Sweden appoints new Swiss ambassador amid fighter jet scandal
Stockholm (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Sweden appointed a new ambassador to Switzerland Wednesday, a day after a media report that the current envoy lobbied Swiss parliamentarians to promote the sale of Swedish fighter jets.
The Swedish government denied any links between the replacement of Per Thoeresson and the planned sale of 22 Gripen aircraft - approved by the Swiss parliament last year, but still pending a May 18 referendu ...
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Danish NATO warplanes land in Estonia amid Ukraine crisis
Tallinn (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Four Danish F-16 warplanes landed in Estonia on Wednesday, marking the first time NATO planes will be stationed in the ex-Soviet state and Russian neighbour.
The aircraft and a supporting team of 60 people arrived at the Amari air base in the west of the Baltic state at a time when NATO is reinforcing its presence in the region to allay concerns triggered by the Ukraine crisis.
"Your ar ...
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Xi's Xinjiang visit highlights 'terror' fight: China media
Beijing (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Chinese state-run media on Wednesday played up a visit to the violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang by President Xi Jinping, who encouraged tougher law enforcement and stepped-up assimilation of minorities.
The vast and nominally autonomous region, where mostly Muslim Uighurs are the largest ethnic group, is periodically hit by deadly clashes that authorities blame on terrorists but ...
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Chinese dissident freed after nine years: reports
Beijing (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
A Chinese activist who has spent nearly half his life in detention has been freed from prison, reports said Wednesday, in a rare move amid clampdowns on other dissidents.
Xu Wanping was released this week from the Yuzhou jail in the southwestern mega-city of Chongqing, according to the New York-based campaign group Human Rights in China and US-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Xu, a former f ...
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New images confirm activity at N. Korea nuclear test site
Seoul (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
New satellite imagery confirms continued activity at North Korea's main nuclear test site that is consistent with preparations for an atomic detonation, analysts said Wednesday.
Images taken on Tuesday show particular activity near the entrances to the two completed tunnels in the South Portal area of the Punggye-ri test site, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said. ...
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Lockheed Martin Marks Milestone in Development of Unmanned Technologies
Vineyard UT (SPX) May 01, 2014 -
Three systems acquired by Lockheed Martin have progressed from their research and development phase to operational readiness. The Indago vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) quad-rotor, accompanied by its handheld ground control station (GCS) will offer a robust, mobile surveillance application. Additionally, a new Commercial Avionics Suite delivers the same performance and reliability that cust ...
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Russia marks key stage in joint France warship project
Saint Petersburg (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Russia on Wednesday marked the completion of a key part of a project to build two helicopter carriers with France, which has been eyed with increasing unease in the West amid the escalating Ukraine crisis.
The Baltiysky shipyard in St Petersburg held a ceremony to mark the dispatch of the stern of one of two Mistral-class amphibious helicopter carriers being jointly developed in the 1.2 bill ...
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Geopolitical Drift
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 29, 2014 -
"Putin is a master strategist and a chess champion who excels in domains where we settle for the role of innocents, incapable of retaining the lessons of history" is the assessment of Vincent Desportes, former head of France's Ecole de Guerre (War College), now with SciencesPo University.
Where the strategist and the tactician differ, says Desportes, is first of all vision, "pursued rel ...
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Ukraine on 'combat alert' as rebels gain ground
Kiev (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Ukraine's armed forces are on "full combat alert" against a possible Russian invasion, Kiev said Wednesday, as authorities admitted they were "helpless" to prevent pro-Kremlin insurgents tightening their grip on the increasingly chaotic east of the country.
Rebels stormed the regional police building and town hall in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka, local officials told AFP, adding to ...
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Philippines says treaty obliges US to help in South China Sea
Manila (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Manila said Wednesday the United States had a treaty obligation to help the Philippines if it is attacked on its own territory or in the South China Sea, as it rejected criticism of a security agreement.
President Barack Obama on Tuesday declared the US would support its ally in the event of being attacked, a day after his government signed an agreement allowing a greater American military p ...
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EU firms help power China's military rise
Beijing (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
As China boosts its military spending, rattling neighbours over territorial disputes at sea, an AFP investigation shows that European countries have approved billions in transfers of weapons and military-ready technology to the Asian giant.
China's air force relies on French-designed helicopters, while submarines and frigates involved in Beijing's physical assertion of its claim to vast swat ...
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US military reviews hairstyle rules after outcry
Washington (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel is ordering a review of rules on hairstyles for female troops after a wave of complaints charged the US military's policies discriminated against black women.
In a letter obtained by AFP Wednesday, Hagel wrote to lawmakers promising that each of the armed services would look at hairstyle regulations that apply to African-American women "to ensure standards are fair ...
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10 die in fire at Russian ammunition depot
Moscow (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Ten soldiers and civilian staff at a Russian military munitions depot burnt to death while fleeing a fire that sparked a series of explosions, the defence ministry said Wednesday.
