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| December 18, 2013 |
 Russian missile deployment raises alarm Moscow (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - Washington has joined Russia's neighbours in voicing alarm after Moscow revealed it had moved nuclear-capable Iskander missiles closer to EU borders in response to the US-led deployment of a disputed air defence shield. The advanced version of the Russian missile has a range of 500 kilometres (310 miles) and could potentially be used to take out ground-based radar and interceptors of the new ... more |  |
 Japan invests in new military kit as China row simmers Tokyo (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - Japan announced Tuesday it will buy stealth fighters, drones and submarines as part of a splurge on military hardware that will beef up defence of far-flung islands amid a territorial row with China. The cabinet of hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to spend 24.7 trillion yen ($240 billion) between 2014 and 2019 in a strategic shift towards the south and west of the country - a five p ... more |  |
 UK to boost control over cyber centre run by China's Huawei London (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - Britain must boost its oversight of a cyber-security centre run by Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday, after lawmakers raised fears that the company's involvement could pose a threat to national security. Cameron said British electronic eavesdropping agency GCHQ would now play a greater role in hiring key staff at the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Cen ... more |  |
 Restive Xinjiang needs 'ethnic healing': Chinese media Beijing (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - China's state-run media Tuesday called for "ethnic healing" in the restive Xinjiang region, a day after two policemen and 14 members of the mostly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority were killed in a clash. The unusually-conciliatory editorial in the Global Times newspaper urged authorities to encourage travel to the region and to recruit more Uighur police. Measures should also be taken to en ... more |  |
 Six US soldiers killed in Afghan helicopter crash Kabul (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - Six US troops in Afghanistan were killed and one wounded in a helicopter crash Tuesday, but it was unclear if Taliban fire caused any of the casualties after the chopper went down. Military officials said insurgents did not shoot down the UH-60 Blackhawk, but they were investigating whether any of the US troops were killed by gunfire from Taliban militants after the crash. The Afghan ins ... more |  |
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EU leaders mull defence cooperation as tight budgets bite Brussels (AFP) Dec 18, 2013 - EU leaders will tackle the vexed and costly issue of defence cooperation at a summit this week, aiming for modest progress at a time when budgets everywhere are under intense pressure. Bogged down for the last few years in efforts to tame the financial and debt crises, European Union leaders are expected to agree Thursday to joint drone and cyber-defence programmes. That would be a minim ... more |  |
 Somali soldiers to be trained on home turf in 2014: EU Brussels (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - Training of Somali soldiers by the EU will be shifted from Uganda to Somalia early next year, with an improvement in the security climate there, the EU said in a statement Tuesday. The EU Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia), launched in early 2010, has so far trained 3,600 Somali troops, mainly at a camp in Bihanga, 250 kilometres (155 miles) west of the Ugandan capital Kampala where ... more |  |
IT industries set to lose billions because of privacy concerns Washington (UPI) Dec 17, 2013 - Information technology companies stand to lose billions of dollars of business because of concerns their services are neither secure nor private, U.S. advocacy groups for the industry say. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, an independent think tank and representative body based in Washington, says U.S. cloud computing providers are especially exposed to the risk of l ... more |  |
 NATO chief hopes for new EU defence commitment Brussels (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen hopes EU leaders will commit to new military capabilities and cooperation at this week's summit, with a strong Europe in everyone's interest. "We need a Europe that is committed to security, we need a Europe that is outward looking and taking on a global perspective," Rasmussen told AFP in an interview. The 28 European Union leaders meet Thursday and Frida ... more |  |
 Militants kill eight Shiite pilgrims in Iraq Baghdad (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - Militants killed at least eight Shiite pilgrims in and around Baghdad on Tuesday, after car bombs targeted others the day before, Iraqi security officials said. A suicide bomber detonated explosives among pilgrims walking south of Baghdad, killing four, while militants in a car threw hand grenades at pilgrims in the capital, killing at least four others. The two attacks also wounded at l ... more |  |
