TheList 5323

The List 5323 TGB




To All,

Good Thursday Morning May 14

I hope that your week has been going well.

Regards,

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This day in Naval History May 14, 2019



May 14



1800: The frigate USS Essex, commanded by Capt. Edward Preble, arrives in Batavia, Java, to escort United States merchant ships. During her journey, she is the first U.S. Navy warship to cross the Equator and the first U.S. man-of-war to double the Cape of Good Hope.



1801 Tripoli declares war on the United States for not increasing the annual tribute paid as protection money to prevent raids on its ships. Within less than a week, a squadron under Commodore Richard Dale, sets sail to protect American interests and arrives July 1 at Gibraltar.



1836 Congress authorizes the U.S. Exploring Expedition to conduct an exploration of the Pacific Ocean and South Seas, making the first major US scientific expedition overseas. Lt. Charles Wilkes, USN, leads the expedition to survey South America, Antarctica, the Far East, and the North Pacific.



1845 - First U.S. warship visits Vietnam. While anchored in Danang for reprovisioning, CAPT John Percival commanding USS Constitution, conducts a show of force against Vietnamese authorities in an effort to obtain the release of a French priest held prisoner by Emperor of Annam at Hue.



1919 The Marine detachment from USS Arizona guards the U.S. consulate at Constantinople, Turkey, during the Greek occupation of the city.



1944 USS Bonefish (SS 223) attacks a Japanese convoy bound for Sibitu Passage, Borneo, and sinks Japanese destroyer Inazuma near TawiTawi, east of Borneo and survives counter-attacks by Japanese destroyer Hibiki. Also on this date, USS Aspro (SS 309) and USS Bowfin (SS 287) attack a Japanese convoy and sinks cargo ship BisanMaru.



1945 German submarine (U 858) arrives at Cape May, Del., after surrendering at sea four days earlier. USS Pillsbury (DE 133) and USS Pope (DE 134) arrive later that day, take over the boat, place a USN crew on board, and remove 1/2 of her crew including three of her four officers. (U 858) is later scuttled off the coast of New England during torpedo trials.



1975 - Marines recapture Mayaguez, go ashore on Koh Tang Island and release the crew.





Thanks to CHINFO



Executive Summary:

•USS Gerald R. Ford completed readiness projects to board 1,000 personnel in preparation for integration with a carrier air wing and carrier strike group, multiple outlets report.

•Multiple outlets report that Chinese hackers are targeting U.S. universities and pharmaceutical companies in an effort to steal research on COVID-19.

•Reuters reports that USS McCampbell sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday.





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Today in History May 14



1264

King Henry III is captured by his brother-in-law, Simon de Montfort, at the Battle of Lewes.


1509

At the Battle of Agnadello, the French defeat the Venitians in Northern Italy.


1610

French King Henri IV (Henri de Navarre) is assassinated by François Ravaillac, a fanatical monk.


1796

English physician Edward Jenner gives the first successful smallpox vaccination.


1804

Explorer William Clark sets off from St. Louis, Missouri.


1853

Gail Borden applies for a patent for condensed milk.


1863

Union General Nathanial Banks heads towards Port Hudson along the Mississippi River.


1897

Guglielmo Marconi sends the first communication by wireless telegraph.


1897

"Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Phillip Sousa is performed for the first time in Philadelphia.


1935

A plebiscite in the Philippines ratifies an independence agreement.


1940

Holland surrenders to Germany.


1942

The British Army, in retreat from Burma, reaches India.


1948

Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion establishes the State of Israel.


1961

A bus carrying black and white civil rights activists is bombed and burned in Alabama.


1969

Three companies of the 101st Airborne Division fail to push North Vietnamese forces off Hill 937 in South Vietnam.


1973

The U.S. space station Skylab is launched.


1991

In South Africa, Winnie Mandela is sentenced to six years in prison for her part in the kidnapping and beating of three black youths and the death of a fourth.






