Desperate Greek citizens are ‘intentionally infecting themselves with HIV’ to qualify for state benefits

(ht Henri) In Greece, HIV carriers are entitled to a state benefit of 700 Euros per month (picture posed by model)

Desperate Greek citizens are intentionally infecting themselves with the HIV, in a bid to qualify for benefits which are given to sufferers of the killer virus, a report has claimed.

A World Health Organization report has revealed what it calls a ‘significant rise’ in the number of sufferers between 2007 and 2009, when the European financial crisis brought the country’s economy to its knees.

The number of reported new infections then continued to soar, from 22 in 2010 to 245 in 2011, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Shockingly, the research said around half of new cases could be self-inflicted by drug addicts who want to cash in on welfare handouts.

In Greece, HIV carriers are entitled to a state benefit of 700 Euros per month as well as access to drug substitution programmes which can help battle the illness.

A European Union-funded injection site, the first of its kind in Greece, has also been opened in a run-down part of central Athens in October this year.

Addicts are paid small sums of money for visiting the facility and providing data for anonymous surveys, as well as returning to pick up their HIV test results.

The WHO report cited a piece of work by the country’s Mental Health Research Institute in 2011 which noted ‘the well-founded suspicion’ that some problem drug users ‘are intentionally infected with HIV, because of the benefit that are entitled to approximately 1,400 euros every two months.’

The claims show the shocking effect of the Greek fiscal meltdown which is filtering down from big business and banks to ordinary citizens
Austerity measures imposed by the Greece since their economic crisis have caused disturbances in country. But drug experts have urged the government not to impose cuts on drugs benefits, saying removing support networks could make matters worse

Thomas Kattau, a Council of Europe official said: ‘There are alarming figures in Greece. So I think it’s very important that vulnerable people are targeted for treatment.’

Kattau said program like the injection-zone had been regarded as successful in Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries, as well as Canada.

He added: ‘The experience in those countries shows they don’t use to the money to buy drugs, but things like hygiene products. So it puts them on a road to recovery.

‘In the end the goal is to stop the spread of HIV-Aids. Every euro invested into drug treatment is an investment to public health and public safety.

Qatari emir buys six Greek islands for a song

(guardian.co.uk)"The law says that whatever the size of your land, your home can be no bigger than 250 sq m. The emir has reacted to this saying his WC is 250 sq m and his kitchen alone has to be 1,000 sq m, because otherwise how is he going to feed all his guests?"

To appease the locals, the Qatari, who is also being heavily courted by the government to invest in Greece, has promised to come bearing gifts. "His people said 'what present can we give you?' and I said the island needs water desperately," said Kassianos. "A study to lay a pipeline from the mainland is already under way. That's not bad when we've been trying to get a new port here for the past 40 years."
He had wanted to buy the Ionian isle of Skorpios, where Jackie Kennedy married Aris Onassis. The deal fell through when the late shipowner's granddaughter, Athina Onassis, refused to come down in price. She is selling for €200m.
Last month, following a visit to Doha by the Greek prime minister, Antonis Samaras, interest was rekindled when Qatar signed up to take part in an international tender to develop Athens' former international airport at Elliniko, one of the most sought after slices of real estate in Europe. The Gulf state has also shown interest in purchasing the famous beachfront Astir Palace hotel, once a stomping ground for celebrities outside the capital.

The Greeks were holding off Islam for almost 1500 years... only to be bought

Wikileaks (Stratfor): Israel traded Georgian UAV codes to Russia for Iranian Tor M-1 codes, Turkey gave Israel S-300 codes

Not sure how reliable a Mexican police officer is....but the US gov was ready to believe anything... which actually shows how little credibility the Obama administration has regarding their so called friend Israel. It should also be of note that while some of these cables are helpful to the Israelis... (Assange obviously released the less controversial of these cables first), a lot of the cables that are now trickling out are quite damaging. The real problem is that they show the United States government's real feelings towards Israel... much less then at issue is the damage Israel's rep, but more it is a reflection of Obama's true aliance... which is completely paranoid of a Jewish state. Obama is willing to believe anything.

