Hao wananchi walio tayari kupoteza maisha yao na baadae kubadili msimano wao kwa vile tu wanachofanya kinaungwa mkono na nchi fulani ziwe za kaskazini, kusini, mashariki au magharibi ni wajinga. Nasema wajinga sababu ina maana wamekubali kupoteza maisha bila kujua wanachopigania. Ina maana hizo nchi za magharibi zingepinga hiyo hatua yao ndio wangeendelea na mapambano yao au.....?
The rise and fall of Colonel Muamar Gadaffi
The rise and fall of Colonel Muamar Gadaffi
Hao wananchi walio tayari kupoteza maisha yao na baadae kubadili msimano wao kwa vile tu wanachofanya kinaungwa mkono na nchi fulani ziwe za kaskazini, kusini, mashariki au magharibi ni wajinga. Nasema wajinga sababu ina maana wamekubali kupoteza maisha bila kujua wanachopigania. Ina maana hizo nchi za magharibi zingepinga hiyo hatua yao ndio wangeendelea na mapambano yao au.....?
Vin Diesel
JF-Expert Member
- Mar 1, 2011
- 9,088
- 6,384
kazi ipo
LordJustice1
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 19, 2011
- 2,263
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Sasa huyu Ami alitaka kutuingiza mkenge kwamba eti kuna miji imerudishwa kumbe fix tupu!
LordJustice1
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 19, 2011
- 2,263
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Jina la Bwana yupi lihimidiwe na kwa nini lihimidiwe?
LordJustice1
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 19, 2011
- 2,263
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EMT
Platinum Member
- Jan 13, 2010
- 14,477
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Libyan pro-Gaddafi forces 'fail' to retake Zawiyah
Anti-Gaddafi forces claim to have beaten back a series of attacks aimed at reclaiming the strategic town of Zawiyah, 19 miles from Tripoli.
Although details are sketchy and have been impossible for reporters in Tripoli to confirm at first hand, both sides appear to agree that fighting began after several military vehicles carrying government soldiers attempted to enter the town on Monday.
Both opposition and pro-regime sources confirmed that up to 10 soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire.
Despite reports of fighting in the town, it appeared calm when the Guardian drove through it, with some shops open and people and traffic in the street.
The opposition forces in the town, who seized its centre but not all of its outlying suburbs and villages last week, are using seized military equipment – mostly old – including a tank, several armoured personnel carriers and a couple of pick-up trucks mounted with operational anti-aircraft guns.
The fighters themselves are armed with a mixture of assault rifles, shotguns and other rifles.
Ranged against them is a formidable force from the Khamis Brigade, led by one of Gaddafi's sons, which on Monday afternoon had moved around a dozen modern tanks close to Zawiyah as well as six BM-21 truck-mounted "Grad" rocket launchers within range of the town. US diplomats have said the brigade is the best-equipped force in Libya.
It is not clear whether either tanks or rockets were used in the government assault.
"We were able to repulse the attack. We damaged a tank with an RPG. The mercenaries fled after that," said a resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.
He said Gaddafi had called Zawiyah's influential tribal leader Mohammed al-Maktouf and warned him that if the rebels did not leave the town's main square by early Tuesday, they would be hit by warplanes. "We are expecting a major battle," the resident said, adding that the rebels had killed eight soldiers and mercenaries on Monday.
Another resident of Zawiyah said he heard gunfire well into the night on the outskirts of town.
Witnesses said young men had been stationed on the rooftops of the taller buildings in the town – as seen by the Guardian on Monday – to monitor the movements of the pro-Gaddafi forces and sound the warning if they thought an attack was imminent.
They also spoke about generous offers of cash by the regime for the rebels to hand control of the town back to authorities.
In Misrata, pro-Gaddafi troops who control part of an air base on the town's outskirts tried to advance on Monday. They were repulsed by opposition forces, who included residents with automatic weapons and army units that had defected, according to one of the opposition fighters.
No casualties were reported and the fighter claimed that his side had captured eight soldiers, including a senior officer.
The opposition controls most of the air base, and the fighter said dozens of anti-Gaddafi gunmen had arrived from farther east in recent days as reinforcements. One witness told the Associated Press: "We will not give up Zawiyah at any price. We know it is significant strategically. They will fight to get it, but we will not give up. We managed to defeat them because our spirits are high and their spirits are zero."
The reports of the clashes around Zawiyah have demonstrated the difficulty in establishing details of what has been going on in many of the contested towns around Tripoli – and in Tripoli itself. Both sides appear to have been guilty of omissions and exaggerations as they fight a propaganda war as well as one with guns and bullets.
While breathless accounts of pitched battles have appeared in the international media, the reality often appears to have been more chaotic and smaller in scale.
The movements of reporters in Tripoli have been carefully controlled by the Gaddafi regime, with journalists forced to rely on descriptions of events provided by opposition members over the phone. Details have often been difficult to corroborate.
On Tuesday, Gaddafi's regime sought to show that it was the country's only legitimate authority and that it continued to feel compassion for areas in the east that had fallen under the control of its opponents.
A total of 18 trucks loaded with rice, wheat flour, sugar and eggs left Tripoli for Benghazi, the country's second largest city, 620 miles east of the capital. Also in the convoy were two refrigerated cars carrying medical supplies.
The convoy was met with a small pro-Gaddafi demonstration as it made its way out of Tripoli. "God, Gaddafi, Libya and that's it," chanted the demonstrators.
