And a whole lot more, but we start with this from Nextgov:
Report: Air Force Drone Program at ‘Breaking Point’
The drone program run by the US Air Force lacks so much manpower that it is at a “breaking point” an official told The Daily Beast.
The website reports that according to an internal memo between top generals, the force has enough drones, but so few pilots that it may not be able to fulfill the growing demand for air patrols. With its efforts aimed at ISIL in Iraq and Syria the Pentagon is pushing back against the pleas of the Air Combat Command, which runs the program, to reduce the number of flights.
An unnamed senior military official told the Daily Beast that the force has been at the “breaking point” for a “long time,” and what was different now was that “band-aid fixes are no longer working.”
RFI covers France, dropping anchor:
French aircraft carrier set for Persian Gulf, report
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is preparing to leave for the Gulf region where it is expected to engage in combat against IS, according to the specialist website Mer et Marine.
Although such a move has not been confirmed by the French Presidency, nor army or naval spokespersons, the website is usually well-informed about naval matters.
According to Mer et Marine, the Charles de Gaulle and its 30 aircraft, including Rafale jets, should take up position in the Persian Gulf.
They will take part in the air bombing campaign conducted by the US-led coalition against the jihadist forces of the group which calls itself Islamic State.
CBC News covers American claims:
U.S. airstrikes hit ISIS at Kobani as Kurds makes gains
By Monday, Kurdish forces had regained control of about 80% of the Turkey-Syria border town
U.S.-led forces conducted 10 air strikes against ISIS positions in Syria, mostly targeting the contested city of Kobani, and two strikes in Iraq since Monday, the U.S. military said.
Eight air strikes near Kobani destroyed 14 ISIS fighting positions and a building, and they damaged a second building, the military said in a statement on Tuesday.
In Iraq, the strikes were near al Qaim and al Asad, according to the Combined Joint Task Force.
Kurdish fighters advanced in Kobani on Monday, capturing a vital zone that houses government buildings after heavy fighting with the militants, a Kurdish official and an activist group said.
From the New York Times, an inquiry launched:
Reports of Civilian Deaths Prompt Inquiry Into Strikes Against ISIS
Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters during a news conference that investigators with the United States Central Command had begun looking into whether coalition airstrikes, which have targeted Islamic State fighters, equipment and oil depots, may have inadvertently hit civilians. Admiral Kirby said he had no additional information. It was the first time that the Pentagon had acknowledged that the air campaign against the Islamic State may have caused civilian deaths.
Sgt. First Class Sheryl Lawry, a spokeswoman for Central Command in Tampa, Fla., said in an email that Centcom was investigating two instances, one in Iraq and one in Syria, that may have resulted in civilian casualties. The investigations are a result of Centcom’s internal review process. Another three reports of civilian casualties are pending an internal assessment before determining whether they need to be investigated, she said.
The military has examined the credibility of 18 allegations that coalition airstrikes led to civilian casualties in Iraq and Syria from Aug. 8 to Dec. 30 last year, Sgt. Lawry said. Of those, 13 have been determined not to be credible.
Public Radio International covers an ally with something to lose:
Lebanon’s drug lords say they’re ready to join the fight against ISIS
With so many overlapping conflicts in the Middle East, it can be hard to keep track of who’s fighting whom, and which former enemies are now finding common ground. Consider the case of Ali Nasri Shamas, who lives in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
Shamas runs a small factory on a hillside in the village of Bouday. Workers sift through huge mounds of dried vegetation, separating stalks from leaves amid a cloud of dust and the din of processing machines.
“This is three tons,” Shamas tells me, smiling. Three tons of hashish. . .
[T]he Lebanese army and the hash growers are now confronting the same enemy, because ISIS has also been targeting marijuana crops in Syria. The group recently posted a video online of militants destroying shoulder-high stalks of bushy green cannabis plants near the city Aleppo. . .
Shamas’s factory is just 30 minutes from the Syrian border. Many in the area fear the jihadis are coming to the valley, but Shamas says he’s ready if they do. “This is for ISIS and [the al-Qaeda-afilliated] Nursa Front,” he says, showing off a two-foot long machete blade.
