Earthquakes

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Strong earthquake rattles Greece
New Straits Times
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A STRONG earthquake, measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, occurred around the Greek island of Crete at 5.30pm (Malaysian time) today.
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A statement from the Malaysian Meteorological Department stated that the earthquake's epicenter was 34.6 north latitude and 25.0 east latitude, 396km southeast of Athens and 8,239km from northwest of Langkawi, Kedah.

The quake posed no threat of a tsunami. - BERNAMA

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Pestilence
 

U.S. Swine Flu Cases May Have Hit 1 Million
AP

ATLANTA -- Health officials estimate that as many as 1 million Americans now have the new swine flu. Lyn Finelli, a flu surveillance official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, voiced the estimate at a vaccine advisory meeting Thursday in Atlanta.

The estimate is based on mathematical modeling. Nearly 28,000 U.S. cases have been reported to the CDC, accounting for roughly half the world's cases. The U.S. count includes 3,065 hospitalizations and 127 deaths.

An estimated 15 million to 60 million Americans catch seasonal flu each year.

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War and Rumors of Wars
 

The world's military spending grows, along with number of conflicts
Russia News Agency

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - Global military expenditure in 2008 is estimated to have totaled $1,464 billion, an increase of 4% in real terms compared to 2007, and of 45% since 1999. Military expenditure comprised approximately 2.4% of global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) writes in its Yearbook 2009.

The Swedish analysts write that the driving forces behind the increase were the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russia's return to the global scene, as well as the growth of China. This may be so, but it appears that growing world tensions were the root cause of these and other factors.

According to SIPRI, the United States' military expenditure was the largest in the world in 2008, $607 billion (41.5% of the world's total). Other large military spenders were China ($84.9 billion), France ($65.7 billion), Britain ($65.3 billion), and Russia ($58.6 billion).

Twenty-five years ago, the world was divided into two warring camps. But the Cold War they were waging, although it cost them much money and effort, actually had a stabilizing effect on the world. The two superpowers controlled their satellite countries, and although the global arms stockpiles were sky-high and mutual rhetoric was very harsh, the number of local conflicts taking place simultaneously was relatively stable.

The disintegration of the socialist bloc and subsequently the Soviet Union disrupted the balance, and the probability of conflicts grew dramatically. New players tried to fill the military vacuum, which resulted in new local wars, including in the former Soviet Union. The number of simultaneous conflicts grew from 25-30 in 1972-1974 to 30-35 in 1985-1986, and peaked at 45-50 in 1992-1993.

After that, their number plummeted, only to start growing again in the 21st century, when the Soviet Union's adversaries in the Cold War increased their military activity.

Many analysts believe that the conflicts in the Persian Gulf and the Balkans would have been unimaginable when the Soviet Union was strong, because its influence alone could prevent Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent U.S. Operation Desert Storm to liberate it, and also the interference of foreign powers in the internal Yugoslav conflict.

By the end of the 1990s, NATO and above all the United States unambiguously demonstrated their intention to use military force to solve domestic and global problems. After the terrorist attack against the United States on September 11, 2001, Washington ordered the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq to liquidate terrorist organizations and lower the terrorist threat. However, these goals have not been attained to this day.

The civil wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were provoked by foreign interference, which local people view as occupation. As a result, more and more innocent civilians are dying in terrorist attacks there and in other countries.

The growing threat of military conflicts has encouraged many countries to increase spending on the acquisition of modern weapons and training of their armed forces. The trend has spread worldwide, from Southeast Asia to Latin America.

Another factor spurring military expenditure is the growing prices of weapons and military equipment. This explains why military expenses are growing although the number of military systems each particular country has is decreasing. A modern fighter plane now costs $30-$100 million compared to $8-$10 million 25-30 years ago, even though the dollar has become considerably weaker.

The Untied States, although it spends over $600 billion on its armed forces, has to gradually cut the number of the main types of armaments, from aircraft carriers to armored personnel carriers. The same is true of other countries, including Russia.

The number of weapon systems is decreasing, but the world is not becoming a safer place.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

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War and Rumors of Wars
 

Israel's military planning for a multi-front war
World Tribune

TEL AVIV — Israel's military has intensified coordination between the army and air force to conduct simultaneous operations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Officials said the effort reflects an assessment that Israel's next war would include such adversaries as Hamas, Hizbullah and Syria.

"The Israeli military's future operations will be broader and more demanding in terms of their scope and pace, with more risks than Operation Cast Lead," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

Operation Cast Lead marked the Israeli military attack on the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip. The 22-day war spanned December 2008 and January 2009.

