Unrest in London..[ 2382 ]

Fresh Unrest in London After Violent Night of Rioting...

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// Fox News,,Published  Monday August 08, 2011

| Associated Press

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AP

Aug. 7: Police cordon off an area during unrest in Enfield, North London. New unrest erupted on north London's streets late Sunday, a day after rioting and looting in a deprived area amid community anger over a fatal police shooting.

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LONDON –  New unrest erupted on north London's streets, a day after rioting and looting in a deprived area amid community anger over a fatal police shooting.

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Police on Sunday deployed extra officers on the streets to prevent a repeat of Saturday's violence in north London's Tottenham area, which appeared to be quiet Sunday night.

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But disturbances broke out in Enfield, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of Tottenham. TV footage showed riot and mounted police patrolling the streets, and there were also images of smashed shop windows, and police with dogs detaining at least one man.

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Sun. 7: A rioter throws a burning wooden plank at police in Tottenham, north London, after members of a community, where a young man was shot dead by police, took to the streets to demand "justice."

Aug. 6: In this image from video, a bus and shop burn in Tottenham, north London after two police cars were attacked by members of a community where a young man was shot dead by police on Thursday.

A peaceful protest against the killing of a 29-year-old man in Tottenham degenerated into a Saturday night rampage, with rioters torching a double-decker bus, destroying patrol cars and trashing a shopping mall in the nearby Wood Green district.

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In Enfield, there were reports that a police car was vandalized, and Sky News television reported that several hundred young people were on the streets causing trouble, with footage showing a looted pharmacy.

"We do have extra resources out tonight on duty across the capital," police commander Christine Jones said. "We are carefully monitoring any intelligence and ensuring we have our resources in the right places. No one wants to see a repeat of the scenes that we witnessed last night in Tottenham."

In Saturday's violence, several buildings were set ablaze. TV footage showed the double-decker bus in a fireball and mounted police charging through the streets trying to restore order. Police said 26 officers received injuries, most if not all apparently minor, and made 55 arrests, including four Sunday. The majority of arrests were for burglary; other offenses included violent disorder, robbery, theft and handling of stolen goods.

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London's fire department said it dealt with 49 "primary" fires in Tottenham. No firefighters were injured.

Social networking websites swirled with rumors of other riots beginning or being planned in other areas of the city, but police warned the public not to trust everything they saw on the Internet -- adding that officers were keeping a close eye on what was being said online as well.

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The violence has cast a pall over a city preparing to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

"I hope people will have a fantastic Olympics no matter what happened last night," London Mayor Boris Johnson said in a telephone interview with BBC television, trying to assure the world his city was safe.

Others weren't so sure, suggesting that the riots had exposed incipient tensions at a time of sharp public sector cutbacks and economic uncertainty.

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"This is just a glimpse into the abyss," former Metropolitan Police Commander John O'Connor told Sky News. "Someone's pulled the clock back and you can look and see what's beneath the surface. And what with the Olympic Games coming up, this doesn't bode very well for London."

The protest against the death of Mark Duggan, a father of four who was gunned down in disputed circumstances Thursday, was initially peaceful. But it got ugly as between 300 and 500 people gathered around Tottenham's police station. Some protesters filled bottles with gasoline to throw at police lines, others confronted officers with makeshift weapons -- including baseball bats and bars -- and attempted to storm the station.

Within hours, police in riot gear and on horseback were clashing with hundreds of rioters, fires were raging out of control, and looters combed the area. One video posted to the Guardian newspaper's website showed looting even carried on into the following day, with people even lining up to steal from one store just after dawn.

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The devastated area smoldered Sunday -- in Tottenham, streets were littered with bricks and lined with overturned scorched trash cans. Two police helicopters hovered over the burnt-out buildings as residents inspected the damage and firefighters doused the last of the flames. Glaziers were busy replacing the smashed windows of looted shops.

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The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating Duggan's shooting, provided more details in a statement Sunday night, saying a "non-police firearm" was recovered at the scene.

"The IPCC awaits further forensic analysis to enable us to have a fuller and more comprehensive account of what shots were discharged, the sequence of events and what exactly happened," the commission said in a statement. "In the meantime, we would request people are patient while we seek to find answers to the questions raised by this incident.

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Duggan's family rejected any suggestion that he had fired at officers. His brother, Shaun Hall, said his sibling would never attack police.

