DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated July 24, 2013

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated July 24, 2013
Source: U.S. DoD issued No.  533-13 July 24, 2013
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 24, 2013: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued  July 24, 2013  are undermentioned;

Contracts

Navy

            Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $617,058,000 modification to definitize a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-12-C-0063) for the production of five Full Rate Production Lot 1 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to a firm-fixed-price contract.  Work will be performed in St. Augustine, Fla. (24.90 percent); Syracuse, N.Y. (20.59 percent); Bethpage, N.Y. (7.60 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (4.56 percent); Indianapolis, Ind. (4.6 percent); Menlo Park, Calif. (3.90 percent); Rolling Meadows, Ill. (2.3 percent), and approximately 200 various locations within the United States -- none over five percent (32.10 percent).  The work is expected to be completed in June 2016.  Fiscal 2013 Aircraft Procurement Navy contract funds in the amount of $617,058,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. 

            QinetiQ North America, Waltham, Mass., is being awarded a $20,359,579 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of man transportable robotic system (MTRS) MK 2 post-production support for joint service explosive ordnance disposal.  The MTRS MK2 provides the military explosive ordnance disposal technicians with a man transportable capability to remotely perform reconnaissance.  Work will be performed in Waltham, Mass., and is expected to be completed by July 2016.  Fiscal 2013 Operations & Maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $627,970 will be obligated at the time of the award, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one offer received.  The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division Indian Head, Md., is the contracting activity (N00174-13-D-0007). 

            BAE Systems Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a $15,986,837 modification to previously awarded contract (N0024-06-C-4408) for repairs to the USS Chafee (DDG 90).  Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by February 2014.  Fiscal 2013 Operations & Maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $15,986,837 will be obligated at the time of award, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. 

            3 Phoenix Inc., Chantilly, Va., is being awarded a $9,819,748 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract to procure the design, manufacture, test, integration and delivery of MK 710 torpedo system test sets, support equipment and incidental engineering services.  This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $25,856,218.  Work will be performed in Wake Forest, N.C. (70 percent), and Chantilly, Va. (30 percent), and is expected to be completed by January 2015.  Fiscal 2013 Research, Development, Test & Evaluation funding in the amount of $9,819,748 will be obligated at the time of this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities websites, with six offers received.  The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, R.I., is the contracting activity (N66604-13-C-1026). 

            BAE San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $7,499,285 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-12-C-4403) for the USS Rushmore (LSD 47) to exercise an option for fiscal 2013 phased maintenance availability to provide planning, repair, alteration and material support services, maintenance and modernization.  Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by November 2013.  Fiscal 2013 Operations & Maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $7,499,285 will be obligated at the time of award, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity. 

Defense Logistics Agency

            Parker Hannifin Corp., Irvine, Calif., has been awarded a maximum $181,700,000 modification for wheel equipment, parts and assemblies.  The contract is a firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract.  Locations of performance are California, Michigan, New York, Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida, and South Carolina, with a Sept. 30, 2014 performance completion date.  Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Defense Logistics Agency.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2013 through fiscal 2014 Defense Working Capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (SPM400-01-D-9726/P00138). 

            Armorsource LLC*, Hebron, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $92,681,250 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.  This contract is for procurement of lightweight, advanced combat helmets.  Location of performance is Ohio, with an Aug. 30, 2016 performance completion date.  Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2013 Defense Working Capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM1C1-13-D-1045). 

U.S. Transportation Command

            Berry Aviation Inc., San Marcos, Texas, is being awarded a $10,725,000 fixed-priced, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for Trans-Sahara short take-off and landing (STOL) services.  The Trans-Sahara STOL contract provides for casualty evacuation, personnel airlift, cargo airlift, and air drop services.  Work will be performed throughout the recognized political boundaries of Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, South Sudan, Tunisia, and Uganda, with an expected completion date of June 27, 2017.  The maximum value, including the base period and three one-year option periods, is $49,092,472.  Joint Special Operations Air Detachment 3400 Operations and Maintenance funds in the amount of $1,500,000 are being obligated at time of award.  $9,225,000 will be obligated via Task Order on July 25, 2013.  This contract was a competitive acquisition solicited using the Federal Business Opportunity website, and five offers were received.  The contracting activity is U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., (HTC711-13-D-C013). 

