Italy boot camp trains soldiers from restive Libya

Cassino, Italy (AFP)
Jan 18, 2014

Libyan recruits are being put through their paces starting this month at a boot camp in Italy as part of an international program to restore stability amid unrest since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Some of them are former rebels who fought to oust Kadhafi as part of ragtag opposition forces and the training is taking place at an Italian army base in Cassino, 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Rome.

In one part of the base a soldier could be seen applying camouflage face paint, while in another soldiers trained on monkey bars and obstacle courses.

An imam in army fatigues calls the soldiers to prayer in a special room fitted out for the purpose and the menus at the canteen have been changed to halal.

The new soldiers "support a free Libya", Lieutenant General Claudio Graziano, chief of staff of the Italian army, said Saturday during a visit to the base -- near the site of the famous World War II battle of Monte Cassino.

"A strong army will become a reference point for democracy and security," Graziano told a small group of reporters, as the 341 mostly young infantrymen around him got trained on weapons handling and camouflage.

Britain, Turkey and the United States are all taking part in the initiative to train up a total of 15,000 troops but Graziano said that Italy -- Libya's former colonial master -- was "taking the lead".

Two thousand Libyan soldiers -- most of them from Benghazi, Misrata and Tripoli -- will be trained in Italy and the first group arrived on January 10.

"We are learning to train together, to be one entity. It's very important for us to learn how to stay united," said one soldier from Libya, where there have been deep tensions between different cities and regions.

One of the Italian trainers is Captain Francesca Giardulli, who went on an intensive six-month language course, and shouted out her orders in Arabic.

"These are young civilians with no experience in the military and so we really have to train them as if they were newbies," Giardulli told AFP.

Graziano said some of the soldiers fought in the rebellion but others had no experience of combat.

"None of them were in Colonel Kadhafi's army," he said.

Colonel Mohammed Badi leads the Libyan contingent and one of 34 officers and sub-officers in the first group.

"Our mission is the same as it is for all the armies in the world, to guard our borders and to ensure protection and security for our population, as well as collaborating with other countries," he said.

Graziano, a former head of the United Nations monitoring force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, and a commander in Afghanistan, said this type of co-operation was "a cultural challenge, but it's nothing new for us".

"At the end of the training, the Libyans will speak a bit more Italian... and as for us, we will speak a bit more Arabic," the general said with a smile.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Italy_boot_camp_trains_soldiers_from_restive_Libya_999.html.

EU envoy: Israel will pay price for settlements

January 22, 2014

JERUSALEM (AP) — A senior European official on Wednesday painted an alarming picture for Israel if Mideast peace efforts fail, saying the country could face deepening economic isolation if it presses forward with construction of Jewish settlements.

The comments by EU Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen were the latest salvo in an increasingly contentious war of words between Israel and the European Union over settlement construction. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the EU of unfairly singling out Israel for settlement construction while ignoring Palestinian transgressions.

A small but growing number of European businesses and pension funds have begun to drop investments or limit trade with Israeli firms involved in the West Bank settlements. While Europe is interested in improving already close ties with Israel, Faaborg-Andersen said momentum for further sanctions could grow if peace efforts fail.

"We have made it clear to the parties that there will be a price to pay if these negotiations falter," he said. "If Israel were to go down the road of continued settlement expansion ... I'm afraid that what will transpire is a situation in which Israel will find itself increasingly isolated, not necessarily because of any decision taken at a governmental level but because of decisions taken by a myriad of private economic actors." He said this could include companies, pension funds or consumers who shun settlement goods.

Faaborg-Andersen said such action has resulted from commercial considerations and a growing focus on "corporate social responsibility." But he said European officials have also held debates on possible EU-wide actions, such as labeling or even banning settlement products exported to Europe. Some individual countries have already imposed labeling laws.

"I think it's well known that these are some of the issues that we have been discussing and that we have been looking into, making certain preparations for," he said. Though no decisions have been made, he said calls to take action are "gaining momentum every time there is a settlement announcement here."

Gad Propper, an Israeli business leader who chairs the Israel-European Union Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the impact of boycott calls has been limited so far. But he stressed "the quicker Israel and the Palestinians reach a two-state solution the better" because "if the situation will not change then the threats will increase."

Israeli settlement construction has emerged as a key stumbling block in peace efforts. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem and the West Bank, areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as parts of a future independent state. With more than 550,000 Israelis living in those areas, the Palestinians say time is quickly running out on hopes to divide the land.

Under intense U.S. pressure, the Palestinians dropped a longstanding demand for a settlement freeze when peace talks resumed last July. But they say they received assurances that Israel would show restraint.

Netanyahu says he made no such guarantees, and his government has pushed forward plans for several thousand new settlement homes since the talks began. The international community, including the United States and European Union, considers the settlements to be illegal or illegitimate, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said Israeli construction raises questions about its commitment to peace.

The European Union has said that if talks fail because of settlement construction, it will hold Israel responsible. "They are illegal under international law. They make a two state-solution more difficult, and they undermine trust in a peace process," Faaborg-Andersen said.

European countries have become increasingly outspoken in its criticism of the settlements. Last year, Israel was forced to guarantee that any money it receives under a technology-sharing pact with the EU will not be spent in the West Bank or east Jerusalem. And last week, several EU members summoned local Israeli ambassadors to protest settlement construction.

Israel responded by summoning locally based European ambassadors to voice its displeasure, and Netanyahu accused the EU of hypocrisy by singling out Israel while ignoring alleged Palestinian incitement against Israel.

Israel's deputy foreign minister, Zeev Elkin, said Wednesday that he had met with Faaborg-Andersen and expressed his "disappointment" over what he called the EU's one-sided approach toward Israel. "While they are condemning us with every construction announcement," said Elkin, "there is no declared condemnation about the shooting attacks from Gaza or the escalation in the region."

EU officials say they routinely condemn Palestinian attacks and incitement. They also have warned the Palestinians that European countries are suffering from "donor fatigue" after spending billions of dollars in aid with limited tangible results.

