War on terror

Russia Asked to Intervene in Libya: Gaining Clout in Middle East

Libya's military leader Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army loyal to the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR), has requested Russia to end its arms embargo on Libya and begin supplying weapons and military equipment to eastern Libyan forces.

According to Russian newspaper Izvestia, Abdel Basset Badri, Haftar’s special representative who also serves as Libya's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, visited Moscow on September 27 to deliver the request addressed to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Mr. Badri held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported, citing a diplomatic source familiar with the situation.

Fire security

Recent forest fires 'destroyed' 2 million hectares - 'an unprecedented catastrophe in Siberia'

A peak of two million hectares were on fire around 22 September in eastern Siberia, with 'around 900,000 hectares are still on fire today', said Greenpeace, amid concern for children breathing fumes for weeks on end. Students have been sent home from 18 schools in Irkutsk region.

Global warming and 'the ineffectiveness of the authorities' was to blame for the 'unprecedented catastrophe in Siberia', said  spokesman Alexey Yaroshenko.

Yet again there is a gulf in estimates of the burning forests between the authorities and environmentalists, with the Russian federal forestry agency suggesting the much lower figure of 125,000 hectares had been hit. 

The Siberian Times recently highlighted the claims of 'hidden wildfires' not included on official statistics. 

Radiation safety

Your Radiation This Week No 73 and 74

Listed in Counts per Minute, a Count is one Radioactive Decay Registered by the Instrument. The Top Reporting Radioactive Cities are listed. The highest radiation reporting city is listed first, the least radioactive city reporting is listed last.

Still, all reporting cities are above normal. These are a portion of the American cities that exceeded 1,000 CPM these past 2 weeks. 40 Cities are Reporting Radiation Above 1,000 CPM. Take all necessary precautions.

Normal Radiation is 5 to 20 CPM [4]

Rad			TIMES NORMAL	CITY, STATE	TYPE OF RAD	Corrupted
1,700	CPM,	340	Times Normal,	Portland, ME.	Beta, Gamma.	Yes
1,567	CPM,	313.4	Times Normal,	Colorado Sprgs,CO.	Beta, Gamma.	Yes
1,507	CPM,	301.4	Times Normal,	San Diego, CA.	Beta, Gamma.	Yes
1,498	CPM,	299.6	Times Normal,	Navajo Lake, NM.	Beta, Gamma.
1,462	CPM,	292.4	Times Normal,	Little Rock, AR.	Beta, Gamma.	Yes...

Drug smuggling

200 pounds of cocaine, an aristocrat and a worldwide smuggling practice

The MSC Letizia, a container ship, set sail from Santos Port bearing familiar bounties of Brazil such as sugar and coffee.

But nesting amidships on that Friday in June was one container, MEDU3333950, that would carry a different kind of cargo all the way to East Africa.

Its secret load: 200 pounds of cocaine.

The story of MEDU3333950 might have ended there, with a quick seizure by local authorities or an unremarkable arrest, except for this: It has entangled a young Brit of noble birth and a storied London commodities house in a web of global trade and illicit drugs.

And the roundabout journey those drugs apparently took has trained a harsh spotlight on an open secret in the commodities game: Increasingly, smugglers are using industry shipping networks to spirit contraband around the world.

People smuggling

Further Criminalizing People Smuggling Will Not Work

THE NEW YORK Declaration which was the centerpiece of a much-vaunted U.N. summit on refugees paid scant attention to one of the most potent vectors in large-scale irregular migration: the role of smugglers.

Human smuggling is now estimated to be one of the largest global illicit markets, with a value of some $157 billion annually. In Europe’s migration crisis, for example, EUROPOL estimates that upwards of 90 percent of the people who arrived in Europe in 2015 used a smuggler, paying them an average of between $3,000 and $6,000 for their journey. Smugglers’ practices of overloading boats and using unseaworthy vessels are largely accountable for the nearly 10,000 people who have died in the central Mediterranean in the last three years.

Privacy security

Researchers ask federal court to unseal years of surveillance records

Two lawyers and legal researchers based at Stanford University have formally asked a federal court in San Francisco to unseal numerous records of surveillance-related cases, as a way to better understand how authorities seek such powers from judges. This courthouse is responsible for the entire Northern District of California, which includes the region where tech companies such as Twitter, Apple, and Google, are based.

According to the petition, Jennifer Granick and Riana Pfefferkorn were partly inspired by a number of high-profile privacy cases that have unfolded in recent years, ranging from Lavabit toApple’s battle with the Department of Justice.

Election safety

US Official: Hackers Targeted Election Systems Of 20 States

 Hackers have targeted the voter registration systems of more than 20 states in recent months, a Homeland Security Department official said Friday.

The disclosure comes amid heightened concerns that foreign hackers might undermine voter confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections. Federal officials and many cybersecurity experts have said it would be nearly impossible for hackers to alter an election’s outcome because election systems are very decentralized and generally not connected to the internet.

