Millions of Muslims from around the world have started arriving in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, a central pillar of the Islamic faith that re-enacts the actions of the Prophet Muhammad from more than 1,400 years ago and before that the pagans would come to worship the black stone
Worshippers from more than 150 countries began gathering on Friday in the city, one of the holiest sites in Islam, to prepare for the five-day pilgrimage which starts on Saturday, September 10 looks like it will be over 106F each day as is usual for this time of year in Mecca
To address security concerns, nearly a thousand new surveillance cameras have been installed at Mecca's Grand Mosque, which will monitor crowd numbers, and the Jamarat stoning (a symbolic stoning of the devil based on historic tradition) will be more tightly controlled than in previous years....pilgrims will be given electronic bracelets storing personal and medical information that will help authorities provide care and identify people especially the dead ones.
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/10/2016 00:00 ||
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...Iranian mischief - and there WILL be some this year - begins the next day. Book it.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/10/2016 5:04 Comments ||
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#2
that's why the Saooodis excluded Iranian hajj attendees...like that'll work
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/10/2016 8:53 Comments ||
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What's the over / under on deaders this year, 500?
For India to meet equipment and weapons requirements necessary to expand its military capabilities in the next eleven years the country will need about $233 billion. There is some doubt as to whether the funds can be raised in that time, Sputnik reported.
They could do a third of this and still spend more than the Paks can spend...
The equipment and weapons are listed in the Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) for 2012-2027 and, according to Defense News, funding will be sourced chiefly through Capital Head, the Indian procurement budget. Defense spending will need to increase by at least 10 percent if the funding target is to be met.
The 2016-2017 funding allocation for Capital Head is $37.94 billion, a 2.3 percent increase from last year. Nitin Mehta, a defense analyst based in India, believes that the diminishing value of India’s national currency is going to be a considerable obstacle for India to meet its multi-billion dollar goal.
"Given the depreciating Indian rupee and near-stagnant fund allocation in the last two years, it is unlikely that there would be an annual increase of more than 11 percent to meet the target of $233 billion set by LTIPP for the next 11 years," he said.
Former Ministry of Defense financial adviser Amit Cowshish disagrees, offering, "The amount of US $233 billion works out to approximately 15,000,000 million Indian rupees. The current year's allocation for capital acquisitions is around 700,000 million rupees. Taking this as the base and assuming a reasonable yearly growth of 10 to 11 percent, the total allocation over the next 11 years would anyway be close to 15,000,000 million rupees. So any acquisition plan that is based on this financial assumption would be quite realistic."
According to LTIPP nearly 100 single-engine fighter jets, 12 submarines, more than 120 twin-engine fighter aircrafts, 500 helicopters and an aircraft carrier are listed to be purchased.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/10/2016 00:00 ||
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Something like $100-200 per citizen?
Seems like a reasonable price for defense.
Only 10% of their per capita GDP.
Talk to the Slumdog Millionaire.
#3
Yeah, but that one isn't semi-automatic and lacks a trigger padded with the finest Corinthian leather.
The basic idea - a rifle grenade that can be detonated at a defined point in space - is quite clever. The current implementation seems a bit unwieldy Hint: try cutting back on the features. The trick to design is not what to put in , but what to leave out,
#7
Shell size trumps all. A 25mm vs. 40mm payload means that as soon as this system gets debugged it will be too much money for too little bang. The new fuse for the 40mm and a sight for the Picatinny rails means you could airburst all sorts of interesting things: WP, CS, etc.
The United States Air Force test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Monday, the same day North Korea fired three midrange missiles into the Sea of Japan.
The test of the unarmed Minuteman III ICBM at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., comes at a time when President Obama has called for extended deterrence measures and reaffirmed U.S. commitment to the defense of regional Asian allies.
The missile's re-entry vehicle contained a telemetry package for operational testing and traveled about 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, according to the U.S. Air Force.
Col. Craig Ramsey, the 576th Flight Test Squadron commander, said the launch followed an "enormous reconfiguration of range assets that took six months to complete."
The launch was the first of its kind since late February, NBC affiliate KSBY-TV reported.
There were five launches in January and February before scheduled downtime, which was for the purpose of relocating launch equipment, according to the television network.
The Minuteman launch also came a few hours after the firing of North Korea missiles – a possible indication the U.S. test was conducted as a warning to Pyongyang's continued provocations, according to Yonhap news agency.
The United States has consistently warned of more defense measures against Pyongyang if the country continued to pursue weapons tests.
"North Korea needs to know that provocations will only invite more pressure and further deepen its isolation," U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday.
#1
"Herr Hitler North Korea needs to know that provocations will only invite more pressure and further deepen its isolation," British Prime Minister Chamberlain U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/10/2016 11:38 Comments ||
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So... why didn't it drop into one of the NKor's harbors?
Like why Kwajalein Atoll?
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