الاثنين، 14 نوفمبر 2011

Lincoln Tribune

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Insurgents kill NATO soldier in eastern Afghanistan

Posted: 14 Nov 2011 01:54 AM PST

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- A coalition service member was killed on Monday when he was attacked by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

ISAF said one of its service members was killed as a result of an insurgent attack in Afghanistan's east. But as usual, the multinational force gave no other details about the incident, including the exact location.

The nationality of the service member was also not immediately disclosed by ISAF. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," a brief statement said.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply in recent years with a total coalition death toll of 709 in 2010, making it the deadliest year for international troops since the war began in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

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 10,000 American troops later this year, with another 23,000 U.S. troops to return home next year.

So far this year, at least 520 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Most troops are American and are killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.

The deadliest incident happened in August when a U.S. helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 U.S. troops, seven Afghan troops and an Afghan interpreter.

(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)


Strong earthquake strikes off eastern Indonesia, causing panic

Posted: 14 Nov 2011 01:38 AM PST

LABUHA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck the Molucca Sea in eastern Indonesia on early Monday afternoon, seismologists said, causing panic but no damage or casualties.

The 6.4-magnitude earthquake at 1.05 p.m. local time (0405 GMT) was centered about 69 kilometers (42 miles) southwest of Labuha, a small port town on the island of Pulau Bacan in North Maluku province. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to Indonesia's seismological agency (BMKG).

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), which measured the strength of the earthquake at 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale, estimated that more than 45,000 people on nearby islands may have felt moderate shaking. Several hundred people may have felt strong shaking.

There were no reports of damage or casualties from the region, although officials reported that many people near the epicenter fled to higher ground in fear of a tsunami. However, neither BMKG nor the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning.

Indonesia is on the so-called 'Pacific Ring of Fire', an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions also occur frequently in the region.

On December 26, 2004, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. The 9.1-magnitude earthquake unleashed a deadly tsunami, striking scores of countries in the region. In all, at least 227,898 people were killed.

Most recently, on October 25, 2010, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck just off the Mentawai Islands off the western coast of Sumatra. As a result, a wall of water killed at least 435 people on the islands and impacted more than 20 villages.

(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)


Chapel Hill Police Arrest 8 in Downtown Business Break-in Possibly Related to Anarchist Activity

Posted: 13 Nov 2011 06:44 PM PST

Police and Mayor release statement on arrests

CHAPEL HILL – The Chapel Hill Police Department received information that attendees from a local anarchist book fair were attempting to align themselves with the Occupy Movement.  Officers learned that approximately 70 individuals involved broke into the former Yates Motor Company building located at 419 West Franklin Street.  In an effort to avoid a confrontation with a large group and to minimize the risk of injury to the public, officers, and property, the Chapel Hill Police monitored the group overnight.

Chapel Hill Police officers gathered additional information and verified the presence of known anarchist members in the group.  Officers also learned that strategies used by anarchists in other communities included barricading themselves in buildings, placing traps in buildings, and otherwise destroying property.  The group in the Yates building used large banners to obscure the windows to the business and strategically placed members on the roof as look-outs.

The Chapel Hill Police Department waited until the crowd had reached a manageable size, improving officers' ability to ensure the safety of all involved.  Based on the known risks associated with these groups and the tactics employed in the Yates building, the Chapel Hill Police Department utilized its tactical team to secure and enter the building and remove the illegal occupants.  8 people were located inside the building, were arrested for misdemeanor breaking and entering, and transported to appear before the magistrate in Hillsborough.

Mayor of Chapel Hill Mark Kleinschmidt released the following statement to media following the arrests:

For generations, the Town of Chapel Hill has been home to important activist movements, including the Civil Rights struggles of the 60s, the fight against the Speaker Ban, various war protests, and the fights for equal rights for women and LGBT people.

The Town’s response to the citizen activist movement of our day, the Occupy movement, continues in that tradition — one marked by our community’s efforts toward facilitating the ability of citizens to exercise their constitutional rights of speech and assembly.  My office, the Town Manager's Office, and our Police Department have worked diligently to maintain open communication with Occupy Chapel Hill.  Our work together included ensuring a safe Halloween for the Occupiers and ongoing access to public restroom facilities; and in contrast to Occupy participants in other cities, Occupy Chapel Hill has not been subject to twenty-four hour surveillance by law enforcement.

Along with facilitating citizens’ ability to exercise their constitutional rights, it is also a critical responsibility of all levels of government in a free society to respond when rights of others are being impinged upon. This weekend a group of protesters broke into and entered a privately owned building in downtown Chapel Hill.  They illegally held the building for more than eighteen hours.  These actions were clear violations of state law.  In these instances, the Town will respond in accord with the oath every elected official and law enforcement officer takes — to uphold the laws of our state and nation.  The Town has an obligation to the property owners, and the Town will enforce those rights, just as it will work to continue facilitating the exercise of free speech.

