U.S jets drop four BOMBS on Great Barrier Reef after fuel emergency in training exercise


Two Marine jets dropped four 500lb bombs on the Great Barrier Reef this week after a fuel emergency meant they could not land while carrying the weapons.

The AV-8B Harriers, part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, had been taking part in a training exercise when the pilots realized they were running low on fuel.

Each Harrier was forced to drop two bombs on the UNESCO world heritage site, although there was no risk of them exploding, according to defense officials.

dailymail.co.uk

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



Syrischer Bürgerkrieg mit Schweizer Waffen


In Syrien werden offenbar Waffen aus der Schweiz eingesetzt. Laut der «SonntagsZeitung» befinden sich Handgranaten vom bundeseigenen Rüstungsbetrieb Ruag in den Händen der Aufständischen. Wie die Waffen nach Syrien kamen, ist unklar.

Dies beweisen demnach Fotos aus der Ortschaft Marea. Die Aufnahmen wurden von einem Reporter gemacht, der die Aufständischen der Freien Syrischen Armee (FSA) im Kampfgebiet begleitet. Zu sehen sind Handgranaten vom Typ «OHG92». Der Reporter sei vor Ort auf Kartons voller Handgranaten aus der Schweiz hingewiesen worden. «Die Aufständischen haben versichert, dass Granaten dieses Typs bereits eingesetzt wurden», teilt der Reporter in der «SonntagsZeitung» weiter mit.

OHG92's were produced for export only

tagesschau.sf.tv lexpev.nl

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



Army trying to figure out what to do with 20,000 mine-resistant trucks


The venerable HMMWV served the United States military as the go-to vehicle for 25 solid years. Before that, various militarized Jeep models had been pressed into service since 1941, when the army first identified the need for a lightweight, all-terrain vehicle capable of carrying a few troops and all their gear into battle.

It seems the so-called Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAPS for short) aren't going to have the same kind of life expectancy as their predecessors. According to CNN, the military is finding it difficult to cook up uses for the 20,000 MRAPS it possesses that are no longer needed for the war in Iraq, where the threat of improvised explosive devises necessitated gigantic V-shaped hulls and several tons of armor.

cnn.com autoblog.com

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



AH-64 Apache Crash Afghanistan after crazy maneuver


AH-64 Apache helicopter crash in Sharana, Afghanistan. The pilot was executing a maneuver known as "return to target". No one on the ground was killed and both pilots survived, possible criminal charges were laid.

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



US Army warns about the risks of geotagging


Soldiers' lives are being put at risk by geotagged photos - marked with a location - on social media sites like Facebook, the US Army has warned.

It says Facebook's new Timeline feature, which creates a map of places geotagged by users, also poses a risk to soldiers and their families

Many smartphones automatically geotag photos with GPS co-ordinates.

nakedsecurity.sophos.com bbc.co.uk

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



Xianglong ("Soar Dragon") Drones renderings - China Military Report


Xianglong UAV is a large UAV researched and designed by China own . "Grand" high-speed high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft Overall Length 14.33 m, a wingspan of 24.86 m, height 5.413 m, normal takeoff weight of 6800 kg, payload 600 kg body's life is tentatively scheduled for 2500Fh. Cruising altitude of 18,000 meters to 20,000 meters, cruising speed of more than 700 km / h; combat radius of 2000 to 2500 km

wuxinghongqi.blogspot.com wiki

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



The Pentagon Is Doubling Down on Drones to Save Money


The Pentagon has a new game plan for a leaner military: fewer soldiers and more drones. Today, Defense Secretary Leon Panatta will unveil his department's $525 billion budget for the fiscal year of 2013, which includes $487 billion in cuts over the next decade. Details of the budget are beginning to leak out to reporters ahead of the press conference and, as a whole, paint a picture of a more specialized, low-profile military. Here's what we know so far.

theatlanticwire.com Pentagon taps students to build robots, drones

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



Pressefreiheit weltweit


Österreich liegt auf Platz fünf - Platz eins belegen Finnland und Norwegen - Schlusslichter sind Turkmenistan, Nordkorea und Eritrea

Reporter ohne Grenzen stuft Ägypten im jüngsten Pressefreiheitsranking gleich um 39 Plätze schlechter ein als im Vorjahr. Schärfere Notstandsgesetze und unverhältnismäßige Gewalt gegen Journalisten führt die Pressefreiheitorganisation als Gründe an. Platz eins belegen Finnland und Norwegen. Syrien, wo Zensur, Überwachung und willkürliche Gewalt die Arbeit von Journalisten nahezu unmöglich machen, fiel auf Platz 176. Schlusslichter des Rankings sind Turkmenistan, Nordkorea und Eritrea. Die USA fielen um 27 Positionen auf Platz 47 ab, weil die Polizei die Berichterstattung über die Occupy-Proteste laut RSF-Bericht behindert habe.

Pressefreiheit weltweit

derstandard.at report [pdf]

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



Reporters Without Borders international press freedom index


“This year’s index sees many changes in the rankings, changes that reflect a year that was incredibly rich in developments, especially in the Arab world,” Reporters Without Borders said today as it released its 10th annual press freedom index. “Many media paid dearly for their coverage of democratic aspirations or opposition movements. Control of news and information continued to tempt governments and to be a question of survival for totalitarian and repressive regimes. The past year also highlighted the leading role played by netizens in producing and disseminating news.

“Crackdown was the word of the year in 2011. Never has freedom of information been so closely associated with democracy. Never have journalists, through their reporting, vexed the enemies of freedom so much. Never have acts of censorship and physical attacks on journalists seemed so numerous. The equation is simple: the absence or suppression of civil liberties leads necessarily to the suppression of media freedom. Dictatorships fear and ban information, especially when it may undermine them.

rsf.org Full report [pdf]

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



How safe is Mexico for tourists?


News stories this week about Canadians killed in Mexico have people asking whether the country is safe to visit.

Robin Wood from Salt Spring Island, B.C. was gunned down during a home invasion in Melaque on Jan 2. Three days later, Ximena Osegueda, a University of British Columbia student, and partner Alejandro Alvarado were found stabbed and strangled with their hands tied behind their back near a beach in Hualtulco.

The Mexican government is expecting 2012 to be a good year for tourism. In fact, Mexico is expecting 52 million tourists to visit its five southern states, thanks to the misguided hype about 2012 and the Maya calendar. That compares to 22 million foreign visitors to all of Mexico in 2011.

borderlandbeat.com

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



MEDIA: Eastern border is open for you to enter, no visas nothing. Please cover our story.


The Libyan-Egyptian borders are now fully open! Journalists and Aid organisations can now enter Libya from the Egyptian borders. We urge you all to start making your way to Egypt to assist in helping in every way possible.

I would continue to urge all media to head to Salum in Egypt, we can provide people in Benghazi and all East Libya Feb17

libyafeb17.com

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment



Afghanistan rules 1.3m parliamentary votes are invalid


The number of void votes amounts to almost a quarter of nearly 5.6 million ballots cast in the 18 September poll.

More than 220 candidates are being investigated for fraud in the election, turnout for which was around 40%.

bbc.co.uk

... Link (0 comments) ... Comment