Beware of the wildlife even quiet galaxies can get dangerous

Ames IA (SPX)
Sep 22, 2011

Even though a dwarf galaxy clear across the Milky Way looks to be a mouse, it may have once been a bear that slashed through the Milky Way and created the galaxy's spiral arms, writes an Iowa State University astronomer in the journal Nature.

Curtis Struck, an Iowa State professor of physics and astronomy, uses a News and Views commentary in the Sept. 15 issue of Nature to add context and color to a study published in the same issue by a research team led by Chris W. Purcell of the University of Pittsburgh.

The Purcell group reports that the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy collided with the Milky Way, creating the galaxy's spiral arms, its central bar structure and the flaring at its outer disk. Along the way, the dwarf galaxy's stars were scattered and the galaxy shrunk to an object that's so small and unimpressive it's hard to see.

The Purcell group writes that dwarf galaxies such as the Sagittarius originally had massive amounts of dark matter. The original galaxy, in other words, may have been 100,000 times more massive than it is today. And that may have given it the power to shape our galaxy.

Struck has studied galaxies for 30 years and focuses his research on galactic collisions. His book, "Galaxy Collisions: Forging New Worlds from Cosmic Crashes," was published earlier this year. (Struck will discuss the book at Iowa State's Parks Library at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26.)

In his Nature commentary, Struck said the Sagittarius paper gives astronomers new ideas to study. Among them: Maybe the evolution of our Milky Way galaxy did include collisions and wasn't as peaceful as astronomers had thought.

And, even though these dwarf galaxies are dim and difficult to detect, the effects of their collisions with bigger galaxies may be widespread across the universe.

Struck reported there are several clues to those widespread effects: In recent years several dozen of the dwarf galaxies have been discovered around the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies.

The effects of galaxy collisions with these dwarfs could be long lived. And models of galaxy formation indicate that these dwarf galaxies could be common and important parts of galaxy growth.

Struck also writes that the estimated range of the size of Sagittarius in its original form is likely to be the subject of study and contention. He notes the estimates at the smaller end of the range indicate the dwarf galaxy would have smaller, but still significant, impacts on the Milky Way.

That means a galactic mouse could have once been a bear that's "been messing things up for some time," Struck wrote. And so, he warned, "Beware of the wildlife, even in apparently quiet galaxies."

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Beware_of_the_wildlife_even_quiet_galaxies_can_get_dangerours_999.html.

Dawn Collects a Bounty of Beauty from Vesta

Pasadena CA (JPL)
Sep 22, 2011

A new video from NASA's Dawn spacecraft takes us on a flyover journey above the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta.

The data obtained by Dawn's framing camera, used to produce the visualizations, will help scientists determine the processes that formed Vesta's striking features. It will also help Dawn mission fans all over the world visualize this mysterious world, which is the second most massive object in the main asteroid belt.

You'll notice in the video that Vesta is not entirely lit up. There is no light in the high northern latitudes because, like Earth, Vesta has seasons. Currently it is northern winter on Vesta, and the northern polar region is in perpetual darkness.

When we view Vesta's rotation from above the south pole, half is in darkness simply because half of Vesta is in daylight and half is in the darkness of night .

Another distinct feature seen in the video is a massive circular structure in the south pole region. Scientists were particularly eager to see this area close-up, since NASA's Hubble Space Telescope first detected it years ago. The circular structure, or depression, is several hundreds of miles, or kilometers, wide, with cliffs that are also several miles high.

One impressive mountain in the center of the depression rises approximately 9 miles (15 kilometers) above the base of this depression, making it one of the highest elevations on all known bodies with solid surfaces in the solar system.

The collection of images, obtained when Dawn was about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers) above Vesta's surface, was used to determine its rotational axis and a system of latitude and longitude coordinates. One of the first tasks tackled by the Dawn science team was to determine the precise orientation of Vesta's rotation axis relative to the celestial sphere.

The zero-longitude, or prime meridian, of Vesta was defined by the science team using a tiny crater about 1,640 feet (500 meters) in diameter, which they named "Claudia," after a Roman woman during the second century B.C.

Dawn's craters will be named after the vestal virgins-the priestesses of the goddess Vesta, and famous Roman women, while other features will be named for festivals and towns of that era.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Dawn_Collects_a_Bounty_of_Beauty_from_Vesta_999.html.

China to launch moon-landing probe around 2013

Beijing (XNA)
Sep 22, 2011

China will launch its lunar probe Chang'e-3 around 2013, which is expected to conduct the first softlanding of a Chinese spacecraft on an extraterrestrial body.

The mission of Chang'e-3 is to land on the moon safely and carry out a large number of experiments, according to sources with State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.

This mission serves as a key part in the second stage of China's three-phase lunar exploration program.

Source: Moon Daily.
Link: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/China_to_launch_moon_landing_probe_around_2013_999.html.

Peru upgrades navy, air defenses

Lima (UPI)
Sep 21, 2011

Peru is upgrading its key naval assets and acquiring new components for its air defenses as the country grapples with unrest among coca growers in the Amazon, suspected to be part of the cocaine trail to North America and other destinations for the drug.