It is not clear to us at this time what connection exists between these protesters and Occupy Chapel Hill, if there even is one.  Nonetheless, it is my expectation, looking forward, that Occupy Chapel Hill and the Town will maintain an open and cooperative relationship. The Occupy movement carries an important message for our town, our state and our country.  I suspect it will be heard more clearly from Peace and Justice Plaza than from the Orange County jail.

 

Infrastructure Projects Should Not Waste Money

Posted: 13 Nov 2011 05:36 PM PST

Dear Editor,

We live in challenging economic times where unprecedented shortfalls and rising deficits are burdening government budgets.  Despite this, the way we are planning infrastructure projects in this country is not justifiable.  As we are currently dealing with extraordinary fiscal downfalls and huge deficits, we need to be creating methods which will save money, not waste it.

Most Americans agree that there are certain projects we need to fund in order to keep the country going in the right direction – they just want to get the best value for their money.  That is why I am supporting an effort called transparent life-cycle budgeting for all necessary infrastructure investments.  We need roads and bridges, but we need to make sure the real, long-term costs of these projects are seen from day one.

Life-cycle budgeting is a more transparent form of budgeting and takes into account all the expenses of a project-including long-term maintenance and operation costs.  This ensures funding is only provided for cost-effective projects, instead of projects which are cheaper to begin with but are short lived.

During the economic hardships our country is presently facing, we cannot afford to be inefficient in budgeting.  Supporting life-cycle budgeting is essential for the long term economic health and stability of our country.

Sincerely,
Allan Baucom
Former County Commissioner, Union County

US Pacific Commander: Budget Problems Will Not Undermine US Military

Posted: 13 Nov 2011 05:27 PM PST

The head of the U.S. Pacific Command said Sunday he is confident that American military forces in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to have the support they need to maintain their forward presence.  

After the APEC summit, the focus of President Barack Obama's Asia-Pacific trip shifts from trade and closer economic cooperation to security.

He is set to leave Hawaii on Tuesday for Australia, where the two allies are expected to announce an agreement to expand U.S. military access to Australian bases.  Then, it is on to Bali and the East Asia summit, which is emerging as a major forum for discussion of security and reducing tensions over issues such as rival claims in the South China Sea.

In remarks to reporters in Honolulu, Navy Admiral Robert Willard said managing the U.S. relationship with China is among five priorities for the U.S. Pacific Command.  

On regional concerns about China's actions in the South China Sea, Willard noted the importance of sea lanes for trade, $5.3 trillion annually of which $1.2 trillion of trade involves the United States.

The United States, he noted, works to ensure maritime security and a peaceful resolution of disputes, saying the U.S. military presence helps to prevent a miscalculation that might threaten stability. "It is vitally important that the region remain peaceful and that the sea lines of communication remain uninterrupted by confrontation or any form of conflict that would take place.  So we are there to prevent it, and thus far we have been successful in doing that," he said.

Asked whether the expected U.S.-Australia agreement would serve as a "counterweight" in the region to China, Admiral Willard indicated that new access there would help relieve the pressure of maintaining an effective and sustained forward-deployed U.S. presence.

The admiral was also asked about recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who warned that potential deeper U.S. budget cuts for the Pentagon could hamper American military capabilities and possibly "invite aggression."

Referring to a defense posture review underway as the U.S. military transitions out of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and budgetary challenges, Admiral Willard said he is confident that decisions made in Washington will not undercut the forces he oversees.

"I have every confidence that in the decisions that our government makes, that our administration makes and that are made in the Pentagon, given the importance of this region to the world and the importance of this region to the United States, that the Pacific Command will continue to be well served and able to carry out its mission of assurance and deterrence where required into the foreseeable future," he said.

Admiral Willard listed other U.S. priorities in the Asia-Pacific region as managing the threat posed by North Korea, "transnational" threats such as countering weapons proliferation, containing violent extremist groups in places such as the Philippines, and containing threats in South Asia by the group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

In South Asia, Willard said, the United States has a "special focus" on strengthening military-to-military ties with India, in areas such as maritime security, including anti-piracy activities.

U.S. officials note that by the end of his Asia-Pacific trip, President Obama will have met with leaders of all of its Asia-Pacific treaty partners, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines.

Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes says that in coming days, Mr. Obama will be speaking more about the range of security issues in the region and the U.S. presence there as he responds to the interest of nations in having the United States deeply engaged, helping address a range of challenges.
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