Today Iran is the main enemy of the United States in the Middle East and in the world generally. One of the main goals of the USA is to change the current regime in Iran and to eliminate its theocratic government. Considering recent developments, the United States has all the necessary resources in the Middle East for a military intervention in Iran. On many occasions a variety of experts expressed the possibility of such a scenario. Representatives of the U.S. military leadership, according to some reports, have prepared a plan of battle that is in accordance with the Israeli army.However, vigorous discussions on the possibilities of a U.S. invasion into Iran circulate in the media without thorough analysis. It exclusively depends on the military capabilities of both countries that help to define whether the intervention in Iran will take place. It does not depend on the mood of the U.S. president. Thus, we would like to provide an objective evaluation of the military potentials of Iran that it could use against the United States. Also, we will evaluate the available forces that the United States could deploy for its military operation.

Armed Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran: The Numbers

The number of army personnel consists of 120,000 to 140,000 soldiers and officers. Conscripts number another 200,000 to 230,000. So this comes out to about 350,000 soldiers and officers on active duty.

To this we can add the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It is a certain kind of guard corps that is separate from the army and reports directly to Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran, bypassing the president, defense minister and other officials. It numbers 125,000 soldiers and officers.
The mobilization capacity of the country is about 20 million people, 11 million of which have the minimum level of military training. They are members of the paramilitary volunteer militia organization called the “Basij Force.”

Armored Forces

The Armed Forces has a lot of tanks, but all of them are older models. Iran has about 650 tanks produced in the U.K. and the U.S. that were acquired before the Islamic revolution. Due to the lack of spare parts and repairs, only 25 to 30 percent of them are in service.

Over 1,000 T-72 tanks are the basis of Iranian tank forces. They mainly consist of upgraded T-72s, which are manufactured under license in Iran. There are also tanks acquired from the Soviet Union and later from Russia.

A major advantage of the Iranian military industrial complex is the independent production of tanks. First of all, its Safir-74 is based on the Soviet-made T-54 and T-55. The IRGC and the army possess about 600 to 700 units of such tanks.

The more modern “Zulfiqar” tank was produced based on the T-72. There are no more than 200 such tanks produced thus far, though it is expected to become the main combat vehicle of the Iranian armored forces in the future.

In addition, Iran produces light “Tousan” tanks, which are used in reconnaissance units. This tank is a modification of the “Borah” or “Scorpion” Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The difference is that it has more enhanced weaponry — the “Tousan” is equipped with a 90-millimeter cannon instead of the machine gun or automatic 20-millimeter cannon of the IFV.

Only the T-72 and “Zulfiqar,” which is based on the T-72, have the capability to counterstrike modern tanks. All other Iranian tanks will face heavy losses, even fighting against the enemy’s infantry.

Air Force and Air Defense

The Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran consists of outdated Western-made aircrafts such as the F-4, F-5, F-14 and fighting jets from Russia and China. Iran also has about 40 MiG-29 fighters and 30 Su-24 fighters. About 30 J-7 fighters, based on the Russian MiG-21, were purchased from China.

The Iranian Air Force holds about 100 AH-1J Cobra helicopters, which were bought from the United States a long time ago. It also has approximately the same number of helicopters based on the Bell-205 and Bell-206 from its own production. Out of the 100 Cobras, no more than 60 percent are in service; the rest cannot operate, due to lack of spare parts.

Iran is actively working on the development of its own aircraft. The test of the F-4-based supersonic fighter “Saeqeh” took place, and the combat-training aircraft “Tazarv” is under development.

Iranian air defense is represented by different-sized weaponry. The most modern complexes in its disposal are 10 C-200 and 29 TOR-M1 air defense missile systems. According to some reports, there are two to three C-300s, which were purchased from the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Outdated air defense systems include 45 China-made HQ-2Js, about 150 Improved Hawks and a small amount of FM-80s, also made in China.

The Iranian Air Force is unable to operate outside of its own country if striking at enemy targets. The maximum operating scale of its Air Force is in support of the army throughout the country and in providing air cover of main units of air defense and other strategic facilities.

Iranian Navy

The Iranian surface fleet consists of five destroyers, three frigates, two corvettes, 10 missile boats, 10 amphibious ships and 50 patrol boats. The majority of them are outdated models and will be quickly destroyed if they face modern warships.

The possession of three low-noise 877 “Paltus” submarines acquired from the Soviet Union have more advantages and pose a real threat to U.S. naval ships in the Persian Gulf.

Another advantage of the Iranian Navy is the shore-based HY-2 Silkworm missiles and the YJ-2s made in China. Missiles copied from Soviet-made P-15s and U.S.-made Harpoons can effectively protect the coast from enemy landing.

Iranian Missile Forces

It is one of the main components of the armed forces, and it is the most dangerous. There are three armed ballistic missiles of short and medium range. The Shihab-1 and the Shihab-2 are based on the Soviet-made SCUD missiles, and their flight ranges are 300 and 700 kilometers, respectively. The missile Shihab-3 hits targets at a distance of 1,500 kilometers.

Thus, Iranian ballistic missiles are capable of hitting any target in the Middle East, including U.S. military bases.

The Armed Forces of the United States of America

The previous information is what the Iranian army has. Let us now estimate the might of the U.S. military and the groups that it could deploy against the Iranian army.

Army

The total number of the U.S. Army is about 500,000 people. Additionally, there are another 350,000 soldiers in the National Guard; however, the probability of deploying them outside the country is extremely low. For a military operation in Iran, only a certain portion of these troops could be allocated. Considering that the U.S. currently has operations in other parts of the world and the overall size of the army, it would be able to deploy no more than 200,000 to 250,000 soldiers and officers.

It is worth taking into account that all of them are professional soldiers, well-trained and technically equipped. According to its military potential, 200,000 U.S. soldiers correspond to roughly 1.5 to two million conscripts from Iran, Russia, China or any other country in the world. We should also mention the U.S. Marine Corps, which consists of up to 60,000 soldiers and officers. This division possesses high levels of training and extensive combat experience, which are used on the tip of strike.

