Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Growing Russia - China Alliance

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony of the "Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia" at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, March 22, 2013. Reuters

IBTimes: China-Russia To Boost Military Technical Training Cooperation But Should Not Be Seen As A Coalition

China has plans to build stronger military ties through developing armed forces-technical training cooperation with Russia to boost geopolitical relations. Beijing insists that cooperation between the world’s second- and third-most powerful militaries should not be considered a threat to any third party.

“China hopes to develop an all-around and broad cooperation with Russia, including in military-technical cooperation, to gradually strengthen practical cooperation of the two states [as well as strengthen] friendly exchanges between the peoples of our countries,” Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui told RIA Novosti, Russia’s state-owned news agency, in an interview.

WNU Editor
: Talk about a Russia - China coalition has been around for decades .... so this speculation is nothing new. But it is true that both countries are now cooperating economically, and that diplomatic/political relations are now at levels that I have never seen (with the exception of when I was stationed there in the 1980s).

:)

A Russian Military Base In Ukraine?

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Daily Beast: Drones Find Russian Base Inside Ukraine

Aerial footage finds smoking-gun evidence of Russian army involvement in the conflict. More war is inevitable.

Dnipro-1, one of Ukraine’s many pro-government volunteer regiments, today released a video compiling drone footage of a Russian military camp just south of the village of Sontsevo in the Donetsk region.

Two drone flights were made over the same area, two weeks apart. Over that time, the camp grew from a small collection of tents and engineering vehicles into a fully-fledged forward operating base (FOB), complete with tanks, communications equipment, personnel quarters and even new roads.
[150630-vaux-russia2-embed]



Update #1: Gotcha? Russian military base reportedly found in Ukraine, detailed in drone video -- Washington Post
Update #2: A Russian military base has been spotted in eastern Ukraine -- Business Insider

WNU Editor: This video is from a pro-Ukrainian militia .... so yes .... I am cautious and and skeptical on what they are reporting. And what do I see on the video .... tanks, military equipment, soldiers .... all filmed from thousands of feet in the air. Are they Russian-separatists? Russian soldiers? Even maybe a Ukrainian base filmed by accident (or not). I do not know the answer ... but for what it is worth the video is above (with an interesting sound track).

Ukraine News Updates -- June 30, 2015


The Guardian: Ukraine ceasefire: 'There is shooting all the time'

Skirmishes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels continue despite a truce signed in February, giving little cause for hope of an end to the conflict

“This doesn’t smell like peace to me,” said the Monk, sighing heavily in his makeshift control centre, a former chandelier shop in the basement of a block of flats, near the remains of what not long ago was Donetsk international airport.

“There is shooting all the time,” he said. A 47-year-old former police officer from Donetsk whose real name is Oleg Gorlenko, he was given his nom de guerre, he said, because he never cheated on his wife. He has been fighting the Ukrainian army for more than a year and does not believe in the current ceasefire.

“Often it’s hard to tell who is shooting at whom. Nobody knows what anyone else is doing. But it definitely isn’t a ceasefire.”

WNU Editor: Everyone that I know in Ukraine is telling me the same thing .... the front-lines are dangerous, but so are many other regions that are kilometers away from the front lines. From what I can tell .... the entire eastern part of Ukraine is a dangerous place for Ukrainian soldiers, a fact that even the Ukrainian news web sites are now finally acknowledging .... Kurakhove, a Ukrainian-controlled city 10 kilometers from the war front, is on edge with residents divided (Kyiv Post).

Ukraine News Updates -- June 30, 2015

UN: 6,500 people killed in Russia-Ukraine war over last year -- Ukraine Today
Ukraine Has 75,000 Troops In East Ukraine, Says Luhansk People's Republic Leader -- IBTimes
Foreign specialists operate Ukrainian army’s drones — LPR reconnaissance -- ITAR-TASS
Information war high priority for both sides in Ukraine conflict -- Canadian Press
Ukrainian officers graduate from defence academy ready to go to frontline in east Ukraine -- Ukraine Today
Hackers Leak Ukraine Military Documents Revealing Plan to Increase Spending On Armed Forces -- IBTimes
Meet the foul-mouthed governor fighting to hold Ukraine's war-torn east together -- Global Post
Ukraine, creditors still wrangling over debt restructuing deal -- Ukraine Today
IMF urges Ukraine, creditors to reach agreement -- Reuters
Ukraine's 'history laws' purge it of communist symbols but divide the population -- The Telegraph

Russia - Ukraine Gas Talks Have Collapsed

Reuters / Gleb Garanich

Voice of America: Talks Collapse; Ukraine Halts Purchases of Russian Gas

Ukraine suspended its purchases of Russian natural gas after European Union-mediated price talks collapsed Tuesday.

Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said he was "surprised" that Ukraine was demanding a much deeper discount than what he was offering. He said the price the Ukrainians wanted was out of line with current market conditions, and that the decision to stop buying Russian gas was political.

Ukraine said the price cut Russia was offering was not low enough. But it said it would fulfill its contract to send Russian gas to the EU through pipelines running across Ukrainian territory.

WNU Editor
: Winter is only 6 months away.

