US drone strike kills 18 in NW Pakistan
Bannu, Pakistan (AFP) July 16, 2014 -
A US drone strike on Wednesday killed least 18 people in a suspected militant compound in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, as the country's military wages a major offensive against insurgent hideouts.
The attack came in North Waziristan, where for the past month the Pakistani military has been fighting to wipe out longstanding bases of Taliban and other militants.
"A US drone fired t ...
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Obama, seeing Iran progress, hints at more time
Washington (AFP) July 16, 2014 -
US President Barack Obama signaled Wednesday that talks with Iran on its nuclear program may need to extend beyond a weekend deadline, saying negotiations have shown a "credible way forward."
Obama said he was consulting with Congress - where there is strong criticism of his quest for a diplomatic deal with Iran - as negotiators meet in Vienna ahead of Sunday's expiration of a temporary de ...
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Sanctions on Russian launchers confers advantage to others
Moscow (Voice of Russia) Jul 16, 2014 -
Even though Russia's rocket industry is forced to operate under Western sanctions, thought these punitive measures can eventually do the industry more good than harm, Russia's deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, Interfax-AVN reports on Saturday.
"Russia's space rocket industry and other innovative sectors are working under sanctions today," Rogozin stated at the Khrunichev space center ...
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Exelis licenses Belgian technology
Salt Lake City (UPI) Jul 17, 2013 -
Exelis reports it has expanded its product line through the licensing of patented manufacturing technology from Belgium-based Bodair S.A.
The licensed technology will allow Exelis to produce composite struts, tubes and rods for commercial and military aircraft.
"The newly acquired technology provides Exelis with a competitive advantage as the aerospace industry continues to expan ...
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Lockheed opening new office in Britain
London (UPI) Jul 17, 2013 -
Lockheed Martin UK is expanding its presence in Britain, opening a new office to explore partnerships with local companies in the space sector.
The space technology office will be located at the UK Space Gateway in Harwell Oxford.
"Our new office will support the UK Space Agency's objective to grow national involvement in the space sector through innovation and science, new oppor ...
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14 Tunisian troops killed in deadliest attack on army
Tunis (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
Suspected jihadists killed 14 Tunisian soldiers near the Algerian border, officials said Thursday, in the worst such attack in the army's history as it presses a crackdown on radical Islamists.
The attack took place in the Mount Chaambi region on Wednesday evening as the soldiers were breaking their day-long Ramadan fast.
The defence ministry said 40 to 60 "terrorists", a term used to re ...
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Sri Lanka announces probe into military's alleged rights abuses
Colombo (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
Sri Lanka announced Thursday an investigation into its military over allegations of rights abuses, following intense international pressure for a war-crimes probe into the island's decades-long ethnic conflict.
President Mahinda Rajapakse said a current government-appointed Commission of Inquiry (COI) would be expanded to probe the military and Tamil rebels over abuses allegedly committed du ...
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Turkish patrol planes to have Raytheon's torpedo capability
London (UPI) Jul 17, 2013 -
Integration of torpedoes onto maritime patrol aircraft for Turkey will be conducted by Raytheon under a contract from Alenia Aermacchi.
The 31-month engineering support services award is worth $5.7 million.
Raytheon said its services will specifically involve supporting Alenia Aermacchi's test, integration and qualification for the external carriage and tactical employment of Ra ...
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US raises rights with China in counterterror talks
Washington (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
The United States said Thursday it raised concerns with China about human rights in the Xinjiang region after activists voiced outrage over a meeting between the two powers on counterterrorism.
US and Chinese officials met Tuesday in Washington on counterterrorism cooperation, amid Beijing's widening crackdown on Uighur activists in the far western Xinjiang region following a string of deadl ...
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45th Space Wing launches 6 second-generation ORBCOMM satellites
Cape Canaveral AFB FL (SPX) Jul 18, 2014 -
The 45th Space Wing supported Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) successful launch of their Falcon 9 rocket carrying six second-generation ORBCOMM communications satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 here at 11 a.m. EDT July 14.
The rocket flew in the Falcon 9 v1.1 configuration with upgraded Merlin 1D engines, stretched fuel tanks, and a payload fairing.
A combined team of m ...
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China offers $20 billion fund for LatAm projects
Brasilia, Brazil (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed Thursday to create a $20 billion fund to finance infrastructure projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The fund was announced at the end of a summit hosted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff that marked the launch of the China-Latin America-Caribbean Forum.
"They proposed to do it immediately so that it can be ready next year. This money is ...
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Mobile air traffic control communications system makes debut
Basildon, England (UPI) Jul 17, 2013 -
A new mobile air traffic control communications system has been introduced by Selex ES.
The Aerodrome Flight Information System, or AFIS, is on a mobile cart and can be transported on a C-130J aircraft or by ground vehicles for deployment.
The company said the system is comprised of four radios for marine and aeronautical communications in the VHF and UHF spectrums, a UHF-band TE ...
