The Spanish media has been furiously discussing the errors made by the state-owned Navantia construction company, which has spent about a third of the huge $2.2 billion budget only to produce an ‘overweight’ submarine that is not able to float.Spain’s Ministry of Defense has confirmed that Navantia detected “deviations” in the new submarine’s design, thus delaying its March 2015 scheduled launch for one or two years.Navantia said an excess weight of up to 100 tons has been added to the sub during construction, and the company may have to redesign the whole craft.The excess weight may result in significant problem in the craft’s buoyancy and severely affect its ability to submerge and resurface from depth, the local media explained.To ensure the submarine does not sink, Navantia considers lengthening its hull in order to re-balance the weight, infodefensa.com said, citing sources.But each extra meter of the sub will reportedly cost the austerity-stricken state more than €7.5 million ($9.7 million).Spain’s opposition party United Left has mocked the submarine development in parliament and demanded explanations.The Ministry of Defense downplayed the clamor, saying adjustments and delays in such complex technological projects are “within normality.” The ministry is now “studying the scope of the problem to determine its impact in terms of time and money” and is considering “various alternatives.”A delegation from the local College of Industrial Engineers in Murcia region on Tuesday visited the Navantia facilities and spoke in support of the company’s engineers “facing unprecedented technological solutions,” La Verdad said. Navantia’s “technical innovation” is an even more challenging task, given that the plant has to build “four submarines simultaneously,” said the Dean of the College Andres Ortuno.While the Spanish state is waiting for the four S-80 class submarines to be modified and completed, it will only have two submarines in service – and may have to spend €30 million ($38.8 million) to repair the aging S-74 Tramontana.The unexpected costs come at a time when Spain’s Ministry of Defense has seen its budget cut by some 30 per cent as part of austerity measures. … Read More
Body of tortured Afghan unearthed near former US Special Forces base – report
Authorities alleged that the grisly discovery is directly connected to Zakaria Kandahari, a notorious wartime collaborator who Afghan officials believe has US citizenship.Kandahari reportedly led a death squad that terrorized locals in Wardak Province, using the A-Team base in Nerkh District, a one-hour drive from Kabul, as a permanent residence.The mutilated body was discovered by ditch diggers about 200 yards from the perimeter of Nerkh base in Wardak Province, the New York Times reported. The base was previously occupied by the A-Team US Special Forces unit, which withdrew in March. Rhe Nerkh base compound is currently occupied by Afghan Special Forces.According to district governor Mohammad Hanif Hanafi, the corpse was found packed in a military-style black body bag. The victim was identified as Sayid Mohammad, a local resident who was allegedly seen being taken to an US base in November 2012.This is not the first time that the partial remains and clothing of a missing person have been found near Nerkh base, Afghan officials said. A dismembered body was previously found in a garbage container just outside the US base.An anonymous Afghan investigator for the Defense Ministry told the NYT that he has a list of names of 17 people who went missing in Nerkh District in Wardak Province between November and December 2012, when Kandahari’s squad conducted operations such as detaining suspects and bringing them to the US Special Forces base.The seized persons were reportedly never seen alive again. Nine of their bodies, including that of Sayid Mohammad, were found; the other eight remain missing.The torture squadThe recently unearthed victim was the same man previously seen in a classified video recording made last year. US officials familiar with the matter said it depicts Mohammad being repeatedly kicked by the chief interpreter at the Nerkh base – Kandahari.Kandahari is on Afghanistan’s most-wanted list for prisoner abuse, torture and murder. Kabul claimed the US sheltered Kandahari; the US Army has denied the accusations.The US Army has not denied that Kandahari was previously on their payroll, but maintains that the torture video was made after he parted with the A-Team to operate a rogue Afghan unit, and that he is not a US citizen. The US Military described Kandahari as a “freelance interpreter” who joined the American Special Forces voluntarily and lived at their base out of gratitude.Over the past year, Kandahari and his henchmen have been seen throughout Wardak Province wearing NATO uniforms while riding on quad bikes in search of alleged insurgents.Precious hangmanLast March, hundreds of Afghans – watched by a considerable number of armed riot police – marched to parliament in Kabul, demanding the withdrawal of US Special Forces from Wardak Province. The demonstrators were infuriated by reports of civilians being tortured and killed; Kandahari’s name first went public amid these demonstrations.Following the protests, Afghan authorities demanded the US deliver the alleged criminal to Kabul. The US refused to turn over Kandahari to Afghan authorities.US Military authorities claimed that Kandahari had escaped, and that they knew nothing about his whereabouts. In response, an infuriated President Hamid Karzai demanded that the US Special Operations forces leave Wardak. A compromise was later reached, and only the infamous A-Team base was removed.An unidentified Afghan investigator told the New York Times that “there is no question” that Kandahari was directly involved in torture and murder, but asks, “Who recruited him, gave him his salary, his weapons? Who kept him under their protection?”The official also expressed doubts that Kandahari could have left the base on his own, since “He was such a criminal that he could not stay one hour outside the base by himself.”US Military officials reported that they conducted thorough investigations into the disappearances and murders “of at least 15 people” in Wardak Province, none of which revealed evidence that American soldiers were involved in such crimes. However, the results of these investigations have not been made public.The treatment of Afghans by US troops and their collaborators has been a perpetual stumbling block for US-Afghan relations; the ‘steal and kill’ case of Kandahari could well be the final straw in the 11-plus years of the Afghan War. … Read More