More News On Russian - Ukrainian Gas Talks Collapsing

Ukraine Halts Russian Gas Purchases as Talks on Winter Deal Fail -- Bloomberg
Ukraine suspends Russian gas purchases -- BBC
Ukraine to stop buying Russian gas after talks on new deal fail -- RT
Russia fails to reach deal on future gas supplies to Ukraine amid price differences -- AP
Ukraine suspends Russian gas purchases in new price dispute -- Deutsche Welle
Russia, Ukraine gas supply talks break down over pricing -- Reuters
Russia says Ukraine decision to stop buying Russian gas is political -- Reuters
EU aims to head off Ukraine-Russia gas war -- Politico

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 30, 2015

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sits across from Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and other advisers, Vienna, Austria, June 27, 2015 (State Department photo).

Ricard Gowan, WPR: Iran Talks, Greece Crisis Open Make-or-Break Week for West

Welcome to what could turn out to be the most important, and potentially the most destructive, week in international diplomacy since the end of the Cold War.

In the next seven days, we are meant to reach three major turning points in global affairs. On Tuesday, major powers are meant to conclude an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program. On the same day, Greece is supposed to make a 1.6 billion euro payment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but may fail to do so. And on Sunday, Greek voters will vote in a referendum on the latest bailout package offered by its creditors in the eurozone and the IMF. The Greek government says it wants them to reject the deal, arguing that the terms are too austere, especially over pensions.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 30, 2015

The real reason Greek PM Alexis Tsipras wants a referendum on debt deal -- Marco Vicenzino, Reuters

Crunch Time for Greece -- David Patrikarakos, Daily Beast

What Is the European Union, Exactly? -- Kathy Gilsinan, The Atlantic

Post-election Erdogan cannot regain power he lost -- Cengiz Çandar, Al-Monitor

She’s a Beautiful, Passionate Voice for Ukraine, But That’s Not Enough -- Anna Nemtsova, Daily Beast

China crosses Obama’s cyber ‘red line’ -- Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post

How Russia, China, and IS Have Made the US Popular Again -- Rob Spalding and Adam Lowther, The Diplomat

Brazilian leader's US visit: how Obama patched up ties after spying scandal -- Howard LaFranchi CSM

Puerto Rico's finances: Another fine debt crisis -- The Economist

Puerto Rico Could Really Use a Bankruptcy -- Matt Levine, Bloomberg

Cuba-U.S. Reboot -- Bill Faries and Ezra Fieser, Bloomberg

CIA Lags in Recruiting Diverse Workforce, Reports Finds -- Maya Rhodan, Time

World News Briefs -- June 30, 2015 (Evening Edition)



Reuters: Greece Defaults To The IMF

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday confirmed Greece had not made its 1.5 billion euro ($1.7 billion) loan repayment to the Fund, making it the first advanced economy to ever be in arrears to the Fund.

The missed payment, the largest in the Fund's history, is equivalent to a default, in that both imply a breach of Athens' obligations. IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said Greece can now only receive further IMF funding once the arrears are cleared.

MIDDLE EAST

U.S., Iran presidents issue warnings as nuclear talks extended.

Obama says US could 'walk away' from Iran nuclear talks, as deadline extended.

Iran nuclear talks deadline extended to July 7. Negotiators at Iran nuclear talks give themselves another week. Iran, powers give themselves to July 7 to strike deal.

Iran and powers set to miss deadline as nuclear deal remains elusive.

Islamic State captures district in Syrian border town: monitor.

Israel says Syria's Assad may be left with rump state.

Turkey says any Syria measures not act of war but to preserve border security. Turkey vows retaliation, but rejects Syria intervention.

Yemen fighting allows 1,200 prisoners to flee.

Saudi military denies Scud strike after Yemeni rebels claim missile launch.

Millions of children face disease, malnutrition in war-torn Yemen: U.N..

Kuwait says in 'state of war' with militants, warns of other cells.

ASIA

Hong Kong expects large pro-democracy rally as it marks 1997 handover.

Taiwan youth to China: Treat us like a country.

South Korea navy fires warning shots at boat from North.

Over 100 dead in Indonesia after military plane crashes in residential area.

China says some South China Sea land reclamation projects completed.

Large explosion hits Afghanistan's capital Kabul. Suicide bomber attacks NATO convoy near U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

China announces climate target for Paris deal.

Man sets himself alight on Japan bullet train, second passenger dies.

Myanmar students in peaceful march to protest political role of military.

AFRICA

Nigeria's Buhari puts oil sector under the scanner.

French soldiers accused of sexual abuse of minors in Africa.

Burundi counts votes as thousands flee political crisis.

Ebola returns to Liberia after nation declared free of virus.

Schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram 'brainwashed to fight for group'.

Thousands of children rescued from dangerous work in Tanzania gold mines.

UN: South Sudan army raped girls and burned them alive.

In an emergency meeting, Arab League calls attack on Egypt's top prosecutor 'criminal'.

Source: Tunisia hotel attacker in contact with militants in Libya. Tunisia beach killer trained with museum gunmen.

EUROPE

Greece's bailout expires, country defaults on IMF payment.

Greece asks for new bailout — its third — at 11th hour.

Ukraine ceasefire: 'There is shooting all the time'.

Denmark tells Germany it will impose border controls.

Britain's losses in Tunisia attack climb to 21.

Concern on continent as heatwave set to drive temperatures beyond 40C.

Kremlin critic Khodorkovsky named as murder suspect in Russia.

AMERICAS

US, Cuba to announce opening of embassies on Wednesday. U.S.-Cuba deal to restore ties to be unveiled on Wednesday.

US senator on visit to Venezuela amid diplomatic detente.

Republican Christie announces 2016 White House bid, vows 'I mean what I say'.

Obama signs 2 trade bills into law.