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UN Council condemns N.Korea over missile launches
United Nations, United States (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned North Korea for recently launching several rounds of short-range ballistic missiles.
"The members of the Security Council condemn these launches as violations of Security Council resolutions," said Eugene Richard Gasana, the Rwandan chair of the 15-member council.
North Korea on Sunday fired two missiles in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) that f ...
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New UV laser capabilities being developed for Army
San Diego (UPI) Jul 17, 2013 -
Next-generation ultraviolet laser capabilities are to be developed for military use by Daylight Defense LLC under a U.S. Army contract.
The value of the award was not disclosed, but Daylight Defense said it was granted under the U.S. Army Small Business Innovation Research program.
"We are grateful that the U.S. government has entrusted Daylight to develop a next-generation capab ...
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Japan, Britain to launch joint missile research
Tokyo (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
Japan said Thursday it would join forces with Britain to jointly develop missile technology for fighter jets, while also moving to export Japanese-made parts for US surface-to-air missiles.
The decision comes several months after Japan lifted a self-imposed ban on weapons exports, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks to expand Japan's diplomatic and military presence on the global stage.
T ...
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US asks Israel to do more to protect civilians
Washington (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
The United States urged Israel on Thursday to do more to protect civilians caught in the crossfire between the Jewish state and Hamas, after Israeli air strikes killed four children in Gaza.
"We ask (Israel) to redouble their efforts moving forward to prevent civilian casualties, given the events of the last couple of days," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
"We beli ...
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Russian GLONASS to Boost Yield Capacity by 50 percent
Fortaleza, Brazil (RIA Novosti) Jul 18, 2014 -
Deployment of GLONASS satellite navigation systems to the BRICS states is very promising, the technologies allow to boost yield capacity up to 50 percent, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the BRICS summit Tuesday.
"The joint implementation of the Russian global navigation systems GLONASS looks very promising in a whole range of spheres: transportation, nation ...
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China to join military exercise with US, Australia
Washington (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
China's military will take part in an infantry exercise for the first time with Australian and US forces in October, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
The joint exercise will take place in northern Australia and marks another step forward in efforts by Washington and Canberra to bolster relations with China's People's Liberation Army, officials said.
"This is a small-scale exercise," Pentag ...
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Enertec Systems 2001 Ltd receives new Israeli order
Montvale, N.J. (UPI) Jul 17, 2013 -
Enertec Systems 2001 Ltd is supplying a computer-based test, diagnosis and simulation system to an Israeli company for support of a missile defense system.
The system, like the customer who placed the order, were not identified. The missile system is to be marketed worldwide by the customer and a U.S. defense contractor.
"Our momentum in the aerospace segment continues to deliver ...
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US Refusal to Host GLONASS Base a Form of Competition with Russia
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Jul 18, 2014 -
The refusal by the United States to place base stations for Russia's GLONASS satellite navigation system on its territory is a form of competition, explained by Washington's fear of losing market monopoly enjoyed by its own GPS system, Ilya Rogachev, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department of new challenges and threats, told RIA Novosti.
"The refusal [by the US] is based on t ...
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People with HIV living longer, study
Paris (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
HIV-positive people in the world's rich countries now live nearly as long as those who don't carry the AIDS-causing virus, as drugs have cut the overall death rate in half, researchers said Friday.
Anti-retroviral treatment (ART) has cut the death rate from about 18 per 1,000 people between 1999 and 2001 to nine per 1,000 per year in 2009-2011, according to data from 200 clinics in Europe, t ...
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China lightning, floods and landslides leave dozens dead
Beijing (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
Dozens of people have died in the past week as torrential rain batters swathes of China, with at least six killed by lightning, thousands of homes destroyed and more than 300,000 evacuated, state media said.
There had been six deaths from lightning strikes in the central province of Jiangxi since last Friday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
There were other fatalities from ligh ...
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World is getting warmer, says global climate report
Washington (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
The world is getting warmer, as greenhouse gases reach historic highs and Arctic sea ice melts, making 2013 one of the hottest years on record, international scientists said Thursday.
The annual State of the Climate report 2013 is a review of scientific data and weather events over the past year, compiled by 425 scientists from 57 countries.
The report looks at essential climate variable ...
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Malaysian jet shot down in Ukraine
Grabove, Ukraine (AFP) July 17, 2014 -
A Malaysian airliner carrying 298 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed Thursday in strife-torn east Ukraine, with US officials saying it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
Ukraine's government said the jet was shot down in a "terrorist act", while comments attributed to a pro-Russia rebel chief suggested his men may have downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 by mistake, belie ...
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Avionics on Typhoon jets can now be repaired in Saudi Arabia
London (UPI) Jul 17, 2013 -
Saudi Arabia's Advanced Electronic Company has become the first approved avionics repair agent for Typhoon jet fighters outside of Europe.
BAE Systems, part of the international consortium that builds the multi-role combat plane, said BAE Systems Saudi Arabia and AEC will now work together with other original equipment manufacturers to transfer the repair capability for 35 avionic boxes ...
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