Free Republic

(Reuters) - With warships and missiles, Russia is flexing its muscles in the Far East in a bid to defend its position as an Asian power against China's growing might. China's rise has forced Russia's leaders to turn their gaze eastward and reassess decades of Soviet-era planning for a land war on the European plain or the nightmare of a nuclear conflict with the United States. The match between the world's largest energy producer, Russia, and its largest energy consumer, China, might seem ideal. But the speed at which China's military is growing presses the question: how can Moscow feed...

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -Renewed fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops along the countries' disputed border killed a Thai soldier Saturday and sent thousands of people fleeing before military commanders agreed on the second cease-fire in two days. The fiercest border clashes in years also damaged a landmark 11th century temple near a strip of disputed land that Thai nationalists have seized on as a domestic political issue. At least five people have died in two days — one civilian and one soldier from Thailand and one civilian and two soldiers from Cambodia, according to officials from the two countries. Each...

Hospitals in Russia's far-eastern city of Vladivostok have seen an influx of patients with a rare form of fish poisoning. Several people have died. The culprit is the fugu fish – a traditional and popular Japanese delicacy. The catch is you have to cook it very carefully because just one fish contains a poison capable of killing over 30 people. In Japan, only very experienced, specially trained cooks are allowed to dress fugu. Fugu fish are not usually found off Vladivostok, but the warm summer saw their numbers grow. Hungry anglers took it upon themselves to make what they thought...

Recently, Roger McDermott, a regular contributor to this publication, offered an excellent overview of the operational-strategic exercise being conducted in Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East by the Russian armed forces (EDM, July 6). McDermott correctly pointed to the role of the exercise in testing concepts associated with the “new look” reforms and called attention to the exercise’s testing the speed of deployment of brigades, their combat readiness, and capacity to engage in combined-arms combat in an air/land battle, and their logistical support to sustain combat actions. He also noted that while the scenario dealt with a wide range...

US intelligence services and other countries in the Far East are closely monitoring the grand naval drills being conducted by the Russian Navy. “The naval phase of Russia's Vostok-2010 (Orient-2010) military exercises has drawn increased attention from the intelligence services of the United States and Asia-Pacific countries,” a senior Russian Navy source was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. On June 29, Russia launched the biggest ever post-Soviet war games in the eastern part of the country involving 20,000 troops, up to 70 combat aircraft and 30 warships, including North Fleet's nuclear powered guided missile cruiser ‘Pyotr Veliky’ (Peter-the-Great), world's...

High-level lobbying by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has failed to persuade the Chinese leadership to do anything substantial regarding Pyongyang's sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in late March. Diplomatic sources in the Chinese capital said State Councillor Dai Bingguo privately told the American delegation — which just ended the second bilateral Strategic and Economic Dialogue (SED) in Beijing — that Chinese diplomats would privately urge the Kim Jong-Il regime to refrain from further provocative acts against South Korea. But there would be no public statements from Beijing condemning Kim’s latest act of brinksmanship. At the end of...

James Tsai is the sort of MBA corporate recruiters covet. He went to a good prep school, earned a degree with honors from Middlebury College, and made vice-president in Bank of America's (BAC) international wealth management group at the age of 26. Today, Tsai is about to graduate, straight A's in hand, from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, a top-rated program in America. And he's hustling to land his first post-MBA job—in China. Executive Class strivers like Tsai used to have just one post-grad career destination, the U.S. Not anymore. "I am doing everything I think I can to get...

It was dubbed by some defence analysts as a ‘game-changer.’ Earlier this year, Russia’s newest fighter aircraft rolled down a runway in the country’s Far East for its 47-minute debut flight. The 72-foot-long, twin-engine T-50 fighter bears a striking resemblance to the US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, widely considered the most lethal air-to-air fighter aircraft ever produced—so lethal that US law prohibits its export. Yet the United States is buying just 187 F-22s, in order to husband resources for buying larger numbers of the smaller and less powerful F-35 fighters. The problem, according to two Australian defence analysts, is that...

