Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
November 17, 2023
SUPERPOWERS
Blinken says to expect candid talk after Biden calls Xi 'dictator'



San Francisco (AFP) Nov 17, 2023
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that China should expect candid statements it dislikes after President Joe Biden called his counterpart Xi Jinping a "dictator" moments after meeting him. Blinken, known for his reserve and self-control, was caught on camera appearing to wince slightly at Biden's response during a news conference following the summit near San Francisco on Wednesday. Asked in an interview about his response, Blinken, an adviser to Biden for decades, said, "The pr ... read more

SUPERPOWERS
Turkey opens delayed debate on Sweden's NATO bid
Istanbul (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
Turkey's parliament opened a long-delayed debate Thursday on Sweden's NATO aspirations that could strengthen Ankara's ties with Western allies despite its fury over Israel's war with Hamas. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
Pandas could return to US after Xi-Biden summit
San Francisco (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping appears ready to deploy his country's soft power after his summit with US President Joe Biden - in the form of cuddly pandas. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
China, Japan must 'properly handle differences', Xi tells Kishida: state media
Beijing (AFP) Nov 17, 2023
China and Japan must "properly manage" their differences, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a meeting in California, state media reported Friday. ... more
MISSILE NEWS
Russia 'accumulating' missiles for winter strikes: Zelensky
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters Thursday that Russian forces were likely stockpiling missiles for strikes on his country's energy facilities over the coming winter months. ... more
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AEROSPACE


Japan PM voices 'serious concerns' to Xi on Chinese military activity, Russia collaboration

WAR REPORT
Ukraine's Zelensky says Biden-Xi meeting 'good for us'
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday voiced optimism about a recent meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. ... more
TERROR WARS
French army to pitch tents in Paris for Olympics: military
Paris (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
Thousands of members of the French armed forces will set up a vast tented camp in Paris next summer to stay while they help ensure security for the Olympic Games, the French military said. ... more
AFRICA NEWS
S.Sudan deploys first unified forces after peace deal
Juba (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
Hundreds of former rebels and government troops in South Sudan's unified forces were deployed at a long-overdue ceremony on Wednesday, marking progress for the country's lumbering peace process. ... more
WAR REPORT
Israel strikes hit near Damascus: Syrian state media
Damascus (AFP) Nov 17, 2023
Israeli air strikes struck near the Syrian capital Damascus early on Friday causing material damage, Syrian state news agency reported. ... more
MILPLEX
Trump ally on trial in Austria over planes 'modified for combat use'
Wiener Neustadt, Austria (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
A private security contractor and ally of former US president Donald Trump went on trial on Thursday in Austria, accused of exporting two aircrafts modified for military use. ... more

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WAR REPORT


Iraqis haunted by war battle mental health issues

WAR REPORT
Elders urge Biden to craft viable Mideast peace plan
London (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
US President Joe Biden should embrace a "historic opportunity" and deliver a peace plan between warring Israelis and Palestinians, but it must be a lasting political solution that "undermines extremists" on both sides, a group of independent global leaders said Thursday. ... more
MILPLEX
Armenia PM defends move to hike military budget
Yerevan (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday defended Yerevan's decision to increase military spending next year, saying he was still committed to normalisation talks with arch foe Azerbaijan. ... more
CYBER WARS
Myanmar junta says arrested scam ringleaders wanted by China
Yangon, Myanmar (AFP) Nov 17, 2023
Myanmar's junta said it has arrested two cyber scam ringleaders operating from a lawless northern town and wanted by China, and a third took his own life during the arrest. ... more
CYBER WARS
Russia arrests ex-civil servant over bank transfers to Ukraine
Moscow (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
Russia on Thursday arrested a former regional official on allegations of financing the Ukrainian armed forces, state media reported. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
Biden hails 'real progress' as Xi summit ends with garden walk
Woodside, United States (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to restore military communications at their first summit in a year Wednesday, even as Biden went off script by saying he still considered Xi a "dictator." ... more
AEROSPACE


