Free Republic

Imagine if leaders representing nearly half the world's population were to meet, and it didn't make the nightly news. Very little has been reported in the Western Press about the latest meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which met this week. Consider the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be the NATO of Asia. For 23 years, the SCO has brought together leaders from the other side of the world to provide economic and political cooperation and support. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping were there, respectfully representing Russia and China. Also attending were leaders from India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Also in...

The U.S. secretly expelled two Chinese diplomats in September after entering a Virginia military base that houses the headquarters of SEAL Team 6, the New York Times reported Tuesday. The diplomats, along with their wives, were detained after the four drove through the outer perimeter of the Dam Neck Annex of Naval Air Station Oceana, south of Virginia Beach. They ignored orders from guards to turn back and were only stopped by fire trucks that were driven to block their path, according to the Times. One of the men is allegedly an intelligence operative with diplomatic cover. The U.S. has...

The woman who presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway says physically assaulted her in October is married to the CEO of a $43 million environmental charity and manages volunteers for a nonprofit that boasts 'empathy' as 'a priority skill' for 'living and working together in this radically different world.' DailyMail.com is picturing Beth Inabinett, 63, for the first time. She faces a March trial for second-degree assault in Montgomery County, Maryland. Inabinett could also be charged with a federal crime, according to a Justice Department official. The case stems from an incident during a birthday party at a restaurant near Washington, D.C....

As the race for the IAF bid to procure 126 Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft enters the home stretch, the United States Navy vouched for the versatility of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, one of the six aircraft in competition, with features closer to a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The Indian Air Force is scheduled to complete flight evaluation trials during the month with the last of the six competitors. The Super Hornet from the Boeing stable has gone through all three phases of trial across different weather conditions in India and weapons at the manufacturers' locations. The Naval Air Station, Oceana here...

Even AP knows it's not newsworthy The guy says very emphatically, "The warhouse owner says NO substantial damage was caused, and the jet landed SAFELY. I'm not really sure why I'm reporting on this, other than some leftist somewhere thinks it's exciting. I knew I should have stayed at Burger King and gotten a store manager position." (This recounting is considerably more factual than most modern reporting, even though certain words may be more implied than actually spoken. Luckily, we're dealing with media, so ACTUAL happenings aren't NEARLY as excited as potential or alleged.)

An acrobatic pilot crashed a vintage era plane during a preshow practice Friday afternoon at Oceana Naval Air Station, killing the veteran flier and shocking several hundred fans and students gathered for the opening of the base's annual air show. Jan Wildbergh, a veteran pilot for the Geico Skytypers, was killed when his silver and red World War II SNJ-2 plane dropped suddenly during a final maneuver, crashed into a grass strip beside a runway at 12:25 p.m. and burst into flames. It's the first casualty in the more than six decades of air shows at the Virginia Beach base,...

The federal government is all but forcing Virginia Beach to condemn private property in order to keep Oceana Naval Air Station, home to the Navy's fighter/attack squadron of F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets. But this isn't some ugly twist on the Kelo eminent-domain case. For years, Virginia Beach has mostly ignored legitimate Navy concerns that its pilots could crash in residential areas under development near the base. But the city has chosen to let development proceed apace and -- though it certainly did not intend to -- heightened the danger by allowing ever-larger structures and increasing population density. So the...

BRAC’s ultimatum comes with big price tag By KERRY DOUGHERTY, The Virginian-Pilot © August 25, 2005 You’ve got to hand it to members of the Virginia Beach City Council. Their timing is exquisite. On the night before we learned that their canoodling with developers had led to the almost inevitable realignment of Oceana, six members of that embarrassing body voted themselves big fat pay raises. We always knew they were shameless. Now it looks like they’ve gone mad. Frankly, no council in Virginia was ever less deserving of a pay hike. I don’t care what shade of lipstick Beach officials...

Actor and ocean advocate Ted Danson toured the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Thursday afternoon, where he was particularly taken with the great white shark and jellyfish exhibits. He also was here to support the work of Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, who last month was named recipient of his 2004 Ocean Hero award from Oceana, an international ocean advocacy group. "She's one of my heroes," Danson said. Later Thursday evening, Danson would deliver a "state of the ocean address" to some 500 international aquarium experts gathered in Monterey for a weeklong conference. Danson said his speech...

<p>SAN FRANCISCO - Online search engine leader Google has banned the ads of an environmental group protesting a major cruise line's sewage treatment methods, casting a spotlight on the policies - and power - of the popular Web site's lucrative marketing program.</p>

<p>A new environmental organization has come to Washington in order to build one of the largest international movements aimed at saving oceans and pressing the federal government to pass measures that would protect marine wildlife.</p> <p>The organization, Oceana, is a result of a merger between Oceana, a group that works to protect international oceans, and American Oceans Campaign (AOC), a national group founded by actor Ted Danson that works to safeguard U.S. coastal waters.</p>