Free Republic

Israeli warplanes bombed several sites in southern Gaza overnight in response to rocket fire from the Hamas-run enclave, the army and Palestinian medics said on Wednesday. No one was wounded or killed in the strikes, which destroyed an abandoned building in Gaza's only airport, according to medics. The airport was shut down and largely destroyed after the outbreak of the 2000 Palestinian uprising, or intifada, and has not been used since. The attacks came in response to rocket fire from the impoverished enclave over the past several days, the army said in a statement. The rocket fire did not cause...

Noting signs that the new strategy in Afghanistan “is beginning to bear fruit,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates also said during an interview aired last night that the effort to build up Iraq’s security forces and move forward with the U.S. drawdown plan there remains on track. The secretary noted signs of a possible turnaround in Afghanistan, as expressed last week at the NATO Ministerial in Istanbul by Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander on the ground. “He thought the situation was still serious, but no longer deteriorating,” Gates said. “I think we are beginning to...

Deliveries of fifth-generation fighters to Russia's Air Force will start in 2015 rather than in 2013 as previously announced, the Air Force chief said on Tuesday, according to RIA Novosti. "In 2013, I hope... the [Sukhoi] PAK FA prototype will be ready and fine-tuned, and we will start deliveries to military units in 2015," said Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin. A prototype of the fighter made its maiden flight in Russia's Far East on January 29. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said after the 47-minute flight that the first batch of fifth-generation fighters would go into service in 2013. Russia has been...

On 29 January 2010, the Sukhoi PAK-FA (Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Frontovoi Aviatsy, literally "Future Front line Aircraft System"), which could variously be described as a technology demonstrator, the first prototype of the future T-50 fighter, or an intermediate step between the two, took to the air for the first time from the freezing runway of Dzemgi Air Force Base (shared with the KnAAPO plant) at Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Russian Far East Siberia (see also http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/497/). A fundamental step has at last been accomplished in the development of the long-expected Russian response to the American F-22 RAPTOR air dominance fighter. The...

Introduction In late January 2010, the PAK FA made its maiden flight, ushering in an end to an era of US dominance of stealth, fifth generation fighter aircraft. Military analysts of every shade and nation spent endless times speculating and awaited the first flight with sleepless nights and over bitter arguments about its final configuration, for the PAK FA was kept so secretive that none other than a very choice few knew what it would look like. Combat aircraft are the spear tip of any military power, and play a pivotal role in air warfare. And in today's day and...

They are called the PIGS -- Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain. What they have in common is that all are facing deficits and debts that could bring on national defaults and break up the European Union. What brought the PIGS to the edge of the abyss? All are neo-socialist states that provide welfare for poor people, generous unemployment, universal health care, early retirement and comfortable pensions. Most consume 40 percent to 50 percent of their gross domestic product annually, a crushing burden on the private sector. Dying populations is a second cause. -------------------------------------------- In Western Europe, the passing of the native-born...

It’s easy to wonder how world leaders, journalists, religious figures and ordinary citizens looked the other way while six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. And it’s even easier to assume that we’d do better. But so far the brutal war here in eastern Congo has not only lasted longer than the Holocaust but also appears to have claimed more lives. A peer- reviewed study put the Congo war’s death toll at 5.4 million as of April 2007 and rising at 45,000 a month. That would leave the total today, after a dozen years, at 6.9 million.

North Korea's food shortage is expected to further worsen this year, as the communist state's grain output in 2009 is believed to have fallen from the previous year, a government official in Seoul said Wednesday. The North is estimated to have produced 4.1 million tons of grain last year, a drop of about 200,000 tons compared to 2008, the Unification Ministry official said on condition of anonymity. The amount falls about 1.3 million tons short of what the impoverished country needs this year to feed its 24 million people, the official said. The North produced 4.3 million tons in 2008....