Ian Deitch contributed reporting.

UK Royal baby named: It's Mia Grace Tindall

January 23, 2014

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II's new great-granddaughter has been named Mia Grace Tindall.

The 6-day-old infant is the granddaughter of Princess Anne and the daughter of Zara Phillips and rugby player Mike Tindall. He tweeted her name Thursday, and palace officials confirmed it. Mia Grace is 16th in line to the British throne.

The 32-year-old Phillips is an equestrian who won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics. Her father is Capt. Mark Phillips.

Fire ruins parts of historical village in Norway

January 19, 2014

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Officials say a large fire has blazed through a historical village famous for its well-preserved wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, destroying at least 23 buildings.

The municipality of Laerdal, in western Norway, said in a statement Sunday that 52 people have been hospitalized with light injuries and hundreds had been evacuated from their homes. It said the fire burnt down 16 homes, as well as industrial buildings, community centers and holiday homes. It also destroyed at least three buildings in the protected area of the village of Laerdalsoyri.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire, which started Saturday night and quickly spread, exacerbated by strong winds.

Uruguay farmers set against open-pit iron ore mine

Montevideo, Uruguay (UPI)
Jan 16, 2014

Uruguayan miners and environmentalists are increasingly set against President Jose Mujica going ahead with an open-pit iron ore mine's development, which they want scrapped.

The 78-year-old former guerrilla leader, who sees the Valentines iron ore mine as a crowning legacy of his presidency, has angered traditional constituencies of supporters with moves critics say are neither fair nor legal. Critics say the mine will devastate Uruguay's ecology.

Mujica's government faces charges it has circumvented rules to push ahead with what is rated to be the largest international investment project in the country's history. Anglo-Swiss mining group Zamin Ferrous has come in for sharp criticism as controversy rages over the plan.

The Valentines project, also called Minera Aratiri, is an ambitious three-phase development that aims to develop Uruguay's iron ore deposits, build pipelines for shipping iron ore concentrate through pristine unspoiled reserves of natural beauty and a deep water port on Uruguay's Atlantic coast.

The project faced opposition when first proposed in 2008, with the grant of permits to Zamin Ferrous subsidiary Minera Aratiri.

That opposition intensified after Zamin Ferrous and Mujica's administration agreed to expand cooperation to include a deep-water port. Mujica argues the port will transform Uruguay, which depends on the goodwill of Argentina and Brazil for much of its global exports. Brazil has pledged support to Uruguay's plans to have its own deep-water port and bypass Argentina.

Critics say the entire complex, about 150 miles from the capital Montevideo and Uruguayan coast, strikes at the heart of Uruguay's rich legacy of natural resources. The iron ore project's time span of 12-20 years is nothing when compared with the long-term damage it will cause to Uruguay's environment, critics say.

Mujica called the mining program "the most important foreign policy decision for this government" that would enhance Uruguay's strategic importance. Critics cite government difficulties in securing some of the initial investment from Zamin Ferrous.

This week pressure mounted on Mujica in parliamentary debates that called for greater transparency in the mining deal.

Opposition lawmakers said government plans to finalize contracts and then follow up with an environmental impact study violated Uruguayan law and urged the government to reverse the order of the planned actions.

Lawmaker Gerardo Amarilla, of the parliamentary environment committee, said he had learned with alarm of government plans to modify biosphere protected areas to allow for a more direct route for the mineral slurry pipeline connecting the planned mining complex to the coast.

"The project could have a significant and irreversible environment impact in an area of high biodiversity," Amarilla said.

Two senators, Sergio Abreu and Ope Pasquet, have supported calls for greater transparency in the arrangements being reached with Zamin Ferrous.

Zanin Ferrous says the mine may hold as much as 5 billion tons of magnetite iron ore.

Source: Seed Daily.
Link: http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/Uruguay_farmers_set_against_open-pit_iron_ore_mine_999.html.

Winter Storm Janus Leaves Northeast Buried by Snow, Frozen by Bitter Cold

By Associated Press
January 22, 2014

PHILADELPHIA—Winter Storm Janus clobbered parts of the mid-Atlantic and the urban Northeast on Tuesday, dumping nearly a foot and a half of snow, grounding thousands of flights, closing government offices in the nation’s capital and making a mess of the evening commute.

The storm stretched 1,000 miles between Kentucky and Massachusetts but hit especially hard along the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor between Philadelphia and Boston, creating perilous rides home for millions of motorists.

The National Weather Service said Manalapan, N.J., got 16 inches of snow and Philadelphia’s airport saw 13.5. It said parts of New York City had 11 inches.

The snow came down harder and faster than many people expected. A blizzard warning was posted for parts of Massachusetts, including Cape Cod.

Highways in the New York City metropolitan area were jammed, and blowing snow tripled or even quadrupled drive times.

“I just want to get to the Bronx,” motorist Peter Neuwens lamented. “It’s a big place. Why can’t I get there?”

In Jersey City, N.J., Stanley Gaines, wearing just a thin jacket and huddling beneath an overhang as snow stung his face, said he had been stuck for more than an hour waiting for a ride home from his appointment at a Veterans Affairs clinic.

“I’m waiting on anything I can get: a taxi, a shuttle, a bus,” Gaines said, squinting to read the destination on an approaching bus in near white-out conditions. “I didn’t really pay attention to the weather this morning because there was no snow on the ground, and now — this!”

In White Plains, N.Y., Anthony Schirrone pulled over his car to scrape snow from the windshield.

“I just did this five minutes ago,” he said. “But it’s coming down too fast.”

Parts of New England saw initial light snowfalls turn heavier as the night wore on. Foxboro, Mass., and Providence, R.I., each received about 11 inches of snow by midnight, and Stamford, Conn., got 9. Forecasters said the storm could be followed by more bitter cold as arctic air from Canada streams in.