(Carl) Wikileaks' Stratfor email dump is reporting that Israel gave Russia the codes for UAV's that Israel sold to Georgia in exchange for the codes for the Tor M-1 anti-aircraft systems that Russia sold to Iran. Again, I am putting this in chronological order:

PUBLICATION: ask me first
ATTRIBUTION: N/A
SOURCE DESCRIPTION: MX301 - Former Mexican cop, Latam military analyst,
writes for Jane's
SOURCE RELIABILITY: A
ITEM CREDIBILITY: 1
SUGGESTED DISTRIBUTION:
SPECIAL HANDLING: n/a
...
Ok, here's the really juicy part:
There is a private Mexican company called Idra that the government funded
to make UAVs. They are actually pretty high standard according to him and
beat out the Israeli UAVs in testing. My friend was consulting Idra at the
time and so he was privy to a lot of deals that were on the table. This is
the story --
The Mexican government is now paying some $25m (? can get the #s later)
for UAVs from Israel. Idra is basically like WTF, but the reason is
basically corruption. There is a deal b/w the Mexican interior ministry
and the Israelis where they're getting a hefty kickback.
This is the interesting part, though.
Idra had an offer to sell UAVs to Georgia (this was happening during and
after the war). The reason Georgia needed the UAVs is because the UAVs
they had bought from Israel had been compromised by the Russians. The
Russians got the data link for the UAV (there is some suspicion that the
Israelis after the war may have given this to them. Remember all the
intense mtgs b/w the Israelis and the Russians where the Russians got the
Israelis to back off of defense deals to Georgia in return for Russia
backing off Iran?). Anyway, the Georgians gave Idra a picture of one of
their crashed UAVs. The source explained though that if the UAV were
targeted, it would have been blown to pieces pretty much (it's like the
size of a car basically). But the picture he saw showed the UAV intact. He
inquired and basically what happened was that the Russians acquired the
data link to hack into the system and force the UAV into the ground. I
think they may have crashed another one too.
So, since the Georgian UAVs were compromised, they then tried to sell them
to the Azerbaijanis. I dont know if that deal went through. Idra backed
off the deal to Georgia because they were advised that it would raise a
lot of political complications between Mexico and Russia.
...
PUBLICATION: No, but ask first
ATTRIBUTION: N/A
SOURCE DESCRIPTION: MX301 - Former Mexican cop, Latam military analyst,
writes for Jane's
SOURCE RELIABILITY: A
ITEM CREDIBILITY: 1
SUGGESTED DISTRIBUTION:
SPECIAL HANDLING: n/a
Met with my Mexican source/friend again today and dude is getting shadier
by the day. We followed up on our past discussion on Russia compromising
the Israeli-made Georgian UAVs prior to the August war.
Here is what else I learned
One of the source's friends/colleagues -- formerly military i think but
now does private defense deals on the side (it's Mexico) contacted him in
July (prior to the Georgia war). Apparently the Georgians had contacted
this guy because they were frantically looking for a replacement for the
Israeli UAVs that were compromised....
Here is the most interesting part:
I inquired more about the compromised Israeli UAVs. What he explained was
that Israel and Russia made a swap -- Israel gave Russia the 'data link'
code for those specific UAVs; in return, Russia gave Israel the codes for
Iran's Tor-M1s.
I asked about the S-300 (source tracks a lot of defense deals for Jane's).
He doesn't think the Russians will give it to the Iranians. Besides, he
said... Israel and Turkey have been collaborating very closely on the
S-300s. He explain how about 8 years ago when Russia sold S-300s to Greece
to base in Crete (which were supposed to protect Cyprus), Russia delivered
those with a carrier so that Turkey wouldn't try to sink them. (things got
a bit noisy so i may have misheard some of this). The gist of what he said
is that Turkey has been cracking the S-300 since the Crete sale and has
been sharing intel on the S-300 with the Israelis to ensure that they
retain an advantage over Iran should Iran get them from the Russians.
as far as the Georgian UAVs go, they were interested in the Mexican ones
because the Mexican UAVs had something (forget the name. it was
auto-something' that basically backs up teh UAV system in case someone
hacks into it and immediately returns the UAV to base.

