Dp

Edited by thupercoach: 27/8/2013 06:22:53 PM

Syria would be pretty brazen to launch an air strike on 4 US destroyers, regardless of it the US do launch missiles. I don't think they'd take it sitting down - but mind you, they did that when Israel bombed that convoy.

And if they did attempt to attack, and should they successfully sink one or two US ships, that's basically the outbreak of war there.

That's when NATO goes all Bombing-of-Yugoslavia on Syria's arse and bedlam breaks out across the Middle East.

Enough grains for 70m Indians rot due to poor storage - report
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation - Tue, 27 Aug 2013 06:15 AM

Author: Nita Bhalla
More news from our correspondents


A woman winnows wheat crop at a wholesale grain market on the outskirts of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, on May 7, 2013. REUTERS/Amit Dave


NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Enough food grain to feed 70 million people for a day was left to rot due to a lack of proper storage facilities in India, a newspaper reported, highlighting the infrastructural gaps faced in a country where millions live in hunger.

According to the report in the Times of India, at least 17,546 tonnes of food grains in warehouses owned by the state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) were damaged between 2009 and 2012. The FCI is responsible for procuring food grains from farmers for distribution to the poor under highly subsidised rates, and for maintaining buffer stocks for national food security.

"As per World Health Organization guidelines, a minimum of 250 grams (of) food grains is required per person per day to survive. The cumulative loss could have fed at least seven crore (70 million) people," said Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, an activist who had gained the information from the FCI under India's Right to Information Act.

Despite being one of the world's biggest food producers and experiencing years of rapid economic growth, India is home to a quarter of the world's hungry poor, according to U.N. figures.

Experts say one of the biggest problems in feeding its people is a lack of and poor storage facilities. Often the grain is stored outside warehouses with not enough sacks and tarpaulin sheets, exposing it to rain, rodents and other elements.

Last week, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told parliament that inadequate storage infrastructure resulted in wastage of fruits, grains and vegetables worth almost $7 billion every year.

The Indian government is set to push the new Food Security Bill through parliament this week. The $22 billion welfare scheme will sell subsidised wheat and rice to 67 percent of its 1.2 billion people.

However, critics say it is not only too costly for India, but it will also fail to make a difference unless adequate infrastructure for storage and distribution are made available.

http://www.trust.org/item/20130827061145-onqu5/?source=search

Or the yanks go all shock and awe on Syria's arse, Israel stays way out of it and it's a over in a few days.

Don't think it's that simple though.

Syria's air defences are much better than what Libya's and Iraq's were combined. They have some of the latest Russian missiles which are as compatible as U.S anti-aircraft defences.

I can't see Iran sitting back and just letting the U.S bomb their main ally, and I can't see Russia exactly being pleased with it.

Iran warns west against military intervention in Syria
Syria crisis: warplanes spotted in Cyprus as tensions rise in Damascus
UN inspectors ordered out by regime after 90 minutes – doctor

Russian Politician Calls For Gay Blood Ban

After sparking criticism for its anti-gay law ahead of the Sochi Olympics now a Russian politician calls for a gay blood ban.8:58am UK, Tuesday 27 August 2013
The politician claims it will help fight the HIV-Aids epidemic

A Russian politician has called for a ban on blood donations from gay people amid the continuing row over a ban on homosexual propaganda.

The lawmaker, who is also a candidate for Moscow mayor, said that move was necessary to combat the spread of HIV-Aids.

However, opponents say that Russia’s high drug addiction rates posed a greater HIV threat.

According to Interfax news agency, Mikhail Dyegtyaryov said: "We will suggest an amendment to the law on (blood) donations on the order of the Health Ministry that returns homosexuals to the list of contra-indicated donors."

A law passed in June that prohibits spreading "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" has sparked criticism from Western governments and led to calls for a boycott of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in February.

The comedian Stephen Fry has been a vocal and staunch campaigner for the boycott.

But the measure has been popular with many Russians and with the powerful Orthodox Church and President Vladimir Putin draws strong support from conservative rural parts of Russia.