*Small Business

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD issued No.  533-13 July 24, 2013
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DTN News - EGYPT DEFENSE NEWS: US Delays Delivery of F-16 Jets Due To Egypt Unrest

DTN News - EGYPT DEFENSE NEWS: US Delays Delivery of F-16 Jets Due To Egypt Unrest

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources BBC News

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 24, 2013: The US says it is delaying the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt amid unrest following the army's overthrow of Mohammed Morsi as president.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said the decision was made "given the current situation in Egypt".

The US is examining whether Mr Morsi's removal was a coup, which would trigger a legal requirement to cut off aid.

Earlier, Egypt's army chief called for protests to give the military a mandate to confront "potential terrorism".

But Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he was not calling for public unrest and he urged national reconciliation.

In response, the Muslim Brotherhood, which backs Mr Morsi, said Gen Sisi was "calling for civil war".

The four F-16 jets are part of an already agreed bigger order of 20 planes, eight of which have already been sent to Egypt.

As recently as 11 July US officials suggested the latest four F-16s would still be sent to Egypt.

However, on Wednesday the Pentagon confirmed that the delivery was on hold.

"Given the current situation in Egypt we do not believe it is appropriate to move forward at this time with the delivery of F-16s," Mr Little told reporters.

"We remain committed to the US-Egypt defence relationship as it remains a foundation of our broader strategic partnership with Egypt and serves as a pillar of regional stability," he said.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel informed General Sisi of the decision in a phone call earlier on Wednesday, the Pentagon spokesman added.

The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says the decision is a way for the US to signal its displeasure with recent events in Egypt without undermining Washington's strong relationship with the Egyptian military.

President Barack Obama took the decision late on Tuesday following the recommendation of his national security team, she adds.

US military aid to Egypt is estimated to be $1.3bn (£860m) each year.

Call for reconciliation
In a speech at a military graduation ceremony broadcast on television, Gen Sisi said: "I urge the people to take to the streets this coming Friday to prove their will and give me, the army and police, a mandate to confront possible violence and terrorism."

"So that in case there was a resort to violence and terrorism, the army would have a mandate to confront this."

Gen Sisi, who is also the defence minister in the new government, rejected rumours about divisions within the army ranks. "I swear by God that the Egyptian army is united," he said.

Referring to the army's intervention to remove Mr Morsi at the beginning of July, Gen Sisi said: "I urged the former president to be a president for all Egyptians".

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Cairo says Gen Sisi's call showed who was really in charge in Egypt - not the interim president picked by the military, Adly Mahmud Mansour, but the military itself.

He says it may be a sign of frustration that protests against the interim government are still going on.

Senior Brotherhood figure Mohamed el-Beltagy said Gen Sisi was "calling for a civil war... to protect this military coup".

"He is proving that he is the actual ruler of the country, and that the president, his vice president and the government do not hold any power," he added.

In Cairo, two people were reported to have been killed in clashes at a pro-Morsi demonstration overnight. That followed nine deaths in the city on Tuesday.

Mohammed Morsi narrowly won the presidential election in June 2012 to become Egypt's first democratically elected president, but his opponents accused him of trying to impose an Islamist agenda on the country.

Following weeks of often violent protests, the Egyptian military removed him from office and installed an interim government.


*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources BBC News
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DTN News - ROYAL FAMILY NEWS: William And Kate Present Baby Prince

DTN News - ROYAL FAMILY NEWS: William And Kate Present Baby Prince

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Pictures of The Day
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 23, 2013:   The new royal baby is the first child for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - and third in line to the throne.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have emerged from St Mary's Hospital in west London with their new baby son.

Walking out with their baby to cheers from staff and well wishers, Kate said it was "a special time for any parent".

Prince William said they were "still working on a name".


The couple then went back inside the private Lindo Wing and placed their son in a car seat. A few minutes later they came outside again and the duke drove his family home to Kensington Palace. 

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Pictures of The Day
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DTN News - ROYAL FAMILY NEWS: GOOD MORNING - TUESDAY THE ROYALS By DTN News

DTN News - ROYAL FAMILY NEWS: GOOD MORNING - TUESDAY THE ROYALS By DTN News

Source: K. V. Seth ~ DTN News 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 23, 2013: GOOD MORNING - TUESDAY THE ROYALS By DTN News

Yes ~ The Royals

It's a Baby Boy !!!!

.....David Cameron
Prime Minister of  U.K.