"The state is very generous with the people," said 22-year-old Ahmed Mahmoud as he watched the convoy.
Libyan pro-Gaddafi forces 'fail' to retake Zawiyah | World news | guardian.co.uk
Anti-Gaddafi forces claim to have beaten back a series of attacks aimed at reclaiming the strategic town of Zawiyah, 19 miles from Tripoli.
Although details are sketchy and have been impossible for reporters in Tripoli to confirm at first hand, both sides appear to agree that fighting began after several military vehicles carrying government soldiers attempted to enter the town on Monday.
Both opposition and pro-regime sources confirmed that up to 10 soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire.
Despite reports of fighting in the town, it appeared calm when the Guardian drove through it, with some shops open and people and traffic in the street.
The opposition forces in the town, who seized its centre but not all of its outlying suburbs and villages last week, are using seized military equipment – mostly old – including a tank, several armoured personnel carriers and a couple of pick-up trucks mounted with operational anti-aircraft guns.
The fighters themselves are armed with a mixture of assault rifles, shotguns and other rifles.
Ranged against them is a formidable force from the Khamis Brigade, led by one of Gaddafi's sons, which on Monday afternoon had moved around a dozen modern tanks close to Zawiyah as well as six BM-21 truck-mounted "Grad" rocket launchers within range of the town. US diplomats have said the brigade is the best-equipped force in Libya.
It is not clear whether either tanks or rockets were used in the government assault.
"We were able to repulse the attack. We damaged a tank with an RPG. The mercenaries fled after that," said a resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.
He said Gaddafi had called Zawiyah's influential tribal leader Mohammed al-Maktouf and warned him that if the rebels did not leave the town's main square by early Tuesday, they would be hit by warplanes. "We are expecting a major battle," the resident said, adding that the rebels had killed eight soldiers and mercenaries on Monday.
Another resident of Zawiyah said he heard gunfire well into the night on the outskirts of town.
Witnesses said young men had been stationed on the rooftops of the taller buildings in the town – as seen by the Guardian on Monday – to monitor the movements of the pro-Gaddafi forces and sound the warning if they thought an attack was imminent.
They also spoke about generous offers of cash by the regime for the rebels to hand control of the town back to authorities.
In Misrata, pro-Gaddafi troops who control part of an air base on the town's outskirts tried to advance on Monday. They were repulsed by opposition forces, who included residents with automatic weapons and army units that had defected, according to one of the opposition fighters.
No casualties were reported and the fighter claimed that his side had captured eight soldiers, including a senior officer.
The opposition controls most of the air base, and the fighter said dozens of anti-Gaddafi gunmen had arrived from farther east in recent days as reinforcements. One witness told the Associated Press: "We will not give up Zawiyah at any price. We know it is significant strategically. They will fight to get it, but we will not give up. We managed to defeat them because our spirits are high and their spirits are zero."
The reports of the clashes around Zawiyah have demonstrated the difficulty in establishing details of what has been going on in many of the contested towns around Tripoli – and in Tripoli itself. Both sides appear to have been guilty of omissions and exaggerations as they fight a propaganda war as well as one with guns and bullets.
While breathless accounts of pitched battles have appeared in the international media, the reality often appears to have been more chaotic and smaller in scale.
The movements of reporters in Tripoli have been carefully controlled by the Gaddafi regime, with journalists forced to rely on descriptions of events provided by opposition members over the phone. Details have often been difficult to corroborate.
On Tuesday, Gaddafi's regime sought to show that it was the country's only legitimate authority and that it continued to feel compassion for areas in the east that had fallen under the control of its opponents.
A total of 18 trucks loaded with rice, wheat flour, sugar and eggs left Tripoli for Benghazi, the country's second largest city, 620 miles east of the capital. Also in the convoy were two refrigerated cars carrying medical supplies.
The convoy was met with a small pro-Gaddafi demonstration as it made its way out of Tripoli. "God, Gaddafi, Libya and that's it," chanted the demonstrators.
"The state is very generous with the people," said 22-year-old Ahmed Mahmoud as he watched the convoy.
Libyan pro-Gaddafi forces 'fail' to retake Zawiyah | World news | guardian.co.uk
Prof Griff
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 29, 2008
- 6,772
- 5,258
Huyu Sheikh Mbukuzi na wenzake itabidi wakae mkao wa kulia. Wafuasi wa Ghadafi wana wakati mgumu kuiteka miji iliyo chini ya Waasi, halafu majeshi ya USA, France na UK siku chache zijazo yatavamia Tripoli. Ni game-over kwa dikteta fisadi na muuaji Gadafi na familia yake.
Clinton ananukuliwa leo hapa chini:
"We have joined the Libyan people in demanding that Gadhafi must go -- now, without further violence or delay -- and we are working to translate the world's outrage into action and results," she said.
The United States has said all options are "on the table" with respect to Libya.
A top U.S. general said Tuesday that any effort to establish a no-fly zone over the country would be a military operation that would include eliminating Libya's air defenses. It would be "challenging," U.S. Central Command leader Gen. James Mattis told the Senate Armed Services committee.
Clinton ananukuliwa leo hapa chini:
"We have joined the Libyan people in demanding that Gadhafi must go -- now, without further violence or delay -- and we are working to translate the world's outrage into action and results," she said.
The United States has said all options are "on the table" with respect to Libya.