The government has been unveiling plans over the past few weeks that include substantial investments in upgrades to the military equipment.

Top of the list are upgrades to Peruvian naval assets and the country's air defenses.

Italian-built Lupo class frigates form the high-end of Peru's naval defenses, with eight of the 3,000t Carvajal class ships said to be in service with varying stages of operational efficiency.

Four of the vessels were built under license from 1984-87, while the second batch of four frigates was decommissioned by the Italian navy and sold to Peru in 2004-06, the defenseindustrydaily.com Web site said.

Most of the upgrades are likely to affect the second batch of the ships, which includes the fourth ship bearing the name BAP Bolognesi, named in honor of Peruvian military hero Francisco Bolognesi. The first ship, Almirante Grau class cruiser BAP Coronel Bolognesi, was commissioned in 1907.

The naval upgrade is part of an overall strategy to build defenses against increasingly sophisticated and heavily armed drug gangs. Peru is the world's largest producer of coca, which is used to produce cocaine.

The upgrades to the BAP Bolognesi (FM-57), commissioned in 2006, will add new electronics, radar and decoy countermeasures to ship's arsenal. Some reports said Peru might also replace the old Italian Otomat anti-ship missiles on board the frigates with French Exocet MM40 Block III missiles.

Last month the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Peru asked to buy four NATO Sea Sparrow MK57 MOD 10 that will replace its existing MOD 2 systems mounted above the helicopter hangar on the four ex-Italian ships from the second batch. The vessels include FM 55-58: BAP Aguirre, BAP Palacios, BAP Quinones besides BAP Bolognesi.

The agency, in its notification to Congress, said the possible sale would be worth about $50 million.

"The proposed sale will improve Peru's capability to meet current and future threats of enemy anti-ship weapons," the agency said. "Peru will use the enhanced capability of the MK57 MOD 10 NSSMS on its four Lupo class frigates purchased from Italy in 2004."

The frigates have MK57 MOD 2 NATO Seasparrow Systems modified to fire the Aspide air defense missile. The systems retain the ability to fire the RIM-7 Seasparrow missile and Peru intends to move from the Aspide missile to the RIM-7 Seasparrow in a future purchase.

Peru already has MK 57 Missile Systems and will have no difficulty absorbing the additional systems into its inventory, the agency said.

The prime contractors would be Raytheon Technical Service Co. and Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has declared a state of emergency in parts of the Amazon where coca growers have been protesting.

Humala called the emergency measure after farmers began an indefinite strike Sept. 11, blocking a major highway that connects the Ucayali department with the rest of the country, El Comercio reported.

The strike is a response to the government's policy of forced eradication of coca leaves, the main ingredient in cocaine.

Humala's government temporarily suspended the eradication of coca in August as a drug-control strategy.

The declaration will last 60 days and gives police more power to make arrests and suspends some constitutional rights.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Peru_upgrades_navy_air_defenses_999.html.

US in $5.85 billion Taiwan jet upgrade, China protests

Washington (AFP)
Sept 22, 2011

The United States announced a $5.85 billion upgrade of Taiwan's fighter jets Wednesday, triggering swift rebuke from China even though the deal stopped short of the island's ambitions to buy new F-16s.

Taiwanese and US officials said that the upgrade would improve the island's defenses as it faces a rising China, which has ramped up military spending and widened its strategic edge over the self-governing territory.

"After the upgrade, the air force's combat capability will be advanced hugely," Taiwan's defense minister Kao Hua-chu told a hastily called press conference in Taipei.

Officials in Washington and Taipei said Taiwan would get a retrofit of 145 F-16 A/B fighter jets, which will be equipped with modern weapons and radar capable of detecting China's new stealth airplanes.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland called the package a "substantial" move that will "help ensure that Taiwan maintains the capability to protect its airspace in both peacetime and during any crisis."

"We firmly believe that our arms sales to Taiwan contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," she said.

But China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has repeatedly warned the United States not to sell weapons to the island, said it was summoning the new US ambassador to Beijing, Gary Locke, and lodged a protest in Washington.

"The wrongdoing by the US side will inevitably undermine bilateral relations as well as exchanges and cooperation in military and security areas," China's vice foreign minister Zhang Zhijun said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

China snapped military exchanges with the United States in January 2010 after President Barack Obama's administration approved an earlier $6.4 billion package that included helicopters and Patriot missiles, although cooperation resumed within months.

The Obama administration had kept quiet for months over Taiwan's request, first lodged in 2007, to buy 66 F-16 C/D fighters -- which have better radar and more powerful weapons systems than its F-16 A/Bs -- in response to China's growing military muscle.

The decision to upgrade the existing fleet was seen by some Taiwanese observers as a consolation prize. Obama also came under fire from members of the rival Republican Party who said that jet sales would have created badly needed US jobs.

Republican Senator John Cornyn, whose state of Texas stands to benefit from arms sales, accused Obama of failing to meet obligations under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which requires Washington to ensure Taiwan's self-defense.

