By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow
Foreign spies in Russia have been handed an unexpected gift by officials in the town of Sarov who accidentally posted details of a new top secret submarine on the local administration’s website.
Russia stunned by Vladimir Putin's premier choice
The embarrassing leak followed what was supposed to be a confidential meeting between the commander of the secret submarine and officials in the closed town, which is home to Russia’s main nuclear research facility.
advertisementInstead, overly assiduous officials wrote a press release that covered the meeting in minute detail, not only naming the prototype vessel’s commander as Capt Sergei Kroshkin but even revealing the project’s code number: 20120.
Other technical and tactical specifications were also given, including the submarine’s water displacement of 3,950 tonnes.
It was not until the story was dutifully picked up by local newspapers that officials noticed the slip.
The offending press release has now been removed from the website, and Russia’s navy, defence ministry and armament manufacturing industry have all denied the existence of project 20120.
Military analysts who have studied the data suggest the new craft, also named the Sarov, is similar in appearance — although much larger — to the ...   more »

It's hard to believe, but officials at Arlington National Cemetery plan to replace the original Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a new replica solely because of repairable cosmetic imperfections.  This 1932 monument is nationally significant and eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
The 48-ton marble block has two nonstructural cracks which pose no threat to visitors or the historic structure. Surprisingly, federal administrators want the replica carved from new stone that experts agree will likely again crack along its grain just as marble does naturally when exposed to the elements. Repair and proper care of the Tomb (re-grouting the cracks and using only gentle cleaning methods instead of high-pressure power-washing) is possible and is the preferred method for fixing the existing cracks, as other marble monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial were repaired.
Once the National Trust learned about this ill-considered plan, we raised the alarm with Members of Congress and tried unsuccessfully to consult with those who administer the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.   
A decision to determine the fate of the Tomb Monument is expected by September 30th. Your help is needed to weigh in with decision-makers to help save the memorial.  
Original ...   more »

Windows Update has been updating itself on millions of PCs without their users knowledge or permission.
By Tom Spring | Friday, 14 September, 2007
Stealth tinkering by Microsoft of millions of Windows XP and Vista PCs sounds like a cheesy B-movie plot. That's why I had to read the Windows Secrets story "Microsoft updates Windows without users' consent" story twice.
Scott Dunn, an editor at the "Windows Secrets" newsletter, reports nine files in XP and Vista have been changed by Windows Update without displaying the usual notification or permission dialog box. The files are related to the XP and Vista versions of Windows Update itself.
Reported unauthorised tampering by Microsoft of user machines with no permission or consent has been confirmed by other sources as well. EWEEK Labs has independently confirmed the report and so has ZDNet.
So far Microsoft has not issued any statement. Dunn says Microsoft has only hinted at what its intentions are. In a Microsoft forum titled "Critical Update slipped in through the back door" there are some clues as to Microsoft's intent.
Dunn reports:
The only explanation found at Microsoft's site comes from a user identified as Dean-Dean on a Microsoft Communities forum. In reply ...   more »

 Russian military aircraft were intercepted by British and Norwegian jets Friday after they breached NATO airspace close to the U.K. and Finland, defense officials said.
Finland's prime minister demanded an explanation from Moscow. Interception of Russian warplanes in NATO patrolled-airspace has become increasingly common since the Kremlin ordered strategic bombers to carry out long-range missions for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
British fighter jets intercepted two Russian long-range bombers flying in NATO airspace and shadowed them until they charged course, Britain's defense ministry said, without revealing precisely where the incursion took place. The two Tu-160 "Blackjack" bombers were initially intercepted by Norwegian F16s, defense officials said.
In Finland, authorities said an Ilyushin-76 transporter plane flew about three miles into Finnish airspace for three minutes.
"These kinds of (violations) must not happen," Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said. "And when they do happen, then they need to be sorted out between the countries in question."
Flights legal, Russia says
Russian Air Force spokesman Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky said Friday that "all flights of our strategic bombers have been conducted in accordance with international rules."
"Our planes have flown over neutral waters without approaching air borders of any ...   more »