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Rarement une visite privée - donc supposée discrète - aura été aussi dense en couleurs ! Non pas du côté du Vatican où l'entretien entre le président Hollande et le pape François a duré 40 bonnes minutes, mais dans le centre historique de Rome, devant l'église Saint-Louis-des-Français, célèbre pour ses peintures du Caravage. La présence des médias n'était pas acceptée durant le moment de recueillement de François Hollande. Et c'est à la sortie qu'il était censé parler.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed disappointment that Sudan&#39s warring parties failed to reach an agreement on a cessation of hostilities in Darfur and the two states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan, during the last round of negotiations.

Le Secrétaire général de l'ONU, Ban Ki-moon, s'est déclaré déçu que les parties soudanaises ne soient pas parvenues à un accord sur la cessation des hostilités au Darfour et dans deux zones des Etats du Nil bleu et du Kordofan méridional lors de la dernière série de négociations qui s'est tenue du 9 au 14 août à Addis-Abeba, en Ethiopie.

Le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (HCR) et le gouvernement de l'Ouganda ont déclaré jeudi qu'ils avaient mis en œuvre des mesures de confinement au camp de réfugiés de Pagarinya dans le district d'Adjumani, après la confirmation d'une épidémie de choléra.

Dans l'entourage de François Hollande, on n'a pas raté une miette de l'entrée en lice (mardi soir à la télé) de Benoît Hamon dans la primaire du Parti socialiste prévue en janvier. Et on guette déjà ce...

Jacques Chirac va mieux. Après une année particulièrement éprouvante (au cours de laquelle il a perdu sa fille Laurence, décédée à la suite d'un malaise cardiaque), on pensait que l'ancien chef de l'Etat,...

« Non mais franchement, faire de la politique en vacances... » En maillot de bain, glace coulante à la main, un touriste peste en croisant le cortège politique qui avance dans la rue commerçante. « C'est...

Pour un ancien président de Reporter sans frontières, il fallait oser. Robert Ménard, le maire (Rassemblement Bleu Marine, proche du FN) de Béziers, dans l'Hérault, a fait placarder dans sa commune une...

Le programme voulu par François Hollande vise à sortir les chômeurs longue durée de l’impasse dans laquelle ils se trouvent en doublant le nombre de stages disponibles.

Une brochure distribuée par le Parti socialiste depuis deux mois vante le bilan de François Hollande, au prix de plusieurs fausses informations.

Nigel Farage le dément, mais la rumeur a enflé toute la journée de mercredi 17 août et a enflammé les réseaux sociaux. L'ancien leader de Ukip chercherait à obtenir la nationalité allemande grâce à sa femme, de nationalité germanique. Si l'ambassade d'Allemagne à Londres ne s'est pas exprimée sur ce sujet, elle annonce depuis le vote en faveur du Brexit, le 23 juin dernier, une forte hausse de demande de passeports. Il en va de même pour l'Irlande qui a enregistré une augmentation de 70%. Au Royaume-Uni, obtenir un passeport d'un pays membre de l'Union européenne devient une quête.

Americas

• Lockheed Martin has received $112 million as part of the 2016 Aegis modernization program. The US Navy contract modification covers the production of multi-mission signal processor equipment sets, ballistic missile defense 4.0.2 equipment, Aegis weapon system modernization upgrade equipment, as well as associated spares to support the fielding of Aegis modernization capabilities to the fleet. Under the program, vessels receiving the upgraded systems will experience increased computing power as well as improved detection and reaction capabilities of its radars.

• The Pentagon and the USAF have run into issues over the latter’s plan to replace the LGM-30G intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Concern over cost estimates given the USAF have been expressed by Washington, who found that the flying branch’s figure differs greatly from that of the office of independent cost assessment. The disparity stems from the fact that the US hasn’t built new ICBMs in decades, and nuclear spending over the next 30 years could exceed $1 trillion.

Middle East North Africa

• Following Monday’s bombing of a school and a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Yemen by Saudi-led forces, an investigation will commence by a body set up to investigate civilian casualties. The two bombings resulted in the death of 24 people, at least ten of them children, and adds to a growing number of incidents where coalition attacks have targeted non-military targets. Saudi Arabia has received much international criticism for its actions in Yemen, with some organizations claiming it is complicit in war crimes. US, UK and Canadian arms manufacturers have also come under fire for selling the Gulf kingdom weaponry.

• If Russian media sources are to be believed, the Royal Moroccan Air Force could potentially be moving away from Western made aircraft in favor of the Su-34. Sources claim a deal between Rabat and Moscow is in the cards for a number of the bomber’s export versions as well as the Amur-class 1650 diesel electric submarine. Morocco has been undergoing modernization in all of its military branches, often with US help, in order to curb Islamist militants. However this latest deal may have more to do with its frosty neighbor Algeria, who has been buying Russian hardware for some time now.

Europe

• Slat armor has been designed for tracked and wheeled armored fighting vehicles (AFV) by Russian defense manufacturers. Vehicles on which the armor can be installed include the BTR-60, BTR-70 and BTR-80 8×8 amphibious armored personnel carriers (APCs), the BMP-1 and BMP-2 tracked infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), and the 4×4 BRDM-2 amphibious scout car. Up to 100% of the vehicle can be protected by the armor for enhanced survivability against anti-tank weapons fitted with a single high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead.

