SNN - World Wide News Headlines

[Jimmy]

World News – 11th Feb 2006

North Korea renewed its call today for the South and America to surrender or face ‘certain annihilation’. The US Sectary general played down the threat as ‘pure fantasy’ and reiterated that the forces still defending the south of the country will hold their ground. Since hostilities began in August last year, the South Korean and US military have had huge losses in one of the bloodiest actions since WWII. North Korea now holds 75% of South Korea but for the last month, coalition forces have slowed the NK advance to a near stand still.
Unconfirmed reports claim that America has been hastily forming a massive main battle group off the west coast of Taiwan, building up reinforcements for a possible counter attack.

US General Peters announced today the formation of a special anti drugs task force to aid the Afghanistan government. The general remarked; ‘The opium trade in the country has reached critical proportions the last couple of years and the effects are being felt around the world’. The announcement comes as unconfirmed reports of renewed resistance from possible Taliban insurgents were reported last week. The Afghan government welcomed the initiative, which will see another 1000 Coalition troops sent to the region.
When asked, the General down played comments that the announcement was connected to the Arakahr prison brake-out last weekend.

Tensions continued to rise today in Morocco when a massive car bomb was detonated in the city of Rabat killing 48 people and injuring another 130. This is the 5th attack of its type in as many months and responsibly for the explosion has been claimed by the group; ‘Bothers for the Principality of Islam’ or; BPI. The terrorist group has carried out as many as 23 confirmed attacks in the last 2 years against government targets. They claim the attacks in the name of Allah and the foundation of a new Moroccan government based on the true principles of Islam.
A government spokesman claimed that every effort would be made to bring this group to justice and reaffirmed that the Morocco will not give in to terrorism.
On another note, political opposition to the current regime is getting stronger by the week and public opinion is gaining strength in favour of a full Islamic state.

[Jimmy]

European News 14th feb 2006

UK Troops join EU army

Britain has re-affirmed its commitment by providing UK troops to a new European Union rapid reaction force.
All 25 EU countries have agreed contributions to the multinational battle groups, which are aimed at improving the union's crisis response ability.
Britain's will be one of the largest contributions with around 1,500 troops to be made available details were agreed at a meeting of EU foreign and defence ministers in Brussels in December 2004.

At the 1998 St Malo summit prime minister Tony Blair and French president Jacques Chirac agreed to increase military co-operation.
The American administration appears to have accepted the value of an EU force having initially considered such a move to be a threat to the NATO alliance.

Hotspots

The force will be smaller and more highly skilled than the 60,000 strong force originally envisaged. It is envisaged that they will be used in hotspots like the Democratic Republic of Congo where a French led EU operation has been undertaken in Bunia.

Each unit will have its own logistical support, including aircraft to transport them and communications and logistical backing to keep them in the field for between 30 and 60 days. Every battle group will be associated with a headquarters in one of the member states which would run any operations rather than the EU's embryonic military planning cell in Brussels.

Only the UK and France are able to provide this sort of quick reaction force, but Italy, Germany and Spain will develop the means to do the same. The plan will mean that multi-national teams will be assembled and train together to create mixed-nationality battle groups. One EU military official said: "All EU countries have armies with their own national battle groups ready to deploy on their soil.

"This is an acknowledgement that we need something that can conduct expeditionary operations, something that can, at short notice, mount flash to bang operations when the council of ministers says so."

[Jimmy]

World News - 21th Feb 2006

Japan reacted with outrage earlier today when its air force clashed with Chinese fighters over the Sea of Japan. The Japanese sectary of defence claims that two Chinese Mig 29 fighters encroached on Japanese airspace at 13:00 today. When challenged by two patrolling Japanese air force jets a 5 min standoff ensued. It is claimed that the Chinese fighters locked their weapon radars on one of JAF fighters before retreating back into in to China’s airspace. The Chinese Government has declined to comment.

It was reported today by the World monetary fund that The Russian Federation has extended its borrowing again for 2nd year in a row taking the total amount of the countries debt in excess of £300 billion. The new loan is slated for improvements in nationwide infrastructure and industries.

[Jimmy]

Special Report 21 Feb 2006

Flirting with Armageddon: welcome to a new arms race

The threat of nuclear strikes is now greater than during the Cold War.

A new nuclear arms race is gripping the world. Many experts believe the likelihood of such an attack is greater now than it was during the Cold War. North Korea has already used a nuclear weapon, Iran could be on the brink of building them. Both nations have triggered an arms races among their neighbours. The international system set up to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons has sprung a series of leaks. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned of a 'cascade' of states going nuclear.

