#2
If only one could choose one's family as one choose one's friends... then all President Obama's relatives would be professionally successful members of ComIntern (or whatever it's called) with their very own numbers in the Soviet files.
The former deputy leader of Niger's military government and another top commander have been arrested in the capital, Niamey. Security sources say they are being detained on allegations of trying to overthrow the military government.
Colonel Abdoulaye Badie was finally arrested after nearly one week of speculation about his role in the military government that took power in February.
Last Sunday, Niger's top military leader, General Salou Djibo, signed a decree abolishing Badie's post as permanent secretary to the junta. The decree did not state why the position was abolished.
Overnight military patrols in the capital were noticeably increased. There were then reports both Wednesday and Thursday that Badie had been arrested and was being held at Niamey's military headquarters. But the colonel told VOA's French to Africa Service Friday that he was at home and the accounts of his arrest were not true.
Later Friday, Badie and another top commander, Colonel Abdou Sidikou were arrested in what security sources say is part of an investigation into an alleged plot against the state.
Regional diplomats say there have been concerns the Badie and Sidikou are among a group of officers who are less sure about returning Niger to civilian rule so quickly after the coup that toppled President Mamadou Tandja.
Niger Saturday began a two-week campaign toward a referendum on a new constitution. If approved on October 31st, it would lead to presidential elections in January.
Voters in Niger are widely expected to turn out in support of the new constitution, which establishes a less powerful chief executive than the constitution passed just last August in a controversial referendum that gave President Tandja three more years in power.
Two constitutions in a year? That's got to be a record, even in Africa ...
They're certainly heading in the direction of Italian governments per year, before Berlusconi...
President Tandja's party opposes this new constitution because it believes Niger needs a strong central authority. The so-called semi-presidential system to be put before voters this month was drawn up by a consultative council of civil society groups, business leaders, and the military.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/17/2010 00:00 ||
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For three weeks, China has blocked shipments of rare-earth minerals to Japan, a move that has boosted the urgency of efforts to break Beijing's control of these minerals. China now produces nearly all of the world's supply of rare earths, which are crucial for a wide range of technologies.
China's leadership is by default, not because they have the world's only potential mines. The article does not mention that the USA was once the world leader in rare-earth production until competition from cheap Chinese products put our mines into mothballs. Talk about a "shovel-ready" project. Another problem on which our distinguished leadership (spit) is out to lunch on.
As I understand it, rare earths mining moves an awful lot of rock to get a small amount of product, very destructive to the local environment, which is the other reason we were happy to let China take it over, just like we're happy to let them and Mexico absorb the toxic by-products of computer chip manufacturing.
Still, when a country that hopes to take over the world engages in overaggressive behaviour, action must be taken.
#2
The Lone Ranger and Tonto are out riding. Suddenly, a band of hostile comanches rides into view over the ridgeline in front of them. They turn around and another band rides into view behind them. They try a third direction and they're surrounded.
"Well, Tonto, it looks like we're in trouble now."
#3
The Bureaucratic Caste was happy to see Yet Another Industry Deported From The Country, until it wasn't.
The rest of us, who were unhappy about the situation, were just yentzed, with no party to vote for who's going to take away the bureaucratic caste's power.
#4
Wow - China is exploiting a hole in the market, and we think it's for strategic gain. I'm sure it's caused by global warming, oops, climate change, and we need to pass cap and trade to remedy this.
Good thing there's an election handy to deal with this.
#5
The two big American rare earth mines are located in California, which is being put back into production, and under a lake in Texas, which as of now, isn't.
Violence erupted between villagers and police officers during a protest against a government plan to acquire land currently owned by residents in Cangwu county, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Six villagers were detained. Guangdong-based Southern Metropolis Daily reported that the fights occurred Wednesday as the villagers staged a protest against the land acquisition deal.
The local government said in a statement that 300 villagers gathered to show their opposition to a proposal to purchase their land. Police officers went to the scene to restore order. The notice said the villagers damaged police cars and injured several officers.
The local government said the land acquired would be used to store soil from a hydropower project. But the villagers said the land is slated to become a tourist attraction and used for other real estate projects. A villager told Beijing News that the government is trying to acquire more than 600 mu of land (40 hectares) for just 41,000 yuan ($5,284) per mu. The villagers said they have not received payment yet.
SECURITY experts are alarmed that a company with links to the Chinese military is bidding to supply equipment to the national broadband network (NBN), warning that the equipment could be used to spy or launch cyber attacks on Australian governments and businesses.
The United States' National Security Agency intervened to block Huawei Technologies' bids to supply equipment to AT&T last year, threatening to withdraw government business if Huawei was chosen, The Washington Post reported. The company also has faced opposition from Indian and British intelligence agencies and Australian security experts are voicing similar concerns as Huawei seeks a slice of the $43 billion broadband roll-out.
Huawei lost a bid to supply the NBN's ethernet aggregation equipment and the gigabit passive optical network in June. The contract went to Alcatel-Lucent, a French company. Huawei, the world's second-largest telecommunications network provider, is believed to be preparing bids to supply almost all the equipment the NBN needs. Former Victorian minister Theo Theophanous is lobbying Canberra on Huawei's behalf.
Huawei emphasises that it is privately owned
Which doesn't mean much in China, land where the emperor needs only the mandate of heaven, not the advice and consent of the citizenry, where Mao Tse Tung established that whim overrides ever-changeable law.
and has released details that show its employees own its shares. But links with the military are persistently reported. According to The New York Times, Huawei's founder and chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, was an officer in the People's Liberation Army. China analysts say loan credits from China Construction Bank, which were granted to small companies that wanted to buy Huawei equipment, were not necessarily repaid.