A top U.S. general said Tuesday that any effort to establish a no-fly zone over the country would be a military operation that would include eliminating Libya's air defenses. It would be "challenging," U.S. Central Command leader Gen. James Mattis told the Senate Armed Services committee.
Uwezo Tunao
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 14, 2010
- 6,942
- 1,191
Gaddafi's forces battle rebels
Fighter jets reported to have bombed Ajdabiya and Az Zawiyah as Libyan leader defies mounting international pressure. ( 01-Mar-2011 )
Uwezo Tunao
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 14, 2010
- 6,942
- 1,191
Chaos at Libyan-Tunisian border
Border guards struggling to control crowds as the UN says 140,000 people have fled the
revolt aimed at toppling Gaddafi.
Last Modified: 01 Mar 2011 21:39 GMT
Aid workers warned that water and sanitation were major concerns as thousands crossed the border [Reuters]
The number of people fleeing violence and chaos in Libya has topped 140,000, with about half of them entering Tunisia.
Aid workers warned on Tuesday that the situation at the border with Tunisia has reached a crisis point, as border guards were firing into the air, trying to control crowds pressing to get through the Ras Jdir crossing.
Immigration officers were struggling to keep up with the mass exodus as people were pressed up against a concrete wall dividing the no man's land between the Libyan and Tunisian border posts. At intervals, Tunisian border guards would open a blue metal gate to let a small group through.
But some threw their bags over the wall and tried to climb over, prompting border guards first to hit them with sticks and then to fire repeatedly into the air.
Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from the Tunisian side of the border, described the situation as "really chaotic"
"Things are now at breaking point," he said.
The crowds on the Libyan side have been growing and the situation for them has been getting much worse. We've seen people being taken from the crowd, people who collapsed, fainted, suffering from dehydration and stress."
Foreign labourers
Volunteers were throwing bottles of water and bread over the wall into the crowd and others were handing out food to people seeking shelter at the Tunisian side.
"It looks like it's going to get worse ... They are going to break down the wall in the end," Ayman Gharaibeh, an
officer with the UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, said.
Authorities say up to 75,000 people have crossed into Tunisia in just the past nine days, many of them foreign labourers.
Thousands of Vietnamese and Bangladeshis at the Libyan side of border with Tunisia are "in urgent need of food, water and shelter," Jemini Pandya, a spokeswoman for International Organisation for Migration, said. Nepalese, Ghanaians and Nigerians were also sleeping unprotected at the borders, she said.
The UNHCR extended its camp near the border overnight, erecting tents with a capacity to accommodate 10,000 people. The organisation was preparing to put in more tents to increase the camp's capacity to 20,000.
"Water and sanitation is a major issue, toilets are our next big headache," Hovig Etyemezian, a UNHCR official, said.
Egyptian authorities said 69,000 people have fled into Egypt from Libya in the past 10 days, most of them Egyptians who have already been taken to other towns and cities.
Italy said on Tuesday it would dispatch a humanitarian mission to Tunisia to provide food and medical aid to as many as
10,000 people.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government said the situation facing Libyan refugees was "truly critical" and that
aid would also help prevent a wave of African migrants leaving for Italian shores.
Berlusconi's government, which has made cracking down on illegal immigration a priority, has been alarmed by the prospect of a new wave of immigrants arriving by boat to Italy due to the unrest in North Africa.
About 6,000 Tunisians arrived last month on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than mainland
Italy, after protesters ousted Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Border guards struggling to control crowds as the UN says 140,000 people have fled the
revolt aimed at toppling Gaddafi.
Last Modified: 01 Mar 2011 21:39 GMT
Aid workers warned that water and sanitation were major concerns as thousands crossed the border [Reuters]
The number of people fleeing violence and chaos in Libya has topped 140,000, with about half of them entering Tunisia.
Aid workers warned on Tuesday that the situation at the border with Tunisia has reached a crisis point, as border guards were firing into the air, trying to control crowds pressing to get through the Ras Jdir crossing.
Immigration officers were struggling to keep up with the mass exodus as people were pressed up against a concrete wall dividing the no man's land between the Libyan and Tunisian border posts. At intervals, Tunisian border guards would open a blue metal gate to let a small group through.
But some threw their bags over the wall and tried to climb over, prompting border guards first to hit them with sticks and then to fire repeatedly into the air.
Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from the Tunisian side of the border, described the situation as "really chaotic"
"Things are now at breaking point," he said.
The crowds on the Libyan side have been growing and the situation for them has been getting much worse. We've seen people being taken from the crowd, people who collapsed, fainted, suffering from dehydration and stress."
Foreign labourers
Volunteers were throwing bottles of water and bread over the wall into the crowd and others were handing out food to people seeking shelter at the Tunisian side.
"It looks like it's going to get worse ... They are going to break down the wall in the end," Ayman Gharaibeh, an
officer with the UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, said.
Authorities say up to 75,000 people have crossed into Tunisia in just the past nine days, many of them foreign labourers.
Thousands of Vietnamese and Bangladeshis at the Libyan side of border with Tunisia are "in urgent need of food, water and shelter," Jemini Pandya, a spokeswoman for International Organisation for Migration, said. Nepalese, Ghanaians and Nigerians were also sleeping unprotected at the borders, she said.
The UNHCR extended its camp near the border overnight, erecting tents with a capacity to accommodate 10,000 people. The organisation was preparing to put in more tents to increase the camp's capacity to 20,000.
"Water and sanitation is a major issue, toilets are our next big headache," Hovig Etyemezian, a UNHCR official, said.
