Ex-OIC head to run for Turkey presidency

17 Jun 2014
Umut Uras

Turkey's two largest opposition parties have announced a prominent conservative diplomat as their joint candidate for the upcoming presidential election that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, is also expected to contest.

The left-leaning secularist Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) said on Monday that they agreed to back Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, an experienced academic and diplomat, who stepped down in December as Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The recent move to pick a conservative presidential candidate by the opposition parties is widely seen as an effort to attract conservative voters loyal to Prime Minister Erdogan whose AKP scored a landslide victory in the March 30 local elections.

The polls, which were seen as a vote of confidence for the government, took place in a polarized and tense political atmosphere ignited by electoral fraud claims, online bans towards social media platforms and anonymous Internet postings of recorded conversations that alleged corrupt actions of Erdogan, his family members and aides.

In his first comments after his candidacy was announced, Ihsanoglu was quoted by Turkish press as saying, "It is the result of such kindness to be in the focus of such a compromise."

If Erdogan, who has dominated the Turkish politics for the last 12 years, formally announces his candidacy for the August elections, the race will be a big challenge for Cairo-born Ihsanoglu as he is not a popular figure among the public.

Many analysts think the choice by the CHP, party of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of Turkey's modern secular republic, would have been unthinkable in the previous years, reflecting how religious conservatism gained strength in Turkey in recent years.

'Historic election'

Kadri Gursel, a political analyst and columnist for daily Milliyet newspaper, believes the significance of the upcoming "historic" presidential election surpasses who the candidates will be.

Gursel told Al Jazeera: "This election is going to be a choice between an authoritarian presidential system and the parliamentary regime."

"Opposition's joint choice of candidate who can get AKP votes is in line with this goal of defending the parliamentary system," he said.

Dr Hatem Ete, director for political research at the Ankara-based think-tank SETA, said it was obvious that the joint opposition candidate was going to be a conservative one, but an Islamic academic such as Ihsanoglu was still unexpected for the CHP’s secular political base.

"A conservative candidate was needed not only to get AKP votes, but also to secure the supporters of MHP, which also has a conservative and fairly religious political base," Ete said.

Ihsanoglu, known for his calm and conciliatory character, became the first OIC chief to meet the pope last December.

"I have no doubt that there is room for religious freedom improvements in some parts of the Muslim world with regard to allowing non-Muslims to have access to their religious facilities or construction of such facilities," Ihsanoglu said in an interview with Reuters news agency last year. He also asked Western countries to make more effort to combat an increase of prejudice against Muslims there.

Popular vote

The new president is going to be the first one to take the seat through popular vote, making the process more politicized compared to the past elections, in which the parliament voted for the seat.

The president in Turkey has relatively more powers compared to similar parliamentary regimes. He or she has the power to promulgate laws or return them to the parliament for reconsideration, to call public referendums, to call new parliamentary elections, to appoint the prime minister, ministers, and key bureaucrats.

According to Ete, Ihsanoglu will not be able to mobilize all of CHP and MHP voters to go to the ballot box or secure a significant number of votes from the AKP.

"He is not a politician; Turkish public does not know his ideas about key issues such as the Kurdish question, army's role in politics or key foreign policy issues such as Iraq and Syria. It is very hard for a bureaucrat to steal votes from a charismatic politician," he told Al Jazeera.

Kadri Gursel said AKP's voter base is spread to various circles in Turkish public, adding that not all of them were "Erdogan fanatics".

He said that AKP supporters who are right-wing but not religiously conservatives, and the ones who are not happy with Erdogan's performance and rhetoric might vote for Ihsanoglu.

"A candidate, who did not have a potential of getting the AKP votes, would have no chance in the election," Gursel told Al Jazeera.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/ex-oic-head-run-turkey-presidency-2014617102940512308.html.

Turkish miner who survived says company to blame

May 17, 2014

SAVASTEPE, Turkey (AP) — Miner Erdal Bicak believes he knows why so many of his colleagues died in Turkey's worst mining disaster: company negligence.

And he knows one other thing — he's never going back down any mine again. Bicak, 24, had just ended his shift Tuesday and was making his way to the surface when managers ordered him back underground because of a problem in the Soma coal mine in western Turkey.

"The company is guilty," Bicak told The Associated Press, adding that managers had machines that measure methane gas levels. "The new gas levels had gotten too high and they didn't tell us in time." The miner also said government safety inspectors never visited the lower reaches of the Soma mine and have no idea of how bad conditions get as workers trudge deeper underground.

Bicak, whose leg was badly injured and in a cast, recounted his miraculous escape late Friday while at a candle-lit vigil for Soma victims in the town square of nearby Savastepe. Public anger has surged in the wake of the Soma coal mine inferno that killed at least 299 miners. Police used tear gas and water cannon Friday to disperse rock-throwing protesters in Soma who were demanding that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government resign. In Istanbul, police broke up a crowd who lit candles to honor the Soma victims.

Bicak said he ended up about a kilometer (.6 miles) underground with 150 people Tuesday afternoon when he heard an explosion. He said they were given old oxygen masks that he thought hadn't been checked in many years.

Bicak and a close friend tried to make it to an exit, but there was a lot of smoke. The path was very narrow and steep, with ceilings so low that miners can't stand up, making it difficult to leave quickly. He and his friend took turns slapping each other to stay conscious.

"I told my friend 'I can't go on. Leave me here. I'm going to die,'" Bicak said. But his friend said to him, "'No, we're getting out of here.'" Bicak eventually made it out of the mine with his friend — by then lapsing in and out of consciousness. He said he lost many friends and out of the 150 miners he was working with, only 15 made it out alive.

Thick smoke from the underground fire killed many miners who had no gas masks, according to Akin Celik, the Soma mine's operations manager. Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said Saturday that crews had found one more body overnight, raising the death toll to 299, but a new fire was hampering efforts to reach the two or three workers still missing. He said 485 miners escaped or were rescued.

The Milliyet newspaper said Saturday it saw a preliminary report by a mine safety expert who went into the Soma mine that suggested smoldering coal caused the mine's roof to collapse. The report said the tunnel's support beams were made of wood, not metal, and there were not enough carbon monoxide sensors.

Labor Minister Faruk Celik said investigations have been launched by both prosecutors and the company but "there is no report that has emerged yet." Government and mining officials insisted Friday, however, that the disaster was not due to negligence.

"There's no negligence with respect to this incident," said Huseyin Celik, a deputy leader of the ruling party. He said the mine in Soma "was inspected vigorously 11 times since 2009." "Let's learn from this pain and rectify our mistakes," he said. "(But) this is not the time to look for a scapegoat."

Celik, the mining official, echoed those words. "There's no negligence with respect to this incident. We all worked with all our heart and soul. I have not seen anything like this in 20 years," he told reporters.

Bicak said the last inspection at the Soma mine was six months ago. He said mine managers know that government inspectors only visit the top 100 meters (yards) of the mine, so they just clean up that part and the inspectors never see the narrow, steep, cramped sections below.

Mine owners are tipped off up to a week before an inspection anyway, said Ozgur Ozel, an opposition lawmaker from the Soma region who has criticized the government for not adopting the International Labor Organization's convention on mine safety.

Bicak, who is still trying to come to grips with the deaths of so many colleagues, says he knows now that his mining career is over. "I'm not going to be a miner anymore. God gave me a chance and now I'm done," he said.

Suzan Fraser contributed from Ankara.

'Youth Troupe of Yarmuk' rare ray of light in Syria's refugee camp

2014-08-12
By Rana Moussaoui
Beirut

In the Yarmuk camp in southern Damascus, the notes escape a piano set in a scene of destruction and the children in Ayham al-Ahmed's little group sing of hunger and suffering.

The music in the Syrian camp, under siege for a year and wracked by violence seems at odd with the brutality that is all around.

It is almost reminiscent of the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish pianist in the World War II, immortalized in the film "The Pianist" directed by Roman Polanski.

"I loved that movie, which I saw in 2007, but I never thought that I would come to embody such a character," Ahmed said, contacted by the Internet.

In photos posted on Facebook, the 26-year-old plays the piano in streets littered with debris, his face growing thinner with each passing month.

Once a thriving neighborhood home to 150,000 Palestinian refugees and Syrians, Yarmuk has been reduced to a shell of its former self in the conflict that began in March 2011.

Caught in fighting between rebels and the regime, just 18,000 residents remain, suffering under a government siege that has caused the deaths of some 200 people in a year, including 128 of hunger.

"I weighed 70 kilos between the sieges, today I weigh 45," says Ahmed.

Since the end of June, when a truce was reached between the regime and rebels, with approval from Palestinian factions in the camp, the siege has been loosened slightly.

