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Russia Watch: Spy Poisoned by Radiation
Sky News: Spy ‘Poisoned By Radiation’
A large quantity of radiation, probably from a substance called Polonium 210, has been found in the body of dead ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
The “major dose” of alpha radiation was detected in his urine, said Government experts, who added that Polonium 210 is only dangerous if ingested.
They also revealed that police have found radiation at three locations: his Muswell Hill home, a central London sushi bar where he ate shortly before falling ill, and a hotel where he had met two Russians that morning.
Dr Pat Troop, head of the Health Protection Agency, said the death was an “unprecedented event in the UK” and he had “apparently been poisoned by a type of radiation”.
The development came as Home Secretary John Reid revealed the police were searching for residual radioactive material at a number of locations.
Police in the UK are trying to find out who and what killed the 43-year-old former security agent.
Before he died in a London hospital on Thursday night, Mr Litvinenko wrote a statement on Tuesday blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for ordering his murder.
Reminds Flap of the Ukraine and Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko.
Remember how Yushchenko was poisoned when he was in opposition to the Russia supported candidate for President?
Similar, NO?
Technorati Tags: AlexanderLitvinenko, Russia, Putin, VictorYushchenko
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Lebanon Watch: Hezbollah Plans to Bring Down Lebanese Government Within A Month
Lebanese Shi’ite Muslims protest in the street in Beirut suburbs November 23, 2006. Hezbollah will take to the streets next week to try to topple the government, political sources said on Friday, in a move that would stoke tension in a country already reeling after the assassination of a minister.
Telegraph: Hizbollah plans to bring Lebanese government down ‘within a month’
A senior member of Hizbollah has said it will push ahead with plans to bring down the Lebanese government, despite the mass outpouring of grief at yesterday’s funeral.
The militant Shia party, which is backed by Syria and Iran, said it had delayed street protests planned for this week because of the public reaction to Pierre Gemayel’s murder.
Ghalib Abu Zaynab, a Hizbollah politburo member, speaking in the group’s southern Beirut stronghold, said: “As far as street protests are concerned, we have postponed these as we are waiting to see what will happen in the coming days. But the protests will go ahead, and we hope they will achieve our political aims within a month.”
And why not?
Hezbollah has appeared to have already re-stocked its supply of weapons expended in the summer 33-day war with Israel. With Hezbollah in charge of the government or the country in a Civil War, Hezbollah can complete their rearming and ready themselves for the coming resumption of war with Israel.
Lebanese soldiers secure an area in the town of Bikfaya, northeast of Beirut, the hometown of assassinted Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel. Lebanon’s cabinet is to meet for the next step towards approving a UN plan for an international court to try those accused of murdering ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, in a move set to trigger a showdown with the pro-Syrian opposition.
He said tactics would include mass street demonstrations, strikes, and “other legal and peaceful means of achieving our goals. We gave blood for independence but we want true independence, not influenced by outside parties, and this government is a puppet of the United States, run by Jeffrey Feltman [the American ambassador to Lebanon].”
Hizbollah had weakened the government even before Tuesday’s assassination of the anti-Syrian Christian leader. Earlier this month, six ministers either belonging or allied to Hizbollah resigned from the cabinet. Mr Gemayel’s murder means the death or resignation of two more would render the cabinet inquorate.
The militia’s leadership has denied any involvement in Mr Gemayel’s murder, suggesting it was the work of American or Israeli intelligence as part of a campaign to discredit both Syria and Hizbollah.
“The killing of Gemayel was neither good for Hizbollah, nor for Syria,” said Mr Zaynab. “In the end, the people who benefit most are the United States and Israel. There are American fingerprints on all the bloodshed in the Middle East, in Iraq, in Palestine, and now also in Lebanon.”
So, Hezbollah is Lebanon’s friend and it is the Great Satan and the Zionists creating unrest and assassinating Lebanon’s political leaders.
Right……..
But, Hezbollah will be ready to fight Israel, now won’t they?
Time (Via Hot Air): Iran and Syria Helping Hizballah Rearm
As Lebanon’s government tries to maintain its shaky grip on power, sources tell TIME that Tehran and Damascus are shipping weapons to the militant Shi’ite group
Iran is smuggling weapons through Syria to re-arm Lebanese allies Hizballah, despite renewed efforts by United Nations peacekeepers and the Lebanese army to seal off the mountain borders with Syria in the wake of last summer’s war between the Shi’ite militia and Israel, according to reports by Saudi and Israeli intelligence sources that have been confirmed by western diplomats in Beirut.
Israeli military officials in Tel Aviv say that Hizballah replenished nearly half of its pre-war stockpiles of short-range missiles and small arms. But western diplomats in Beirut say these calculations under-estimate the weapons flow and that Hizballah has now filled its war chest with over 20,000 short-range missiles — a similar amount fo what they had at the start of the conflict, during which the group is believed to have fired over 3,000 rockets at Israel. “The Iranian pipeline through Syria was already working during the war,” despite constant Israeli bombing raids on the roads into Lebanon from Syria, this Beirut source said. Officially, Syria and Iran deny that they’re supplying weapons to Hizballah. As for the Shi’ite group itself, when asked about receiving a new shipment of arms from Syria and Iran, a spokesman told TIME, without elaborating, “We have more than enough weapons if Israel tries to attack us again.”
Read it all……
Get ready for the resumption of Israeli, Hezbollah and Lebanese War. Like Flap said the first time.
Watch for the UNIFIL contingent to suddenly leave and the hostilities begin anew. This time Israel will fight to the finish.And watch for a joint Israeli operation with the United States against Iran and Syria.
Stay tuned…….