Egyptian authorities said 69,000 people have fled into Egypt from Libya in the past 10 days, most of them Egyptians who have already been taken to other towns and cities.
Italy said on Tuesday it would dispatch a humanitarian mission to Tunisia to provide food and medical aid to as many as
10,000 people.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government said the situation facing Libyan refugees was "truly critical" and that
aid would also help prevent a wave of African migrants leaving for Italian shores.
Berlusconi's government, which has made cracking down on illegal immigration a priority, has been alarmed by the prospect of a new wave of immigrants arriving by boat to Italy due to the unrest in North Africa.
About 6,000 Tunisians arrived last month on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than mainland
Italy, after protesters ousted Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Uwezo Tunao
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 14, 2010
- 6,942
- 1,191
The Libya War Plans (Slowly) Take Shape
- By Spencer Ackerman
- February 28, 2011 |
- 7:28 pm |
- Categories: Navy
After two weeks of revolution and the deaths of thousands of Libyans, the Obama administration is starting to contemplate military action against the brutal Libyan regime of Moammar Gadhafi.
The United Nations Security Council has already sanctioned Gadhafi and referred him to the International Criminal Court following his violent suppression of Libya's revolutionary movement, creating the contours of a hardening international position against Gadhafi.
And now most U.S. nationals in Libya have now fled, removing what the Obama administration has considered an impediment to action.
So here comes the Navy. The Enterprise carrier strike group, last seen hunting pirates, is in the Red Sea - and may sail through Suez to the Mediterranean - and the New York Times reports that an "amphibious landing vessel, with Marines and helicopters" are there as well.
The Financial Times adds that the British are considering the use of the air base at Akrotiri in Cyprus as a staging ground to enforce a no-fly zone. Any envisioned military action is likely to be a multilateral affair, either blessed by the U.N. or NATO.
That seems to be the harshest policy yet envisioned - one explicitly discussed today by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. (No one's discussing a ground invasion.)
For the time being, the Navy is simply moving assets into place in case President Obama decides to take more punitive measures against Gadhafi. Marine Col. Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters today, "We are re-positioning forces in the region to provide options and flexibility."
The rhetorical groundwork is getting laid as well. Asked if the U.S. had ruled out arming the rebel Libyan forces, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said today, "I don't think we've ruled out anything at this point, but we'll be monitoring this day to day and we'll take appropriate steps."
A coalition of foreign policy experts, mostly conservatives but some liberals, urged Obama last week to impose a no-fly zone and move naval assets near Libyan waters. Obama looks like he's heeding its call.
And if so, it looks like Defense Secretary Robert Gates' Friday prediction of a sea-and-air-based military future might get vindicated rather quickly.
Photo: DoD
SOURCE: bThe Libya War Plans (Slowly) Take Shape | Danger Room | Wired.com
UJUMBE HUMU:
Alhaj Kanali gaddafi, panya wa jangwani sasa anatiwa mbaroni wakati wowote ule. Kikosi maalu cha makomandoo wa jumuiya ya kimataifa wasemekana kuzengea zengea maeneo ya jirani sana na makazi yake rasmi Tripoli. Taarifa zaidi zasema wamtamani zaidi akiwa hai kama Sadam Hussein wakati ule.
Uwezo Tunao
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 14, 2010
- 6,942
- 1,191
Darpa's 5 Radical Plans for Military Medicine
By Madhumita Venkataramanan
The Pentagon's blue-sky research arm, Darpa, released its budget for the next fiscal year recently, revealing a dizzying range of plans for futuristic military science and tech. Perhaps the most dizzying stuff off all: the agency's efforts to heal wounded troops from even the most serious injuries.
From enhanced new-age vision technologies to a machine that filters all your blood, here are five of Darpa's most-ambitious military medicine projects.
Autonomous Diagnostics to Enable Prevention and Therapeutics
The ADEPT program aims to create devices that will diagnose and prevent known and unknown disease threats and treat them on-site, in emergency conditions. By enabling a rapid response to emerging hazards, the program aims to strengthen the overall health of the armed forces.
Darpa researchers will try to build quick-and-dirty portable machines that can measure specific markers of disease in the blood. They'll also work on developing unique molecular techniques by which they can quickly spot and analyze newly evolved markers.
Other uses for the $25 million invested in the project include finding new methods to prepare and store patient samples (like blood, urine or semen) for field diagnosis and fresh ways to urgently extract chemicals from the blood for analysis.
Scaffold-Free Tissue Engineering
Collagen "scaffolds" are used today to provide a structure for regrown human tissue. But these scaffolds can degrade - or get attacked by the body's patrolling immune cells.
So Darpa is looking to use magnetism and electrical fields to build human muscles and tissues, with the Scaffold-Free Tissue Engineering project.
Researchers will aim to attach magnetic tags to cells, so cellular materials stay arranged in a specific biological pattern until they can generate natural scaffolds. The final goal in is to create 3-D models of skeletal muscles in space, which show blood-vessel and neuron growth within the artificial tissue.
The project is part of an ongoing effort to push the limits of regenerative tissue medicine by Darpa. By the end of 2012, $8.5 million will be pumped into the new program.
Dialysis-Like Therapeutics
Dialysis-Like Therapeutics is a gruesomely imaginative project that wants to cleanse sick soldiers' blood of all their bacterial contaminants.
Bacterial infections can cause a condition known as "sepsis," where the blood is poisoned by toxins, causing a high fever and the inflammation of vital organs. This disease is a common killer of wounded soldiers.