In Maryland, 11 inches of snow had accumulated in Northeast Heights. The storm was blamed for at least one death in the state, that of a driver whose car fishtailed into the path of a tractor-trailer on a snow-covered road 50 miles northwest of Baltimore. And police said the storm might have claimed more lives: A preliminary investigation showed wet conditions played a role in a two-vehicle crash that killed two people in Prince George’s County, Md.

The storm was a conventional one that developed off the coast and moved its way up the Eastern Seaboard, pulling in cold air from the arctic. Unlike the epic freeze of two weeks ago, it wasn’t caused by a kink in the polar vortex, the winds that circulate around the North Pole.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation said it had already blown through more than half of its $189 million winter weather budget.

“Lots of nuisance storms this season have meant that PennDOT crews have been plowing and treating roads more frequently this winter,” spokeswoman Erin Waters-Trasatt said.

This second fierce blast of winter weather is sapping fuel supplies in many regions in the U.S. and sending prices for propane and natural gas to record highs.

Customers who heat with natural gas or electricity probably won’t see dramatically higher prices, in part because utilities typically buy their fuel under longer-term contracts at set prices. But propane customers who find themselves suddenly needing to fill their tanks could be paying $100 to $200 more per fill-up than they did a month ago.

About 3,000 flights for Tuesday were canceled, with airports from Washington to Boston affected. More than 1,000 flights for Wednesday were called off as well. Amtrak planned to cut back train service.

The rush to get home early by many workers was evident in Philadelphia, where many commuter trains were packed.

The storm put a damper on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s inauguration, forcing the cancellation of an evening party on Ellis Island. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick postponed his annual State of the State address, and the Philadelphia Flyers postponed their Tuesday night game.

Schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky stayed closed for an extra day after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday or sent students home early. Some parents kept their kids home all day, unwilling to put them on slippery roads for a few hours of school.

Federal workers in the Washington area also were given the day off.

Standing in Philadelphia’s LOVE Park with snow swirling around her, visitor Jenn Byrne, of Portland, Ore., said the nasty weather put a crimp in her plans to do a “giant walking tour” of the city. But she vowed to soldier on, taking cabs instead of trudging. She wasn’t wearing snow boots.

“I’ll keep going. Just the means of transportation will change a bit,” Byrne said.

Others shrugged off the snow as well.

In Herndon, Va., where voters were casting ballots in a special election that was likely to determine control of the state Senate, Earlene Coleman said she felt obligated to make her selection: “It only made sense to come out and do my duty.”

Construction worker Tony Cockrell, stopping for coffee at a Hagerstown, Md., gas station, said he planned to continue driving to work sites in western Maryland and northern Virginia to supervise the installation of insulation in building projects.

“If you don’t work, you don’t get paid,” he said, adding that deep cold is good for business. “We’re trying to get stuff insulated so it doesn’t freeze up.”

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/463718-janus-leaves-east-coast-buried-by-snow-frozen-by-bitter-cold/.

C. African Republic chooses mayor as new leader

January 21, 2014

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Members of a national transitional council chose the female mayor of Central African Republic's capital to lead the country out of chaos Monday, as a top U.N. official urged the international community to keep the nation from "crossing the tipping-point into an all-out sectarian conflict."

At two meetings in Brussels, international donors pledged a total of $496 million in humanitarian assistance and European Union foreign ministers took a first step toward potentially deploying hundreds more troops to reinforce French and African peacekeepers to secure the lawless and violent country where nearly one million people are displaced.

Bangui Mayor Catherine Samba-Panza was chosen as interim president after two rounds of voting, becoming the first female leader in the country's history. She beat out Desire Zanga-Kolingba, the son of a former president in Monday's runoff. Samba-Panza, dressed in a bright pink suit jacket, thrust her arms into the air in victory.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius described the 59-year-old Samba-Panza as a "very remarkable woman." Samba-Panza, a longtime corporate lawyer in the insurance industry who took over the mayor's office last June, now will be tasked with organizing national elections before the end of 2014, a job critics say may be nearly impossible given the amount of looting and destruction to administrative buildings throughout the country. She also faces the enormous task of stemming anarchy and bloodshed that has left an untold number dead since a March 2013 coup. An armed Christian movement known as the anti-Balaka arose in opposition to the mostly Muslim Seleka rebellion that seized power then.

"I call on my children, especially the anti-Balaka, to put down their arms and stop all the fighting. The same goes for the ex-Seleka — they should not have fear. I don't want to hear any more talk of murders and killings," she said.

She urged the 100,000 people sheltering near the airport — nicknamed with bitter irony the "Ledger" after the town's sole five-star luxury hotel — to return home. "I'm also calling on the international community to help us quickly restore order in our country which today is on the brink of chaos," she said.

Under mounting international pressure, rebel leader-turned-president Michel Djotodia stepped aside 10 days ago after it became clear he lacked control over the fighters who brought him to power and who were later implicated in scores of atrocities against the predominantly Christian civilian population. Djotodia was the country's first Muslim leader, and an armed Christian militia movement launched an attempted coup in early December.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Samba-Panza's election, saying the change of leadership "offers a critical opportunity to put the transition process back on track," according to a statement released by his spokesperson's office. It added that Ban "remains extremely concerned about the ongoing sectarian violence in the Central African Republic and the worsening humanitarian crisis that affects more than half of the population."

While many hope a change in leadership will bring peace, violence has continued unabated since Djotodia's departure. On Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and its local partners reported burying 50 more bodies in the country's northwest over the weekend. Lynch mobs continue to roam the streets of Bangui.

"This election must mark a new beginning as the country moves towards the full restoration of democratic legitimacy," said a statement from the U.N. Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Central African Republic.

Some 1,600 French peacekeepers along with 4,400 African troops are working to restore order though nearly all of them are in Bangui while violence has ravaged the distant northwest. On Monday, the European Union took initial steps in Brussels toward sending as many as 600 troops to Bangui to aid the effort, diplomats said. It was unclear where the troops would come from and when they would deploy.