Puerto Rico governor calls for bankruptcy; adviser says island 'insolvent'. Puerto Rico governor says US territory 'can't pay $72bn debt'.

Russian diplomats blast latest Canadian sanctions as 'sad déjà-vu'.

Brazilian president's visit to US will not include apology from Obama for spying.

Putin offered to support Venezuela in case of war with Colombia, book claims.

California passes mandatory vaccination bill.

Pope 'plans to chew coca leaves during Bolivia visit'.

Nearly one in three Americans owns a gun.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Islamic State 'beheads women for sorcery' in Syria. Islamic State beheads female civilians for first time in Syria: monitor.

In Yemen chaos, Islamic State grows to rival al Qaeda.

Ex-CIA insider: July 4 terror alert is "nothing routine".

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Wall St. ends up on Greek hopes ahead of debt deadline.

"Huge uncertainties" over Greece, dollar will delay Fed rate hikes: Kotok.

Apple conspired to fix e-book prices: U.S. appeals court.

Uber makes big push to win over Chinese consumers.

The FBI Has Sets Up 56 Centers To Monitor Fourth Of July Terror Threats

The FBI is setting up command centers at each of its 56 field offices across the country ahead of the July 4th weekend over fears of a possible ISIS-inspired terrorist attack. This graph shows all the field offices except for the ones in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico

IBTimes: Isis threat in US: FBI setting up command centres to monitor 4th of July weekend terror threats

Following a warning bulletin from several US agencies about potential terrorist threats around the 4 July weekend, the FBI is establishing command centres to monitor possible terrorist activities.

The bulletin, released on 27 June, stated there was no known active plots, but instead served as a general warning.

Following a warning bulletin from several US agencies about potential terrorist threats around the 4 July weekend, the FBI is establishing command centres to monitor possible terrorist activities.

The bulletin, released on 27 June, stated there was no known active plots, but instead served as a general warning.

Update: The sick ambitions of a caliphate bent on carnage: Chilling map predicts where ISIS will strike the West with 'lone wolf attacks' - as FBI sets up 56 centers to monitor Fourth of July terror threat -- Daily Mail

WNU Editor: Someone is expecting trouble. This former top CIA official is saying that this is not normal .... Ex-CIA insider: July 4 terror alert is "nothing routine" (CBS).

British Government Posts A Map On Where It Believes The Next Terror Attack Will Occur

A map showing the risk threat of popular holiday destinations, as determined by Gov.uk. The high risk areas are those where there is a high level of known terrorist activity, as opposed to a general threat area where only some level of known terrorist activity is present

The Telegraph: Mapped: Terror threat around the world

See where around the world the Foreign Office believes a terror attack is most likely to happen

The theat of terrorism is rated "high" in more than 30 countries around the world, according to the Foreign Office, with summer holiday favourites such as Spain and France given the same rating as Libya, Pakistan and Somalia.

Other popular travel destinations to receive the Foreign Office's highest terror threat level include Turkey, Egypt, Thailand, Australia and Belgium.

Update #1: How safe is YOUR holiday destination? Foreign Office reveals the threat of danger in Britons' favourite tourist hotspots -- Daily Mail
Update #2: Tunisia Terror Attack: Where Is Still Safe? -- SKY News
Update #3: How terrorist attacks affect tourism -- BBC

WNU Editor:France and Spain are marked "High" !?!?!?! I understand Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt .... but France and Spain?

U.S. Reaction To The Greek Crisis: 'Not Our Problem'



Politico: White House on Greece: Not our problem

Despite stock sell-off, administration says U.S. has little to fear from eurozone crisis.

U.S. stocks tanked on Monday with the Dow giving up all its gains for the year as Greece headed toward default and possible exit from the eurozone common currency union.

And the White House said: not our problem.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 350.33 points, or close to 2 percent, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 and the Nasdaq each also lost around 2 percent as Greece kept its banks shuttered, fearing a run on cash, and prepared to default on its debt on Tuesday.

Asked about the stock market decline and Greece on Monday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest basically shrugged it off. “The fact is the U.S. exposure to Greece is small, in terms of our direct exposure,” he said. “We do continue to urge all sides to contribute to pragmatic discussions.”

WNU Editor: The U.S. has a bigger problem right now .... Puerto Rico wants to be able to declare bankruptcy (CNN). More to the point .... Puerto Rico poses bigger threat to U.S. investors than Greece (Market Watch).

Greece Continues To Beef Up Its Military

Greek soldiers compete in the 7th Annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah Special Operations Training Center in Amman April 23, 2015.

Business Insider: Greece's military budget is getting bigger even as the country's economy lurches towards mayhem

Racked by financial woes since 2008, Greece has all but defaulted on its loans after the failure of talks with with the European Union and its various creditors. The country is heading towards a high-stakes referendum next week that could result in the country eventually leaving the Eurozone.

Still, despite Greece's staggering economic problems, the country has consistently maintained one of the highest defense expenditures as a percentage of GDP in all of Europe.

For 2015, NATO projects that Greece will spend 2.4% of its GDP on defense, which is actually a 0.1% increase in spending over 2014. The previous year, the country's debt as percentage of GDP was at 175%, while its economy contracted by 3.3%.

WNU Editor: If everything is about to collapse .... the one institution/group/organization that the government will (definitely and always) spend its money on is .... the military, national police, riot control, security, tear gas, prisons, intelligence, physical security, etc.. For Greece .... no one should be surprised  that its military budget is the only thing that is not being cut .... but in fact being increased.

