Father of 'dead' French jihadist speaks out
Vannes, France (AFP) Nov 07, 2014 -
The father of a French jihadist who became an expert bombmaker and was likely killed in US air strikes in Syria has said his son wanted to "die a martyr."
David Daoud Drugeon, 25, is thought to have been travelling in a car in Idlib province when a drone strike hit the vehicle and likely killed him and the driver, a US official and media reports said Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at hi ...
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Nigeria military helicopter goes down in restive northeast
Kano, Nigeria (AFP) Nov 10, 2014 -
The Nigeria military said one of its helicopters made an emergency landing in the restive northeast on Monday, while witnesses and a security source reported that the chopper crashed with several foreigners on board.
Defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said the helicopter left on a training mission at about 9:30 am (0830 GMT) from the airport in Yola, capital of Adamawa state, which is under a ...
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Raytheon to help train more Afghan Air Force pilots
Dulles, Va. (UPI) Nov 10, 2014 -
Additional Afghan Air Force personnel are to receive pilot training from Raytheon and its partner team, the Warrior Training Alliance.
Under a $13.5 million task order modification on the Warfighter Field Operations Customer Support, or FOCUS contract, an additional 24 fixed-wing and four rotary-wing Afghan Air Force pilots will be trained in what is called the New Dawn program.
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Exelis, Airbus offer missile warning capability for F-16s
Clifton, N.J. (UPI) Nov 10, 2014 -
Exelis and Europe's Airbus Group have partnered to provide new advanced missile warning capabilities for F-16 fighters.
Exelis, the lead U.S. contractor for the AAR-60(V)2 Missile Launch Detection System for Fighters, or MILDS F, said the system will include lightweight protection against short-range air defense missiles and man-portable air defense systems.
The system will be af ...
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US Navy SEALs: the not-so-quiet professionals
Washington (AFP) Nov 08, 2014 -
They call themselves the "quiet professionals," but lately, the US Navy SEALs can't seem to keep their mouths shut.
The elite commandos have long prided themselves on performing risky missions in humble anonymity, but insatiable public appetite for their war stories has led several SEALs to break with that tradition.
This week, a retired SEAL named Robert O'Neill stepped forward to say h ...
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Justice crucial to Mali peace process: HRW
Dakar (AFP) Nov 10, 2014 -
Human Rights Watch has criticised a draft agreement to bring peace to conflict-hit Mali, saying Monday the deal would not provide justice for abuses committed by all sides.
The accord, seen by an AFP correspondent in Bamako, has been accepted by the government and rebel groups ahead of talks scheduled to begin on November 20 in Algiers.
"The final agreement should include provisions to s ...
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Iran claims successful test flight of replica US drone
Tehran (AFP) Nov 10, 2014 -
Iran said Monday that a copy of an American drone downed over its territory in 2011 had successfully completed its first test flight, promising to release footage of the experiment.
Tehran captured the US RQ-170 Sentinel in December 2011 while it was in its airspace, apparently on a mission to spy on the country's nuclear sites, media in the United States reported.
Iran said it had take ...
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US wants China 'to do well', Obama says in announcing visa deal
Beijing (AFP) Nov 10, 2014 -
President Barack Obama announced a deal Monday to extend visas for Chinese visitors to the United States for up to a decade, insisting he wants China "to do well" despite simmering tensions between the world's two largest economies.
"The United States welcomes the rise of a prosperous, peaceful and stable China," Obama said in a speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit i ...
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Wanted: Ideas for Transform Planes into "Aircraft Carriers in the Sky"
Washington DC (SPX) Nov 11, 2014 -
Military air operations typically rely on large, manned, robust aircraft, but such missions put these expensive assets-and their pilots-at risk. While small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) can reduce or eliminate such risks, they lack the speed, range and endurance of larger aircraft.
These complementary traits suggest potential benefits in a blended approach-one in which larger aircraft w ...
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European Spacecraft Set to Harpoon a Comet Tomorrow
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 12, 2014 -
Early tomorrow morning, the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft will deploy its comet lander, "Philae." A little over seven hours later (8 a.m. PST/11 a.m. EST), the experiment-laden, harpoon-firing Philae is scheduled to touch down on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
It will be the first time in history that a spacecraft has attempted a soft landing on a comet. Roset ...
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How a GOP Congress could accommodate Obama's agenda
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 11, 2014 -
Getting elected is tough but for the new Republican majority in Congress, working with President Obama could prove downright daunting.
After the drubbing Democrats took in the mid-term elections, the president oddly pronounced if the GOP has some ideas to fund more infrastructure investment, advance early childhood education or improve Obamacare, he is open to listening.
That may ...
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Ukraine says preparing for combat in face of Russian build-up
Donetsk, Ukraine (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
Ukraine said Wednesday it was readying for fresh combat operations in the war-torn east as NATO backed claims that Moscow has poured columns of military hardware across the border.
Kiev's warning will fuel fears of a return to all-out conflict despite a two-month-old ceasefire deal which has halted fighting along much of the frontline but not stopped shelling at strategic flashpoints.
