Typhoon Malakas Skirts Taiwan, Heads Towards Japan
Typhoon Malakas passes Taiwan and is making it's way towards mainland Japan.
Story Highlights
Typhoon Malakas, equivalent of a Category 3 tropical cyclone, will landfall in southwest Japan Monday.
Damaging winds will spread into Kyushu and Shikoku Monday into Tuesday.
Malakas will be a heavy rain and flooding threat for Japan through late Tuesday or early Wednesday (Japan time).
Typhoon Malakas will landfall in southwest Japan Monday spreading damaging winds and heavy rainfall eastward over parts of southern Japan into Tuesday.
The center of Malakas is nearing the Japanese island of Kyushu, currently the equivalent of a Category 3 tropical cyclone, as of Monday evening, local time. (Japan is 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern daylight time.)
Current Storm Info
Warnings for this damaging wind potential, heavy rain and flooding potential have been issued by the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA).
Wind gusts topping 50 mph have already been measured in Kagoshima Prefecture, and will only increase as the eyewall of Malakas heads ashore.
(MORE: Typhoon Alley: Where The Most Intense Tropical Cyclones Most Frequently Occur)
Current Winds
Damaging winds are likely for portions of Kyushu and Shikoku islands, and winds in a very localized area near where Malakas makes landfall and in mountainous terrain in southern Kyushu Island could be as high as 120 mph.
Wind Speed Probability for Winds Greater than 74 mph.
Malakas will impact Kyushu in southern mainland Japan late Monday evening and continue to interact with Shikoku and much of southern Japan Tuesday (local time), but is expected to be weakening with time.
Projected Path and Intensity
The most widespread impact in mainland Japan will be heavy rainfall and flooding. Over 12 inches of rain has already been tallied at Tokorono, in Okinawa Prefecture over 48-hours as of early Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Additional amounts of 5-12 inches are expected through early Wednesday in southern and central Japan, with locally higher amounts in mountainous terrain.
Mudslides and landslides are possible in and around the higher terrain of the southern and central Japan.
Rainfall Forecast
The center of Malakas is expected to pass near Tokyo early Wednesday as a weakening tropical storm or tropical depression on Wednesday morning. Heavy rainfall is expected.
Malakas Impact on Taiwan and Japan's Ryukyu Islands
Wind gusts were reported up to 59 mph on an elevated station at Lanyu, Taiwan, and 38 mph in Hualien province in eastern Taiwan on Saturday morning Taiwan time.
In Japan, wind gusts up to 100 mph were reported in Yonagunijima where the eye directly passed overhead. Gusts to 60 mph were reported in Ishigaki in the far southern Ryukyu Islands early Saturday.
Four people have died after a boat containing Muslim tourists capsized in Thailand, trapping up to 100 people underwater. The ferry tipped over near the Wat Sanam Chai temple, a popular tourist destination in the city of Ayutthaya, about 50 miles north of Bangkok. TV reporter @Thanakarn_BrightTV20 posted a video of the aftermath, showing dozens of rescue workers clambering over the stricken vessel as large crowds gathered on a nearby jetty. He tweeted: "Urgent! Capsized near Wat Sanam Chai in Thailand approximately 100 people who have been lost underwater." The Bangkok Post reported that so far four people have been confirmed dead, while several more are still missing. Rescue workers are continuing the search for survivors. Initial reports from Thailand suggest a large group of Muslim tourists were celebrating the opening of a new mosque near the ancient Wat Sanam Chai, an active Buddhist temple on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. They had just boarded the boat to leave when the vessel capsized in front of hundreds of fellow vistors stood on the pier. It is not yet clear what caused the boat to capsize.
2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country revealedHigh-riding Swede bound for Australia
The all-new 2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country, a high-riding company to the fresh V90 wagon, has been revealed today ahead of Australian sales debut next year.
As expected, and in the spirit of the now retired XC70 before it, the V90 CC arrives as a jacked-up variant of the regular V90 but with the requisite assortment of ruggedised features.
