Free Republic

NEW DELHI: India has finally set the ball rolling for the eventual construction of its largest-ever warship, the 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier INS Vishal. The defence acquisitions council (DAC) has sanctioned an initial Rs 30 crore as seed money for the project. Just before PM Narendra Modi left for China on Wednesday night, the Manohar Parrikar-led DAC cleared a flurry of long-pending projects for ultra-light howitzers, medium-transport aircraft, light utility helicopters and the like worth over Rs 25,000 crore, as reported by TOI. But tucked away in the approvals was the relatively minor amount of Rs 30 crore for the indigenous...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) applauds the passage of the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on Thursday after a week of debate and consideration by both parties. Sen. Cruz introduced or cosponsored more than a dozen amendments that were successfully adopted by the committee. “Congress’ first priority is to provide for the national defense and ensure our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have everything they need to defend our freedom,” said Sen. Cruz. “I am grateful for the committee’s support for my amendments, including measures that will ensure...

Based on projections, China's population will start shrinking in 2026. It will then be a nation in decline. After all, no economy can grow robustly when it is getting smaller and its population is aging. Just don't tell that to Chinese officials, who are doubling down on interest rate cuts and stimulus plans that will go nowhere. Printing money always sounds good at the time, but it just ends up paying off past debts — not creating investments or consumer-led growth. The big problem is that half of China's debt is tied to its overbuilt real estate market — so...

That free trade is advantageous to both sides is the rarest of political propositions – provable, indeed mathematically. David Ricardo did so in 1817. The Law of Comparative Advantage has held up nicely for 198 years. Nor is this abstract theory. We’ve lived it. The free-trade regime created after World War II precipitated the most astonishing advance of global welfare and prosperity the world has ever seen. And that regime was created, overseen, guaranteed and presided over by the United States. That era might be coming to a close, however, as Democratic congressional opposition to free trade continues to grow....

You are real ! You are alive IN HIM ! And it is His pleasure to flow ~ through you unobstructed as a pure and virtuous stream ~ ~ ~ To replenish those parched traveling through dry lands but you to must drink deep from His eternal forgiveness And as you raise your head from these waters never look back as Lot's wife but "focus on His heart for His children" For you "ARE" an Oasis of Him as you mirror His water alone for Truly all flesh must be left behind. As His words speak "I only say what...

Foundations are being laid now in my children that have crossed the threshing floor of My heart and will for all my children of light , for to partake of my cup you must enter into me in all fullness and truth therefore obey my statutes and “ live “ my words to you given upon the foundation of my kingdom “ My heart “ , for truly as I send my sent ones and speak through my prophets , the oracles shall reveal themselves to all those that receive me in the manner I choose to come, for many...

PetroChina just surpassed Exxon Mobil to become the largest energy company in the world, on a market cap basis. PetroChina was able to accomplish this despite Exxon’s growth of 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) in reserves. These new reserves are located at the Permian Basin in West Texas and the Kearl Oil Sands project in Canada. PetroChina’s primary operations are located in China. This may not seem like a major oil hub to the average investor, but China is actually the 5th largest oil producing country in the world. Now the question becomes: can PetroChina retain its status...

THE $90 million search for MH370 has discovered “man made objects” almost four kilometres under the surface of the southern Indian Ocean, but they are not the missing Boeing 777. Instead the debris is thought to be from an ancient shipwreck, comprising an anchor and other items. Australian Transport Safety Bureau Operational Search Director Peter Foley said they were “obviously disappointed” the discovery was not the missing aircraft.

... In January, the German government said that in 2014 it had managed to balance its books for the first time since 1969, a year ahead of target.

Man… it’s a sad, sad day when I find myself in agreement with the Communist Chinese. I believe in freedom of religion and before 9/11, I was a strong proponent for all religions, including Islam, to be left alone to worship as they saw fit. Now, I have a severe issue with Islamists – those who in the name of Islam rape, enslave, murder, torture and conquer. Being a tyranny, China has no such qualms. They will ally with Islam in battle to accomplish their goals and then they will turn on them and put them down – all factions...

A Mi-26 led the flypast over the Victory Day parade in Moscow, followed by Mi-17s. A successor heavy-lift helicopter will be jointly developed by Russia and China. (photo: Vladimir Karnozov) Russian Helicopters and Avic on May 8 signed a breakthrough deal on joint development of the Advanced Heavy Lift (AHL) helicopter. The ceremony took place in the Kremlin and was witnessed by President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jingping, who was in Moscow for the parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. In a sign of closer ties between Russia and...