Jeremy Mitchell, public affairs director for Huawei Australia, denied the company was linked to the Chinese government. He said Huawei guaranteed that its equipment was safe. Despite intelligence resistance, Huawei has supplied equipment to British Telecom. He said Optus and Telstra already used Huawei's equipment and about 50 per cent of Australians relied on it. A spokeswoman for Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy said the government would ensure that ''national security and resilience issues are addressed in the design and operation of the NBN''.
A German entrepreneur is bypassing a European Union ban on light bulbs of more than 60 watts by marketing his own brand as mini heaters.
Siegfried Rotthaeuser and his brother-in-law have come up with a legal way of importing and distributing 75 and 100 watt light bulbs -- by producing them in China, importing them as "small heating devices" and selling them as "heatballs."
To improve energy efficiency, the EU has banned the sale of bulbs of over 60 watts -- to the annoyance of the mechanical engineer from the western city of Essen.
Rotthaeuser studied EU legislation and realized that because the inefficient old bulbs produce more warmth than light -- he calculated heat makes up 95 percent of their output, and light just 5 percent -- they could be sold legally as heaters.
On their website (heatball.de/), the two engineers describe the heatballs as "action art" and as "resistance against legislation which is implemented without recourse to democratic and parliamentary processes."
Costing 1.69 euros each ($2.38), the heatballs are going down well -- the first batch of 4,000 sold out in three days.
Rotthaeuser has pledged to donate 30 cents of every heatball sold to saving the rainforest, which the 49-year-old sees as a better way of protecting the environment than investing in energy-saving lamps, which contain toxic mercury.
#2
If the EU banned dim bulbs only they'd pretty much abolish themselves.
Win Win
Posted by: European Conservative ||
10/17/2010 13:53 Comments ||
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#3
"If the EU banned dim bulbs only they'd pretty much abolish themselves."
ROFL, EC!
Well, at least they'd have to ban the Brussels "leadership" crowd. ;-p
(And most of the rest of the "leaders" of the various governments, too.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/17/2010 14:32 Comments ||
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#4
1 year, 2 months, and 15 days. 441 days to go until 100W light bulbs are no longer for legal sale in the US. If you plan to stock up on 100W bulbs, try to get those that are at least 1600 Lumens, which should be marked on the front of the box.
More Lumens means brighter, and some 100W bulbs produce as little as 850 Lumens.
#5
It also illustrates why most of the claimed energy saving won't happen. In most of Europe, most of the time people light their home, they also heat it, and the heat lost from 'more efficient lightbulbs' will have to come from other sources.
All this Global Warming related nonsense is the price we pay as a society for most people knowing nothing about science.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
10/17/2010 02:08 ||
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#1
It's believed that Greece's current financial problems (spending more than they promised the European Union that they would) was a major factor in this settlement.
Translation: The Greeks were deadbeats.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
10/17/2010 00:38 ||
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#1
This development is worth watching. If mainstream German politician's are no longer afraid to express non-PC immigrant opinions, the rest of the EU is sure to follow. A backlash has been time coming long.
This may signal the beginning of interesting times for Muslim's in Europe.
#2
Too bad Europe and the West are slow learners...multiculturalism has merely benefited leftist politicians and professors, lawyers and court translators who have established parallel societies under one roof. The absurd/canard coinage "our strength lies within our diversity" is one of the biggest lies of the century. PS: Thank you Ted Kennedy for changing the immigration quotas (The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965) that now allows us to enjoy the "Take a Pygmy to Lunch Day".
Posted by: Jack Salami ||
10/17/2010 11:03 Comments ||
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#3
Never forget, the Chinese invaded Vietnam in 1979 and peeled a 10 mile deep section of Vietnam off along their shared border and made it part of China. Plus, the Chinese have been making noises for the past 25 years about how Vietnam is really an ancient part of the Chinese land mass.
#7
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > CHINA SAYS ITS MEDIUM, HEAVY RARE EARTH RESERVES MAY ONLY LAST 15-20 YEARS [at curr production rates until circa 2030].
"US 2012" = "CHINA'S 2030"???
Another reason, albeit indirectly, as to why overcoming the NATURAL GEOPOL BARRIERS OF THE "FIRST ISLAND CHAIN" is vital = "core interest" for Beijing + CPLA, as RISING CHINA will require massive quantities of both domestic + internat materials to support its [POST-US] STRATEGIC AMBITIONS = MANIFEST DESTINY.
IOW, LACK OF RESOURCES = LACK OF GEOPOL CAPABILITIES/PROJECTION OF POWER = RETURN OF CHINA AS THE INFAMOUS 19th CENTURY = 21ST CENTURY "SICK MAN OF ASIA", + not necessarily all due to GW = POTUS Dubya either.
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* CHINESE MIL FORUM POSTER THREAD > AMERICA IS MORE AFRAID OF CHINA THAN FIGHTING THE TALIBAN + CRAZY FANATICS [Radic-MilTerr Extremists].
#8
OOOOPSIES, forgot WMF > US NAVY CONTROLS THE FIRST ISLAND CHAIN: US, INDIAN, RUSSIAN WARSHIPS IN VIETNAM POSE A STRATEGIC THREAT TO CHINA'S TERRITORIES,SOVEREIGNTY IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. CHINA MILITARILY BLOCKED BY US [US-Regional Allies] IN NORTHEAST, CENTRAL, + SOUTHEAST ASIA.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
