4.7 quake causes minor property damage in L.A. County

Boeing To Move Missile Defense Division HQ
Huntsville AL (SPX) May 18, 2009 - Boeing will relocate the headquarters for its Missile Defense Systems (MDS) division from Arlington, Va., to the company's facilities in Huntsville, starting immediately. The move will ensure MDS remains aligned with its government customers, while adding to Boeing's presence in the Huntsville community. Initially, Boeing will shift division management and support functions, such as Human ... more

stans
+ Suspected US strike in Pakistan kills 25: officials
Miranshah, Pakistan (AFP) May 16, 2009 - A suspected US missile strike killed at least 25 people in a remote tribal area of northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border on Saturday, security officials said. There were no reported high-value targets killed in the strike at Kahisur village in North Waziristan, a known hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants. A suspected drone slammed two missiles into a compound, where militants were ... more

stans
+ Sending US soldiers to war a 'painful' task: Gates
Washington (AFP) May 15, 2009 - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates describes his job sending young soldiers off to war as a "painful thing" in a television interview to be broadcast on Sunday. "The truth of the matter is, being secretary of war in a time of war is a very painful thing," Gates told the CBS network's "60 Minutes" program, which released excerpts of the interview. "How can you like a job when you go to Wal ... more

terrorwars
+ Obama retains Bush-era military tribunals
Washington (AFP) May 16, 2009 - President Barack Obama has revived Bush-era military tribunals for top Guantanamo Bay terror suspects that he once branded a "failure," but proposed new rules on evidence and detainee rights. Rights campaigners reacted angrily, warning the move would prolong the "injustice" of the war on terror camp, days after Obama dismayed some backers by deciding to oppose the release of photos of Iraq a ... more

war
+ Netanyahu in US amid discord on Mideast peace, Iran
Washington (AFP) May 17, 2009 - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the US on Sunday ahead of his maiden meeting with President Barack Obama amid divisions over Middle East peacemaking and Iran's nuclear ambitions. The hawkish premier, who wants a "fresh" approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will unveil in the White House meeting on Monday his long-awaited policy for regional peace focused on cou ... more

Analysis: China reveals new smart weapons
Hong Kong (UPI) May 15, 2009 - At the most recent Zhuhai Air Show, China put on open display its FT-5 Global Positioning System-guided bomb. The FT-1 and FT-3 500/250-kilogram-class, or 1,100/550-pound-class, GPS-guided bombs were on display at the previous show in 2006. China also showed off its 500-kilogram-class FT-2 with gliding fins added. The FT-2 has an effective range of 15 to 90 kilometers, a circular error probabi ... more

iran
+ IAEA chief says Israeli strike on Iran would be 'insane'
Berlin (AFP) May 16, 2009 - The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei called any possible Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities an "insane" move, in an interview with a German magazine. "Attacking Iran would be insane," ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told Der Spiegel in an interview to appear Monday. "This would trigger an explosion across the whole re ... more

naval
+ Lockheed Martin Halifax Class Combat Systems Integration Team Completes Design Review
Ottawa, Canada (SPX) May 18, 2009 - Lockheed Martin completed a successful System Design Review (SDR) with the Canadian Navy, marking a major milestone toward modernizing the combat systems on the Navy's 12 Halifax-class multi-mission frigates. The SDR, a government-mandated review of a contractor's progress and planning for all elements of a program, covered in detail all of Lockheed Martin's plans for shipboard systems, tr ... more

missiles
+ ATK Executes Successful AARGM Firing
Minneapolis MN (SPX) May 18, 2009 - Alliant Techsystems, the U.S. Navy, and the Italian Air Force successfully fired an AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake on April 13, 2009. The firing marks the fifth consecutive successful AARGM live fire in the program's System Development and Demonstration (SD and D) phase and continues AARGM's progression toward Independent Oper ... more

stans
+ Afghan govt says 140 civilians killed in strikes
Kabul (AFP) May 16, 2009 - The Afghan defence ministry confirmed Saturday that an investigation appointed by President Hamid Karzai found that 140 civilians were killed in an incident involving US air strikes last week. The team's finding had already been given to reporters by Afghan officials but the ministry's statement was the first official announcement. It was released after being presented to Karzai on Friday. ... more

Indigenous groups declare "insurgency" in Peru
Lima (AFP) May 15, 2009 - Indigenous groups declared an "insurgency against the government" of President Alan Garcia Friday, escalating a tense five week old struggle with Lima over land, oil and mineral rights in Peru's Amazon rainforest. Protests have erupted in response to government moves to open the region to oil exploration and development by foreign companies under a set of liberalizing decrees that Garcia sig ... more

naval
+ Dozens of nations sign treaty on shipbreaking
Hong Kong (AFP) May 15, 2009 - Dozens of nations signed a new treaty Friday to make ship recycling safer, but activists called it a step backwards for the environment and the labourers who carry out the dangerous work. The UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) convention is the first-ever such agreement on shipbreaking, which often exposes workers to asbestos, mercury and other hazardous substances. The deal ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ Clock ticking as Russia, US kick off nuclear arms talks
Moscow (AFP) May 17, 2009 - Russia and the United States open fresh nuclear disarmament negotiations this week under pressure to strike a deal by year's end that experts say will have far-reaching consequences for world security. The talks mark the resumption, after a generation of drift, of a process begun in 1969 at the height of the Cold War and are a central element of US President Barack Obama's stated desire to ... more

superpowers
+ The Future Of NATO In The Earth 21st Century Part Four
Washington (UPI) May 15, 2009 - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization for 40 years through the Cold War focused on its mission of being able to fight a defensive war in Europe if necessary against the military forces of the Soviet Union and, after 1955, of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. In the nearly two decades since the Soviet Union started to disintegrate in 1989, NATO's national leaders and defense ministers have ... more

disaster-management
+ Four dead in China viaduct collapse: state media
Beijing (AFP) May 17, 2009 - At least four people were killed Sunday when a viaduct collapsed in central China, crushing several vehicles including a bus, state media reported citing local officials. The official Xinhua news agency said the death toll was likely to rise as firefighters and armed police searched through the rubble in the city of Zhuzhou in Hunan province for more vehicles and possible victims. Rescue ... more