And his threat is backed up by more than just machetes and bravado. Shamas’ arsenal of mounted machine guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, amassed to defend his crops from the Lebanese army, is ready to be turned against the jihadis.
From MintPress News, a reasonable prescription:
Congress Urged To Investigate Role Of Medical Workers In CIA Torture
“It’s fairly easy to imagine that the U.S. will be challenged again in terms of terrorism and our response to it, and if we sweep these actions under the rug we have no hope for preventing them from happening again,” an advisor for Physicians for Human Rights tells MintPress.
As the U.S. Congress prepares to begin a new session this week, rights advocates and some health workers are urging lawmakers to initiate a formal investigation into the role that medical personnel played in facilitating the CIA’s highly contentious “enhanced interrogation” program.
The calls follow the public release of a key summary report of the program, declassified last month by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence following years of delay and debate. The report offers evidence that medical and health personnel played “an essential role in every stage” of the CIA program, according to Physicians for Human Rights, a watchdog group made up of doctors, psychologists and ethicists.
Most famously, medical personnel involved in the covert project included two psychologists, James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who were reportedly contracted for tens of millions of dollars to create the interrogation program’s framework. Yet this process appears to have used many other health workers, too, including psychiatrists and physician assistants.
A reminder from Salon:
“I know firsthand it didn’t work”: Former FBI special agent dismantles torturers’ lies
Star agent who interrogated the infamous Abu Zubaydah tells Salon why Cheney’s torture regime was such a failure
Before the Senate Intelligence Committee’s so-called torture report (really an executive summary of a much larger, still-classified document) was even released, many of the people most responsible for the U.S. embrace of “enhanced interrogation techniques” were already mounting an all-out media campaign to discredit its findings and protect themselves from public rebuke. And if a recent Washington Post poll that found Americans support torture and believe it “works” is anything to go by, they’ve had great success. (Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, at the very least, seems thoroughly convinced.)
According to former FBI Special Agent Ali Soufan, however, almost none of what the public has come to believe about the torture program is true. As he argued in his 2011 book “The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda” and again in a recent Op-Ed he wrote for the Guardian, responding to the release of the report, Soufan was having great success interrogating a key al-Qaida operative before the CIA — and those in D.C. who wanted to “enhance” the nation’s anti-terror interrogations — stepped in. Salon recently spoke with Soufan over the phone about his experience, the torture report, and why the relationship between the CIA and “enhanced interrogation” is more complicated than you might think. Our conversation is below and has been edited for clarity and length.
From the London Telegraph, a delightful prospect:
Tony Blair ‘could face war crimes charges’ over Iraq War
Lord Dykes asked: ‘Is my noble friend aware that more and more people think it is some kind of attempt to prolong the agony of Mr Blair facing possible war crimes charges?’
Tony Blair could face war crimes charges as a result of the Iraq war inquiry report, the House of Lords has been told.
Lord Dykes of Harrow Weald, a Liberal Democrat peer, claimed that the publication of the inquiry by Sir John Chilcot was being delayed “to prolong the agony” of the former Labour Prime Minister.
Lord Hurd – who as Douglas Hurd was Conservative foreign secretary from 1989 to 1995 – said the delay was now “becoming a scandal”.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire, a Government minister, disclosed for the first time that talks over the publication of the gist of conversations between Mr Blair and George W Bush, the former US president, were now completed.
From Ars Technica, claiming a license to listen:
FBI says search warrants not needed to use “stingrays” in public places
Feds’ position on decoy cell-site towers continues anti-privacy theme
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking the position that court warrants are not required when deploying cell-site simulators in public places. Nicknamed “stingrays,” the devices are decoy cell towers that capture locations and identities of mobile phone users and can intercept calls and texts.
The FBI made its position known during private briefings with staff members of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). In response, the two lawmakers wrote Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson, maintaining they were “concerned about whether the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have adequately considered the privacy interests” of Americans.