"That's ridiculous," he told Sky News television. As for the rioting, he condemned it.

"There was a domino effect, which we don't condone at all," he said.

Local lawmaker David Lammy, speaking to residents from behind police tape earlier in the day, said that Duggan's shooting "raised huge questions and we need answers," but he warned against renewed violence.

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"The response to that is not to loot and rob," he said. "This must stop."

Tottenham has a history of unrest. It was the site of the 1985 Broadwater Farm riots, a series of clashes that led to the savaging stabbing of a police officer and the wounding of nearly 60 others -- brutally underscoring tensions between London's police and the capital's black community.

Relations have improved since, but mistrust still lingers.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/08/fresh-unrest-in-london-after-violent-night- rioting/#ixzz1UPyV9dhr

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See this Video from Reuters
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NB by the blogger : I cannot forget the sarcastic and ironical  reports of the British Media days before the opening of the Athens Olympics  (which finally developed with great success)

Further more  the comments of the British reporters were also ironical and full of sarcasm on the unrest in Athens which followed the killing by the police of the young Alexis Grigoropoulos....

The time came now,  and must  indicate to the British reporters and the rest of the British Media that they must be more careful  and ought to be less ironic and sarcastic for similar matters that "knock their door now"....

The above remark is simple a complain and is made without any prejudice...

Rebels in W.Libya claim victory..[ 2381 ]

Rebels in western Libyan town claim victory over Gadhafi forces

From Michael Holmes and Kareem Khadder, CNN

August 6, 2011 9:52 a.m. EDT

Libyan rebels look towards the front line near Bir Al-Ghanam in western Libya on June 26, 2011.

•   i

Near Bir Al-Ghanam, Libya (CNN) -- Libyan rebel forces gained ground against ruler Moammar Gadhafi's forces Saturday after a massive offensive in the western town of Bir Al-Ghanam.

Hundreds of opposition members joined in the battle, which lasted several hours. Grad rockets and gunfire were exchanged from both sides, and rebels took on Gadhafi fighters from three fronts.

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Doctors at a makeshift clinic said two people had died, and 20 were injured -- some seriously.

Rebel fighters said Gadhafi's forces had retreated from Bir Al-Ghanam and claimed victory over the town.

Bir Al-Ghanam is about 85 kilometers from the capital city of Tripoli. Capturing the town is significant because not much else stands in the way between Bir Al-Ghanam and the Libyan coastline -- where Tripoli is situated.

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For months, rebel fighters -- who have controlled the eastern city of Benghazi and other areas -- have been trying to move closer toward Tripoli, in the west. They are seeking the ouster of Gadhafi, who has ruled Libya for 42 years.

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CNN's Kareem Khadder contributed to this report.

Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan , 6 SEALs killed...[ 2380 ]

Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan Reportedly Kills Members of SEAL Team 6

Published August 06, 2011

| FoxNews.com

AP

July 26: Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a gathering with high ranking Afghan military officials at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan.

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KABUL, Afghanistan -- A military helicopter was shot down in eastern Afghanistan, killing 31 U.S. special operation troops, most of them from the elite Navy SEALs unit that killed Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden, along with seven Afghan commandos. It was the deadliest single incident for American forces in the decade-long war.

One current and one former U.S. official said that the dead included more than 20 Navy SEALs from SEAL Team Six, the unit that carried out the raid in Pakistan in May that killed bin Laden. They were being flown by a crew of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because families are still being notified.

None of those killed in the crash is believed to have been part of the SEALs mission that killed bin Laden, but they were from the same unit as the bin Laden team.

"We don't believe that any of the special operators who were killed were involved in the bin Laden operation," a senior U.S. military official told Fox News.

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The Taliban claimed they downed the helicopter with rocket fire while it was taking part in a raid on a house where insurgents were gathered in the province of Wardak late Friday. It said wreckage of the craft was strewn at the scene. A senior U.S. administration official in Washington said the craft was apparently shot down by insurgents. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the crash is still being investigated.

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NATO confirmed the overnight crash took place and that there "was enemy activity in the area." But it said it was still investigating the cause and conducting a recovery operation at the site. It did not release details or casualty figures.

"We are in the process of accessing the facts," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Justin Brockhoff, a NATO spokesman.