*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth ~ DTN News 
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DTN News - ROYAL FAMILY NEWS: Duchess of Cambridge Gives Birth To A Baby Boy

DTN News - ROYAL FAMILY NEWS: Duchess of Cambridge Gives Birth To A Baby Boy

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Paul Waldie - LONDON — The Globe and Mail
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 22, 2013: (LONDON) The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a boy, the third in the line to the throne who may one day be the King.

“Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24 p.m. [London time],“ royal officials said in a statement.

“The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth. The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight.”

Cheers and singing went up in front of the Lindo Wing as news filtered through of the birth. Some people started dancing while others locked arms and sang.

Prince Charles, the father of William, the Duke of Cambridge, expressed his joy in a statement.

“Both my wife and I are overjoyed at the arrival of my first grandchild.  It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy."

Canada's Governor-General, David Johnston, extended his congratulations to the new parents.

"Sharon and I have five wonderful daughters and ten delightful grandchildren and know well the elation that a new arrival brings to a young family," Mr. Johnston said in a statement. "We know that this happy event brings great joy not only to Their Royal Highnesses, but to the entire nation as well."

The new baby will be receiving a gift of Canadian-themed childrens’ books from Mr. Johnston and his wife, who are also inviting people to sign a Web-based book of congratulations for the family.

The announcement came after a long day that began with the Duchess going into labour sometime before 6 a.m. London time. She was taken to the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s hospital in a car from Kensington Palace with her husband, the Duke of Cambridge. They entered through a back door, avoiding the media throng that had been camped out front of the hospital for weeks.

As the day wore on, hundreds of people lined the street out front of the hospital, eager to catch a glimpse of something. “When I heard it on the radio I shouted to my sister ‘the baby is coming,’ ” said Jacqueline le Patourel who rushed over to the hospital while on her way to Paddington station to catch a train to her home in Cornwall. “I had to come and take a picture for my sister and my American friends.”

Teba Diatta got so excited she baked a sponge cake and brought it with her from her home in York. The icing on the cake read: “Come on Kate we can’t wait give us something to celebrate."

“I just think [the Duchess and Duke] represent my generation very well,” said Ms. Diatta, who also painted her cheeks with Union Jacks. She had been hoping for a girl named Georgia.

Most of the betting had been on a girl, with the most popular name being Alexandra. Bookies had taken far fewer bets on boys with James and George as the names most favoured by bettors.

A girl would have also made history since Britain has changed the law of succession to allow for succession of the eldest child, regardless of whether it is male or female. The law still has to be approved by the 16 countries, including Canada, that have the monarch as their head of state. That has yet to happen and in Canada two law professors in Quebec have challenged the way the federal government has approved the change to succession. The professors argue the change requires involvement of the provinces and they say the issue gets at the heart of the monarchy’s role in Canada.

If the lawsuit succeeds there is a possibility that Britain and the other realms could approve the change and the baby would one day become Queen. But if the Duke and Duchess had a boy, he could become the King of Canada.

So far the only other countries to adopt laws to recognize the change are St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. However all of the realms agreed to change their laws during a Commonwealth meeting in 2011. The law also does not have to be in place when the child is born and can take effect later.

Not everyone who stopped by the hospital was a supporter of the royals. Painter Kaya Mar arrived with a satirical portrait of the Duchess clutching a baby wearing a crown with a corgi at her feet. “I’m a republican,” said Mr. Mar who came to Britain from Turkey 40 years ago. The monarchy “is a corrupt institution…The English love to live in the past as a comfort.”

Danny Shine also arrived with a megaphone and began berating the onlookers and the journalists for making the event such a spectacle. He was shouted down at times, but pressed on. “I’m trying to get people to think outside the box,” he said afterward. “I want them to question why this person being born is any more special than the rest of us.” Mr. Shine, a professional singer, said he wanted to talk some more, but he had to leave to pick up his children.

By far the majority of people were like Alex Bonacarti, a tourist from New York who came out of curiosity. “We heard about it and decided to come over since our hotel isn’t far away,” she said referring to her friend Cheryl Moran who is from Buffalo, N.Y. The two are in Britain for a couple of Bruce Springsteen concerts. When asked if she would consider skipping the concerts to wait for the arrival of the royal baby, Ms. Bonacarti snapped: “No way.” She has seen Mr. Springsteen 90 times and not even a future monarch will keep her away.

Melvyn Wood of Terre Haute, Ind., ended up in St. Mary’s Hospital after falling down in a subway station. As he left in a wheelchair Monday with his wife Barbara, he stopped to marvel at the mass of people. Ms. Wood said she had been following the royal pregnancy in the U.S. for weeks and she was excited to be at the same hospital. “I followed their wedding,” she said referring to the Duke and Duchess’s marriage in 2011. “I would stay up all night to watch it.”