According to the letter, which was released last week:
For example, we understand that the FBI’s new policy requires FBI agents to obtain a search warrant whenever a cell-site simulator is used as part of a FBI investigation or operation, unless one of several exceptions apply, including (among others): (1) cases that pose an imminent danger to public safety, (2) cases that involve a fugitive, or (3) cases in which the technology is used in public places or other locations at which the FBI deems there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.
From the London Telegraph, fraught with peril:
Police stole identities of dead children as old as 17
Metropolitan Police reveals teenagers aged 16 and 17 among those to have identities stolen by potentially rogue Special Demonstration Squad in ‘morally repugnant’ practice
The identities of dead teenagers as old as 17 were stolen by undercover police officers, according to figures released by Scotland Yard after an MP’s near two-year battle to expose the information.
The Metropolitan Police revealed dead newborns as well as children aged one, four to 14, 16 and 17 had their identities stolen by the potentially rogue Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) in a practice the force conceded was “morally repugnant”.
The information was obtained by Liberal Democrat MP Duncan Hames after a Freedom of Information (FoI) battle with the Met.
After the jump, beefed up cybersecurity after White House hack, CEO finally speaks out after Sony superhack, estimations of Pyongyang’s cyberwarrior legion, Interview threats expand to journalists, Japan adds its voice to the condemnation chorus, the Sony hack defines the new normal, a major Bitcoin theft, the latest malvertising attack, another journalist detained in Turkey, France sends a warning to Palestine, America’s Saudi double standard, the anti-Islamic protest protest in Cologne, its counterpart in Berlin, French counterparts discounted, while Old Blighty maintains a watchful eye, on to Asia and a shooting crisis in Kashmir, violence leads to a Bengali politician’s arrest, warnings of North Korean nukes capable of reaching the U.S., claims of China raising the space arms race ante, a landmark Chinese drone test, urban development snarls base ambitions, and Chinese island claims are formalized online, Japan ups its own military ante in response to China’s naval drills as its spending soars, and to close, something to scare the hell out of anyone. . .
From Nextgov, beefing up:
US Digital Service Hauled in to Shore up White House Security After Hack
After a breach of unclassified White House internal networks last fall, the Obama administration hauled in a team of former Silicon Valley tech mavens to help patch up network security.
The U.S. Digital Service — the newly minted federal IT fix-it shop headed by former Google engineer Mikey Dickerson — has been dispatched to look at shoring up security on the White House networks, the Office of Management and Budget confirmed to Nextgov.
Efforts to extinguish the suspicious behavior on the unclassified network were still ongoing as of Oct. 30, after the breach weeks before.
Dickerson’s USDS team consists of about 20 tech gurus, including political appointees, career staff and interim consultants from Facebook and Google.
CEO finally speaks out after Sony superhack, via the Asahi Shimbun:
Sony Corp. CEO breaks silence on ‘vicious’ cyberattack against U.S.-based film studio
Sony Corp.’s top corporate executive on Jan. 6 condemned the recent hacking assault against its film division, saying his employees were victims of a “vicious and malicious cyberattack,” while adding that he’s proud of them for standing against “the extortionist efforts of criminals.”
CEO Kazuo Hirai, who had not spoken publicly about the hack before, opened a press event at the International CES trade show in Las Vegas by saying he “would be remiss” if he did not mention the controversy over the Sony comedy, “The Interview.”
Hirai did not offer any new information about the hack, but said on the evening of Jan. 6 that freedom of speech and expression are “very important” to Sony and its entertainment business. He went on to thank the telecommunications and Internet companies who helped with the release, and “most importantly the people who have gone out to see the movie in theaters or through various online venues.”
From the Associated Press, estimations of Pyongyang’s cyberwarrior legion:
South Korea: North Korea has 6,000-member cyber army
South Korea said Tuesday that rival North Korea has a 6,000-member cyber army dedicated to disrupting the South’s military and government, a dramatic increase from an earlier estimate of 3,000 such specialists.