The arms decision "bestows upon Communist China a newfound sway over American national security, and this capitulation should be met with concern by US allies everywhere," said Cornyn, who has introduced legislation that aims to force the sale of 66 new F-16s.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Obama "caved in to the unreasonable demands of China at the cost of well-paying American jobs."

A senior administration official shot back at the criticism, saying that the more than $12 billion in arms approved for Taiwan under Obama contrasted favorably with the record of Republican President George W. Bush.

"Essentially, we have provided twice the amount in half the time. And that is a substantial commitment and I don't think it's fair to turn this into a partisan issue," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The official said that the United States was not ruling out future sales of new F-16 C/D jets but said that the retrofit was the best option in the near term.

"It is our belief that we are going to be able to get greater capabilities more rapidly and a large number of airplanes into the field in a more decisive way," he said.

Richard Aboulafia, an aviation expert and vice president of the Teal Group Corp., said that Taiwan's F-16 A/Bs were already unusually modern and included many of the technical features of C/Ds.

But he said that the upgrade decision meant that Taiwan would not increase its fleet at a time that China is boosting its military spending.

"This is a numbers problem," he said.

The package, which will take place over 12 years, also includes training for Taiwanese pilots at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

China's defeated nationalists fled to Taiwan after losing the civil war in 1949 and the island has since transformed into a vibrant democracy. US officials reiterated that Washington still only recognizes Beijing.

Ties between China and Taiwan have improved markedly since Beijing-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008 and ramped up trade and other links.

But China has refused to renounce the use of force against the self-governing island and Ma has publicly sought new F-16s.

Source: Sino Daily.
Link: http://www.sinodaily.com/reports/US_in_585_billion_Taiwan_jet_upgrade_China_protests_999.html.

Captive breeding could transform saltwater aquarium trade and save coral reefs

Austin TX (SPX)
Sep 22, 2011

Marine biologists at The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute are developing means to efficiently breed saltwater aquarium fish, seahorses, plankton and invertebrates in captivity in order to preserve the biologically rich ecosystems of the world's coral reefs.

These scientists believe their efforts, and those of colleagues around the world, could help shift much of the $1 billion marine ornamental industry toward entrepreneurs who are working sustainably to raise fish for the aquarium trade.

"It's the kind of thing that could transform the industry in the way that the idea of 'organic' has changed the way people grow and buy fruits and vegetables," says Joan Holt, professor and associate chair of marine science at The University of Texas at Austin. "We want enthusiasts to be able to stock their saltwater tanks with sustainably-raised, coral-safe species."

Holt is a co-author of a recent article, "Advances in Breeding and Rearing Marine Ornamentals," published in the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society in April. The paper is a complement to Holt's broad-ranging work over the past 10 years to promote captive breeding of ornamentals. She's been a pioneer in developing food sources and tank designs that enable fragile larvae to survive to adulthood.

Holt has also been a vocal critic of the extraordinarily wasteful methods currently used to bring sea creatures from the oceans to the tanks.

"One popular method is to use a cyanide solution," says Holt. "It's squirted into the holes and crevices of the reef and it anesthetizes the fish. They float to the surface. Then the collectors can just scoop them up, and the ones that wake up are shipped out."

This method, says Holt, has a number of unfortunate effects. It bleaches the coral. It kills or harms other species that make the coral their home, particularly those that can't swim away from the cyanide. It can deplete or distort the native populations of the species. And it contributes to 80 percent of traded animals dying before ever reaching a tank.

Unlike the freshwater ornamental market, which relies mostly on fish raised in captivity, the saltwater ornamental market is 99.9 percent wild caught. Holt says this is largely because there's less accumulated knowledge on breeding saltwater fish in captivity. Saltwater species also tend to spawn smaller, less robust larvae, which are harder to rear to maturity, and to rely on various foods, such as plankton, that are not readily available in mass quantities for breeders.

Yet all these difficulties, says Holt, are surmountable.

She and her colleagues in Port Aransas, where the Marine Science Institute is located, have successfully bred in captivity seven species of fish, seahorses and shrimp they've caught from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, including species that other biologists had tried but failed to rear before. Others have successfully bred popular species like clownfish, gobies, dottybacks, and dragonets, as well as coral, clams, invertebrates, and algae.

Several big aquariums, including SeaWorld, have committed to assisting in the breeding and egg collection effort, and to integrating into their exhibits information about how the aquarium trade impacts the coral reefs.

Holt and her colleagues envision, ultimately, is a "coral-safe" movement. The science, the economics and the social awareness could together result in a sea change in how saltwater aquariums are populated and how saltwater tank enthusiasts think of themselves and their passion.

As more tank-raised ornamentals percolate into the market, Holt believes people will see another advantage to buying sustainably. The fish will simply do better. They'll live longer, be healthier and be easier to care for.

"Species that are bred in captivity should adapt much better to your tank than something that was just caught halfway across the world, in a different system," says Holt. "Good retailers will want to sell these species, and consumers will benefit from buying them."

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Captive_breeding_could_transform_saltwater_aquarium_trade_and_save_coral_reefs_999.html.