Protests against his 13-year rule have mostly been confined to big cities.

Gay activists say the propaganda law has increased discrimination against them and emboldened vigilante-style attacks.

Yelena Kostyuchenko, a gay rights advocate who said she regularly gives blood, wrote on her Twitter blog on Monday that she had been asked to donate that very day.

"Next time I'll say - I'm sorry, I'm a lesbian, I don't deserve to give blood for your family members. Keep looking," she wrote.

http://news.sky.com/story/1133543/russian-politician-calls-for-gay-blood-ban

Absolutely, i don't think they would react either, but the U.S. would have a plan just in case.



It would be messy after the conventional war, i don't doubt U.S.A could defeat Syria's military in a few weeks, Iraq during the first gulf war was the most powerful middle east nation with the 5th largest air force in the world at the time, we know how that turned out..twice. The main problem is Syria's air defence network, it much more better than Libya's, thankfully they apparently don't have the S-300.

Many military analysts have commented that even if the FSA win, the next war will be between the secularists and the extremists. The FSA don't have the power to control a country dived between Assad loyalists, Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Secularists and extremists it will be worse than Iraq, which is why any major foreign intervention should be avoided.

I think Israel is at a loss here, Assad although he supplied Hezbollah was stable and kept a stable country, Israel does not want a extremist unstable hotbed on its border. I could see Israel lend communication and intelligence support as well as use of its airbases, but i don't think you will see them get directly involved.

The other big player would be Turkey, they're imo the only country that could provide troops on ground, without pissing off the entire world.



Edited by iridium1010: 27/8/2013 06:57:02 PM

Edited by iridium1010: 27/8/2013 07:03:02 PM

If the US felt the need for air cover then they'd have sent a Carrier to rendezvous rather than launching planes from Cyprus which would leave those planes at the edge of their range. Harriers only have a combat range of around 550km.

Man i love these conspiracy theories going around. Just take a look of this absolute gem of a comment on youtube. :lol:


"Obama: a mincing, prancing, smirking little piece of filth. Him and the smirking little shit bags in the US Congress who want this war because their slippery Jewish overlords want it. They all know this chemical attack is made up. Make no mistake: the US government is the enemy of every freedom loving person on this Earth. The killing of Syrians by US forces calls for the killing of those who ordered it. If the US attacks Syria, then the US government should be overthrown and exterminated."

I once made the mistake of trying to reason with these people :lol:

Youtube like that is sad. It's shame 90% of the videos covering the war in Syria are Syrian Goverment channels for the use of propaganda.

Tirade of abuse to every inbox you possess on the internet :lol:

That's fine.

Boy dies of plague in Kyrgyzstan

Bubonic plague can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed early.

A 15-year-old herder has died in Kyrgyzstan of bubonic plague - the first case in the country in 30 years - officials say.

The teenager appears to have been bitten by an infected flea.

The authorities have sought to calm fears of an epidemic and have quarantined more than 100 people.

Bubonic plague, known as the Black Death when it killed an estimated 25 million people in Europe during the Middle Ages, is now rare.

The teenager, named as Temir Issakunov, came from a mountain village in the north-east of the country, close to the border with Kazakhstan.

"We suspect that the patient was infected with the plague through the bite of a flea," health ministry official Tolo Isakov said.

He said teams had been sent to the area to get rid of rodents, which host the fleas that can carry the deadly bacterium.

The teenager died last week, but doctors have only now diagnosed the cause. More than 2,000 people are being tested for bubonic plague in the Issik-Kul region.

Checkpoints have been set up and travel and livestock transport restricted.

Aside from the quarantine measures, doctors have also been prescribing antibiotics in the area.

Kazakhstan is reported to have tightened border controls to prevent the disease entering its territory.

According to the World Health Organization, the last significant outbreak of bubonic plague was in Peru in 2010 when 12 people were found to have been infected.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23843656?