Hmmm.
By the way, that's a Tor M-1 at the top.

Now you see the true Wikileaks bias... and not the public relations we saw before.

Israel looking at connecting its power grid to Europe

While (Egypt, Hamas agree to link electricity grids)(EOZ)(h/t Rachelle) and as Israel-haters pretend that they can hurt the Jewish state by threatening (tiny stores in the Pacific Northwest) and (insecure second-tier performing artists), Israel is making billion-dollar deals with Europe aimed at maintaining energy independence.

(Engineering News-Record) Israeli Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau has instructed the Israel Electric Corp. to advance a project that would connect the country to the European power grid by way of Cyprus and Greece. Officials of the state-owned power company are set to sign an agreement soon with DEI-Quantum Energy—an entity owned by Greece's largest utility, a Cypriot bank and private investors—for a feasibiilty study of the first 270-kilometer segment to connect with the Cyprus power network.
If the proposed EuroAsia Interconnector project is fully realized, it would be, at 998 km, one of the world's longest underwater power cables. According to the Israeli utility, it would have a capacity of up to 2000 MW.
The proposed line would extend from the Israeli city of Haifa on the Mediterranean coast to the southeastern coast of Cyprus, then to the northwestern coast of Crete and on to the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece.
Landau said the project would give Israel a much-needed power-source backup and connect the country's stand-alone network with Europe, significantly boosting its future energy security. "The project could have a tremendous positive impact on the Israeli economy," he said.
The overall cost of the project is estimated at 1.5 billion euros, with the Israel-Cyprus segment put at 500 million euros. Israel Electric officials said the investment would pay for itself within four years.
Other project components to be managed by DEI-Quantum Energy include construction of powerplants in Cyprus, Crete and the Peloponnese peninsula, with the cost to be covered by the firm, its partners and various Israeli investors.
"Considering Israel's and Cyprus' natural-gas discoveries, Greece's energy shortage and the massive demand for energy within Europe, for Cyprus, the sky is the limit," said Nasos Ktorides, DEI-Quantum Energy chairman. He said Israel is expected to exploit its natural-gas discoveries much sooner than Cyprus and that it would be prudent for Cyprus to find "decisive and productive ways to export the excess energy to an already established electricity grid."
The feasibility study is expected to be completed in 2012. DEI-Quantum said the project could be started in 2013 and completed within 36 months.
The proposed power cable and related projects were among "energy cooperation" issues dicussed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month during a one-day visit to Cyprus—the first such trip by any prime minister of the country.

the best way to fix the Euro is through energy. Energy is what decides industrial production. Europe could fix itself if it moved from tourism to industry. An expensive Euro and an unstable populace of Muslims makes for deterring potential tourists looking to get away.

Sarkozy's Worst Nightmare

(Hudson)In less than six months from today, on 22 April 2012, France will hold the first round of its next presidential elections.