But the privations in the camp were so serious that Ahmed, who loves to play Haydn and eastern jazz, evacuated his wife and two-year-old son, both suffering severe anaemia.

- Music 'to emerge from despair' -

Under the circumstances, Ahmed's creation of the "Youth Troupe of Yarmuk" in 2013 was a rare ray of light.

"It was important to emerge from the despair we were living in," he says.

When he plays, he says, he feels that "there is once again something good in this life".

Ayham's father, 62-year-old Ahmed al-Ahmed, is a blind violinist who played with the troupe until rheumatism exacerbated by malnutrition forced him to quit.

An admirer of Bach, as well as the greats of Arabic music, Ahmed is proud of his son, who composes music for songs written by amateur poets in the camp and refugees abroad.

"Music is a universal language, a passport to reach that other," the elder Ahmed says.

"I want to put a smile on the faces of children," says Ayhem al-Ahmed, who named his children's choir "Buds of Yarmuk".

One song about those in exile from the camp, called "Brother, we miss you in Yarmuk", spread like wildfire on social networks.

It describes the story of Syrians who have been displaced from their homes or become refugees -- some nine million citizens in all.

"You have been gone for a long time... you who are in Beirut, in Turkey, we miss you," the children sing.

"When the children sing, I feel that there is hope again," says Ahmed, who dreams of one day playing in a professional orchestra.

In the deserted streets of the camp, opinion about Ahmed's project is sometimes divided.

"Some people say to me 'People are dying and you're making music,'" Ahmed says.

But others, like resident Abu Hamza, say the troupe expresses the camp's suffering and helps lift spirits.

"When we hear them, we are able to forget our misfortune a little bit," he said via the Internet.

- 'Threatened to break my fingers' -

In the middle of a raging civil war that began as an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, Ahmed remains non-partisan.

"Our message is living without bullets," he says.

One song is dedicated to the "martyrs of hunger", those who have starved to death under the tight siege on the camp.

"I drink distress in the morning, I wait for death in the evening," the plaintive lyrics go.

Moving his piano from street to street with his friends to play, Ahmed incurred the wrath of extremists who had taken up positions in the camp, before withdrawing under the truce.

"For them it is haram (religiously prohibited). They threatened to break my fingers," Ahmed says, "so I played early in the morning while they slept."

Of late, Ahmed has composed songs about the situation in Gaza, but Yarmuk remains at the heart of his music, which often mixes classical music and jazz.

Separated from his family, Ahmed does not want to leave Yarmuk, and says Syrians write to him from abroad to encourage his music.

"They write 'when you play it gives us hope that we'll return'," he says.

And any doubts about his frame of mind are dispelled by his Facebook status update, which says it all: "Feeling optimistic".

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=67548.

Gazans displaced by war to be housed in 'mobile homes'

Wednesday
13/08/2014

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Thousands of Gazans displaced in Israel's recent assault on the besieged enclave will be housed in mobile homes until a permanent solution can be found, a Palestinian official said Wednesday.

Mufid al-Hasaynah, minister for public works and housing, says the ministry is trying to arrange the entry of 3,500 mobile homes donated to Gaza by Turkey.

Over 17,000 homes were completely destroyed while 43,000 suffered damages in over a month of Israeli attacks.

Palestinian deputy prime minister Ziad Abu Amr arrived in Gaza Tuesday to meet with government officials and NGOs and prepare for reconstruction.

The United Nations' Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry is scheduled to visit the Gaza Strip Wednesday where he will meet with Palestinian ministers, al-Hasaynah said.

According to the UN, about 110,000 Palestinians in Gaza are using UNRWA schools as shelter after their houses were destroyed.

Since Hamas took power in 2007, Israel has launched three major offensives on Gaza, including the 22-day Operation Cast Lead over New Year 2009, and the eight-day Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012, killing over 3,500 Palestinians.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=720281.

Coalition of activists plans to send new aid flotilla to besieged Gaza

2014-08-12

ISTANBUL - A coalition of activists said on Tuesday they would send a flotilla of ships to break Israel's siege of Gaza by the end of 2014, fours years after a similar campaign ended in a deadly raid by Israeli commandos.

"We plan to send the flotilla during 2014," the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which includes activists from at least 10 countries, said in Istanbul.

The statement was made at a joint conference hosted by Turkish relief agency Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), which sponsored the first flotilla of ships carrying aid to Gaza that was raided by Israeli commandos in 2010.

The group did not give a specific date or an estimate on how many vessels or people would participate.

The IHH, which many believe has close ties with the Turkish government, is one of the members of the coalition, which includes groups from Greece, Norway and Sweden.

"It is a reflection of the growing worldwide solidarity with the Palestinian people, from the US to Malaysia, from Scandinavia to South Africa," the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said.

The boats would sail at the same time from different ports around the world, carrying humanitarian aid as well as Palestinian commercial products, it added.

"We will try to form this flotilla with the aim of showing that international community cannot sit and look away when attacks on civilians and crimes against humanity are committed," said Canadian activist Ehab Lotayef.

He added that the coalition would not seek support from any government and there would not be any military escort.

Israel says it imposed its blockade on Gaza in 2007 to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza.

"We will commit ourselves to non-violence, but as long as the blockade is there, we will sail again and again," the group said.

In 2010, Israeli commandos stormed the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, the largest ship in a flotilla dispatched by the IHH.

Nine Turks died in the raid and one more died in hospital this year after four years in a coma.

The assault on the ship in international waters sparked widespread condemnation and provoked a major diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel.

The flotilla will again include Mavi Marmara, but the initiative is "by no means encouraged by the Turkish government," the IHH deputy head Durmus Aydin said.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=67557.

Mammoth reconstruction task awaits battered Gaza

2014-08-12
By Guillaume Lavallee
Gaza City

With thousands of homes reduced to rubble and its infrastructure in ruins, Gaza's reconstruction will cost billions and require at least an easing of Israel's blockade to allow in building materials.

Cement will be key among these materials, but its import will be controversial since it has been at the heart of an underground war between Israel and Hamas.

From Beit Lahiya in the north, to Rafah in the south, Israel's latest offensive has left swathes of the Gaza Strip in ruins.

Families come during brief lulls in the fighting to sift through the debris of their homes for possessions, waiting to start rebuilding their lives.

In front of his apartment -- reduced to a grey mass of dust, rubble and twisted iron -- Jamal Abed drags on a cigarette as he thumbs his prayer beads.

"They destroyed everything here, there's nothing we can do," he says.

He knows he could spend months, even years, without somewhere to live because his home will have to be completely leveled before it can be rebuilt.

But for reconstruction to start there has to be a negotiated end to the fighting.

There also has to be cement, lots of it, and the Palestinian enclave is suffering a chronic shortage of this crucial construction material.

Israel first imposed a blockade on Gaza in summer 2006 after militants in the territory seized one of its soldiers in a cross-border tunnel attack.

It was significantly tightened a year later after the Islamist movement Hamas seized control of the enclave, with Israel imposing severe restrictions on the entry of cement, gravel and steel.

Israel said the restrictions were aimed at stopping Islamist militants from building bunkers and other fortifications.

- '100 years to rebuild' -

James Rawley, the UN's resident and humanitarian coordinator has warned that failure to lift the blockade could cause more conflict in Gaza in the future.

If the measures are not removed, "not only will we see very little in the way of reconstruction, but I am afraid that the conditions are in place for us to have another round of violence like we're seeing now," he said on Sunday.

In 2010, Israel eased restrictions on imports of food and construction materials after international outrage over a botched Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla trying to break the blockade left 10 Turkish activists dead.

Since Hamas took power in 2007, Israel has launched two major offensives on Gaza: the 22-day Operation Cast Lead over New Year 2009, and the eight-day Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012.

Both caused widespread devastation to the battered enclave.

Gazans have been largely able to circumvent the restrictions of the blockade by importing cement through cross-border smuggling tunnels from Egypt.

But after the Egyptian military overthrew Hamas' Islamist ally, President Mohamed Morsi, in July 2013, the new regime of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has cracked down on the tunnels, destroying over 1,600 of them and dealing a death blow to the smuggling industry.

Since then, Gaza's reconstruction has been dependent on the materials Israel has allowed in, with supplies only permitted for international construction projects.

"It would take 100 years to rebuild Gaza with the current rate of construction material being allowed in," said Sari Bashi, co-founder of Israeli NGO Gisha which campaigns for Palestinian freedom of movement and trade.

"In the years in which cement has been banned from entering Gaza, Israel did not manage to prevent tunnels from being dug," she said.

"It is a policy that is overwhelmingly harming civilians in Gaza with little to no security benefit for Israel".

