Hamas Must Make A Deadly Israel Calculation

Israel's dramatic escalation of the situation in Gaza was inevitable.

The rocket fire from Gaza into Israel had been steadily increasing, not just over the past two weeks, but the past three years.

In the aftermath of Israel's punitive ground and air offensive in Gaza in 2008 the rate of missiles fired into Israel, which had been increasing, fell away substantially.

In 2009, 310 missiles were fired, in 2010 there were 400, in 2011 - 850, and so far this year around 1,200.

The 2012 statistic is similar to the level in 2008 which triggered Operation Cast Lead.

On Monday, the Israeli government issued a very pointed statement saying that if rocket fire continued it would hold Hamas responsible.

The Israelis knew that most of the missiles were fired by groups such as Islamic Jihad, but they were warning Hamas that as the governing power in Gaza it would targeted if more missiles were fired.

It was no surprise when, after several more missiles fell in Israel, the IDF went after the Hamas military leader Ahmed Jibril and other Hamas targets including police stations.

Israel will continue to target Hamas as well as other groups in Gaza and there is likely to be 'collateral damage'.

The Israelis may well be using what are called 'precision weapons', but Gaza is so crowded with people, and the militant groups deliberately hide among the civilians, that it's probable there will be civilian casualties. There is no cover for the Gaza civilians in which to shelter.

On the other side of the border, about a million Israelis, within range of the rockets, will spend the next few days in bunkers.

The schools are closed and economic activity will slow dramatically.

In many ways, the next move belongs to Hamas. It has a very difficult, indeed deadly, calculation to make.

The Israeli air strikes are to tell Hamas they will be hammered, if rocket fire continues.

But for Hamas to survive it has to be seen to be 'the resistor'. If not it will cede that title to even more radical Islamist groups. So it is probable there will be return fire.

Hamas also has the very deep pockets of Qatar to help them. This flare-up comes shortly after the Emir visited Gaza promising massive support. If Gaza suffers the way it did four years ago, the Qataris will help Hamas rebuild.

The missiles fired from Gaza are indiscriminate. They do not have guidance systems and thus are not precise. They are fired towards Israeli towns with the intention of causing as many civilian casualties as possible. However, they usually fall in open ground.

The calculation Hamas has to make is how many missiles it allows to be fired. There is a number, and they don't know what it is, above which will trigger a ground operation by the IDF similar to Operation Cast Lead.

Every missile fired carries the risk of triggering the ground attack because if there is a single Israeli civilian fatality caused by rocket fire, the IDF will probably go in.

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Gaza Airstrikes: Obama Urges Calm From Israel

Israeli Offensive In Gaza Is Risky

Updated: 12:27am UK, Thursday 15 November 2012

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent

Israel's spectacular escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip in a bid to secure its southern population against the constant threat from Palestinian rockets risks having the opposite effect.

In the worst case scenario it could undermine the bedrock of the Jewish state's security. This is its peace treaty with Egypt, Israel's southern neighbour.

Within hours of the latest bloodletting, which began with an Israeli air force missile strike on the moving car of Ahmed Jabari, the leader of Hamas' military wing, Egypt had ordered its ambassador out of Tel Aviv and the Israeli envoy to Cairo was packing his bags.

Egypt had played an important role in persuading Hamas to de-escalate its own attacks on Israel and police more militant groups in the Strip which it has ruled since 2007.

Cairo managed just such an agreement the day before Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defence, its new campaign to decapitate Hamas.

More than 100 rockets and mortars had been launched into Israel in the previous 24 hours.

Israel understandably could not tolerate a barrage which sooner or later would cause civilian casualties.

It has promised a campaign lasting several days. It issued sneering Tweets warning Hamas operatives no matter how lowly, not to emerge from underground shelters.

There was a time perhaps even in 2008 when Israel launched its last campaign in Gaza, that Israel might have been able to impose peace for itself by force.

But a Harmattan of revolutionary fervour has blown through the Islamic world carrying with it the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies into the presidency of Egypt. Hamas is to some extent, a child of the Brotherhood.

Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's president, is a member of the movement. He may be exasperated by Hamas' petulance and its violence if he does not want to see it dismembered.

The Arab street has never been keen on peace with the 'Zionist Entity'. Morsi knows this, and while he has insisted he will respect Egypt's treaties, his spokesmen have warned of regional insecurity if Israel persists with its military campaign.

