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The BBC has a new profile today of the famous George Soros  - the man who (Putin-style?) is interfering in the British Brexit debate by pouring some of his billions into a new 'second referendum' anti-Brexit campaign group  dedicating to overturning the referendum result and stopping Brexit.  Let's look at how the BBC frames its profile of him by quoting the profile's first four paragraphs.  And, were this an old-fashioned English exam paper question, the question here might be phrased: Do you detect any bias on the reporter's part here? If so, in what direction and how is that bias communicated? (3 marks) OK, your time starts.....now!: Hungarian-American businessman George Soros is one of the world's most renowned, and philanthropic, financial investors.  Earning his fortune through shrewd financial speculation, he has spent billions of his own money funding human rights projects and liberal democratic ventures around the world.  In recent years, th

As the old Open Thread is getting a bit long... (The old Open Thread will stay immediately below for a while to allow everyone - including me - to catch up with it). Thank you for sticking with us. Cue 'me and Sue's song':

For those who think The Two Peters (Hitchens and Oborne) are onto something when they complain about BBC bias towards the Syrian rebels, well, the BBC has conceded a fairly minor point to them and one of the Peters (Hitchens) is almost pleased: The BBC's ECU (nothing to do with the EU, by the way, despite what you might think. It means Executive Complaints Unit), has published a short statement about its ruling about BBC One's News at Ten : I do like the "In the view of the ECU, this sufficed to resolve the issue of complaint" bit there. That's very BBC! 'It may not be the complainant's view, despite the complainant being right, but it's ours and that's that!' Tracking the report via the TV Eyes archive, I believe that the offending reporter (reporting the UN perspective) was Nick Bryant. 

Oh no, I thought, on seeing the BBC News website headline: Is this a BBC producer getting in trouble for egging on Frankie Boyle to make one of his more 'outrageous' anti-royal jokes?  But no, the 'man' in question was just the usual Islamic fanatic preparing murderous terrorist attacks on the UK monarchy, shopping centres, the British army, sports stadiums and the UK's Jewish community. Now, as Not a Sheep notes , the BBC's online coverage has previously focused on Prince George and the sports stadiums  and hasn't previously mentioned his calls for attacks on Britain's Jews. Even this article gives his intent to attack the UK's "Jewish communities" just two words.  Reading about the story elsewhere , the would-be terrorist also called for other children's ice cream to be poisoned (a particularly troubling detail the BBC's account misses).  The Daily Mail also has the horrifying detail that the ISIS fanatic &qu

I subscribed to the London Review of Books for a year. I wanted something left-wing to balance my subscription to the right-wing Spectator . (Beat that for impartiality, BBC!). So it's pleasing that others are now finding the LRB worth a read, thanks to a long and fascinating piece there about the Grenfell Tower disaster by author and LRB editor-at-large Andrew O'Hagan.  It's one of those pieces that, if correct , should be used in university media departments to show how poor and irresponsible mainstream media reporting can be - for if what Andrew O'Hagan says is correct then the mainstream media, including the BBC, have failed us badly.  According to his account, the media immediately helped politicise the disaster and started the blame game, guiding the blame towards the wrong people - mainly the Council, its leaders and workers. They come about of AO'H's account sounding like thoroughly decent, well-intentioned people who not only tried to do the

Source:- India Army Said to Revive Israeli Spike Missile Purchase Plan India is set to place an order for Israeli ‘Spike’ missiles in a bid to boost its anti-tank capability against arch rival Pakistan, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The Indian Army wants to buy the Spike missile as a “stop gap” measure before the Defence Research and Development Organisation can come up with an indigenous anti-tank missile of its own within the next three years. The purchase proposal is at an advanced stage and is awaiting Indian government approval, the person said, without giving any details. They asked not to be identified as the information is not yet public. The order for the anti-tank guided missile, made by Israeli firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., could be placed this year to meet the army’s urgent requirements, the person said. A Rafael spokesman in Israel confirmed that a potential deal is under discussion, but wouldn’t comment further until something is signed. Af

Fans of everyone's favourite far-left ex- Newsnight  economics editor Paul Mason might enjoy the following... As reported in today's  The Times ,  George Osborne's Evening Standard stands accused (by openDemocracy 's James Cusick) of promising "six commercial giants (including Uber and Google) 'money-can’t-buy' news coverage in a lucrative deal, leaving millions of Londoners unaware of who’s paying for their news". The  Evening Standard strongly denies this , but that hasn't stopped Paul Mason from making demands on Sarah Sands , the editor of the Today programme (and previously the editor of the  Evening Standard ): A flaw in Paul's argument was quickly spotted ... ...followed by gales of public hilarity. (Oh Paul!) Incidentally, this story (or non-story) is arousing a lot of interest from prominent commentators on Twitter but not, as far as I can see, from the BBC yet. ( Not even Amol Rajan ).

