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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 25 Mar 2010 [PDF]
• March 23 airpower summary AFNS 25 Mar 2010 -- Coalition airpower integrated with ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations March 23 according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Iraqi Forces Arrest 15 Suspected Terrorists AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- Iraqi forces arrested 15 terrorism suspects in various security operations yesterday and today, military officials reported.
• Gates: Guarded Optimism About Afghan War VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday he is guardedly optimistic about the U.S.-led military campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared at a Senate hearing in support of the Obama administration's request for additional funding for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
• Afghan Air Corps Vital to Country’s Security AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- The Afghan National Army’s air corps is critical to NATO’s mission to grow and empower security forces in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and other insurgents, a top U.S. officer posted in Kabul said today.
• Deputy Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces, Visits U.S. Detention Facilty In Parwan, Meets With IA Sailors Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2010 -- Deputy Commander U.S. Fleet Forces Vice Adm. Peter H. Daly visited the Detention Facility in Parwan (DFIP) and the adjoining Camp Sabalu Harrison in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, Mar. 20 to get a closer look at the contributions made by individual augmentee (IA) Sailors assigned here.
• 5th Maint. Co. recovers aircraft, gets Bagram airfield operational Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- Eight Soldiers from 5th Maintenance Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, towed a disabled Airbus 300 aircraft off the Bagram Airfield flight line earlier this month to assist in restoring full flight operations to the airfield.
• Airmen help Afghans fly C-27 mission AFNS 25 Mar 2010 -- A joint aircrew of U.S. Airmen from the 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron and Afghan soldiers in the Afghanistan National Army Air Corps completed an operational C-27 Spartan mission here March 24.
• Top UN human rights official in Afghanistan calls for repeal of amnesty law UN News Centre 25 Mar 2010 -- The United Nations human rights office in Afghanistan today called for the repeal of a controversial amnesty law in the Asian country, saying that it green-lights impunity for serious crimes and continued rights violations.
• UN welcomes Pakistan’s move to extend validity of Afghan registration cards UN News Centre 25 Mar 2010 -- The top United Nations officials for refugees today welcomed Pakistan’s decision to extend the validity of official identification cards for 1.7 million registered Afghans whose cards had expired at the end of December 2009.
• Quartermaster company makes history Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- A Fort Lee unit has made history as the first petroleum pipeline terminal operating company serving in Operation Enduring Freedom to transform into a gun truck company.
• UN Envoy Meets with Afghan Insurgent Faction in Kabul VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- The United Nations envoy to Afghanistan has met in Kabul with representatives of one of the country's main militant factions.
• Forces in Afghanistan Capture Suspected Militants AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- Afghan and international security forces captured several suspected militants in various recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported.
• Gates, Mullen Address Need for Trainers in Afghanistan AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- Though the number of trainers for Afghan security forces has increased significantly, the process is a work in progress and the American people must have patience, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.
• Top UN Envoy Meets Afghan Militant Delegation RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- The top UN envoy for Afghanistan has met with delegates from one of the country's main militant groups.
• Russia and NATO divided over Afghan opium RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- On March 24, Russia and NATO discussed efforts to combat drug trafficking in Afghanistan at an extended meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels.
• AFGHANISTAN: Human rights under pressure IRIN 25 Mar 2010 -- Afghanistan’s hard-won post-Taliban human rights achievements are being eroded due to the persistent immunity from prosecution of powerful figures, the intensifying conflict, and the adoption of laws which undermine justice and human rights, a UN official warns.
• PAKISTAN: Return to broken homes, empty schools in northwest IRIN 25 Mar 2010 -- Some of the estimated 430,000 people who fled Bajaur and neighbouring Mohmand agency near the Afghan border in northwestern Pakistan since fighting began in August 2008 have returned - to broken homes and empty schools.
• Bataan, 22nd MEU Complete Operation Unified Response Support Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2010 -- Multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) and embarked Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) completed support to Operation Unified Response and departed Haiti March 24 after 10 weeks on-station.
• FDPMU Returns From Haiti Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2010 -- The Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Unit (FDPMU) returned to Norfolk March 19 after seven weeks in Haiti supporting the disaster relief efforts of Operation Unified Response.