Armored Force

The large amount of modern military technology and the size of its army enables the United States to represent itself as the global military power. At the moment, the tank divisions are equipped with 5,850 Abrams M1A1 and M1A2 tanks in various modifications. These are the most effective modern tanks, and their performance characteristics are much better than that of the Iranian T-72S and “Zulfikar.”

In the case of a military operation, over 2,000 Abrams tanks could be used, and a number of them are already in Iraq. The rest could be quickly deployed to the Persian Gulf.

U.S. Air Force

The U.S. Air Force includes 145 strategic bombers, among which are 64 B1Bs and 19 B-2s with reduced visibility to enemy radars. There are 213 ground-attack A-10s and OA-10As to support the infantry.

Fighters include 396 F-15 Eagles, 217 F-15E Strike Eagles, 738 F-16 Fighting Falcons and 139 F-22 Raptors, which remains the leading combat fighter in the world that has been launched into mass production.

U.S. Air Force helicopters include about 60 Sikorsky HH-60Gs, known as the “Black Hawk.” They are used to support the infantry in separate operations. In addition, ground forces have a large number of helicopters for support, but structurally these helicopters are not part of the U.S. Air Force.

U.S. transport aviation has more than 400 aircraft of various modifications, including 35 giant C-5 Galaxies, 158 C-17As and 151 C-130Y/H/Js. Transport aviation resources enable the rapid redeployment of troops and equipment to any part of the world.

Unmanned aerial vehicles include 118 MQ-1 Predators, 27 MQ-9 Readers and 13 RQ-4 Global Hawks. Modern combat vehicles can strike and perform reconnaissance without a risk to pilots.

In addition, the U.S. Air Force possesses electronic warfare aircraft, airborne warning and control (124 units), aircraft and helicopters for special purposes (50 units), primary trainer aircraft and aerial refueling tanker aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force is clearly superior in its parameters to that of Iran. If a military conflict were to take place, then the U.S. Air Force would totally dominate in the air.

U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy is the most powerful in terms of military capacity. It includes about 300 ships and is organizationally divided into six fleets and central command (one fleet).

The U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers, 10 of which can carry 66 combat aircraft, including 48 F/A 18 Hornet fighters.

It also includes 22 guided-missile cruisers armed with “Tomahawk” cruise missiles, “ASROS” anti-ship missiles and “Standard” anti-aircraft missiles. Apart from them, the U.S. Navy also has 56 “Arleigh Burke” missile destroyers armed with cruise and anti-ship missiles.

Submarine forces consist of 71 nuclear submarines, 14 of which have ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.

Amphibious ships provide the ability to transfer forces to any part of the world and to land on the enemy’s coast. They include two scale amphibious ships, 10 amphibious assault ships, nine landing helicopter dock ships and 12 amphibious transport dock ships.

In addition, the Navy has two hospital ships and 14 mine-sweeping vessels.

As you can see, the composition of the U.S. Navy leaves no doubt that it is able to suppress the Iranian coastal defense and provide for the landing of its troops.

Situation Analysis

Now let us analyze the situation in more detail. Technical indicators demonstrate that the military power of the United States is far superior to that of Iran. One of the major advantages that Iran had before Iraq was invaded is the fact that the American troops would have to land on the narrow Persian Gulf. Considering the level of Iranian coastal defense, the U.S. Navy would bear an inevitable loss. Today, Iran can be invaded from Iraq, which greatly simplifies the task of U.S. military forces.

However, this does not exclude the task of taking control over Iranian airspace. Here, the U.S. Air Force is likely to suffer heavy losses, especially if Iran really has at least one or two C-300 anti-missile defense systems. With 29 Tor-M1s along with the C-200, Iran can seriously damage the operation of American pilots. The MiG-29 is a good jet fighter, but Iran has them in too small a quantity to be able to fight for airspace on a large scale. The SU-24 is likely to be used in order to support the Iranian infantry, but they will be quickly destroyed.

Cruise missiles are best for destroying the air defenses system, but in order to launch them, the U.S. Navy should control the Persian Gulf first, which means that the U.S. has to destroy the air defense of the Iranian coast. That is, the operation of the United States would definitely begin with air strikes. The second stage is likely to be massive strikes by cruise missiles, and the invasion of ground forces would follow.

Another threat to the United States and Israel is the Iranian ballistic missile system. In the case of a successful launch, they could cause serious damage to U.S. military bases as well as to cities in Israel (Israel will definitely join the U.S. as an ally in the case of such an operation).

Therefore, the task of destroying the Iranian ballistic missile systems is another major task for the U.S. Air Force. Generally, this task is quite achievable but with inevitably significant losses.

As for ground combat, the main advantage of Iran is the fact that it has a good opportunity for quick mobilization of the Basij force. Its numerical advantage would allow the Iranian commanders give additional burden to U.S. troops. If Iran puts efforts on strengthening all population centers in the way of invading forces, then United States will be mired in street warfare for a long time.

Such a level of defense will only be achievable if Iran has several days for mobilization and organization. Moreover, the Iranian Air Force and Air Defense Forces will not be completely destroyed in the first two days of the operation. That is, the army and the IRGC will have to keep holding back U.S. troops until a reinforcement of mobilized reservists arrive from behind. In such a scenario, Iran has a good chance to deter U.S. troops successfully and even move toward waging offensive operations, despite the fact that it would lose control over the air and of the line of coastal defense.

Thus, a U.S. military operation against Iran is a serious risk for the entire American military command. Firstly, it would entail great losses in manpower and technology. Secondly, there is a chance that the United States may even lose this war and could be forced to retreat. In this case, the reputation of the United States as the greatest military power will be damaged dramatically. Thirdly, a successful attack by the Iranian missile forces could completely destroy a number of U.S. military bases in the Middle East region, leading to huge losses that would lead to the collapse of the reputation of the U.S. Army as whole.

Summary

The possibility of a military operation of the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran is extremely low. Under current circumstances, it is hardly expected to take place.

The end is nigh and I doubt I’m the only one who feels a bit lost. Now that the Harry Potter series is really coming to an end, wePotter fans need to find something to keep us occupied (and obsessed). Sure, we had to go through this a little when the final book came out and we promptly read it overnight, allowing a terrible sadness to descend because we’d just finished the series too soon, but this is really the end. We can’t even look forward to any more reincarnations of our favorite books. It’s really over. So what the heck do we do now?