But that might not even be the biggest threat. Behind the ambitions and fears of nations lurk terrorist networks bent on acquiring weapons. Few doubt the most extreme groups would love to use them. It is a bleak picture that makes the Cold War look almost safe. We are in an extremely dangerous time.
At the moment the world's nuclear club is eight strong. There are the original big five of the US, China, Russia, Britain and France and three newcomers of India, Pakistan and Israel. That has now changed. The reclusive and impoverished Stalinist state of North Korea has now become the club's newest member.

That could see the triggering of a regional nuclear arms race in Asia, a continent already scarred by the nuclear standoff between Indian and Pakistan. With North Korea boasting a nuclear arsenal, South Korea is under enormous pressure to follow suit as a deterrent. Japan too could see nuclear weapons as its only insurance against assault. With its hi-tech economy many people believe Japan could develop weapons in a matter of weeks or months, not years.

But if this happens then China, motivated by longstanding fears over its advanced neighbour, will likely move to increase its own nuclear weapons arsenal and develop more advanced delivery systems. Suddenly, the nuclear club will start to look very crowded.

Certainly Iran appears to want to join despite intensive diplomacy from a trio of European nations. Many experts put that down to a failure of US policy. Iran's leaders have looked at the contrasting fates of Iraq, which was invaded for weapons it did not have. With the Bush administration openly bent on 'regime change' in Iran, the safest route for the country's reigning mullahs seems obvious. 'Iran has learned that lesson. They want to go the North Korea route, not the Iraq route.

That has led to a dangerous game of brinkmanship in a Middle East destined to become a theatre of conflict where nuclear weapons are suddenly a real possibility. Israel already has the bomb. Iran, surrounded by American allies and soldiers, wants it too. Some experts think it is too late to stop Iran from going nuclear, no matter how many official denials Tehran puts out about its intentions. Others believe there is still hope. 'We need to make a concerted effort and engage with the process,' said Paul Shuman, a former proliferation expert at the US State Department.

Whatever the approach, few believe that the Iranian nuclear issue is anything but a potentially catastrophic powder keg. If Iran pushes ahead, then Israel could launch strikes against possible nuclear facilities, just as it did in Iraq in the 1980s. Such a move could easily ignite a major war across the region. The crisis is brewing to a boil and no real solution is yet in sight.

But the nuclear threat of the 21st century comes from terrorist groups, not just rogue states. It is no longer governments who are the most likely to spread nukes or the technology to make them. And it is no longer states who are most likely to use them.

Militants such as Osama bin Laden have said that they would use nuclear weapons. Al-Qaeda are known to have acquired plans for the manufacture of nuclear arms. Intelligence services know meetings occurred between al-Qaeda representatives and nuclear scientists before 11 September. Islamic militants have since negotiated to buy what they thought was weapons-grade uranium from criminals.

'The intent is there,' said one Western intelligence source. 'The question is whether any militant organisation - particularly one that is being chased by the most powerful nation in the world - could build the facilities to create and weaponise a nuclear armament, even some kind of "suitcase bomb" style device. The answer is "probably no".'
Instead, most experts agree, the main threat comes from a basic radiological device - or dirty bomb. This would be a conventional bomb laced with radioactive material - perhaps only an element from a hospital x-ray machine.

According to a report to be published next week by the British American Security Information Council, the radiological impact of a dirty bomb is uncertain. In 1987 the Iraqi army tested a large radiological bomb for possible use in the Iran-Iraq war, but abandoned the plan because the radiation levels produced were not considered high enough. But dirty bombs do have two advantages for terrorists. First, they could cause widespread panic and chaos. Second, the cost of the cleanup, and the implications of having large parts of a city centre rendered unusable, would be massive.

There are dangers everywhere. Many fear General Pervaiz Musharraf's pro-Western government in Pakistan, which already has the bomb, could be replaced by a harder line Islamic regime. And there are problems with former Soviet stocks. Russia alone has hundreds of metric tonnes of weapons grade materials such as enriched uranium. The prospect of a nuclear attack by terrorists on a Western city is more possible now than at any time.
It is not all doom and gloom. Libya had come in from the diplomatic cold, giving up its nuclear ambitions. And there is now little possibility of a nuclear-armed Iraq threatening the Middle East.