1. World's Most Shocking Apology: Oprah to James Frey By Belinda Luscombe After annihilating James Frey on live TV for fibbing in his memoir, Oprah tells the author of 'A Million Little Pieces' she owes him "an apology"


2. The Pope's Stand in Obama's Notre Dame Controversy By Amy Sullivan While several prominent conservative Catholics in this country are apoplectic over the University of Notre Dame's invitation of the pro-choice Barack Obama, the Vatican has stayed completely silent on the matter

3. The Real Problem with Credit Cards: The Cardholders
By Barbara Kiviat To fix the problem of excessive credit-card debt, Congress needs to consider more than credit-card issuers — it needs to consider you


4. Obama Agrees with Bush on Polar Bears By Bryan Walsh The Obama Administration's Interior Secretary upholds Bush's last-minute changes to the Endangered Species Act


5. Jillian Michaels: Secrets of The Biggest Loser By Catherine Sharick Fitness expert Jillian Michaels talks to TIME about how losing weight and eating right can help save your life (and make it easier to slide on top of that Ducati)


6. Dick Cheney: Why So Chatty All of a Sudden? By Michael Duffy / WASHINGTON For a man whose public profile was almost nonexistent while he was a public servant, it's clear from his schedule alone that private citizen Cheney hasn't merely resurfaced — he's gone on the offensive


7. Why No One Is Seeing the NHL's Great Game By Sean Gregory Hockey's two best players are facing off in a series for the ages. So why is no one watching?

8. 9 Remote Getaways By Deirdre Van Dyk Plus: a Flight app for the Android phone and discounted fares to Hawaii or Paris


9. Environmentalists Attack House Global Warming Deal By Michael Weisskopf / Washington Hopes that a Democratic-controlled legislature would produce strong curbs on greenhouse gases encounter are dashed by industrial and regional interests


10. Warning Signs: A New Test to Predict Alzheimer's By Alice Park Researchers develop the first screening tool to predict which patients age 65 and older are at risk for memory loss

Climate Bill Moves To Mark-Up "The House Energy and Commerce Committee planned to begin work [today] on legislation that, for the first time, would limit the emissions blamed for global warming ...": AP; The Hill reviews the head-count: "... the important number is 30 – the number of votes [Rep. Henry Waxman] needs to get his cap-and-trade bill out of committee ..."; LA Times plays up role of Alcoa and Duke Energy lending corprate support to the compromise; NYT's Paul Krugman: "The legislation now on the table isn't the bill we'd ideally want, but it's the bill we can get — and it's vastly better than no bill at all."; CQ details the compromise regarding allocation of pollution permits.

Will CBO Accurately Score Health Care Reform?
TNR's Jonathan Cohn reports on unpublished prelimary, and debateable, CBO cost estimates of reform, posing help and hurdles to reformers; NYT details areas of agreement between "leading Democratic senators" on health care, but "they have not resolved the politically explosive question of whether to create a public insurance program, to compete with private insurers."; NYT's Paul Krugman plants his flag: "For me the make-or-break issue is whether the legislation includes a public plan"; On Fox News Sunday, Sen. Min. Leader Mitch McConnell embraces private insurance lobby argument that private companies somehow can't compete; On CNN's State of the Union OMB Director Peter Orszag downplays rift with hospitals and insurers over cutting costs, and says on possible congressional move to pay for health care reform by limiting employer-based coverage tax benefits, "Let's see where they wind up."

Financial Market Reform Coming Soon
Congress will next month start the biggest regulatory overhaul of the US financial system in decades, bringing into the open a frantic lobbying effort between banks, regulators and policymakers on what it contains and who pays for it. The House financial services committee, chaired by Democrat Barney Frank, will hold hearings early in June ... say people familiar with the timetable. But ... one key pillar – a resolution authority allowing a regulator to seize a failing bank holding company – is not likely to be put in place until year-end.": FT; Mixed signals from FDIC on replacing bailed out bank CEOs. Bloomberg; W. Post on expected end of accounting trick that fueled housing bubble; "A long-stalled effort to guarantee American workers paid sick days takes a big step forward Monday with the introduction of legislation by Congressional Democrats ...": NYT; CQ reports commission to investigate financial crisis will only be able to issue bipartisan subpoenas.

Labor Update
CQ gets mixed assessments on prospects for labor law reform; GM looking to take US taxpayer funds to ship jobs overseas. NYT: "General Motors is engaged in negotiating a reorganization that could increase vehicle imports from its plants in Mexico and Asia while closing factories and cutting the work force in the United States. That approach drew a sharp rebuke from the United Automobile Workers union on Friday. In a letter to each member of Congress, the U.A.W. ... argued that to qualify for more government assistance, the auto giant should be required 'to maintain the maximum number of jobs in the United States.' The administration, however, appears to accept the proposition that to return to profitability as quickly as possible, G.M. must import a significant percentage of cars from its plants in low-wage countries, like Mexico and China, or low-cost countries, like Japan."

