Daily Nation

Reports of 2 Gaza atrocities exaggerated, Israeli military concludes MiamiHerald.com, FL By DION NISSENBAUM JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military announced Monday that it's closed its swift criminal investigation into two explosive allegations by its soldiers that army units intentionally killed Palestinian civilians during the recent ... Video: Israeli Power Shift Means Change in Peace Effort The Associated Press Israeli military rejects Gaza abuse claims CNN International Israeli Military Closes Probe Washington Post Los Angeles Times  - guardian.co.uk all 3,851 news articles

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One of the Air Force's most advanced fighter jets -- an F-22 Raptor -- crashed this morning in California. The incident took place deep in the desert, northeast of Edwards Air Force Base. "The status of the pilot and cause of crash are still unknown," an Air Force spokesperson says.

UPDATE: A bit more news. According to the Air Force, "Edwards Air Force Base has announced that the Lockheed Martin contractor pilot of the F-22 that crashed was transported to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead.  At this time there is no information on whether he attempted to eject."

UPDATE 2: The official notice from the Air Force, after the jump.

[Photo: USAF]

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Air Force F-22A crash today claimed the life of a USAF veteran and Lockheed Martin test pilot.

David Cooley, 49, of Palmdale, Calif., died when the F-22A he was piloting crashed northeast of Edwards AFB.  Cooley worked as a test pilot with Lockheed Martin, and was employed at the 411^th Flight Test Squadron, 412th Test Wing, on Edwards AFB.  Cooley joined Lockheed Martin in 2003 and was a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force.  He worked at the F-22 Combined Test Force, where a team of Lockheed Martin and Air Force pilots conduct F-22 aircraft testing. 

“This is a very difficult day for Edwards and those who knew and respected Dave as a warrior, test pilot and friend,” said Maj Gen David Eichhorn, Air Force Flight Test Center commander. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Dave and his family as we struggle through, and do all we can to support them.”

At approximately 10 a.m. this morning Edwards received word that the F-22A had gone down 35 miles northeast of the base.  First responders transported Cooley from the crash scene to Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville, where he was pronounced dead.

A board of officers is investigating the accident through an Accident Investigation Board, whose findings will be released to the public upon completion. 

Base officials stress that the accident site is remote and may contain hazardous materials released from the crash, and ask that individuals refrain from entering the area until the full investigation has been completed, and debris removed from the scene.

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Aljazeera.net

Israeli Use of Phosphorus Against Gazans Disputed Washington Post, United States Israeli military officials called the claim "baseless" and said the shells, designed to produce a smoke screen, were used in accordance with accepted rules. A frequent critic of Israeli military practices, New York-based Human Rights Watch says its ... Video: Gaza: Israeli war crimes France 24 Israel army 'used human shields' BBC News Israel accused of indiscriminate phosphorus use in Gaza guardian.co.uk Reuters  - Jewish Community Voice all 693 news articles

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Russian Foreign Minister welcomes Obama review Reuters "Let us remember that focusing common efforts on the real tasks of crisis recovery will help rebuild trust in the sphere of military policy, too, relieving the negative impact of unilateral ideology-driven projects and the inertia of 'zero sum games'. ...

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MiamiHerald.com

Netanyahu on peace Aljazeera.net, Qatar "The election on Tuesday will be about one issue - whether this place will remain in our hands or will be handed over to Hamas and Iran. "We will not withdraw from one inch. Every inch we leave would go to Iran," referring to the financial and military ... Video: No mention of Palestinian state by Netanyahu - 25 Mar 09 Al Jazeera Obama’s strategy on Arabs, Muslims looks promising Saudi Gazette Obama, Netanyahu, and thank goodness for the French guy Jewish Telegraphic Agency Christian Science Monitor  - International Herald Tribune all 2,703 news articles

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Thursday, April 2 International Herald Tribune, France 2003 - US President George W. Bush's administration announces sanctions against a nuclear research laboratory in Pakistan for having helped North Korea to develop nuclear weapons. It also announced related sanctions against North Korea itself. ...

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Lots of defense contractors like to wrap themselves in the flag -- sometimes, quite literally. But Halliburton, the former owner of logistics support contractor KBR, took the cake with an ad, taglined "Proud to Support Our Troops."