Well, there are two routes. We can either find something new and move on or we wallow in Harry Potter-dom FOREVER. Let’s explore option one first.

A British inventor has come up with a so-called “safe” cigarette: It’s a nicotine inhaler shaped like a cigarette that delivers doses of the addictive chemical equal to those of cigarettes. Unlike the real things, though, it doesn’t contain tobacco or burn when you puff it, so it doesn’t pollute the lungs with carcinogenic tar.

Alex Hearn, the Oxford-educated 28-year-old who designed the product, has earned the backing of several wealthy investors as well as a licensing deal with British American Tobacco (BAT), the company behind the cigarette brands Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall. Hearn is even in talks with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the UK’s version of the FDA, to be allowed to market his nicotine inhaler as a medicinal product. Currently under development, BAT says the inhalers will hit the market within two years.

As Nadal slammed an uncharacteristic backhand error to lose The Championships point, Djokovic hit the deck in sheer joy on Sunday. Within minutes, the 24-year-old Serbian did what no champion had ever done before — plucked a few blades of the grass and chewed it.

Former claycourt  champion Manuel Santana, who had during his playing days remarked “grass is for cows” was puzzled by this impromptu action from Djokovic as he ended the Roger Federer-Nadal duopoly at Wimbledon.

“This is the best day of my life, this is the tournament I always dreamt of winning,” said Djokovic following the presentation ceremony. He hugged the trophy the same way as a child would do with a prized new toy.

“When you are playing the best player in the world, Rafa Nadal, I had to play at the top of my game. I think I played my best match on grass,” said an emotional Djokovic as his entire family and support staff watched with moist eyes.

When the new weekly ATP rankings come out on Monday, Djokovic will officially be the No.1 men’s singles player. But the icing on the cake is the Wimbledon trophy, which has come in a year where his dominance has been supreme, having won the Australian Open title in January.

For his part, Nadal was emotional when he first addressed the centre court. “Wimbledon has always been special for me and I can imagine how Novak is feeling today. I wish to thank the crowds for making me feel like this and I will be back next year,” said Nadal, his voice almost choking.

This is the Wimbledon final which everyone had been hoping for – No.1 versus the No. 2. Statistical records in this season were in favour of  Djokovic, though given Nadal’s unbeaten 20-match winning streak at The Championships, it would have required something special for the Serbian to pull it off.

And what a start Djokovic made, going full throttle and playing sublime tennis where the timings of his shots mixed with the angles and superb court coverage caught the eye.

The high first serve percentage worked well for the six feet and two inches tall Djokovic as the defending champion was befuddled in the contest.
Djokovic was on cruise mode in the second set and his game was a combination of technical acumen, consistency and immense athleticism. His court coverage and speed made him look even more destructive against a man who had won two finals before this here.

There was a huge slump in Djokovic’s form in the third set and it had to do with his first serve percentage dropping. All of a sudden, the “Come on Rafa” chants grew, and the Spaniard forced the contest into the fourth set.

The longer the match grew, it would have been better for Nadal, as he usually wears down the opponent with his termagant approach. But Djokovic had other ideas as he once again started playing in the zone. His production of groundstrokes was amazing and the backhand absolutely world class.

Yet, the way the new champion asserted himself in the eighth game of the fourth set and forced Nadal to make errors was something unusual.

Serving for the title, Djokovic was composed. Referred to as a player who can hit winners from any part of the court he set up match point with an immaculate high backhand volley. Nadal needed to do something special to hang in and failed.

Each era of Wimbledon has seen special champions. After Pete Sampras won his seventh title here in 2000, wild card Goran Ivanisevic won The Championships in 2001. A year later, when the entire field fell apart, Lleyton Hewitt emerged champion.

From 2003 to 2010, it has been a Federer vs Nadal show. Djokovic has signaled the dawn of a new era and more rivalries will take shape from here on.

As the 125th edition of the Wimbledon came to a close, it is nice to have two new champions — Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic and Novad Djokovic from Belgrade, Serbia.

other winners  photos

Petra Kvitova Petra Kvitova Maria Sharapova

Wimbledon silverware                                                                   Girls’ Doubles Champions

Bob Bryan Mike Bryan Eugenie Bouchard and Grace Min

Jurgen Melzer and Iveta Benesova                               Sharon Walraven and Esther Vergeer

mixed doubles trophies                                                          wheelchair women’s doubles trophy

China apart from being one of the fastest growing countries in terms of technology and economy, now has one more thing to boast about – the world’s longest sea bridge. The newly constructed 26.4 miles-long Qingdao Haiwan Bridge would easily cross the English Channel and is almost 3 miles longer than the previous record-holder, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in the American state of Louisiana.

The vast structure links the centre of the booming port city of Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong Province with the suburb of Huangdao, spanning the wide blue waters of Jiaozhou Bay. At least 10,000 workers toiled in two teams around the clock to build the bridge, which was constructed from opposite ends and connected in the middle in the last few days.

A staggering 450,000 tons of steel was used in its construction – enough for almost 65 Eiffel Towers – and 2.3 million cubic metres of concrete, equivalent to filling 3,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Chinese officials said that the bridge will be strong enough to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake, typhoons or the impact of a 300,000 tonne vessel.

In December 2009, work started on a 31 mile bridge that will link Zhuhai in southern Guangdong Province, China’s manufacturing heartland, with the financial centre of Hong Kong. The £6.5 billion project is expected to be completed in 2016.

The statement, issued by a spokesman for Schwarzenegger, said the two were working on the future of their relationship while living apart and they would continue to parent their four children together.

“This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us,” the two said in a prepared statement. “After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion, and prayer, we came to this decision together.”

It was not clear from the statement if either remained at their estate in Brentwood, or whom the children were with. Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, Daniel Ketchell, said he wouldn’t answer questions beyond what was said in Monday’s statement.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican, finished his seven-year run as governor in January and has been traveling to deliver speeches and pursuing entertainment projects. He tweeted frequently during his travels to such faraway places as Brazil, Nigeria and France.
Shriver was not mentioned in his Twitter updates from the road.

