Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Space Shuttle Discovery’s final launch on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station has been delayed at least an additional day. Launch is now targeted for 3:29 PM EDT on Thursday.

The launch was originally scheduled for this past Monday, but was delayed two days because of helium and nitrogen leaks on board the shuttle.

Technicians are now working to repair technical glitches discovered yesterday on a main engine control computer.

The weather outlook, however, appears to be unfavorable for the new targeted launch day; there is an 80 percent chance of undesirable weather, according to the NASA space shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters.

The mission management team (MMT) is meeting today to discuss and troubleshoot Discovery’s newfound electrical problems.

STS-133 is scheduled to be an 11-day mission to the International Space Station to ship supplies to the crew, as well as additional components for the orbital outpost’s construction, including the Permanent Multipurpose Module and the third of four ExPRESS Logistics Carriers. The mission is the 133rd of the Space Shuttle Program and the 39th of Discovery.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Australians and New Zealanders throughout the world stood still and turned out in huge numbers for their national war memorial days in remembrance of the failed Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) — attack on Gallipoli, Turkey that began on 25 April 1915. The fateful attack was designed to end the First World War quicker by creating a supply line to Russia. A hundred thousand died in the battle, remembered every year as ANZAC Day by both nations. The British-directed battle of Gallipoli is often seen as a defining moment in the ‘birth’ of Australia and New Zealand. The battlefields of Gallipoli, where so much blood was shed, has become near-sacred soil.

This is the 91st anniversary of the attack. This is the first ANZAC day where there have been no survivors left from World War I.

Around 10,000 people are turned out at the dawn service at Gallipoli.

Meanwhile dawn services have been held throughout New Zealand. The numbers of veterans may be dwindling, but the numbers of those who come to pay their respects is not. In Auckland nearly 20,000 people attended the dawn service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. During the service, a 62-year-old veteran of the Malayan campaign died of a heart attack, falling face forward on to the concrete as the Last Post was sounded.

In Wellington, about 5000 people gathered at the Cenotaph near the Parliament buildings.

Speaking at the service Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association president John Campbell said, “We are honouring the Anzacs. We are not here to glorify war, but to remember that we value who we are and the freedoms we possess…They did not die in vain. They fought for peace, freedom and democracy.”

The Governor-General of New Zealand, Dame Silvia Cartwright, addressed the crowd, at the Wellington service saying “Soldiers, veterans, all New Zealanders who are gathered here, around New Zealand and around the world to commemorate ANZAC Day. Today is the day we grieve for our fellow New Zealanders killed in war. It is the day we honour them, and remember their sacrifice”. This is her last ANZAC Day as Governor-General.

2006 is the New Zealand Year of the Veteran, and the 90th anniversary of the organisation founded by those who did return from Gallipoli – the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association.

Australia and New Zealand commemorate the ANZAC Day public holiday on the 25th of April every year to honour the bravery and sacrifice of the members of the ANZAC’s and of all those who served their country —

Lest we Forget.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Newspaper The Guardian reports today that the sale of the BBC subsidiary BBC Resources Ltd., has cost £3.4m in consultancy fees — over £1m more than the £2.3m trading profit the commercial division is estimated to have made for the last financial year. Details of the failed privatisation were released by the BBC following a freedom of information request, and prior to publication of its annual report on July 8.

Fourteen months after advisers were appointed to try to sell BBC Resources Ltd., only one of the three main business units has been sold — its Outside Broadcast division to Satellite Information Services Limited (SIS), for an estimated £20m. On March 7, 2008 it was also announced that the studios operation would remain in BBC ownership and in early June, the fate of the third business was put on hold with the BBC stating that “like Studios, Post Production will remain within BBC Resources, which will continue to operate as a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC.”

BBC Resources Ltd. made an operating profit of £6.1m for 2005-06, down from £7.4m the year before, with the BBC accounting for 83.3% of its turnover, down from 87.4% for 2004-05. Last year’s published figure for 2006-07 was £5.2 million — with BBC business at 80% of turnover.