The South Korean Defense Ministry report said North Korea’s 6,000 cyber warriors are dedicated to “paralyzing the South psychologically and materially” and have been conducting cyberattacks to disrupt the South’s military operations and main government systems. It didn’t describe how it made its assessments.
The United States accuses North Korea of a cyberattack on Sony Pictures over a movie depicting the fictional assassination of the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un. Washington has slapped sanctions on government officials and North Korea’s defense industry. There are doubts in the cyber community, however, and North Korea has denied any involvement in the breach of tens of thousands of confidential Sony emails and business files.
From Homeland Security News Wire, Interview threats expand to journalists:
FBI, DHS study threats against news organizations covering “The Interview” incident
Last week, the FBI and DHS issued a joint intelligence bulletin to law enforcement agencies across the country urging them to remain vigilant, citing a series of threats against movie theaters that show “The Interview” and news organizations that continue to cover the incident between Sony Entertainment and Guardians of Peace, the hacking group allegedly backed by North Korea. ABC News reports that shortly after news of the bulletin surfaced, a man claiming to be David Garrett Jr. in Tennessee posted on Twitter that he released the “fake” threat against the news organizations and was just “messing around.” The FBI is now trying to determine whether the threat to news organizations was indeed a hoax.
An FBI spokesman said that despite questions over the legitimacy of the threat to news organizations, the agency takes all threats seriously. “As part of our commitment to public safety, the FBI routinely shares information with the private sector and law enforcement community….. and will continue to disseminate relevant information observed during the course of our investigations, in order to help protect the public against any potential threats.”
The FBI bulletin notes that there is no “specific credible information” to indicate a “physical threat,” and admits that hacking groups tend to exaggerate threat statements. “The potential remains for (Guardians of Peace) or copycat actors to make renewed cyber and/or implied physical threats, to identify new targets, or execute physical attacks if the movie is again scheduled for release,” according to the bulletin, released online by The Intercept.
Japan adds its voice to the condemnation chorus, via Kyodo News:
Japan condemns N. Korea’s alleged cyberattack against Sony
Japan “strongly condemns” the cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. attributed to North Korea, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists after telephone talks with Kerry, Kishida said he told his U.S. counterpart that Japan “appreciates” the firm U.S. response to North Korea over the cyberattack, in an apparent reference to Washington’s imposition Friday of new sanctions on Pyongyang.
“Japan recognizes that a cyberattack is a serious issue that relates to the security of a country,” Kishida said. “I said (to Kerry) that (Japan) strongly condemns (the cyberattack against the California-based company) and appreciates the firm U.S. response.”
From Nextgov, the Sony hack defines the new normal:
Sony Hack Signals ‘New Normal’ in Cybersecurity
The Sony hack copied a multinational company’s financial documents, its employees’ personally identifiable information and years’ worth of embarrassing – and poorly written, it must be said – emails from high-level executives and released them all for the world to see.
But for many cybersecurity observers, the real eye opener was how the hack illustrates today’s cyber landscape: It’s likely to get worse before it gets better.
A growing collection of high-level computer security experts believe evidence points to an insider-orchestrated attack, while the U.S. government quickly blamed and sanctioned North Korea, whose leader, Kim Jong-un, is portrayed in an unflattering fashion in the Sony-backed film, The Interview.
Meanwhile, as Sony’s image continues to tarnish with each leaked, scandalous revelation, the company experienced an added layer of suffering other data-breached companies — Target, Neiman Marcus and Home Depot — had avoided.
From Network World, a major Bitcoin theft:
Hackers steal $5M in bitcoin currency during Bitstamp exchange attack
Attackers made off with approximately US$5 million worth of bitcoins after hacking the Bitstamp exchange over the weekend.
The attack, on Jan. 4, targeted Bitstamp’s operational wallets, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. Operational, or hot wallets, are connected to the Internet and allow customers to instantly exchange the virtual currency.
