China chided its neighbour Vietnam on Tuesday, saying the Southeast Asian country was straining ties by asserting claims to a chain of islands that may be rich in oil.
Vietnamese protested in front of the Chinese embassy in Hanoi and the consulate in Ho Chi Minh city over the weekend, proclaiming that the disputed Spratly and [...]

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An Iranian opposition group in exile on Tuesday agreed with the US National Intelligence Estimate that claimed Teheran halted its nuclear weapons development program in 2003, but said that the bomb-making program resumed the following year. The report was therefore misleading in ignoring the evidence of the resumption of the program. “We announce vehemently that [...]

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Defense Focus: Russia sells arms — Part 2
United Press International - 8 hours ago
The need to tackle this systematic problem is a major reason for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing enormous reorganization of the Russian military …
Outside View: New defense giant — Part 1 United Press International
all 4 news articles »

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BERLIN–(Marketwire - December 11, 2007) - More and more people in China and other leading countries expect China to have the same influence as the US in the future, according to an international opinion poll conducted by the Bertelsmann Stiftung this September with 9,000 respondents in every region of the world. On average, 50% of [...]

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“Iran continues its activities to attain two vital components to create nuclear weapons — the development of a sophisticated electrical system and ballistic missiles, while at the same time producing enriched uranium.
…
The NIE report last week said US allegations about Iran’s atomic goals had been overblown for at least two years, but that Tehran could [...]

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Pakistan successfully tested a cruise missile with a range of 700 km (435 miles) on Tuesday, the military said.
The military did not say on Tuesday if the Hatf-VII (Babur) missile is nuclear-capable but it has previously identified it as such.
The test would consolidate Pakistan’s strategic capability and strengthen national security, the military said in a [...]

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Since the report came out, I think there has been re-thinking, with a number of people, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, saying Iran was still a nuclear threat. Has this eased concerns in Israel?
Israelis are also realizing in the second wave that this is going to take time to play out. President Bush will be [...]

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The single most interesting thing about today’s global economy is what has not occurred. In 1979, oil prices soared to slightly more than $100 a barrel in current dollars, and they are approaching that historic high again. Meanwhile, the subprime meltdown continues to play out. Many financial institutions have been hurt, many individual lives have [...]

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Unfortunately for Russia, there are serious problems sustaining its strategic deterrent as is. The vast majority of missiles and their supporting infrastructure are well past their intended service lives and production is nowhere near sufficient to sustain those numbers. And continually developing and improving upon countermeasures and counter-countermeasures to contend with rapidly advancing U.S. BMD [...]

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IN SOME countries the suspense of a presidential election is based on the question of who is going to win a popular poll. In Russia it centres on who the outgoing president (in this case Vladimir Putin) picks as his successor. On Monday December 10th the winner was announced. Dmitry Medvedev, a 42-year-old lawyer from [...]

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As Power Research Proceeds, Tehran Can Still Gain The Expertise Needed For A Bomb
But developing the technology to enrich uranium is perhaps the most difficult step in a nuclear weapons - or civilian power - program. According to administration officials and outside experts, it is possible that Tehran has simply decided it does not need [...]

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Iran did shut down its nuclear weapons program in 2003 but restarted it a year later, moving and hiding the equipment to thwart international inspectors, according to an Iranian opposition group, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
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Weapons grade uranium found at Tehran university
Iranian and United Nations nuclear officials began a new round of talks [...]

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China buys oil field in Iran
Times of India, India - 17 hours ago
The official media reported on Friday that Bush praised China for its role in resolving the nuclear situations in North Korea and Iran. …
China defends commercial oil deal with Iran Reuters UK
US disappointed with China in Iran oil field deal Guardian Unlimited
China signs $2bn Iran [...]

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