The European Union Times |
- Russian Army Readies Futuristic Drone Tanks for 2015
- World’s Most Dangerous Holiday Destinations for Women
- Obama Missing Nuke Now Part of Election Debate
- US oil giant demands millions from Russia
- US military convoy parades through Eastern Europe
|
Posted: 22 Mar 2015 07:14 AM PDT
 Russian troops are receiving beta versions of a future armored tracked platform that could usher in the 5th generation conventional land tank, heavy APC, artillery and missile launcher and possibly fully robotic assault armored vehicle. After five years of development, the Uralvagonzavod Research and Production Corporation has finalized manufacture of the first batch of Armata tanks and heavy personnel carriers. They have been included in Russia’s 2015 defense order, TASS said. Reportedly, 20 units have already been manufactured and issued to troops for hands-on training. The exact characteristics and appearance of the platform remain classified, though this might soon change as the new vehicles are on the verge of taking part in the Victory Day Parade on Red Square, May 9 this year. A better chance to see these innovative battle vehicles of the future might be given to experts and public alike during Russia Arms Expo 2015 (September 9-12, Nizhniy Tagil).  Mark this name: Armata The new Armata armored tracked platform has reportedly combined and assimilated all the last decade’s major developments and innovations in battle vehicle design and construction. The platform’s chief tank (T-14) sports an unmanned remotely controlled turret armed with a brand new 125 mm 2A82-1M smoothbore cannon. Its muzzle energy is greater than one of the world’s previously considered best cannons: the German Leopard-2 Rheinmetall 120 mm gun. The 125 mm gun has 15-20 percent improved accuracy and its rolling fire angular dispersion has improved 1.7 times. According to Russian media, the Armata tank might also come with a specially developed 152 mm gun, the most powerful ever cannon to be mounted on a main battle tank. The tank’s turret will also carry a 30 mm sub-caliber ranging gun to deal with various targets, including low-flying aerial targets, such as attack planes and helicopters. A 12.5 mm turret-mounted heavy machine gun is reportedly capable of taking out incoming projectiles, such as anti-tank missiles. It’s capable of neutralizing shells approaching at speeds of up to 3,000 meters per second. The tank’s crew is securely enclosed in a multi-layer armored capsule separated from the ammunition container. The vehicle is fully computerized and only needs two servicemen to operate it. Each can also deploy the tank’s weapon systems. The tank’s targeting is reportedly done with an active-phased array antenna and a large variety of other sensors. The Armata platform allegedly has a fully mechanized electric transmission, powered by a 1,200 HP diesel engine. For greater efficiency, maintenance and repair schedules have been extended. Within its blueprint, the Armata armored vehicle has the potential to evolve into a fully robotic battle vehicle. According to preliminary estimates, 2,300 units are required for the Russian army. Source           |
|
Posted: 22 Mar 2015 05:41 AM PDT
 For most, it is an entirely safe and liberating adventure that they will never forget, for all the right reasons. But while wolf whistles, cat calls and belligerent taxi drivers may be an annoyance for some solo travellers, there are some countries where women may be exposed to misogyny, pestering and, in some extreme cases, extreme danger. Horrific crimes against Western women have become worryingly commonplace in non-white countries such as India, but there are a number of popular holiday hotspots, such as Turkey and Morocco, that may not be as female-friendly as you think, according to experts. Julie Kreutzer, co-owner of website the International Women’s Travel Center, has written extensively on the issue of women’s safety abroad, and believes that honesty is the best policy when it comes to discussing the dangers that solo female travellers face. She said: ‘I’m truly appalled at how unsafe and how unfriendly some places are. You can’t even enter some countries if you’re a woman, yet most travel websites just skirt around the issue and prefer to focus on what lipstick a woman should wear. ‘We’re absolutely in favour of women being adventurous and having a great time, but let’s not delude ourselves and say that women are welcome everywhere. ‘There’s a big different from going to Brazil versus Denmark as a female traveller, at least let’s be honest about what the dangers are.’  ‘I’ve been very fortunate. I honestly don’t feel like I’ve been anywhere particularly dangerous, but I was definitely more on edge in South America than anywhere else. ‘Crime rates are higher there and tourists can be targets for muggings, so I was careful never to carry many valuables and not to be out alone after dark.’ Expat traveller Ali Garland now lives in Berlin and agrees that women have a few extra challenges to deal with than men while travelling, although she says it’s no reason to stay at home. ‘There certainly are places where women are sort of second class citizens, and that can be frustrating. But I just try to remember that most people are genuinely nice, and I do my best to dress appropriately so I don’t attract unwanted attention.’ And if you do travel to danger hot-spots, social media consultant and explorer Liz Borod Wright advises against being too forthcoming on when sharing your experiences. ‘Be wary of posting real-time updates on social media about where are you in case someone is paying a little too close attention. It’s safer to post that awesome photo to Instagram when you’re on to the next destination, especially if you plan to geo-tag it. ‘And while the instinct is to live-tweet your trip, it may be best to rave (or rant) about your accommodations after you have checked out.’ Intrepid traveller and blogger Amanda Williams advises female travellers to use their common sense. ‘I would say to women just be smart and listen to your gut. Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do at home, don’t drink too much alone, don’t go wandering alone at night, don’t go home with strangers, and read up on common scams.’ MailOnline Travel has rounded up a number of popular destinations that solo female travellers should visit with caution. 1 – India Gang rapes of local women and tourists have reached worrying levels in parts of the country with reports suggesting that a sexual assault is reported every twenty minutes. The authorities struggle to bring many perpetrators to justice, and according to the country’s National Crime Record Bureau crimes against women have increased by 7.1 per cent since 2010. Earlier this month a Japanese student was drugged and raped in northern India, and last week horrifying video footage of two woman being gang raped by grinning men was released by a campaign group in a bid to name and shame the attackers. Ms Williams says India is the only place she would think twice about visiting, although not because she’s concerned about her personal safety. ‘It’s just a personal thing. I know plenty of women who have been there and loved it. I just don’t think I could deal with the grabbing and lack of personal space,’ she explains. 2 – Brazil Stunning images of scantily-clad women from Rio’s world-famous Carnival does little to mask the fact that much of Brazil remains in the grip of widespread violence led by criminal gangs and abusive police. And, according to the Brazilian Health Ministry, rape increased by 157 per cent between 2009 and 2012, spurred the country’s machismo culture. Two years ago, an American tourist was gang raped on a public bus while her handcuffed boyfriend looked on helplessly. The authorities tried to clean up their act for the FIFA World Cup last year, but rape, gender-based violence and gunpoint robberies of tourists remain a problem. 3 – Turkey Istanbul is less than a four-hour flight from London, but it is poles apart when it comes to attitudes towards woman. The attempted rape and subsequent murder of 20-year-old student Ozgecan Aslan last week thrust the thorny issue of gender-based violence directly into the headlines. The horrific crime sparked dozens of protests by women seeking to raise awareness of violence against women, which is still a taboo subject in Turkey. 4 – Thailand Millions of tourists flock to Thailand every year, but the brutal murder of British backpackers David Miller and Hannah Witheridge, who was also raped, in Koh Tao last September lifted the lid on the country’s seedy, and often violent, underbelly. In 2013, Thai police threatened to arrest a 20-year-old female Scottish student who had been gang raped when no witnesses came forward to support her claim. According to Thailand Domestic Violence Information Center, violence against women is a growing problem in Thailand, fuelled, in part, by the widespread availability recreational drug Yah Bah as well as alcohol. 5 – Egypt Package holidays to Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada have been the mainstay of tourism in Egypt for a number of years. But in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution the country has been gripped by instability and an unprecedented wave of sexual violence against women. With fewer police on the streets, a sharp increase in the number of sex attacks – including a British journalism student in Cairo’s Tahrir Square – has seen visitor numbers at the country’s famous ruins dwindle. 6 – Colombia Tourism in Colombia has enjoyed an enormous boost in recent years as the conflict-torn country works towards addressing it troubled past. But while the country is undoubtedly far safer than it was even 10 years ago, sexual violence against women remains widespread, particularly against displaced women in poorer areas. Colombia’s capital Bogota, which has no train system but a network of red buses, was found to have the most unsafe public transport in a poll conducted by YouGov in 2014 for the Thomson Reuters Foundation. According to Human Rights Watch, corrupt police also have a poor track record when it comes to protecting women, and rapists are rarely brought to justice. 