Bitstamp suspended operations on Monday to investigate the attack and at the time instructed customers to not deposit to previously issued bitcoin addresses, saying those transactions won’t be honored. On Tuesday’s statement, it further emphasized that customers should refrain from making deposits and added that law enforcement is also involved in the investigation. Bitstamp didn’t specify which law enforcement organizations are investigating, nor did the U.K. company respond to a request for comment.
SecurityWeek covers the latest malvertising attack:
Malvertising Attack Served Using AOL Ad Network: Cyphort
Security company Cyphort has detected a malvertising attack that hit multiple websites, including Huffington Post and LA Weekly.
The culprit was an AOL ad network. According to Cyphort, the firm first detected the infection on the Canadian version of Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.ca) Dec. 31, and then on Huffingtonpost.com on Jan. 3. Cyphort notified AOL of the situation, and the attacks stopped Jan. 5.
“In this case all the malicious ads came via advertising networks that belong to AOL,” explained Nick Bilogorskiy, director of security research at Cyphort. “We don’t know exactly how it got there. When we consulted our logs we… [saw] the issue started in late October. So, one possibility is that AOL itself has been breached. Another possibility is that attackers are submitting the malicious ads and have AOL approving these ads for use in the ad network.”
According to Cyphort, the ad redirected users through multiple hops. The landing page served an exploit kit that hit victims with a Flash exploit and a VB script. The script in turn downloaded the Kovter Trojan executable to %temp%. The malvertising was served from advertising.com, which has been linked to attacks on several sites during the past several days.
Another journalist detained in Turkey, via DutchNews.nl:
Dutch journalist questioned in Turkey for several hours
A Dutch journalist was picked up by police in Turkey on Tuesday for several hours, saying the charge was ‘propaganda for a terrorist organisation’.
Initial reports said Frederike Geerdink had been arrested but she said later on Twitter she had not been ‘taken into custody’. ‘8 folks strong armed terrorism squad at door very intimidating,’ Geerdink said in English.
The foreign affairs ministry told website nu.nl that Geerdink had been in contact with the Dutch consulate in Istanbul. ‘It is very worrying if journalists are arrested,’ a ministry spokesman told the website. ‘This puts pressures on the freedom of the press.’
Geerdink works for NRC.next, de Groene Amsterdammer, radio programme Dichtbij Nederland and the Muslim broadcaster Moslimomroep. She has been outspoken on Kurdish matters, nu.nl says.
From Reuters, France sends a warning to Palestine:
France warns Palestinians over escalating crisis with U.N. bid
France warned the Palestinians on Tuesday against escalating a diplomatic battle with Israel after President Mahmoud Abbas said he would resubmit to the U.N. Security Council a resolution calling for the creation of a Palestinian state.
The United States helped defeat the resolution, which also demands an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank, in a Security Council vote on Dec. 30. Abbas said on Sunday he hoped to resubmit the resolution “perhaps after a week”.
France, one of the Council’s five permanent members, backed the resolution despite some reservations. France’s parliament also backed Palestinian independence in a symbolic vote on Dec. 2 that underlined Europe’s impatience with a stalled Middle East peace process.
America’s Saudi double standard, via CBC News:
New questions raised about U.S.-Saudi relationship
The 28 pages. U.S. legislators pushing to know more about alleged Saudi role in 9/11
For more than a decade now, 28 pages in a congressional report about the 9/11 attacks have been entirely excised.
To allow the American public access to the information they contain, says the government, would imperil national security. President Bush first ordered them censored, and President Obama has kept them sealed.
The section deals with foreign financial support of the 19 men who flew passenger jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001.
By several accounts — including statements by two former Senators who sat on the 9/11 commission — the sealed pages point the finger at America’s close friend and ally in the war on terror, Saudi Arabia.
euronews covers the anti-Islamic protest protest in Cologne:
Germany switch off lights in protest against anti-Islam PEGIDA group
Program notes:
Cologne Cathedral was plunged into darkness in a protest against extremism on Monday evening ( Jan 5)
It was one of several such events orchestrated by opponents of a group campaigning against what it sees as the “Islamisation “ of Europe called ==PEGIDA ==
In Berlin the Brandenburg Gate was likewise unlit as both pro and counter PEGIDA demonstrations took place.
