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| December 21, 2013 |
 China slams Japan defence spending plan Beijing (AFP) Dec 21, 2013 - China has denounced Japan's plans to boost military purchases, accusing it of playing up regional tensions as an "excuse" to ramp up defence spending. The cabinet of hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Tuesday to spend 24.7 trillion yen ($240 billion) between 2014 and 2019 - a five percent boost to the military budget over five years. Japan plans to purchase stealth fighte ... more |  |
 North Korea warns of 'merciless' strike against South Seoul (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - North Korea has threatened a "merciless" strike against the South after activists burned effigies of the ruling Kim dynasty on the anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong-Il, officials said Friday. The warning was contained in a message sent Thursday by the secretariat of the National Defence Commission, the North's highest military body, through a military hotline, the South's de ... more |  |
Restoring lost trust may take many years: Germany Berlin (UPI) Dec 20, 2013 - Restoring trans-Atlantic trust lost as a result of spying controversies may take some time to repair, new German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said as he took over from Guido Westerwelle. "The Transatlantic Alliance is and remains the backbone of our security," Steinmeier said, addressing a Foreign Ministry gathering. But a lot has changed recently and much cannot be taken fo ... more |  |
Obama tells Congress 'no need' for new Iran sanctions Washington (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - President Barack Obama issued a stern defense of his outreach to Iran on Friday, warning US lawmakers not to derail diplomatic efforts to curtail the Islamic state's nuclear program. In an end-of-year news conference, Obama said efforts in Congress to pass tougher economic sanctions could damage recent moves to halt Tehran's alleged drive to refine nuclear fuel and build a weapon. And he ... more |  |
China boosts ties with neighbors in pursuit of shared security, prosperity Singapore (XNA) Dec 21, 2013 - Chinese leaders made headlines in the past few months not only by unveiling a robust reform agenda, but also with their efforts to strengthen ties with neighboring countries, especially the Southeast Asian nations. The key message was the pursuit of shared security and prosperity between China and its neighbors, scholars said. Addressing the Indonesian parliament in early October, Ch ... more |  |
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Weary Obama seeks Hawaii sun's waking touch Washington (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - A weary Barack Obama, eyelids heavy, predicted Friday that the restorative power of sleep and the sunshine of his native Hawaii would restore his wilting fortunes after a bleak year. The US president began 2013 with a soaring inaugural address laying out an ambitious second term agenda, sensing a mandate for liberal transformation despite a joyless re-election campaign. He ended it with ... more |  |
 No deal on Iran's role at looming Syria peace talks Geneva (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - Negotiators failed Friday to reach an agreement on whether Iran should be invited to Syria peace talks in Switzerland next month, but Tehran is not yet "off the list", global peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said. "On Iran, we haven't agreed yet. It's no secret that we in the United Nations welcome the participation of Iran, but our partners in the United States are still not convinced that Iran' ... more |  |
Japan considers a boost in military purchases Tokyo (UPI) Dec 20, 2013 - Japan's Cabinet has approved a national security strategy that would boost spending on military equipment, officials said. The strategy, that includes the revised National Defense Program Guidelines and a Mid-term Defense Program, could start the export of weapons from Japan for the first time since the second world war. The guidelines call for a revision of a pillar of Japan's p ... more |  |
 Russia's Putin pledges $1.5 billion for basic science research Moscow (UPI) Dec 20, 2013 - Russia will spend about $1.5 billion on developing fundamental science in the next three years, President Vladimir Putin announced Friday. The money would be invested under the aegis of the recently created Russian Science Foundation, Putin told a presidential council and science and education. Putin also promised additional funding for the Russian Foundation for Basic Research a ... more |  |
 Emirates shoot down BAE's $6B Typhoon jet deal Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UPI) Dec 20, 2013 - BAE Systems, Britain's largest defense company, has suffered a major setback with the United Arab Emirates scrapping lengthy negotiations for 60 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, a deal worth at least $6 billion. The company also admitted negotiations with Saudi Arabia on a new pricing agreement for 72 Typhoons the kingdom bought in 2007 are dragging, further hampering the company's efforts to ... more |  |