Outspoken Pope Francis is taking on the arms industry, lashing out at the “industry of death”—and condemning those who “live off war.” The remarks came Monday in response to a question from one of the 7,000 teachers, parents and children participating in an audience with the Pontiff, ANSA reports. “This is serious,” Francis said. “Some powerful people make their living with the production of arms. It’s the industry of death.” […] “When we see that everything revolves around money—the economic system revolves around money and not around the person, men and women, but money—so much is sacrificed and war is...

France may sell China the same two Mistral-class warships that would have been delivered to Russia under the terms of a nixed 2011 deal, according to a report. French officials opted not to sell the ships to Russia last November amid Moscow’s increased military activity in Eastern Europe. A potential sale of the Mistrals to China was one of several options French officials were considering to mitigate the financial loss associated with the canceled deal, Russia-owned outlet Sputnik News reports, citing a report from the Watch China Times. The ships could also be integrated into the French navy or sold...

It seemed like a typical day for President Obama. He taped a TV interview on trade, hosted the champion NASCAR team on the South Lawn and met with the defense secretary in the Oval Office. Not so typical was something that didn’t appear that day on the president’s public schedule: notification to Congress that he intends to renew a nuclear cooperation agreement with China. The deal would allow Beijing to buy more U.S.-designed reactors and pursue a facility or the technology to reprocess plutonium from spent fuel. China would also be able to buy reactor coolant technology that experts say...

If the U.S. intelligence community believes that Russia poses a greater cyber spying threat than China, what will it make of this? Russia and China signed a cyber-security deal on Friday, which experts say could firm up Russia’s ties with the east and may become a foundation for binding cyber security ties in the future. According to the text of the agreement posted on the Russian government’s website on Wednesday, Russia and China agree to not conduct cyber-attacks against each other, as well as jointly counteract technology that may “destabilize the internal political and socio-economic atmosphere,” ”disturb public order” or...

China overtook the US as the world’s biggest importer of crude oil in April, the culmination of a seismic shift in global energy flows over the past decade. Chinese customs data showed crude oil purchases from overseas hit a new high of 7.4m barrels a day in April, equivalent to roughly one in every 13 barrels consumed globally and topping US imports of 7.2m barrels a day. The US routinely exports about 500,000. While China’s imports are not expected to consistently surpass those of the US until the second half of this year, the move illustrates how the US shale...

Much more of China's military procurements are taking place entirely within the nation A new report by the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) sheds further light on China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA(N)). According to the authors, China’s naval ambitions extend towards a global presence—thereby seeking to place it alongside the U.S. Navy as the only other nation with a worldwide seaborne military reach: Since our last publication in 2009, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA(N)) has made significant strides in operationalizing as well as modernizing its force. Although the PLA(N)‘s primary focus remains in the East Asia region, where...

When a Chinese honor guard joins a military parade in Russia’s capital this weekend, watched by China’s President Xi Jinping, it will mark more than just a symbolic recognition of the two countries’ contributions to the Allied victory in 1945. China’s participation also reflects an upgrade of its military ties with Russia, including joint naval exercises and a revival of arms purchases, that could complicate U.S.-led efforts to counter both nations’ expanding military activities, analysts and diplomats say. They’ve basically come to a consensus that despite their differences over some national interests, they really face the same common enemy,” said...

A huge military parade has been held in the Russian capital, Moscow, to commemorate 70 years since victory over Nazi Germany by Allied forces. Some 16,000 troops took part in the Victory Day parade in Red Square with President Vladimir Putin, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top officials, both Russian and foreign, in attendance. Addressing the gathering, Putin thanked the Allies for their contributions to the victory, singling out France, Britain, and the United States. Putin said "our grandfathers lived through horrible suffering." He criticized the "folly" of creating a "unipolar" world, an apparent swipe at the United...

February 22, 2008 Son of Star Wars takes out toxic satellite in $30m space hit Michael Evans, Defence Editor and Jane Macartney in Beijing Video need to know: expert opinion on the satellite operation The United States provided dramatic proof of its capability to destroy an object in space when a US navy missile scored a direct hit on an American satellite falling out of control. Missile experts said that the Standard SM-3 weapon, fired from the USS Lake Erie, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, took about three minutes to reach the satellite 150 miles (240km) up in the sky, flew above...