On a personal note .... when the economy collapsed in Russia in the 1990s .... some of my cousins started a security company that specialized in installing security for homes/commercial businesses/government buildings (i.e. grills, bullet proof glass, reinforced steel doors, commercial iron gates, cameras, etc.). Their business .... after 20 years .... is still booming.

If Greece Goes Completely 'Bust' Germany's Total Maximum Exposure Will Be €84.5 Billion

Is Germany on the verge of losing billions of euros because of loan guarantees it offered to Greece as part of its bailout?

Florian Diekmann, Spiegel Online: The Bill: Germany Faces Billions in Losses If Greece Goes Bust

Vast amounts of German money are at stake if Greece goes bankrupt -- with liabilities as high as €84 billion. Even though that figure is a large one, it would be paid over years and dangers to the Berlin budget are limited.

"So far, Germany hasn't had to spend a single euro from the federal budget on Greece." It's a line one has heard dozens of times on German talk shows in recent years. Soon, though, the claim may no longer hold true. A Greek insolvency is now within the realm of possibility and if the country does go bust, it could directly burden the German federal budget.

But how many billions of euros in German money are actually at stake? It may seem like a simple question, but there are no easy answers, because Germany's actual liability for Greek debt depends on a number of factors.

WNU Editor: A good analysis on who Greece owes the most money to .... which in this case is Germany. But while €84.5 billion is a lot of money .... in the entire scheme of things .... a drop in the bucket for the German economy and its government.

Where Did All The Money That Greece Borrowed Go?



Phillip Inman, The Guardian: Where did the Greek bailout money go?

Less than 10% of the money was used by the government for reforming its economy and safeguarding weaker members of society.

Only a small fraction of the €240bn (£170bn) total bailout money Greece received in 2010 and 2012 found its way into the government’s coffers to soften the blow of the 2008 financial crash and fund reform programmes.

Most of the money went to the banks that lent Greece funds before the crash.

Unlike most of Europe, which ran up large budget deficits to protect pensioners and welfare recipients, Athens was then forced to dramatically reduce its deficit by squeezing pensions and cutting the minimum wage.

WNU Editor: This analysis ignores the years before the 2008 financial crisis when the Greek government .... with the backing of the voters who voted them in .... spent the money that they borrowed on projects like the Olympics in 2004 and .... of course .... social programs, infrastructure, and government jobs. Money that bought votes .... but money that had to eventually be paid back one day. But Phillip Inman is correct that after 2008 .... with exposure running in the hundreds of billions in Euros .... the "powers that be" scrambled to convert this debt exposure from private institutions to the public ones .... hence socking today's taxpayers with the bill.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials On The Greek Crisis -- June 30, 2015



New York Times editorial: Greece’s Future, and the Euro’s

The referendum called by Greece’s prime minister is a bad idea, but at this stage it’s about the best available. Greek banks have been shut down to avoid a meltdown; bailout talks with European creditors are frozen; Athens does not have the money to pay 1.6 billion euros due to the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday, threatening default and withdrawal from the euro.

So, confronted with conditions from the lenders that he dismissed as “insulting,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made the surprise announcement on Saturday that he was putting the matter before Greek voters in a referendum to be held July 5.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials On The Greek Crisis -- June 30, 2015

Where did Greece spend all its money - and who does it still owe? -- The Independent
Greece’s future hangs on 72 words -- Kerin Hope, Financial Times
What happens at midnight? -- Jan Cienski, Politico
Syriza is asking Greece’s voters to endorse its own failure -- Daniel Howden, The Guardian
Greek Voters Have Just One Question: What Does Yes Mean? -- Dimitra Kessenides, Bloomberg
Greece in chaos: will Syriza’s last desperate gamble pay off? -- Paul Mason, The Guardian
Greece's Only Hope -- Scott MacDonald, National Interest
Europe is bungling the crisis over Greece: Editorial -- Toronto Star editorial
IMF: austerity measures would still leave Greece with unsustainable debt -- Alberto Nardelli, The Guardian
Greece's Next Step: Overdue Debt and IOUs -- Mohamed A. El-Erian, Bloomberg
What will a Yes or No vote actually mean in Greek referendum? -- The Telegraph
Greece Won't Exit the Euro, Economists Say -- Josh Robinson, Bloomberg
Five key decisions that will decide Greece's fate -- Katie Allen, The Guardian
7 questions about Greece’s huge crisis you were too embarrassed to ask -- Matt O'Brien, Washington Post
What can Greece learn from Argentina's default experience? -- Owen Bennett-Jones, BBC
Greece Crisis: Everything you need to know -- CNN
Greece has no good options left -- Mike Bird, Business Insider
Which country's papers are coming down hardest on Greece? -- The Telegraph
Greece crisis timeline: the weekend that rocked the eurozone -- The Guardian

Greek Debt Crisis News Updates -- June 30, 2015



Reuters: Greece begs for extension

German Chancellor Angela Merkel ruled out new negotiations with Greece until after it votes on a proposal from creditors, leaving virtually no hope left to avert a midnight default despite a plea from Athens for a last-minute bailout extension.

As the clock ticked down on Tuesday toward midnight, when billions of euros in locked-up bailout funds are due to expire, euro zone finance ministers called a conference call (1:00 a.m. EDT) to discuss the Greek request.

Merkel said there could be no new negotiations until after a July 5 referendum that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has called on an offer made last week by creditors, which Tsipras has told Greek voters to reject.