'Mutant' dogs to spawn from hundreds of feral pups still living in Fukushima no-entry zone, suggest officials

Wednesday, September 21, 2011
by: Jonathan Benson

(NaturalNews) It resembles the plot line of a cheesy horror flick, but the idea that a new generation of vicious "mutant" dogs will one day spawn from puppies still living in and around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster zone is something that Japanese officials are taking very seriously. According to a recent report in The Seattle Times (ST), efforts aimed at capturing the hundreds of wild dogs still living in the Fukushima no-entry zone are failing, and many of the dogs are growing ever more wild as they freely scour the human-less fallout zone.

"If these puppies become parents, their offspring will be wild dogs with no experience with people," a government official is quoted as saying to ST. "We want to catch these puppies before they grow up."

But most capturing efforts initiated thus far have been unsuccessful, as the "dead zone" dogs still living are becoming increasingly more estranged and savage. Though the Japanese government had successfully captured several hundred dogs in the months immediately following the Fukushima disaster, more-recent efforts to locate and apprehend remaining dogs have been fruitless.

For unknown reasons, the remaining wild dogs are not responding to the food-baited cage traps that they once did, which has left authorities scratching their heads as to what to do next. The dogs, many of which would have formerly responded to human petition, have now apparently transformed into beasts of a different variety.

"The dogs have gone wild," added Kunitoshi Baba, a 63-year-old veterinarian from Kawasaki, who has been helping the local government try to capture the loose canines. "If infected dogs go outside the zone and attack people, disease could spread," he added, noting that many of the loose dogs apprehended thus far are infected with various diseases.

Back in June, we posted a video clip to NaturalNews.TV that shows what appears to be an earless bunny rabbit allegedly born this way as a result of exposure to nuclear radiation from the crippled Fukushima plant. The mutation, if a legitimate result of nuclear fallout, may have been an early prelude of worse things to come.

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/033644_Fukushima_mutants.html.

Advanced wind turbine design eliminates need for environmentally-harmful rare earth metals, generates electricity at $0.04 per kWh

Thursday, September 22, 2011
by: Jonathan Benson

(NaturalNews) The bumbling, inefficient reputation of current wind energy technology just might get the game-changing overhaul it needs to become a viable form of clean energy production, thanks to a new permanent magnet generator (PMG) design created by Boulder Wind Power (BWP).

According to a recent report by Green Tech Media, the budding technology does not require the use of expensive, environmentally-damaging rare earth metals typically imported from China, and it also generates electricity at a lower cost than traditional coal-burning plants are able to do.

Most wind turbines in use today rely on complicated gearboxes that run at high temperatures, that wear out easily, and that are difficult and expensive to maintain. They also require the use of dysprosium, an expensive, rare-earth metal obtained from China, a country whose track record of environmental friendliness leaves much to be desired.

In other words, the lofty price of dysprosium, which can run as high as $2,000 per kilo (2.2 pounds), combined with the frequent need to maintain and replace a slew of intricate turbine parts, has made current wind energy production technologies inadequate and unable to compete in the energy market apart from government subsidization.

The PMG design, however, eliminates the gear-driven system, which BWP describes as "a bunch of very high precision, high quality steel parts in a gear box," with a direct drive system that is "basically one big moving part." And since this single part relies on neodymium, which is one-twentieth the price of dysprosium, and mined in California using an environmentally-friendly extraction process, its potential to replace current wind energy technologies is essentially a given.

But the biggest reason why the PMG wind design is sure to take off is that it actually produces energy for less than both current wind energy technologies and traditional coal technologies do. With the capacity to produce energy at a cost of roughly $0.04 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), without government subsidization, PMG's economic viability alone is enough to eventually propel it to the forefront of the clean energy market.

"We're not inventing new science," said BWP CEO Sandy Butterfield. "We don't expect the rotor to change. We don't expect the tower to change. The nacelle -- everything between the tower and the rotor -- will have significant changes. But it's all mechanical engineering."

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/033647_wind_turbines_rare_earth_metals.html.

Scientists Discover New Life in the Dead Sea

By Hana Levi Julian
9/21/2011

A multidisciplinary team of scientists from Israel and Germany has discovered deep-sea springs, and new life in the Dead Sea.

Deep beneath the sea bed of a body of water long believed incapable of sustaining life, scientists have discovered new micro-organisms.

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev announced Wednesday they have found deep fresh water springs on the floor of the Dead Sea. These secret springs are apparently providing fresh water to the rapidly shrinking lake.

Meanwhile, a parallel study being conducted by German scientists has found new life forms in the mineral-laden waters.

The micro-organisms were discovered growing around the fissures in the sea floor.

The water level of the Dead Sea is dropping at an alarming rate – close to a meter a year, according to environmentalists.

The two research teams have been exploring groundwater springs that emanate from the sea floor in order to understand how the infusion of fresh water from the bottom of the sea impacts the unique ecosystem in the area.

The existence of the springs has been known for decades, as people have seen the ripples of water on the surface of the lake. However, scientists have discovered deep springs that were not visible from the shore.

