A Google - CIA Alliance

Google, CIA Invest In 'Future' Of Web Monitoring -- ABC News

Recorded Future Scours Tens of Thousands of Web Sites to Predict the Future.

The investment arms of the CIA and Google are both backing a company that monitors the web in real time — and says it uses that information to predict the future.

The company is called Recorded Future, and it scours tens of thousands of websites, blogs and Twitter accounts to find the relationships between people, organizations, actions and incidents — both present and still-to-come. In a white paper, the company says its temporal analytics engine "goes beyond search" by "looking at the 'invisible links' between documents that talk about the same, or related, entities and events."

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More News On This Google - CIA Venture

Google, CIA invest equal amounts in company to predict future -- Digital Journal
CIA and Google take stake in web monitor Recorded Future -- Research
Google and CIA joint venture -- Bit Tech
CIA And Google’s Joint Investment Raising Eyebrows -- Gizmodo
Google Teams Up With CIA, Invests in Analytics Firm -- Fast Company
Google, CIA team up to invest in web monitoring software -- Tech Eye
Google, CIA Invest In ‘Future’ Of Web Monitoring -- The Danger Room
Google, US Gov’t Back Same Data Mining Startup -- Search Engine Land

After Billions In American Aid, Pakistanis View The U.S. As The Enemy

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds talks with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad on July 19, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)

Majority Of Pakistanis Call India A Threat, US Enemy -- Times Of India

WASHINGTON: Though terror groups continue to strike in their country, a majority of Pakistanis still consider India as a major threat, view America as an enemy and are far less concerned about Taliban and al-Qaida.

While Pakistanis express serious concerns about the US, they have also deep worries about neighbour and long-time rival India than extremist groups within Pakistan, according to the prestigious Pew Research Centre opinion poll carried out inside Pakistan.

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More News On Pakistani Opinions And Viewpoints

Poll: Nearly 6 in 10 Pakistanis view US as enemy -- AP
Most Pakistanis see US as an enemy -- ABC News (Australia)
59 pc Pakistanis view US as enemy: PEW report -- Daily Times
Most Pakistanis View U.S. as Enemy, Want War Over, Survey Finds -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Pakistanis See India as Biggest Threat: Survey -- Wall Street Journal
Pakistanis see India as greater threat than Taliban, Al-Qaeda: Poll -- Sify News
Pakistanis regard India as greatest threat -- IBN Live
Majority of Pakistanis less concerned about LeT -- Economic Times of India
Poll: Pakistanis less worried about extremists -- AP
Pakistanis 'less wary' of Taliban -- Al Jazeera
Why most Pakistanis label U.S. "enemy" despite alliance -- Xinhuanet

Did The CIA Get It Wrong On Iran's Nukes?

(Click On Image To Expand)
Image from Spiegel Online

How The CIA Got It Wrong On Iran's Nukes -- Edward J. Epstein, Wall Street Journal

In 2007, U.S. intelligence said Iran had stopped its nuclear weapons program. Analyst policy bias and disinformation from Iranian double agents may explain the mistake.

In a stunning departure from a decade of assessments, the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran declared: "We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program," including "nuclear weapon design and weaponization work" and covert uranium enrichment. Even more astonishingly, it attributed this change to "increasing international scrutiny and pressure resulting from exposure of Iran's previously undeclared nuclear work." In other words, the threat of sanctions had ended that country's surreptitious effort to obtain nuclear weapons.

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My Comment: A sobering analysis and commentary on Iran's nuclear program and our response to it .... read it all.

Pentagon Report Places Blame For The Rise In Suicides

SUICIDE PREVENTION REPORT - Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli discusses the Army's Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, and Suicide Prevention Report during a press conference at the Pentagon, Washington D.C., July 29, 2010. The report was a 15-month effort to better understand the increasing rate of suicides in the force. U.S. Army photo by D. Myles Cullen

Army Suicides: Poor Leadership, Not Repeat Deployments Blamed -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — A new Army report has found that inattention to rising rates of drug abuse and criminal activity among soldiers and not repeat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan is responsible for the record-high levels of suicide among troops.

The 350-page report, which was released Thursday, said that military commanders are so focused on preparing their troops for war that they've allowed troops to engage in risky behavior at home that may lead to suicide.

