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Friday, July 31, 2015

War on terror

Unusual terror case going to trial in US court in Virginia

Hundreds of terror suspects have been tried in federal courts since the 2001 attacks, but a case unfolding in Virginia differs from most in at least one key respect.
Irek Hamidullin was a combatant captured on the battlefield — not a financier, recruiter or schemer arrested outside the theater of war, like so many of the terrorist suspects who have been tried by civilian courts instead of by the U.S. military.
Color revolutions

Russia Shoots Down US Stealth Coup


http://journal-neo.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/656456456333.jpgTimes are tough for America’s “color revolution” industry. Perfected in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union, and honed during the so-called “Arab Spring,” the process of backing subversion in a targeted country and overthrowing a sitting government under the cover of staged mass protests appears to be finally at the end of running its course.
International security

As China Awakens, America -- And Pakistan -- Should Take Note

FORBIDDEN CITY MAO"When China wakes, she will shake the world." Napoleon's famouscomment on China has had China-watchers scratching their heads for two centuries as to what exactly he meant. Was it a warning to Europe of a potential threat from the East? Or was he reflecting upon the fascination of his time with Chinese culture and its silks and ceramics?
Military industrial complex

BAE Systems Reports Strong Results In U.S. Defense Business, Reflecting Sector Trend

The Bradley infantry fighting vehicle manufactured by BAE Systems, Inc. will provide the foundation for the U.S. Army's $11 billion Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, one of several new programs signaling that demand is stabilizing in the domestic combat-vehicle market. (Retrieved from Wikimedia)The world’s third largest military contractor reported strong first-half results in its U.S. defense operations on July 30, rounding out a surprisingly positive earnings season for the Pentagon’s first-tier suppliers. U.K.-based BAE Systems, the only top contractor to the defense department headquartered outside the United States, said it saw “encouraging signs of growth returning” in the U.S. defense market despite fiscal headwinds, and described favorable trends in all three of its domestic operating units. 
Innovations & technology

Study: Metals industry faces big change with 3-D printing


The Portland-Vancouver region's expansive metals industry needs to prepare quickly for the disruptive technological change that 3-D printing technology is about to bring to metals manufacturing, says a report released Thursday by two jobs development organizations, the Vancouver-based Columbia River Economic Development Council and the regional Greater Portland Inc.
The report, titled "Additive and Subtractive: The New Math of Metals and Machinery Manufacturing," looks broadly at imminent changes that will affect the region's metals industry, which encompasses more than 600 companies including dozens in Southwest Washington.
Environmental security

How cleaner cow burps could help fight climate change

First, let’s get one thing straight. Despite what you may have heard, it is cow burps, not cow farts, that are the real climate change problem.

Here’s how it works: Cows digest their food in four-part stomachs, including a “rumen,” which is a site that allows for fermentation — a process that gives off a lot of carbon dioxide and methane gas, as microorganisms aid in the process of digestion.

Encryption


Encrypted Communication Endorsed By Ex-National Security Bosses In Surprise Editorial


FBI Director James ComeyThree former members of the U.S. national security establishment have called for the use of encrypted digital communications, a stance that puts them at odds with President Obama and the current administration. They're encryption endorsement, which came in the form of a Washington Post editorial, comes amid a year-long standoff between the FBI and the technology industry over a possible law that would effectively force Silicon Valley to insert surveillance capabilities into consumer products.
Nuclear security

Картинки по запросу iran nukes
To assess the potential contribution of the Iranian nuclear agreement to U.S. national security, we should consider its major components and both its short and longer-term implications for American interests and those of our friends and allies.
It is also important to be clear about what the agreement does not do and was not intended to achieve to judge the diplomatic accomplishment squarely on its own merits.

Weapons

Military Testing Terrifying Non-Lethal Noise Weapon


military testingThe military may soon be testing a terrifying non-lethal weapon that can blast a target with a sound like a jet engine, reports the military blog Defense One.The 130-decibel noise is designed to startle enemies.Called the Laser-Induced Plasma Effect (LIPE), it’s part of the military’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program.The weapon works targeting a specific point with lasers that can split atoms to produce an awful noise that seems to come from nowhere and everywhere.
Nuclear security

Scotland Yard Accuses Russia of Using Nuclear Weapon in London

Scotland Yard Accuses Russia of Using Nuclear Weapon in London
Scotland Yard has formally accused Russia of carrying out a nuclear attack on the streets of London for the first time.
Years of painstaking investigation and forensic work have convinced British law enforcement agents and the security services that the Kremlin was behind a dastardly plot to assassinate a Russian defector with a cup of tea laced with the radioactive isotope Polonium-210.
Cybersecurity

Former national security officials: The fear over ubiquitous data encryption is overblown

World Cyber Games 2004 FinalsStrategically, the interests of U.S. businesses are essential to protecting U.S. national security interests. After all, political power and military power are derived from economic strength. If the United States is to maintain its global role and influence, protecting business interests from massive economic espionage is essential. And that imperative may outweigh the tactical benefit of making encrypted communications more easily accessible to Western authorities.


