Titles:

• U.S. building virtual Internet as cyberattack testbed
• US Federal Reserve worries about spillover from Europe's debt crisis to U.S. financial system
• Rasmussen: NATO Will Continue Slaughter in Libya
• Yemeni VP holds talks with visiting U.S. official
• US to remove 33000 troops by end of 2012
• Domestic support for Pak Army drops: US poll

News Details:

U.S. building virtual Internet as cyberattack testbed
The U.S. is creating a virtual version of the Internet-this one designed as a testbed to help the nation hone its defenses against cyberattacks, according to Reuters and other sources. Known as the National Cyber Range, the virtual testbed would be set up by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the same agency that kicked off the Internet itself more than 40 years ago. The new simulated mini-Internet would give Washington the opportunity to carry out virtual cyberwarfare games as a way of testing different scenarios and technologies in response to cyberattacks. To work on the initial development phase of the new system, defense contractor Lockheed Martin was awarded a $5.4 million contract by DARPA in early 2009. The company has provided its own team of cybertechnology experts to work with DARPA on building the test range. Ironically, Lockheed itself was recently the victim of a cyberattack by hackers who used duplicates of SecurID electronic keys to breach network security.

US Federal Reserve worries about spillover from Europe's debt crisis to U.S. financial system
So let's say Greece or one of the other financially weakest countries in Europe were to default on its bonds. Would that hit the U.S. banking system? Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke was asked that question at his news conference on Wednesday. The response he gave was pretty much what many on Wall Street already had assumed: U.S. banks don't have much in the way of direct financial holdings in Greece and Europe's other "peripheral" countries (Ireland, Portugal). Still, the Fed worries that the indirect effects of a European debt blow-up could be "quite significant" in U.S. markets, Bernanke conceded. He also singled out U.S. money market mutual funds, which make very short-term loans to banks and other institutions, as an area of "concern" in terms of European investments.

Rasmussen: NATO Will Continue Slaughter in Libya
Even as Italy calls for an immediate cease fire, NATO Secretary-General Anders Rasmussen made it clear today that the slaughter in Libya will continue unabated, seemingly unmoved by images showing dead babies murdered as a result of a campaign sold on the justification of "protecting civilians". "NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the alliance will continue its bombing campaign in Libya, amid calls from Italy for a halt to hostilities to allow humanitarian assistance to civilians," reports Radio Free Europe.

Yemeni VP holds talks with visiting U.S. official
Yemeni Vice President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi held talks Wednesday with the visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, discussing the country's prolonged political standoff, Yemeni official Saba news agency reported. "The U.S. administration highly appreciated the responsible acts that implemented by Hadi, including the respect of ceasefire and removing gunmen from the cities, as well as Hadi's meeting with the leadership of opposition and youth-led protesters," Saba quoted Feltman as saying. Feltman also affirmed that the U.S. administration will support all parties that work for the sake of Yemen's security, stability and the unity, calling on all the political parties to engage in a constructive dialogue and avoid woes to their homeland, Saba said. For his part, Hadi appreciated the concerns of U.S. President Barack Obama that "have helped the country to overcome the most dangerous stages of the ongoing political stalemate." He reaffirmed that the top priority at present is to hold the truce with the opposition-backed armed tribesmen and put the security and economy back on track. Hadi became the acting president following Saleh's departure to neighboring Saudi Arabia earlier this month to receive treatment for injuries he sustained in a bomb attack on his palace.

US to remove 33000 troops by end of 2012
President Obama signalled in an Oval Office address Wednesday night that America's commitment to the war in Afghanistan is on the wane and 33,000 of just under 100,000 US soldiers are to be withdrawn within 15 months.  Timed to be completed at the end of September 2012 - just weeks before Mr Obama's seeks re-election - the draw-down is more rapid and more substantial than his military commanders would have liked, and will be seen as an acknowledgement of growing domestic impatience with the war after a decade of fighting. Mr Obama said: "We are starting this drawdown from a position of strength. Al-Qa'ida is under more pressure than at any time since 9/11. Together with the Pakistanis, we have taken out more than half of al-Qa'ida's leadership. And thanks to our intelligence professionals and special forces, we killed Osama bin Laden, the only leader that al-Qa'ida had ever known. This is the beginning - but not the end - of our effort to wind down this war. We will have to do the hard work of keeping the gains that we have made, while we draw down our forces and transition responsibility for security to the Afghan government."

Domestic support for Pak Army drops: US poll
Domestic support for the Pakistani Army's campaign against militant groups has waned in recent years, a poll by a US group has found, showing deep-rooted opposition among the Pakistani public to the US. The findings of two Pew Research Center surveys of 3,221 people found that just 37 per cent of them supported using the army to fight militants, which was 16 per cent lower than two years ago, according to Pew. The surveys also showed that most Pakistanis - 63 per cent - disapproved of the secret US raid in May that killed Osama bin Laden, with 55 per cent describing it as a "bad thing". Only 12 per cent of respondents had a positive view of the US and only 8 per cent had confidence in President Barack Obama "to do the right thing in world affairs", Pew said.