But in general the situation looks bleak. It has been more than 30 years since the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was created. It was designed to discourage nations from developing nuclear weapons in return for access to nuclear power and an obligation on behalf of the big powers to work towards nuclear disarmament.
'It is a treaty concerned not only with stopping the further spread of nukes but also about their complete elimination,' said Dr Joseph Pullinger, of Saferworld, an independent foreign affairs think tank. 'Instead, it is clear that none of the five declared nuclear states are thinking about abandoning their nukes for the foreseeable future.' As Iran and North Korea stand in the dock, it may well be worth remembering the Non-Proliferation was meant to work both ways.

[Jimmy]

World news - 2nd March 2006

US forces intensified the air campaign in South Korea today involving more than 500 aircraft flying around the clock and hundreds of cruise missiles. US Sectary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, claimed they had carried out significant strikes against the North Korean forward Air defence systems, which has allowed more in depth raids on forward positions. Last month, it was reported that US and naval air forces had suffered ‘significant’ losses to portable advanced anti aircraft missile batteries. Some losses were due to North Korean fighter jets, but briefings given by the commander of the air force claim that NK air power was completely out matched by their counterpart and engagements were normally one sided. As a result there has been very little NK air force activity in the south of the country but instead have embarked on an ‘air denial’ campaign over the North in conjunction with a highly advanced air defence umbrella.

Rioting broke out today in the French city of Paris. Hostilities broke out when North African Protesters and police clashed during demonstrations for equality turned violent. The demonstration was spearheaded by the FFE (Front for freedom and Equality), a new group campaigning for immigrant groups equal rights as French citizens, especially French born ethnic minorities. The group’s actions have heightened since tensions continue to rise in Algeria and Morocco. Recent figures published state that unemployment amongst North African immigrants is running at almost 50% and race related hate crimes are up by an astonishing 200%.

The leaders of Iran and Iraq announced today at a press conference, that the two countries would no longer consider each other as enemies. Both counties have signed a joint non aggression agreement that will end decades of hostility. Experts and religious leaders claim that this historic moment will bring ‘a great richness in both spiritual and economic union’ between the two countries. The peace treaty was brokered by Mohamed Salak, a well respected Islamic academic who has been an active participant in settling many disputes between groups and governments across the region.
Some western governments, although publicly have voiced their support for the initiative, have also expressed some concern over wider issues of stability amongst both countries neighbours.

[Jimmy]

World news round up April 29th 2006

Asia:

-The Korean peninsular conflict is still raging. The North Korean occupied territory separates Seoul and Pusan, but the North has not gained any significant ground for a month. Several defence experts are daring to ask if the invading momentum has been halted?

-Meanwhile, UN Special Envoy Harry Pearson sounded in positive mood when asked about the ongoing talks to improve relations between China and Japan. Pearson said, “tension has been growing for a while now, but it's in every nation's interest to avoid any more instability in the region. That's why we're (the UN) here... so far it's looking good.”

-The continuing effort in Afghanistan has not produced anymore high profile results since the end of Operation Lion's Den. The mundane and less media attractive everyday work of the task force that captured Sharik has started to slip from the headlines already. Ground denial and crop destruction is still disrupting Afghanistan's biggest income generator.


Europe:

-After the bad feeling expressed about North African immigrant workers in Paris, similar views were voiced in other large French cities. The Government has been trying to support both parties with assurances- financial aid and increases in immigration control from the former colonies have been proposed. Nationalists have called this step 'insulting', while others are sceptical whether this will have any effect.

-The European media have been drawing parallels between the current French led operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and previous recent European interventions in Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast. It seems that conventional forces are having difficulty in dealing with such an un-predictable enemy in their inhospitable surroundings.



Africa/ The Middle East:

-Several high profile Police raids in Morocco has hit back in recent weeks against the BPI. The terrorist group has had several key players taken out of operation lately in an attempt to restore national security. 2M, a national news station has reported eyewitness reports of 'non-Moroccan' men working closely with the Police on scene at these raids; raising the question whether outside forces were lending support in time of need.

-So far Iran and Iraq's joint non-aggression treaty has held firm with continuing good will. Libya has been welcomed back to the West's diplomatic table after many behind closed-door meetings. Several politicians have gone on record as saying that these countries examples is hope enough that the region can develop it's local and international relations in this new era.

[Jimmy]

World News - 7th May 2006

Japan and China seem to have finally reached an agreement in their ongoing international dispute. Trade and travel embargoes have been lifted by both Tokyo and Beijing. After recent years the U.N. has lost credibility, but this success in chairing negotiations is an encouraging sign. SNN and the BBC have been the first news agencies to break the latest news that both the Chinese and Japanese Foreign Ministers will be part of a special envoy; their aim will be to try and talk to both sides involved in the Korean Conflict to build on this current partial stability in the region.


