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A tense standoff is underway in northeastern Somalia between pirates, Somali authorities, and Iran over a suspicious merchant vessel and its mysterious cargo. Hijacked late last month in the Gulf of Aden, the MV Iran Deyanat remains moored offshore in Somali waters and inaccessible for inspection. Its declared cargo consists of minerals and industrial products, however, Somali and regional officials directly involved in the negotiations over the ship and who spoke to The Long War Journal are convinced that it was heading to Eritrea to deliver small arms and chemical weapons to Somalia's Islamist insurgents.

Albania's government said on Friday it was looking into the sudden death of an arms industry figure who was helping prosecutors investigate a weapons sale to the United States and an explosion that killed 26 people. Television pictures showed businessman Kosta Trebicka, his head covered in blood, sprawled on his back on a dirt road in a remote area of eastern Albania, where he had been hunting. His off-road car was nearby, and appeared to be damaged.

Does anyone know how to contact arms dealers and munition supply companies?

MOSCOW: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may spend up to a billion dollars on Russian weapons in a trip to Moscow next week, said a Russian military-industrial source cited by news agency Interfax on Saturday. Chavez's shopping list could include three "Varshavianka" class electric-diesel submarines and 20 Tor-M1 ground-to-air missile systems worth around a billion dollars (630 million euros), the source added. "During the visit several contracts are likely to be signed for the delivery of arms and military technology to Caracas," the source told Interfax. "For a number of military contracts, all the details have already been settled, they are...

Despite renewed friction between Russia and the United States, the specter of open conflict has faded since the days of the Cold War. However, equipment designed by the two nations remains on opposite sides of 21st-century battlefields. This isn't surprising: America is the top vendor of major conventional weapons, and Russia ranks number two. Both countries share a legacy of making military equipment to counter the other's capabilities and a long history of parlaying arms sales into geopolitical influence. These deals, sanctioned by both national governments, are extensions of foreign policy. A resurgent Russia wants cash and international influence, while...

Imphal, May 4 (IANS) Authorities in Manipur, one of northeast India’s worst insurgency-hit states, have decided to arm villagers with weapons to enable them protect themselves from militants and control rebel activities, officials said Sunday. “The state cabinet has decided to train up to 500 villagers in the districts of Thoubal and Imphal West and provide them weapons after local residents rose in revolt against excesses committed by armed militants who have been killing civilians and extorting cash,” said Manipur Irrigation and Flood Control Minister N. Biren. A militant group March 24 killed three people - two teenaged girls and...

Youths 18 through 20 may now legally possess handguns under a state Supreme Court ruling issued this morning. The five-member court unanimously said the state law banning those under 21 from possessing handguns violated the state constitution. The justices upheld a lower court ruling that threw out a York County indictment on that charge against Berry Scott Bolin. The ruling mirrors a new state law that lowers the minimum age for S.C. residents to own a handgun to 18. Bolin was 19 when he was charged in connection with the February 2006 shooting death of Bobby Royce Hovis III, 19....

Short Arms And Legs Linked To Risk Of Dementia, Study Shows ScienceDaily (May 6, 2008) — People with shorter arms and legs may be at a higher risk for developing dementia later in life compared to people with longer arms and legs, according to a study published in the May 6, 2008, bonus issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers say the association between short limbs and dementia risk may be due to poor nutrition in early life, which can affect limb growth. Several studies have shown that early life environment plays an important...

The Manipur government has decided to provide arms and ammunition to the people of the state to defend themselves from militants. Official sources said in Imphal on Saturday that the state cabinet, presided over by Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, discussed the issue on Friday night at a meeting, which lasted for over three hours. In the first phase, the people of Heirok and Chajing would be provided security by opening special posts, to be commanded by Special Police Officers. The people of Heirok in Thoubal district had been demanding arms, following the killing of three people by militants...

Zimbabwe arms ship heads home By Christopher Munnion in Johannesburg Last Updated: 2:38am BST 25/04/2008 A Chinese ship laden with weapons for Zimbabwe is heading home after being refused permission to dock in four African nations. Beijing said that the An Yue Jiang had been unable to fulfil its contract to deliver 77 tons of arms, including bullets, mortar bombs, grenades and assault rifles. Dock workers in South Africa refused to unload the ship, fearing that the weapons would be used by the Mugabe regime against opponents. The ship then spent a week stranded off the coast as Mozambique, Namibia...

