.jpg)
Israel has confirmed sending thousands of army reservists into Gaza, raising concerns that a "third stage" of its offensive - going deeper into urban centres - could soon begin.
As the offensive entered its 17th day on Monday, Al Jazeera's Zeina Awad reported from the Israel-Gaza border that Israeli aircraft had sustained its bombardment through the night.
The Israeli military said that it had undertaken 10 air attacks overnight, while witnesses reported that ground battles took place in the east and north of Gaza City.
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, said his troops were close to meeting their objectives in Gaza, but stopped short of giving a timeline for ending the conflict.
Fierce fighting
Major Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman, told Al Jazeera that "a few reserve units have entered Gaza to participate in the operation" but would not say how many soldiers were involved.
"We are not talking about a massive amount of forces, rather a limited one," she said.
Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from the Israel-Gaza border, said the move appeared to be in preparation for the so-called third stage of Israel's offensive: moving troops into the towns and cities of Gaza to fight door-to-door.
"The next 48 hours will be fairly crucial in what is happening in Gaza," he said.
"It's clear that the Israelis are using their military strength to try to bring Hamas to the negotiating table to agree to some sort of ceasefire, to some sort of truce.
"With the call up of reserves, what we will see is some sort of intensification of the effort inside Gaza itself, targeting Hamas buildings, Hamas infrastructure, even Hamas operatives.
"And at the end of those 48 hours if Hamas haven't made some sort of indication that they are willing to accept a truce, willing to stop firing the rockets, then I think at that stage we will move into stage three which will be a large scale advance into the heart of the towns and cities of Gaza."
The deployment came amid some of the most intense fighting since the Israeli ground offensive began on January 3, with Palestinian fighters putting up stiff resistance to the Israeli advance into Gaza City.
'Getting close'
The total number of Palestinian deaths since Israel began its war on December 27 climbed to 905, about a quarter of them children.
Almost 4,100 Palestinians have also been wounded since the beginning of the offensive.
Thirteen Israelis have been killed during the same time, including three civilians hit by rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities allowed 61 Arab doctors to enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing on Monday morning.
A humanitarian corridor was opened on Monday, with Israel allowing 105 trucks to enter the territory via the Kerem Shalom crossing and another 60 to go through the Kari border point.
Princess Haya bint al Hussein, a UN Messenger of Peace and wife of the ruler of Dubai, told Al Jazeera that efforts to get aid into the Gaza Strip have been hampered: "I heard yesterday that from the 10 trucks we had scheduled to go in, which started at 15, now we've been asked to drop the capacity of each truck by 10 per cent.
"Things like this when the food is ready to go in, sitting on the border really do cause major frustrations.
"I can't understand why we have red tape in humanitarian efforts."
Olmert told an Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday that "Israel is getting close to achieving the goals it set for itself".
He told ministers that Israel had "dealt Hamas an unprecedented blow... It will never be the same Hamas", according to Oved Yehezkel, the Israeli cabinet secretary.
But the Israeli military onslaught has, so far, failed to achieve the stated aim of stopping Palestinian fighters from firing rockets into southern Israel.
About 20 rockets were fired across the border on Sunday, but did not cause any casualties.
'Third stage' debate
The Israeli cabinet meeting had been expected to include discussion of a possible "third stage" of the offensive in which the military would enter Gaza's urban areas.
Israeli citizens in Ashkelon shelter from rockets fired from the Gaza Strip [AFP]
However, several Israeli officials suggested that the offensive could be drawing to a close after last week's UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
"The decision of the security council doesn't give us much leeway," Matan Vilnai, the deputy defence minister, told public radio.
"Thus it would seem that we are close to ending the ground operation and ending the operation altogether."
Giroa Eiland, a former Israeli national security adviser, told Al Jazeera that there was a debate within the Israeli government and security establishment about what the goals of the operation should be at this stage.
"The main question is how to conclude and accomplish the missions," he said.
"As far as I can understand one of the reasons the military option might be expanded is in order to give an Israeli solution to the situation."
Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli official, was expected to travel to Cairo in the coming days to discuss a plan to end the fighting after Hamas officials met Egyptian officials on Sunday.