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More News On The Growing Problem Of Suicides In The Military

Pentagon Report Places Blame for Suicides -- New York Times
Soldiers' Suicide Rate Tied to Access to Problems at Home -- Wall Street Journal
Military Stress: Army Releases Report on Suicide Prevention -- CBS News
Army Report Finds Rising Suicide Rate Among Troops -- NPR (audio)
Army Vice Chief Peter Chiarelli Addresses Soldier Suicides, Drug Abuse -- NPR (audio)
Army: Rising suicide rate reflects risk-taking -- AP
Army suicides linked to risky behavior, lax discipline -- USA Today
Report: 'High-risk behavior' contributes to rising Army suicide rate -- CNN
U.S. Army Stressed After Nearly a Decade of War -- ABC
Report links suicide spike to risky behaviors -- Army Times
Army Releases Suicide Report, Prevention Recommendations -- U.S. Department of Defense
US army suicide rate exceeds national average -- Financial Times
Can the Army's New Suicide Prevention Plan Really Work? -- The Atlantic

Afghanistan War News Updates -- July 30, 2010

NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM - President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with members of the national security team, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, center, and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in the Situation Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., July 29, 2010, to discuss Afghanistan and Pakistan. White House photo by Pete Souza

July Is Deadliest Month Of Afghanistan War For US -- BBC

American forces have experienced their deadliest month in the nine-year-old Afghan war, with 63 US service members killed in July.

June's record of 60 was surpassed after it was confirmed three soldiers killed in the south of the country on Thursday were Americans.

Meanwhile, hundreds of UK and Afghan troops launched a major offensive against the Taliban in Helmand.

Casualties have risen as the war escalates against a resurgent Taliban.

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More News On Afghanistan

July is deadliest month of Afghan war for US -- Yahoo News/AP
July becomes deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan -- CNN
Bombs 'kill three foreign troops' in Afghanistan -- AFP
Insurgents kill 13 civilians -- CNN
Afghans riot after deadly NATO crash -- 9News
British troops launch biggest offensive of summer in Afghanistan -- The Telegraph
Forces launch fresh Taliban attack -- Press Association
UK troops launch Operation Tor Shezada in Afghanistan -- BBC
'Successful' start to fresh assault on Taliban -- The Independent

Obama Meets with Advisers on Afghanistan, Pakistan -- Voice of America
Obama Signs $60 Billion Afghanistan War Bill to Pay for Increase in Troops -- Bloomberg
Obama signs Afghanistan war spending measure -- AFP
Afghan war spending faces new scrutiny -- Washington Post

Taliban stymie NATO push to bolster government -- AP
Taliban Exploit Openings in Neglected Province -- New York Times
Afghanistan’s Green Zone -- New York Times
Hearts and mind hard to reach in Afghan valley -- Reuters
In U.S. Midterm Elections, Afghan War Barely Surfaces -- New York Times
War council devotes little time to WikiLeaks -- USA Today
Biden says no plans to nation-build in Afghanistan -- Reuters
Biden: Pakistan spy agency 'changing' on Afghanistan -- AFP
Biden: US doing 'significant damage' to al-Qaida -- AP
Portrait of an occupied country -- Al Jazeera
US military deaths in Afghan region at 1,122 -- AP

World News Briefs -- July 30, 2010

Amid Protests, Arizona Appeals Ruling On State Immigration Law -- Boston.com

50 demonstrators arrested in clash at US courthouse

PHOENIX — Arizona asked an appeals court yesterday to lift a judge’s order blocking most of the state’s immigration law as the capital city filled with protesters, including about 50 who were arrested for confronting officers in riot gear.

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MIDDLE EAST

Iran ready for immediate nuclear fuel talks.

Saudi, Syrian leaders land in Lebanon amid tension.

Yemen smolders amid Houthi insurgency and Al Qaeda attacks.

ASIA

July is deadliest month of Afghan war for US.

North Korea, UN command meet again on Cheonan incident.

Majority of Pakistanis call India a threat, US enemy.

US 'carefully watching' Myanmar-NKorea talks.

Officials: Floods kill at least 313 in Pakistan.

US-China tensions flare over South China Sea dispute.

AFRICA

Border must be agreed before south Sudan vote: party.

Death toll in Somali fighting rises this year: group.

Missing Russian chopper pilot found released in Sudan: official.

Uganda bombings bring Africa together. Except Eritrea.

EUROPE

British PM defends remarks on Pakistan and terrorism.

Spain reissues US troop warrants over Iraq death.

Medvedev orders corruption investigation into Putin's Sochi Olympics.

France to shut illegal Roma camps and deport migrants.

AMERICAS

Arizona sheriff not relenting after court ruling.

Troops kill senior 'capo' of mighty Mexico cartel.

House rejects bill to aid sick 9/11 responders.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Iraqi insurgents plant Qaeda Flag in Baghdad.