Senate Upholds Credit Card Usury

[size="+1"]MK Eldad: U.S. Selling Us Down the River With Iran

Workers halt strike at China Internet company Baidu: report
Beijing (AFP) May 18, 2009 - Workers at China's biggest Internet search engine postponed a two-week-long strike Monday, despite failing to reach an agreement over compensation issues, a US-based financial newspaper said. Representatives of several hundred employees of Baidu Inc ended meetings here Monday at company headquarters, giving Baidu several days to come up with a "fair response" to their grievances, the Wall St ... more

disaster-management
+ UN, World Bank pledge SE Asia disaster cooperation
Jakarta (AFP) May 18, 2009 - The United Nations and the World Bank pledged Monday closer coordination with Southeast Asia in tackling the rising threat of natural disasters in the heavily-populated region. The World Bank and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction signed the agreement for technical assistance to help the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) implement a joint strategy ... more

taiwan
+ Taiwan's DPP vows to launch referendum on China trade deal
Taipei (AFP) May 18, 2009 - The leader of Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Monday vowed to launch a referendum in a bid to stop the signing of a major trade pact with rival China. "The DPP will get the endorsement of one million people in order to push for a referendum against the ECFA (Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement)," DPP chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen told a crowd in front of the pr ... more

energy-tech
+ New Fuel Cell Catalyst Uses Two Metals
St. Louis MO (SPX) May 19, 2009 - Material scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a technique for a bimetallic fuel cell catalyst that is efficient, robust and two to five times more effective than commercial catalysts. The novel technique eventually will enable a cost effective fuel cell technology, which has been waiting in the wings for decades, and should give a boost for cleaner use of fuels ... more

gas
+ Analysis: Bolivia opens up gas sector
Miami (UPI) May 18, 2009 - Bolivia's state-run gas company and 13 foreign energy firms have decided to increase natural gas exports, a deal that assuages fears among Latin American neighbors Brazil and Argentina of potential supply shortfalls during the Southern Hemisphere's approaching winter. The deal calls for an increase in production from 41 million cubic meters per day to nearly 45 million cubic meters ... more

+ EU launches anti-bio weapons programme
Brussels (AFP) May 18, 2009 - EU defence ministers on Monday launched a 100-million-euro (135-million-dollar) project to counter the threat against biological weapons. The programme baptised "Bio-Edep" is an initiative of five EU nations -- the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. "Other (EU) member states have expreessed their intention to join," the European Defence Agency said in a statement ... more

iran
+ Israel reserves right to defend itself against Iran: Netanyahu
Washington (AFP) May 18, 2009 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel reserves its right of self-defense against Iran, which the West suspects of harboring a nuclear military program. "Israel reserves its right to defend itself," said Netanyahu, speaking to reporters after a White House meeting with US President Barack Obama. While he said he welcomed US diplomatic efforts to rein in Tehran ... more

war
+ Obama hosts Netanyahu; Iran, Mideast peace strain ties
Washington (AFP) May 18, 2009 - US President Barack Obama will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their first meeting on Monday as discord over Mideast peace and Iran's nuclear bid clouds ties between the close allies. The meeting marks Obama's most testing diplomatic challenge yet after he vowed to vigorously engage in attaining an elusive regional peace as part of a comprehensive strategy to peacefully re ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ Pakistan not using US funds to buy nuclear arms: US
Washington (AFP) May 18, 2009 - Pakistan is not using US military assistance to expand its nuclear arsenal, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said on Monday. "I am not aware of any US aid that's gone towards nuclear weapons," Mullen told a gathering at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think-tank. He said that the one exception was a portion of US funds in the past few years focus ... more

Obama calls for demilitarized PA state'

US, Russia To Hold Second Day Of Nuclear Arms Talks
Moscow (AFP) May 20, 2009 - The United States and Russia were set to hold Wednesday a second day of talks aimed at replacing a landmark Cold War-era nuclear disarmament treaty that expires in December, officials said. The talks on a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) are a central part of US President Barack Obama's desire to "reset" strained ties with Russia and their result could have far-reachi ... more

abm
+ US-Europe missile defense won't work: think tank
New York (AFP) May 19, 2009 - A planned US anti-missile system, hotly opposed by Russia, to defend Europe against the threat of missile attack from Iran would not work, a new study by a US-based think tank said Tuesday. The study by the New York-based EastWest Institute found the proposed system "will not provide dependable protection against an Iranian threat if and when it emerges." The study titled "Iran's Nuclear ... more

abm
+ Three bid for Seoul's system to detect NKorean missiles
Seoul (AFP) May 19, 2009 - South Korea said Tuesday three foreign firms were bidding for an early warning project to detect North Korean ballistic missiles. Elta Group of Israel, a Netherlands-based unit of France's Thales Group and Raytheon of the United States submitted bids by the May 18 deadline, the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration said in a statement. The winner would be announced by the end of ... more

milplex
+ NATO In The Early 21st Century: Part Six
Washington (UPI) May 19, 2009 - As the first decade of the 21st century ends, the European member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are moving in a somewhat leisurely manner to modernize their already technically advanced weaponry with more high-tech systems. But they are making no moves to increase the size of their military establishments. On the contrary, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose natio ... more

superpowers
+ Tensions over Dalai Lama casts a shadow over EU-China summit
Prague (AFP) May 20, 2009 - EU and Chinese leaders are to focus on tackling the economic crisis at a summit on Wednesday, but lingering tensions over the Dalai Lama will cast a long shadow over the meeting in Prague. The summit was originally set for last December but China called it off in protest at a meeting between Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Poland. France ... more

