Thursday, August 27, 2009

DTN News: South Korea Satellite Lost After Flawed Launch ~ Officials

DTN News: South Korea Satellite Lost After Flawed Launch ~ Officials
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) GOHEUNG-GUN, South Korea - August 27, 2009: A satellite launched atop South Korea's first space rocket is thought to have burnt up in the earth's atmosphere after missing its designated orbit, officials said Wednesday. In this handout image provided by the Korea Aerospace Reseacher Institute, The first home-launched satellite of South Korea, carried by rocket 'Naro (KSLV-I)', is launched from Naro space center on August 25, 2009 in Goheung, South Korea. The country's first space rocket carries a payload of a scientific satellite and has been twice postponed due to the technical problems. Seoul says its rocket is part of a peaceful civilian space programme rejecting any comparison with Pyongyang's rocket launch earlier this year. Seoul vowed to press on with its drive to become a space technology leader despite Tuesday's setback, caused by the defective operation of a fairing covering the satellite. The science and technology ministry said one of the two aerodynamic fairings covering the rocket's tip failed to fall away after opening in preparation for the satellite's release. Because of the fairing's weight the second stage of the rocket could not achieve enough thrust to place the satellite in orbit. Its speed fell to 6.2 km per second instead of an optimum eight km. Deputy science minister Kim Jung-Hyun said the extra weight also caused the rocket to steer upwards and the satellite to be released at an altitude of 387 km (242 miles), far higher than the planned 302 km. South Korea had invested more than 500 billion won (400 million dollars) and much national pride in the satellite and the 33-metre (108-foot) rocket. The first stage was built in collaboration with Russia's Khrunichev space centre. The second stage, including the defective fairings, was constructed by local engineers who also built the 100-kilogram (220-pound) research satellite. "South Korea was in charge of the separation of fairings while Russia was in charge of overall technical assistance. Therefore the two countries share the responsibility," Kim told reporters. "Further discussions (with Russia) will be held on this point." The launch had been delayed seven times since 2005, most notably last week when the countdown was stopped eight minutes before blastoff. "We can say it was half successful, though the satellite failed to enter orbit," President Lee Myung-Bak told a cabinet meeting Tuesday evening. "We must realise our dream of becoming a leading country in space technology, even if it takes an eighth attempt after seven failures or a ninth attempt after eight failures." Korea Aerospace Research Institute expert Chae Yeon-Seok was more upbeat. "Despite the glitch, this was a success as all main systems including the two brand-new first and second-stage rockets operated normally," Chae told AFP. North Korea, smarting at the UN Security Council's censure of its own April 5 rocket launch, had vowed to closely monitor reaction to its neighbour's launch from Goheung on the south coast. Washington and its allies said the launch by the nuclear-armed North was a disguised test of a long-range missile. South Korea limits its own missiles to a 300 km range under an accord with its ally the United States. US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Tuesday the South's space programme had been developed "in a responsible manner". The nation has previously sent 10 satellites into space using launch vehicles from other countries. In November 2007 it announced an ambitious plan to launch a lunar orbiter by 2020 and to send a probe to the Moon five years after that. South Korea unveiled the lunar project one month after China launched its first lunar orbiter and two months after Japan did the same. In April last year Seoul sent its first astronaut into space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket.

DTN News: China TODAY August 27, 2009 ~ Chinese Military In Singing Mode

DTN News: China TODAY August 27, 2009 ~ Chinese Military In Singing Mode *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - August 27, 2009: Chinese military march in front of Tian'anmen Gate on August 25, 2009 in Beijing, China. The grand celebrations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China are set to include a military parade and mass pageant consisting of about 200,000 citizens in Tian'anmen Square on October 1, 2009.Chinese military singers take part in a chorus performance of patriotic songs involving 10,000 participants held at a gym in Beijing, China, Wednesday Aug. 26, 2009. More than 80 chorus groups from various units in Beijing sang patriotic songs to celebrate the upcoming 60th national day.

DTN News: Russia TODAY August 27, 2009 ~ Two Of Eight Arctic Sea Hijack Suspects Appeal Arrest

DTN News: Russia TODAY August 27, 2009 ~ Two Of Eight Arctic Sea Hijack Suspects Appeal Arrest
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 27, 2009: Two of the eight men detained last week on suspicion of hijacking the Arctic Sea cargo ship have launched an appeal against their arrest, a spokeswoman for the Moscow City Court said on Tuesday.
A suspected hijacker of the bulk carrier Arctic Sea is escorted to the General prosecutor's office in Moscow, August 26, 2009. Russia's top general said on Wednesday the military would search the Arctic Sea merchant ship for a possible secret cargo when it returns to Russia from a maritime odyssey that has made headlines around the world.
The Maltese-flagged vessel, which had been missing in the Atlantic for more than two weeks, was discovered off Cape Verde on August 16 by Russia's Ladny warship.
Spokeswoman Yelena Usachyova said that the dates for consideration of their appeals in the court have not yet been finalized.
Last Friday, Moscow's Basmanny District Court remanded in custody eight unemployed residents of Estonia in the case. All eight deny accusations of piracy and hostage-taking.
Under international law, suspected pirates are tried in the country whose forces detain them. The men face up to 20 years in prison.