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Thanks to Carl….I watched the movie of this a few months ago. Old black and white with the original aircraft and such. Pretty neat



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5693949/Eccentric-inventor-Barnes-Wallis-created-Dambusters-bouncing-bomb-marbles-catapult.html



How eccentric inventor Barnes Wallis created the Dambusters bouncing bomb with marbles and a catapult despite everyone - including the great Bomber Harris - telling him it couldn't be done



The British Government drew up a list of the dams in the Ruhr which they thought were the biggest targets

However, they struggled to come up with a way to actually damage the massive steel and concrete structures

English scientist and inventor Barnes Wallis eventually cracked the problem, creating the bouncing bomb

















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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS

FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR MAY 5

THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY



May 14



1908: First airplane passenger flight in history took place at Kitty Hawk as the Wrights prepared to deliver their "Flyer" to the US government. Wilbur Wright piloted the machine and Charles Furnas, an employee, flew as passenger. (4) (21)



1923: The Army accepted the first PW-8 prototype. It evolved into the Curtiss Hawk series of biplane pursuit aircraft. The "W" designated water-cooled engine. (21)



1951: In a 1,000-pound Piper Pacer, Max Conrad set an unofficial nonstop transcontinental record for a light plane of 23 hours 4 minutes 21 seconds. (24)The ANG's 116 FBW received a warning order to prepare for a move to Europe to help shore up NATO against a possible attack by the Soviet Union. (McLearn, Republic F-84 Photo Chronicle, p 114.)



1963: The USAF's X-21A, a twin-jet laminar flow control aircraft, flew successfully for the first time with its slit wing mechanism in operation.



1969: Operation COMBAT MOSQUITO. USAF Southern Command personnel began a massive campaign to combat an encephalitis epidemic in Ecuador. Two C-141s flew 50 tons of pesticide there, where two UC-123s then sprayed the country's coastal marshes. The operation, involving the USAF, State Department, and Public Health officials, successfully eradicated 95 percent of the area's mosquitoes. (16) (21)



1970: The SECDEF ordered a halt to defoliation operations flown by the 12 SOS and its UC-123K aircraft at Bien Hoa AB, South Vietnam. This order ended the application of Agent Orange on Vietnam's jungles. (17)



1973: From Kennedy Space Center, a two-stage Saturn V launched Skylab 1 into orbit, where its two Solar Array System wings failed to deploy. The Skylab was America's first manned orbiting space station.



1974: The USAF/Northrop F-5F two-place fighter made its roll out at Hawthorne.



1979: The last ANG C-121 type aircraft, an EC-121 "Coronet Solo" operated by the193d Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (Pennsylvania), retired from service and flown to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. (Francillon, United States Air National Guard, p. 190)



1984: The 375 AAW accepted its first C-12F Huron, a militarized version of Beechcraft Super King B200C, for operational support airlift missions. The USAF ordered 40 C-12Fs as replacements for the T-39 Sabreliner. (18) (26)



2000: Boeing's RS-68 rocket engine completed a major milestone with a 160-second burn at 100 percent power during Air Force Research Laboratory tests at Edwards AFB. The liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen engine was being developed for the Delta IV family of launch vehicles. (3)



2001: The Boeing RS-68 rocket engine surpassed its previous records with a test run of 210 seconds at the Air Force Research Laboratory's ground test facility at Edwards AFB. (3)



2002: Twelve C-17 Globemaster IIIs from Charleston AFB launched shortly after daybreak to fly the largest C-17 formation in history. Aircrews assigned to the 437 AW and 315 AW (AFRC) flew the multi-ship formation over downtown Charleston, the Ashley River, and Charleston AFB to train for their strategic brigade airdrop mission. (22) An F-15E successfully attacked five targets with JDAMs on a single sortie. The F-15 released the JDAMs from 25,000 feet while flying at Mach .80. (30)



2003: AMC began the "Baghdad Express," a daily C-141 resupply mission from Ramstein AB to Baghdad IAP, Iraq. Two C-141s and two active-duty aircrews from the 305 AMW at McGuire AFB, N. J., and one aircrew from McGuire's 514 AMW (Reserve-Associate) were staged at Ramstein to fly the missions. (22)





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Thanks to Mud……I saw her a couple times in the early 60's out shopping in LA. She was a very pretty lady.



Legendary actress and singer Doris Day dead at 97



The Associated Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 13th 2019 9:07AM ADVERTISEMENT

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Doris Day, the honey-voiced singer and actress whose film dramas, musicals and innocent sex comedies made her a top star in the 1950s and '60s and among the most popular screen actresses in history, has died. She was 97.