In an address to Israeli military officers on June 9, Barak envisioned a war with far greater Israeli casualties than that against Hamas, Middle East Newsline reported. The minister said the next war would take place under more difficult conditions than the Israeli air, naval and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip, a flat area of 360 square kilometers.

"The country will have many challenges, but what matters is the resiliency of the Israel Defense Forces and its ability to come out on top in every battle," Barak said.

"You must not delude yourselves. During combat things have a tendency to go wrong and, in the end, the completion of the mission is measured by bravery and determination."

On June 9, the military demonstrated interservice interoperability in an exercise in southern Israel. The exercise combined infantry, engineering, armored, artillery and the air force.

"This demonstrated various combat techniques used to break through complex ground obstacles and techniques for combat in built-up areas," a military statement said. "This demonstration included a presentation of the relevant logistical and medical support used during combat."

Officials said the military has intensified training, particularly in urban areas. They said the military-led Turning Point-3 civil defense exercise, held in late May, envisioned missile strikes on Israel from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

"We are faced with many challenges from distant lands through nations that share a border with us, threats from conventional weapons and threats from those who are trying to attain unconventional abilities," Israeli Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Dan Harel said.

Harel said the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip demonstrated interoperability between the air force and army. The general said the army and air force would develop air combat support tactics on the level of battalion.

"These tactics enable the combat plans intended to assist the different brigades on the battlefield," Harel said. "In the future, these tactics will also be implemented on the battalion level. The information regarding aerial attacks will be transferred directly to the combat planes from the situation room of the brigade commander by the aerial assistance officer, who acts as representative of the Israel Air Force."

The augmented exercise training schedule was ordered in wake of the Israeli war with Hizbullah in 2006. The military was said to have performed poorly in ground operations against Hizbullah commandos and rocket launches.

"Today I can say that the IDF has learned the lessons of the war, has implemented them, and is now a stronger army -- more adept and more qualified to deal with the substantial security challenges that face us today," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who also addressed the officers, said.

On June 15, Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi convened senior officers for a review of the war in the Gaza Strip. Ashkenazi said the anti-Hamas campaign drew on lessons from the Hizbullah war, with successes attributed to preparation by the standing army and reserves.

"Being prepared for war is the IDF's constant mission, and we must be prepared to our utmost ability," Ashkenazi said. "The conclusions of this operation are not only relevant in the southern front, and they must be implemented in a general work plan."

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Famines
 

Famine kills people in the north
By Henry Mukasa, Cyprian Musoke and Simon Longoli

FAMINE has started claiming lives in various parts of the country.
Several MPs recently reported that families are starving in the hardest hit areas, with people dying as a result.

Simon Oyet (FDC) said three pupils and their guardian had died of hunger in his constituency (Nwoya county) due to starvation.

MPs from Teso region reported that people were losing weight because of the hunger.

Reagan Okumu (FDC) said the Government was aware of the food shortage, but waited for people to die.
Franca Akello (FDC) said enrolment in schools had dropped by half due to the persistent hunger.

She cited Lagire Primary School where a class of 150 pupils now has 70.
The MPs were debating a report by the disaster preparedness minister, Tarsis Kabwegyere, on the feminine situation in the country.

Kabwegyere told the House that the Cabinet met on June 22 and discussed food security. He said as a result, sh10b had been released to the office of the Prime Minister to supply food to people facing feminine.

“The Government is aware of the magnitude of the problem. All parts of the country facing food shortage will be served,” Kabwegyere promised.
The minister said the World Food Programme would also provide food aid.
He said about three million people were food insecure.

Kabwegyere attributed the problem to climate change.

“In some areas rainfall was below normal and came late. This caused stress to crops that had already been planted,” he said.

The minister said people needed to be mobilisation to increase productivity and plant perennial food crops and cash crops that can be harvested over a long period of time.

“Food security is primarily a family responsibility. The Government only comes on when there are circumstances beyond their control like drought,” Kabwegyere stated.

He, however, added that the Government was not pleased to hear that people were dying. “If people die mourners will eat all the food,” he noted.
Louis Opange (Independent) demanded for a list of areas the Government is going to supply food to, while Gutomoi Angiro (Independent) wanted to know what foodstuffs would be distributed.

Angiro also wondered why the Government had not started an irrigation scheme, saying food shortage would not end in Karamoja. The region has depended on food relief since 1964.

Rose Namayanja called for a comprehensive national strategy to combat feminine, while Oliver Wonekha (NRM) said the Government was not dealing with the real problem.

“This is fire fighting. We are treating symptoms. Is that disaster preparedness? Uganda was known as a food basket in the region,” she said.

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