Live Updates On The Greek Debt Crisis

Greek Debt Crisis 2015: Live Updates -- Reuters
The Latest: Greece set to lose $18 billion if bailout ends -- AP
Greece debt crisis: Tsipras asks for new bailout - live updates -- The Guardian
Live: A last-minute lifeline for Greece? Tsipras tables proposal for new two-year deal with just hours to go before deadline... but default seems certain -- The Independent
Live: Greeks submit audacious new two-year bail-out application but promise to default on the IMF tonight -- The Telegraph
Debt crisis: Will Greece exit euro? LIVE UPDATES -- RT
FORTUNE Live Blog: Greece on the verge of default -- Fortune

Greek Debt Crisis News Updates -- June 30, 2015

Greece debt crisis: Athens seeks new last-minute deal -- BBC
Greece, creditors to discuss new plan as bailout to expire -- AP
Greece default nears as Athens makes last gasp bid for deal -- AFP
Greece Expects to Miss I.M.F. Payment, in Latest Distress Signal -- NYT
Greece Seeks Emergency Bailout From Eurozone -- New York Times
Greece asks for new bailout — its third — at 11th hour -- USA Today
Greece Seeks New Bailout From Eurozone -- NPR
Report: Germany rebuffs Greek bid for crisis funds before default deadline -- Washington Post
Greece Poised for Default on IMF Payment -- VOA
Greek PM makes plea to voters as debt deadline nears -- Al Jazeera
"No way" Eurogroup will release funds for Greek IMF payment-source -- Reuters
Hand over OUR money, desperate Greeks beg the banks: Tourists can withdraw more cash from ATMs than country's own citizens - as thousands protest against bailout deal -- Daily Mail
Greece threatens to sue EU institutions -- The Telegraph
Greeks struggle with daily grind as foreigners head to beach -- AP
US Urges Greece to Resolve Financial Crisis -- VOA
European Markets Remain Under Pressure as Greek Developments Awaited -- WSJ
Global Stocks Calmer on Decisive Day for Greece -- NYT

World News Briefs -- June 30, 2015

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry - seen through a hotel chandelier - and his advisers sit with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and their counterparts on June 30, 2015, in Vienna, Austria.

Voice of America: Iran Nuclear Talks Extended Until July 7

VIENNA - Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, which were under a Tuesday deadline, have been extended until July 7, U.S. officials say.

Participants "have decided to extend the measures under the Joint Plan of Action until July 7 to allow more time for negotiations to reach a long-term solution - a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - on the Iran nuclear issue,"‎ U.S. spokeswomen Marie Harf said.

The announcement came amid continuing talks in Vienna.

MIDDLE EAST

Negotiators at Iran nuclear talks give themselves another week. Iran, powers give themselves to July 7 to strike deal.

Iran and powers set to miss deadline as nuclear deal remains elusive.

Islamic State captures district in Syrian border town: monitor.

Israel says Syria's Assad may be left with rump state.

Turkey says any Syria measures not act of war but to preserve border security. Turkey vows retaliation, but rejects Syria intervention.

Saudi military denies Scud strike after Yemeni rebels claim missile launch.

Millions of children face disease, malnutrition in war-torn Yemen: U.N..

Kuwait says in 'state of war' with militants, warns of other cells.

ASIA

South Korea navy fires warning shots at boat from North.

Over 100 dead in Indonesia after military plane crashes in residential area.

China says some South China Sea land reclamation projects completed.

Large explosion hits Afghanistan's capital Kabul. Suicide bomber attacks NATO convoy near U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

China announces climate target for Paris deal.

Man sets himself alight on Japan bullet train, second passenger dies.

Myanmar students in peaceful march to protest political role of military.

AFRICA

Burundi counts votes as thousands flee political crisis.

Ebola returns to Liberia after nation declared free of virus.

Schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram 'brainwashed to fight for group'.

Thousands of children rescued from dangerous work in Tanzania gold mines.

UN: South Sudan army raped girls and burned them alive.

In an emergency meeting, Arab League calls attack on Egypt's top prosecutor 'criminal'.

Source: Tunisia hotel attacker in contact with militants in Libya.

EUROPE

Greece asks for new bailout — its third — at 11th hour.

Ukraine ceasefire: 'There is shooting all the time'.

Denmark tells Germany it will impose border controls.

Britain's losses in Tunisia attack climb to 21.

Concern on continent as heatwave set to drive temperatures beyond 40C.

Kremlin critic Khodorkovsky named as murder suspect in Russia.

AMERICAS

Obama signs 2 trade bills into law.

Puerto Rico governor calls for bankruptcy; adviser says island 'insolvent'. Puerto Rico governor says US territory 'can't pay $72bn debt'.

Russian diplomats blast latest Canadian sanctions as 'sad déjà-vu'.

Brazilian president's visit to US will not include apology from Obama for spying.

Putin offered to support Venezuela in case of war with Colombia, book claims.

California passes mandatory vaccination bill.

Pope 'plans to chew coca leaves during Bolivia visit'.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Islamic State 'beheads women for sorcery' in Syria. Islamic State beheads female civilians for first time in Syria: monitor.

In Yemen chaos, Islamic State grows to rival al Qaeda.

Ex-CIA insider: July 4 terror alert is "nothing routine".

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

"Huge uncertainties" over Greece, dollar will delay Fed rate hikes: Kotok.

Apple conspired to fix e-book prices: U.S. appeals court.