Obama hints at troublespot, saying China’s crucial vote is not assured. The United States is developing a "significant regime of sanctions" after Iran apparently spurned an offer to negotiate over its suspect nuclear program, US President Barack Obama said Tuesday. In his most extensive remarks on Iran in some time, Obama said Iran appears to have spurned his offer of engagement. He said Iran is still pursuing a nuclear program that would lead to nuclear weapons. "They have made their choice so far, although the door is still open," Obama told reporters at the White House. Obama said work to...

When I heard the India Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik admitting last year that India lacks the air power to meet the myriad terror threats facing the country, I didn't blame him. He was and is still right. When you have identified adversaries in all geographical directions and just 29 operational squadrons in your air force, how can you claim to be a strong and sovereign nation? Can you protect all of your borders let alone airspace, cities and strategic installations? Can you even contemplate using the air force to launch a counter strike and a...

Field training for the annual Hankuang war games this year will be brought forward to late April to allow the troops to be deployed to help combat possible flooding in the coming typhoon season later in the year, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced Tuesday at a news conference. Lee Yue-chang, assistant deputy chief of the General Staff for Operations and Planning under the MND, said the field training will be held in late April instead of in the traditional July-October period so that the troops can be better trained in May and June in preparation...

More than 800 U.S., Thai and South Korean marines stormed a beach Thursday with Seoul joining the annual war games for the first time. The three-week Cobra Gold exercise sends a message that the United States will have a continued presence in the Asia-Pacific region, and the military is one aspect of that presence, said Lt. Gen. Benjamin Nixon, Commander of the U.S. Army, Pacific. The core exercise, being held for the 29th time, will focus on peacekeeping operations and humanitarian and disaster responses. Nixon said South Korea's participation was exciting. "South Korea is a leader in the Asia-Pacific region,...

A MAN has been airlifted to hospital with 60 per cent burns to his body following a gas explosion at an Islamic school in Sydney's southwest. The explosion occurred shortly before 9am (AEDT) in a room next to the canteen of Unity Grammar College, Austral, a police spokesman said. A man in his 50s was injured. He was conscious and breathing, and has been airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital with third degree burns to 60 per cent of his body. An ambulance spokesman said the burns were on the man's face, back and neck. Police are not yet sure...

“Hariri: Lebanon stands with Hizbullah in any war with Israel” By JPOST.COM STAFF 10/02/2010 05:41 SNIPPET: “The Lebanese government will stand with Hizbullah in the event of a war with Israel, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said overnight Tuesday in an interview with the BBC.”

White-owned companies in Zimbabwe are to be forced to hand majority control to black businessmen in a move that could lead to chaos rivalling the seizure of the country's commercial farms. The new regulations demand that all foreign and locally owned companies hand over at least 51 per cent ownership to black Zimbabweans. Thousands of firms, including the Zimbabwean operations of giants such as Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and the mining company Rio Tinto, will be affected, and they must submit their plans to comply by March 1. Owners who fail to comply could be jailed. The new law...

In a flight test reminiscent of the early days of the historic X-15 program 50 years earlier, the X-51A Waverider was carried aloft for the first time over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 9 by an Air Force Flight Test Center B-52H Stratofortress. The "captive carry" test was a key milestone in preparation for the X-51 to light its supersonic combustion ramjet engine and propel the WaverRider at hypersonic speed for about 5 minutes, before plunging into the Pacific Ocean. That flight test is currently planned in about two months, said Charlie Brink, X-51A program manager with the...

The Rothschild banking dynasty is to appoint a non-family member as chief executive for the first time in its 212-year history, as the group seeks to adapt its management structure to the post-crisis climate. Nigel Higgins, a 27-year veteran of the company who has co-headed the investment banking business for the past decade, will become chief executive of the family holding company in March, taking over from David de Rothschild. Mr Rothschild – he and his son are the only two Rothschild family members involved in the business – will remain as executive chairman. “We all know that organisations that...

