Israel unveils huge drones that can reach Iran

Israel's air force has introduced a fleet of huge pilotless planes that can remain in the air for a full day and fly as far as the Persian Gulf, putting rival Iran within its ra

The Heron TP drones have a wingspan of 26 metres, making them the size of Boeing 737 passenger jets and the largest unmanned aircraft in Israel's military. The planes can fly at least 20 consecutive hours and are primarily used for surveillance and carrying diverse payloads.

At the fleet's inauguration ceremony at a sprawling air base in central Israel, the drone dwarfed an F-15 fighter jet parked beside it. The unmanned plane resembles its predecessor, the Heron, but can fly higher, reaching an altitude of more than 12,000 metres, and remain in the air longer.

"With the inauguration of the Heron TP, we are realising the air force's dream," Brigadier General Amikam Norkin, head of the base that will operate the drones, said on Sunday. "The Heron TP is a technological and operational breakthrough."

Israeli officials refused to say how large the new fleet was or whether the planes were designed for use against Iran, but stressed it was versatile and could adapt to new missions. The plane's maker, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, has said it is capable of reaching the Persian Gulf, which would put Iran within its range

"The Heron TP has the potential to be able to conduct new missions down the line as they become relevant," said Major General Ido Nehushtan, commander of Israel's air force.

Israel believes Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons and has repeatedly hinted it could strike Iran if diplomatic efforts to curb the nuclear program fail

Israeli defence officials said the Heron TP could be a useful tool against Iran, whose leaders have repeatedly called for the Jewish state's destruction. In addition to providing surveillance, the aircraft can jam enemy communications as well as assist in communications between ground control and manned air force planes.

The officials requested anonymity because they were discussing sensitive military technology.

The Heron TP has been in development for about a decade. The aircraft first saw action during Israel's offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip just over a year ago.

Palestinian witnesses have long claimed Israeli drones fire missiles in Gaza, both before and during the Israeli offensive. Israel has never confirmed its unmanned aircraft can fire missiles.

Israel first began using drones in the early 1970s, and its fleet has steadily increased since then. The unmanned planes are now considered an integral part of the military and tend to accompany air and ground forces on various missions.

Dubai hit shows Israel won't be safer with exiled terrorists

If Mahmoud al-Mabhouh were sitting in an Israeli prison instead of posthumously starring in the international media, his name would be on the list of prisoners whom Hamas is demanding in exchange for Gilad Shalit. He would almost certainly be one of the "arch-terrorists" that Israel, for its own security, is insisting be barred from the Palestinian territories after their release, a condition that Hamas has refused to accept. On top of this snag, the American government is strenuously opposed to the exchange, on the grounds that a Hamas success in securing the release of hundreds of prisoners would bolster the organization's prestige and highlight the impotence of the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority.

Yet both these arguments are utterly specious, and merely lay bare the obtuseness and shortsightedness prevalent in both Jerusalem and Washington. The wantonly negligent handling of the plight of a young soldier languishing in captivity is characteristic of the policy, or lack thereof, regarding Israel's fate as a Jewish and democratic state.

The Mabhouh case has knocked the bottom out of the argument that Israel will be safer if the worst of the freed terrorists are exiled to Damascus as part of a deal for Shalit. The huge effort put into assassinating Mabhouh in Dubai and the diplomatic and security risks - surely calculated ones - taken by whoever did it are indications of the man's standing in the world of terrorism. Exile, it transpires, can be an ideal hothouse for breeding arch-terrorists.

Concern over Afghan civilians slows NATO advance

That caution is guiding a NATO and Afghan military offensive designed to break the Taliban's grip on their last major stronghold, in Helmand province, without alienating the local population.

But while the strategy may raise chances of local government officials winning the trust of Afghans as they try to stamp their authority, it may also delay the end of the assault in Marjah district and put NATO forces in danger.

"The key to this whole thing is to get the people on our side. To make them understand it's a safe place. If we secure the people, the Taliban become irrelevant," said Marine Captain Ryan Sparks.

"It is frustrating but it's the right way to do it because it protects the people.

NATO forces are taking preventive measures, including sending A-10 jets to kill Taliban militants planting explosives. A-10s are designed for close air support for ground forces, meaning they can hit targets without firing large ordnance.

The Taliban are digging in for a fight to the death, the Pentagon has said, increasing the chances of heavier fighting that could endanger civilians.

Four NATO troops were killed on Thursday, bringing the Afghan-NATO coalition's death toll to 13 since the assault began on Saturday and underscoring the threat from hidden bombs and snipers.

NATO and Afghan troops have hit pockets of stiff resistance in Marjah and may need another month to fully secure the area, a NATO commander said on Thursday.

