Britain's Armed Forces Day....[ 1349 ]

Queen hails courage of servicemen

The London Evening Standard 26.06.10 

Member of the Armed Services march past the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay as they assemble for the Drumhead Service

 

The Queen has hailed the "professionalism and courage" of Britain's servicemen and women as tens of thousands of people celebrated Armed Forces Day.

Troops were greeted by cheering crowds during a parade through Cardiff to mark the second annual event in honour of troops past, present and future, from the oldest veteran to the youngest cadet.

In blazing sunshine, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were joined by the head of the Armed Forces Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup and Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox in the Welsh capital.

The national event in Cardiff, attended by around 50,000 people, was one of more than 350 organised around the country.

The Queen, who sent a message of support, said the troops operated in the "most difficult and dangerous of circumstances".

"The men and women of our Armed Forces have always been admirable examples of professionalism and courage," she said. "Then as now, they perform their duties in often the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances, both at home and overseas."

Hazel Hunt, the mother of the 200th member of British forces to be killed in Afghanistan, said the celebration provided a "comfort" to her.

Her son, Private Richard Hunt, 21, of 2nd Battalion the Royal Welsh, was killed last year. "I think the event is absolutely fantastic," said Mrs Hunt, 50, of Abergavenny, Gwent.

Other major celebrations were held in Edinburgh, where guests included the head of the Army, General Sir David Richards, and Manchester, which welcomed the head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope.

There were also a host of smaller functions in towns and villages nationwide, ranging from parades and military displays to a mass skydive in fancy dress and a "patriotic knitting" exhibition. The events were particularly poignant for the families of the 10,000 British troops currently serving in Afghanistan. 

A total of 307 UK servicemen and women have died and many more have been wounded since operations in the country began in October 2001.

G8 slam midly the Nuclear programs of N.Korea/Iran.[ 1348 ]

Top 8 industrial democracies slam North Korea, Iran, but in terms not as strong as some hoped

Published June 26, 2010

| Associated Press

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn

June 25: A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer patrols outside the Metro Toronto Convention Center. Toronto is hosting the G-20 summit.

HUNTSVILLE, Ontario (AP) — The leaders of the world's eight top industrial democracies on Saturday condemned the alleged sinking by North Korea of a South Korean warship and called on Iran to do more to respect human rights.

The countries — the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia — also called current tensions in Gaza "unsustainable." And they sketched out a five-year exit strategy on Afghanistan.

But the joint statement by the so-called Group of Eight powers did not go as far as some nations, including the United States and Japan, wanted.

The joint statement was released at the end of a meeting in Canada of the eight powers and before a larger group of 20 nations convenes that also includes fast-growing economies like China.

The leaders turned to foreign policy matters after finding themselves at odds on how to continue to spur world economic growth in the aftermath of the worst recession since the 1930s. The countries were divided over whether to continue government stimulus spending, as the United States wants, or to cut mushrooming deficits, as Europe and Japan want.

On the March sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, the leaders cited an independent report that found that the ship had been sunk by a North Korean torpedo. The leaders said: "We condemn in this context the attack which led to the sinking of the Cheonan."

Japanese officials said that the Russians were the only ones in the G-8 to resist tougher language condemning North Korea.

An official in the Russian delegation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the leaders were meeting, said that Russia still did not consider the results of the commission to be final and because of this, felt that condemning Pyongyang further could lead to negative consequences.

The G-8 communique, citing concerns they had raised at last year's summit in Italy, said, "We urge the government of Iran to respect the rule of law and freedom of expression as outlined in the international treaties to which Iran is a party."

On Afghanistan, the joint G-8 statement said that a conference in Kabul in July would be an important setting for assessing progress in implementing commitments made in January to train more than 100,000 additional security forces by the end of next year.

The G-8 leaders said it was important to accelerate efforts to make sure the country's own security forces can "assume increasing responsibility within five years."

British Prime Minister David Cameron had said in a television interview on Friday that he did not expect British troops — now numbering about 10,000 — to be in Afghanistan in five years' time.

"We can't be there for another five years, having been there for nine years already," he told Britain's Sky News.

Greece, Mail Bomb attact to Minister..[ 1347 ]

Bomb Kills Greek Minister’s Aide

Police guard the entrance to the Greek Citizen Protection Ministry in Athens after a parcel bomb attack on June 24, 2010. 

 

Novinite-Sofia, Bulgaria June 25, 2010, Friday
Greek Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisohoidis confirmed on Thursday evening that one police officer died during an unpreced

A bomb blast at the offices of Greece's public order ministry in Athens has killed a close aide to the minister responsible for counter-terrorism.
Police said the victim had opened a parcel bomb.
The explosion happened only metres away from the office of the minister, Michalis Chryssohoidis, who was unhurt.
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said the bombing was a terrorist attack. So far no group has said it was beind the bomb.
The blast was so powerful that some in the heavily guarded building thought it had been struck by an earthquake, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens reports.
The victim was later identified as Giorgos Vassilakis, a 50-year-old father of two.
Visibly shaken, Chryssohoidis said he had "lost a valuable and beloved colleague".
"We cannot be scared and we cannot be terrorised. These cowardly murderers will be brought to justice."
The minister added that the parcel had been meant for him.
Mr Papandreou also branded the bombers "cowards", adding: "They will get the response that they deserve not only from the state but also from all of society. The terrorists will not reach their objective."

Moon eclipse in North America..[ 1346 ]

Moon enters 'magnified' eclipse in North America

 

This photo taken by Ian Mercer in Queensland, Australia, shows the eclipse about an hour after it began

BBC Page last updated at 11:37 GMT, Saturday, 26 June 2010 12:37 UK

A partial lunar eclipse now under way should appear magnified to viewers in North America by an effect known as the "moon illusion".

The eclipse began at 1017 GMT, when the Moon entered the shadow of Earth, and is due to last around three hours.

Because of the timing, the eclipse is not visible from the UK or Europe.

But in many parts of the US and Canada, the eclipse should appear larger because it occurs while the Moon is so close to the horizon.

According to Nasa, low-hanging Moons look "unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects". The reason for this is not understood.

"Observers in India, Japan, and parts of East Asia will experience the same phenomenon," Nasa wrote on its website.

"They'll see the eclipse on Saturday evening as the Moon is rising."

At its maximum, 54% of the Moon's diameter will be covered. This will occur at 0438 US pacific time (1138 GMT) - the event will last almost three hours.

Because the Moon, Sun and Earth are not aligned, it will not reach "totality".

Nasa, image of the Day, June 26th [ 1345 ]

The latest NASA "Image of the Day" image.

Supersonic Green Machine

This future aircraft design concept for supersonic flight over land comes from the team led by the Lockheed Martin Corporation. 

The team's simulation shows possibility for achieving overland flight by dramatically lowering the level of sonic booms through the use of an "inverted-V" engine-under wing configuration. 

Other revolutionary technologies help achieve range, payload and environmental goals.

This supersonic cruise concept is among the designs presented in April 2010 to the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate for its NASA Research Announcement-funded studies into advanced aircraft that could enter service in the 2030-2035 timeframe. 

Image credit: NASA/Lockheed Martin Corporation

Παρασκευή, 25 Ιούνιος 2010 7:00:00 πμ