Funded in part by Air Force Research Laboratory Manufacturing Technology Small Business Innovation Research contracts, FOPAT Production is producing breakthrough foam patterns for casting foundries and other manufacturers of aerospace components. The advanced patterns will improve casting processes by replacing wax, a known problematic material, with foam. Estimates indicate the development will generate $5 million in yearly energy savings, as well as $140 million in productivity, material savings, and scrap reduction. The work also supports goals of ManTech's Advanced Manufacturing Propulsion Initiative, which seeks to transform the Air Force propulsion supplier base in order both to assure industrial capability and...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Parents of some of the children who 10 U.S. missionaries tried to take out of Haiti after its catastrophic earthquake told a judge Tuesday that they freely handed over their kids, the Americans' lawyer said. The parents' testimony means no law was broken and "we can't talk any more about trafficking of human beings," attorney Aviol Fleurant told reporters.

US Ambassador Asks Brazil to Look at F-18's Quality Before a Final Decision 2010 - February 2010 Written by Marcos Chagas Tuesday, 09 February 2010 06:04 Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva once again stated that a final decision on the purchase of 36 fighter jets for the Brazilian Air Force has still not been made. He went on to say that the proposals by the three finalists remain under examination by the Ministry of Defense. "One thing we insist on is a commitment to unrestricted transfer of all cutting edge technology," said the president in an interview. Lula...

The Israel Defense Forces has sharply cut back its activity around the Karni border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, and defense officials told Haaretz that the crossing, which was closed after Hamas took over the Strip in June 2007, is not slated to reopen in the future. Due to the structure of the crossing, it is at high risk for terror attacks, said an official. This, combined with the inability to coordinate operations with Hamas, led to its abandonment. "The Karni crossing won't resume operating," said one. "At least not as long as Hamas controls the Strip." Advertisement...

The relationship between the US and the European Union is cooling. By declining to come to Spain for a trans-Atlantic summit, President Barack Obama made it clear that Brussels is far down on his priority list. The reasons for that can be found in Europe. The US president is traveling a lot these days -- and a clear pattern has emerged. The deeper into the United States it takes him, the better -- be it Nashua, New Hampshire or Tampa, Florida. The issue is always the same: How can Barack Obama create more jobs?

ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria's parliament empowered Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to run Africa's most populous nation Tuesday in place of an ill and absent president, striving for a political end to a crisis that ground the government to a virtual halt and triggered the resumption of an insurgency in the vital oil sector. But the move is not contemplated in the constitution, legal experts say, and could cause more friction between the Christian south, which gains the presidency at least temporarily, and Muslim north, which finds itself out of the seat of power. Jonathan told the nation in a televised...

India's indigenously designed and built nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, will assume an operational profile after two years, according to Indian Navy chief, Admiral Nirmal Verma. "Arihant, of course, will take about two years of trials before she is inducted in the navy," Adm Nirmal Verma has said in an interview for the forthcoming issue of defence journal Indian Defence Review. Verma said the Navy and the DRDO were looking into the challenges such as "proving of new technology, getting the submarine fully operational, developing doctrines and procedures" for the induction of Arihant. "We are actively working on all these issues,...

It appears that this time China's posturing is for real. Following up on our earlier post that Chinese military officials want to "punish" America by selling Treasuries, Asia Times Online is reporting that an explicit directive by the Chinese government has notified reserve managers to sell all risky US assets, including asset backed and corporates, and just hold on to explicitly guaranteed Treasuries and Agency debt. And from following TIC data we know that China's enthusiasm for MBS/Agencies over the past year has been matched solely by that of one Bill Gross. From Asia Times: Dollar-denominated risk assets, including asset-backed...