NATO to modernise surveillance jets in face of Russia threat

SUPERPOWERS
China calls Biden's Xi dictator comments 'extremely wrong'
Beijing (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
China condemned on Thursday US President Joe Biden's description of Xi Jinping as a dictator as "extremely wrong", after the two leaders wrapped up a summit in California. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
China 'will not fight' war with anyone: Xi
San Francisco (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
China will not begin armed conflict with any nation, President Xi Jinping said after a high-stakes summit with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday. ... more
CYBER WARS
The AI of war: computers and autonomous killing
San Francisco (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
Like gunpowder and the atomic bomb, artificial intelligence (AI) has the capacity to revolutionise warfare, analysts say, making human disputes unimaginably different - and a lot more deadly. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
Quick! buy flowers: Biden reminds Xi of wife's birthday
San Francisco (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
Being a head of state is a busy job and family life sometimes takes a back seat. Luckily there are other heads of state on hand to remind you when you might have forgotten your wife's birthday. ... more
TERROR WARS
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warns of elevated risk of attack on U.S.
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 15, 2021
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Wednesday, during a hearing on global threats to the homeland, that the United States is vulnerable to attack. ... more
WAR REPORT
Myanmar junta says clashes intensifying near China border
Yangon, Myanmar (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
Myanmar's junta said on Wednesday that fighting with an alliance of ethnic minority groups was intensifying near the northern border with China, where military forces were under heavy attack by opponents using drones to drop bombs. ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
AI-Powered Space Situational Awareness Boosted by Neuraspace-Deimos Collaboration
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Nov 15, 2023
Neuraspace, a leader in smarter space traffic management, has announced a strategic partnership with Elecnor Deimos, a renowned name in Space Surveillance and Awareness solutions. This collaboration ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
SpaceX says second Starship test launch could come as early as Friday
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 15, 2021
SpaceX expects to be able to launch the second test flight of its hulking Starship as early as Friday pending final approval by the Federal Aviation Administration. ... more
WAR REPORT
ASEAN defence chiefs call for end to Myanmar crisis, Israel-Hamas war
Jakarta (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
Southeast Asian defence ministers called for an end to the Myanmar crisis and to the Israel-Hamas war on Wednesday as they gathered for talks that will include meetings with regional counterparts and the Pentagon chief. ... more
NUKEWARS
IAEA decries Iran's inspector exclusion as 'unjustified'
Vienna (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
The UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday decried Iran's decision to bar several inspectors as "extreme and unjustified," saying it "directly and seriously affected" the agency's work, marking a new low in relations between the two sides. ... more
UAV NEWS
US warship shoots down drone launched by Yemen's Huthis
Washington (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
An American warship shot down a drone Wednesday that was heading toward it from Yemen, the US military said, with the Iran-backed Huthi rebels saying they launched the aircraft and warning of a response. ... more
TAIWAN NEWS
Xi warns Biden not to arm Taiwan, agrees to restart military talks
Beijing (AFP) Nov 16, 2023
Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned US President Joe Biden at a summit to stop arming Taiwan, but agreed to restart high-level military-to-military talks, Beijing said Thursday. ... more
WAR REPORT
Israel army says weapons found in Gaza hospital raid
Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
The Israeli army said Wednesday troops had found military equipment including weapons in their raid on Gaza's biggest hospital, a claim swiftly denied by Hamas which rules the Palestinian territory. ... more
THE STANS
Two PKK-linked Iraq fighters killed in strike blamed on Turkey
Arbil, Iraq (AFP) Nov 14, 2023
Two members of a group affiliated to Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been killed in a Turkish drone strike in northwestern Iraq, Iraqi Kurdish authorities said on Tuesday. ... more
IRAQ WARS
US troops in Iraq, Syria attacked 55 times in past month
Washington (AFP) Nov 14, 2023
American forces deployed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked 55 times over the past month, causing minor injuries to dozens of US troops, the Pentagon said Tuesday. ... more
MISSILE NEWS
North Korea tests new solid-fuel engine for intermediate-range missiles
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 15, 2021
North Korea tested a "new-type high-thrust" solid-fuel engine for intermediate-range ballistic missiles, its state-run media said Wednesday, as Pyongyang continues to develop its banned weapons program amid escalated tensions on the Peninsula. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
Asian, US defence chiefs to meet in Indonesia
Jakarta (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
Southeast Asian defence ministers gathered in Indonesia Wednesday for two days of talks that will include meetings with regional counterparts and the Pentagon chief, as tensions mount in the Asia-Pacific and conflicts rage in the Middle East and Ukraine. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
Chinese troops will not replace Indians, Maldives leader says
Male, Maldives (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
The Maldives's incoming president Mohamed Muizzu has vowed to expel Indian troops after taking office later this week, but told AFP he does not want to redraw regional balance by bringing in Chinese forces instead. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
Xi, Biden arrive for key San Francisco summit
San Francisco (AFP) Nov 15, 2023
US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday on the eve of an eagerly awaited meeting between the leaders of the world's two largest economies. ... more
MILTECH
Germany says EU won't reach ammo target for Ukraine
Brussels (AFP) Nov 14, 2023
Germany on Tuesday deepened the despondency around Western efforts to back Ukraine by saying the EU would not reach a target to supply Kyiv with a million artillery shells by March. ... more
MILPLEX
At BAE factory, Ukraine war fuels munitions output
Washington, United Kingdom (AFP) Nov 13, 2023
At a munitions factory in northeast England run by BAE Systems, production is running at full speed thanks to the war in Ukraine and an increasingly dark outlook for geopolitics. ... more
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