In addition to the EU aid offer, the United States also announced that it would be providing nearly $30 million in more humanitarian assistance, bringing the total to $45 million since major violence erupted last month.

At a special session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called for "swift and concrete action to defuse the spiraling inter-communal anger and resentment that is becoming dangerously entrenched."

While the presence of French peacekeepers has prevented large-scale reprisal attacks, Pillay said the disarmament effort has left many Muslim civilians vulnerable to violence from the Christian militia known as the anti-Balaka.

"The mission received consistent, credible testimony and photographs supporting allegations that anti-Balaka mutilated Muslim men, women and children, before or after they were killed," she said. Tens of thousands of migrants from neighboring African countries — mostly Muslims — have fled Central African Republic in the last month, some to home countries where they barely speak the language and have few remaining relatives.

Cameroon's defense minister said Monday its army killed three fighters from Central African Republic after rockets landed in the border town of Garoua-Boulai. There were not casualties, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o said.

He said they were apparently fired during fighting between former members of the Seleka and anti-Balaka fighters.

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers John-Thor Dahlburg and Juergen Baetz in Brussels and Anne Mireille Nzouankeu in Yaounde, Cameroon, contributed to this report.

Vietnam takes delivery of its first 'black hole' sub

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (UPI)
Jan 17, 2013

Vietnam officially took delivery of the first of six "black hole" submarines amid increasing tensions over territorial disputes and fishing rights in the South China Sea.

The Varshavyanka-class submarine HQ182 Hanoi, bought new from Russia, carried out its first operational tests in Vietnamese waters, Thanh Nien news agency reported.

The diesel-electric vessel -- Vietnam's first submarine -- was launched by the manufacturer Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2012.

It underwent sea trials before being loaded onto a Dutch cargo ship for a journey of nearly 17,000 miles to Vietnam's Cam Ranh port.

Vietnam signed the $2 billion deal with Russia during a visit by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to Moscow in 2009.

All the subs -- called black holes because of their silent running when submerged -- are scheduled for delivery by the end of 2016, Thanh Nien reported. Two more subs are set for delivery later this year.

Vietnam intends to use the 3,100-ton vessels that can submerge to nearly 1,000 feet for inshore patrols.

The arrival of the submarine coincides with a declaration by China that requires foreign fishing vessels to seek Beijing's approval to operate in large swathes of the South China Sea.

But many of China's neighbors dispute China's unilaterally declared maritime boundaries as well as ownership of many of the island groups. They say China's declared boundaries infringe their legitimate 200-mile exclusive economic zones.

Vietnam, as well as the Philippines, condemned China's "wrongful acts," saying they aren't in the interests of peace and stability in the region, the Vietnam News Service reported.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi also condemned the first web and print newspaper published in China's Sansha City, set up officially in July 2012.

Sansha city is on Yongxing Island -- Woody Island -- part of the Paracel Islands group, what the Chinese call Xisha Islands.

Sansha is China's smallest prefecture-level city by both population and land area and has jurisdiction over more than 772,000 square miles of ocean that includes other disputed territories.

Ownership of the Paracel Islands has been a sensitive issue for the Vietnamese since losing administration of the group's Woody Island after a brief but deadly naval battle with the Chinese in January 1974.

Three of the four South Vietnamese navy warships retreated and the fourth was sunk by Chinese firepower, drowning dozens of soldiers and sailors including the ship's captain.

China gained control over the Paracel Islands and set up Sansha prefecture and city.

This year, for the first time in 40 years, Vietnam's state publications, including National newspapers such as Thanh Nien and Tuoi Tre, are marking the event, printing numerous articles on the battle, the BBC reported.

The Vietnamese government has been careful in the past not to whip up too much anti-Chinese feeling among the population for fear of street protests against Beijing's actions escalating into confrontations with police.

But that approach might be changing in the face of increasing Chinese statements of ownership of disputed territories and an increasing Chinese naval presence, including the launch of Beijing's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in 2012.

The BBC quoted Ho Van Ky Thoai, a former rear admiral in the South Vietnamese navy and a commander during the 1974 battle, saying there has been "a shift in the Vietnamese government's approach to the subject" in the past several years.

"They have come to realize the clear danger of being swallowed by China. Unfortunately, it is years too late," said Ho, who lives in the United States.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Vietnam_takes_delivery_of_its_first_black_hole_sub_999.html.

Israel to start Arrow 3 production although key test still to come

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI)
Jan 21, 2013

The Defense Ministry and Israel Aerospace Industries are so confident the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system will be able to destroy hostile missiles in space, they're reported to be planning to start production even before flight testing has been completed.

And that includes the critical test of actually intercepting a target missile that will simulate an incoming Iranian Shehab 3b ballistic weapon, which Israel views as its main missile threat at the moment.

The Israeli business daily Globes reported Arrow 3, being developed by state-owned IAI and the U.S. Boeing Co., is scheduled to undergo that test sometime in the next few weeks.

Defense expert Yuval Azulai said the Ministry of Defense and IAI's engineers "are so convinced that the missile will work that they've decided not to waste precious time and to begin production.

"Few interception tests are planned anyway, and if the tests that will be carried out indicate a gap between planned and actual performance, minor software updates should be able to correct them."

Arrow 3 is expected to become operational in 2015, and planners at the Defense Ministry are already thinking about future upgrades of the system to give every Iranian missile an explosive reception," Azulai said.

The two-stage Arrow 3 system successfully passed its second flight test over the eastern Mediterranean Sea Jan. 3 and reached its operational altitude outside Earth's atmosphere.

Officials said the "kill vehicle" jettisoned its booster rocket and carried out "various maneuvers" in space for several minutes using thrust vectors.

During the 10-minutes test, it communicated well with the system's advanced Green Pine radar developed by Elbit Systems subsidiary Elta Systems and the command-and-control center built by Tadiron, now part of Elbit's Elisra division.