  🇫🇰 The postal services of The Falkland Islands , Ascension Island and Tristan Da Cunha all plan to issue sets of 4 stamps each on 2 July 2018 to commemorate the Centenary of the Royal Air Force. The stamps were designed beautifully by Robin Carter and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****.   Many thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for information about these issues.   The postal service of St Helena has now issued or is just about to issue, though I'm still not sure of the precise release date, 2 new sets - 1 previously mentioned to commemorate the wedding of the Duke and Duchess Of Sussex made up of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet and the second to mark the final visit to the island by RMS St Helena, again made up of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet.   The Royal Wedding issue:-   The Final voyage of RMS St Helena issue:-   🇹🇷 The postal administration of the Turkish Republic Of Northern Cyprus

PARIS --- A new controversy broke out in Belgium on Wednesday, after Defense Minister Steven Vandeput’s staff attacked the authenticity of an internal MoD e-mail released by an opposition party to bolster its call for the minister’s resignation. The SP.A (Flemish Socialist) party on Wednesday released copies of e-mails that it says were written by the nation’s top military officers, and which it alleges prove that Vandeput lied to Parliament when he said he had no knowledge that the service life of the Belgian Air Force’s F-16 fighters could be extended, the Belga news service reported May 30. The Ministry of Defence immediately questioned the e-mail’s authenticity, questioned the credibility of SP.A and accused it of being manipulated. “Pathetic,” tweeted Vandeput’s spokeswoman Laurence Mortier, adding that “a grievous error in one of the e-mails” [which mentions Block 20 F-16s, while she maintains Belgium operates only Block 15s—Ed.] proves “Credibility nil; top ten #FakeNews.” Ap

Second Successful Development Firing of the Franco-British ANL / Sea Venom Missile (Source: French Directorate-General of Armaments; issued May 30, 2018) (Issued in French; unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) An ANL / Sea Venom missile developed by MBDA for the French and Royal Navies photographed just before it hit its target during the second development firing on April 18. (DGA photo) The teams of the Directorate General of Armament (DGA) and the company MBDA have successfully completed the second development firing of the Anti-Navire Léger (Light Antiship Missile (ANL; Sea Venom in English) on behalf of France and the United Kingdom, on April 18, 2018 at the Mediterranean site of the DGA Missile Test Range. The missile was fired from a DGA Panther test helicopter against a floating target at sea, off the Ile du Levant (83 – Var). The scenario played out was a long-range firing, with the missile flying at very low altitude and with Lock-On After Launch (LOAL). Thi

Babcock unveiled its Arrowhead 140 industry team which will bid to build the Royal Navy’s Type 31e general purpose frigates, seen in this CGI, and which will be based on a hull design currently in-service for the Royal Danish Navy. (Babcock image) Babcock Team 31 has today [31st May] unveiled Arrowhead 140 as its design for the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) new £1.25 billion Type 31e general purpose light frigate programme. Launching the new platform, ‘Team 31’ – led by Babcock and including fellow industry experts Thales, OMT, BMT, Harland and Wolff and Ferguson Marine – underlined the vessel’s established, ‘at sea’ design baseline which can be developed to meet global requirements. With UK engineering at its core, and developing OMT’s Iver Huitfeldt hull form currently in-service for the Royal Danish Navy, Arrowhead 140 will lower programme risks through its tried and tested baseline design and is engineered to minimise through-life costs whilst delivering a truly leading edge fri

Lockheed Martin CEO Downplays F-35 Corrosion Issue (excerpt) (Source: Washington Examiner; posted May 30, 2018) By Travis J. Tritten The CEO of defense giant Lockheed Martin said Wednesday that the company is moving past a dispute with the Pentagon over a primer defect on its F-35 joint strike fighters and that the issue is “not a big show-stopper.” The majority of the 200 or so F-35s with the production defect causing corrosion around fastener holes will be repaired within two years, Marillyn Hewson said during an investor conference. “It’s not a big show-stopper, it’s not a big significant issue, and we’ve got to plan with our Joint Program Office, our customer, on how we’ll go back and fix the aircraft that were delivered to address it,” she said. “In fact, it’s not a safety flight issue, so it can be done over the next couple of years.” (end of excerpt) Click here for the full story, on the Washington Examiner website. (ends) Older F-35s 'On Life Support,' But Trai

Source:- India’s Frontline Fighter Jet Su-30 MKI upgrade inches forward India’s ministry of defence, air force and Russian firms are in active discussions for the mid-life upgrade of 44 Sukhoi Su-30MKIs The upgrade program involves the integration of five new missiles and the fitting of Russian, Western and indigenously developed systems. The major upgrades are related to the radar, weapon control system, mission computer, and communications suite. State owned airframer Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) is aggressively pursuing the lead role for the upgrade program as it continues to produce the aircraft under license. Earlier this week, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), led by India’s defence minister, also approved the indigenous design and development of a long range dual band infrared imaging search and track system (IRST) for the Su-30MKI. At least 100 units are to be procured. It is not clear if the programme will also include structural upgrades allowing carriage of the 2.5t