Professor Jonathan Laronne and research student Yaniv Munwes developed the first system to directly measure spring discharge and to study the structure of the upward jet-like, plume flow as part of the German-funded SUMAR project. The two are members of BGU's Department of Geography and Environmental Development. Professional divers have also been involved in the work.

The findings show that there are systems of complex springs, hundreds of meters long and up to 30 meters deep. The springs appear through craters as large as 15 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep, with steep, finely laminated walls where there are alternating layers of sediment and minerals.

“By developing a measurement system for these springs, we will be able to determine more accurately how much water is really coming in to the Dead Sea,” commented Laronne.

While researchers have known for decades that the “Dead Sea” is a misnomer, the rich variety of life as evidenced in the vicinity of the springs was unexpected, said Dr. Danny Ionescu of the Microsensor Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany. Ionescu is leading the study of the micro-organisms.

While fish are not present, carpets of micro-organisms that cover large sea floor areas contain considerable richness of species, he said. The scientist has found some that were previously unknown in such highly saline environments, many unknown to science altogether.

“The micro-organisms in the Dead Sea water mainly belong to the domain Archaea, and they number around 1,000-10,000 per ml – much lower than regular sea water,” Ionescu said. But never before have microbial mats or biofilms been found in the Dead Sea, he added, and not much is known about sediment micro-organisms there.

These are not the same micro-organisms and algae which created a red tint in the waters of the Dead Sea in 1992, Ionescu said. Their discovery creates more questions.

An additional team is examining the connection between the mountain aquifer, springs occurring on land and submarine springs.

Dr. Christian Siebert, Dr. Stefan Geyer and doctoral student Ulf Mallast from the Hemholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ Halle, Germany, will explore the systems and their chemical properties together with Dead Sea expert Professor Aharon Oren of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The team is planning to return to the lake for more research in October.

Source: Israel National News.
Link: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/148129.

Report: Turkey to mark out undersea borders

09.21.11

The ethnic Turkish northern half of Cyprus marked its marine borders with Turkey and will issue licenses for offshore oil and gas drilling in response to a similar move by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot half of the island, state media reported Wednesday.

The southern government began exploratory drilling for oil and gas this week, prompting strong protests from Turkey, which doesn't recognize the Greek Cypriot administration and says drilling can derail long-running talks to reunify the island. (AP)

Source: Ynet News.
Link: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4125719,00.html.

New 'Silk Road' eyed for Afghanistan

(AFP)
Sep 21, 2011

UNITED NATIONS — Afghanistan, its neighbors and supporters are launching a drive to boost prosperity and peace by linking the country with markets across South and Central Asia, according to US officials.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will host talks in New York Thursday on what amounts to plans for a "New Silk Road," they said.

Like the ancient Silk Road, Afghanistan would be at the heart of lucrative trade routes between Asia and the West, but it would involve modern highways, rail links and energy pipelines, senior US administration officials told reporters.

They said the New York talks -- which will draw officials from Afghanistan's neighbors and near-neighbors, including China -- will pave the way for meetings in Istanbul on November 2 and in Bonn, Germany, on December 5.

The meetings are designed to promote the "idea that a secure, stable and prosperous Afghanistan will only really be able to exist inside a secure, stable and prosperous region," a senior US official told reporters.

"Its part of a wider effort to help to build up the Afghan private sector, to help create sustainable economic development in Afghanistan, to create this economic integration between South and Central Asia," a second US official said.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to upstage the high-level officials attending the meeting, said the "New Silk Road" builds on projects that are already underway in the region.

One of them includes the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement, which was launched in June this year to reduce the costs and delays in transporting goods between the two often tense neighbors.

The second official said the Afghans and Pakistanis have agreed to try to extend the arrangement to central Asia. "We also hope it could be extended to India as well," the official said.

The officials did not say how the longstanding tension between Pakistan and India would affect the plans, but noted that the Indian and Pakistani commerce secretaries have been engaged for months in trying to increase cross-border trade.

"The ultimate goal is to reduce trade and other barriers so that products from Afghanistan or from any of the Central Asian countries could transit through Pakistan and into India, Bangladesh or even beyond," he said.

"This is really a truly transformative vision because... India is going to be such an important economic actor for the region," he said.

The New Silk Road project also calls for building on progress to extend energy pipelines across Central Asia.

The second official recalled progress the governments of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India have made in building the TAPI pipeline to bring natural gas from Turkmenistan fields to India's energy markets.

"It would bring important transit revenues for Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.

He also cited the example of Uzbekistan, which he said has been "very helpful" working with the Asian Development Bank and others to develop the rail link from its own border to Mazar i-Sharif, in Afghanistan.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.

Libya's NTC claims vital Sabha victory

By Hassan El-Fekih (AFP)
Sep 20, 2011

BENGHAZI, Libya — Libya's new rulers on Wednesday declared victory in the key southern city of Sabha and conquered the oasis town of Waddan, but suffered heavy casualties in their offensive in Moamer Kadhafi's hometown of Sirte.

Officials of the interim ruling National Transitional Council said there were only small pockets of resistance in Sabha, Libya's largest desert city and home to a strategically vital military base.

