International meeting on Afghanistan pledges programmes: China
Beijing (AFP) Oct 31, 2014 -
China on Friday hailed an international conference on Afghanistan that it said agreed to launch dozens of programmes to boost development and help the country maintain peace as foreign forces draw down.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said that under a "Beijing Declaration" the meeting agreed to start 64 programmes covering issues such as trade, investment, infrastructure, disaster manageme ...
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New step towards eradication of H5N1 bird flu
Adelaide, Australia (SPX) Nov 05, 2014 -
A University of Adelaide-led project has developed a new test that can distinguish between birds that have been vaccinated against the H5N1 strain of avian influenza virus or "bird flu" with those that have been naturally infected.
This is a significant step in the fight against this often fatal strain of avian influenza which is widespread in the poultry populations of South East Asia, pa ...
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First Afghanistan foreign fighter in US for trial
Washington (AFP) Nov 04, 2014 -
A Russian was brought before a US court Tuesday to face terrorism-related charges after being held for years in Afghanistan as a suspected foreign fighter.
Irek Ilgiz Hamidullin, who was flown out of Afghanistan on Monday, was the first foreign detainee to be brought from there to the United States for trial.
US authorities unsealed an indictment charging Hamidullin with 12 counts of ter ...
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New aircraft for Royal New Zealand Air Force
Wellington, New Zealand (UPI) Nov 3, 2014 -
The Royal New Zealand Air Force reports it has officially accepted the fifth of 11 Beechcraft T-6C Texan II pilot training aircraft.
Four planes were accepted from Beechcraft Defense Systems earlier this year and seven others are scheduled for delivery by the middle of next year.
"The T-6C Texans are specialist military aircraft built for the purpose of training military pilots h ...
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France urges anti-IS coalition to help Aleppo rebels
Paris (AFP) Nov 04, 2014 -
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called Tuesday for the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group to help rebels in Syria's second city Aleppo hold out against the Damascus regime.
Fabius said the coalition should not battle IS to the exclusion of supporting rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's regime, which he said had deliberately fuelled the jihadists' rise.
"After ...
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Russia lays keels for new submarines
St. Petersburg, Russia (UPI) Nov 3, 2014 -
The keels of two submarines destined to join Russia's Black Sea fleet have been laid in a special ceremony attended by the deputy commander of the Russian Navy.
JSC Admiralty Shipyards identified the vessels as the Veliky Novgorod and Kolpino, diesel-electric boats featuring acoustic stealth and an enhanced target detection range.
Other features include an inertial navigation sys ...
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IS jihadists tortured Kobane child hostages: HRW
Istanbul (AFP) Nov 04, 2014 -
Islamic State jihadists subjected a group of teenagers from the Syrian battleground town of Kobane to a string of abuses, including torture, during six months in captivity, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.
A group of 153 schoolchildren was taken hostage by IS in May en route to their hometown of Kobane after sitting exams in the Syrian city of Aleppo, according to HRW.
IS released the ...
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