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| September 26, 2013 |
 Israel challenged by Iran charm offensive: analysts Jerusalem (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - As Iran's new president reaches out to the West with a message of moderation, Israel's hawkish approach on Tehran's nuclear programme looks likely to come under pressure, experts say. President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday emphasised the peaceful nature of the Islamic republic's atomic programme, telling the UN General Assembly that "nuclear weapons... have no place in Iran's security and defen ... more |  |
 Outside View: U.S. military power and 20/20 hindsight Washington (UPI) Sep 25, 2013 - Legitimate yelps of pain along with klaxons sounding alarms are reverberating throughout the Pentagon. The cause is sequestration and annual cuts of $50 billion for 10 years to defense spending mandated by 2011's Budget Control Act. While $50 billion a year against an annual budget of $500 billion-600 billion may not seem draconic, the simple business "Rule of 72" shatters that illusion ... more |  |
 Researchers warn of 'hit and run' cyber attackers Washington (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - Security researchers said Wednesday they uncovered a "cyber mercenary" team which specializes in attacks on targets in Japan and South Korea, and warned of more operations of that nature. Kaspersky Labs identified the group as "Icefog," and said evidence points to it being based in China. Based on the targets, the attackers appear to have an interest in military, shipbuilding and maritim ... more |  |
 US relocates drones airfield after Djibouti crashes Washington (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - The Pentagon is shifting its drone operations from a US base in Djibouti to a more remote airfield after local officials voiced concern about possible collisions with commercial aircraft, officials said Wednesday. "There was a concern over what would happen if a MQ-1 (Predator drone) obstructed a runway, and that it would have a significant impact on commercial air operations," said the offi ... more |  |
US, Iran gear for historic nuclear talks United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 26, 2013 - With the eyes of the world upon them, the United States and Iran will Thursday have one of their highest-level meetings since the 1979 revolution as their foreign ministers join talks on Tehran's suspect nuclear program. And while officials are saying that no bilateral talks are planned between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, there remains t ... more |  |
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In budding thaw, US and Iran take it slow United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - After decades of animosity and false starts, the United States and Iran may be best advised to go slow in their effort to repair relations, experts say. The US and Iranian top diplomats will meet Thursday for one of the countries' highest-level interactions since the 1979 Islamic revolution to discuss Tehran's disputed nuclear program. But all sides have been quick to say that the encoun ... more |  |
 Militants hit north Iraq town as 33 killed nationwide Kirkuk, Iraq (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - Militants attacked local government and police buildings in northern Iraq with suicide bombings and mortar fire on Wednesday, sparking clashes that killed 14 people, among 33 deaths nationwide, officials said. The assault came in Hawijah, a Sunni Arab town in ethnically mixed Kirkuk province near which security forces stormed an anti-government protest camp in April, triggering Iraq's deadli ... more |  |
 Syrian opposition voice 'disappointment' to Kerry New York City (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - Syrian opposition leaders Tuesday openly took issue with the US government's failure to launch a missile attack on the Syrian regime and pressed for assurances of US support in talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Syrian opposition chief Ahmad Jarba led a four-strong delegation to meet Kerry on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly where the civil war in Syria is one of the top is ... more |  |
 US, biggest exporter, signs landmark UN arms treaty United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - US President Barack Obama's administration signed a UN treaty Wednesday to track exports of firearms and other conventional weapons, offering a major boost to the pact despite opposition at home. The United States is the world's largest exporter of conventional arms, accounting for 30 percent of the $90 billion global industry. The landmark treaty aims to curb weapons shipments to extremists ... more |  |
N. Korea nuclear progress outpacing sanctions: experts Seoul (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - North Korea's nuclear weapons programme is developing beyond the international community's ability to rein it in with effective sanctions and export restrictions, regional analysts and nuclear experts warned Wednesday. While opinion on the current level of the nuclear threat posed by North Korea was divided, a conference organised by the Asan Institute think-tank in Seoul showed consensus on ... more |  |
