Australia toughens terror laws on foreign fighter fears
Sydney (AFP) Aug 05, 2014 -
Australia will toughen laws to target home-grown terrorists and those who fight overseas over fears violent jihadist citizens in Syria and Iraq will return home, officials said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the terror threat to Australia had not subsided since the September 11, 2001 attacks and remained at the highest level it had ever been.
Officials have said up to 150 Austr ...
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Northrop completes UAV fuselage for NATO program
Brussels (UPI) Aug 5, 2013 -
NATO says the fuselage of the first Global Hawk Block 40 unmanned aerial vehicle for the alliance has been completed by Northrop Grumman.
The fuselage was completed at a company facility in Mississippi and its being transferred to California, where production of the long-endurance aircraft will be completed.
"The UAVs will be equipped with a state-of-the-art, Multi-Platform Radar ...
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Fourth MUOS Communication Satellite Clears Launch-Simulation Test
Sunnyvale CA (SPX) Aug 06, 2014 -
The fourth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite in the launch order is progressing in its final testing phase, having successfully cleared acoustic tests. This evaluation used powerful sound waves to simulate vibrations the satellite will experience during launch. Now the satellite moves on to thermal vacuum testing, which is the last step in its environmental trials.
"MUOS-4 is s ...
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In-service support sector for military platforms to grow
London (UPI) Aug 6, 2013 -
Military budget constraints around the world are fueling growth in the in-service support sector of the defense industry, according to new report.
Market analysis firm Frost & Sullivan, in its Global Military Systems Support-in-Service Market Assessment, said scarcer money has brought about a shift from large-scale platform procurement to ongoing systems support and that it anticipates ...
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Fear as midnight airstrike hits close to Donetsk centre
Donetsk, Ukraine (AFP) Aug 06, 2014 -
A midnight air strike near the heart of rebel-held Donetsk provided a terrifying signal for residents that the conflict between insurgents and government forces is drawing closer to their doorsteps.
Valentina Petrovna, a middle-aged woman, peered into a crater that had suddenly appeared not far from her house on Wednesday morning.
"People were already asleep. They ran out on to the stree ...
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China ships in disputed waters after Japan warning
Tokyo (AFP) Aug 06, 2014 -
Chinese coastguard ships sailed into waters off Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea on Wednesday, officials said, after Tokyo's annual defence paper warned over China's "dangerous acts" near the disputed archipelago.
The report, published Tuesday, said frequent appearances by Chinese ships in the area could lead to "unintended consequences", as fears grow over a potential milit ...
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General Dynamics Fidelis joins CrowdStrike Intelligence Exchange
Waltham, Mass. (UPI) Aug 6, 2013 -
General Dynamics Fidelis Cybersecurity Solutions is providing enhanced protection capability for customers through a partnership with CrowdStrike.
CrowdStrike is a California-headquartered provider of security technologies and services that specializes in identifying advanced cyber-attack threats.
Through the partnership, General Dynamics will supplement its own proprietary threa ...
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Baghdad bombings kill at least 30: police, medics
Baghdad (AFP) Aug 06, 2014 -
Five bomb attacks, including four car bombings, killed at least 30 people and wounded around 70 others Wednesday in several Baghdad districts, Iraqi police and medical sources said.
In the deadliest strike, two near simultaneous blasts in the northeastern Shiite area of Sadr City killed at least 16 people and wounded 34, a police colonel told AFP. Medical sources confirmed the toll.
Anot ...
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Kurds unite to oust Iraq jihadists, rescue stranded civilians
Arbil, Iraq (AFP) Aug 06, 2014 -
Kurds from Iraq, Syria and Turkey joined forces in north Iraq Wednesday to try to reclaim areas lost to jihadists and rescue thousands of civilians stranded in mountains without food or water.
The fate of the civilians, many of them from the Yazidi minority who fled to the Sinjar mountains after an attack by the Islamic State (IS) group at the weekend, has sparked international concern.
...
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Egyptians press Gaza truce talks between Israel, Palestinians
Cairo (AFP) Aug 06, 2014 -
Egyptian officials mediating talks for a durable truce in Gaza met a Palestinian delegation Wednesday to relay terms laid down by an Israeli team, Palestinian officials said.