No weapon is more important to tens of thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan than the carbine rifle. And for well over a decade, the military has relied on one company, Colt Defense of Hartford, Conn., to make the M4s they trust with their lives. Now, as Congress considers spending millions more on the guns, this exclusive arrangement is being criticized as a bad deal for American forces as well as taxpayers, according to interviews and research conducted by The Associated Press. "What we have is a fat contractor in Colt who's gotten very rich off our wars...

Customs probe reveals sanctions-busting sales of arms, missile technology and nuclear components Investigators have identified a number of British arms dealers trading with Tehran, triggering alarm among government officials who fear Iran's nuclear programme may be receiving significant support from UK sources. The probe by customs officers suggests that at least seven Britons have been defying sanctions by supplying the Iranian air force, its elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, and even the country's controversial nuclear ambitions. Officials say they are perturbed by the number of British dealers who appear to be trading with Tehran, despite a third round of restrictions being...

Mugabe regime ordered 77 tonnes of Chinese arms three days AFTER disputed electionsBy IAN EVANS and WILLIAM LOWTHER - More by this author » Last updated at 21:33pm on 18th April 2008  A huge cargo of Chinese guns and ammunition sits marooned aboard a ship off South Africa. It would have been used to arm the tyrant Robert Mugabe's thugs in Zimbabwe. But dockers in South African port of Durban won't unload the 77 tons of mortars, ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons. Scroll down for more...Danger cargo: The ship is believed to be carrying 77 tonnes of...

"...The agreements and multi-billion contracts signed during the visit were fully consistent with the interests of both countries, he said.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Washington’s favorite Latin American bete noir after Fidel Castro, unsettled Washington again last year by negotiating a $1 billion deal with Moscow to purchase a number of 636-model Varshavianka-class (NATO designation “Kilo”) diesel electric submarines (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostei, April 4). Various Russian and Venezuelan media reports say that the initial delivery will consist of three to four boats with an eventual nine submarines from Russia. President Chavez is reportedly traveling to Moscow next month for the inauguration of Russia’s new president, Dmitry Medvedev, and while there will sign an agreement for the delivery of the first...

A pizza delivery driver who shot an alleged armed robber in Des Moines last week said he's receiving support from the community. James Spiers III fired multiple shots at a man who allegedly put a gun to his head after Spiers delivered a pizza to an apartment complex. The suspect, Kenneth Jimmerson, was arrested after he called for help. Jimmerson, who suffered at least three gunshot wounds, is charged with first-degree robbery. His finance, Melanie Stout, who police believe called in the pizza order, is charged with conspiracy. Spiers, who works for Pizza Hut, has a valid handgun permit. He...

D.C. firearms ban can't negate constitutional right Does the Constitution grant individuals the right to bear arms, or is that right reserved exclusively for members of a "well-regulated militia"? After 69 years of silence on the Second Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court took up that question Monday in the historic case of District of Columbia v. Heller, a challenge to the District of Columbia's ban on all functional firearms. "The Supreme Court heard arguments about whether or not the Second Amendment actually means anything," said Alan Gura, my co-counsel in the case ... Does it protect a collective right of...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court gets to write on a blank slate when it takes up the meaning of the Second Amendment "right to keep and bear arms" and the District of Columbia's ban on handguns. The nine justices have said almost nothing about gun rights, and their predecessors have likewise given no definitive answer to whether the Constitution protects an individual's right to own guns or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia. The case that will be argued Tuesday is among the most closely watched of the term, drawing 68 briefs from...

BANGKOK, Thailand - The U.S. is seeking the extradition of a suspected Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death," but for now he will remain in Thailand, where authorities are investigating if he used the country as a base to negotiate a weapons deal with terrorists, officials said Friday. Viktor Bout, a 41-year-old whose dealings reportedly inspired a 2005 movie about the illicit arms trade, is accused of running weapons to al-Qaida, the Taliban and parties involved in bloody conflicts across Africa. He was arrested at a Bangkok hotel after a four-month sting operation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement...

BRUSSELS (AFP)--E.U. parliamentarians urged the European Union Wednesday to step up pressure on China to end its arms exports to African nations whose leaders are deemed responsible for wide human rights violations. The lawmakers, in a report adopted by the European Parliament's development committee, urged the 27 nation bloc to uphold its arms embargo against China, citing notably Beijing's role in Sudan and Zimbabwe. "As partners of Africa, both the E.U. and China together must find a more responsible approach to the international arms trade," Fiona Hall, a U.K. member of the assembly's Liberal Democrats group, said in a statement.