Shriver, also active on social networks, posted three updates on her Twitter page on the day of their 25th wedding anniversary, April 26, but did not mention the milestone.
About a month before the anniversary, Shriver wrote on her Facebook page that she was going through a transition in her life.
“As you know, transitions are not easy. I’d love to get your advice on how you’ve handled transitions in your own life,” she said in a video posted on YouTube.

“It’s so stressful to not know what you’re doing next. People ask you what are you doing and then they can’t believe that you don’t know what you’re doing,” she said.

Schwarzenegger has said that Shriver, who is keenly attuned to the risks of a life in politics, initially was very upset about his plan to run for governor. But when Schwarzenegger announced his decision on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in August 2003, he said his wife stood by his decision.

During Schwarzenegger’s time as governor, Shriver and the couple’s children never moved to Sacramento, preferring their secluded canyon estate a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. Schwarzenegger never settled in Sacramento, choosing instead to commute by private jet between his home and the state capitol.

Shriver, a member of the Kennedy political dynasty and the daughter of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, left her job as an NBC News correspondent after Schwarzenegger took office.

In a May 2009 commencement speech at the University of Southern California, Schwarzenegger alluded to the powerful influence Shriver had on his life. He said when people ask him the secret to success, “I say, number one, come to America. Number two, work your butt off. And number three, marry a Kennedy.”

As the state’s first lady, Shriver ran an annual women’s conference that attracted a long list of business, political and entertainment luminaries, along with an audience of thousands. She also was credited with overhauling the California Museum in downtown Sacramento and, with Schwarzenegger, starting the California Hall of Fame.

The separation announcement comes months after the death of Shriver’s father, Peace Corpsfounder and former vice presidential candidate Sargent Shriver, in January.

Washington:

Al-Qaeda terrorists have threatened to unleash a “nuclear hellstorm” on the West if their leader and world’s most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden is nabbed.

A senior al-Qaeda commander has claimed that the terror group has stashed away a nuclear bomb in Europe which will be detonated if bin Laden is ever caught or assassinated, according to new top secret files made public by internet whistleblower WikiLeaks.

The documents are secret details of the background to the capture of each of the 780 people held at or have passed through the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, along with their medical condition and the information they have provided during interrogations.

The documents have been released to select European and US news outlets and reveal that the day 9/11 terror killings took place in United States, the core of al-Qaeda was concentrated in a single city of Karachi in Pakistan.

The author of September 11 attacks watched the horrifying scenes of the planes crashing into the twin towers of World Trade Centre beamed live on TV with key al-Qaeda commanders at a safe house in Karachi.

While in a nearby hospital, the accused mastermind of the bombing of USS’ Cole off Yemen waters was recovering from an tonsillectomy, the alleged organiser of the 2002 Bali bombing was buying lab equipment for a biological weapons programme.

Within a day much of the al-Qaeda leadership disappeared back to Afghanistan to plan for a long war, the Washington Post reported quoting the fresh leaks on whereabouts of the international al-Qaeda terror brigade.

The cache of classified military documents portray the planning of the 9/11 terror attacks and whereabouts of its plotters including the world’s most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri on that fateful day.

The Guantanamo detainees are assessed “high or medium or low” in terms of their intelligence value and the threat they pose while in detention and the continued threat they might pose if released.

The leaks say that four days after September 11 attacks, bin Laden visited a guest house in Afghanistan’s Kanadhar province where he told his gathered Arab fighters to “defend Afghanistan against infidel invaders” and to “fight in the name of Allah”.

The intelligence report says after the 9/11 attacks began a peripatetic three weeks for bin Laden and his deputy as they criss-crossed Afghanistan handing out assignments to followers, meetings with top Taliban leadership and delegating control of al-Qaeda to the group’s ‘shura’ council, presumably because he feared being captured or killed as US forces closed in.

source

indian espress

How can you adequately describe someone like Muammar Gaddafi? During a period that has spanned six decades, the Libyan leader has paraded on the world stage with a style so unique and unpredictable that the words “maverick” or “eccentric” scarcely do him justice.

His rule has seen him go from revolutionary hero to international pariah, to valued strategic partner and back to pariah again.

He has developed his own political philosophy, writing a book that is – in the eyes of its author, at least – so influential that it eclipses anything dreamt up by Plato, Locke or Marx.

He has made countless show-stopping appearances at Arab and international gatherings, standing out not just with his outlandish clothing, but also his blunt speeches and unconventional behaviour.

One Arab commentator recently called him the “Picasso of Middle East politics”, although instead of Blue, Rose or Cubist periods, he has had his pan-Arab period, his Islamist period, his pan-African period, and so on.

“Freedom of expression is the right of every natural person, even if a person chooses to behave irrationally, to express his or her insanity”

“Women, like men, are human beings. This is an incontestable truth… Women are different from men in form because they are females, just as all females in the kingdom of plants and animals differ from the male of their species… According to gynaecologists women, unlike men, menstruate each month… Since men cannot be impregnated they do not experience the ailments that women do”

Both excerpts from the Green Book

Early promise

In the heady days of 1969 – when he seized power in a bloodless military coup – and the early 1970s, Muammar Gaddafi was a handsome and charismatic young army officer.

An eager disciple of President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt (he even adopted the same military rank, promoting himself from captain to colonel after the coup), Gaddafi first set about tackling the unfair economic legacy of foreign domination.

For Nasser, it was the Suez Canal. For Gaddafi, it was oil.

Significant reserves had been discovered in Libya in the late 1950s, but the extraction was controlled by foreign petroleum companies, which set prices to the advantage of their own domestic consumers and benefited from a half share in the revenue.

Col Gaddafi demanded renegotiation of the contracts, threatening to shut off production if the oil companies refused.

Gaddafi was a huge admirer of Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser, who led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952

He memorably challenged foreign oil executives by telling them “people who have lived without oil for 5,000 years can live without it again for a few years in order to attain their legitimate rights”.

The gambit succeeded and Libya became the first developing country to secure a majority share of the revenues from its own oil production. Other nations soon followed this precedent and the 1970s Arab petro-boom began.

