U.S. Debt Crisis - Story in Pictures

Possible consequences of the debt crisis
if U.S. debt failure occurs on August 2.


Senate commission finalled reached a deal that
still remains to be voted on by both chambers of
the U.S. Senate.


Obama soothing not only Chinese creditors.
Even though military expenses are to be cut,
U.S. tax rates should remain unchanged.


Actual unemployment and economic growth.

Jordan Uprising

حديث الثورة
Subject of today's "Revolution Talk" on Al-Jazeera, Arabic channel,
are the latest events in Jordan:

آلاف المتظاهرين في مناطق من الأردن يخرجون في مسيرات سلمية تحت عنوان جمعة القسم
Thousands of supporters in the districts of Jordan [take to the streets
joining] peaceful marches on the occasion of the Friday prayers.

هتافات المتظاهرين في مسيرات جمعة القسم تطالب بإصلاح النظام و العدالة الإجتماعية
[Participants] on their marches of the Friday prayers acclaiming
the demands of a reformation of the regime and social justice.

المتظاهرون في مسيرات "جمعة القسم" يرفضون التعديلات الدستورية و يطالبون بدستور ديمقراطي
The supporters on the Friday prayers' marches reject modifications to
the [present] constitution and demand a [new] democratic constitution.

المتظاهرون أدوا قسما تعهدوا فيه بمواصلة حراكهم السلمي إلى حين تحقيق الإصلاح
The supporters swear to commit themselves to the continuation
of their peaceful movement until reforms are realized.



Above picture: Participants of today's "Revolution Talk"
- Amir Abu Rasae (left), coordinator of relations within the Coordination
of Youth Movements in Jordan.
- Hani al-Durani (right), director of the New Jordanian Center of Studies.

JAPAN - New Earthquake and Tsunami Warning

Tonight, an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude hit the north-eastern part of Japan, same region as effected by the Fukushima disaster. The shaking of the earth could be noticed even in Tokyo. There is danger of a Tsunami to arrive at the eastern coast of Japan's main island. Reported by CNN.

2011 - The World in Space

UPDATE: Atlantis lift-off on July 8, 11:30 local time.


U.S. space agency NASA announce their last space shuttle mission to take place on Friday this week. Space shuttle Atlantis will then take off for the final mission.

The United States, once leading in space research, are now being challenged by other countries, once regarded as rather poor developing nations. Here are the space contenders to the U.S.:

Russia $ 3.8 Billion Budget. / Responsible for 40% of all actual space launches. / Now in control of International Space Station ISS.

China $ 2 Billion Budget. / Carried out a manned space mission in 2003. / Plannings: Chinese Space Station, 2025 Man on Moon.

India $ 1.45 Billion Budget. / Carried out a Moon Mission in 2008. / Plannings: 2016 Man on Moon.


Brazil in Space


Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes (left) who took part in a mission to the International Space Station ISS in 2006, together with his Russian and U.S. colleagues whom he accompanied on a Russian spacecraft. Pontes came from a very poor Brazilian worker's family and had already to work at the age of 14. Now, he's a national hero.



China on its Way to Mars


"Mars - We are steadily getting closer".

Below: A shortcut of the actual Chinese Mars project, using the homebuilt "Glowworm" measuring device. The Glowworm project makes part of an international programm, called Mars 500. On some of the planned missions from 2011 to 2018, China and Russia are working together. [Click to the below picture for a better resolution of the Chinese text.]




Frozen Ocean on Mars - recorded by ESA's device "Mars Express".

SYRIA - Political Unrest and Economic Decay

الاقتصاد و السياسة في سوريا
Economy and Politics in Syria

After weeks of political uprising, accompanied by repeated military crackdown on protesters and waves of immigration into Turkey and Lebanon, the people of Syria will have to recognize that their country's economy, as well, is driving from bad to worse. Here some news from the Arabic service of Al-Jazeera TV.


رؤية الحكومة للوضع الاقتصادي
Reflection(s) of the Government on the Economic Situation:

سوريا غنية جدا و الحكومة تحاول تعبئة موارد الدولة
Syria is very rich and the government tries to mobilize national resources.

ما أشيع عن تهاوي الصادرات بنسب تفوق 40% أقوال تنطوي على مبالغات
It is unsatisfactory that the decline of exports is related to a predicted increase of 40% which is [already much] exaggerated.

---

مؤشرات سلبية
Negative Indicators:

صندوق النقد يتوقع انكماش معدل نمو الاقتصاد السورية إلى %3
The [international] monetary fund has predicted an overall reduction of economic growth of 3%.