Arrow 3 is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in space before they're over Israel and shoot them down at high altitudes to disintegrate nuclear, chemical or biological warheads.

Unlike the Arrow 2 variant currently in service, which is designed to intercept ballistic missiles at lower altitudes within Earth's atmosphere with explosive warheads, Arrow 3 uses interceptors that ram their targets.

Arrow 3 will constitute the topmost tier of a multilevel missile defense shield known as Homa, Hebrew for Wall, that's being put together with hefty U.S. funding over and above the annual $3.1 billion in U.S. military aid Israel received.

Arrow 2, operational for several years, will be its back-up, gunning for any ballistic missiles that slip through the Arrow 3 screen.

The next level down will be David's Sling, designed to counter medium-range missiles and cruise missiles. It's being developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel's biggest defense company after IAI, and the U.S. Raytheon Co.

Rafael's Iron Dome system, designed to intercept unguided rockets and short-range missiles, forms the bottom level.

It's been operational since early 2012 and by the military's tally has racked up a kill rate of 84.6 percent against the rockets unleashed by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip it has engaged.

On Saturday, Rafael announced on its website that it plans to unveil yet another system, Iron Beam which uses a high-energy laser to destroy short-range rockets, artillery and mortar shells, at the Singapore Air Show to be held Feb. 11-16.

It's designed to complement Iron Dome, and once operational would reduce the cost of intercepting rockets, such as those used by the Palestinians and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Each radar-guided Iron Dome interceptor costs nearly $100,000 but Iron Beam would cost significantly less.

The United States and Israel worked on a laser-based missile defense system known as Nautilus (1996-2005). It cost $300 million, but was shelved because of its perceived poor performance in cloudy weather and in countering salvos of missiles and rockets.

The tactical high energy laser project was conducted by the Northrop-Grumman Corp., the prime contractor, with a group of Israeli companies that included IAI, Rafael, Elbit and Tadiran.

In February 1996, Nautilus shot down a rocket in a test at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the first time a rocket had been destroyed in flight by a laser beam.

But the program was constantly held up in the U.S. Congress and in 2001 Israeli commanders deemed Nautilus irrelevant and too expensive.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Israel_to_start_Arrow_3_production_although_key_test_still_to_come_999.html.

Israeli company to unveil laser defense

Moscow (Voice of Russia)
Jan 21, 2014

A state-owned Israeli arms company says it will unveil a new laser-defense system next month that will be capable of shooting down short-range rockets and mortar fire.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. says the "Iron Beam" system will use a "directed high energy laser beam" to intercept incoming projectiles fired from short distances. The system is to be displayed at the Singapore Air Show next month and is expected to be operational next year.

Once deployed, Iron Beam would add another element of protection to Israel's multilayered missile defense system.

Israel is developing a new generation of its "Arrow" system to intercept long-range ballistic missiles in space. It also is developing a system to intercept medium-range missiles and has deployed "Iron Dome," which shoots down short-range rockets.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Israeli_company_to_unveil_laser_defense_999.html.

State of emergency begins in Thailand

January 22, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — Gunmen shot and wounded a top leader of a major pro-government movement in northern Thailand on Wednesday, and demonstrators pushing to overthrow the prime minister defied the start of a state of emergency imposed in the capital to cope with the nation's increasingly bloody political crisis.

Kwanchai Praipana was shot twice and hospitalized after unidentified gunmen in a pick-up truck sprayed bursts of gunfire at his home in Udon Thani, according to another leader of the group, Jutaporn Promphan.

The government announced the state of emergency late Tuesday in the wake of a string of attacks that have mostly been aimed at demonstrators protesting peacefully in Bangkok. Grenade assaults on Friday and Sunday killed one man and wounded more than 60 people alone, bringing the casualty toll since November to at least nine dead and more than 550 hurt.

The emergency decree allows authorities to ban public gatherings, impose curfews and censor local news reports for 60 days. But the government said it would not use those powers to crack down on demonstrators who have seized several patches of the capital, and life in the city continued as normal with tourist sites unaffected and no major deployment of extra security forces.

The powerful army commander, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, said "we will have to see" whether the decree helps ease the violence. The protesters have refused to negotiate with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, but Prayuth urged both sides to talk, saying, "we must stop this conflict to let the country move forward."

"I'm in favor of discussion. No one takes all or loses all. No one wins all or loses all, so we have to find a way," he said. Because "whenever the conflict has gone to the point that it is not fixable, the soldiers have to fix it."

Thailand's military has staged 11 coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. Prayuth has repeatedly said he does not want the army to intervene, but has pointedly refused to rule out a coup. The protesters have blocked major streets and marched on government offices in a bid to shut down the capital and force Yingluck's resignation to make way for an appointed government to implement reforms to fight corruption, which they say must be implemented before any vote. The opposition Democrat Party, closely aligned with the protesters, is boycotting the polls.

The protesters charge that Yingluck's government is carrying on the practices of Thaksin Shinawatra, her billionaire brother who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, by using the family fortune and state funds to influence voters and cement its power. Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006 after protests accused him of corruption and abuse of power. He fled into exile in 2008 to avoid a two-year prison sentence for a conflict of interest conviction.

The unrest has cast doubt over whether Feb. 2 elections, which Yingluck called to quell the crisis, will be held. On Wednesday, the Election Commission requested the Constitutional Court to issue a ruling on how and whether the ballot can be delayed.

Charupong Ruangsuwan, caretaker Interior Minister, told The Associated Press the vote should go ahead and the Election Commission should not use the state of emergency as an excuse to postpone the poll.

"They can use any excuses all they want, but their duty is to hold the election," he said. "They may accuse the government of causing problems, but the government doesn't have any problems." The emergency decree appeared to embolden the demonstrators. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban vowed late Tuesday to continue demonstrating and questioned whether the declaration was justified, saying the protesters had been peaceful.

