U.S., Israeli defense chiefs vow to continue cooperation on Syria, Iran

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and visiting Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak held talks Wednesday and reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation on regional issues, particularly Syria and Iran.

Panetta also reiterated "the strong U.S. commitment to Israel's security and the strong U.S.-Israel defense relationship," Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.

The two defense chiefs discussed a range of issues and expressed their commitment to ensuring continued cooperation on many important regional issues, particularly Syria, Iran, and the Gaza Strip, Little said.

Panetta commended Barak on the latter's "tireless efforts in advancing the U.S.-Israel strategic relationship," and thanked Barak "for his friendship and his continued commitment to the relationship."

Barak's U.S. visit came shortly after U.S. President Barack Obama nominated former Republican senator Chuck Hagel as successor to Panetta, who had decided to return to private life after serving in Obama's first term.

The nomination of Hagel, who is reportedly to be less friendly to Israel and against going to war with Iran over its nuclear program, has aroused deep concern among Republicans.

But Hagel has denied those accusations, vowing to soon announce his position

U.S.-S. Korea drill pushes Korean Peninsula to brink of war: DPRK ceremonial leader

U.S.-S. Korea drill pushes Korean Peninsula to brink of war: DPRK ceremonial leader - Xinhua | English.news.cn

TEHRAN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) --The U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise pushes the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war, said the ceremonial leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( DPRK) at the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in the Iranian capital on Thursday. Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, said that the Korean Peninsula is one of the world's most tense regions and the ongoing exercise between the United States and South Korea will push the Peninsula to the verge of war. Recently, Americans have deployed many up-to-date weapons to the region, which threatens the DPRK, Kim said. South Korea and the United States are on a joint military exercise on Aug. 20 to 31, aiming to enhance defense readiness against potential security threats in the Korean Peninsula, according to military officials in Seoul. The DPRK will build war-deterrence forces to protect the country, and cooperate with any country dedicated to the unification of the Korean Peninsula, said the DPRK leader. He meanwhile also called for the members of the NAM to maintain solidarity, saying that the history of the NAM has proven that unity can bring success and division causes failure. The leader also emphasized that the Western sanctions imposed on Iran and Syria should be removed. Heads of state or government from over 100 countries participated in the two-day NAM summit, which opened in Tehran on Thursday.

Magnitude 5.6 quake hits off coast of Washington state: USGS Sun Aug 19, 2

Magnitude 5.6 quake hits off coast of Washington state: USGS | Article | Top News | Reuters.com

(Reuters) -A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the coast of the West Coast state of Washington on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said. The depth was reported at 6.3 miles and the quake was located 190 miles west of Neah Bay, the USGS said. There was no immediate statement from the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based in Hawaii on the quake.  (
(GReporting by Ed Lane; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Daily review - newsfeed - ticker - 12-8-2012

Syria-n deputy police commander Central Syrian prov. - #Homs defected to #Jordan : confirm - al-Arabiya tv. !________________________________________! YESTERDAY, was assassinated in #Damascus journalist Ali Abbas, Head of the Internal News Agency Syrian Arab News #SANA. !_______________________________________! #Turkey plans to establish security zones to 20 km inland from #Syria, Kurdish PKK guerrillas control. !______________________________________! #Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls for unprecedented powers to overcome the opposition and attack #Iran. !______________________________________! #Remind: #Israel announced border region about #Egypt and #Gaza as closed military regions. #Sinai. !______________________________________! #Egypt: North #Sinai - army kill six militants (#Qaida?) [confirm : AFP] armed forces with rocket lauchers, grenades and automatic weapons. !_____________________________________! Possible war with #Iran - #Israel wants to warn citizens against missile attacks by text message: Israel is "almost final" !_____________________________________! Manama (AP) : #US Navy ship collides with oil tanker (#Japan/#Panama) in Streat of #Hormuz#USSParker at 1a.m. local time #Bahrain. !_____________________________________! http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/travel_diary_turkey_2012_08 #US is providing $5.5million in humanitarian - total $82 million. #Syria/#Turkey/#Quatar/#Israel. !_____________________________________! #Syria: Kurdish minority to seek regional autonomy in post-#Assad state. !_____________________________________! http://t.co/q6U1eULu #Britain and #France hold naval drills on Italy's #Sardinia, as well before #Albania/#Turkey/#Cyprus. !_____________________________________! #Putin says $Rusland will get 1000 new military warplanes and 600 helicopters by 2020 is prt of $ 720 bl. !____________________________________!