Italy Finmeccanica sues US over Airbus helicopter deal
New York (AFP) Sept 23, 2014 -
Italian aerospace giant Finmeccanica has sued the US government over the Pentagon's plan to award an Army helicopter contract to Airbus, violating its rules against sole-source contracts.
According to the complaint filed recently by AgustaWestland North America, a unit of Finmeccanica, the company is asking the court to block the Army's planned order of 155 Airbus helicopters.
"This pre- ...
more
Australian police shoot dead 'known terror suspect'
Sydney (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
Police in Melbourne have shot dead a "known terror suspect" who stabbed two officers, a day after the Islamic State group called for Muslims to indiscriminately kill Australians, officials said Wednesday.
The 18-year-old, whose passport was cancelled a week ago on security grounds, was killed on Tuesday evening, having arrived at a police station on the outskirts of Melbourne to attend a "ro ...
more
Uighur scholar sentenced to life urges 'peace' from prison: lawyer
Beijing (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
A prominent Uighur academic sentenced to life in prison called Wednesday for "peace", his lawyer said, as China hit back at western powers which accused it of silencing a moderate voice.
Analysts say the sentencing of Ilham Tohti - a persistent but moderate government critic who spoke out for the rights of the mostly-Muslim Uighur minority - on charges of "separatism" risks inflaming tensi ...
more
Australia OKs low-rate production of new military rifle
Sydney (UPI) Sep 23, 2014 -
A new assault rifle for the Australian Defense Force is entering low-rate production under a Department of Defense contract.
The weapon by Thales Australia is the F90, a lightweight 5.56mm rifle that recently achieved Provisional Design Acceptance following an extensive testing period.
The rifle is in a bull-pup design, has an open architecture that incorporates a NATO tri-rail s ...
more
Kerry, Abbas meet in New York to discuss Gaza situation
New York (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza, a state department official said.
The meeting in New York came as leaders converged for the United Nations General Assembly, and a day after Abbas gave a speech at Cooper Union vowing to present a new timetable for peace talks with Israel.
Kerry and Abbas agreed on the ...
more
Khorasan: latest incarnation of Al-Qaeda anti-west threat
Washington (AFP) Sept 23, 2014 -
A little-known Al-Qaeda offshoot, the Khorasan group, found itself in the crosshairs of the United States on Tuesday as they prepared attacks on western targets from bases inside war-torn Syria.
With Islamic State jihadists terrorizing the region and seizing large chunks of Iraq and Syria, it came as a surprise to many that the Pentagon aimed its Tomahawk cruise missiles and other firepower ...
more
Obama hails 'vision' of Iraqi PM at first meeting
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday hailed the "political vision" and inclusive nature of new Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi as the two leaders met for the first time.
"I want to say directly to the prime minister that we fully support his political vision" and strategy of working with other countries in the Middle East, Obama said at the talks on the sidelines of the UN General Ass ...
more
Obama urges Iran to seize 'historic opportunity' of nuclear deal
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged Iran to seize the "historic opportunity" of reaching a deal with world powers on its contested nuclear program in a speech at the United Nations.
"America is pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue, as part of our commitment to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and pursue the peace and security of a world without them," he t ...
more
US drones kill eight militants in NW Pakistan: officials
Peshawar, Pakistan (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
US drones Wednesday fired missiles at a compound and vehicle and killed at least eight militants in a restive Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
The attack happened in the border village of Lawara Mandi, 60 kilometres (40 miles) west of Miranshah which is the main town in North Waziristan tribal district, where the Pakistani military has been fighting to destroy lon ...
more
Iraq, Syria anti-IS campaign takes center stage at UN
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
World leaders at the United Nations turn their attention Wednesday to the US-led campaign to root out Islamists in Iraq and Syria, and moves to outlaw foreign fighters.
US President Barack Obama, who is seeking to mobilize international support to defeat the jihadists, is among the first leaders to address the General Assembly debate kicking off at UN headquarters.