Libya was in a prime position to reap the benefits. With production levels matching the Gulf states, and one of the smallest populations in Africa (less than 3m at the time), the black gold made it rich quickly.

Political theorist

Rather than persevering with the doctrines of Arab Nationalism, or following the glittering excesses of Gulf consumerism, Col Gaddafi’s innately mercurial character led him and Libya on a new path.

Born to nomadic Bedouin parents in 1942, Muammar Gaddafi was certainly an intelligent, resourceful man, but he did not receive a thorough education, apart from learning to read the Koran and his military training.

Nevertheless, in the early 1970s he set out to prove himself a leading political philosopher, developing something called the third universal theory, outlined in his famous Green Book.

On the Arab world and Africa

“Libya is an African country. May Allah help the Arabs and keep them away from us. We don’t want anything to do with them” Libyan TV, March 2007

“I am an international leader, the dean of the Arab rulers, the king of kings of Africa and the imam of Muslims, and my international status does not allow me to descend to a lower level” Arab League summit, March 2009

The theory claims to solve the contradictions inherent in capitalism and communism (the first and second theories), in order to put the world on a path of political, economic and social revolution and set oppressed peoples free everywhere.

In fact, it is little more than a series of fatuous diatribes, and it is bitterly ironic that a text whose professed objective is to break the shackles imposed by the vested interests dominating political systems has been used instead to subjugate an entire population.

The result of Col Gaddafi’s theory, underlined with absolute intolerance of dissent or alternative voices, has been the hollowing out of Libyan society, with all vestiges of constitutionality, civil society and authentic political participation eradicated.

The solution to society’s woes, the book maintains, is not electoral representation – described by Gaddafi as “dictatorship” by the biggest party – or any other existing political system, but the establishment of people’s committees to run all aspects of existence.

This new system is presented diagrammatically in the Green Book as an elegant wagon wheel, with basic popular congresses around the rim electing people’s committees that send influence along the spokes to a responsive and truly democratic people’s general secretariat at the centre.

The model that was created in reality was an ultra-hierarchical pyramid – with the Gaddafi family and close allies at the top wielding power unchecked, protected by a brutal security apparatus.

In the parallel world of the Green Book, the system is called a Jamahiriyya – a neologism that plays on the Arabic word for a republic, Jumhuriyya, implying “rule by the masses”.

Gaddafi’s ‘system’ as envisaged in the Green Book

So the long-suffering Libyan masses were dragooned into attending popular congresses vested with no power, authority or budgets, with the knowledge that anyone who spoke out of turn and criticised the regime could be carted off to prison.

For a system that was designed to end oppression and dictatorship, a set of draconian laws was enacted in the name of upholding security.

They include laws allowing collective punishment, death for anyone who spreads theories aiming to change the constitution and life imprisonment for disseminating information that tarnishes the country’s reputation.

Tales abounded of torture, lengthy jail terms without a fair trial, executions and disappearances.

Many of Libya’s most educated and qualified citizens chose exile, rather than pay lip service to the lunacy.

Adventures abroad

Unchecked by any of the normal restraints of governance, Col Gaddafi was able to take his anti-imperialist campaign around the world, funding and supporting militant groups and resistance movements wherever he found them.

He also targeted Libyan exiles, dozens of whom were killed by assassins believed to belong to a global Libyan intelligence network.

If more conventional governments were prepared to shrug off his human rights violations at home and persecution of dissidents abroad, supporting groups that used terrorism on their own patches was a different matter.

A bombing of a nightclub used by US soldiers in Berlin in 1986, blamed on Libyan agents, proved a decisive moment.

On democracy and opposition

“There is no state with a democracy except Libya on the whole planet”

“In the Middle East, the opposition is quite different than the opposition in advanced countries. In our countries, the opposition takes the form of explosions, assassinations, killings ”

Address to US Academics, March 2006

US President Ronald Reagan ordered air strikes against Tripoli and Benghazi in retaliation for the two soldiers and one civilian killed and the dozens of wounded, although there was no conclusive proof beyond intelligence “chatter” that Libya had ordered the attack.

The US retaliation was intended to kill the “mad dog of the Middle East”, as Mr Reagan branded him, but although there was extensive damage and an unknown number of Libyan fatalities – including, it was claimed, Gaddafi’s adopted daughter – the colonel emerged unscathed.

His reputation may even have been enhanced among opponents of Washington’s heavy-handed foreign policy.

The bombing of Pan-Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988 was the next significant escalation, causing the deaths of 270 people in the air and on the ground, the worst single act of terrorism ever witnessed in the UK.

Gaddafi’s initial refusal to hand over the two Libyan suspects to Scottish jurisdiction resulted in a protracted period of negotiations and UN sanctions, finally ending in 1999 with their surrender and trial. One of the men, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, was jailed for life, but the other was found not guilty.

A new detente?

The resolution of the Lockerbie case, along with Col Gaddafi’s subsequent admission and renunciation of a covert nuclear and chemical weapons programme, paved the way for a significant warming of relations between Tripoli and western powers in the 21st century.

The domestication of the erstwhile “mad dog” was held up as one of the few positive results of US President George W Bush’s military invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The argument went that Col Gaddafi had watched the fate of fellow miscreant Saddam Hussein, hanged by Iraqis after a US-instigated legal process, and had learnt a sobering lesson.

It is perhaps more plausible to argue that the Libyan leader played his WMD card when he saw the benefits of forging strategic partnerships with the US and European powers.

Tony Blair visited Gaddafi at his luxurious Bedouin tent after sanctions were lifted

He certainly paid little heed to Mr Bush’s so-called “freedom agenda”, which held that the US no longer held common cause with dictators and despots and that democracy and human rights were just around the corner.

It was after all more or less business as usual between Washington and the other authoritarian Arab rulers whom the US called friends and allies.

With international sanctions lifted, Tripoli was back on the international political itinerary, allowing British Prime Minister Tony Blair, among other luminaries, to drop in at Col Gaddafi’s famously luxurious Bedouin tent erected in his palace grounds.