Vietnam – “Decision 20” silences 16 foreign TV channels
Reporters Without Borders is shocked by a government decree, called Decision 20/2011/QD-TTG, which has prevented local retransmission of four categories of foreign TV channels since 15 May by requiring them to pay for simultaneous translation of all their programming into Vietnamese. Vietnam Satellite Digital Television Company (VSTV), a pay-TV operator launched by French broadcaster Canal+ and Vietnam’s national TV broadcaster, suspended retransmission of 21 TV channels including CNN, BBC (…) … Read More
France to buy American drones for Mali operation
The news comes from the ‘Air et Cosmos’ specialist magazine, which reported online that a deal had been reached between France and the United States for the sale of two non-armed MQ-9 units. The French air force had already deployed a European-made Harfang drone to Mali, with the country now wishing to acquire more modern models quickly, although any purchase of the US Reapers directly from the manufacturer (as was done with Harfang) is expected to delay delivery by seven months. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is presently on a visit to the US, where he is expected to make the announcement, according to Air et Cosmos. The defense ministry has declined to comment. In a bid to curb the spread of extremism and Al Qaeda-linked militants in the northern parts of its former colony, France started a military operation in January of this year. The anti-government Islamists had spread Sharia law everywhere they went, and it is widely feared that if they are successful in Mali, the country will become a hotspot for extremism and the launching of terrorist attacks against European and other African nations. French efforts have since pushed the militants into mountain and desert hideouts. However, this changed the rules of the game in such a way that they now launch sporadic guerrilla attacks.Operation ‘Serval’ started with a deployment of 2,500 troops and the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius declaring on January 30 that they would be out of there “quickly”. Since that time, that number has risen to 4,000, while the departure date had been moved up. Currently, the idea is that half will leave by July, when Mali holds their presidential election. Although Paris has begun withdrawal from the West African nation, ahead of the security handover to the International Mission for Support to Mali (MISMA), Le Drian’s recent visit to London paints a different picture, whereby 1,000 French troops will stay in Mali indefinitely, in case further problems arise. “This is the reason why France will remain with roughly 1,000 troops on Malian territory for an undetermined period of time to carry out counter-terrorism operations if necessary,” said Le Drian. As the battle against extremism in Mali shows no signs of abating, international donors have pledged €3.25bn to its rebuilding, as currently the country is in a state of complete destitution. … Read More
Sugar producer tops Russia’s largest landowner list
Prodimex has 16 sugar factories in 3 different provinces, and produces over 1.1 million tons of sugar a year. The company’s general director, Viktor Aleksakhin told Vedomosti that production requires such a large land holding due to the nature of sugar beet cultivation – which must be replanted on a different field each year. Russia accounts for a sixth of the world’s landmass and has several private land owners, with the top five having ties to agricultural production. At the beginning of 2012, agricultural land in Russia was 196 million hectares, 115 are fertile and in use. In April 2013, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture said the industry was ‘unprofitable’, and only made possible by state subsidies. RusAgro, which specializes in pig breeding, and production of sugar and cooking oil in the Moscow region, owns 452,000 hectares. Vamin, a dairy specialist in Tartarstan that has recently declared bankruptcy, owns 450,000 hectares. Siberian agricultural major Sakho has 400,000 hectares and is owned by State Duma Deputy Airat Khairullina. Tatar agro-company Krasny Vostok Agro has 350,000 hectares. Before Prodimex was founded in 1992, nearly all sugar was imported from Ukraine.America’s cattle kingdomKings of agriculture dominate landholding in Russia, but in the US, it’s a millionaire ranch and cattle club. John Malone, Liberty Media Chairman, owns almost twice as much land as Russia’s largest sugar producer, about 890,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) which combined are the equivalent of 150 Manhattans. Malone owns ranches in Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico. The most famous is ‘The Bell Ranch’, a 290,100 acre cattle ranch which he bought in 2010 for a listed, but not confirmed price, of $83 million. Malone’s equities are widespread. Liberty Global agreed to buy Britain’s Virgin Media cable company for $16 billion in February 2013. Malone also has diversified interests in US sports teams (the Atlanta Braves) and media (Starz channel). Land has made a comeback – from cattle, private ski resorts, hunting and fishing clubs, to Maine coastline – for American entrepreneurs who prefer to take a stake in natural real estate to diversify and hedge their assets against the risky gold, oil, and stock prices. With an improving US housing market, land holdings are likely to appreciate, especially those acquired during the recession.Media mogul Ted Turner, the owner of CNN has over 2 million acres of land spread through New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Florida. The grand Vermejo Park ranch in New Mexico and Colorado is 590,823 acres and his hunting sanctuary in Florida, where he has residence is 30,000 acres. … Read More