يعني هذا الانكماش تسريح مئات الالاف من وظائفهم
In other words, that shrinking [of economy] will set free hundreds of thousands [of employees] from their jobs.

كما يعني ذلك الأمر تراجع القدرات الشرائية للمواطنية السوريين
That means, as well, it is in fact a regression of spending power within the Syrian population.

LIBYA - Bloody Scenes

معارك بين الثوار و كتائب القذافي في مدينتي يفرن و القلعة في منطقة الجبل الفربي
Engagements between the rebels and Gadafi units at [the] town of Jafran and [its] fortress in the Western Mountain region.




مراسل الجزيرة: كتائب القذافي تواصل قصفها لأحياء مدينة الزنتان
According to a correspondent of Al-Jazeera, Gadafi units are continuing their cannonade of everything living in the town of Zintan.



انتصارات للثوار
[Places of] success for the rebels (*)



تواجد كتائب القذافي
Coexistence of Gadafi units [and rebels] (*)

* = For a better orientation on the above maps:
In both maps, the town at the right side and above all others is Tripolis.




The visual diary of a soldier belonging to the Gadafi units was found on his body after his death. It gives an inside view of military proceedings and hints at possible war crimes. Therefore it is worth to be preserved and proliferated.
Recorded on June 9, 2011.

4-Year-Old Picasso Girl

A 4-year-old Australian girl selling her paintings at a gallery in Manhattan / New York for tenthousands of Dollars to buyers who didn't know her age. Must have seen to believe !

The girl's exhibition is named "The Prodigy of Color". It is presenting paintings of space and nature, her favorite subjects. Now, compare this to the pictures NASA took from a giant sun eruption that happened only two days ago and will influence, both, electricity and radio transmission on earth during the next days:



And here are some weird space objects found with the Hubble Telescope:

Yemen - The Saudi-Arabian Option

Above picture: Ahmed ash-Shalafi,
correspondent of Al-Jazeera Arabic
TV, reporting from Sanaa.

Wounded President might Leave his Country

After a recent attack on the Yemenite president's residency and that left president Saleh wounded and some of his guards dead, Saudi-Arabia offered medical treatment to the president of Yemen.

Last night and in the frame of a regular TV broadcast in Arabic named "REVOLUTION TALK حديث الثورة", this time on Yemen, Al-Jazeera TV in Qatar presented the following live news as subtitles. I took that changing information as a basis of an own translation. Now you can read the news in the same sequence they appeared:

مصادر سعودية تؤكد وصول مسؤولين يمنيين الذين أصيبوا في الانفجار للعلاج في المملكة
Saudi-Arabian sources confirm the arrival of Yemenite [officials] who were wounded by the explosion [in the president's residency] and [are awaiting] medical treatment in the kingdom [of Saudi-Arabia].

أنباء عن وصول الرئيس اليمني علي عبد الله صالح إلى السعودية لتلقي العلاج بسبب جروح أصيب بها
News of Yemen's president Ali Abdallah Saleh having arrived in Saudi-Arabia to undergo [medical] treatment because of the wounds he had received.

صالح قد يكون أصيب على الأرجح إصابات من بينها شظية قرب القلب و حروقا بالصدر و الوجه
Saleh was probably wounded by the explosion [of a grenade] when he was near to the center [of explosion] and [received] burnings of the breast and his face as well.

The following information seems to be doublechecked by Al-Jazeera's own personnel and is presented in form of a headline rather than a subtitle. It should be regarded as more reliable:

مصادر للجزيرة: الرئيس اليمني ما يزال يتلقى العلاج بصنعاء على يد فريق طبي سعودي
Sources of Al-Jazeera [say that] the Yemenite president is still receiving [medical] treatment in Sanaa from the hands of a Saudi-Arabian medical team.

مصادر للجزيرة: طائرة طبية سعودية في صنعاء لنقل الرئيس اليمني في حالة الضرورة
According to sources of Al-Jazeera, an ambulance plane from Saudi-Arabia [has landed] in Sanaa [and is prepared] to transport the Yemenite president in case of urgency.

Postscript:
On the next day, it became clear that president Saleh finally had to leave his country for medical treatment in Saudi-Arabia. Thereupon, Yemenite citizens took to the street in order to celebrate the end of dictatorship, a celebration that comes too early as Saleh might return at any day after his treatment abroad:




Saudi-Arabia to Ensure Ceasefire ?

رئيس مجلس التضامن الوطني في اليمن شيخ حسين الأحمر يعلن التزامه بوقف إطلاق النار بناء على وساطه سعودية
The president of the National Council of Solidarity in Yemen, Sheikh Husein Ahmar, declares [his support of] a ceasefire under the supervision of Saudi-Arabia.