They do not mean that Egypt will give up on peace - rather that the violent al Qaeda-linked groups that have been growing in strength in the Sinai and elsewhere in Egypt will draw strength from the spectacle of Israeli aggression in Gaza.

But for Israel to leave Hamas intact now would look like a defeat. Destroying it could be worse, a regional conflagration might follow.

The best hope to avoid these nightmare scenarios is for the United States, the biggest donors to Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinians to step in and demand that all sides engage in a Washington sponsored peace process.

So far there hasn't been a whiff of that.

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Petraeus' Successor John Allen In Email Probe

Petraeus Affair Scandal: Timeline

Updated: 9:33am UK, Tuesday 13 November 2012

The end of General David Petraeus' career has raised several questions about when the affair began and who knew about it. Here is a timeline of events according to officials involved in the investigation.

:: Spring 2006 Paula Broadwell meets Gen Petraeus at Harvard University, where she is a graduate student. Petraeus is a lieutenant general working on a manual about counterinsurgency and is invited to give a speech about his experiences in Iraq.

:: January 2007 Gen Petraeus is confirmed as the commanding general of US troops in Iraq.

:: 2008 Ms Broadwell begins to study his leadership, and he invites her on a run with him and his team along Washington's Potomac River.

:: October 2008 Petraeus is named commander of US Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, where Jill Kelley and her husband attend social events alongside the area's military elite.

:: June 2010 Gen Petraeus is confirmed as the new commander of the war in Afghanistan and Ms Broadwell expands her research to become an authorised biography, making multiple trips to the country and getting unprecedented access to Gen Petraeus and his staff.

:: September 2011 He is sworn in as CIA director with his wife, Holly, by his side. Mr Broadwell keeps in contact and is invited to his office for events, including a meeting with Angelina Jolie. In November of that year, the pair begin an extramarital affair, according to retired Army Colonel Steve Boylan.

:: January 2012 Ms Broadwell's biography is released and she tells her local paper, the Bismark Tribune, that he is an inspirational figure.

:: May 2012 Ms Kelley, a socialite, starts to receive harassing emails and an FBI probe begins. They later determine the email trail leads to Ms Broadwell. Emails between Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell suggest an affair.

:: July 2012 The affair ends, according to Col Boylan, a friend of Gen Petraeus. The FBI has concluded there was no security breach, but continues to look at whether Gen Petraeus had any involvement in emails sent to Ms Kelley.

:: October 2012 By the end of the month, Ms Broadwell and Gen Petraeus have acknowledged the affair following questioning by the FBI. He is urged to resign by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

:: November 8 Gen Petraeus asks Barack Obama if he can resign, on the day the president returns from election celebrations in Chicago. Mr Obama accepts the resignation a day later.

:: November 9 Ms Broadwell's husband emails guests to cancel her 40th birthday party, scheduled for that weekend.

:: November 10 Ms Broadwell's biography of Gen Petraeus jumps to 111th place on Amazon, up from 76,792nd the day before as her identity becomes known.

:: November 12 Members of Congress demand to know more details about the sequence of events and FBI agents begin searching the North Carolina home of Ms Broadwell.

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CCTV Captures Terrifying Brazil Plane Crash

A security camera has captured the dramatic moment a light aircraft overshot a runway and crashed to the ground close to a major road in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The corporate jet was landing at Congonhas Airport on Sunday when it overshot its designated runway, slid down an embankment, "bounced" on a retaining wall and crashed to the ground in a cloud of smoke.

Brazilian media reports claimed the pilot of the Cessna 525B Citation aircraft suffered serious injuries in the crash, but two passengers were largely unhurt.

The aircraft allegedly failed to brake after touching down on the runway at the airport before smashing to the ground with its engines still operating.

All three people on board were able to escape the wreckage as fire crews doused the aircraft.

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Syria: Opposition Form Coalition Against Assad

Syria's divided opposition groups have struck a deal to form a new umbrella organisation which they hope will defeat President Bashar al Assad.

After four days of wrangling in Qatar, representatives of groups including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities agreed to form the coalition supported by Western and Arab backers.

Muslim cleric Ahmed Moaz al Khatib, 52, a Damascus moderate who left Syria three months ago, was elected president of the coalition, with prominent dissident Riad Seif and female opposition figure Suhair al Atassi chosen as his deputies.

Mr Seif, who championed the US-backed reform proposals on which the agreement was based, said the group had signed a 12-point agreement to establish the coalition.