The military base is located at the Y of cyprus. That would give them a pretty limited range. Like I said, it's pretty inhibitive for air cover. The only reason you'd scramble out of Cyprus would be to launch aggressive air-strikes.

If you're going to provide air cover to the destroyers you're going to use an aircraft carrier, a) because you've got a much faster response time, and b) because it gives you an active range of over 2,000km.

Colombian Hitmen Plot To Assassinate President

A crack-team of 10 Colombian hitmen were hired to assassinate the Venezuelan president, the country's government claims.4:33am UK, Tuesday 27 August 2013

Nicolas Maduro was to be killed by a "highly experienced" hitman.

Two Colombian hitmen have been arrested for plotting to assassinate the Venezuelan president, according to officials.

The men were part of a 10-strong crack team who had been sent to murder President Nicolas Maduro, the Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez said.

He claimed that the men, named as Vactor Johan Guache Mosquera and Erick Leonardo Huertas Rios, were working on the orders of the former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe.

Mr Rodriguez said they were part of "a group of 10 men who were coming to carry out the murder of the president".

He added that they were part of a support team for a "highly experienced hitman" identified by the alias David, whom they reported to directly and who was to personally carry out the killing.

Mr Rodriguez claimed that "David" was taking orders from a Colombian who was in prison, Oscar Alcantara Gonzalez, alias "Gancho Mosco", who allegedly worked for Uribe.


Nicolas Maduro at Hugo Chavez's funeral
He said: "We have no doubt that Alvaro Uribe Velez has knowledge of all these things ... And we are not the least bit surprised that he is the one giving orders through operatives."

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who lost the April presidential vote and is contesting the results, condemned the claims as far-fetched and said: "Nobody believes that tall tale."

Mr Rodriguez in June alleged that Mr Maduro was targeted by a separate assassination plot launched from Colombia and the United States.

Venezuela made frequent allegations of assassination plots against the late leftist President Hugo Chavez and has continued to do so under Mr Maduro, his hand-picked successor.

Official results gave Maduro, 50, a razor-thin margin of just 1.5% over Mr Capriles, 41, in the April 14 election.

http://news.sky.com/story/1133498/colombian-hitmen-plot-to-assassinate-president

I am struggling to understand why killing someone with chemical weapons is worse than shooting someone or bombing someone with normal weapons. The victims all end up equally as dead.

People like to believe that people who are shot/bombed - in most cases at least - die more swiftly. Chemical weapons doom the victim to a slow, painful death.

Also, an explosion's damage is more or less instant and over then and there where as the residual effects from chemical weapons can linger for days.

www.timesofisrael.com/syrian-rebels-used-nerve-gas-un-investigator-says/

[size=8]Syrian rebels used nerve gas[/size], UN investigator saysCarla Del Ponte cites ‘strong, concrete suspicions’ of sarin use — not by Assad, but by his opponentsBy TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF May 6, 2013, 3:49 am



A UN investigator on Sunday indicated that Syrian rebels, not the Assad regime, have used chemical weapons in the two-year civil war, the inverse of previous assessments by American and Western authorities.

Carla Del Ponte, head of the independent UN commission investigating reports of chemical weapons use in Syria, told a Swiss-Italian television station that UN investigators gleaned testimony from victims of Syria’s civil war and medical staff which indicated that rebel forces used sarin gas — a deadly nerve agent.

“Our investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated,” Del Ponte said in the interview, translated by Reuters.

“This was use on the part of the opposition, the rebels, not by the government authorities,” she added.

Del Ponte was commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate claims by Syrian opposition groups and the Assad government that either side used chemical weapons in clashes between the two sides. Syria also has asked the UN to investigate a chemical weapons attack in March on the village of Khan al-Assal outside of Aleppo, which the regime blames on rebels and the rebels blame on regime forces. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commissioned a separate investigation into the claims, but inspectors have not been allowed into the country.

Del Ponte stated in February that both sides of the Syrian civil war had committed atrocities and should be brought to justice.