• Rheinmetall has upped the stakes in the UK’s Challenger 2 Life Extension Program by offering wider enhancements to the platform alongside the requested spec by the MoD. This includes replacing the tank’s 120 mm L30A1 rifled gun with 120 mm L55 smoothbore, which allows for a much wider choice of ammunition options of which Rheinmetall is a leading expert. Other options offered include new optronics, situational awareness systems, and fire control solutions.

Asia Pacific

• Too few aircraft and too few pilots, that’s whats being said about the Afghan air force’s hampered ability to tackle Taliban militants. While 130 aircraft is deemed as too few, the main problem stems from a lack of suitable candidates to be trained as pilots. Regarding the training of the air force by the US-led NATO coalition, their energies have been focused on establishing a special operations air wing and training crews to fly new aircraft, like the small A-29 attack aircraft and C-130 cargo planes. As a result, experienced pilots and crew have been pulled from other units.

• They’re THAAD as hell, and they’re not going to take it any more. 900 South Korean protestors angry at their government’s deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) have taken part in a mass head shaving. Citizens from the southeastern county of Seongju have brought up several issues including safety issues regarding the system’s sophisticated radar and its potential to be a wartime target. Meanwhile, the US continues to lobby Beijing, saying THAAD’s deployment on the Korean peninsula does not threaten China.

Today’s Video

Belarus unveils its brand new Russian “Protivnik-GE” 59N6-E mobile 3D surveillance radar:

LGM-30G Minuteman III
(click to view full)

Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems of Clearfield, UT received a contract modification for $176.2 million, exercising the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Propulsion Replacement Program’s (PRP) final full rate production (year 7) option. NGC tends to sub-contract large portions of this work to ATK Thiokol; the Minuteman III PRP began in 1998 as a Joint Venture between ATK and Pratt & Whitney, but all work content was transitioned to ATK in the 2003-2004 timeframe following a contract restructure. DID has covered related contracts in November 2006 ($222.5 million), March 2006 ($541 million) and January 2006 ($225.2 million). Presumably, the ICBMs’ Environmental Protection Agency certification has been taken care of by now.

The purpose of PRP is to ensure MM Flight Reliability and supportability of the USA’s LGM-30G Minuteman III nuclear ICBMs through 2020 by correcting identified mission threatening degradations, sustaining existing reliability, and supporting Minuteman Life Extension Efforts. America chose to retire its larger, newer, and more capable MX Peacekeeper missiles in 2005, in compliance with arms control treaties it has signed. This contract action will purchase the remaining 56 Minuteman III booster sets, making a total of 601 sets acquired during the PRP. At this time, $51.6 million has been obligated. The 526th ICBM Systems Wing at Hill Air Force Base, UT holds the contract (F42310-98-C-0001). See also Northrop Grumman release.

Updates

August 18/16: The Pentagon and the USAF have run into issues over the latter’s plan to replace the LGM-30G intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Concern over cost estimates given the USAF have been expressed by Washington, who found that the flying branch’s figure differs greatly from that of the office of independent cost assessment. The disparity stems from the fact that the US hasn’t built new ICBMs in decades, and nuclear spending over the next 30 years could exceed $1 trillion.

January 26/16: An investigation into a “mishap” involving a Minuteman III ICBM causing $1.8 million worth of damage has been released. The heavily redacted report cited crew inexperience as the main factor, after they were sent to fix an error that arose during a routine diagnostic test, causing damage to the missile after failure to follow procedures. While investigators said they found four contributing factors to the cause of the incident, only two could be found in the report itself. The majority of the blame seems to rest with the crew leader in charge of the troubleshooting, who failed to first follow technical guidance, and then lacked the the adequate proficiency level to anticipate the consequences of his actions during the incident. The report follows the recent debates over the spending of billions of dollars on upgrading and maintaining these strategic missiles which are coming to be seen as an antiquated defense mechanism.

US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has announced that the newest Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, DDG 122, will be christened as John Basilone.

The US Navy has conducted live firing from Raytheon-built SeaRAM anti-ship defence system, which is installed on-board the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG-64) stationed in Rota, Spain.

Cambridge Pixel has been chosen to provide radar display and target tracking modules for the UK Royal Navy’s £44m new Naval Radar Programme.

Le Caribbean Fantasy, navire de la compagnie America Cruise Ferries affecté à la liaison entre la République Dominicaine et Porto Rico, a été victime le 17 août d’un important incendie. Le sinistre s’est déclaré dans les machines peu de temps après que le bateau ait appareillé de San Juan pour mettre le cap sur Saint-Domingue. Situé à seulement deux milles au large de la capitale portoricaine, le Caribbean Fantasy, qui comptait 511 passagers et membres d’équipage à bord, a été évacué.

• Lire la suite de Plus de 500 personnes évacuées du ferry Caribbean Fantasy après un incendie

Ban Ki-moon is threatening to put Riyadh and its allies back on a blacklist of countries that kill and maim children in war zones.

The ghost of Richard Nixon is back. And he’s mad as hell about the former secretaries of state and the Washington establishment.