[DAWN] Hours after Zim-bob-we’s Bob Muggsy Mugabe Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case... was forced out after 37 years in power, Uganda’s president, another former guerilla in office for more than three decades, was tweeting about pay raises for civil servants and bright prospects for his army tank crews.
Supporters of long-serving African leaders dismiss parallels with Zim-bob-we, where Mugabe’s former deputy - sacked during a power struggle with Mugabe’s wife - is about to take power with military and public backing.
But Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s tweets, which come amid rising anger at the 73-year-old’s attempts to prolong his rule, suggest he is looking south and wondering about his own fate.
"Now that the economic situation in Uganda is improving, the government will be able to look into raising of salaries of soldiers, public servants, health workers and teachers and also deal with institutional housing," Museveni tweeted on Wednesday.
It was unclear what improvement he meant. Uganda’s faltering economy is growing too slowly to absorb a booming population of 37 million. The number of citizens spending less than a dollar a day has surged to 27 percent, the statistics office reported in September, up from 20 percent five years ago.
Museveni’s office was not immediately available for comment. "I can say no more!" on the tweets, but John Baptist Nambeshe, a ruling party politician who opposes the president’s attempts to have an age limit on his post lifted, said there was no coincidence.
"The timing couldn’t have been coincidental. It was to underscore his might, that probably the military is still solidly behind him, unlike in Zim-bob-we," Nambeshe told Rooters.
Museveni may not be alone.
Several African leaders have faced popular opposition in recent years, from Togo, where thousands protested this autumn, to Gabon, where riots broke out last year after President Ali Bongo was re-elected in a disputed vote.
Mugabe’s fall has raised hopes among opposition politicians that other long-serving leaders will fall, but also stoked fears that those who replace them may be no better.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/25/2017 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] Taking his oath of office, the 75-year-old former security chief known as ‘The Crocodile’ vowed to uphold the constitution of the former British colony
Posted by: Fred ||
11/25/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
I believe him, the military did not topple the regime, it restored the corrupt old guard into power.
CARACAS (Reuters) - Washington has asked the government of leftist Nicolas Maduro for access to Venezuelan-American executives of U.S.-based refiner Citgo detained in Caracas this week, a State Department official said on Thursday.
Five of six Citgo [PDVSAC.UL] executives arrested on graft allegations are U.S. citizens, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. All six men are being held in the headquarters of Venezuela’s military counterintelligence department in Caracas, the country’s state prosecutor said in a statement on Thursday.
Socialist Maduro has said that the United States, his ideological foe, had requested the men be freed, but he vowed on Wednesday they would be tried as "corrupt, thieving traitors" for allegedly seeking to personally profit from a financial deal that was detrimental to the nation.
"The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela has asked that (Venezuelan) authorities grant consular access to all U.S. citizen detainees in Venezuela. We call on the (Venezuelan government) to do so immediately in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," the State Department official said.
Relations between Caracas and Washington have long been tense. They have further soured under President Donald Trump since his administration imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials including Maduro, and economic sanctions that have impeded the OPEC nation’s access to international banks.
U.S.-based Citgo Petroleum Corp (Citgo) is a Venezuelan-owned refiner and marketer of oil and petrochemical products and the arrests come amid a wider anti-corruption sweep in Venezuela’s oil industry. Around 50 managers at state oil company PDVSA have been arrested since August.
Sources in the energy sector say the arrests owe more to Maduro’s move to sideline rivals and increase his control of money-making companies as the country struggles in a devastating recession.
The political opposition says PDVSA is rife with corruption, and a congressional investigation concluded that at least $11 billion went "missing" between 2004 and 2014.
"The legacy of socialism: To have destroyed PDVSA and the oil industry and turned it into a den of corruption and nepotism," opposition lawmaker Jose Guerra said on Twitter.
"They need to blame someone and some ’gringos’ are ideal," Guerra later told Reuters.
The arrests rid Citgo of much of its top brass and have instilled fear throughout Venezuela’s oil industry, snarling up decision making, sources close to PDVSA have told Reuters.
The arrests also come at a highly delicate time for Venezuela, which was declared in selective default this month after some late payments. But as Venezuela is making efforts to pay, bondholders of some of the world’s highest yielding debt have so far been tolerant of the delays.
Anomalous Sources submitted another article on this story, and commented:
It is the past 8 years that tempted Maduro to do this; it is going to be an interesting test for Mr. Trump.
Citgo’s President Jose Pereira and five senior executives were arrested earlier this week at an event in Caracas.
Five of these have are US citizens holding dual US/Venezuelan citizenship. The sixth, Pereira, has a permanent residency permit for the United States.
The latest weekly report by the Energy Information Administration revealed that Venezuelan crude oil exports to the U.S. had fallen to 462,000 bpd last week, from 732,000 bpd in the previous week. The four-week average for the period ending on November 17 was 530,000 bpd, significantly lower than the average a year earlier, which stood at 753,000 bpd.
#2
Corruption is rampant in Venezuela and the corrupt ones are trying to cover the losses from theft reported while staying in power by a shakedown of the U.S. via a ransom scheme?
