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Ansar al Islam, a longstanding al Qaeda-linked jihadist group which now mainly operates in Syria, has claimed its first attack in its native Iraq in five years. Yesterday, Ansar al Islam released a statement of responsibility for an improvised explosive device targeting members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU) in Iraq’s Diyala province on Tuesday. “Lions of Jamaat Ansar al Islam in the area of Jalawla in Iraq’s Diyala province, placed two IEDs upon the criminals of the Hashd Shaabi [PMUs],” the claim reads. The statement further claims killing one PMU soldier, while wounding another. This claim appears to be backed up by local reporting. Local Iraqi media outlets reported that three people were indeed killed by an IED in the Jalawla area. Though, the Baghdad Post reported only a “farmer” was killed. The Islamic State, while claiming attacks near Baqubah and Miqdadiyah, did not claim the Jalawla blast. This gives more veracity to Ansar al Islam’s statement. Ansar al Isl

Barber Institute of Fine Arts 25 October 2019 – 19 January 2020 Famed in his lifetime and for several generations after his death for his stylish and elegant paintings, Antwerp’s Jan de Beer (c. 1475 – 1527/28) created dazzling altarpieces that appealed to churches at home and abroad, copyists, patrons and collectors. However, his star subsequently waned until the early 20th century, when experts and connoisseurs began to re-evaluate his significance. De Beer’s known oeuvre now comprises about 40 works, principally devotional paintings and triptychs, but also drawings and a stained-glass window. Jan de Beer  (1475–1528)    Title Annunciation Date between circa 1510 and circa 1530 Medium oil on panel Dimensions Height: 90 cm (35.4 ″); Width: 130 cm (51.1 ″) Collection Montreal Museum of Fine Arts     This exhibition – the latest in the Barber’s ‘Masterpiece in Focus’ series – focuses on   the Barber’s own double-sided

I had to go out earlier than usual this morning so I missed most of this.  Much as I’d like to, I haven’t time to dissect it further, but Douglas Murray’s own account of the ambush is all you really need to know.  "Ah, the BBC. There’s really nothing like it is there?  This morning I had the pleasure of appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. I know what you’re already thinking: ‘You fool, you fool – it’s a trap’. But I was phoned last night and asked if I would come on this morning to discuss Barack Obama’s recent remarks against ‘wokeness’.  At some inconvenience to myself I rearranged my schedule, got up early and headed to the BBC. Only to discover that I was today’s BBC effort at replaying the recent Rod Liddle – Emily Maitlis exchange.  […]  In recent years, a lot of people from the BBC have approached me to ask what has gone wrong with their own programmes. I’m also fairly often approached by people from the corporation asking me to help them get on various pr

Can anyone fill in the missing words? Look at the video of Husam Zomlot, the PLO representative in the UK who calls himself the " Ambassador of Palestine at the UK .” The speech was made during the Pearson Global Forum in Berlin earlier this month. (H/T EoZ) I transcribed it as best I could, but if anyone can decipher the two missing words I’d be grateful. (Click on the first link above) I want to ‘trouser’ it for when I need to explain why I think people are wasting their time thinking of a future Palestinian state as any kind of ‘solution'. “About the two state solution. Let me explain something that I think is missed in the discussion.  "People think the two state solution is a Palestinian demand. Wherever we go now they tell us, “ah yea I know: you demand a two state solution, you aspire, in territory you claim to be yours!” Language like that. Even in major, you know, newspapers, that the Palestinians want to be their state - the land territory that the Pales

Raphael Eight Apostles, c. 1514 red chalk over stylus underdrawing and traces of leadpoint on laid paper, cut in two pieces and rejoined; laid down sheet: 8.1 x 23.2 cm (3 3/16 x 9 1/8 in.) support: 9.4 x 24.8 cm (3 11/16 x 9 3/4 in.) National Gallery of Art, Washington, Woodner Collection Raphael (1483–1520) was the first and greatest figure in the modern classical tradition of Western art. In celebration of the 500th anniversary of his death, the National Gallery of Art will present 26 prints and drawings from its own collection of works by Raphael’s contemporaries as well as four drawings by the Renaissance master himself. Raphael and His Circle will convey the complexity, range, and immediate influence of his style as it became the standard for aesthetic excellence in Western art. The exhibition will be on view from February 16 through June 14, 2020. Raphael 500 Several major exhibitions have been organized to mark the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death. The Gallery wil

