NASA Image of the Day, Oct 19th..[ 1900 ]

The latest NASA "Image of the Day" image.

Ouachita Mountains

The Ouachita Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma are part of the only major mountain region between the Rockies and the Appalachians. 

The Ouachitas are fold mountains, formed about 300 million years ago when the South American Plate drifted northward, colliding with the North American Plate. 

The first recorded exploration by Europeans was in 1521 by Hernando de Soto. Forming part of the Louisiana Purchase, President Jefferson sent William Dunbar and Dr. George Hunter to explore the area. 
The image was acquired Nov. 13, 2002, by ASTER, one of five Earth-observing instruments launched aboard NASA's Terra satellite on Dec. 18, 1999. 

Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Τρίτη, 19 Οκτώβριος 2010 7:00:00 πμ

Russia : Borey class submarines..[ 1899 ]

Russia's Pacific Fleet ready to receive Borey class submarines

Borey-class strategic nuclear-powered submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky

16:05 19/10/2010., RIA Novosti. Ilya Pitalev

MOSCOW, October 19 (RIA Novosti)

Pacific Fleet's naval base in Vilyuchinsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula is fully prepared to host Russia's new Borey class strategic nuclear-powered submarines, a Russian military analyst said on Tuesday.

Borey class submarines, with the capacity to carry 12 Bulava ballistic missiles, are expected to constitute the core of Russia's strategic submarine fleet after 2018.

"Prior to the arrival of the Yury Dolgoruky submarine in Vilyuchinsk, all piers and main facilities at the base have been rebuilt, new security and communications systems have been introduced, and the training center has been modernized," said Igor Korotchenko, a member of the Defense Ministry's Public Council.

The Yury Dolgoruky, which has completed sea trials in the White Sea, is expected to enter service with the Russian Navy in the near future, pending the outcome of the Bulava testing.

Three other Borey class nuclear submarines, the Alexander Nevsky, the Vladimir Monomakh, and Svyatitel Nikolai (St. Nicholas) are in different stages of completion. Russia is planning to build eight of these subs by 2015.

Strategic submarines of the Pacific Fleet are included into the 16th Squadron, based in Vilyuchinsk.

The squadron includes four Delta III class subs - K-211 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, K-223 Podolsk, K-433 Sv. Georgiy Pobedonosets, and K-44 Ryazan, which was transferred to Vilyuchinsk from the Northern Fleet.

These submarines carry the D-16R missile system with 16 R-29R (SS-N-18) missiles and are being gradually withdrawn from service.

Cultural crossroads in Russian Asia..[ 1898 ]

Irkutsk: cultural crossroads in Russian Asia

Photo by William Brumfield

The Washington Post.,
By William Brumfield | October 11, 2010
 

The architecture of Irkutsk bears the marks of its history as a cross-cultural trading center.

For a dramatic natural setting, few Russian cities can rival the Siberian metropolis of Irkutsk. 

Located on the banks of the Angara River (a tributary of the Yenisei), Irkutsk is a major point on the Trans-Siberian railway and the gateway to sacred Lake Baikal, the deepest body of fresh water in the world. 

Because of its favorable geographic location, Irkutsk has attracted the resources to create...

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Death toll rises from Typhoon Megi..[ 1897 ]

Death toll rises in the Philippines from Typhoon Megi

By the CNN Wire Staff

October 19, 2010 -- Updated 0924 GMT (1724 HKT)

Houses in Baguio City, Philippines, lie submerged by flooding Tuesday due to heavy rains brought by Typhoon Megi.

(CNN) -- The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Megi has climbed to 11 as the powerful storm moved away from the country.

According to civil defense officials, four people died in Pangasinan province: Three were killed by a falling tree, and the fourth by lightning.

Three more died in a storm surge in Isabela province, and one person drowned while trying to cross a river in Nueva Ecija province.

Additionally, the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council reported that one person drowned in the town of Cagayan, one was killed by a falling tree in Kalinga province, and one was killed by another tree in the city of Baguio.

On Tuesday, Megi carried sustained winds of about 167 kph (104 mph) off the coast of the Philippines in the South China Sea, CNN meteorologist Jennifer Delgado said. But parts of the Philippines could still be vulnerable to mudslides and landslides.

Video: Super Typhoon Megi hits Philippines

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The typhoon could approach Hong Kong and mainland China in the next few days. Megi could bring heavy rain to already-drenched areas such as Hainan and Vietnam, where state media said at least 20 people have died from recent flooding.

Journalist Eduardo Lingao in Manila contributed to this report.

UK. : Falklands Is. Missile tests..[ 1896 ]

Mercosur complains about Falklands missile tests

 

Argentina's foreign minister criticised British actions

BBC., 19 October 2010 Last updated at 00:35 GMT

Several South American countries from the Mercosur trade bloc have officially complained to the UK over planned Falkland Islands military exercises. 

A recent series of missile tests were also criticised.

Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay joined protests from Argentina, which lays claim to what it calls the Malvinas.

The official communique issued by Mercosur said it was nonsense to suggest that the military drills were merely routine exercises.

The Latin American foreign ministers concluded that if Britain continued to test missiles in or around the Falklands, it would be tantamount to a violation of international maritime law. 

The Argentine Foreign Minister, Hector Timerman, welcomed the strong show of support for his country from its neighbours.

'Acts of aggression'

"The UK's refusal to negotiate a peaceful solution to this problem and the self-confidence with which it seizes our natural resources in the seas off Patagonia and at the same time tests missiles from our islands , are seen as acts of aggression not only in Argentina," Mr Timerman said.

"Each day, there are more and more fellow South American nations that understands that a permanent member of the UN Security Council is behaving like something from the colonial past."

Tensions have increased recently between Argentina and the UK over the Falklands, since Britain began looking for oil and gas in the waters around the islands.

This week Argentina sent a protest letter to the London-based UN agency, the International Maritime Organisation, about the missile tests in the Falklands.

The Argentine government has repeatedly demanded that the military drills are cancelled, calling them an act of provocation.

Argentina and Britain went to war in 1982 after the then Argentine military rulers decided to invade the Falkland Islands.