For Sarkozy, the birth of a daughter last week was a good PR moment, but it is doubtful whether she will celebrate her first birthday in the Elysée, the French presidential palace. France is going through the worst financial crises of the last fifty years. The country seems to be teetering on the brink of financial catastrophe. French banks have invested so heavily in government bonds from nearly bankrupt countries, such as Greece, that they are at risk of collapsing themselves. As a result of its exposure to Greek sovereign bonds, a Franco-Belgian bank, Dexia, has already collapsed.
Later this week, the countries of the eurozone, the group of 17 nations which use the euro as their common currency, are likely to decide that the banks will have to take a 50% loss on their Greek sovereign bonds. This could be devastating for a number of French banks, and devastating for the French government, which, under pressure to bail out or nationalize the French banks, risks losing its triple-A credit rating. If that happens, it will certainly be devastating for Nicolas Sarkozy and his chance of re-election next Spring.
French domestic politics and Sarkozy's need to safeguard his re-election are the key to understanding European politics. First of all, Sarkozy needs the approval from the eurozone countries that the zone's financial emergency fund, the EFSF, will assist banks which have run into difficulties. Without such assistance, France will have to help out its own banks.
Second, Sarkozy needs to ensure that the EFSF has a direct financial lifeline to the printing presses of the eurozone's central bank, the ECB. ECB involvement is important for Sarkozy: the EFSF relies on guarantees provided by the stronger countries of the eurozone -- the six eurozone countries with a triple-A credit rating: Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and tiny Luxemburg. International credit agencies have warned that they will likely downgrade France's rating if the burden on the EFSF become too heavy.
Sarkozy needs some sort of ECB involvement in the bailout plans for weak countries and banks to relieve the pressure on the French state. Germany, however, is opposed to far-reaching ECB involvement in bailing out countries and banks. The tension between Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has increased. Merkel is under pressure from her own parliament on the one hand and from Sarkozy who is fighting for his own political survival on the other hand. His,survival depends on his ability to postpone a major European crisis until after May 6, 2012, the second and final round of the French presidential elections. But time seems to be running out -- for the euro as well as for Nicolas Sarkozy.
Meanwhile, the major French opposition party, the Parti Socialiste, has appointed its presidential candidate. Until last May, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, was generally expected to become the PS candidate. Strauss-Kahn was popular and as head of the IMF, the institution which is helping the eurozone to overcome its problems, many ordinary Frenchmen were confident that he would be able to do a better job than Sarkozy. A spirited episode with a New York hotel maid, however, ended Strauss-Kahn's IMF career as well as his prospects in French politics.
The Socialists have now picked the 57-year old François Hollande as their candidate. In the second round of the Socialist primaries, Hollande defeated Martine Aubry, the Mayor of Lille and the daughter of former European Commission President Jacques Delors. The first round was a defeat for Ségolène Royal, the Socialist presidential candidate who lost the elections against Sarkozy in 2007. Royal and Hollande lived together for almost thirty years. Although they have four children, they separated one month after Royal's 2007 presidential defeat when it emerged that, in more Gallic goings-on, Hollande had begun a relationship with a French journalist.
Hollande is barely known outside of France. He is an uncharismatic old-style Social-Democrat who began his political career in 1981 as an economic advisor to Socialist President François Mitterrand. As such, he was involved in the implementation of a plan to nationalize companies and banks. Hollande defends the Europeanization process as much as Sarkozy. According to a recent poll, 64% of the French expect François Hollande to win the second round of the elections against Nicolas Sarkozy.
The big question, however, is whether there will be a second round between Sarkozy and Hollande. In France, the President is chosen in two rounds. Only the top two candidates can make it to the second round. A poll last March found that Sarkozy would be beaten in the first round by Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right Front National. Should the poll prove accurate, the 43-year old Le Pen, a twice-divorced mother of three and the daughter of FN founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, would go on to the second round against Hollande. In 2002, Jean-Marie Le Pen knocked Lionel Jospin, the Socialist candidate, out of the presidential race. Le Pen was beaten, however, in the second round by Jacques Chirac.
With the eurocrisis continuing and anti-EU sentiments growing in France, the probability that Marine Le Pen would do well in next Spring's elections increases. Unlike Sarkozy and Hollande, she is highly skeptical of the Europeanization process and has promised to pull France out of the euro and close French borders to cheap Chinese imports. She is also a less controversial figure than her father, and has the charisma Hollande so utterly lacks.
In 2002, the Socialist Party called on its voters to support Chirac in the second round against Jean-Marie Le Pen. Whether the middle-class voters of the right will be so easily persuaded to support Hollande in a second round against Marine Le Pen is less certain.
Marine Le Pen in the Elysée seems improbable, but with the eurocrisis deepening, Sarkozy's fear that she could knock him out in the first round of the French Presidential elections next April is also deepening. If Europe fails to save the euro, anything is possible.

