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Analysis: ‘It’s not a war Syria could win’: Israel’s air strike may be a taste of things to come, experts predict
Israel’s air strike in Syria may be a taste of things to come, say security experts. If Israel is considering an air strike on Iranian nuclear facilities it must ensure Hezbollah, an Islamist group in Lebanon and a proxy for Iran, does not get its hands on weapons that could cause the Jewish state problems — like anti-aircraft missiles.
“I would anticipate that this isn’t going to be the first Israeli air strike designed to degrade Hezbollah’s military capabilities over the next year,” said Gary Gambill, associate fellow at the Middle East Forum.
“If Israel is considering a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, then Hezbollah’s capacity to retaliate is going to be an important factor.”
Canada continues to shiver through record cold snap — and there’s little relief in sight
Canadians continue to battle a wicked spate of winter weather that has brought torrents of snow to parts of the country and sent temperatures plunging to their lowest levels in years. Just winter weather or “extreme weather” media hype?
Photo: Ice fog from the St. Lawrence river blankets Montreal as windchill temperatures hit -38C, Jan. 23, 2013. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz)
Gary Clement’s week in review, Dear Abby edition
Political cartoonist Gary Clement takes a look at the week gone by
Kelly McParland: China is choking on its environmental complacency
It’s not very nice to enjoy other people’s misery, but when it comes to smog in China a certain schadenfreude sets in.
China has been most forthright in criticizing other countries for failing to pay adequate attention to the environment , while continuing to burn ever-increasing amounts of coal and letting the result turn the atmosphere into a floating gray mass of pollutants that choke the population.
The Chinese capital is going through another air emergency at the moment, and this one is setting record levels. According to the World Health Organization, a “safe” level of PM2.5 particles — tiny particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs — is 25 micrograms per cubic metre. On Saturday, levels in Beijing hit 600, and perhaps as high as 900. That’s between 24 and 36 times the “safe level.” Beijing is now the modern equivalent of Victorian London, whose famous “fog” was actually smog caused by coal dust that was disastrous for the health of Londoners.
Toronto Maple Leafs even managed to bungle Brian Burke’s firing. (Cartoon: Gary Clement/National Post)
Still suckers for the game: Don’t expect hockey fans to boycott the season
“There is more to the game than a lockout. People might be aggravated and pissed off about it, but the game, the game itself, is exciting and we are social animals — and we want to affiliate with something — we want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and our teams become the focal points.”
2012 in Review
Gary Clement looks at 2012′s highs and lows from A-Z
It’s the end of…
Gary Clement’s week in review
Political cartoonist Gary Clement on the Newtown shooting http://natpo.st/UFpdKZ | The latest developments http://natpo.st/Uac3Jl
Sovereignty ‘will happen when Quebecers are ready,’ Pauline Marois tells N.Y. audience
Quebec premier Pauline Marois reiterated her aim to move Quebec toward independence and said it values its relationship with the U.S.
“I hope that the people of Quebec will one day be a part of the concert of nations,” Marois said today in a speech to the Foreign Policy Association of New York. “This is an internal debate. This will happen when Quebecers are ready.”
North Korea still years away from missiles that pose threat to United States: experts
They don’t call it rocket science for nothing. North Korea’s first successful launch of a three-stage, long-range rocket has outraged world leaders who consider it similar to a missile capable of attacking the United States, Europe and other far-away targets. But experts say Pyongyang is years away from even having a shot at developing reliable missiles that could bombard the American mainland.
A missile program is built on decades of systematic, intricate testing, something extremely difficult for economically struggling Pyongyang, which faces guaranteed sanctions and world disapprobation each time it stages an expensive launch.
“One success indicates progress, but not victory, and there is a huge gap between being able to make a system work once and having a system that is reliable enough to be militarily useful,” said Brian Weeden, a former U.S. Air Force Space Command officer and a technical adviser to the Secure World Foundation, a think tank on space policy.
