TheList 5295

The list 5295 TGB


April 27, 2020

Some humor and World news



Monday Morning Humor from Al

A few things to brighten your day…



An uplifting video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLpihMp1ol8



Another uplifting video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xtscd0S5iQ



Great music on the internet

· From around the world, "Imagine" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvFLKyAGzzI&feature=youtu.be

· Robbie Robertson and Ringo Star perform "The Weight" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph1GU1qQ1zQ&feature=youtu.be

· Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers is featured singing "Listen to the Music" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4sK8d48Exs&feature=youtu.be

· Tribute to Otis Redding's "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ca5QoXSe18&feature=youtu.be

· "Cotton Fields" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQK5RKqXIYY&feature=youtu.be

· "Down by the Riverside" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ1gHm8v3ek&feature=youtu.be

· "What a Wonderful World" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddLd0QRf7Vg&feature=youtu.be



· Five-year old girl sings "Fly Me to the Moon" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eALOiwQ8MG8



· The father daughter duet sing another song, "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera at https://youtu.be/Uahlf4fo3iQ



A look at possible grocery shopping in the future at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1CIONBJzbQ





and now for some humor…



Patty told me that if I don't get off the computer and help around the house, she'll slam my head on the keyboard, but I think she's jokindkklalkafklaklafdklakf90490gakkopkkoppkfkopapkpfkpakppopkpkop





Submitted by Mark Logan:

· I have the most loving wife. Last night I woke up while she was holding a pillow tightly over my face to protect me from the virus.

· The police want you to know that running from them is not social distancing.

· Hormel made their first batch of SPAM in 1937. The company has just announced that due to hoarding by consumers, they are going to make a second batch.

· Bigfoot—Social distancing world champion.

· You are out of toilet paper—Duct tape is NOT the solution to every problem.

· Grandpa, what did you do during the great coronavirus panic of 2020? Well son, I had a very dangerous job…I was tailgunner on a Charmin delivery truck.





Submitted by Al Anderson:

· The drop in gas price during the 'lockdown' is like a bald man winning a hair brush.

· Quarantine Day 30: Today, I melted an ice cube with my mind just by staring at it. It took a lot longer than I thought it would.

· All those grandparents who are missing their grandkids right now. Once this is over, you can have them for a month. Sincerely, a tired mom.

· Glad I didn't waste my money buying a planner for 2020.

· Day 35 of home schooling: Today we test whether or not chloroform has a smell.

· Cops these days: "Come out with your hands washed!"

· The Powerball is up to an 18-pack of Charmin.

· What's the difference between Wuhan and Las Vegas? What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

· Remember when we were little and had underwear with the days of the week on the,? Yah. Those would be helpful right now.

· Just seen a burglar kickin' his own door in. I asked him what are you doin'. He said, "I'm workin' from home."





Submitted by Mike Ryan and Mike Farlow:

· 2019: Stay away from negative people. 2020: Stay away from positive people.

· You think it's bad now? In 20 years our country will be run by people home schooled by day drinkers…

· Do not call police on suspicious people: They are your neighbors with no makeup, unshaven, suffering bad hair days and wearing masks!

· Since we can't eat out, now's the perfect time to eat better, get fit, and stay healthy. We're quarantined! Who are we trying to impress? We have snacks, we have sweat pants – I say we use them!

· Day 7 at home and the dog is looking at me like, "See? This is why I chew the furniture!"

· Does anyone know if we can take showers yet or should we just keep washing our hands???

· When this is over…what meeting do I attend first…Weight Watchers or AA?





Submitted by Dave Harris:

· I checked the gas mileage on my car yesterday. I'm now getting 15 days per gallon.

· Day 9 of social distancing: Struck up a conversation with a spider today. Seems nice. He's a web designer.

· Grandpa: We didn't hoard toilet paper back in my day. We would tear a page out of the phone book or a Sears catalog. Grandon's response: What's a phone book and what's a Sears catalog?

· Rest at home is better than rest in peace. Six feet away is better than six feet under.

· As we end week four of 'lock-down', I've been thinking about Osama bin Laden. He was stuck in his house for five years with three wives. I'm beginning to think he called in the navy SEALs.

