its not cost but offset deals thru barter or manufacturing deals
the polish is the only one who agrees to a barter deal for palm oils

Chinese jets intercept U.S surveillance plane - U.S. officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Chinese fighter jets intercepted a U.S. Navy surveillance plane over the South China Sea on Wednesday, with one coming within 200 yards (180 meters) of the American aircraft, U.S. officials told Reuters.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial reports showed that the U.S. P-3 Orion surveillance plane was 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Hong Kong in international airspace when the Chinese aircraft carried out the unsafe intercept. One Chinese aircraft flew in front of the American plane, restricting its ability to manoeuvre.

The Pentagon confirmed that two Chinese jets had carried out the intercept, saying it was "unsafe and unprofessional."

"We continue to review the facts of this incident and will convey our concerns through appropriate channels with the Chinese government," Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander Gary Ross said in a statement.

China's defence ministry said on Sunday that the U.S. account of the interception was inaccurate.


http://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2017/...icials-updated/

Islamist militants kill 19 in south Philippines

Marawi (Philippines) (AFP) - Islamist militants locked in street-to-street battles with security forces in a southern Philippine city have killed 19 civilians, the military said Sunday, bringing the official death toll from nearly a week of fighting to at least 85.

The violence prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law on Tuesday across the southern third of the Philippines to quell what he said was a fast-growing threat of militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group.

Authorities said the militants had killed 19 civilians in Marawi, a mostly Muslim-populated city of 200,000 people. These included three women and a child who were found dead near a university.

"These are civilians, women. These terrorists are anti-people. We found their bodies while conducting rescue operations (on Saturday)," regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera told AFP.

An AFP photographer saw another eight bodies by a road in the outskirts of Marawi on Sunday, with local residents identifying them as employees of a rice mill and a medical college.

Herrera said the military had yet to investigate the reported deaths.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/20...th-philippines/

Myanmar must investigate 'army beating' video

Yangon (AFP) - Myanmar authorities must investigate a video showing men in military uniforms viciously beating handcuffed detainees suspected of being ethnic rebel fighters, rights groups said Sunday.

The video's emergence comes as negotiators from the civilian-led government of Aung San Suu Kyi and the military hold peace talks with more than a dozen ethnic rebel groups in the capital, aimed at ending some of the world's longest running civil wars.

The unverified video first surfaced on Facebook on Saturday morning and quickly went viral.

It showed several men dressed in army uniform kicking three handcuffed men in civilian clothes, part of a wider group of people detained outside some rural houses.

At one point in the 17-minute long video, a uniformed man smashes his helmet into the face of one of the victims.

The uniformed men can be heard asking the handcuffed detainees whether they belong to the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic rebel group from north-eastern Shan State currently fighting the military.

Rights groups called on Myanmar's government to investigate whether troops were responsible.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/20...-rights-groups/

made in bulgaria

pnp-saf again

PNP still can't locate SAF armored vehicle in Marawi

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – National police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa on Tuesday, May 30 confirmed that an armored personnel carrier (APC) belonging to the Special Action Force (SAF) had been left behind in the heat of battle between SAF forces and terrorists.

The APC is an “object of recovery” as Philippine troops continue clearing operations in Marawi City, Dela Rosa said in an interview in Marawi City on the sidelines of his visit there.

(It fell on their way to reinforce the capitol from the provincial headquarters. They got hit by a land mine, they were attacked. After they were attacked, one of the tires was broken. They got left behind, separated. When that happened, one team went the other way until it [the APC] fell into a canal. It was unable to maneuver. They couldn’t maneuver, the crew was wounded so the crew had to be extricated.) explained Dela Rosa.

A police source earlier told Rappler that the crew aboard the APC had been separated from a bigger group because of an encounter. The driver was later unable to drive because of injuries, prompting them to leave the vehicle behind.

The APC was carrying weapons.


Dela Rosa said the SAF troopers who were aboard the APC are alive and are being treated in nearby Iligan City.

News of the lost combat vehicle first spread after a picture of apparent Maute or Abu Sayyaf fighters standing on top of it went viral.

(I don’t want to look at the photos. I might just shoot my cellphone, I might shoot my laptop) said Dela Rosa in jest, when asked about the pictures.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/171395-pnp-saf-apc-marawi

Military says 89 gunmen killed in Marawi

MARAWI, Philippines - Philippine security forces have killed 89 Islamist militants during more than a week of fighting in a southern city but the gunmen are still offering strong resistance and holding hostages, the military said Wednesday.

Attack helicopters fired rockets repeatedly on Wednesday morning into the pockets of Marawi city where the militants were hiding among trapped residents, according to an AFP reporter who was following troops searching houses.

The clashes erupted on Tuesday last week when gunmen waving black flags of the Islamic State (IS) group rampaged through the mostly Muslim-populated city in response to an effort by security forces to arrest a Filipino on the US government's list of most-wanted terrorists.

That militant leader, Isnilon Hapilon, escaped but he was still believed to be in Marawi, military spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said Wednesday.
Eighty-nine militants had been killed in the efforts to reclaim the city and find Hapilon, Padilla told reporters.

He said the military was making "very positive" progress towards ending the crisis, which had also seen 21 security forces and 19 civilians killed.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/31/17/mili...illed-in-marawi

https://twitter.com/SaladinAlDronni/status/...878755740798977









This post has been edited by DDG_Ross: Jun 1 2017, 01:03 AM

blue on blue
so sad..

cuz the navy simply didnt have any facilities & resources to operate a fixed wing fleet

this case its more about fire prevention management than fire fighting skill
they managed to put out the fire b4 it got any bigger so hats off to them

ph armor anti-rpg improvisation

well they did with whatever they got..

well they are retiring the stuff.. so might as well go give it to someone

there is a pic circulating saying that these ph army "cardboard armor" defeated an rpg warhead
highly doubt it as at/heat warhead blast and pressure alone would blown off the cardboards or set it on fire
its either a dud or a 50cal/gpmg hit instead, just kinetic energy and splinters, no fire and pressure effect seen



This post has been edited by DDG_Ross: Jun 7 2017, 12:04 AM

looks like its far from over they are digging in
that madmax apc though

i think its more to protect the vehicle from 50cals hits than rpg.. its somewhat useless against rpg
as the rebels managed to capture several 50cals and the v150 armor can only withstand 7.62mm hits

lol nope

just a placebo effect.. in reality it wouldnt do much

pipul say it shud be in a museum or something along that line