According to a report in the Daily Beast published Thursday, US military and intelligence officials acknowledged that they don’t know where much of Syria’s sizable chemical weapons stockpile is presently located. No reports from Syria indicated that opposition forces captured any of President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons arsenal.

US President Barack Obama previously indicated that chemical weapons use by the Assad regime constituted a “red line” for the United States. Following claims by US officials that they had definitive proof that Assad forces used chemical weapons, Obama last week appealed for patience, saying he needed more conclusive evidence about how and when chemical weapons detected by US intelligence agencies were used and who deployed them.

Obama signaled he would consider US military action against Syria if “hard, effective evidence” were found to bolster intelligence that chemical weapons have been used in the two-year-old civil war.

How do you prove it was the rebels?

By that extension how do you prove it was Assad's military?

-PB

The U.S.A believe the Syrian Army maintains control of the stockpiles and delivery systems.

We'll never know the truth but both sides are awful.

[size=8]Wesley Clark ( US 4 Star General ) US will attack 7 countries in 5 years[/size]

[youtube]Ha1rEhovONU[/youtube]

Edited by Footyroo: 28/8/2013 08:20:27 PM

:lol: The only suggestion out there that the Syrian Rebels used nerve gas is from Assad himself.

Half a million hit by Sudan floods

Source: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:05 PM

Author: Plan UK

NUMBERS of villagers caught up in flooding across Sudan could be as high as 500,000, reports aid agency Plan International.



More than 25,000 homes have been destroyed and a further 27,000 damaged after weeks of heavy rain around the capital Khartoum and other areas.



Schools have also been hit with Plan helping survivors, focusing on children and other vulnerable groups.



Official figures place the number of children killed at 31, through drowning or electrocution, with a further 158 injured by floating debris.



“The level of the Blue Nile is rising at an alarming rate and is expected to continue rising as heavy rains are reported in the Ethiopian highlands,” says Plan’s emergency response manager in Sudan, Kamal Awouda.



“Children are usually the most affected in such disasters. We will strive to ensure that children are protected and their needs are fulfilled.”



Aid workers for Plan have distributed food and water to those in need, as well as providing spray pumps to help combat malaria.



The charity is also preparing to help villages prepare for future emergencies and lessen the impact of floods.



With further poor weather forecast, Plan will continue to liaise with other NGOs and government departments during the crisis.



“The rainy season is at its beginning and according to the metrological department more heavy rain is expected,” says Mr Awouda.



“We’ll keep monitoring the situation and continue assessing damage and needs."

