Back in November, Peaceprize winner Barack Obama, announced he was sending 2,500 U.S. Marines to Australia.
April 4, 2012, the first 200 U.S. Marines arrived in Darwin, Australia.
Over the next five to six years the United States will send a total of 2,500 military personnel, including artillery and armored units.
This is part of a new U.S. defense strategy, announced earlier in the year, which also plans to make greater use of Australian naval and air force bases.
On the night of April 2, 2012, a NATO fuel supply convoy was ambushed and destroyed in Farah Province, Afghanistan.
Six fuel tankers and two escort vehicles were burned to the ground. No info concerning casualties.
Another evening attack left at least four Afghan police and two civilians dead.
The attack took place in Helmand Province. Officials say Mujahideen launched an attack on a police checkpoint.
During the morning of April 3, in the province of Nangarhar, an explosion wounded at least three people.
Local officials say a vehicle with bodyguards riding in it hit a mine (roadside bomb).
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials say at least two U.S./NATO soldiers were killed on April 3. One from an explosion, the other from non-combat injuries.
As is SOP (standard operating procedure) for ISAF, they refuse to give any further details. ISAF officials defer troop details to the “…relevant national authorities.”
For the week of March 25-31, ISAF reported approximately seven instances of U.S./NATO troop deaths.
French oil company Total, could lose $2.5 million USD per day due to its North Sea oil rig leak.
The Elgin ocean rig, near Scotland, began leaking natural gas eight days ago. It’s coming from a well that workers were trying to cap. The situation in the North Sea now, is similar to the 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico blow out.
Workers were evacuated for fear of a huge explosion. There are now reports of “oily sheen” on the ocean’s surface.
According to the North African country of South Sudan, their neighbor Sudan is bombing their oil rich areas, in order to drive off investors from the United States.
Officials from Sudan deny that they are specifically targeting oil wells, but U.S. President Barack Obama asked both sides to avoid targeting oil resources. The U.S. supported the creation of the new country of South Sudan.
The Kurdish autonomous government in northern Iraq, have stopped oil shipments. Kurdish officials say the Iraqi government has not made any of the payments promised for past oil shipments.
Iraqi officials responded by stating that the Kurds have not sent all the oil that was promised. However, a payment of $560 million USD is being reviewed.
Iraqi officials also say they have reason to believe the Kurds are illegally selling oil to neighboring Middle Eastern countries. However, despite such claims of loss from Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraqi oil exports hit 2.13 million barrels per day in March.
The world’s biggest oil producer is no longer Exxon Mobil. PetroChina is now the number one producer of petroleum oil.
According to Bloomberg, PetroChina is now producing a little more than 2.4 million barrels per day of oil. Chinese officials say the petroleum company will actually increase its take over of other oil companies around the world, because China’s industries need the oil.
“Look, the very fact that a ‘no’ [a no on Keystone] could even be said underscores to our country that we must diversify our energy export markets. We cannot be, as a country, in a situation where our one and, in many cases, only energy partner could say no to our energy products. We just cannot be in that position.”-Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Canada has been selling its oil to the United States by at least half the going rate, but Canadian officials say that can’t continue, even if U.S. officials approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Canada will eventually jack up the price for U.S. customers.
“We have taken a significant price hit by virtue of the fact that we are a captive supplier and that just does not make sense in terms of the broader interests of the Canadian economy…”-Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Russia has sent a destroyer to Syria. The ship left its Black Sea home of Sevastopol and is expected to be at the Syrian port of Tartus in a few days.
Russian officials say it is a routine visit.
April 2, 2012, in the city of Homs, the Syrian army claims to have rescued 66 hostages held by U.S./Israeli backed rebels.
In the city of Idlib at least eight rebels were killed.
Also on April 2, more than 100 rebels surrendered to Syrian government officials.
In Lebanon, nine men were indicted of trying to smuggle Western supplied weapons and ammo into Syria. Three of the men are still on the loose, the other six are in Lebanese jail.
April 1, 2012, Zabihullah Mujahid (supposed Taliban rep) claims they shot down a U.S./NATO/ISAF helicopter, killing 14 people.
Mujahid says they used an old Cold War era Soviet 82mm RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade). It happened in Ghazni Province.
Also in Ghazni Province, on April 2, at least three Afghan national police were wounded after their vehicle struck a mine. Mujahideen are claiming responsibility.