In a document seen by journalists, the parties have agreed "to work for the fall of the regime and of all its symbols and pillars", and ruled out any dialogue with Mr Assad's government.

They agreed to unify the fighting forces under a supreme military council and to set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas.

A provisional government would be formed after the coalition "gains international recognition", and a transitional government after the regime has fallen.

It remains to be seen whether the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces can overcome four decades of rule by President Assad's family.

But for those allies who see the coalition emulating Libya's Transitional National Council, the deal has been welcomed.

The new coalition is aiming to break a stalemate Syria's civil war

"We will strive from now on to have this new body recognised completely by all parties ... as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar, a supporter of the rebels.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there was "no excuse any more" for foreign governments not to support an opposition whose internal divisions had given many pause.

France, a vocal backer of the rebels and which once ruled Syria, hailed the deal.

"France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," said foreign minister Laurent Fabius.

The US had also strongly promoted the plan for the Doha meeting to unite the various factions.

Meanwhile, Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortar fire from fighting in the civil war-hit nation hit the UN-monitored ceasefire line between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

It was the first time Israel has been drawn into the unrest in the neighbouring country, and was the first Israeli fire directed at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.

It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel was "ready for any development" and as his defence minister warned a "tougher response" would follow.

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Australia: Warning As Bushfire Destroys Homes

Around 150 firefighters have been battling a bushfire in South Australia, which has destroyed at least seven homes.

The large blaze at Tulka tore through about 5,000 acres of scrubland and residents were evacuated from their homes.

The fire burned within containment lines but was yet to be brought under control.

Fire service spokesman Malim Watts said despite a change in the wind, Tulka, seven miles south of Port Lincoln, still faced a serious fire threat.

"When this fire started it took off at incredible speed. Very dangerous conditions, catastrophic conditions in fact which basically means that for that community it's a day of survival," said Mr Watts.

It was unclear what sparked the fire but it quickly gathered force due to the hot weather.

A koala is given water by a driver amid a blaze

A similar number of firefighters also battled a blaze at Humbug Scrub, north east of Adelaide, he added.

There was a lucky escape there for a koala, which was spotted by a driver and given water.

"He had a bit of a drink of water. Yeah, but he's but he's not looking too well really," the man said.

A number of other fires were also being tackled in the state.

Officials are warning of a long and difficult summer ahead for firefighters, as South Australia and most other states are anticipating hot and dry weather ahead.

"We've had a lot of rainfall, a lot of growth, a lot of vegetation and we're expecting a very busy fire season as a consequence of that," a fire official said.

Southeastern Australia was last devastated by bushfires in February 2009, when a horrific blaze swept through Victoria state, killing 173 people and destroying more than 2,000 homes.

It was Australia's worst natural disaster in modern times.

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Greece Passes 2013 Austerity Budget

Greek lawmakers have approved the country's 2013 austerity budget involving fresh spending cuts.

The budget passed by a 167-128 vote in the 300-member Parliament.

It came days after a separate bill of deep spending cuts and tax hikes for the next two years squeaked through with a narrow majority following severe disagreements among the three parties in the governing coalition.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras pledged that the spending cuts will be the last Greeks have to endure.

"Just four days ago, we voted the most sweeping reforms ever in Greece," he said.

"The sacrifices (in the earlier bill and the budget) will be the last. Provided, of course, we implement all we have legislated.

"Greece has done what it was asked to do and now is the time for the creditors to make good on their commitments."

Athens says that with the passage of the two bills, the next loan instalment, worth 31.5bn euros, should be disbursed. Without it, the government has said it will run out of cash on Friday, when 5bn euros worth of treasury bills mature.

Finance ministers from the 17-nation eurozone are meeting in Brussels later today, with Greece high on the agenda.

However, German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has indicated it is unlikely that the ministers will decide on the disbursement at that meeting.

"We all... want to help Greece, but we won't be put under pressure," Mr Schaeuble told the  newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

Mr Schaeuble said the so-called troika of debt inspectors likely won't deliver their report on Greece's reform program by Monday. The creditors also want to see what the debt inspectors have to say about Greece's debt sustainability.

But speaking minutes before the vote, Mr Samaras pledged the bailout funds would be disbursed "on time".

Finance minister Yannis Stournaras also stressed the precariousness of Greece's cash reserves, with the treasury bills due on Friday.

"Without the help of the European Central Bank, the refunding of these treasury bills from the banking system will lead the private sector to complete suffocation," Mr Stournaras said.

