Another fall Again

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

World Newsweek 16 hours ago

This article first appeared on the American Enterprise Institute site. On at least two occasions and possibly a third, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched missiles at the USS Mason, a destroyer stationed near the Bab al-Mandab, one of the world’s most perilous maritime choke points. The USS San Antonio has also come under attack. Sign up to our daily newsletter for up to date global news and features. After the second incident, the USS Nitze fired Tomahawk missiles at three coastal radar sites. The Pentagon called them “limited self-defense strikes,” more a symbolic action than one designed to punish those responsible. It seems that there is a reluctance on the part of the White ...

The Huffington Post Mon, Oct 24 2:09 PM PDT

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Oct. 8 that the situation between the U.S. and Russia today is more dangerous than it was during the Cold War. As he put it, "It's a fallacy to think that this is like the Cold War. The current times are different and more dangerous." Since most of us think of the Cold War as by far the most dangerous time we have known, Steinmeier's view is startling. It is important to understand what he is saying, not simply because he is the foreign minister of an important country, but because he is a smart man. In the interview, Steinmeier discussed the Russian intervention in Syria, the standoff with the United States and the frozen but still dangerous confrontation ...

Business Insider 14 hours ago

Across Russia, forty million civilians and military personnel just finished up emergency drills aimed at preparing the general population for nuclear or chemical weapons attacks, the Wall Street Journal's Thomas Grove reports. But as troubling as the largest civil defense drills since the height of the Cold War have been, the steps Russia has taken to improve its offensive nuclear capabilities likely overshadow them. Since the breakdown of US-Russian talks on the fate of Syria, Russia has pulled out of a nuclear non-proliferation agreement with the US citing "unfriendly acts" by the US, it has moved nuclear-capable missiles to its European enclave of Kaliningrad, and it has threatened "asymmetrical" and "painful" actions against the US should it decide to impose sanctions on Russia over Syria. ...

The Seattle Times 15 hours ago

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese officials are wary ahead of the arrival of outspoken Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Their concern is not only about his foreign policy toward the U.S., but also about his informal style. They are paranoid about him chewing gum in front of the emperor. Duterte arrives in Tokyo later Tuesday for a three-day visit, his first as Philippine leader and as his recent remarks on foreign policy and freewheeling style have captured international attention. For diplomats and political leaders, the main issue is Duterte’s foreign policy toward Washington and how Japan can help mend those ties. Tokyo is a major ally of the United States, and has watched as Duterte increasingly ...

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Fox News Tue, Oct 11 5:47 AM PDT

Areas from the Philippines to southern China and Vietnam should be on alert for another budding typhoon. While Typhoon Songda poses no threat to land in the western Pacific Ocean, another threat lies close behind. A disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms east of the Philippines is expected to organize into the next tropical storm, acquiring the name Sarika later this week. The brewing tropical system will target the Philippines on Friday into this weekend before taking aim at southern China and/or northern Vietnam next week. In the Philippines, AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty expects the greatest impacts to unfold from Samar to Luzon. The system could strengthen into a typhoon prior ...

Business Insider 14 hours ago

A new country called Asgardia, named after Norse mythology's city in the skies, could be the first nation ever created in space. The hope is to embark on a mission to mine asteroids and defend Earth from dangerous meteorites, space debris, and other threats. The group behind the Asgardia project includes space experts based out of Canada, Romania, Russia, and the United States, and they announced their sovereign ambitions from a press conference in Paris on Wednesday. Their core concept is to launch a robotic satellite within the next 18 months (60 years after Russia launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite), then eventually follow up with a permanent space station "where people can live, work, and have their own rules and regulations," one founding member told Business Insider. ...

CNN 9 hours ago

US-Russia relations have deteriorated sharply amid a barrage of accusations and disagreements, raising the stakes on issues ranging from the countries' competing military operations in Syria, disputes over Eastern European independence and escalating cyber breaches. "This is a conflict, there should be no doubt," said Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center, on the US-Russia confrontation. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the US was considering a "range" of "proportional" responses to alleged Russian hacking of US political groups. Meanwhile, Moscow abruptly left a nuclear security pact, citing US aggression, and moved nuclear-capable Iskandar missiles to the edge of NATO territory in Europe. ...

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Michael Rubin: Iran-backed rebels are attacking U.S. ships

Germany Warns of the Danger of War

ussia is preparing for nuclear war

Japan wary over Philippine leader's policy, manners

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Philippines, southern China and Vietnam on alert for brewing typhoon into next week

A multinational group wants you to join 'Asgardia' — the first outer space nation with a mission to defend Earth

US and Russia now in unpredictable confrontation