Month: December 2021

‘We’re Falling Behind’: 2022 Seen As A Pivotal Lap In The Space Race With China

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Politico:

China is showing no sign of slowing its pace to surpass the U.S. and other powers in space transportation and exploration, say current and former officials and space industry experts.

“It’s becoming more and more clear how dominant China wants to be with regard to space and the space economy,” said Steve Kwast, a retired Air Force lieutenant general and space strategist. “They see the profit margin, they see the economic revenue stream and they see the national security implications.”

The competition will play out in myriad ways in 2022 that could ultimately determine which country seizes the upper hand.

See also: China Harvests Masses Of Data On Western Targets, Documents Show

Following Biden-Putin Talks, Russia Calls On US To Heed Demands

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Al Jazeera:

Russia will move to “eliminate unacceptable threats” if the United States and NATO do not respond to the Kremlin’s security demands, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned, following top-level talks between the rival powers.

Lavrov told Russia’s state-run Ria Novosti news agency on Friday that the foreign ministry would not allow the proposals to be rolled up in “endless discussions” as tensions simmer between Moscow and Western powers over Ukraine, where fears of a possible Russian invasion have risen in recent months, increased by Moscow’s deployment of tens of thousands of troops along the two countries shared border.

See also:
–Russia Test-Fires New Hypersonic Tsirkon Missiles From Frigate, Submarine
–Russia Continues To Move Troops To Ukraine Border – CIT
–China, Russia Scaling Up Cooperation In Space, Energy Sector – Xi Jinping

The Biden Team Knows Its Iran Policy Is Failing

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Foreign Policy:

The Biden administration now admits a nuclear deal with Iran may not happen despite its continued outreach to Tehran. There are signs the administration wants to pin the blame on former U.S. President Donald Trump, whose withdrawal from the original nuclear deal supposedly provided Iran with the pretext to advance its nuclear weapons capabilities. But the uncomfortable truth is Iran’s most aggressive moves came after U.S. President Joe Biden was elected. What’s driving Tehran forward is not Trump’s maximum pressure campaign but Biden’s decision to ease that pressure. Simply put: Iran is doing what it can get away with.

See also: ‘U.S. Weaker Than Ever,’ Says Iranian President

Iran Space Launch Fails To Put Payloads Into Orbit, Official Says

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Reuters:

Iran’s space launch on Thursday failed to put its three payloads into orbit after the rocket was unable to reach the required speed, a defence ministry spokesman said in remarks carried on state television on Friday.

The attempted launch, which came as indirect U.S.-Iran talks take place in Austria to try to salvage a 2015 nuclear deal, drew criticism from the United States, Germany and France.

“For a payload to enter orbit, it needs to reach speeds above 7,600 (metres per second). We reached 7,350,” the spokesman, Ahmad Hosseini, said in a documentary about the launch vehicle broadcast on state TV and posted online.

On Thursday, Hosseini did not clarify whether the devices had reached orbit, but suggested the launch was a test ahead of coming attempts to put satellites into orbit.

Documents Reveal Basic Flaws In Pentagon Dismissals Of Civilian Casualty Claims

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The New York Times:

An analysis of confidential Pentagon documents by The Times’s Visual Investigations unit found that a number of allegations of civilian casualties had been dismissed as “noncredible” based on flawed reviews of evidence — oversights that Times reporters were able to detect using resources widely available to the public. That included websites like Google Maps and Wikimapia, a crowdsourced mapping platform. Typically, U.S. military assessors have access to far more robust resources, such as strike logs and video feeds of airstrikes.

“I’ll tell you what it is: That’s negligence,” said Marc Garlasco, a former Pentagon senior intelligence analyst. “That is plain and simple. It is the most basic level of investigation that they should be doing, and not to do it is completely negligent.”

Parents Selling Children Shows Desperation In Afghanistan

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NPR:

The aid-dependent country’s economy was already teetering when the Taliban seized power in mid-August amid a chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops. The international community froze Afghanistan’s assets abroad and halted all funding, unwilling to work with a Taliban government given its reputation for brutality during its previous rule 20 years ago.

The consequences have been devastating for a country battered by four decades of war, a punishing drought and the coronavirus pandemic. Legions of state employees, including doctors, haven’t been paid in months. Malnutrition and poverty stalk the most vulnerable, and aid groups say more than half the population faces acute food shortages.

COVID-19 In Arkansas: Upsurge Of Cases Continue, Gov. Hutchinson Urges Precautions

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KARK:

Data from the Arkansas Department of Health show the number of active cases in the state increased by 3,090 in 24 hours, making the total number of active cases 21,734. The ADH reported 3,957 new cases from the previous day, pushing the total number of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic to 566,486.

The figures reported on Friday show there are now 9,148 Arkansans who have died because of COVID-19, an increase of 17 from the previous day.

Christmas Honors Needing Help With Wreath Pickup In Fort Smith

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KFSM:

Christmas Honors is asking for the community’s help picking up Christmas wreaths off tombstones at the Fort Smith National Cemetary.

Over 16,000 wreaths were placed at the 13th Annual Christmas Honors event on Dec. 4. to honor the men and women who served our nation. 