#6
Citgo is the brand carried here by 7-11. I would boycott 7-11 but too many good people earn a living there. Maybe 7-11 has started purchasing oil from other companies. Any other ideas?
[DAWN] Argentina ...a country located on the other side of the Deep South. It is covered with Pampers and inhabited by Grouchos, who dance the Tangle. They used to have some islands called the Malvinas located where the Falklands are now. They're not supposed to cry for Evita... 's navy confirmed on Thursday that an unusual noise heard in the Atlantic near the last known position of a missing submarine appeared to be an kaboom, dashing the last hopes of finding the vessel's 44 crew members alive.
Relatives of the missing sailors reacted with grief and anger to the news after holding out hope since the sub was reported overdue at its Mar del Plata base on November 17, two days after the kaboom.
"An anomalous, singular, short, violent and non-nuclear event consistent with an kaboom," occurred shortly after the submarine's last communication, navy front man Captain Enrique Balbi told a news conference in Buenos Aires.
After days of false hopes, some of the relatives said the navy had withheld information about the sub and lied to them over the past week.
"I feel cheated," said Itati Leguizamon, whose husband German Suarez was a sonar operator on the ARA San Juan.
"They did not tell us they died. But they tell us they are three thousand meters (9,800 feet) deep," added Leguizamon as other family members shouted angrily around her.
"They lied to us," said Leguizamon, a lawyer.
A sobbing Jessica Gopar, whose husband was an electrician aboard the San Juan, said "they just told us that the submarine went kaboom!."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/25/2017 00:00 ||
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Rest in Peace. 3,000 meters is (usually) well below crush depth.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
11/25/2017 8:52 Comments ||
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And how did they hear the 'kaboom'? Monitoring devices spread over the ocean floor maybe? Who would do that?
#3
Most military ships are equipped with at least passive sonar. It's interesting what one hear in the ocean.
From Wikipedia: Passive sonar listens without transmitting. It is often employed in military settings, although it is also used in science applications, e.g., detecting fish for presence/absence studies in various aquatic environments - see also passive acoustics and passive radar. In the very broadest usage, this term can encompass virtually any analytical technique involving remotely generated sound, though it is usually restricted to techniques applied in an aquatic environment.
#4
Supposedly Trump said 45 aboard - just a mistake or does he know something he wasn't supposed to say, like was the sub placing or retrieving someone? Conspiracy theorists want to know.
In addition to passive sonar, there are seismic sensors as well as sensors to monitor underground testing. In the Kursk accident, if memory serves, the impact of the boat hitting the bottom was picked up by geologists.
#6
...One disturbing story I've heard (from submariners and a naval engineer) is that the sub's batteries had apparently not been changed out in nine years (budget constraints, ya know) and would only take a small trickle charge while recharging. The skipper got annoyed because it was taking so long and ran the charging plant flat out. The batteries then overheated and caught fire. To make matters worse, the overcharge created excess hydrogen that would have caused the explosion. And to really make it bad, there is a strong possibility that the platinum catalysts used to dissipate the hydrogen buildup may not have been installed due to...budget constraints.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/25/2017 15:37 Comments ||
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Russia has floated out the first advanced variant of the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) Project 955A Borei II-class ("North Wind"), or Dolgorukiy-class.
The Borei II-class (also designated Borei-A) boomer Knyaz Vladimir (Prince Vladimir) was launched during a float out ceremony at the Sevmash Shipyards in Severodvinsk in northern Russia on November 17. The ceremony was attended by the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Korolyov, and other senior naval officers and high ranking defense industry officials.
The new boomer was laid down in July 2012 and is expected to be delivered to the Russian Navy next year. Once commissioned, it will be Russia’s most advanced SSBN ever to conduct nuclear deterrence patrols. Next to improved maneuverability and purportedly improved stealth capabilities, the Borei II-class SSBN will carry a heavier nuclear payload (See: "Russia Will Start Constructing New Ballistic Missile Submarine in December"):
In comparison to the Borei-class, Borei II[A]-class submarines are fitted with four additional missile tubes, boast smaller hulls and cons, and feature improved acoustics and lower sound levels, next to a number of other technical improvements.
Both variants of Borei-class subs will be armed with Bulava (RSM-56) intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The Borei-class will be capable of carrying up to 16 Bulava ICBMs, whereas the improved Borei II-class can carry up to 20 ballistic missiles.
The improved variant of the Borei-class will be capable of launching 96-200 hypersonic, independently maneuverable warheads, yielding 100-150 kilotons apiece.
Russia plans to build a total of eight Borei-class SSBNs ‐ three Borei-class and five improved Borei II-class boats ‐ by 2o25. The date was recently confirmed by Admiral Korolyov, although delays are to be expected. For example, the construction of the Knyaz Vladimir began with a two-year delay due to contract disputes between the Russian Ministry of Defense and Sevmash Shipyards.