She added that she wished the U.S. had a monarchy. “I think it would be exciting. It would be nice to have a King and Queen.” Mr. Wood agreed and added: “I guess [Americans] like kings and queens.”

With a report from Steven Chase

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Paul Waldie - LONDON — The Globe and Mail
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DTN News - FINANCIAL CRISIS: Bankrupt Detroit Cannot Wait For Federal Cavalry-City Manager

DTN News - FINANCIAL CRISIS: Bankrupt Detroit Cannot Wait For Federal Cavalry-City Manager

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 21, 2013: Detroit must dig itself out of the hole it created and cannot wait to see if the federal government will come to its rescue, the city's emergency manager said on Sunday.

Kevyn Orr, charged with guiding the collapsed Motor City out of the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, said any outside assistance would be "great" but he is not banking on it.

"Hope is not a strategy from my perspective. I can't plan on the basis of what may or may not happen or what help may or may not come," Orr said on "Fox News Sunday."

"We are not expecting the cavalry to come charging in," he said. "We have to fix it because we dug the hole."

Detroit filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, setting the stage for a costly court battle with creditors and opening a new chapter in the long struggle to revive the cradle of America's auto industry.

If approved by a federal judge, the bankruptcy would force Detroit's thousands of creditors into negotiations with Orr to resolve an estimated $18.5 billion in debt.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said he was talking to officials in Washington about what they could do to help.

"I'm not sure exactly what to ask for. I mean, money is going (to) help, no doubt about that, but how much?" Bing said on ABC's "This Week."

The mayor has had no executive authority since Orr's appointment as emergency manager in March.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder told CBS' "Face the Nation" the city's problems had been 60 years in the making and he saw no prospect of a federal or state bailout.

Detroit has been hit hard by the move away from industrial manufacturing in America since the 1950s, its problems compounded by chronic mismanagement and a dwindling population. Retirees now far outnumber active workers among the city's 700,000 residents, and unfunded pension liabilities are a key source of its problems.

After the economic collapse of 2008, Washington injected billions of dollars into automakers General Motors Co and Chrysler as the first step of a quick bankruptcy process. But the federal government made no promises this time.

Vice President Joe Biden said on Friday said it was unclear whether Washington could help.

Steven Rattner, who led the auto industry restructuring in 2009, said it would be a mistake for Michigan and the federal government not to provide funds for the city.

"America is just as much about aiding those less fortunate as it is about personal responsibility. Government does this in so many ways; why shouldn't it help Detroit rebuild itself?" Rattner wrote in an opinion piece Friday in The New York Times.

The bankruptcy led investors to dump the city's municipal bonds on Friday but Orr deflected criticism that it will be hard for investors to lend the city money again.

"The reality is, they are going to look at the credit rating of a rehabilitated city. And if that city is capable, they're going to make rational decisions because they are financial institutions," Orr said on the Fox program.

"After some time, after this little kerfuffle, we'll be back in business."

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters
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DTN News - CHINA'S AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR WITH ITS NEIGHBORS OVER TERRITORIAL DISPUTES: 50 Chinese Soldiers on Horses And Ponies Intrude Indian Territory

DTN News - CHINA'S AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR WITH ITS NEIGHBORS OVER TERRITORIAL DISPUTES: 50 Chinese Soldiers on Horses And Ponies Intrude Indian Territory

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Times of India

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 21, 2013: Riding on horses and ponies, around 50 Chinese soldiers intruded into the Indian territory of Chumar in Ladakh on July 16 staking their claim over the area. 

The Chinese troops started their incursion in the Chumar area on the evening of July 16 and they remained in the Indian area till the morning of July 17, sources said. 

Army sources confirmed the incursion saying that Indian troops had intercepted the PLA patrol in the Chumar area and after the usual banner drill between the two sides, the PLA patrol went back into their territory. 

Sources said the intruding Chinese soldiers asked the Indian soldiers to vacate the area claiming that they were standing in Chinese territory. 

The incursion by Chinese land forces comes soon after its two helicopters violated Indian air space on July 11 in the Chumar sector. 

In the same area, PLA troops had intruded and taken away an Indian surveillance camera on June 17. 

The latest incursion took place on the day when India gave approval to the creation of a 50,000-strong Mountain Strike Corps along the border with China. 

