MTQ News

  Frank Gardner, BBC: Mozambique: Why IS is so hard to defeat in Mozambique   The recent bloodthirsty raid by jihadist militants from the Islamic State group (IS) in northern Mozambique has shocked the world. Hundreds of well-armed fighters were able to overrun a town close to Africa's largest gas project.  They massacred dozens of people, locals and expatriates, leaving decapitated bodies strewn around the streets.  So how was this able to happen, why can the Mozambican government not control this insurgency and what will it take to defeat it?  Read more ....   Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 31, 2021  U.S. struggling to engage with Iran over nuclear deal -- Barak Ravid, Axios  A growing challenge for Iraq: Iran-aligned Shiite militias -- Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Zeina Karam, AP  Will Lebanese banks crash Middle East finances? -- Cathrin Schaer, DW  China's New Bogeyman: Europe -- Stuart Lau, Politico EU The cost of speaking up again

  Bloomberg: France Heads Into Monthlong Lockdown as Virus Spirals in Europe   (Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron announced a nationwide four-week lockdown, closing schools and business, in the latest and alarming sign that Europe is yet again losing control of the pandemic.  “We did everything we could to make these decisions as late as possible, when they became strictly necessary. That is now,” Macron said in a televised address on Wednesday. New variants make the virus “more contagious and deadlier,” he said.  Read more ....  MIDDLE EAST  Iran leader Rouhani criticizes Biden for 'no efforts' to rejoin nuclear deal.   Iraq PM seeks to soothe security concern on Saudi visit. Militias a growing challenge for Iraq ahead of talks with US.   UN raises $6.4 billion for Syrians, falls short of $10 billion aid goal.   U.S. announces more than $596 million in new humanitarian aid for Syria crisis: Blinken.   War-torn Yemen gets first delivery of v

Soldiers wearing the Integrated Visual Augmentation System while mounted in a Stryker vehicle in Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washignton, February 2021 © US Army / Courtney Bacon  CNBC: Microsoft wins U.S. Army contract for augmented reality headsets, worth up to $21.9 billion over 10 years    * Microsoft will deliver to the U.S. Army more than 120,000 devices based on its HoloLens augmented reality headset.   * The deal, which could be worth as much as $21.88 billion over 10 years, follows a contract Microsoft received to build prototype headsets for the Army.  * The contract comes a year and a half after Microsoft won a cloud contract from the Pentagon that could be worth up to $10 billion.  The U.S. Army said Wednesday that Microsoft has won a contract to build more than custom HoloLens augmented reality headsets.  The contract for over 120,000 headsets could be worth up to $21.88 billion over 10 years, a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC.  Microsoft shares moved higher aft

 On March 30, CP Technologies announced it has teamed with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. to design and manufacture the Portable Aircraft Control Station (PACS) for the US Air Force.  Read full news at this link Built around a state-of-the-art processor with significant processing power, the system utilizes virtualization to eliminate the standard stick and throttle control console, workstation processors, and audio equipment found in a full-scale ground control station.(Picture source: General Atomics) Read more from World Defence News https://ift.tt/3rHUjHH via IFTTT

The MG5 will replace the MG3 as a medium machine gun. The fully automatic weapon enables short and long bursts of fire with a range of up to 1,000 meters. Read full news at this link... The MG5 succeeds the MG3 and at the same time heralds a new era of universal machine guns. (Picture source: Bundeswehr / Marco Dorow) Read more... from World Defence News https://ift.tt/3dj0lcR via IFTTT

From Korea to Afghanistan, the lives of American soldiers depend on functioning equipment in inhospitably frigid environments, and nowhere else in the world can provide extreme cold weather testing like the U.S. Army’s Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC) at Fort Greely, Alaska. Mark Schauer reports on U.S. Army's website. Read full news at this link... The Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), an augmented reality goggle based on Microsoft’s HoloLens that stands poised to redefine close combat force capabilities, recently underwent punishing cold-weather testing at the Army Test and Evaluation Command's Cold Regions Test Center at Fort Greely, Alaska. (Picture source: U.S. Army/Sebastian Saarloos) Read more... from World Defence News https://ift.tt/3dkcqOR via IFTTT

 BAE Systems was awarded a four-year $42.5 million task order by the U.S. Navy to provide shore-based landing systems integration (LSI) support services for instrument carrier and instrument landing systems (ICLS/ILS). The new ILS provides U.S. Navy pilots with increased guidance capabilities by utilizing radio beam signals that aircraft computers translate, enabling pilots to correct their flight path and operate aircraft without instruction from an air traffic controller. Read full news at this link BAE Systems will provide installation, engineering, and sustainment support services to ensure the continued safe operation of U.S. military aircraft   (Picture source: US Air Force) Read more from World Defence News https://ift.tt/3sQqiH2 via IFTTT