The close relationship that once existed between Moscow and Pyongyang is a relic of the Cold War. In fact, there is reason to believe that the two neighbors now share little in common. Yet decades ago, the Soviets exercised tremendous influence over the North Korean regime, anecdotally evidenced by Kim Il-sung's fateful request to Josef Stalin asking to invade the South in 1950. Stalin, after much consternation, finally gave his approval.1 By deferring to Stalin, Kim Il-sung sought continued Soviet support, which he received for roughly 40 years until the breakup of the Soviet Union. In the early 1990s, however,...

Special Navy forces discovered weapons and ammunition on a cargo ship overnight Tuesday, after boarding the Francop some 100 nautical miles west of Israel flying an Antiguan flag. Defense officials said the 140-meter long Francop, captured near Cyprus, was carrying arms sent by Iran and destined for Syria and Hizbullah. More than 60 tons of weaponry were on board, in dozens of containers. The Francop carried hundreds of containers. A significant amount of 122 mm. Katyusha rockets, likely made in Iran, assault rifles, mortar shells and grenades were found on board. Israel Radio reported that advanced anti-aircraft platforms not before...

In the news today we are witnessing the outworking of a very old problem in a very old place. SUCH A HISTORY: It is the Cradle of Civilization, the place of the Tower of Babel, the land of Nimrod, Shinar, Babylon, Assyria, modern day Iraq. It is the place of Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, blessings and cursings, struggle and strife. From such a setting comes God s great and gracious promises and predictions.

The results of the 2007 edition of IMD’s World Competitiveness Yearbook highlight a big shake-up in economic and business power. Emerging nations are quickly catching up in competitiveness. New companies and new brands are appearing all over the world. They now contest the long-standing competitive supremacy of industrialized nations. “This could lead to an increase in protectionist measures in Europe and the US”, says Professor Stéphane Garelli, Director of IMD’s World Competitiveness Center. Of the 55 economies ranked by IMD, the US still ranks No. 1 in 2007, closely followed by Singapore and Hong Kong. However, 40 economies are now...

MOSCOW, October 26 (RIA Novosti) - A total of four sailors have now been found dead, and 11 have been found alive from the 18-man crew of a Russian cargo ship that sunk in the West Pacific three days ago, after rescuers found another three dead on Thursday. The Russian ship Yury Orlenko, which had sailed from the country's Far East port of Vladivostok to join the rescue effort, pulled a body out of the water in the Sea of Japan at 5:30 a.m. GMT on Thursday, according to Russia's Transportation Ministry.

Swedish equipment to test North Korea nuclear claim South Korean officials said on Tuesday they believe North Korea's claim of a nuclear test is genuine, but they plan to borrow hi-tech equipment from Sweden to test the atmosphere for radioactive particles. "The government believes North Korea actually conducted a nuclear test," Unification Minister Lee Jong-Seok told a special parliamentary hearing. Lee, who is in charge of North Korean affairs, said the government would not yet recognize Pyongyang as a nuclear power until it was known whether the test was successful. North Korea said Monday it had successfully tested a nuclear...

Bildt: North Korea nuclear test 'extremely serious' Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt has described North Korean claims that it has carried out an underground nuclear weapons test as "an extremely serious development." The test would have consequences both for stability in East Asia and for international efforts to stem the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Bildt said in a statement on Monday morning. "While it has been assumed for a long time that North Korea has a few nuclear charges, a test of this kind is a conscious and serious provocation directed at the entire international community," he said, adding that...

Russian Military To Practice Repelling Invasion From East by Staff Writers Moscow (AFP) Aug 15, 2006 Russia's military will practice repelling a foreign invasion during exercises this month in the country's far east, the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta said Tuesday. The exercises will take place on the Kamchatka peninsula some time in the second half of August and will be presided over by President Vladimir Putin, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources on the military's general staff. The aim is to improve cooperation between different arms of the military in "defending the coast from possible armed invasion," the newspaper said. "The...

