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Russia developing new air defense systems

August 11, 2011 Comments off

rian.ru

Russia developing new air defense systems

Russia is developing two air defense systems as part of future multilayered aerospace defense network, Air Force Commander Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said on Tuesday.

“The Morfey is a short-range air defense system with effective range of five kilometers,” Zelin said. “It is designed to protect military installations and has both active and passive weapons [launchers and radars].”

Another system, the Vityaz, is a further development of the S-300 medium-range air defense system, whose combat capabilities largely surpass those of its predecessor.

“In fact, it could be considered a brand new system,” Zelin said, adding that the Vityaz would have a launcher with 16 missiles compared to only four on the S-300.

Both systems will complement the Read more…

Categories: military, Russia Tags: ,

China quake measuring 5.8 leaves 26 injured

August 11, 2011 Comments off

ibnlive

Beijing: Twenty-six people were injured, three of them critically, and a number of houses damaged when a 5.8-magnitude earthquake on Thursday hit northwest China, the official media said.

The epicentre of the quake was at the border area between the region’s Atux City in the Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture and Jiashi County in Kashghar, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The quake that struck Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region occurred at 6:06 pm local time, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.

The quake that struck Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region occurred at 6:06 pm local time.

It has also toppled more than 30 units of housing, according to a spokesman with the Jiashi County Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Two days ago three persons were injured and more than 40,000 people affected when a 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Yunnan Province.

Categories: China, Earthquake Tags: , ,

Anarchy and Austerity: Why London Won’t Be the Last City to Burn

August 11, 2011 Comments off

theatlantic

The Great Recession gave birth to a lost generation across the world, where youth unemployment rates stretch into the 20s, 30s and even 40s. Those millions have responded with violence.

615 anarchy reuters.png

REUTERS

The riots and fires consuming London are a story about senseless violence and crime. They are also a story about urban politics, race relations, education inequality, and British culture and society. But underneath all of that, they are part of an economic story that is universal.

For the last year, Great Britain has embraced austerity to a degree that would make some American conservatives blush. The purpose of shrinking government was to reduce debt. But the effect has been to kill the economy. With the UK tottering on the razor’s edge of recession, consumer confidence is at a record low, unemployment is rising, and even the Read more…

Categories: Coming Events Tags: , , , , , ,

Taiwan’s ‘Carrier Killer’ Aims To Sink China’s Carrier

August 11, 2011 Comments off

defensenews

TAIPEI – In the event of war, Taiwan plans to sink China’s new aircraft carrier, the Varyag, with its new “aircraft carrier killer” missile, the ramjet-powered supersonic anti-ship cruise missile Hsiung Feng 3. The revelation was made Aug. 10 on the same day China launched the Varyag for its first sea trials.

This mural was displayed at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition showing Taiwan Hsiung Feng 3 missiles attacking the new Chinese carrrier, Varyag. (Wendell Minnick)

The disclosure came during a preshow media tour of the biennial Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE). Journalists inspecting the Hsiung Feng 3 were shocked to see a large mural of the Varyag being attacked by three Hsiung Feng 3 missiles. Two of the missiles impact the carrier’s starboard bow and starboard quarter, with a third missile is en route to the ship.

The mural was reminiscent of similar displays at the Read more…

Categories: China, Taiwan Tags: , , , ,

Italy, Naples: Garbage Truck Swallowed by Sinkhole

August 11, 2011 Comments off

sott.net    sky.it

Translated:

One dead and two wounded, is the budget of the incident last night in Casalnuovo, near Naples, where a truck for the collection of municipal solid waste ended up in a sinkhole opened up along the roadway. The event happened around one o’clock on a Strettola. As Read more…

Categories: Strange Events Tags: ,

Hand sanitizers may increase norovirus risk

August 11, 2011 Comments off

cmaj

Of the 45 facilities that reported preferential use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers in a recent survey, 53% experienced a confirmed outbreak of norovirus, compared with 18% of the 17 facilities that used hand sanitizers less often than soap and water.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers may not be the panacea for hand hygiene they were once supposed, as mounting research indicates they may not be effective substitutes for soap and water, and in some cases may actually increase the risk for outbreaks of highly contagious viruses in health care settings.

Public health experts, however, say more rigorous investigations will be necessary to trump the convenience of using hand sanitizers, among other benefits, or substantially alter existing recommendations that strongly encourage their use by health care professionals.

It’s widely recognized that improper use of antibiotics contributes greatly to the development and spread of super bugs in health care settings, but the link between hand sanitizers and Read more…

Categories: health Tags: , , , ,

London riots: water cannons to be used on ‘sick society’

August 11, 2011 1 comment

telegraph

Water cannon in use in Cairo, Egypt.

Water cannon in use in Cairo, Egypt.

David Cameron said that the cannon, previously only used in Ulster, would be available at 24 hours’ notice to deal with the “despicable violence” being seen in cities. Police had already been authorised to use baton rounds, he said. In a sign that other, more draconian, measures will now be at their disposal, he added: “We will do whatever is necessary. Nothing is off the table.”

In his strongest comments yet on the perpetrators of the violence, Mr Cameron said: “There are pockets of our society that are not only broken, but Read more…

Categories: London, Riots Tags: , , , , , ,

Chinese Carrier Sea Trial Raises Concerns

August 11, 2011 1 comment

voanews

China to give more information about its first aircraft carrier, which was sent out on an initial sea trial Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department told reporters that Washington would welcome any kind of explanation China would like to give for needing this kind of equipment. She said China’s lack of transparency about its military acquisitions and its military budget raises concerns.

Earlier Wednesday, Beijing announced that the carrier it purchased from Ukraine in 1998 had left the port of Dalian for its inaugural sea trial.

Little was said about the vessel formerly known as the Varyag until last month when Chinese defense officials said it would Read more…

Categories: China, military Tags: , , , , , ,

Think gold is high? Wait till dollar bonds are dumped, Davies says

August 11, 2011 Comments off

gata.org

The West is close to the point where its paper currency system is insolvent, and as a result gold is heading to $5,000 an ounce, according to the manager of a gold fund.

“A paper currency system ultimately ends in insolvency,” said Ben Davies, the chief executive of Hinde Capital in an interview with CNBC.com on Tuesday. “We have arrived at this point in the West. So why own worthless paper?”

His belief that gold will hit $5,000 an ounce is not shared by many major players in the market. On Sunday, Goldman Sachs raised its 12-month price target for gold to $1,860 an ounce. In early trading Tuesday, spot gold hit a record $1,778 an ounce, before pulling back.

Goldman based its new target on Read more…

Categories: GOLD Tags: , , ,

China releases 600 million wasps to combat moths

August 11, 2011 Comments off

physorg

Chinese forestry officials have released some 600 million parasitic insects into the north China city of Baoding to combat the spread of the American White Moth that has been (in their caterpillar stage) eating the leaves off of forest and domestic orchard trees, as well as some farm crops. This is the fifth year in a row that Chinese officials have released wasps hoping to reduce the damage caused by the moths.

The American White Moth, known in the U.S. as the Fall Webworm, (though some call them “forest locusts”) creates, during its larval stage, the familiar webbed nests seen on hardwood tree limbs all across the country. It is one of the few insects that have migrated from North America to other parts of the world. The Fall Webworm doesn’t generally harm the trees where it lives, though it does reduce the amount of leaves on them, which isn’t considered all that much of a problem until it moves to Read more…

Categories: China, disease and pestilence Tags: , , , ,