– Boeing Co.'s giant 747-8 freighter — the biggest plane the company has ever built — successfully completed its first flight Monday, a year later than originally planned. The huge plane took off from Everett's Paine Field shortly after noon and returned to Paine at 4:18 p.m. PST after an approximately 3 1/2-hour flight. A crowd Boeing estimated at more than 5,000 employees, customers, suppliers and other airplane fans gathered to watch the plane take to the air. The flight came just one day short of the 41st anniversary of the first flight of the original 747 model. At 250...

"The IDF did more to safeguard civilians in a Combat zone than any Army in History." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX6vyT8RzMo&feature=player_embedded

So reports Reuters: BEIJING (Reuters) - Senior Chinese military officers have proposed that their country boost defense spending, adjust PLA deployments, and possibly sell some U.S. bonds to punish Washington for its latest round of arms sales to Taiwan. Oh really? Our President can, with the wave of a pen, reduce our outstanding Federal Debt by a trillion dollars. He can issue an executive order that declares that every bond the Chinese Government holds is worthless. What are you going to do about it? You don't seem to have any of these: We have a bunch of 'em. That's because...

KABUL - Thousands of U.S., British and Afghan troops are poised to launch the biggest offensive of the war in Afghanistan in a test of the Obama administration's new counterinsurgency strategy. Military operations usually are intended to catch the enemy off guard, but for weeks U.S. and allied officials have been telling reporters about their forthcoming assault on Marjah, a Taliban-held town of 80,000 and drug-trafficking hub in southern poppy-growing Helmand province.

Deeply In Debt, Greece Faces A Spartan Future By Henry Chu February 10, 2010 Reporting from Athens - Christos Maggelis is nothing but a bit player in the latest Greek drama. Yet somehow, he fumes, he's the one being punished by the gods. Those would be the ruling politicians of this sun-kissed land who, like Hercules and the Augean stables, face a cleanup task of mammoth proportions: getting rid of a toxic mountain of government debt that threatens the financial health of much of Europe. To do so, Greece wants to cut the pay of hundreds of thousands of civil...

How Labour Threw Open Doors To Mass Migration In Secret Plot To Make A Multicultural UK JAMES SLACK 10th February 2010 Labour threw open the doors to mass migration in a deliberate policy to change the social make-up of the UK, secret papers suggest. A draft report from the Cabinet Office shows that ministers wanted to ‘maximise the contribution’ of migrants to their ‘social objectives’. The number of foreigners allowed in the UK increased by as much as 50 per cent in the wake of the report, written in 2000. Labour has always justified immigration on economic grounds and denied...

Soldiers from AustraliaÂ’s Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) conduct a medical clinic (MEDCAP) for the Chenartu villagers while more than 150 people gather for a shura.(Photo courtesy Australian Government Department of Defence) Courtesy Australian Government Department of DefenceThe Australian Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) with their Afghan partner force have facilitated a major gathering (shura) of village elders and religious leaders in Chenartu, north-east of Tarin Kowt, as part of their current focus on reaching out to Afghan communities across Uruzgan Province. During the meeting, village leaders and representatives were consulted to gain an understanding from the community of their...

BAGHDAD – The recent actions of one Iraqi resident here helped make the streets safer in southern Ghazaliya when he notified his local Iraqi Army unit of a possible improvised explosive device factory. "Whether it's big information or small information, [it's] all important information," said Lt. Col. Abdullah, commander, 4th Battalion, 22nd Iraqi Army Brigade, 6th IA Division. "Whatever we find, no matter how small it is, we found it because of our efforts, because of our sources, and because of the information that we get." The information regarding the IED factory resulted in the seizure of a quarter-kilogram of...

BASRAH – As the U.S. prepares to reduce troop levels here to 50,000 by September 2010, military leaders must still complete the mission; even with less boots on the ground. Smaller numbers of Soldiers depend on one another to accomplish the daily tasks needed to maintain the security, integrity and safety of the Basrah Operations Center and this host city that is home to more than 1.2 million people. Because of the drawdown and the return of U.S. camps to the Iraqi government, the remaining squad-sized elements from 2nd and 3rd platoons, 206th Military Police Company, 49th Military Police Battalion,...