White House seeks to clarify F.B.I. powers vis-à-vis e-mail.

US Senate hopes to quiz UK witnesses on Lockerbie.

Gingrich: Crucial radical Islamist battlefield is U.S.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

AP survey: A bleaker outlook for economy into 2011.

Letting Bush tax cuts die would kill recovery: analysts.

The BP spill: Has the damage been exaggerated?

Carlos Slim buys fifth Ave.’s only private townhouse.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- July 30, 2010

U.S. Ducks As Cluster Bomb Ban Takes Effect -- The Danger Room

Every war must end, instructed the U.S. strategist Fred Ikle. But leftover unexploded ordnance can be a war’s legacy, particularly when small and unstable munitions lay around areas where civilians rebuild their lives after the fighting stops. That’s why a new international ban on cluster munitions will take effect on Saturday. The U.S., however, isn’t part of the accord.

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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

Sea Links -- New Wars

European Defense Giants Target Services, Eye Exports -- Wall Street Journal

U.S. SOUTHCOM Shifts As Drug Trade Evolves -- Defense News

Will Mattis Push COIN Plane? -- DoD Buzz

Boeing's Military Course Change -- Ares/Aviation Week

U.S. Air Force Announces F-22 Fleet Consolidation -- Defpro

Court awards plaintiffs in Futenma noise suit -- Stars And Stripes

Predator XP For Civilians -- Strategy Page

Unmanned helicopter crashes in Mojave Desert test -- San Jose Mercury News

Officials: Lost signal caused Predator to veer off runway at Cannon Air Force base. -- CNJ Online (Hat Tip: Alert 5)

Independent QDR Panel Recommends Buying More of Everything, Increasing Defense Budget -- Defense Tech

WikiLeaks fallout: Tighter access to US secrets? -- AP

U.S. military cyberwar: What's off-limits? -- CNET

Al Qaeda's Plan To Attack Kabul With Airliners

Al-Qaida 'Planned 9/11 Style Attack On Kabul' -- The Guadian

Details of plot emerge in file among US military intelligence documents published by WikiLeaks website.

It may be one of the more audacious terrorist plots to be hatched in Afghanistan, but it was certainly not the most original. The same al-Qaida masterminds behind 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington planned to commit a similar attack in the capital of the country that once harboured them, according to a file among US military intelligence documents published this week by the WikiLeaks website.

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My Comment: Kabul airport is heavily guarded. A 22 man strike team would not have been successful .... but they would have still cause a lot of destruction.

Is China A World Power?

Is US Ready To Recognize China As World Power? -- People's Daily

The U.S. government has repeatedly made it clear that it would welcome China’s entrance into the world arena as a power. However, a series of issues since the beginning of this year, particularly Washington's stance on the U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises and the South China Sea issue, have made the world think: Is the United States ready to recognize China as a power on the world stage?

It is easier said than done for the United States to adapt itself to China's development. Lip service is far from enough to boost the development of Sino-U.S. relations. If Washington cannot find a way to recognize and accept China's peaceful rise onto the world stage, bilateral ties will be like a roller coaster full of ups and downs. However, no one would like to see the negative effects rocky relations would bring to China, the United States and possibly to the world as a whole.

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My Comment: China has considerable manpower, financial resources, a sizable military, and an educated population. But is a world power? .... hmmmm .... I would have to say no. They have failed in forming deep and solid alliances with other countries (I do not call North Korea a significant alliance), but they have alienated many of their neighbors who are now deeply suspicious of their motivations. Within China itself, it is racked with poverty, pollution, and ethnic/regional differences .... ruled by a central government that many in the provinces view with suspicion and/or contempt.

But even with all of these problems .... China will definitely be a world power .... but I would say give it another 10-20 years.

Wikileaks Reveals U.S. Intelligence Weaknesses -- A Commentary

US Needs Lesson In 'Secret-Keeping' -- Robert Grenier, Al Jazeera

The WikiLeaks website supposedly carrying some 91,000 US military reports from Afghanistan makes for oddly mesmerising reading.

Having only dedicated a few hours to the task, I can hardly claim even a cursory appreciation for what is there and what it represents. Like most of us, I am forced to rely to a large degree for now on the analyses provided by those media outlets which have had weeks to study and begin to digest the mass of documents.

To this reader, however, there are a few initial impressions that emerge from a quick perusal.

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My Comment: We live in the digital age, in which huge amounts of information can be transferred in minutes from one part of the world to another. The surprise of the Wikileaks story is not that it happened .... the surprise is that it took this long for it to happen.