Perhaps the most brazen attempt to tug at heartstrings, however, was a Halliburton TV spot from back in 2004. It depicted a soldier in desert camouflage inside what looked like a typical contractor-run Morale, Welfare and Recreation facility. Lips quivering, he holds a phone and exclaims, "It's a girl!"

Curiously, that TV spot has been removed from Youtube, broadcaster.com, and even this Italian site. Halliburton may have separated from KBR back in 2007, but for anti-war critics, the company's name will forever be associated with the rogue's gallery of war profiteers. Here's a screen grab; anyone care to send us a link to the original ad? We'd love to ad it to the Iron Eagles, our collection of awesomely bad defense videos.

ALSO:

• Introducing the 'Iron Eagles' — Awesomely Bad Videos From the Military-Industrial Complex
• Iron Eagle Nominee: the Awesomely Bad 'Future Combat' Mini-Series
• Iron Eagle Nominee: Israeli Armsdog-Millionaires Assault Bollywood, Good Taste
• Iron Eagle Nominee: Freddie Mercury, Military-Industrial Pitchman
• Iron Eagle Nominee: 'Persuasive in Peace, Invincible in War,' Lame in Video
• Iron Eagle Nominee: Lockheed's Awesomely Bad Missile Promo
• Iron Eagle Nominee: Lockheed Martin, Planet-Saver
• Iron Eagle: The Thanksgiving Feast of Mil-Speak

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FAS Strategic Security Project Blog

Opinion: Can US Russia reset the nuclear button? San Jose Mercury News,  USA By Steve Andreasen "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought." — Joint Statement on the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meeting in Geneva, Nov. 21, 1985 When President Barack Obama meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday, ... Watershed Moment on Nuclear Arms New York Times all 6 news articles

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Straits Times

US Sees Chinese Military Rise, and a Need for More Contact New York Times, United States Further, China will not be able to deploy and sustain large forces in combat operations far from China until well into the following decade, the report states. Instead, the Chinese military appears to have embarked on modernization programs that will ... Pentagon criticizes China on military transparency Reuters Pentagon questions growing Chinese military power The Associated Press Pentagon Says China's Military Power Grows as Intentions Still Unclear Voice of America CNN  - The Associated Press all 335 news articles

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Tour historic reactor Othello Outlook, WA An integral part of the Manhattan Project, the top-secret effort to develop and construct the first atomic bomb, the work done at Hanford helped win World War II. Later, nuclear production at Hanford helped provide the nuclear deterrence that helped ... B Reactor tours start Saturday TheNewsTribune.com all 3 news articles

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Washington Times

Pentagon: Beijing boosting cyberwarfare Washington Times, DC The report also criticized China's arms sales to countries like Iran, Sudan and Zimbabwe. It noted that Chinese arms supplied to Iran “were found to have been transferred to terrorist organizations in Iraq and Afghanistan.” “This is a serious issue ...

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Aljazeera.net

Reporter's diary: Ayman Mohyeldin Aljazeera.net, Qatar It's been a troubling week, as evidence continues to emerge about how the Israeli military conducted this war. On Tuesday, there were intense clashes in the Arab town of Umm el-Fehm, which is inside Israel proper (inside the 1948 lines and not in the ...

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Boston Globe

China Military Chief Meets South Korean Senior Defence Official American Chronicle, CA "China is the closest country to North Korea. Its comments carry weight, and we hope it can more actively pressure Pyongyang," the South Korean official said. Leading a group of top military aides, Chen paid a courtesy call on South Korean Defence ... Video: Clinton: NKorea Missile Plan 'Provocative' The Associated Press China's military chief in SKorea Straits Times US Military: North Korea's Planned Satellite Launch Is Act Of ... Voice of America Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas  - The Associated Press all 1,607 news articles

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Boston Globe

Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep ABC News The State Department and regional partners have stated that the launch of any missile, even the launch of a satellite, is a violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution that North Korea from engaging in ballistic missile activity. ... Video: Clinton: NKorea Missile Plan 'Provocative' The Associated Press Japan Plans to Shoot Down North Korean Missile, Nikkei Reports Bloomberg N.Korea preparing for rocket launch: report AFP American Chronicle  - MSNBC (press release) all 1,607 news articles

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MiamiHerald.com

China's military advancing, Pentagon says MarketWatch (press release) WASHINGTON, Mar 25, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- China's military capabilities are growing, but US defense officials say in a report released to Congress Wednesday that transparency is lacking. The report, "Military Power of the People's Republic of China ... Video: Obama's $3 Trillion Budget CBS The Second Press Conference of Obama’s Administration Thaindian.com Editorial: Deficit spending Philadelphia Inquirer Wall Street Journal Blogs  - The Hill all 5,800 news articles