Homeland Security: "We don't need no stinking lectures" is the official White House response to its national security critics. But just how arrogant is it to accuse those with legitimate concerns of helping al-Qaida? Opponents of the Obama administration have been shy about specific comparisons to the charisma-challenged Jimmy Carter, arguably the worst president of the 20th century. This week, however, the clearest of similarities de-cloaked itself. President Carter liked to accuse those who opposed the SALT II treaty with Russia of endangering the homeland. He accused the Senate, where it couldn't get ratified in spite of a Democratic majority,...

The calls for broad retaliation over the planned U.S. weapons sales to the disputed island came from officers at China's National Defence University and Academy of Military Sciences, interviewed by Outlook Weekly, a Chinese-language magazine published by the official Xinhua news agency. The interviews with Major Generals Zhu Chenghu and Luo Yuan and Senior Colonel Ke Chunqiao appeared in the issue published on Monday. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) plays no role in setting policy for China's foreign exchange holdings. Officials in charge of that area have given no sign of any moves to sell U.S. Treasury bonds over the...

TORONTO • Richard Warman, Canada's top online hate-hunter and scourge of free speech advocates, offered his first public response on Monday to the online campaign against him led by conservative blogger and lawyer Ezra Levant. In court filings for a libel suit, Mr. Warman calls Mr. Levant's conduct toward him "obsessive," states he "has no respect for authority," and says it is "surprising" he is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Alberta. "Mr. Levant is in the habit of fabricating extremely serious allegations of misconduct against others," Mr. Warman states in an affidavit filed in Ontario...

February 10, 2010 Storm over bailout of Greece, EU's most ailing economy Athens will be paralysed today by a 24-hour strike against a government trying to stave off bankruptcy ? as fellow members of the eurozone squabble over how best to solve Greece?s debt crisis David Charter in Brussels Angela Merkel tried to calm fevered speculation in financial markets yesterday that Germany was preparing to lead a bail-out of Greece amid a split in the EU on how to handle its most ailing member. The German Chancellor denied reports that her Finance Minister was conducting secret talks with Jean-Claude Trichet,...

UC Irvine Police arrested 11 people Monday evening on suspicion of disrupting a speech that Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren was giving on U.S.-Israel relations. (Original story about the protest.) The protesters — 8 UCI students and 3 UC Riverside students — were cited for disrupting a public event. (UCI said last night that 12 people had been arrested.)

Defense officials on the island that has fallen behind in the military balance of power with China had agreed with Washington in 2008 to a study on upgrading Taiwan's aging submarine fleet but will stop pushing the item to keep peace with Beijing, said a source close to the Defense ministry in Taipei. "Taiwan isn't asking for the submarines anymore," the source told Reuters. "The biggest consideration was the warming of relations with mainland China." China has blasted the United States over a planned $6.4-billion arms package for Taiwan, saying it would place sanctions on U.S. firms that sell weapons...

Washington Rep. Norm Dicks, shown here shaking hands with actor Chris Klein, has effectively taken over control of the House defense appropriations subcommittee and is expected to be voted its next chairman following the unexpected death of John Murtha, a democratic house leadership aide told The Cable. "Mr. Dicks is now acting chair of defense appropriations and likely will be approved by the caucus for it permanently, should he choose that over [his current chairmanship of] the interior subcommittee," the aide said. That confirms the somewhat less definitive statements by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-MD, who told reporters Tuesday,...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2010 – Afghan and international forces seized enemy weapons and killed insurgent attackers in operations in Afghanistan in recent days, military officials reported. The Afghan National Army, supported by an international security patrol, destroyed 16 rockets and a mortar round in Kandahar province Feb. 7 and yesterday. The Afghan soldiers were patrolling near Darivshan village when they received a tip about a weapons cache from an Afghan civilian. The soldiers went to the site and recovered 16 107 mm rockets. The following day, the same patrol element found an 82 mm mortar round in a garden near...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2010 – Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested numerous suspected terrorists and seized enemy weapons in various operations in Iraq in recent days. Iraqi forces arrested 11 suspected al-Qaida in Iraq members -- including the suspected commander and two deputies of their cell -- in a rural area northwest of Baghdad today. The cell is believed to be responsible for maintaining weapons caches and carrying out deadly attacks against civilians and security forces. During a search, the security team found a shotgun, numerous assault rifles, packaging material used to transport explosives, a small rocket and terrorist...