A unit of the 115th Air Defense Missile Regiment of the Belarusian army completed a tactical exercise in the training area of Brestsky. The field exercise was one of the steps in preparations for the Belarusian-Russian strategic army exercise Zapad 2021. Read full news at this link... A unit of the 115th Air Defense Missile Regiment of the Belarusian army completed a tactical exercise in the training area of Brestsky.  (Picture source: BelTA) Read more... from World Defence News https://ift.tt/3m5toV6 via IFTTT

  According to a press release published by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (tk MS) on March 30, 2021, the company handed over the frigate “SACHSEN-ANHALT” to the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) in Wilhelmshaven. It is the third of a total of four ships of the Type F125 which tk MS is building in the ARGE F125 consortium together with the Fr. Lürssen Shipyard. Read full news at this link Baden-Württemberg-class frigates Sachsen-Anhalt F224  (Picture source: ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems) Read more from World Defence News https://ift.tt/3cHfTYZ via IFTTT

 Bell Textron and Sikorsky have both been awarded around $290.000.000 modification contract for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft Competitive Demonstration and Risk Reduction Phase 2. Read full news at this link The two companies are competing for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program (Picture source: Bell / Sikorsky) Read more from World Defence News https://ift.tt/3ryjBbv via IFTTT

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC have received USD 100 mn+ contracts for 120mm ammunition intended for M1A2 Abrams MBTs. Both companies will also compete to supply the U.S. Army with munitions of other calibers. Read full news at this link... M1A2 Abrams firing a 120mm round (Picture source: U.S. Army) Read more... from World Defence News https://ift.tt/3sQ9Zdi via IFTTT

 Citadel Defense has received a follow-on urgent contract award from the U.S. Department of Defense to protect servicemen and servicewomen from small drone threats. Read full news at this link Citadel Defense will accelerate delivery of Titan systems to address urgent operational needs to meet an aggressive deployment schedule for U.S. troops   (Picture source: Citadel Defense) Read more from World Defence News https://ift.tt/3dkqHeD via IFTTT

Covid-19 has killed over 2.81M people and infected over 128.76M globally. Follow this thread for all the coronavirus-related developments for March 31: pic.twitter.com/3i2DyMRn05 — TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) March 31, 2021 Hospitals in Ecuador's capital overwhelmed by COVID-19 infections, doctors say https://t.co/H4vsjfXGUu pic.twitter.com/sJzRzhvGs6 — Reuters (@Reuters) March 31, 2021 WHO says further investigation needed to conclusively rule out theory that Covid-19 emerged from a lab in China https://t.co/Z9imcWdtvG — BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 30, 2021 Saudi Arabia plans to invest $3.2 trillion into the national economy by 2030, roping in the oil-reliant kingdom's biggest companies in a major new economic diversification push https://t.co/kqUqTSSOS9 pic.twitter.com/5sRoqSLCOF — AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 31, 2021 Australia plans to start building its own guided missiles in collaboration with the United States to boost its defense capabilities.

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  Warzone/The Drive: Watch A Saudi F-15 Fighter Swoop In Low To Blast A Houthi Rebel Drone Out Of The Sky   The action-packed clip underscores the immense expenditure of resources on the part of the Saudis to respond to these relatively low-cost threats.  Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launching suicide drones, as well as ballistic and cruise missiles, at targets in Saudi Arabia has become a regular occurrence. Announcements about interceptions by Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 fighter jets, as well as Patriot surface-to-air missiles, very costly responses to these relatively cheap threats, have become equally routine. However, video footage has now emerged online offering a different kind of look at this ongoing duel as Saudi troops on the ground watch an F-15 swoop in a relatively low level to knock down a Houthi Qasef-series suicide drone. Read more ....  WNU Editor : All that money being spent to knock-out just one drone. There has to be a better way. from War New

Sunny, a 325th Security Forces Squadron military working dog, poses next to a Quad-legged Unmanned Ground Vehicle at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, March 24, 2021. © PHOTO US AIR FORCE / AIRMAN 1ST CLASS ANABEL DEL VALLE  WNU Editor: The above picture is from this link .... US Air Force Base Takes Delivery of Black Mirror-Style Semi-Autonomous ‘Robot Dogs’ – Photos (Sputnik). from War News Updates https://ift.tt/3rCYg0n via IFTTT

