After warm welcome in Cuba, pope off to somewhat chillier US
Santiago De Cuba, Cuba (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
Pope Francis wrapped up his trip to Cuba Tuesday with a parting call for reconciliation, before leaving the Caribbean island for what could be a slightly chillier reception in the United States.
The pope, who played a key role in brokering the old Cold War foes' recent rapprochement, delivered mass Tuesday in the Cuban city of Santiago, cradle of the communist island's 1959 revolution, calli ...
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Lockheed Martin introduces Amphibious Combat Vehicle candidate
Quantico, Va. (UPI) Sep 22, 2015 -
Global security manufacturing company Lockheed Martin unveiled its new Amphibious Combat Vehicle 1.1 at the Modern Day Marine trade show in Virginia on Tuesday.
The ACV program was established by the U.S. Marine Corps to replace Amphibious Assault Vehicles in service since the 1970s. The ACV 1.1 designed to transport up to 13 Marines between land and water while providing a high level o ...
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Australia favours local build for huge submarine deal
Sydney (AFP) Sept 18, 2015 -
Australia's next generation of submarines could be built locally, Defence Minister Kevin Andrews has hinted, reversing plans reportedly favoured by former prime minister Tony Abbott to buy the vessels directly from Japan.
France, Germany and Japan are in the running to secure Australia's biggest ever defence procurement programme, a project expected to be worth Aus$50 billion (US$36 billion) ...
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Turkish army 'kills at least 55' in new airstrikes on Kurdish rebels: report
Ankara (AFP) Sept 19, 2015 -
Turkish fighter jets carried out a new barrage of cross-border airstrikes this week against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, killing at least 55 rebels, state-run Anatolia news agency reported Saturday.
The strikes by F-16 and F-4 jets targeted caves, houses and camps used by the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Anatolia said, citing unnamed security sources.
"At least 55 to 60 ...
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Europe's MBDA to market U.S.-made rocket conversion system
Mclean, Va. (UPI) Sep 18, 2015 -
MBDA is to market the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser-guided rocket in Europe for BAE Systems of the United States.
The marketing agreement was signed this week.
"MBDA's position as a prime weapon systems integrator in Europe, and the existing relationship between BAE Systems and MBDA, made this agreement a natural fit," said David Harrold, director of precision guida ...
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Marines send robotic dog into simulated combat
Quantico, Va. (UPI) Sep 21, 2015 -
Over the last several days week, Spot, a robot dog designed by Google-owned Boston Dynamics, has been put to the test.
The four-legged robot served as a military scout in a variety of simulated combat drills at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. Spot's initial tryout received high marks from participating Marines.
"Spot is great and has exceeded the metrics that we've p ...
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Iran best defence against Mideast 'terror': Rouhani
Tehran (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
Iran's armed forces are the best defence against "terror" in the Middle East, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, urging regional countries not to rely on world powers.
"Today, the largest power against intimidation and terror is our armed forces," Rouhani said at a massive military parade in Tehran.
Iran has played a major role in the fight against the Islamic State group in neigh ...
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ABS-3A Satellite Enters Commercial Service
Bermuda (SPX) Sep 13, 2015 -
The revolutionary ABS-3A satellite is now in full commercial use. The satellite started service on 31st August 2015 to serve the Americas, Africa, Europe and the Middle East regions.
Launched on 1st March 2015, the ABS-3A satellite built by Boeing has performed even better than expected having arrived ahead of schedule. In-Orbit tests have been successfully completed and the satellite beca ...
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China Unveils Next-Generation Wing Loong II Drone
Moscow (Sputnik) Sep 22, 2015 -
Chinese defense contractor Chengdu Aircraft Corporation unveiled its second-generation Wing Loong II unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) at the biennial Beijing Air Show earlier this month.
The platform resembles the MQ-9 Reaper high-altitude long-endurance UCAV, which is manufactured by American firm General Atomics primarily for the US Air Force, IHS Jane's 360 reported.
Photogra ...
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Moscow sends new arms as signs grow of shift in Syria war
Damascus (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
Syria said Tuesday it had received sophisticated new arms from Russia, including warplanes, and deployed them against jihadists, as signs grew of a major shift in the country's four-year conflict.