On April 2, 2012, two explosions hit a town in Baghlan Province. 24 people, including 12 children, were wounded. As is normal in attacks against civilians, no one claims responsibility.
Again on April 2, in Kandahar Province, a Afghan army vehicle patrol hit a mine (IED, roadside bomb). One Afghan soldier was killed, three other wounded.
On April 1, an Afghan national police officer got into a shootout with suspected militants, in Kandahar City. The cop was killed, as well as two suspects.
In Paktia Province, an unmarried woman was sentenced to death for having sex with a man! The sentence came from tribal elders, who then executed her.
Local police have arrested her two brothers, saying they basically set her up. There is some confusion, because the man the woman was accused of having sex with, might have been in jail in Kabul at the time. Also, local police say those who did the actual execution have fled the area.
According to the UN’s Independent Human Rights Commission, about 15 murder cases and 24 suicide cases, involving women, were reported just in the province of Paktia in 2011.
In Uruzgan Province, at least 11 Afghan national police officers joined the anti-government Mujahideen. It happened on April 1. Government officials noticed they were short about a dozen cops and went looking for them.
A spokesman for local Mujahideen, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, announced the cops had joined their operation, bringing all their government issued weapons with them.
April 2, 2012, the European Union reported that unemployment is still high. It’s the 8th straight month of increasing unemployment for the EU.
Portugal’s unemployment is now at 15%, with Italy at 9.3%.
Spain is hardest hit, with 23.6% officially unemployed. Young workers under 25 years of age are suffering the most. Spain’s youth unemployment rate is at 50.5%, which means that one out of every two youth are out of work!
The United States continues to increase drone attacks in the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen.
On March 30, 2012, at least five people were killed, and a natural gas pipeline was blown up after a U.S. drone strike near Shabwa.
Official U.S. statements say they targeted “suspected” al Qaeda militants, one missile hit a car, the other missile hit a building. Witnesses say a another vehicle was struck, killing everyone inside. It was an entire family. U.S. officials have no comment.
There are also reports that a drone attack hit a natural gas pipeline. U.S. officials claim the “suspected” militants blew up the pipeline after the drone strike.
According to Australia’s Brisbane Times, the United States has dramatically increased the use of drones in Yemen. In May 2011, Peaceprize winner, Barack Obama, ordered an increase of drone strikes. The result was at least 26 drone strikes in Yemen (keep in mind that officially the U.S. wasn’t supposed to be involved in Yemen). Now, since January 2012 there have been at least nine drone strikes, five just in the month of March 2012.
It’s not just the number of drone strikes, the number of people being killed in each drone strike is going up as well. London’s City University, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, reports that as many as 516 people have been killed in Yemen, with as many as 105 confirmed as civilians (including five pregnant women and 22 children), not “suspected” militants.
Another issue is the fact that many parts of Yemen are without electrical power. The main reason is that power plants are repeatedly targeted, by U.S. and anti-government Mujahideen.
The latest case involves families who lost loved ones due to U.S. drone strikes. They are now attacking power stations demanding compensation for the loss of their relatives: “Victims of U.S. drone strikes constituted that the majority of locals attacked the electricity supply because their demands for compensation after the attack were not addressed.”-Saeed Ali al-Yousifi, The Yemen Observer
On March 25, 2012, the power station in Marib Province was attacked and shut down by an angry mob. The angry crowd included people who had been victims of past drone attacks, including the family of a young man who lost both legs in a May, 2010, U.S. drone attack.
On March 31, the United States attacked the northeastern African country of Somalia, with drones. A Somali official, Hussein Mohamed Uraag, says several missiles were fired into the western portion of the city of Mogadishu. At least 18 people were killed.
In South Asia, despite demands from Pakistan’s parliament, to stop drone attacks, on March 30 the U.S. destroyed a house with a drone strike. At least four people were killed.
The attack took place in North Waziristan, officials say the targeted people were from Uzbekistan.
On April 1, the Pakistani Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), announced that they will tie the ending of U.S. drone attacks to continued support for U.S./NATO supply convoys through Pakistan.
Pakistani Army Chief General, Ashfraq Pervez Kayani, said NATO has so far not contacted the Pakistani military regarding renewed support for U.S./NATO/ISAF supply convoys.
Pakistani Senator, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, said NATO should not be allowed to transport weapons through Pakistan, and that all other supplies will be allowed only if the United States stops drone attacks.
Maulana Abdul Maalik Wazir, National Assembly of Pakistan, said all NATO supply routes should be shut down, no more negotiating!