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US spy chief defends 'noble' mission, denounces leaks Washington (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - The head of the National Security Agency Wednesday defended US surveillance programs as part of a "noble" mission to protect the nation and said reports on them were "sensationalized." "The future of this country depends on our ability to defend against cyber attacks and terrorist threats, and we need the tools to do it," said General Keith Alexander, chief of the NSA. The agency heads t ... more |  |
Outside View: 'They want to annihilate us' London (UPI) Sep 26, 2013 - "They want to annihilate us" - Hossein Madani from Camp Ashraf in 2005. How prophetic his words would become. While the death of all 52 Camp Ashraf residents was heart-wrenching, the assassination of Hossein Madani made my heart quite literally ache. I felt this pain personally as I had worked closely with Madani at Camp Ashraf in 2005 when I had traveled to Iraq on a fact findi ... more |  |
Israel easing some restrictions on Palestinians United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - Israel announced Wednesday that it is easing some restrictions on the impoverished Gaza Strip and West Bank as it negotiates a final peace deal with the Palestinians. Israeli minister of international relations Yuval Steinitz revealed that 5,000 new work permits were being issued for Palestinians to work in Israel, the opening hours of the key Allenby Bridge crossing would be extended, and n ... more |  |
US Air Force converts F-16 fighters into drones Washington (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - The US Air Force has test flown an F-16 fighter jet without a pilot on board for the first time, in the latest sign of the military's increasing reliance on drones. The robotic F-16 flew for 55 minutes with an empty cockpit from a base in Florida last week, as part of a program that will see the converted fighter jet used as a target for pilots in training, manufacturer Boeing said. "It ... more |  |
Japan PM vows more active security role New York City (AFP) Sept 26, 2013 - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Wednesday to keep boosting Japan's security role, saying that the officially pacifist nation should no longer be a "weak link" in the world. Visiting New York for the UN General Assembly, Abe signaled that he hoped to move ahead with "collective self-defense" that would allow Japan to assist its ally the United States. "Japan should not be the weak link in ... more |  |
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 Taiwan receives first US anti-submarine aircraft Taipei (AFP) Sept 25, 2013 - Taiwan on Wednesday received the first of 12 anti-submarine aircraft from the United States, as it beefs up its naval defences against China, the military said. Television footage showed the P-3C Orion patrol aircraft landing at an air base in southern Pingtung county. Water was then splashed on the plane in a brief welcome ceremony. The other 11 planes are scheduled for delivery by 201 ... more |  |
Syria committed to chemical weapons deal: Assad Damascus (AFP) Sept 26, 2013 - Syria is committed to the convention against chemical weapons it signed under a US-Russian deal and sees "no obstacles" to its implementation, President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview broadcast Thursday. Speaking to Venezuela's Telesur, the Syrian leader insisted that his regime was complying with a deal under which Damascus will turn over its chemical weapons for destruction. "Syr ... more |  |
 Nairobi attack a signpost for rising jihadist terrorism across Africa Nairobi, Kenya (UPI) Sep 25, 2013 - The four-day seizure of an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, in which dozens of people were killed by a platoon of diehard jihadists of the Somalia-based al-Shabaab group is a fearsome indication of how Islamist terrorism is swelling across Africa. Oil-rich North Africa is plagued by al-Qaida groups from Morocco to Egypt, all heavily armed with weapons seized in Libya's ... more |  |
 Chile moves to get rid of cluster munitions Santiago, Chile (UPI) Sep 25, 2013 - Chile taking steps to get rid of cluster munitions in its military inventories but official briefs on the development remain sketchy and somewhat shrouded in mystery, analysts said. Past problems with neighbors have burdened the Latin American country with huge backlogs on munitions and tens of thousands of mines in border regions are waiting to be cleared. The cluster munitions' ... more |  |
 Afghan soldier kills NATO ally in 'insider' attack Kabul (AFP) Sept 26, 2013 - An Afghan soldier opened fire Thursday on his NATO trainers, killing one and wounding several others in the country's east, officials said. Attacks in which Afghan forces turn their guns on their international partners have killed scores of US-led troops, breeding mistrust and undermining efforts to train local forces before NATO combat troops withdraw next year. The latest shooting was ... more |  |
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