Greek Jewish community fighting to stay solvent

(Israel Matzav) The Greek Jewish community is struggling to stave off bankruptcy David Saltiel, the head of the community in Thessaloniki, which has used its deeper pockets to support needy Jewish communities around the country since the onset of financial troubles, confirmed the severity of the situation. “I'm afraid that if something does not happen to save all the Jewish communities in Greece we will be in a difficult situation,” he said. “Worst of all is not being able to support Jewish life, the synagogues, the schools and those in need." Since the recession began last year, revenues from Jewish assets and donations have dropped precipitously making it increasingly difficult for communities around the country to pay for services rendered to its 6,000 members. The biggest blow so far has been the new property tax. The measure, passed by the Greek government earlier this month in a bid to raise money to pay off its debtors, levies an additional 16 euros on every square meter. Because the Jewish community’s biggest source of income is real estate, its coffers have been particularly badly affected by the law. “A lot of the property is either vacant because people cannot afford them or the tenants are demanding rents reduced by 40 percent or they threaten to leave,” said Albelas. In order to avoid bankruptcy, Greek Jews have appealed to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), an international relief group based in New York City, for help.Read the whole thing.

putting a tax on property is a suicidal move by the government in Greece. A large portion of revenue coming out of the country is from tourism. Tourism is dependent on hotels and beaches. One of the reasons Greece did not fare well to the Euro is that the Euro kept prices high and vacationers went to places that were cheaper. One can see how a situation like this will result in blaming Jews for their economic woes, but sadly by hurting Jews in the pocket, they are hurting the rest of their nation. I realize that Greece in now Israel's ally, but old habits die hard and when the Jews abandon Greece the country will suffer... all countries suffer who hurt business... and I do not deny it... Jews are good at business.

Greece to Pay 12 Million for NEW MOSQUE

Current building in Botanikos to be reconstructed into Mosque?
The Greek government will finance the reconstruction of building structures into mosques for the Muslim community in Athens. Estimated to cost less than 15 million, the existing plans for the mosque will serve 500 faithful Muslims.
The building of the former Naval Base in Botanikos has been chosen and once it is renovated and converted, it will operate as an Islamic mosque in Athens. According to the amendment tabled in parliament it will be incorporated in a bill being debated by the Ministry of Environment Energy and Climate Change which governs energy issues.

The Steering Committee of the mosque consists of five Greek government officials and two Muslims from recognized associations in Athens. The Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community will be appointed after approval by the Minister of Education via 9-11 do more then never forget stop Islam.

there appears to be a priority problem

Flotilla of fools to sail from Turkey at the end of Ramadan?

'Israeli Arab' weekly Kul al-Arab is reporting that the Greek government has agreed to release the yachts from the flotilla of fools to Turkey, and that Turkey will allow the flotilla of fools to sail from its harbors at the end of Ramadan (approximately August 31).  A member of the Turkish delegation to the second Freedom Flotilla told the Arab-Israeli weekly Kul Al-Arab that the Greek and Turkish governments have agreed that the flotilla ships, which Greece prevented from sailing to Gaza, will be transferred to Turkey, and sail towards Gaza at the end of Ramadan.  A member of the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza said that Turkish President Abudllah Gul approved this agreement after the failure of negotiations with Israel, in which Turkey demanded an apology and restitution payments for the events of the first Freedom Flotilla. Another activist said that Germany mediated between Greece and Turkey via Israel Matzav

hey Greece? WTF! a loophole here is not helping. these people are not trying to aid Gaza. They have made this very clear.  Also forgive my ignorance, but isn't after Ramadan when the Muslims like to attack?  I've heard this before.