· After years of wanting to thoroughly clean my house but lacking the time, this week I discovered that wasn't the reason.

· Putting a drink in each room of my house today and calling it a pub crawl.

· I miss the days when we were terrified of Romaine lettuce.

· In case you lost track, today is March 97th.

· Sitting on the couch and my husband sweetly whispered, "The best part about all of this is that I get to spend more time with you." As I looked over at him lovingly, I realized he was talking to the dog not me.

· I've eaten 14 meals and taken six naps and it's still today. Are you kidding me?

· I'm so over being part of a major historical event right about now.

· 2020: written by Stephen King and directed by Quentin Tarantino

· My husband and I decided we don't want to have children. We will be telling them tonight at dinner.

· Have you read the new best seller…Oh the Places You'll Stay by Dr. Fauci?





Submitted by Don Mills:

· They say you can't fix stupid. Turns out you can't quarantine it, either!

· Turns out my top three hobbies are: eating at restaurants, going to nonessential businesses, and touching my face.

· Going to ask my Mom if that offer to slap me into next year is still on the table.

· Of all the things I learned in grade school, how to avoid cooties was the last one I expected to use!

· So can we expect car insurance to go down since nobody can go anywhere? Just wondering... Jake, from State Farm...

· People keep asking "is coronavirus really that serious?" Listen up! Casinos and churches are closed. When heaven and hell agree on the same thing, it's probably pretty serious!

· Now that teachers finally have a chance to use the restroom, there's no toilet paper.

· It's like being 16 again. Gas is cheap and I'm grounded!

· Shout out to all the parents who never taught their kids respect and now they're stuck at home with the little brats!!!

· The longer this goes on the harder it will be to return to a society where pants and bras are required.

· Cops these days will be like…come out with your hands washed!

· Day 31 of quarantine…ate all the snacks and food…clothes no longer fit… but I'm still wearing gloves and mask for my protection.

· I'm as bored as an Amish electrician!

· Never in my whole life would I imagine my hands would consume more alcohol than my mouth!

· And just like that…having a mask, rubber gloves, duct tape, plastic sheeting and rope in your trunk is okay.

· Ask not what staying home on the couch can do for you, but staying home on the couch can do for your country.

· 50 million children being homeschooled by gun owning parents and not one single school mass shooting. Arming teachers works!!!

· Police confront nudist sunbathers over not wearing facemasks amid coronavirus outbreak.

· Ladies…time to start dating the older dudes. They can get you into the grocery store early.

· I don't like the fact that my chances of survival seem to be linked to the common sense of others.

· I can't believe I can walk into a store to buy weed, but I have to meet my hairdresser in a dark alley with unmarked bills to get a haircut!

· Have to say that the Class of 2020 outdid themselves with Senior Skip Day this year!

· With so many sporting events cancelled, they're having to televise the World Origami Championship…It's on Paperview.

· Not to brag, but I haven't been late for anything for the past 21 days!

· Sitting at the bar in the kitchen at night. Tried to pick up my wife. She gave me a fake phone number.

· It's been a blessing being home with the wife for three weeks now. We've caught up on everything I've done wrong for fifteen years.

· Have you noticed that since beauty salons are closed, selfies are down 68%?

· Breaking News: Wearing a mask inside your home is now highly recommended. Not so much to prevent coronavirus, but to stop eating.





Some internet humor…

Watch "Everything We Have Been Told So Far" at https://youtu.be/Hspw7Y1Gc5s





Keep a smile on your face (under your mask and stay well,

Al

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Thanks to Bill

Arab dog vs Israeli Dog

The Israelis and Arabs realized that, if they continued fighting, they would someday end up destroying the whole world.

So, they decided to settle their dispute with an ancient practice: a duel of two, like David and Goliath.

This "duel" would be a dog fight.

The negotiators agreed each side would take 5 years to develop the best fighting dog they could. The dog that won the fight would earn its people the right to rule the disputed areas. The losing side would have to lay down its arms for good.