12 January 2009
10 January 2009
[MIDDLE EAST]: the offensive continues, diplomacy stalled
This Article is Translated from The January 10, 2009 Post By Our Sister Newservice, Asnycnow15fr http://asnycnow15french-news.blogspot.com/
for the original article go to French-Language News From Asnycnow15
By sea, air and earth, the shelling of Gaza has continued, incessant, the fifteenth day of the Israeli operation "Lead hardened." The offensive has killed more than 820 at this stage on the Palestinian side, including 235 children. This morning, eight members of one family were cut by a bomb in Jabalya in northern Gaza Strip.
On the diplomatic front, Israel, as the Islamists of Hamas, rejected the UN resolution calling for a cease-fire. Egypt numerous consultations to promote a provisional truce.
Meanwhile, Hamas continues its rocket attacks on the southern part of the Hebrew state. In 15 days, three civilians and 10 Israeli soldiers were killed. Israel threatens to intensify its operations.
Copyright © 2009 Asnycnow15News/Blogger
[NEWS]Spider-Man relief assistance to Barack Obama
This Article is Translated from The January 9th,2009 Post By Our Sister Newservice, Asnycnow15fr http://asnycnow15french-news.blogspot.com/
for the original article go to French-Language News From Asnycnow15
Spider-Man relief assistance to Barack Obama
by Asnycnow15 News
AFP - The super-hero comic book Spider-Man is about to make its entry on 20 January at the White House with the President-elect Barack Obama, in a special issue dedicated to be the next U.S. president, announced Thursday the publisher of the comic strip.
The special edition of "Amazing Spider-Man" will be released Wednesday January 14, six days before the inauguration of the 44th U.S. president, said in a statement the publisher Marvel.
The adventure told in this issue is supposed to take place January 20, the day of the inauguration of the next president, when one of the fiercest enemies of the "spider man" is trying to prevent Barack Obama to pay oath in front of the Capitol.
Marvel said to have had the idea to make Obama a cartoon character to learn that the winner of the presidential election was a fan of Spider-Man.
"It was that these two historical figures are found in our world of comics," said editor in chief of Marvel, Joe Quesada
[ASNYCNOW15FR]The "Fansubs" they begin the future of TV series?
This Article is Translated from The January 9th,2009 Post By Our Sister Newservice, Asnycnow15fr http://asnycnow15french-news.blogspot.com/
for the original article go to French-Language News From Asnycnow15
The "Fansubs" they begin the future of TV series?
by Asnycnow15 News(Asnycnow15fr)
While it is now possible to find on the Net any series subtitled in major languages of the planet, thanks to the fans-who volunteer translators. And the limit of legality.
For several years, the phenomenon of "fansub" expands on the Web. Behind the name are hidden barbaric people, and sometimes real organizations whose sole purpose is to bring pleasure to the latest episodes of a television series.
The Japanese animation cartoon on the Web
The problem particularly affects animes (pronounced "lively"), these cartoons in a Japanese manga style. Why? Because there are a large variety, like the manga. Very often they are not distributed in Western countries, because production companies are reluctant to invest in these highly targeted series. This allows groups to "Fansubs" to flourish.
The most successful American series such as "Desperate Housewives" or "CSI" are also available almost instantly on the Net. But the episodes are longer to translate (40 minutes on average, against 20 for an anime), and intellectual property rights are much more strict, the majority of these series with distributors abroad. Finally, these series are widely distributed throughout the world and therefore more accessible to the public.
Today, for the series success in Japan, the process takes less than 24 hours to get an English version, and a little more for another language. The "fansubbers" other countries often wait for the English version be translated into their own language, because English bilinguals are more common than bilingual Japanese.
A well-run
At the root of Dattebayo-FR, the French branch of Dattebayo, the groups of "Fansubs" the best known of the Web, a young officer of 25 years known as the pseudo Tipii. Fan of the first hour of "Naruto", inspires the most downloaded, he decided in 2005 to take charge of the translation into French.
Only in its infancy, it got the original and the English translation provided by the "subbers" American, and adapted into French. To benefit the rest of the community of fans, it distributes its videos via IRC, a simple chat program that allows users to recover by focus.
"Many fans have offered their help on IRC. Some were involved in the translation when I did not have time, others have provided technical advice to improve the quality of videos," says Tipii. His team now has several dozen people.