Uber makes big push to win over Chinese consumers.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 30, 2015

Photo: Iraqi Gen. Babaker Zebari. Wikipedia

Al Jazeera: Iraq PM 'retires' army chief as security crisis deepens

General Babaker Zebari, who has been in the job for a decade, retires as PM Abbadi acknowledges military's failures.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi has "retired" the army's chief of staff, the most senior officer removed since rebel fighters overran large parts of the country last year, his spokesman has said.

General Babaker Zebari "has been retired" on Abbadi's orders, Saad al-Hadithi told the AFP news agency on Monday, without providing further details.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 30, 2015

Iraq PM 'Retires' Army Chief of Staff -- Defense News/AFP

Russian Defence Ministry wants entire fleet of anti-submarine Il-38 planes upgraded -- ITAR-TASS

Back on the Scene: Russia Brings Tanks Back in Fashion -- Sputnik

Hackers Leak Ukraine Military Documents Revealing Plan to Increase Spending On Armed Forces -- IBTimes

Israeli Navy Plans Major Upgrades to Entire Combat Surface Fleet -- Sputnik

Djiboutian Army Displays New Chinese Tank Destroyer -- Sputnik

Meet China’s New Submarine Hunter Plane -- The Diplomat

Amid Chinese Military Aggression, Russia Delivers Submarine To Vietnam For Defense Over South China Sea Dispute -- IBTimes

In Japan, a plan to expand military's powers faces growing resistance -- L.A. Times

Buy Super Hornets, abandon Victoria-class submarines, new Canadian report recommends -- Ottawa Citizen

Singapore debuts stealthy naval interceptor ahead of 50th anniversary parade -- IHS Jane's 360

Once a major continental force, South Africa's military at a crossroads -- CSM

Dassault's Deal With India Was Important -- Forbes

Almost one-third of Brits, Germans and French want EU army instead of NATO forces -- RT

US Lifts Hold On Military Aid To Bahrain -- Defense News/AFP

Bahrain to get more US arms as authorities keep cracking down on protestors -- RT

Air Force: Lost Predator was shot down in Syria -- Defense News

After Hack, Officials Pull Plug on Pentagon and OPM Background Check Systems -- NextGov

Court Revives Defunct NSA Mass Surveillance Program -- National Journal

US Navy Sees Broader Role for Joint High Speed Vessel -- DoD Buzz

New US Ghost Ship to Trace Russian, Chinese, Iranian Diesel-Electric Subs -- Sputnik

Why US Pentagon is worried about a space war in future -- Economic Times/New York Times

Former Green Beret war hero, investigated in killing, survives Army hearing with his benefits -- Washington Post

Pentagon Has No Idea How Many Transgender Troops It Kicked Out -- Nancy A. Youssef, Daily Beast

Surplus military Humvees heading to the highway? -- FOX News

Is the U.S. Military Ready for a Falklands War Scenario? -- Kenneth L. Privratsky, War On The Rocks

Military might is still important -- David A. Dietsch, Star-Telegram

The Pentagon Is Split On How To Fight A War Against China

(Click on Image to Enlarge)
Ike’s Arsenal Eisenhower poured money into the Air Force to develop its Cold War triad of nuclear threats—land-based and sea-based missiles, ICBMs and bombers. The heavy spending didn’t let up under JFK. | Reagan’s Build-Up Claiming that the United States had “unilaterally disarmed” before he took office, Reagan oversaw a massive defense build-up. Some say the the Soviet Union’s struggle to keep up brought on its demise. | Bush’s Surge The historic peak of Army spending authority came during two land wars—in Afghanistan and in Iraq, where the military was in the midst of a 30,000-strong troop surge. Source: Department Of Defense, Budget Authority by Branch

Mark Perry, Politico: The Pentagon’s Fight Over Fighting China

The Joint Chiefs keep ordering up ambitious new war plans. But their biggest battle might be with each other.

At first, it’s hard to see Operation Desert Storm as anything less than an unparalleled American military victory. The battleship U.S.S. Missouri began the campaign to forcibly remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait by firing four Tomahawk cruise missiles at military command and control centers in Baghdad in the early morning hours of January 17, 1991. “I’ll never forget the day we launched these,” a Missouri crew member who witnessed the Tomahawk attack later wrote. “We listened to CNN radio from Baghdad after we had launched our birds. For an hour, everything was calm, but we knew sorties were on the way. Then all hell broke loose.”

In all, the United States fired 297 Tomahawk missiles from ships and submarines during the Gulf War, of which 282 reached and destroyed their targets. Nine of the missiles failed to fire, six fell into the water after their launch, and two were shot down. The Tomahawks’ carefully tabulated success rate of 94.94 percent was revolutionary, the most precise delivery of munitions on target in the history of warfare. And the Tomahawks were just one of an array of air assets used in the war’s earliest days to destroy Iraq’s military and leadership infrastructure.

WNU Editor: This is a long read, but it gives an insight into how Pentagon planners go about planning to fight the next war.

Indonesia Military Transport Plane Crashes In The Sumatra City Of Medan



Reuters: More than 100 feared dead after Indonesian military plane crashes

More than 100 people were feared dead after a military transport plane ploughed into a residential area shortly after take-off in northern Indonesia on Tuesday, in what may be the deadliest accident yet for an air force with a long history of crashes.

"For the moment we know there were 113 people (on board). It looks like there are no survivors," Air Marshal Agus Supriatna told Metro TV in the Sumatra city of Medan, adding that some of the passengers were air force families.