The Doris Day Animal Foundation confirmed Day died early Monday at her Carmel Valley, California, home. The foundation said she was surrounded by close friends.

"Day had been in excellent physical health for her age, until recently contracting a serious case of pneumonia, resulting in her death," the foundation said in an emailed statement.

With her lilting contralto, wholesome blonde beauty and glowing smile, she was a top box office draw and recording artist known for such films as "Pillow Talk" and "That Touch of Mink" and for such songs as "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" from the Alfred Hitchcock film "The Man Who Knew Too Much."

But over time, she became more than a name above the title: Right down to her cheerful, alliterative stage name, she stood for a time of innocence and G-rated love, a parallel world to her contemporary Marilyn Monroe. The running joke, attributed to both Groucho Marx and actor-composer Oscar Levant, was that they had known Day "before she was a virgin."

Slideshow preview image
34 PHOTOS Doris Day through the years SEE GALLERY Day herself was no Doris Day, by choice and by hard luck.

In "Pillow Talk," released in 1959 and her first of three films with Rock Hudson, she proudly caught up with what she called "the contemporary in me." Her 1976 tell-all book, "Doris Day: Her Own Story," chronicled her money troubles and three failed marriages, contrasting with the happy publicity of her Hollywood career.

"I have the unfortunate reputation of being Miss Goody Two-Shoes, America's Virgin, and all that, so I'm afraid it's going to shock some people for me to say this, but I staunchly believe no two people should get married until they have lived together," she wrote.

She never won an Academy Award, but Day was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, as George W. Bush declared it "a good day for America when Doris Marianne von Kappelhoff of Evanston, Ohio decided to become an entertainer."

In recent years, she spent much of her time advocating for animal rights. Although mostly retired from show business since the 1980s, she still had enough of a following that a 2011 collection of previously unreleased songs, "My Heart," hit the top 10 in the United Kingdom. The same year, she received a lifetime achievement honor from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Friends and supporters lobbied for years to get her an honorary Oscar.

Born to a music teacher and a housewife, she had dreamed of a dance career, but at age 12, she suffered a crippling accident: a car she was in was hit by a train and her leg was badly broken. Listening to the radio while recuperating, she began singing along with Ella Fitzgerald, "trying to catch the subtle ways she shaded her voice, the casual yet clean way she sang the words."

Day began singing in a Cincinnati radio station, then a local nightclub, then in New York. A bandleader changed her name to Day, after the song "Day after Day," to fit it on a marquee.

A marriage at 17 to trombonist Al Jorden ended when, she said, he beat her when she was eight months pregnant. She gave birth to her son, Terry, in early 1942. Her second marriage also was short-lived. She returned to Les Brown's band after the first marriage broke up.

Her Hollywood career began after she sang at a Hollywood party in 1947. After early stardom as a band singer and a stint at Warner Bros., Day won the best notices of her career with "Love Me or Leave Me," the story of songstress Ruth Etting and her gangster husband-manager. She initially balked at it, but the 1955 film became a box-office and critical success.

She followed with another impressive film, Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much," starring her and James Stewart as an innocent couple ensnared in an international assassination plot. She sings "Que Sera, Sera" just as the story reaches its climax and viewers are beside themselves with suspense. The 1958 comedy "Teacher's Pet" paired her with an aging Clark Gable as an idealistic college journalism teacher and her student, an old-school newspaper editor.

But she found her greatest success in slick, stylish sex comedies, beginning with her Oscar-nominated role in "Pillow Talk." She and Hudson were two New Yorkers who shared a telephone party line and initially hated each other.

She followed with "The Thrill of It All," playing a housewife who gains fame as a TV pitchwoman to the chagrin of obstetrician husband James Garner. The nation's theater owners voted her the top moneymaking star in 1960, 1962, 1963 and 1964.

Her first musical hit was the 1945 smash, "Sentimental Journey," when she was barely in her 20s. Among the other songs she made famous were "Everybody Loves a Lover," ''Secret Love," and "It's Magic," a song from "Romance on the High Seas," her first film.

Critic Gary Giddins called her "the coolest and sexiest female singer of slow-ballads in movie history."