DTN News: Russia Plans To Buy French Helicopter Carrier Warship

DTN News: Russia Plans To Buy French Helicopter Carrier Warship
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 27, 2009: Russia wants to buy a French helicopter-carring warship, a top general said Aug. 29. Such a purchase would deviate from the Soviet-era principle of producing every piece of military equipment - from pistol cartridges to ballistic missiles - domestically. The Mistral and Tonnerre BPC (bâtiment de projection et de commandement) ships, are the French Navy's new 21,300t amphibious assault, command and power projection ships. The ships have been built by DCN in partnership with Thales and Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Each ship has the payload capacity and versatility to carry up to 16 heavy helicopters and one-third of a mechanised regiment, plus two LCAC hovercraft or up to four landing craft. In April 2007, DCN became DCNS. This followed an agreement in which Thales became a 25% shareholder in the new company and DCN acquired the naval business of Thales France (excluding naval equipment). The Mistral Class is fitted with a high-performance communications suite which makes the ship suitable for deployment as a command vessel. The ships also have the capacity to accommodate a combined (multi-national) joint (i.e. multi-service) task force (CJTF). The contract for the two vessels was placed in January 2001. Keel for the FS Mistral (L9013) was laid in July 2003 and it was launched from the Brest dockyard in October 2004. Mistral was commissioned into the French Navy in February 2006. Tonnerre (L 9014) was laid down in August 2003 and launched in July 2005. It was commissioned in February 2007. In July 2006, Mistral was deployed of the coast of Lebanon in support of the French Navy Operation Baliste, evacuating French nationals during the conflict involving Israel and the Lebanon. The Mistral and Tonnerre replace the L9021 Ouragan and L9022 Orage which were built at Brest Naval Dockyard and entered service in 1965 and 1968. Col. Gen. Nikolai Makarov, the chief of the General Staff, told reporters in Ulan Bator, where he was traveling with President Dmitry Medvedev, that "not a single country can produce everything at the high-quality level." "Anyway, we will have to buy something [abroad]," Makarov said, Interfax news agency reported. He said that the military would negotiate with the French Defense Ministry and a French shipbuilding company he didn't name, to buy a Mistral-class helicopter carrier that could carry 16 helicopters, 40 tanks or 900 troops. Russian shipyards would then produce three or four additional carriers with France's aid, Makarov said. "Before the year's end, we plan to obtain contract agreements with a French company allowing the construction and purchase of this ship," Makarov told reporters. "There are no ships of this class in Russia." France's Navy has two of the 21,300-ton carriers in service, and one more is under construction at the Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire dockyards. Speculation that the military was interested in buying the helicopter carrier, which costs about $1 billion, according to expert estimates, first surfaced in the local Vedomosti and Kommersant newspapers last month, but Russian officials denied the reports. Several Russian defense analysts have questioned the expediency of such a costly purchase in the name of national security. Any military conflicts likely to involve Russia would be with its neighbors, like the war last August with Georgia, which would require land troops and equipment rather than a sea vessel, they say. Manned by 160-strong crew, a Mistral carrier can also carry four assault landing boats, and is armed with two Simbad missile air defense units, two 30mm Breda-Mauser guns and four 12.7mm machine guns. Russia has already departed recently from its policy of being over-protective of domestic arms producers by buying 12 spy drones from Israel earlier this year for $53 million.