The frequency of such incidents increased around the time Defence Minister A K Antony went to China earlier this month and the two countries discussed measures to enhance peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control between them. 

Chumar, located 300km from Leh, has always been an area of discomfort for the Chinese troops as this is the only area along the China-India border where they do not have any direct access to the LAC. 

India and China have been working towards signing a border pact to maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC where a number of incursion incidents have been observed in recent months. 

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Times of India
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DTN News - BELGIUM NEWS: King Albert II of Belgium Abdicates To Make Way For Philippe

DTN News - BELGIUM NEWS: King Albert II of Belgium Abdicates To Make Way For Philippe

Source: DTN News 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 21, 2013: (BRUSSELS) -- Belgium's King Albert II has abdicated to make way for his son Philippe. The monarch spoke with a message of support for his heir and pleaded for unity in the linguistically and politically divided country.

Albert II signed the act of abdication at the royal palace after a 20-year reign.

His eldest son and crown prince Philippe will take the oath as the nation's new king later Sunday.

Albert II announced his abdication decision on July 3, citing "age and health" as the reasons for not continuing to carry out his duties. Albert II was sworn in as Belgium's sixth king in 1993, succeeding his brother Baudouin who died at the age of 62, and has become the first Belgian king to voluntarily step down.

Philippe, 53, is a fighter pilot and parachutist with degrees from the world's top universities.

King Albert II  ~ Related News;
Albert II (born 6 June 1934) reigned as King of the Belgians, following his elder brother's death, from 1993 until his abdication in 2013. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the uncle of the current reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Henri.

On 3 July 2013, King Albert II attended a midday session of the Belgian cabinet. He then announced that on 21 July, he would abdicate the throne for health reasons. He will be succeeded by his son, Prince Philippe of Belgium. He will be the third European monarch to abdicate in 2013, following Pope Benedict XVI and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.[1] In doing so, he will also be the second Belgian king to abdicate following his father, King Leopold III, who abdicated in 1951, albeit under very different circumstances.

Albert is the second son of Leopold III (1901–1983) and his first wife, Astrid of Sweden (1905–1935). He ascended to the throne in 1993, following the death of his older brother, King Baudouin, who died without issue. His godparents were Felix of Bourbon-Parma and his paternal grandmother, Elisabeth of Bavaria. He is the first cousin of King Harald V, Princess Astrid, and Princess Ragnhild of Norway.

Prince Albert was born in Stuyvenberg Castle, Brussels. On 10 May 1940, at the time when Belgium was being invaded, Prince Albert, his elder sister Princess Joséphine-Charlotte and his elder brother Prince Baudouin, left the country for France and later Spain. The Prince and the Princess returned to Belgium on 2 August 1940. They continued their studies until 1944, either at Laeken, or at the Chateau of Ciergnon in the Ardennes. In June 1944, at the time of the Allied landings, King Leopold III, Princess Lilian – whom he married in 1941 – and the royal children were deported by the Germans to Hirschstein, Germany, and later to Strobl, Austria, where they were liberated by the American Army on 7 May 1945. Due to the political situation in Belgium, King Leopold and his family moved to the villa "Le Reposoir" in Pregny, Switzerland, when they left Austria in October 1945 and stayed until July 1950. During that time, Prince Albert would continue his education in a secondary school in Geneva. King Leopold III, accompanied by Prince Baudouin and Prince Albert, returned to Belgium on 22 July 1950.

In 1958, Prince Albert of Liege went to the Vatican to witness the coronation of Pope John XXIII. At a reception at the Belgian embassy, the prince met Italian Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria. “We were both shy, so we only talked a little,” Paola said later about their first meeting. Shy but smitten, Prince Albert proposed marriage to Paola, and she accepted. Two months after their meeting, the Prince introduced his future wife to his family, and four months later to the press. Upon arriving in Brussels for the first time before her wedding, Princess Paola won over the Belgian media immediately.

They wanted a marriage at the Vatican at first, a setting promoted by both families, but the Belgian government did not approve of that. They did not want to keep a fairy tale wedding from the people of Belgium, who finally had an opportunity for organizing celebrations for their royal family. The Pope, after some diplomatic pressure, refused them a marriage at the Vatican, saying he would understand if the couple would want to get married amidst their people.

King Albert II and Queen Paola with US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the Royal Palace in Brussels in 2005.