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Straits Times

Pentagon Says China's Military Power Grows as Intentions Still Unclear Voice of America By Al Pessin The annual Pentagon report on China's military power says China continues to increase the "pace and scope" of its military modernization, and expresses concern about a lack of clarity on how Chinese leaders intend to use their growing ... China tells US to drop "Cold War" mindset on military Reuters China: Pentagon military report distorted CNN China's Military Capabilities Continue to Grow, Report Says Systems Xinhua  - BBC News all 851 news articles

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NATO 60th Anniversary Summit: An Agenda for American Leadership Hawaii Reporter, HI These security challenges include terrorism, cyberterrorism, ballistic missile attacks, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The Declaration should address these threats, as well as reaffirming NATO's commitment to winning in ...

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New Zealand Herald

Palestinian children sing for Holocaust survivors The Associated Press The two-hour meeting starkly highlighted how distant Palestinians and Israelis have become after more than eight years of bloody Palestinian militant attacks and deadly Israeli military reprisals. Most of the Palestinian youths had not seen an Israeli ... For a few minutes, Arabs and Jews united by music Christian Science Monitor Former Terror Have Seen as Model for Peace Israel Today all 102 news articles

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MiamiHerald.com

Israel-Europe ties showing strains Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NY Widespread popular anger in Europe over Israel’s actions during the recent military operation in Gaza has not helped. "Let me say very clearly that the way the European Union will relate with a government that is not committed to the two-state solution ... Video: No mention of Palestinian state by Netanyahu - 25 Mar 09 Al Jazeera Netanyahu on peace Aljazeera.net Likud opens coalition talks with Labor Party International Herald Tribune The Associated Press  - Ha'aretz all 2,703 news articles

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The first phase of the Pentagon's plan to regrow soldiers' limbs is complete; scientists managed to turn human skin into the equivalent of a blastema — a mass of undifferentiated cells that can develop into new body parts. Now, researchers are on to phase two: turning that cellular glop into a square inch of honest-to-goodness muscle tissue.

The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) just got a one-year, $570,000 grant from Darpa, the Pentagon's blue-sky research arm, to grow the new tissues. "The goal is to genuinely replace a muscle that's lost," biotechnology professor Raymond Page tells Danger Room. "I appreciate that's a very aggressive goal."  And it's only one part in a larger, even more ambitious Darpa program, Restorative Injury Repair, that aims to "fully restore the function of complex tissue (muscle, nerves, skin, etc.) after traumatic injury on the battlefield."

Muscles are, of course, famous for their ability to regenerate; they're broken down and rebuilt with every gym workout. But when too much of a muscle is lost — either from injury or illness — "instead of the regenerative response, you get scarring," Page says. He's hoping to get a different result, by carefully growing fresh muscle, outside the body.

Step one will be trying to get those undifferentiated cells to turn into something like muscle cells. That means making sure the cells have myosin and actin — two proteins that are key to forming the cellular cytoskeleton, and to building muscle filaments. Then, Page and his team will try to get those cells to form around a scaffolding of tiny threads, made of biomaterial. Exactly what will be in thread, Page isn't quite sure — maybe collagens, maybe fibrinogens. It's one of many mysteries to unravel, as his team tries to grow body parts from scratch.

Photo: UCI Regeneration Lab

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The Associated Press

US: Attacks rise south of Baghdad, fall nationwide The Associated Press The US believes those groups are supported by Iran, a charge the Iranians deny. Despite an overall decline in violence, attacks continue, especially in the north where al-Qaida is holding out. In the northern city of Mosul, a bomb apparently targeting ...

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Iran’s Parliament Speaker Disparages Obama’s Video Overture New York Times, United States Qassim Atta, spokesman for the Baghdad operations command of the Iraqi military, outlined plans to build four major entry points to the city, as well as 18 minor ones, and force all traffic through them to submit to systematic searches, ...

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Iran accepts call to join US at Afghan meeting The Associated Press Last year, a similar conference in Paris raised pledges of $20 billion for Kabul, but the Hague meeting was not intended to raise funds or discuss military aid to the government. Those issues were more likely to come up at other multinational meetings ...