Like its predecessor the XC70 – itself once known as the V70 Cross Country – this new model will enter the range as a lower and more patently wagon-styled alternative to the big XC90, in a relationship similar to that between the Audi A6 Allroad and the Q7 SUV.
Key details for the V90 CC’s drivetrains and ground clearance are still to come, although it is plain to see that the high-riding wagon sits a good deal taller than its regular V90 sibling.
Styling differences include unique bumpers at both ends, along with a patterned grille design in place of the V90’s vertical louvres, and a new wheel design.
Powering the V90 Cross Country will likely be the same range powering the S90/V90/XC90, including a 235kW/400Nm 2.0-litre twin-charged four-cylinder ‘T6’ petrol and the 173kW/480Nm four-cylinder ‘D5’ turbo-diesel.
Other powertrain options include a 180kW/350Nm twin-charged ‘T5’ petrol and the flagship 300kW/650Nm T8 hybrid which employs a 2.0-litre twin-charged petrol driving the front wheels and an electric motor on the rear axle.
“Australians have openly displayed their appreciation of the Volvo Cross Country over the years, with the vehicle’s go anywhere capability whilst looking the part in any environment. We see this trait continuing with the new V90 Cross Country”, said Kevin McCann, Managing Director of Volvo Car Australia.
Australia
Greg Bosnich, corporate director for Volvo Car Australia, told CarAdvice this week that the V90 Cross Country is expected locally in the first half of 2017, with more details on the car expected over the next few days. Read More http://www.caradvice.com.au/480388/20...
Τουλάχιστον 29 άνθρωποι τραυματίστηκαν το Σάββατο το βράδυ από έκρηξη στη συνοικία Τσέλσι της Νέας Υόρκης.
Τα αίτια της έκρηξης παραμένουν συγκεχυμένα, με τον δήμαρχο της πόλης Μπιλ Ντε Μπλάζιο να κάνει λόγο για «σκόπιμη ενέργεια», προσθέτοντας ωστόσο ότι δεν υπάρχουν στοιχεία που να τη συνδέουν με τρομοκρατία.
Αστυνομικοί οι οποίοι ερευνούν την περιοχή γύρω από το σημείο της έκρηξης ανακάλυψαν εκρηκτικό μηχανισμό με χύτρα ταχύτητας συνδεδεμένη μέσω καλωδίων με συσκευή κινητού τηλεφώνου, αναφέρει το CNN, επικαλούμενη πηγές των αρχών ασφαλείας.
Ο κ. Ντε Μπλάζιο σημείωσε ακόμη ότι δεν υπάρχουν ενδείξεις σύνδεσης της έκρηξης στο Τσέλσι με την έκρηξη αυτοσχέδιου μηχανισμού στο γειτονικό Νιου Τζέρσεϊ, μερικές ώρες νωρίτερα.
Η έκρηξη συνέβη περίπου στις 9 το βράδυ του Σαββάτου (4 τα ξημερώματα Κυριακής ώρα Ελλάδος).
Σε μαρτυρίες γίνεται λόγος για ιδιαίτερα ηχηρή έκρηξη και κόσμο ο οποίος έτρεχε πανικόβλητος.
Το Τσέλσι, μία από τις πιο πολυσύχναστες συνοικίες του Μανχάταν, συγκεντρώνει κόσμο τα σαββατοκύριακα, καθώς εκεί βρίσκονται πολλά μπαρ και εστιατόρια.
Σε ανεπιβεβαίωτες πληροφορίες, γίνεται λόγος για έκρηξη σε κάδο απορριμάτων, η οποία ήταν τόσο ισχυρή που έσπασαν τζάμια σε παρακείμενο κτήριο.
Το Αντιτρομοκρατικό Τμήμα της Αστυνομίας της Νέας Υόρκης, που ερευνά την υπόθεση «ανέβασε» στο Twitter φωτογραφία από τον κατεστραμμένο κάδο απορριμάτων.
Ο επικεφαλής της διεύθυνσης ειδικών επιχειρήσεων της Αστυνομίας της Νέας Υόρκης δήλωσε στο Twitter ότι «πιθανός δεύτερος μηχανισμός έχει εντοπιστεί» στην ίδια ευρύτερη περιοχή.