BECTU Assistant General Secretary Luke Crawley is quoted as saying: “It’s fairly outrageous that around half the profit of the company [announced last year] has been spent trying to sell it. It’s an inordinate amount of money. The BBC was promised big returns if it sold BBC Resources but it’s only managed to sell outside broadcasts and we do not know how much it made out of that. We think the £3.4m is a poor investment.”

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Chinese officials have said that their country’s exports surged last December to edge out Germany as the world’s biggest exporter.

The official Xinhua news agency reported today that figures from the General Administration for Customs showed that exports jumped 17.7% in December from a year earlier. Over the whole of 2009 total Chinese exports reached US$1.2 trillion, above Germany’s forecast $1.17 trillion.

Huang Guohua, a statistics official with the customs administration, said the December exports rebound was an important turning point for China’s export sector. He commented that the jump was an indication that exporters have emerged from their downslide.

“We can say that China’s export enterprises have completely emerged from their all-time low in exports,” he said.

However, although China overtook Germany in exports, China’s total foreign trade — both exports and imports — fell 13.9% last year.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Yesterday the Peshmerga, military of the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq, gained control of parts of the Mosul Dam, as part of their advance against insurgents of the Islamic State. International opposition to the Islamic militant group has grown this week.

The Peshmerga were supported this weekend by US airstrikes in their attempt to push back the Sunni insurgents, and Kurdish officials reported “good progress” in the face of “fierce resistance”. Reuters reported eyewitness accounts of Kurdish forces successfully retaking Batmaiya and Telasqaf, mostly Christian towns as close to Mosul — about 18 miles (30 km) — as they have come since June when government forces were forced out.

Mosul Dam, Iraq’s largest hydroelectric dam, is vital to the region’s irrigation, as well as water and power supplies. It was seized by the insurgents of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, on August 7, as part of their advance across Northern Iraq.

The advance of the Islamic State has prompted responses from many parts of the international community. On Friday the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution targeting the extremist group’s finances and leaders. Six individuals were named and now face travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes. The resolution also warned of the possibility of other sanctions against anyone found to be trading with the Islamic State, in a move aimed at stopping their supply of weapons and economic gain from sale of oil being produced by the oil fields under their control.

On the same day as the Security Council’s resolution, foreign ministers of the European Union’s member states issued a joint statement welcoming the efforts of those European states supporting Kurdish forces. This support includes the supply of military supplies from France, and humanitarian aid from the UK, with Eastern European countries providing military materials also being transported by the UK. Germany and the Netherlands were also reportedly considering the possibility of supplying aid where needed.

The US began launching airstrikes on August 8, and have continued to do so in support of the Kurdish forces and civilians stranded on Mount Sinjar.

The responses from the international community follow reports of brutality against religious minorities in Northern Iraq — such as Yazidis and Christians — accompanying the Islamic State advance across the region.

Rudaw reported from within Kurdistan that the local political parties have put aside their differences and are recruiting volunteers to send to the front. Many of these parties can trace their beginnings back to the 1960s–1990s struggle against the Iraqi army, many of whom continue to maintain militias which are now being deployed to reinforce the Kurdish army in the region. These are reported to have been joined by groups of ethnic Kurds from Iran.

Reports say hundreds of Yazidi volunteers are also being trained inside Kurdistan to help fight the Islamic State’s advance.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

The Pittsburgh Pirates swept the Houston Astros in a 5-4 victory at the Minute Maid Park Wednesday. Xavier Nady did very well in the first three games of the season, going 1 for 4 with 2 runs to lift the Pirates over the Astros. Tom Gorzelanny made his debut in the last game of the series, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, with 2 errors, with one ball batted and four strikeouts. This is the first time since May 1991 that the Pirates swept the Astros.

Trailing by two runs in the fifth, Pittsburgh capitalized on three fielding errors to put them ahead by two. Craig Biggio hit a solo home run with two outs in the ninth inning, but Pittsburgh closer Salomon Torres struck out the last batter and picked up the save.

The Astros are off until Friday when the St. Louis Cardinals visit for three games. Meanwhile, the Pirates are concluding their opening road trip in Cincinnati before returning home to face the Cardinals.