The idea behind the $10 million project is to build an external machine that sucks out the patient's infected blood and filters it, like a kidney dialysis machine does. The blood-machine will be built to collect 5 liters of human blood at a time, and identify toxic targets.
The plans for 2012 are to develop unique pathogen sensors that can continuously catch bacterial and viral poisons and use specific separation methods to filter them out.
The low-resistance fluid system will eventually route the bug-free blood back into the soldier's body.
Neovision2
The Neovision2 project is Darpa's $43.5 million attempt to give animal abilities to artificial eyes. The program has already designed a vision system that is capable of mimicking the visual pathway in mammals.
The final goal is to upgrade to human-style processing, creating a small, portable pair of eyes that will integrate sensory signals to create images of distant objects.
The technology uses mathematics and signal-processing pathways from various areas of the brain to create an intelligent sensor that recognizes specific items.
By 2012, Darpa wants to have a fully integrated commercial product that can absorb visual signals, and then process and spit out recognizable images in dangerous military environments.
Tactical Biomedical Technologies
Tactical Biomedical Technologies is an all-encompassing term for a project with a highly specific aim: to provide emergency medical attention to bleeding soldiers at war. Hemorrhaging caused by land mines and explosives is the leading cause of death for soldiers in the field.
The only way the military currently treats internal bleeding is by emergency invasive surgery by medical experts. This project is trying to meet the need for quick-fix technologies that can be used by amateurs to stanch and clot bleeding either on the surface or deep within organs and tissues.
Research in 2010 identified and tested chemicals that clot blood, also known as "hemostatic agents." It also screened for possible biological tags on wounds and organs that could be used as targets for the healing technologies.
By 2012, Darpa hopes to create an FDA-approved material that can be delivered into body cavities where it will bind to specific tissues. For a total cost of approximately $98 million since 2007, the "pharmacy-on-demand" technologies hope to save millions of lives.
Photo: Wikimedia
SWALI HUMU:
Kanali Qathafi hivi kweli upo tayari kukutana hizi teknolojia mpya za kivita ambazo wakati wako wewe kule darasani hazikwepo??
By Madhumita Venkataramanan
- March 1, 2011 |
- 7:00 am |
- Categories: Science!
The Pentagon's blue-sky research arm, Darpa, released its budget for the next fiscal year recently, revealing a dizzying range of plans for futuristic military science and tech. Perhaps the most dizzying stuff off all: the agency's efforts to heal wounded troops from even the most serious injuries.
From enhanced new-age vision technologies to a machine that filters all your blood, here are five of Darpa's most-ambitious military medicine projects.
Autonomous Diagnostics to Enable Prevention and Therapeutics
The ADEPT program aims to create devices that will diagnose and prevent known and unknown disease threats and treat them on-site, in emergency conditions. By enabling a rapid response to emerging hazards, the program aims to strengthen the overall health of the armed forces.
Darpa researchers will try to build quick-and-dirty portable machines that can measure specific markers of disease in the blood. They'll also work on developing unique molecular techniques by which they can quickly spot and analyze newly evolved markers.
Other uses for the $25 million invested in the project include finding new methods to prepare and store patient samples (like blood, urine or semen) for field diagnosis and fresh ways to urgently extract chemicals from the blood for analysis.
Scaffold-Free Tissue Engineering
Collagen "scaffolds" are used today to provide a structure for regrown human tissue. But these scaffolds can degrade - or get attacked by the body's patrolling immune cells.
So Darpa is looking to use magnetism and electrical fields to build human muscles and tissues, with the Scaffold-Free Tissue Engineering project.
Researchers will aim to attach magnetic tags to cells, so cellular materials stay arranged in a specific biological pattern until they can generate natural scaffolds. The final goal in is to create 3-D models of skeletal muscles in space, which show blood-vessel and neuron growth within the artificial tissue.
The project is part of an ongoing effort to push the limits of regenerative tissue medicine by Darpa. By the end of 2012, $8.5 million will be pumped into the new program.
Dialysis-Like Therapeutics
Dialysis-Like Therapeutics is a gruesomely imaginative project that wants to cleanse sick soldiers' blood of all their bacterial contaminants.
Bacterial infections can cause a condition known as "sepsis," where the blood is poisoned by toxins, causing a high fever and the inflammation of vital organs. This disease is a common killer of wounded soldiers.
The idea behind the $10 million project is to build an external machine that sucks out the patient's infected blood and filters it, like a kidney dialysis machine does. The blood-machine will be built to collect 5 liters of human blood at a time, and identify toxic targets.
The plans for 2012 are to develop unique pathogen sensors that can continuously catch bacterial and viral poisons and use specific separation methods to filter them out.
The low-resistance fluid system will eventually route the bug-free blood back into the soldier's body.
Neovision2
The Neovision2 project is Darpa's $43.5 million attempt to give animal abilities to artificial eyes. The program has already designed a vision system that is capable of mimicking the visual pathway in mammals.
The final goal is to upgrade to human-style processing, creating a small, portable pair of eyes that will integrate sensory signals to create images of distant objects.
The technology uses mathematics and signal-processing pathways from various areas of the brain to create an intelligent sensor that recognizes specific items.
By 2012, Darpa wants to have a fully integrated commercial product that can absorb visual signals, and then process and spit out recognizable images in dangerous military environments.