Disbursement of the next installment is essential "because the state's available funds are marginal, although better than expected because the 2012 budget is being executed better than expected," he said, adding that the funds are needed to pay salaries and pensions, as well as for the import of medicines, fuel and food.

Greece is mired in a deep recession heading into its sixth year, with more than a quarter of Greeks unemployed.

Battered by a mountain of debt and a gaping budget deficit, Greece has been relying on international bailout loans from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund since May 2010.

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Syria Opposition Form Coalition Against Assad

Syria's opposition groups have agreed after days of wrangling to unite against President Bashar al Assad and elected a moderate cleric as its leader.

After four days of talks in Qatar, representatives of groups including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities agreed to form a new coalition that its Western and Arab backers hope can topple Mr Assad.

Muslim cleric Ahmed Moaz al Khatib, 52, a Damascus moderate who left quit Syria three months ago, was elected president of the coalition, with prominent dissident Riad Seif and female opposition figure Suhair al Atassi chosen as his deputies.

Mr Seif, who championed the US-backed reform proposals on which the agreement was based, said the group signed "a 12-point agreement to establish a coalition".

In a document seen by journalists, the parties have agreed "to work for the fall of the regime and of all its symbols and pillars", and ruled out any dialogue with Mr Assad's government.

They agreed to unify the fighting forces under a supreme military council and to set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas.

A provisional government would be formed after the coalition "gains international recognition", and a transitional government after the regime has fallen.

It remains to be seen whether the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces can overcome four decades of rule by President Assad's family.

But for allies who see the coalition emulating Libya's Transitional National Council, the deal has been welcomed.

Can the new coalition break a stalemate Syria's civil war?

"We will strive from now on to have this new body recognised completely by all parties... as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar, a supporter of the rebels.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there was "no excuse any more" for foreign governments not to support an opposition whose internal divisions had given many pause.

France, a vocal backer of the rebels and which once ruled Syria, hailed the deal.

"France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," foreign minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement.

The US had also strongly promoted the plan for the Doha meeting to unite the various factions.

Meanwhile, Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortar fire from fighting in the civil war-hit nation hit the UN-monitored ceasefire line between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

It was the first time Israel has been drawn into the unrest in the neighbouring country, and was the first Israeli fire directed at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.

It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel was "ready for any development" and as his defence minister warned a "tougher response" would follow.

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Syria: 'Casualties After Two Large Blasts'

Two large explosions have struck the Syrian city of Deraa, causing multiple casualties, according to the state-run news agency.

The blasts were reportedly followed by clashes between regime forces and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.

Activists said dozens of members of the Syrian security forces were killed when two cars loaded with explosives drove into a military camp.

In what could have been a double suicide attack, the first car was driven into the camp and exploded, followed by the second vehicle, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Deraa was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad

The blast from the second vehicle caused the casualties, it added.

Deraa, in the south of the country, was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad, which erupted in March 2011.

The conflict began largely with peaceful protests against his rule but turned bloody after rebels took up arms in response to the regime's crackdown.

Activists say more than 36,000 people have died in Syria during the 19-month-long uprising.

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China To Step Up Space Ambitions In 2013

China is stepping up its ambitious space exploration programme with another manned space mission early next summer, according to its official news agency Xinhua.

The Shenzhou-10, with three crew members, is aiming for a primary launch window in June according to Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space programme.

Mr Niu, speaking on the sidelines of China's 18th Communist Party Congress in Beijing, said officials had identified a back-up launch window for July or August.

He also revealed that one of the three astronauts would probably be a woman.

Shenzhou-9 astronauts, from left, Liu Wang, Jing Haipeng and Liu Yang

China sent its first female astronaut, Liu Yang, into space earlier this year on the Shenzhou-9 in the country's first manual space docking mission.

The docking procedure was a major milestone in the country's ambitious space programme that has a goal of building a space station by 2020.

China has said it is working towards landing a man on the moon, but has not specified a time-frame.

The last time a man landed on the moon was during the United States' 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

Beijing has said it will also attempt to land an exploratory craft on the moon for the first time in the second half of next year and transmit back a survey of the lunar surface.

China sees its space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

The country sent its first man into space in 2003. It completed a space walk in 2008 and an unmanned docking between a module and rocket last year.

The US is not expected to test a new rocket to take people into space until 2017, and Russia has said manned missions are no longer a priority.

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