A Slow Transition of Power

On April 23, 2011, president Saleh introduced his own transition program that offered the president's retreat after 30 days. The requirements of that program could not be accepted by the opposition. Therefore, it took another month and the help of an initiative of the Gulf states to come to terms with the Yemenite president on May 21. The new power deal assured immunity from prosecution to president Saleh and comprised the plannings for general elections to be held within two months. Already signed by the opposition, the treaty was later rejected by the president which led to the actual fighting scenes at the presidential residence.



Point nine of the Yemen Transition Deal
achieved on May 21 by the initiative of
the moderating Gulf states:

المبادرة الخليجية المعدلة

تاسعة

في أعقاب الانتخابات, يطلب الرئيس من رئيس الحزب الفائز بأكبر عدد من الأصوات تشكيل الحكومة

At the end of the elections, the president will ask the president of the party winning the higher number of votes to constitute the government.

Egypt - Border to Gaza now Open

Today, the revolutionary government of Egypt decided to open the Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza despite warnings from Israel that Palestinian Hamas might then pile up further arms in Gaza. At the beginning, the border should be open to traffic during daylight only. This will facilitate life in the Gaza strip for most Palestinian families who are now suffering from all kinds of shortcomings.

The border to Egypt had been closed for many years after the bilateral peace treaty between former Egyptian president Sadat and Israel. During the Mubarak era, the border had only been contemporarily opened for humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza. At the same time, the border between Gaza and Israel had been frequently closed by Israeli forces or used for military incursions into Gaza that did much damage to Gaza's infrastructure.

Two days before, U.S. President Obama made a statement on the Palestian subject with the following words: "We can't afford to wait another decade, or another two decades, or another three decades to achieve peace ..."

---

U.S. President Obama delivering a historic speech to British politicians at Westminster Hall, London. Rather an honour to speak there after the pope, the queen and Nelson Mandela than the beginning of a very funny joke like: "After the pope and the queen, here come the negroes from the colonies."

Pakistan - Naval Airbase Attacked

In Karachi, Pakistan, a naval airbase is being attacked by unknown gunmen. Up to now, at least four persons died during the firefight. It seems that one of the buildings has been seized by the attackers. Because of ongoing fighting, ambulances are being held up.

This comes only five days after a Taliban commander announced his organization's firm will to take revenge on Pakistan and the U.S. for the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Taliban: Revenge for Bin Laden - Pakistani Nukes

Umer Khalid, a commander of the Taliban, announces Taliban plans to take revenge for the death of former al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. Pakistani and U.S. targets will be on their hitlist including members of the U.S. intelligence community. [Al-Jazeera]

According to CNN News, the former Egyptian security officer Saif al-Adel (سيف العدل "Sword of Justice", right photo below) should become the interim leader of al-Qaeda after the death of Bin Laden. Al-Adel is known as the "caretaker" of al-Qaeda. Sooner or later, he might be replaced in his new position by al-Zawahiri (left photo below), the long-standing deputy of Bin Laden.

Last audio message from Osama Bin Laden: Tunisia had the first glory, and with the speed of light ... the knights of Egypt were in- spired by the free Tunisians. ... And a mighty revolution has started, and what a revolution. ... A revolution of destiny for all Egypt. Bin Laden's widdow: The woman that was near to him in his final hour.

---

Pakistan plans to enhance its production of enriched plutonium in order to assemble enough of weapon's grade material for the production of further nuclear weapons. Their goal is to reach a maximum capacity of 200 nuclear devices by 2021. That would match the actual British capacity of 195 nuclear weapons.

No Dime More !

Libya - Warning to Gadafi - Oil Minister Defected

At about the same time when the international court in Den Haag issued a warning to Colonel Gadafi not to cover up criminal activities of his troops, the Libyan oil minister defected. In the meantime, heavy fighting between rebels and Gadafi troops continues together with Nato air raids. Furthermore, rebel units are approaching the borders to neighbouring Sudan and Tchad while the Tunisian border seems to be already under their control.

تحذير للقذافي

U.S. Court - No Mercy for Strauss-Kahn

According to the Assistant U.S. District Attorney John Mcconnell who handles the case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, DSK "poses a flight risk" and cannot be immediately set free on the basis of a bailing deal between the court and DSK's lawyer. For the next days he has to be kept in a single cell of Rikers Island State Prison. At least, DSK's attorney Benjamin Brafman seems to be an efficient specialist of the matter and is known from similar cases. Below are photos of three of his clients, Michael Jackson being among them.