"Romance on the High Seas" had been designed for Judy Garland, then Betty Hutton. Both bowed out, and Day, recommended by songwriters Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, won the role. Warner Bros. cashed in on its new star with a series of musicals, including "My Dream Is Yours," ''Tea for Two" and "Lullaby of Broadway." Her dramas included "Young Man with a Horn," with Kirk Douglas and Lauren Bacall, and "Storm Warning," with Ronald Reagan and Ginger Rogers.

Her last film was "With Six You Get Eggroll," a 1968 comedy about a widow and a widower and the problems they have when blending their families.

Slideshow preview image
12 PHOTOS Celebrity deaths of 2019 SEE GALLERY With movies trending for more explicit sex, she turned to television to recoup her finances. "The Doris Day Show" was a moderate success in its 1966-1973 run on CBS.

Disillusionment grew in the 1960s when she discovered that failed investments by her third husband, Martin Melcher, left her deeply in debt. She eventually won a multimillion-dollar judgment against their lawyer.

She had married Melcher, who worked in her agent's office, in 1951. He became her manager, and her son took his name. In most of the films following "Pillow Talk," Melcher was listed as co-producer. Melcher died in 1969.

In her autobiography, Day recalled her son, Terry Melcher, telling her the $20 million she had earned had vanished and she owed around $450,000, mostly for taxes.

In 1974, Day won a $22.8 million judgment against Jerome B. Rosenthal, her lawyer and business manager, for mishandling of her and Melcher's assets.

Terry Melcher, who died in 2004, became a songwriter and record producer, working with such stars as the Beach Boys. But he was also famous for an aspiring musician he turned down, Charles Manson. When Manson and his followers embarked on their murderous rampage in 1969, they headed for the house once owned by Melcher and instead came upon actress Sharon Tate and some visitors, all of whom were killed.





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Thanks to Steve and Mud



: Bit of European History, Gutsy Woman







https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Benz

Steve
She was lookin' good compared to most old photos of that day.



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Thanks to Bill



Questions That Still Haunt Me

If you have sex with a prostitute against her will, is it considered rape or shoplifting?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in"... but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your ass?



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Thanks to Dick



A lot of forgotten detail.

Thanks.



Subject: Falklands war



Just came across this account of the Falklands war. Thought you might be interested.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvvLxC1rvrQ



Gary



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Some news from around the world thanks to Military Periscope for 14 May



USA—Air Force Ends Formation Landings As Part Of Pilot Training Following Deadly Accident Air Force Magazine | 05/14/2020 The Air Force has halted formation landings by T-38 training jets following a deadly accident in November, reports Air Force magazine. The change has been in effect since March 5, according to the Air Education and Training Command. The decision was made after the Nov. 21 incident at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., in which one of two T-38s landing in formation bounced into the air, crashed into the second aircraft and rolled over. The accident report attributed the crash to a failure of the instructor pilot to take control as a dangerous situation developed. The student pilot subsequently made incorrect control inputs that led to the crash. The student pilot's family criticized the report for ignoring the dangers posed by the formation landing. Air Force officials acknowledged that the training requirement was a holdover, with the practice largely eliminated from combat unit operations.



USA—Destroyer Sails Through Strait Of Taiwan South China Morning Post | 05/14/2020 The U.S. Navy has conducted its sixth freedom of navigation operation in the Strait of Taiwan in 2020, reports the South China Morning Post. On Thursday, the destroyer USS McCampbell sailed through the passage from north to south in a routine mission, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said. Chinese officials told Reuters that they were aware of the movement. The mission comes a week before Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is inaugurated for her second term and amid increasing Chinese military activity in the region, noted analysts.



USA—Marine Corps Selects Kongsberg Turret For ACV Kongsberg Defence And Aerospace | 05/14/2020 The U.S. Marine Corps has chosen Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace to provide the turret for a variant of the new Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), reports the Norwegian defense firm. BAE Systems selected the Kongsberg MCT-30 medium caliber turret for the ACV-30 vehicle, Kongsberg said on Wednesday. The remotely operated turret features a 30-mm cannon with a linkless ammunition system, high reliability and multi-user functions. The program covers up to 150 turrets in a phased program, with the first test articles to be delivered next year. The turrets will be built at Kongsberg's facility in Johnston, Pa. The value of the contract was not disclosed. The Army already operates the MCT-30 on its up-gunned Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, noted Kongsberg.