The M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System (above) is a 12-gauge that can be used alone or attached to an M4 carbine with a clamp (1). The clip (2) holds five lethal or nonlethal rounds. The barrel is 7-3/4-in.-long alloy steel, threaded to receive a device (3) that ensures a 3-in. gap from the muzzle when using breaching rounds to blast open doors. Troops tested the weapon’s experimental predecessor in combat for a year, and reported trouble reaching the pump to reload. Designers switched to a straight-pull bolt action (4). Nearly 40,000 of the 4-pound, 3-ounce (stand-alone) shotguns will be delivered...

The Democratic-led Congress is unlikely to block U.S. plans to sell $123 million worth of sophisticated precision-guided bomb technology to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from some members that the systems could be used against Israel. The Bush administration on Monday notified Congress of its intent to sell the bomb-delivery systems as part of a multibillion-dollar arms package to bolster the defense of U.S. allies in the Gulf. Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, does not intend to consider a resolution of disapproval, said spokeswoman Lynne Weil. Otherwise, Lantos declined to comment. The arms deal creates a...

"But now the administration is facing questions from weapons experts about whether some equipment - newly authorized for export to Chinese companies deemed trustworthy by Washington - could instead end up helping China modernize its military."

MONTREAL (AFP) - Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay on Tuesday identified Iran as the origin of weapons used by rebels against the international coalition in Afghanistan. "We have asked the Iranians to deal with the problem because it is very hard to cut the supply lines when you have, in another country, people who are providing the arms for use against Canadian forces and others" in the 39-nation NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, he said. Speaking during a visit to the military base at Kandahar broadcast on Radio-Canada television, MacKay said Canada was particularly concerned about improvised explosive devices from...

Russia has formally suspended its participation in a key arms control agreement dating from the Cold War. The Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty sets limits on troops and weaponry across Europe. The suspension means Russia can move troops without notifying Nato. The bloc voiced "deep regret" over the move. Russia is unhappy with Nato expansion and US plans for missile defences in central Europe and says the treaty no longer serves its interests. The CFE treaty was signed by Western and former Warsaw Pact states in 1990, but was revised in 1999 to take account of former Soviet satellites...

It is easy to call yourself a supporter of economic freedom and the rule of law amidst a rapidly rising economy. Now with dark clouds of the recent rise in mortgage foreclosures—and more expected on the horizon—political expediency has eroded the support for free markets in some of its perceived champions. Even self-proclaimed devotees of the late Milton Friedman, President George W. Bush and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, sound more like critics than Friedman supporters. In the wake of a perceived mortgage crisis both have attempted to use the coercive power of government to solve the problem. Both plans center...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Arms embargoes imposed by the United Nations since 1990 have been effective in only about a fourth of the cases, according to a new study. The report, compiled by The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and the Uppsala University Special Program on the Implementation of Targeted Sanctions, said U.N. arms embargoes have had limited impact on both the compliance of targeted countries and the arms that flow to them. The study looked at 27 U.N. arms embargoes imposed between 1990 and 2006, including the cases of Iraq, Iran and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as well as African countries such...

Even experienced banker friends tell me that they think the worst of the US banking troubles are over and that things are slowly getting back to normal. What is lacking in their rosy optimism is the realization of the scale of the ongoing deterioration in credit markets globally, centered in the American asset-backed securities market, and especially in the market for CDOs—Collateralized Debt Obligations and CMOs—Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. By now every serious reader has heard the term “It’s a crisis in Sub-Prime US home mortgage debt.” What almost no one I know understands is that the Sub-Prime problem is but...

Space advocates are cheering reports that the federal government is planning to revise the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, rules they say have unintentionally hampered business while trying to prevent critical technologies from falling into the wrong hands. Joseph Rouge, associate director of the National Space Security Office, told a recent gathering of space industry officials that the federal government is in the process of adjusting the rules, referred to as ITAR, and that reforms could come as early as this spring. Rouge made the remarks before the annual Transforming Space Conference in Los Angeles. "The military critical technology list...

Visiting Sweden, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that Sweden is one of NATO’s most important partners and is welcome as a member in the rapid reaction force, should Sweden decide to join. On Friday Morning, NATO’s Secretary General met Sweden’s Defence Minister Sten Tolgfors to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, one of the two places where Swedish troops come under NATO command as part of the ISAF force. They also discussed possible participation in NATO’s rapid reaction force (NRF), with Sweden saying a decision may be reached by the spring. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also promised to...

Row over Iraq's arms deal with China By Ben Martin Last Updated: 2:09am BST 05/10/2007 The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates yesterday said America should speed up its re-armament of Iraq, after revelations that Baghdad had ordered £50 million of weaponry from China. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates fears the Chinese weapons may fall into the wrong hands Responding to claims by the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, that the US was unable to provide the weaponry and was too slow to deliver arms shipments, Mr Gates admitted he shared the fears of military analysts who warned that Chinese weapons could...

