China turns motorway into military airstrip: reports
Beijing (AFP) May 26, 2014 -
China has flown warplanes on to and from a civilian road for the first time, state media said Monday, a technique which could be used for "emergency landings during wartime".
An image of a fighter jet taking off from a motorway in the central province of Henan - with a petrol station in the background - appeared in the state-run Global Times newspaper.
China's airforce "test-flew warpl ...
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Jaitley named India's finance, defence minister
New Delhi (AFP) May 27, 2014 -
India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed top corporate lawyer Arun Jaitley as his joint finance and defence minister and Sushma Swaraj as foreign minister in a streamlined cabinet Tuesday.
The cabinet portfolios were announced in an official government statement, the morning after Modi and his new team of ministers were sworn into office at a lavish ceremony in New Delhi.
Rajna ...
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Suicide blast kills two Afghan soldiers in Kabul: official
Kabul (AFP) May 26, 2014 -
A Taliban suicide bomber on a motorbike killed at least two Afghan soldiers Monday in an attack on a military bus in Kabul as the country prepares to hold second-round presidential elections.
Ambulances rushed victims to hospital after the blast wrecked the vehicle and left several other soldiers badly injured.
The Taliban insurgent group, which has vowed to target Afghan soldiers and of ...
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Obama back home after surprise visit to Afghanistan
Washington (AFP) May 26, 2014 -
President Barack Obama was back in Washington on Monday after a lightning 32-hour trip to Afghanistan to visit US troops.
Monday is Memorial Day in the United States, when military war dead are remembered and military personnel and veterans are honored. The president is scheduled to host a White House breakfast for veteran groups with top military brass in attendance, the White House said. ...
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Vietnam accuses Chinese ship of sinking fishing boat
Hanoi (AFP) May 27, 2014 -
Vietnam on Tuesday accused a Chinese ship of ramming and sinking one of its fishing boats, fanning territorial tensions over Beijing's deployment of an oil rig in contested waters.
The incident, which China's rival Japan described as "extremely dangerous", comes during an ongoing tense confrontation between the communist neighbours in the South China Sea that has triggered international alar ...
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India PM Modi, Pakistan's Sharif meet for talks
New Delhi (AFP) May 27, 2014 -
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for landmark talks in New Delhi on Tuesday in a bid to ease tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
The leaders shook hands and smiled for the media on the steps of a former palace used by the government for receptions in the capital, before heading inside for talks on Modi's first full day in government. ...
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Iraq using barrel bombs, hitting Fallujah hospital: HRW
Baghdad (AFP) May 27, 2014 -
Iraq's government is dropping barrel bombs and may also be targeting a hospital in its battle with militants in the conflict-hit city of Fallujah, Human Rights Watch alleged Tuesday.
The Iraqi authorities denied the claims, which come with Baghdad locked in a months-long standoff with anti-government fighters in Fallujah amid a protracted surge in nationwide bloodshed, all of which is fuelli ...
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Syria refugees denied cancer treatment: UNHCR
Geneva (AFP) May 25, 2014 -
Lack of funds is forcing aid workers to deny Syrian war victims and other refugees with cancer the care they need, the UN refugee agency's top medical expert warned on Monday.
With millions of Syrians driven from their homes by three years of conflict, and huge numbers having fled a decade of violence in Iraq, health systems in the region have been overwhelmed.
"We can treat everyone wit ...
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China police seize 1.8 tonnes of bomb material in Xinjiang: govt
Beijing (AFP) May 27, 2014 -
Police in China's Xinjiang have seized 1.8 tonnes of bombmaking material and detained five people, authorities said Tuesday, following a string of deadly attacks blamed on militants from the Muslim Uighur homeland.
China at the weekend vowed a year-long crackdown on terrorism, with violence attributed to separatists from Xinjiang increasingly targeting civilians and spreading far outside the ...
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Japan launches land observing satellite
Tokyo (XNA) May 26, 2014 -
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. announced that a rocket carrying a land observing satellite has been launched successfully on Saturday.
The H-2A rocket, which carries an advanced land observing satellite named Daichi-2, lifted off at 12:05 p.m. from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Using radar, Daichi-2, which is 4.5 ...
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Russia develops manned space program to replace ISS
Saint Petersburg, Russia (XNA) May 26, 2014 -
Russia is developing a national program of manned space explorations which will replace the International Space Station (ISS) program after 2020, the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, said Thursday.
"The development of the national strategy of manned spaceflight is underway now. Along with the Russian Academy of Sciences and the industrial sector we are preparing a certain concept b ...
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After Injunction lifted, US rocket with Russian RD-180 Engine takes off
Washington (Voice of Russia) May 23, 2014 -
Privately owned SpaceX sued to halt the sale of the Russian RD-180 engine to the United States on the grounds that it would violate US sanctions against Russia. Critics said that within two years, this could seriously damage both the US space program as well as national security interests.
The RD-180 engine is considered the best in the world and is the engine of choice for Lockheed Martin ...
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Virgin Galactic Rocket Motor Milestone
Mojave CA (SPX) May 26, 2014 -
Virgin Galactic has selected a polyamide-based fuel grain to power its hybrid rocket motor for the remainder of the test flight program and start of commercial operations.
This decision follows numerous ground test firings and is supported by data collected over an extensive development program.