  The Hill: Organizations urge Biden to halt 'reckless' rhetoric with Putin   Twenty-seven organizations, including a number of left-leaning groups, issued a statement on Tuesday urging President Biden to halt the use of “reckless” rhetoric with Russian President Vladimir Putin and instead conduct “constructive bilateral talks.”  “As national organizations that advocate for diplomacy, arms control, disarmament and peace, we are deeply alarmed by the recent negative exchanges between leaders of the two countries with more than 90 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads in their arsenals,” the organizations wrote in a statement obtained by The Hill.  Read more ....  WNU Editor: It is too late. The damage has already been done. The Kremlin also knows that President Biden is not going to change his views and policies when it comes to Russia, and in particular against President Putin. from War News Updates https://ift.tt/2PmPLJJ via IFTTT

An Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon escorting a group of Russian military aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea off the Lithuanian Coast during an intercept on March 29, 2021. (Image credit: Italian Air Force via NATO).  RFE: NATO Warplanes Scrambled Amid 'Unusual Peak' In Russian Air Activity   NATO says it scrambled fighter jets 10 times amid what it called an unusual level of Russian air activity over Europe. Alliance warplanes were scrambled on March 29 "to shadow Russian bombers and fighters during an unusual peak of flights over the North Atlantic, North Sea, Black Sea and Baltic Sea," NATO said in a statement on March 30. "In all, NATO aircraft intercepted six different groups of Russian military aircraft near Alliance airspace in less than six hours," the statement said.  Read more ....  WNU Editor: I am old enough to remember that during the height of the Cold War .... 10 interceptions was regarded as a quiet da

In the most lethal fighting so far this year, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and another was seriously wounded in a battle against Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk Region of eastern Ukraine, the country’s military said. https://t.co/URQHcBhWuD — NYT At War (@NYTimesAtWar) March 30, 2021 WNU Editor : Ukraine is saying that Russia is threatening the security in the region .... Ukraine says Russian military buildup threatens its security (Reuters). The Kremlin is accusing Kiev Of doing the same thing .... Kremlin says Kiev to blame for worsening Ukraine conflict (AFP).  This blogger predicted a few days ago that the war will escalate after Orthodox Easter (May 2) .... U.S. Escalates Military Hardware Deliveries To Ukraine's Army (March 28, 2021). It looks like I am off by a few weeks. from War News Updates https://ift.tt/3we3djS via IFTTT

  France 24: Bloody crackdown: Can Myanmar junta shoot its way out of crisis?   Already, Myanmar's Armed Forces Day 2021 will be go down as a day of infamy. Security forces on Sunday went and opened fire on a funeral.  Can the junta get away with its February First coup by shooting its way out of the crisis? What more can the international community do?  After targeted sanctions against regime big wigs, how to squeeze the businesses that make money for the military or at least not be complicit in their enrichment?  We ask about the US suspending a trade deal with Myanmar. Will those measures help or hurt?  Read more ....    Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 30, 2021  The geopolitics of Myanmar’s black swan coup -- Michael Vatikiotis, Asia Times India's Dangerous Myanmar Policy -- Sudha Ramachandran, The Diplomat Americans fear China over Russia -- Roger Zakheim and Rachel Hoff, The Hill  China sets sights on Middle East with Iran co-oper

  Reuters: U.S., 13 countries concerned WHO COVID-19 origin study was delayed, lacked access - statement   WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and 13 other countries expressed concerns on Tuesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) report on the origins of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was delayed and lacked access to complete data, according to a joint statement.  It followed WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s assertion that data was withheld from its investigators who traveled to China to research the origins of the pandemic.  Read more ....   MIDDLE EAST  Iranian leaders pressed to disclose details of 25-year China pact.   U.S. open to discussing wider nuclear deal road map if Iran wishes.   UN raises $6.4bn for Syrians as humanitarian needs soar.   UN report points to Houthis for December attack on Aden airport.   Oman hopes Yemen ceasefire will be agreed very soon: State media.   Lebanon: Protesters forcibly disappeared

This B52 aircraft conducted a captive-carry flight test of the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon in August (file photo)  Daily Mail: Is US Air Force preparing to test fire new hypersonic missile? No fly zone is imposed around California testing area as deadline for launch looms    * The AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon missile, which can travel at five times the speed of sound, is expected to be launched on Tuesday or Wednesday   * The US Air Force gave itself a 30 day deadline to complete test on March 5   * It will be used to destroy 'high-value, time-sensitive targets', the Air Force says in a statement   * The US has been locked in an arms race with Russia and China to be the first to develop a hypersonic missile - and its successful deployment heats up that race   * China claims to have tested a hypersonic missile in 2018, while Russia has boasted of its hypersonic capabilities  The US Air Force is believed to be preparing to test a hyperso