health: Lincoln Tribune

الاثنين، 20 فبراير 2012

Lincoln Tribune

UPDATE 1 — Three Italian soldiers die in Afghan vehicle accident
Three NATO soldiers die in Afghanistan’s west
Swede survives ‘two months’ inside snowed-in car
Iran halts oil exports to British, French firms
Syria Different Challenge Than Libya, Chairman Says

UPDATE 1 — Three Italian soldiers die in Afghan vehicle accident

Posted: 20 Feb 2012 02:03 AM PST

KABUL/ROME (BNO NEWS) -- Three Italian service members were killed on Monday when their armored vehicle overturned while crossing a stream in western Afghanistan, the Italian Ministry of Defense said. It raises the number of Italian troops killed in Afghanistan so far to 45.

Officials at the Ministry of Defense in the Italian capital of Rome said the accident happened about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) southwest of Shindand, a town in the Shindand district of Herat province, when an armored vehicle overturned, trapping the soldiers inside. Three soldiers were killed while a fourth was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries.

Italian president Giorgio Napolitano offered his condolences in a brief statement released by his office. "[Napolitano] learned with deep emotion the news of the accident which killed three Italian soldiers engaged in the international mission for peace and stability in Afghanistan, expressing his feelings for joint participation in the pain of the families of the fallen and voicing the deep condolences of the country," it said.

The deaths raise the number of Italian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2003 to 45. In late September 2011, three Italian soldiers were killed as a result of an accident involving an Italian patrol in the western Afghan city of Herat, the capital of the province which carries the same name. Two others were injured.

Monday's deaths also raise the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 45, according to official figures. The deadliest incident so far this year happened on January 19 when a NATO helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing six U.S. Marines.

A total of 566 ISAF troops were killed in Afghanistan in 2011, down from 711 fatalities in 2010. A majority of the fallen troops were American and were killed in the country's south, which is plagued by improvised explosive devices (IED) attacks on troops and civilians.

There are currently more than 130,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, including some 90,000 U.S. troops and nearly 4,000 Italian soldiers. U.S. President Barack Obama previously ordered a drawdown of 23,000 U.S. troops later this year, and foreign combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Three NATO soldiers die in Afghanistan’s west

Posted: 20 Feb 2012 01:04 AM PST

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Three coalition service members were killed during an operation in western Afghanistan on Monday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. It raises the number of coalition casualties so far this year to 45.

ISAF said three of its service members died during an operation in Afghanistan's west. But because the multinational force defers the release of specific details to national authorities, other information about the circumstances of the incident were not immediately available.

The nationalities of the service members were also not immediately disclosed by ISAF, which considers the provinces of Badghis, Farah, Ghor and Herat to be in the country's west. Those regions are mostly home to Spanish, Italian and American troops.

Monday's deaths raise the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 45, according to official figures. The deadliest incident so far this year happened on January 19 when a NATO helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing six U.S. Marines.

A total of 566 ISAF troops were killed in Afghanistan in 2011, down from 711 in 2010. A majority of the fallen troops were American and were killed in the country's south, which is plagued by improvised explosive devices (IED) attacks on troops and civilians.

There are currently more than 130,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, including some 90,000 U.S. troops and more than 9,500 British soldiers. U.S. President Barack Obama previously ordered a drawdown of 23,000 U.S. troops later this year, and foreign combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Swede survives ‘two months’ inside snowed-in car

Posted: 19 Feb 2012 07:09 AM PST

UMEÅ, SWEDEN (BNO NEWS) -- Emergency services in northern Sweden have rescued a man who claimed to have survived with no food for nearly two months in his snowed-in car, local media reported on Sunday. He is in a critical condition.

The Västerbottens-Kuriren newspaper reported that the 45-year-old man, whose identity has not been released, was rescued near the town of Umeå on Friday after several snowmobilers saw the vehicle and noticed someone inside. The man was found in a sleeping bag on the back seat.

Umeå police officer Ebbe Nyberg told the newspaper that the man claimed to have been snowed-in on a remote road in a forest since December 19. "[He said] he had not eaten anything other than snow during that time. He was very skinny and in a poor condition," Nyberg told the newspaper.

Police said the victim has no relatives and had not been reported missing, but officials said they have no reason to doubt his story. The man's vehicle was found at the dead end of a remote road which had not been plowed at any point during the winter. There were also no footprints near the vehicle.

The Västerbottens-Kuriren newspaper said the victim is hospitalized at the intensive care unit of Umeå University Hospital but is doing well under the circumstances. "The man was probably in a kind of torpor, and therefore survived," physician Stefan Branth told Vasterbottens-Kuriren. "It is much like a bear in hibernation. Humans have some of these abilities."

Branth said a person can survive without food for a few months, but without water for only a few days. "There are no studies on how long a person can do it, and I know no one who survived this long. But it all depends on the circumstances," Branth told the newspaper. "He probably had a body temperature of around 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit), which the body adjusted to. The low temperature means that not much energy was used up. Then the body ate from its own depots in the form of fat, muscle and protein."

Iran halts oil exports to British, French firms

Posted: 19 Feb 2012 05:42 AM PST

TEHRAN, IRAN (BNO NEWS) -- Iran has stopped the export of crude oil to British and French companies, the oil ministry announced on Sunday. It comes nearly a month after the European Union (EU) decided to ban crude oil imports over Iran's nuclear program.

Alireza Nikzad Rahbar, a spokesman for Iran's Oil Ministry (MOP), said oil exports to British and French companies have been stopped, but gave few other details. "Instead of the British and French companies, we will deliver to new customers," he said, without naming them.

Sunday's announcement is believed to be in retaliation for last month's EU decision to ban the import, purchase and transport of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products. The ban, which includes related finance and insurance, immediately entered into force although already concluded contracts can still be executed until July 1.

As a result of Iran's decision, British and French companies will be unable to execute already concluded contracts until the July 1 deadline. Iran earlier also warned that it will soon cut oil exports to the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Greece and Portugal unless long term deals are made and payments by the EU states are guaranteed.

International concerns regarding Iran's nuclear activities have been increasing for decades, and last month's new sanctions add to the already existing EU sanctions. While Iran has repeatedly stated that its nuclear program is for the peaceful purpose of providing energy, many countries contend it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

"The measures are designed to significantly affect Iran's financial capacity to pursue its nuclear program, by curtailing its revenue from crude oil exports," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said earlier this month, referring to the new sanctions. "By targeting this important source of revenue, we are strongly increasing pressure on the Iranian government, whilst avoiding negative effects as far as possible on the wider Iranian population."

Oil exports account for approximately 80 percent of Iran's exports and 70 percent of the government's revenues. The 27-nation European Union accounts for up to 20 percent of Iran's oil exports.

Syria Different Challenge Than Libya, Chairman Says

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 09:00 PM PST

The security challenges in Syria are different geographically and militarily from those that led to NATO operations in Libya, and intervention would be difficult, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

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الاثنين، 20 فبراير 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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