- Cementing the truce? -

The UN estimates more than 11,800 homes have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, more than twice the number that was destroyed in Operation Cast Lead.

At the time, the international community pledged $4.5 billion (3.4 billion euros) to rebuild Gaza's shattered infrastructure.

This time round, the Palestinians say they need up to $6 billion to fix hospitals, roads, schools, water facilities and factories hit by shelling and bombing.

Mahir al-Tabaa, head of Gaza's chamber of industry and commerce, says that "more than 350 industrial buildings" have been destroyed in the fighting, including 50 key factories.

But the conflict which began on July 8 is not yet over.

The warring sides have both agreed to hold their fire for three days to allow Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to meet in Cairo for talks on a more durable end to the fighting.

The issue of cement is set to be one of the key challenges for the two sides as they struggle to reach an agreement.

Israeli officials have recognized the importance of rebuilding Gaza but they do not want to lift the blockade - the main demand of the Palestinians.

"There will be no agreement without the blockade being lifted, without cement entering Gaza," said Daifallah al-Akhras, a senior Palestinian official.

"How do you expect us to rebuild without cement?"

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=67547.

Jordan takes wait-and-see approach on Islamic State

Osama Al Sharif
August 11, 2014

For weeks now, Jordan’s punditry has been debating the same issue: Will the kingdom become the next target for the Islamic State (IS)? Government officials, newspaper columnists and members of the political establishment have responded to growing fears by citizens that the extreme Salafist jihadist organization may soon direct its attention toward Jordan, in light of recent territorial gains in Syria and Iraq and the latest incursion into the Lebanese border town of Arsal.

Adding to local concerns is the fact that Jordan’s own Salafist jihadist movement is now divided over its support of IS, and the declaration by its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, of an Islamic caliphate in territories under his control. Last month, a group of Jordanian Salafists were caught on video, in the eastern city of Zarqa, chanting slogans in support of IS and pledging allegiance to Baghdadi. The video went viral on social media networks.

The incident came in the wake of another demonstration in support of IS on June 21 in the troubled southern town of Ma’an, a hotbed for the Salafist movement. Police did nothing to disperse participants who waved the familiar black and white IS flags.

Responding to such acts of support, the spiritual leader of the Salafist jihadist movement, Issam al-Barqawi, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, launched a vehement attack against IS, accusing it of killing Muslims and criticizing its declaration of an Islamist caliphate. Maqdisi was released from jail on June 16, a few days before he made his statements, raising questions about a possible deal between him and the authorities. He later denied that he had come under pressure to attack IS.

His criticisms were attacked by a group of Salafist jihadists who reiterated their loyalty to Baghdadi and IS. In a statement on July 22, they said they represent the majority of the followers of the movement in Jordan, including Abu Mohammad al-Tahawi, one of their leaders.

In contrast to Maqdisi’s position, Mohammad al-Shalabi, better known as Abu Sayyaf, told Al-Monitor that he supports any jihadist movement, including IS. He said efforts are being made to end the rift between IS and the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, which is fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.

Abu Sayyaf denied reports that IS is already present in Jordan, adding that Jordan’s Salafist jihadists now number over 8,000 with many of them joining “jihad” in Syria. “As to clerics speaking on behalf of moderate Salafists, all they are concerned with is to defend the regime and its security arm,” he said.

But political analyst and former Minister Taher al-Adwan wrote on a local website on Aug. 10 that the IS threat is real, and that the incursion in Arsal and Iraqi Kurdistan proves that the movement is unpredictable. He wrote: “We should always remember that the Islamic State is present to our east [in Iraq’s Anbar province] and is growing in Syria’s east and south.” He rejected statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu that Israel would come to the aid of Jordan if it came under IS threat.

Another political commentator, Uraib al-Rintawi, agrees with Adwan. He told Al-Monitor that IS has “ideological supporters” in Jordan, and that the movement is now close to the kingdom’s northern borders with Syria, where more than 80% of Jordanians live. But he added that Jordan is different from Iraq, Syria and Lebanon because it has a professional army, a homogenous population and strong state institutions. He called for regional efforts to confront the movement's rising danger.

Mohammad Abu Rumman, who is an expert on Salafist jihadist movements in the region, told Al-Monitor that Jordan can do little to confront the Islamic State's growing influence. “It is completely incapable of dealing with the ideological onslaught of the movement, especially as most Salafist jihadists in Jordan support the ideas of the Islamic State.” He estimated the number of Jordanians fighting with IS at 3,000, but he said that in spite of the movement’s recent gains, it is doubtful that it will succeed in building a real state anywhere in the region.

For his part, Minister of Political Affairs Khaled al-Kalaldeh told Al-Monitor that IS is a security and not a political challenge for the government. He added that what happened in Zarqa and Ma’an does not constitute a change in the organizational level of local Salafist jihadist movements, and that the government is watching closely any new developments. “Historically, Jordan has been fighting all sorts of extremism and will work with other nations to confront extremism,” he said.

On the other hand, local observers have criticized the silence of the Muslim Brotherhood movement over IS. Coming under pressure, the Brotherhood's leadership took several weeks to issue a statement denouncing IS “atrocities” and accusing it of “distorting the image of Islam.”

Still, a growing number of Jordanians believe the government should take direct and decisive action against Salafist jihadists in the country. Abu Rumman said the release of Maqdisi may point to a government decision to “divide” the movement for now, but it is unlikely that such a strategy will work in the long run. Adwan agreed and said the government should focus on strengthening the domestic front against possible IS incursion.

Public pressure is mounting on the government to take action against local Salafist jihadists to undercut any presence or foothold for IS. But the authorities are hesitant to wage open war against the jihadists at this stage, opting for a wait-and-see approach for now.

Source: al-Monitor.
Link: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/08/jordan-isis-islamic-state-salafist-jihadist.html.

Saudi Arabia Offers One of World's Lowest Solar Energy Costs

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (SPX)
Aug 12, 2014

Solar power costs have fallen dramatically over the last five years, thanks to lower module prices, lower balance of system costs, and increased competition at the development and EPC level. Financing costs have also decreased as investors recognize the low-risk profile of solar assets. As a result, solar power is now cheaper than most alternative power sources.

"For systems with the right economies of scale - 10 MegaWatt (MW) and above - solar power can now be generated at between US$70 and US$100/MWh. That price is more than four times lower than in 2009," says Thierry Lepercq, founder and president of France-based Solairedirect, a world leader in the development of large photovoltaic (PV) power plants with low levelized cost of energy (LCOE).

Within this price range, Saudi Arabia could offer some of the lowest LCOE levels, according to Lepercq, who will be speaking at the second edition of Desert Solar Saudi Arabia conference that will be held from 17-18 September. In particular, he will explore the business case for utility-scale solar plants.

Building on the success of the first Desert Solar conference held last year, the event is once again gathering distinguished stakeholders in the Saudi Arabian solar energy market, hosting more than 150 decision makers from across the industry.

The panel of speakers will include executives from Air Liquide MENA, E.ON, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and Tokyo Electron Taiwan, as well as Skypower Fas Energy, Solairedirect and First Solar.

"Today in Saudi Arabia, it is possible to reach a solar LCOE of between US$70/MWh in the higher irradiation/elevation areas in the western part of the kingdom, and around US$90/MWh in the Gulf area," reveals Lepercq.

With such competitive costs, the Saudi solar market has been growing steadily. Earlier this year, Solar Frontier completed the 1 MW CPV power plant at the Nofa Equestrian Resort, near Riyadh. And in the next few months, Saudi Aramco's KAPSARC II project that will extend their existing solar plant from 3.5 MW to 5.3 MW should also come online.

"Recent developments in Saudi Arabia, such as the interest of local investors in financing PV projects and the growing amount of traction that EPC companies are gaining, are a clear indication of the Kingdom's potential to evolve into a sustainable solar energy market," said Dr. Raed Bkayrat, Vice President for Saudi Arabia at First Solar, a leading global solar energy solutions provider with over 9 gigawatts (GW) installed worldwide.

"With access to all the critical elements - low-cost finance, land availability, high solar irradiance and locally-based, skilled resources - there is no reason why Saudi Arabia cannot achieve some of the lowest PV levelized costs of electricity in the region," highlights Dr. Bkayrat, who will be sharing insights on solar-powered desalination solutions for Saudi Arabia at the Desert Solar conference.

In addition, "the local PV manufacturing sector, already under development leveraging KSA's excellent industrial infrastructure, with region-specific PV R and D initiatives at local institutions (i.e. KAUST, KACST), would provide a further boost not only to additional cost decrease but also to increased human capital development in the Saudi solar sector" according to Imtiaz Mahtab, a board member of the Saudi Arabia Solar Industry Association (SASIA).