TOKYO, March 27 (UPI) -- China's insatiable appetite for energy and natural resources, and its desire to secure the sea lanes through which such resources are transported, are propelling the country's outreach to even the smallest of the Pacific Islands, leaders from the island nations heard last week at a convention in Tokyo. China's determination to undermine Taiwan's influence in the South Pacific is prompting generous assistance in infrastructure projects, such as building sports complexes in Fiji and Kiribati, and providing cargo ships to Vanuatu. Representatives from 22 island nations gathered in Tokyo at the Asia-Pacific Island Nations Summit from...

A University of Pittsburgh reproductive biologist relied on the now-discredited stem-cell findings of a disgraced Korean scientist to win a $16.1 million federal grant last fall, according to federal documents and letters obtained by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Pitt's Gerald Schatten will use the money for an ambitious stem-cell research program that will occupy four of seven floors of Magee-Womens Research Institute's building, now under construction in Oakland, the documents show. The five-year grant, awarded to Schatten in September by the National Institutes of Health, is based in part on cloning experiments deliberately falsified by Hwang Woo-Suk, the documents show.

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush conclude their far eastern tour by visiting Mongolia being the first serving President to visit that country. After visiting Mongolia they flew back the USA. The Vice President gave a speech on the War on Terror at the American Enterprise Insitute in Washington. Last Friday Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld concluded his Australian visit and on his return to the US did the rounds of Sunday talk shows. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush continue their far eastern visit today they are in Korea. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also in Korea. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is in Australia. Vice President Dick Cheney to spoke yesterday at the Third Annual Ronald Reagan Award which honored Sen. Malcolm Wallop (retf) Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

THE US no longer expects Australia to automatically support it in a conflict with China over the flashpoint of Taiwan, Bush administration officials have told Australian MPs. The message was delivered by US military, Pentagon and State Department officials to a delegation of visiting MPs, before John Howard delivered one of his strongest speeches in New York last week distinguishing Australia's approach to China from that of the US. Under the ANZUS treaty there has been an expectation that Australia would support the US in a conflict over Taiwan. But Foreign Minister Alexander Downer shocked the region with a speech...

President George W Bush delivered a speech on the war on terrorism at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia Later both President Bush and the Vice President Cheney met U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad in the Oval Office First Lady Laura Bush and her daughters are on a visit to Africa. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on a four nation visit to the far east so far she has visited the Peoples Republic of China and Thailand and arrived late tonight in Japan. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

The rise to prominency on the world stage of China and India has implications for the US hegemony in the Far East. Over the past six months, moves and counter moves have been being made by the major players in the region that all were motivated by one factor; the scramble for energy resources. There's no international etiquette apart from the legislation that prevents war, but US foreign policy which is clearly centered around 'serving the US interests' is being duplicated by the rapidly developing countries in the East. Manishankar Aiyer, petroleum and natural gas minister of India spoke for...

WASHINGTON: American experts are warning that China is rapidly building up its military so that it will have the capability to attack Taiwan, a separately governed island that Beijing considers part of Chinese territory. Tensions across the Taiwan Strait are hotter than usual, as Beijing increasingly sees Taipei's democratically elected government as moving the island toward independence. China says it does not want to attack Taiwan to keep the island from declaring independence, but at the same time, Beijing has refused to renounce the use of force. And, earlier this year, China's parliament passed legislation giving the country's military a...

A panel chartered by Congress to advise on redeployments of U.S. forces abroad is questioning the wisdom of reducing the number of troops on Japan's Okinawa island at a time of strategic uncertainties in the region. In a report released Monday, the Overseas Basing Commission recommended that U.S. Marines at one Okinawan base, the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station, should be moved -- either to another U.S. base on the island, or to one located on Honshu, Japan's main island. Apart from Futenma, however, all other Marine Corps assets on Okinawa should remain there. "Okinawa is the strategic linchpin to...