Το CNN μετέδωσε ότι πηγές των υπηρεσιών επιβολής του νόμου πιστεύουν πως η έκρηξη προκλήθηκε από αυτοσχέδιο εκρηκτικό μηχανισμό.
U.S.-led coalition jets bombed a Syrian army position at Jebel Tharda near Deir al-Zor airport on Saturday, killing dozens of Syrian soldiers, Russia and a war monitor said, paving the way for Islamic State to briefly overrun it.
The U.S. military, in an apparent admission that it may have hit the position, said in a statement that coalition air strikes near Deir al-Zor had been halted when Russia told coalition officials they may have hit the Syrian army.
Syria's army general command said in a statement that the air strike was "conclusive evidence" of U.S. support for Islamic State, noting that the strike was "dangerous and blatant aggression".
Islamic State said in a statement on its Amaq news channel that it had gained "complete control" over Jebel Tharda but both Syrian state television and Russian state media said the positions lost to the militant group were later recaptured.
The defense ministry in Russia, which has been aiding Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war, said U.S. jets had killed more than 60 Syrian soldiers in four air strikes by two F-16s and two A-10s coming from the direction of Iraq.
"Syria is a complex situation with various military forces and militias in close proximity, but coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit," U.S. officials said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group with contacts across the country, cited a military source at Deir al-Zor airport as saying that at least 80 Syrian soldiers had been killed in the strike.
Russia's Defence Ministry said that if the coalition bombing was a mistake, it was evidence of Washington's "stubborn refusal" to coordinate its actions with Russia's government.
The U.S.-led coalition has been conducting air strikes against Islamic State since September 2014 and is also supporting rebels against Assad elsewhere in Syria.
The Observatory said that Russian jets had been conducting bombing in the area at the same time, and that violent clashes took place afterwards between Islamic State and the Syrian army around the position.
Syria's army controls Deir al-Zor airport and parts of the city which are otherwise entirely surrounded by territory held by Islamic State.
Syria's war between Assad and rebels seeking to topple him has drawn in regional and global powers and allowed militant jihadist groups including Islamic State to gain territory and inspire attacks.The United States and Russia agreed a deal on Syria last week, involving a ceasefire which came into effect on Monday, aid deliveries to besieged areas and eventual joint targeting of militant jihadist groups if the truce works out.
(Reporting by Angus McDowall; Editing by Louise Ireland and Dominic Evans)
ΕΙΜΑΣΤΕ ΟΛΟΙ ΥΠΕΥΘΥΝΟΙ ΓΙΑ ΟΛΑ ΑΥΤΑ ΠΟΥ ΓΙΝΟΝΤΑΙ ΑΣ ΣΗΚΩΘΟΥΜΕ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥΣ ΚΑΝΑΠΕΔΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΣ ΚΑΝΟΥΜΕ ΚΑΤΙ ΓΙΑΤΙ ΤΑ ΠΑΛΗΚΑΡΙΑ ΠΟΥ ΣΦΑΞΑΝΕ ΘΑ ΜΠΟΡΟΥΣΕ ΝΑ ΗΤΑΝ ΤΟ ΠΑΙΔΙ ΣΟΥ ΤΟ ΠΑΙΔΙ ΜΑΣ ΤΑ ΠΑΙΔΙΑ ΜΑΣ;;
Επί Χουσείν Μπαράκ Ομπάμα μονοκράτορα ……Αποκάλυψη με οσμή αίματος αμερικανικού θρίλερ…. To Iσλαμικό Κράτος καταδίκασε σε θάνατο πάνω από μια δεκάδα ανθρώπους στην περιοχή της Deir Ezzor στην Α Συρία.Σφαγείο πραγματικό.Άνθρωποι είναι κρεμασμένοι ανάποδα με την καταηγορία της κατασκοπείας την α΄ημέρα της μουσουλμανικής γιορτής Aïd al-Adha.