On 2 July 1959 he married Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria (born 11 September 1937) in Brussels. She is the daughter of Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda and his wife, Countess Luisa Gazelli di Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896–1989). Together they have three children, two sons and a daughter.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith - DTN News
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DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: Airbus Delivers Its 1,000th A330 To Cathay Pacific

DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: Airbus Delivers Its 1,000th A330 To Cathay Pacific

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Airbus
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 20, 2013: Airbus has celebrated the delivery of the 1,000th A330. The aircraft, an A330-300 powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, was handed over to Cathay Pacific Airways at special ceremony in Toulouse today. Cathay Pacific together with its sister airline Dragonair is the world’s largest operator of the A330, with a total of 56 now in service.

The 1,000th delivery comes as the A330 continues to enjoy increasing popularity with airlines across the globe. Continuously enhanced to maintain its economic advantage, the aircraft remains the most cost-efficient twin engine widebody in service today for both regional and long haul routes, with the latest versions capable of flying non-stop on sectors of up to 7,250 nautical miles / 13,420 km. The spacious cabin is a firm favourite with passengers, offering the best comfort in its category and the latest state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity options.   

“The A330 has played an integral part in Cathay Pacific’s growth and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership in the future,” said Ivan Chu, Chief Operating Officer, Cathay Pacific Airways. “The A330 is the backbone of our mid-size fleet and we are delighted with the reliability, flexibility and above all the economics of this great aircraft. We are very proud to be the recipient of the 1,000th A330.”

“It is of particular importance for us to be celebrating this 1000th A330 delivery milestone with our long-standing partner Cathay Pacific Airways,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “The A330 offers the lowest operating costs of any aircraft in its category in service today and is unmatched even by the latest competing aircraft. The fact that a world-leading airline such as Cathay Pacific Airways has placed so many repeat orders says it all.”

Since its first delivery of the A330 in 1995, Cathay Pacific’s Airbus fleet now comprises 38 A330-300s and 11 A340s, while Dragonair flies 21 single aisle A320 Family aircraft and 18 A330-300s. The Cathay Pacific Group has outstanding orders for 10 more A330-300s. The airline will also take delivery of 48 all-new A350 XWBs in the future, including 46 ordered from Airbus and two leased aircraft.

The wide market appeal of the A330 Family is demonstrated daily by over 100 operators, including network carriers, low cost, charter and flag carriers, who fly A330s on all missions from 30 minutes to over 14 hours. About 1.2 billion passengers have enjoyed travelling on board the light, bright and spacious A330 cabin to and from the 300 airports it serves today. More than 1,250 A330s have been ordered to date.

The A330-300 brings Airbus widebody efficiency to airline operations on longer-haul routes.
RANGE AND COMFORT

The stretched-fuselage A330-300 matches twin-engine efficiency with increased passenger capacity – all while retaining the A330 Family’s highly comfortable, low-noise cabin and operating commonality with the entire Airbus fly-by-wire product line.  This jetliner currently has a range of up to 5,570 nautical miles while carrying 300 passengers in a typical two-cabin arrangement, seating 36 in first or business class at a 60-inch seat pitch, and 264 in economy at 32-inch pitch. 

Its designed-in flexibility allows airlines to integrate Airbus’ innovative crew rest facilities without giving up revenue passenger seats.  A secure flight crew location next to the cockpit accommodates one or two bunks, while a pallet-mounted rest area with up to seven bunks for cabin personnel is designed for loading under the main deck, with accessibility via a stair in the centre-left passenger cabin. 

As a member of the popular A330 Family, the A330-300 benefits from demonstrated reliability, performance and unbeatable operating costs of the product line, in service to more than 300 airports worldwide, logging 25 million-plus flight hours on more than 5.5 million flights with over 100 operators. 

Many also profit from Airbus commonality: some 20 A330 customers utilise both A330-300s and the shorter-fuselage A330-200; while pilots with approximately 30 carriers practice mixed-fleet flying by using A330-300/200 jetliners along with four-engine A340s, or A330s alongside single-aisle A320 Family aircraft.

The A330-300 incorporates Airbus’ latest technology, which includes its digital fly-by-wire flight controls, a high-efficiency wing, and more than 10 tonnes of lightweight composite structures in its airframe. A lighter, brighter and more spacious cabin results from updated features that include smoother contours, new interior styling, state-of-the-art LED lighting and newly-designed air conditioning units.  Also available is appealing mood lighting and a choice of overhead storage options with optimised bin designs.