Gallery Of Afghanistan War Photos

MAKING FRIENDS - U.S. Army Sgt. Mark Germanoff teaches a young Afghan boy a "secret" handshake during a recent dismounted patrol outside the newly constructed Malakar School in the village of Durnama, Kapisa province, Afghanistan, July 22, 2010. Germanoff is assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Kapisa. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Joe Laws

WNU Editor: A gallery of Afghanistan war pictures is here.

Hat Tip: Extra Good Shit

Pentagon Leaders: WikiLeaks Has ‘Blood On Its Hands’

PENTAGON BRIEFING - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hold a press conference at the Pentagon, July 29, 2010, in which Gates says he has requested FBI assistance to find the individual or persons responsible for leaking classified Afghanistan War documents to the WikiLeaks organization. DoD photo by R. D. Ward

Top U.S. Officer: WikiLeaks Has ‘Blood On Its Hands’ -- The Danger Room

As Pentagon leaders go, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen are fairly mild-mannered — prone to quiet, careful assessments, not table-pounding bluster. But they could barely contain their anger on Thursday at WikiLeaks for publishing tens of thousands of secret documents about the Afghanistan war. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went so far as to say that the transparency activists “might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier” or an Afghan partner during a Pentagon press briefing, his voice elevating slightly.

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My Comment: I said the same thing a few days ago. The fact that Wikileaks released the names of many of our informers and supporters in Afghanistan .... this alone will guarantee murders and killings as well as putting our own troops who handle these cases in extreme jeopardy.

The End Of A Royal Navy Tradition

Each bottle of Black Tot Rum carries a hefty £600 price tag Photo: Eddie Mulholland

Last Navy Rum Sold, £600 A Bottle -- The Telegraph

The last remaining stocks of original Royal Navy rum were released for sale on Wednesday, almost exactly 40 years after the final rations of the drink were issued to serving sailors.

Some 6,000 bottles of Black Tot Rum were issued for sale at HMS Belfast on the River Thames in London.

On 31st July 1970, known as Black Tot Day, the last rations were given out to serving sailors, calling to a close a tradition going back some 300 years.

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My Comment: I suspect that this rum is good stuff.

China's Soft Power Is More Effective Than The West's

China's Soft Power Is A Threat To The West -- Spiegel Online

China may have no intentions of using its growing military might, but that is of little comfort for Western countries. From the World Trade Organization to the United Nations, Beijing is happy to use its soft power to get what it wants -- and it is wrong-footing the West at every turn.

Former Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen once told me, half with amusement and half with resignation, that military people around the world are all more or less the same. "They can only be happy when they have the most up-to-date toys," he said.

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My Comment: The Chinese are doing exactly what the Europeans were doing when they were expanding their "economic empires" overseas in the 17th/18th/19th centuries .... minus an overt military presence.

Do We Need A Stolen Valor Act?

Should Faking Military Honors Be Illegal? -- Time Magazine

The hefty bags of soiled war laundry currently being paraded for inspection all over the Internet may have topped the military's list of woes in the past few days, but WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is not the only person giving the armed forces the collywobbles right now. There's also Richard Glen Strandlof.

When Strandlof first came to prominence, it was as Rick Duncan, a Colorado-based veterans-rights activist and local hero. A decorated Marine who was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and was later wounded in Iraq, Duncan had been a prominent fighter for homeless vets. But after months as a fixture in the media and in local-election campaigns, he was publicly unmasked in 2009 as neither a Duncan nor a veteran, but rather a small-ball crook from Montana who had done no stretches in Iraq but had served two in county jail.

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My Comment: With search engines like Google, it has become easier to flush out these impostors. Unfortunately .... it takes time and a curious person to find out the truth.

In The Event Of A Cyber Attack, Who Holds The Keys To The Internet?

The Keys to the Internet Each smart card contains a portions of the DNSSEC root key, which would be necessary to reboot the Internet as we know it if connections were severed to stem a cyber attack.

An Order Of Seven Global Cyber-Guardians Now Hold Keys To The Internet -- Popular Science

You may have heard the rumor that swirled briefly last month about an Internet “kill switch” that could power down the Web in the case of a critical cyber attack. Those rumors turned out to be largely overblown, but it turns out there are now seven individuals out there holding keys to the Internet. In the aftermath of a cataclysmic cyber attack, these members of a “chain of trust” will be responsible for rebooting the Web.

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My Comment: Rebooting the internet .... now that will be an interesting day.