The Arabs found the biggest, meanest Dobermans and Rottweilers in the world. They bred them together and then crossed their offspring with the meanest Siberian wolves. They selected only the biggest, strongest puppy of each litter, fed it the best food and killed all the other puppies.

They used steroids and trainers in their quest for the perfect killing machine. After the 5 years were up, they had a dog that needed steel prison bars on its cage. Only expert trainers could handle this incredibly nasty and ferocious beast.

When the day of the big dog-fight finally arrived, the Israelis showed up with a very strange-looking animal, a Dachshund that was 10 feet long!

Everyone at the dogfight arena felt sorry for the Israelis. No one there seriously thought this weird, odd-looking animal stood any chance against the growling beast over in the Arab camp. All the bookies took one look and predicted that the Arab dog would win in less than a minute.

As the cages were opened, the Dachshund slowly waddled toward the center of the ring.

The Arab dog leaped from its cage and charged the giant wiener-dog.

As he got to within an inch of the Israeli dog, the Dachshund opened its jaws and swallowed the Arab beast whole in one bite.

There was nothing left but a small puff of fur from the Arab killer dog's tail floating to the ground.

The stunned crowd of international observers, bookies and media personnel let out a collective gasp of disbelief and surprise.

The Arabs approached the Israelis, muttering and shaking their heads in disbelief. "We do not understand," said their leader, "Our top scientist and breeders worked for 5 long years with the meanest, biggest Dobermans, Rottweilers and Siberian wolves, and they developed an incredible killing machine of a dog!"

The Israelis replied. "Well, for 5 years, we have had a team of Jewish plastic surgeons from Boynton Beach working to make an alligator look like a Dachshund."



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thanks to BahamaJim and Dutch

SCARY

Sent from my Sprint Tablet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67LMv17Kaic&feature=youtu.be



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The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35's supersonic flights

Thanks to Doctor Rich

Thanks to Todd ....

Should have bought more FA-18s for the Marines and Navy and more F-22s for the Air Force. The F-35 is a maintenance nightmare. No parts and the readiness is 60% no matter what the figure fudgers say. Buy was partially driven by the industrial military complex. Should never have bought the V-22—more CH-46s. (the Army is still flying the CH-47) Years ago talked to DCS Air at a retirement party (3 Star Gen.) I asked him what the Marines were going to do for protection for the V-22 since it was faster than the Cobra gunships and slower than the Harrier. NO ANSWER! It was supposed to carry a platoon of 24—when it couldn't the Marine Corps cut the number of men in a platoon. The new CH-53K is turning into a disaster. It was a case of heavier lift capability. The best plane the Marines have is the KC-130



Todd Sudick

LtCol USMC Ret.

Flew A-4s, KC-130, C-117, CH-46 and CH-53

On Apr 26, 2020, at 9:18 AM, Rich wrote:

PS - from the General/Admiral …

Yup in spades, but it's the generals (Jar heads are the worse since Mamma Navy pays their bills) who have to have the latest toy ---Harrier (bombs or fuel but not both), V22 ( most fragile target ever built), F35/VTOL(most expensive A/C ever built---load??)….

Foreign manufacture is demanded by the FMS customer's generals (to creat a few local jobs so their political bosses will buy in) who help pay for the generals toys.

Military acquisition is more complicated than the JOs know. Out



Bill



-------- Original message --------

From: Rich

Date: 4/26/20 06:36 (GMT-08:00)

To:

Subject: The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35's supersonic flights



Thanks to Shadow...

Received this article and comments from a friend…

My thoughts…

We have met the enemy and they is us. Lonny and I have been screaming for decades that the penalty for stealth is not worth the cost… more than one way to skin a rabbit. I wonder if any of the big aerospace manufacturers every consult with aviators when they begin a design… and even more important to me as a Marine (former Grunt and Aviator)… consult the end user on the ground? My priorities would always have been ordinance load first, range and time on station second, gun on board to use when all the bombs are gone… You don't need a five to six hundred million dollar airplane with all kinds of exotic and unfixable systems in the field... when they break… What you do need is common sense. And frankly, I ain't a genius… but I still think electronic jammers is a better way to defeat the radars, especially when it comes to the CAS mission and other related systems than stealth (I'll concede I may be wrong). But my gut thinks there has to be a better way.



