World news

[phil1993]

Israel, which governed the Gaza Strip from 1967-2005, still controls the strip's airspace, territorial water, and offshore maritime access, as well as its side of the Gaza-Israeli border. The strip is heavily fought over and Israel claims ownership of it, but the Hamas government of Palestine want, and have always wanted it, to be made into a new country, Palestine and subsequently, since 1948, there have been many attacks and fights over the Gaza Strip. Hamas and Israel had a truce but that ran out this week and Israel have subsequently attacked.

[Zack]

ohh.. another territory conflict

I don't think anyone can stop Israel now...

Does any one watch CNN Special Report ... Scream Bloody Murder, Czar Putin & Planet in Peril was good.

[phil1993]

This is from bbc.. the other one i wrote

(21/01/2008)

The Gaza Strip is a narrow piece of land along the Mediterranean coast between Israel and Egypt.

Just 40km (25 miles) long and 10km wide, it is home to more than 1.4m Palestinians.

The shape of the territory was defined by the Armistice Line following the creation of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent war between the Israeli and Arab armies.

Egypt administered the Strip for the next 19 years, but Israel captured it during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and Gaza has been under Israeli control since then.


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4 ... map416.gif

In 2005, Israel pulled out the troops occupying Gaza, along with thousands of Jews who had settled in the territory. As far as Israel was concerned that was the end of the occupation.

However, that has not been accepted internationally as Israel still exercises control over most of Gaza's land borders, as well as its territorial waters and airspace.


POPULATION CENTRES
Gaza City is the Strip's biggest population centre and has about 400,000 inhabitants.

As in other towns in Gaza, there are high levels of poverty, deprivation and unemployment in Gaza City. It has been the scene of frequent deadly clashes between gunmen from the rival Hamas and Fatah factions.

Air strikes by Israel targeting militants in the densely populated city often kill bystanders as well.

Gaza's other two main population centres are Khan Younis (population 200,000) in central Gaza and Rafah (population 150,000) in the south.

Israel's blockade and international isolation have left them both in a dire economic situation.

[Rachael The Great]

War is so c**p, man.

[Zack]

Yes it is ...but sometimes it is imminent :sad:

[Irishf1]

News from the Guardian

North Korea today threatened to ­"shatter" the conservative South Korean government in Seoul, as reports emerged that Pyongyang claims to have weaponised enough plutonium stocks to produce four or five nuclear bombs.

Relations across the heavily fortified border have turned frosty since South Korea's president, Lee Myung-bak, came to office last year promising to get tough on his communist neighbour after a decade of attempts by liberal governments to engage with Pyongyang. In December, North Korea closed border crossings and accused Seoul of plotting to assassinate the North's leader, Kim Jong-il.

But today's rare statement from the Korean People's Army – read on television by a uniformed officer – is likely to further raise tensions on the divided peninsula.

"Now that traitor Lee Myung-bak and his group opted for confrontation, denying national reconciliation and cooperation, backed by foreign forces, our revolutionary armed forces are compelled to take an all-out confrontational posture to shatter them," the statement said.

"Strong military measures will follow from our revolutionary armed forces," the spokesman added, warning of a clash along a disputed maritime border. Disagreements over the boundary triggered naval skirmishes in 1999 and 2000.

The statement came as an American scholar said North Korean officials had told him Pyongyang has weaponised 30.8 kg (68lb) of plutonium, enough for four or five bombs.

Selig Harrison, a North Korean expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, said the North Koreans had told him the weapons cannot be inspected.

The officials were vague about what weaponisation meant, but it appeared most likely the plutonium would be fitted in missile warheads, Harrison said.

Harrison said he could not vouch for the credibility of such a claim, but the allegations are likely to complicate future talks. Speaking after a visit to North Korea, Harrison said officials had told him Pyongyang wants friendly relations with the US, but it was not able to say when it might commit itself to nuclear disarmament.

The tougher stance over nuclear weapons may be a consequence of a shift in power after the reclusive Kim suffered a stroke in summer, ­Harrison said. The ruling party has issued a stream of reports supporting its claim that the "Dear Leader" is well, but Harrison said Kim now appears to have given up handling day-to-day tasks,

"My view is that change in the leadership situation has strengthened the hardliners in the National Defence Commission, who are now in control of the nuclear disarmament negotiations more directly," Harrison said.

Earlier today, North Korea issued a new challenge to Washington, saying that reopening diplomatic ties would not be enough to persuade it to give up its nuclear weapons. It said it would maintain its "status as a nuclear weapons state" as long as there was a US nuclear threat.

"It will be wrong if the United States thinks that we are giving up nuclear programme in exchange for normalising diplomatic ties with them," a spokesman was quoted as saying by the official Korea Central News Agency.