More News On Today's Indonesia Military Transport Plane Crash In The Sumatra City Of Medan

Indonesia military cargo plane crashes in Medan, dozens dead -- AP
113 people on crashed Indonesian military plane feared dead -- Asia Times/AP
Indonesian Military Plane With 113 Aboard Crashes Into City -- NYT
Indonesia cargo plane crashes in Medan -- Washinghton Post
Horrifying Scenes From Indonesia in Desperate Search for Plane Crash Survivors -- ABC News
Up to 113 killed as military plane crashes in residential area of Medan, Indonesia -- RT
More than 110 killed in Indonesian military plane crash -- Al Jazeera

The Pentagon Has A 'Rocket' Problem



The Hill: Pentagon: Rocket explosion shows need for space launch options

The Pentagon said on Monday that the explosion of a rocket launched by SpaceX over the weekend demonstrated the Pentagon's need for two companies with the capability to launch national security payloads into space.

"It think it underscores the reason that we've been adamant about maintaining assured access to space through the use of two independent launch capabilities," Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters at a briefing.

WNU Editor: The Russians are having their own problems in developing a new generation of rockets .....  Prototype of Russia’s new heavy ballistic missile delayed for several months — source (ITAR-TASS). The above video is a brief summary on the Russian rocket program.

More News On The Pentagon's Rocket Problems

SpaceX Explosion Underlines USAF Concern -- Defense News
Rocket Failure Big Setback to SpaceX’s Military Ambitions -- Defense Tech
Pentagon Will Need Russian Rocket Engines for Years, Officials Say -- Defense Tech
US Has no Alternative to Russian Rocket Engines for Space Launches -- Sputnik
Russian rocket engines key to US ‘assured access to space’ - space command chief -- RT
Space Command: U.S Will Need More Russian RD-180 Engines -- National Defense
Exclusive - US should spurn Russia rocket engines despite SpaceX failure: McCain -- Channel News Asia/Reuters
McCain: Pentagon shouldn't rely on Russian rocket engines despite SpaceX explosion -- The Hill

Does The U.S. Have Enough Deployed Nuclear Weapons?

Reuters

Walter Pincus, Washington Post: It seems the Pentagon can never have enough deployed nuclear warheads

Rhetoric about nuclear weapons is heating up between Washington and Moscow, but there is no need to reinstate the foolish and wasteful arms race that dominated the Cold War period.

For one reason, the security challenges have changed.

Having 1,500 or more deployed U.S. nuclear warheads on land- or sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, or strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs or missiles, will not help a U.S. president defeat terrorists or deal with proxy wars somewhere in the world — or even protect American assets in the new confrontational arenas of space and cyberspace.

There also are the astronomical costs for modernizing not just the current triad of delivery systems — the strategic submarines, bombers and land-based ICBMs — but also continuing the life-extension programs for the nuclear stockpile and upgrading the nuclear weapons-building complex itself.

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work told the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the cost for all that modernization would average $18 billion a year from 2021 through 2035 — or $252 billion over that 14-year period.

Previous Post: Should the US Spend $1 Trillion On Nuclear Weapons?

WNU Editor: I suspect that this debate is now starting .... and for good reason .... nuclear forces are expensive to develop , manufacture, and maintain .... and with a looming $1 trillion price tag for the U.S. taxpayer .... some hard questions (and discussions) will need to take place.

Why The Hypersonic Missile Race Between China And The U.S. Is Dangerous

Eleni G. Ekmektsioglou, National Interest: How Hypersonic Missiles Push America and China towards War

Hypersonic weapons can achieve speeds over five times faster than the speed of sound (Mach 5) and they are the latest version of precision guided munitions (PGM) that make up part of the larger family of long-range strike weapons systems.

In the United States, hypersonic weapons are pursued in the context of the conventional prompt global strike (CPGS) commonly defined by officials as a technology of “high-precision conventional weapons capable of striking a target anywhere in the world within one hour’s time.” Outside the United States, states such as China or Russia have been pursuing this promising technology in secrecy. Therefore, we have little information regarding the stage of development the Russians or Chinese have achieved.

WNU Editor: The Russians are now involved in this race also .... Russia’s Secret Hypersonic Nuclear Missile Yu-71 Can Breach Existing Missile Defense Systems: Experts (IBTimes).

Update: Hypersonic Missile Arm Race: US Walking a Tightrope in East Asian Region -- Sputnik

The U.S. Air Force's Reasons For Retiring The A-10 Do Not Add Up

 A-10s of the 81st Fighter Wing sit at Spangdahlem Air Base in 2012. At top — A-10s from the 188th Fighter Wing take part in an exercise. Air Force photos

David Axe, War Is Boring: No, the A-10 Is Not Holding Back the F-35

Fed auditors blast Air Force’s baseless Warthog retirement plan

Two years ago, the U.S. Air Force annoyed the other military branches, Congress and the general public when it announced a plan to quickly retire its roughly 300 A-10 Warthog attack jets — rugged tank-killers that have flown down-and-dirty close air support, or CAS, for American ground troops since the 1991 Gulf War.

The Air Force’s rationale for dumping the A-10s keeps shifting. Now government auditors have poked holes in the flyboys’ latest justification — that the branch must drop the ungainly Warthogs in order to free up maintainers for the slowly-growing fleet of pricey F-35 stealth fighters.


Previous Post: New Report Casts Doubt On U.S. Air Force Claims That There Will Be Savings From Retiring The A-10

WNU Editor: My advice to the Air Force brass is simple. If you want to drop this plane find a replacement that can fly the same mission for the same cost.