True to the spirit of the Internet, Dattebayo-EN respects the concept of free education. For Tipii, fansub philosophy is to "make something free and able to bring the French community. But I remain a fan first."
Soon victim of its success, in 2006 he launched a website, now in its third version, which offers a dozen translated anime. Tipii estimated 100 to 000 the number of downloads of an episode of Naruto in the week following its release online. "The accommodations, it represents 4 terabytes per month," says Lowan, developer of the site. And that's without counting viewings on Dailymotion and YouTube, or other sites that will in turn distribute the file.
The figures of the English version is even more impressive. According to the site Dattebayo.com, the average download an episode in 2008 around 450 000.
The borders of legality
Until the series is not officially distributed in the country in question, it is not always beneficial right to submit claims. Japanese studios do not always complain because the "Fansubs" ensure their international distribution free.
Some production companies Western eventually buy licenses, sometimes as a result of the success encountered by these series on the Internet through "Fansubs. This is the case in France and the United States for the series "Naruto". Groups of "Fansubs are usually contacted and asked to cease their activities.
Team Dattebayo-FR did not escape the rule. Lowan remembers. "One day we received a mail from a French distributor for a series that 'subbie'," he says. This was followed by a discussion and ultimately, I think they've decided to leave us alone. Anyway, if you stop, other 'teams' would be created [group "fansubbers"]. The problem of the Internet that it is incrontrôlable. "
Côté distributor sounds different. For Cedric Littardi, CEO of the company which operates several Kaze licenses, the problem is rather the pattern of consumption that arises from "Fansubs. "For a young adolescent, it has become normal to see an episode 'fansubbé' on Dailymotion free, he lamented. The fans must understand that producing a cartoon is very expensive and it takes time to produce a translation of quality. "
Tipii, he does not consider that there be a competition between "fansubbers and distributors. 'Old' Fansubs' do not want a dubbed version in French. They are used for years to vote in Japan. In contrast, viewers who discovered the series in English will not necessarily download a original subtitled, "he says.
An amicable cohabitation is even more conceivable that the "fansubbers" are most often a good margin ahead in terms of numbers of episodes. But according to Cédric Littardi, the effects of "fansub" are already being felt to Japan: "Some studios are almost bankrupt, the number of animated series is produced in fall of almost 50%. It is the creation itself is being affected. " Not sure the argument that prevents hundreds of thousands of addicts to download the latest episode of their favorite show.
Story By Asnycnow15fr
Source:France 24
© 2009 Asnycnow15News/Blogger
04 January 2009
[TECHNOLOGY]Gone Phising: Watch out For DM!!
Gone Phishing
If you receive a direct message or a direct message email notification that redirects to what looks like Twitter.com—don't sign in. Look closely at the URL because it could be a scam.
What Is Phishing?
Wikipedia defines phishing as "the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication." We've identified a phishing scam directed at Twitter users and we don't want you to get tricked into giving your password to a scammer.
How Does It Work?
This particular scam sent out emails resembling those you might receive from Twitter if you get email notifications of your Direct Messages. The email says something like, "hey! check out this funny blog about you..." and provides a link. That link redirects to a site masquerading as the Twitter front page. Look closely at the URL field, if it has another domain besides Twitter but looks exactly like our page then it's a fraud and you should not sign in. Here are some basic tips on how to avoid Phishing scams.
What If I Get Tricked?
Some folks may have clicked the link and given their Twitter password to the phishing site. In those cases it would be possible for the phisher to send out direct messages on your behalf which could trick your followers. In those cases, we proactively reset the passwords of the accounts.
So, if you find yourself unable to login to your account with your username and password, please use the reset password link to regain access. This will send an email to the address associated with your account and you'll be able to create a new password.
If you don't receive the reset password email, please check your junk or spam email folder as it may be accidentally delivered there. If you are still having trouble logging in, please contact our support team and we'll help you out.
[MIDDLE EAST]Civilians die in Gaza fighting
Heavy fighting is raging in the Gaza Strip between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters after Israel launched its ground offensive on the territory.
At least 30 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since fighting began late on Saturday, according to Palestinian medical sources.
An Israeli soldier was killed on Sunday in the fighting, the Israeli army said.
