Police Work, Politics and World Affairs, Football and the ongoing search for great Scotch Whiskey!

Monday, July 29, 2013

What's going on in the World Today 130729

[Rooster confronts the four outlaws across the field]
Ned Pepper: What's your intention? Do you think one on four is a dogfall?

Rooster Cogburn: I mean to kill you in one minute, Ned. Or see you hanged in Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience. Which'll it be?

Ned Pepper: I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.

Rooster Cogburn: Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!


Out for a few days camping and one of the books I'm bringing to the camp is True Grit. Gotta love anything with the Duke! Have a great week!


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USA

U.S. Naval Update Map: July 25, 2013

July 22, WNBC 4 New York City – (New York) NYC 911 dispatch fails three times in one day. A portion of New York City’s emergency call system stalled three times July 22 for a total of 45 minutes and forced dispatchers to hand write critical information. Officials stated the part of the system that failed was EMS dispatch and it was scheduled to be upgraded in 2015.

July 23, Softpedia – (National) US Army sergeant admits to stealing information from Army computers. A sergeant in the U.S. Army pleaded guilty to accessing the Army Knowledge Online accounts of two individuals without authorization. She initially gained access by tricking the help desk into giving her temporary passwords and used the information she obtained to harass the targeted individuals.

EUROPE

Germany's Tenuous Transition to Renewable Energy

Germany's Energy Alternatives

Comprehensive EU Defense Integration is Unlikely

Europe: Is the Economic Crisis Abating?

Ireland Seeks a Calm Exit from Its Bailout


German poster campaign launched to find surviving Nazis

A poster campaign has launched in Germany aimed at tracking down the last surviving Nazi war criminals and bringing them to justice.

Some 2,000 posters showing the entrance to the Nazi Auschwitz death camp and asking people to come forward with information have been displayed in Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne.

The US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center offers rewards for useful information.

It estimates there to be 60 people alive in Germany fit to stand trial.

Some are suspected of having served as guards at Nazi death camps or being members of death squads responsible for mass killings, particularly early on in the war.

"Unfortunately, very few people who committed the crimes had to pay for them," leading international Nazi hunter and the centre's Jerusalem branch director, Efraim Zuroff, said.

"The passage of time in no way diminishes the crimes."

Most wanted Nazi suspects

As part of its "Operation Last Chance II" project, the centre is offering rewards of up to 25,000 euros (£21,500; $33,080) for information which helps to prosecute war criminals in Germany....

ASIA

China's Geopolitical Fallout

Myanmar's United Wa Army

India Boosts Its Border Military Forces

Myanmar: The United Wa State Army's Uncertain Future

India: A Military Buildup on the Border With China
Philippines: Air And Naval Forces To Move Closer To South China Sea July 28, 2013

The Philippines is planning to move air force and naval bases to a former U.S. base in Subic Bay, northwest of Manila, to have better access to disputed areas in the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said July 28, AP reported. Gazmin announced the plans while on a state visit to South Korea and used the Philippine government's newly adopted name for the area, the West Philippine Sea. Territorial disputes have created high tensions between the Philippines and China recently.

China: Budget Carrier Set To Begin China-Taiwan Flights July 23, 2013

China's Spring Airlines Co. is slated to become the first budget carrier to run flights between China and Taiwan, The Wall Street Journal reported July 23. The carrier will begin flights between Shanghai and Kaohsiung, a city in southern Taiwan, in August, and will introduce service between Shanghai and Taipei before the end of 2013, a company official said

AFRICA

A Presidential Election in Mali

Sudan, South Sudan: Outsiders Try Diplomacy to Prevent Oil Stoppage

Libya's Constitutional Process Threatens the Country's Stability

RUSSIA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

IRAN

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

IRAQ

Al-Qaeda claims Abu Ghraib and Taji mass jailbreaks

The prison attacks were very sophisticated, says the BBC's Rami Ruhayem

Al-Qaeda has said it carried out two mass jailbreaks in Iraq, which freed hundreds of prisoners including senior leaders of the Islamist militant group.

In an online statement, al-Qaeda said Sunday's attack was the final one in a campaign aimed at freeing inmates.

At least 20 security guards died when gunmen stormed the Abu Ghraib and Taji jails near Baghdad...

ISRAEL

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

AFGHANISTAN

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

MIDDLE EAST

Egypt's Challenge to Contain the Muslim Brotherhood and Jihadist Militants

Egypt: Where Language Meets Geopolitics

Turkey's Losses

Syria: Accord Reached On Chemical Weapons, U.N. Says July 27, 2013

The United Nations has reached an agreement with Syria over an inquiry into its alleged use of chemical weapons, according to a statement released July 27 by the organization, AFP reported. The United Nations is demanding widespread access to investigate all allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria, but the statement did not say whether U.N. inspectors would be allowed into the country. The Syrian government is reportedly insisting that inspectors only investigate possible chemical weapons use by rebels on March 19. Two U.N. envoys held talks with Syria's deputy prime minister and foreign minister July 23-24, according to the statement. The United States will continue watching the battle in Syria closely, but not with an eye toward throwing itself into the fray.

U.N. chemical arms investigator arrives in Syria to seek access

(Reuters) - The head of a U.N. chemical weapons investigation team arrived in Syria on Wednesday to discuss his inquiry into allegations that chemical arms have been used in Syria's civil war.

Ake Sellstrom's full team has not been allowed into Syria due to diplomatic wrangling over access. His mission this week aims to reach an agreement for it to start work in Syria.

Sellstrom, a Swede, is accompanied by the head of the U.N. Office of Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane, who said on her arrival in Damascus that their mission was to prepare the ground for an investigation into chemical weapons use.

The team's visit is taking place at the invitation of the Syrian government and its members will meet Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem as well as technical experts.

Damascus has so far refused to let U.N. investigators go anywhere except Khan al-Assal in Aleppo province, where Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and its Russian ally say rebels used chemical weapons in March.

Both sides deny using chemical weapons.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has insisted that his team be permitted to visit at least one other location, the city of Homs, site of an alleged chemical attack by government forces in December 2012.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Colombia: Placing a Militant Attack in Context

China's Expanding Involvement in the Latin American Energy Sector

Mexico: 22 Killed In Police, Gang Clashes July 24, 2013

Violent clashes between armed gangs and Mexico's security forces in Michoacan killed 22 people July 23, Reuters reported. The attacks mark a surge in violence where Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto is testing a new security strategy. Mexico's Interior Ministry said in a statement that two federal police and 20 gang members were killed.

Chinese Investment in Venezuelan Energy

MISC

Geopolitical Calendar: Week of July 29, 2013

A High-Stakes Legal Battle for the IMF

July 25, IDG News Service – (National) Oil, gas field sensors vulnerable to attack via radio waves. Researchers from IOActive found a host of vulnerabilities in sensors used in the energy industry to monitor industrial processes and also found the sensors were susceptible to attack from 40 miles away using radio transmitters. Fixing the sensors would require firmware updates and configuration changes.

July 25, KNTV 11 San Jose – (California) Emergency systems break down in two Bay Area counties. In a 24-hour span, two Bay Area counties experienced disruptions in their emergency systems, including Contra Costa County’s system that sent out a countywide evacuation alert after a gas leak that was only supposed to reach a three- square block area July 24. In San Mateo County, the backup emergency line went down, forcing 9-1-1 calls to be rerouted through multiple locations while repairs were made to the system.

Except where noted courtesy STRATFOR.COM

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