Earth may pass through the dust trails of Comet 209P/LINEAR‘s past orbits, and predictions range from 100 to a ‚stormy‘ 1000 meteors an hour. (Skywatching Guide) Also, great views of Saturn, Mars and…
Daily Archives: 7. Mai 2014
Saudi liberal gets 10 years in jail, 1,000 lashes, SR1m fine
The man was sentenced in July 2013 to more than seven years in jail, in addition to 600 lashes, for insulting Islam, adopting a liberal ideology and establishing the Saudi Liberal Network. But an appeals court overturned the ruling, sending the case back for retrial.
The court dropped charges of apostasy against the defendant after his repentance before the judge. A decision was issued to close the network that was only active on the Internet.
Saudi activist sentenced to 10 years, 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam
„This is terrible news and I‘m absolutely shocked and devastated by it,“ said Badawi‘s wife, Ensaf Haider. „How is it possible they could take a sentence that was already so harsh and make it even harsher? Ten years in jail and 1,000 lashes? That‘s unimaginable. I‘m extremely scared for my husband.“
The judgment also included a 1 million riyal fine, which is equal to about $267,000.
US-Militär: Chef des Strategischen Kommandos verlangt mehr Mittel für Weltraum-Überwachung
7.11.2009 Stratcom-Chef Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, der auch die Atomwaffenflotte kommandiert, hat eine neue “Wunschliste”. Intelligente Begründung: “Weltraumschrott”.
Air Force to award ‘Space Fence’ contract to track orbital debris
Mike Nachshen, a Raytheon spokesman, said the company “is confident of our solution and looks forward to the Air Force’s decision.”
The Air Force plans to build at least one radar system, to be located in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. (A possible second system could be located in western Australia).
Now, the Defense Department tracks about 20,000 items with other sensors and radars. But the new fence would be able to track as much as 10 times that. It would also be able to identify smaller items, some the size of a golf ball.
FBI agent held in Pakistan on weapons charge may remain in custody for days
But any potential efforts to seek diplomatic immunity would be complicated because Karachi police maintain Cox did not arrive on a diplomatic visa, complicating.
Außenminister Großbritanniens reist in die Ukraine
Der Chef der britischen Diplomatie William Hague ist am heutigen Mittwoch in der Ukraine eingetroffen, wo er mit Mitgliedern ukrainischer Interimsregierung sowie mit Präsidentschaftsbewerbern treffen soll, um Meinungsaustausch betreffs langfristigen Ausbaus ukrainischer Staatlichkeit zu betreiben.
ODIHR/Venice Commission roundtable in Warsaw discusses accountability of and access to funding for associations
Key challenges in ensuring the independence and accountability of associations, as well as providing for their funding, were the focus of a roundtable discussion organized in Warsaw by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe (Venice Commission) on 6 and 7 May 2014.
TTIP: Der Druck im Kessel steigt
„Wer Bürger und Bauern quält, wird nicht gewählt!“
Venedig-Kommission
Die Venedig-Kommission (Europäische Kommission für Demokratie durch Recht) ist eine Einrichtung des Europarates, die Staaten verfassungsrechtlich berät. Eigenen Angaben zufolge spielt sie „eine führende Rolle, wenn es gilt, in Osteuropa Verfassungen auszuarbeiten, die den Normen des europäischen Verfassungsrechtsbestands entsprechen“
Discussing „special status“ for Russian language in Ukraine possible — Yatsenyuk
“If it is necessary in the framework of the Constitution to introduce a special status for the Russian language and languages of other national minorities in the country, I think this should be a matter of national discussion and decision-making,” Yatsenyuk said.
The prime minister noted that it was necessary to send the draft constitution to the Venice Commission for consideration as soon as possible. The Venice Commission is an advisory body to the European Council on constitutional law.
Ukraine-Krise: Wahlleitung in Donezk schließt Verschiebung von Referendum nicht aus
Nach Angaben des Kovorsitzenden der Regierung der „Donezker Volksrepublik“, Denis Puschilin, wird über das örtliche Referendum am Donnerstag entschieden.