http://www.trust.org/item/20130828120538-m5rlk/?source=search

"God led me on a journey of research. With help of the internet I did thorough research and I found out "scientifically" that the galactic alignment damaged the earth's core. The week of the galactic alignment I felt tingly, and became born again. God made me a prophet of doom. The whole time I was waking up I felt like I was going to have a heart attack, I had 24 hour panic attacks for a week, and couldn't sleep and I cried for humanity daily. I was in shock, the more I learned the more I became afraid. But I'm not afraid anymore now that I know what I know. I have been studying and teaching since then. When I was 16 yrs old I felt tired all of a sudden. This was 20 yrs ago.... So I went up to my room to lay down...while I was looking around my room, I couldn't sleep, so I was just looking around. I saw an angel standing at the end of my bed. He said. "Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you" I couldn't speak, and I was paralyzed. He walked towards me and climbed inside my body. Just for a brief moment. I felt so much warmth and love and peace, and it tingled.(Now you'll say, angels don't possess you) and I'll say, God works in mysterious ways, especially about his end time plans, and he didn't possess me, he planted a seed in me. (Then you'll think, it was sleep paralyses) Nope I was awake the whole time, my eyes didn't shut, and as soon as he entered me, I almost instantly had my body back, and I ran out into the streets, and looked up at my bedroom window to see if he was still in there. I found my experience in (Revelation 10:7, revelation 22:6, and Revelation 22:16) All of my life I didn't know why this happened. I had an idea but I wasn't sure. He planted the holy seed in me. That was to "wake up" during the week of the galactic alignment and I was to begin trying to save souls. He gave me this gift because I struggled and hurt so much in my life, but I never gave up. I never went to drugs, and I never hurt anyone. Plus I found God on my own. So he picked me, to help the lost sheep. Most are brain washed from birth and kept in the dark, or religion is forced on them frightfully and confusingly that they retreat. So they don't know how human's were meant to behave, and what is expected of us from God. That is why I go to sights and try to wake people up. The gov't of america are part of an elite group that are going to wipe out 95% of the population. See the "Georgia Guidestones", read my google cover photos. It's real and it's happening now. The 4 horsemen (metaphorical energies) have been released on December 21st.(when the sun was in the middle of the milky way, it looked as an eye...Revelation 6 {come and see} The 4 horsemen are Leo, scorpio, taurus, and aquarius...their ruling planets lined up during the alignment... The earth is going to go through terrible devastation, as it states in Revelation!...and the Elite know this cause they get council from Satan. They have been preparing to de-populate for years cause they know the world's natural resources will soon be diminished and they want to look out for themselves. They follow the teachings of Ailestor Crowley, he founded the satanic church. He taught them that Jesus stepped down and that they are the power seed, and they could be God's.... They plan to spread a plague....the flu shot will only add to the disease...The only cures are olive oil and wine. They will somehow fight against the diseases. God showed me. Revelation 6:6 and that is what it means. The bildebergs, freemason's, illuminati, Eagles (american gov't) rothchild's are all thinking they are the superior seed, They worship him in Bohemian grove in California. He's got them bowing down to a giant OWL named Horus. God of the Sun, which is actually Satan, It's ancient egyptian occult. (he's the angel in revelation 10, the little scroll is the apple, knowledge, they eat it, it tastes sweet but turns belly sour. knowledge is the disease, it killed man) Some leaders in college attended a fraternity called skull and bones, this is where they enhanced their dark awakening, but God's the one in control (Revelation 17:17) (he's the one that made all these kings think alike) Satan is here to test us. This is all supposed to happen, it's God's way of testing our faithfulness (Like Job, of the bible). They have Martial law coming, and hidden underground bunkers for them under Denver Airport,and other areas... and they have 180 concentration camps set up throughout the states. They are going to do an alien hoax and say that aliens abducted those who go up in the calling (come up here)Revelation 4(before all hell breaks loose).... They are going to make everyone get a chip implant. Called RFID x mark..(Revelation 13:18 the name of a person)..it's going to be an electronic signature with 666 in it.Some have already got it. and Every bar code already has 666 on it(this can be googled). It's a way for Satan to finally have control over human's. What is left of them, this is what he's strived for,for milleniums....This is all happening within the next 7 yrs. When man landed on the moon it was another tower of babel stunt and it angered God so he made this the last Jubilee, the last generation (50 yrs) Take 1969 and Add 50 yrs, or take 2012 alignment and add 7 yrs tribulation. You get the same end time. Aliens are demons are fallen angels. Space ships are made by the american government and they are actually 88 trillion 500 billion dollars in debt. All of their spending goes for their plan to kill the world with diseases and war. It can all be easily researched. I even know who the antichrist is, but that's another can of worms."

Sarin can kill quite quickly as well and it can take a long time to die of a gun shot or the effects of a bombing especially if the war, as it must, has meant medical treatment is of quite a low level. There is quite possibly problems even controlling relatively minor infections in parts of Syria which could lead to deaths.

433, I made it as far as "God led me" and stopped reading.

Obviously you're talking about extreme cases though. We're talking about conventional wisdom, which most cases are based off.

