Engineers found a truck with 10 corpses in the early hours of Wednesday, a Defense Ministry spokesman told Rossiya-24 television, which carried pictures of flames swirling high in the night sky and turning it red.
The blaze broke out on Tuesday at the depot near Bolshaya Tura village, some 6,200 km (3,852 miles) southeast of Moscow, caused by a wildfire raging nearby. More than 1,000 residents were evacuated, the local Emergencies Ministry said. Read the rest of this entry »
America’s security and intelligence agencies are teaming up with airline manufacturers to defend against a catastrophic cyberattack that could cripple the air traffic control system, interfere with the computer systems used by modern aircraft, and potentially even bring down a plane.
As part of a new program, which will be run from a federal facility outside Washington, U.S. government personnel will work alongside private-sector aviation employees to share information about computer security threats, government and corporate officials said. Their goal is to spot malicious hacker activity on computer networks and to improve the security of airline manufacturing, during which complex software programs that could create entry points for hackers are installed on passenger aircraft. Read the rest of this entry »
China declared an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea on November 23, 2013 (See Figure 1). This move set off a security and political tsunami in the Western Pacific. The United States immediately denounced China’s sudden and unilateral act. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia, the European Union, and many other nations also joined the United States in criticizing China.
Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe took the strongest stand by challenging China to roll back the ADIZ. In his angry address to a parliamentary session in Tokyo, Abe stated that the “measures taken by the Chinese side have no validity whatsoever to Japan, and we demand China revoke any measures that could infringe upon the freedom of flight in international airspace.”1
Following this wave of condemnations, the United States also sent two B-52 bombers (based on Guam) into the Chinese-claimed ADIZ in a stated effort to challenge China’s position. Japan and South Korea also scrambled their fighter jets into the troubled airspace. This flare-up took place only a few days prior to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s long-planned visit to Northeast Asia that included stops in Tokyo, Beijing, and Seoul. The Vice President’s visit was originally intended to promote U.S. economic and security interests in this region. The sudden turn of events in Northeast Asia had turned the Vice President’s trip into crisis management diplomacy. Read the rest of this entry »
English: Evin House of Detention فارسی: زندان اوین (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by the AEI Critical Threats Project’s Iran research team. To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.
(E) = Article in English
Excerpts of these translations may only be used with the expressed consent of the authors
1. Aiding in the affairs of enforcement, security, control, pursuit, and arrest of anti-revolutionary elements
2. Armed fighting against armed anti-revolutionary currents
3. Defending against the attacks and occupation of foreigners and their domestic elements
4. Effective coordination and cooperation with the armed forces
5. Aid in the implementation of the orders of the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic government’s prosecution
6. Supporting freedom and righteous seeking movements under the Supreme Leader’s supervision
7. Aiding in the advancement of civil projects
IRGC Hazrat-e Seyyed ol-Shohada Unit (Tehran Province) Commander Brig. Gen. Ali Nasiri defended the IRGC’s role in the economy and said “The IRGC has appropriately planned for all sectors of the population across the country and has taken valuable measures in the construction arena.” Read the rest of this entry »
Reports of espionage hacking increased significantly in 2013, with a growing proportion of attacks attributed to Eastern European governments.
A comprehensive study on global cybersecurity has revealed that hacking for the purposes of spying grew significantly in 2013, partly as a result of increased cyber-espionage from eastern Europe.
The Israeli spy satellite Ofeq 10 was launched this evening, (April 9th 2014, 20:15 GMT) from the Palmachim Air Force Base on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. Once the satellite enters orbit around the Earth, it will undergo several tests to confirm its serviceability and accurate performance. Few hours later the satellite reached its intended orbit and communicated with IAI’s ground control sending telemetry and images. Further tests are underway before the satellite begins its operationalservice. The deployment was completed with minimal manoeuvring, leaving more fuel for extended life cycle, IAI sources told Defense-Update.
The new satellite is the third Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite built by IAI MBT Space Division and Elta Systems. The first two examples of this satellite were launched on the Indian PSLV rockets. OFEQ 10 carries a more advanced version of the EL/M-2070 SAR payload, introducing evolutionary enhancements over the first two models.
For the OFEQ satellites Israel have utilized an indigenously developed three stages launcher called ‘Shavit’ which, according to foreign sources, is based on a ballistic missile system developed in Israel since the late 1960s, the missile itself was based on a French missile design. The current configuration of Shavit is sufficient to lift the weight of the TECSAR’s 295 kg, using the three solid fuel rocket stages and a liquid-propelled upper stage motor. According to IAI, since 1988 Shavit successfully launched several satellites, with maximum Weight of 290 kg (Westward). The advanced variant of the SHAVIT Launcher is configured to increase lift capability to 350 kg (Westward) which will be required to lift the OPSAT 3000, expected to weigh about 400 kg. Israel is determined
“Ofek 10″ is an earth-observing remote-sensing satellite that employs SAR technology to deliver advanced, high-resolution imagery, capable of operating day or night and in all weather conditions.
As its predecessor OFEQ 8, the Ofeq 10 uses the new bus system developed by IAI MBT Space division for mini-satellites. The same platform is also being used for the new OPSAT 3000 imaging satellite being built for the Italian government. It is also likely that the forthcoming OFEQ 11 will also follow this configuration, as well as the future EROS-C (yet to be ordered).
Israel currently has three operational remote sensing satellites in heliosynchronous low-earth orbit (LEO) – OFEQ 7, OFEQ 9 and TECSAR I radar imaging satellite. In addition, two additional commercial satellites are deployed in polar orbits – EROS A and EROS B. These two satellites are believed to be similar to the OFEQ 7 class. Read the rest of this entry »
Berlin (AFP) – German authorities banned a group Tuesday accused of raising millions for the Lebanese militant organisation Hezbollah and staged raids across the country against its members.
The interior ministry said it had outlawed the “Waisenkinderprojekt Libanon” (Orphan Children Project Lebanon) with immediate effect.
“The name of the group masks its actual purpose,” ministry state secretary Emily Haber said in a statement.
She said the organisation, based in the western city of Essen, had raised 3.3 million euros ($4.6 million) in donations between 2007 and 2013 for the Lebanese Shahid Foundation, an “integral” part of Hezbollah. Read the rest of this entry »
The Roman Gate 