Afghanistan War News Updates -- February 1, 2011

U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Martin Lindig and Afghan soldiers speak to village elders during a census patrol in the Sangin district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 17, 2011. Lindig is assigned to Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dexter S. Saulisbury

Afghanistan: Civilian Deaths Hit 'Record Levels' -- BBC

The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion a decade ago hit record levels last year, according to a new report.

Some 2,421 civilians were killed, most at the hands of insurgents, the Kabul-based Afghanistan Rights Monitor said.

Foreign troops were to blame for about a fifth of all deaths - a slight fall on the previous year, the report says.

Correspondents say most officials are expecting at least the same level of violence, if not higher, this year.

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More News On Afghanistan

2010 deadliest year for Afghan civilians: watchdog -- AFP
Afghan civilian deaths hit record in 2010 -- UPI
Afghanistan: Civilian deaths reached 'record' in 2010 -- ADNKronos

NATO service member killed in Afghanistan -- Washington Post/AP
NATO Soldier Killed In Afghanistan -- RTT News
Taliban 'abduct 21 Afghan tribal elders' -- AFP
Uncertain spring awaits violent Afghan south -- Reuters
Security Gains Should Hinder Insurgent Ability to Regroup in Spring -- Dvids
New Zealand Extends Term Of Special Force In Afghanistan -- RTT News
N. Zealand extends elite troops' Afghan mission -- AFP
Return to Helmand's 'bomb alley' with the US marines -- BBC
FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, Jan 31 -- Relief Web

Kabul Bank losses spark fears of huge Afghan corruption and financial crisis -- Daily Telegraph
Afghan Officials Probed Over Bank -- Wall Street Journal
Afghan Bank loan losses hit $903 million -- Canada.com/Daily Telegraph
Saving the Kabul Bank -- Time Magazine

Afghan Stoning Video Rekindles Outcry -- New York Times
Afghan asylum pact with Australia in chaos -- The Australian
Marines training helps Afghan police prosper -- Marines.mil
Afghan police provide increased security -- Marines.mil
Afghan drug war to be won with crops, not jails: judge -- AFP
Afghan opium poppy crop: Mixed results from drugs war -- BBC
Opium cultivation in Afghanistan to decline despite high prices – UN -- UN News Centre
Taliban Gun Lockers: The Rifles of Rural Ghazni Province -- New York Times
Afghanistan: Patience As A Weapon -- Strategy Page

World News Briefs -- February 1, 2011

More Than 200,000 In Cairo Demand Mubarak Quit -- Yahoo News/Reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) – More than 200,000 Egyptian men and women, from students and doctors to the urban poor, rallied in central Cairo on Tuesday in the biggest demonstration so far in an uprising against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

Waving Egyptian flags and banners saying "Bye-Bye Mubarak," the protesters rejected promises of reform to his authoritarian rule and demanded that he quit. About 20,000 gathered in Suez, chanting: "Leave, leave ... revolution, revolution everywhere."

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MIDDLE EAST

Jordan's king sacks Cabinet amid street protests.

PM warns Islamists could take control in Egypt; Israel approves Sinai troops.

IDF secures Egypt border fearing terrorist infiltration from Sinai.

Senate report says Iraq is at critical juncture.

Iran ‘could develop a nuclear weapon as early as next year’.

Report warns of chance for nuke disaster in Iran.

ASIA

Afghanistan: Civilian deaths hit 'record levels'.

North Korea has more secret nuclear sites - UN report. Koreas agree to hold military talks.

'One of the largest and most serious cyclones threats we have ever had to deal with': New danger for Queensland flood victims as storm builds off coast. Residents, tourists flee as cyclone nears Australia.

Indonesia jails pop star over sex tapes scandal.

Japan volcano erupts again with massive blast of gas, ash and rocks.

AFRICA

Three die in bread riots in Egypt. Egypt coping with shortages as protests continue.

UN mission says 147 killed in Tunisia uprising.

Big turnout urged as Niger votes for new leader.

Thousands of Somalis brave risky sea escapes.

'Seaman killed' after navy fires on hijacked ship.

EUROPE

In Moscow, a victory for protesters' rights.

Yeltsin was disappointed in Putin: ex-chief of staff.

Belgium poised to break world record as nation operating without a government for the longest ever period.

Irish PM to dissolve Parliament, pave way for opposition.

Germany reduces terror security measures.

AMERICAS

Massive storm begins trek across U.S. Midwest.

Mexico's main leftist party keeps Guerrero governorship.

Dominican crackdown on Haitian migrants sows fear.

Nearly 11 percent of US houses empty.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Terrorists threatened to kill my baby unless I became a Black Widow: Young mother on how she was groomed to be a Russian suicide bomber.

US issues terrorist warning for citizens worldwide.

Paper: Cable shows UK briefed Libya on Lockerbie.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Crisis in Egypt spurs fears of impact on global economy.

Officials warn Wall St. about possible terror attacks.

IMF, warning of war, says ready to help Egypt.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 1, 2011

Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden meet with U.S. Army soldiers at the airport in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, June 7, 2010. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

American Troops In Middle Of Egyptian Unrest -- Yahoo News

American troops have been stationed in Egypt for many years, performing a number of different missions. The protests, which are taking place throughout that nation and in its capital, Cairo, may affect both these mission and the troops involved. Little public information is available.