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During its war with Hamas, the Israeli military pursued a strategy of deliberately blasting crowded buildings — including a school and a hospital — with incendiary white phosphorus rounds. It was part of a concerted effort to scorch hideouts in and around Gaza City, Human Rights Watch senior military analyst Marc Garlasco tells Danger Room.

"The attitude was: When in doubt, burn it down," says Garlasco, who spent weeks in Gaza after the fighting to conduct forensic research.

Of all the controversial things the Israeli military did during the conflict, firing off white phosphorus (WP) may have been the most divisive. When exposed to oxygen, phosphorous catches fire, throwing up thick clouds of smoke — which makes it both good for illumination and for concealing troop or tank movements. But WP can also burn people, quickly and horribly, sticking to the skin as it singes. So firing phosphorus weapons carelessly in a civilian area is problematic, at best — and possibly illegal.

Garlasco says the Israeli Defense Forces were more than careless with WP, however. Troops repeatedly targeted Hamas hideouts in crowded urban areas where civilians would almost certainly get caught in the cross-fire. It was part of a larger Israeli effort to use maximum force to protect its troops during the Gaza campaign.

Amnesty International called the Israeli use of WP in Gaza a "war crime"; the Israeli human rights group B'tselem was only marginally more careful, saying it was "impossible to use in a legal sense." In response, the Israeli Defense Forces at first denied it used WP. Then it defended its phosphorus use as proper — while launching an internal investigation into potential abuses.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch is set to just released the most comprehensive report to date on how the Israeli military (and, to a lesser extent, Hamas) employed phosphrous rounds. [UPDATE: Read it here; we'll pull details, shortly.]

Garlasco says the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) used the munitions in three ways, broadly. First, the troops fired rounds in rural areas, possibly to set off mines or improvised bombs. Second, the IDF used phosphorus one the edges of cities — to screen its movements, perhaps.

But a third — and definitely most troubling — set of cases involved the Israeli military shooting air-burst WP rounds into crowded urban areas. Time and time again, when the IDF found what it felt was a Hamas outpost in a big building, troops blasted phosphorus overhead. A school, a hospital and a UN building in Gaza City were all hit. To Garlasco, it was part of a deliberate initiative to burn down any sites of resistance.

The problem is, many civilians were in the way. Dr. Nafez Abu Shaban, head of the burn unit at Gaza City's Sifa Hospital, says he treated dozens of white phosphorous cases. Other doctors made similar reports.

What makes it all the more troubling to Garlasco, a former chief of High Value Targeting on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is that he couldn't find a clear reason why the Israeli military was using WP in this way. The WP shots didn't accompany large-scale maneuvers, so the purpose couldn't have been to screen those troops (besides, air-bursting the rounds only increase the incendiary effects, while minimizing the smoke.) The buildings hit with WP were big — too big to "send in a shell, to take out booby traps," Garlasco says. "It still boggles my mind, what the military utility was."

[Photo: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images]

ALSO:

• Tracking Down Gaza War's Deadly, Mysterious Cubes
• Doctors Spooked by Israel's Mystery Weapon
• Israel Launches Phosphorus Weapons Probe Amid Cries of 'War Crimes'
• Robot Planes, Life-and-Death Choices Over Gaza
• Israeli 'Cluster Bombing' In Gaza? Unlikely
• Gaza Fight Delays U.S. Ammo Shipment to Israel
• U.N. Presses White Phosphorus Allegation in Gaza
• Israel Accused of 'War Crimes' for Phosphorus Shells
• Israeli Army Now Less Careful About Civilian Deaths?

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Straits Times

Pentagon criticizes China on military transparency Reuters "The base appears large enough to accommodate a mix of attack and ballistic missile submarines and advanced surface combatant ships," it said. The Pentagon analysis said China is developing weapons that would disable its enemies' space technology such ... China's Military Capabilities Continue to Grow, Report Says Systems Report: Chinese navy has new sub base in Pacific Stars and Stripes all 335 news articles

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On Monday, General James Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent a message to the defense industry: Major cutbacks are on the way for missile-defense programs. Now the defense firms are launching a counter-strike to defend against budget cuts.

The Washington Post's Dana Hedgpeth has a great piece describing how executives from Boeing and Lockheed Martin held briefings yesterday to tout their missile-defense programs. Northrop booked a room at the National Press Club; Boeing hosted a cheese-and-crackers reception at the Willard Hotel in downtown Washington.