What I didn't know the day before: The 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn is already notorious for his "affaires amoureuses". In 2008, he became subject of an IMF enquiry upon his sexual relationship with a married Hungarian employee and who had been working in the African department of the IMF. Besides, he is known for his "straightforward approach of women in numerous cases and that should have resembled some kind of harrassment".
Sources: Blog of the French daily "Libération" on October 18, 2008.
U.S. paper "Wall Street Journaql" on October 18, 2008.

Palestine - Anniversary of the Catastrophe النكبة

قرابة 80% يؤيدون وثيقة الوفاق الوطني التي تم التوقيع عليها في
القاهرة, بينما أظهرت النتائج أن 70% يتوقعون انتفاضة ثالثة في
ظل تعثر المفاوضات الفلسطينية الإسرائيلية

القدس العربية

Today, on the Anniversary of the Catastrophe (al-Nakba) and which marks for the Palestinians the foundation of the Jewish state, the Palestinian Daily "Arabic Jerusalem" (al-Quds al-Arabiya) published the following lines:

"About 80% are in support of the document of national agreement (1)
which has come to be signed in Kairo [and] which is clarifying the
consequences [of the fact] that 70% are foreseeing a third Intifada
(2) in the shadow of the futile negociations between Palestinians and
Israelis."

1 = recent agreement between Palestinian organizations Hamas and PLO
2 = referring to earlier waves of uprising of Palestinians against Israel

Strauss-Kahn - Constructed Charges Against IMF Boss

Constructed Charges Against French Politician ?
Cas Construit Contre Politicien Français ?

Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK), president of the International Monetary Fund IMF and one of the most profiled politicians in France, has been arrested in New York on charges of sexual harrassment and intended rape of a 33-year old colored chamber maid in a hotel belonging to the French chain Sofitel. After having left his hotel in a hurry, letting behind his cellphone and other personal belongings, he was arrested at JFK airport on board of an Air France plane bound for Paris and ready to take off. He is now being questioned at a police station in Haarlem while his alleged victim is reportedly held in an artificial coma. As charges against DSK are considered to be especially grave, he might be awaiting a sentence of many years in a U.S. prison, if this story turns out to be true.

First reactions of high-ranking French politicians are showing astonishment and rather disbelieve as he was not expected to suffer from the proverbial "Berlusconi syndrome". The overall reaction seems to be that "this does not resemble him". Ségolène Royal, a highly profiled politician in France as well, pointed out that "all is still waiting to be proved".

DSK was expected to leave New York that day in order to meet with Angela Merkel the German chancellor. His acceptance within his own country can be imagined from an opinion poll that put him into the first position of all socialist candidates in the French Primary Elections. Even though being known as an activist of the Socialist Party, DSK is respected by all of his colleagues whatever party they might represent. That is why even Marie Le Pen, leader of the right-wing party Front National has been showing her astonishment upon the charges awaiting Strauss-Kahn.

............... [Source: i-Télé, France] ...............

Dominique Strauss-Kahn DSK, le président de l'IMF (Fond Monétaire Internationale), a été inculpé d'agression sexuelle et de tentative de viol d'une femme colorée de chambre à l'hôtel Sofitel de New York. DSK était arrêté à l'aéroport JFK de N.Y. dans un avion prêt à décoller, ayant quitté sa chambre en toute hâte et en oubliant son portable et d'autres effets personnels. DSK était expecté de se rencontrer ces jours-ci avec le chancellier allemand Angela Merkel après la visite aux États Unies.

Au moment, DSK est détenu dans une station de police à Haarlem alors que la femme attaquée de 33 ans était transférée à un hôpital où elle serait tenue dans un coma artificiel. Le socialiste DSK est l'un des politiciens les plus acceptés de la France. Même ses adversaires lui respectent. C'est pourquoi beaucoup de ses compatriotes ne sont pas inclinés à croire les évènements qui se seraient déroulées dans cette chambre d'hôtel newyorkais. L'opinion qui prévaut: "Ça ne lui semble pas."



UPDATE: i-Télé evening news / les nouvelles du soir

The French TV broadcast includes a summary of the facts to be known at the moment and an evaluation of Strauss-Kahn's immediate arrest that is related to the efficient work of a special victim's unit of New York police. That police unit is in charge of all similar cases and known to be fast working in a town where crimes of sexual harrassment and rape are happening every minute. It seems that DSK's identification and tracking to JFK airport was simple routine work facilitated by the Patriot's Act against terrorism. DSK's status as a high-ranking politician of international importance was not known to New York police at this moment.