USA—McPherson Cancels Predecessor's Carrier Study Breaking Defense | 05/14/2020 Acting Navy Secretary James McPherson has called off a major study into the service's carrier force that was proposed by his predecessor, reports Breaking Defense. McPherson, who replaced acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly in March, has canceled the Future Carrier 2030 review, which was intended to evaluate the role of the nuclear aircraft carrier in a peer conflict as part of efforts to revamp the fleet for future threats and potentially find budget savings. The study was announced after a separate Pentagon review of the Navy's force structure that includes the carrier fleet. The Defense Dept. review was expected to be completed first and would outrank the Navy study. Kenneth Braithwaite, the nominee for Navy secretary, had not expressed support for Modly's review and likely would have canceled it once confirmed. Other efforts launched by Modly, including one intended to find $40 billion in savings over five years, and another designed to accelerate progress on the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers are expected to continue.



USA—Marine Corps Selects Kongsberg Turret For ACV Kongsberg Defence And Aerospace | 05/14/2020 The U.S. Marine Corps has chosen Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace to provide the turret for a variant of the new Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), reports the Norwegian defense firm. BAE Systems selected the Kongsberg MCT-30 medium caliber turret for the ACV-30 vehicle, Kongsberg said on Wednesday. The remotely operated turret features a 30-mm cannon with a linkless ammunition system, high reliability and multi-user functions. The program covers up to 150 turrets in a phased program, with the first test articles to be delivered next year. The turrets will be built at Kongsberg's facility in Johnston, Pa. The value of the contract was not disclosed. The Army already operates the MCT-30 on its up-gunned Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, noted Kongsberg.



USA—McPherson Cancels Predecessor's Carrier Study Breaking Defense | 05/14/2020 Acting Navy Secretary James McPherson has called off a major study into the service's carrier force that was proposed by his predecessor, reports Breaking Defense. McPherson, who replaced acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly in March, has canceled the Future Carrier 2030 review, which was intended to evaluate the role of the nuclear aircraft carrier in a peer conflict as part of efforts to revamp the fleet for future threats and potentially find budget savings. The study was announced after a separate Pentagon review of the Navy's force structure that includes the carrier fleet. The Defense Dept. review was expected to be completed first and would outrank the Navy study. Kenneth Braithwaite, the nominee for Navy secretary, had not expressed support for Modly's review and likely would have canceled it once confirmed. Other efforts launched by Modly, including one intended to find $40 billion in savings over five years, and another designed to accelerate progress on the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers are expected to continue.



United Kingdom—Nuclear Modernization Programs Over Budget, Behind Schedule, Report Says Defense News | 05/14/2020 A new report from the British Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has found that major nuclear infrastructure programs have suffered from long delays and cost overruns, reports Defense News. These projects include nuclear warhead assembly, core reactor production and submarine construction, says the report, which was released on Tuesday. These programs have combined for cost increases of around 1.35 billion (US$1.67 billion) and schedule delays between 1.7 and 6.3 years, the document says. The report slammed the defense ministry for its poor management of these projects, blaming the cost overruns on avoidable mistakes, such as beginning construction before completing design work. The warhead assembly effort, known as the MENSA program, has seen cost growth of 1.07 billion pounds (US$1.3 billion) and is 6.3 years behind schedule. The delays and cost increases were attributed to poor management, failure to learn from past mistakes and poorly designed contracts, says the report. The defense ministry signed contracts that failed to spread risk between government and industry, forcing the government to absorb the cost increases, according to the committee. The Rolls-Royce facility in Raynesway, near Derby, which will build a newly designed nuclear reactor for the Royal Navy's new Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarines, was estimated to cost 474 million pounds (US$744 million) with a target completion date of 2026. The program is now estimated to be 5.1 years behind schedule, says the study. Finally, a future submarine-building facility at the BAE Systems location in Barrow, which is designed to enable modular construction for the four Dreadnought-class boats, is about 1.7 years behind its scheduled 2022 completion date, said the committee. The three programs represent a quarter of the value of the U.K.'s 52 nuclear infrastructure modernization efforts. Problems with these projects could indicate wider issues throughout the endeavor, says the report.



