"Russia is expected to lose most of those Libyan business deals.
"The recent Yak-42 crash [on Sept 7, 2011 carrying a hockey tema] may have been engine related (mechanical failure or dirty fuel). Same with the recent MiG-31 crash. Then there were two embarrassing incidents (where Russian warplanes had to abort because of engine problems) during the August MAKS air show outside Moscow. Russia still has a major aviation industry weakness; the inability to produce quality aircraft engines.
My comment:
(a) If Russia loses Libyan deals, a fiortiri China will.
* a fiorti (adv; Latin)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20fortiori
(b) Engine Failure a Possible Cause of Yak-42 Crash. Voice of Russia, Sept 8, 2011
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/08/55830797.html
However, in the past two days, there are news reports that hardware of the airliners (including engines) were fine, and that pilots of the doomed airliner might be blamed for slow take-off. We will see.
(c) Andrew Osborn, Russia Grounds Entire MiG-31 Fleet After Mystery Crash. Daily Telegraph, Sept 6, 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8744541/Russia-grounds-entire-MiG-31-fleet-after-mystery-crash.html
("pilots in another plane nearby saw black smoke pouring out of the stricken fighter as it fell to earth, suggesting that its engines may have failed in some way")
(4) China Battles the Source of Its Many Defeats. Strategy Page, Sept 12, 2011.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlead/articles/20110912.aspx
(corruption in PLA, that is)
(5) India And The Great Hunger. Strategy Page, Sept 12, 2011.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20110912.aspx
("India is currently the largest importer of arms in the world (followed by China)")
(6) HK Helping Beijing’s Agenda: Cables. Taipei Times, Sept 13, 2011 (available now).
http://taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/09/13/2003513163
("Another cable, dated May 8, 2009, showed that US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton * * * asked for more information on changes in Hong Kong-Taiwan relations")
(7)
(a) Shih Hsiu-chuan, Cables Show US’ Role in WHO-China MOU. Taipei Times, Sept 12, 2011
http://taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/09/12/2003513068
(then-AIT deputy director David "Keegan [葛天豪] told [Victor] Chin [秦日新, then the director-general of the Department of North American Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 外交部 北美司長] on May 12, 2005, that “the MOU language would not be a public document, and that it would be hardly surprising if a UN organization and a UN member used UN terminology to refer to Taiwan, however much Taiwan might disagree with that terminology,” as recorded in the cable dated May 13, 2005")
(b) 蘇永耀, 維基解密／2008大選年 美日密商助台抗中; 陳慧萍, WHO與中國簽秘密備忘錄 美知情. Liberty Times, Sept 12, 2011
http://libertytimes.com.tw/2011/new/sep/12/today-p2.htm
("ＡＩＴ於二○○五年五月十三日電文指出，ＡＩＴ台北辦事處副處長（葛天豪）在電話中向當時的北美司長秦日新表示，美國為了讓台灣參加世界衛生大會做了相當努力，「已和台灣充分協商」；他還說，聯合國組織以聯合國模式稱呼台灣不足為奇，只是台灣人難以接受這樣的用語")
(8) Shih Hsiu-chuan, China’s Hu Jintao ‘Patient,’ ‘Pragmatic’ on Taiwan, Lee Kuan Yew Says in Cable. Taipei Times, Sept 11, 2011
http://taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/09/11/2003512985
(9) J Michael Cole, UN Told to Drop ‘Taiwan Is Part of China’: Cable. Taipei Times, Sept 6, 2011
http://taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/09/06/2003512568
Note: demarche (n): "a petition or protest presented through diplomatic channels"
www.m-w.com
My comment:
(a) The report quotes a Mr 丁元 as saying, "台北和约，也就是中华民国和日本1952年签的，实际上是旧金山和约的延续，其中包括台湾回归的主权问题，是确定，讲了四遍，在第十章里面，是台湾与澎湖群岛归属中华民国." He was talking nonsense. I read Treaty of Taipei before, and re-read it just now. The treaty did not say what Mr 丁 says.
(b) Treaty of Peace between the Republic of China and Japan (Treaty of Taipei for short)
http://www.taiwandocuments.org/taipei01.htm
Article 10 merely defined Republic of China, excluding mainland (which angered the Chiang regime). Consult Article 2, which basically repeated language of Treaty of San Francisco.