Iran hails successful test of new medium-range missile
Semnan, Iran (AFP) May 20, 2009 - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Wednesday that Iran had successfully test-fired a new medium-range missile, drawing a warning from Israel that Europe too should now worry about the Islamic republic's ballistic programme. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the test appeared to have been successful. After Ahmadinejad made the announcement in the northern city of Semnan, clos ... more

iran
+ Nuclear weapons are not in Iran's interests: Clinton
Washington (AFP) May 20, 2009 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she intends to explain to Iran it is not in its interest to acquire a nuclear weapon because it would spark a Middle East arms race. "Our goal is to persuade the Iranian regime that they will actually be less secure if they proceed with their nuclear-weapons program," Clinton told a Senate subcommittee overseeing State Department funding. ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ Crucial US-Russian nuclear talks enter second day
Moscow (AFP) May 20, 2009 - The United States and Russia sat for a second day of difficult talks Wednesday aimed at replacing a landmark Cold War-era nuclear disarmament treaty that expires in December. Negotiators met behind closed doors to thrash out the terms of a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), in high-stakes talks whose outcome could have far-reaching implications for global security. ... more

stans
+ Air strike kills civilians in Afghanistan
Kabul (AFP) May 20, 2009 - Western air strikes sparked fresh controversy in Afghanistan on Wednesday as NATO said a bombing killed eight civilians and the US military estimated that up to 30 villagers died in an attack this month. The announcements came after Afghan President Hamid Karzai demanded an end to air strikes by foreign forces helping his government fight a Taliban insurgency, because of the growing and incr ... more

miltech
+ GD Integrates US Army "Prophet Enhanced" System Into Military Vehicles
Scottsdale AZ (SPX) May 21, 2009 - A team led by General Dynamics C4 Systems has received a new, $3 million delivery order from the U.S. Army to integrate the Prophet Enhanced tactical signals intelligence system into Medium Mine Protected Vehicles (MMPV). The order is in support of a Department of Defense requirement that is providing additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to the U.S. militar ... more

Iran test-fires new medium-range missile: Ahmadinejad
Semnan, Iran (AFP) May 20, 2009 - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that Iran has test-fired a new medium-range surface to surface missile and again insisted there will be no climbdown over Iran's nuclear programme. "The defence minister (Mohammad Mostafa Najjar) told me today that we launched a Sejil-2 missile, which is a two-stage missile and it has reached the intended target," Ahmadinejad said in a speech ... more

terrorwars
+ Military Matters: All fall down
Washington (UPI) May 20, 2009 - For years, I have warned in these columns and elsewhere that the future weapon of mass destruction we should most fear is not a nuke. Rather, it is a genetically engineered plague, a plague no one has ever seen before and against which no one has any immunity. In the time it would take to identify the new disease, develop a vaccine, distribute the vaccine and have it become effective, modern ... more

superpowers
+ NATO In The Early 21st Century: Part 7
Washington (UPI) May 20, 2009 - Russian and NATO leaders have very different conceptions on the future nature of modern war --and the Russian ideas seem to be grounded in a lot more realism. Russia is moving energetically to modernize its army with the latest T-90S Main Battle Tanks, Black Shark tactical support attack helicopters, BMP-90 armored personnel carriers, Multiple Launch Rocket Vehicles and many other syste ... more

milplex
+ Suriname, US sign weapons tracing agreement
Paramaribo (AFP) May 20, 2009 - Suriname signed an agreement on Wednesday to join a US electronic system called eTrace used to trace illicit arms and ammunition, officials said. The memorandum of understanding with the United States is part Suriname's ongoing effort to combat firearms trafficking under a December 2007 joint CARICOM-US initiative, Justice and Police minister Chan Santokhi said. "Through the digital netw ... more

abm
+ US-Russia treaty must take missile defence into account: Lavrov
Moscow (AFP) May 20, 2009 - Any new US-Russian nuclear disarmament treaty must take missile defence into account, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday, as talks on the expiring START treaty were underway in Moscow. Lavrov's comments appeared aimed at US plans to install elements of a global missile shield in eastern Europe which have angered Moscow and threaten to undermine talks on the landmark 1991 ... more

China warns EU on meddling in internal matters at summit
Prague (AFP) May 20, 2009 - China warned the European Union against meddling in its internal affairs on Wednesday at a summit in Prague, where the European side had hoped to move on from past tensions over the Dalai Lama. The summit was originally set for December last year but China called it off to protest against a meeting between the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who then hea ... more

trade
+ China loses low-cost manufacturing crown to India, Mexico: study
Shanghai (AFP) May 20, 2009 - China has lost its position as the world's lowest-cost components manufacturer to India and Mexico, a study indicated Wednesday, in a blow for the Asian giant as it fights the financial crisis. The United States has also significantly closed the gap to the degree that China's total manufacturing costs are now only six percent below those of American factories, the study by AlixPartners busi ... more

economy
+ Profits at China's state-owned companies down sharply: govt
Beijing (AFP) May 20, 2009 - China's state-owned firms saw their profits fall sharply in the first four months, the government said Wednesday, in yet another sign the Chinese economy continued to suffer from the global crisis. State-owned enterprises across the country made 323.6 billion yuan (47.4 billion dollars) in profit from January to April, down 32.3 percent from the same period of 2008, said a statement posted ... more

economy
+ Outside View: We have met the enemy
Washington (UPI) May 20, 2009 - Of all the emerging threats we may face, the wolf closest to or already in the sled is here at home. It is, to repeat that childishly effective phrase of the 1992 presidential election, the economy stupid! Despite a rebound in the stock markets and expectations of "green shoots" of recovery, the economy is still in ill-health. What we are seeing is the movement of the economy into the eye of ... more

trade
+ China's Wen urges EU to ease high-tech export limits
Prague (AFP) May 20, 2009 - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called on the European Union on Wednesday to ease limits on exports of high-tech goods at an EU summit in Prague. "We hope that the European Union will relax its restrictions on the export of high-tech products to China and foster new growth areas in our business cooperation," he told journalists after the summit. He also reiterated Beijing's long-standing hope ... more