Το γραφείο επικοινωνίας της οργάνωσης διέδωσε ένα βίντεο μέσω της ISIS al-Khayr με φρικτές εικόνες αποκεφαλισμούς εκτελέσεις βασανιστήρια.Ένας κάποιος αριθμός ατόμων βρίσκονται εντός σφαγείου αλυσοδεμένοι οι μεν με τους δε,σιδεροδέσμιοι που έπειτα σφαγιάζονται σαν αρνιά.
Το εσφαγμένο αρνίο της Αποκάλυψης στη Συρία….
Άλλες εικόνες δείχνουν ομοίως κάποιον αριθμό ατόμων δεμένων που αποκεφαλίζονται.Η κατηγορία που αποδόθηκε στα θύματα που φέρουν πορτοκαλί στολές σε στιλ Γκουαντάναμο είναι ότι ασκούσαν κατασκοπεία υπέρ της διεθνούς συμμαχίας.Συνελήφθηκαν αφότου σύμφωνα με τους τρομοκράτες εξαρθρώθηκε το δίκτυό τους.Τους κατηγορούν ότι διοχέτευαν φωτογραφίες και πληροφορίες μέσω Internet.
Η οργάνωση αναφέρει ότι ο εγκέφαλος του δικτύου είναι ένας ονόματι Haider που ζει στην Τουρκία και δούλευε για το ΥPG πριν εργαστεί για την διεθνή συμμαχία.raialyoum 12/9/16
Halley's Comet is arguably the most famous comet. It is a "periodic" comet and returns to Earth's vicinity about every 75 years, making it possible for a human to see it twice in his or her lifetime. The last time it was here was in 1986, and it is projected to return in 2061.
The comet is named after English astronomer Edmond Halley, who examined reports of a comet approaching Earth in 1531, 1607 and 1682. He concluded that these three comets were actually the same comet returning over and over again, and predicted the comet would come again in 1758.
Halley didn't live to see the comet's return, but his discovery led to the comet being named after him. (The traditional pronunciation of the name usuallyrhymes with valley.) Halley's calculations showed that at least some comets orbit the sun.
Further, the first Halley's Comet of the space age – in 1986 – saw several spacecraft approach its vicinity to sample its composition. High-powered telescopes also observed the comet as it swung by Earth.
Halley's in history
The first known observation of Halley's took place in 239 B.C., according to the European Space Agency. Chinese astronomers recorded its passage in the Shih Chi and Wen Hsien Thung Khao chronicles.
When Halley's returned in 164 B.C. and 87 B.C., it probably was noted in Babylonian records now housed at the British Museum in London. "These texts have important bearing on the orbital motion of the comet in the ancient past," noted a Nature research paper about the tablets.
Halley's most famous appearance occurred shortly before the 1066 invasion of England by William the Conquerer. It is said that William felt the comet heralded his success. In any case, the comet was put on the Bayeux Tapestry – which chronicles the invasion – in William's honor.
Another appearance of the comet in 1301 possibly inspired Italian painter Giotto's rendering of the Star of Bethlehem in "The Adoration of the Magi," according to the Britannica encyclopedia.
Astronomers in these times, however, saw each appearance of Halley's Comet as an isolated event. Comets were often foreseen as a sign of great disaster or change.
Even when Shakespeare wrote his play "Julius Caesar" around 1600, just 105 years before Edmond Halley calculated that the comet returns over and over again, one famous phrase spoke of comets as heralds: "When beggars die there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."
Discovery of Halley's recurrence
Astronomy began changing swiftly around the time of Shakespeare, however. Many astronomers of his time held that Earth was the center of the solar system, but Nicolaus Copernicus – who died about 20 years before Shakespeare's birth – published findings showing that the center was actually the sun.
It took several generations for Copernicus' calculations to take hold in the astronomy community, but when they did, they provided a powerful model for how objects move around the solar system and the universe.
Edmond Halley published "A Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets" in 1705, cataloguing what he had found from searching historical records of 24 comets appearing near Earth between 1337 to 1698. Three of those observations appeared to be very similar in terms of orbit and other parameters, leading Halley to propose that one comet might be visiting Earth again and again.