After A Decade Of War, The U.S. Army Is Stressed

U.S. Marines zero their weapons systems during Enhanced Mojave Viper, a training exercise at range 107 on Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, Calif., July 6, 2010. The Marines are assigned to Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Mojave Viper is designed to prepare Marines for deployment to Afghanistan. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dexter S. Saulisbury

U.S. Army Stressed After Nearly A Decade Of War -- ABC News

Army Report: Crime, Prescription Drug Use Makes Soldiers 'More Dangerous Than the Enemy'.

After nine years of war, the U.S. Army is showing signs of stress because of repeated deployments and inadequate support for soldiers when they return, according to a blunt internal report released today. It blasts the Army's leadership for failing to recognize the problem.

The figures in recent years are staggering.

The number of soldiers committing suicide has increased since 2004, surpassing civilian rates in 2008. Use of prescription drugs has tripled in the past five years; prescription amphetamines use has doubled between 2006 and 2009. One third of soldiers take at least one prescription drug and 14 percent of soldiers are on some form of powerful painkiller.

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My Comment: Everyone is tired .... especially soldiers who decided (before 9/11) to make a career in the military. The stress on themselves, their families .... this is a life not for the faint of heart.

Netherlands Preparing To Leave Afghanistan This Weekend

Twenty-four Dutch soldiers were killed and 140 injured over the last four years Photo: AFP/GETTY Images

Taliban Congratulates Netherlands For Pulling Soldiers Out Of Afghanistan -- The Telegraph

The Taliban has congratulated the Netherlands for plans to pull its soldiers out of Afghanistan this weekend.

Almost 2,000 Dutch troops have been deployed in the Uruzgan region, where the Taliban is active and opium production is high.

The final contingent of 250 Dutch soldiers will be withdrawn on Sunday, after strong domestic opposition to participation in the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.

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More News On The Netherlands Leaving Afghanistan

Dutch troops to leave Afghanistan -- AFP
Taliban congratulates Dutch on Afghan withdrawal -- Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Dutch military chief gives upbeat assessment of 4-year Afghan mission in which his son died -- Canadian Press

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- July 29, 2010

Making Water A Human Right Might Not Be Such A Good Idea -- Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Policy

The United Nations General Assembly voted yesterday in favor of an international human right to water -- something that activists have long been calling for and a few countries (most notably, South Africa) have already instituted. Asserting this unalienable human right, some argue, is the best way to ensure that all citizens, regardless of their location, economic situation, or anything else, have access to what is literally the world's most indispensible commodity.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

The high cost of defeat in Afghanistan -- Irfan Husain, DAWN

Afghanistan: Keeping Promises -- Peter Bergen, The New Republic

Save Whatever We Can In Afghanistan -- Ahmed Rashid, The New Republic

Pakistan Can't Play Both Sides Forever - Michael Burleigh, Daily Telegraph

Beyond the Leaks: Our Pakistan Problem -- Joe Klein, Time Magazine

Dangerous Waters in Korea -- Christine Ahn, New York Times

Why Turkey Still Gets a Cold Shoulder From the E.U. -- Leo Cendrowicz, Time Magazine

The World's Most Wired Countries -- Real Clear World

World News Briefs -- July 29, 2010 (Evening Edition)

The Wizard From Oz -- Time Magazine

Julian Assange is about to sit down to explain how his website, WikiLeaks.org came to publish more than 90,000 secret reports from the war in Afghanistan when he starts to get restless. His chair is made of soft leather, and Assange doesn't like it. "There's no hard surface to slam my fist on and say, 'F______ bastards! I will crash them all!'" he says, smiling.

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MIDDLE EAST

Saudi King, Syrian President to visit Lebanon together.

Arab League backs Palestinians on restarting talks.

Iran war rhetoric: A self-fulfilling prophecy?

Iran, U.S. send positive signals on nuclear talks.

Worried about bombs? Work and live at Baghdad airport.

Abbas debates Palestinian peace talks with Arab League.

Turkey's ruling party trailing in poll ahead of next year's vote.

ASIA

Emergency ruled ended in six more Thailand provinces.

Thai army to reinforce Cambodian border if needed.

Clinton's criticism aggravates Beijing leaders.

China conducts naval drill in disputed southern seas.

Pakistan mourns victims of its worst-ever air crash.

Khmer Rouge leader's prison sentence gets mixed reaction.

AFRICA

Blue helmets come under fire in Western Darfur, UN reports.

Up to 140 feared drowned in Congo boat accident.

Militant alliance adds to Somalia’s turmoil. Somali group warns more troops will be annihilated.

'Military junta' rules Zimbabwe, says MDC's Bennett.

