Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is apparently 'astonished' to hear that Poland's Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, asked NATO and the US to deploy troops in Europe to provide 'some strategic reassurance', on a recent visit to Washington.  Since the scrapping of the US Bush-designed missile defense scheme which would have seen troops deployed in Poland and Czech Republic, the former has apparently been feeling vulnerable . . . Kim Zigfeld points out on Pyjamas Media that Russia's recent war 'games', which simulated a full scale pipeline-sabotaging missile-battering attack of Poland, taking place in the same month that seventy years earlier Russia did actually invade, is hardly likely to reassure the Poles of the ...

Today's POLITICUS in the New York Times tries to fathom the extent to which NATO and the Western powers really trust Russia to cooperate in putting pressure on Iran, regarding its nuclear programme.  Whilst certain recent moves by the West suggest an element of confidence in the Kremlin's good nature, such as the Mistral deal, and, depending on who you read, the scrapping of the missile defence scheme, others imply a latent distrust.  How much trust do -- or should -- the Western allies accord Russia in attempting to get its cooperation to stop Iran's drive for nuclear weapons?And while good faith is the issue, what practical Western steps or accommodations are understood in NATO Brussels' home-office line that the allies owe Moscow recognition of its "security interests"? ...

AIDS experts are aghast to see that rates of HIV in Russia have doubled in the past 8 years, reports the Washington Post.  Russia's 'healthy lifestyles' program and advocacy of abstinence have not been effective in combating the problem, international AIDS workers at an Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference have argued.  Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yakovenko has apparently defended Russia's 'humanitarian but not dubious methods' (the 'dubious' one being the widely-favored methadone substitution program - illegal in Russia) and advocated the increasing involvement of the Russian Orthodox Church in curbing insalubrious lifestyle choices. So will any advice be heeded?  The problem of HIV in Russia seems to remain, in the Kremlin's ...

The first ever visit by a Russian President to Serbia has yielded another 'strategic partnership', this time soldered with a $1.5 billion loan to the debt-hit nation.  A certain diplomatic interdependence between the two countries seems to be a de facto necessity, as the Balkan state relies upon Moscow for backing in the U.N. Security Council to counter the secession of Kosovo.  For Russia, on the other hand, who vociferously opposed the bombing of Serbia by NATO in 1999, the area is 'an arena for Moscow's effort to resurrect its former status as a world power', the Washington Post suggests.A deal in Eastern Europe wouldn't be a deal without some whiff of gas.  Gazprom Neft has reason ...

Harris Corp. (HRS) recently won a  $419 million Basic Purchasing Agreement contract to supply the U.S. Army with Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multi-band tactical radios & vehicular power-amplifier adapter systems. The initial delivery order under the contract is valued at $165 million. Harris’ Falcon III AN/PRC-117G radios will be deployed by the U.S. Army for missions worldwide to provide next-generation, high-speed tactical satellite network and voice-and-data communications.   Harris has a strong market position in the government communications sector, with a broad product line and an enviable win rate on government contracts (more than 60% historically). The company’s Falcon III tactical radios are being widely used by U.S. Special Operations forces, the U.S. Army and various NATO and “Partnership for Peace" countries. Several industry researches have predicted that tactical radio segment may provide a multi-billion dollar business opportunity to Harris in the next couple of years as overall defense ...

API Nanotronics Corp., a prime contractor for secure communications and electronic components to the global defense and aerospace industry announced operating results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 ended August 31, 2009.

Financial Highlights:

– Net revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 was $9.2 million, a 16% increase over fiscal 2009 first quarter revenue of $7.9 million. This revenue includes the contribution from Cryptek as at the date of the acquisition on July 07, 2009;

– First quarter Gross Profit increased to $2.3 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2010 compared to $2.1 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. Gross Margins in the company’s electronic component and sub-system product lines improved by 4% to 30.3% on a year-over-year basis due to rationalization and efficiency efforts undertaken during fiscal 2009;

– GAAP net loss for the quarter was $0.8 million or $0.02 per share, compared to a loss of

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One criticism that you not likely to hear about the Russian government is its lack of enthusiastic applications of new media technologies.  The Prime Minister posts his topless photos at a much more timely rate that the White House page is updated, the President has impressive blogs and video podcasts, they've got a school of bloggers to push the official government line and drown out online dissent, and now, Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's envoy to NATO, has got himself a pretty robust Twitter feed in English and Russian going on right here.This is particularly fun stuff to read, and not just because Rogozin's essential professional function is to be like a Russian version of John Bolton before ...

The Financial Times enumerates Gazprom's problems: are its ambitions to increase production any more than pipe dreams?  Competition for energy reserves in the Arctic Circle could prompt friction between Russia and NATO, a new commander at the alliance has warned.  Bloomberg reports that the holder of the world's fourth-largest gas reserves, Turkmenistan, is ready to export natural gas to European collaborators if they build a pipeline across the Caspian Sea to transport the fuel.  According to Oil and Gas Eurasia, Russia needs a total of $310 billion to fully carry out its program for the analysis and exploration of its continental shelf, a deputy natural resources minister has announced.  Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko has said that Russia has been invited as an observer to the December meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.  Finnish environmental ...

TODAY: EU Russia-Georgia report out! Tilted towards blame on Georgia; Russia claims vindication on who started it issue; denies report's accusations of Moscow violating international laws; PR machines crank up on both sides.  PACE to vote today on rights; Yushchenko says he will meet Medvedev despite recent freeze in relations; Medvedev to ditch Putin's wordsmith? 'Open hostilities began with a large-scale Georgian military operation against the town of Tskhinvali and the surrounding areas, launched in the night of 7 to 8 August 2008' - the Telegraph quotes the EU report which suggests the blame for starting the war lies with Georgia, whose actions in South Ossetia were unjustifiable under international law.  Reuters argues the report is 'likely ...

TODAY:  Georgia-Russia tensions simmer in advance of EU report; Council of Europe hullabaloo.  Russia edgy on Washington's new defense scheme; Obama forward looking; Kremlin does not feel Iran missiles justify sanctions.  Journalist in hiding over anti-Soviet article; no joy for beer drinkers and hackersAccusations are flying ahead of today's publication of EU-backed report on the war in Georgia which is expected to be critical of both parties.  The Times says that Georgia has preemptively accused Russia of spreading 'patently false information about fictitious attacks on Russian peacekeepers'.  Tbilisi has also claimed that the report has concluded that Russian troops were responsible for ethnic cleansing during the conflict.  Russia is bristling at motions in the Parliamentary ...