"Whatever they warn us not to do, we will do," he declared. "We will march on the routes they ban. ... If they order us not to rally, we will be here indefinitely." Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said Suthep's protesters "have constantly violated the law, especially in closing down government offices and banks and harassment against civil servants to prevent them from working."

He added the demonstrators "had gone overboard, and attacks were carried out by ill-intentioned people, causing people to be injured and killed, affecting the country's stability." Deputy army spokesman Col. Winthai Suvaree said the military would support the government and supply forces as needed.

__ Associated Press writer Grant Peck contributed to this report.

Grenade blasts hit Thai protest site, wounding 28

January 20, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — Twin explosions shook an anti-government demonstration site in Thailand's capital, wounding at least 28 people in the latest violence to hit Bangkok as the nation's increasingly bloody political crisis drags on.

Police said the blasts Sunday near Victory Monument, in the north of the city, were caused by fragmentation grenades — the same kind that killed one man and wounded dozens Friday in a similar explosion targeting protest marchers.

The demonstrators, who control several small patches of Bangkok, are vying to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government and derail Feb. 2 elections she called to quell the crisis. The protest movement has refused to negotiate and the rising casualty toll has only deepened the deadlock.

Witnesses said the explosions occurred about two minutes apart. The first blast went off about 100-200 meters (yards) from a stage set up by protesters, leaving a small crater beside a shop. The second went off near a row of vendors selling T-shirts in the street, leaving bloody clothes and a ripped white-and-blue plastic tarp scattered across the ground.

Police released closed circuit camera images of the suspect that showed a man wearing a black baseball cap bag hurling one of the grenades toward a tent behind the stage. The grenade hit the roof of a small coffee shop and exploded. The suspect ran, threw a second grenade and was chased down an alley before fleeing by motorcycle.

Although the vast majority of Bangkok remains calm, political violence nearly every day over the last week has kept the city of 12 million on edge and raised fears hostilities are only just beginning.

On Friday, another grenade hurled at marching demonstrators in the city center killed one man and injured dozens. And late Saturday, a gunman opened fire on protesters in the capital's Lad Prao district, seriously wounding a 54-year-old volunteer guard who was shot in the back.

There are conflicting theories about who is behind the unrest. Demonstrators blame the government and its supporters, who in turn accuse protesters of staging the attacks to pressure the military or judiciary to intervene — scenarios that would benefit the protest movement, which lacks the numbers to bring down the government on its own.

Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, said "both sides of Thailand's political divide use violence and spin to serve their political goals." He added such attacks are likely to continue.

Thailand's army has staged about a dozen successful coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. The last coup, in 2006, toppled then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra — Yingluck's brother — and touched off a societal schism that in broad terms pits a poor rural north who back the Shinawatras against a Bangkok-based elite backed by the army and staunch royalists who see Yingluck's family as a corrupt threat to traditional structures of power.

Yingluck's opponents — a minority that can no longer win at the polls — argue the Shinawatras are using their electoral majority to impose their will and subvert democracy. The crisis boiled over again late last year after the ruling party attempted to push through an amnesty bill that would have allowed Thaksin to return from self-imposed exile. Thaksin has lived abroad since 2008 to avoid a prison sentence for a corruption conviction.

Sunday's blasts wounded 28 civilians, five of them critically, according to the Erawan Medical Center, which tracks casualties. Police Col. Kamthorn Auicharoen, an explosive ordnance disposal officer, said intact grenade levers found at the scene indicated the explosives were Russian-built, anti-personnel RGD-5s.

A senior member of the protest movement, Sathit Wongnongtoey, condemned the bloodshed but said "condemnation is not enough ... it's the government who did it." Yingluck's administration and the political movement that supports her, the Red Shirts, have denied responsibility for organizing the violence.

Anxious about triggering military intervention, Yingluck has ordered police to avoid confrontations. The strategy has undermined rule of law and the government's authority, however, with police essentially ceding scattered pockets of Bangkok to demonstrators.

The protest movement has armed guards, and it has at times taken the law into its own hands. Another protest leader, Issara Somchai, said demonstrators detained two men Saturday allegedly found with small homemade explosives and handcuffs. He said the men were being "investigated."

"We are taking care of them. They are safe with us," he said, adding they were being protected from demonstrators who could seek revenge.

ALMA Discovers a Formation Site of a Giant Planetary System

Atacama, Chile (SPX)
Jan 23, 2014

A team of Japanese astronomers has obtained a firm evidence of formation of a giant planetary system around a young star by the observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA). This result has a transformative impact on the theories of planet formation and gives us a clue to the origin of a wide variety of planetary systems.

The research team, led by astronomers at Osaka University and Ibaraki University, observed a young star named HD142527 in the constellation Lupus (the Wolf) with ALMA. The ALMA image shows that cosmic dust, which is component material of planets, is circling around the star in a form of asymmetric ring. By measuring the density of dust in the densest part of the ring, the astronomers found that it is highly possible that planets are now being formed in that region. This region is far from the central star, about 5 times larger than the distance between the Sun and the Neptune.

This is the first firm evidence of planet formation found so far from the central star in a protoplanetary disk. The research team plans further observations of HD142527 with ALMA for closer investigation, as well as other protoplanetary disks to have a comprehensive understanding of the planet formation in general.

Research Background

More than 1000 extrasolar planets have been discovered until now, and it is widely recognized that the Sun is not the only star which has planets. In the research of extrasolar planets, astronomers have found a wide variety of planets such as Jupiter-like gaseous giant planets circling around central stars in a much smaller orbit than that of the Mercury, and planets that have a very large orbit far beyond the Neptune's orbit.

While such a diverse range of extrasolar planets have been discovered, the formation process of planets is yet to be well understood. This is one of the top priority issues in modern astronomy and an increasing number of observations have been conducted to explore the planet forming region around young stars.

A baby star is surrounded by a ring of dust and gas, which would be the component material of planets. Recent near-infrared observations with the NAOJ Subaru Telescope revealed that protoplanetary disks have structures that are far more complex than we expected. Spiral or gap structures are thought to be associated with hidden planets in the disk.

