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The Wire

Trial for top Zimbabwean PM's aide gets under way

Prosecutors sought to throw out testimony that evidence against a top prime minister's aide was obtained through torture as the trial that has strained Zimbabwe's troubled coalition government began Monday. Complete Story...

Madagascar political rivals reach government deal

Madagascar's political rivals have agreed on posts within a transitional government that will hold power until next year's elections following a power struggle that brought months of volatility to the country, an African Union statement said.

43 Somalis rescued by EU warship handed to UNHCR

The EU Naval Force says it has handed over 43 Somalis abandoned at sea by their human smugglers to the United Nations refugee agency in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti.

Prosecutor: Rwanda genocide suspect 'killed kids'

A prosecutor at a U.N.-backed tribunal is accusing a Rwandan official of ordering the murder of children too weak to walk during the country's 1994 genocide.

Air Zimbabwe plane smashes into wild pigs

Zimbabwe's transport ministry says one of the national airline's planes collided with five wild pigs on the runway in the capital during takeoff.

ICC prosecutor wants to investigate Kenya violence

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said Thursday that Kenya's postelection violence that killed more than 1,000 people was a crime against humanity and pledged to initiate proceedings that could result in top officials facing trial.

Medical aid group raises alarm about AIDS funding

The global recession and pressure to divert funds to other health crises are hurting the fight against AIDS, a medical group warned Thursday, with one health worker saying he feared a return to the days when the AIDS virus was a death sentence in Africa.

Diamond watchdog gives Zimbabwe time to comply

Investigators for the world's diamond control body say the gems were mined by virtual slaves who had been told to dig or die, and were smuggled out by soldiers who rape and beat civilians.

Kenyan attorney mulls legal action against US

Kenya's attorney general said Wednesday he is seeking legal advice about whether he can sue the U.S. government for revoking his travel visa.

Clinton in Cairo to meet with Egyptian leaders

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is holding hastily arranged meetings with Egyptian leaders to discuss the stalemate over restarting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

African kings, queens, chiefs to honor Mandela

Dancers clad in animal skins opened a royal ceremony Tuesday, a nod to tradition for the forward-thinking kings, queens and chiefs who jetted in to Johannesburg from across Africa to launch an institute they hope will expand their roles on the continent

Equatorial Guinea coup-plotter returns home to UK

British mercenary Simon Mann has threatened to settle some old scores after arriving home Wednesday following more than five years in African jails for a failed plot to take over Equatorial Guinea's oil riches.

Zimbabwe's prime minister says he's ending boycott of unity Cabinet.

Clinton says nuke offer to Iran won't be changed

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that the nuclear offer to Iran, intended to restrain its potential for making a nuclear weapon, should be fully accepted by Iran and will not be changed.

Liberian government official reportedly killed

Liberian media are reporting that a government official has been shot and killed by a gang of men outside the African country's capital.

Somali men fail in attempt to hijack plane

A Somali airline official says two men have failed in an attempt to hijack an airplane.

World's fastest man adopts world fastest feline

The world's fastest man adopted the animal kingdom's fastest sprinter Monday, as Usain Bolt welcomed a new baby cheetah named Lightning Bolt into his life.

Group: Congo military killed hundreds of civilians

A top human rights group is accusing the Congolese military of killing more than 500 civilians in eastern Congo and says the U.N. peacekeeping force in the area did nothing to stop the soldiers from decapitating men and raping young girls.

Ivory Coast presidential election delayed again

A long-delayed presidential election in Ivory Coast is being pushed back again.

Clinton urges restraint in push for Mideast peace

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday urged Arabs and Israelis to set aside their historical differences, avoid inflammatory rhetoric and recommit to attaining a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

Clinton lauds Israeli offer to restrict building

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is again praising Israel's offer to restrict its building of settlements in Palestinian areas, but says it falls well short of the U.S. desire for a full halt to building.

Devastating drought alters life for Kenya nomads

When 64-year-old Jimale Irobe was a young man, he guided his herds of cows and camels through knee-high grass.

Police: Zimbabwe man kills 3 children with ax

Zimbabwe's state media say a man allegedly killed three of his children with an ax and wounded two others in what police describe as Zimbabwe's most brutal crime in recent years.

Madonna leaves Malawi after week's charity tour

Madonna has left Malawi after a nearly weeklong visit with her family, airport and charity officials said Saturday.

Zimbabwe's premier counting on South Africa

Zimbabwe's prime minister says assurances South Africa will be watching persuaded him to end his boycott of his country's troubled unity Cabinet.

The Vine

Do the troops really want to come home?

President Obama stated that he wants to bring the soldiers back home from Iraq/Afghanistan as soon as possible.

Fearless prediction: The Oakland Raiders will beat the San Diego Chargers
Source: Thoughts from the Dark Side

I just have a gut feeling on this one. Granted, at one time I had a gut feeling that the Oakland Raiders were going to be 10-6, and that doesn't look overly realistic at this point so you may not want to bet your 401k on it.

Congress Bows to Big Oil in Burma
Source: washingtonindependent.com

Caving to big oil demands, the Senate on Tuesday approved a plan that intensifies trade sanctions against Burma's military regime but abandons an earlier push to penalize Chevron, the last major U.S. company propping up the repressive junta.