The fire broke out Tuesday evening at the storage facility at a military base close to the village of Bolshaya Tura in eastern Siberia. Rescue workers only discovered the victims' bodies the next morning.
"At d ...
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US Supreme Court grapples with mobile phone quandary
Washington (AFP) April 29, 2014 -
The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in two cases testing the police's authority to search detainees' mobile phones without warrants, in what could have a major impact on US law enforcement.
The closely watched cases at the top US court are a dramatic example of justice systems adapting to increasingly pervasive new technologies, particularly with smartphones able to contain reams of im ...
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Raytheon developing the world's most advanced digital radar
Tewksbury MA (SPX) May 01, 2014 -
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has awarded Raytheon an $8.5 million base contract to design the Flexible Distributed Array Radar (FlexDAR), enabling dynamic multi-mission radars capable of executing a variety of functions including surveillance, communications and electronic warfare.
"Raytheon is a pioneer in radar development, pushing the limits of technology to achieve the best possi ...
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ALIAS Seeks to Provide Portable, Flexible Advanced Autopilot Capabilities
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 30, 2014 -
Military aircraft today have evolved over a period of decades to have ever more automated capabilities, improving mission success and safety. At the same time, these aircraft still present challenging and complex interfaces to operators, and despite demanding training regimens, operators can experience extreme workload during emergencies and other unexpected situations.
Avionics and softwa ...
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Northrop Grumman to Provide Dismounted IED Jammers for US Marine Corps
San Diego CA (SPX) May 01, 2014 -
The U.S. Marine Corps has selected Northrop Grumman to provide electronic jamming backpack systems to counter the threat of roadside improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Under the Counter Radio-controlled IED Electronic Warfare Marine Expeditionary Unit Special Operation Capable, or CREW MEU (SOC), contract, Northrop Grumman will deliver and support five initial production systems for test ...
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MEADS Technology Will Enable Germany To Build Its Future Air And Missile Defense System
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 30, 2014 -
The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) development results will enable Germany to build its future air and missile defense system. This was underscored by Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson and MBDA Germany Managing Director Thomas Homberg in Berlin Monday.
"The collaboration between Germany, Italy and the United States on the Medium Extended Air Defense Sy ...
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Lockheed Martin Receives Contract for Production of First PAC-3 MSE Missiles
Dallas TX (SPX) Apr 30, 2014 -
Lockheed Martin has received a $611 million contract from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command for the first production order of the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) following the Army's successful Milestone C decision earlier this year. The contract includes the production of both PAC-3 MSE missiles and Launcher Modifications Kits (LMKs).
The PAC-3 MSE's revolutionary two-pul ...
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Raytheon tests new guidance system for Tomahawk cruise missile
Tucson AZ (SPX) Apr 30, 2014 -
Raytheon has completed a passive seeker test designed for a Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile using company-funded independent research and development investment.
The captive flight test, using a modified Tomahawk Block IV missile nose cone, demonstrated that Raytheon's advanced, next-generation; multi-function processor can enable the cruise missile to navigate to and track moving targets ...
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Total losses out on Europe, looks to Africa
Paris (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
French energy company Total said Wednesday its finances were hurt by the refining sector in Europe, but was optimistic about the potential in Africa.
Total Chief Executive Officer Christophe de Margerie said adjusted net income of $3.3 billion for the first quarter was lower year-on-year because of "sharply lower" prospects in the European refining sector.
Total's reported net in ...
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Fukushima operator books $4.3 bn profit on bailout, rate hike
Tokyo (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant said Wednesday it booked a $4.3 billion annual net profit owing to an electricity rate hike and a massive government bailout following the 2011 disaster.
Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) was teetering on the brink as cleanup and compensation costs stoked huge losses and threatened to collapse the sprawling utility until Tokyo stepped with ...
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Energy Department finds 65 GW of hydropower available
Washington (UPI) Apr 30, 2013 -
U.S. rivers and streams have the potential to support at least 65 gigawatts of electric power generation, an assessment from the U.S. Energy Department finds.
The Energy Department said it worked with researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to examine the electric power potential in the estimated 3 million rivers and streams in the country.
It found more than 65 gigawatt ...
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China house price increases slow in April: survey
Beijing (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Price rises for new homes in China slowed in April for the fourth straight month, an independent survey showed Wednesday, even as costs in some of the country's largest cities maintained double-digit gains.
The average price of a new home in 100 major cities rose 9.06 percent year-on-year in April to 11,013 yuan ($1,759) per square metre, according to the China Index Academy which compiled t ...
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Facebook adds anonymous login, in move to build trust
San Francisco (AFP) April 30, 2014 -
Facebook moved Wednesday to bolster the trust of its more than one billion users by providing new controls on how much information is shared on the world's leading social network.
In a major shift away from the notion long preached by Facebook co-founder and chief Mark Zuckerberg of having a single known identity online, people will be able to use applications anonymously at Facebook.
Th ...
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