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Belgrade - Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Serbia on Wednesday and pledged his continued support to Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in view of Kosovo's three-year-old declaration of independence. After talks with Serbian president Boris Tadic and prime minister Mirko Cvetkovic, Putin said his visit was a confirmation of “traditional friendship between Russia and Serbia and closeness of Russian and Serbian people”. Russia blocked declaration of Kosovo independence by majority Albanians in the United Nations Security Council three years ago and Putin vowed Moscow’s policy in relation to Kosovo would not change.

North Korea threatens continued strikes on South Breaking News: President Lee meets in bunker; witness tells TV channel fire on island burning out of control By Agencies Smoke rises from South Korean Yeonpyeong Island after being hit by dozens of artillery shells fired by North Korea November 23, 2010. Several South Korean civilians and soldiers were wounded and many others were being evacuated to bunkers on Tuesday, a Seoul television reported. The island is located near the western maritime border between the two Koreas, 11 km (7 miles) from the North and about 115 km (71 miles) northwest of Seoul....

Navy Lt. Lawrence Sproul (center), Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Nolen and Lt. Cmdr. John Brooks (right), all of the Multi-National Force - West Health Services Section, look through a care package sent by Sproul's son's kindergarten class, June 16. Photo by Cpl. Meg Murray, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd). AL ASAD AIR BASE — Things have changed throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom, but one thing has not – the support U.S. citizens show their forward-deployed servicemembers. Troops with Multi National Force - West, stationed in Anbar province, continue to daily receive thank-you notes, care packages and well-wishes from places like...

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2007 – Islamic terrorist groups, particularly al Qaeda, are likely to remain a persistent threat to the U.S. homeland over the next three years, according to unclassified parts of a new National Intelligence Estimate released today. The report, which includes input from 16 intelligence organizations, eight within the Defense Department, paints a picture of terrorists’ “undiminished intent to attack the homeland.” It notes that these groups continue to adapt and improve their capabilities, with al Qaeda promoting cooperation among them. “Al Qaeda is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat to the homeland, as its...

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2007 – Iraqi and coalition forces anticipate a summer of hard fighting, but are confident there is a good prospect for continued progress in the months ahead, a senior military official said during a Baghdad news conference today. “Hopefully this can be matched by progress in the political and economic areas in Iraq and again give us hope for the way ahead,” said Navy Rear Adm. Mark Fox, Multinational Force Iraq communications division chief, during the first news conference held for local media since the mosque bombing in Samarra June 13. Fox told reporters that all requested...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2006 – Noting "incredible" strides for democracy in Afghanistan and pointing out continued progress in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today told a National Press Club audience here that U.S. efforts in those countries are bearing fruit. "The progress in Afghanistan has been incredible," Marine Gen. Peter Pace said. "They now have not only a freely elected president, but a parliament as well. They are going about the business of building their own country in a way that makes you proud." The chairman said he travels to Afghanistan about every six months, and...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 30, 2005 — Today marks the end of Central Command’s annual Coalition conference. The Coalition conference is important for many reasons, not the least of which is to lay out future requirements and maintain the momentum we have achieved in 2005. As of Nov. 1, there were 63 Coalition partners involved with Iraq, 28 of those have contributed troops. Coalition partners provide many important items to the fight: intelligence exchange, basing, troops, and financial or equipment donations. Everyone plays a vital role and none is more important than the other. All contribute to making Iraq a state...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2005 – President Bush today used Veterans Day, a day originally designated to commemorate victory in World War I, as an opportunity to reaffirm the United States' commitment to seeing the war on terror through to victory. "The nation has made a clear choice," the president told a gathering of servicemembers, veterans and family members at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa. "We will not tire or rest until the war on terror is won." Bush condemned terrorists who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, and have continued to spread violence around the world, using what he...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2005 – A fresh supply of recent high school graduates, more recruiters and more enticing enlistment incentives are being credited with the Army's second straight successful month of meeting its recruiting goals, according to the Defense Department's acting deputy undersecretary for military personnel policy. Bill Carr offered his assessment today as the Defense Department released statistics reflecting all four services' recruiting and retention figures for July. The Army, Marine Corps and Air Force met or exceeded their goals for the month, and the Navy achieved 99 percent of its July goal, DoD officials reported. The Army recruited...

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<p>Electric power dispatchers for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the nonprofit agency that runs much of the state's electric grid, anxiously gathered in the afternoon hours in the control center in Folsom last Monday.</p> <p>The news was not good. Unseasonably hot weather was rapidly shrinking margins between demand and available power. The demand was rising faster than anticipated in Southern California, and, although power plants had been ordered earlier to ramp up their production levels, they could not keep pace. As a result, a critical transmission line was in danger of becoming overloaded. CAISO was forced to order Southern California Edison to initiate a 20-minute rolling blackout involving some 70,000 customers in an effort to prevent the failure of the key transmission line potentially yielding far worse impacts than a rolling blackout.</p>