In 2008, Scaled Composites, Virgin Galactic's primary contractor, appointed rocket propul ...
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Nature inspires drones of the future
London, UK (SPX) May 27, 2014 -
Researchers have been taking tips from nature to build the next generation of flying robots. Based on the mechanisms adopted by birds, bats, insects and snakes, 14 distinguished research teams have developed solutions to some of the common problems that drones could be faced with when navigating through an urban environment and performing novel tasks for the benefit of society.
Whether thi ...
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US launches spy satellite, seeks alternative to Russian rocket engine
Moscow (Voice of Russia) May 27, 2014 -
The US has launched a military satellite into orbit using an Atlas 5 rocket with a Russian-made engine. Following warnings that non-civilian launches may force Russia to ban delivery, the US Senate approved $100mn in funding to create a US equivalent.
Five minutes into the successful flight, the command center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station stopped its video feed to disguise the class ...
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45th Space Wing launches NRO satellite on board Atlas 5
Cape Canaveral AFS FL (SPX) May 27, 2014 -
The 45th Space Wing successfully launched a United Launch Alliance-built Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at 9:09 a.m. May 22 carrying a classified national security payload.
The payload was designed and built by the National Reconnaissance Office.
The 45th Space Wing commander was pleased with the performance of the team for this launch.
"This is the culmination of ...
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Russian Rocket Engine Replacement to Cost US $1.5Bln, Take 6 Years
Moscow (RIA Novosti) May 26, 2014 -
The development of a rocket engine to replace the Russian-made RD-180 used to launch the American Atlas V rocket, would cost $1.5 billion and take up to six years, Bloomberg said Wednesday, citing data from an independent panel advising the Pentagon.
The loss of the RD-180 may have a "significant" impact, as there are few "near-terms options to mitigate" the consequences, according to a st ...
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N. Korea says danger of 'catastrophic' clash at truce village
Seoul (AFP) May 27, 2014 -
North Korea on Tuesday warned that recent "provocative" activities by US troops at a truce village on the heavily fortified inter-Korean border could lead to a "catastrophic" military clash.
The warning came from the head of the North Korean forces stationed in the frontier village of Panmunjom - where the ceasefire agreement to end fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War was signed.
Panmunj ...
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Airbus partners with BAE for radar satellite imagery
Berlin, Germany (SPX) May 23, 2014 -
Airbus Defence and Space and BAE Systems have launched a strategic alliance to produce, market and sell innovative geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) products and solutions using state-of-the-art data collected exclusively by TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X radar satellites.
Under the terms of the partnership, Airbus Defence and Space and BAE Systems will jointly develop a new line of global SAR (sy ...
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Three defense satellites launched from Plesetsk reached final orbit
Moscow (Voice of Russia) May 26, 2014 -
A Rokot launch vehicle powered with a Briz-KM upper stage has delivered three defense satellites to a final orbit, Russian Defense Ministry press service and information department spokesman for the Aerospace Defense Forces Col. Alexei Zolotukhin told Interfax-AVN on the phone.
"The defense satellite cluster has successfully reached the final orbit," Zolotukhin said. Ground stations of the ...
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India urges solar anti-dumping duties on US, China
New Delhi (AFP) May 23, 2014 -
India's commerce ministry called Friday for the imposition of anti-dumping duties on solar equipment imported from the United States, China, Taiwan and Malaysia, saying it was underpriced and hurting local industry.
The countries were selling the solar equipment at "below its normal value" and should face duties ranging from 11 US cents to 81 cents per watt of electricity generated, the comm ...
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US wins WTO case against China on luxury cars
Washington (AFP) May 23, 2014 -
The WTO on Friday rejected Chinese tariffs on US-made luxury cars, handing Washington a victory on one of the growing number of disputes between the world's two largest economies.
A World Trade Organization panel, responding to a US complaint, found that China was inconsistent with the global body's rules when it imposed tariffs in December 2011 over alleged US dumping and subsidies.
Chi ...
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Liquor firms look beyond China in hunt for new Asian drinkers
Hong Kong (AFP) May 25, 2014 -
Young middle-class drinkers from Asia's emerging economies are being targeted as China's voracious appetite for wine slows down, organisers said ahead of the region's largest-ever wine and spirits fair, which opens Tuesday in Hong Kong.
The Vinexpo trade show, set to attract more than 1,000 exhibitors from around the world, will include a cocktail bar, talks on pairing wine with regional cu ...
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Scottish energy sector gets a bit greener with RWE Innogy project
Aberdeen, Scotland (UPI) May 23, 2013 -
Scotland received another addition to its renewable energy portfolio with the inauguration of a hydroelectric facility, German energy company RWE Innogy said.
RWE said its Maldie hydroelectric plant has an installed capacity of four megawatts, which can generate enough energy to meet the needs of 3,000 households.
RWE said Thursday hydroelectric power was a key part of its renewa ...
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Australia's Telstra signals big push into Asia
Sydney (AFP) May 23, 2014 -
Australian telecommunications giant Telstra Friday flagged a large expansion into Asia, with the goal of sourcing one-third of its profits from international businesses over the next five years.
Chief executive David Thodey, who is marking five years in the top job this week, said Telstra was entering a "whole new growth period" and should be seen as a technology rather than a telecommunicat ...
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