Germany—Police Arrest Special Ops Soldier With Links To Far Right British Broadcasting Corp. | 05/14/2020 German police have arrested an elite soldier suspected of links with far right extremists, reports BBC News. On Wednesday, police raided the house of the Special Forces Command (KSK) soldier in Nordsachsen in Germany's eastern Saxony state, recovering a cache of weapons. The 45-year-old sergeant major, who was arrested under the Weapons Control Act, has been under investigation since 2017, reported Reuters. German military intelligence has been investigating suspected right-wing extremists in the armed forces. In March, officials said that they had identified 27 cases, including many within the KSK. Action has been taken against nine of these suspects, reported Der Spiegel (Berlin).



Poland—U.S. Army Europe Set To Resume Training With Polish Drills Defense News | 05/14/2020 U.S. Army Europe plans to resume exercises that were paused due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports Defense News. Exercise Allied Spirit is scheduled for June 5-19 at the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area in northwestern Poland, said the command. The drills are expected to include a Polish airborne operation and a division-size joint river crossing. About 6,000 U.S. troops will be involved, including 4,000 Army personnel. Poland is deploying 2,000 troops for the drills. All medical precautions will be observed to prevent the spread of the virus, reported Agence France-Presse.



Switzerland—Defense Dept. Pushes Back Deadline For Proposals For Fighter, Air Defense Programs Swiss Dept. Of Defense | 05/14/2020 The Swiss Dept. of Defense has postponed the deadline for second proposals for its fighter replacement and ground-based air defense system programs. The deadline for the Air 2030 program has now been moved from August to November 2020 due to challenges posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the department said on Tuesday. Due to the pandemic, companies may have difficulty in performing some of the work due to work from home requirements. In addition, in-person meetings with Swiss officials, vital to such projects, cannot be held virtually due to the confidentiality of such discussions, the department said. For its fighter replacement, Switzerland is evaluating the Airbus Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and Dassault Rafale. Meanwhile, Raytheon is offering its PAC-3 and Eurosam its SAMP/T system for Switzerland's long-range air defense requirement.



China—Foreign Ministry Urges France To Halt Planned Arms Sale To Taiwan South China Morning Post | 05/14/2020 The Chinese Foreign Ministry has warned France to cancel a planned weapons sale to Taiwan or risk damaging bilateral relations, reports the South China Morning Post. France should abide by the one-China principle and halt all weapon sales to Taiwan, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said, as quoted by Reuters. The protest comes after France agreed to sell Taiwan Dagaie Mk 2 decoy launcher upgrade kits and ammunition for its Kang Ding-class frigates. The frigates, a derivative of the French La Fayette class, were purchased from France in the early 1990s. France continues to abide by the one-China policy but will respect its contractual commitments to Taiwan under the original terms of the sale, said the French Foreign Ministry. The ministry also urged China to focus its attention on combating the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.



Singapore—Large-Scale Overseas Drills Called Off Due To Pandemic Singapore Ministry Of Defense | 05/14/2020 Singapore has decided to suspend all of its large-scale exercises outside of its territory due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports the Singapore Ministry of Defense. This includes Exercise Wallaby, Singapore's largest annual exercise, which has been hosted by Australia since 1990 at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland. Training in Australia could resume on a small scale once conditions improve, in full compliance with necessary safety requirements, the ministry said. Singapore conducts a range of training overseas due to the lack of space in the city-state. The cancellation of large overseas exercises follows the suspension of basic military training on April 7, reported Channel News Asia.



Philippines—17 Rebels Killed In Week-Long Crackdown Rappler | 05/14/2020 At least 17 communist rebels have been killed in the Philippines during recent security operations, reports the Rappler (Manila). The operations from May 4 to May 11 covered the northern Luzon and southern Mindanao regions, according to a military statement on Wednesday. Another 21 rebels surrendered to authorities during that period. The largest confrontation occurred on May 10 in Gingoog City in the northern Mindanao region, where soldiers battled at least 80 New People's Army (NPA) militants. Ten rebels were killed in the fighting, the military said. During the operations, police and soldiers recovered 37 firearms, 10 improvised explosive devices (IEDS) and 1,262 rounds of ammunition. A cease-fire between the government and NPA expired on May 1, with both sides blaming the other for its collapse. I