Tactical Biomedical Technologies
Tactical Biomedical Technologies is an all-encompassing term for a project with a highly specific aim: to provide emergency medical attention to bleeding soldiers at war. Hemorrhaging caused by land mines and explosives is the leading cause of death for soldiers in the field.
The only way the military currently treats internal bleeding is by emergency invasive surgery by medical experts. This project is trying to meet the need for quick-fix technologies that can be used by amateurs to stanch and clot bleeding either on the surface or deep within organs and tissues.
Research in 2010 identified and tested chemicals that clot blood, also known as "hemostatic agents." It also screened for possible biological tags on wounds and organs that could be used as targets for the healing technologies.
By 2012, Darpa hopes to create an FDA-approved material that can be delivered into body cavities where it will bind to specific tissues. For a total cost of approximately $98 million since 2007, the "pharmacy-on-demand" technologies hope to save millions of lives.
Photo: Wikimedia
SWALI HUMU:
Kanali Qathafi hivi kweli upo tayari kukutana hizi teknolojia mpya za kivita ambazo wakati wako wewe kule darasani hazikwepo??
Uwezo Tunao
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 14, 2010
- 6,942
- 1,191
On the Radar: Day 15 of Libyan protests
Libyan anti-Gadhafi protesters wave their old national flag on an abandoned tank in Benghazi on Monday.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/0...byan-protests-sheen-on-cnn-florida-wildfires/
Hizi ndio western propaganda yaani wanachuki na gadhafi na uroho wa mafuta,walikuwapi kuwasaidia wananchi wa sudan huko kila siku wanalia wakisikia sehemu kuna masirahi na hii recession......
Haya sisi tunasikiliza tu Iraq mpaka kesho bora alivyokuwepo saddam.
Haya sisi tunasikiliza tu Iraq mpaka kesho bora alivyokuwepo saddam.
Uwezo Tunao
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 14, 2010
- 6,942
- 1,191
BREAKING NEWS:
Canada freezes C$2.3 billion in Gaddafi assets
By REUTERS
03/01/2011 23:04
OTTAWA - Canada has frozen C$2.3 billion ($2.4 billion) worth of assets belonging to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a government official told Reuters on Tuesday.
The official did not give details.
Ottawa announced a clampdown on doing business with Libyan institutions on Sunday and later said it had blocked unspecified financial dealings the Libyan government had planned to carry out in Canada.
The United States, Austria and Britain have also frozen Gaddafi assets over the last few days.
SOURCE: Canada freezes C$2.3 billion in Gaddafi assets.
Canada freezes C$2.3 billion in Gaddafi assets
By REUTERS
03/01/2011 23:04
OTTAWA - Canada has frozen C$2.3 billion ($2.4 billion) worth of assets belonging to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a government official told Reuters on Tuesday.
The official did not give details.
Ottawa announced a clampdown on doing business with Libyan institutions on Sunday and later said it had blocked unspecified financial dealings the Libyan government had planned to carry out in Canada.
The United States, Austria and Britain have also frozen Gaddafi assets over the last few days.
SOURCE: Canada freezes C$2.3 billion in Gaddafi assets.
Uwezo Tunao
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 14, 2010
- 6,942
- 1,191
Rebels approach Tripoli as pressure mounts on Gaddafi
By OREN KESSLER AND AP
02/28/2011 00:52
Opposition girds for expected offensive; strongman's son describes family finances as ‘modest,' insists regime hasn't used force against Libyans.
Anti-government rebels rejoiced on Sunday after gaining control of the city closest to Libya's capital, while at the same time preparing to stave off an expected offensive by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.
Diplomatic pressure abroad continued to build against the embattled strongman. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed President Barack Obama's demand for Gaddafi to relinquish power, and two prominent US senators said Washington should support a provisional government in rebel-held areas of eastern Libya.
RELATED:
Tunisia: Potential model of progressive Arab democracy
Clinton: US 'reaching out' to Libyan opposition groups
The senators also called for a no-fly zone over the area, enforced by US warplanes, to stop attacks by the regime. The United States, Britain and the UN Security Council all imposed sanctions on Libya over the weekend.
Gaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam, claimed again that the country was calm, denying the regime had used force or air strikes against its own people. Human rights groups and European officials have put the death toll since unrest began in Libya nearly two weeks ago in the hundreds, or perhaps thousands, though it has been impossible to verify the numbers.
Gaddafi has launched what is by far the bloodiest crackdown in a wave of antiregime uprisings sweeping the Arab world, but there were no reports of violence or clashes on Sunday.
The Libyan regime, eager to show foreign reporters that the country is calm and under its control, took visiting journalists to Zawiya, 50 km. west of Tripoli. The tour, however, confirmed that anti-government rebels are in control of the center of the city of 200,000, and have deployed army tanks and anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks.
On the outskirts of the city, the rebels are surrounded by pro-Gaddafi forces, also backed by tanks and anti-aircraft guns. There were at least six checkpoints controlled by troops loyal to Gaddafi on the road from Tripoli to Zawiya. Each checkpoint was reinforced by at least one tank, and the troops concealed their faces with scarves.
A key city close to an oil port and refineries, Zawiya is the nearest population center to Tripoli to fall into the opposition hands. Police stations and government offices inside the city have been torched and anti-Gaddafi graffiti is everywhere. Many buildings are pockmarked by bullets.
Meanwhile, efforts continue to extricate stranded foreigners from the country. The German air force evacuated 132 people from the desert in a secret military mission, the country's foreign minister said on Sunday, but thousands of other foreigners remained stuck in Tripoli due to bad weather and red tape.
