Violence Clouds U.S. Pullout Plans in Afghanistan -- Wall Street Journal
Retreat from Afghanistan must be on the West's terms -- Herald Sun

UK General Warns Against Afghanistan Pullout -- New York Times/AP
Afghanistan no longer source of terrorism: Canada PM -- Yahoo News/AFP
Canada’s Harper Makes Afghanistan Stop to Mark End of Military Mission -- Bloomberg
Afghan Central Bank Defends Itself After Critical Report -- New York Times
Specialist’s sacrifice spurs soldiers to reach out to Afghan villagers -- Stars and Stripes
Opinion: Deadly attacks in Afghanistan mark pivotal point -- Deutsche Welle

World News Briefs -- May 31, 2011

Zuma: Gadhafi Not Ready To Leave -- Voice of America

South African President Jacob Zuma says Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is not ready to leave his country.

Zuma made the comment Tuesday after returning home from meeting with Gadhafi in Tripoli Monday. Zuma was trying to broker a peace deal between the Libyan government and rebel fighters.

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MIDDLE EAST

Yemeni military battles opponents on several fronts. Yemen truce ends with blasts, stokes civil war worries. Yemen unrest: UN says 50 killed in Taiz since Sunday.

Gunfire, explosions hit Syrian town: activist.

Activists vow new aid flotilla to Gaza.

Israel Minister: Strike on Iran could be necessary.

West Bank site holy to Jews emerges as flashpoint.

Majority of both Palestinians and Israeli expect new intifada.

ASIA

Karzai: NATO risks being seen as 'occupying force'.

India, Pakistan fail to make progress on glacier.

China says foreigners stir Inner Mongolia unrest.

The United States and Pakistan: Partnership in risis.

Japan recovery takes hold, but debt downgrade looms.

AFRICA

Libya's Gaddafi: I will not leave my country. Zuma says Gaddafi refuses to leave Libya.
Gaddafi appears on Libyan state television with South Africa leader Zuma who says tyrant is open to a truce. UN: Food, medicine dwindling in Gadhafi-held Libya.

North and south Sudan agree to border talks over disputed region. Sudanese army appoints military governor for Abyei.

Kampala warns Khartoum over military invasion of oil-rich state.

Egypt's Mubarak unfit for prison move: prosecutor.

Egypt’s Christians fear violence as changes embolden Islamists.

EUROPE

Serbia judges reject Ratko Mladic extradition appeal.

Germany furious after Iran delays Merkel's plane.

Killer bacteria claims victims in Germany, Sweden.

Europe weighs options for new Greek package.

AMERICAS

Memorial Day marked by parades, flyovers, flags.

Bananas, Colombian death squads and a billion dollar lawsuit.

Brazil federal leaders discuss Amazon conflict.

Report questions official Haiti quake death toll.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Report: Over 400 al-Qaida terrorists now in Sinai.

ISAF targets Taliban leader of al Qaeda cell based in Quetta.

North Caucasus the next terror battlefield for al Qaeda?

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Eurozone crisis risks 'systemic' fallout, says Draghi.

'Perfect storm' looms for world's food supplies. Food prices set to double by 2030, aid group says.

U.S. March home prices suffer double-dip setback.

India's economy grows at slowest pace in over a year.