Free Republic

TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran said on Sunday it will showcase what it called a new range of rockets and satellites during annual celebrations marking the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic revolution. Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Safir 1-B and Kavoshgar 4 rockets and Rasad and Fajr satellites would be unveiled during the 10-day celebrations that start on Tuesday, according to state television website. Iran will mark on February 11 the 32nd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution which toppled the US-backed shah. Every year Tehran uses the occasion to tout its scientific and technological achievments. The Safir (Ambassador) 1-B rocket...

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2007 – As the use of improvised explosive devices has continued steadily against U.S. troops in Iraq, the Defense Department has made treating those troops seriously injured in the blasts a top priority. Brian Frasure, left, a clinical prosthetist and world-class athlete, speaks to the audience on the last day of the Military Amputees Advances Skills Training workshop June 1 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Sara Wood  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. That was the focus of a three-day workshop for Defense Department and Veterans Affairs medical professionals at...

Showcase pipeline fuels global gas flames By Jorn Madslien Business reporter, BBC News, Acergy Piper, North Sea The technology used to lay gas pipes deep under water is valuable At first sight, there is nothing hi-tech about the vast, rusty vessel that appears to float in the air above the choppy, three-metre waves. Seen from a helicopter, Acergy Piper is clearly too small to be an oil platform, but it does not look like a ship either. If anything it resembles a set from the movies Waterworld and Mad Max. Yet Acergy Piper is central to the heated debate about...

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa State Fair is a showcase for turkey calling, prized sheep, 600 pounds of butter carved in the shape of heifer and another breed lurking this year — 2008 White House hopefuls. The 152nd version of the state fair gets under way Thursday and the 11-day event is expected to attract more than 1 million people. Iowans will tell you it seems about half are running for president. "There's no place in America where you have more potential impact on how people will talk about policy than Iowa," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.,...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2005 – The 3rd Iraqi Army Battalion working with U.S. troops from 1st Brigade Combat Team of Multinational Division Central South carried out a raid one kilometer south of Mashru, Iraq, Aug. 28. Twelve suspects were detained during the cordon-and-search operation. Iraqi soldiers also confiscated eight AK-47 assault rifles and 10 hand grenades. The raid was conducted in response to a small-arms attack earlier in the day against an Iraqi Army patrol. There were no injuries from the attack. This success demonstrates the Iraqi Army's growing capability to quickly respond to insurgent violence, according to officials, and...