Air Force backs off subsidy issue: Boeing are not the only people who know how to lobby...
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Northrop Grumman was very active behind the scenes in ensuring that the subsidies it's partner EADS receives (and likely will receive) via Airbus would not harm it's chance sin the tanker competition. This will be dissapointing news to Boeing, however not all is bad.

Trade dispute colors air tanker competition
Source: heraldnet.com

The real bloodbath will start if and when Airbus goes cap in hand to the EU for launch aid on the A350-XWB, which will see Boeing screem foul and a real possibility of Airbus beign disqualified from the USAF tanker replacement bidding.

Turkish air force closer to opting for 30 more Lockheed Martin F-16s over F-4E upgrade
Source: flightglobal.com

We will be seeing more of this, as nations who are not amongst the welathiest in the world opt to upgrade older platforms rather thanh invest in new aircraft.

Dragonslayer: US to fly F-22 fighter from Guam to counter growing PRC prescence
Source: Reuters

Close enough to send a message but far enough not be a threat, the F-22 move into Guam shows the US will match China's moves in the region without becoming too provocative.

Senate vs. House: showdown brewing over allowing overseas F-22 sales
Source: Military.com

The US has a long memory and the loss of F-14 secrets via Iran to the Soviet Union still resonates among some. However, it is just about impossible that Japan, Australia or the UK would divulge the F-22s most coveted technologies.

Invasion of killer drones hits Farnborough
Source: Reuters

UACV (Unmanned Air Combat Vehicles) have been a reality for a few years now, but in the near future we will see advanced new types undertaking far more demanding missions.

Australian F-111 makes emergency belly landing
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

A spectacular and flawless belly landing for one of the RAAF's last remaining F-111 strike aircraft after the nosegear would not deploy. No casualties, but it remains to be seen if the aircraft is viable to repair.

Nepotism at work: Defense audit says Boeing contract was awarded unfairly
Source: The Seattle Times

Whilst Boeing may have paid a settlement, there are still going to be repurcussions from its past mis-deeds.

Boeing reaches 'critical juncture' on C-17 transport production line
Source: The St Louis Post Dispatch

What we have now here is a game of chicken: the Pentagon wants Boeing to blink first and offer a better deal on future C-17 versions/upgrades and Boeing wants the military to blink for fear of closing down a critical production line when the world looks very unstable.

House votes to let allies buy the F-22 Raptor...if they can afford it
Source: The Washington Post

The US would have preferred not to sell the world's most advanced fighter to any foreign country, but cutbacks in US orders have seen the unit price of the F-22 balloon to an astronomical USD 361 million per copy.

US seeks to lift export sales ban on F-22A: but who can afford it?
Source: janes.com

The world's best to be available to America's best - and wealthiest - friends. The export F-22 will doubtlessly be a somewhat toned down version, but will still represent a combat system that will put its operators in a different league for a long time to come.

Australian defense minister visits Lockheed plant to view JSF
Source: Monterey Herald

The F-35 that Australia is likely to purchase is having a difficult birth - no surprises here, as no fighter program in modern history has come in on time, on spec or on budget.

$798 million for C-17 could save Boeing's factory in California
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Strange: the Pentagon actually NOT wanting more military hardware. And even stranger that here we have a case of pork barrelling actually being a good idea. The C-17 production line in Long Beach will now remain open beyond 2008 with 3 more orders for the type.

F-22 Raptor scores direct hit in testing of supersonic, high-altitude JDAM drop
Source: Yahoo! Finance

A remarkable advance in air to ground warfare: an F-22 released a bomb at Mach 1.5 which then hit a target over 20 miles away.

Boeing assisting South Korean AF in investigation into fatal F-15K accident
Source: flightglobal.com

The crash of such a new build development of a proven aircraft is always a concern, however the circumstances of the crash initially do not appear to point to a technical malfunction.

Boeing, Gripen, Lockheed vie for Bulgarian fighter jet deal
Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Not a big deal by the standards of the industry but welcome nevertheless.

How Lockheed Martin revamped its supply chain for the F-35
Source: eweek.com

If Boeing can do it, so can Lockheed: change a business model from that of a plane builder to a plane designer / external project manager / sub-systems & component assembler...whoever thought bringing to fruition a next generation fighter would be so complex? The technologies of  …

Buying C-17s delivers vital independence
Source: Australian News Network

Australia will greatly benefit from the remarkable abilities of the C-17, notably with the requirement to lift large quantities of often heavy material and land it on short and poorly maintained runways. However, the high cost of the acquisition of 4 planes is raising eyebrows.

Boeing rolls out new lightweight bomb
Source: The St Louis Post Dispatch

Modern warfare has emphasized the need to minimize collateral damage and Boeing's Small Diamter Bomb should go a fair way - when combined with precision guidance and good intelligence - to reducing harm to innocents caught up in warzones.

Boeing to settle federal suits for $615 million
Source: Reuters

In the ballpark of expectations and no admission of wrongdoing: Boeing should consider itself lucky that this is the most likely outcome of an investigation into a horrendous episode of corporate irresponsibility - at best.

Lockheed Martin successfully tests entire THAAD weapon system at White Sands missile range
Source: The Houston Chronicle

A great milestone in missile defense technology: after a number of slip ups, the successful test of THAAD brings troops a step closer to protection from both IRBM and SRBM threats...as well as giving a new level of defense against air strikes.

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