High-Tech Response To Rocket Attacks
Dusseldorf, Germany (SPX) May 22, 2009 - German troops serving in Afghanistan will soon be equipped with a highly effective new form of protection against rocket, artillery, and mortar attacks. The German government has contracted with the Dusseldorf-based Rheinmetall Group to supply the Bundeswehr with newly developed air defence systems worth around EUR110.8 million. The current contract encompasses two systems as well as an op ... more

miltech
+ FCS Program Completes System Of Systems Design Review
St. Louis MO (SPX) May 22, 2009 - Boeing and Science Applications International have announced that the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program last week successfully completed its System of Systems Preliminary Design Review (SoS PDR). The SoS PDR is the most comprehensive review of the program to date. It validated that the designs for all FCS systems and subsystems, including the network, sensors, weapons and manned and unma ... more

abm
+ US to abide by Patriot missile deal with Poland
Washington (AFP) May 21, 2009 - The United States confirmed Thursday it still plans deploy a Patriot missile battery to Poland, regardless of what happens with plans for a European leg of the US missile defense shield. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said President Barack Obama was "committed to carrying out the terms" of a security agreement signed last year with Poland. "We're committed to supporting Poland's de ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ Pakistan stops short of denying nuclear expansion
Islamabad (AFP) May 21, 2009 - Pakistan stopped short Thursday of denying reports it has expanded its nuclear programme, accusing India of disturbing the regional balance and compelling Islamabad to take remedial steps. "Pakistan has always maintained a policy of minimum credible deterrence based on national security imperatives," foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters at a press briefing, where he was aske ... more

stans
+ Pakistan, India, US sharing intelligence: report
Washington (AFP) May 21, 2009 - Pakistan and India have started sharing intelligence as part of an unprecedented cooperation effort between the longtime nuclear-armed foes overseen by the United States, US media reported Thursday. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) arranged for the two South Asian nations to share information on the Pakistan-based militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), widely accused of plotting ... more

Wounded Pakistan soldiers recall stiff resistance
Rawalpindi, Pakistan (AFP) May 21, 2009 - "They used to attack early in the morning or after dark. They would always go for an ambush," said Lieutenant Zaigham, wounded in battle with the Taliban and lying in a Pakistani hospital. Zaigham -- who did not give his full name -- sustained shrapnel wounds from fierce street fighting in the Swat valley and is a patient at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi, away from the combat ... more

superpowers
+ When Soft Power Fails Part Four
Washington (UPI) May 21, 2009 - EU spokesman Martin Selmayr after the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008 used a revealing turn of phrase when he admitted that the EU did not have any rapid deployment military forces it could credibly send to the aid of Georgia, a former Soviet republic in the Caucasus. Selmayr did not say, "Under the circumstances, we think it would be a bad idea to send in our storm troopers. Still ... more

stans
+ US senators insist on conditions for Pakistan military aid
Washington (AFP) May 21, 2009 - Several US senators on Thursday vowed to impose conditions on proposed military assistance to Pakistan, saying that past aid had been delivered without strings attached. Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued the warning to the top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, who was grilled over an administration request for 400 million dollars to help Islamabad with counte ... more

terrorwars
+ Lawmakers demand Guantanamo Uighurs move to US
Washington (AFP) May 21, 2009 - Two lawmakers of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party appealed Thursday to let Uighurs locked up at Guantanamo Bay move to the United States, saying they were victims of injustice. The plea came despite an overwhelming Senate vote a day earlier to block money to transfer inmates out of the deeply controversial "war on terror" prison in Cuba, which Obama on Thursday vowed again to shut ... more

iran
+ Israel wraps up drill to combat Iran strike
Jerusalem (AFP) May 21, 2009 - Israel's air force on Thursday wrapped up a large-scale four-day exercise which simulated its ability to defend against missile and jet strikes from Syria and Iran, a military official said. The exercise was aimed at testing the air force's ability to counter rocket and missile attacks from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and archfoe Iran, as well as the infiltration of jets overland, the off ... more

Former China official says he helped Zhao on memoir
Beijing (AFP) May 21, 2009 - A former top official in China has said he and three others secretly helped deposed leader Zhao Ziyang pen a memoir in which he sharply criticises the violent crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen protests. Du Daozheng, once the head of China's state publishing watchdog, said he and three former top officials transcribed recordings made by Zhao that were later turned into the recently published En ... more

china
+ Hundreds rally in China over police beating: state media
Beijing (AFP) May 21, 2009 - As many as 1,000 protestors took to the streets in northwestern China after police officers allegedly beat a cyclist for running a red light, state media reported Thursday. The angry mob in Huining county, Gansu province, overturned a police car late Tuesday before around 100 backup police arrived, the Global Times daily newspaper said, citing witnesses. Ten police officers and governmen ... more

china
+ US House speaker Pelosi to visit China: state media
Beijing (AFP) May 21, 2009 - US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit China this month, state press said Thursday of the longtime critic of Beijing's rule over Tibet and its human rights record. Pelosi, who will be heading a delegation from the US Congress, will arrive on Sunday and stay in China until May 31, the official Xinhua news agency said. The House's first female speaker, Pelosi has been ... more

trade
+ One third drop in Russia trade worries Medvedev
Khabarovsk, Russia (AFP) May 21, 2009 - President Dmitry Medvedev Thursday expressed concern that Russia's trade with its major partners had dropped by around a third since the economic crisis. "Unfortunately, the scale of our bilateral trade has started to fall. Trade volumes have dropped by approximately one third since the start of the year with all our trading partners," he said at a meeting with Russian officials in this Far ... more

+ Iran hails successful test of new medium-range missile
Semnan, Iran (AFP) May 20, 2009 - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Wednesday that Iran had successfully test-fired a new medium-range missile, drawing a warning from Israel that Europe too should now worry about the Islamic republic's ballistic programme. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the test appeared to have been successful. After Ahmadinejad made the announcement in the northern city of Semnan, clos ... more

iran
+ Nuclear weapons are not in Iran's interests: Clinton
Washington (AFP) May 20, 2009 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she intends to explain to Iran it is not in its interest to acquire a nuclear weapon because it would spark a Middle East arms race. "Our goal is to persuade the Iranian regime that they will actually be less secure if they proceed with their nuclear-weapons program," Clinton told a Senate subcommittee overseeing State Department funding. ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ Crucial US-Russian nuclear talks enter second day
Moscow (AFP) May 20, 2009 - The United States and Russia sat for a second day of difficult talks Wednesday aimed at replacing a landmark Cold War-era nuclear disarmament treaty that expires in December. Negotiators met behind closed doors to thrash out the terms of a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), in high-stakes talks whose outcome could have far-reaching implications for global security. ... more

stans
+ Air strike kills civilians in Afghanistan
Kabul (AFP) May 20, 2009 - Western air strikes sparked fresh controversy in Afghanistan on Wednesday as NATO said a bombing killed eight civilians and the US military estimated that up to 30 villagers died in an attack this month. The announcements came after Afghan President Hamid Karzai demanded an end to air strikes by foreign forces helping his government fight a Taliban insurgency, because of the growing and incr ... more