The official who described detecting the hacker activity was not authorized to speak publicly on the subject and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It was unclear, the official said, whether the hackers were foreign or domestic, or what their motives might be. ABC News earlier reported that more than 20 states were targeted.

Electoral battles

Commentary: What the candidates didn’t say about nukes

This year's presidential campaign has featured relatively little detailed discussion of nuclear policy. That changed—a little—in Monday night's debate.

The final segment of the Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump debate, vaguely titled "Securing America," focused in significant part on the nuclear threat. The discussion--directed largely by the candidates themselves--was substantive. And because both candidates have political reasons to continue to address the existential threat of nuclear weapons, the debate could serve as a much-needed starting point for elaborating on the topic during the remaining two presidential debates.

Monday’s nuclear discussion grew out of a question about cyber security that gradually morphed into arguments about the best ways to combat Islamic State. Clinton suggested that to protect the American people from terrorism, the United States needed an "intelligence surge" that required cooperation with U.S. allies. "We're working with NATO, the longest (lived) military alliance in the history of the world, to really turn our attention to terrorism. We're working with our friends in the Middle East, many of which, as you know, are Muslim-majority nations," Clinton said. "Donald has consistently insulted Muslims abroad, Muslims at home, when we need to be cooperating with Muslim nations and the American Muslim community."

Radiation safety

Request for Proposals: Heading off Nuclear Catastrophe

Despite progress through the Nuclear Security Summit, risks persist. There are enough fissile materials to fuel tens of thousands of weapons, and these global stocks are growing. With no further Summits scheduled, and no clear roadmap for future progress, the role of civil society becomes all the more important.

As the Corporation and MacArthur indicated in their Civil Society Gift Basket, there are many impediments to progress and no simple solutions. How can secrecy and national security be balanced with transparency and accountability? How might access to the benefits of civilian nuclear technology be balanced with corresponding security considerations? How can we ensure that solutions take into account the constraints and incentives of existing stakeholders?

Freedom of information

FBI wanted Tesla’s ‘death ray’ invention for War Dept, documents show

The FBI has finally published its cache of files relating to Nikola Tesla, 73 years after “two truckloads” of his property were seized by the US government following the renowned inventor’s death.

The declassified documents have been released under the Freedom of Information Act and revealed the FBI and government’s serious interest in the death ray - a particle beam weapon which Tesla claimed to have invented.

The long-awaited release also contains information on Tesla’s ball lightning experiments and an FBI plot to arrest a family member who they believed was trying to get his hands on Tesla’s treasure trove of documents.

Serbian-born Tesla is most famous for designing the AC electricity supply system. He was also known for his foresight, predicting the smartphone and video calling.

Nuclear security

Nuclear Poker: Why the US Can't Trick Russia Into Changing Its Nuclear Doctrine

On Tuesday, Senator Edward Markey and Representative Ted Lieu introduced legislation which would bar the president from conducting a nuclear first strike absent a Congressional declaration of war. Russian military analysts comment on the bill, and the prospects it has for changing Russian strategic doctrine.

In the press release for the bill, Senator Markey explained that "by maintaining the option of using nuclear weapons first in a conflict, US policy increases the risk of unintended nuclear escalation." According to the senator, "the President should not use nuclear weapons except in response to a nuclear attack." The proposed "legislation enshrines this simple principle into law."

Biosecurity

Zika Might Spread in Sweat and Tears, Doctors Warn

The Zika virus may spread in sweat and tears in some cases, doctors cautioned Thursday.

The case of a Utah man who infected his adult son before he died leaves no other alternatives, the team at the University of Utah School of Medicine said.

And — more bad news — the 73-year-old patient who died really was not very sick before he caught Zika, which suggests that the virus can occasionally kill people who are not frail and ill.

Dr. Sankar Swaminathan and colleagues describe the case in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The patient, who died in July, was thefirst in the 50 U.S. states to be killed by Zika. He'd been treated for prostate cancer but wasn't especially ill from that, the team wrote in their report.

Cybersecurity

U.S. set to hand over Internet address book

The United States doesn’t own the Internet, but it’s held the oversight contract for the organization that runs its address book for many years. That’s set to change Friday.

The U.S. contract with the non-profit organization in charge of all Internet domain names expires then, and the non-profit running the database will become autonomous and be accountable to international stakeholders in the Internet community. These include a governmental advisory committee, a technical committee, industry committee, internet users and telecommunications experts.

The move has been opposed by some officials and lawmakers like Sen. Ted Cruz who say America is “giving away the Internet.”

Far East

North Korea Brings Japan and China Closer Together -- For a Moment

Recent North Korean misbehavior – such as the August 24 submarine-launched ballistic missile test, the September 9 nuclear test, and the September 20 long-range rocket engine test (widely considered a cover for developing intercontinental ballistic missile technology) – has produced much of the same old, same old international reaction. That includes moves toward greater Sino-Japanese cooperation to deal with the greatest source of instability in Northeast Asia.

Shortly after the nuclear test, on September 15, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida had a phone conversation with Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart, in which Kishida called on China to help deal with North Korea. After the call, Kishida told reporters, “Both countries bear great responsibility in the international community. So, it was very meaningful that we reconfirmed cooperation.”