Two German military planes landed on Saturday on a private runway belonging to the Wintershall AG company and evacuated 22 Germans and 112 others, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Berlin. The military planes arrived safely on Saturday night on the Greek island of Crete.
Also on Sunday, officials in Benghazi said cities in eastern Libya under the control of rebels have appointed a former minister to lead a provisional government. But a spokesman for the new government, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, denied that former justice minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil was named its leader.
US Sen. Joe Lieberman, speaking on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, said Washington should arm the provisional government in rebel-held areas of eastern Libya "to fight on behalf of the people of Libya against a really cruel dictator."
He also proposed imposing a no-fly zone over the east to stop forces loyal to Gaddafi from attacking.
Speaking on the same program, Sen. John McCain suggested that US warplanes be used to enforce the no-fly zone and that Washington recognize the government in eastern Libya.
Gaddafi's son denied in a TV interview that his father's regime had used force or air strikes against its own people.
"Show me a single attack. Show me a single bomb," he told ABC's This Week. "The Libyan air force destroyed just the ammunition sites. That's it."
Al-Islam is the most visible of Gaddafi's children and has, since the anti-government protests broke out nearly two weeks ago, been acting as a spokesman for the regime.
"The whole South is calm. The West is calm. The middle is calm. Even part of the East," he said.
Asked about Obama's call for his father to step down, he said: "It's not an American business, that's No. 1. Second, do they think this is a solution? Of course not."
As for the US freeze of Libyan assets, he said: "First of all, we don't have money outside. We are a very modest family and everybody knows that."
Gaddafi on Sunday dismissed the UN sanctions and said a small group of rebels protesting his rule were surrounded and would be defeated.
In a telephone interview with a Serbian television station, he said Saturday's Security Council vote imposing travel and asset sanctions on him and close aides was null and void.
"The people of Libya support me, small groups of rebels are surrounded and will be dealt with," Gaddafi told Serbia's Pink television station in Belgrade. The station said the interview was conducted from Gaddafi's office in Tripoli.
Meanwhile, Britain on Sunday froze the UK-based assets of Gaddafi, members of his family and their representatives in accordance with UN sanctions imposed on Libya.
Those affected include Gaddafi's four sons and one daughter, the Foreign Office said.
"I decided to implement this UN resolution in the UK as quickly as possible, before the financial markets reopened," Treasury chief George Osborne said. "This is a strong message for the Libyan regime that violence against its own people is not acceptable."
No immediate figure was put on the value of the assets, which banks and other financial institutions are now under an obligation to track down and freeze. Cash, shares, bonds and property are among the items affected.
The Times newspaper reported this weekend that Gaddafi deposited £3 billion ($4.8b.) with a London private wealth manager last week, and held commercial property and a £10-million ($16-m.) mansion in London. The report did not cite sources.
Rebels from Zawiya and army forces that defected from the regime to join them largely consolidated control of the town on Thursday, after an army unit that remained loyal to Gaddafi opened fire on a mosque where residents – some armed with hunting rifles for protection – had been holding a sitin.
About 30 km. west of Zawiya, around 3,000 pro-Gaddafi demonstrators gathered on the coastal highway, chanting slogans in support of the Libyan leader.
Tripoli was quiet, with most stores closed and long lines outside the few banks open for business.
City residents thronged the banks after state TV and SMS text messages announced in the past few days that each family would receive 500 Libyan dinars (about $400), plus the equivalent of about $100 credit for phone service. State TV said families also will be entitled to 60,000 Libyan dinars (about $49,000) in interest-free loans to buy apartments.
A doctor in Libya's third-largest city, Misrata, 210 km. east of Tripoli, said residents retrieved two more bodies of those killed during fighting with pro-Gaddafi forces near the city's air base on Friday.
The two bodies raise to 27 the death toll from the fighting. About 30 residents who took part in that battle remain unaccounted for.
By OREN KESSLER AND AP
02/28/2011 00:52
Opposition girds for expected offensive; strongman's son describes family finances as ‘modest,' insists regime hasn't used force against Libyans.
Anti-government rebels rejoiced on Sunday after gaining control of the city closest to Libya's capital, while at the same time preparing to stave off an expected offensive by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.
Diplomatic pressure abroad continued to build against the embattled strongman. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed President Barack Obama's demand for Gaddafi to relinquish power, and two prominent US senators said Washington should support a provisional government in rebel-held areas of eastern Libya.
RELATED:
Tunisia: Potential model of progressive Arab democracy
Clinton: US 'reaching out' to Libyan opposition groups
The senators also called for a no-fly zone over the area, enforced by US warplanes, to stop attacks by the regime. The United States, Britain and the UN Security Council all imposed sanctions on Libya over the weekend.
Gaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam, claimed again that the country was calm, denying the regime had used force or air strikes against its own people. Human rights groups and European officials have put the death toll since unrest began in Libya nearly two weeks ago in the hundreds, or perhaps thousands, though it has been impossible to verify the numbers.
Gaddafi has launched what is by far the bloodiest crackdown in a wave of antiregime uprisings sweeping the Arab world, but there were no reports of violence or clashes on Sunday.
The Libyan regime, eager to show foreign reporters that the country is calm and under its control, took visiting journalists to Zawiya, 50 km. west of Tripoli. The tour, however, confirmed that anti-government rebels are in control of the center of the city of 200,000, and have deployed army tanks and anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks.