The United States prepared to raise the Stars and Stripes Thursday over its Tripoli embassy, after President Barack Obama met Libya's new leader in New York and pledged support for Libya as it consolidates freedom.

And NATO, whose air strikes have been instrumental in beating back Kadhafi forces, said Wednesday it was extending its air campaign for another 90 days.

"We are in complete control of the city of Sabha. Everybody, including (those who were) pro-Kadhafi, are now with the revolution," said Abdelmajid Seif Ennasr, who represents the NTC in Sabha.

He admitted, however, that NTC fighters were still encountering some "resistance from some individuals here and there."

"Sabha is totally under the control of the revolutionaries," said Mohammed Wardugu, the Benghazi spokesman of the "Desert Shield Brigade" fighting in the region.

The battle for Sabha, a city of 100,000 people in an area dominated by Kadhafi's clan, first broke out on June 12 after two days of anti-regime protests in the sprawling oasis.

Meanwhile, NTC commander Ahmed Zlitni said that fighters were planning for a three-pronged attack on Kadhafi's hometown, Sirte.

"We are working on a strategy to go for a big push from three sides, the east, the west and the south. This is a war, the push could happen in a few days or anytime soon," Zlitni said.

"We are still giving time for Sirte civilians to leave the city. There is resistance to our forces from Kadhafi's forces from inside the city."

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said meanwhile coalition warplanes would stay in the air as long as Libyan civilians are under threat.

"We are determined to continue our mission for as long as necessary, but ready to terminate the operation as soon as possible," Rasmussen said.

At Bani Walid, a Kadhafi bastion southwest of Sirte, doctors said two people were killed and another four wounded.

Previously NTC official Abdullah Kenshil reported the death of an NTC fighter in Bani Walid and said new regime forces were preparing for a "decisive" tank-backed battle for the town in the next 48 hour.

Anti-Kadhafi authorities have admitted they lost three men at Sirte on Tuesday, taking the overall death toll since they moved on the city on September 15 to at least 45 NTC fighters.

Meanwhile, 16 patients, most in critical condition, were evacuated on a Qatari military plane to Malta as doctors said the region's hospitals were overwhelmed.

NTC forces suspect Kadhafi enjoys a broad base of support in Sirte.

"The majority of residents are with Kadhafi," said Zuber al-Gadir, spokesman of the Misrata military council, adding their persistent loyalty to the ousted leader was a legacy of his now defunct propaganda machine.

In Harawa, an AFP correspondent saw about nine NTC tanks moving towards Sirte's eastern front, possibly in a bid to boost defenses in the face of steady artillery and machinegun fire from Kadhafi loyalists.

In the Al-Jufra oasis towns of Waddan and Hun, NATO said it took out Tuesday one military vehicle storage facility, four anti-aircraft guns and one armed vehicle.

On Wednesday witnesses said Kadhafi loyalists shelled Hun, killing and wounding dozens of people. Speaking by telephone to AFP in Tripoli, they said heavy shelling made it impossible to transport casualties out of the town, and that the power plant had been one of the targets.

In Benghazi, an NTC official announced "the total liberation of Hun." He said Kadhafi loyalists had fled to the town of Sokna eight kilometers (five miles) away.

Kamal al-Hzifeh, the coordinator between the military command in Al-Jufra and the NTC, said there was fighting between Hun and Sokna and that Grad rockets slammed into Hun.

Earlier an NTC official in Benghazi, Mustafa Huni, said NTC forces had seized most of Waddan and were only facing pockets of resistance in other Al-Jufra towns, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) south of Sirte.

"Seventy percent of the Al-Jufra has been liberated. Waddan is freed, our forces entered the town following NATO bombing of Al-Hisha dam, 20 kilometers (13 miles) from the town," Huni said.

Despite the setbacks, the fugitive Kadhafi told his remaining loyalists in Libya that the new regime is only temporary, in his latest comments aired on Syrian-based Arrai television.

"What is happening in Libya is a charade which can only take place thanks to the (NATO-led) air raids, which will not last forever," said Kadhafi, who has been at large since NTC forces overran Tripoli on August 25.

As Libya's new rulers were feted in New York, interim prime minister Mahmud Jibril said the country's first formal government since Kadhafi's ouster would be announced within seven to 10 days.

His statement came after a special summit at which Obama met NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil and announced the US embassy would be reopening and the ambassador, Gene Cretz, returning for Thursday's flag-raising ceremony.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.

Clinton visits Turkey for talks on Syria

August 11, 2012

ISTANBUL (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Turkey for talks with Turkish officials as well as Syrian opposition figures on how to undermine the Syrian regime and lay the groundwork for a democratic transition.

Clinton also plans to meet Syrian refugees in Istanbul during her visit Saturday as the U.S. and allies boost humanitarian relief for civilians who have fled the civil war in Syria. At least 51,000 Syrians are sheltering in neighboring Turkey, and many more have sought refuge in Jordan and Lebanon.

Clinton's Istanbul agenda includes talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Abdullah Gul and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey is a fierce critic of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and hosts Syrian activists working to overthrow him.