V.P. Biden in Lebanon ahead of key elections which hardline Hizbullah could win

Nurse wins pro-life conscience ruling from state Supreme Court

NKorea confirms second 'more powerful' nuclear test
Seoul (AFP) May 25, 2009 - North Korea said it had carried out a second and more powerful nuclear test on Monday, despite international pressure to rein in its nuclear programmes after years of disarmament talks. The communist state, which stunned the world by testing an atomic bomb for the first time in October 2006, had threatened another test after the UN Security Council censured it following a long-range rocket ... more

iran
+ US military chief says Iran closer on nuclear weapons
Washington (AFP) May 24, 2009 - Iran is clearly moving closer to acquiring a nuclear weapons capability but military strikes to counter the program would have serious unintended consequences, the top US military officer said Sunday. "I think the unintended consequence of a strike against Iran right now would be incredibly serious, as well as the unintended consequences of their achieving a weapon," Admiral Mike Mullen, the ... more

iraq
+ US withdrawal from Iraq "on track" despite violence: Mullen
Washington (AFP) May 24, 2009 - The withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraqi cities by the end of June remains "very much on track" despite a spike in violence there, the top US military officer said Sunday. Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said US force levels in Iraq would drop to between 35,000 and 50,000 troops by August of 2010. "We've had an uptick in violence, but the over ... more

superpowers
+ US lawmakers seek deeper US-China ties on visit
Washington (AFP) May 22, 2009 - China-bound US lawmakers said Friday that their visit aimed to deepen cooperation on pulling the world economy out of its slump and to ease any worries about investments in skyrocketing US debt. Democratic Representative Rick Larsen and Republican Representative Mark Kirk, the co-chairs of the congressional US-China Working Group, arrive at their first stop, Hong Kong, on Monday. In sepa ... more

uav
+ US drone attacks counter-productive: Pakistan PM
Islamabad (AFP) May 23, 2009 - Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Saturday said attacks by US drones on Pakistani territory were "counter-productive" because they undermined Islamabad's efforts to isolate militants. "As far as drone attacks are concerned, the entire world has the same stand as Pakistan has that drone attacks are counter-productive," Gilani told reporters in a televised press conference in the eastern city ... more

Pakistan says 10 militants killed in northwest
Islamabad (AFP) May 24, 2009 - Pakistan said Sunday its forces had killed 10 militants in the last 24 hours in the northwest Swat valley, where ground troops are battling to wrest the main town out of Taliban hands. In (the) last 24 hours, 10 militants were killed in various areas of Swat during exchanges of fire between miscreants and security forces, while 14 have been arrested," a military statement said. "Three ... more

milplex
+ US Marines make friends, a few enemies in Philippines
Pio Duran, Philippines (AFP) May 22, 2009 - The remote town of Pio Duran, with its palm- and thatch-roofed homes, had never known a decent road, while a decades-long communist insurgency lurks threateningly in the background. So it is little surprise that, while they are accused by some of being "occupiers" in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, US Marines have been warmly welcomed in the impoverished and sometimes dangerous central reg ... more

terrorwars
+ Two Bush-era officials reject Cheney's security stance
Washington (AFP) May 22, 2009 - Two top Bush-era officials on Friday rejected ex-vice president Dick Cheney's scathing criticism of US President Barack Obama, saying the country's national security was not in jeopardy. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served in the same post under former president George W. Bush, and Tom Ridge, the former head of homeland security, both voiced disagreement with Cheney a day after he att ... more

superpowers
+ The Limits Of Soft Power Part Five
Washington (UPI) May 22, 2009 - Russia certainly needs the cash coming from its immense annual oil and gas exports, especially its natural gas exports to the 27-nation European Union. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin know that the nations of Europe would be crushed in a very short time without Russia's energy supplies. Putin in particular has over the past decade repeatedly demonstra ... more

milplex
+ Nepal's ex-Gurkhas cheer British settlement rights
Kathmandu (AFP) May 22, 2009 - Retired Gurkha soldiers in Nepal on Friday hailed as "historic" a British government announcement that the veterans can settle there. The British government said on Thursday all of the Nepalese fighters who retired before 1997 and had served at least four years with the British army could now apply for residency. "This is a historic achievement for all Gurkhas," Jit Bahadur Rai, treasure ... more

More Ammo For The Army: Part 14
Washington (UPI) May 22, 2009 - Delaying the completion of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant modernization program is a major mistake. Delay is costly in many ways. Most obviously, something could go wrong with the aging infrastructure at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Virginia. In addition, the U.S. Army is taking a risk waiting for the new management contract to be awarded. The contracting process is often ... more

superpowers
+ The Future Of Nato In The Early 21st Century: Part 8
Washington (UPI) May 22, 2009 - There's one thing that Bush administration Republicans and Obama administration Democrats agree on when it comes to national security issues: The day of major land wars between major industrialized states is over. In fact the nearest thing there has been to such a war in the past generation was between two relatively small states - Iran and Iraq, which fought a bitter ground war that ... more

disaster-management
+ China to open quake areas to tourists: report
Beijing (AFP) May 23, 2009 - Chinese authorities said Saturday they would open areas devastated by last year's Sichuan earthquake to tourists as the region struggles to recover from the natural disaster, state media reported. Nearly 87,000 people were killed or left missing in the May 12 magnitude 8.0 earthquake that left millions homeless and unemployed in China's mountainous southwest region. "There is a huge tour ... more

