B83 nuclear warhead

A US military operation to shoot down a Chinese "spy balloon" that had been hovering in American airspace came at a tense time for the two superpowers, whose relationship has been on rocky ground for years. But how did the US successfully down it with a single missile - and what intelligence are they now hoping to find in the wreckage? A vast underwater search is now taking place to find the remains of the balloon, which the United States is confident will show the Chinese were lying about its purpose above American airspace. China has previously said it was used for meteorological research and veered off course due to high winds, and with limited "self-steering capabilities" it was unable to right itself. Yet the Pentagon says the balloon, which was carrying sensors and surveillance equipment, was manoeuvrable and showed it could change course when it loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed. The balloon was then seen … [Read more...] about How did the US successfully shoot down China’s ‘spy balloon’ with a single missile – and what was on it?

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has scheduled a major political conference to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector, a possible sign of worsening food insecurity as the country's economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Monday that members of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Politburo met on Sunday and agreed to hold a larger plenary meeting of the party’s Central Committee in late February to review strategies on agriculture and set new goals. It said the Politburo members acknowledged a “a turning point is needed to dynamically promote the radical change in agricultural development.” “It is a very important and urgent task to establish the correct strategy for the development of agriculture and take relevant measures for the immediate farming … to promote the overall … [Read more...] about North Korea party meeting set to discuss ‘urgent’ food issue

A former CIA officer said on Sunday that she is "hopeful" about the information that can now be recovered from the downed Chinese spy balloon. The strange craft was first sighted over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday, and despite China's claims about it being a weather balloon, it was ultimately found to be a surveillance device. Following days of debate and calls for the craft to be shot down, the U.S. military finally took out the balloon over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday afternoon roughly six nautical miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Countering criticism over the government's seeming inaction against the balloon earlier in the week, President Joe Biden said that he first ordered the balloon destroyed on Wednesday, but military officials insisted that they wait until it was over the ocean, to prevent debris from harming people on the ground. Following its destruction, the government began the process of recovering parts of the craft to see what … [Read more...] about Former CIA officer explains how Chinese spy balloon may benefit U.S.

The next phase of the Ukraine War, a new Russian offensive and a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive, seems all but inevitable for late winter or early spring. The logic of escalation is prevailing, the mutual belief that no peace deal is possible until the other side understands that it can’t win. The Ukrainian hope for how this escalation ends was sketched out by Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a recent interview with Bruno Macaes for The New Statesman. “Russia will embark on some minor offensive actions in a short period of time,” Macaes summarizes. “A lot of manpower will be lost. After that, it will face a series of significant defeats.” This will lead to Russian unraveling: Major cities will be lost, some kind of military collapse will follow, and then there will be “uncontrolled political transformation” within the Russian Federation itself. Podolyak doesn’t predict that all of this will happen this spring, suggesting that the timing … [Read more...] about The Costs of a Long War in Ukraine

close Video Was China sending a message when balloon stopped over US nuclear silos? Ret. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis reacts to the U.S. response to the Chinese spy balloon and possible ramifications on 'Fox Report.’ NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! In 1957, the sense of security the United States had come to accept after America’s victory in World War II drastically changed. Video The American public was shocked to the point of panic. They were certainly put on notice about the seriousness of the Soviet Union as a rival . US MILITARY SHOOTS DOWN CHINESE SPY BALLOON OVER ATLANTIC OCEAN A silver lining in the Biden administration allowing the Chinese spy balloon to violate our airspace is that the American public has received a similar wake-up call to the brazenness of Chinese spying. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and Intelligence Committee, I can tell you the United States has … [Read more...] about Chinese spy balloon is a Sputnik moment for America

Representative Mike Turner (R-OH) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that President Joe Biden allowed the Chinese balloon to complete its mission. Anchor Chuck Todd said, “So the decision to take this down, what more have you learned, and you’re part of the so-called Gang of Eight. I don’t think you guys have gotten a personal briefing, but I know staff has. What more can you tell us about the takedown operation?” Turner said, “Clearly, the president taking it down over the Atlantic is sort of like the quarterback tackled after the game is over. The satellite had completed its mission. This should never have been allowed to enter the United States and never should have been allowed to complete its mission. If you ask somebody to draw an x at every place of our sensitive missile defense sites, nuclear weapons infrastructure, nuclear weapons sites are, you would put them all along this path. Clearly, this was an attempt by China to gather information to defeat our command and … [Read more...] about GOP Rep. Turner: Biden Allowed Chinese Balloon to ‘Complete it’s Mission’

Netflix, the streaming giant headquartered in the Bay Area , has been threatening a substantial password-sharing crackdown for months. This week, the company finally started to roll out some of its changes. As expected, they are gobsmackingly awful and indeed reviled by everyday users, privacy advocates and even famed musicians . Rightfully so: The new policies represent an invasive, unsustainable solution to a “problem” other streaming services don’t seem too worried about solving. Netflix’s latest changes, which are currently on trial in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru ( where it has tried to enforce other troubling password measures ), would require you to log into your account from your “household” — basically, the place you primarily use the service — at least once every 31 days. Attempting to sign in from a location other than your household could result in your account being blocked unless you pay more to add extra users. These updates were posted on the company’s U.S. … [Read more...] about Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown is coming. It already looks grim.

Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday reportedly ordered an amnesty or reduction in prison sentences for “tens of thousands” of people detained amid nationwide anti-government protests shaking the country, acknowledging for the first time the scale of the crackdown. The decree by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , part of a yearly pardoning the supreme leader does before the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, comes as authorities have y et to say how many people they detained in the demonstrations. State media offered a list of caveats over the order as well that means those with ties abroad or facing internationally criticized spying charges wouldn’t be eligible. State media reports about the decree offered no explanation for the decision by Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state in Iran. However, prisons and detention facilities already had faced overcrowding in the country after years of protests over economic issues and other matters. Authorities also did … [Read more...] about Iran’s supreme leader issues pardon for ‘tens of thousands’ of prisoners, state media reports

Dozens of climate scientists and environmental groups are calling for museums of science and natural history to “cut all ties” with fossil fuel companies and philanthropists like the Koch brothers. A letter released on Tuesday asserts that such money is tainted by these donors’ efforts to deny the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change . “When some of the biggest contributors to climate change and funders of misinformation on climate science sponsor exhibitions in museums of science and natural history, they undermine public confidence in the validity of the institutions responsible for transmitting scientific knowledge,” the letter states. “This corporate philanthropy comes at too high a cost.” The letter does not mention specific companies, but it does name David H. Koch, who sits on the boards of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and has given tens of millions of dollars to those … [Read more...] about Science Museums Urged to Cut Ties With Kochs

The Treasury has signalled there is no new money for defence despite recognising the urgent need to rearm in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine, defence sources have said. At the same time, the sources said a "refresh" of UK defence policy - that was meant to inform the spending plans of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - could be delayed until after the March budget because an initial draft failed to reflect sufficiently the transformed security environment in Europe, where a land war is raging. "It is not very joined up government," according to one source, who was speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The comments came after Sky News last week revealed that a senior US general had told Defence Secretary Ben Wallace that the British Army is no longer regarded as a top level, or "tier one", fighting force following decades of cuts to its size and strength. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video … [Read more...] about Ammunition running out but ‘no new money’ for defence despite war in Ukraine, sources say