COMPENSATIO

Abdelkareem, 70, is one example of why the Marines cannot afford to speed up their operations if they want to avoid intense battles, especially since NATO told Marjah residents to stay home.

Tearful, he lifted the edge of a pale blue sheet from his daughter's corpse, revealing her dead three-week-old baby by her side. A mortar hit the house in which he and his family were staying.

It is not clear whether the Marines or Taliban fired the mortar but the Marines provided compensation.

"It pains us all to know what you're going through with the loss that you just suffered," said a Marine Sergeant before handing out compensation.

The Taliban, Afghan military officials say, are firing on troops from houses in residential areas, inviting heavy retaliation

"We have to clear and search houses from where we get shots fired, and that also slows down our efforts," Afghan army General Sher Mohammad Zazai said.

Air support from the Americans may be wishful thinking.

"The approval process takes a long time," said Sparks.

Before carrying out strikes, Marines take time to conduct aerial surveillance to determine whether there are women and children on the ground, he said.

NATO says its main focus now is clearing improvised explosive devices and mines. Some projects are also underway such as finding a location for the deputy district governor's office.

But some civilians have more immediate concerns, putting more pressure on the troops in addition to battling the Taliban

"We are running out of food, and we can't go out due to heavy fighting and landmines," said a shopkeeper in Marjah, holding a satellite phone.

"I speak to you with extreme fear. If the Taliban see me with a satellite phone, they won't spare me, thinking I am a spy."

(For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: here)

(Additonal reporting by Hamid Shalizi: Writing by Michael Georgy, Editing by Bryson Hull and Janet Lawrence)

Israeli soldiers clash with Palestinian protesters

HEBRON, West Bank -- A crowd of Palestinian youths pelted Israeli soldiers with stones and empty bottles on Monday, drawing tear gas and stun grenades in the most serious violence to rock this volatile West Bank city in mont

The clashes erupted a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enraged Palestinian residents by adding a disputed Hebron shrine to Israel's list of national heritage sites. The Palestinians claim all of the West Bank as part of a future state, and saw the Israeli move - a largely symbolic gesture - as a provocation.

Hebron merchants shuttered their stores to protest the decision, and some 100 youths burned tires and threw stones and bottles at Israeli forces in the city. The Israeli military said one soldier was lightly wounded, while Palestinians said three protesters suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Hebron has been a flashpoint for decades. Several hundred ultranationalist Jewish settlers live in heavily guarded enclaves in the midst of some 170,000 Palestinians. Under accords signed in the 1990s, the Palestinians control 80 percent of the city and the Israeli military controls 20 percent.

Netanyahu's move heightened long-standing tensions around the shrine.

Jews revere the site as the Cave of the Patriarchs, where the Bible says the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were buried along with three of their wives. Muslims call it the al-Ibrahimi mosque, reflecting the fact that Abraham is considered the father of both Judaism and Islam.

Dutch move toward Afghan exit, early ballot looms

Balkenende's fourth cabinet in the last eight years fell apart on Saturday morning after the Labour Party pulled out of government, insisting it could not support a NATO request to extend the Dutch mission past this year.

NATO had asked the Netherlands, among the top 10 contributing nations to the mission, to look into the possibility of a longer stay.

"If nothing else will take its place, then it ends," Balkenende told Dutch current affairs television program Buitenhof in an interview on Sunday.

The 2,000-strong Dutch contingent is due to start leaving the Afghan province Uruzgan in August and Balkenende bemoaned the impact of the pullout on the Dutch standing internationally. "The image of the Netherlands is far from flourishing abroad. They do not understand what we are doing," he said.

"The moment the Netherlands says as sole and first country we will no longer have activities at the end of 2010, it will raise questions in other countries and this really pains me."

POLLS FAVOR PULLOUT

However, the first poll to come out following the cabinet's fall indicated the public supported Labour's move to end both the mission and the current government.

The Maurice de Hond poll showed Labour gaining four seats in the next parliament to 19 compared with a week ago. Balkenende's Christian Democrats (CDA) lost one seat, to 26. However, the CDA still leads the poll, with Labour a firm fifth.

Balkenende's personal support, however, is much less than that of his party. The poll showed only 16 percent support for Balkenende as the next prime minister.

More clarity on the next government is expected this week when the leaders of the fallen cabinet and other top officials meet Queen Beatrix on Monday to discuss next steps.

A general election is widely expected to be held in May or June. In the meantime, the parties will also be campaigning aggressively for municipal elections on March 3.

Balkenende said there was a constitutional possibility that elections will not be held until the originally scheduled May 2011 date, but added that this was a matter for the Queen's advisers and the political leaders in parliament.

"We will get elections, a new government will come and then it will be a question of making the Netherlands stronger and let's put our energy into that," Balkenende said.

