Τρίτη 24 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
An Early Start for Noctilucent Clouds
acquired May 22, 2012 - June 13, 2013download animation (6 MB, QuickTime)
acquired May 22, 2012 - June 13, 2013download animation (18 MB, QuickTime)
Every summer, something strange and wonderful happens above the North Pole. Ice crystals begin to cling to dust and particles high in the atmosphere, forming electric-blue, rippled clouds that stretch across the sky at sunset. Noctilucent or “night-shining” clouds are a delight for high-latitude sky watchers, and their season is eagerly anticipated around the Arctic Circle.
This year, noctilucent clouds (NLCs) got an early start; NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft first saw them on May 13. “The 2013 season is remarkable because it started in the northern hemisphere a week earlier than any other season that AIM has observed,” said Cora Randall of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado. “This is quite possibly earlier than ever before.”
The images above show Earth’s upper atmosphere, centered on the North Pole, as observed by the AIM satellite. The image on the upper right shows noctilucent clouds on May 23, 2013; the upper left image compares the same week from 2012. The two bottom images show the extent of NLCs in mid-June of each year. The brighter the clouds in each image, the denser the ice particles. Areas with no data appear in black, and coastal outlines are traced in white. An animation of noctilucent cloud extent in both years is available for download below the main image.
The early start in 2013 is puzzling because of the solar cycle. Researchers have previously observed that noctilucent clouds seem to peak during solar minimum and become scarce during solar maximum. “If anything, we would have expected a later start this year because the solar cycle is near its maximum,” Randall said.
Noctilucent clouds were first described in the mid-19th century after the eruption of Krakatau. Volcanic ash spread through the atmosphere, painting vivid sunsets around the world and provoking the first written observations of NLCs. At first people thought they were a side-effect of the volcano, but long after Krakatau’s ash settled, the wispy, glowing clouds remained.
When AIM was launched in 2007, the cause of noctilucent clouds was still unknown. Researchers knew that they formed about 80 kilometers (50 miles) above Earth's surface—where the atmosphere meets the vacuum of space—but that’s about all they knew. AIM has quickly filled in the gaps.
“It turns out that meteoroids play an important role in the formation of NLCs,” explained James Russell, the principal investigator of AIM and a professor at Hampton University. “Specks of debris from disintegrating meteors act as nucleating points where water molecules can gather and crystallize.” Ash and dust from volcanoes—and even rocket exhaust—also can serve as nuclei for NLCs.
NLCs most often appear during spring and summer because more water molecules are wafted up from the lower atmosphere to mix with the meteor debris and ash. The warmest months in the troposphere (lower atmosphere) are also the coldest in the mesosphere (where NLCs form).
According to Randall and other scientists, noctilucent clouds are becoming more frequent and widespread. In the 19th century, reports of NLCs were mostly confined to high latitudes. In recent years, however, they have been sighted as far south as Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska. Some researchers assert that this is a sign of greenhouse warming, as methane has become more abundant in Earth’s atmosphere. “When methane makes its way into the upper atmosphere, it is oxidized by a complex series of reactions to form water vapor,” Russell said. “This extra water vapor is then available to grow ice crystals for NLCs.”
Randall suggested that the earlier start in 2013 may be the result of a change in atmospheric “teleconnections,” or the way changes in one part of the atmosphere affect another. “Half-a-world away from where the NLCs are forming, strong winds in the southern stratosphere are altering global circulation patterns. This year, more water vapor is being pushed into the high atmosphere, and the air there is getting colder.”
“When we launched AIM, our interest was in the clouds themselves,” Russell added. “But now NLCs are teaching us about connections between different layers of the atmosphere that operate over great distances. Our ability to study these connections will surely lead to new understanding about how our atmosphere works.”
You can view a daily composite projection of noctilucent clouds by clicking here during the northern summer months.
Δευτέρα 23 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
ΓΕΩΛΟΓΙΑ GEOLOGY
Formula: (Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4
System: Monoclinic
Colour: green, green-blue, ...
Hardness: 3½ - 4
Member of: Serpentine Group
Name: Named after the type locality, Valle di Antigorio, Domodossola, Piedmont, Italy
Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico
1.25 inches x 1 inch x .35 inches
© Etsy, Inc.
Fluorite
A study into the brooding behaviour of birds has revealed their dinosaur ancestors shared the load when it came to incubation of eggs.
Research into the incubation behaviour of birds suggests the type of parental care carried out by their long extinct ancestors.
The study aimed to test the hypothesis that data from extant birds could be used to predict the incubation behaviour of Theropods, the group of carnivorous dinosaurs from which birds descended.