Previous:
Lebanon Watch: Hundreds of Thousands of Lebanese Mourn Pierre Gemayel – Attend Funeral
Lebanon Watch: Assassinated Lebanese Minister Pierre Gemayel to Be Buried Thursday
Global War on Terror Watch: Hezbollah and Syria Make a MOVE in Lebanon
Technorati Tags: Lebanon, PierreGemayel, Syria, Hezbollah, Israel
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Los Angeles Times Watch: Big Media Journalists Often Rely on Sources That Are Unreliable
Patterico (Via Hugh Hewitt): Is the L.A. Times Repeating Enemy Propaganda? Or Is There Another Reason The Paper Is Getting Basic Facts Wrong and Failing to Report the Military’s Side?
Conclusion:
In doing so, I found I learned something important about reporting from Iraq in general. Big Media journalists often rely on sources that are unreliable. They don’t tell you the pressures these sources might be under from insurgents and terrorists. They refuse to tell you who their stringers are, so we can assess their motivations. They get quotes from doctors who seem to see only civilian deaths. If the military has been given insufficient time to respond to an allegation, these journalists don’t check with the military later, to verify that the story they’ve written is accurate. And sometimes, as here, their stories are completely at odds with numerous other accounts reported in other press outlets — and they seem to have no interest in finding out why.
It’s very sobering to realize that much of the news coming out of Iraq is completely unreliable. And it’s a bigger issue than whether the L.A. Times got a single story wrong on November 15.
Hugh Hewitt has it RIGHT:
Any self-respecting newspaper would launch an internal investigation of this story. Keep in mind that the paper did such an internal investigation when the famous Staples Center controversy erupted. That story concerned crossing the lines between news and advertising.
This story concerns crossing the lines between America and its enemies. Let’s hope the paper is at least as concerned about the latter as it was about the former.
Indeed and the Tribune Company wonders why the Los Angeles Times circulation is in a declining spiral?
Blogosphere:
Technorati Tags: LosAngelesTimes, Iraq, IraqWar, Ramadi
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Medicine Today: How Easily Can People Spot a Breast Augmentation?
Natural or Augmented?
Q: How easily can people spot a breast augmentation? (Via Ace and Garfield Ridge)
Flap got 73% right.
Hummmmmm, need MORE practice.
Technorati Tags: breasts, breastaugmentation
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Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia Begins Delivery of Tor-M1 Air Defense Missile Systems to Iran
Russia has begun deliveries of the Tor-M1 air defence rocket system to Iran, Russian news agencies quoted military industry sources as saying, in the latest sign of a Russian-US rift over Iran.
“Deliveries of the Tor-M1 have begun. The first systems have already been delivered to Tehran,” ITAR-TASS quoted an unnamed, high-ranking source as saying Friday.
The United States has pressed Russia to halt military sales to Iran, which Washington accuses of harbouring secret plans to build a nuclear weapon.
Moscow has consistently defended its weapons trade with Iran. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the contract for 29 rocket systems, signed in December last year, was legitimate because the Tor-M1 has a purely defensive role.
ITAR-TASS reported that the rockets were to be deployed around Iran’s nuclear sites, including the still incomplete, Russian-built atomic power station at Bushehr.
Right.
A defensive system to be ULTIMATELY used against Israel and the United States. This Russian DEAL with the Iranians has been in the making for almost a year. A brief history is here.
In the meantime, the Russians and Chinese continue to stall a sanctions resolution in the United Nations Security Council. Could it be that Iran has NOT paid Russia? Or does Russia wish to guarantee delivery?
ProbablyIn August, Washington announced sanctions against several companies, including Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport, for supplying technology to Iran that could allegedly be used to develop missile technology and weapons of mass destruction.
Under the sanctions no US company can deal with foreign companies on the sanctions list for two years.
A spokesman for Rosoboronexport contacted by AFP would not confirm or deny the reports about the Tor-M1 delivery, which were also issued by the Interfax news agency.
So, should the United States and Israel interdict these systems before they are fully deployed?
And involve Russia?
Depends upon the “POINT OF NO RETURN.”
Russia and China are NOT our friends but will they go to war with America to protect trade with Iran?
Doubtful – especially since the United States at the outbreak of hostilities would take the Iranian oil fields, and cut off oil to China.
But, Rome is burning while President Bush and Condoleezza Rice FIDDLE in the United Nations.
Stay tuned…….
Hugh Hewitt has Iran, Russia, and The Security Council Mirage
Previous:
Iran Nuclear Watch: IAEA Waives Decision on Aid for Iran’s Arak Nuclear Reactor
Iran Nuclear Watch: Robert Mugabe – Iran, Zimbabwe “THINK ALIKEâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Replacing Tehran Nuclear Reactor With Heavy Water Arak Reactor
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia Continues to Disagree on Iran SanctionsMichael Ramirez on Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions
Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad – Iran “Will Resist to the Endâ€
Cox & Forkum: Flashback – “PEACE IN OUR TIMEâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad – Iran Will Soon Celebrate Completion of its Nuclear Fuel Program
Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad – “Israel’s Destruction NEARâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad Blasts U.N. Security Council
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Broadcasts Drone Footage of United States Carrier
Iran Nuclear Watch: Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh – Strike on Iran Possible
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia Won’t Bargain Over Bushehr
Iran Nuclear Watch: A Military Option
Iran Nuclear Watch: Six Arab States Want to Go Nuclear
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Test Fires Three New Missiles in the Gulf
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia and China Say NO to United Nations Iran Sanction Resolution
The Natanz uranium enrichment complex in Natanz is pictured in this January 2, 2006 satellite image.
Technorati Tags: Iran, Ahmadinejad
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Day By Day by Chris Muir November 24, 2006