Monday, December 10, 2012

DTN News - TECHNOLOGY NEWS: Fleishman Dominates PublicAffairsAsia Gold Standard Awards Capturing All Top Three Trophies

Asian Defense News: DTN News - TECHNOLOGY NEWS: Fleishman Dominates PublicAffairsAsia Gold Standard Awards Capturing All Top Three Trophies
*FH APAC Named Regional Consultancy Network of the Year
*Shin Tanaka Awarded for Professional Excellence
*FH Japan Named In-Country Consultancy of the Year
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources PublicAffairsAsia
(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - November 9, 2012: Fleishman-Hillard was the most decorated agency at The Gold Standard Awards organized by PublicAffairsAsia at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Hong Kong. 

Our Asia Pacific team was bestowed Regional Consultancy Network of the Year in recognition of extraordinary growth, introduction of new strategic offerings such as the Global Capital Markets Services, the Global China Practice, FH Majlis; success of new public affairs firm, VOX Global Japan; and the expansion of our Chinese client portfolio. The judges noted that Fleishman-Hillard “continues to take a lead role in the development of the wider PR industry” with our new China Masters Exchange program involving partnerships with leading universities and the fast-tracking of Mandarin-speaking graduates through our US and European networks to FH Greater China, enhancing FH’s capability of serving Chinese clients worldwide.

FH Japan President & Founder Shin Tanaka received another of the highest honors at the event, theGold Standard Award for Professional Excellence, marking 15 years of building and shaping the communications industry in Japan. His contributions are best summed up by Mr. Motohisa Furukawa, former Minister for National Policy of the Japanese government, who said: “Inspiration from Mr. Tanaka was the catalyst for the establishment of the Office of Global Communications as a function of the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office. I hope that Mr Tanaka continues his contributions to Japan’s competitiveness on the global stage with his keen strategic communications thinking and insights.”

Because Shin had a command performance at a CEO event in Tokyo, his acceptance speech was delivered via video. Shin modestly told the audience, “the most meaningful contribution of my career has been the Fukushima Conference, which gave the people of Japan a voice. Fukushima’s experience is not just Japan’s experience. It is very important for the world to follow Fukushima’s response and recovery as social sustainability is going to be the core issue for the rest of the world for the coming decades.”

He added that“Japanese enterprises are embracing the power of communications. At the same time, there will be thousands of Japanese companies starting to globalize in a true manner. I believe that this movement will be among the leading drivers elevating the global communications industry to a next level.”

FH Japan captured the highest single office honors asIn-Country Consultancy of the Year. This award is open to all of Asia Pacific and recognizes full-service corporate communications and public affairs excellence. The judges cited “Fleishman-Hillard Japan’s innovative approach to communications also applies to cliet counseling and new product development. Revenue growth of the FHJ business from the office’s founding in 1997 through to 2012 has achieved a compound annual growth rate of 29%.” The award recognizes the consolidated FHJ group of companies: VOX Global Japan, BlueCurrent Japan, and Fleishman-Hillard Japan which includes CCW.

2012 has truly been an award-winning record year for Fleishman-Hillard Japan, which has achieved pre-eminent status as the largest and most reputable foreign-owned multinational communications consultancy in the country.

But, there’s more! On the same night, BlueCurrent Japan proudly accepted the top award forSocial Communications from the Japan PR Association. The project “Teach us! The Committee for Dehydration Prevention” was launched this summer when a growing proportion of Japan’s population was suffering from severe dehydration. The client, a pharmaceutical company, tasked BCJ to increase awareness of the issue and to teach people how to prevent dehydration.

The team put together a highly strategic community outreach program, including influencer engagement, qualitative research, public events, media relations and a dedicated website for the campaign. A term coined by the group of influencers – “Pre-Dehydration” -- reached an awareness of 73.7% in just two months. The client’s product sales increased 150%, achieving their full-year sales target in three months.

Clearly, all of these awards were exceptionally well-earned.They reflect the growing influence, quality and stature of our firm in Asia Pacific. Moreover, they recognize our expanded services and artfully integrated solutions that are making a major positive impact on clients’ businesses.