Airbus’ 222-inch fuselage cross-section provides unmatched comfort on the main deck, while also offering large underfloor holds that open up opportunities for extra revenue from cargo.  These holds accept industry-standard LD3 containers in side-by-loading, facilitating cargo processing and interlining.  In a typical arrangement, six 96-inch pallets or 18 LD3 containers can be accommodated in forward zone; while its aft cargo hold can handle such loads as 12 LD3 containers along with one 96-inch pallet, plus bulk cargo.

Caring for the environment, the A330 Family environmental footprint is better than the standards of today and tomorrow.  With its low noise and emissions levels, A330s fly greener and quieter – supported by Airbus’ long-term commitment to further enhancing the eco-efficiency of its jetliner product line.


With the 242-metric-tonne increased maximum takeoff weight version, the A330 will bring increased fuel efficiency thanks to aerodynamic refinements and engine enhancements.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Airbus
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - PAKISTAN ~ OSAMA BIN LADEN NEWS: Could The Pakistani Government Have Hidden Bin Laden?

DTN News - PAKISTAN ~ OSAMA BIN LADEN NEWS: Could The Pakistani Government Have Hidden Bin Laden?
*The chaotic state of governance suggests conspiracy on a national scale to protect Bin Laden is fanciful at best.

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Al Jazeera

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 20, 2013:  The revelation that a Pakistani government dossier regarding Osama bin Laden had leaked to the media immediately brought to mind salacious and popularly held suspicions about the country’s complicity in harbouring the infamous terrorist financier. Bin Laden, who after 9/11 was believed to be on the run in the remote tribal wilderness, eventually was found to be residing, shockingly, in a comfortable home within a quiet Pakistani city with significant military links. That this city was also home to the Pakistani military’s equivalent of West Point only added to the sense that this was a blatant cover-up and that the Pakistani government was consciously hiding and protecting America’s most wanted terrorist.  Any leaked internal Pakistani documents relating to this affair could then be little else but a documentation of how such a world-beating scheme was pulled off. However, the dossier which did leak suggests the opposite as true. While the report’s authors do not explicitly rule out state collusion, the picture they paint is one which more strongly reflects bureaucratic chaos and mismanagement than of a finely-tuned, sinister plot. The revelations contained therein may dispel suspicions of any broad, coordinated Pakistani government conspiracy to aid Bin Laden, but they do indict the state in an arguably worse way. A state without control There are two competing theses as to how Osama bin Laden may have been able to live for years under the noses of the Pakistani establishment. One posits the necessary collusion of the Pakistani government, while the other assumes structural incompetence led to organisational obliviousness to Bin Laden’s presence on Pakistani soil. Collusion would require an efficiently organised and well-functioning Pakistani state able to keep such an incredible secret, while obliviousness would entail a high-degree of bureaucratic ineptitude and confusion within the state machinery. Even a cursory reading of contemporary Pakistani shows that the latter scenario is the situation which exists at most levels of the country today. The government is simply too chaotic, disjointed and deeply compromised by the U.S. to have the wherewithal or capacity to engineer such a conspiracy One may argue in response that the Pakistani government is merely feigning incompetence in order to provide cover for its nefarious activities. In this view the leak of the dossier is simply an alibi to conceal their true role in the Bin Laden saga. But the circumstantial evidence against this hypothesis is too great for it to be plausible. The country is a textbook case of bureaucratic mismanagement and inertia, and the broad organisational integrity required to engineer such a scheme is nowhere in evidence. Indeed, so greatly has the Pakistani political elite today lost the plot that they themselves cannot protect their own closest kin - as evidenced by the recent kidnapping of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s son, and the assassination of former President Asif Zardari’s own security chief. Given this reality, it is difficult to fathom how this same class of individuals could have put such an intricate conspiracy over on the entire world. The state is simply not in complete control of events in the way it would need to be for such a thing to be possible - especially not for the countless years in which Osama bin Laden was believed to be hiding out in the country. As detailed in the report, corruption has trickled down to the point where it is endemic almost everywhere within the Pakistani state. Bin Laden himself is detailed in the dossier to have essentially escaped detection by having his driver bribe a police officer who had pulled his car over for speeding. Even popular media personalities were reported to have been ‘heavily bribed with money, women and alcohol’ in order to print unfavourable news stories about certain factions within the government. It is worth remembering that the so-called “War on Terror” of the past decade has seen tens of thousands of Pakistanis killed, the country’s name utterly tarnished, the (apparent) fiction of its sovereignty dispelled and its infrastructure reduced to a shambolic state. Even ignoring its protestations of ignorance and incompetence, an