D ...
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U.S. Air Force orders spare engines from Rolls-Royce
London (UPI) Nov 12, 2014 -
Rolls-Royce has announced receipt of a contract from the U.S. Air Force for the purchase of AE 2100 engines and parts.
The contract for spare engines is worth more than $100 million but the number of engines covered and their delivery schedule were not disclosed.
Rolls-Royce said the spare AE 2100 engines and parts are for the Air Force's fleet of C-130J Super Hercules transports ...
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Americans wary of snooping from government, advertisers
Washington (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
Americans are worried about being tracked - both by the government and by online marketers.
A survey released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center found privacy concerns heightened amid revelations of government snooping and ongoing concerns about how online marketers use their data.
Among those surveyed 80 percent said they "agree" or "strongly agree" that Americans should be concerned ...
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US senators: Iran deal must 'dismantle' nuclear program
Washington (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
Two US senators responsible for introducing strict sanctions on Iran renewed their warning Wednesday over nuclear negotiations with the country, saying any final pact must "dismantle" the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
"We believe that a good deal will dismantle, not just stall, Iran's illicit nuclear program and prevent Iran from ever becoming a threshold nuclear weapons state," Senate ...
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Still no date for warship delivery to Russia: France
Paris (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
France's Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday there was still no fixed date for the delivery of two Mistral-class warships to Russia.
"No delivery date can be fixed at this stage," Le Drian told the National Assembly lower house of parliament.
"The president of the Republic has said that a definitive decision will come at the right moment, taking into account all the respon ...
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US war against IS steadily escalates, raising stakes
Washington (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
US military action against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria began on a small scale three months ago but has steadily expanded in size and scope, raising the stakes for Washington, experts say.
The mission has morphed from protecting religious minorities in Iraq to a vow to "destroy" the IS group in both Syria and Iraq, a dramatic shift for an American president who as a candidate wa ...
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Cold shoulders and effusive smiles in Beijing's diplomatic wonderland
Beijing (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
From Cheshire Cat-like grins to gloom invoking Eeyore the donkey, the diplomatic menagerie surrounding an annual Asia-Pacific summit meeting left observers with a "through the looking glass" sense of the absurd.
A week of summitry in Beijing offered insights into the diplomatic relationships - strained as well as warm - and the shifting dynamics of power between globetrotting leaders.
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China shows off new stealth fighter
Zhuhai, China (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
China's new stealth jet fighter rocketed skywards Wednesday as Beijing puts on an unprecedented display of openness - and military force - at the country's premier airshow.
The black J-31 rose in a nearly vertical climb on take-off in Zhuhai before circling back and doing two rolls, in the aircraft's first announced public appearance.
The plane's existence has been the subject of rumou ...
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Iran shows its copy of US drone in flight
Tehran (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
State television aired footage Wednesday of the test flight of a drone which Iran says it reverse engineered from a US aircraft that came down over its territory in 2011.
The 30-second clip, broadcast before the midday news and filmed from a helicopter as well as from the ground, showed a delta-winged aircraft in flight.
It came after the commander of the air wing of the elite Revolution ...
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Farmers and scientists divided over climate change
West Lafayette IN (SPX) Nov 12, 2014 -
Crop producers and scientists hold deeply different views on climate change and its possible causes, a study by Purdue and Iowa State universities shows.
Associate professor of natural resource social science Linda Prokopy and fellow researchers surveyed 6,795 people in the agricultural sector in 2011-2012 to determine their beliefs about climate change and whether variation in the climate ...
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Myanmar hosts biggest cast of world leaders since reforms
Naypyidaw, Myanmar (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
Myanmar kicked off Wednesday its biggest gathering of world leaders since shedding junta rule but concerns over the pace of democratic reforms are expected to surface at the two-day event featuring US President Barack Obama.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia summits, held in the remote capital of Naypyidaw, are the culmination of a year of diplomatic limelight ...
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US, China climate deal boosts hopes of global pact
Naypyidaw, Myanmar (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
A surprise deal between the United States and China on Wednesday could be a breakthrough moment in decades-long efforts to secure a global climate change pact, environment experts said.
However major questions remain over whether the world's two biggest polluters can achieve their new targets on curbing greenhouse gas emissions, while analysts say they will eventually need to do much more. ...
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US and China announce 'historic' climate accord
Beijing (AFP) Nov 12, 2014 -
The United States and China on Wednesday announced ambitious targets on greenhouse gas emissions as part of a "historic" pact that climate scientists acclaimed but US Republicans denounced as a job-killer.
At a Beijing summit, the leaders of the world's two biggest polluters put their stamp on attempts to breathe new life into action against global warming ahead of international talks in Par ...
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Heat on over climate as US, China leaders meet
Beijing (AFP) Nov 11, 2014 -
Barack Obama and Xi Jinping have few areas of common ground as they meet this week in Beijing, but could find themselves warming to each other on one longstanding sticking point: climate change.
The presidents of the US and China - the world's top two producers of greenhouse gases - appear willing to confront their differences and make commitments to fight the threat, negotiators say.
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