US to reward Iran for ending Iraq arms supply By Damien McElroy in Baghdad Last Updated: 1:56am BST 01/10/2007 America is prepared to "reciprocate" if Iran halts shipments of arms to Iraq's Shia Muslim militias, General David Petraeus, the US commander in Baghdad has said. Gen Petreaus revealed attacks by Iranian-backed groups may have declined following a meeting between Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in August. "Honestly, and I really mean this, all of us would really welcome the opportunity to see this, confirm it and even - in whatever way we could - to...

KABUL (Reuters) - The United States is concerned over reports that Iranian-made weapons are crossing the Afghan border and reaching Islamist Taliban insurgents, a top U.S. diplomat said on Tuesday. Iran supported Afghan groups fighting the Taliban in the 1990s and played a crucial role in helping to topple the Taliban's Sunni government, ousted by the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, by supporting their Mujahideen foes. The Shiite Islamic Republic has repeatedly in the past denied accusations by U.S. officials that it is arming the resurgent Taliban, who are largely active in southern and eastern areas close to the border with Pakistan....

Sweden and Norway’s military chiefs have called for stronger cooperation between the two Nordic countries, arguing that it will reduce overall expenditure. In an article published in the daily ”Dagens Nyhter”, Sweden and Norway’s top military leaders are proposing closer military ties including cooperation in the purchase of submarines and tanks and other military equipment. They’d also like to see joint training and education initiatives. Sweden’s Håkan Syren and Norway’s Sverre Diesen are presenting the proposals to their respective Defence Ministries. Swedish Minister of Defence Mikael Odenberg told the newspaper ”Svenska Dagbladet” that he is positive about the idea. The...

Congress wants an additional briefing on a proposed $20 billion U.S. arms package to Saudi Arabia. Leading House and Senate members have questioned the deal. Some of them have warned that advanced U.S. weaponry to Riyad could fall into the hands of Al Qaida or its supporters. Congressional sources said the House and Senate would be briefed by the administration after their return from summer recess. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Tom Lantos has asked for a briefing on the arms sale package in September. "Right now, the committees have a general idea of what the administration wants to...

) [T]he people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full possession of them. -- Zacharia Johnson (speech in the Virginia Ratifying Convention, 25 June 1778) and from yesterday.... The rich, the well-born, and the able, acquire and influence among the people that will soon be too much for simple honesty and plain sense, in a house of representatives. The most illustrious of them must, therefore, be separated from the mass, and placed by themselves in a senate; this is, to all honest and useful intents, an ostracism. -- John Adams (A Defense of the...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The outlook for the housing market looks bleaker than ever. Foreclosures are skyrocketing. Home prices continue to fall. And forecasts for a recovery keep getting pushed back. Meanwhile the collapse of the subprime lending market has spread to the financial markets, sparking fears that tighter credit will have a broader impact on consumers and the economy. Current Mortgage Rates Type Overall avgs 30 yr fixed mtg 6.26% 15 yr fixed mtg 5.93% 30 yr fixed jumbo mtg 6.68% 5/1 ARM 5.91% 5/1 jumbo ARM 6.13% Find personalized rates: The U.S. government has downplayed the risk of...

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- American Home Mortgage Investment Corp. plans to close most operations Friday and said nearly 7,000 employees will lose their jobs as the lender becomes one of the biggest casualties of the U.S. housing downturn. Experts said it is likely the Melville, New York-based company will have to seek bankruptcy protection, and no later than Monday. In a statement, American Home (Charts) on Thursday night confirmed earlier reports that it was ceasing most operations. The company said its employee base will be reduced to about 750 workers, down from the 7,409 it reported at the end of...

The reported Russian sale of Su-30 aircraft and aerial refueling tankers to the Islamic Republic of Iran is a very serious development. The Su-30 is an extremely capable aircraft, a potent adversary for aircraft like the F-15, F-16, Mirage 2000 and the F-18. It will be some time before the Iranians are trained up on them--perhaps a long, long time, if ever. But this is a true transformation of Iranian air power. Their current inventory consists of 1970s-era fighters (it is doubtful that any of their F-14s are in shape for sustained combat operations) such as the F-5 and F-4....

MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- Russia on Saturday suspended its participation in a key European arms control treaty that governs deployment of troops on the continent, the Kremlin said, a move that threatened to further aggravate Moscow's already tense relations with the West. Putin said Russia had withdrawn from the treaty because of "extraordinary circumstances" affecting the country's security. President Vladimir Putin signed a decree suspending Russia's participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty due to "extraordinary circumstances ... which affect the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures," the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin has in...

