News Later Paper ISO

"Not fast enough for my pixie boots" Exasperated cries of "The BBC says trees are racist" went up this weekend after  BBC One's  Countryfile   took its knee to Black Lives Matters and broadcast a piece about racism and the British countryside from an unbalanced, BLM-supporting angle.  Though  Countryfile  has ostentatiously gone out of its way in recent years to prove that it is hitting   all  the right targets and ticking  all   the right diversity boxes (first young female presenters, then Asian presenters, then black presenters, then disabled presenters), this was still a clear and dramatic gear change bias-wise: an in-your-face gesture of empathy/sympathy towards the controversial, highly divisive, identity politics-driven agenda of Black Lives Matter - albeit delivered by a very nice-seeming young black man.  What intrigued me though was that  Countryfile  veteran Ellie Harrison introduced it by describing it as "a  very personal  in

And I haven’t finished yet! Camera has just posted a new article about the latest of the BBC’s grossly biased annexation related offerings. Paul Adams presents us with an embarrassingly crass and one-sided view. In sanctioning this grossly selective version of events, the BBC must have abandoned all pretence of impartiality. It has given up. Is this its death throes? To be specific: Not a word about the way Jordan originally acquired the “Palestinian” land. Not a word about the Arabs’ ongoing violence against Jewish Israelis from1948 to the present day.  The only reference to Palestinian violence is as a predicted ‘threat’ in response to annexation - “fallout” Not a word about the extra land allocated to the Palestinians in exchange for areas that are to gain Israeli sovereignty. Not a word about Jewish presence Judea and Samaria, but “for centuries it’s been home to Palestinian Arabs, as many as three million of them today. And it’s long been seen by most people as

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss al Qaeda’s problems in Syria, where a series of disputes have upset the group’s chain of command. They also discuss the State Department’s latest terrorism report and what it says about Pakistan’s sponsorship of the Taliban.  Powered by RedCircle Subscribe: Take a look around the globe today and you’ll see jihadists fighting everywhere from West Africa to Southeast Asia. They aren’t the dominant force in all of those areas, or even most of them. But jihadism has mushroomed into a worldwide movement, with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS and other groups waging guerrilla warfare and launching terrorist attacks on a regular basis. Each week Generation Jihad brings you a new story focusing on jihadism around the globe. These stories will focus not only on Sunni jihadism, but also Shiite extremist groups. We will also host guests who can provide their own unique perspectives on current events. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for D

Pickle your knees  Open Thread for July.

Denis MacEoin , The Arabic/Islamic expert with a surfeit of vowels in his name, has set out (on the Gatestone Institute website)  the first instalment of a two-part analysis of Israel’s plan to extend Israeli law to disputed lands.  What’s it all about? The Future of Israel's Borders: International Law and Islamic Law. Part I The proposals are part of the ‘Plan for Peace’ currently being received with shock, horror, righteous indignation and anguish from the usuals. I know that this blog may not be the ideal platform to drone on monotonously about an arguably minority interest topic, but since Jeremy Bowen, who isn’t currentl y on location, and may not even be on duty, has been Tweeting approvingly about Tom Bateman’s recent article about “Palestinians in despair” I will go ahead. What I’d really like to watch on TV one day is a conversation between Mr MacEoin and Mr Bowen.   Since the entire BBC contingent’s default position on this and all other Israel-related matters

(Source: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; posted June 29, 2020) By Jon B. Wolfsthal A test version of the new B61-12 guided nuclear bomb to be deployed in Europe as part of a modernization program. Photo from a video by Air Force Staff Sgt. Cody Griffith. A test version of the new B61-12 guided nuclear bomb to be deployed in Europe as part of a modernization program. Photo from a video by Air Force Staff Sgt. Cody Griffith. In a recent article in Der Spiegel, a leading German newsmagazine, Michele Flournoy and Jim Townsend argued against a German political figure’s suggestion that American nuclear weapons should be removed from Germany, contending such a move would weaken NATO and Germany. No one should lightly take issue with Flournoy or Townsend on nuclear policy or European security. Both are thoughtful experts and former officials with decades of experience and proven track records of enhancing American and allied security. So, my response to the article, “Striking at the Hear

TOULOUSE, France --- Airbus is set to announce on Tuesday a restructuring involving thousands of job cuts as it deals with the fallout from impact of the coronavirus crisis, union officials said. Airbus, which has said it will announce fresh action by the end of July after introducing temporary furloughs, declined to comment. Its shares rose 1%. Reuters reported on Monday that the company’s bigger-ever plan to shrink operations and staff was imminent. Industry sources have predicted between 14,000 and 20,000 job cuts, though it remains unclear how much will be achieved through early retirements in Airbus’s 135,000-strong workforce, heavily populated by veterans of its original A320 development. Unions oppose the cuts. “Airbus will announce measures that could have strong employment consequences,” CGT union official Xavier Petrachi said, adding the union would oppose outright redundancies. (end of excerpt) Click here for the full story, on the Reuters website. -ends- Let's b