*Photo : Oviraptorid skeleton and eggs in the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am Main. (Credit: EvaK via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons license)
Ant in Cretaceous Amber
Size: 14,0 x 10,0 x 4,3 mm
Weight: 1,75 ct or 0,35 g
Origin: Main Khun, Tanai Township, Kachin State, Burma (Myanmar)
© Crystal-Treasure
Smoky quartz on amazonite with goethite ps. siderite crystals |
Azurite
Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Mun. de Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico
Sulfur
Location: Agrigento | Sicily | Italy
Size: 8.0 x 5.3 x 5.5 cm
© wendel-minerals
world largest yellow diamond
System: Monoclinic
Colour: green, green-blue, ...
Hardness: 3½ - 4
Member of: Serpentine Group
Name: Named after the type locality, Valle di Antigorio, Domodossola, Piedmont, Italy
Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico
1.25 inches x 1 inch x .35 inches
© Etsy, Inc.
Fluorite
A study into the brooding behaviour of birds has revealed their dinosaur ancestors shared the load when it came to incubation of eggs.
Research into the incubation behaviour of birds suggests the type of parental care carried out by their long extinct ancestors.
The study aimed to test the hypothesis that data from extant birds could be used to predict the incubation behaviour of Theropods, the group of carnivorous dinosaurs from which birds descended.
*Photo : Oviraptorid skeleton and eggs in the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am Main. (Credit: EvaK via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons license)
Ant in Cretaceous Amber
Size: 14,0 x 10,0 x 4,3 mm
Weight: 1,75 ct or 0,35 g
Origin: Main Khun, Tanai Township, Kachin State, Burma (Myanmar)
© Crystal-Treasure
Smoky quartz on amazonite with goethite ps. siderite crystals |
Azurite
Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Mun. de Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico
Sulfur
Location: Agrigento | Sicily | Italy
Size: 8.0 x 5.3 x 5.5 cm
© wendel-minerals
world largest yellow diamond
Timelapse at the Pic du Midi Observatory
ΤΑ ΜΟΝΟΠΑΤΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΑΣΤΕΡΙΩΝ >>> )(
Αυτή η εικόνα λήφθηκε από Babak Α. Tafreshi, ένα από ESO Φωτογραφία Πρέσβεις , στο Paranal Observatory του ESO. Δείχνει τρία από τα τέσσερα βοηθητικά τηλεσκόπια (ΑΤ) του Πολύ Μεγάλου Τηλεσκοπίου (VLTI). Από πάνω τους, οι μεγάλες φωτεινές λωρίδες είναι αστέρι μονοπάτια, το καθένα σηματοδοτεί την φαινομενική πορεία ενός ενιαίου αστέρι όλον τον σκοτεινό νυχτερινό ουρανό, λόγω της περιστροφής της Γης. Η τεχνική αυτή ενισχύει επίσης τα φυσικά χρώματα των αστέρων, η οποία δίνει μια ένδειξη της θερμοκρασίας τους, που κυμαίνονται από περίπου 1000 βαθμούς Κελσίου για τα reddest αστέρια σε μερικές δεκάδες χιλιάδες βαθμούς Κελσίου για τα πιο καυτά, τα οποία εμφανίζονται μπλε. Ο ουρανός σε αυτή την απομακρυσμένη και υψηλή θέση στη Χιλή είναι εξαιρετικά σαφής και δεν υπάρχει φωτορύπανση, μας προσφέρει αυτό το καταπληκτικό light show.
GREENLAND
ΟΙ ΤΕΡΑΣΤΙΟΙ ΠΑΓΟΙ ΤΗΣ ΓΡΟΙΛΑΝΔΙΑΣ ΠΟΥ ΛΙΩΝΟΥΝ ΜΠΟΡΕΙ ΝΑ ΚΡΑΤΟΥΝ ΤΟ ΚΛΕΙΔΙ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ ΠΟΣΟ ΘΑ ΑΝΕΒΗ Η ΣΤΑΘΜΗ ΤΗΣ ΘΑΛΑΣΣΑΣ ΤΑ ΕΠΟΜΕΝΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ!
SPACE. The Grand Canyon of Mars and more
Valles Marineris is a system of canyons that spans 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers). At some points, the canyon is 125 miles (200 km) wide. Regions can reach depths of 6 miles (10 km). If the system were located on Earth, it would stretch across the United States, from Los Angeles to the Atlantic coast.
By comparison, Earth's natural wonder, the Grand Canyon, is only 227 miles (446 km) long, 18 miles (30 km) wide, and 1 mile (1.6 km) deep. A windy channel on Venus, Baltis Valles, extends longer than the Martian system, as do a handful of rift valleys on Earth, which form along fault lines as the crust breaks apart.
Valles Marineris stretches east-west just below the Martian equator. It starts in the west in the Noctis Labyrinthus, a system of maze-like valleys and canyons, and stretches around 20 percent of the planet to the chaotic terrain near the Chryse Planitia basin.