Further cost reductions can be expected as all cost factors continue to improve, down to US$50-US$70/MWh by 2020, according to Lepercq. By then, solar PV power would be by far the cheapest energy in the world.

The Desert Solar Conference is part of a week-long trade mission offering international solar executives and investors the opportunity to meet with a high-level delegation of Saudi solar stakeholders. The event will be held from 14-18 September, 2014 and is jointly organized in by international solar conference organizer Solarplaza and the Saudi Arabia Solar Industry Association (SASIA).

Source: Solar Daily.
Link: http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Saudi_Arabia_Offers_One_of_Worlds_Lowest_Solar_Energy_Costs_999.html.

Japan to test first homegrown stealth fighter jet: report

Tokyo (AFP)
Aug 12, 2014

A group of major Japanese firms are planning a test flight next year for the nation's first homegrown stealth fighter jet, a report said Tuesday.

The consortium -- led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries -- is developing a jet that has similar technology to US-made F-35 stealth fighters, with a prototype set for a test run in January, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper said.

About 39.2 billion yen ($384 million) has been invested in the project, said the report, which did not cite sources.

Following the initial flight, the jet will undergo about two years of testing at the defense ministry with Tokyo set to decide on whether to buy the plane by early 2019, it added.

The story could not be immediately confirmed.

Japan, which sees a security alliance with the United States as a cornerstone of its foreign policy, has long depended on US manufacturers for military hardware.

But the conservative government has been looking to expand Japan's military influence, and has relaxed a self-imposed ban on weapons exports.

Last month, Tokyo loosened the bonds on Japan's powerful military, proclaiming the right to go into battle in defense of allies, in a highly controversial shift for the officially pacifist country.

The development of a homegrown jet comes amid worsening tensions with Beijing over rival claims to islands in the East China Sea.

Japan said last month that its military scrambled fighter jets a record 340 times in the three months to June in response to feared intrusions on its airspace.

Chinese government ships and planes have been seen off the disputed islands dozens of times since Japan nationalized some of the archipelago nearly two years ago.

Source: Space Mart.
Link: http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Japan_to_test_first_homegrown_stealth_fighter_jet_report_999.html.

China outstrips Germany to become world's biggest solar market

Beijing (SPX)
Aug 12, 2014

Hanergy and China New Energy Chamber of Commerce have issued the Global Renewable Energy Report 2014. The report found that China became the world's biggest market for solar power in 2013, with the country's newly installed photovoltaic generating capacity jumping 232% on-year to 12 gigawatts (GW).

Key findings include:

The global solar market is shifting from Europe to Asia. China's newly installed solar capacity grew 232% year-on-year in 2013 to 12GW, whereas Germany's newly installed capacity fell 56.5% to 3.3GW and Italy's dropped 55% year-on-year to 1.6GW.

Financing activity reflects this shift. China accounted for the largest proportion of global solar industry financing at $23.56bn, equivalent to the entire amount raised in Europe.

The growth of the solar industry continues to accelerate. Globally, newly installed solar capacity reached 38.7GW, bringing the global total of installed capacity to 140.6GW in 2013, compared with 101.9GW in 2012.

The shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy continues. Total global power generation grew 4.3% from the previous year, to 22513.8 terawatt-hours (TWh), while renewable energy power generation grew at 13% per annum, accounting for 5.2% of the world's total output.

Global production of thin-film solar cell was about 4GW in 2013, up 20% from 2012. Many thin-film solar companies expanded capacity in 2013 and sought out diversified markets, achieving economies of scale through global mergers and acquisitions and upgrading production line technology.

"Our research shows that China has already become the world's biggest solar market. Now the country is moving to a more green and sustainable model of development which will drive future global growth in renewable energy," Chairman and CEO of Hanergy and President of the China New Energy Chamber of Commerce, Li Hejun said.

"Governments are turning to greater use of renewable energy to tackle pollution and deliver energy security, underpinning growth momentum in the global renewable energy industry," he added.

The Global Renewable Energy Report drew on data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, GlobalData and Hanergy and CNECC's own research teams. Data from the International Energy Bureau, China Electricity Council, US Energy Information Administration, the Global Wind Energy Council, the Global Hydropower Association and the International Geothermal Association were also used.

Source: Solar Daily.
Link: http://www.solardaily.com/reports/China_outstrips_Germany_to_become_worlds_biggest_solar_market_999.html.

Ukraine: Russia aid can enter with Red Cross role

August 12, 2014

MOSCOW (AP) — A convoy of 280 Russian trucks reportedly packed with aid headed for eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, but Kiev said it would only allow the goods through under the close supervision of the international Red Cross.

A Ukrainian security spokesman said the convoy of vehicles was being managed by the Russian army and that it could not be allowed into the country. The humanitarian crisis provoked by fighting between government troops and pro-Russian separatist militants in eastern Ukraine has reached a critical point in recent days and heightened the urgent need for intervention.

But Ukraine and the West have voiced concerns that Russia could use the aid initiative as a cover for sending troops into separatist-held territory. "This convoy is not a certified convoy. It is not certified by the International Committee of the Red Cross," said Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council. "No military structures have the right to escort humanitarian aid convoys, especially into another state."

The government in Ukraine says it is willing for trucks from Russia to unload their contents at the border and for the aid to be transferred to transportation leased by the ICRC. Officials with the ICRC and Ukraine's government said Tuesday they had no information on what the trucks were carrying or where specifically they were headed.

The Ukrainian government has insisted that aid must cross at a government-held border crossing. At least 100 kilometers (60 miles) of the border is currently in rebel hands. Valeriy Chaly, the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration, said a suitable transfer point could be between Russia's Belgorod region and Ukraine's Kharkiv region, which has been spared the major unrest seen further south.

Chaly said that any attempt to take humanitarian goods into Ukraine without proper authorization would be viewed as an attack on the country. Alexander Drobyshevsky, a spokesman for Russia's emergency ministry that is conducting the mission, told the AP that his organization had "not yet defined" where the trucks would cross the border. He said it could take several days for them to reach Ukraine.

Ukraine has stressed that the aid effort to alleviate hardship in the conflict-wracked Luhansk province in the east should be seen as an international undertaking. Officials in Kiev have said Russia's involvement in the humanitarian mission is required to ensure cooperation from separatist rebel forces, who have consistently expressed their allegiance to Moscow.

Russian television and news agencies reported Tuesday that 2,000 tons of aid was en route to Ukraine. Pro-Kremlin television channel NTV showed hundreds of white trucks gathered at a depot outside Moscow, and said they were carrying everything from baby food to sleeping bags. The report showed a Russian Orthodox priest sprinkling holy water on the trucks, some of which bore a red cross, before their departure.

But Lysenko said suspicions have been raised by the military provenance of the trucks in the convoy. In a briefing, he showed a covertly filmed video appearing to show vehicles similar to the white-canopied trucks parked at a military base in Russia.

One frame in the video displayed by Lysenko shows uniformed troops lined up in front of one the trucks. Andre Loersch, a spokesman for the ICRC mission in Ukraine, said that while the organization had reached a general agreement about delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, he had "no information about the content" of the trucks and did not know where they were headed.

"At this stage we have no agreement on this, and it looks like the initiative of the Russian Federation," he said. French President Francois Hollande discussed the aid delivery with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying "he emphasized the strong fears evoked by a unilateral Russian mission in Ukrainian territory."

Hollande told Putin Tuesday morning that any mission must be multilateral and have the agreement of the ICRC and Ukraine, according to a statement in Paris. Some of the heaviest impact on civilians from fighting has been seen in Luhansk — the rebel-held capital of the Luhansk province that had a pre-war population of 420,000. In a status update Tuesday, city authorities said the 250,000 residents remaining had had no electricity or water supplies for 10 days.

"Luhansk is under a de facto blockade: The city continues to be destroyed, and the delivery of foodstuffs, medicine and fuel has been interrupted," the city council said in the statement. A large portion of the Russian border with Luhansk province is under separatist control.

Throughout the conflict, Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of aiding the rebels with arms and expertise, a charge that the Kremlin has denied.

Peter Leonard in Kiev, Ukraine, and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

Ukraine says will deny access to Russian aid

August 12, 2014

MOSCOW (AP) — A convoy of 280 Russian trucks reportedly packed with aid headed for eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, but Ukraine said it would deny the mission entry because it has not been certified by the Red Cross and could be a covert military operation.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had no information on what the trucks were carrying or where they were going. That has raised fears in Ukraine and the West, where leaders have voiced concerns that Russia could use the initiative as a pretext for sending troops into separatist-held territory.