In true nomadic style, the tent also went with the colonel on trips to Europe and the US, although in New York state it fell foul of stringent zoning regulations on the estate of tycoon Donald Trump and had to be hastily dismantled.

Distaste about the alleged architect of Lockerbie’s readmission into the world leaders’ club lingered in many circles, not least among the US victims’ families and their supporters.

But that did not stop business deals being struck with a succession of western defence manufacturers and oil firms.

Ironically, it was on the Arab front that Col Gaddafi kept his black sheep status alive.

Throughout the 2000s, the normally staid proceedings of annual summits of the Arab League were almost guaranteed to be disrupted by the Libyan leader’s antics, whether it was lighting up a cigarette and blowing smoke into the face of his neighbour, or tossing insults at Gulf rulers and the Palestinians, or declaring himself “king of kings of Africa”.

The UN has also witnessed the colonel’s eccentricity. At the 2010 General Assembly, he gave a rambling speech more than an hour-and-a-quarter longer than his allocated 10-minute time slot, tearing out and screwing up pages from the UN Charter as he spoke.

Rebellion

When the winds of revolt started to blow through the Arab world from Tunisia in December 2010, Libya was not at the top of most people’s list of “who’s next”.

The combination of water and oil gave Libya a sound economic platform

Colonel Gaddafi fitted the bill as an authoritarian ruler who had endured for more years than the vast majority of his citizens could remember. But he was not so widely perceived as a western lackey as some Arab leaders accused of putting outside interests before those of his people.

He had redistributed wealth – although the enrichment of his own family from oil revenues and other deals was hard to ignore and redistribution was undertaken more in the spirit of buying loyalty than promoting equality.

He sponsored grand public works, such as the improbable Great Man-Made River project, a massive endeavour inspired, perhaps, by ancient Bedouin water procurement techniques, that brought sweet, fresh water from aquifers in the south to the arid north of his country.

There was even something of a Tripoli Spring, with long-term exiles given to understand that they could return without facing persecution or jail.

When the first calls for a Libyan “day of rage” were circulated, Col Gaddafi pledged – apparently in all seriousness – to protest with the people, in keeping with his myth of being the “brother leader of the revolution” who had long ago relinquished power to the people.

As it turned out, the scent of freedom and the draw of possibly toppling the colonel, just as Egypt’s Mubarak and Tunisia’s Ben Ali had been toppled, was too strong to resist among parts of the Libyan population, especially in the east.

Some of the first footage of rebellion to come out of Benghazi showed incensed young Libyans smashing up a green monolith outside an official building representing the spurious liberation doctrine that had kept them enslaved since the 1970s, the Green Book.

It was probably inevitable that Col Gaddafi would fight back with everything in his armoury in order to hold on to power. There is nothing in his past to suggest he would do otherwise.

But his days of flamboyant appearances in New York, the capitals of Europe and the Arab world, are now behind him. So too the spell which he once cast over Libyans with his “universal theory”.

source

BBC News

London. The older girls in your life – are very conscious about the style of the old Nicola Weaver week 26 Peag drink wine picks. 15-year-old Nicola 26 Peag of wine every week, three large cans of beer and takes a full bottle vodka drink. Yet, Nicola says she is not Elhcolik.

The addiction to free him last week he was sent to hospital. Counselor there, after long negotiations Nicola refused to change their habits. To correct it now has seized his mobile phone and TV.

Nicola with her mother and younger brothers Braingltten lives in Yorkshire. The women reported drinking alcohol is 10 times more alcohol. She says, my behavior is normal. Drinking less than fun for me.

Carlos Slim Helu & family

Bill Gates

Warren Buffett

Bernard Arnault

Larry Ellison

Lakshmi Mittal

Amancio Ortega

Eike Batista

Mukesh Ambani

Christy Walton & family

Li Ka-shing

Karl Albrecht

Stefan Persson

Vladimir Lisin

Liliane Bettencourt

Sheldon Adelson

David Thomson & family

Charles Koch

David Koch

Jim Walton

Alice Walton

S. Robson Walton

Kwok Thomas & Raymond & family

Larry Page

Sergey Brin

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud

Iris Fontbona & family

Lee Shau Kee

Alexei Mordashov

Michael Bloomberg

Jeff Bezos

Michele Ferrero & family

Mikhail Prokhorov

Vladimir Potanin

Alisher Usmanov

Azim Premji

Oleg Deripaska

Michael Otto & family

Rinat Akhmetov

German Larrea Mota Velasco & family

John Paulson

Shashi & Ravi Ruia

Mikhail Fridman

Michael Dell

Susanne Klatten

Steve Ballmer

George Soros

Berthold & Theo Jr. Albrecht & family

Birgit Rausing & family

Vagit Alekperov

Aliko Dangote

Mark Zuckerberg

Anne Cox Chambers

Roman Abramovich

Jorge Paulo Lemann

Savitri Jindal & family

Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor & family

Paul Allen

Viktor Vekselberg

Phil Knight

Carl Icahn

Robert Kuok

Mohammed Al Amoudi

Donald Bren

Ron Perelman

Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez & family

Francois Pinault & family

Joseph Safra

Abigail Johnson

Viktor Rashnikov

Leonardo Del Vecchio

John Fredriksen

Stefan Quandt

James Simons

Luis Carlos Sarmiento

Horst Paulmann & family

Nasser Al-Kharafi & family

Eliodoro, Bernardo & Patricia Matte

Sammy Ofer & family

Len Blavatnik

Forrest Mars

Klaus-Michael Kuhne

John Mars

Jacqueline Mars

Hans Rausing

Ernesto Bertarelli & family

Gautam Adani

Iskander Makhmudov

Johanna Quandt

Maria-Elisabeth & Georg Schaeffler

George Kaiser

German Khan

Dmitry Rybolovlev

Ananda Krishnan

Robin Li

Serge Dassault & family

Kumar Birla

Petr Kellner

Leonid Mikhelson

Cheng Yu-tung

CAIRO: One Egyptian kissed the ground. Another rolled in ecstasy in the grass outside a presidential palace. People wept, jumped, screamed and hugged each other with a shared joy they had never known. Cairo erupted in a cacophony of celebration: fireworks and car horns and gunshots in the air.