Soros: Euro Could Cause Collapse

the solution to Soros to all the centralization is more centralization.

~ now that is commitment

Destroying America will be the culmination of my life’s work. - George Soros
apparently Europe is in the cross-hairs too!

The Daily Beast reports:

In light of the economic crisis in Greece, billionaire investor George Soros has predicted that the EuroZone is in danger of losing a country and urged policymakers to develop a “Plan B.” Soros, who famously made $1 billion in 1992 when he bet against the British pound, declared in a panel discussion in Vienna that the euro has been flawed from the start, not backed by political union or a joint treasury. He encouraged leaders to take precautions now. “Let’s face it: we are on the verge of an economic collapse which starts, let’s say, in Greece but could easily spread,” Soros warned. He suggested the EU adopt new measures, including creating a larger central budget and increasing its bailout fund with money from tax revenue. via frumforum.com

Greeced Drachma

One World... No Borders? FAIL!

It’s difficult to avoid the impression that the euro saga is gradually building up to a messy denouement. This is the view of a number of commentators ranging from Otmar Issing, the former ECB chief economist, who now says Greece is insolvent and should never have joined the monetary union, and Mario Blejer, the former Argentine central bank president who accuses the ECB of running a Ponzi scheme.

The ruling Greek Socialist Party’s own Maria Damanaki, responsible for fisheries in the European Commission, has put the writing on the wall in true Greek fashion by opining that Greece could return to the drachma unless it reaches a deal with its lenders. via marketwatch.com and image via thetrader.se

Pirates

DUBAI : Pirates on Wednesday seized a supertanker off the coast of Oman bound for the United States carrying a crew of 25 and a load of more than 1.9 million barrels of oil, officials said.
"We cannot contact the vessel," an official with Enesel, the Greek company that manages the Irene SL, told AFP by telephone.
The tanker was carrying "about 270,000 metric tons" of Kuwaiti crude, which translates to over 1.9 million barrels of oil, he said, asking not to be named.
The Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces said the Greek-flagged ship was hijacked at 0926 GMT about 220 nautical miles (370 kilometres) east of the Omani coast, in the Arabian Sea.
"We can confirm that the Irene SL has been pirated off the coast of Oman," a spokeswoman for the international naval force told AFP by telephone.
"It is an oil tanker," she said, adding that it had a crew of 25 and was "bound for the United States".
"We have no reports of casualties," the spokeswoman said.
While the identity of the hijackers is unknown, Somali pirates are the likely culprits.
"We've got no specific information about who has taken it, but I think it would be reasonable to suspect it was an act of Somali piracy," the spokeswoman said.
Various websites devoted to information on shipping listed the tanker as being 333 metres (1,092 feet) long with a 60-metre (196-foot) beam.
Irene SL is the second oil tanker hijacked in two days.
The European Union's Atalanta mission to the seas off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden (Eunavfor) said an Italian oil tanker was taken early on Tuesday 600 miles east of the island of Socotra by a single skiff with five pirates who opened fire on the oiler.
That ship had a crew of 22 - five Italians and 17 Indians, EU forces said.
Piracy has made shipping increasingly perilous off the Horn of Africa and led to the deployment of an international force to protect the key maritime corridor.
On Sunday, the Indian navy captured 28 suspected Somali pirates on board a Thai fishing vessel that had been hijacked up to six months ago and was thought to have been used as a floating base to mount attacks on shipping.
In January, pirates released a Greek-owned oil tanker with a crew of 18 Filipinos that they had seized in the southern Red Sea.
The UN's maritime agency, the International Maritime Organisation, said last week that 67 ships had been hijacked off the coast of Somalia in the past 12 months alone, while a total of 714 seafarers are still being held for ransom on board 30 ships along the eastern African country's extensive coastline.
London's Chatham House international affairs think-tank estimates that piracy costs the global economy between US$7 billion and US$12 billion (five billion and 8.8 billion euros) every year.
Leading global shipping groups have called for a "more robust" international response to Somali piracy, warning that escalating violence towards seamen could prompt the industry to seek alternative routes.
"The current situation is unacceptable to the industry," four shipping associations said in an open letter dated February 4, released on Monday by the union of Greek ship owners.
"Unless necessary action is taken by the international community, the shipping industry will be looking at all possible options, including alternative routes, which could have a very dramatic effect on the world economy and global trade, including the delivery of oil," the groups warned.
- AFP/al

via channelnewsasia.com

image via notesbit.com

A fire raging out of control in Israel's Carmel forest region.