Developments in Syria:


Syrian Civil War

Moscow evacuates nationals; Iran dismisses ‘ridiculous’ reports of Assad in Tehran; UN inspectors return to site of alleged chemical attack (The Times Of Israel)

The Saudi Arabian Army is now on full alert after the US-led West increased the level of its threats and said it would launch a strike on Syria in the next few days. (Fars News)

Russia: UN response to alleged attack still premature; Jordan says no Syria strike from its soil. (Haaretz)
United Nations Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi says any military action against Syria in response to apparent chemical attacks must be taken after a decision by the United Nations Security Council. "What they [American administration] will decide I don't know, but certainly international law is very clear," he adds. (Reuters)

US Vice President Joe Biden says there "is no doubt that Syria's government was responsible for a recent chemical attack in Damascus". (Al Jazeera)

British Prime Minister David Cameron says the UK's National Security Council has agreed that the "world should not stand by" after the "unacceptable use" of chemical weapons by the Syrian government. However, a full report from the U.N. investigation on the chemical attack is expected before taking any measure. (BBC)

Syria's deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday that the United States, Britain and France helped "terrorists" use chemical weapons in Syria, and that the same groups would soon use them against Europe. (Reuters)

Syrians in the capital Damascus are racing against time to prepare for a foreign strike, with many hoarding supplies and others scrambling to find accommodation further away from potential military targets. (Reuters)
The Russian and Chinese officials walked out of the U.N. Security Council meeting in New York on Wednesday, August 28, after U.S. Permanent Representative Samantha Power had called for an immediate action in Syria. (Itar Tass)

Downing Street earlier published the UK government's motion on Syria, which proposed waiting for a UN Security Council decision before MPs vote on any military action. (BBC)

UN chemical weapons inspectors have resumed their investigations in Syria (BBC)

[size=8] Leaked Documents show rebels behind chemical attack as US frames Syria![/size]

[youtube]R_zNQfDr_1o[/youtube]


Leaked Documents - US Framed Syria in Chemical Weapons Attack!

On August 21st, 2013 chemical weapons were used the Syrian conflict yet again. Western powers, the U.S. and France in particular enthusiastically didn't hesitate for even a moment to take advantage of the tragedy, decrying it as a crime against humanity and using it as a springboard to announce their preparations for military strikes against the Syrian government.

Make no mistake this was a crime against humanity... but the gas was NOT used by the Syrian government, it was used by the NATO backed rebels. In this video we're going to show you definitive evidence to support this claim and we're going explain the U.S. and NATO's motive for committing such an atrocity. The leaked documents that we are going to be presenting are available for you to download yourself. You'll find a in a link in the description to that download and you'll also find links to the mainstream articles we used in our research.

---

Leaked Britam Defence Syrian documents for download: http://stormcloudsgathering.com/leake...

Chemical weapons confirmed in Syrian conflict: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/20...

U.S. helped Saddam as he was using chemical weapons on Iran: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles...


CIA and Mossad both say the Iran hasn't even made the decision to seek a nuclear weapon: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy...

Iran and Syria confront US with defense pact:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005...

Iran already sending troops to Syria: http://rt.com/news/iran-troop-deploym...

The proxy war in Syria: http://www.globalresearch.ca/americas...

The U.S. funneling weapons to rebels through Qatar: http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012...

Russia opposes arming militants in Syria:
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/05...

Russia warns Syria/Iran Crisis may go nuclear: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/0...


UK Quatar plot to frame Syria for Chemical weapons:
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/01...


The March 19th, 2013 Sarin Attack:
Israel and the U.S. blame Assad:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines...

Obama's red line: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/world...

U.N. launches their own probe: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/0...

According to the U.N. investigation the March 19th chemical weapons attack turned out to be committed by the rebels: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middl...

Russia agrees: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/0...

The August 21st, 2013 Chemical Attack:
Syrian soldiers enter rebel tunnels, find chemical agents
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/0...

Video from attack apparently shows the rockets were small and primitive:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/0...

Iran says they have proof rebels used chemical weapons:
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-says-proof...

Turkey finds sarin gas in homes of suspected Syrian Islamists
http://rt.com/news/sarin-gas-turkey-a...

FSA says they are going to use chemical weapons from now on: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/New...


Edited by Footyroo: 29/8/2013 11:45:49 AM