Russian television and news agencies reported that 2,000 tons of aid was en route to Ukraine, where fighting between pro-Russian separatists and government forces has claimed more than 1,300 lives since April, according to a U.N. report.

Pro-Kremlin television channel NTV showed hundreds of white trucks gathered at a depot outside Moscow, and said they were carrying everything from baby food to sleeping bags. The report also showed a Russian Orthodox priest sprinkling holy water on the trucks, some of which bore a red cross, before their departure.

But Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said the convoy will not be allowed across the border. "This convoy is not a certified convoy. It is not certified by the International Committee of the Red Cross," Lysenko said.

He also showed a covertly filmed video appearing to show vehicles similar to the white-canopied trucks dispatched from Moscow on Tuesday parked at a military base in Russia. One frame displayed by Lysenko shows uniformed troops lined up in front of one the trucks.

Andre Loersch, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross mission in Ukraine, said that while the organization had reached a general agreement about delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, he had "no information about the content" of the trucks and did not know where they were headed.

"At this stage we have no agreement on this, and it looks like the initiative of the Russian Federation," he said. The deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration, Valeriy Chaly, said Kiev had agreed to an arrangement whereby aid could be transferred across the border and reloaded onto trucks approved by the Red Cross.

But the Ukrainian government has insisted that aid must cross at a government-held border crossing. At least 100 kilometers (60 miles) of the border is currently in rebel hands. Chaly suggested a suitable transfer point could be between Russia's Belgorod region and Ukraine's Kharkiv region, which has been spared the major unrest seen further south.

Chaly said that any attempt to take humanitarian goods into Ukraine without proper authorization would be viewed as an attack on the country. French President Francois Hollande took up the issue directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying "he emphasized the strong fears evoked by a unilateral Russian mission in Ukrainian territory."

Hollande told Putin Tuesday morning that any mission must be multilateral and have the agreement of the Red Cross and Ukraine, according to a statement in Paris. Alexander Drobyshevsky, a spokesman for Russia's emergency ministry that is conducting the mission, told the AP that his organization had "not yet defined" where the trucks would cross the border. He said it could take several days for them to reach Ukraine.

Some of the heaviest impact on civilians from fighting has been seen in Luhansk — the rebel-held capital of the Luhansk province that had a pre-war population of 420,000. In their latest status update Monday, city authorities said the 250,000 residents remaining had had no electricity or water supplies for nine days. Much of the border with Luhansk province is under separatist control.

Kiev and the West have repeatedly opposed any Russian humanitarian aid mission to eastern Ukraine, fearing that such a move could preface an intervention by Moscow. Throughout the conflict, Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of aiding the rebels with arms and expertise, a charge that the Kremlin has denied.

Peter Leonard in Kiev, Ukraine, and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

Swiss bar Russian display team from air show due to Ukraine crisis

Geneva (AFP)
Aug 12, 2014

Switzerland said Tuesday that it had decided to block the participation of Russia's air display team at a military show in the neutral nation due to the Ukraine crisis.

The Russian Knights, an aerobatic squadron who fly Su-27 fighters, had been due to take part in the Air14 festival starting later this month.

"Even in times of crisis it is important to maintain contacts," the Swiss defense ministry said in a statement.

"Nevertheless, military contacts are of a special nature and in the present circumstances it would be preferable to show restraint," it said, adding that the Russian Knights' participation "would not be appropriate".

The decision was made after consultations with the Swiss foreign ministry, it said.

The Air14 show is scheduled to take place on the weekends of August 30-31 and September 6-7 at a military base in Payerne in western Switzerland.

As well as marking the centenary of the Swiss air force, the show will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country's own display team, the Patrouille de Suisse.

Unlike the European Union and the United States, Switzerland has been wary of imposing economic sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.

The traditionally neutral Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU, has nonetheless placed scores of individual Russian officials, pro-Moscow separatists from Ukraine and related firms and entities on a blacklist.

The stated aim is to ensure that the Swiss financial sector is not used to duck sanctions introduced by other countries.

As the current chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Switzerland is also at the center of efforts to broker a settlement to the crisis.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Swiss_bar_Russian_display_team_from_air_show_due_to_Ukraine_crisis_999.html.

Greek PM says important tomb found in northern dig

August 12, 2014

AMPHIPOLIS, Greece (AP) — Archaeologists excavating an ancient mound in northern Greece have uncovered what appears to be the entrance to an important tomb from about the end of the reign of warrior-king Alexander the Great, officials said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who visited the tightly-guarded site Tuesday, said the discovery "is clearly extremely important" and dates between 325-300 B.C. Alexander, who started from the northern Greek region of Macedonia to build an empire stretching as far as India, died in 323 B.C. and was buried in Egypt. His fellow royals were traditionally interred in a cemetery near Vergina, far to the west, where the lavishly-furnished tomb of Alexander's father, Philip II, was discovered in the 1970s.

But archaeologists believe the apparently unlooted Amphipolis grave, which is surrounded by a surprisingly long and well-built wall with courses of marble decorations, may have belonged to a senior ancient official.

Excavator Katerina Peristeri has argued that the mound was originally topped by a large stone lion that was unearthed a century ago some 5 kilometers from the site. In the past, the lion has been associated with Laomedon of Mytilene, one of Alexander's military commanders who became governor of Syria after the king's death.

"The excavation will answer the crucial question of who was buried inside," Samaras said. The tomb is expected to be opened in the next two weeks. So far, workers have unveiled a flight of 13 steps that lead to a broad path, flanked by masonry walls, which end in a built-up arch covering two headless, wingless sphinxes — mythical creatures that blend human, bird and lion characteristics.

A strong police guard has been mounted around the fenced-off mound, where earth-moving machinery was shifting tons of dirt from the excavation Tuesday.

Europe pledges help to northern Iraq

August 12, 2014

LONDON (AP) — Europe stepped up support Tuesday for thousands of people fleeing advancing Islamic militant forces in northern Iraq, pledging more air drops, aid money and non-lethal equipment to ease suffering and bolster fighters battling the Sunni insurgency.

Britain and France dropped water, food and solar lamps to afflicted Yazidis sheltering on Mount Sinjar amid fears of a massive humanitarian catastrophe. Britain fast-tracked some 3 million pounds ($5 million) more to help aid groups in northern Iraq deal with the disaster and deployed Tornado surveillance aircraft to get a better idea of the situation on the mountain.

Germany said it planned to send non-lethal equipment such as vehicles, night-vision gear and bomb detectors. Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen reiterated Germany's reluctance to provide arms, saying it went against the government's principles to send weapons into war zones, but indicated that this position might be revisited.

"If the question is to prevent a genocide, then we need to discuss matters again," she said. France plans a second delivery of humanitarian aid in the next two days and was pressing to arm outgunned Kurdish fighters.

"On the one side this horrible terrorist group of the Islamic state has advanced weapons that they took from the Iraqi army on the way, and on the other side are the peshmerga, who are extremely brave but don't have the same resources," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France Info radio on Tuesday. "We could stand by and say 'there's nothing we can do' but that is not our position."

In Brussels, an emergency meeting of ambassadors from the EU's 28 member nations was underway Tuesday to discuss the situation in Iraq. The diplomats could seek to convene an extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers, which would be necessary to forge a new joint EU position on Iraq or arming the Kurdish forces.

Jordans reported from Berlin; Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this story.

Robin Williams dead at 63 from apparent suicide

By JC Finley
Aug. 11, 2014

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Oscar winning actor and comedian Robin Williams died Monday morning at the age of 63.

Although an official cause of death has not yet been released, the Marin County Coroner's office confirmed there is suspicion Williams died of "suicide due to asphyxia."

He was discovered at his home in Tiburon around 11:55 a.m. PST and pronounced dead at the scene.

Williams' publicist issued the following statement on Monday:

"Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time."

Williams' last Twitter and Instagram posts were dated July 31, wishing daughter Zelda Rae a happy 25th birthday: "Quarter of a century old today but always my baby girl. Happy Birthday Zelda Williams. Love you!"

Williams won an Academy Award in 1997 for his film with Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting and that same year was declared by Entertainment Weekly "the funniest man alive." Williams was also the winner of two Emmy Award, four Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards. He received three additional Oscar nominations for his roles in The Fisher King (1991), Dead Poets Society (1989) and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987).

The third installment of Night at the Museum, in which Williams plays President Theodore Roosevelt, is scheduled to be released in December.

Williams is survived by his third wife Susan Schneider and three children: Zachary Pym (31) from his first marriage to Valerie Velardi, and Zelda Rae (25) and Cody Alan (22) from his second marriage to Marsha Garces.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2014/08/11/Robin-Williams-dead-at-63-from-apparent-suicide/6911407798511.

