Purveyor
Purveyor's JournalMassed Israeli Troops Poised For Gaza Invasion Following Death Of Senior Hamas Commander Ahmed Al-ja
Israeli troops massed on the Gaza border last night, poised for a possible ground invasion as Israel launched a major military operation it said was designed “to severely impair the command and control chain of the Hamas leadership, as well as its terrorist infrastructure.”
Military sources told The Independent that a ground invasion is “a distinct possibility,” with the army deploying extra infantry units near the Gaza border, halted major exercises, cancelled soldiers’ leave and mobilised some reserve forces.
The opening salvo of ‘Operation Pillar of Cloud’ was the pinpoint assassination by missile of the Hamas military commander, Ahmed al-Jabari, as he drove through Gaza City, followed by aerial attacks against targets throughout the Hamas-controlled enclave. At least seven Palestinians, including civilians, were reported dead.
Gaza residents ran for cover while Hamas evacuated ministries and security compounds as Israeli aircraft pounded targets across the Gaza Strip. It was the most extensive assault since Israel’s ill-starred ground invasion ended in January 2009.
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/massed-israeli-troops-poised-for-gaza-invasion-following-death-of-senior-hamas-commander-ahmed-aljabari-8316615.html
Thousands Seen Dying If Terrorists Attack ‘Vulnerable’ U.S. Grid
Source: Bloomberg
Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- A terrorist attack on the U.S. power grid could be more destructive than superstorm Sandy, possibly costing hundreds of billions of dollars and leading to thousands of deaths, the National Academy of Sciences said.
While such an event probably wouldn’t kill people immediately, it could cause widespread blackouts for weeks or months, according to a recently declassified report released today by the Academy. If it occurred during extreme weather, heat stress or exposure to cold may lead to “hundreds or even thousands of deaths,” the authors of the study wrote.
“An event of this magnitude and duration could lead to turmoil, widespread public fear, and an image of helplessness that would play directly into the hands of the terrorists,” they said.
While other entities have issued reports on electric-grid vulnerabilities, the study released today provides an unusually stark picture of what may happen if hackers, extremist groups, disgruntled employees or even energy companies themselves sabotage the nation’s power network. It calls for the government to create a national inventory of portable generation equipment that can be used during such an event.
An attack “could be carried out by knowledgeable attackers with little risk of detection or interdiction,” it said.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Thousands-Seen-Dying-If-Terrorists-Attack-4037607.php
Egypt Condemns Israel Attacks On Gaza, Demands Halt
Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:42pm EST
Nov 14 (Reuters) - Egypt's foreign ministry condemned on Wednesday a series of Israeli strikes that killed a Hamas top military commander in the Gaza Strip and called for an immediate halt to the attacks.
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"Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr condemned the series of air strikes that Israel is currently conducting against Gaza Strip and which led to the killing of Ahmed Al-Jaabari," said the statement released by Egypt's foreign ministry.
"He called on Israel to stop its strikes on Gaza Strip immediately," the statement said adding that any further esclation from Israel "could have negative repercussions on the security and stabiltiy of the region".
The statement said the Egyptian minister considered the "Israeli escalation to be very dangerous".
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/14/egypt-israel-attack-idUSL5E8MECTC20121114
U.S. Stops Short Of Recognizing Syrian Opposition Body
By Mariam Karouny
BEIRUT | Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:09am EST
(Reuters) - The United States declined to follow France in fully recognizing a fledgling Syrian opposition coalition on Wednesday, saying the body must prove its worth, after its predecessor was dogged by feuding and accusations of Islamist domination.
Syria decried the new grouping, which it said had closed the door to a negotiated solution with President Bashar al-Assad.
"The whole world, and Syria too, says the problem in Syria should be solved in a peaceful framework and through a national dialogue, (but) the first decision taken after forming the coalition in Doha was to reject dialogue and to continue the war," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said.
"They want to destroy Syria," he told Russia Today in an interview that was also carried on Syria's state news agency.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the formation of the coalition, which supersedes the widely discredited Syrian National Council as the face of the Syrian opposition, was an important step, but did not offer it full recognition or arms.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/14/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE88J0X720121114
U.N.'s Nuclear Report On Iran May Not Be All Bad News For West
By Fredrik Dahl
VIENNA | Wed Nov 14, 2012 8:58am EST
(Reuters) - Iran is believed to have increased the number of centrifuges in an underground nuclear plant by nearly a third in three months, diplomats say, underlining the tough task facing major powers pressing Tehran to curb its atomic activity.
