Foreign Confidential ™
Foreign News and Analysis Since April 2005 -- formerly China Confidential -- What's Really Happening in the World
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
US Envoy's Undiplomatic Talk Riles Russia
The architect of the Obama administration's Russian "reset"--America's ambassador to Moscow--has made a practice of antagonizing the Kremlin with language that is not merely undiplomatic; it is downright insulting. Read more.
Euro Falls Against Dollar on Spain Woes
Britain Bets on Biomass
Britain is cutting coal use to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and making huge investments in woody biomass, burning industrial-grade wood pellets and wood chips in electricity-generating power stations--or co-firing biomass with coal. Read more.
Foreign Confidential™ analysts add that sustainability is a key concern for UK utilities, which means demand for woody biomass from North America--Canada and the U.S. Northeast--is certain to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years. Africa, South America, and Russia have vast biomass resources; but illegal logging, human rights abuses and corruption are commonplace in these regions.
70% of Britons Now Anti-Austerity
Seven out of 10 Britons are fed up with spending cuts, want the government to stimulate the economy, according to a new poll. Read more.
Iran Hit by Another Cyberattack
A Russian firm says Iran has been the main victim of a major, new, Middle East-focused cyberattack. Israel seems to be encouraging speculation that it is responsible for unleashing the virus. Read more.
US Denies N. Korea Mission Stories
The United States is denying reports it parachuted special forces soldiers into North Korea to gather intelligence on a secret tunnel network. Read more.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Real Heroes … US Special Forces in N. Korea
Carlo Munoz reports:
Members of U.S. special forces are on the ground in North Korea, gathering intelligence on the country's network of clandestine military bases near its border with the South.
Brig. Gen. Neil Tolley, head of all American special operations forces in South Korea, said units of elite U.S. troops were conducting "special reconnaissance" missions in the North.Read more.
Understanding Syria's Wanton Slaughter
DEBKAfile on the Al Houla atrocity: "The wanton slaughter by Syrian forces of 92 confirmed victims, 32 of them children under ten, at the Homs village of Al-Houla Friday, May 25, was the most horrifying atrocity in the Middle East this week, but not the only one: In Sanaa, six days ago, al Qaeda’s suicide bombers, having penetrated Yemeni military ranks, detonated two tons of explosives at a parade rehearsal killing more than 100 soldiers and civilians and injuring 400."
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