Illustris Simulation: Most detailed simulation of our Universe
The simulated volume contains tens of thousands of galaxies captured in high-detail, covering a wide range of masses, rates of star formation, shapes, sizes, and with properties that agree well with the galaxy population observed in the real universe. The simulations were run on supercomputers in France, Germany, and the US. The largest was run on 8,192 compute cores, and took 19 million CPU hours. A single state-of-the-art desktop computer would require more than 2000 years to perform this calculation.
Large scale structure formation in the Universe simulated
This is a simulation of structure formation in the Universe using the adhesion approximation. The algorithm is described by Weinberg and Gunn in MNRAS in 1990
The Cosmic Web, or: What does the universe look like at a VERY large scale?
The Millennium Simulation featured in this clip was run in 2005 by the Virgo Consortium, an international group of astrophysicists from Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and the United States.
The 4 biggest right-wing lies about inequality
Even though French economist Thomas Piketty has made an air-tight case that we‘re heading toward levels of inequality not seen since the days of the nineteenth-century robber barons, right-wing conservatives haven‘t stopped lying about what‘s happening and what to do about it.
Ach, wachen sie endlich auf in Berlin! Russlandbeauftragter Erler ruft Ukraine auf, Militär-Offensive zu stoppen
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#Kiew muss militärisches Vorgehen in der #Ostukraine stoppen, sagt Gernot #Erler, Russland-Beauftragter der BRe
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Kiev support for radicals destroys unity: Analyst
The Ukrainian government is “destroying the unity of its own country” by supporting atrocities of the far-right extremist groups against the pro-Russian opposition, a political analyst tells Press TV.
Diesmal warte ich ein paar Tage mit dem Bedanken … #Russland #Ukraine #Scheisskrieg
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Putin ruft ukrainische Protestregionen zu Aufschub der Referenden auf
Donezk reagierte prompt: Der Rat der selbstproklamierten „Donezker Volksrepublik“ (DVR) kündigte an, am Donnerstag Putins Vorschlag zu erörtern. „Wir respektieren die Position Putins. Er ist ein ausgewogener Politiker. Deshalb werden wir seinen Vorschlag morgen auf dem Volksrat erörtern“, sagte Denis Puschilin, Co-Vorsitzender der DVR-Regierung zu RIA Novosti.
Meeting with President of Switzerland and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter
Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin with President of Switzerland and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter.
Possible avenues for helping to find a way out of the crisis in Ukraine were the main subject of discussion.
Putin: Russian troops withdrawn from Ukraine border
In response to Putin‘s remarks, pro-Russian activist Denis Pushilin, one of the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People‘s Republic, said the „people‘s council“ would discuss the possibility of a postponement on Thursday, RT.com reports.
Jazenjuk persönlich bringt Belagerern von Slawjansk Panzer und Motivationsgeschenke
Der ukrainische Regierungschef Arsenij Jazenjuk hat das Camp der Sicherheitskräfte im Raum der Protesthochburg Slawjansk persönlich besucht und vier Schützenpanzer übergeben.
Es handle es um die ersten der 42 Schützenpanter des Typs BTR-4E, die für die Nationalgarde angeschafft wurden, wie die ukrainische Regierung am Mittwoch mitteilte. Auch händigte Jazenjuk Kiew-treuen Kämpfern Auszeichnungen des Verteidigungsministeriums sowie Auszeichnungswaffen, Armbanduhren und Ehrenurkunden aus. Zudem habe es Beförderungen gegeben.
Kiew dementiert: Keine Chinesen in ukrainische Armee rekrutiert
Die ukrainische Nachrichtenagentur Ukrinform hatte von einem gewaltigen Andrang am Telefon der ukrainischen Botschaft in Peking berichtet: Chinesen hätten sich massenhaft sich für eine „Freiwilligenarmee“ und einen „Krieg an der Krim-Front“ gemeldet. Eine Anzeige über eine Anwerbung von Freiwilligen sei über chinesische Sozialnetzwerke lanciert worden.