When the Prophet Mohammad established Islam, he introduced a minimum of innovations. He employed the hallowed personages, historic legends and sacred sites of Judaism and Christianity, and even paganism, by Islamizing them. Thus, according to Islam, Abraham was the first Muslim and Jesus and St. John (the sons of Miriam, sister of Moses and Aron) were prophets and guardians of the second heaven. Many Biblical legends ("asatir al-awwalin",) which were familiar to the pagan Arabs before the dawn of Islam, underwent an Islamic conversion, and the Koran as well as the Hadith (the Islamic oral tradition), are replete with them....

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Feb. 9, 2010 – Ask Army Chief Warrant Officer Anthony Potter what it takes to reach more than 2,000 combat flight hours and he'll tell you it requires the support of a loving family and fellow soldiers. Before being a senior in high school, the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter instructor pilot from Company C, 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry, said he always knew that he wanted to fly; that he wanted to be a pilot. So when it came time to choose a college, he made it abundantly clear aviation would...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2010 – Noting signs that the new strategy in Afghanistan “is beginning to bear fruit,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates also said during an interview aired last night that the effort to build up Iraq’s security forces and move forward with the U.S. drawdown plan there remains on track. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates speaks with Greta Van Susteren, host of the Fox News program "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren," during an interview in Rome, Feb. 7, 2010. DoD photo by Cherie Cullen  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Gates spoke with Fox News Channel’s...

Just over two years ago, Rajendra K. Pachauri seemed destined for a scientist’s version of sainthood: A vegetarian economist-engineer who leads the United Nations’ climate change panel, he accepted the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the panel, sharing the honor with former Vice President Al Gore.But Dr. Pachauri and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are now under intense scrutiny, facing accusations of scientific sloppiness and potential financial conflicts of interest from climate skeptics, right-leaning politicians and even some mainstream scientists. Senator John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, called for Dr. Pachauri’s resignation last week.Critics, writing in Britain’s Sunday...

The Nanjing Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently held an on-spot meeting at an air defense brigade of the Nanjing MAC to popularize the brigade’s experience in carrying out systematic integration confrontation exercise based on informationization system. Jin Laizhou, commander of the brigade, told the reporters that the construction of information platform and the blend of various combat elements had greatly promoted the troops’ systematic training level based on informationization system. By centering on the realization of information blend, the brigade has the command posts at all levels linked with the information nodes of...

Romanian President Traian Basescu announced last week that his country would accept an US offer to base medium-range interceptor missiles (the proposed land-based version of the SM3 system) as part of the revamped missile defence plans formulated by the Obama Administration in 2009. "Romania has been officially invited by US President Barack Obama to be part of the [new] missile defence system," Basescu said after a meeting of the country's Supreme Defence Council. He stated that talks between Washington and Bucharest on the issue should start in the near future and any agreement will be submitted to Romanian parliament for...

The U.S. should support an Israeli military strike against Iranian nuclear installations if the Jewish state, fearing diplomacy has failed, ultimately takes that course of action, stated former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Asked whether the U.S. should support an Israeli strike, Huckabee replied, "Absolutely." Huckabee was speaking in a WABC Radio interview with Aaron Klein, WND's senior reporter, who has been hosting a weekend show on the New York mega-station.