Obama then chairs a s ...
more
CAE gets new contracts for aircraft simulation training systems
Montreal (UPI) Sep 24, 2014 -
Simulation training systems and services are to be provided to the U.S. and Canadian militaries by CAE under a series of contracts, the company announced.
The awards carry a combined total of about $104 million.
"CAE is a skilled and capable training systems integrator that offers defense and security forces around the world a comprehensive portfolio of training centers, training ...
more
British PM, Iran leader discuss IS in historic talks
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
British Prime Minister David Cameron sought to win cooperation from Iran's President Hassan Rouhani against jihadists in Syria on Wednesday in the first meeting between the countries' leaders in 35 years.
A Downing Street spokesman said Cameron and Rouhani agreed that "all states in the region must do more to cut off support for all terrorist groups, including financial support" but stopped ...
more
US strikes Syrian oil fields as Obama rallies world
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
The United States unleashed a new round of bombings on Islamic State targets in Syria on Wednesday as President Barack Obama recruited more allies to fight the jihadist "network of death."
US, Saudi and Emirati warplanes broadened their bombardment to target the oil fields in eastern Syria that have helped fund the jihadist group's brutal rise from rebel faction to alleged global threat.
...
more
China and Japan resume maritime talks: Xinhua
Beijing (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
China and Japan have resumed talks on maritime affairs, Chinese state media said Wednesday, a tentative sign that frosty relations may be beginning to thaw.
Yi Xianliang, deputy director-general of the foreign ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, met in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao Tuesday and Wednesday with his Japanese counterpart Makita Shimokawa, the official Xinhu ...
more
Fury glide bomb dropped from Shadow UAS
Quantico, Va. (UPI) Sep 24, 2014 -
Small precision glide bombs have been successfully dropped from a small unmanned aircraft system at the Army's Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.
In two live-fire demonstrations, the Fury weapons from Textron Systems Weapon & Sensor Systems and partner Thales UK engaged and destroyed their targets.
The demonstrations were the first using a Shadow 200 UAS, which is 11.2 feet long an ...
more
Will Obama's Arab coalition stay the course?
New York (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
US President Barack Obama has pulled off a diplomatic coup, knitting together a coalition of Arab nations with differing agendas to strike jihadists, but experts question its long-term staying power.
In his speech to the United Nations on Wednesday, Obama warned the battle against extremism would be a multi-faceted "generational task - and a task for the people of the Middle East themselves ...
more
Oshkosh passes review in competition to replace the Humvee
Oshkosh, Wis. (UPI) Sep 24, 2014 -
Oshkosh Defense has successfully completed the U.S. government's Production Readiness Review in the competition to replace the U.S. military's Humvee.
The review, part of the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the competition, included a review of Oshkosh's manufacturing readiness, quality management system and production planning capabilities to meet scheduling, perform ...
more
'World is united' in fighting IS: Obama
Damascus (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that air strikes the United States and its Arab allies unleashed against the Islamic State group in Syria send a clear message that the world is united in confronting the jihadists.
Dozens of IS and Al-Qaeda militants were reported killed in the raids, which Washington said had partly targeted extremists plotting an "imminent attack" against the West. ...
more
Poland needs nuclear arms to ward off Russia: Walesa
Warsaw (AFP) Sept 24, 2014 -
Polish anti-communist icon Lech Walesa said Poland should procure nuclear weapons as a safeguard against Russia, which it blames for stoking the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine.
"Poland needs to stand up to Russia," the Nobel Peace laureate, who spearheaded Poland's democracy movement and became its first post-communist president, said in an interview published Wednesday.
EU and NATO me ...
more
New test equipment due for Minuteman III guidance system
Ogden, Utah (UPI) Sep 24, 2014 -
Equipment that tests the guidance system of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is to be updated by Boeing.
Boeing said the work will be conducted on the guidance data acquisition system, or GDAS, under a U.S. Air Force contract worth $4.9 million.
"As national programs unfold that are critical to affordably sustaining and modernizing Minuteman III until 2030 and b ...
more