• 3/450th AFSB continues humanitarian support to Haiti Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- The 3rd Battalion, 405th Army Field Support Brigade received another request for a shipment of humanitarian supplies to Haiti from the U.S. Agency for International Development early this month. This shipment was the fifth shipment of humanitarian supplies that the battalion shipped to Haiti.
• Operation Unified Response Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- A massive earthquake struck Haiti Jan. 12. Two days later, paratroopers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, were on the ground in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
• UN starts work to set up camps for Haiti’s earthquake survivors UN News Centre 25 Mar 2010 -- Engineers from the United Nations mission in Haiti have started preparing the ground for the establishment of new and better camps to house hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after January’s catastrophic earthquake, the head of UN peacekeeping operations said today.
• Commander Discusses Brigade’s Role in Haiti AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- Hundreds of Army paratroopers continue to provide humanitarian aid to earthquake survivors in Haiti, even as they prepare to return home.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Former Judge Advocate General of the Navy to Oversee Military Commission Process DoD 25 Mar 2010 -- Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates today appointed retired Navy Vice Adm. Bruce E. MacDonald to the position of convening authority for military commissions.
• China Objects to Uighur Detainees' Transfer VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- China's Foreign Ministry has expressed opposition to the U.S. transfer of two Chinese Muslims – also known as Uighurs – from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Switzerland.
• US, Russia Hammer Out New Nuclear Agreement VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- The United States and Russia say a new strategic arms agreement will be formally announced when the presidents of both countries have spoken with one another about it. White House and Russian Foreign Ministry spokesmen say the conversation is expected soon. A new accord would set an auspicious tone for President Barack Obama's nuclear summit in Washington on April 12 and 13. The agreement faced difficult negotiations, and more problems could emerge during ratification in the U.S. Senate.
• Transcript: DOD News Briefing with Secretary Gates and Adm. Mullen from the Pentagon DoD 25 Mar 2010-- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen
• Transcript: DOD News Briefing with Jeh Johnson from the Pentagon DoD 25 Mar 2010 -- Presenter: General Counsel for Department Of Defense, Jeh Johnson
• Pentagon Changes ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Enforcement AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced changes to the Pentagon’s regulation on homosexuals serving in the military that he said make the Defense Department’s enforcement of the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law “fairer and more appropriate.”
• US, Pakistan Pledge to Deepen Cooperation, Fortify Friendship VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- The United States and Pakistan have ended their first ever U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue at the ministerial level with a pledge to deepen cooperation in defense, security, economy, trade, and other areas.
• US, Pakistan Hold Second Day of Talks VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- Top U.S. and Pakistani officials are meeting for the second day of the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Washington.
• Clinton, Gates Urge Supplemental Budget’s Passage AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates urged senators today to quickly approve a $37.5 billion supplemental budget request to fund ongoing operations.
• Guard Should Remain an Operational Reserve AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- National Guard leaders went to Capitol Hill yesterday with a message to Congress from Guardsmen: “We want to remain an operational reserve.”
• Air Force officials take step toward cleaner fuel, energy independence AFNS 25 Mar 2010 -- Air Force officials, embracing the national priorities of cleaner fuel and energy independence, took a step toward a greener, energy independent future when an A-10C Thunderbolt II here took to the air March 25 fueled with a blend of Hydrotreated Renewable Jet, or HRJ, and JP-8.
• JBPHH Conducts Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield '10 Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2010 -- Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) participated in Exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield '10 (SC/CS-10), an annual security training exercise coordinated by U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF) March 22-26.
• ATRC's Aegis Pilot Program Graduates its First Class Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2010 -- Twelve Sailors graduated from Aeigis Training and Readiness Center's (ATRC) first Aegis Fire Controlman (FC) Radar Apprentice pilot class March 8.
• DoN Wraps Up First SARC Summit Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2010 -- The Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) summit hosted by the Department of the Navy (DON) will come to a close in New Orleans March 26.
• USS New York Completes CSSQT Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2010 -- USS New York (LPD 21) successfully completed Combat Systems Ship Qualifications Trials, March 22 after spending 15 days at sea conducting tests of the ship's weapons systems.
• Deputy Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Changes Hands Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2010 -- Deputy commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet changed hands at the 2nd Fleet Maritime Headquarters March 25.