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2007 – A Montana troop-support group is working toward hard to support the country’s fighting men and women. “Our mission is to show support of past, present and future military personnel, no matter where they are. At the moment, our main goal is to support all of our troops fighting overseas for our freedom,” said Debby Aznar, founder and president of “True to the Red, White and Blue.” Aznar’s organization, which is based in Vaugh, Mont., is a new member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and...

President Vladimir Putin was accused yesterday of creating a new generation of oligarchs as he prepared to take personal control of a vast but murky Russian state corporation that could financially benefit Kremlin loyalists. Mr Putin is expected to sign a decree incorporating Russia's main arms exporter and its powerful subsidiaries into a single company within the next few days. Critics immediately likened the new company, to be called Russian Technologies, to Gazprom, the state-owned energy giant that has been renamed Kremlin Inc by Mr Putin's opponents. Run by some of Russia's most powerful men, Gazprom has been accused of...

PARIS - NATO has intercepted Iranian weapons shipments to Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents, providing evidence Iran is violating international law to aid a group it once considered a bitter enemy, a senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday. "There's irrefutable evidence the Iranians are now doing this," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said on CNN. "It's certainly coming from the government of Iran. It's coming from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard corps command, which is a basic unit of the Iranian government." Speaking separately to The Associated Press, Burns said NATO must act to stop the shipments. The Iran-Afghanistan frontier is "a very long...

The Old World needs an intellectual revolution to meet the challenges ahead. Bernard Kouchner and Nicolas Sarkozy, the new French foreign minister and president, are the most improbable and interesting couple of the year. The former fought against Europe's passivity in confronting the massacres in Bosnia, Rwanda, Chechnya and Darfur. The latter has strongly denounced the spirit of repentance that he thinks is demoralizing the Old World. Today, despite their disagreements, they have one point in common--a desire for action as opposed to capitulation.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice raised the issue of large-scale Russian weapons exports to Venezuela during her recent visit to Moscow. But the Kremlin says arms deals with Caracas are in keeping with international agreements. More and more Russian weaponry goes to Latin America Russia has bolstered its position in Latin America's arms market in recent years. State-controlled arms exporter Rosobornoexport, which accounts for 85 percent of Russia's weapons sales, says Latin America is its third largest market. And company officials say they are working to expand their business in Latin America. According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service,...

A major US weapons deal to Saudi Arabia and other regional allies has been delayed due to Israeli objections, the New York Times reported.

Stephanie Pedro, 27, is no Paul Kersey, the New York architect-turned-vigilante Charles Bronson played in the the Death Wish movies. But the unrelenting crime wave that has gripped New Orleans in recent months has prompted the young urban planner to consider measures that she once considered extreme. "When I walk my dog, I have a 20-dollar bill in one pocket and mace in the other," says Pedro, referring to "mugger money" she carries to hand over in hopes that an assailant will beat a quick retreat, and spray in case things turn uglier. "I've taken that initiative, but I think...

China is accused of fuelling Pacific arms race as submarine orders rise By Tim Shipman and Chad Bouchard in Jakarta, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 11:53pm BST 31/03/2007 A dramatic increase in the number of submarines being built in southeast Asia has sparked claims that a new arms race is under way beneath the waves in the Western Pacific. Dozens of hunter-killers, armed with missiles and intelligence-gathering equipment, are being built, fanning fears of potential conflict in a volatile corner of the world and threatening to alter the global balance of military power. The Indonesian government has announced that it wants...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - In the heady days of the US real estate boom, it seemed like a safe bet to use her house as collateral for a loan. Today, Sharon Edwardsen risks losing her Staten Island, New York home, trapped by spiraling payments. Edwardsen, a 47-year-old assistant optician, was tempted to take out a special high-risk loan targeted at people with low credit ratings. Today her monthly repayments have soared to 2,800 dollars, yet she only takes home 1,600 dollars. She is among 2.2 million people across the US who risk forfeiting their homes by the end of the year...

According to U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Susan Bies, banks can expect more defaults on mortgages made to high-risk borrowers in the months to come. She believes that mortgage default rates among so-called ‘subprime' borrowers, already high, will continue to grow. 'What's happening is the front end of this wave of teaser- rate loans that are coming into full pricing'this is not the end, this is the beginning,'' said Bies recently at a meeting in North Carolina. Bies has been the highest ranking bank policy official at the United States central bank. The loans to risky borrowers that Bies refers to...