Last Updated: Thursday, 28 April, 2005, 17:34 GMT 18:34 UK In pictures: Shaman initiation   1 of 9For the first time a public initiation has been held for a shaman (spiritual chief) in Russia's Far East. Vasily Dunkai is one of about 1,000 Udege people living in the Primorye region. 2 of 9A highlight of the ritual was Vasily Dunkai's dousing in water from three different springs. 3 of 9The water was heated over stones brought from five hills. First the stones were placed in a fire. 4 of 9During the initiation, the villagers left food at their place...

East Asia countries have continued to criticized Japan for the ignorance of the war crimes during World War II. The tensions have rised between China and Japan for the escalation of violent protests in China against Japan. Meanwhile, Japanese government officials still visit the Yasukuni Shrine every year to pray for the dead soldiers, which the shrine also includes the top officials engaged in war crime during the war, Japan has continued to apologized in public about the war crimes by the Japanese government in the past, which the victims of other countries in Asia has not recognized. The people...

Ancient knife proves longer astronomical history www.chinaview.cn 2005-03-12 09:51:05 XINING, March 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Archaeologists in northwest China's Qinghai province claimed that a 5,000-year-old stone knife with designs of constellations will extend China's history of astronomical observation by 1,000 years. The finely-polished stone knife, six centimeters long and threecentimeters wide, was unearthed at the Laomao Ruins, a New Stone Age site nine kilometers west of Lamao Village in Qinghai. Archaeologists also unearthed many other relics from the site including pottery pieces, stone and bone tools. Liu Baoshan, head of the Qinghai Provincial Cultural Relics andArchaeology Research Institute, said seven holes...

Thirty elementary school children died of food poisoning yesterday after eating a native delicacy made from cassava flour at the San Jose Elementary School in Mabini town, Bohol. San Jose Vice Mayor Ester Tabigi said authorities had not yet determined exactly how many children had fallen ill, but at least 50 were still in critical condition last night in various hospitals in the nearby towns of Ubay and Talibon. Some children were brought as far as the provincial capital of Tagbilaran City, some 100 kilometers from Mabini. Reports said the children, mostly second and third-grade pupils, started complaining of stomach...

The Republic of the Philippines is an archipeligo of over 7,100 islands located north of Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia in the Pacific Ocean and south of Taiwan. The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish- American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected President and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during WWII, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On...

PARIS (AFP) - Human activities, notably the building of coastal resorts and the destruction of natural protection, contributed to the enormous loss of life from killer tidal waves that hit the shores of the Indian Ocean after an earthquake, an environmental expert said. Jeff McNeely, chief scientist of the Swiss-based World Conservation Union (IUCN), who lived for several years in Indonesia and Thailand, two of the countries hit by Sunday's disaster, said it was "nothing new for nature" in a geologically active region. "What has made this a disaster is that people have started to occupy part of the landscape...

The guests crowded the beautifully set tables in Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz's tiny Jerusalem apartment. After celebratory l'chaims and impassioned singing, the world renown sage, the dean of the Holy City's Mirrer yeshiva, stood up to speak. The festive atmosphere immediately turned solemn. There was silence. "My dear Reb Avraham," the rabbi began warmly, "may you merit to grow in Torah and yiras Shamayim, in line with the aspirations of your pure heart. May you become a true son of Avraham Avinu [Abraham our forefather], after whom you are now named."

The avian influenza virus that has spread widely among poultry and other birds in Southeast Asia and infected some people there has also crossed another species barrier to infect cats, and can be spread among them as well, Dutch scientists have found. The finding is "extraordinary because domestic cats are generally considered to be resistant to disease from influenza A virus infection," like that of the avian strain, the researchers are reporting in today's issue of the journal Science. In the Dutch study, some cats with the infection died of it, while others survived. A few did not even show...