• Carl Vinson Partners with Peru to Promote Maritime Security Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2010 -- USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) is conducting joint operations from March 25 to April 2 with Peruvian naval and air forces as part of Southern Seas 2010, a major component of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Partnership of the Americas.
• Commander, Troops Support Korea Tour Plan AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- Troops stationed in South Korea -- from the top general officer to the newest privates -- call the new tour normalization policy a huge boost for military families, particularly when they’re so often separated during combat deployments.
• 187th turns Fort Campbell upside down: Fort Jackson team teaches MRAP recovery in course Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- Turning a flipped vehicle as large as the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected transport is a difficult job for inexperienced mechanics.
• 92nd Chem Co preps to deploy with FTX Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- The 23rd Chemical Battalion out of Fort Lewis, Wash., conducted a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear platoon executive evaluation for the 92nd Chemical Company, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. This training exercise was conducted in order to prepare the Company to assume a Prepare-to-Deploy mission in the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility.
• 3rd Brigade leaders, Soldiers share lessons learned in Afghanistan Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- An important step in resetting 3rd Brigade Combat Team after its return from Afghanistan consists of taking lessons learned during training and deployment and using them to influence the next BCT rotation.
• Army to stem overuse of prescription drugs, Congress told Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- Overuse of prescription painkillers by Soldiers -- as reported recently in the civilian press -- may be the result of seemingly unrelenting deployments to both Afghanistan and Iraq.
• 1/75th Rangers get new commander Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- The change of command for the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment took place beneath the moss-draped trees of Forsyth Park in Savannah, March 18.
• Fort Stewart gate construction steers motorists to alternate routes Army News 25 Mar 2010 -- For several months, motorists have experienced delays while driving onto and off Fort Stewart, but according to Arthur Weston, chief of physical security with the Directorate of Emergency Services, those delays can be avoided if more drivers would choose alternate routes.
• Air Force leaders expand force management options AFNS 25 Mar 2010 -- A joint aircrew of U.S. Airmen from the 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron and Afghan soldiers in the Afghanistan National Army Air Corps completed an operational C-27 Spartan mission here March 24.
• CSAF: Air Force Global Strike Command mission requires constant vigilance AFNS 25 Mar 2010 -- The Air Force chief of staff opened the first-ever Air Force Global Strike Command commander's conference Mar. 24 via video teleconference, telling wing commanders, spouses, command chiefs and civic leaders from across the command that they have a critical mission that requires constant vigilance.
• VA officials propose change to aid veterans exposed to Agent Orange AFNS 25 Mar 2010 -- More than 100,000 veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will have an easier path to qualify for disability pay under a proposed regulation published by Department of Veterans Affairs officials that adds three new illnesses to the list of health problems found to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures.
• Official Hails Effect of Unmanned Aircraft on Warfare AFPS 25 Mar 2010 -- Perhaps no other weapon platform has more significantly transformed the way the U.S. military wages war in recent years than unmanned aerial aircraft, a senior defense official told Congress yesterday.
• Marine Corps Systems Command studies effects of protective equipment on Marines in Afghanistan USMC News 25 Mar 2010 -- A three-man team from the Program Management Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad, Marine Corps Systems Command visited the Marines of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, at Combat Outpost Sharp, Garmsir District, Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 18.
• Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 arrives USMC News 25 Mar 2010 -- Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 121 arrived here as part of the Unit Deployment Program March 14. VMFA (AW)-121 is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 11 and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
• VMFA(AW)-242 receives squadron painting USMC News 25 Mar 2010 -- Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 was presented with an original painting by Satoshi Watanabe, a Japanese painter and military aircraft fanatic, here March 15.
• Air Force officials continue plans to modernize GPS AFNS 25 Mar 2010 -- Through the years, the Global Positioning System has become one of the most widely-used Air Force applications.
• Replacement of Soviet fighters with U.S. F-16s to cost Romania $1.3 billion RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- The replacement of Soviet-made MiG-21 Lancer fighters with second-hand U.S. F-16 Falcon jets will cost Romania around $1.3 billion, the Romanian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
• Russia delivers first 3 helicopter gunships to Brazil RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- Russia has delivered the first batch of Mi-35M Hind E attack helicopters to Brazil, a Russian state arms exporter said on Thursday.