Thousands of Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip overnight with tanks and helicopters, accompanied by naval support and air strikes.
The ground offensive followed eight days of intense Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, purportedly aimed at ending cross-border rockets being fired by Hamas fighters from the territory into southern Israel.
The Israeli assault, codenamed "Operation Cast Lead", has killed more than 507 Palestinians and wounded more than 2,400 others. Four Israelis have been killed by the Hamas rocket strikes in the same time.
Among the latest victims were a mother and her four young children, killed in an Israeli air strike on their home in Gaza.
Also killed in Israeli shelling was a Palestinian paramedic, the Oxfam aid agency said. Another paramedic lost his leg when a shell struck an ambulance.
Hamas defiant
| IN DEPTH |
 Latest news and analysis from Gaza and Israel |
 Al Jazeera Labs: Report on and track the war |
 Send us your views and eyewitness videos |
 Watch AlJazeera English's coverage of the war on Gaza |
"The battle has just started and the enemy should endure the consequences and results. They should be ready for the bad news coming from the Gaza Strip," Abu Obeida, a spokesman, said.
Hamas said it had captured two Israeli soldiers but the Israeli army denied that.
While the UN secretary-general called for an immediate end to the operations, the Security Council failed to agree on a resolution calling for a ceasefire after an emergency meeting.
Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, has meanwhile rejected the possibility of a ceasefire but said Israel does not intend to occupy Gaza.
"We don't intend neither to occupy Gaza nor to crush Hamas, but to crush terror. And Hamas needs a real and serious lesson. They are now getting it," Peres said in an interview.
Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, said doctors were struggling to cope amid low supplies and the rising number of wounded.
She said the scene was chaotic, with doctors treating the injured on the floor.
Humanitarian crisis
Fears of a humanitarian crisis have also grown in recent days, as the strip, home to 1.5 million people, is already suffering shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies due to a two-year economic blockade imposed by Israel.
| Map |
Egypt has also completely closed the Rafah crossing, cutting off aid supplies to the territory.
The UN has warned that there were "critical gaps" in aid reaching Gaza, despite claims from Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, that there was no crisis and that aid was getting through.
However, Christopher Gunness, the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) spokesman said the idea that there is no humanitarian crisis is absurd.
"The organization for which I work - Unrwa - has approximately 9-10,000 workers on the ground. They are speaking with the ordinary civilians in Gaza... People are suffering. A quarter of all those being killed now are civilians. So when I hear people say we're doing our best to avoid civilian casualties that rings very hollow indeed."
Elsewhere in the strip, heavy artillery, tracer fire and rockets could be heard while reports said Israeli troops had reached the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun.
Soldiers and fighters were also locked in gun battles east of the Hamas stronghold of Zeitoun.
'Fear and terror'
Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from Gaza City, said: "Perhaps the most significant military development on the ground is that Gaza has now actually been split into two.
"A column of Israeli tanks and artillery, and armoured personnel vehicles has made its way through from the eastern part of Gaza, reaching as far as the Mediterrannean sea on the Western part, essentially splitting Gaza.
"That area, mostly in the former settlement of Nitzerim, it was an open area after Israel withdrew the settlement, so they were able to make strong advances all the way across Gaza, essentially cutting off the northern part from the southern part."
Mohyeldin said that the scene in Gaza was one of "fear and terror".
He said power lines have been cut throughout Gaza and more than 250,000 people in the northern part of the territory were without electricity.
"The biggest concern is a ground invasion could result in urban warfare," he said.
 |
| The Israeli defence minister said Israel had weighed all options before the raids [AFP] |
Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland, reporting from the Israeli side of the border, said the authorities there have been extremely tight-lipped about the operation.
However, the military has confirmed that at least 30 soldiers have been wounded, two of them seriously, in the fighting so far.
Israel extended its naval blockade of Gaza early on Sunday, from six nautical miles to 20 nautical miles, preventing humanitarian aid and protest vessels from trying to break the siege.
It also captured the Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV and has been broadcasting messages telling Hamas leaders to give themselves up.
Around 9,000 military reservists have been called up to assist in the ground assault.
Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, said that the operation was aimed at forcing Hamas "to stop its hostile activities against Israel and bring about significant change".