Volunteers are needed at the Fort Smith Convention Center Hall C on Jan. 5 at 9 a.m. to help with the pickup, cleaning, and packing of wreaths. People with a truck and trailer are also needed to help transport the wreaths. 

China, Russia Set To Renew Cooperation Deal As Space Rivalry With US Escalates

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South China Morning Post:

China and Russia are expected to sign a new five-year agreement on space cooperation next year, state media said, as the two neighbours plan to team up in space in the intensifying competition with the United States.

Under the new deal, which is to come into effect in 2023 after the current agreement ends next year, the two sides plan to jointly build an international lunar research station by 2035.

Earlier this week, Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), told state broadcaster CCTV that the country would carry out three further missions to the moon in the next 10 years, including the Chang’e 8 moon landing mission, which aims to set up a lunar research station by around 2027.

If achieved, that would establish the research base eight years before the deal with Russia proposes to do so.

See also: China Says U.S. Has Lost Global Credibility, Urges Russia Alignment

Biden Talks Sanctions, Putin Warns Of Rupture Over Ukraine

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ABC News:

President Joe Biden has warned Russia’s Vladimir Putiin that the U.S. could impose new sanctions against Russia if it takes further military action against Ukraine, while Putin responded that such a U.S. move could lead to a complete rupture of ties between the nations.

The two leaders spoke frankly for nearly an hour Thursday amid growing alarm over Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine, a crisis that has deepened as the Kremlin has stiffened its insistence on border security guarantees and test-fired hypersonic missiles to underscore its demands.

Further U.S. sanctions “would be a colossal mistake that would entail grave consequences,” said Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters in Moscow after the Biden-Putin phone conversation. He added that Putin told Biden that Russia would act as the U.S. would if offensive weapons were deployed near American borders.

See also: Russian Ambassador Says No One Should Doubt Russia Is Determined To Defend Its Security

Iran Launches Rocket Into Space As Nuclear Talks Continue

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Al Jazeera:

Iran has launched a satellite carrier rocket bearing three research devices into space, according to state media, as difficult negotiations over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers continue in Vienna.

The reports on Thursday did not say when the launch was conducted, nor what devices the carrier brought with it. It was unclear whether any of the objects entered orbit around the Earth.

Iraqis Remember Saddam Hussein 15 Years After His Execution

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The National:

Fifteen years after the execution of Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraqis are still divided about his rule and legacy.

“Saddam’s era saw big achievements and setbacks in all fields,” Baghdad resident Riyadh Ahmed Salih told The National.

“But after him Iraq is literally collapsed and we have been seeing one setback after another,” said Mr Salih, 68, a retired teacher.

General Says US Troops To Remain In Iraq

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The North State Journal:

The top U.S. commander for the Middle East said that the United States will keep the current 2,500 troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future, and he warned that he expects increasing attacks on U.S. and Iraqi personnel by Iranian-backed militias determined to get American forces out. 

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said in an interview with The Associated Press at the Pentagon that despite the shift by U.S. forces to a non-combat role in Iraq, they will still provide air support and other military aid for Iraq’s fight against the Islamic State. 

Noting that Iranian-backed militias want all Western forces out of Iraq, he said an ongoing uptick in violence may continue through December. 

“They actually want all U.S. forces to leave, and all U.S. forces are not going to leave,” he said, adding that as a result, “that may provoke a response as we get later into the end of the month.” 

Operation Iraqi Freedom continues pointlessly into the foreseeable future.

U.S. Sanctions Push Iran And Afghanistan’s Taliban Together

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The Wall Street Journal:

Two decades ago, Iran helped the U.S. topple the Taliban regime to remove what it saw as a threat to its national security and fellow Shia Muslims in Afghanistan.

Now, four months after the Taliban seized power in Kabul, Iran and Afghanistan are both struggling under crippling U.S. sanctions—a predicament that is pushing them to put longstanding ideological and political differences aside as they seek to fill the vacuum left behind by American troops.

Unvaccinated Okla. Air National Guardsmen Prohibited From Participating In Future Drills

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News 9:

Unvaccinated members of the Oklahoma Air National Guard without a medical or religious exemption will be prohibited from participating in drills according to a statement issued by Brigadier General Thomas H. Mancino on Thursday.

In the statement, Brig. Gen. Mancino says he fully supports Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s authority over the National Guard when not federalized, however, he states that the extent of Governor Stitt’s authority is a legal question.

Brig. Gen. Mancino said that the Governor Concurs with his decision.

“Above all else, we are a country governed by the rule of law. We may challenge policies in court, but it is our duty to follow a ruling once made,” said Brig. Gen Mancino.

See also: Oklahoma Officials Say They Will Not Punish National Guard Members Who Refuse Vaccination Despite Federal Judge’s Ruling

Storms, Snow Possible In Northwest Arkansas This Weekend

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Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:

Fort Smith and the River Valley is under a slight risk of large hail and damaging winds on Friday night and Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Washington County is at marginal risk of getting the severe weather.

Most of Benton County is likely to only see general thunderstorms.

Temperatures are expected to drop significantly Saturday night — as low as 14 degrees in Fayetteville.

A 30 percent chance of snow is forecast for Fayetteville that night, according to the National Weather Service’s website.

Fort Smith may see a slight chance of snow, the service’s site states.