I have created a public register of "bump lists" here on Free Republic. I define a bump list as a name listed in the "To" field used to index articles. Free Republic Bump List Register

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal probe of Coca-Cola Co. has intensified as a federal grand jury was scheduled and regulators subpoenaed employees, The Wall Street Journal said on Monday. The grand jury will begin to hear testimony in the case around May 25, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the probe. The U.S. attorney's office and the Securities and Exchange Commission are examining whether Coca-Cola overshipped drink concentrate to distributors in some markets including Japan -- called "channel-stuffing" -- thereby possibly inflating financial results. Three former finance officials of the world's largest soft drink maker have told federal...

A team of military intelligence and police drug enforcement units rounded up some 50 Muslim residents of the Al-Salam Mosque Compound in Barangay Culiat, Quezon City as part of intensified operations against illegal drugs and firearms in the metropolis. Senior Superintendent Procopio Lipana, chief of the Central Police District-Criminal Investigation Unit (CPD-CIU), said 12 suspects remained under their custody while the rest were released. Lipana identified the 12 as Dawabe Ben Albi Maulana, businessman from Basilan; Musa Sabaddin Abdurahman, 27; Awop Wadja Ignus, 26; Radjail Karawan Tirih, 34; Raquel Francisco Mabajo, 26; Pamaran Alain Awali, 48; Abubakar Cuevas Zunco, 34;...

Review - Regions: New Aceh War PhaseNovember 16, 2003 10:06 PM, Laksamana.Net -  Though deploying 35,000 troops, the government and the military (TNI) have been disillusioned after promising a quick war against an original strength of 5,225, rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM) fighters. The military claim there are only 2,665 left with 1,683 firearms. Jakarta had said the martial law administration implemented on May 19 would have a four-pronged strategy. A military offensive to crush the rebels would be backed by a humanitarian mission to help war casualties. Greater influence of the national police, particularly in GAM-controlled areas, and the strengthening...

<p>VaxGen's experimental AIDS vaccine couldn't block HIV infection among volunteers in Thailand, the Brisbane company said Wednesday, in another blow for the closely scrutinized drug.</p> <p>The vaccine, dubbed AIDSVAX, had no noticeable effect on infection rates among the 2,546 intravenous drug users in Bangkok who volunteered for the study. Nor did it slow the disease's progress among volunteers who took the vaccine and later contracted HIV.</p>

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Kim Yong seemed to have it all. He was a trusted lieutenant colonel in a North Korean police agency and worked for a company that exported fish to Japan. He had access to dollars, foreign goods and a chauffeur-driven car. Then one day, North Korean authorities learned that Kim had been living for decades under an assumed name. He actually was the son of a man who, decades earlier, had been executed as a spy for the United States. Kim was immediately sent to a detention facility in Pyongyang, where he was forced to kneel for...

China developing `paralysis warfare'By Brian HsuSTAFF REPORTER Wednesday, Oct 08, 2003,Page 1 China's military is changing its strategy from deterrence to pre-emption, planning to use "paralysis warfare" against Taiwan in the future, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report delivered to the legislature's defense committee yesterday. "Paralysis warfare features Web-based information warfare, saturation ballistic missile attacks, joint precision strikes and seizure of the enemy's capital city by special operations units," the report says. "Such tactics will become a major option for the Chinese military in its choice of modes of attack against Taiwan in the future," it says....