President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed power to the military on Friday, and Egypt held its biggest party in decades.

“The people have toppled the regime,” chanted protesters, whose 18 days of swelling protests tipped Egypt into a crisis that the autocratic government could not undo.

“This is the happiest day in my generation,” said Ali al-Tayab, a demonstrator who paid tribute to those who died in clashes with police and Mubarak supporters. “To the martyrs, this is your day.”

At a presidential palace in Cairo, where demonstrators had gathered in the thousands, people flashed the V-for-victory sign and shouted, “Be happy, Egyptians, today is a feast” and “He stepped down.”

They handed out candy. Many prayed and declared: “God is great.”

Crowds packed Tahrir Square, the scene of massive protests against Mubarak that began on Jan. 25. The celebrations continued early Saturday, with throngs of people milling around in downtown Cairo.

“Egypt is free,” shouted Mahmoud Elhetta, a protest organizer. “We are a great people and we did something great. This is the expected end for every dictator.”

Some, though, warned that Egypt still faces many challenges, including what they hope will be a peaceful transition to free elections and a full democracy.

“We still have a long way to go to fix things,” said protester Hala Abdel-Razek. “What has been ruined by the Mubarak regime has to be fixed and we have to start rebuilding with the help of the young people.”

A speaker on a podium said demonstrators would not immediately abandon the square because: “There is more to do.”

Some soldiers who were stationed at the square ran into the crowd to celebrate, and protesters lifted them onto their shoulders. Other troops stayed at their posts, watching the scene in awe. People posed with them for photographs in front of tanks. Flag-waving children climbed onto the vehicles.

The protesters’ barricades that had controlled entry to the square were dismantled, and security checkpoints at which demonstrators showed identification and had their bags searched were also gone.

On Thursday, an exultant crowd gathered on the square for what they expected would be the president’s televised announcement that he would resign. Instead they were shocked to hear him say he would transfer power to his deputy, but keep the title. Angry and disappointed, thousands of protesters fanned out across the city on Friday.

Vice President Omar Suleiman then announced that his boss had resigned.

In Tahrir Square, protesters heard the announcement on mobile telephone radios that they passed back and forth. They broke into cheers and some formed a conga line, winding through the packed area.

“Goodbye, Goodbye,” demonstrators shouted. They beat drums and waved national flags.

“Finally, we are free,” said 60-year-old Safwan Abou Stat. “From now on, anyone who is going to rule will know that these people are great.”

In some neighborhoods, women on balconies ululated with the joyous tongue-trilling used to mark weddings and births. Others sang the national anthem.

State television, a bastion of support for the Mubarak regime, began reporting the celebrations across the nation. It was a big change for state television, which had spent most of the last days of the uprising trying to portray the demonstrators as a minority.

Mubarak’s departure, said the station’s reporter outside his Cairo palace, “showed that the Egyptians are capable of making their own history. They are able to move the water that has been still for 30 years.”

“At this moment, Egyptians are breathing freedom,” said the TV presenter.

The mood of several hundred thousand protesters who had earlier gathered outside the presidential palace of Ras el-Tin in coastal Alexandria and the downtown area broke into celebration on hearing of Mubarak’s resignation. They waved flags, whistled and danced.

People in the southern city of Assiut fired guns in the air as they roamed the streets on motorcycles or pickup trucks. Coffee houses distributed free sweet drinks to anyone who walked by.

Earlier in the day, two protesters were killed in a clash with security forces there, and crowds set a police station on fire. The army evacuated the local governor to the military headquarters in southern Egypt.

Hundreds of miles away, in the restive Sinai Peninsula city of al-Arish, celebrations over Mubarak’s departure began as a gunbattle continued between a group of residents and security forces outside a police station.

The head of northern Sinai’s health services, Sami Anwar, said two people have been killed and 35 wounded in the fighting.

The gunbattle erupted when the residents tried to storm the police station, the latest violence in a long dispute over what residents see as the heavy-handed tactics of the police.

In Cairo, in the midst of the celebration, Ala Moussa said he was shot in the back by a policeman’s rubber bullet at an earlier protest. He removed his glasses and wiped away tears.

“We have our freedom now,” he said. “The question now is if we can take another route. I hope so.”

Mohammed el-Masry, who marched to the presidential palace, said he had spent the past two weeks living in the protest encampment at Tahrir Square. He also wept. “We made it,” he said.

Read more: Mubarak resigns, Egypt celebrates – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Mubarak-resigns-Egypt-celebrates/articleshow/7479896.cms#ixzz1DiilPhtl

Washington . Indinoan top secret in China as a warship capable of destroying anti – ship ballistic missile project is underway. a distinguished English newspaper the Washington Times quoted a U.S. Navy A senior official of China, the top secret missile project has revealed.

Washington Times reported the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Robert F. Willards a newspaper interview last Sunday in a Japanese anti – ship ballistic missile is said about the project. 

According to media reports, Anti – Ballistic missile ship is so advanced that his hitting U.S. warships and other warships can not escape. Being told that Chinese warships in the sea as these missiles seem multiplied the power of China will.

In the new year will be China’s first aircraft carrier
China, in 2011 its first aircraft carrier in the ocean can take off. China’s senior military officials and top leadership has confirmed. According to media reports in the coming Chinese aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean trade route will be deployed to protect. Is believed to be held in July in the Chinese Communist celebrations on the occasion of the Chinese navy will be assigned to it.

The Chinese naval intelligence far the project is described, according to defense experts, the aircraft carrier will be equipped with ultra modern weapons and their range will be the destroyer ships. Tell you that right now in South Asia is the only aircraft carrier to India and Thailand.

Mercedes has got this car right but at a price. Based on the luxury sedan, the E-Class Cabriolet represents the freedom of driving. It’s a vehicle that celebrates the fun of motoring while cocooning the driver in luxury.

Incidentally, the Cabriolet marks the seventh offering within the E-Class range, making it one of the widest range of luxury vehicles available in the country.