ndia—Man Killed At Security Checkpoint In Kashmir Greater Kashmir News Network | 05/14/2020 A civilian has been killed at a checkpoint in Indian-administered Kashmir by the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), prompting wide-scale unrest, reports the Greater Kashmir newspaper. On Wednesday, the victim sped through a police checkpoint and then a CRPF checkpoint in the Budgam district before being shot by a paramilitary, said a CRPF spokesman. He died before reaching the hospital. The paramilitary force said it feared the man planned to attack an army convoy traveling on an adjacent road, reported the Scroll (India). The man's uncle, a local police officer who was in the car at the time, challenged this account, saying that his nephew was dropping him off at a police post in Srinagar and had not violated any police instructions, reported the Indian Express. One side of the road was closed due to the army convoy. The vehicle stopped at a police checkpoint on the other side and was allowed through. The officer at the checkpoint signaled the CRPF personnel at the next checkpoint, who opened fire, the victim's uncle said. News of the killing led to protests and clashes in the region.



Afghanistan—5 Die In Truck Bomb In Paktia Province TOLONews | 05/14/2020 At least five people have been killed and 19 injured in an attack on a defense ministry facility in Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province, reports the Tolo News (Kabul). On Thursday, a truck bomb exploded at the gate of a military court in Gardiz, said a spokesman for the 209 Thunder Corps. Images from the scene showed that much of the building was destroyed in the attack. The defense ministry said that a suicide bomber tried to approach the facility but was shot, causing him to prematurely detonate his device. Five soldiers and 14 civilians were wounded in the attack. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing. A spokesman for the interior ministry said that the Haqqani Network, a faction of the Taliban with links to Al-Qaida, was believed responsible, reported Reuters.



Nigeria—17 Die In Ethnic Violence In Kaduna State This Day | 05/14/2020 At least 17 people have been killed in an assault by suspected Fulani herdsman on an Adara village in Nigeria's northwestern Kaduna state, reports This Day (Lagos). On Tuesday, suspected Fulani gunmen attacked the Gonan-Rogo village in the Kajuru local government area, witnesses said. Villagers were shot and hacked to death with machetes and several houses burned down. Twelve people were killed on the spot in the village while five more were killed as they fled into the bush. Several more people were injured, said Awema Maisamari, the president of the Adara Development Association. Security personnel at a nearby checkpoint arrived two hours after the bandits fled, but did not enter the village, remaining on the main road, Maisamari said. President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the escalating wave of violence between the ethnic groups.



Sudan—Government Rejects Ethiopian Proposal On Nile Dam Al Jazeera | 05/14/2020 Sudan has declined to sign an initial agreement that would enable Ethiopia to begin filling its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). On Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok rejected the accord, citing a lack of coordination and planning on various issues, including potential environmental and social effects, reported the Sudan Tribune (Paris). Hamdok called on the U.S. to step in to restart stalled negotiations for a comprehensive solution that addresses Egyptian, Ethiopian and Sudanese concerns. In February, Egypt and Sudan walked out of U.S.-brokered talks on the dam. Ethiopia hopes that the project will jump start its economy and provide power to its neighbors, while Egypt and Sudan are concerned that filling the dam too quickly would reduce vital water supplies for drinking and agriculture. Addis Ababa has signaled its intention to begin filling the reservoir this summer.



Lesotho—Scandal-Ridden Government Finally Collapses Lesotho Times | 05/14/2020 The government of scandal-plagued Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has collapsed after the ruling coalition disintegrated, reports the Lesotho Times. On Monday, three of the four coalition parties, including Thabane's All Basotho Coalition (ABC), informed the speaker of the parliament of their withdrawal from the governing coalition. The fourth party later told the speaker that it also intended to leave. The speaker announced that Parliament would be adjourned until May 22 to facilitate the transfer of power to a new coalition government comprising the ABC and the opposition Democratic Congress as well as several smaller parties. The new coalition has tentatively agreed that Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro will serve as the new prime minister. A spokesman for Thabane confirmed that he would submit a letter of resignation on May 22, reported Reuters. Thabane has been under fire amid accusations that he plotted to murder his previous wife with his current wife. Earlier this month, Thabane indicated that he would not leave office before June 12, provided a process was in place for him to step down gracefully.









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