7 – South Africa With a new domestic airline – Skywise – launching in March, tourism in South Africa is going from strength-to-strength. Yet despite its continuing popularity, it remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The African nation has one of the highest rates of rape and sexual assault, and robberies at gunpoint are commonplace. More than 66,000 sexual offenses were reported in 2012-2013, a rate of 127 sexual offenses per 100,000 population. 8 – Morocco Another popular short-haul destination with Britons, Morocco has a poor record when it comes to women’s rights. Female travellers are advised to dress modestly and cover up in the conservative Muslim country. Although the Foreign Office advises that violent crime isn’t currently major issue, it’s common for female tourists, particularly those travelling on their own, to be routinely harassed by men. 9 – Mexico Although millions of Americans – including high-profile celebrities – travel safely to Mexico every year, parts of the country remain in the grip of utter lawlessness. While the Mexican government does strive to protect tourist hotspots, such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, reports of gun crime and violence still persist. According to the Foreign Office, violent rapes against women travelling on public transport (‘micros’) is also a significant threat. 10 – Kenya Kenya has built a thriving tourist trade on the back of its incredible wildlife and safari parks. What is less well-know, however, is its reputation for violence against women. According to a report from United Nations Development Fund for Women, ‘women of all ages, education levels, and social groups, in rural and urban settings are subjected to violence in Kenya.’ In 2010, a national survey indicated that 32 per cent of girls experienced sexual violence before becoming adults, and in November last year, a sex attack on a young woman wearing a short skirt provoked demonstrations by women highlighting the country’s widespread violence against women. Kidnappings and sexual assaults against tourists are also not uncommon. Source      |
|
Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:27 AM PDT
 Potential 2016 presidential candidate Rick Santorum was questioned on missing nuclear warheads at a national security summit in South Carolina this week reports media outlet Bloomberg. According to the report, a woman in the crowd brought the issue up to Santorum in a fiery rant against President Obama and his national security policy. “Obama tried to blow up a nuke in Charleston a few months ago, and the three admirals and generals — he’s totally destroyed our military, he’s fired all the generals and all the admirals who said they wouldn’t fire on the American people,” the woman said. Santorum “pivoted quickly” to instead comment on President Obama’s executive amnesty. In late 2013, Infowars was contacted by a high level source at the Dyess Air Force base in Texas and informed of an unauthorized nuclear warhead transfer to South Carolina. “Dyess is beginning to move out nuclear war heads today. I got a tap from DERMO earlier. He said it was the first time they have been even acknowledged since being put there in the 80′s. No signature was required for transfer… There was no directive,” the source wrote. The story became even more dire when it was discovered that Senator Lindsey Graham had publicly warned that same day that South Carolina would likely be hit with nuclear weapons if the United States failed to engage Syria militarily. “The story was shared nearly 25,000 times on Facebook, aided by a video introduction by Alex Jones and by a follow-up that quoted South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham’s worry that a military build-up would lead to nuclear weapons moving through the port of Charleston,” Bloomberg author David Weigel writes. During the same time period, President Obama was engaged in an unprecedented purge of high ranking military officials with ties to nuclear defense. In fact, the country’s No. 2 nuclear commander was ordered to step down by President Obama, over a “loss of confidence,” on the exact day of Infowars’ original story. The following month, the general in charge of all Air Force nuclear weapons was fired by President Obama for alleged “conduct” issues as well. In an attempt to belittle the validity of Infowars’ report, Bloomberg went on to tie in claims from known satire websites that worked to discredit the original article. Infowars investigation strictly covered the initial transfer, which can only be ordered by the highest levels of government, and Senator Graham’s remarks. Regardless, the incident highlights how major news stories broken by the alternative media continue to prompt debate, such as was seen with Infowars’ investigation into major ammunition purchases by the federal government. A nearly identical event took place in 2007 when six nuclear missiles were secretly transferred from the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, prompting widespread media coverage. Multiple military personnel connected to the scandal died under suspicious circumstances shortly after. Source      |