Palestinian football pays high price for Gaza war

Gaza City, Palestine (AFP)
Aug 12, 2014

Palestinian footballer Ahed Zaqqut was a local legend. Hanging up his boots after a stellar career as a midfielder, he went on to coach in Gaza until an Israeli missile slammed into his home.

The 49-year-old was killed outright, robbing Gaza of one of its best-known players and most well-respected coaches.

"I heard an enormous explosion. I rushed out of the bathroom and saw a cloud of dust," his wife Mayada told AFP of the day when a missile hit their Gaza City home on July 30.

"Then I knew that the rocket had fallen on us. I saw Ahed, his head and chest were soaked in blood. I couldn't stop crying. The neighbors came and took him to hospital but he was already dead."

Although Zaqqut never played internationally, he was a local Palestinian celebrity and just one of a number of sportsmen killed as a result of Israel's bloody five-week confrontation with the Islamist Hamas movement in Gaza.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) says it has not yet assessed the total cost from the war.

But several members of the footballing community have been killed along with countless fans in a territory where people are passionate followers of "the beautiful game".

Football is hugely popular across the Palestinian territories, where it has been played since the 1920s during the time of the British mandate.

The best footballers go onto become stars in the Arab world, playing for teams in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, for example, but local stars are much loved heroes in Gaza and the West Bank.

- Playing Platini -

Zaqqut himself hung up his boots in the 1990s after several career highlights which included a friendly against a French side headed by former French international Michel Platini, now president of UEFA, his wife said.

"In 1993, he played a friendly in Jericho between a Palestinian team and a French team captained by Michel Platini," she said.

He went on to set up the first football training ground in Gaza with his team winning the local championship in 2000.

But the intensive fighting in Gaza has laid waste to most of the pitches used by local teams to train.

The war has also made its deadly effects felt in the West Bank.

Aspiring teenaged footballers Mohammed Qatari and Udai Jaber were hoping to begin playing for a Ramallah-based club this year.

But the bright footballing careers ahead of them was cut short when they were killed last week during separate protests against the Gaza war.

They were both 19 and were shot dead last week in clashes with Israeli troops.

Mohammed was a bright hope for Palestinian football. He was even selected to meet FIFA president Joseph Blatter three months ago when he came to visit the West Bank.

He was just about to sign with Ramallah side Shabab al-Amari, having played for the club's youth team, a team official said.

Getting a professional league contract nets a young player a salary of $1,000 a month and can rise to as much as $2,000 for the best players at the West Bank's 12 professional clubs.

"The war Israel is waging against the Palestinian people spares no one. The sports family in the West Bank as well as in the Gaza Strip are among those living through a real humanitarian catastrophe," said Abdelmajid Hijjeh, the association's secretary general.

As well as the deaths, the PFA says dozens of players have been wounded, sidelining them for the season - which has already been postponed indefinitely due to the fighting - and that numerous sports facilities have been damaged.

- From triumph to tragedy -

The war comes at a particularly devastating time for Palestinian football.

In May, celebrations erupted across the Palestinian territories after their national team qualified for their maiden Asian Cup appearance with a 1-0 win over Philippines in the Maldives.

The win booked them a place in Asian Cup tournament which will be held in Australia in January.

It was a historic achievement for a team ranked 85 by FIFA and which has been hobbled by long-standing Israeli travel restrictions, as well as arrests and killings.

But just weeks after its crowning achievement, Palestinian football has fallen to a new low.

The war broke out on July 8 and paused Monday at the start of a three-day ceasefire to allow negotiators in Cairo to thrash out a permanent truce deal.

It has already delayed the start of the league championship which was due to begin August 20.

No fixtures will be played until the warring sides agree on a permanent end to the Gaza conflict, which has so far claimed 1,940 Palestinian lives and 67 on the Israeli side.

"Israel's war against Gaza has disrupted all sports fixtures. We're waiting for a ceasefire before we can go ahead and pick new teams," said Hijjeh.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Palestinian_football_pays_high_price_for_Gaza_war_999.html.

Last European cargo ship docks with space station

Paris (AFP)
Aug 12, 2014

Europe turned a page in its space flight history on Tuesday when it delivered supplies to the International Space Station for the last time.

An automated cargo ship successfully docked with the ISS as scheduled in a precision maneuver broadcast live on the web.

The Georges Lemaitre automated transfer vehicle (ATV), named after the father of the Big Bang theory of how the Universe was formed, is the most complex spacecraft ever built in Europe.

It is the fifth and last such robot freighter that Europe had pledged for lifeline deliveries to the ISS, a US-led multi-national collaboration.

The ATV made contact with its target at 1330 GMT as planned at an altitude of 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the Earth and traveling at a speed of 28,800 km (18,000 miles) per hour, the European Space Agency (ESA) said.

A set of hooks then latched on to the orbiting outpost, and data and electrical connections were made to allow the ATV to draw power from the ISS and communicate with it.

"The crew will open the hatch and enter briefly over the next day, installing a fan to freshen the internal air before ATV is made ready for daily use," the ESA said.

- Bread pudding, coffee, noodles -

Weighing in at more than 20 tones, the double decker bus-sized craft brought the biggest-ever payload of more than 6.6 tones, including fuel, water, oxygen, food, clothes and scientific experiments for the six ISS crew.

After unloading its cargo, the 10-metre (33-feet) pressurized capsule will provide additional living and working space for the astronauts and use its onboard engines to boost the altitude of the space station, which loses height through atmospheric drag every day.

Included in its payload are 850 liters of drinking water -- the most ever -- and three tones of fuel.

Many of the 1,232 items on board bring home comforts to the astronauts who spend half-a-year at a time in tough, weightless conditions.

They will receive bread pudding, orange and mango juice, cheese noodles, dental floss and crucially, 50 kilograms of coffee to "rejuvenate" the crew, said ATV-builder Airbus Defense and Space.

With no washing machine in space, the robot craft also brings clean underwear and socks, as well as scientific experiments.

At the end of its six-month mission, filled with garbage and human waste, the spacecraft will undock and burn up in a controlled re-entry over the South Pacific.

- Historic demise -

The Georges Lemaitre will make history with its fiery death -- for the first time an ATV will make a shallow reentry into the atmosphere, paving the way for the ISS' own demise scheduled for 2024, said the ESA.

Due to its much larger size, there is a risk that ISS fragments will bounce back into space off the atmosphere if it enters too straight, and so the ATV will provide important data on the optimal angle to be used -- filmed by an onboard camera in another first.

The 10-meter (33-foot) pressurized capsule was the heaviest ATV ever launched by an Ariane 5 ES rocket, following on the hi-tech trail of four others sent into space by the ESA since 2008.

Since the US space shuttle was retired in 2011, the ATV had the largest cargo capacity of all vehicles resupplying the orbiting outpost.

Although the Georges Lemaitre will meet an abrupt end, its technology will live on: ATV-derived hardware is to be included in the design for NASA's Orion spacecraft, which will take humans to the Moon and beyond, and is scheduled for a test flight in 2017.

The ISS will in future be resupplied by Russia's Progress freighter and the Dragon and Cygnus craft built by two NASA-contracted private American firms -- Space X and Orbital Sciences.

Source: Space Mart.
Link: http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Last_European_cargo_ship_docks_with_space_station_999.html.

Space cargo ship set for docking with ISS

Paris (AFP)
Aug 11, 2014

Europe's final robot cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to dock on Tuesday -- its maneuvers webcast live from several angles, France's CNES space agency said on Monday.

The automated transfer vehicle (ATV), the fifth and last that Europe had pledged for lifeline deliveries to the orbiting outpost, was blasted into space on July 30 from Kourou in French Guiana.

Weighing in at more than 20 tones, the double decker bus-sized craft is carrying the biggest-ever payload of more than 6.6 tones, including fuel, water, oxygen, food, clothes and scientific experiments for the six ISS crew.

Having navigated its way to the ISS by starlight, the craft is set to dock with its target at a height of about 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the Earth at 1330 GMT on Tuesday.

"For the first time, CNES will be broadcasting live pictures of the event on its website from five cameras," the agency said in a statement.

The webcast will start at 1245 GMT.

This will include live footage of the approaching ATV from cameras on the ISS and updates from the ATV control room at the CNES Space Center in Toulouse, in charge of docking operations.

The craft is named after Georges Lemaitre, the Belgian astrophysicist who proposed the "Big Bang" theory of how the Universe came into being.

After unloading its cargo, the 10-meter (33-feet) pressurized capsule will provide additional living and working space for the astronauts and use its onboard engines to boost the altitude of the space station, which loses height through atmospheric drag each day.