I have long felt that, as my old pappy used to tell me… "Just because you can do something… doesn't mean you should". With the advance of exotics as a solution in aviation… what could have been a five to ten million dollar airframe and engine combination… now runs into the hundreds of millions (and Detroit seems to follow the same pattern… a ten to fifteen thousand dollar car now runs fifty to seventy thousand dollars). KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid)… might seem an arcane acronym… but there's a bit of practical genius in there too.



As I saw the number of aircraft in inventory get reduced every year… and by necessity the number of aviators… I voiced my concern to some of my friends and associates. I opined that maybe we were forgetting the lessons of the last Great War… where technology was not what carried the day… but numbers. Our industrial might, overwhelmed the most advanced technological nation on earth at the time (of course we've pissed that advantage away, beginning with NAFTA). We've become a nation of consumers and ideas… but we then take those great ideas and have them produced and manufactured somewhere else in the world… in pursuit of profit… to the detriment of our industrial base. Think about it.

There's got to be a better way… Shadow



More good news about our future fighter aircraft. - Foster



1. The F-35A and B have the same afterburner-induced tail meltdown problem as the C, I believe.



2. I like the article's little caveat on how we can't tolerate having the tail's many antennas harmed by the pilot's whim to go faster. In other words, both stealth and antennas are more important than supersonicity. Maybe we should have designed the F-35 to the B-2's speed spec--think of how much stealthier (and immune to tail-melting) it could have been!



3. The OLED helmet fixes the green glow. So does that mean we have to buy a new round of $600,000 helmets for the entire fleet? Is that showing up in the $/flying hour?



4. Here's a truly major deficiency that's not on the JPO list, one that no one except pilots complain about. The F-35 is so limited in the rate at which it sucks in air-to-air refueling that it takes a flight of four almost 30 minutes to finish completely refueling each one from a KC-135, KC-10 or a KC-46. The pilots say that to fully refuel your flight of four, send #4 home before you start. Why? Because the F-35 has 11 internal fuel tanks (!) with a computer-controlled ultra-complex pumping system for transferring fuel among the 11 to keep the F-35's very tight center-of-gravity limits within safe controllability specs. That Rube Goldberg plumbing makes it impossible to transfer fuel at a rate faster than 6 to 7 minutes to fully fuel the F-35, far slower than F-16s, F-15s, F-18s and F-22s. Unfixable problem. The operators solve the problem by limiting the refueling to half-full tanks. Not a great solution for range or loiter time in combat. The F-35B and C are not quite so limited when tanking from KC-130's, since two at a time can tank using the Navy's far more sensible probe-and-drogue system. But when the ludicrous MQ-25 drone tanker replaces the KC-130 in the Navy, F-35Cs still won't be able to operate flights of four because the little MQ-25 will, at best, fill one F-35C to three quarters of a tankful.



The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35's supersonic flights



https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/04/24/the-pentagon-will-have-to-live-with-limits-on-f-35s-supersonic-flights/





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World news from Military Periscope for 27 April

US News USA—State Dept. Announces Aid To Greenland As Part Of Arctic Push The Hill | 04/27/2020 The U.S. State Dept. says it will provide $12.1 million in aid to Greenland as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and the U.S. presence in the Arctic, reports the Hill (Washington, D.C.). The aid will be used to support energy and natural resource development, strengthen educational and people-to-people ties and advance economic development in rural communities, the department said on April 23. The funding was revealed during a briefing on the Trump administration's Arctic and Greenland strategy. State Dept. officials emphasized the growing challenges of Russia's military buildup in the region and China's claims to be a near-Arctic state. The financial support will go toward civilian projects, including the mineral industry, tourism and education and will be provided primarily through consulting and advice from American experts, the Greenland government said. Several opposition lawmakers in Denmark criticized the aid, calling it an attempt to create division between Copenhagen and the autonomous territory, reported Reuters. News 0