"There'll be no change in our status as a nuclear state as long as US nuclear threat remains."

The incoming Obama administration is likely to continue the Bush government's effort to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arms in talks involving North and South Korea, China, the US, Japan and Russia. But Hillary Clinton, Obama's designate secretary of state, has indicated the new administration is likely to review US policy.

Despite an agreement struck at the six-nation talks in Beijing, North Korea has delayed dismantling its nuclear weapons programme, amid disagreements over verification rules and energy aid.

Looks like we're going to get into more arguments with North Korea with Nuclear Weapons.

[phil1993]

Israel declares ceasefire in Gaza Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announces the ceasefire
Israel has begun a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, three weeks after launching a full-scale assault against Hamas.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel had achieved its goals and Hamas - which has been firing rockets at Israel - had been defeated.

But he said troops would remain in Gaza for now. Hamas said it would not accept one Israeli soldier in Gaza.

Correspondents report the first quiet night in the Strip in 22 days after the ceasefire began at 0200 (0000 GMT).

Nearly 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the violence began on 27 December. Thirteen Israelis have died.

The US has welcomed the ceasefire, saying it "expects that all parties will cease attacks and hostile actions immediately".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed relief, saying the ceasefire should be "the first step leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza".

Aid organisations have expressed concern that crossings into Gaza will not reopen fully unless Hamas is committed to a ceasefire.

'Goals achieved'

The Israeli prime minister's announcement came in a televised address following a late-night cabinet meeting.

We feel the pain of every Palestinian child and family member who fell victim to the cruel reality created by Hamas

Ehud Olmert
Israeli prime minister
Excerpts: Olmert declares ceasefire
Ceasefire may not end war
Lebanese fear next step
Survivors count losses in Rafah


Israel's "goals have been achieved, and even more", Mr Olmert said.

Hamas was badly damaged both militarily and in terms of government infrastructure; rocket factories and dozens of smuggling tunnels had been destroyed, he said.

But the success of the ceasefire depended on Hamas, he said.

Troops would remain in Gaza for the time being and if Hamas held fire, the military would "consider pulling out of Gaza at a time that befits us".

If militant rocket fire into Israel continued, Israel would respond with force, the Israeli leader added.

A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhum, condemned the move. Hamas could not "accept the presence of a single [Israeli] soldier in Gaza", he said.



Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, said Israel had failed in its objectives
Israel must withdraw completely, lift its economic blockade of Gaza and open border crossings, the spokesman said.

BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen says the question now is whether Hamas decides to lick its wounds and regroup - or whether it gambles on dragging Israel into a war of attrition.

Hamas representatives have been taking part in talks in Cairo, brokered by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, aimed at reaching a bilateral deal.

Egypt will on Sunday host a summit, attended by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the UN chief and several EU leaders, aimed at securing a permanent truce.

Representatives of Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Jordan are expected to attend the meeting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

On Saturday, Germany, France and Britain sent identical letters to the Israeli and Egyptian governments offering support for a ceasefire and their help in preventing arms smuggling into Gaza.


Minutes before Mr Olmert spoke, a rocket was fired from Gaza, a BBC producer in Gaza said.

'War crime'

The Israeli announcement came on the 22nd day of violence in Gaza.


HAVE YOUR SAY If Hamas is not involved then the cease fire is agreed with whom?
Khizar Mohammed, Mumbai, India
Send us your commentsIsrael carried out more than 50 air strikes on Gaza on Friday night, as Hamas rocket fire from the territory continued.

United Nations officials said two children, aged five and seven, were killed when Israeli tank fire hit a UN school where hundreds had taken shelter in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.

Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), said an investigation was needed "to determine whether a war crime has been committed".

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, Yigal Palmor, told the BBC that Israel was waiting for more information on what happened.

[Haukinen]

After reading that phil, I was like: ''Phew, thank god!''. But few minutes later, I read the news, which said: ''Ceasefire lasted just a few hours''. When will they stop this madness?!

[iceman1]

Cornwall - (Nazi Mess): The only son of Fuhrer Adolf Hitler is alive and well living in an English village and has several Grandchildren according to reports circulating on the internet.

Arthur Cobblesocks, 63, is a lollipop man of note, living in the Cornish village of Porth. Cobblesocks is a recognisable figure in the village due to his big orange head and tiny moustache.

Children often ask to lick him.

Cobblesocks who has several granchildren claims he is the love child of Adolf Hitler and former wife of Minder star Dennis Waterman, Rula Lenska, a Polish double agent working for the Nazi war machine.

Cobblesocks is claiming that's where he got his fruity looks from and orange hair, the ginger Lenska.

Villagers say they became suspicious of Cobblesocks when he began stepping on gooses and hailing taxis for no reason while walking his German Shepherd, a sheep farmer from Bavaria named Franz, who follows Arthur around on a leash.