And more importantly, Boeing busted out the swag. "Boeing gave out trinkets bearing the logo of its missile defense programs, including a box of mints, a bag of blue and white jelly beans and a magnetic dart board that reads 'Right on Target' with a fireball explosion in the background," notes Hedgpeth.

Hey, defense industry: Don't forget to mention that missile defense can kill toxic assets, boost Wall Street and create jobs. And next time, bring better swag, like this Boeing Airborne Laser laser pointer. You're welcome.

A brief aside on the vice chairman's speech: We reported that Cartwright said, "Ballistic missiles are about as passé as e-mail." Reuters heard the same thing. But American Forces Press Service quotes Cartwright as saying "Ballistic missiles are about as passé as sea mail." (Emphasis mine.)

So what did he say? Cartwright is known as a bit of a tech fanatic, so it makes sense to me that he would describe e-mail as passé in the era of IM and Twitter. After all, this is the same guy who wore a patch on his flight suit that read "100 blogs" when he was head of U.S. Strategic Command. But some commenters insist he said "sea mail."

Go to the Pentagon Channel and judge for yourself. Cartwright's "e-mail/sea mail" remark is at about the 10:30 mark.

[PHOTO: Nathan Hodge]

ALSO:

• Top General: Missile Defense Is Dead. Long Live Missile Defense
• Scientist's New Missile Defense: Killer Drones
• The Shadow Games Behind Obama's Missile Deal
• Missile Defense Honcho Passes the Baton
• Will Obama Continue 'Star Wars?' (Updated)
• Alaska Hearts Missile Defense
• Obama, General in Missile Defense Showdown?
• More Dollars for 'Multiple Kill' Missile Defenses
• All Hail Vaporware Missile Defense!
• Missile Agency Boss: Defenses 'Work,' but Not Too Well
• U.S. Radar in Israel: What's It For, Really?
• Missile Defenses in Europe = Russia Bait?
• Fightin' Words as U.S., Poland Sign Anti-Missile Deal

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Sometimes, in my more conspiratorially-minded moments, I look back on all the awful moves Donald Rumsfeld made as Defense Secretary -- and wonder whether the guy wasn't actually an Iranian mole, sent to sabotage America's military from within. Chill out, neocons, chill: I'm only joking. I think.

I'm reading In the Graveyard of Empires, Seth Jones' forthcoming book about Afghanistan. And every few pages, there's another story of Rummy undermining the American effort there. Some of the tales are, by now, well-known -- like shifting CIA and U.S. military assets from Afghanistan to Iraq as early as November, 2001. Others are new, at least to me.

In June 2006, for instance, Major General Robert Durbin was trying to get the funds to expand the training of Afghan police -- to make sure a growing insurgency didn't get any bigger. He succeeded eventually, despite resistance from Secretary Rumsfeld.

Seven months earlier, when the Afghans wanted to expand their army, "Rumsfeld read us the riot act," one participant tells Jones. Rummy rejected requests for an Afghan Army of 70,000. Instead, he thought an army with about 50,000 troops was "more reasonable." If Afghans wanted any more soldiers, they'd have to find someone else to pay for it.

Today, Afghanistan's insurgents are in a much stronger position. Now the plan is to grow the 134,000-strong Afghan National Army to 260,000 -- and expand a force of 80,000 cops to 140,000. Thanks again, Rummy.

UPDATE: Leave Rummy alone! Keith Urbahn, former Pentagon speechwriter and current Rumsfeld spokesman, disagrees with this post -- rather strongly. His comments, after the jump.

I don't know who gets it wrong, you reporting on the views of Seth Jones, Seth Jones reporting on the views of a two-star general, or a two-star general reporting on the views of someone else, but somewhere in your three- or four-man game of telephone, the transmission -- and the facts -- get lost.

The reality was that there was no one pushing harder for improving the capabilities and expanding the numbers in of the Afghan National Army and Afghan Police in the leadership of the Defense Department and probably the Bush administration than Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld wanted the burdens of maintaining security and executing a counterinsurgency shifted from U.S. troops to Afghans in Afghanistan and Iraqis in Iraq, and made expanding the security forces of both nations militaries and police forces among the highest of priorities.  In mid-2006, Rumsfeld supported expanding the ANA to 70,000 and a step up in the size of the police force, though there were concerns about the sustainability of a large force in a relatively poor nation over the long-term -- concerns that remain to this day. He continues to believe that increasing the size and capability of the Afghan security forces is one the keys to mounting a successful counterinsurgency campaign against the Taliban.