Russian Nuclear Submarine Fires Intercontinental Missile for First Time (Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; issued Oct 30, 2019) Russia's Defense Ministry says it has test-launched a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile from its most advanced nuclear-powered submarine for the first time, striking a target thousands of kilometers away. The ministry said on October 30 that the missile was fired from an upgraded Borei-class nuclear submarine that was submerged in the White Sea near Arkhangelsk on Russia's northern coast. It said the missile carried a dummy payload that reached a test site in Russia's Far East region of Kamchatka. Vice Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev said the upgraded model of the Borei-class submarine is scheduled to enter service with Russia's Northern Fleet at the end of 2019 once it has completed trials that include weapons tests. The test comes amid tensions between Moscow and Washington following the demise of a Cold War-era nuclear treaty

(Source: Global Times; published Oct. 30, 2019) China's first domestically made aircraft carrier docks at the Dalian Shipyard in Northeast China's Liaoning Province after returning from her series of eight sea trials. (Chinese internet photo) China's second aircraft carrier, the first domestically built, appears to be preparing for a possible commissioning ceremony since it returned from its eighth sea trial, photos and videos showed. Troops in white naval uniforms lined the warship's flight deck on the morning of October 24 and practiced an inspection ceremony, Hong Kong-based news website wenweipo.com reported on Tuesday. A barge loaded with a crane approached the bow of the ship, as workers on the crane painted a huge "1" on the ship's hull, according to photos and videos posted in the wenweipo.com report. However, the number has since been erased and no further markings were visible as of Tuesday, the report said. "Painting a hull number is u

(Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued Oct. 31, 2019) The first Boeing P-8A Poseidon for the Royal Air Force taxies after landing at NAS Jacksonville, in Florida, after flying in from Seattle where it was handed over to the customer. It will be known as Poseidon MRA1 in RAF service. (RAF photo) The MOD is investing £3 billion in nine state-of-the-art jets which will enhance the UK’s tracking of hostile maritime targets, protect the British continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent and play a central role in NATO missions across the North Atlantic. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “The arrival of the world-class Poseidon aircraft marks a step-change in the UK’s maritime patrol capability. “Using the world’s most advanced sensors and operating for long periods, these aircraft will transform the quality of intelligence available to our armed forces and protect our vital nuclear deterrent.” Following an unveiling ceremony in Seattle, the aircraft was flown to Naval Air Station Jacksonvil

Russia's newest nuclear submarine on Wednesday successfully test fired a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile from the White Sea off Russia's northwestern coast, the defence ministry said. The Knyaz Vladimir, or Prince Vladimir, fired the missile from underwater that landed on target on the Kamchatka peninsula in far eastern Russia, the ministry said. The defence ministry said the "missile's flight went according to plan" and it landed at the set time. Launched in 2017, the Prince Vladimir submarine is the first upgraded model of Russia's Borei class of ballistic missile submarines, designed to be more manoeuvrable and quieter than previous models. It is currently being tested and is set to enter service with the Russian Navy's northern fleet in December this year, the fleet's commander Vice Admiral Moiseyev told TASS state news agency. Other Borei class submarines already in service include the Yury Dolgoruky and the Alexander Nevsky. They c

International technology standards organization Object Management Group (OMG) announced it is creating a new standard, through issuance of a request for proposal (RFP) for the Platform Space Telecommunications Interface (STI) for Software Defined Radios (SDRs). The objective of the RFP is to expand the Software Radio Components Specification to support future space communications. "For space missions, Software Defined Radio (SDR) systems are deployed in environmental conditions that require unique provisions in order to accommodate such communication services as new frequencies, latencies, data rates and dynamic reconfiguration of components," said Jeff Smith, Co-chair of the OMG Analysis and Design Platform Task Force and Chief Systems Engineer at Sierra Nevada Corporation supporting the Multi-Agency Collaboration Environment (MACE). "The expanded space communication specification will support the ability to collect and provide voice, video, data and networking signal

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday welcomed a pullback by the Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, but reiterated calls for Russia to "withdraw all their troops". Tuesday saw a long-awaited pullback between the two sides in a key area of the war-torn east. The move was a precondition for the first face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. "We welcome all efforts to reduce tensions, to withdraw forces and to make sure that we have a peaceful solution to the conflict," Stoltenberg said in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, praising Zelensky's "renewed effort". "But we know there is a long way to go because there are still ceasefire violations," he said as he began a two-day visit to the ex-Soviet country that was set to include a meeting with Zelensky on Thursday. "NATO states very clearly that Russia has a special responsibility to..