DTN News: Sri Lanka TODAY August 27, 2009 ~ Sri-Lanka Soldiers shoot Tamil Civilians / Smuggled Footage Claims To Show Tamil Tiger Executions

DTN News: Sri Lanka TODAY August 27, 2009 ~ Sri-Lanka Soldiers shoot Tamil Civilians / Smuggled Footage Claims To Show Tamil Tiger Executions
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - August 27, 2009: VIDEO of naked, bound and blindfolded men apparently shot dead by Sri Lankan soldiers has surfaced, in what may be the first evidence of war crimes during the Sri Lankan Government's recent offensive against the Tamil Tigers. Internally displaced people (IDPs) walks past a military vehicle in the Zone 4 camp at Manik Farm in northern Sri Lanka August 19. 2009. Around 280,000 war-displaced Tamils are being held in Manik Farm camp in the Indian Ocean island's north, after government forces defeated Tamil Tiger separatists and ended a 25-year civil war. Rights activists accuse authorities of illegally holding the displaced in the heavily guarded camps, but the government says it has to first weed out Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters and clear thousand of landmines before they can go home. The United Nations says around 1,925 shelters housing around 10,000 people were damaged or destroyed by sporadic rains which began on Aug.. 14. , ahead of the northeast monsoon which is due in September and can last three months. The video was purportedly smuggled out of Sri Lanka by a media freedom group and passed to a British television station. The grainy mobile phone footage shows a grassy field scattered with the corpses of naked men. Men in Sri Lankan army uniforms lead a naked, bound and blindfolded man to a spot, force him to kneel and kick him in the head. He is then shot once in the back of the head. Late yesterday the Sri Lankan Government was dismissing the video as a fake but promised there would be a full military investigation if it proved genuine. Local and international media were prevented from covering the offensive - the coup de grace in a campaign to eliminate the Tamil Tigers - but there have been persistent rumours of executions and extrajudicial killings. The footage was released by Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, a non-government group that has campaigned for press freedom in the conservative south Asian country in recent years. Late yesterday a senior spokesman for the Sri Lankan Government, the head of its Peace Secretariat, Dr Palitha Kohona, dismissed the video as a fake. ''Our initial reaction is still to treat this [footage] with the contempt it deserves, but to dispel any iota of doubt, there will be the proper military investigation,'' Dr Kohona told the Herald. ''We think it is a fake. There are reasons for saying this. Apparently this incident occurred in January and it took a long while for them to air it, which makes us very suspicious.'' In January the Tamil rebels in the north were still ''on the run'' and no prisoners had yet been taken, Dr Kohona said. Dr Sam Pari, of the Australian Tamil Congress, said the footage was further cause for Australian sanctions against Sri Lanka.

DTN News: Interpol Seeks Pakistani Militant Wanted In India

DTN News: Interpol Seeks Pakistani Militant Wanted In India
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - August 27, 2009: The international police agency Interpol has issued a "red notice" alert for a Pakistani Islamist wanted in India in connection with attacks in Mumbai that strained relations between the nuclear-armed rivals. Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, center, chief of an Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, leaves under tight security after appearing before the judicial review board of High Court in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Saeed was detained under house arrest last year as part of Pakistan's investigation into the Mumbai attacks. India says Hafiz Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group, was the mastermind of November's attacks in India's commercial hub in which 166 people were killed. Saeed was detained in Pakistan in December, after a U.N. Security Council resolution put him on a list of people and organisations supporting al Qaeda. But in June, a court released him on grounds of insufficient evidence, prompting the Pakistani government to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court for his re-arrest. That case is pending. India has been insisting that Pakistan act against Saeed and other members of the LeT, which is banned in Pakistan. Pakistan says it has insufficient evidence against him. Interpol says a red notice is not an international arrest warrant but is issued after authorities in a country issue a warrant to help with the identification or location of a suspect with a view to their arrest or extradition. India's foreign minister, S.M. Krishna said the world had to take notice of the Interpol alert against Saeed. "I think the world should take note of these developments and then you know they will have to come to their own conclusions," Krishna told reporters on Wednesday. "India can only do this much and nothing beyond, and we have done whatever we can and we will continue to impress on Pakistan the desirability of curbing terror." A notice on Interpol's website identified the suspect as Hafiz Saab Sayed. The agency said an arrest warrant for him had been issued in Mumbai for various offences including "crimes against life and health", kidnapping and terrorism. Interpol says many of its member countries consider a red notice a valid request for provisional arrest. Pakistani government spokesmen were not available for comment. INFORMATION "REJECTED" India has on several occasions given Pakistan information with the aim of helping build a case against Saeed, but Krishna said the information had been rejected. Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik told a Pakistani television station on Tuesday that the government still needed "solid evidence" against Saeed. Pakistan has arrested at least five people and put them on trial for the Mumbai assault, but Indian officials say Saeed's case is a test of whether Pakistan was serious about dismantling the "terrorist network" on its soil. Saeed is one of 38 people, including Pakistani nationals, accused by India of planning the guns-and-grenades attack by 10 gunmen India says were Pakistanis. India broke off a 5-year-long peace process with Pakistan after the Mumbai attack saying talks could resume only if Pakistan acted against the planners and prevented more attacks. The neighbours have fought three wars since 1947. Saeed heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawa charity which the United Nations said in December was a front for the LeT. A charity spokesman, Yahya Mujahid, said India was trying to deceive the world in its effort to link Saeed to Mumbai. "We'll fight our legal battle. It doesn't bother us," Mujahid said of the Interpol notice. "We have a Pakistani high court verdict saying there's no evidence of Mr Saeed's involvement in the Mumbai attack."

DTN News: Boeing Subsidiary Spectrolab Achieves World Record Solar Cell Efficiency

DTN News: Boeing Subsidiary Spectrolab Achieves World Record Solar Cell Efficiency *Source: DTN News / Boeing (NSI News Source Info) SYLMAR, Calif., - August 27, 2009: Spectrolab Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], today announced that a solar cell it manufactured has set a new world record for terrestrial concentrator solar cell efficiency. The cell can convert 41.6 percent of concentrated sunlight into electricity. The U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., independently tested the efficiency of the Spectrolab cell in June, validating that it surpassed the previous record of 41.1 percent held by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. High-efficiency solar cells in concentrator systems require fewer cells to produce the same electrical output as conventional solar cells. They enable energy producers to generate more electrical power from typical industrial solar panels and pass on lower costs to homeowners, businesses and other end users. "This latest record asserts Spectrolab's leadership position in high efficiency multijunction solar cells and brings the industry one step closer to achieving affordable solar electricity," said David Lillington, president of Spectrolab. "This cell is an advanced version of our lattice-matched cell technology that will be incorporated quickly and successfully into our production line. This milestone underscores our emphasis on realizing the highest efficiency cells in high-volume production." Produced in February 2008, the new Spectrolab cell is an advanced version of the lattice-matched triple-junction technology already produced in high volumes for space and terrestrial applications at Spectrolab, which pioneered the technology more than a decade ago. The new cell incorporates multiple improvements in wafer processing to reduce metal grid shadowing and series resistance, raising the cell's overall efficiency for conversion of sunlight to electricity. "Over the past decade, Spectrolab's efforts developing terrestrial solar cell efficiency have achieved an average improvement of approximately one percentage point per year, and we expect to continue that pace," added Lillington. Spectrolab is the world's leading supplier of multi-junction photovoltaic solar cells, solar panels, searchlights and solar simulators and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Spectrolab products have powered satellites since 1958 and have contributed to the on-orbit success of numerous commercial, national security and civil space missions. Spectrolab's technological advancements have driven space solar cell efficiencies to more than 28 percent. Today, Spectrolab cells power 60 percent of all satellites orbiting the Earth, as well as the International Space Station. Spectrolab has made significant investments to meet the increasing demand of the terrestrial concentrator photovoltaic industry and expects to have an annual capacity of 300 megawatts when those investments are realized in 2010. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

DTN News: French Hostage Escapes From Rebels In Somalia

DTN News: French Hostage Escapes From Rebels In Somalia *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) MOGADISHU, Somalia - August 27, 2009: One of two French security advisers kidnapped by insurgents in Somalia last month escaped on Wednesday and fled to the presidential palace in Mogadishu. French security agent Marc Aubriere, center, flanked by Somali security agents as he is escorted from an ambulance to a waiting jet in Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. Aubriere, kidnapped by insurgents in Somalia last month, said he escaped Wednesday while his captors slept, then walked five hours through one of the most dangerous cities in the world to safety at the country's presidential palace. Police said the former hostage killed three of his captors but Marc Aubriere denied killing anyone and said he slipped away while his guards slept and then walked across the city. Militants had seized the Frenchmen at a hotel in the capital on July 14 and handed one to the Hizbul Islam rebels and the other to fighters from the al Shabaab group, which Washington describes as al Qaeda's proxy in the Horn of Africa state. Al Shabaab militants said later that they had taken custody of both men, although that could not be confirmed. Somali government officials at the city's hilltop Villa Somalia palace said the man who escaped was in good health. "We understand he killed three al Shabaab guys who were guarding him. I cannot understand how this good story happened but now he is in the hands of the government," Abdiqadir Odweyne, a senior police commander, told Reuters. Somalia's fragile U.N.-backed government faces a stubborn insurgency mounted by al Shabaab and others. The rebels have been joined by foreign jihadists and militants who Western security agencies say are using the country as a safe haven to plot attacks in the region and beyond. An al Shabaab source confirmed three of its members were killed, but said it was not known by whom. "Three of my friends died but who killed them is the question. We were expecting a ransom this morning," the rebel source said. One associate of the kidnappers said the Frenchman had been freed after talks with Somali elders, and a senior Somali government source said a ransom had been paid for his release. "Of course I feel better than one day ago," Aubriere told the BBC Somali Service. "I'm happy and I will soon see my family ... the guards were very tired and sleepy. I didn't kill anyone or injure anyone while escaping," he said. Adding to confusion over who was holding the pair captive, Aubriere and a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said he had escaped the clutches of Hizbul Islam. KIDNAPPINGS COMMON "One of the two French hostages found a way to escape from the group detaining him, Hizbul Islam. This was with no violence, no ransom," the ministry's spokesman, Eric Chevallier, told a news conference in Paris. He said reports any other group had been holding him were wrong, and that the two Frenchmen were advisers on an open, official mission in support of the Somali security forces. A Somali government official and some media said last month that the pair had been posing as journalists. Chevallier declined to comment on the circumstances of Wednesday's escape. "France continues to make an effort for the second hostage," he said, declining to give further details for security reasons. A spokesman for African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu said Aubriere was transferred from the palace to their base and then boarded a flight to neighbouring Kenya at around 1500 GMT. Mogadishu is one of the world's most dangerous cities and has a history of kidnappings of foreigners, mainly aid workers and journalists. Hostages have normally been released for substantial ransom payments after days or weeks in captivity. This month, Somali gunmen freed two Kenyans, two French nationals, a Bulgarian and a Belgian abducted in November. President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's administration controls only small parts of the lawless country's central region and a few districts of bomb-blasted Mogadishu. Underlining the insecurity, police said 12 people were killed on Wednesday as guards from the agriculture ministry battled other government forces near the city's K4 junction. Violence has killed more than 18,000 Somalis since the start of 2007 and driven another 1.4 million from their homes. That has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian emergencies, with the number of people needing aid leaping 17.5 percent in a year to 3.76 million or half the population.

DTN News: BAE Systems Wins Easyjet Remarketing Mandate For Four Airbus A321s

DTN News: BAE Systems Wins Easyjet Remarketing Mandate For Four Airbus A321s *Source: DTN News / BAE Systems
(NSI News Source Info) HATFIELD, UK - August 27, 2009: BAE Systems has won an exclusive mandate from leading low fares carrier easyJet to remarket four Airbus A321 airliners. The four aircraft are all A321-200 versions, powered by IAE V2533-A5 engines. All have been operating recently across easyJet’s extensive European route network, and are available for delivery in September and October. They are all relatively young aircraft which make them attractive in today’s market. Announcing this new mandate today Hamish Davidson, Executive Vice President Business Development for BAE Systems’ Asset Management business said: “We have a robust and innovative marketing plan in place which we consider will lead to a timely and successful placement of these aircraft, and which is why easyJet has selected us to take on this important aircraft remarketing project.” The Airbus A321 is the largest variant of the Airbus A320 family of aircraft and was first delivered in 1998. These four recent build aircraft will be attractive to existing Airbus customers operating with IAE-powered A320 family aircraft in their fleets. They also represent an attractive investment opportunity for financial institutions whose business models favour such assets. In recent years BAE Systems has amassed much expertise in the remarketing and management of Airbus aircraft. It has previously managed and remarketed Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircraft on behalf of several banks. It also acts as independent service advisor to the Air2US securitisation of 17 Airbus A300s and 22 A320s in operation with American Airlines and United Airlines respectively. Currently, the company is remarketing an Airbus A318 on behalf of Q Aviation of the USA. Among non Airbus aircraft currently being remarketed are eight Boeing MD83s on behalf of Colombian flag carrier, Avianca, in addition to a number of BAE Systems aircraft types from its own portfolio. Through its Asset Management business, BAE Systems provides aircraft remarketing, lease management and technical services to the owners and operators of commercial aircraft from regional equipment through to wide-bodies. Over the last 16 years its track record includes the completion of over 1600 lease contracts, the sale of some 400 commercial airliners and the remarketing and management of a wide range of aircraft including Boeing and Airbus types. About BAE Systems BAE Systems is the premier global defence, security and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 105,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £18.5 billion (US $34.4 billion) in 2008.

DTN News: Africa Cautious On Arms Trade Treaty

DTN News: Africa Cautious On Arms Trade Treaty *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) NAIROBI, Kenya - August 27, 2009: Africa and the African Union (AU) are cautious about a proposed United Nations (UN) Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), fearing it will undermine the curbing of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW). The Institute for Security Studies in a new study entitled Africa and an arms trade treaty finds that despite several declarations and agreements “highlighting the importance of appropriate and effective controls over arms transfers, there has been little bilateral discussion between states on the development of an ATT.” The paper notes there “has also been little engagement by the AU.” Despite this “African countries have for the most part shown considerable support for an ATT.” The ISS argues that given that “Africa is one of the regions that could be substantially impacted by an ATT, African countries might consider developing a more unified approach, or even a common position, to highlight their issues and concerns on the development of an ATT. It is envisaged that the ATT will establish “common universal standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional weapons and in doing so ensure more responsible trade in arms by preventing weapons transfers to conflict zones where they might contribute to further instability and human rights abuses. The research paper adds that the current initiative to regulate the legal arms trade began in 1995, when a group of Nobel Peace Laureates and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) proposed the establishment of a set of criteria to guide conventional weapons transfers. In 1997 the process was taken a step further when the ‘Nobel Peace Laureates International Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers’ was draft ed. “This draft, to a large extent, guided later discussions on an ATT.” The ISS adds that although illicit SALW remain the most commonly used weapons in African conflicts, “trade in other conventional weapons to conflict zones has been recognised as a contributory factor to the escalation of local and regional conflicts and human rights violations. It is therefore argued that an ATT arises from a need for an agreement pertaining to all conventional weapons including, but not limited to SALW, as is the case with the (2001) UN PoA (Programme of Action)” on SALW.

DTN News: Russia Deploys Missile Defence System Near North Korea

DTN News: Russia Deploys Missile Defence System Near North Korea
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 27, 2009: Russia has deployed a missile defence system near its border with North Korea and is studying other measures to protect its population from stray missiles, Russia's top general said Wednesday. The S-400's NATO reporting name is SA-21 Growler, and the system was previously known as S-300PMU-3. It overshadows the capabilities of the other systems from the S-300 series, and its range is claimed to be at least two times greater than that of the MIM-104 Patriot system. According to Russian sources, the S-400 is capable of detecting and engaging targets out to a range of 400 km (250 miles), including aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, including those with a range of 3,500 km and a speed of 4.5 km/s. It has also been claimed that the S-400 is capable of detecting and engaging stealth aircraft. Russia shares a small border with North Korea in the Far East and its main Pacific port of Vladivostok, with a population of 600,000, lies only 150 km (95 miles) from North Korea. A series of missile launches and a nuclear weapon test by North Korea this year alarmed its neighbours, including South Korea, China and Japan. "We are definitely concerned by the conditions under which tests are being carried out in North Korea, including nuclear devices," the chief of Russia's general staff Nikolai Makarov told journalists in the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator. "We already have an S-400 division there," he said, referring to a modernised version of a Soviet-designed surface-to-air missile unit. "We are currently considering what the most effective measures would be to guarantee no debris would fall if a missile launch failed."

DTN News: US Inches Toward Dialogue With North Korea

DTN News: US Inches Toward Dialogue With North Korea
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA - August 27, 2009: The United States on Tuesday opened the door a notch to North Korea, saying it was ready to sit down once Pyongyang returns to a six-nation nuclear deal, but denied envoys had set a trip to the communist state.
Kim Young-chol, chief delegate and secretary general of the South Korean Red Cross office, left, talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Song Ik during their meeting at the Diamond Mountain, North Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. North and South Korea began their first Red Cross talks in nearly two years Wednesday amid a push by the North to reach out to Seoul and Washington after months of provocations, including nuclear and missile tests.
South Korean media said the reclusive state had issued invitations to the two US pointmen on North Korea -- Stephen Bosworth and Sung Kim -- in a bid to break months of soaring tension. The JoongAng Ilbo daily, quoting diplomatic sources, said Bosworth accepted to go to Pyongyang next month. The US State Department refused to confirm or deny it received an invitation but said that no visit was scheduled. "We have no plans -- Ambassador Bosworth has no plans, Ambassador Kim has no plans -- to go to North Korea," Kelly told reporters. But in a slight easing of language, Kelly said that the United States would sit down with the North Koreans if they agreed to return to six-party disarmament talks which they abandoned in April. The United States has long stood firm that any bilateral talks come only within the framework of six-party talks, which also include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea. "We are fully aware that the North Koreans would like to have bilateral talks but they are also fully aware of our position on this -- that we will not have bilateral talks until they agree to return to six-party talks," Kelly said. Pressed on whether he meant the United States could speak to the North with an agreement but not an actual resumption of six-way talks, Kelly repeated: "If they agree to six-party talks, then we'll sit down with them." President Barack Obama's administration, which has made reaching out to US adversaries such as Iran and Cuba a signature policy, has taken a hard line with North Korea which confronted the new US team with one of its first crises. But North Korea -- which earlier this year tested a nuclear bomb and fired a missile over Japan -- has lowered tensions in August. It freed two journalists to former US president Bill Clinton, removed border restrictions on South Koreans and sent two envoys to meet with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a regular interlocutor for North Korea. Some observers see the moves as signs that North Korea is feeling the pressure of a raft of UN-led sanctions, while others see Pyongyang reaching out to the outside world. Asia Society scholar John Delury, who recently returned from a five-day trip to North Korea, said he was struck by the warm welcome that North Koreans extended to him and other US visitors. "It did suggest to me that the environment in North Korea is one where they're getting indicators that a thaw is occurring," said Delury, associate director of the New York-based Asia Society's Center on US-China Relations. "I think the ball is now in the US and South Korea's court to decide how to play this," he said. "There is a lot of self-fulfilling prophecy. If the Obama administration is determined to see only the negative here and mistrust any gestures, then it's not going to strengthen those in North Korea who are saying let's open up, let's go back to the dialogue," he said. Some North Korea watchers, particularly conservatives, argue that the communist state is determined to keep its nuclear weapons no matter what, meaning that any dialogue is likely to yield only meager results.

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Team Achieves USSTRATCOM Certification On Second SBIRS HEO System

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Team Achieves USSTRATCOM Certification On Second SBIRS HEO System
*Operational System Providing Outstanding Surveillance Capabilities for the Nation
*Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin
(NSI News Source Info) SUNNYVALE, Calif., - August 27, 2009: Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced yesterday Aug 26., that the second Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO-2) payload and associated ground systems have been certified for missile warning operations by U.S. Strategic Command. Under contract to the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif., is the prime contractor and systems integrator for the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) High program. SBIRS High is the nation’s next-generation missile warning system and will also provide greatly expanded capabilities for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. When fully operational, SBIRS High will comprise of two payloads in highly elliptical orbit (HEO), four satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), as well as fixed and mobile ground-based assets to receive and process the infrared data. SBIRS High is already providing the nation with enhanced worldwide missile detection and tracking capabilities, battlefield data, and technical intelligence through its ground segment. The first phase of the program, declared operational in 2001, consolidated ground functions of four remote sites into one centralized ground station. In addition to processing missile-warning data from Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites currently on orbit and managing the DSP constellation, the SBIRS ground station is credited with delivering significant operations and maintenance savings for its customer. SBIRS is designed to provide early warning of missile launches, and simultaneously support other missions including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness. “The certification of HEO-2 for missile warning operations is another major operational achievement for the SBIRS team," said Col. Roger Teague, the U.S. Air Force SBIRS Wing Commander. "The HEO system is delivering revolutionary new surveillance capabilities to combatant commanders and we look forward to continued strong progress on this critical national security space program." The formal certification by U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) completes the system development, operational activation and certification process, demonstrating the capability of the SBIRS HEO sensor and associated ground systems to provide timely, accurate and unambiguous warning data in support of USSTRATCOM missions. “This achievement is the result of a strong government-industry partnership focused on operational excellence and mission success,” said Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin’s SBIRS vice president and program manager. “This system is providing superior detection and reporting capabilities for the warfighter and we look forward to building upon the success of the SBIRS mission with the launch of the first geosynchronous spacecraft.” The SBIRS team is now progressing through key integration and test activities on the first geosynchronous orbit (GEO) spacecraft, recently completing flight software subsystem development. The new flight software subsystem will enable the operation, control, and monitoring of the satellite’s health, status, and safety while performing important functions such as telemetry, thermal control, power management, and fault detection and recovery activities. The team is now gearing up for one of the most significant program milestones -- thermal vacuum testing -- which consists of testing the GEO-1 satellite in a flight-like environment where the heating, cooling and vacuum conditions of space are simulated while the spacecraft is operated as it will be on orbit. The SBIRS team is led by the Space Based Infrared Systems Wing at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Sunnyvale, Calif., is the SBIRS prime contractor, with Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Azusa, Calif., as the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system. Lockheed Martin's SBIRS contract includes the two highly elliptical orbit (HEO) payloads now on-orbit, two geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellites, as well as ground-based assets to receive and process the infrared data. The team was recently awarded a $1.5-billion contract for the third HEO payload, the third GEO-3 satellite and associated ground modifications. A contract to include a fourth HEO payload and fourth GEO satellite is expected to be awarded later this year. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

DTN News: The Ministry of Transport Signs For 2 Additional EC225 Helicopters In China

DTN News: The Ministry of Transport Signs For 2 Additional EC225 Helicopters In China *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - August 27, 2009: Eurocopter is pleased to announce the contract signature of another 2 EC225 helicopters with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) / China Rescue and Salvage Bureau (CRS) yesterday Aug 26. Captain SONG Jiahui, Director General of the CRS, Mr FU SHULA, President of AVIC International Holding Corporation and Mr Norbert DUCROT, Senior Vice-President Asia Pacific Sales for Eurocopter signing the contract.
A mere 2 years after the delivery of its first 2 EC225 helicopters in December 2007, this signature took place in the presence of MOT Vice Minister Mr. WENG Mengyong, Captain SONG Jiahui, Director General of the CRS, Mr. FU Shula, President of AVIC International Holding Corporation and Mr. Norbert DUCROT, Senior Vice-President Asia Pacific Sales for Eurocopter.
“This purchase underlines the MOT’s continued vote of confidence in our product range. The EC225 helicopter boasts modern Search and Rescue (SAR) capabilities and we are extremely confident in its strong market potential in China”, says Mr. Norbert DUCROT, Senior Vice-President Asia Pacific Sales for Eurocopter.
Captain SONG Jiahui Director General of the CRS remarks at this occasion, “We have successfully completed several successful operations with the EC225 helicopters over the last 2 years and we are very pleased with their performance. We are convinced that this new acquisition will help us to better meet the demands of a professional maritime rescue team and protect the safety of our people during times of natural catastrophes”.
To be delivered in 2011, these 2 new EC225 helicopters will be operated by the China Rescue and Salvage Bureau for SAR missions. They will strengthen the MOT’s existing fleet of 10 helicopters and 2 fixed wing aircraft, which are currently operated by 4 flight teams stationed throughout China.
The EC225 helicopters are twin-engine heavy helicopters in the 10/11 ton class which have already shown their worth in previous operations with the CRS: they recently rescued 11 seamen in tortuous weather conditions during the Morakot typhoon in August and saved over 100 lives during the Sichuan relief effort last year. These noteworthy accomplishments serve as incontestable evidence of the EC225 helicopter being the world reference for SAR missions. The 2 EC225s for the CRS will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment such as search lights, hoists etc.
In the Chinese market for civil helicopters, Eurocopter is the leader with more than 40 percent market share, thanks to its long lasting, loyal and successful partnership with the Chinese industry and authorities. Today, around 400 helicopters from the Eurocopter family, including those manufactured under licensed production, are currently flying in the country. About Eurocopter Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 15,600 people. In 2008, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublic market, with a turnover of 4.5 billion Euros, orders for 715 new helicopters, and a 53 percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s products account for 30 percent of the total world helicopter fleet. Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 18 subsidiaries on five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centres. More than 10,000 Eurocopter helicopters are currently in service with over 2,800 customers in more than 140 countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world. About Ministry of Transport (MOT) / China Rescue and Salvage Bureau (CRS) The China Rescue and Salvage Bureau is a team of Search and Rescue professionals with proven skills. Since its creation, the CRS has accomplished numerous successful missions at sea and saved the lives of 1,123 people. It has laid a solid foundation for the establishment of a comprehensive search and rescue system in China. Through its operations, the CRS fully highlights the founding values of the Chinese government – to place the interests of its people as its top priority, to the safeguard the lives of its citizens and to build a harmonious society.

DTN News: Raytheon To Provide IT Services To The Environmental Protection Agency

DTN News: Raytheon To Provide IT Services To The Environmental Protection Agency
*Source: DTN News / Raytheon
(NSI News Source Info) RESTON, Va., - August 27, 2009: Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been selected to provide information technology (IT) infrastructure support and solutions through the Information Technology Solutions-Environmental Protection Agency II (ITS-EPA II) contract, further expanding its extensive services provided to the EPA. The multiple-supplier award Blanket Purchase Agreement under U.S. General Services Administration's Schedule 70 IT professional services has a ceiling value of $955 million. Under ITS-EPA II, Raytheon will provide innovative, agile, scalable and cost-effective IT solutions to meet the requirements of the agency and to support EPA's mission goals. Raytheon will help the Office of Environmental Information provide a broad range of IT services to enable secure information exchange, data analysis, scientific investigation and informed decision-making across government and the environmental community. "We look forward to helping increase efficiencies and supporting EPA's important environmental mission with our culture of continuous improvement," said TW Scott, vice president of Raytheon Information Solutions. "As a responsible steward of the environment, Raytheon is committed to sustainability as evidenced by successive awards from the EPA for the company's energy management and climate leadership initiatives, and receipt of an InfoWorld 2009 Green 15 Award for Green IT practices." The ITS-EPA II contract will further expand Raytheon's existing environmental services, which include remote sensing, data management and geographic information systems at multiple EPA ecology research laboratories across the country. Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.