 Earlier today the Prisons Service decided to evacuate the Kele 6 prison facility in Tirat Hacarmel because of the fire that was raging in the Carmel forest region.
As a result 40 prison wardens who were en route to the Damon Prison burned to death in the bus caught up in the blaze.


Families from Kibbutzim and Moshavim in the area have been evacuated as homes burn.
 Earlier Haifa University was also been evacuated and since a hospital. 
 Police have now ordered the evacuation of the 5,000 residents of Tirat Hacarmel.  Patrol cars with loudspeakers asked all inhabitants to leave the area as winds carried the flames in the town's direction.

 Carmel park wildfire, 2 december 2010, Israel.
 


Greek Firefighting Helicopters En Route to Assist Israel
 Greece will send firefighting helicopters to Israel Thursday night, to help fight the fire in the Carmel Mountains, Channel 2 reported. Cyprus will send its only firefighting helicopter as well. There were unconfirmed reports that Egypt and Turkey also offered help.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, it was earlier reported, has asked Russia, Italy, Greece and Cyprus to help Israel fight the fire. The request appears to reflect concern that the fire could spread further than it already has and may go on for days.
Israel's firefighting forces have no firefighting planes. According to reports in the press Thursday, there are only about a dozen privately owned firefighting planes in all of Israel, and they are all relatively small ones. Such planes are ineffective in combating a large-scale fire.
 Israel is calling up large-scale forces, including military ones, to fight the deadly blaze. The IDF has provided numerous water tankers and provided ground troops that are assisting in the evacuation efforts.
Fire Services Spokesman Hezi Levy said that when darkness fell, all airborne firefighting activity ceased. This, he said, means that the fire continues to spread rapidly. By morning, Levy estimated, Israel will be out of fire-dousing chemicals.
Using his live broadcast interview on Channel 2, Levy called on all firefighters in Israel to report to their stations, from which they will be transported to the area of the fire. He said Israel has a total of 1500 firefighters, and all of them are being called up.
Various spokesmen said that a major factor hindering firefighting attempts is the complete absence of large fire-dousing planes in Israel.
The IDF also provided firefighting forces, Home Front Command crews and helicopters. Dozens of medical crews have been provided to assist the police and are under the effective command of the Israel Police's Northern District.
At least four D-9 bulldozers were provided by the military
  Israel has never experienced a greater natural disaster the scope of which is still not known, as the fire still rages.
The extremely hot summer and the delay of the winter rains has been blamed for turning the area into a potential tinderbox.  No information is yet available on the cause of the fire.
 Firefighting chief, Shimon Romach said he was not optimistic about the prospects of containing the fire at this time.
-------------------------

via 9-11domorethenneverforget-stopislam.blogspot.com

Posted via email from noahdavidsimon's posterous

Debt tensions flare up as Ireland denies bailout...

wow is this familiar. I love the way the world laughs at America till they realize that their bath tub is full of the same shit.  Am I the only American that is tired of these backwards Eurotrash that think they are so progressive when in fact they are usually about a year behind... that is why they laugh at us... because they don't know shit. 