SEOUL --- Korea Aerospace Industries Co. (KAI), South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, said Tuesday it has received a 688 billion-won (US$575 million) order to supply trainer jets for South Korea's Air Force by 2024. KAI signed the deal with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to manufacture a total of 20 TA-50 lead-in fighter aircraft for radar tactical and combat mission training, the company said in a statement. KAI has exported a total of 148 trainer jets worth US$3.1 billion -- 64 T-50 advanced trainer jets worth $2.4 billion and 84 KT-1 basic trainer jets worth $700 million -- to countries such as Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey, Peru and the Philippines since its foundation in 1999. KAI's net profit jumped 87 percent to 79.5 billion won in the January-March period from 42.5 billion won a year earlier. -ends- Let's block ads! (Why?) from Defense Aerospace - Press releases https://ift.tt/3idrnnv via Defense

By Eric M. Johnson and David Shepardson SEATTLE/WASHINGTON --- Boeing Co began a series of long-delayed flight tests of its redesigned 737 MAX with regulators at the controls on Monday, hoping to win approval and rebuild its reputation after fatal crashes that toppled its leaders and grounded the jet worldwide. Pilots from the U.S. FAA and Boeing landed around 2:15 p.m. local time at King County International Airport, also known as Boeing Field, after a round trip to eastern Washington that included a high-speed system test and other maneuvers over about three hours. Reuters first reported the long-awaited certification test flights, scheduled over three days, were set to start on Monday, a pivotal moment in Boeing’s worst-ever corporate crisis triggered by twin crashes that killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Boeing shares closed 14.4% higher at $194.49 on Monday, helping boost the Dow Jones Industrial Average. (end of excerpt) Click here for the full story, on the Reute

The U.S. Senate's defense bill adds $120 million to the Defense Department's space-based anti-hypersonic weapons program, despite no request for an increase. The Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, a constellation of satellites dedicated to locating the firing and direction of enemy missiles capable of achieving 5,000 miles-per-hour speeds, is a part of the Defense Department's Fiscal Year 2021 budget request. Some senators believe the project's urgency is growing. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen.Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., noted on Thursday that China was ahead of the United States in hypersonic weapons development and missile defense. "Last October, China paraded a hypersonic weapon, showing off a technology we don't even have yet," Inhofe said while arguing for an increased 2021 military budget. Russia also has hypersonic weapons in development. The missiles can maneuver around ground based sensors but are not noticed by space-base

India deployed surface-to-air missiles to its border with China in the Himalayan Mountains after a clash with Chinese troops left 20 Indian soldiers dead. The weekend deployment to Ladakh, in Kashmir state, was comprised of Indian-made Akash, Israeli-made Spyder and Soviet-era Pechora and OSA-AK missiles. India and China have increased troop presence and the number of fighter planes, helicopters, tanks and heavy artillery in the region since a June 15 incident between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley. An Indian colonel was among the 20 people who died in fighting late Monday, authorities said, adding that they were killed with batons and stones, or they fell into a gorge. No shots were fired. Both sides say the other's troops violated the border. China's People's Liberation Army activated several of its nearby bases in the Tibet Autonomous Region, with Chinese fighter planes regularly performing shows of strength. India has reinforced its side of the bord

Nick Robinson speaks to Facebook’s Steve Hatch  (1:51) about its new ‘ no tolerance of hate speech’ policy.  Reaching for the best example of Facebook’s algorithms ‘ encouraging hate speech’, Nick Robinson cites Facebook’s current “most popular post”  “It was a post that said George Floyd was a horrible human being and that racially motivated police brutality is a myth.” and  (interrupting the response) “Forgive me, but my point to you was that this was not just ‘ a ’ post it was an M & S post …..the “top post in the United States!!” On the day of something that triggered riots !!!  “The top post that your algorithms had chosen to make was one that described a man that had just died - under police - er - control, as a myth - that racially motivated police brutality existed!!! The BBC has descended into pure parody. Oh, Meggie Foster or Sarah Coop er - please, please do that; with appropriate facial expressions of course.

The Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (Kongsberg) and Finland’s Patria Oyj have formed a teaming agreement to provide turreted mortar solutions for future U.S. Army mortar programs. Under this agreement the team will promote the turreted mortar and produce the 120mm Patria Nemo, turreted, remote-controlled mortar system in the US. “Kongsberg and Patria have a long history of working together and a relationship that was strengthened in 2016 with Kongsberg’s minority stake in Patria”, says Pål Bratlie Executive Vice President Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS. “This teaming agreement for the Nemo mortar system is a fantastic means for our companies to join forces to provide solutions to the warfighter for the turreted mortar mission”. Kongsberg already produces the remote operated Medium Caliber Turret (MCT) mounting the 30mm cannon for the 8×8 Stryker, and Marine Corps ACV. The teaming combines Kongsberg’s U.S. engineering and production capability, and Patria’

Security forces killed four terrorists who attempted to storm the Pakistan Stock Exchange compound in Karachi in a gun and grenade attack on Monday morning. According to a police statement, one sub-inspector and three security guards were martyred in the attack. Seven people, including three police officials, have been injured, the statement said. The attackers, armed with grenades and automatic rifles, launched the attack and attempted to enter the PSX compound, which is in a high-security zone that also houses the head offices of several banks. Security personnel, including police and Rangers, intercepted the attackers and killed all four of them, Sindh Rangers said. A clearance operation was conducted later. Police said that advanced weaponry, hand grenades and explosive material was recovered from the terrorists’ custody. Officials of the Bomb Disposal Unit also arrived at the scene of the attack and scoured the site, including a “suspected car” parked outside PSX that may hav

  As we reach the end of June I note that the number of stamp issues (not number of stamps) stated to have been issued by or in the name of all the Commonwealth philatelic entities in the first 6 months of 2020 has fallen by 22.8% in comparison with 2019. In 2019 the Commonwealth philatelic entities had released 351 issues by this stage of the year in comparison with 271 so far in 2020.   I assume that this significant fall in the number of new issues is more to do with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic than any preplanned intention by postal administrations and philatelic agencies to reduce their annual output of new issues. Most of the habitually most prolific new issuers have maintained a high output of issues. Among these we may include Royal Mail , Australia Post , New Zealand Post , Canada Post , Isle Of Man Post Office , Jersey Post , Royal Gibraltar Post Office , Guernsey Post and the infamous Stamperija which floods the market with issues inscribed with the names of Maldive

Source:- India to deploy Barak-8 Air Defence System in Ladakh against China IDF (Israel Defense Forces) owned Barak-8 medium-range surface-to-air missile system will be loaned to India on emergency requests for immediate deployment in the Ladakh region after India recently moved in short-range Indian-made Akash SAM systems. Barak 8 also known as LR-SAM or as MR-SAM is an Indian-Israeli surface-to-air missile (SAM), designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs as well as cruise missiles and combat jets out to a maximum range of 70 km, however, reports suggest the missile has been increased to a maximum range of 90 km following “range upgrade discussions” between India and Israel during November 2014.Some news agencies have referred to the missiles range at 100 km.Both maritime and land-based versions of the system exist. The Barak-8 has been designed to defend against a variety of short-to-long-range airborne th

Source:- Instead of 4, France has agreed to send 6 Rafale next month to India As Indian troops remain dug in at Ladakh in a prolonged standoff with China, allies are pitching in with commitments to deliver urgently needed weapons and ammunition for the armed forces. France has promised to deliver additional Rafale jets next month, an in-service Israeli air defence system is expected soon, precision artillery rounds will be sent by the US, and Russia will make early deliveries of ammunition and weapons worth $1 billion. The commitments have been made after top-level bilateral talks and a key meeting in the capital at which it was decided that emergency financial powers will be given to the armed forces to prepare for a prolonged standoff in eastern Ladakh. The first set of cutting-edge Rafale fighter jets – equipped with perhaps the world’s best long-range air-to-air missiles – is expected to reach India by July 27. As per the initial plan, four fighters were to reach the home base a

Congress Senate NDAA repeals protest pilot, seeks clarity on JRSS By Lauren C. Williams Jun 29, 2020 The Senate Armed Services Committee is looking to repeal a pilot program that required defense contractors to pay the Defense Department’s legal fees after a failed bid protest with the Government Accountability Office, according to a provision in the Senate of the 2021 National Defense Authorization. The pilot program, which was intended to run from Oct. 1, 2019, to Sept. 30, 2022, was first authorized in the 2018 NDAA, requiring the defense secretary examine the "effectiveness of requiring contractors to reimburse the Department of Defense for costs incurred in processing covered protests." JRSS pressure The Senate is also is looking to get the Pentagon to make the Joint Regional Security Stacks effort a program of record or face a loss of support. The Senate  version of the 2021 NDAA would ban the Defense Department from a JRSS deployment to classified networks f

Pentagon Contract Announcement (Source: US Department of Defense; issued June 26, 2020) The AN/TPY-2 is a missile defense radar designed to detect, track and discriminate ballistic missiles. Operating in X-band, it is used to guide THAAD missiles – which Saudi Arabia has ordered separately - to intercept incoming ballistic missiles. (Raytheon photo) Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Woburn, Massachusetts, is being awarded a sole-source contract in the amount of $2,271,181,543 under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The contract type will be a hybrid firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive-fee, cost-plus-award-fee and cost-plus-incentive-fee contract. Under this production contract, the contractor will provide seven Army/Navy Transportable Surveillance and Control Model 2 radars, radar spares, obsolescence design, sustainment services and initial contractor logistics support for KSA. The work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusett

China Becoming Concern for U.S. Commanders in Europe Spanish navy Adm. Garat Caramé, left, and U.S. Navy Adm. James G. Foggo III, right, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, speak with Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters, commander of the U.S. European Command, at Rota, Spain, in January. (Dod photo) It seems counter-intuitive, but China is increasingly a concern for the commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe and Africa and NATO's Allied Joint Force Command. Navy Adm. James G. Foggo told the participants of a webinar sponsored by the International Institute of Strategic Studies that China is actively working in Europe and Africa to subvert the international rules-based infrastructure that has maintained peace since the end of World War II. China's whole-of-government approach has expanded out of the Indo-Pacific into the Arctic, Europe and Africa. In this region China is conducting unsafe intercepts of aircraft and ships, he said. It is threatening nations. China has es

Exclusive: Boeing 737 MAX Certification Flight Tests to Begin on Monday – Sources (excerpt) By Eric M. Johnson and David Shepardson SEATTLE/WASHINGTON --- Pilots and test crew members from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing Co are slated to begin a three-day certification test campaign for the 737 MAX on Monday, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The test is a pivotal moment in Boeing’s worst-ever corporate crisis, long since compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic that has slashed air travel and jet demand. The grounding of the fast-selling 737 MAX in March 2019 after crashes killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia triggered lawsuits, investigations by Congress and the Department of Justice and cut off a key source of Boeing’s cash. After a preflight briefing over several hours, the crew will board a 737 MAX 7 outfitted with test equipment at Boeing Field near Seattle, one of the people said. The crew will run methodically scripted mid-air scenarios su

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Iron Drone today announced that they have entered a collaboration agreement for the integration of interception capabilities into IAI’s advanced anti-drone system, Drone Guard. Iron Drone’s UAS interception system comprises a docking station that hosts several ready-to-use drones, operable by day or at night. The system can deploy several intercepting drones simultaneously, thus addressing multiple threats or swarms. IAI’s Elta Systems division has developed the Drone Guard to detect, identify, and disrupt the operation of malicious drones. Since Elta Systems launched the Drone Guard’s over 100 units were sold. The Drone Guard comprises a radar, SIGINT, and Electro-Optical sensors to detect, track, classify and localize drone targets at range, and intercept those targets at a combat-effective distance from their target. To date, IAI’s Drone Guard anti-drone systems employed drone countermeasures utilizing electronic warfare (jamming and deception)

Never before has an Indian private sector company been offered the opportunity to be an equal partner in a military aviation project. Military aircraft development and manufacture has so far strictly been the preserve of the state-owned DRDO and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Now, in one of the biggest shifts in India’s government-monopolised military industrial complex, that’s about to change. Seen as the most meaningful and substantial involvement of the Indian private sector in a military aviation project, all eyes are now on which privately-held company will be chosen to be an equal joint venture partner for India’s fifth generation fighter effort, the AMCA project. In a major newsbreak Sunday night , Livefist revealed that the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program, is to be executed by a public-private joint venture — a first in Indian military industrial history. Livefist can now confirm that the selection process is all set to begin to choose the private sector p

Defense Secretary Mark Esper will present President Donald Trump with a series of options Monday to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, with many moving to eastern Europe, the Pentagon said Saturday. “Secretary Esper met with President Trump on Wednesday to discuss our presence in Europe,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. “On Monday the Secretary will brief the President at the White House on options for our force posture in Germany.” According to two senior Pentagon officials, the plan calls for cutting the permanent US troop presence in Germany to 25,000, as Trump announced June 15, for a reduction of 9,500 troops. Some of the 9,500 will return to the US, while others will be transferred to former Soviet-bloc countries, the two officials said, speaking on grounds of anonymity. That shift, they added, would be meant as a clear warning to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, whose military ambitions were underscored by the 2014 annexation of the Crimea. The two

Raytheon Missiles and Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business (NYSE: RTX), received a $2.3 billion U.S. Missile Defense Agency production contract for seven gallium nitride (GaN)-based AN/TPY-2 radars as part of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which is designed to protect against incoming ballistic missile threats. The contract is part of a foreign military sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "These highly capable X-band radars are the sharpest eyes in the global missile defense system," said Bryan Rosselli, vice president of Strategic Missile Defense at Raytheon Missiles and Defense. "The addition of GaN technology delivers capability for threats to be detected, tracked and discriminated with improved radar reliability." The mobile AN/TPY-2 missile defense radar uses X-band to clearly see ballistic missile threats. The radar system operates in two modes: forward-based mode - which detects ballistic missiles and identifies any lethal ob