The comet appeared in 1531, 1607 and 1682. Halley suggested the same comet could return to Earth in 1758. Halley did not live long enough to see its return – he died in 1742 – but his discovery inspired others to name the comet after him.
On each successive journey to the inner solar system, astronomers on Earth turned their telescopes skyward to watch Halley's approach.
The comet's pass in 1910 was particularly spectacular, as the comet flew by about 13.9 million miles (22.4 million kilometers) from Earth, which is about 1/15 the distance between Earth and the Sun. On that occasion, Halley's wascaptured on camera for the first time.
According to biographer Albert Bigelow Paine, the writer Mark Twain said in 1909, "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it." Twain died on April 21, 1910, one day after perihelion, when the comet emerged from the far side of the sun.
Halley's in the Space Age
When Halley's Comet came by Earth in 1986, it was the first time we could send spacecraft up to look at it.
That was a fortunate occurrence, as the comet ended up being underwhelming in observations from Earth. When the comet made its closest approach to the sun, it was on the opposite side of that star from the Earth – making it a faint and distant object, some 39 million miles away from Earth.
Several spacecraft successfully made the journey to the comet. This fleet of spaceships is sometimes dubbed the "Halley Armada." Two joint Soviet/French probes (Vega 1 and 2) flew nearby, with one of them capturing pictures of the heart or nucleus of the comet for the first time.
The European Space Agency's Giotto got even closer to the nucleus, beaming back spectacular images to Earth. Japan sent two probes of its own (Sakigake and Suisei) that also obtained information on Halley.
Additionally, NASA's International Cometary Explorer (already in orbit since 1978) captured pictures of Halley from 17.3 million miles (28 million kilometers away.)
"It was inevitable that this most famous of all comets would receive unprecedented attention, but the actual magnitude of the effort has surprised even most of those involved in it," NASA noted in an account of the event.
Sadly, the astronauts aboard Challenger's STS-51L mission were also scheduled to look at the telescope when they arrived in the orbit, but they never got the chance. The shuttle exploded about two minutes after launch on Jan. 28, 1986, due to a rocket malfunction.
It will be many decades until Halley's gets close to Earth again, but in the meantime you can see its remnants every year. The Orionid meteor shower, which is spawned by Halley's fragments, occurs annually in October. Halley's also produced a shower in May, called the Eta Aquarids.
When Halley's sweeps by Earth in 2061, the comet will be on the same side of the sun as Earth and will be much brighter than in 1986.
One astronomer predicted it could be as bright as apparent magnitude -0.3. This is relatively bright, but well below that of the brightest star in Earth's sky: Sirius, at magnitude -1.4 as seen from Earth.
If the Audi TT was ever considered to be more style than substance, that stereotype can be put to rest with the arrival of the new TT RS. Revealed in both coupe and convertible bodystyles at the Beijing Motor Show today, Ingolstadt's latest performance models boast 400 horsepower. And for nostalgic VW and Audi fans, this is still the only way to buy a five-cylinder engine.
For those keeping track, that represents an increase of 60 hp over the previous version, accompanied by 354 pound-feet of torque. Channeled to all four wheels in typical Quattro style, those 400 horses will propel the TT RS to 62 miles per hour from a standstill in as little as 3.7 seconds.
That's enough to undercut the new Porsche 718 Cayman S by a good few tenths, and will leave the vast majority of drivers on the road or track looking at its pair of oval tailpipes, OLED taillights, and fixed rear wing rather than the new front end with its oversized air intakes. Those lucky enough to find themselves inside the new TT RS will find a pair of low-slung bucket seats along with standard TT fare like a 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit display, Audi Connect infotainment system, and inductive smartphone charging.
US pricing and availability are still being worked out, but Audi of America spokesman Mark Dahncke tells Autoblog that the new TT RS will arrive in showrooms Stateside "sometime next year." Overseas the new model is set to launch in the fall. The starting price of €66,400 euros listed for Europe works out to nearly $75k at current exchange rates. More tellingly the TT RS price is just above the €64,118 that Porsche charges for the new 718 Cayman S. This is clearly one bout of sibling rivalry that's just heating up. Read More http://www.autoblog.com/2016/04/25/20...