At the end of its six-month mission, filled with garbage and human waste, the spacecraft will undock and burn up in a controlled re-entry over the South Pacific.

The ISS will in future be resupplied by Russia's Progress freighter and the Dragon and Cygnus craft built by two NASA-contracted private American firms -- Space X and Orbital Sciences.

Source: Space Mart.
Link: http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Space_cargo_ship_set_for_docking_with_ISS_999.html.

Red Dwarf Stars Might Be Best Places to Discover Alien Life

Moffet Field CA (NASA)
Aug 12, 2014

Red dwarfs are the most common type of star in the universe, and nearly every one of these stars may have a planet located in its habitable zone where life has the best chance of existing, a new study concludes.

This discovery may increase the chances that alien life could exist elsewhere in the cosmos, researchers say. They detailed their findings in the International Journal of Astrobiology.

Red dwarfs, also known as M dwarf stars, are up to 50 times dimmer than the Sun and are just 10 to 20 percent as massive. They make up to 70 percent of the stars in the universe.

The fact that red dwarfs are so common has made scientists wonder if they might be the best places to discover alien life.

Astronomers are discovering more and more planets around red dwarfs, and recent findings from NASA's Kepler space observatory reveal that at least half of these stars host rocky planets that are one-half to four times the mass of Earth. All in all, planets about the size of Earth seem plentiful in the universe, as do other worlds that are smaller than most gas giants, on the order of Neptune (which is 17 times the mass of Earth). Why such worlds are abundant is a mystery.

A leading theory in planetary formation suggests that as embryonic planets develop in the disks of gas and dust surrounding newborn stars, these nascent planets migrate inward as the matter in these proto-planetary disks erodes their orbits. However, migration models suggest Neptune-size planets should be rarer than they actually are.

Instead, some researchers have suggested these relatively low-mass planets may assemble in situ - that is, they are born and stay in much the same places around their stars their entire lives, with little to no migration toward or away from their stars.

Study author Brad Hansen, an astrophysicist at the University of California at Los Angeles, used computer models of in situ planetary formation to see how often red dwarfs might develop Earth-sized worlds, and where these planets might orbit around the stars.

In his computer simulations, Hansen modeled red dwarfs half the mass of the Sun, with proto-planetary disks extending from 0.05 AU to 1 AU (one astronomical unit is the average distance from the Sun to the Earth) from the stars. The disks contained an amount of gas and dust equal to six times the mass of Earth. He then looked at how many planets developed after 10 million years.

Of particular interest to Hansen were the so-called habitable zones of these stars, the areas where planets are potentially warm enough to sustain liquid water - and potentially life - on their surfaces. Red dwarfs are relatively cold stars, which means their habitable zones are closer than Mercury is to the Sun - just 0.1 to 0.2 AU.

Hansen found most of the resulting planetary systems comprise between four and six surviving planets inside 0.5 AU, although the largest number went as high as 10. In addition, the red dwarfs usually possessed one or two planets within their habitable zones, which extended from 0.23 to 0.44 AU.

"A high frequency of potentially habitable planets makes it more likely that we could actually find one that is habitable," Hansen said.

Moreover, Hansen also found that planets in the habitable zones of red dwarf stars could accumulate significant amounts of water. In fact, each could possess roughly 25 times more water than Earth has as a whole. All in all, he noted these results "broadly support the notion that habitable planets are plentiful around M dwarfs in the solar neighborhood."

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Red_Dwarf_Stars_Might_Be_Best_Places_to_Discover_Alien_Life_999.html.

American Spaceports

Bethesda MD (SPX)
Aug 12, 2014

Most people are not aware that the world is awash with spaceports. However, the popular ones are well-known. For example, the Cape Canaveral Area of Florida is the home of the most famous launch facilities. Both NASA and the US Air Force have launch pads and complex support infrastructures at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center and at the adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the Sunshine State's east coast.

This is also the home of Launch Pad 39A, from which NASA launched Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing. It is also the pad from which Atlantis left Earth to fly the last space shuttle mission. This site is now open to the public for tours.

The U.S. also hosts launch sites at Vandenberg Air force Base in California, Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska. In addition, there are several other sites that are developed or in the process of being established for use in suborbital and orbital launches.

There is also the mid-Pacific Ocean launch site used by Sea Launch. Although this is not on U.S. territory, it is governed under U.S. launch regulations due to the fact that it is based in Long Beach, California.

The latest addition to the list of potential U.S. spaceports is Brownsville, Texas. Just last week, the State of Texas and SpaceX announced that the rocket company plans to build a spaceport in South Texas. In a recent news release Gov. Rick Perry said, "Texas has been on the forefront of our nation's space exploration efforts for decades, so it is fitting that SpaceX has chosen our state as they expand the frontiers of commercial space flight."

To sweeten the opportunity for SpaceX, Texas is offering $2.3 million from its Enterprise Fund, and the state is offering $13 million from the Spaceport Trust Fund to the Cameron County Spaceport Development Corp. to support the development of necessary spaceport infrastructure.

SpaceX has indicated that this new launch site will be able to support up to 12 space launches a year, including two Falcon Heavy vehicles. Operations may commence as early as 2015. With access to easterly launches, this site will work well for low inclination and geostationary satellites.

Texas is not generally thought of as a space launch state, but once upon a time it was very seriously thought of as a primary Space Shuttle launch complex location. In fact, the 1970s the location under consideration was only about 230 miles from Brownsville, at Matagorda. At that time Matagorda was a sleepy little beach town on the Gulf Coast, roughly 100 miles southwest of Houston.

NASA had considered a number of sites around the contiguous 48 states. A primary factor in the selection process was safety, thus, prohibiting the shuttle from launching over populated areas.

This limitation effectively ruled out any location not near a large body of water. This left only west coast, east coast and gulf coast locations. Further considerations with regard to population centers along most of the coastal areas resulted in a short list of only five locations: Cape Canaveral (coastal Florida), Vandenberg Air Force Base (coastal California), the Chesapeake region in Virginia, coastal North Carolina or South Carolina and Matagorda, Texas.

Finally, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia were ruled out because areas near potential launch sites were too populated. It would have been too expensive to buy enough land to create a safe launch complex for the shuttle in one of these states. That left Matagorda, Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral.

Matagorda actually offered a few advantages over Vandenberg and the Cape. The Canaveral area could be used for easterly launches, but not polar launches. Vandenberg could be used for polar launches, but not for launches towards the east.

Matagorda could be used for either type of launch. However, a NASA cost analysis concluded that it would still be more cost-effective to enhance both Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral for space shuttle launches than to build an entirely new launch site in rural Texas. As it turned out, the Vandenberg facilities for shuttle were never completed and the Kennedy Space Center became the only shuttle launch site.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/American_Spaceports_999.html.

Putin vows to boost arms sales to Egypt's Sisi

Moscow (AFP)
Aug 12, 2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday promised Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to speed up the delivery of billions of dollars in arms and invited Cairo to forge free trade ties with a Moscow-led customs bloc.

The two strong-willed leaders have developed a warm working relationship since Putin gave his backing to Sisi's presidential run during the Egyptian's visit to Moscow in February.

Russian television showed the former field marshal descending the ramp of his plane and immediately being greeted with a display of heavy tanks and armored vehicles assembled on the apron of the Sochi airport.

"We are actively developing our military and technological cooperation," Putin later told Sisi at the Russian president's Black Sea resort summer residence.

"We signed a corresponding protocol in March. We are delivering weapons to Egypt. We are ready to expand this cooperation."

Sisi in turn thanked Putin for being the first leader to invite him for a visit outside the Arab world since his swearing-in as head of state.

"All the people of Egypt are closely watching my visit and expecting a high level of cooperation between our states," Russian state news agencies quoted Sisi as telling Putin.

"I expect us to meet their expectations."

Russia has jumped at the chance to grab a bigger slice of the Egyptian arms market after the United States suspended some of its weapons deliveries in the wake of Sisi's crackdown on the former Islamic government last year.

Cairo hosted the Russian defense and foreign ministers in November -- the first such visit since the Soviet era -- for discussions on an Egyptian arms purchase plan.

Moscow's Vedemosti business daily reported after those talks that Russia and Egypt were nearing a $3 billion (2.2 billion-euro) advanced missiles and warplanes deal that would be financed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The report said Moscow and Cairo had already either "initialed or signed" contracts for the purchase of Mig-29 fighters and Russian attack helicopters as well as coastal defense systems.

"Egypt is most interested in air defense systems," said Moscow's World Arms Trade Analysis Centre chief Igor Korotchenko.

"I think that the signing of actual contracts is just a question of time," the analyst said in a telephone interview. "A political-level agreement has already been reached."

