L'il Bit of a Lotta News 03/07/2006

Iran says ready to combat electronic warfare.

"If our main enemy wants to carry out electronic warfare and jamming operations, our standards are at the NATO' level," Ebrahim Mahmoudzadeh told state television on Saturday.

He was also quoted as saying that Iran's radars, passive and active electronic protection "can combat anything that wants to harm us".

Russia: Hamas Retains Hard Line During Moscow Visit.

Russian officials and leaders of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas held talks in Moscow on March 3, marking the militant group’s highest-level foreign visit yet. As expected, Russia called on Hamas to lay down its arms and soften its policies. But Hamas did not show signs of willingness to revise its hardline stance towards.

China boosts secret activity toward Japan: police.

TOKYO (Reuters) - China is trying hard to modernize its military and stepping up clandestine activities targeting Japan, Japan's top police officer was quoted as saying on Thursday.

..."Machines [Japanese] whose exports are controlled (under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law) might be used to develop weapons of mass destruction," Uruma was quoted as saying.

Iran, North Korea Threaten To Develop, Spread Nuclear Weapons.

In a February 28 global threat assessment before the Senate Armed Services Committee, John Negroponte, director of national intelligence, and Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, agreed that the continuing threat of nuclear proliferation remains a clear and present danger to the United States, second only to the threat of a terrorist attack. (See related article.)

“We believe Iran is committed to acquiring a nuclear weapon and is currently developing the infrastructure to produce highly enriched uranium and plutonium for that purpose,” Maples said. (See related article.)

North Korea Top Persecutor
Contact: Jerry Dykstra, Media Relations Coordinator, Open Doors USA, 616-915-4117, JerryD@odusa.org

SANTA ANA, Calif., Mar. 1 /Christian Wire Service -- For the fourth straight year, the isolated communist nation of North Korea remains atop the 2006 Open Doors “World Watch List” of 50 countries where Christians are persecuted the most.

It is believed that tens of thousands of Christians are currently suffering in North Korean prison camps where they face cruel abuses, according to the 2006 World Watch List report. Some think the hermit regime has detained more political and religious prisoners than any other country in the world. Though no exact figures can be given, Open Doors’ staff estimates that hundreds of Christians were killed by the regime in 2005.

Former rebel set to lead Kosovo.

Former rebel leader Agim Ceku has been formally nominated to be the new prime minister of Kosovo.

...He is currently the head of the Kosovo Protection Corps, a civil emergency force.

Serbia has issued an arrest warrant for him, accusing him of crimes against Serbians in both Kosovo and Croatia.

Soviets 'ordered Pope shooting'.

An Italian parliamentary commission has concluded that the former Soviet Union was behind the 1981 assassination attempt on the late Pope John Paul II.

Military exports to China back on track

Toren said the permits, which were issued in coordination with the United States, allow Israeli companies to negotiate with Chinese companies over the sale of Israeli military products. He added that the Defense Ministry had halted military exports to China following a crisis in Israeli relations with the U.S. over Israel Aircraft Industries' selling its Phalcon early-warning system to China.

"We renewed the issues of permits to Israeli companies wishing to do business in China," Toren said. "The companies come to us and we use our judgment, with or without consulting with the United States," he continued.

How we duped the West, by Iran's nuclear negotiator.
By Philip Sherwell in Washington

The man who for two years led Iran's nuclear negotiations has laid out in unprecedented detail how the regime took advantage of talks with Britain, France and Germany to forge ahead with its secret atomic programme.

China warning to US over Taiwan.

"We hope that the US side... recognises the dangerous nature of Taiwan independence secessionist forces and takes concrete measures to oppose Taiwan independence forces," Mr Li told journalists.

[In the meantime...]
Military build-up
China and Taiwan have been governed separately since a civil war ended in 1949, but China still sees Taiwan as its territory and has threatened to use force if the island moves towards declaring independence.

Crusades equal to 9/11: textbook. This is your normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill crusaders=terrorists textbook; but if you are interested, here is the link.

Last, but not least by a long shot: North Korea missile threat growing: US military.

WASHINGTON (Reuters)-North Korea is set to deploy ballistic missiles that could reach Alaska and remains a global security threat despite its failing economy, the head of the U.S. military in South Korea told a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

Now I get to work on the articles I have piled up on Iran. Does it ever stop? I know. That was a stupid question, but it sure felt good saying it. lol.