china
+ Dark documentary on China underbelly chills Cannes
Cannes, France (AFP) May 24, 2009 - At a festival chock-full of cinematic violence, a documentary by a young Chinese film-maker brought more darkness to Cannes with a harrowing portrayal of life in Beijing's underbelly. "I'm relating reality as it is in China today," director Zhao Liang told AFP in an interview. His "Petition" documents the plight of China's judicial "petitioners" - people from across the land who gather ... more

gas
+ Analysis: Venezuela takes over oil service
Miami (UPI) May 22, 2009 - Venezuelan state energy company PDVSA has announced it would take control of nearly three dozen oil contractors as part of a new law governing the sector. The changes mark the latest effort by President Hugo Chavez to cut costs across the board for Petroleos de Venezuela SA amid increasing concerns about falling revenue due to a decrease in oil prices over the last year. The law ... more

Plans for five-fold increase in Chinese economic zone: report
Beijing (AFP) May 22, 2009 - Chinese officials are bidding for a five-fold increase in the size of the Shenzhen economic zone, which helped set off the nation's boom nearly three decades ago, state media reported Friday. The Shenzhen Special Economic Zone desperately needs more space to allow high-technology enterprises to develop, the China Daily reported, citing local officials. "Legislators are working on the pro ... more

trade
+ Russian outposts look East, but unspared by crisis
Khabarovsk, Russia (AFP) May 24, 2009 - It's morning at the market and the traders are opening stalls crammed with Chinese goods, chatting in Mandarin and grabbing a quick breakfast of steaming noodles. But although there is hardly a non-Chinese in sight, this isn't China - it's the second biggest city in the Russian Far East, Khabarovsk. The gigantic Vyborgsky Market on the city outskirts sells everything from radios to fish ... more

trade
+ SKorea, EU agree to push for early conclusion of FTA
Seoul (AFP) May 23, 2009 - South Korean and European Union leaders called Saturday for the early conclusion of a major free trade agreement and urged North Korea to return to nuclear disarmament talks. The agreement was reached at a summit overshadowed by the death earlier in the day of former President Roh Moo-Hyun in an apparent suicide. His successor Lee Myung-Bak held talks with European Commission President ... more

economy
+ What Crisis As China Spends Big In Central Asia
Almaty (AFP) May 24, 2009 - While the rest of the world reels from the global economic crisis, China is using its deep pockets to bolster its position in strategically vital Central Asia, analysts say. In recent months Beijing has been on a spending spree among the Central Asian states to its west, handing over a 10 billion dollar (7.34 billion euro) loan to cash-strapped Kazakhstan in April and stepping up constructio ... more

economy
+ What financial crisis? Portrait of a Chinese millionaire
Xi'An, China (AFP) May 24, 2009 - One of China's growing number of millionaires - for whom the financial crisis barely registers - Chen Yilong has just bought a private plane to add to his many luxury homes. Lighting a cigarette in a teahouse in Xi'an, in northern Shaanxi province, the 49-year-old pauses when asked how much money he has, before saying in a conspiratorial voice: "You can safely say I'm a multi-millionaire ... more

NKorea informed US of nuclear test: official
Washington (AFP) May 25, 2009 - North Korea informed the United States of its nuclear test less than an hour before the widely condemned explosion, a US official confirmed Monday. A senior administration official said on condition of anonymity that the North informed the US State Department of "its intention to conduct a nuclear test, without citing a specific timing." The official did not say how Pyongyang informed Wa ... more

milspace-comms
+ Bid For Phase II Of IBCS Submitted
Huntsville AL (SPX) May 26, 2009 - Northrop Grumman this month submitted its Phase II bid for the prime contractor role for the U.S. Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) competition. The proposal was submitted to the Army on May 4. Northrop Grumman leads one of two teams awarded an 11-month Phase I contract in Sept. of 2008 to begin preliminary design and development. The Army is expe ... more

korea
+ UN Security Council condemns NKorea's nuclear test
United Nations (AFP) May 25, 2009 - The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously condemned North Korea for testing a nuclear bomb, with major powers vowing new punitive action against Pyongyang for violating the world body's resolutions. "The members of the Security Council voiced their strong opposition and condemnation of the nuclear test conducted on 25 May 2009 by North Korea, which constitutes a clear violation of (UN) ... more

milplex
+ UAE still in talks to buy Rafale planes from France
Abu Dhabi (AFP) May 25, 2009 - The United Arab Emirates and France are continuing negotiations on the Gulf Arab state's potential purchase of French Rafale fighter planes, the UAE's foreign minister said on Monday. "It will take a bit more time" to complete the talks, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan told AFP ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the Gulf state for talks on bilateral military ties. ... more

radar
+ India recieves its first AWACS plane
New Delhi (AFP) May 25, 2009 - India on Monday took delivery of its first Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane, as part of a deal with Israel worth more than one billion dollars, officials said. The delivery is seen as part of India's quest for air dominance over arch rival Pakistan as well as a milestone in growing military ties with Israel. "India is one of the few countries to have inducted the AWACS ... more