Bin Laden und Glausamel Killel
(20. März 2008) Wir befinden uns im Jahre 1965. Ein Frühlingstag.
In den Hauptnachrichten des Westens erscheint ein asiatisch aussehendes Gesicht. Die Person sagt, er sei stolz ein Südwest-Vietnamese zu sein.
Er sei aber ebenso der Anführer einer weltweit operierenden kommunistischen Guerilla, welche u.a. in Algerien unter dem Namen “Organisation de l’armée secrète” (Organisation der geheimen Armee) massenhaft Muslime getötet, am 23. April 1961 einen Generalsputsch in Algier angeführt und am 22. August 1962 ein Attentat auf den französischen Präsidenten Charles de Gaulle verübt habe, mitten im US-gestützten Guerillakrieg der FLN für die Unabhängigkeit Algeriens und mitten in Bemühungen de Gaulles, den Krieg friedlich und durch Verhandlungen zu beenden.
Die Äusserungen des gefährlich aussehenden Asiaten an jenem Frühlingstage des Jahres 1965 im US-Fernsehen zur Hauptsendezeit, standen vorher schon in allen Zeitungen auf der Titelseite, obwohl man bis gestern noch nie etwas von ihm gehört hatte.
Deutschland im Paranoia-Modus. Bereits den Namen von Toten zu erwähnen macht einen tellolverdächtig
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The IMF goes to war in Ukraine
by Pepe Escobar
It’s essential to identify the conditions attached to this Mafia-style “loan.” Nothing remotely similar to reviving the Ukrainian economy is in play. The scheme is inextricably linked to the IMF’s notorious, one-size-fits-all “structural adjustment” policy, known to hundreds of millions from Latin America and Southeast Asia to Southern Europe.
FBI agent on sensitive job in Pakistan arrested on terrorism charges
Officials told the Washington Post that the agent, whose name was not revealed, was taken into custody Monday afternoon upon trying to board a flight to Islamabad.
Djibouti call: US leases African drone base, alleged CIA jail for 20 years
The US has signed a deal with Djibouti, a tiny nation in the Horn of Africa, extending by decades the presence of America’s largest military base in Eastern Africa. The site serves as a hub for drone strikes in Yemen and is a suspected CIA secret prison.
Odessa tragedy survivor: ‘Many people strangled after escaping the fire’
Radicals set the building with innocent people inside on fire in Odessa, then strangled the survivors and finished them with bats, while police did nothing to prevent the bloodshed. That’s the scary picture a survivor of the massacre told RT.
Petro Poroschenko: Präsidentschaftsfavorit verteidigt Angriffe ukrainischer Armee
Der Milliardär Poroschenko ist Favorit für die Präsidentschaftswahl in der Ukraine. In Berlin rechtfertigte er das gewaltsame Vorgehen der Regierungssoldaten im Osten des Landes. Die prorussischen Milizen seien „Terroristen“.
Poroshenko: Ukraine interested in Israeli experience in counter-terrorism
(21.04.) Presidential candidate and independent lawmaker Petro Poroshenko has met with Israeli leadership and discussed territorial integrity issues and forthcoming presidential elections in Ukraine.
Petro Poroschenko: Der Oligarch des #Majdan (von Reinhard Veser)
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Der ukrainische Präsidentschafts-Favorit (und Schokoladen-Milliardär) Pjotr Poroschenko ist morgen in Berlin. Trifft Merkel und Steinmeier.
(06.05.)
Ukraine‘s leading presidential candidate visited Israel in secret, asked for public support
(22.04.) Petro Poroshenko asked Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to publicly support his country’s territorial integrity.
Schoko-Milliardär #Poroschenko (der Mann, der die #Ukraine retten will) ist heute Gast bei #Merkel
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The next Google could come from Israel
On his most recent trip to Israel, Eric met with some of the smartest and most ambitious entrepreneurs he’s ever seen. They sought out risky, long-term challenges. They were unafraid to apply technology to real solutions, not just beautiful products.