. USA—Navy Takes Delivery Of Final Block II Super Hornet U.S. Naval Air Systems Command | 04/27/2020 The U.S. Navy has taken delivery of its final F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornet, reports the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command. The final Super Hornet was delivered on April 17 directly from Boeing's production line in St. Louis, the command announced on April 23. The aircraft was headed to Strike Fighter Squadron 34 (VFA-34) based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. The Block II Super Hornet incorporates an active electronically scanned array radar, larger displays, upgraded sensors and avionics, increased range and an open mission systems architecture. A total of 332 single seat F/A-18E and 286 dual-seat F/A-18F Block II Super Hornets were delivered. Boeing is now building Block III Super Hornets, with the first two Navy test jets due to be handed over in the next two months. This will be followed by production of 24 Block III jets for Kuwait. The Navy ordered 72 of the latest fighters in 2019, with procurement taking place between fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2021. News 0



USA—Black Hawk Avionics Upgrade Completes Initial Operational Testing Northrop Grumman | 04/27/2020 The U.S. Army has completed initial operational testing and evaluation for an avionics upgrade for older Black Hawk utility helicopters, reports Northrop Grumman, which supplies the avionics system. The company provided digital cockpit upgrades as part of the integrated avionics suite for the UH-60V Black Hawk, said a Northrop Grumman release on April 22. The milestone is a significant step toward full-rate production for the UH-60V. The UH-60V is a modernized version of the UH-60L helicopter featuring a digital glass cockpit in place of the older analog system, reported Flight Global. The new avionics are common with the cockpit on the new-build UH-60M helicopter, enabling the Army to consolidate training. The upgrade improves navigation, meeting the latest global air traffic management requirements, and is expected to extend the lives of the modernized aircraft by 10 years. More than 700 Black Hawks are inline for the updates. News 0



USA—White House Seeks To Extend Arms Embargo On Iran New York Times | 04/27/2020 The U.S. is moving to extend an arms embargo on Iran that was part of the 2015 nuclear deal that President Trump withdrew from in 2018, reports the New York Times. Administration officials said that they plan to circulate a resolution in the Security Council to extend a ban on arms exports to Iran, which is currently set to expire in October. Part of the White House's strategy involves commitments made under the Iran nuclear deal, despite the U.S. withdrawal. Washington is expected to argue that it remains a participant state to the deal in order to implement snapback sanctions that are part of the agreement. U.S. allies in Europe are expected to oppose the move along with Russia, which has publicly expressed an interest in resuming conventional arms sales to Iran. A prohibition on small arms is slated to lapse in October, with restrictions on missiles and missile components lasting for another three years. News 0



United Kingdom—Queen Elizabeth Carrier Postpones Departure For COVID-19 Testing Aviation Week And Space Technology | 04/27/2020 The Royal Navy is pushing back the departure of one of its aircraft carriers for a training deployment so that its crew can be tested for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reports Aviation Week & Space Technology. HMS Queen Elizabeth was scheduled to depart Portsmouth on April 27, but this has been postponed until April 29. This will enable all 800 sailors on the carrier to complete testing for COVID-19. As an extra precaution, the ship will remain within helicopter range of the U.K. for 14 days after leaving port to permit the evacuation of any COVID-19 victims during that period. The move comes after major coronavirus outbreaks on U.S. and French aircraft carriers. The training is part of preparations ahead of an exercise slated for June. News 0



Russia—Rosoboronexport Launches Export Push For Bumerang APC Rosoboronexport | 04/27/2020 Russian arms export firm Rosoboronexport has begun promoting the Bumerang wheeled 8 x 8 armored personnel carrier on the international market. The amphibious vehicle was developed with regard to the requirements of the global market, including a new layout with the driver on the left, powerpack on the right, fighting compartment in the center and troop compartment at the rear, said an agency release on April 23. The Bumerang can be armed with a variety of crewed or uncrewed turrets fitted with weapons such as a 30-mm cannon, 7.62-mm machine gun, 30-mm automatic grenade launcher, anti-tank guided missile launchers and 12.7-mm machine gun, reported Russia's Tass news agency. Rosoboronexport estimates exports worth US$1 billion for the vehicle, with potential markets including Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, according to the release. The APC is expected to compete by offering a price 1.5 to two times lower than its competitors, company officials said. Differences from the Russian model include communication and automatic combat control systems; electromagnetic shielding; chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) protection; and visibility reductions. 0