Sudan President Bashir, accused of war crimes, would be arrested in South Africa, says ANC.

EUROPE

Outspoken British PM embroiled in diplomatic rows.

British Army almost "seized up" in Iraq, Afghan wars.

Catalonia bans bullfighting, but the fight isn't over.

Serbian proposes new talks on outstanding issues in Kosovo.

Medvedev widens powers of KGB successor agency.

Moscow breaks heat record as peat bog fires produce smoky haze over city.

AMERICAS

Fidel Castro to release first volume of memoirs.

Oil spill reaches 100 day mark, and here's what we know.

Venezuela to present 'peace plan' to end Colombia standoff. Unasur set to address Venezuela's rift with Colombia.

Paraguayan police kill rebel leader in shootout.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Al-Qaida plants flag in Baghdad as 23 die in Iraq.

Envoy says corruption helps Taliban win recruits.

Pakistani general denies terror links.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Russia moves to sell shares in state companies.

GE pays $23m after Iraq probe.

Exxon 2Q profit soars 91% on rebounding prices, margins.

Google develops a Facebook rival.

Spanish Courts Reissues Arrest Warrants For U.S. Soldiers Who Served In Iraq

Fatally injured Jose Couso is carried from the parking lot of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. Photo by Kael Alford, special to the Chronicle. Credit: Kael Alford

Spain Reissues Warrants For US Soldiers In Iraq Artillery Deaths -- Voice of America

A Spanish judge has reissued arrest warrants for three U.S. soldiers in connection with the death of a Spanish journalist during the early days of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The judge ordered the warrants Thursday in response to the Spanish Supreme Court's recent decision to open the case for a third investigation.

The three U.S. tank soldiers are wanted in Spain for firing at Baghdad's Palestine Hotel on April 8, 2003. The shelling killed Spanish cameraman Jose Couso and Ukrainian cameraman Taras Protsyuk.

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More News On Spain Reissuing Arrest Warrants For U.S. Soldiers

Spain reissues US troop warrants over Iraq death -- AP
Spanish Judge Seeks Arrest of U.S. Soldiers for Cameraman's Death in Iraq -- Bloomberg
Spain court seeks US troops arrest for Iraq killing -- Reuters
Spanish judge issues arrest warrants for 3 U.S. soldiers -- CNN
Spanish judge re-issues arrest warrants for US soldiers -- Expatica

Governments Are Trying To Put The A.Q. Khan Nuclear-Smuggling Network Together Again

Nuke-Smuggling Network In Demand -- Washington Times

Agents seek to lure group 'out of retirement'.

Scientists, engineers and financiers involved in the A.Q. Khan nuclear-smuggling network are being contacted by several governments in an effort to lure these specialists out of retirement.

The development is raising concerns among U.S. intelligence agencies about the revival of the proliferation network that was thought to have been shut down years ago.

Read more ....

Update: Nations Said to Court A.Q. Khan Associates -- Global Security Newswire

My Comment: As the international politics behind Iran's nuclear program has revealed .... aside from sanctions (which are defeated with regularity) .... there is very little if any consequences for a nation to pursue a nuclear weapons program.

Israel's Settlement Freeze Nears End

Abbas, left, met Moussa, right, and more than a dozen
Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo [AFP]

Pressure Mounts For Mideast Talks As Israel's Settlement Freeze Nears End -- Washington Post

ITAMAR, WEST BANK -- While Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak visited Washington this week to talk about peace gestures toward the Palestinians, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was planting a tree in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank -- an indication of permanence that few Palestinians would welcome.

The contrast showed the confusion U.S. officials face in figuring out how willing Israel might be to cede territory as part of a two-state solution to the conflict.

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More News On Middle East Peace Talks

Netanyahu: Extending settlement freeze will cause government to collapse -- Haaretz
Breakthrough? Abbas gets Arab backing to enter Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. -- Christian Science Monitor
Abbas, Hamas rebuff resumption of direct talks with Israel -- Xinhuanet
US urges Saudi, Syria to back direct Mideast peace talks -- AFP
Arab League backs direct talks when Palestinians are ready -- Jerusalem Post
Arab Ministers Support Direct Israeli-Palestinian Talks With Conditions -- Bloomberg
Arabs back direct peace talks when Abbas sees fit -- Reuters
Arab League demands US guarantees -- Al Jazeera
Israeli settlements: frozen, but still cooking -- Global Post
Clinton “burning up phone lines” to Middle East -- Politico

Evidence Ties Pfc. Manning To Afghan Leaks

Report: Evidence Links Manning To WikiLeaks -- CBS News

Search of Army Intelligence Analyst's Computer Shows He Downloaded Afghan War Logs.