• White House: US, Russia Very Close to Nuclear Treaty VOA 24 Mar 2010 -- A White House official said Wednesday that the United States and Russia are "very close" to an agreement on a nuclear arms reduction treaty. The official says that when a signing ceremony is held, it will be in Prague.
• Russia, U.S. Said To Reach Agreement On New Arms Pact RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- Russia and the United States have reportedly resolved all remaining differences on a new arms control treaty and could sign a landmark nuclear arms reduction agreement in Prague in a few weeks.
• Obama, Medvedev poised to sign arms control treaty in Prague RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010
• Signature date for Russia-U.S. arms cut pact not yet set RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- The date for the signing ceremony of a new strategic arms pact between Russia and the United States has not yet been set, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
• Russian Air Force denies it violated British airspace RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- Russia's Air Force has denied claims by Britain that Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers violated UK airspace on March 10.
• Russia will only buy fully-equipped Mistral from France - Gen. Staff chief RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- The chief of the Russian General Staff said Thursday that Russia would only buy a fully-equipped Mistral-class amphibious assault ship from France.
• Russian warship to take part in Blackseafor naval drills RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- The Caesar Kunikov large amphibious landing ship from Russia's Black Sea Fleet will take part in regular Blackseafor naval drills in April, the fleet's press office said on Thursday.
• Russian Airborne Troops to hold exercises in northwest Russia RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- Over 300 paratroopers from the 76th Airborne Division will be airdropped during military exercises in northwest Russia on Thursday, Airborne Troops spokesman Col. Alexander Cherednik said.
• Ukraine will not join military blocs - Yanukovych RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- Ukraine will not choose in favor of one particular collective security system, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said on Thursday.
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Air Force One En Route Iowa City, Iowa The White House 25 Mar 2010

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 25, 2010
• Green Light To Develop Next Generation of Royal Navy Warships BAE Systems 25 Mar 2010 -- BAE Systems has been awarded a four year £127 million contract by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to take forward the programme to develop a new generation of combat ships for the Royal Navy.
• UK Government Go-Ahead for Fifth and Sixth Astute Submarines BAE Systems 25 Mar 2010 -- has been shipped into third in class Artful, successfully completing one of the boat’s 2010 milestones. Construction of major steelwork for fourth in class Audacious continues after its keel was laid in 2009.
• Boeing Completes CF-18 Hornet Modernization Project for Canada Boeing 25 Mar 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today delivered the 79th -- and final -- upgraded CF-18 Hornet aircraft to the Canadian Department of National Defence during a ceremony in Mirabel, Quebec, hosted by industry partner L-3 Communications MAS, who performed final upgrade installations. The delivery brings the nine-year, two-phased CF-18 Modernization Project to a close.
• General Dynamics Awarded $22 Million to Support New Navy Air and Missile Defense Command General Dynamics 25 Mar 2010 -- General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a five-year, $21.8 million task order under the SeaPort-e contract to provide support to the new U.S. Navy Air and Missile Defense Command (NAMDC) at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren in Dahlgren, Va.
• Northrop Grumman Awarded U.S. Army Joint Fires Training Contract Northrop Grumman 25 Mar 2010 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), as part of a team, has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to provide training development, instruction and analysis to artillery observers and electronic warfare specialists at the Joint Fires Center of Excellence (COE) in Fort Sill, Okla.
• Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) releases annual results for the year ended 31 December 2009 Denel 25 Mar 2010 -- Denel’s associate, Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) released its financial results for the 2009 financial year today. RDM, a strategic equity partnership (SEP) between state-owned defence and technology company, Denel, and Germany’s Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH (RWM), successfully managed a profit of R89m before interest and tax, with R53m cash on hand after major investment outflows.
• Rheinmetall takes over the defence operations of Italy's SEI SpA, widening its lead in the European defence technology industry Rheinmetall Defence 25 Mar 2010 -- Expanding its portfolio and simultaneously strengthening its position as one of Europe's leading suppliers of defence technology systems, the Rheinmetall Group has agreed with France's EPC Group to take over the defence business operations and assets of its Italian subsidiary Società Esplosivi Industriali SpA (SEI). Rheinmetall will continue to pursue SEI's defence activities, i.e. developing and manufacturing ammunition, under the name RWM Italia Munitions S.r.l..