Congress Blackburn presses DOD management chief on Fourth Estate cuts By Lauren C. Williams Oct 30, 2019 Congress is looking for results when it comes to cost-cutting in the Defense Department's administrative agencies, known as the Fourth Estate. But it might not get all its asking for. During a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing Oct. 29, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) asked DOD's acting chief management officer, Lisa Hershman to explain why her office missed two legislative reporting requirements regarding the Pentagon's plan to hit 25 percent cost savings across across civilian management, logistics management, services contracting, and real estate management to Congress. "I think it is imperative that you began to hit your deadlines," Blackburn said. "Because we all know that within DOD there is a lot of waste and... a tremendous amount of focus on processes that have outlived their usefulness. That is incredibly frustrating.&

Acquisition DOD to get interim agile software rules By Mark Rockwell Oct 30, 2019 The software portion of the Defense Department's innovative adaptive acquisition framework, said one of the agency's top acquisition officials, will be a sea-change in its acquisition practices. The DoD's traditional acquisition focus has been on buying large systems and hardware of all types, said Stacy Cummings, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense, acquisition, which aren't the best when applied to fast moving software development. Come January, the agency will get an interim policy change that will let it delve more deeply into agile, DevOp-types of software development, she said in remarks at the Professional Services Council's Vision conference on Oct. 30. By the end of the year, she said, the DoD will push out interim changes to Department of Defense Directive 5000.01 that will set up iterative development practices, rather than having to stick to more tradi

AI & Analytics DOD data strategy nearing release By Troy K. Schneider Oct 30, 2019 The Defense Department's data strategy could be public in a matter of weeks. Department of the Navy Chief Data Officer Tom Sasala said at FCW's Oct. 30 Emerging Tech Workshop that, "with any luck," the long-awaited document will be released "sometime next month -- November." The final draft is just nine pages, Sasala said, and substantively has been finished for months. The drawn-out process is "a long story," but stems in part from all the things that were taken out of the document. "We took all implementation details out of the strategy," he said. Instead, each service branch and the secretary's office is required to develop its own implementation plan. The slimmed-down strategy is "not magical," he said, but it does provide a solid framework to guide each service's data efforts. "So this is fascinating," Sasala

Royal Academy of Arts, London 27 October 2019 — 26 January 2020 See more than 50 paintings, prints and drawings in which this modern master of British art turns his unflinching eye firmly on himself:  Lucian Freud’s self-portraits in one extraordinary exhibition. One of the most celebrated portraitists of our time, Lucian Freud is also one of very few 20th century artists who portrayed themselves with such consistency. Spanning nearly seven decades, his self-portraits give a fascinating insight into both his psyche and his development as a painter – from his earliest portrait, painted in 1939, to his final one executed 64 years later. They trace the fascinating evolution from the linear graphic works of his early career to the fleshier, painterly style he became synonymous with. When seen together, his portraits represent an engrossing study into the process of ageing. Confronting his self-image anew with each work, he depicted himself in youth as the Greek hero Acteon, in so

Cloud JEDI award signals rise of hybrid cloud By Ross Wilkers, Adam Mazmanian Oct 30, 2019 The Oct. 25 award of the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud contract to Microsoft may signal a change in the Defense Department's approach to the cloud, according to government IT industry watchers. Amazon Web Services was considered the frontrunner in the JEDI competition. It is the largest commercial cloud provider in the marketplace and has experience running a top secret impact level 6 cloud for the CIA. So when the Pentagon went looking in November 2017 for a single vendor to supply secure, general purpose cloud services to the warfighter, AWS seemed to be the obvious choice. JEDI remained a single-award contract throughout the procurement process, but DOD officials also increasingly spoke of it as one of many strategies for a department that already has multiple clouds at its disposal. "The strategy behind JEDI that made perfect sense three or four years ago ma

Cloud DOD CIO 'very confident' White House didn't sway JEDI award By Lauren C. Williams Oct 30, 2019 Senators didn't waste time getting answers on whether the White House tampered with the Defense Department's $10 billion cloud procurement during an Oct. 29 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Ranking Member Sen. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) told CIO Dana Deasy, who must be confirmed for the position he already holds due to a change in the status of the CIO post, that the "importance of the JEDI contract means it needs to be beyond any type of political engagement; it has to be done right down the middle." DOD announced it awarded Microsoft the 10-year, $10-billion JEDI contract on Oct. 25. Amazon Web Services was seen as a likely frontrunner for the award; there's no indication yet if AWS plans to seek redress, but many experts say a protest is likely . After releasing the JEDI solicitation, Deasy said DOD "went out and found approximat

Acquisition Navy increases OTA use but is wary of too many consortiums By Lauren C. Williams Oct 30, 2019 The Navy has ramped up its use of other transaction authority contracting but there are concerns about the proliferation of consortiums to support OTA activities, according to the deputy assistant secretary for procurement. Cindy Shaver, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for procurement in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, said she wanted to control the number of consortium OTAs to prevent overuse and abuse.  "Right now I'm taking a look at where all those consortium OTAs are because I do not want to create too many," Shaver said during an AFCEA NOVA event on Oct. 25. "I want to make sure that, from an industry perspective, you know what technology is covered by which consortium OTA because if you have to join all of them, that will undermine the exact purpose and create a barrier to entry to what the tool is for." Shaver