A senior military official told AFP Damascus had received a fresh batch of arms, including at least five fighter planes, while a monitoring group said there had been a marked increase in regime att ...
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UN Syria envoy seeks to restart peace talks as regime targets IS
Geneva (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
The UN's envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, held meetings this week aimed at reviving peace talks, a statement said Tuesday, amid mounting pressure to end the four-year war.
After several attempts to find a political solution, De Mistura in July proposed a fresh approach whereby Syrians would take part in "thematic" working groups.
The envoy met with the heads of these groups over the ...
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Russian jets in Syria appear to be to protect own base: Kerry
Washington (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
Russia has increased its deployment of warplanes to Syria but so far they appear to be positioned to defend their own base rather than to mount an offensive campaign, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday.
"Yes, they have increased aircraft and there are certain kinds of aircraft there which, depending on what Russia's decision is about its long-term intentions, could raise questions ...
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UN envoy gives Libya rivals ultimatum on peace plan
Skhirat, Morocco (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
UN envoy Bernardino Leon told Libya's warring parties Tuesday there would be no more negotiations on a UN peace plan and it was time for them to take it or leave it.
As talks in the Moroccan seaside resort of Skhirat broke up for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday that runs from Wednesday until Sunday, Leon told delegates from Libya's rival parliaments that when they returned he expected a strai ...
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Ex-CIA chief Petraeus calls for more US action in Syria
Washington (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
Former CIA chief David Petraeus said Tuesday that the United States should play a more active role in Syria, including setting up safe havens and implementing no-fly zones to prevent regime planes dropping barrel bombs.
The retired four-star general, who became a household name in America after overseeing the troop "surge" in Iraq in 2007, also gave an emotional apology for sharing classifie ...
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Canada, Spain to Hold Observation Flight Over Russia
Moscow (Sputnik) Sep 22, 2015 -
A joint mission of Canada and Spain will perform an observation flight over Russia between September 21 and 25, the acting head of the Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center said Monday.
"During the period between September 21 and 25, 2015, a joint mission of Canada and Spain is planning to carry out an observation flight over the territory of the Russian Federation, as a part of ...
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All I Want for Christmas is a Laser Gunship: US Air Force General
Moscow (Sputnik) Sep 22, 2015 -
The head of US Air Force Special Operations Command has told manufacturers of military aeronautics that he wants to see airborne laser weapon capability by the end of the decade.
The head of US Air Force Special Operations Command has shared his vision for his dream warship, which will boast a laser weapon capable of disabling moving targets such as missiles and drones, and able to "burn a ...
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Philippines leader pokes fun at Beijing's South China Sea claims, praises Japan
Manila (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Tuesday joked about China's disputed maritime territorial claims and praised Beijing's regional rival Japan for passing new legislation allowing the nation's troops to fight abroad.
Speaking in an interview with ABS-CBN television, Aquino said that China had proposed the joint development of the South China Sea while at the same time claiming almost all ...
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US businesswoman held in China for 'espionage': supporters
Beijing (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
A US businesswoman has been held for six months in China over alleged espionage, her supporters said, revealing a case that could complicate Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States, beginning Tuesday.
China's ministry of state security detained Sandy Phan-Gillis in March and she is being investigated on accusations of "spying and stealing state secrets", according to ...
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President Poroshenko calls for Ukraine to join NATO
Kiev, Ukraine (UPI) Sep 22, 2015 -
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko is calling for his government to reverse a decision by the previous government that established a non-alliance policy with NATO.
"No one else but Russia with its aggressive actions convincingly proved the usefulness of the organization, the need for its reinforcement and further expansion. There's no alternative," Interfax quoted Poroshenko as saying a ...
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U.S. and China compete for hacking personnel
Washington (UPI) Sep 21, 2015 -
A new kind of arms race is underway between the United States and China, potentially involving 9th grade soldiers.
As American and Chinese officials are set to discuss what is in effect a disarmament deal in cyberspace, each country prepares to recruit more hackers to stand ready on the front lines.
The United States is comparatively late to the cyber war game, with the People's ...
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