Pakistani Senator, Mudassir Sehar Kamran, demanded the United States pay for past damages caused by U.S. drone strikes!
On March 29, it was reported that Australia will be arming it’s troops in the Central Asian country of Afghanistan, with more surveillance drones.
It’s called the Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (TUAS), and was first used by the U.S. in the Middle Eastern country of Iraq. It is used for recon purposes. It’s still used by U.S. forces.
April 6, 2012, will be the year anniversary of the first known case of U.S. forces killing two of their own with a Predator terror drone strike: “The two-man Predator crew responsible for this particular airstrike not only destroyed a young Navy corpsman’s life but also destroyed the lives of his entire family.”-Robert Rast, father of one of the victims
On April 6, 2011, a U.S. Navy corpsman, and a USMC Staff Sergeant, were killed in Afghanistan by a USAF Captain operating a Predator drone from his base in Nevada!
A 385 page report puts the blame on the U.S. Air Force for failing to communicate with U.S. Marines on the ground in Afghanistan: “Information was available to the Predator crew that potentially could have increased the commander’s understanding of the situation, but this information was not communicated to Marines on the ground who were directing the attack….In the final analysis the chain of events that led to Staff Sgt. Smith and (Hospitalman) Rast being targeted and ultimately killed by friendly fire was initiated by the on-scene ground force commander’s lack of overall situational awareness and the inability to accurately communicate his friendly force disposition with respect to the enemy.”
The Japanese government has set new cesium contamination limits for food, but even with the new limits hundreds of inspections have revealed highly contaminated food products.
The new limits on non-dairy food products will be allowed to contain up to 100 becquerels of cesium per kilogram, baby food and milk will be permitted to contain 50 becquerels, and drinking water 10 becquerels.
But wait, what most people don’t know is that immediately after the March 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, the Japanese government temporarily raised the maximum cesium limit in food to 500 becquerels!!!
What that means is that it’s almost guaranteed that the people of Japan have been eating radioactive food!
Between January and March, 2012, a total of 600 cases have been found with more than the new 100 becquerels limit. That includes salmon, flounder and raw shiitake mushrooms. Local governments are supposed to stop the shipments of such contaminated food.
After several suicides in 2010, at Foxconn factories that made iPads and iPhones, Apple hired the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to investigate.
FLA discovered at least 50 cases where workers were not paid! They also discovered many cases of employees being forced to work excessive overtime hours, in violation of Chinese labor laws!
Foxconn is an affiliate of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry and is Apple’s largest partner. With a name like Foxconn, you should be suspicious (as in sly/tricky like a Fox, and con artist).
March 30, 2012, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials reported two more U.S./NATO/ISAF troops killed in southern Afghanistan. Once again they refused to give details. This follows two days of similar ISAF reports.
ISAF officials explained that they defer the explanation of troop details to the “…relevant national authorities.”
From official U.S./NATO sources at least 95 military personnel have been killed since January 2012. 55 U.S. personnel, 13 British troops and 27 soldiers from other countries.
In Paktika Province, on March 29, an Afghan police officer shot and killed nine of his fellow officers as they slept in their barracks. He was killed the next morning. Officials do not know why he killed his peers. However, he was killed with a group of Mujahideen, and people claiming to have connections to Taliban say he was one of them.
Yet again, ISAF and Afghan government forces claim to have captured Taliban and Haqqani leaders. They say the March 29 & 30 operations took place in Khost, Helmand, Logar and Kandahar provinces. (boy those “leaders” are just everywhere)
According to local officials in Ghazni Province not only are U.S./NATO/ISAF forces building up troop presence in the area, but so are foreign Mujahideen.
They say fighters from Pakistan and Arab countries (Pakistan is not an Arab country for those of you who still don’t get it, I’m amazed at how many people I meet on a daily bases that don’t) are flooding in.
It looks like a big battle could take place, as U.S. led forces are also building up in the area.
On March 30, Deputy Provincial Governor, Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, told a BBC reporter that U.S. led forces are building three new military bases in Ghazni Province.
Residents say the increasing number of Mujahideen are conducting recon and harassment operations in the area.
Deputy Provincial Governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi also said that combat has already taken place between U.S. led forces and Mujahideen. He claims four Taliban leaders were arrested (those darn “leaders” again). But he admitted that one Afghan police officer was killed and six others wounded when NATO mistakenly bombed them during the operation!