Obama talks NKorea test with SKorea, Japan: WHouse
Washington (AFP) May 25, 2009 - US President Barack Obama spoke by phone late Monday with his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso to "coordinate" reaction to North Korea's nuclear test, the White House said. Obama spoke with Lee "to consult and coordinate our reaction to the North Korean nuclear test," the White House said. They "agreed to work closely together to seek and suppor ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ Bomb size could offer key to North Korea's ambitions
Washington (AFP) May 25, 2009 - North Korea made the world tremble Monday with a massive nuclear test that may have matched the Hiroshima A-bomb, but experts say the blast's size could paradoxically offer a glimmer of comfort. "They might be making a political bomb," said Geoffrey Forden, an arms expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explaining that a big, old-fashioned bang may present less of a strategic t ... more

superpowers
+ NKorea, Myanmar loom large over Asia-Europe meet
Hanoi (AFP) May 25, 2009 - Foreign ministers from Asia and Europe began two days of meetings Monday under the shadow of a North Korean nuclear test and the trial in Myanmar of opposition democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "The two hottest subjects on the agenda are these two problems," said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout, whose country holds the rotating European Union (EU) presidency. Both matters were expecte ... more

korea
+ UN unanimously condemns NKorean nuclear test
Seoul (AFP) May 25, 2009 - North Korea on Monday tested a nuclear bomb many times more powerful than its first in 2006, angering enemies and allies alike and sparking unanimous condemnation from the UN Security Council. The hardline communist state, which stunned the world with its first atomic bomb test in October 2006, made good on its threat to stage another test after the Security Council censured it for an April ... more

terrorwars
+ New Forms Of Explosive Favored By Terrorists
New York NY (SPX) May 26, 2009 - Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have discovered never-before-seen polymorphic crystalline structures of triacetone-triperoxide (TATP), the easy-to-make but difficult to detect explosive increasingly used by terrorists worldwide. The findings, which were published online yesterday in ACS Crystal Growth and Design, will make it easier to detect TATP, even when it ... more

Obama Pressed To Take Action As Fury Unites Security Council
Washington (AFP) May 25, 2009 - North Korea's nuclear test put US President Barack Obama under pressure Monday to drop his push for direct diplomacy and instead seek tougher international action against the defiant Stalinist state. The Obama team has suggested recent North Korean provocations amount to a bargaining ploy, but former Bush administration hardliner John Bolton and North Korea analyst Jim Walsh offer different, ... more

iran
+ Iran's Ahmadinejad rules out nuclear talks
Tehran (AFP) May 25, 2009 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday ruled out any talks with world powers on Tehran's nuclear drive, but said he was open to a debate with US President Barack Obama. "We have said this before and we are saying it right now, that we will not talk about the nuclear issue with those outside the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he told journalistsom international news orga ... more

korea
+ NKorea, land of hunger, made nukes priority
Seoul (AFP) May 25, 2009 - North Korea, which said Monday it had tested both a nuclear device and a short-range missile, has defiantly pursued its atomic ambitions even though it is unable to feed its own people. The country suffered famine for several years starting in 1995 which killed hundreds of thousands of people and left survivors subsisting on leaves, tree bark and whatever else they could find. Floods, fo ... more

iran
+ US military chief says Iran closer on nuclear weapons
Washington (AFP) May 24, 2009 - Iran is clearly moving closer to acquiring a nuclear weapons capability but military strikes to counter the program would have serious unintended consequences, the top US military officer said Sunday. "I think the unintended consequence of a strike against Iran right now would be incredibly serious, as well as the unintended consequences of their achieving a weapon," Admiral Mike Mullen, the ... more

china
+ US Speaker Pelosi tours China's financial hub
Shanghai (AFP) May 25, 2009 - US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, a tough critic of China's human rights record, visited Shanghai's financial centre Monday, after meeting a leading Chinese Catholic priest. Pelosi, who has been outspoken on Beijing's rule over Tibet, arrived in China Sunday with a delegation from the US Congress and was due to meet national leaders in the nation's capital later. At the ... more

The California Supreme Court will rule today on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state. "The justices will also decide whether the state will continue to recognize the estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages carried out in 2008."

President Obama will attend a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) in Las Vegas later today. Republicans have been targeting Reid's seat for 2010. Reid says he will raise as much as $25 million for his campaign.

A CNN poll released yesterday found that former Secretary of State Colin Powell is more popular than Vice President Cheney and Rush Limbaugh. While 70 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Powell, Cheney and Limbaugh are only viewed favorably by 37 percent and 30 percent, respectively. Even Republicans prefer Powell over Limbaugh, 64 percent to 62 percent.

Though President Obama vowed to "take action" in response to what he called North Korea's "blatant violation of international law," some of his aides "acknowledged that the administration's options were limited." According to the aides, much depends on Obama's "ability to persuade Russia and China to go significantly beyond the strong condemnations that they issued Monday against North Korea."

Hours after President Obama vowed to rein in the use of the "state secrets" privilege last week, "his Justice Department was criticized by a federal judge in California" for claiming the privilege in trying to shut down a lawsuit over warrantless wiretapping. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) has sponsored a bill that "would empower federal judges to review sensitive evidence and test government assertions."

Sen. Leahy is "already trying to smooth" the confirmation process for Obama's Supreme Court selection. Leahy has offered to split evenly with Republicans the "additional funds available to the committee for the nomination process" despite the fact that Democrats hold a "majority on the panel."

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons ® has vetoed a domestic partners bill to give gay couples some of the same rights enjoyed by those who are married. Gibbons said, "I believe that because the voters have determined that the rights of marriage should apply only to married couples, only the voters should determine whether those rights should equally apply to domestic partners."

Obama is expected to announce later this week the creation of a cyber security czar who "will have broad authority to develop strategy to protect the nation's government-run and private computer networks." The position will "report to the national security adviser as well as the senior White House economic adviser."

Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to compromise with President Obama on West Bank settlements, saying that "Israel would dismantle nearly two dozen wildcat settlement outposts...if the U.S. drops its objections to continued building in existing, government-sanctioned settlements." "The demand for a total stop to building [in the West Bank] is not something that can be justified," Netanyahu told his cabinet.

And finally: Project Runway's Tim Gunn, a native Washingtonian, had some high praise for Nancy Pelosi's fashion. "I've always celebrated Nancy Pelosi's style," he said. "What I love about her in particular is she's not afraid to say 'I'm a woman.' Her clothes show off her beautiful hourglass shape." He also wondered whether her style has had a "trickle down" affect on Capitol Hill to ot