Canada—Prohibition On Arms Exports To Turkey Indefinitely Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | 04/27/2020 The Canadian government has indefinitely extended its ban on the export of military equipment to Turkey, reports the CBC News. The arms embargo was first implemented in the fall of 2019 in response to the Turkish military incursion into northern Syria. On April 16, Ottawa announced that the restrictions would be extended indefinitely, reported the Middle East Eye (London). The ban covers items such as ammunition, light weapons, armor, protective equipment and electronics. The export restrictions could only be lifted under exceptional circumstances, the government said. This could include the sale of components for a NATO missile defense system, said experts. News 0



North Korea—Artillery, Air Ops On The Rise, S. Korean Defense Minister Says Yonhap | 04/27/2020 South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong Doo says that North Korea has been stepping up its artillery and air training activities, increasing tensions in the region, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). Artillery inspections include numerous small-scale live-fire drills as well as the five major weapons tests conducted so far this year, including the test-firing of an anti-ship cruise missile in mid-April, the defense minister said on April 24. The North Korean air force has also conducting several training flights with Sukhoi and MiG fighter aircraft near the eastern port city of Wonsan, which included firing air-to-ground missiles into the Sea of Japan. Meanwhile, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff indicated that North Korea has stepped up surveillance flights over the maritime border with China in the Yellow Sea. News 0



China—PLA Takes COVID-19 Precautions At Base In Djibouti South China Morning Post | 04/27/2020 The Chinese forces deployed at Beijing's only overseas military base in Djibouti have been taking precautions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reports the South China Morning Post. Personnel at the base are now required to have health declarations and entry and exit controls have been tightened, analysts said. Otherwise, the pandemic control measures are similar to those implemented at military bases in China. Meanwhile, Djibouti has recorded a sevenfold increase in COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks, the Sowetan, a South Africa-based news website, reported on April 24. The number of COVID-19 cases in Djibouti increased to 985 last week, up from 400 the week before. The outbreak has also affected other international military forces stationed in Djibouti. On April 23, a public health emergency was declared for U.S. Forces in Djibouti. ... News 0



Syria—Israeli Strikes Hit Suspected Iranian Sites South Of Damascus Syrian Arab News Agency | 04/27/2020 Several people have been killed in a suspected Israeli airstrikes in Syria near Damascus, reports the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency. On Monday, Israeli jets in Lebanese airspace launched missiles at targets in the towns of Al Hujaira and Al Adliya south of Damascus. Air defense systems in the region intercepted some of the missiles, according to the Syrian army. At least three civilians were killed, said government accounts. At least four Iranian personnel were also killed in the strike, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (U.K.) Reports from the opposition-run Halab Today (Aleppo) television channel cited by the Jerusalem Post indicated that ambulance traffic in the area lasted at least an hour after the strikes. The strikes targeted Iranian, Hezbollah and Tehran-backed militia facilities in Al-Kiswah, Sahnaya and Set Zaynab, south of Damascus, reported the Step News Agency (Syria). 0



Yemen—Southern Transitional Council Declares Independence Again Anadolu News Agency | 04/27/2020 An Emirati-backed secessionist group in southern Yemen has declared independence from the internationally recognized Yemeni government, reports Turkey's Anadolu Agency. On Saturday, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared self-rule and announced a state of emergency in Yemen's southern provinces to take effect at midnight. The STC said it made the move because the Riyadh agreement reached with the Yemeni government in November 2019 was not being implemented, reported the Guardian (U.K.). The group had pulled its representatives from committees implementing the accord in January. The foreign minister of Yemen's internationally recognized government, Mohamed al-Hadrami, condemned the move and urged Saudi Arabia to intervene to preserve the agreement. Both sides failed to meet deadlines associated with the pact, noted Agence France-Presse. STC officials said that they would begin drafting a list of powers for the new executive in the south and indicated that they would resume security responsibilities at all government facilities on Sunday. The provincial governments of Hadhramaut, Shabwa, al-Mahra, Abyan and Socotra said that they do not recognize the STC's declaration and emphasized their loyalty to the internationally recognized Yemeni government. News 0