And its counterpart in Berlin, via TheLocal.de:
Anti-Islam demo flops in Berlin – but not just thugs
On Monday night, activists tried to bring the so-called “Pegida” movement (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West) to the German capital – and failed miserably.
Some 300 rain-bedraggled “patriotic Germans”, xenophobes and outright racists stood forlornly outside Berlin’s town hall, hemmed in by around 5,000 anti-racist activists and several hundred riot police, their hopes of a march to the iconic Brandenburg Gate frozen in their tracks – just like the bitterly damp January weather.
It was always going to be an uphill struggle. Whilst the anti-Islam marches in Dresden, which is a neo-Nazi stronghold and has hard-right politicians elected to its regional parliament, can draw up to 18,000 supporters, Berlin is a different matter altogether.
Known even in Hitler’s time as “Red Berlin”, for its militant communist network, the capital still hits the headlines with almost monotonous regularity every year as hard-core anarchists torch upmarket cars on May Day.
More from BBC News:
Germany Pegida protests: ‘Islamisation’ rallies denounced
Politicians and celebrities in Germany have joined a media campaign against Pegida, a group protesting against what it sees as the “Islamisation” of Europe.
Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and retired footballer Oliver Bierhoff are among 80 figures to back a petition in German newspaper Bild.
Another former Chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, also voiced concerns, along with actress Karoline Herfurth, who appeared in The Reader, and TV presenter Thomas Gottschalk.
And French counterparts discounted, via TheLocal.fr:
Anti-Islam demo heads to France but ‘it won’t take off’
French anti-Islamists, inspired by the huge turn-outs at the xenophobic “Pegida” demos in Germany, have organised a protest for Paris later this month. While the organiser tells The Local “it’s just a first step”, experts say it could never take off in France.
The call has been sent out for those who oppose the “Islamisation of France” to make their feelings known in front of the Paris stock exchange on January 18th.
While the organisers accept they are unlikely to see the kind of numbers that have turned out for similar demos in the German city of Dresden in recent weeks, they say it’s just the first step.
“The movement in Germany has been around for months, for us in France this is just the start. We are only beginning here,” Pierre Cassen, from the group Riposte Laique told The Local.
While Old Blighty maintains a watchful eye, via Deutsche Welle:
Britain keeping close eye on PEGIDA
Rallies in Germany by the anti-Islamization movement PEGIDA have made headlines all over Europe. So too have the counter-demonstrations, which brought thousands out onto the streets to protest against alleged bigotry.
Like other populist groups across Europe, PEGIDA has capitalized on a broad sense of outrage about immigration. In the aftermath of the economic crisis, public spending across the continent has been cut and jobs are scarce, leading to frustration amongst the public, which, in many cases, has turned against immigrants. This tightening of belts at home has happened in tandem to conflicts in the Middle East causing a huge displacement of people, many of whom have sought refuge in Europe.
The UK does not currently have an exact equivalent to PEGIDA. It has an anti-Islamization street movement in the English Defence League (EDL), but this group is not as avowedly anti-violence as PEGIDA and has not drawn the same kind of mass support. Nonetheless, it is certainly true that Britain is currently experiencing its own wave of anti-immigration sentiment, with the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) gaining traction and pushing the debate to the right ahead of this year’s general election.
UKIP’s closest equivalent in Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), another Euroskeptic, anti-immigration party, has openly given its backing to PEGIDA.
On to Asia and a shooting crisis in Kashmir from BBC News:
Kashmir: Civilians flee as border fighting continues
Thousands of villagers have fled their homes in Indian-administered Kashmir as Indian and Pakistani troops continue to exchange fire in the region.
At least 10 Indian and Pakistani soldiers and civilians have been killed in the violence over the past week.
Both sides have accused each other of starting the hostilities.
A ceasefire agreed in 2003 remains in place, but the neighbours often accuse each other of violating it.