Today in the UK, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Gerald Francis repeated concerns at the relaxed public approach towards terrorism in Britain. “I think it would be naïve and wholly inappropriate to assume that terrorism on our shores will only come from the 9/11 stereotype; it’s time to wake up to the complex new world we now live in, there is now a real threat from anyone with extreme views.”


Two French military personnel died today in the Congo according to the French Defence Ministry. Details are still unclear but early reports lead to an incident at a demonstration against international intervention that the Soldiers were overseeing. The march apparently turned to violence as tempers flared between rival groups fighting for control of the country and it appears the men were caught in the middle. The defence minister praised both men for their service and dedication, adding that it was an unfortunate incident but their military presence is essential to the safeguarding of French Nationals and interests.

[Jimmy]

World News - 8th May 2006

Many news agencies have been carrying footage released today of US and South Korean Special Forces teams in action during the current conflict. Much has been made of the United State’s aerial support to Seoul in recent months but only speculation of their SF’s involvement has been possible. Our reporter embedded with Korean HQ at Camp Delta has told us that US Special Force's personnel has assisted lately on high priority snatch missions and reconnaissance in the last few weeks.

[Jimmy]

Look Ahead to Tomorrow's Papers - 9th May 2006

The Stirling Echo is carrying the story of a new Anti-terror unit in the UK, days after Sir Gerald Francis, Metropolitan Police, renewed calls for public awareness towards possible terror attacks.

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[Jimmy]

World News - 11th May 2006

Unconfirmed reports have been reaching news centres around the world in the last few hours of an American Air Force Plane coming down over Kazakhstan. It is yet unkown why the U2 reconnaissance aircraft came into difficulty over the Eastern region of the country but is understood that the pilot has ejected into an area close to the Russian and Chinese borders.

So far no official press release has been made from the Pentagon but in the House of Congress many leading Democrats are calling for an answer to its presence in the area.

[Jimmy]

World News - 18th May 2006

The Pentagon has today confirmed that the pilot that crash landed in Kazakhstan last week was unfortunately killed during the accident and the body has been repatriated to the USA. The official response to the planes presence in the region was that it's navigation instruments suffered a malfunction near the Russian border as it left there to head for North Korea.

[Jimmy]

World News - 18th May 2006

Reports circulating from Astana, the Kazakh capital, seem to be contradicting the earlier press release made by the Pentagon this morning.

The Defence Minister has denied knowledge that the pilot's body has left the country. After admitting that Government Forces had found the pilot he also stated that local rebels had seized the body over the weekend. He angrily went on to suggest that maybe the US had some hand in the pilots recovery as the black box is also missing after long and unsuccessful searches of the crash site.

The minister continued by saying that if any foreign personnel were operating in his country then the matter would be reported to the UN.

[Jimmy]

World News - 29th May 2006

The action in Korea is drawing to a standtsill, both sides are deeply entrenched in long lines of defensive systems. No ground has been gained or lost by either side for nearly a month.

The aerial superiority of the Southern Coalition has forced the North into static strongholds that are proving difficult for the ground forces to overthrow. Seoul and Pusan are still isolated but there is hope that during the summer land can be won back.

The fiercist fighting lately has been raging around the city of Wonju, the north korean's have disappeared into the buildings and have been proving difficult to locate and remove.

Military officials have likened this latest action to the Battle for Hue in Southern Vietnam back in 1968. Reports from Wonju have described slow and difficult efforts to clear houses and buildings that the North Korean's have been operating from.

[Jimmy]

World News - 2nd june 2006

Final Preparations for the International Relations Conference in London were being put in place today. Concrete barriers and exclusion zones were erected around key sites including the central hotel venue and repection areas. Vehicle search areas have been spotted on all major routes into the capital.

With the first official engagement on Wednesday at Buckingham Palace, security has been visibly raised across the city in a bid to reduce the publics fears of a terrorist outrage during the visit.


Meanwhile in Korea, heavy bombardment of Wonju by artillery and American planes has pushed the North Koreans further into its centre. This has deepened the problem for the Coalition South, who was hoping for a speedy solution, but now the operation threatens to prolong into a siege.

[Jimmy]

World News - 5th June 2006

It has emerged that the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Rt Hon. Andrew Sutherland has undergone emergency surgery at an undisclosed hospital in London.

It is understood that although all terrorists were contained and the siege was broken successfully, the PM received wounds from flying debris.

An official statement from the 'Beehive', the Houses of Parliament in New Zealand, has stated that Mr Sutherland is currently stable and his family would like to express their deep gratitude to the men of J-Det who carried out the mission.