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USA
December 10, Associated Press – (National) FAA loses track of 119,000 planes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is missing key information on who owns one-third of the 357,000 private and commercial aircraft in the U.S. — a gap the agency fears could be exploited by terrorists and drug traffickers. The records are in such disarray that the FAA said it is worried criminals could buy planes without the government’s knowledge, or use the registration numbers of other aircraft to evade new computer systems designed to track suspicious flights. It has ordered all aircraft owners to re-register their planes in an effort to clean up its files. About 119,000 of the aircraft on the U.S. registry have “questionable registration” because of missing forms, invalid addresses, unreported sales or other paperwork problems, according to the FAA. In many cases, the FAA cannot say who owns a plane or even whether it is still flying or has been junked. Already there have been cases of drug traffickers using phony U.S. registration numbers, as well as instances of mistaken identity in which police raided the wrong plane because of faulty record-keeping. Next year, the FAA will begin canceling the registration certificates of all 357,000 aircraft and require owners to register anew. Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/12/10/ap-enterprise-faa-loses-track-planes/ 20.
EUROPE
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
ASIA
Turkey: Russia To Build Nuclear Reactor In 2013 - Envoy December 12, 2010
Russia will begin construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power reactor in 2013, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Vladimir Ivanovsky said Dec. 12, RIA Novosti reported. The first power unit at the $20 billion reactor is scheduled to be completed in 2018, with three more units coming online at a rate of one per year. The ambassador said the Akkuyu reactor is part of the strategic relationship between Russia and Turkey. Under the agreement signed in May 2010, Russia will build four 1.2 gigawatt power units that use VVER pressurized water reactors, which will be constructed by Atomstroyexport in the port city of Mersin.
Dispatch: Chinese Influence in North Korea and the World STRATFOR
North Korea: U.S., South Korea Suspect Uranium Sites December 13, 2010
South Korea and the United States suspect North Korea is conducting uranium enrichment experiments, a South Korean intelligence official said Dec. 13, adding that Yongbyon was not included in the list of three or four locations that Seoul and Washington previously suspected, Chosun reported. The alleged enrichment facilities include a research institute in downtown Pyongyang and a missile base in Yongjori, Yanggang Province, as well as a cave complex in Kumchangri, located 160 km north of Pyongyang.
RUSSIA
Agenda: With Peter Zeihan
Who Fears the Russian Bear? | STRATFOR
Russia: Funding Set For State Arms Program December 13, 2010
Russia will allocate 19,040 billion rubles ($620 billion) for the Defense Ministry’s 2011-2020 State Armaments Program, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov stated Dec. 13, Interfax-AVN reported. Approximately 79 percent of funds will be used to purchase high-tech armaments, including strategic nuclear forces, space equipment, launch missiles and airborne weapons as well as reconnaissance, communication and target designation equipment, Ivanov said, adding that the navy will receive “significant funds.” The remainder will be used to repair and upgrade hardware, Ivanov said.
IRAN
Iran: Army Conducts 'Large' Military Exercise Near Iraqi Border December 13, 2010
Ground forces of the Iranian army have completed a military exercise near the Iraqi border, AP reported Dec. 13, citing IRNA. Unlike previous drills, the latest exercise was not common public knowledge. IRNA’s report was the first account of the drills available to the public, the AP report said. IRNA’s confirmation was indirect; the news agency was actually reporting the deaths of two military officers in an accident on the road as they returned from “large” military exercises by ground forces. IRNA provided no further details.
Dispatch: Intersection of Iranian Domestic and Foreign Policies STRATFOR
IRAQ
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
ISRAEL
Turkey: Israel Denies Apology, Compensation December 13, 2010
Diplomatic talks with Turkey over the May 31 Mavi Marmara incident are ongoing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Likud party members, The Jerusalem Post reported Dec. 13. Israel’s relationship with Turkey is important, Netanyahu said, but he denied media reports about an apology to Ankara and compensation to families of those killed in the incident. Contacts with Turkey are intended to prevent prosecution of Israel Defense Force soldiers, he stated.
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: Taliban Intimidate Farmers Over Poppy December 13, 2010
Afghan farmers in Herat province charged with growing saffron for an international project are not cultivating saffron in the more remote districts because of the Taliban, Asia Times reported Dec. 13, citing the province’s agriculture department. But Herat police said opium is only cultivated in Shindand and Kushk districts, and opium production has fallen by 90 percent. A Taliban official said those who work with foreigners will be killed. Disease and government efforts dropped poppy cultivation in Herat by 50 percent in 2009, the Counter-Narcotics Ministry said, however, higher prices and increased demand may reverse that trend, it said.
MIDDLE EAST
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
MISC
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com
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