On the outskirts of the city, the rebels are surrounded by pro-Gaddafi forces, also backed by tanks and anti-aircraft guns. There were at least six checkpoints controlled by troops loyal to Gaddafi on the road from Tripoli to Zawiya. Each checkpoint was reinforced by at least one tank, and the troops concealed their faces with scarves.
A key city close to an oil port and refineries, Zawiya is the nearest population center to Tripoli to fall into the opposition hands. Police stations and government offices inside the city have been torched and anti-Gaddafi graffiti is everywhere. Many buildings are pockmarked by bullets.
Meanwhile, efforts continue to extricate stranded foreigners from the country. The German air force evacuated 132 people from the desert in a secret military mission, the country's foreign minister said on Sunday, but thousands of other foreigners remained stuck in Tripoli due to bad weather and red tape.
Two German military planes landed on Saturday on a private runway belonging to the Wintershall AG company and evacuated 22 Germans and 112 others, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Berlin. The military planes arrived safely on Saturday night on the Greek island of Crete.
Also on Sunday, officials in Benghazi said cities in eastern Libya under the control of rebels have appointed a former minister to lead a provisional government. But a spokesman for the new government, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, denied that former justice minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil was named its leader.
US Sen. Joe Lieberman, speaking on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, said Washington should arm the provisional government in rebel-held areas of eastern Libya "to fight on behalf of the people of Libya against a really cruel dictator."
He also proposed imposing a no-fly zone over the east to stop forces loyal to Gaddafi from attacking.
Speaking on the same program, Sen. John McCain suggested that US warplanes be used to enforce the no-fly zone and that Washington recognize the government in eastern Libya.
Gaddafi's son denied in a TV interview that his father's regime had used force or air strikes against its own people.
"Show me a single attack. Show me a single bomb," he told ABC's This Week. "The Libyan air force destroyed just the ammunition sites. That's it."
Al-Islam is the most visible of Gaddafi's children and has, since the anti-government protests broke out nearly two weeks ago, been acting as a spokesman for the regime.
"The whole South is calm. The West is calm. The middle is calm. Even part of the East," he said.
Asked about Obama's call for his father to step down, he said: "It's not an American business, that's No. 1. Second, do they think this is a solution? Of course not."
As for the US freeze of Libyan assets, he said: "First of all, we don't have money outside. We are a very modest family and everybody knows that."
Gaddafi on Sunday dismissed the UN sanctions and said a small group of rebels protesting his rule were surrounded and would be defeated.
In a telephone interview with a Serbian television station, he said Saturday's Security Council vote imposing travel and asset sanctions on him and close aides was null and void.
"The people of Libya support me, small groups of rebels are surrounded and will be dealt with," Gaddafi told Serbia's Pink television station in Belgrade. The station said the interview was conducted from Gaddafi's office in Tripoli.
Meanwhile, Britain on Sunday froze the UK-based assets of Gaddafi, members of his family and their representatives in accordance with UN sanctions imposed on Libya.
Those affected include Gaddafi's four sons and one daughter, the Foreign Office said.
"I decided to implement this UN resolution in the UK as quickly as possible, before the financial markets reopened," Treasury chief George Osborne said. "This is a strong message for the Libyan regime that violence against its own people is not acceptable."
No immediate figure was put on the value of the assets, which banks and other financial institutions are now under an obligation to track down and freeze. Cash, shares, bonds and property are among the items affected.
The Times newspaper reported this weekend that Gaddafi deposited £3 billion ($4.8b.) with a London private wealth manager last week, and held commercial property and a £10-million ($16-m.) mansion in London. The report did not cite sources.
Rebels from Zawiya and army forces that defected from the regime to join them largely consolidated control of the town on Thursday, after an army unit that remained loyal to Gaddafi opened fire on a mosque where residents – some armed with hunting rifles for protection – had been holding a sitin.
About 30 km. west of Zawiya, around 3,000 pro-Gaddafi demonstrators gathered on the coastal highway, chanting slogans in support of the Libyan leader.
Tripoli was quiet, with most stores closed and long lines outside the few banks open for business.
City residents thronged the banks after state TV and SMS text messages announced in the past few days that each family would receive 500 Libyan dinars (about $400), plus the equivalent of about $100 credit for phone service. State TV said families also will be entitled to 60,000 Libyan dinars (about $49,000) in interest-free loans to buy apartments.
A doctor in Libya's third-largest city, Misrata, 210 km. east of Tripoli, said residents retrieved two more bodies of those killed during fighting with pro-Gaddafi forces near the city's air base on Friday.
The two bodies raise to 27 the death toll from the fighting. About 30 residents who took part in that battle remain unaccounted for.
Webabu
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 29, 2010
- 8,870
- 14,258
Mimi mwenzako niko Live blog ya lugha ya kiarabu kuhusu Libya.Tunapata habari mapema kuliko huko yahoo.
Hata hivyo angalia na yahoo pia wamepata hiyo taarifa.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/af_libya-YAHOO
Michelle
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 16, 2010
- 7,628
- 3,535
Michelle
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 16, 2010
- 7,628
- 3,535
Yu wapi Mandela awafungue watu akili.....aliwahi kuwauliza wamarekani...."Who gave you the presidency of the world?" yaani siku wa-Libya watakapogundua its not about them but Americans interests in oil.....it will be too late.....mbona nchi zisizo na mafuta hawaangaiki nazo???