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President Barack Obama mourned the deaths of the American troops, saying in a statement that the crash serves as a reminder of the "extraordinary sacrifices" being made by the U.S. military and its families. He said he also mourned "the Afghans who died alongside our troops."

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The death toll would surpass the worst single day loss of life for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001 -- the June 28, 2005 downing of a military helicopter in eastern Kunar province. In that incident, 16 Navy SEALs and Army special operations troops were killed when their craft was shot down while on a mission to rescue four SEALs under attack by the Taliban. Three of the SEALs being rescued were also killed and the fourth wounded. It was the highest one-day death toll for the Navy Special Warfare personnel since World War II.

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With its steep mountain ranges, providing shelter for militants armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, eastern Afghanistan is hazardous terrain for military aircraft. Large, slow-moving air transport carriers like the CH-47 Chinook are particularly vulnerable, often forced to ease their way through sheer valleys where insurgents can achieve more level lines of fire from mountainsides.

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday gave the first public word of the new crash, saying in a statement that "a NATO helicopter crashed last night in Wardak province" and that 31 American special operations troops were killed. He expressed his condolences to President Barack Obama.

The helicopter was a twin-rotor Chinook, said an official at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was receiving his information from an Afghan officer in Kabul.

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The crash took place in the Sayd Abad district of Wardak province, said a provincial government spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid. The volatile region borders the province of Kabul where the Afghan capital is located and is known for its strong Taliban presence.

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Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement that Taliban fighters downed the helicopter during a "heavy raid" in Sayd Abad. He said NATO attacked a house in Sayd Abad where insurgent fighters were gathering Friday night. During the battle, the fighters shot down the helicopter, killing 31 Americans and seven Afghans, he said, adding that eight insurgents were killed in the fight.

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There have been at least 17 coalition and Afghan aircraft crashes in Afghanistan this year.

Most of the crashes were attributed to pilot errors, weather conditions or mechanical failures. However, the coalition has confirmed that at least one CH-47F Chinook helicopter was hit by a rocket propelled grenade on July 25. Two coalition crew members were injured in that attack.

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Meanwhile, in the southern Helmand province, an Afghan government official said Saturday that NATO troops attacked a house and inadvertently killed eight members of a family, including women and children.

NATO said that Taliban fighters fired rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire at coalition troops during a patrol Friday in the Nad Ali district.

"Coalition forces responded with small arms fire and as the incident continued, an air strike was employed against the insurgent position," said Brockhoff. He added that NATO sent a delegation to meet with local leaders and investigate the incident.

Nad Ali district police chief Shadi Khan said civilians died in the bombardment but that it was unknown how many insurgents were killed.

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Helmand, a Taliban stronghold, is the deadliest province in Afghanistan for international troops.

NATO has come under harsh criticism in the past for accidentally killing civilians during operations against suspected insurgents. However, civilian death tallies by the United Nations show the insurgency is responsible for most war casualties involving noncombatants.

In south Afghanistan, NATO said two coalition service member were killed, one on Friday and another on Saturday. The international alliance did not release further details.

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With the casualties from the helicopter crash, the deaths bring to 365 the number of coalition troops killed this year in Afghanistan and 42 this month.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/06/afghan-president-31-americans-killed-in-helicopter-crash/#ixzz1UHOwS37X

Greek austerity measures...[ 2379 ]

Greek austerity measures' unlikely opponent: an old roommate of the PM

Antonis Samaras, Harvard-trained economist and head of the main centre-right party, says the medicine is wrong for Greece

• 
• • Helena Smith in Athens
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 5 August 2011 19.47 BST
  • Article history

Antonis Samaras, who once shared digs in the US with George Papandreou, has become an anti-establishment figure in Greece as well the EU. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images
 
 
 