In a word – wow! Big congratulations to everyone. This is a proud moment we all share -- with each other, and our clients.
Enjoy. You’ve earned it!

Read more about how these accolades were earned in the attached excerpts from the awards program and online at http://www.publicaffairsasia.net/goldstandard/winners.html.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources PublicAffairsAsia
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Sunday, December 9, 2012

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR: Troops Rescue Kidnapped US Doctor In Afghanistan

Asian Defense News: DTN News - AFGHAN WAR: Troops Rescue Kidnapped US Doctor In Afghanistan
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AFP/Yahoo Singapore
(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - December 9, 2012: US soldiers killed seven Taliban insurgents in a successful pre-dawn raid to rescue a kidnapped American doctor in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, the NATO force in the war-torn country said.

The mission was launched when intelligence showed that Dr Dilip Joseph was in "imminent danger of injury or death", NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.

Joseph was abducted on December 5 by Taliban insurgents in the Surobi district of Kabul province.

"Today's mission exemplifies our unwavering commitment to defeating the Taliban," said General John Allen, the commander of US and ISAF forces in Afghanistan.

"I'm proud of the American and Afghan forces that planned, rehearsed and successfully conducted this operation. Thanks to them, Dr Joseph will soon be rejoining his family and loved ones."

Joseph was now "undergoing evaluations", the statement said, without giving further details.
A security source told AFP that the doctor had been involved in building clinics in Afghanistan but details of his capture were not immediately available.

Hazrat Mohammad Haqbeen, the district governor of Surobi told AFP that the man was kidnapped along with an Afghan colleague who was released in return for a ransom earlier in the week.

And "today the American national was freed in an operation. We don't know the details of the operation," Haqbeen told AFP.

He said the men were kidnapped in Surobi but were held in a village in the Qarghayi district of the neighbouring province of Laghman. The governor said the US citizen was visiting a clinic when captured.

An ISAF spokesman said the rescue had been launched when multiple intelligence sources indicated that he was in immediate danger. "We felt we had to act now," he told AFP.
Seven of the doctor's captors were killed in the operation, which involved combined US and Afghan forces, he said.

He gave no further details of where the doctor had been held or on the rescue operation itself, saying they could be announced later in the day.

Surobi outside Kabul had been under the control of French troops until April this year, when responsibility for security was handed to Afghan forces as part of France's accelerated withdrawal from the country.

France ended its combat mission in Afghanistan last month, two years before allied nations contributing to the 100,000-strong US-led NATO force are due to depart.

Surobi, about 50 kilometres east of Kabul and along a key highway linking the capital to neighbouring Pakistan, experiences sporadic Taliban-linked terrorism.

General Emam Nazar, the former commander of the 3rd Brigade of the Afghan army, told AFP in April that 80 to 100 insurgents were based in Surobi.

"Sometimes our enemies appear on the highway, but they can't resist us. Our forces smash them. It happened several times but they never got out of it alive," he added.

When French troops were stationed there, two French journalists were abducted in December 2009 and held for more than 500 days before being released in a secret deal which reportedly involved ransom.

Westerners are a prize target for the Taliban Islamists, who have waged an 11-year insurgency since being toppled from power in a US-led invasion in 2001. Regular gangsters not linked to the rebels are also involved in the kidnappings.

In June, NATO special forces rescued two foreign women working for a Swiss-based charity who had been kidnapped and held in a cave in Afghanistan's remote and mountainous northern Badakhshan province. Five captors were killed in the raid.


MORE ABOUT THE STORY












*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AFP/Yahoo Singapore
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Saturday, December 8, 2012

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta With Visiting West Point Mascot At The Pentagon

Asian Defense News: DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta With Visiting  West Point Mascot At The Pentagon
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. Department Of Defense
(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - December 8, 2012: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta poses for photos with the West Point mascot during a pep rally held in the halls of the Pentagon on Dec. 7, 2012. 


The West Point Black Knights take on the Naval Academy Midshipmen in the 113th meeting between the two service schools at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, Dec. 8th.   

DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, U.S. Navy. (Released)

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. Department Of Defense
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DTN News - SERBIAN DEFENSE NEWS: Serbian Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vucic Visited And Greeted By Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta At The Pentagon

Asian Defense News: DTN News - SERBIAN DEFENSE NEWS: Serbian Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vucic Visited And Greeted By Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta At The Pentagon
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. Department Of Defense
(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - December 8, 2012: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, right, escorts Serbia's Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vucic through an honor cordon and into the Pentagon on Dec. 7, 2012.


Panetta and Vucic will meet to discuss national and regional security items of interest to both nations.   

DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett. (Released)

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. Department Of Defense
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Thursday, December 6, 2012

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract for $387 Million To Lockheed Martin Corp., In Conjunction With Modification of F-35

Asian Defense News: DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract for $387 Million To Lockheed Martin Corp., In Conjunction With Modification of F-35 
 Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. Department of Defense No. 953-12 December 06, 2012
(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - December 7, 2012:  Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a not-to-exceed $386,694,924 modification to the previously awarded F-35 Lightning II Program Air System Low Rate Initial Production Lot 6 Advance Acquisition Contract (N00019-11-C-0083) to provide sustainment support for delivered air systems. 

This effort includes but is not limited to: ground maintenance activities; action request resolution; depot activation activities; Automatic Logistics Information System operations and maintenance; reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support; supply chain management;  activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training; and procurement of replenishment spares and depot level repairs in support of flight operations.  

Work will be performed in Eglin Air Force Base, Orlando, Fla. (35 percent); Ft. Worth, Texas (25 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (8 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (5 percent); and various locations throughout the United States (27 percent); and is expected to be completed in October 2013.  

Contract funds in the amount of $193,340,487 will be obligated at time of award, $58,378,517 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
  
The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. 


*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. Department of Defense No. 953-12 December 06, 2012
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DTN News - EGYPT UNREST: Tanks Deployed In Cairo After Deadly Clashes

Asian Defense News: DTN News - EGYPT UNREST: Tanks Deployed In Cairo After Deadly Clashes
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Christophe de Roquefeuil (AFP) 
(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - December 6, 2012: Egypt's worst violence since President Mohammed Morsi was elected forced the army to deploy tanks in Cairo Thursday, as hundreds of people were hurt in clashes between Islamists and the secular opposition.
Morsi was expected to deliver a televised address to the nation after five people were killed overnight in the worst violence since his June election, pitting Islamists against an opposition that has escalated protests since he assumed extensive powers on November 22.
Running street battles outside the Itihadiya palace in northern Cairo also left 644 people wounded, many from birdshot, the health ministry reported.
By Thursday morning, the Republican Guard, the division tasked with protecting the presidency, deployed tanks outside the palace. A few hundred Morsi supporters remained outside the complex after the opposition left.
Republican Guard chief General Mohammed Zaki said the tanks were deployed to separate warring protesters, and pledged that the military "will not be an instrument of oppress
The opposition has said it would organise further marches to the palace as a top presidential aide accused them of coordinating with loyalists of deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak.
A senior presidential aide told AFP Morsi was expected to make a speech later in the day to reach out to the opposition. No time was announced for the address.
The stage was set for Wednesday's violence when Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement announced a march to the palace, where opposition protesters were staging a sit-in a day after tens of thousands surrounded the sprawling complex.
Protesters fired guns and threw firebombs and rocks at each other on Wednesday as their simmering stand-off over Morsi's expanded powers and a draft constitution turned violent.
Bloodied protesters were carried away as gunshots rang out and rival demonstrators torched cars and set off firecrackers near the palace, where Morsi opponents had put up tents before his supporters drove them away.
Riot police were eventually sent in, but clashes still took place in side streets near the palace in the upscale Heliopolis neighbourhood.
The opposition says it will not stand down until Morsi discards his new powers, which allow him to take decisions uncontested by the courts, and cancels a snap December 15 referendum on a new constitution opposed by liberals and Christians.
Early on Thursday, intermittent gunshots rang out amid sporadic violence, an AFP correspondent said, before the tanks took up position.
The overnight violence also spread beyond the capital, with protesters torching Muslim Brotherhood offices in the Mediterranean port city of Ismailiya and in Suez, witnesses said.
The Brotherhood urged protesters on both sides to withdraw, as did Prime Minister Hisham Qandil.
"It's a civil war that will burn all of us," said Ahmed Fahmy, 27, as clashes raged behind him.
"They (Islamists) attacked us, broke up our tents, and I was beaten up," said Eman Ahmed, 47. "They accused us of being traitors."
Activists among the Islamist marchers harassed television crews, trying to prevent them from working, AFP reporters said.
Wael Ali, a 40-year-old Morsi supporter, said: "I'm here to defend democracy. The president was elected by the ballot box."
The United States called for an open and "democratic dialogue" in Egypt.
"The upheaval we are seeing... indicates that dialogue is urgently needed. It needs to be two-way," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in comments echoed by Britain and the European Union.
Despite the protests, Vice President Mahmud Mekki said a referendum on the charter "will go ahead on time" on December 15.
The opposition would be allowed to put any objections to articles in the draft constitution in writing, to be discussed by a parliament yet to be elected.
Prominent opposition leader and former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Morsi bore "full responsibility" for the violence.
He said the opposition was ready for dialogue but would use "any means necessary" to scupper the charter, stressing, however, that they would be peaceful.
Meanwhile, four Morsi advisers resigned over the crisis, official news agency MENA reported. The head of state television also resigned in protest, the independent newspaper Al-Masry al-Youm reported on its website.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Christophe de Roquefeuil (AFP) 
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DTN News: NATO Top Stories / Headlines News Dated December 6, 2012