Violence leads to a Bengali politician’s arrest via Deutsche Welle:
Senior BNP official arrested after political clashes in Bangladesh
A senior member of the main opposition party in Bangladesh has been arrested, a day after clashes with supporters of the government left several people dead. The opposition says last year’s election was rigged.
Police in Bangladesh arrested Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the acting secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), as he left the National Press Club in the capital, Dhaka, where he had spent Monday night.
“I stayed at the press club for my personal security,” Alamgir told reporters shortly before he was taken into custody.
Shiblee Norman, the assistant commissioner of Dhaka’s police force, told news agencies that Alamgir had been arrested on charges related to violence that broke out on Monday, the anniversary of last year’s election, which the BNP claims was rigged.
Police had banned all forms of gatherings in Dhaka after the BNP, led by former Prime Minister Begum Khalida Zia, called her supporters to take to the streets to demonstrate against the disputed polls.
A North Korean nuclear warning from Sky News:
Warning Over North Korea’s Nuclear Programme
Pyongyang appears to have achieved a “significant” level of technology to miniaturise a nuclear warhead, South Korea says
North Korea appears to have achieved “significant” progress in the miniaturisation of a nuclear warhead onto a long-range missile that could reach the US, it has been warned.
The possibility has long been talked about by observers and experts, but South Korea’s defence ministry has for the first time released a technical analysis in its biennial white paper.
“North Korea’s capabilities of miniaturising nuclear weapons appear to have reached a significant level,” the paper says.
“North Korea is presumed to have secured some 40kg of weapons-grade plutonium by reprocessing spent nuclear fuel roads multiple times, and it is evaluated to have been working on the highly enriched uranium programme.”
More from Global Times:
S.Korea says DPRK missiles can reach US mainland
South Korea on Tuesday announced its first official assessment that long-range missiles of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) may reach the US mainland.
The Defense Ministry said in its biennial Defense White Paper that the DPRK is estimated to have a”capability to threaten the U. S. mainland”after five rounds of test-firing of long-range missiles.
The assessment was based on the DPRK’s successful launch of Unha-3 rocket, which is believed to have a range of about 8,000 km, into orbit in December 2012. The previous test-firing failed in April that year.
The DPRK’s Taepodong-2 long-range missile has a range of about 10,000 km, according to the white paper.
Raising the Chinese stakes with Nikkei Asian Review:
China ups ante in space arms race
The theater of war, which has expanded from ground to sea to air over the years, is now heading into space.
The U.S. Air Force Space Command, an elite military organization, oversees more than 40,000 personnel from its headquarters at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in the state of Colorado. Its mission is to monitor space for suspicious satellites and flying objects, as well as for signs of missile launches back on Earth. Military satellites and radar networks are key to the command’s operations.
China is close to capable of shooting down any U.S. military satellite.
At a breakfast meeting in Washington on Dec. 5, General John Hyten, the commander of space, said the U.S. must prepare for battles high above Earth whether it likes it or not. The U.S. military’s concern that conflicts in space are no longer science fiction was heightened by a test conducted by China in May 2013. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, China succeeded in taking an anti-satellite missile to near the highest of the geostationary orbits of roughly 36,000km from the Earth’s surface that month.
And another raises in the table stakes from Want China Times:
Wing Loong drone conducts successful formation test flight
The new year has seen the first formation test flight of China’s new domestically developed military drone — the Chengdu Pterodactyl or the Wing Loong, the website of the People’s Daily reported on Jan. 5.
If all goes to plan, the drone will go into mass production later this year, military commentator Yin Zhuo said in an interview with state broadcaster Chinese Central Television.
The body of the drone measures 9 meters, while its wingspan is 14 m, which allows it to glide for extended periods of time. The formation test flight will be a big test for the drone’s control system, as formation flight requires an extremely high level of accuracy to prevent mid-air collisions. The test flight suggests problems with the drone’s long-distance remote control system have already been resolved.
From Want China Times again, urban development snarls base ambitions:
Urban development has compromised China’s military bases: report
A recent round of assessments has revealed that the security of China’s armed forces facilities still face numerous shortcomings despite the enactment of a new law on Aug. 1, 2014.
