Russia’s rockets — Part 1

Posted by Matt in January 15th, 2008 | no comment

In November 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on developing a new launch vehicle.
The Russian Space Agency — Roskosmos — plans to announce the relevant tender in the next few days. After it becomes operational, the rocket will lift off from the Vostochny, or Eastern, space center in the Amur Region in the [...]

The Strait of Hormuz Incident and U.S. Strategy

Posted by Matt in January 15th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Iran, Military, U.S.

Iranian speedboats reportedly menaced U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz on Jan. 6. Since then, the United States has gone to great lengths to emphasize the threat posed by Iran to U.S. forces in the strait â€” and, by extension, to the transit of oil from the Persian Gulf region. The revelation of an [...]

Plague a growing but overlooked threat: study

Posted by Matt in January 15th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Disease

Plague, the disease that devastated medieval Europe, is re-emerging worldwide and poses a growing but overlooked threat, researchers warned on Tuesday.
While it has only killed some 100 to 200 people annually over the past 20 years, plague has appeared in new countries in recent decades and is now shifting into Africa, Michael Begon, an ecologist [...]

Gulf States Hesitant on Iran Threat

Posted by Matt in January 15th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Iran, Middle East

President Bush maintained a steady message of alarm about Iran during his weekend Persian Gulf trip. On January 13 in Abu Dhabi, he called on Arab allies to confront â€œthe worldâ€™s leading state sponsor of terror.â€ His decision to expedite the sale of high-tech satellite-guided missiles to Saudi Arabia (JPost) is an example. But as [...]

Russian assets in France frozen over dispute with Swiss firm dating to early 1990s

Posted by Matt in January 15th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Europe, Russia, France

French authorities have frozen bank accounts of Russian government-linked bodies over a legal dispute with a Swiss firm dating back to the end of the Soviet era, a Russian official said Monday.
The move, coming amid renewed tensions between Russia and the West, raised hackles in Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a formal complaint to [...]

How Putin defeated ‘terrorism’ in Chechnya

Posted by Matt in January 15th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia, Terrorism, Chechnya

He declared Basayev and the entire Chechen insurgency terrorists. The Russian military moved in with strength.
If the definition of terrorism is attempting to terrify an entire population by launching spectacular attacks on civilians, then Putin’s claim was spurious. Chechen fighters had been killing a lot of Russian soldiers but they were not yet attacking Russian [...]

Report: Chinese ships confronted Kitty Hawk

Posted by Matt in January 15th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Military, U.S.

A Chinese attack submarine and destroyer shadowed U.S. warships in November in the Taiwan Strait, sparking a 28-hour standoff that brought the group to a battle-ready halt in the tense waters, a report in a Taiwan daily said Tuesday.
The confrontation occurred as the Navy aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk and other ships in its battle group [...]

US concerned over China military build-up, Taiwan: admiral

Posted by Matt in January 15th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Military

US concerned over China military build-up, Taiwan: admiral
AFPÂ - 1 hour ago
BEIJING (AFP) â€” The top commander of the US Pacific Fleet raised concern Tuesday over China’s military build-up and urged Beijing to clarify the intentions …
US Military Leader Works to Build Trust in China Voice of America
US commander calls for greater transparency from China’s [...]