objective reading of the circumstances of the Pakistani state does away with the myth that accomplishing a feat such as hiding Bin Laden would even be possible. A government bought and paid for The leaked dossier also recounts testimony from former ISI chief Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha in which he says a CIA operative told him: "You are so cheap… we can buy you with a visa, with a visit to the US, even with a dinner… we can buy anyone." Indeed, the picture painted is of a state willing to acquiesce to any US directive at a whim, as well as a society deeply infiltrated by American intelligence operatives. Page 198 of the report revealed that in discussions with their Pakistani counterparts on a list of counterterrorism demands, American negotiators were reportedly ‘mystified’ that the Pakistani side ‘caved so promptly and completely’. A follow-up list of negotiating points, created in anticipation of inevitable objections, became immediately superfluous as the Pakistani side fell over themselves to immediately acquiesce to every American demand. The depth of Pakistani collusion with the US on politically-sensitive issues such as drone strikes was also revealed, highlighting the extent to which Pakistani leadership considered the lives and legal rights of the country’s citizens to be utterly forfeit in the face of any American request. Even NGOs were not spared. The report noted that the American NGO “Save the Children” - created ostensibly to vaccinate and inoculate children against various diseases - was in fact a front operation funded and operated by American intelligence. The report goes on to say that in fact a huge proportion of the NGOs operating in the country were believed to be compromised by foreign intelligence services (specifically those of the United States) but that they could not be completely barred because of the degree to which large parts of the citizenry were forced to rely on them. In essence, the social services of much of the country have today been outsourced to the CIA. Pakistan a 'failing state' says ISI chief A more depressing commentary of negligence and corruption would be difficult to find, but it is nonetheless worth pointing out that a Pakistani state so thoroughly compromised by the United States would by its very nature be incapable of engineering a broad conspiracy. The CIA had penetrated almost every level of the Pakistani state machinery (a reality acknowledged by the authors of the report), making any attempt at comprehensive secrecy nearly impossible. Indeed, the extent to which even Pakistan’s most guarded knowledge - the details of its nuclear weapons program - has today been compromised is a testimony to the inability of the government today to maintain state secrets, let alone grand conspiracies. The façade of a state If Americans feel aggrieved or baffled by the series of events which led to Osama bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan, they should reflect on the history which Pakistanis have been dealt by their own government. In a few short decades the citizens of Pakistan have witnessed more ostensibly-conspiratorial episodes than most countries do in their entire histories.  From the assassination of the country’s first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, to the mysterious plane-crash death of General Zia ul Haq, to the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (and, in years previous, her brother) and innumerable other high-profile cases, Pakistan has been wracked by a long history of shadowy, unexplained violent events in the public sphere. For these cases Pakistanis have never received answers - let alone accountability. Are events in Pakistan thus being clandestinely dictated by an Illuminati-type cabal, opaquely engineering events to their own benefit; and so powerful that they are able to brazenly defy the will of the world’s only military superpower? Or is the government itself merely a collection of various disparate factions with little control over broader national events, each out for their own interests (primarily the accumulation of private wealth at the expense of the citizenry) and maintaining merely the chaotic façade of a contiguous “state”? Occam’s razor would suggest the latter. In this view, validated in great part by the contents of this leaked report, Pakistan would have neither a coherent desire nor the ability to harbour Osama bin Laden. While it is likely that some individual or small group of individuals somewhere within the incoherent state or military apparatus had knowledge of his whereabouts, the allegation of broad or high-level official collusion is an utterly spurious one. The government is simply too chaotic, disjointed and deeply compromised by the US to have the wherewithal or capacity to engineer such a conspiracy. The conspiracy narrative is only undermined if one operates on the assumption that this leaked dossier is simply the continuation of the same plot - but there is little evidence in the grand history of infighting and maladministration which is the Pakistani bureaucracy to suggest such Machiavellian foresight. Ordinary Pakistanis are the ultimate victims of this at once malicious and negligent system. With the Bin Laden episode, Americans merely received a glimpse into the bizarrely opaque and chaotic world Pakistan’s government compels its citizens to live with. Murtaza Hussain is a Toronto-based writer and analyst focused on issues related to Middle Eastern politics. Follow him on Twitter: @MazMHussain The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.

Sourc: Al Jazeera

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Al Jazeera
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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