Peter Morrison / AP

A banner complaining about high shop rents is hung on a shop front in central Dublin Friday Nov. 12, 2010. Ireland's debt crisis eased a notch Friday after European governments reassured investors that new, tougher terms for bailouts will not expose them to higher costs on their current holdings. Traders have been dumping Ireland's sovereign bonds on fears the government will be unable to manage its outsized banking crisis and that new EU rules being discussed will force investors to take on heavier losses in case of a bailout.

via sfgate.com

Posted via email from noahdavidsimon's posterous

Israeli Greek Pipeline

Although the full extent of the natural gas at the Leviathan gas field off Israel's coast is not yet known, geological surveys suggest that it is far more than Israel can use – and as a result, Israel is exploring the possibility of exporting gas to Europe, via a pipeline that would be built between Israel and Greece. The subject came up between Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the latter's recent visit there, sources close to the talks said.
In response to press queries on the matter, a government spokesperson said that Netanyahu and  Papandreou discussed many issues at their meeting, including economic issues, but that they could not confirm any specific topics.

via israelnationalnews.com

Enjoy!

noahdavidsimon's posterous

Netanyahu to Meet Papandreou as first Israeli PM to visit Greece as Israeli Ties with Turkey Founder

(Bloomberg).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes the first-ever visit by an Israeli premier to Greece as Israel’s ties with Turkey have soured after a May 31 naval commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla left nine Turks dead.
Netanyahu’s trip, which begins today, follows a visit to Israel last month by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. The Israeli leader is scheduled to meet Papandreou, President Karolos Papoulias and members of the Greek Jewish community.
Netanyahu’s visit comes less than three months after the deadly flotilla incident led Turkey, once considered Israel’s strongest ally in the region, to recall its ambassador and scale back military cooperation. In the wake of the naval raid, the Israeli leader’s visit to Athens is an opportunity to strengthen ties with another country in the eastern Mediterranean.
“For many years the Greeks were a little unhappy with the intensity of Israeli-Turkish relations,” said Shlomo Avineri, a political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a former director general of Israel’s foreign ministry. “Now, with relations with Turkey under a cloud the Greeks are a little more upfront about their relationship with Israel.”
Trade between the two countries was $522 million in 2008, falling to $496 million in 2009, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. During Papandreou’s visit, the two leaders pledged to work more closely on energy, tourism and agriculture.
Netanyahu’s visit shouldn’t be viewed though as an attempt to counter Turkey’s downgrading of its ties with the Jewish state by building a relationship with Greece, Israeli analysts say.
Netanyahu wants to improve Israel’s image abroad, said Alon Liel, another former foreign ministry director general. “Israel is not so popular these days so if you’re invited to go to visit a full member of the European Union like Greece, why not?” he said.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Netanyahu, said the trip is intended to strengthen bilateral ties during a period of “new dynamism in Israeli-Greek relations.”

via bibireport.blogspot.com

Mazel Tov Bibi... now don't betray Israel

noahdavidsimon's posterous

Flotilla Update : David Cameron to Turkey. Join Us In the E.U.

UK PM betrays Israel and kisses Turkish tuchus

Frog horde is latest Greek plague

An economy on the brink. Horrible pollution. And now a "carpet of frogs" to contend with? Greece sure has it tough these days.
On Wednesday, a horde of frogs caused a two-hour closure on one of Greece's major highways near the city of Thessaloniki. The city's traffic police chief, Giorgos Thanoglou, told the Associated Press that the "millions" of frogs were probably looking for food. Three accidents resulted, as drivers attempted to dodge the hungry hoppers. The AP writes that no human injuries were reported.

AP

via news.yahoo.com

Posted via web from noahdavidsimon's posterous

wait... who is flying the plains?

(Ha'aretz) The Israeli Air Force is holding a joint exercise this week with the Greek Air Force in the skies above the Aegean Sea.

The exercise, named "MINOAS 2010", is supposed to continue through the weekend.

According to Greek media reports, 10 IAF planes are participating in the exercise – five F-15I Rams and five F16I Sufas. These are the newest aircraft in the IAF fleet and are able to carry out long-range attack missions. An IAF refueling tanker is also reported to be taking part in the drill.

via thejidf.org