New evidence: Another colored employee of Sofitel New York and who wants to remain unknown to the public said to i-Télé that DSK behaved that morning like any other day and showed no hurry when he left the hotel.

The news are followed by a discussion between members of the French press on how much damage that development would bring to the Socialist Party in the frame of the following primary elections where DSK has been expected to be the prevailing socialist candidate.

Libya - Crazy Gadafi

In his ferocious speech shortly after the uprising began, Gadafi said
he would fight for "each piece of earth, each house, each residence
and each road" (شبر شبر بيت بيت دار دار زنقة زنقة).
That uncompromising text of his has been mixed with some kind of
stereotyped music and launched in different versions. Here is an
example which I consider to be among the best music videos on this
subject:
Zenga Zenga Song Official Music Video
By the way, "Zenga Zenga" means "street or road" and is taken from
the above text in Arabic.

The following video document is showing Colonel Gadafi delivering a
speech to the people of Guinea at Conakry. In his speech he tells
them not to sell raw materials for a low price to the Coca Cola
Company or to Pepsi Cola but instead to produce their own Cola.
Gadafi Fighting Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola

For further "amusement", here are the latest screenshots of Royal
Airforce attacks on Ghadafi's facilities in the Tripolis area:

Bin Laden Videos - Osama Watching Osama

Today, the Pentagon released 5 videos that had been captured during the raid on Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad. On one of those videos, Bin Laden can be seen watching TV and even watching himself:


Osama Bin Laden watching a famous video of himself (above and below)

"90% of Fight
is in the Media"
(Bin Laden)

---

Statement of the Taliban
Retaliation for Bin Laden

Today and after their statement on the U.S. killing of Bin Laden, the Taliban have launched four simultaneous attacks on government compounds in their "spiritual capital" of Kandahar in the Southern part of Afghanistan. One of their targets was the residence of the provincial governor of Kandahar province who remained unharmed.

Obama Addressing U.S. Troops

President Obama after the Killing of Osama Bin Laden

Tonight, only two hours ago and in the aftermath of the Bin Laden killing, President Obama spoke to U.S. troops at one of the greatest military bases inside the U.S.A.. Here is what he said. Some comments added by me are intended to give background information:

In his speech to Afghanistan veterans at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Obama said that the U.S. lived a "historic week in the life of their nation". He referred to his visit at Ground Zero in New York the day before and mentioned his visit, shortly before his speech, of the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama Bin Laden. "Those Navy SEALs deserve credit", he said and added: "Job well done!"

A president's visit of a U.S. military unit is considered to be the highest honour to be granted to U.S. servicemen. According to CNN, the SEAL team that came into action was most probably team No. 6 which seemed to be the best team, both, in size and training to fit the task of killing Bin Laden at Abbottabad. It was better suited for that mission than a 12-member team of the Green Barrets that would have been to small for a raid on the vast compound where Osama Bin Laden had been living for some time. The Navy SEAL unit had been originally founded in 1962 and is now stationed in the small town of Virginia Beach, Virginia, where inhabitants don't know much about them as they are behaving very discreetly.

The president then addressed his troops with a remark on the right treatment of wounded soldiers. He said: "You, on the front lines for nearly 10 years, deserve the best healthcare in the world when you are getting wounded."

At this point, I would like to mention earlier difficulties of wounded servicemen to get their treatment paid by the Veterans' Organization, a government run institution that is in charge of caring for wounded and retired soldiers of the U.S. army. Under the former Bush administration, an explosion of treatment costs, due to an increase of military activity in Iraq and Afghanistan, led the Veteran's Organization near to bankruptcy. There is one case that became widely known where the organization denied treatment to a wounded soldier and declared his wounds (parts of a shrapnel inside the body) as being inflicted by "non-combat activity".

Later, Obama praised the troops and said: "We're making progress in Afghanistan and have turned momentum of the Taliban. During my time, pressure on the Taliban has been greater than ever since November 11." And he spoke of a 14-year-old girl that lost her father on September 11 when she was 4. At that time, her father had been trapped in one of the twin-towers. During the last moments of his life and before the building toppled, he phoned his family and spoke to her mother. Her mother then handed over to her 4-year-old daughter who heard her father's voice for the last time, telling her that he would always be near her and watch over her. Obama learned her story from a letter the girl wrote to him. While telling that story to the soldiers, President Obama was obviously moved.

Finally, Obama reminded his troops of the importance of overcoming race discrimination and added an example where coloured students were finally able to study and develop their talents.