Climate security

Is Climate Change Now Its Own Industry?


Insurance and Climate Change columnInterest in climate change is becoming an increasingly powerful economic driver, so much so that some see it as an industry in itself whose growth is driven in large part by policymaking.
The $1.5 trillion global “climate change industry” grew at between 17 and 24 percent annually from 2005-2008, slowing to between 4 and 6 percent following the recession with the exception of 2011’s inexplicable 15 percent growth, according to Climate Change Business Journal.
Climate security

Climate change poses undeniable threat to national security


Having spent more than 30 years in the US Marine Corps, I know what constitutes a national security threat. Climate change, caused in large part by the carbon pollution we dump into our air, presents risks to the safety of both our nation and our world at large. The threats of climate change include extreme weather, rising sea levels, reduced military capacity, and conditions that can enable worldwide violence and perpetuate terrorism. 
International trade

Russia Races to Outflank China in Middle East Nuclear Technology Market


Russia Races to Outflank China in Middle East Nuclear Technology MarketAs China enters the market for nuclear power plant construction in post-sanctions Iran, Moscow is racing across the Middle East to develop new export markets for Russian nuclear technology. On July 22, the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announcedthat Beijing and Tehran have agreed to China’s construction of two nuclear power plants on Iran’s southern coast. 
Defense

One more tank army to be formed in Russia

One more tank army to be formed in Russia. ArmyThe Russian Ministry of Defence will have a new tank army, as well as one more combined army formed in the Western military district by December.
The armies should be formed by the 1st of December 2015.
The staff and headquarters have already been formed for both armies.
International security

US tanks enter Latvia

US tanks enter Latvia. US tanksThe American main battle tanks M1 Abrams have arrived to Latvia. More than 100 US military hardware units have been also delivered.
Beside that, the Latvian Ministry of Defence holds talks with the Pentagon on the possibility to leave the tanks in Latvia on a regular basis.
Heavy machinery should be deployed in the Ādaži training ground.
Some Latvian politicians, as well as Raimonds Vējonis, former Minister of Defence, and current President of the country claimed, that Latvia does not need these tanks, as they "would sink in the nearest moor here".

Information security

Target Tokyo


Cartoon
WikiLeaks publishes "Target Tokyo", 35 Top Secret NSA targets in Japan including the Japanese cabinet and Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi, together with intercepts relating to US-Japan relations, trade negotiations and sensitive climate change strategy.
The list indicates that NSA spying on Japanese conglomerates, government officials, ministries and senior advisers extends back at least as far as the first administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which lasted from September 2006 until September 2007.
Terror threat

Islamic State recruitment document seeks to provoke 'end of the world'

EPA PAKISTAN USA IS DRONE ATTACK WAR ACTS OF TERROR PAKAn apparent Islamic State recruitment document found in Pakistan’s lawless tribal lands reveals that the extremist group has grand ambitions of building a new terrorist army in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and triggering a war in India to provoke an Armageddon-like “end of the world.”
Terror threat

It's Official: US Terror Threat not Islamist, Only 'Extremist'

Site of Tennessee shooting by Muhammod Youssuf AbdulazeezHomeland Security chief Jeh Johnson announced the policy this past Friday at Aspen Institute's annual security forum in Washington, D.C.  He explained that though it was a Muslim terrorist who shot to death four unarmed Marines in Tennessee two weeks ago, the government will call the attack, and other similar ones, "violent extremism" and not "Islamic terrorism" - out of respect for the Muslim community.


Nuclear security

Polonium Used to Poison Russian Spy May Have Harmed Londoners: Inquiry

Polonium Used to Poison Russian Spy May Have Harmed Londoners: InquiryAn unknown number of Londoners might have been put at risk by the 2006 poisoning of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko with a radioactive isotope, which amounted to "a nuclear attack on the streets" of the British capital, an inquiry heard on Thursday.
Seismic security

Earthquake Hits Israel, No Injuries, Damage Reported

Northern Dead SeaA 4.3-magnitude earthquake occurred early Thursday in Israel. The quake was centered on an area near the Dead Sea, and several people reported feeling its effects in southern Israel. Residents of the north also said they felt vibrations, and investigators are checking whether there were indeed two quakes around the same time.
International security

Africa to Obama: Mind your own business

Obama should have apologised to Africans for his country's sadistic adventures on our continent rather than lecture us, writes Mwenda [Reuters]
Instead of coming to lecture, Obama should have had the humility to come and apologise to Africans for his country's sadistic adventures on our continent.
Indeed, Obama has no moral right to lecture Africans on democracy, human rights, and clean government because his country has been sponsoring corrupt and cruel policies against black people at home and thieving tyrants on our continent.
Nuclear security

