SEOUL — North Korea’s “military-first” policy — in which the armed forces receive top priority in funding, planning and everything else — will continue under the untested leadership of Kim Jong Eun, according to statements in the state-controlled media. Kim was named the heir to power in North Korea by his father, the late Kim Jong Il , whose 17-year reign was defined by “ Songun, ” the policy that said building a strong military was the Stalinist nation’s first — and perhaps only — goal. Read full article > >

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For new N. Korean leader, ascension depends on military support

NAIROBI – Sudanese armed forces said Sunday that they had killed an influential rebel leader in Darfur, Khalil Ibrahim, who once mounted a offensive that threatened Sudan’s capital. If true, Ibrahim’s death would represent a major setback to the eight-year-old rebellion in Sudan’s western region, and to the Justice and Equality Movement , which Ibrahim founded several years ago and developed into the most organized rebel force in Darfur. Read full article > >

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Khalil Ibrahim, powerful Darfur rebel leader, reported killed in Sudan

Thousands gathered in the Egyptian capital on Friday in a mass demonstration against the country's armed forces and its heavy-handed treatment of protesters, which has since drawn international condemnation.

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Crowds mass in Cairo’s Tahrir Square

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — Pakistan’s top military official said Friday that the country’s powerful army was not contemplating a coup, pushing back on a rare and vehement accusation the country’s prime minister made the day before. Army Chief of Staff Ashfaq Pervez Kayani said the country’s armed forces remain committed to the democratic process. Read full article > >

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Pakistan army chief denies coup rumors

The head of the British armed forces says the biggest strategic risk facing the UK is economic not military.

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Economy ‘UK’s biggest challenge’

The head of the British armed forces says the biggest strategic risk facing the UK is economic not military.

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Economy ‘UK’s biggest challenge’

A rare protest by members of Portugal’s armed forces against proposed pay and benefit cuts is held in Portugal’s capital Lisbon.

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Portugal army protests over cuts

BOGOTA, Colombia — The bookish communist intellectual who led the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, one of the world’s oldest insurgent groups, was killed Friday in a military strike in the biggest blow against that organization in its 47-year history. Guillermo Saenz Vargas, who was better known to Colombians and American military advisers by the nom de guerre Alfonso Cano, was shot in a firefight with Colombian security forces during an operation in which the military bombed his position and deployed elite commandos, military officials said early Saturday morning. Read full article > >

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Alfonso Cano, leader of Colombia’s FARC rebels, killed in raid

A policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell” banning open homosexuality in the US Armed Forces is repealed, nearly two decades after it was introduced.

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Ban on gays in US military ends

KHOR AZ-ZUBAYR , Iraq — Eight years after the United States disbanded the Iraqi Army and set out to build a new one , uniformed Iraqi soldiers seem ubiquitous and increasingly professional here. But behind that facade, according to Iraqi politicians and military officers, the country’s armed forces remain dysfunctional, with power dangerously decentralized and wielded by regional fiefdoms controlled by Iraq’s top politician. Local commanders have a direct line to Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, circumventing heads of the military. The armed forces remain focused almost entirely on internal security; no one knows how the Iraqi military would come together to fight a foreign enemy, or even who would be in charge. Read full article > >

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In Iraq, military still seen as dysfunctional

Defence Secretary Liam Fox says he agrees with the head of the Armed Forces that Nato needs to intensify its campaign in Libya.

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Fox supports Libya mission call

The head of the UK armed forces has called for Nato to intensify the military campaign in Libya.

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VIDEO: Libya: Calls for Nato to ‘up the ante’

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was asked to train Venezuelan pro-government cells and serve as a shadow militia for the intelligence apparatus.

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Venezuela Asked Colombian Rebels to Kill Opposition Figures, Analysis Shows

Armed Forces minister Nick Harvey is asked about UK security with the announcement of the Ministry of Defence offering former carrier Ark Royal for sale on a website.

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VIDEO: MoD sells Ark Royal carrier on web

Fighting raged on Friday near Ivory Coast’s presidential palace and state TV as armed forces loyal to the elected leader tried to install him to power and oust the country’s strongman. (April 1)

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In Ivory Coast, call to lay down arms