Sweden—Global Military Spending Continues To Rise, Says SIPRI Report Stockholm International Peace Research Institute | 04/27/2020 Global military expenditures have recorded their largest increase in a decade, according to new research from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Spending reached US$1.917 trillion in 2019, up 3 percent from 2018. Five nations made up 62 percent of military spending: the U.S., China, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia. This was the first time two Asian nations were among the top three defense spenders. Expenditures in the U.S. rose 5.4 percent in 2019 to reach US$732 billion, accounting for 38 percent of total global spending. China and India increased spending by 5.1 and 6.8 percent, reaching US$261 billion and US$71.1 billion, respectively. Among the top 15 countries, German military spending rose the fastest, increasing by 10 percent to reach US$49.3 billion. Russia boosted defense spending by 4.5 percent in 2019, totaling US$65.1 billion. At 3.9 percent of gross domestic product, Moscow's military spending burden was the highest in Europe, researchers said. 0



Pakistan—9 Militants Killed During N. Waziristan Op Radio Pakistan | 04/27/2020 Two Pakistani soldiers and nine militants have been killed during a military operation in Pakistan's northwestern North Waziristan district, reports the official Radio Pakistan. On Saturday, during an intelligence-based operation in the Khaisura and Dossali areas, the militants fired on the troops, setting off a gun battle, reported Geo News (Karachi). One militant was captured during the mission. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered. At least five soldiers were injured in the fighting. Violence in the province, down in the last several years after a major operation in 2014, has been increasing over the last month. On April 20, a soldier and five militants were killed in a similar encounter. Pakistani officials have not identified the groups involved in either raid. 0



Czech Republic—Russia Accused Of Plot To Assassinate Prague City Officials Prague Morning | 04/27/2020 Czech investigators have uncovered a Russian plot to poison Czech officials who led campaigns seen as anti-Russian, reports the Prague Morning news website. Three weeks ago, a Russian using a diplomatic passport arrived in Prague carrying a suitcase with ricin poison. He was immediately taken to the Russian embassy in a diplomatic car, said Czech intelligence. The story was first reported by the Czech weekly Respekt. Czech security forces were immediately alerted to the suspect's arrival, the newspaper reported. Two officials, including Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, have been placed under protection as potential targets of the assassin. In February, Hrib led a campaign to rename the square in front of the Russian embassy after opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, who was killed under suspicious circumstances in 2015. Ondrej Kolar, the mayor of Prague's 6th District, led a campaign to remove a statue of Soviet World War II general Ivan Stepanovic Konev that was erected in 1980, prompting criticism from Moscow. 0



South Korea—ADD Researchers Under Investigation For Stealing Classified Data Yonhap | 04/27/2020 Nearly two dozen former researchers at the South Korean government's defense research agency are under investigation for leaking classified information, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). About 20 former employees of the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) are accused of taking information on advanced weapons systems with them when they left the organization, said unidentified officials. The information involved technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence and drones. Some suspects have claimed that they had saved the information to continue their work. ADD officials said they are cooperating with the investigation. 0



El Salvador—President Authorizes Lethal Force Against Gangs Reuters | 04/27/2020 The Salvadoran government has authorized the use of lethal force against gangs following a significant increase in violence as security forces assist with the response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports Reuters. On Sunday, President Nayib Bukele said that police and military personnel could use lethal force against gang members in self-defense or in the defense of civilians. El Salvador recorded 24 homicides on Friday and 29 on Sunday, the worst one-day tolls since Bukele came to power in June. Gangs, including MS-13, have taken advantage of security forces' focus on enforcing restrictions on movement designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Prisons in the country were placed on 24-hour lockdown. Members of rival gangs have been placed in shared cells, in an attempt to slow the spread of messages used to plan attacks, said Security Minister Osiris Luna, as quoted by BBC News.