Navy

One of Russia's Most Advanced Nuclear Missiles Self-Destructed During a Test Flight

Russia’s R-30 Bulava submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) continues to be plagued with problems as a recent test failure shows.

On Sept. 27, K-535 Yuri Dolgoruky, the lead vessel in the Project 955 Borei-class of ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), launched two Bulava SLBMs from the White Sea at the Kura testing range on the Kamchatka peninsula. While one of the missiles hit its targets successfully, the other self-destructed in flight. “The second rocket self-destructed after the first stage of the mission,” reads a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense as quoted by the Moscow-based TASS News agency.

The Bulava missile—which is eventually expected to form the backbone of the sea-based portion of Russia’s nuclear deterrence triad—has been plagued with reliability problems. The Bulava had suffered from a string of failures before the weapon was finally declared operational on Oct. 15, 2015, after quality control issues during the production process were allegedly resolved. However, since November 2015, the Bulava has suffered at least three failures out of a total of four launches.

Military

McMaster: Army Must Prioritize Close-Combat Capability

While equipping the soldier doesn’t give Congress and the American public a sexy vehicle, aircraft or weapon to admire, McMaster said modernization dollars need to be focused to the soldier at the squad level. 

His reasoning is that the Army will operate in what it calls “Anti-Access Area Denial” – or A2/AD – environments and, in the future, all domains in which the US military fights will be contested. 

The Army, he said, is focused on establishing the squad-level unit as a foundation of the “decisive force,” which means “the ability to give our infantry and small units the mobility, protection and lethality they need.” 

That could mean equipping the Army with the revolutionary XM25 precision-guided grenade launcher and other advanced weapons like the Lethal Miniature Aerial Munition System (LMAMS), McMaster said. But it could also mean giving soldiers the ability to target, locate and get fires into the fight quickly, he added. 

Innovations & technologies

Carter Meets with Google CEO During Los Alamos Visit

In July, Carter described the group’s job as “keeping DoD imbued with a culture of innovation in people, organizations, operations, and technology, to support people who innovate, those creative figures in our department who are willing to try new things, fail fast, and iterate; and also to ensure that we’re always doing everything we can to stay ahead of potential adversaries.” 

The board previously announced that it would meet in October to develop suggestions for Carter, and the Pentagon official said Schmidt took time out of his schedule to spend the two days learning about the department to help direct those conversations. 

Los Alamos is home to Plutonium Facility 4, the US government’s science, technology and manufacturing center for plutonium. Press were not invited to visit the lab, but a Los Alamos press release said Carter visited the pit casting area, “where molten plutonium is shaped into a pit, the plutonium core of a nuclear weapon.” 

9/11 investigation

Senators already eyeing changes to 9/11 bill after veto override

With Congress overriding President Obama for the first time, lawmakers in both parties are already eyeing changes to the law at the heart of the showdown.  

The Senate voted 97-1 to override the president's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), but a bipartisan group of senators indicated Wednesday that they remain concerned about potential retaliation against Americans.  

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said lawmakers need to make sure they didn't open "Pandora's box" and reassure Saudi Arabia that Congress isn't "finding them guilty of 9/11." 

"I think the things we can do that would preserve the right to sue here in America ... but also minimize the exposure we have overseas," he added. "We need to think hard about how to modify this bill." 

Graham, who supported the veto override, estimated that approximately 20 senators currently support changing the bill, something he thinks could happen as soon as the end-of-year lame-duck session.

Innovations & technologies

New Security Scanning Method under Development

Researchers from North Carolina State University have used computer models to demonstrate the possibility of a low-cost security imaging device that makes use of inexpensive radio components. Functional prototypes are under development and would be orders of magnitude less expensive than existing imaging devices.

Currently, scanning devices that detect hidden weapons or contraband in airports rely on millimeter-wave cameras, which can cost more than $175,000. The cost of the technology is a significant limiting factor in determining where, and whether, to use these scanners.

Brian Floyd, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and lead researcher on the effort: “Our goal is to develop imaging technology that would be functional and affordable, making use of multi-antenna systems”.

Before developing a prototype, Floyd wanted to be sure that the idea would work. So, he and a team of students developed both a computer model and algorithms to simulate how – and whether – the new method would produce useful images, it did.

Electronic surveillance

Eavesdropping Norway Rolls Out Two New Spy Ships

Russia's refurbishing of military bases and civil infrastructure along the Northern Sea Route from Murmansk to the Far East has prompted the Norwegian Intelligence Service to believe it needs more monitoring capacity; Norway claims the two spy ships it has are insufficient. Both of Norway's intelligence collection ships will be sent into the high Arctic to gather data on Russia's military maneuvers.

In a few months, the FS Marjata will therefore keep company with the ship it was originally supposed to replace, which has been renamed the FS Eger after receiving a full overhaul and becoming modernized. Both reconnaissance ships are heading to neutral waters in the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea, but will be tasked with monitoring Russian activity exclusively.