The Egyptian intelligence mediators had met with the Israeli delegation in Cairo during the night, the officials said.
Wednesday's shuttle diplomacy came as a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after a month of fig ...
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Son of Canadian 'spies' held in China calls for govt action
Beijing (AFP) Aug 06, 2014 -
The son of a Canadian couple under investigation for alleged spying in China called Wednesday for Ottawa to help prevent charges being laid against his parents.
Kevin Garratt and Julia Dawn Garratt "are suspected of gathering and stealing intelligence materials about, among other things, China's military objectives and important national defence research projects", China's foreign ministry s ...
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ERAPSCO receives $166 million order for sonobuoys from U.S. Navy
Schaumburg, Ill. (UPI) Aug 6, 2013 -
The U.S. Navy has issued a new contract to a joint venture of Sparton Corporation and Ultra Electronics Holdings to manufacture sonobuoys.
Sonobuoys are a tactical sonar system for detecting submarines and tracking their activity. The sonobuoys are dropped by aircraft and deploy a surface float with a transmitter and underwater sensors on impact.
"We are firmly committed to devel ...
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Navy's Mobile Landing Platform passes testing
Washington (UPI) Aug 6, 2013 -
The U.S. Navy's second Mobile Landing Platform successfully completed final contract trials in the Pacific, the Navy reported.
The trials of the USNS John Glenn were conducted by the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey and involved the testing of various hull, mechanical, and electrical systems to show the vessel met Navy standards.
The ship, built by General Dynamics National ...
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Sanctions designed to force Kremlin's hand, U.S. says
Washington (UPI) Aug 6, 2013 -
Energy sector sanctions are working so the Kremlin needs to choose between supporting its people or its policies in Ukraine, the U.S. State Department said.
The U.S. government in July imposed economic sanctions on Russian oil company Rosneft, gas producer Novatek and the financial arm of Russian energy company Gazprom. Russia relies heavily on energy exports to support its economy and ...
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US launches questioning of ex-POW Bergdahl
Washington (AFP) Aug 06, 2014 -
US military investigators started questioning a former prisoner of war Wednesday to determine how he entered Taliban captivity, after a contested prisoner swap for his release.
A US Army investigator began formal questioning of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, said an Army spokeswoman, Lieutenant Colonel Alayne Conway.
The probe, which has no set release ...
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'Slain' Southeast Asian militant is alive: Philippines
Manila (AFP) Aug 06, 2014 -
The Philippine military said Wednesday one of Southeast Asia's top Islamic militants was alive, more than two years after jubilantly declaring he had been killed in a US-backed airstrike.
Zulkifli bin Abdul Hir, alias Marwan, a Malaysian bomb maker with a $5-million US-government bounty on his head, is roaming the southern Philippines, senior military officials said.
"He is alive and we ...
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Russia Looking To China For Military, Aerospace Components
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Aug 07, 2014 -
Russian aerospace and military-industrial enterprises will purchase electronic components worth several billion dollars from China, Izvestia reported Wednesday, referencing a source close to Roscosmos, Russia's Federal Space Agency.
"We do work with the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) ... Its institutions have already offered us a few dozen items, representing a di ...
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Russia Needs to Produce More Military Spacecraft
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Aug 07, 2014 -
Russia has to expand production of military spacecraft, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Tuesday.
"Firstly, we need to increase production of military-purpose spacecraft.
This is one of defense priorities, ensuring the country's security," Rogozin said.
Secondly, Russia needs high-tech spacecraft, which "will provide consumers in all regions of Russia with all ...
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US looks to Japan space program to close Pacific communications gap
Moscow (Voice of Russia) Aug 07, 2014 -
Tokyo's space initiative, set for launch in 2019, is turning into an effort to enhance ties with Washington in the cosmos. The US, shifting its military strategy to the Asia-Pacific, is looking for partners to extend its satellite links in the region.
The program would start as a means for protecting communication and surveillance satellites from thousands of pieces of space junk, includin ...
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