As London wraps up, Sochi prepares for Olympics

August 10, 2012

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — The idea of holding the Winter Olympics in Sochi once seemed as much of a long shot as a gold medal for Jamaica's bobsledders — a city that few outside Russia had ever heard of, in a country notorious for inefficient construction, corruption, and a byzantine visa regime.

But when Sochi won the right to host the 2014 Games five years ago, boosted by President Vladimir Putin's vigorous support, a vast transformation began. When London ends its own Olympics on Sunday, attention will turn to a region grappling with challenges as daunting as London's but much different.

Although Sochi has been a popular Black Sea resort since Soviet times — its palm-fringed beaches framed by soaring, snow-capped mountains — it had little of the infrastructure needed for hordes of Olympic fans and squadrons of athletes.

Some 20,000 hotel rooms are being built, supplementing Soviet spa complexes that mimic ancient Roman and Greek buildings — one of the city's most appealing idiosyncrasies. The mountains had a few modest ski areas but there was nothing that matched an international standard. Every competition venue has had to be built from scratch.

Transport was a huge concern. Wedged between the mountains and the sea, Sochi in places was basically a single road wide, and only one road connected the seacoast area with the mountains. More than 350 kilometers (220 miles) of new roads and 200 kilometers (125 miles) of railway are being built to keep gridlock at bay.

The cost of all this is staggering. Putin said $30 billion (€24.5 billion) will be spent developing the region, including the cost of the games. Although many have complained that the central stadium and hotels are behind schedule, International Olympic Committee officials overall have praised Russia's ability to meet the challenges.

A tour of the area this week showed a region caught between its past and future. The city's main thoroughfare was clogged with traffic. Disco beats and mangled karaoke poured out of cafes, men in tank tops nursed beers and sunbaked women juggled children on their hips.

But a new express train now connects the city with a modern new airport and workers are diligently battling rocky terrain to lay another railroad and a highway through the mountains to the snow-sports cluster 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of town.

The IOC's standards have forced Russian construction companies, typically plagued by inefficiency and low quality standards, to take safety and green technology seriously into account for the first time.

Private investment in the region, on the rise after the 1990s, got a second wind after the Olympics were announced in 2007. Rosa Khutor, the new ski resort where most of the downhill events will take place, was started as a $150 million project as early as 2003. After the Olympics were announced, that figure ballooned to $2 billion for 100 kilometers (60 miles) of ski trails.

"We're creating a mental shift and changing attitudes toward people with disabilities, we're creating a new standard in environmentally-friendly construction and we're creating the volunteerism culture that did not exist in our country before," Dmitri Chernyshenko, president and chief executive of the Sochi organizing committee, said in an interview with AP at the London Games.

But despite the breakneck pace of construction, critics question whether the city can build an entire Olympic complex and the infrastructure it requires from scratch without doing too much harm. Environmental groups have charged that the railroad and highway to the Krasnaya Polyana ski area have done untold damage to the ecology of nearby Mzymta River. According to the World Wildlife Fund, construction of the railroad and highway began after the companies involved rushed through an ecological survey in just two weeks.

Safety has been another major concern, with Sochi near other parts of the Caucasus that have been plagued by Islamic insurgents for years. Recently, Alexander Tkachev, the governor of the Krasnodar region that includes Sochi, stirred up controversy by calling for Cossacks to come to Sochi to prevent migrants from flooding the region. While the Cossacks, who formed a feared military force in the time of the czars, will be unarmed, critics warned that the move could fuel ethnic tensions and hate crimes against mostly dark-complexioned Muslim migrants.

The Sochi Olympics have also been plagued by allegations of corruption and construction delays. The Russian daily Izvestia reported Thursday that court cases were being opened against the two subcontractors responsible for the bobsled track and the central stadium, which will be used for the opening ceremony. The two companies are charged with exceeding their estimated construction costs.

Finally, the residents of Sochi themselves openly worry that despite Sochi's rapid development, the city will be abandoned after the games because the growth is unsustainable. "Maintenance and technical upkeep (of these venues) is very expensive. It's possible that it will all fall into decay," said Sergei Dotsenko, Sochi resident and psychiatrist. "These Olympic Games take a lot of money from the (state) budget, and that money won't be given back. It's just a question of prestige."

Associated Press writer Stephen Wilson in London contributed to this story.

Ramadan fast-dodgers indulge in secret

By DIAA HADID | Associated Press
Fri, Aug 10, 2012

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Alongside hundreds of millions of Muslims observing the sunrise-to-sundown fast of Ramadan, a minority in the community goes underground each year during the holy month, sneaking sandwiches and cigarettes when no one is looking.

They include Muslims ambivalent about their faith or outright atheists, nicotine addicts too hooked to quit for 15 hours straight or those who simply don't want to deal with a day of being hungry.

The Ramadan dodgers indulge in secret — mostly to avoid offending those who are fasting or to avoid embarrassment. Community pressure is powerful. Many say they don't break the rules openly because they fear the disapproval of wives, neighbors and colleagues, or want to set a good example for their children.