"The operation will be expanded and intensified as much as necessary," Barak said on Sunday. "War is not a picnic."
Mark Regev, an Israeli government spokesman, told Al Jazeera that the "single aim" of the offensive was to halt Hamas rocket attacks into Israeli territory.
"Ultimately Hamas is solely responsible for this crisis and today they are paying a price for that," he said.
[NEWS]Israel pushes deeper into Gaza
Heavy fighting is reported in Gaza between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters after Israel launched its ground offensive on the territory. Thousands of Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip overnight with tanks and helicopters, accompanied by naval support and air strikes. At least 30 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since ground fighting began late on Saturday, according to Palestinian medical sources. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed in the nine days of what's been termed "Operation Cast Lead" and four Israelis have been killed by the Hamas rocket strikes in the same time. While the UN secretary general called for an immediate end to the operations, the Security Council failed to agree on a resolution calling for a ceasefire after an emergency meeting. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from the Shifa hospital in Gaza, said doctors were struggling to cope amid low supplies and the rising number of wounded. She said the scene was chaotic, with doctors treating the injured on the floor.
Soldiers and fighters were also locked in gunbattles east of the Hamas stronghold of Zeitoun. Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Gaza City said: "Perhaps the most significant military development on the ground is that Gaza has now actually been split into two. "A column of Israeli tanks and artillery, and armoured personnel vehicles has made its way through from the eastern part of Gaza, reaching as far as the Mediterrannean sea on the Western part, essentially splitting Gaza. Casualties However, the military has confirmed that at least 30 soldiers have been wounded in the fight so far, two of them seriously. Al Aqsa TV, the station affiliated to Hamas, said the group has captured two Israeli soldiers. This has not been independently verified nor has the Israeli military confirmed it. "As far as we know, this is not true," a senior army official told reporters.
In initial clashes, Israeli ground forces killed eight Gazans, five of them fighters. Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza City, said that the scene in Gaza was one of "fear and terror". Palestinian medical sources say at least 477 Palestinians have died and more than 2,300 had been injured since Israel began aerial bombardment of Gaza more than a week ago. Four Israelis have also been killed by Palestinian rockets fired into southern Israel during the past week. Israel, meanwhile, extended its naval blockade of Gaza early on Sunday, from six nautical miles to 20 nautical miles, preventing humanitarian aid and protest vessels from trying to break the siege. Around 9,000 military reservists have also been called up to assist in the ground assault. Hamas warnings Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, said on Saturday that the operation was aimed at forcing Hamas "to stop its hostile activities against Israel and bring about significant change". "We have carefully weighed all our options, we are not war hungry but we should not allow a situation where our towns are constantly targeted by Hamas," he said.
"Ultimately Hamas is solely responsible for this crisis and today they are paying a price for that," he said. Hamas has vowed to defeat the Israeli army following the invasion, with Osama Hamdan, a senior official for Hamas in Beirut, Lebanon, telling Al Jazeera that "military operations will not win for the Israelis". On Friday, Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of Hamas, had warned that any Israeli ground offensive would lead to a "black destiny". Reservists mobilised Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports that power lines have been cut throughout the Gaza Strip and more than 250,000 people in the northern part of the territory are without electricity. "The biggest concern is a ground invasion could result in urban warfare," he said. "Rockets are being fired from deeper and deeper within Gaza and if Israel's intention is to prevent such attacks how far into Gaza, an area densely populated with civilians, will they need to go?" Fears of a humanitarian crisis have also grown in recent days, as the strip, home to 1.5 million people, is already suffering shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies due to a two-year economic blockade imposed by Israel. The International Committee for the Red Cross said on Saturday its medical emergency team had been prevented for a second day from entering the territory. The UN has warned that there were "critical gaps" in aid reaching Gaza, despite claims from Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, that there was no crisis and that aid was getting through. At least 25 per cent of the Palestinians killed since Israel began its aerial assault nine days ago were civilians, the UN has estimated. | |||||||||
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Asnycnow15 News| English
.jpg)
This Blog Is Owned By Asnycnow15 English Which operates youTube Channel Asnycnow15 And Twitter Newsservice Asnycnow15 And Follows Editorial Guidelines of Asnycnow15 Media.
LINKS TO THIS POST:
CREATE A LINK
<<>