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N. Korea military, party vow loyalty to Kim Jong-Un Seoul (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - Massed ranks of military and party leaders pledged complete loyalty to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un Tuesday on the second anniversary of his father's death, at a time of growing concern over the regime's stability. The vows of obedience, at an elaborate gathering in Pyongyang honouring Kim's father and former supremo Kim Jong-Il, followed the shock execution last week of the young leader' ... more |  |
Outside View: North Korea's 'Whack-a-Mole' leadership Herndon, Va. (UPI) Dec 17, 2013 - What happens when a "kid" inherits a country? If the country is North Korea, if the kid is third-generation dictator Kim Jong Un, 30, and - two years after receiving his inheritance - if he feels comfortable wielding the hammer of authority, he plays real life "whack-a-mole" with subordinate leaders to secure his throne. The sudden removal from power of Kim's uncle, Jang Song T ... more |  |
Syria Kurds aim for unified front ahead of peace talks Arbil, Iraq (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - The two main Syrian Kurdish groups held talks in Iraq on Tuesday, aiming to establish a unified front ahead of a peace conference in Switzerland next month, an official said. The People's Council of Western Kurdistan (PCWK) and the Kurdish National Council (KNC) have been at odds since last month when the former announced a transitional autonomous administration for Kurdish-majority areas of ... more |  |
US backs Philippines, warns China over air zone Manila (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - US Secretary of State John Kerry warned China Tuesday against any move to declare an air defence zone in the South China Sea, as he affirmed defence ties with long-time ally the Philippines. Kerry, in Manila for a two-day visit, criticised China for its declaration last month of an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea including over disputed islands. He warned Bei ... more |  |
Air raids kill 18 in rebel areas of Syria's Aleppo Beirut (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - Two children were among at least 18 people killed in new air strikes on a rebel-held district of Syria's main northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday, a watchdog said. It was the third straight day of air raids on the city, Syria's commercial hub before a rebel offensive in July last year made it a key battleground in the conflict that erupted in March 2011, the Syrian Observatory for Human Right ... more |  |
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Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation funds veteran programs New York (UPI) Dec 17, 2013 - The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation is giving $3.28 million in grants to support the mental health needs of troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 10 grants come under its Mental Health & Well-Being initiative, which was launched in 2011. "With the conflict in Iraq now over and the conflict in Afghanistan winding down, the stakes could not be higher for service membe ... more |  |
Wolf, passionate critic of China, to leave US Congress Washington (AFP) Dec 17, 2013 - US Representative Frank Wolf, a passionate campaigner for human rights causes whose advocacy took him to Tibet and Darfur, said Tuesday he would retire after serving 34 years in Congress. The Republican lawmaker said he would not seek re-election next year in his district in Washington's Virginia suburbs, which have increasingly leaned toward President Barack Obama's Democratic Party, and wo ... more |  |
Ex-Chinese security chief Zhou Yongkang probed Beijing (AFP) Dec 16, 2013 - China's Communist chief Xi Jinping has given the go-ahead for a corruption investigation into the former head of the country's internal security apparatus, the New York Times reported Monday. Citing what it described as "sources with elite political ties", the paper said the decision to open the inquiry into Zhou Yongkang was made early this month. Zhou is a former member of the elite Po ... more |  |
US Navy helicopter crashes in Japan Tokyo (AFP) Dec 16, 2013 - A US navy helicopter crashed near Tokyo Monday in a failed emergency landing, injuring two of the four men on board, rescuers said. Television footage showed the grey helicopter on its side on what appeared to be vacant land, with mangled propellors and a snapped tail-end. The accident came at a sensitive time, with the Japanese public wary over the long-planned but stalled relocation of ... more |  |
Suicide attacker in Lebanon was Palestinian: military Beirut (AFP) Dec 16, 2013 - Lebanon's army said Monday that a suicide attacker who assaulted a checkpoint in the southern city of Sidon a day earlier was Palestinian. An army officer was killed in the incident, as were two armed men who accompanied the attacker, who were gunned down by troops manning the checkpoint. The army checkpoint was attacked late Sunday, shortly after another military post in the same city h ... more |  |
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