"I tried to fast, but it's pointless. I need to smoke," said Ahmed, a 28-year-old electrician, puffing on a cigarette at midday in the privacy of a windowless office in an industrial park in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

He said he didn't want his fiancee or his mother to know he wasn't fasting. "I'm saving myself a headache," he said, laughing.

In some places, authorities enforce adherence.

Saudi Arabia threatens to expel even non-Muslim expatriates seen violating Ramadan. In Muslim-majority Malaysia, officials randomly inspect restaurants and parks and nab hundreds of Muslims every year among those eating or drinking. Usually it means a fine amounting to around $300, but repeat offenders in some states can get a year in prison.

Still, the potential chiding from friends and family generally is reason enough to lay low.
In Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, marketing executive Amri said he eats in his car while heading to or from work and hides a water bottle in a work bag for secret sips at the office. He's an atheist but in the eyes of the law and society, he's Muslim.

"I'm sure some of my colleagues also don't always fast, but it's something that nobody wants to admit. Half of it is the fear of being caught by (the authorities), half of it is the fear that people will look at you negatively," he said.

Ahmed, Amri and others who acknowledged violating Ramadan spoke with The Associated Press on condition that their full names not be used, another sign of the taboo's power.

During Ramadan, healthy Muslims must abstain from food, drink and cigarettes during daylight hours. The elderly, the very young, the sick as well as menstruating and nursing women are not required to fast.

Ramadan is typically a joyous time. Families gather for meals at night and sit together to watch the season's best soap operas. People pray more. There's a spirit of warmth, a break from routine. For the observant, fasting is a reminder of the deprivations of the poor. It also brings a sense of community, so even many who don't consider themselves religious or slide on daily prayers throughout the year join in.

But it's not for everyone.

"I don't believe in fasting," said a 59-year-old Palestinian-American supermarket owner from Los Angeles. Raised near Jerusalem in a devout Muslim family, he let go of his faith after moving to the U.S. decades ago.

On a recent trip back, he was reprimanded by his more devout son, 32-year-old Basil, when he unthinkingly ate cake in their car while in a traffic jam of Muslim fasters near Ramallah.

"Basil smacks my hand. He says, Dad, Dad, what are you doing? You can't do that! Look at the people looking at us!" he recalled.

"I had something in my mouth. I stopped chewing it out of fear. People were looking at me," he said.

Chain-smoking Palestinian truck driver, Raed, 32, keeps his non-fasting secret from his four children, having his morning coffee and cigarette while they are sleeping.

At the same time, he pays his sons, ages 6 and 11, a dollar for every day they fast.

"I want them to be better than me," he said, sipping thick black Turkish coffee in an industrial district near Ramallah.

Raed said he doesn't fast because his job is too difficult.

"That's empty talk," countered his wife Nahla, 29. "It's the cigarettes that are killing him."
Ramadan violators are expected to pray for forgiveness, fast to make up for lost days and give charity in recompense.

Religious observance in general has increased dramatically since the 1970s in the Arab world and other parts of the Muslim world, as political Islam rose to prominence and secular nationalist and leftist ideologies faded from the scene.

The rise of Islamic political parties in the region in the wake of last year's Arab Spring protests is likely to reinforce this trend, said Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Doha Center, a think tank.

The intensity of Ramadan coercion varies.

Most widespread is the closing of restaurants during daylight hours. Alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam no matter what month it is, often disappears during the holy month.

In Ramallah, where devout and secular live side-by-side, some cafes leave their doors coyly half open, a sign that it's business as usual. One restaurant offers free soup for Muslims wishing to break their fast after sundown. Other customers can order booze. Police allow restaurants to operate normally in areas with a strong Christian minority and foreigners, such as biblical Bethlehem.

Almost all bars in Egypt shut down or stop serving booze. City bylaws in Jakarta, capital of world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, prohibit nightclubs, bars and massage parlors from operating.

In contrast, restaurants serving alcohol operate normally in Lebanon, with its large Christian minority.

And then there are the places where authorities take action.

In West Bank areas under the Palestinian self-rule government, police have detained 10 people for violating the fast in public, said police spokesman Mansour Khazamiyeh. Violators are generally jailed until Ramadan's end. It's also an offense in the Gaza Strip, ruled by Palestinian Islamic group Hamas, but police spokesman Ayman Batniji said nobody has been arrested yet.

Egyptian Islamic clerics issued a religious ruling demanding that the government ban public eating in Ramadan, even for the 10 percent Christian minority. Similar requests were made in the past before the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power in Egypt this year, but so far the Arab world's most populous country doesn't enforce the fast.

Anyway, the biggest punishment for some is the guilt.

Abdul-Latif, a 45-year-old Afghan shopkeeper in Kabul, said he and his buddies sneaked some cigarettes — but he didn't feel good about it.

"It would be such a shame if my family knew," he said. "It's also shameful for me. When it becomes time to eat at night, everyone else enjoys it more than me. I know about my shame."

___

With additional reporting by Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza, Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, Salah Sinan in Baghdad, Aya Batrawi in Cairo, Heidi Vogt and Amir Shah in Kabul, Sean Yoong in Kuala Lumpur and Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta.