Moon’s remark on Monday was interpreted as calling on the Park government to play a delicate balancing act between the two superpowers, which Korea heavily relies on economically and militarily. While South Korea has forged a strong military alliance with the United States, which stations some 30,000 men and women on the peninsula, China is Korea’s biggest trade partner, with trade volume of $228.9 billion in 2013 – more than double of that with the United States, at $103.5 billion the same year.
Daily Archives: 17. August 2015
Korean-made missiles to replace aging Hawks
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Thursday it will begin to mass produce and deploy the domestically-made medium-range surface-to-air Cheongung missile to the Korean Air Force by the end of the year. Recently, the state-run Agency for Defense Development successfully test-fired the new missile, also called the M-SAM, at its Anheung testing site in Taean County, South Chungcheong, said an official from DAPA. The missile was developed by the Agency for Defense Development from 2001 and completed in 2011 and has a maximum range of 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) and a weight of 400 kilograms (881 pounds).
SecDef Carter Tells McCain Chinese Can Come To RIMPAC
Defense Secretary Ash Carter — for now — is resisting congressional calls to uninvite China from the biggest naval exercise in the world, known as RIMPAC.
In a July 16 letter to Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain, Carter goes to some lengths to avoid offending China, on the one hand, and, on the other, to placate McCain and the committee’s ranking member, John Reed, who don’t want China taking part in RIMPAC 2016. The two defense lawmakers wrote Carter a May 21 letter about this. In his response to the SASC leaders, Carter says China “is engaging in some conduct that is causing us to respond and to draw closer to the many allies and partners that share our concern.”
Army Missile Defense Must Step Up Its Game: Heidi Shyu
The Army’s also planning multiple upgrades for the 1980s-vintage Patriot. The simplest is a new digital processor for the radar. “You guys can’t imagine, we have a processor that’s twenty years old,” Shyu said scornfully. “It’s a brick.”
The Patriot will also get a new radar, an active electronically scanned array (AESA) with greater range and sharper discrimination. Industry could deliver this “lower tier AESA” today, Shyu said, and the planned program start is 2017, but budget cuts may slow that down.
Most dramatically, Patriot is already getting a new missile, the Missile Segment Enhanced (MSE) currently in low-rate initial production. “It provides much higher altitude, much longer range,” Shyu said. As a result, she said “this is a missile that in high demand across the different COCOMs today. We can’t produce it fast enough.”
Location of Patriot Missiles Redeployed From Turkey to US to Remain Secret
On Sunday, governments of the United States and Turkey issued a joint statement, according to which the US deployment of Patriot units in Turkey expiring in October will not be renewed.
Gratis-WLAN für Flüchtlinge in Traiskirchen
Unterstützung seitens der Lagerleitung oder durch das Innenministerium gab es nach einer Anfrage keine, so Mulla. Daher hat man einfach bei den Anrainern um das Lager nachgefragt, ob man den Hotspot aufstellen darf. Untergebracht ist die „WandeLAN Box“ nun am Dachboden von Bernhard L., einem direkten Anrainer des Erstaufnahmezentrums. Im Interview mit dem STANDARD erzählte er bereits von der Situation in Traiskirchen.
Monsanto’s Worst Fear May Be Coming True
The decision of the Chipotle restaurant chain to make its product lines GMO-free is not most people’s idea of a world-historic event. Especially since Chipotle, by US standards, is not a huge operation. A clear sign that the move is significant, however, is that Chipotle’s decision was met with a tidal-wave of establishment media abuse. Chipotle has been called irresponsible, anti-science, irrational, and much more by the Washington Post, Time Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, and many others. A business deciding to give consumers what they want was surely never so contentious.
The media lynching of Chipotle has an explanation that is important to the future of GMOs. The cause of it is that there has long been an incipient crack in the solid public front that the food industry has presented on the GMO issue. The crack originates from the fact that while agribusiness sees GMOs as central to their business future, the brand-oriented and customer-sensitive ends of the food supply chain do not.
Remembering Civil Rights Freedom Fighter Who Chaired NAACP, Cofounded SNCC
We remember the life of civil rights pioneer Julian Bond, who died on Saturday at the age of 75. Bond first gained prominence in 1960 when he organized a series of student sit-ins while attending Morehouse College. He went on to help found SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. After the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Bond was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House of Representatives. But members of the Legislature refused to seat him, citing his vocal opposition to the Vietnam War. Bond took the case to the Supreme Court and won. He went on to serve 20 years in the Georgia House and Senate. At the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Julian Bond became the first African-American person nominated for US vice president by a major political party
Déjà Vu: Germany Tightens Its Economic Power Over Europe
Germany‘s leaders herded their European counterparts into imposing harsh austerity on Greece. It was the price, they insisted, that Greece had to pay to receive bailout credits from the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Europeans required those bailout credits to be used mostly to pay back loans the Greek government had gotten earlier from private banks (chiefly German, French and Greek). Those credits could not be used to get Greece out of the 2008 crash that afflicted all of Europe.
Zwangsernährung ist unethisch – Administrativhaft endlich abschaffen
Brief an Außenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier: Die deutsche Sektion der ärztlichen Friedensorganisation IPPNW appelliert in einem Schreiben an Bundesaußenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, sich für die Freilassung des palästinensischen Rechtsanwalts Mohammed Allan sowie die Abschaffung der Administrativhaft einzusetzen. Mohammed Allan hat am 16. Juni 2015 einen Hungerstreik begonnen, um gegen die Administrativhaft zu protestieren. Er ist am Freitag ins Koma gefallen und schwebt in Lebensgefahr. Trotz des jüngst verabschiedeten israelischen Gesetzes, das Zwangsernährung erlaubt, haben sich israelische ÄrztInnen bisher geweigert, ihn zwangszuernähren.
Soldiers Inc: Balla-Balla mit Preisschild
Soldiers Inc ist ein recht typisches Browser-MMO und Strategiepiel, bei dem es um den Aufbau einer Militärbasis und das Sammeln von Rohstoffen geht. Begleitet einen die sadistische Stimme von Gutfreund „Mr. Black“ zunächst schnurgerade durch den Spielanfang, bemerkt der Gamer dann Stunden später dann den üblichen Haken bei zunächst kostenlosen Browserspielen: die unvermeidliche Spielwährung (hier „Diamanten“), die zum Aufbau der ortseigenen Festung leider unvermeidlich ist. Diese muss dann natürlich in echten Euronen gelatzt werden, für Mauern, allerlei Geschütz, etc, zur Abwehr anderer auf Eroberungstour befindlicher Spielgegner.
26 Egyptian officers allegedly jailed for plotting coup against Sisi
“Two months ago a group of officers disappeared and no one knew their whereabouts for two weeks,” the relative said. “We later found out they were accused of attempting a coup.”
The relative said no one was allowed to see the arrested officers, and that the lawyers told him some of the arrested officers had been exposed to harsh interrogation.
Egyptian president ratifies new ‘anti-terror’ law
It sets a minimum fine of 200,000 pounds (about $25,000) and a maximum of 500,000 pounds (about $62,000) for anyone who strays from government statements in publishing or spreading „false“ reports on attacks or security operations against militants. It also lays out the death penalty for those convicted of leading „terrorist groups“ or financing attacks.
December deadline for Greek rail asset offers
The process to privatise TrainOSE and Rosco began in mid-2013, when HRADF reportedly received firm expressions of interest from SNCF, Russian Railways and Romania’s Grampet Group for a 100% stake in the operator. Alstom, Siemens and an RZD-led consortium expressed an interest in acquiring Rosco.
Germany‘s hypocrisy over Greece water privatisation
“We expect this government to respect this decision [from the court]. This is a check point for this government. If it passes this red line, it’s going to be like the former government,” said Argovtopoulos.
Über 1 Milliarde Gamer: Wir schauen Euch an
Von über 7 Milliarden Menschen auf dem Planeten nutzten bereits im Jahr 2013 zweieinhalb Milliarden einen Zugang zum World Wide Web (WWW) des Internet. 1,2 Milliarden von ihnen waren bereits aktive Gamer. Und die Zahlen steigen. Allein die Ausleuchtung des Verhaltens, des Zugangsortes und der benutzten informationstechnischen Geräte dieser gewaltigen Zahl von Menschen ist ein Riesengeschäft geworden. Ein Großteil der Weltbevölkerung investiert also seine Lebenszeit tatsächlich in Spiele, bei nicht unbedingt mehr Brot.
Greece ‘will rapidly sell’ ports for new aid
At the end of last year, Germany’s Fraport was named preferred bidder in a deal to operate 14 regional airports in Greece, but the transaction has stalled since the left-wing government of Alexis Tsipras took power in January.
Griechisches Parlament stimmt neuen Sparmaßnahmen zu
Die Maßnahmen, die Syriza selbst vorgeschlagen hat, gehen weit über die Angriffe der vorherigen Regierungen hinaus. Inmitten einer tiefen Rezession hat das Parlament ein Gesetz verabschiedet, das Sozialkürzungen und Steuererhöhungen verschärft, die Kleinbauern und arme Haus- und Wohnungsbesitzer treffen.
Die Regierung hat auch zugestimmt, große Teile des Staatseigentums zu privatisieren und die heute schon schmalen Renten weiter zu beschneiden, um in den nächsten eineinhalb Jahren mehr als anderthalb Prozent des BIP einzusparen.
German Company Set to Take Over Operations of 14 Greek Airports
The airports include those of Aktion, Chania, Corfu, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Mytilene, Mykonos, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessaloniki and Zakynthos.
Latest poll shows strong support for Pirate Party
A recent poll has shown the Iceland’s Pirate Party remains popular in the country, with 35 per cent of people behind them.
Wir sagen Ja zum Euro
(1.Mai 2013) Die Existenz der neuen Rechtspartei »Alternative für Deutschland« (AfD) ist eine unmittelbare Folge der falschen Euro-Rettungspolitik von Bundeskanzlerin Merkel. Ihre Politik verstärkt den bereits in der Gründung des Euros angelegten Fehler: Eine gemeinsame Währung setzt eine gemeinsame Wirtschafts-, Sozial- und Finanzpolitik voraus.
„Wir erzeugen künstlich einen gescheiterten Staat“: Harald Schumann über Griechenland und die Zukunft Europas
Die Eurozone sei zutiefst undemokratisch und neoliberal geprägt und habe in dieser Form keine Zukunft. Doch eine Auflösung des Euro sei mit enormen Kosten verbunden und würde in eine schwere europaweite Rezession führen. Zu befürchten sei außerdem, dass nationalistische Kräfte weiter Auftrieb erhalten…
Absage der Sozialisten: Um Alexis Tsipras wird es einsam
Nach der konservativen Partei Neue Demokratie in Griechenland hat nun auch die sozialistische Pasok erklärt, sie werde Tsipras bei einer Vertrauensabstimmung nicht unterstützen.
Konstrukteur des Griechen-Fonds – Ex-Lehman-Banker verhandelte für Tsipras
(…)
India lines up $1.4 billion to pay Iran debt
India pays 55% of its debts to Iran for oil purchases in euros and the rest in rupees.
Payments in euro through Turkey’s Halkbank were halted in February 2013 under US pressures, leading to the current debt.
UN envoy supports Iran‘s initiative to resolve regional problems
The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag welcomed Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif‘s offer for resolution of regional problems through dialogue, Irna reported.
Iran going to be unbelievably rich, powerful nation – Trump
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he will not abolish the July 14 conclusion of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries if he wins the race to the White House.
Trump, however, said that he would supervise the implementation of the agreement very strictly.
Then, he went on to denounce the Obama administration for negotiating “a bad deal” with Iran which he said would “lead to a nuclear holocaust”.
US planned 12 nuke attacks on Japan
American military archives reveal that if the Japanese had not surrendered on August 15, 1945, they would have been hit by a third and potentially more powerful atomic bomb just a few days later and then, eventually, an additional barrage of up to 12 further nuclear attacks.
Documents highlighted during commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima on August 6, and Nagasaki on August 9, which forced the end of World War II, show the determination of the United States to make Japan surrender unconditionally.
Raketenabwehr: Auch USA beenden „Patriot“-Einsatz in der Türkei
Der Einsatz war seit Längerem umstritten – unter anderem, weil die Türkei von vielen Dschihadisten als Transitland nach Syrien genutzt wird.
Gegen Rot-Rot-Grün und auf Schröder-Kurs
Doch der Essener PR-Anbieter Thomas Hüser könnte eher zum Problem für Gabriel werden. Wie die »Welt am Sonntag« berichtete, setzte Hüser noch vor ein paar Monaten auf eine SPD-Niederlage bei der Bundestagswahl 2017. »Gabriel wird beim nächsten Mal wieder 20 plus x einfahren«, schrieb Hüser am 6. Dezember 2014 in einem Kommentar auf der Facebook-Seite Gabriels. »Und das ist auch gut so.«
Stadtführung: War hier besetzt?
Hinzu kommt: Hüser war bis vor kurzem noch Mitglied der Partei von Angela Merkel