Hacking Critical Infrastructure: A How-To Guide


In this April 29, 2015 photo, the cooling tower for Unit 2, left, and Unit 1, right, are seen at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant near Spring City, Tenn.U.S. Cyber Command officials say this is the threat that most deeply concerns them, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. “This is because a cyber-physical incident could result in a loss of utility service or the catastrophic destruction of utility infrastructure, such as an explosion,” the report said. 
Nuclear security

NORTH KOREA IS NOT IRAN

North Korea Is Not IranAfter two years of intense negotiations, the P5+1 reached an agreement with Iran that would limit its ability to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for lifting a set of international sanctions. With this landmark deal, South Korean politicians were optimistic that it would compel Kim Jong-Un of North Korea to consider denuclearization as a viable option, should the right incentives be offered. 
Cybersecurity

A new age of espionage

CYBER-CAFÉS were once a favoured tool of Western intelligence and security agencies. They were inconspicuous, cheap to establish and highly effective. Set up near an international summit buzzing with targets, or close to a mosque favoured by Islamist extremists, these facilities allowed their masters to monitor browsing habits, obtain targets’ logins and passwords, and plant spyware for future use. 

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Nuclear security

“Normalizing” Nuclear Catastrophe: Japan’s Abe Government Risks Fukushima Victims’ Lives with “Forced Return” to Contaminated Areas

fukushima-radiation
The worst nuclear disaster in a generation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant – which began in March 2011 – is still very much an ongoing crisis that will not be solved for the many many decades.
Most of the massive radioactive releases were carried out to the Pacific Ocean by the prevailing winds at that time of year. But, on the nights of 15th and 16th March, the winds turned, carrying an enormous amount of radiation inland. Fukushima prefecture, especially to the northwest of the crippled reactor site, was heavily contaminated.
Drug trafficking

Colombian model, beauty pageant winner facing death penalty after being caught with drugs in China: report 

Colombian model Juliana Lopez was arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs in China this month.
A Colombian model was arrested during a trip to China for allegedly possessing drugs in her computer and is now facing the death penalty.
The family and friends of 22-year-old Juliana Lopez told the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo that the beauty pageant winner has been detained in China after leaving for the country two weeks ago.
R & D

Obama Orders Development Of Supercomputer To Rival China's 'Milky Way'


The Japanese supercomputer K, pictured in June 2012 at the RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science in Kobe, western Japan. The K computer is currently ranked No. 3 on a list of the 500 fastest supercomputers.
President Obama has ordered the development of a supercomputer that is some 20 times faster than the world's current record-holder and is expected to go online by 2025.
A machine at China's National University of Defense Technology in Guangzhou, called Tianhe-2 (Milky Way-2) is thought to currently be the fastest supercomputer in existence — variously reported as doing either 34 or 55 petaflops (1 petaflop is equivalent to 1 quadrillion floating-point operations per second).
Espionage

Accused Russian spy loses bid to have U.S. charges dismissed

Gavel 2
A Russian citizen accused by U.S. authorities of posing as a banker in New York in order to spy for his government lost a bid to have the case against him dismissed on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan rejected Evgeny Buryakov's request to have the charges thrown out, saying the government's allegations were adequate to support the indictment.

International security

Why China is not a global superpower — yet

Until Chinese president Xi Jinping can stabilize the economy and liberalize domestic policy, China’s influence over the rest of the world is limited.What do the fluctuations in China’s capital market mean for the global economy? As can be seen in the recent stock market slide, capital markets outside of China were impacted, but quickly rebounded. Make no mistake, whatever happens in China certainly ripples across the globe, but until such time as Chinese president Xi Jinping can stabilize the economy and liberalize domestic policy, China in actual terms will not become a true global power.

Spy death

Litvinenko inquiry: Russia involved in spy's death, Scotland Yard says

Alexander Litvinenko died of polonium poisoning.
Scotland Yard has contended that the Russian state was involved in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko as the force broke its silence at the inquiry into the spy’s death from poisoning.
Delivering an excoriating closing speech on the penultimate day of the public inquiry, lawyers representing the Metropolitan police tore into Russia’s record on cooperation with the investigation into Litvinenko’s murder.
Nuclear security

Top military leader: Deal keeps Iran from atomic weapon

Картинки по запросу gen. martin dempsey
America's top military leader said Wednesday that therecently signed nuclear deal works to keep Iran from having an atomic weapon, but does not address other concerns about Tehran's malign activities in the region.
"These run the gamut from ballistic missile technology to weapons trafficking, to the use of surrogates and proxies to naval mines and undersea activity - and last but not least to malicious activity in cyberspace," Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.