Priced at Rs. 64.5 lakh (exshowroom Delhi), the E-Class Cabriolet boasts of a soft top made of extremely high quality insulation that allows for comfortable driving even with the top up. The convertible also features a unique AIRCAP feature which is an automatic wind deflector that can be deployed at the touch of a button in order to reduce the amount of airflow towards the interiors of the vehicle, basically translating to the fact that you can drive the car with the roof down and not mess up your hairstyle!

Powering the Cabriolet is the 3.5 litre, 6-cylinder petrol engine from Mercedes-Benz that churns out 272 hp @ 6000 rpm and makes a staggering 355Nm of torque between 2400 and 5000 rpm. Capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in just 6.9 seconds, the Cabriolet tops out at about 250km/h.

The unique, elegant and sporty exterior design of the E350 cabriolet starts up front with a `cubist’ treatment of the trademark Mercedes-Benz twin headlight face. Two parallelogram lights are cut into the front flared front fenders, bracketing the three-dimensional frame of the front grille.

The two-door, four-seat Mer cedes-Benz E-Class features a classic fabric soft top that can be opened or closed in just 20-sec onds, even at speeds up to 25mph.

Its four-layer convertible top is insulated for low noise and year round comfort, even in very cold or hot weather. With the top down, a new AIRCAP system works at the push of a dash-mounted button to reduce drafts and air turbulence for all four occupants, and an AIRSCARF system can blow heated air directly on the neck area from outlets in the seatback just below the head restraints.

The soft top is stowed in a special compartment behind the rear seats. When the roof is up, the panel between the top stowage area and the trunk can slide to the rear, increasing the trunk capacity. I was dazzled when I took the E350 out on the highway . Even though the top was down and the car was doing 130km/hr,the cabin was calm. When I pushed the sport” button and punched the gas, the engine sounded like a hurricane. There was an angry moan and the car shot forward.

At first glance, putting a fabric top on a car this expensive seems tacky, but this particular soft-top is a marvel. It’s nearly an nch thick and well-insulated against noise and cold. It goes up and down in around 20 seconds.

Its been 24 hours without the convertible sedan after the company took it back from me and I am missing fond memories of driving the E350 Cabrio et. Money being no object, I’d love to own one.

Source: The Financial Express

The long-awaited compact SUV from Skoda will is likely to be priced in the range of Rs 15-18 lakh

The long-awaited compact SUV from Skoda, the ‘Yeti’ will be seen on the roads from November 18. Powered with 2.0 litre diesel engine Yeti will cost around Rs 15 lakh. This engine has already been seen in Laura.

The car will have 6 airbags and offers high level of safety features. Yeti also offers corner function for fog lamps.

With 2-litre TDI CR (Common Rail) engine and a 6-speed manual transmission, the Yeti also features an advanced real-time four-wheel drive system.

The Key Specifications of this impressive and sturdy SUV are:

Power – 140 BHP @ 4200 RPM, Torque – 32.63 KGM @ 1750 – 2500 RPM, Maximum Speed – 160 kmph, Transmission Type – 6 Speed Manual, Gears – 6, Fuel Type – Diesel Fuel Tank Capacity – 60 litre,

Yeti will be the first 4X4 model of the company under the SUV category in India.

Los Angeles: Alisha — the Afghan girl who became the face of Taliban opression after her nose was cut off by her husband — has got a new face. Ayesha’s plight was highlighted by Time magazine after she was married off to a Taliban fighter at the age of 12.

When she tried to escape, her nose and ears were sliced off by her husband. Now thanks to a complicated surgery, she got a new nose. The Grossman Burn Foundation paid for her operation in Los Angeles

The 19-year-old Alisha triggered a worldwide outpouring of sympathy after her plight was highlighted by the ‘Time’ magazine which put her on the front cover to draw attention to sufferings of women in Afghanistan.

The girl, thanks to pioneering surgery by American surgeons, got a new nose and appeared before the cameras to receive an Enduring Heart Award by a foundation which paid for her operation in Los Angeles, ‘The Telegraph’ reported.

Alisha was 12 when her father married her to a Taliban fighter to repay a debt. She was handed over to the militant’s family, abused and made to sleep in a stable with animals.

Depressed due to ill treatment by her husband and in-laws, she tried to escape and her nose and ears were sliced off by her husband as punishment.

After being left for dead in the mountains, Alisha crawled to her grandfather’s house from where she was rushed to an American medical facility.

The Grossman Burn Foundation flew her to America in August where she had a prosthetic nose fitted at the West Hills hospital and the doctors say she would be given a “more permanent” solution soon.

This might involve rebuilding her nose and ears, using bone, tissue and cartilage from other parts of the body.

Till then, Alisha is back to her old joyful ways.

“This is an award given to a woman whose heart endures,” said the Californian First Lady Maria Shriver, wife of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who presented the award to a girl who never thought she would see life again.

(With inputs from PTI)

Accenture has decided to make 250,000 unskilled and semi-skilled people around the world job- or business-ready by 2015.

Accenture and Accenture Foundation will invest over $100 million into this initiative called Skills to Succeed’ . It will seek to educate people, and build skills that enable them to participate in and contribute to areas like IT, BPO, hospitality and retail .

India is likely to be a significant beneficiary of this campaign as the country has over 450 million unskilled and semi-skilled people under 35. The company has roped in Dr Reddy’s Foundation and Nasscom Foundation to provide BPO skills training to underprivileged youth from rural India. It has entered into a partnership with IGNOU to offer a diploma course on BPO services. “With Nasscom Foundation, we will train adolescent girls and young women from economically backward areas in animation skills,” said Rekha Menon, executive director in Accenture India.

Article Courtesy of Economic Times

http://money.wn.com/converter/?v=100&f=USD&t=EUR

Gold climbed to a record high in London and New York, stimulated by Japan’s decision to cut its key interest rate and escalate its asset purchase programme. Link to this video Gold, up 2pc this year, is heading for its 10th consecutive annual gain, the longest winning streak since at least 1920. On Tuesday, bullion for immediate delivery added as much as $13, trading at $1,326.97 an ounce in early London trading. The metal has rallied as central banks and governments maintained low borrowing costs and spent trillions of dollars to stimulate economies. The Bank of Japan on Tuesday pledged to keep its benchmark interest rate at “virtually…