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said his nation could go to war if its soldiers were hurt in the disputed South China Sea, a top aide said Wednesday after allegations emerged that Beijing had harassed Manila's troops in the area. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon made the comments as Duterte's administration pushed back against criticism its response to Chinese activities in the hotly contested waters had been weak. "Just the other night, the president said if my troops are hurt there, that could be my red line," Esperon told reporters. "Or, if our people are hurt there at Pag-asa Island. We are not saying we are going to war, but if they oppress us that may force our hand, because we will not allow ourselves to be oppressed." Pag-asa, better known as Thitu, is the largest of the islands and outcrops garrisoned by Philippine troops in the disputed areas of the South China Sea. Opposition lawmaker Gary Alejano alleged at a Wednesday c

The US defense satellite market is experiencing tremendous expansion with intensive cyber warfare driving US Department of Defense (DoD) spend toward hardening its satellite infrastructure through program funding, modernization strategies, and innovative counter and offensive space initiatives. Frost and Sullivan forecasts the market to reach $30.30 billion by 2023, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3%. Competition is expected to heighten as demand for shorter development times and access to additional launch windows surges. Frost and Sullivan's recent analysis, US Defense Satellite Market, Forecast to 2023, assesses disruptive trends, drivers and restraints, market share and the competitive environment for players such as L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, United Launch Services LLC, Raytheon, and Harris Corp. Spending forecasts, key findings, and engineering measurements for segments such as asset defense, asset development, communications, detection/warn

The Pentagon is renaming its oldest and largest military command to reflect the growing importance of the Indian Ocean in US strategic thinking, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday. From now on, the storied US Pacific Command, or PACOM, which was formed after World War II, will be known as the Indo-Pacific Command. The name change is largely symbolic for now, and won't immediately result in any shifts in the command's boundaries or assets across the vast area stretching from the western part of India to America's Pacific coastline. "In recognition of the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, today we rename the US Pacific Command to US Indo-Pacific Command," Mattis said in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. "Over many decades this command has repeatedly adapted to changing circumstance and today carries that legacy forward as America focuses west." The name change is part of Washington's efforts to counter China's growi

Source:- Upgraded Pinaka rocket successfully test-fired from PXE at Chandipur in Odisha An upgraded version of Pinaka rocket, with a guidance system and an enhanced range, was successfully test-fired from the Proof & Experiment Establishment (PXE) at Chandipur in Odisha today. “Two rounds of tests have been conducted and some more rounds have been planned,” said a defence source here. The earlier Pinaka version, which was an unguided one, has now been upgraded into a guided version, with a navigation, guidance and control kit developed by the Research Centre, Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, he said. The RCI comes under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). According to a source in the DRDO, the conversion helped in enhancing the range and accuracy of Pinaka. If its range was earlier 40 km, it is more than 70 km now, he said. “Radars, electro-optical systems and telemetry systems at the defence range at Chandipur, tracked and monitored the rocket all through its fligh

Source:- Centre plans connectivity push on China border The ‘invasion’ of Chinese radio channels has made the Centre plan installation of optical fibre cables (OFC) in areas bordering China. The OFC push is expected to arm civilians and defence personnel with cellular and radio connectivity strong enough to counter the Chinese waves, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Arunachal Pradesh’s capital, Itanagar, on Tuesday. Ms. Sitharaman said she experienced poor communication network during her recent visit to Kibithoo, the last border village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district. “I came to know people in the area access Chinese radio frequency but not All India Radio,” she said. “We will soon start work on extension of OFC in the remote border areas. The Union Cabinet discussed the issue 10 days ago and sanctioned additional funds,” Ms. Sitharaman, in the frontier State to highlight the achievements of the four-year-old Narendra Modi government, said. The Defence Minister

Source:- IN commissions first indigenously built floating dock Referred to as  Floating Dock Navy-2  (  FDN-2  ), the 185 m-long and 40 m-wide platform was inducted into the service on 25 May in a ceremony held at Port Blair, the capital of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands and headquarters of the IN-headed tri-service command. The platform is equipped with “state-of-art automated systems with all modern facilities to ensure quality and swift repairs of warships”, said the IN in a 27 May statement. FDN-2  , which is now the second floating dock in service with the IN, has the capability to lift ships and submarines of up to 8,000 tons displacement, which includes almost the entire range of the IN’s combat assets. “The floating dock is designed for berthing alongside a jetty, or moored in calm waters, enabling planned and emergency docking operations for ships,” stated the IN, adding that  FDN-2  will be based alongside  FDN-1  at Port Blair and is expected to “substantially enhan

France and Ukraine Sign an Agreement Paving the Way for One of the Biggest Contracts Between the Two Countries (Source: French Ministry of Economy and Finance; issued May 29, 2018) (Issued in French; unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) As part of the 555 million euro agreement signed yesterday by the French and Ukrainian governments, France will deliver 55 helicopters, including 21 repurposed H225 Super Pumas as well as H145 and H125 models. (Wikipedia photo) PARIS --- Delphine Gény-Stephann, undersecretary at the [French] ministry of Economy and Finance, and Arsen Avakov, Ukraine’s Minister of the Interior, this morning signed an intergovernmental agreement for the acquisition of helicopters by Ukraine for civil safety missions. France will financially support this acquisition by providing public guarantees and a loan from the Treasury. The project covers the acquisition of 55 Airbus helicopters valued at €555 million. Some of the helicopters were previously owned by