Kitesurfers make World Record attempt on the Great Barrier Reef for MND/ALS by itnnews Thursday August 13th, 2015 at 2:53 PM
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A group of international kitesurfers are trying to set a new world record by surfing 10,000km across the Great Barrier Reef. Report by Conor Mcnally.
Large-scale military exercises by Russia and NATO are part of a dangerous "action-reaction cycle" that could accidentally elevate the chance of war, a British think tank has warned.
The European Leadership Network (ELN), a London-based global security think tank, published apolicy brief on Wednesday, warning that NATO and Russia appear to be preparing to go to war with one another. "Russia is preparing for a conflict with NATO, and NATO is preparing for a possible confrontation with Russia," the report argues. "Both the NATO and Russian exercises show that each side is training with the other side's capabilities and most likely war plans in mind. Whilst spokespeople may maintain that these operations are targeted against hypothetical opponents, the nature and scale of them indicate otherwise."
The report says that while each side insists their exercises are defensive, the political fallout between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis has triggered "an action-reaction cycle in terms of military exercises." It argues that each side is aiming to strengthen deterrence by flexing their military might, causing the other side to interpret this as provocation and responding with yet more military maneuvers.
The policy brief uses two case studies to illustrate its point. One is Russia's snap exercise in March involving 80,000 military personnel and the other is NATO's Allied Shield exercise in June in which 15,000 personnel from 19 Members states and three partner states took part.
"The focus of the exercises is on what each side sees as its most exposed areas, with NATO concentrating on the Baltic States and Poland whilst Russia is focusing primarily on the Arctic and High North, Kaliningrad, occupied Crimea, and its border areas with NATO members Estonia and Latvia," reads the report.
Russia has increasingly started calling all branches of its military to take part in snap drills, with a strong focus on its Arctic territories and on the Baltic region. In February Baltic defence officials and experts expressed concern that Russia may be deliberately raising the alert level in Europe with its snap drills, to pave the way for an eventual attack on a Baltic capital.
The ELN report highlights repeatedly that NATO's exercises are on a notably smaller scale than Russia's, although it points out that this may be largely due to limited capability rather than a decision not to match Russia, whose entire force is permanently under one command, as opposed to the armed forces of NATO. The report also notes that Russia's use of conscription allows it to quickly summon greater numbers of troops which "the predominantly professional armed forces of NATO countries simply cannot match."
"We do not suggest that the leadership of either side has made a decision to go to war or that a military conflict between the two is inevitable," the report concludes, "but that the changed profile of exercises is a fact and it does play a role in sustaining the current climate of tensions in Europe."
Russia is currently hosting an international military games, in which servicemen use its training courses to compete in tank and jet maneuvers, and on Monday it called on 500 servicemen to practice amphibious assault in the Baltic. Meanwhile NATO is currently preparing for its Trident Juncture exercise which is set to engage over 36,000 troops in Spain, Portugal and Italy between October and November.
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Eye strain from staring at digial screens is a growing problem, but there are ways to reduce the risk
Airline plans back-stiffening 17-hour and 35-minute shuttle from Dubai to new Central American gateway at Panama City
Three-bed property near Covent Garden bought for £130,000 in 1990 realises return on investment of more than 800% for owners
A former council flat in central London has changed hands for £1.2m, in what is thought to be a new record for an ex-local authority apartment.
The three-bedroom property near Covent Garden has been sold by the original buyers, who bought it from Westminster council in 1990 for £130,000 under the right to buy rules introduced by Margaret Thatcher. Although it failed to reach the initial asking price of £1.35m, the sellers are unlikely to have been disappointed with a return on their investment of more than 800%.
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Prosecutors in Stockholm said they would continue with investigations over a further allegation of rape against Assange, also made in 2010.
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A volunteer, left, helps a woman to comfort her baby upon migrants' arrival on a dinghy at the southeastern island of Kos, Greece, after crossing from Turkey, early Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015. Greece has become the main gateway to Europe for tens of thousands of refugees and economic migrants, mainly Syrians fleeing war, as fighting in Libya has made the alternative route from north Africa to Italy increasingly dangerous. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Lorraine Crighton-Smith said she felt 'violated' after she received the graphic image of a stranger's genitalia on her smartphone via Apple's Airdrop feature while on the train in south London.
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 TIME |
Here's What President Obama Is Reading This Summer
TIME Even the leader of the free world gets a break to do some summer reading. According to ABC News, these are the books President Obama packed for his family vacation to Martha's Vineyard: All That Is – James Salter. This 2013 novel by one of the most ... President Obama plays golf on Martha's Vineyard with Ray Allen and Alonzo MourningBoston.com Obama has an excellent — but ambitious — summer reading listThe Week Magazine Obama reading biography of George Washington while on vacationWashington Times Politico-CBS Local-The Hill all 72 news articles » |
Emirates said Thursday it would begin offering daily flights between Dubai and Panama City, according to the Associated Press. The duration of the trip, when westward, totals 17 hours and 35 minutes, making it the longest commercial flight in the world.
The flights, which will begin Feb. 1, make Panama City the inaugural destination in for Emirates in Central America. The trip traverses a total of 8,590 miles, according to Bloomberg. Previously, the longest flight in the world was a flight from Dallas to Sydney offered by Qantas, which took 17 hours.
According to Bloomberg, Panama will serve as the entry-point for tourists and business travelers into South America and the Caribbean.
Aid workers say conditions on the island have improved slightly but there are still serious concerns over the migrants' plight.
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The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred in the Shia district of Sadr City on Thursday morning killing at least 80 people and injuring hundreds of others. It is the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital this year
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GENEVA (Reuters) - North Korea will pursue its "defensive" nuclear program as long as it feels threatened by the United States, its U.N. disarmament envoy in Geneva told Reuters on Thursday.
PARIS (Reuters) - A Turkish man suspected of murdering three Kurdish activists in Paris in 2013 is to face trial, putting the spotlight on a key rallying point for ethnic Kurds amid renewed violence in Turkey's Kurdish southeast.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) decried as politically motivated the sentencing of a leading rights activist in Azerbaijan on Thursday to 8-1/2 years in jail, saying it was part of a campaign to muzzle dissent.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed "grave concern" to his Russian counterpart on Thursday over a sharp rise in separatist attacks in eastern Ukraine and urged an immediate ceasefire, the State Department said.
Ukraine Posts Video Of Captured ‘Russian Soldier’ Asking For Putin’s Help by support@pangea-cms.com (Mike Eckel)
Ukraine’s state security agency has released a new video purporting to show a Russian army officer who was detained last month in eastern Ukraine appealing to President Vladimir Putin to secure his release.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office condemned outgoing U.S. army chief General Raymond Odierno’s statement that Iraq might be partitioned.
Things to know about Social Security at 80: Overhaul time?by By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Social Security turns 80 on Friday, and the massive retirement and disability program is showing its age....
Prominent Rights Defenders Convicted in Azerbaijanby THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A court in Azerbaijan on Thursday convicted a prominent rights defender and her husband on fraud charges, which international rights groups have denounced as a sham.
Authorities raised the death toll from explosions in the city of Tianjin to at least 50 as they searched for the cause of twin blasts.
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