Russian warships enter Mediterranean to form permanent task force
“The task force has successfully passed through the Suez Channel and entered the Mediterranean. It is the first time in decades that Pacific Fleet warships enter this region,” the Pacific Fleet spokesman, Capt. First Rank Roman Martov told RIA.The vessels are now heading to Cyprus and will make a port call in the city of Limassol, he added.The group includes destroyer “Admiral Panteleyev,” two amphibious warfare ships “Peresvet” and “Admiral Nevelskoi,” as well as a tanker and a tugboat.The ships left the Far-Eastern port city of Vladivostok on March 19 to join Russia’s Mediterranean task force, which currently consists of vessels from Northern, Baltic, and the Black Sea Fleets, including a large anti-submarine ship, a frigate and a Ropucha-II Class landing ship.Russian Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov on Sunday announced plans for the Mediterranean task force and said that it may “possibly” be enlarged to include nuclear submarines.“Overall, already from this year, we plan to have 5-6 warships and support vessels [in the Mediterranean Sea], which will be replaced on a rotating basis from each of the fleets – the Black Sea, Baltic, Northern and, in some cases, even the Pacific Fleet. Depending on the scope of assignments and their complexity, the number of warships in the task force may be increased,” Chirkov said, as quoted by RIA.Russian submarines may be deployed in the region “in perspective,” the Navy Commander said, reminding that both nuclear and diesel submarines were present in the Soviet Union’s 5th Mediterranean Squadron.“Everything will depend on the situation,” Chirkov said, also leaving the door open for missions in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The task force will be “comprehensively trained” to meet situations that may arise in these regions too, he said.The Russian Defense Ministry announced setting up a naval task force in the Mediterranean in April, while the country’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said a permanent naval task force was needed to defend Russia’s interests in the region.The permanent fleet’s headquarters will be set up in the summer of 2013, although their actual location is yet to be announced.The Mediterranean has recently become a hotspot of military muscle flexing as global powers seemingly vie for influence. NATO has been staging major naval war games involving several countries, last October holding an exercise code-named Noble Mariner 12. Russia held its largest naval exercises in the region this January, with drills spanning both the Black and Mediterranean Seas. The media quickly linked both the NATO and Russian war games to the situation in Syria. Another recent naval display, seen as provocative by Israel, was the deployment of the Iranian Navy’s 24th fleet to patrol the Mediterranean and convey a “message of peace.” Since then, Israel has acquired its fifth Dolphin-class submarine allegedly capable of launching cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. China has also been increasing its involvement in the area, with the country’s warships sailing through the Suez Canal, and several key ports of the region becoming partially China-owned.Major naval groups serving in the Mediterranean Sea include NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2, French Naval Action Force, and the US Navy 6th Fleet. The only Russian naval installation in the region has for decades been the maintenance facility in the Syrian city of Tartus. … Read More
At least 6 dead in Kabul as suicide bomb hits NATO convoy
The explosion took place in the industrial zone of the capital at about 8 am local time (03:30 GMT). The suicide bomber attacked the convoy with a car packed with explosives, according to local officials. The blast was powerful enough to set a nearby building on fire.Six people died and 37 were wounded, according to the Afghan Health Ministry, which adds that some of the bodies are unidentifiable.NATO confirmed “an explosion occurred on a coalition convoy in Kabul”, according to spokesman Lt Quenton Roehricht, cited by AP. The Hezb-e-Islami insurgent group, with links to the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the blast.”We planned this attack for over a week, our target was American advisers,” Hezb-e-Islami spokesman Haroon Zarghoun told Reuters by telephone, adding that the bomb killed 12 Americans. Officials however warn that insurgents tend to exaggerate death tolls. The group carried out a suicide attack on a minibus in September 2012, killing 14 people. Russian and South African pilots were among casualties of the explosion, which Hezb-e-Islami claimed was in response to a film mocking the prophet Muhammad.Hezb-e-Islami means Islamic Party and is a radical militant group sharing much of the Taliban ideology.The last major suicide bombing took place in the capital in March, when a man blew himself up next to the Defense Ministry, leaving nine Afghans dead. It happened during the state visit by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. … Read More