<p>North Korea has admitted reprocessing 8,000 fuel rods from its Yongbyon nuclear reactor to boost its nuclear capabilities in response to threats from the United States.</p> <p>In a rare interview, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon told CNN of the move, saying North Korea's nuclear deterrence was not intended to attack other countries, but as a means to safeguard the country's territory.</p>

108th Congress (2003-2004) Select Congress: 108 | 107 | 106 | 105 | 104 | 103 | 102 | 101 | 100 | 99 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 93 VIEW LIST OF: Legislation | Public Laws | Private Laws | Vetoed Bills | Sponsors Bill, Amendment, or Public Law Number: Examples: hr10, s.210, hconres 5, PL107-25

JAKARTA, Sep 12, 2003 (Kyodo via COMTEX) -- The Indonesian government on Friday opposed a proposal by the Philippines to revive two military multilateral organizations to boost security in Southeast Asia, including in countering terrorism. "Indonesia is always consistent with its position and its free and active foreign policies...We don't believe that efforts to counter terrorism can be solved through military pact approaches," Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told a press conference. "So, the Indonesian government will not support any efforts to revive the two organizations," he added. During an annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Chief of Army...

MANILA, Philippines, -- U.S. President George W. Bush's visit next month "will further seal our pact against terrorism and poverty," Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Friday. Arroyo, one of Bush's closest allies in Asia, said Filipinos look forward to the visit "with anticipation and gladness," and while the expected eight-hour stop may be short, "the expected gains are undiminished." "It will symbolize the conjoined strategic objective of the Philippines and the United States for global peace, security and development and continuing U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia," she said in a statement. She said the visit will solidify the Philippines'...

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, Sep 13, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Soldiers killed two suspected members of the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group and seized pictures of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and documents in Arabic after storming a rebel camp in the southern Philippines Saturday, a military commander said. The soldiers also recovered weapons at the camp in the mountain village of Matalang outside Sumisip town on Basilan island, said Maj. Gen. Trifonio Salazar, commander of the army's 1st Infantry Division. He said field officers reported that the documents were "voluminous" and were going to have them translated. He had...

Official: NKorea Developing New Missile By GEORGE GEDDA Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Officials in the Bush administration have evidence that North Korea has been using Russian technology to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching targets in the continental United States, an administration official said Thursday. The official, asking not to be publicly identified, estimated the potential range at 9,400 miles. The distance from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to San Francisco is about 5,500 miles. In theory at least, the new missile could strike any target on U.S. soil, the official said. There had...

United States Ambassador to Australia Tom Schieffer has called on Indonesia to join other countries and ban the radical Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah (JI). His call comes on the second anniversary of the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks in the United States. Mr Schieffer says there will be a ceremony at the US Embassy in Canberra in the ACT this evening to commemorate the people who died in the September 11 attacks. The US Ambassador says there has been a lot of progress in the fight against terrorism since 2001 but he wants to see Indonesia ban JI. "I think that...

<p>BALI, Indonesia &#8212; The man who was the "intellectual mastermind" of last year's Bali nightclub bombings was sentenced yesterday to face a firing squad after being found guilty of the attacks that killed 202 persons, mostly foreign tourists.</p> <p>As the verdict was read by Judge Wayan Sugawa, Samudra, who uses only one name, shouted "God is great".</p>

DHAKA, Bangladesh, Sep 10, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Students and teachers from a Muslim school fought with members of an Islamic militant group who were distributing leaflets in their village, urging people to join an armed "jihad," or holy war, to make secular Bangladesh an Islamic state, police said Wednesday. Police used batons to stop the fighting and arrested 13 members of the Hizbul Tauhid militant group. About 45 people were wounded. Ten of them, including two police officers, were hospitalized, a police officer said on condition of anonymity. The villagers were opposed to the Muslim activists because...

International team to observe MILF truce By Rosli Abidin Yahya An international peace mission will be formed to monitor a cease-fire agreement between the Philippine government and the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary, Blas Ople, was quoted by Radio Australia as saying that Muslim countries like Malaysia, Libya, Bahrain, Brunei and Bangladesh have agreed to send representatives with the monitoring team. He said that Malaysia is expected to head the observer mission. Moro Islamic Liberation Front Chairman Ghadzali Jaafar also said that the United Nations would most likely send a peace monitoring team...