BUDGETS OVER AFGHANISTAN

Labour leader Wouter Bos, also the incumbent finance minister, is already making the budget and not Afghanistan the main issue for those elections.

"I think this will be the big theme in the next few months," Bos said in an interview on the Dutch TV current affairs program Nova on Saturday night.

Some 20 panels are supposed to present the results of a "taboo-free" review of the budget soon. The aim is to find up to 40 billion euros in budget cuts to rein in the deficit, which is expected to top 6 percent of gross domestic product this year.

The Dutch government has already pledged to its European counterparts that the deficit will come down 50 to 75 basis points a year, every year, from 2011 through 2013.

The new government will have to present its 2011 budget on September 21, leaving it relatively little time to prepare, but Bos said much of the work has already been done.

"In many ways we had already prepared the 2011 budget. We were smart to prepare measures for next year when we were discussing the crisis measures for 2010," Bos said.

Australia in great shape in big year: Ponting

Captain Ricky Ponting says Australian cricket is in great shape entering the countdown to their next two major assignments, winning back the Ashes and chasing a fourth-straight World Cup triumph.

Australia are unbeaten in all formats at home this summer, and have developed new-found depth in their fast-bowling ranks.

The likes of Doug Bollinger, Ryan Harris and Clint McKay again performed well in Friday's 125-run thumping of the West Indies in the fifth one-dayer, at the MCG, while fringe batsmen James Hopes and Adam Voges also starred.

Ponting said the competition within the squad was a great pointer ahead of next summer's challenge to regain the Ashes from England, while it is now under a year before the next World Cup begins on the subcontinent.

"We're heading in the right direction in all forms of the game and with the exposure that we've been able to give a lot of the younger guys as well, a lot of them aren't so young any more in terms of having games of cricket under their belts," he said.

"So we're in great shape as far as the next 12 months is concerned with the Ashes series back here and the World Cup (looming)."

Australia won the Test series against the West Indies 2-0, whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 in Tests, 5-0 in one-dayers and in the sole Twenty20, and beat the Windies 4-0 in the one-day series, with one wash-out.

Michael Clarke's Twenty20 side will now aim to complete an unbeaten home season by beating the West Indies in the two Twenty20 games, in Hobart on Sunday and at the SCG on Tuesday.

The Twenty20 matches should spark interest in the cricket following a string of low attendances across the country in one-dayers this season.

Only 15,538 fans attended Friday's match at the MCG, which was about half as much as the size of the crowd that watched St Kilda and Collingwood play an AFL pre-season game across the city at Etihad Stadium.

Ponting was disappointed with Friday's attendance, and felt the low turn-out was attributable to an overdose of one-day games, not the lopsided nature of the series.

"I'm not sure if the lack of contest had anything to do with it at all," he said.

"I just think we've played a whole lot, you look at all the days of cricket that the public have had to pay and go and watch through the summer, that's probably the reason why the numbers have dwindled off in the last week.

"One thing Australian crowds have always done, they've always come and supported their team and watched their team win, so I don't think we can be blaming that (a one-sided series) for (low crowds)."

Shaun White: the snowboarder's new tricks

Last winter, as part of his preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, snowboarder Shaun White embarked upon a scheme of Bond- villain proportions. It was bold, it was unfeasibly expensive, and it would seal his domination of the sport for years to come. It even had a villainous name: Project-X. Unlike a Bond villain's plot, however, it had every chance of success.

The plan was simply this: White and his principal sponsor, Red Bull, would build a private, million-dollar Olympic-size half-pipe in the Colorado back country. It would be hidden away from the avaricious eyes of his fellow competitors, and it would include a giant soft-landing area – in the form of a steel cage filled with foam rubber – for White to develop and perfect a range of extraordinary new tricks. In short, it would be a secret laboratory for new moves that would ensure a win in the most acrobatic of Olympic snowboarding disciplines, the half-pipe.

A site was chosen in an avalanche zone in a remote valley in the back country of the San Juan mountain range in the Rockies, behind the old mining town of Silverton. In the months before work on the half-pipe began, a team from Silverton's ski area flew around the site after each snowstorm in a helicopter, dropping 25lb explosive charges to trigger avalanches and build up the amount of snow in the area where the pipe would be. The snow debris, packed hard by the violence of each avalanche, was perfect material to press into an icy-walled pipe.

White's team employed Frank Wells, a man with the reputation of being the best half-pipe architect in the world, to cut the 550ft-long tube, and Wells and his team of snow-sculptors worked long into the night for a week, moving 250,000 cubic yards of snow. Then they brought up the foam pit. This open-topped steel cage, 20ft wide, 30ft long and 8ft deep, weighed four tonnes and had to be hauled 1,000 miles from Lake Tahoe where it was built. It was towed and pushed the last seven miles to the site on skids through a snowstorm.