Book Review On 'Ghost Fleet' A Novel That Depicts What War Between China And The U.S. Will Look Like

US News and World Report: 'Ghost Fleet' Depicts War Between China, U.S.

Defense analysts combine sci-fi and reality to portray future weapons, gadgets.

Tech like virtual reality, robotics and increasingly fast Internet is changing the way we live, but how will it evolve a generation from now, or even change the way we fight a global war? The new science fiction thriller “Ghost Fleet” takes on questions like that by drawing inspiration from real-life prototypes and emerging sectors of technology to depict how both war and everyday life look in the future just a few decades from now. The book goes on sale on Tuesday.

Authors Peter W. Singer and August Cole expand their research as defense analysts into the realm of imagination about a not-too-distant future that could find the U.S. at war with a great power like China. Singer is a strategist at the New America Foundation and a consultant for the U.S. military. Cole is a non-resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council and a former defense reporter with The Wall Street Journal.


WNU Editor
: This looks like my "must read" fiction book for this summer.

Apparently The F-35 Cannot Win In A Dogfight

At top and above — F-35s and F-16s. Air Force photos

War Is Boring: Test Pilot Admits the F-35 Can’t Dogfight

New stealth fighter is dead meat in an air battle.

A test pilot has some very, very bad news about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The pricey new stealth jet can’t turn or climb fast enough to hit an enemy plane during a dogfight or to dodge the enemy’s own gunfire, the pilot reported following a day of mock air battles back in January.

“The F-35 was at a distinct energy disadvantage,” the unnamed pilot wrote in a scathing five-page brief that War Is Boring has obtained. The brief is unclassified but is labeled “for official use only.”

The test pilot’s report is the latest evidence of fundamental problems with the design of the F-35 — which, at a total program cost of more than a trillion dollars, is history’s most expensive weapon.

Update: Pentagon’s F-35 stealth jet can’t win dogfight – report -- RT

WNU Editor: I would love to see this dogfight exercise done with an F-22 instead of an F-16 .... I suspect that it would not even be a contest.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Pentagon Report: A Year After Its Caliphate Declaration The Islamic State Is Still A 'Potent' Force

Turkish soldiers stand guard near the Mursitpinar border gate in Suruc, Sanliurfa province, Turkey, as Syrian Kurds wait in tents behind the border fences to cross into Turkey, June 27, 2015. Islamic State attacked the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani on Thursday, which lies to the northwest of Hasaka on the Turkish border. It is reported to have killed at least 145 people in and around Kobani in what the Observatory has described as one of the worst massacres carried out by Islamic State in Syria. The YPG has described the attack on Kobani as "a suicide mission" rather than an attempt to capture the town. Murad Sezer/Reuters

Reuters: Islamic State seen as potent force a year after caliphate declaration: Pentagon

A year after Islamic State declared a caliphate on territory seized in Iraq and Syria, the al Qaeda splinter group faces military pressure from a U.S.-led coalition but remains a potent force holding key cities, the Pentagon said on Monday.

Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Defense Department spokesman, said the militant group has lost a quarter of the land it controlled at the height of its expansion and has broken and run on several occasions in northern Syria in the face of an offensive by Kurdish-led forces.

But Islamic State militants still control the Iraqi city of Mosul, where leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared last July to declare himself the head of the new caliphate, which had been proclaimed on June 29, 2014. The group recently captured the key Sunni city of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's vast western province of Anbar.

Update: With 'Caliphate' One Year Old, IS Remains Strong -- VOA

WNU Editor: Nothing new in this Pentagon report ..... it is stating the obvious. If there is a bright note ... it is that the Islamic State has lost territory in the past few months, and their fighters have fled when confronted by disciplined Kurdish forces.

Russia Reiterates Its Support Of The Syrian Regime Of President Bashar Assad

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R), Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem (back to camera) attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, June 29, 2015.Reuters/Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/Kremlin

Deutsche Welle: Russia pledges to support Syrian government in surprise meeting

Russia has promised to support Syria's government "politically, economically and militarily." President Vladimir Putin also called on the Middle East to unite against the 'Islamic State' (IS).

Speaking in the Russian capital of Moscow on Monday, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said he received the pledge of support for Syrian President Bashar Assad during a surprise meeting with his Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Quashing rumors that Russia would no longer support Assad, Putin said on Monday that his country's policy "which is intended to support Syria, Syria's leaders and its people, remains unchanged."

"We are convinced that in the end the Syrian people will be victorious," Putin said.


WNU Editor: This meeting was a surprise. My guess is that the Syrian government wants more support .... and it looks like they are going to get it. But while everyone is smiles and happy handshakes, I suspect that many in the Kremlin are now making bets amongst themselves on how long Bashar Assad will actually last.

More News On Russia Reiterating Its Support Of The Syrian Regime Of President Bashar Assad

Syria says Russia promises wide range of support -- Reuters
Putin pledges support for Syria's Assad -- AP
Putin Reiterates Russia's Support To Syrian Regime -- Radio Free Europe
Putin Reiterates Russia's Support of Syrian People and Leadership -- Sputnik
Russia to Help Syria Solve Economic Problems, Strengthen Defense – Lavrov -- Sputnik
Putin pledges Russia's support to Syrian president Bashar Assad and urges all Middle East nations to fight ISIS -- Daily Mail
Putin reinforces support of Syrian government -- UPI