Asian Defense News: DTN News: NATO Top Stories / Headlines News Dated December 6, 2012
(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - December 6, 2012: Comprehensive daily news related to NATO for the world of TODAY.
*Comprehensive daily news related to NATO Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY

NATO OKAYS TURKEY REQUEST FOR PATRIOT MISSILES

Middle East Online - ‎1 hour ago‎
BRUSSELS - NATO on Tuesday agreed to deploy Patriot missiles along the border of member state Turkey as requested by Ankara to help it defend its territory against threats from Syria.

NATO PLEDGES CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR AFGHANISTAN | WORLD | DW.DE | 05.12.2012

Deutsche Welle - ‎16 hours ago‎
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is full of praise for the transfer of security responsibility in Afghanistan. By the time NATO member states finally withdraw the ISAF troops from Afghanistan in 2014, local police and army forces are set to ...

NATO CALLS ON NORTH KOREA TO CANCEL ROCKET LAUNCH | TOP NEWS | REUTERS

Reuters Canada - ‎15 hours ago‎
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO on Wednesday called on North Korea to cancel plans for its second rocket launch of 2012, saying it would violate U.N.

NATO RELUCTANT TO REDUCE ITS EUROPEAN ARSENALS, 6 DECEMBER 2012 THURSDAY ...

Journal of Turkish Weekly - ‎1 hour ago‎
Despite approving a new cooperation programme, the latest session of the NATO-Russia Council which took place in Brussels Tuesday failed to bring progress on the issue of conventional forces on the European continent.

SECRETARY CLINTON PRAISES NATO, BIDS FAREWELL « VOA BREAKING NEWS

Voice of America (blog) - ‎14 hours ago‎
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has praised the “great strides” made by the NATO security alliance as she made what she called her final attendance at a NATO foreign ministerial meeting. Clinton said Wednesday in Brussels that she has spent a ...

NATO WARNS SYRIA NOT TO USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS

Pakistan Observer - ‎13 hours ago‎
Thursday, December 06, 2012 - Brussels/Beirut—NATO told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday that any use of chemical weapons in his fight against encroaching rebel forces would be met by an immediate international response.

EXCLUSIVE: US, NATO BEHIND 'INSECURITY' IN AFGHANISTAN, KARZAI SAYS

NBCNews.com - ‎1 hour ago‎
By Atia Abawi, NBC News. KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan President Hamid Karzai sharply criticized the United States in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Thursday, blaming American and NATO forces for some of the growing insecurity in his country.

FRANCE AND NATO - NYTIMES.COM

New York Times - ‎20 hours ago‎
AT the last NATO summit in Chicago, very soon after he took office, President François Hollande set out his vision of our country's place in the Atlantic alliance: France is an ally that exercises its responsibility as a founding member and is ...