Jesus Buddha is 45.

Code: Select all

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s1i32235

[phil1993]

Something which has rocked the UK for a few weeks now

325 MPs to be swept away at next election

AT least half of the House of Commons’ 646 MPs will be swept away at the general election, as voters take revenge on the political classes for the expenses scandal.

The departure of 325 members of parliament as a result of forced resignations, retirement and defeat at the polls would represent the biggest clear-out of parliament since 1945.

As many as 30 will be forced to resign directly because of the expenses scandal, while whips expect more than 200 to quit because they are unable to cope with continued public anger. Up to 90 MPs will be voted out in the election.

Research conducted by The Sunday Times and Professor Colin Rallings, director of the elections centre at Plymouth University, suggests that about 170 Labour MPs will not defend their seats while 55 Conservatives are also expected to retire.


Dozens more MPs from all parties are likely to lose their seats as voters kick out incumbents, accused of profiting from their allowances.

Rallings said: “If, as the current polls suggest, the Conservatives were to win the general election with an overall majority of 80 seats, it is likely that fully half of MPs in the new House of Commons will be new, a product both of incumbents being defeated and MPs retiring. It would be without parallel since 1945.”

The disclosure comes as Gordon Brown, desperate to retake the political initiative, examines radical constitutional reforms including the introduction of four-year, fixed-term parliaments.

Supporters of the plan say that removing the power of a future prime minister to determine the date of the general election would create a fairer system. However, it would tie the hands of the Conservatives, should they win the election.

Brown is facing growing pressure from senior Labour figures to resolve uncertainty about the date of the general election. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, has called for an autumn election.

Charles Clarke, the former home secretary, said: “It would be best now for Gordon Brown to set the election day as the first Thursday in May 2010 and stick to that date.”

Andrew MacKay, Cameron’s former chief political adviser, yesterday became the biggest casualty of the expenses scandal when he announced he would step down at the next election, following an ultimatum from the Conservative leader. He said: “I believe I could be a distraction at a time when he is working to get elected as prime minister.”

The brother of his wife, the MP Julie Kirkbride, sometimes lived rent-free in their taxpayer-funded Bromsgrove home.

Ian McCartney, the former Labour party chairman, also announced his retirement in the wake of the scandal. McCartney, the MP for Makerfield, has paid back £15,000 of expenses after buying at the taxpayers’ expense an 18-piece dinner set, champagne flutes and wine glasses, a £700 dining table and chairs and sofas worth £1,328. McCartney, who has had heart surgery, said he was going because of health problems.

MacKay’s departure means six MPs have already been directly forced out by the expenses scandal. More resignations are likely this week as the Labour and Conservative “star chambers” meet to discuss the most serious abuses.

McCartney’s retirement brings to 38 the total number of Labour MPs who have announced their decision to go, for a range of reasons.

Senior whips believe the number could rise to 170 - half the parliamentary party. “We think that one out of every two MPs will ultimately decide to go,” said a whip. “Those likely to leave are split evenly between marginals and safe seats: 170 sounds like a huge figure and it is, but that reflects the level of despair in the party.”

Whips believe that there will be a flurry of resignations after the Whitsun recess, when MPs consult their frustrated families and angry constituents.

A total of 20 safe Tory seats will definitely become vacant at the next election, including those of grandees who have resigned after being accused of expenses abuses. Party whips estimate that a further 35 MPs, mainly over the age of 60, will shortly announce their retirement.

The Liberal Democrats expect about five departures and a similar number of MPs from minor parties will retire.

Rallings estimates that on current polling trends a further 60 MPs will leave parliament as a result of being defeated at the polls. He also estimates that a further 30 MPs will go as a result of “churn” - seats changing hands between the Lib Dems, nationalists and main parties. This takes the total number of MPs leaving the Commons to 325. That figure would rise further if Cameron’s majority proves to be larger than 80 or if independent antisleaze candidates such as Esther Rantzen, the television presenter, are elected to parliament.

In the 1997 Labour landslide election, just under 250 MPs left parliament through retirement or defeat at the polls. In the 1945 Labour landslide, half of the MPs returned to parliament were new. However, this was exceptional because of the second world war.

Harriet Harman, Labour’s deputy leader, and Jack Straw, the justice secretary, are drawing up sweeping reforms to modernise parliament in the wake of the expenses row.

A spokesman said they would “certainly” consider axing prime ministerial control over election timing.

[Haukinen]

Lost in real life?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8076848.stm

[phil1993]

They'll be found, dead probably sadly

[ric.rios]

More than 200 people in airplane...

They'll be found

This is hard, but, our Air Force is experient in this cases.

[iceman1]

Lost in real life?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8076848.stm

They need Jack and Lock .

Really sad

[phil1993]

Debris not from Air France plane