• Thales chosen to modernise IFF for India’s MiG-29 Thales 25 Mar 2010 -- Thales has been awarded a contract by Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RSK-MiG) to deliver IFF1 Combined Interrogator Transponder (CIT) and Cryptographic National Secure Mode (NSM), for the retrofit of the MiG-29 multi-role fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The first CIT will be delivered to RSK-MiG in 2010 and the first building block of a comprehensive secure identification capability in India mid-2011.
• SAIC Awarded $26 Million Task Order to Support Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) SAIC 25 Mar 2010 -- Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) (NYSE: SAI) today announced it has been awarded a task order by the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) Directorate of Information Management to provide information technology services. The contract has a seven month base period of performance, a single one-year option, one two month option, and a total value of $26 million if all options are exercised. Work will be performed at WRAMC and its satellite medical treatment facilities. The task order was awarded under the U.S. Army's Information Technology Enterprise Solutions - 2 Services (ITES-2S) contract.

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 25 Mar 2010
• Press Conference by Under-Secretaries-General for Peacekeeping, Field Support United Nations 25 Mar 2010
• UN Human Rights Council: Israel Must Pay Palestinians Reparations VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- The United Nations Human Rights Council has called on Israel to pay Palestinians in the Gaza Strip reparations for damages suffered during the Israeli offensive about a year ago.
• Netanyahu to Meet with Cabinet on Israeli-US Rift VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to consult with his Cabinet late Thursday, after failing to repair a rift with the United States over construction in East Jerusalem.
• UN Human Rights Council calls for independent inquiry into Gaza conflict UN News Centre 25 Mar 2010 -- The United Nations Human Rights Council today, echoing the General Assembly, called on the Israeli Government and the Palestinian side to carry out independent and credible investigations into the deadly conflict in the Gaza Strip that ended early last year.
• Netanyahu Ends US Visit Without Resolving Settlement Dispute VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- Israel's leader is returning home from the United States after failing to resolve a dispute over Jewish settlement expansion.
• Netanyahu Concludes U.S. Visit With No Breakthrough Announced RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appears to have concluded a visit to the United States without any breakthrough to resolve differences with U.S. officials over Israeli settlement plans and getting peace talks with Palestinians back on track.
• Jordanian King Warns Israel 'Playing With Fire' In East Jerusalem RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- King Abdullah II of Jordan has said the Middle East peace process is "at a crossroads" because of Israel's plans to extend construction in East Jerusalem.
• OPT: Egyptian steel barrier tests Gazan mettle IRIN 25 Mar 2010 -- Egypt’s imminent completion of an above-and-below-ground steel barrier along its border with the Gaza Strip is putting Gazans on edge: How will they survive without the huge trade conducted via underground tunnels?
• Experienced official to head integrated UN mission in Burundi UN News Centre 25 Mar 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed today a veteran United Nations official with experience in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and humanitarian action as his new Executive Representative in Burundi.
• SRI LANKA: Former rebel capital struggles with returnee influx IRIN 25 Mar 2010 -- The northern Sri Lankan town of Kilinochchi – former capital of the defeated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – is struggling to address the needs of thousands of returnees.
• SOMALIA: Camp leaders are doing it for themselves IRIN 25 Mar 2010 -- Managing camps for displaced people is usually a complex business involving aid agencies, governments and elaborate coordination mechanisms.
• KENYA: Urban refugees need legal clarity, says report IRIN 25 Mar 2010 -- Tens of thousands of refugees living in Kenyan cities will continue to suffer police harassment, lack of protection, violation of their human rights and discrimination, as long as the government fails to properly implement recent legislation, says a report by the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK).
• Kabardian Insurgent Leader Killed In Nalchik RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- The website of the Kabarda, Balkaria, and Karachai jamaat of the North Caucasus insurgency this morning confirmed Russian military claims that its leader, Anzor Astemirov (nom de guerre Amir Seyfullakh), was killed late on March 24 in a shoot-out with police on the street in Nalchik.
• WFP Report says No Evidence of Food Diversion In Somalia VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- The head of the World Food Program says previous internal investigations have found no evidence of food aid having been illegally diverted in Somalia. A U.N. report leaked earlier this month charges up to half the Somalia aid is being diverted to corrupt contractors, radical Islamic groups, and local U.N. workers.