(CBS) Investigators said they have evidence linking Army intelligence analyst Spc. Bradley Manning to the WikiLeaks release of massive amounts of Afghanistan war logs, The Wall Street Journal ($) reported Thursday.

A defense official told the newspaper the authorities searched computers used by Manning, which had left evidence that he had downloaded the documents that provide a look at U.S. combat and frustrations in the war in Afghanistan - 76,000 of which were posted on WikiLeaks.org Sunday night, while 15,000 are being vetted by the group for future release.

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More News On Who Leaked The Documents To Wikileaks

Evidence Ties Manning to Afghan Leaks -- Wall Street journal
Bradley Manning suspected source of Wikileaks documents scandal grew up in Wales following family split -- The Telegraph
Evidence links Manning to Afghan leak case, WSJ says -- MSNBC
Official: Pentagon focusing on 'main suspect' in Afghanistan leak -- CNN
Who Is Pvt. Bradley Manning? -- ABC News
Whistleblower Blasts Wikileaks: 'Irresponsible' to Publish Intelligence, Says It Enlisted Soldier as 'Personal Shopper' for Secrets -- ABC News

6,600 Mislabeled Graves At Arlington Cemetery

Some 300,000 Americans are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, among them war veterans, former presidents and U.S. Supreme Court justices. Oli Scarff / Getty Images

6,600 Arlington Graves Might Be Mixed Up -- MSNBC

No audit at national cemetery in last decade, senator says at hearing.

WASHINGTON — The number of mislabeled graves at Arlington National Cemetery could be 6,600, the senator whose subcommittee is investigating potential contracting fraud there said Thursday.

"We now know that the problems with graves at Arlington may be far more extensive than previously acknowledged," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said in her opening testimony at a hearing where the cemetery's former superintendent and deputy superintendent were subpoenaed to testify.

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More News On Arlington Cemetery

Ex-Arlington Cemetery deputy takes the 5th -- Washington Post
Ex-Official Takes Blame For Arlington Graves Mix-Up -- NPR
'Up to 6,600 graves mislabelled' at Arlington Cemetery -- BBC
Arlington Cemetery problems were documented in 2005 but never fixed -- Washington Post
McCaskill panel finds more problems, millions wasted at Arlington National Cemetery -- Kansas City
Mistakes, infighting unearthed at America's national cemetery -- National Post

Is Israel Assisting An Arab Sheik In Taking Over A Strategic Emirate In The Persian Gulf?

Israel Linked To Exiled Sheikh's Bid For 'Coup' In Gulf Emirate Of RAK -- The Guardian

• UK ambassador advising Sheikh Khalid of Ras al-Khaimeh
• Tiny UAE state 'aids trafficking of nuclear parts' to Iran

Israel is aiding an exiled Arab sheikh who is vying to seize control of a strategically important Gulf emirate only 40 miles from Iran.

The Israeli ambassador to London, Ron Prosor, has met Sheikh Khalid bin Saqr al-Qasimi, the exiled crown prince of Ras al-Khaimeh (RAK), who asked him to help with his campaign to oust the leadership of the northernmost state in the United Arab Emirates.

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My Comment: Being tied to Israel is the kiss of death for this sheik's plans to take over this emirate.

Afghanistan War News Updates -- July 29, 2010

Mullah Omar Orders Taliban To Attack Civilians, Afghan Women -- Long War Journal

The battle for hearts and minds in Afghanistan has taken a new turn in the past two months. The Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Omar, has ordered his forces to kill or capture any civilians, including Afghan women, who cooperate with Coalition forces. Omar’s latest directive contradicts his marching orders from just one year ago, when he told his Taliban commanders to refrain from harming civilians working with the Coalition.

Omar reportedly issued his latest order in June. NATO announced that it had recovered a copy of the directive in July. Since then, Afghan press outlets have published a translation of Omar’s five-point order.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Second U.S. sailor found dead in Afghanistan -- CNN
2nd US sailor's body recovered in Afghanistan -- AP
Body of second missing sailor found in Afghanistan -- Reuters
Second missing sailor in Afghanistan is found dead -- Washington Post

6 Afghan civilians killed in IED attacks -- CNN
Officials: Drone crashes in Kunduz -- CNN
NATO: US service member killed in insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan -- Today Online/AP
Strikes in eastern Afghanistan target Haqqani network militant -- CNN