Urbahn says he has " no specific knowledge" of the earlier meeting Jones describes in his book. But, anyway, "I do know that what you're suggesting was Rumsfeld's view in 2006 - and stretching back to 2005 and well before - is 180 degrees from what was actually his view."

Other reports at the time say that the Defense Department pushed back over the expansion of the Afghan army. "Against Kabul's objections, the U.S. military hopes to cut the planned end-strength of the Afghan defense sector by more than 25 percent; rather than building the 70,000-man force previously agreed upon, the goal is now 50,000," wrote the American Enterprise Institute's Vance Serchuk. He didn't name Rumsfeld specifically as the force behind the reduced goal. It very well could have been someone else.

Also, it's interesting to note that two weeks after Rumsfeld's departure from the Pentagon was announced, the commander on the ground in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, proposed an acceleration of the plan to expand the Afghan army. Instead of getting to 70,000 men by 2011, he and Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak called for fielding a 70,000-member Afghan army by October 2008. Again, this may or may not have had anything to do with Rumsfeld.

Anyway, my favorite moment in my e-mail exchange with Urbahn came this morning, when I was in the middle of interviews for another piece. "Are you going to append my comments?" he wrote. "I think if you're going to accuse Rumsfeld of 'blowing the war in Afghanistan' and do it on spurious grounds, that's your prerogative, but if you're a professional journalist and not a two-bit blogger, I think you at least owe the reader the other side."

"Two-bit blogger" -- I kinda like the sound of that, actually.

[Photo: U.S. Northern Command]

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BBC News

Kashmir fighting leaves 25 dead, India says Los Angeles Times, CA Brar said the army recovered 23 assault rifles, six grenade launchers, global positioning equipment, 10 radio sets, shoes that appeared to have been made in Iran and clothing with markings from Pakistan. Brig. Gurmit Singh said at a news conference ... Prepare for the Next Great War Organiser all 405 news articles

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Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is not one to let an international arrest warrant get in the way of his travel plans. Just over two weeks after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against the Sudanese head of state for war crimes in Darfur, Bashir traveled to neighboring Eritrea for an official visit with his counterpart, Isaias Afwerki. And his travels continue: The Sudanese president arrived today in Cairo, where he is expected to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

While Bashir thumbs his nose at the ICC, President Barack Obama last week named Scott Gration, a retired Air Force general, to be his special envoy to Sudan. Gration, a former fighter pilot, is a relative unknown in the world of diplomacy, but he is often described as a close personal friend of the president. Gration was originally rumored as Obama's pick to head NASA.

Most reports on Gration mention his family connection to Africa: He was raised by missionaries and speaks Swahili. But there's another intriguing part of his biography. From 1996 to 1998, he was the commander of the Air Force's 39th Wing at Incirlik Air Force Base, Turkey, where he oversaw enforcement of the no-fly zone over northern Iraq.

Advocates of intervention in Sudan have called for similar measures to bring pressure to bear on Khartoum. Secretary of State designee Hillary Clinton has promised a tough new line on Darfur. As the situation there deteriorates there, U.S. officials have been stepping up their criticism of Bashir and his government.

[PHOTO: Xinhua]

ALSO:

• Debating a No-Fly Zone over Darfur
• Sudan Prez Charged with War Crimes
• 'Other Options' to Save Darfur?
• How to Win a 'Fifth-Generation' War
• U.S. Losing 'Secret' War in Somalia
• Making Sense of the Congo Crisis
• Africa Command Tackles Traffickers in First Drill
• Did Secret Orders Keep U.S. Commandos in Somalia?
• Ospreys over Africa

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Earthtimes (press release)

Iran able to build nuclear bomb in year: Israel AFP JERUSALEM (AFP) — Iran will have the capacity to build a nuclear bomb within a year but is not rushing into production, the head of Israel's military intelligence claimed on Wednesday. "The Iranian strategy is not to get a nuclear bomb as soon as they ... Israeli intelligence chief warns of Iranian nuke development Xinhua Israeli general: Iran bomb can still be stopped Jewish Telegraphic Agency Israel's intelligence chief: Hamas preparing for another round of ... RTT News Jerusalem Post  - Ynetnews all 30 news articles

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