According to the Oriental Outlook magazine, a recent assessment conducted by the Headquarters of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army on bases across 20 provinces, cities and autonomous regions uncovered worrying inadequacies in the enforcement of the Measures for the Implementation of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Military Installations.
Established in 1931, Hangzhou’s Jianqiao Airport has been considered the cradle of China’s air force. However, the military air base has been compromised by rapid urban development in the 80 years since its establishment. Jianqiao Airport’s restricted airspace is increasingly being crowded by some 20 newly raised skyscrapers, including the 28-story ZheJiang Fortune & Finance Center.
And island claims are formalized online, via People’s Daily:
New Chinese website underpins claim to Diaoyu Islands
In a new effort to bolster its claim to the disputed Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, the Chinese government has launched [a] website under http://www.diaoyudao.org.cn. The website also serves to expose the strategic ambitions of Japan’s ultra-right wing government.
Next to the Chinese national flag, the words “Diaoyu Islands — Integral Chinese Territory” top the website’s home page. Below photos of the disputed islands, identified by their Chinese names, appear a Chinese government statement as to why the islands are an integral part of China, and a timeline reaching back to the 14th century with historical documents providing proof of China’s claims.
“The Diaoyu are an inseparable part of Chinese territory,” the website reads. “Whether from a historical perspective or a legal one, they are integral Chinese territory.”
From Want China Times, Japan ups its own military ante in response to China’s naval drills:
Japan to boost defense in response to PLA drills in West Pacific
The Japanese government has officially activated plans to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the southwestern regions of the country in response to a large scale naval exercise conducted by the People’s Liberation Army Navy in the West Pacific last month, reports Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun.
To strengthen island defense, the Jan. 4 report said, Tokyo plans to make the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s new Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB) part of its core strength and will deploy amphibious vehicles and troops to Sasebo of Nagasaki prefecture in the southwest of the country. According to the Japanese government’s strategy, the ARDB, which is modeled on the US Marines Corps, will assume the important role of “recapturing enemy-occupied islands” by 2018.
Meanwhile, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will boost the total number of fighter jets at its base in Naha, the capital of Japan’s southermost Okinawa prefecture, to 40, including doubling its F-15 fighter fleet from one to two, as well as increase personnel by about 450, the report said.
And Nikkei Asian Review counts the cost:
Defense spending to hit record high
Japan’s annual defense-related expenditures are expected to reach a record high of around 4.98 trillion yen ($40.9 billion) in the government’s budget for fiscal 2015, which starts April 1.
The anticipated increase of about 2% from fiscal 2014 in defense spending comes as Japan plans to boost equipment procurement. The country aims to be better equipped to defend remote islands and expand security cooperation with the U.S.
Full-scale work to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa Prefecture will also contribute to the rise. The base is set to be relocated from the densely populated city of Ginowan to quieter Henoko in the city of Nago.
And to close, something to scare the hell out of anyone, via Nextgov:
Pentagon Wants ‘Real Roadmap’ To Artificial Intelligence
In November, Undersecretary of Defense Frank Kendall quietly issued a memo to the Defense Science Board that could go on to play a role in history.
The memo calls for a new study that would “identify the science, engineering, and policy problems that must be solved to permit greater operational use of autonomy across all war-fighting domains…Emphasis will be given to exploration of the bounds-both technological and social-that limit the use of autonomy across a wide range of military operations. The study will ask questions such as: What activities cannot today be performed autonomously? When is human intervention required? What limits the use of autonomy? How might we overcome those limits and expand the use of autonomy in the near term as well as over the next 2 decades?”
A Defense Department official very close to the effort framed the request more simply. “We want a real roadmap for autonomy” he told Defense One. What does that mean, and how would a “real roadmap” influence decision-making in the years ahead? One outcome of the Defense Science Board 2015 Summer Study on Autonomy, assuming the results are eventually made public, is that the report’s findings could refute or confirm some of our worst fears about the future of artificial intelligence.