Their training, acquired in the military and at Israel’s top-tier universities, gave them an unparalleled knowledge in cutting-edge domains of chemistry, applied physics, and computer science.
Israeli-Arabs hold ‚Nakba Day‘ march
Some 10,000 Israeli Arabs rallied in northern Israel on Tuesday to demand the right of return for refugees expelled after the creation of the Jewish state in 1948.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman slammed the demonstration, saying „I suggest those waving Palestinians flags march directly to Ramallah and remain there.“
Yitzhar emails discuss harming IDF soldiers
Discussion of the morality of attacking or possibly even killing IDF soldiers were the topic of recent community group emails between residents in the settlement of Yitzhar reported Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday.
Kicking the Peace Can Down The Road
President 45 will have the benefit of knowing that all attempts by previous presidents have left an unpleasant residue and often proved a political liability.
The international community wants a state called Palestine
The second half of the United Nation’s Partition Plan of 1947, which recommended the establishment of Jewish and Arab states in Mandatory Palestine, is still awaiting materialization.
Top US official arrives in Israel for strategic talks
The American delegation to the Consultative Group meetings includes senior officials from the State Department, Treasury Department, and the intelligence community.
The former US ambassador to the UN said she was looking forward to „robust and intensive consultations“ and emphasized that the American „security cooperation with Israel has never been stronger.“
Russian Pacific Fleet gears up for joint naval drills with China
Warships from Russia‘s Pacific Fleet went to sea for preparations off Russia‘s Far East coast on Wednesday, planning joint naval drills with China later in the month, the fleet’s press service reported.
China, Russia to hold joint military exercise in May
(01.05.) China and Russia will stage joint naval drills in the East China Sea off Shanghai in late May, China‘s ministry of national defense has said.
The „Joint Sea-2014“ drills are regular exercises held by Chinese and Russian navies, and is aimed to enhance practical cooperation between the two militaries and to strengthen their capabilities to jointly deal with maritime security threats, said a report published on the ministry‘s website.
Vladimir Putin will meet with presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
Vladimir Putin will hold an informal meeting with the presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on May 8 in Moscow. The visiting leaders will also be present at a Russian Armed Forces command exercise.
Mr Putin will also hold bilateral talks with some of the leaders taking part in the meeting.
Ukraine Crisis: Much greater effort needed from all sides towards peaceful resolution – Pillay
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Tuesday expressed deep concern about the surge in violence in Ukraine, which is resulting in more and more deaths and destruction.
“I urge all sides to make a much greater effort to find a peaceful resolution to the current crisis, especially in the various towns in eastern and southern Ukraine that have been racked by increasingly violent confrontations,” she said.
Tragödie von Odessa: Erst getötet, dann verbrannt
Die Kiewer Behörden haben ihr Versprechen, die tragischen Ereignisse in Odessa aufzuklären, offenbar vergessen, schreibt die „Rossijskaja Gaseta“ am Mittwoch.
Der Westen wird anscheinend nicht auf eine gerechte Untersuchung der Tragödie in Odessa drängen. Europa und die USA schweigen.
Nach Erklärung von UN-Hochkommissarin: Moskau teilt Empörung über Gewalt in Ukraine
Im Zusammenhang mit der jüngsten Erklärung der Uno-Menschenrechtshochkommissarin Navi Pillay zur ausufernden Gewaltanwendung in der Ukraine verweist das russische Außenministerium am Mittwoch auf grobe Menschenrechtsverletzungen in der Ukraine, die vom Westen geduldet werden.
‚Militainment‘
Michael Schulze von Glaßer, aktives Mitglied der »Informationsstelle Militarisierung« in Tübingen, ist jW-Lesern durch sein Engagement gegen Werbeeinsätze der Bundeswehr an Schulen bekannt. Sein kürzlich erschienenes Buch »Das virtuelle Schlachtfeld« beschäftigte sich allerdings mehr mit Videospielen und ihrer Rolle bei der Rekrutierung von militärischem Nachwuchs.