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Philippines in 25-day Christmas truce with leftist rebels Manila (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Friday suspended military operations against leftist rebels for 25 days, giving them free passage to visit their homes and relatives, a top aide said. The aide, Teresita Deles, said the unilateral move should give the "traumatised" nation respite after a three-month spate of natural disasters and armed conflict left 8,300 people dead or missing and more ... more |  |
 US Navy expects more revelations in bribery scandal More revelations due in US Navy's bribery scandal Washington (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - The civilian chief of the US Navy said Friday he expects more revelations to emerge in a multi-million dollar bribery scandal that has already ensnared several senior naval officers. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said he told investigators examining ship supply contracts form Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) to take the case "wherever it leads." "I think it's fair to say that ... more |  |
Khodorkovsky starts life as a free man in Germany Berlin (AFP) Dec 21, 2013 - Russia's most famous prisoner, Kremlin critic and former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, began life as a free man in Germany on Saturday after his surprise pardon by President Vladimir Putin. After spending more than 10 years behind bars, Russia's former richest man was quitely escorted from his prison in northwestern Russia on Friday and boarded a plane to Berlin in an operation worked out ... more |  |
 Canada cancels Can$2.1 bln armored vehicle purchase Ottawa, Canada (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - The Canadian military announced Friday the cancellation of plans to purchase Can$2.1 billion worth of combat vehicles, citing budget constraints. "We recommended that the government of Canada not proceed with the procurement process for the Close Combat Vehicle," said a statement. Defense Minister Rob Nicholson agreed. The program to purchase 108 of the vehicles was conceived at the ... more |  |
 Attacks kill 20 in Iraq Kirkuk, Iraq (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - Attacks in Iraq, including bombings in a market and another at a cemetery where victims of the earlier attack were to be buried, killed 20 people on Friday, officials said. In Tuz Khurmatu, 175 kilometres (110 miles) north of Baghdad, two bombs exploded in a livestock market, killing eight people and wounding 25. As people gathered at a cemetery to bury the victims of the market blasts, ... more |  |
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US general went on drunken bender in Russia: officials Washington (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - A US general recently lost his job in charge of nuclear missiles after he went on a drunken bender in Russia, where he insulted his hosts and cavorted with "suspect" women, officials said Friday. Air Force Major General Michael Carey was sacked in October as commander of the military's land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, over what officials at the time called "personal misbehav ... more |  |
 Forecast: 2014 will be year of encryption Blue Bell, Pa. (UPI) Dec 20, 2013 - Security experts expect that 2014 will be "The Year of Encryption" for companies and organizations amid continuing fallout from the Edward Snowden affair. "Regardless of what you might think of Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who leaked secrets about U.S. government surveillance, there is no denying that his disclosures have heightened awareness of cyber-security all ov ... more |  |
China vice police minister investigated: Communist Party Beijing (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - China's ruling Communist Party said Friday it was investigating a vice police minister for alleged disciplinary violations, the latest official to be targeted in a high-profile campaign to root out corruption. Li Dongsheng, a vice minister of public security, is being probed for "severe violations of discipline and the law", the party's internal Central Commission for Discipline Inspection s ... more |  |
AgustaWestland wins $1.6B helicopter contract Yeovil, England (UPI) Dec 20, 2013 - Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland has won a $1.6 billion contract from Norway to supply it with 16 medium-lift aircraft. The AW101 helicopters will be used in search-and-rescue missions and features three-engine safety, a full ice protection system for flight in known icing conditions, long range and endurance, a proven 30 minute "run dry" gearbox and multiple redunda ... more |  |
A new conceptual configuration for air-breathing hypersonic airplanes Beijing, China (SPX) Dec 20, 2013 - How to design a hypersonic airplane that travel from Beijing to New York in only two hours? Dr. Cui Kai and his group from State Key Laboratory of High Temperature Gas Dynamics, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences set out to tackle this problem. After three years of innovative research, they presented a body-wing-blending configuration with double flanking air inlets layout ... more |  |
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