"Three Borei-class SSBNs have been commissioned to date with one submarine, the Yuri Dolgoruky, serving with the Northern Fleet and the remaining two ‐ Alexander Nevsky and Vladimir Monomakh ‐ deployed with Russia’s increasingly more active Pacific Fleet," I reported in June.
In his remarks on November 17, Korolyov also mentioned Russia’s intention develop a more advanced variant of the Borei-class in addition to a separate class of next-generation nuclear powered submarines.
"The development and the construction of the series of Project Borei-A strategic missile-carrying underwater cruisers and the eventual development of Project Borei-B submarines with the subsequent construction of fifth-generation nuclear-powered subs are prompted by the provisions of Russia’s naval doctrine and aimed at fulfilling the task of maintaining the armament and equipment of the groupings of strategic submarines in the Pacific and Northern Fleets at a high level," the admiral said, according to TASS news agency.
Work on the Borei B-class has allegedly already started. The new class of fifth-generation nuclear-powered subs (dubbed Husky-class) will reportedly come in three variants (SSN, SSG, and SSBN) and is expected to replace Project 971 Akula-class SSNs beginning in the 2030s. As I reported in July, the Rubin Central Design Bureau, which also designed and developed the Borei-class, has finished preliminary design work of new conventional fifth-generation submarine code named Project Kalina. The new sub will be based on the Project 677 Lada-class diesel-electric attack submarine.
For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
According to Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin, in his Live Journal blog and quoting Lugansk rebel Lt. Colonel Markov, three Ukrainian soldiers were killed. Story updated. Also, the rebels did take at least one prisoner. The sources I used did not mention prisoners. By Chris Covert
A total of three, and as many as eight Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an attempt to attack Russian backed rebel positions in northeastern Lugansk, according to a variety of Russian and Ukrainian language news reports.
According to an official statement posted on the Lugansk government website, a total of 15 effectives, two small squads from the Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, attempted to infiltrate south from their base at Krymskoye towards the settlement of Frunze.
Their action would have required them to cross Highway P66, which has been contested since the winter of 2015.
According to the report, the probe ran into a minefield, where three Ukrainian soldiers died and another four were wounded. When the tactical commander decided to withdraw, an attack using mortars and heavy machine guns was initiated to cover their retreat.
The Russian sponsored website Russkaya Vesna, quoting battalion commander Alexei Markov, reported that the probe made it as far as the northern verge of P66 when it hit the minefield. Markov also was quoted in the Russkaya Vesna article saying the engagement range was about 40 meters.
The Russkaya Vesna report quoted Markov saying that a total of four Ukrainians were killed and another three were wounded in the attack. Rebel forces reported two wounded.
Alexei Markov is commander of the "Ghost Battalion", whose area of responsibility includes defense of P66. The "Ghost Battalion" is headquartered at Stakhanov-Alchevsk.
A newer report from the official Lugansk website said that the Ukrainians continue firing weapons in the direction of Frunze, Kalinovka, and at Zheloye using the main guns of BMP-2s, 120mm and 82mm mortars, RPGs and grenade launchers.
According to the Russian language Ukraine news website lb.ua, a total of five Ukrainian soldiers were killed and four were wounded in the encounter. The report said that the fighting went on for eight hours, presumably through the night.
In southeastern Ukraine the weather is cold and snowy.
Donetsk
According to a Friday morning report which appeared on the official government website of Donetsk, Dokuchaevsk was hit again by Ukrainian artillery. A residential building was damaged in the Thursday mid-afternoon attack.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com and on Twitter. You can read past articles about the 2014 war in southeastern Ukraine by clicking here.
[PRESSTV] Spain's Supreme Court has decided to take charge of the cases of all deposed Catalan leaders, maintaining that they were interrelated in the bid for independence Madrid says is illegal.
The separatist leaders, who were axed by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on October 27 after the Catalan parliament declared unilateral independence, are charged with rebellion, sedition and accusations such as misappropriation of the public funds.
The Supreme Court stated on Friday that the leaders of the independence movement including separatists in the regional parliament, government and independence associations were connected in the rebellious move and needed to be tried by the same court.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/25/2017 00:00 ||
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Give us a lecture on human rights, why don't you EUropeans?
[DAWN] Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen will be driven from power like President Mugabe in Zim-bob-we, veteran opposition chief Sam Rainsy said on Thursday, adding that Western states should impose targeted sanctions after his party was dissolved.
The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was banned at the government’s request last week, deepening Hun Sen’s fight with Western donors who accuse him of demolishing democracy in the country he has ruled for over 32 years.
Rainsy resigned in February from the party, saying he feared it would be banned if he did not. Defamation convictions that he calls politically motivated drove him to flee Cambodia for La Belle France in 2015.
"Cambodia is at a tipping point. The people are fed up with Hun Sen and what is happening in Zim-bob-we is inspiring," Rainsy said in the interview.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/25/2017 00:00 ||
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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.
CARACAS (Reuters) - Washington has asked the government of leftist Nicolas Maduro for access to Venezuelan-American executives of U.S.-based refiner Citgo detained in Caracas this week, a State Department official said on Thursday.![]("https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nintchdbpict000255334138.jpg")