• UN official briefs Djibouti’s President on latest developments in Darfur UN News Centre 25 Mar 2010 -- The top United Nations official in Darfur has concluded a two-day visit to Djibouti, where he briefed the country’s President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh on recent developments in the conflict-affected region of western Sudan.

News Reports

• Bin Laden Warns US Against Executing 9/11 Mastermind VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- Osama bin Laden is threatening to kill any American captured by al-Qaida if the United States executes the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
• Nesterenko: Bushehr NPP to be operational based on schedule IRNA 25 Mar 2010 -- Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said here on Thursday that Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant will come on stream based on schedule.
• Moscow favors diplomacy over Iran nuclear issue IRNA 25 Mar 2010 -- Russia has called for diplomatic solution to Iran nuclear issue.
• Iran Considers Cutting Subsidies, But At What Cost? RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- A recent pronouncement by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appears to have settled a long-standing row between President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's government and parliament on how to reduce and gradually eliminate government subsidies of basic goods and services.
• China Joins Talks On Iran Sanctions RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- China has taken part in a conference call with five other world powers to discuss a U.S. proposal for a fourth round of United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program -- but no deal has yet emerged.
• Ahmadinejad: West Making 'Fuss' About Iran Nuclear Program VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has again dismissed concerns about Iran's controversial nuclear program -- accusing Western countries of making, in his words, a "fuss" about the issue.
• Israel able to replace expelled UK diplomat IRNA 25 Mar 2010 -- Israel will be allowed to replace the senior Mossad station chief being expelled from Britain if it offers assurances that forged UK passports will never be used again for clandestine operations, it was reported Thursday.
• China Urges Stronger Communication with US VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- China says it is willing to strengthen communication with the United States, in spite of recent a frictions between the two countries.
• SYRIA: Why the water shortages? IRIN 25 Mar 2010 -- Poor planning and management, wasteful irrigation systems, intensive wheat and cotton farming and a rapidly growing population are straining water resources in Syria in a year which has seen unprecedented internal displacement as a result of drought in eastern and northeastern parts of the country.
• Iraqi Interior Minister Calls for Vote Results Delay VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani is demanding a delay in the release of the country's parliamentary election results.
• Georgian, two Russians sentenced 11-15 years for spying for Georgia RIA Novosti 25 Mar 2010 -- A Russian military court in the North Caucasus sentenced on Thursday a Georgian national and two Russians between 11-15 years in jail on charges of treason and espionage.
• Press Conference by New UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Guinea United Nations 25 Mar 2010
• Upcoming polls in Myanmar must be transparent, say Ban and Group of Friends UN News Centre 25 Mar 2010 -- National elections scheduled to be held in Myanmar later this year – the first in the country in two decades – must be “inclusive, participatory and transparent,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a group of key nations said today.
• UN Chief to Burma: Create Conditions for Free & Fair Elections VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the government of Burma must create conditions that give all stakeholders the opportunity to participate freely in elections, if the vote is to be viewed as fair and credible.
• Nigerian Lawmakers Amend Constitution; Legislature, State Assemblies and Electoral Commission Will No Longer be Funded Directly by Government VOA 25 Mar 2010 -- In Nigeria, pro-democracy groups say new amendments to the Constitution should improve the electoral process. Senators changed Section 36 to grant autonomy to the Senate itself, the state assemblies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Their funding will no longer come directly from the government.
• EU Economy Summit Overshadowed By 'Greek Tragedy' RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- The EU has spent nearly two months now trying to grapple with what has become known as the "Greek tragedy" -- Greece's teetering on the brink of state bankruptcy as a result of profligate boom-time spending.
• Shaimiyev's Long Reign Ends In Tatarstan RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- longtime ally and Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov. Shaimiyev also managed to secure an influential postretirement government job as "state adviser" in Tatarstan, a move that ensures the ex-president will maintain some degree of influence over the oil-rich republic.
• Tatarstan's New President Sworn In RFE/RL 25 Mar 2010 -- Tatarstan's Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov has been inaugurated as the Russian republic's new president in a ceremony in Kazan, RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reports.