|
Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:47 AM PDT
 Russian officials say Exxon chief executive Rex Tillerson was in Moscow for closed-door meetings with Energy Minister Alexander Novak. The Kommersant daily says Tillerson is contesting taxes paid on the Sakhalin-1 project in the Far East operated by ExxonMobil. Exxon, which owns 30 percent of the operation, claims it overpaid on the project. The company has allegedly been paying 35 percent of its profit to Moscow despite the state reducing taxes to 20 percent in 2009. Kommersant said while Exxon had not insisted on the issue in the past years, Western sanctions over Russia had prompted the company to change tack. The company is reportedly threatening to file a complaint against Moscow at the international court of arbitration in Stockholm. Sources quoted by the daily said the amount involved was up to 150 million euros ($160 million). ExxonMobil has nurtured close ties with Rosneft in recent years, launching numerous joint projects in the Arctic and Far East. The Russian oil giant however has been hit by Western sanctions resulting in several projects being frozen. In February, ExxonMobil said it had racked up a billion dollars in loss of potential earnings as a result. Source      |
|
Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:34 AM PDT
 A convoy of US military vehicles, mostly IAV Stryker APCs, is touring through Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, the Czech Republic to Germany in a symbolic show of force and solidarity with Eastern European allies “that live closest to the Bear.” Operation ‘Dragoon Ride’ kicked off Saturday in Poland, Lithuania and Estonia and will see the US Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment covering some 1,100 miles to Vilseck, Germany by April 1. Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, will also participate in the military “exercise.” “The whole purpose … is to assure those allies that live closest to the Bear that we are here,” Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commanding general of US Army Europe said earlier of the maneuvering. US Stryker vehicles are typically transported by rail, but the decision to convoy them to Germany in the broad light of day for everyone to see is meant to demonstrate the presence of American and NATO force in the region. “You heard our president say very clearly, we will defend our allies, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland,” Hodges said. The move has been coordinated with the six European governments who are offering to escort over 120 pieces of US machinery traveling through their territories. The US brandishing has been widely criticized, with some activists going so far as to accuse Washington of spreading Nazism and splitting European societies into separate camps. The government of the Czech Republic, according to local media, even instructed its own military to protect the US military convoy as it crosses the country over fears that numerous people protesting the move could stage “provocations.” Czech communists speaking out against the ride say it will only cause traffic jams and annoy locals. “We are facing questions about the extent to which our roads will be damaged,” the country’s Defense Minister Martin Stropnicky admitted on Czech television. The ‘Dragoon Ride’ is intended to test the US easily maneuvering near Russia’s borders, because as Hodges says President Putin “moves troops and stuff around Russia whenever he wants to.” “President Putin exercises freedom of movement all the time,” Hodges said. “For the alliance, you’ve got to do that by moving from country to country, and what we discovered, even though these are all NATO countries and EU countries, each one still has different diplomatic clearance requirements and that sort of thing.” The pan-Eastern European journey comes as Operation Atlantic Resolve in the three Baltic States and Poland prepares to expand into two new countries – Romania and Bulgaria. US troops have also started testing the rapid deployment of Patriot missile launchers at a test range in Sochaczew near Warsaw as part of their week-long exercise. The US contingent consists of some 100 US troops and 30 vehicles. Visiting troops US Ambassador Stephen Mull highlighted that Washington is always ready to “defend and stand by Poland’s side in times of need,” Stripes reports. Russia in the meantime has ended its nationwide military drills that saw over 80,000 troops all over the country put on high alert to conduct exercises in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, the Arctic and the Far East. The snap check of the military involved over 10,000 vehicles, 65 warships, 16 support vessels, 15 submarines, 200 warplanes and helicopters. Source     |