But despite a major expansion of its capacity to refine uranium at the Fordow facility, buried deep inside a mountain, Iran does not appear to have switched on its newly installed enrichment centrifuges yet, although this could happen soon, they said.
A U.N. report on Iran's nuclear program is also likely to show this week that it continues to use some of its most sensitive material for reactor fuel, at least temporarily making it unavailable for any quick atom bomb bid.
This could help in "buying more time for dialogue", a Western diplomat said, referring to international efforts to seek a diplomatic solution to the decade-old dispute and avert the threat of a new Middle East war.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/14/us-nuclear-iran-iaea-idUSBRE8AD0S120121114
East Coast Nor’easter Potential Thanksgiving Week
AccuWeather says another nor’easter will form and hover along the East coast next week, just in time for Thanksgiving.
How close to the coast the storm tracks will determine how unsettled the weather gets in the I-95 corridor to the Appalachians.
Major cities that could be within the storm’s reach include New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C.
The early indications are the storm will not be as cold as the storm that brought last week’s fiasco. For most locations, it looks like a “rain or no” situation. The heaviest rain may have trouble backing westward over the central and southern Appalachians.
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http://wp.wgmd.com/?p=73706
Egypt's Brotherhood Slams Israel Over Gaza Strikes
CAIRO (AP) -- Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood sharply criticized Israeli leaders on Tuesday over airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, accusing them of heating up the conflict to score political points ahead of elections.
The latest round of violence began Saturday, with rocket attacks from Gaza militants and Israeli airstrikes that killed seven Palestinians. More than 100 rockets have exploded in Israel since the weekend. The exchanges appeared to die down on Tuesday.
Also, Israeli tanks struck a Syrian artillery launcher Monday after a mortar shell flew into Israel-held territory, fueling concerns that Israel could be dragged into the Syrian civil war.
In its statement, the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party referred to Israel as a "Zionist occupier" and a "racist state," placing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on the "fringes" of the "far right."
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT_ISRAEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-11-13-13-24-33
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Leaves Mayo Clinic
CHICAGO (AP) -- Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has left the Mayo Clinic, where he was being treated for bipolar disorder for the second time since taking a leave of absence in June.
Mayo spokesman Nick Hanson says Jackson left the Minnesota clinic Tuesday. He did not know where Jackson was going.
Jackson was elected Nov. 6 to a ninth full term representing his Chicago area district, despite not campaigning and barely appearing in public since taking medical leave.
He spent election night at the clinic after returning there in October amid reports that he faced a new federal investigation into potential misuse of his campaign finances.
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_JACKSON_LEAVE_OF_ABSENCE_?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-11-13-12-25-17
Israel Considers Resumption Of Gaza Assassinations
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel is considering resuming its contentious practice of assassinating militant leaders in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in an effort to halt intensified rocket attacks on Israel's south, according to defense officials.
That Israel might renew a practice that brought it harsh international censure is evidence of the tight spot Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in. With Israeli elections two months away, rocket barrages from Gaza are disrupting the lives of 1 million residents of southern Israel, pressuring the government to come up with an effective response.
In the latest flare-up, Gaza militants have fired more than 100 rockets at Israel in recent days, triggering retaliatory Israeli airstrikes that have killed six people in Gaza.
Some Israelis are demanding a harsh military move, perhaps a repeat of Israel's bruising incursion into Gaza four years ago. Others believe Israel should target Hamas leaders, a method it used to kill dozens of militants nearly a decade ago.
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_TARGETED_KILLINGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-11-13-11-51-28
Palestinians Begin Work To Open Arafat Grave: Source
By Agence France-Presse
Tuesday, November 13, 2012 7:05 EST
Palestinians on Tuesday began work to open the grave of the late Yasser Arafat ahead of an exhumation of his body for a murder probe, a source close to his family told AFP.
“Today they started removing concrete and stones from Arafat’s mausoleum and the work will last for almost 15 days,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“There are several phases,” he said, referring to the operation to open the tomb ahead of a visit by French, Swiss and Russian experts to forensically test Arafat’s remains over suspicions he was poisoned with the radioactive substance polonium.
“It starts with the removal of stone and concrete and cutting the iron (framework) until they reach the soil that covers the body, which will not be removed until the arrival of the French prosecutors, Swiss experts and Russian investigators,” the source said.
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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/13/palestinians-begin-work-to-open-arafat-grave-source/
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