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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

National Guard to continue peacekeeping role in Sinai -- World Tribune

As the Big E Heads Towards Egypt -- Information Dissemination

Abrams Tanks in Cairo Underscore Importance of U.S. Arms Sales -- Defpro

Analysis: U.S. military says keeps up with China; Is it enough? -- Reuters

IAEA Chief Warns of Terrorist Access to Nuclear Material -- Global Security Newswire

Information warfare: Why Al Jazeera Supports Hamas -- Strategy Page

Boeing Got $5B in Subsidies, WTO Rules -- DoD Buzz

F-35 Push To Canada And India -- Ares/Aviation Week

New U.S. Navy warship passes sea trials -- UPI

Military, health agency in PR war over base's tainted water -- Miami Herald

DOD's Biodefense Disaster (cont) -- Armchair Generalist

Captain says brass backed carrier videos -- USA Today/AP

More college grads joining military -- UPI

The Rifle Platoon -- Bring the heat, Bring the Stupid

New House intelligence leaders bridge the bipartisan aisle -- Washington Post

Military personnel take extreme measures to meet body-fat and weight rules -- Washington Post

For US soldiers, a healthy food revolution -- Space War/AFP

Is A Trip To The Bar The Best Thing For A Veteran's Mental Health?

Photo: First Lt. Travis Gilbert, 34, center, enjoys his first beer since returning from a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan. Anita Powell / S&S

For Veterans, Road to Mental Health May Begin at the Bar -- Live Science

Connecting struggling veterans to the mental health services they need is an ongoing challenge. Now, a new study finds that the process could start with a sympathetic bartender.

The exploratory study found that bartenders at Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) clubs could help identify veterans in trouble and direct them to mental health professionals. Brief and inexpensive training for these bartenders would widen the safety net for veterans in need of care, said study researcher Keith Anderson, a professor of social work at Ohio State University

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My Comment: I do not see many soldiers disagreeing with this course of treatment.

How Egypt Disconnected The Internet

How Egypt Pulled The Plug On The Internet -- CBS News

Within Six Minutes, Internet Providers for 93 Percent of Egypt Went Down - And Have Not Come Back.

(CBS) NEW YORK - The uprising in Egypt is a quintessential 21st century event - born on Facebook and other social networking sites - which led the government to cut off Internet service.

Science and Technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg reports on this desperate effort to keep a lid on dissent.

The Internet blackout was a surprising move for a nation previously known for being open - compared to other countries in the Mideast.

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More News On How Egypt Disconnected The Internet

Egypt's Internet service blockade unprecedented -- USA Today
A Look At How Egypt Shut Down The Internet -- Tech Dirt
Egypt Internet Blockade Worst in History -- Mobilemedia

Noor Group, Egypt's last Internet service provider, shuts down -- L.A. Times
Egypt's last Internet provider, The Noor Group, goes dark; 'speak-to-tweet' service launched -- Canadian Press
Egypt's Last ISP, Noor Group, Vanishes from 'Net -- PC Magazine
Egypt’s Last-Standing ISP Goes Dark -- Threat Level
As Final Internet Provider Goes Off-Line, Egyptians Seek Simpler Options -- NPR

Accessing The Internet From Egypt -- NPR (Audio)
Egypt Turns Off the Internet. Now What Happens? -- Technology Review
Egypt’s Internet gambit misfires. Surprised? -- Reuters
Making sense of the internet and Egypt -- John D. Sutter, CNN
Egypt's big internet disconnect -- Andrew McLaughlin, The Guardian

U.S. Marines Getting Ready For A Post DADT

Top Marines Pledge To 'Step Out Smartly' To Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' -- Washington Post

Gay rights leaders are praising the nation's top Marine for setting a positive, proactive tone as the military prepares to end enforcement of "don't ask, don't tell," despite his previous warnings that openly gay troops could lead to deadly distractions.

Gen. James F. Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps, has said that allowing gays to serve openly in the military could result in more casualties because openly gay troops on the battlefield could pose "a distraction."

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More News On The Marines Getting Ready To Repeal DADT

Top Marines Pledge to ‘Step Out Smartly’ to Comply With ‘Don’t Ask’ Repeal -- Wall Street Journal
Amos delivers message to Corps on DADT -- Stars And Stripes
Commandant and Sergeant-Major of the USMC Address the Corps on DADT Repeal -- FDL
Marine Commandant James Amos Reverses Course On DADT Repeal -- On Top
DOD gets ready for a post-DADT reality -- Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post

How Are We Going To Feed 9.2 Billion People In 2050

The UN has warned of a global hunger crisis over predicted poor crop yields. Photo by wordpress.com

2.4 Billion Extra People, No More Land: How Will We Feed The World In 2050? -- The Independent

Steve Connor reveals how scientists propose a major policy shift to tackle one of the great challenges of the 21st century.

The finite resources of the Earth will be be stretched as never before in the coming 40 years because of the unprecedented challenge of feeding the world in 2050, leading scientists have concluded in a report to be published next week.

Food production will have to increase by between 70 and 100 per cent, while the area of land given over to agriculture will remain static, or even decrease as a result of land degradation and climate change. Meanwhile the global population is expected to rise from 6.8 billion at present to about 9.2 billion by mid-century.

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My Comment: If not .... what has been happening in Tunisia and Egypt in the past two weeks will be a piper when compared to what may happen in the future when the populations involved are 50% greater.