However, it is impossible to measure the amount of dust and gas in the densest part of the disk by near-infrared observations. Since near-infrared light is easily absorbed or scattered by a large amount of dust, it isn't suitable for observing the innermost part of the dense region of the disk.

Then, the key to the solution will be millimeter and sub-millimeter wave, which can be observed with ALMA. Millimeter/sub-millimeter wave has longer wavelength than near-infrared light and is poorly absorbed by dust, which enables astronomers to peer into the inner part of the disk. Low spatial resolution was a weak point in millimeter/sub-millimeter observations, but it is now greatly improved by ALMA.

Observations with ALMA

The research team selected a young star HD142527 in the constellation Lupus (the Wolf) as a target of their ALMA observations. Through their prior observations of the disk around HD142527 with the Subaru Telescope, they discovered a gap inside the disk and peculiar shape of the outer disk. ALMA detected the sub-millimeter emission from the dust ring around the star. The emission has a non-uniform distribution and the northern side is 30 times brighter than the faint southern side. "We are very surprised at the brightness of the northern side," said Misato Fukagawa, the leader of the team and an assistant professor at Osaka University.

"The brightest part in sub-millimeter wave is located far from the central star, and the distance is comparable to five times the distance between the Sun and the Neptune. I have never seen such a bright knot in such a distant position. This strong sub-millimeter emission can be interpreted as an indication that large amount of material is accumulated in this position. When a sufficient amount of material is accumulated, planets or comets can be formed here. To investigate this possibility, we measured the amount of material."

In calculating the amount of material based on the sub-millimeter emission strength, the temperature of the material is an important parameter. The team estimated the temperature in the dense region from the observations of isotopomers of carbon monoxide. As a result, the team reached two possibilities; gravitational instability or grain accumulation.

If the abundance of dust and gas is comparable to that in typical environment in the universe (the mass ratio of dust and gas is 1 to 100), the dense region is massive enough to attract large amount of gas due to the self-gravity and form giant gaseous planets several times more massive than Jupiter. Although this is similar to the formation process of stars in cosmic clouds, it was the first time that the possibility of such a planet formation process was directly suggested by observations of protoplanetary disks.

The other possibility is the formation of "dust trap" in which the abundance of dust is exceptionally higher than the other part of the disk. If the dust trap is formed in the disk, earth-like rocky planets, small bodies such as comets, or cores of gaseous planets may be formed. In both cases, it is highly possible that planets are being formed in the dense part of the disk around HD142527.

The basics of the two planet formation processes mentioned above were predicted theoretically more than 30 years ago. Astronomers assume that the planet formation of our solar system began with collision and coalescence of huge amount of dust (grain accumulation model). The concentration of dust would grow into a number of cores of planets (protoplanets), and these cores evolve into planets through numerous collisions and coalescences. Some of the cores capture massive atmosphere to form gaseous giants. Astronomers also assume that some planets in other planetary systems were formed by gravitational instability.

In both model, it was thought that the planet formation processes occur close to the central star (around Jupiter and Saturn orbit) in planetary systems similar to our Solar System, but the new ALMA results undermine this conventional assumption. Munetake Momose, a team member and a professor at Ibaraki University says "Seeing the site of planet formation directly is one of the most important goals for ALMA. Our observations successfully located a unique candidate in an unexpectedly distant place from the central star. I believe that ALMA will bring us more surprising results."

Future prospects

The research team found out two possibilities in the planet formation process which is taking place in the disk around HD142527. The next step will be a precise measurement of the amount of gas to identify which process is involved. The team will continue detailed observations using ALMA with improved capability.

Fukagawa says "HD142527 is a peculiar object, as far as our limited knowledge goes. However, other asymmetrical protoplanetary disks have been discovered since the early ALMA science operation started. Our final goal is to reveal the major physical process which controls the formation of planets. To achieve this goal, it is important to obtain a comprehensive view of the planet formation through observations of many protoplanetary disks. We hope to be part of this great venture."...

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/ALMA_Discovers_a_Formation_Site_of_a_Giant_Planetary_System_999.html.

Water Found on Dwarf Planet Ceres, May Erupt from Ice Volcanoes

by Tanya Lewis
January 22, 2014

Astronomers have discovered direct evidence of water on the dwarf planet Ceres in the form of vapor plumes erupting into space, possibly from volcano-like ice geysers on its surface.

Using European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory, scientists detected water vapor escaping from two regions on Ceres, a dwarf planet that is also the largest asteroid in the solar system. The water is likely erupting from icy volcanoes or sublimation of ice into clouds of vapor.

"This is the first clear-cut detection of water on Ceres and in the asteroid belt in general," said Michael Küppers of the European Space Agency, Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain, leader of the study detailed today (Jan. 22) in the journal Nature.

The research has implications for how Ceres formed, and supports models that suggest the planets moved around a lot within the solar system during its formation, Küppers told SPACE.com.

Ceres, a dwarf planet or giant asteroid (depending on the definition used), is the largest object in the asteroid belt, orbiting at 2.8 astronomical units (the distance from Earth to the sun). The "snowline" is thought to partition the solar system into dry objects inside the asteroid belt, and icy objects such as comets further out. But the finding of water on Ceres suggests more mixing has occurred.

Scientists have suspected that there is a substantial amount of water on Ceres for about 30 years. A study found hints of water in the form of hydroxide, a product of water's dissociation, on Ceres in 1991, but the finding wasn't confirmed by later observations. Now, Küppers and his colleagues have confirmed the finding.

The researchers used the Herschel Space Observatory's spectrometer to look for signals of water. Clouds of water vapor around Ceres absorbed the heat that radiates from the dwarf planet, which Herschel's instrument detected. The team found that Ceres produces about 2×10^26 molecules, or 13 lbs. (6 kilograms), of water vapor per second from its surface.

One possible source of the water is icy volcanism. "It is like volcanism in that hot material from the interior is 'spat out' to the surface," Küppers said — much like a geyser. But these icy volcanoes eject water vapor instead of molten rock, he said.

Another possibility is that ice near the surface of Ceres sublimes, or goes directly from a solid to a gas, dragging with it dust from the surface and exposing more ice. A similar process occurs on comets.

"I personally consider cometary-style sublimation the most likely source, because I find it difficult to maintain the internal heat over the age of the solar system to maintain volcanoes," Küppers said, but he added that more studies were needed.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft, set to go into orbit around Ceres in early 2015, could answer some questions about the water on Ceres. Dawn recently visited the asteroid Vesta, a baked world whose surface is covered with volcanic eruptions.

"One of the most puzzling questions about the origin and evolution of asteroids is why Vesta and Ceres are so different," astrophysicists Humberto Campins and Christine Comfort at the University of Central Florida in Orlando wrote in an article in the same issue of Nature.

Water vapor can transport a lot of heat, so when Ceres formed 4.6 billion years ago, sublimation of water ice might have dissipated much of its heat into space, Campins and Comfort wrote. "This would have stopped Ceres from ending up with an igneous surface like that of Vesta."

Detecting water on Ceres supports models of the solar system in which giant planets, such as Jupiter, migrated to their current positions, mixing material from the outer and inner regions of the solar system. This mixing could have moved Ceres and Vesta far from the sites where they formed. Ceres probably formed close to its current position, but accreted material from further out, Küppers said.

The findings also suggest that asteroids may have delivered some of the water in Earth's oceans.

Source: SPACE.com.
Link: http://www.space.com/24366-dwarf-planet-ceres-water-ice-volcanoes.html.

On charm offensive, Iran leader sets lofty goals

January 23, 2014

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — In a charm offensive to the global political and business elite, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani set lofty ambitions for his country, including becoming one of the world's top 10 economies.

The first Iranian leader in a decade to visit the World Economic Forum, Rouhani took top billing Thursday at the World Economic Forum, drawing crowds to hear a speech in which he promised greater engagement with the world.

Touting the potential investment opportunities of the oil-rich land to the business tycoons in the audience, Rouhani said his country could, with the gradual easing of sanctions, enjoy an economic boom.

And Tehran, he said, is committed to honoring a deal to curb its nuclear program in the hope that will lead to a permanent lifting of economic sanctions, which have battered the Iranian economy over recent years.

"I see the status of Iran pursuing policies of moderation, prudence and hope in the future global economy," said Rouhani. "Iran's economy has so far the potential to be among the world's top 10 in the next three decades."

For 2012, the International Monetary Fund judged Iran to be the 21st biggest economy in the world in terms of annual economic income, or nominal gross domestic product. To get into the top 10 it would have to leapfrog the likes of Switzerland, Turkey and Spain.

Rouhani's attendance was eagerly awaited as it coincided with the lifting of some of the sanctions, as well as the country's exclusion from Syrian peace talks being held just a few hours' drive away. The forum, which brings together about 2,500 political and business leaders, was the perfect stage for Rouhani to deliver a diplomatic message while seeking to engage with potential investors.

And in an attempt to soften concerns that sanctions will remain a feature of life for Iran, Rouhani emphasized that Tehran will abide by the terms of a deal with world powers to limit its nuclear program. The two sides will try to make the deal permanent over the next six months.

"We intend to reopen trade, industrial and economic relations, with all of our neighbors," Rouhani said. Iran, he claimed, is "fully prepared and ready to engage with all neighboring countries" to reach solutions on issues including business ventures, environmental concerns, Palestinian rights, Persian Gulf security and Syria's humanitarian crisis.

Iran has huge riches at its disposal, particularly oil and gas, the work force is skilled and the country has untapped potential for tourism. But the country has largely been cut off from international business since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The sanctions, which have grown in recent years in response to Iran's nuclear program, have hit the economy hard.

"Rapprochement with the West will help stabilize Iran's economy," said Bryan Plamondon, senior economist at IHS. Rouhani said he hopes Iran's historical deep economic ties with Europe will be normalized and suggested that negotiations with the U.S. could pave the way to better relations. He reiterated that Iran has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons but has the right to continue pursuing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

In a sign of the normalization of relations, the International Monetary Fund is sending a mission to Tehran in two days — for the first time in years — for an in-depth review of the economy. "I am very pleased we can reset the relationship on a sound footing," Christine Lagarde said in a discussion in Davos.

She said she met Rouhani at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last year and found him to be "a sensible policymaker, one that is well-versed in economic matters, who seems to be very much aware of the challenges, who has ambition for a reset of Iran vis-a-vis the rest of the world."

One leader who was not taken in by Rouhani was Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told the forum in a speech of his own that Iran remains a concern across the region, not just for Israel.

"They say they oppose nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said. "Why do they insist on maintaining the ballistic missiles and the plutonium, and the advanced centrifuges that are only used for the production of nuclear weapons?

"I wish it was real. It isn't real," he said. Netanyahu has been a fierce critic of the U.S.-led efforts to curb Iran's nuclear program, saying they don't go far enough to put the brakes on a country that supports Hezbollah, the militant group that has been vying with Israel for control of the region's power balance.

The Israeli leader also blamed Iran for being involved in the violence in Syria. "Iran, with the Revolutionary Guards, on the ground in Syria, is facilitating the mass slaughter," Netanyahu said, referring to Iran's elite military unit.

Rouhani suggested that "the best solution is to organize free and fair elections." Iran's Shiite-led government and financial support is central to President Bashar Assad's grip on power. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be another a point of focus of talks at Davos, particularly for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who was also at the event, fresh from the Syrian peace conference in the nearby cities of Montreux and Geneva.

Both sides resumed peace talks in July under heavy American pressure, the first time they had done so in almost five years. There have been virtually no signs of progress, however. Kerry is working to get a framework deal in April.

Adam P. Pemble contributed to this report.