- Free trade zone -

Putin noted that Egypt could purchase a fifth of Russia's total wheat exports and was eager to help fill the void left by Moscow's sanctions on US and European produce and meat.

The Russian leader also invited Cairo to establish a free trade zone between Egypt and a customs union Russia has forged with ex-Soviet Belarus and Kazakhstan.

State media did not report Sisi's response to the invitation -- if any. But it said he in turn told Putin that Russia was welcome to play a greater role in Egypt's recently unveiled "new Suez Canal" project.

Closer agricultural and military trade ties between Cairo and Moscow -- strategic partners during parts of the Cold War -- are unlikely to play well in Washington amid the effective freeze in East-West relations brought on by the Ukraine crisis.

Putin has responded to his diplomatic isolation from the United States and its EU allies by striking a massive gas deal with China and inviting Latin American countries to sell their agricultural goods to Russia on preferential terms.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Putin_vows_to_boost_arms_sales_to_Egypts_Sisi_999.html.

Australia to sign 25-year US Marine agreement

Sydney (AFP)
Aug 11, 2014

Australia and the United States will sign a 25-year deal allowing 2,500 US Marines and air force personnel to train Down Under, Defense Minister David Johnston said Monday, describing it as a "win-win situation".

The agreement will be inked Tuesday when US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel meet with their Australian counterparts Julie Bishop and Johnston in Sydney.

Trouble spots abroad including Iraq and Ukraine will also be on the agenda for the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), which focus on regional security and military cooperation.

But the centerpiece will be the agreement allowing the Marine rotational deployment in the northern city of Darwin, which was first announced by US President Barack Obama in 2011 as part of his "pivot" towards Asia.

"Approximately 2,500 US defense force personnel will come to primarily the Northern Territory to exercise on the vast, open Commonwealth (government) military exercise grounds that we have," Johnston told a joint press conference with Hagel.

"They will interoperate with Australia. They will do things that they want to, exercise activities that are important to them. We'll assist them."

Johnston said as many as 1,200 US Marines and air force personnel were already rotating into Darwin during the current dry season in Australia's tropical north.

"These are the things that are benefiting Australia and the flipside of that coin is that we have just a lot of space that's open for practice, exercises... so it's a win-win situation for both of us," he said.

Hagel said the deal emphasized Washington's "rebalance" towards the Asia-Pacific, saying the United States was a Pacific power holding about 200 ships and more than 360,000 personnel in the region.

"We are not going anywhere," Hagel said. "Our partnerships are here; our treaty obligations are here and are important to us.

"It's pretty clear that the US is committed to this part of the world but also this does not mean a retreat from any other part of the world. We have interests all over the world," he added.

- More ways to cooperate -

Hagel said the talks on Tuesday, which analysts had said would likely pave the way for enhanced military cooperation between the allies, would give officials an opportunity to explore "better ways we can cooperate".

"We will address a number of issues tomorrow. They will focus on maritime security, special forces, missile defense and Afghanistan," he said.

He said the situation in Ukraine would also be on the agenda, as well as the threat from jihadist fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq, where Australia has offered to assist the US in humanitarian airdrops to those trapped by the violence.

Bates Gill, chief executive of the US Studies Center at the University of Sydney, said the talks would be an important next step in what appeared to be "a growing degree of access and presence for American assets both human and materiel on Australian territory".

Gill said progress had been slow but careful since the announcement that Marines would rotate through Darwin, an agreement which rankled China.

It also caused concern for some Asian neighbors who saw it as a statement by Washington that it intends to stand up for its interests in the region amid concern about Beijing's growing assertiveness.

The United States currently has only a limited deployment in longstanding ally Australia, including the Pine Gap Joint Defense Facility spy station near Alice Springs.

Regional security issues in Southeast Asia and the Pacific will be discussed in the AUSMIN talks, along with Myanmar, where Kerry and Bishop have just attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations forum.

The ministers will also talk about Northeast Asia, comparing notes about their respective relations with China, and the challenges posed by North Korea.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Australia_to_sign_25-year_US_Marine_agreement_999.html.

Rhinos being airlifted to safety out of South Africa

By Evan Bleier
Aug. 13, 2014

PRETORIA, South Africa, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A group called Rhinos Without Borders plans to move 100 of the animals from South Africa to Botswana next year in an effort to save them from extinction.

The initiative is being spearheaded by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, a pair of filmmakers who previously worked with the National Geographic Society to assist Africa's lions, leopards, cheetahs and tigers by forming the Big Cats Initiative.

Many of the rhinos in South Africa, which is believed to hold 80 percent of the 26,000 or so rhinos left on the continent, are located in Kruger National Park.

The plan is to move them from that densely populated and easily-poachable area to Botswana, a country with strict laws about poaching that are heavily enforced.

"Rhinos are moved a lot in southern Africa. There's a whole game-capture industry in South Africa," Dereck Joubert told National Geographic. "There are very professional teams that move rhinos from parks to private land, from private sellers to buyers. Each year there are game sales and auctions, and there are always rhinos for sale. So the teams that are doing this relocation with Rhinos Without Borders are well-heeled."

"As for cross-border relocations, I believe about 50 rhinos in the last ten years have been relocated from South Africa into Botswana," Joubert added.

Rhinos are poached for their horns and RWB estimates that one of the animals is killed every seven hours.

The South Africa Department of Environmental Affairs is contributing its resources to help bring the project to fruition.

"The Department considers the translocation of rhinos as an integral part of range expansion as a biological management tool, which is acceptable if it is undertaken in compliance with the legislative framework/requirements," the department told Mashable.

Each rhino's move will cost about $45,000 and donations are being accepted.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/08/13/Rhinos-being-airlifted-to-safety-out-of-South-Africa/3611407930206/.

Feds add two new South Florida butterflies to endangered list

By Brooks Hays
Aug. 12, 2014

MIAMI, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has named two new South Florida butterfly species, the Bartram's hairsteak and Florida leaf wing, to the endangered species list -- triggering additional protections for thousands of acres of critical habitat.

The new federal protections will become official on September 11, in time to subject several major real estate development projects to stricter environmental protections and regulations.

Most of the newly protected land is in Everglades National Park and other national park properties, but several hundred acres surround the Zoo Miami, including a chunk of land where the county wants to build an Orlando-style amusement park. The USFWS ruling also means the two butterflies will be afforded additional protections on another significant tract of land in Miami-Dade County -- a piece of property where a Palm Beach County developer aims to erect a Walmart-anchored mixed-use development.

The newly listed butterflies demand that such acreage be routinely thinned with proscribed and controlled fires, and that mosquito-control procedures are regularly undertaken.

The ruling won't necessarily stop the plans for the amusement park and Walmart development, but it will require builders to secure permits for construction -- permits that will require developers to do their due diligence in minimizing their impact on butterfly habitat.

"Anything that's going to be done with these animals has to have our review," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Mark Salvato told the Miami Herald. "We're not to the finish line yet, but it would be pretty bad if someone knew this was going forward and rushed to mow down butterfly habitat."

The ruling comes as somewhat good news to environmentalists who were dismayed when the University of Miami sold a large tract of rare pine rockland forest to Palm Beach County development company Ram Realty Services. Conservation officials say had such a ruling come a few years ago, wildlife advocates would be in a stronger position to stop the development altogether.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2014/08/12/Feds-add-two-new-South-Florida-butterflies-to-endangered-list/4381407851872/.

China announces birth of rare panda triplets

August 12, 2014

BEIJING (AP) — China announced Tuesday the birth of extremely rare panda triplets in a further success for the country's artificial breeding program.

The three cubs were born July 29 in the southern city of Guangzhou, but breeders delayed an announcement until they were sure all three would survive, the official China News Service said. The mother, Ju Xiao, and the three as-yet-unnamed cubs are healthy, the news agency said. Photos showed the three sleeping and standing in their incubator, their bodies pink and mostly hairless. Ju Xiao was impregnated in March with sperm from a panda living at a Guangzhou zoo.

Ju Xiao was under round-the-clock care for the final weeks of her pregnancy, according to the report. The triplets were born within four hours of each other and currently weigh between 230 grams (8 ounces) and 333 grams (12 ounces).

The report said the triplets were only the fourth known to have been born in the world through artificial breeding programs, but it wasn't clear how many had survived from such births. China has devoted major resources to increasing the numbers of the country's unofficial national mascot and regularly announces the birth of pandas born at zoos and at the Wolong breeding center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, where most wild pandas are found.

There are about 1,600 giant pandas in the wild, where they are critically endangered due to loss of habitat and low birth rates. More than 300 live in captivity, mostly in China's breeding programs.