NATO 'SHOCKED' BY SERBIAN ENVOY DEATH | VIDEO

Brisbane Times - ‎11 hours ago‎
NATO 'shocked' by Serbian envoy death (00:45). A NATO official says the organisation is shocked after the Serbian ambassador leaps to his death from an airport car park.

OFFICIALS: SERBIA'S NATO AMBASSADOR LEAPS TO DEATH

The Associated Press - ‎19 hours ago‎
BRUSSELS (AP) - Serbia's ambassador to NATO was chatting and joking with colleagues in a multistory parking garage at Brussels Airport when he suddenly strolled to a barrier, climbed over and flung himself to the ground below, a diplomat said.

TALIBAN LEADER AKBAR KILLED IN AFGHAN-NATO OPERATIONS

Khaama Press - ‎1 hour ago‎
NATO-led International Security Assistance Force following a statement announced, “Akhbar coordinated the movement of insurgent fighters in Kunar and was directly responsible for supplying money and equipment to insurgents for use in attacks against ...

CLINTON TELLS NATO ALLIES, RUSSIA TO PUBLICLY CALL ON NORTH KOREA TO HALT ...

Calgary Herald - ‎Dec 4, 2012‎
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shakes hands with NATOSecretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Kevin Lamarque, Pool). BRUSSELS - Secretary of State Hillary ...

NATO APPROVES PATRIOT MISSILES FOR TURKEY

Times of India - ‎22 hours ago‎
BRUSSELS: Nato on Tuesday approved member state Turkey's request for Patriot missiles to defend its border against Syria following a series of blunt warnings to Damascus not to use chemical weapons.

NATO MISSILES TO BE SENT TO TURKEY, SYRIA CLASHES RAGE

Livemint - ‎20 hours ago‎
NATO ministers meeting in Brussels also unanimously expressed “grave concern” about US intelligence reports suggesting Syria might use chemical weapons as a last resort to protect Assad.

NATO FOREIGN MINISTERS TO DECIDE ON SENDING AIR DEFENCES TO TURKEY

CTV News - ‎Dec 4, 2012‎
BRUSSELS -- NATO foreign ministers are expected Tuesday to approve Turkey's request for Patriot anti-missile systems to bolster its defence against strikes from neighbouring Syria, which Western governments fear is a growing possibility given the ...

AZERBAIJAN A PARTNER IN NATO'S NEW MISSION ON AFGHANISTAN

Bernama - ‎5 hours ago‎
Azerbaijan A Partner In NATO's New Mission On Afghanistan. BAKU (Azerbaijan), Dec 6 (Bernama) -- Azerbaijan has been recognised as a partner in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)'s new mission on Afghanistan, Azerbaijan's Azertac reported.

TURKEY SEES NATO MISSILES DEPLOYMENT WARNING TO DAMASCUS, BACKERS

Xinhua - ‎Dec 5, 2012‎
ANKARA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- NATO's decision to approve the deployment of advanced surface-to-air missile batteries in Turkey turns the 28-member military alliance a participant in the ongoing Syrian crisis.

NATO BACKS DEFENSE PLAN FOR TURKEY

New York Times - ‎Dec 4, 2012‎
“Turkey asked for NATO's support, and we stand with Turkey in a spirit of strong solidarity,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of the alliance, said in Brussels.

NATO WAR ON SYRIA? GERMANY, NETHERLANDS TO PROVIDE PATRIOT MISSILES TO TURKEY

Center for Research on Globalization - ‎Dec 5, 2012‎
Another of Turkey's NATO allies, the US reportedly pointed to the fact that outside of the ones it has already provided to Israel and Poland, the rest of America's Patriot systems are under maintenance, making it difficult for the US to respond to ...
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SERBIA AMBASSADOR TO NATO LEAPS TO DEATH

Montreal Gazette - ‎12 hours ago‎
BRUSSELS - Serbia's ambassador to NATO was chatting and joking with colleagues in a multistory parking garage at Brussels Airport when he suddenly strolled to a barrier, climbed over and flung himself to the ground below, a diplomat said.


*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources 
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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