Petraeus: 'Fight hard' in Afghanistan but 'be a good guest' -- AFP
Petraeus: Fight ‘With Discipline,’ Contract With Care -- The Danger Room
For General Petraeus, battling corruption in Afghanistan is a priority -- Washington Post

Democrats Deeply Divided Over Afghan War -- Voice of America
House GOP helps Obama fund war -- Washington Times
US Congress approves new funding for Afghan war -- BBC

Taliban congratulates Netherlands for pulling soldiers out of Afghanistan -- The Telegraph
Dutch troops to leave Afghanistan -- AFP
Dutch military chief gives upbeat assessment of 4-year Afghan mission in which his son died -- Canadian Press

Vice President Biden says Afghan policy still developing -- USA Today
Afghan President Asks Why Allies Won't Act on Pakistan -- New York Times/Reuters
Reference to missile-downed helicopter in leaked Afghanistan reports highlights a threat -- L.A. Times
Does the CIA have Plan B for Afghanistan? -- Small Wars Journal
Local strongman is U.S. troops' most reliable friend in Kandahar province -- Washington Post
Afghanistan war: How USAID loses hearts and minds -- Christian Science Monitor
The Plight of Afghan Women: A Disturbing Picture -- Time Magazine
The candor war -- Doyle McManus, L.A. Times
The Missing Word in Our Afghanistan Strategy -- Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal

World News Briefs -- July 29, 2010

Federal Official To Outline What Lies Ahead After Oil Spill Is Sealed -- CNN

New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- The man overseeing the federal response to the Gulf oil disaster will meet New Orleans parish presidents Thursday to outline the plans after the well is permanently sealed.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen is optimistic that steps planned for the coming days will finally, permanently seal the well.

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

Iran, U.S. send positive signals on nuclear talks.

Worried about bombs? Work and live at Baghdad airport.

Abbas debates Palestinian peace talks with Arab League.

Turkey's ruling party trailing in poll ahead of next year's vote.

ASIA

Clinton's criticism aggravates Beijing leaders.

China conducts naval drill in disputed southern seas.

Pakistan mourns victims of its worst-ever air crash.

Khmer Rouge leader's prison sentence gets mixed reaction.

AFRICA

Militant alliance adds to Somalia’s turmoil. Somali group warns more troops will be annihilated.

'Military junta' rules Zimbabwe, says MDC's Bennett.

Sudan President Bashir, accused of war crimes, would be arrested in South Africa, says ANC.

EUROPE

British Army almost "seized up" in Iraq, Afghan wars.

Catalonia bans bullfighting, but the fight isn't over.

Serbian proposes new talks on outstanding issues in Kosovo.

Medvedev widens powers of KGB successor agency.

Moscow breaks heat record as peat bog fires produce smoky haze over city.

AMERICAS

Oil spill reaches 100 day mark, and here's what we know.

Venezuela to present 'peace plan' to end Colombia standoff. Unasur set to address Venezuela's rift with Colombia.

Paraguayan police kill rebel leader in shootout.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Envoy says corruption helps Taliban win recruits.

Pakistani general denies terror links.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

GE pays $23m after Iraq probe.

Exxon 2Q profit soars 91% on rebounding prices, margins.

Google develops a Facebook rival.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- July 29, 2010

Exclusive: Google, CIA Invest In ‘Future’ Of Web Monitoring

The investment arms of the CIA and Google are both backing a company that monitors the web in real time — and says it uses that information to predict the future.

The company is called Recorded Future, and it scours tens of thousands of websites, blogs and Twitter accounts to find the relationships between people, organizations, actions and incidents — both present and still-to-come. In a white paper, the company says its temporal analytics engine “goes beyond search” by “looking at the ‘invisible links’ between documents that talk about the same, or related, entities and events.”

Read more ....

MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

Senior DoD Brass, CEOs To Discuss Pentagon Cost-Cutting Effort -- Defense News

LCS Alternative Weekly -- New Wars

Calls for EU to Halt Corrupt Defense Deals -- Bloomberg Businessweek

BAE Systems, Hindustan Aeronautics Sign Pact For Hawk Trainer Jets -- Wall Street Journal

French Cuts Will Affect Entire Defense Industry, Dassault Exec Says -- Defense News

The Mighty Su-35 Has No Friends -- Strategy Page

BAE’s GCV Weighs 53 Tons, Hybrid -- DoD Buzz

US Army Orders Additional Small Unmanned Ground Vehicles -- Defense Talk

4 killed in plane crash at Alaska military base -- AP

US and Israel Continue Joint Development of Missile Defence Technology -- Defpro

Editor's Note

Just finished a project. Blogging will resume later this morning.