Posted  Sat 6 August  (from guardian.co.uk)
In his ultra-modern office, seated behind an array of photographs autographed by the likes of Ted Kennedy and George Bush Snr, Antonis Samaras does not come across as a particularly anti-establishment figure.
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But as president of Greece's main opposition, the centre-right New Democracy party, that is what he has become.
In Europe's epic battle to resolve the conundrum of Greece's crippling €350bn (£305bn) debt, the Harvard-trained economist has disagreed, fundamentally, with the "medicine" that has been meted out to the country.
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"The medicine Greece has been given, doesn't work," he says, listing the barrage of tax increases, wage cuts and pension drops demanded by the "troika" (EU, ECB and IMF) in return for emergency aid.
"The austerity measures aren't working; the sacrifices that are being made aren't paying off. The treatment is simply so strong that there is a risk we will kill the economy before we kill the deficit."
Born into pedigree and privilege – just as George Papandreou, the socialist prime minister with whom he shared student digs in the US – the conservative leader has found himself sparring not only with his one-time close friend. 
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Opposition to the "growth through austerity" formula that Greeks have been subjected to has also put Samaras at odds with other leaders in the centre-right European People's party, of which New Democracy is a member.
Since the crisis erupted 18 months ago, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, José Manuel Barroso, the European commission president, and Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, have all tried and failed to change his views.
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But Samaras remains steadfast – and unrepentant.
The deficit-cutting measures pursued after Athens's €110 bailout last year, have, he insists, not only failed to solve Greece's spiralling debt but plunged it into the "biggest recession since the second world war".
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Last month's sweeping plan to contain the crisis – hailed as a "historic decision" by Papandreou – was a mixed blessing, Samaras says, and more "mixed" than "blessing" at that. While offering the country much–needed breathing space by improving the terms of its debt repayment – lowering interest rates and extending the maturities of loans – the €109bn programme had done nothing to rekindle recovery.
"As long as the Greek economy keeps sinking in depression, it will not be able to service its debt, even under better repayment terms," he says. "Three months ago, Greece was provided another improvement of its debt repayment terms. It was 'good news' then, but not good enough because as the crisis has since worsened."
Despite appeals from both in and outside Greece New Democracy voted against a €28bn package of further spending cuts and tax increases last month, claiming it would push the country "one step" closer to default.
"The only rational thing is to change the policy mix," he says. "As Einstein himself said, the definition of absurdity is to follow the same solution and expect different answers. The official projection was that in the first semester of 2011 the deficit would drop by 4% compared to the first semester of 2010. Instead, it went up by 27.5 %," he says, throwing his hands up in despair.
For the German media Samaras is the fly in the ointment, the gadfly who has put personal ambition before national interest.
But he is the gadfly whose reaction matters. EU leaders are acutely aware that political consensus is also crucial to Greece being "saved"." Without national unity many fear the changes needed to overhaul the country's profoundly uncompetitive economy will never be enforced.
Samaras retorts that, unlike Papandreou in opposition, he has never encouraged people to take to the streets. Indeed, he says, his party is "all for" cutting public waste and has also agreed to a raft of structural reforms including a privatisation drive that is projected to raise €50bn by 2015.
But he remains opposed to further belt-tightening. The threat of violent demonstrations– following riots in central Athens earlier this summer – looms, as the city braces for a protest-filled autumn when the latest policies, starting with mass layoffs in the public sector, begin to be felt.
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"The numbers vindicate me but – unfortunately – that is not in the interest of Greece," Samaras says with a sigh, adding that his biggest gripe with the government is raising taxes at a time of worsening recession.
"It is a terrible thing to see your prediction come true and know that your country is going down the drain. The Greek people don't see any light at the end of the tunnel … it's like being asked to walk through the Sahara with no hope."
With unemployment at a record 16%, most Greeks appear to be coming round to Samaras's view.
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New Democracy, in power from 2004 to 2009, has been blamed for exacerbating the country's fiscal woes by failing to implement long-overdue reforms.
But latest polls point to a rejuvenated party with a four-point lead over the governing centre-left Pasok.
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"I am not going to agree with something that ultimately goes against the good of Greece," says the politician who has proposed that the economy be kick-started with the introduction of a flat 15% tax on corporate profits and dividends.
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"My only criterion is the economic betterment of Greece. I know [ European conservative leaders ] are angry and perplexed, and I know they still don't agree with me. Greece will have to walk a long mile before the debt problem is solved. It's going to be a difficult road that will take years."

Juno spacecraf " Lifts Off "...[ 2378 ]

        NASA : The Juno spacecraft  " Lifts Off "..

Juno Lifts Off

The Juno spacecraft launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Friday, Aug. 5, 2011. 

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Juno will make a five-year, 400-million-mile voyage to Jupiter, orbit the planet, investigate its origins and evolution with eight instruments to probe its internal structure and gravity field, measure water and ammonia in its atmosphere, map its powerful magnetic field and observe its intense auroras.
Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls