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Alexey Nikolsky/AFP/GettyFilmmaker and conspiracy theorist Oliver Stone has made no secret of his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, but now he has taken it to a whole new level by trying to make him his 22-year-old daughter’s godfather. …
July 19, 2019Read More
The Korean War had been raging for more than a year. The U.S. Forces had almost been routed off the peninsula at Pusan, driven the North Koreans to the brink of defeat, then been beaten back by a flood of Chinese “volunteers.” Seoul had suffered throug…
July 19, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg) — Standard Chartered Plc’s transactions with Iran were worth tens of billions of dollars more than previously known, a whistle-blower said in a lawsuit claiming the British bank actively pursued Iranian business in violation of U.S. sancti…
July 19, 2019Read More
Police officials said Shinji Aoba, a 41-year-old from Saitama City near Tokyo, spent three and a half years in prison for robbing a convenience store in 2012.
July 19, 2019Read More
Hours before the hijacking of the British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, America’s special representative for Iran was explaining its position to diplomats in Washington. Some 100 envoys took part in the briefing by Brian Hook, who outlined the Trump administration’s initiative for maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. Mr Hook said tensions had risen sharply and necessitated the need for a “coalition” of navies to protect their ships through the strait. His words were underlined by the seizure of the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Gulf. Elaborating on the plans, US Central Command described it on Friday night as “a multinational maritime effort”, called Operation Sentinel. “The goal of Operation Sentinel is to promote maritime stability, ensure safe passage, and de-escalate tensions in international waters throughout the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (BAM) and the Gulf of Oman. “This maritime security framework will enable nations to provide escort to their flagged vessels while taking advantage of the cooperation of participating nations for coordination and enhanced maritime domain awareness and surveillance.” British oil tanker seized in the Gulf The US had the day before been forced to down an Iranian drone that had flown too close to one of its navy ships. It could no longer sit idly by, he said. It was the first US military engagement with Iran after a series of increasingly serious incidents in the Gulf, and Donald Trump threatened more yesterday if Iranian planes flew too closely to its ships. Before the hijacking on Friday, a bizarre war of words broke out between the US and Iran after Tehran denied the president’s claim that one of its drones had been destroyed. “We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS [Unmanned Aerial System] by mistake,” Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, responded in a tweet. Iran tensions | Read more Brig Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi added: “Despite Trump’s baseless and delusional claims, all of [Iran’s] drones … have safely returned to their bases.” The Revolutionary Guard released footage from what it said was the “downed drone”. State TV claimed the timing notations showed it was still filming after Washington said it had been put out of action. The US said it had its own “clear evidence”, but did not provide any. Mr Trump announced that the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, “took defensive action” against the Iranian drone. “The US reserves the right to defend our personnel, our facilities and interests and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce,” he said. A journalist aboard USS Boxer suggested that Iran had been harassing the navy ship before the drone was shot down. Iran released footage from what it said was the “downed drone” Credit: AFP The reporter said an Iranian navy helicopter flew alongside them, yards from the deck, before it was chased away by a US helicopter. The convoy of six US warships passed several Iranian speedboats without incident, but was then tailed by a larger Iranian warship which came within 500 yards of Boxer. An Iranian Y-12 surveillance plane was then pursued by US helicopters before a surveillance drone came even closer and was then brought down by electronic warfare jamming. On Friday night, after reports that two British tankers had been intercepted, Bob Sanguinetti, chief executive of the UK’s Chamber of Shipping, said the escalation in tensions in one of the world’s most important chokepoints made it clear more protection for merchant vessels was urgently needed. He said the action was “in violation of international regulations which protect ships and their crews as they go about their legitimate business”.
July 19, 2019Read More
Speaking on May 15, 2019, Putin said the Kremlin would buy scores of Su-57s over the next eight years. If Putin is serious and the Russian defense ministry follows through on the pledge, Russia soon could possess a meaningful number of stealth fighters. But there are good reasons to be skeptical.But buying into the Su-57 program won’t magically solve the program’s problems. The Su-57 is an immature design whose production line is small and inefficient. That won’t quickly or cheaply change.Russian president Vladimir Putin made a big show on May 14, 2019 of visiting the 929th Chkalov State Flight-Test Center in Russia’s Astrakhan region.(This first appeared in May 2019.)Six Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighters — fully half of the Su-57s that Sukhoi has built since the type first flew in 2010 — escorted Putin’s Il-96 VIP plane on the trip from Moscow to Astrakhan.Speaking on May 15, 2019, Putin said the Kremlin would buy scores of Su-57s over the next eight years. If Putin is serious and the Russian defense ministry follows through on the pledge, Russia soon could possess a meaningful number of stealth fighters.But there are good reasons to be skeptical. The Su-57 still isn’t a mature design. It lacks key combat systems. Sukhoi hasn’t set up a big, efficient production line for the type. And Moscow almost certainly doesn’t have the money to buy a large number of stealth fighters.
July 19, 2019Read More
The authors of a new study say dental health is especially bad in low- and middle-income countries — and that Big Sugar works to make sure soda and candy aren’t targeted as cavity culprits.
July 19, 2019Read More
Swapping paper for plastic turned out to be the last straw for Donald Trump, who said Friday there are “bigger problems” than plastic drinking straws — the day after his reelection campaign manager promoted branded ones on Twitter. The president made…
July 19, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg) — Women in Japan are going through an identity crisis.They’re fighting to overturn a law that bars married couples from having different last names, which creates complications for women who have established careers and reputations.About 6…
July 19, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump’s senior advisers have invited U.S. technology companies to the White House on Monday to discuss a resumption of sales to blacklisted Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co., according to people familiar wit…
July 19, 2019Read More
The Kentucky Republican has long been an opponent of U.S. intervention in Iran.
July 19, 2019Read More
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