Russia’s Raiders

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia, Administration Building, Automatic Weapons, Business Rivals, Camouflage, Corruption, Criminal Investigations, Deputy Director, Dozens, Landmark Deal, Morning Rounds, moscow, Multibillion Dollar, Newlyweds, Police Raids, President Vladimir Putin, Public Officials, Raiders, Russia, Russian Operations, Samara Region, Target, Terrorist Attack, Togliatti, Tycoons, Union Representatives, Video Russia, Vladimir Putin, Volga River, Welcome Mat, Workday

Companies are paying public officials to raid the offices of business rivals and subject them to criminal investigations
It seemed like any other workday at Togliatti Azot, a giant chemical factory in Russia’s Samara region, on the Volga River 600 miles east of Moscow. Engineers were on their morning rounds, and union representatives had just finished [...]

The day we lost the Second World War

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Britain, Europe, War, 1940, Allied Forces, Belgian Troops, Belgium, Dunkirk, Fictional Account, German Army, Historians, hitler, Hundreds Of Thousands, Ian Kershaw, Lost World, Mass Evacuation, Northern France, Rapid Advance, Resolve, Second World War, tanks, world-war-II

This is a fictional account of what could have happened.
The rapid advance of the German army through Belgium and France in May 1940 left hundreds of thousands of British, French and Belgian troops encircled at the port of Dunkirk in northern France.
But then Hitler ordered a halt to the attack. This gave the British [...]

Israel threatens war on Gaza and Iran

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Iran, Israel, War, Apparent Failure, Conflict, Deputies, Economic Sanctions, Ehud Olmert, Gaza, Iran, Iranian Government, Israel, Israeli Attack, Militants, Military Operation, Mortar, Pendulum, Prime Minister, Shaul Mofaz, tehran

Israel braced itself for conflict on two fronts against militants in Gaza and an Iranian government persisting with its nuclear programme.
Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, said the “pendulum is closer” to a large scale military operation in Gaza after another Israeli civilian was killed by a mortar fired from Gaza on Thursday.
…
One of Mr Olmert’s [...]

China, Africa, and Oil

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Africa, China, Oil, Africa, beijing, Challenges, China And The United States, China Economy, Chinese Interests, Competitor, Continent, darfur, Darfur Sudan, Economy Booms, Economy China, Energy Demand, European Union, Global Demand, Globe, Investments, Japan, Oil Market, Oil Supplies, Rapid Growth, Raw Materials, Western Investment, Western States

With energy demand spiking, China looks for answers in Africa. But Western investment and influence still dominate the continent’s oil market.
As global demand for energy continues to rise, major players like the United States, European Union (EU), and Japan are facing a new competitor in the race to secure long-term energy supplies: China. As its [...]

Venezuela fires missiles in exercises

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | 1 comment

Published in Military, Venezuela, Caribbean Island, Chavez Venezuela, Diplomatic Protest, Exercises, Firepower, Fires, Hugo Chavez, Military Base, Missiles, Navy Plane, President Hugo Chavez, ships, Showcase, Sky, Sukhoi Fighter Jets, U S Navy, War Games

Venezuela fired live missiles from fighter jets and ships Friday during exercises intended to demonstrate the firepower of President Hugo Chavez’s military.
Smoke rose from ships off the La Orchila island military base as Otomat MK2 missiles arced into the sky and Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets flew in formation.
The televised war games allowed the military to [...]

The UAV Revolution

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in War, Afghanistan, Afghanistan War, Army Units, Cruising, Disturbed, Drones, Earth, Future Weapons, Global Hawk, Hawk, History Of Warfare, Humvees, Insurgents, Iraq War, Model Airplane, Offense Defense, Raven, Smart Bomb, Spiral, UAVs

The hundreds of drones cruising over Iraq and Afghanistan have changed war forever.
The UAV is the “smart bomb” of the Iraq War, the latest turn in the unending offense-defense spiral that characterizes the history of warfare. Army units searching and fighting house-to-house are using hundreds of drones, some of them as small as a model [...]

Does the E.U. Hate You?

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Anti-Americanism, Europe, Anti-Americanism, Bush Administration, Europe, Europeans, German Marshall Fund, Harris Polls, International Security, Iran, Leadership, Myth, Negative Feelings, North-Korea, poll, Russia, Survey, United States, World Affairs, World Image

Despite popular myth, anti-Americanism in Europe isn’t on the rise.
In Europe, as in nearly everywhere else in the world, the image of the United States has taken a severe battering during the Bush years. Survey after survey shows that negative feelings toward America and U.S. policies have soared. Only 36 percent of Europeans, for example, [...]

German report: Assad’s brother-in-law attempted coup

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Syria, Arab League, assad, Brother, Coup, damascus, Disclosure, German Report, Hizbullah, Intelligence Officers, Intelligence Sources, Military Intelligence Chief, Mugniyah, Rebellion, Report Stated That, Retaliation, Turnover, Welt

The report stated that Assaf Shawkat, Syrian military intelligence chief and Assad’s brother-in-law, planned to sieze control of the government while the president was hosting a meeting of the Arab League in Damascus in February. Shawkat was detained along with a hundred other Syrian intelligence officers.
According to Die Welt, Assad was informed of the turnover [...]

Russians in Israel

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Israel, Al Jazeera, Documentary, Israel, Presence, Russian Community, Russians In Israel

This is a fascinating documentary about the Russian community in Israel. It’s produced by Al Jazeera, but don’t let that stop you. I found it interesting and informative.

We explore how their presence is raising the issue of what it is to be Jewish.
Russians in Israel I
Russians in Israel II

Aegis BMD Satellite Shoot-Down Documentary

Posted by Matt in June 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Missiles, U.S., Aegis Weapon System, Aws, Ballastic Missile Defense, BMD, Cg, Debris, Documentary, Fuel Tank, Hydrazine Fuel, Impact Velocity, Lake Erie, Pacific Ocean, Satellite Tracking, Sm, Spy Satellite, Standard Missile

On 20 Feb 2008 HST, the USS Lake Erie (CG-70) fired a modified tactical Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) missile at the malfunctioned spy satellite USA 193. The impact occurred at about 150 miles above the Pacific Ocean and at an impact velocity of around 22,000 mph. The Aegis Weapon System (AWS) confirmed a successful hit and [...]