The canyon system contains a number of different features that give clues to its formation. Collapse pits created by rushing water eating away at the land, massive floods, and seeping along canyon walls all point to water just at or beneath the surface at some point in the Martian history. Cracks in the crust, cliffs and walls, and landslides also exist along the expanse of Valles Marineris.
The vast canyon can be seen from Earth through a telescope as a dark scarring on the planet's surface. Features known as chasmata, steep depressions that resemble canyons on Earth, dominate the canyon.
The canyon begins in the Noctis Labyrinthus on the western edge, a region of material thought to have volcanic origins. Two parallel chasmata, Ius and Tithonium, stretch eastward, and contain lava flows and faults from the Tharsis Bulge.
Three more chasmata, Melas, Candor and Ophir, are connected on the east side of the parallel features. Their floors contain eroded material and volcanic ash. The floor of the Melas chasma contains the deepest point of the canyon system.
Coprates Chasma lies farther east, with well-defined layered deposits. These deposits may have formed from landslides or wind-blown material, although the region may once have housed isolated lakes.
Eos and Ganges are another set of chasmata that contain volcanic or windblown deposits that have slowly eroded over time.
The Valles Marineris system empties into the Chryse region, one of the lowest regions on Mars. Any water from the canyon system would have flown into the lowlands, and it may have once contained an ancient lake or ocean.
Over the years, scientists have proposed a number of theories about the formation of Valles Marineris. Erosion during a water-rich past and the withdrawal of subsurface magma were both early possibilities.
Today, most scientists think that the formation of the Tharsis region may have helped the canyon to form. The Tharsis region contains several large volcanoes that dwarf those found on Earth, including Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system.
As molten rock pushed through the volcanic region to form the monstrous volcanoes 3.5 billion years ago, the crust heaved upward. The strain cracked the crust, causing large faults and fractures across the planet's surface. Such fractures, growing over time, birthed the enormous canyon system.
The spreading cracks caused the ground to sink and opened an escape for subsurface water. The upward rushing liquid broke down the edges of the fractures, enlarging them and washing away more of the ground while flowing past.
Signs of flooding are especially apparent at the eastern end, in the mesas and hills known as chaotic terrain. Rushing water poured through channels into the lowlands, carving a series of channels. Scientists do not yet know whether the flooding took place over a short span of time, or whether one overwhelming flood was accompanied by several smaller flooding events.
At the same time, canyons were slowly widened over smaller scales as seeping groundwater carried rock and sediment away in smaller quantities. Landslides also helped to enlarge the features, sometimes traveling as far as 60 miles (100 km). Lava flows and ash falling from the nearby volcanoes may also have played a role in forming the intricate feature.
The large canyon system was discovered in 1972 by its namesake, NASA's Mariner 9 spacecraft, the first satellite to orbit another planet.
This picture is a mosaic of images taken by Viking 1 centers on Valles Marineris.
Simply Earth
A day’s clouds. The shape and texture of the land. The living ocean. City lights as a beacon of human presence across the globe. This amazingly beautiful view of Earth from space is a fusion of science and art, a showcase for the remote-sensing technology that makes such views possible, and a testament to the passion and creativity of the scientists who devote their careers to understanding how land, ocean, and atmosphere—even life itself—interact to generate Earth’s unique (as far as we know!) life-sustaining environment.
Drawing on data from multiple satellite missions (not all collected at the same time), a team of NASA scientists and graphic artists created layers of global data for everything from the land surface, to polar sea ice, to the light reflected by the chlorophyll in the billions of microscopic plants that grow in the ocean. They wrapped these layers around a globe, set it against a black background, and simulated the hazy edge of the Earth’s atmosphere (the limb) that appears in astronaut photography of the Earth.
The land surface layer is based on photo-like surface reflectance observations (reflected sunlight) measured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite in July 2004. The sea ice layer near the poles comes from Terra MODIS observations of daytime sea ice observed between August 28 and September 6, 2001. The ocean layer is a composite. In shallow water areas, the layer shows surface reflectances observed by Terra MODIS in July 2004. In the open ocean, the photo-like layer is overlaid with observations of the average ocean chlorophyll content for 2004. NASA’s Aqua MODIS collected the chlorophyll data. The cloud layer shows a single-day snapshot of clouds observed by Terra MODIS across the planet on July 29, 2001. City lights on Earth’s night side are visualized from data collected by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program mission between 1994–1995. The topography layer is based on radar data collected by the Space Shuttle Endeavour during an 11-day mission in February of 2000. Topography over Antarctica comes from the Radarsat Antarctic Mapping Project, version 2.
Most of the data layers in this visualization are available as monthly composites as part of NASA’s Blue Marble Next Generation image collection. The images in the collection appear in cylindrical projection (rectangular maps), and they are available at 500-meter resolution. The large images provided above are the full-size versions of these globes. In their hope that these images will inspire people to appreciate the beauty of our home planet and to learn about the Earth system, the developers of these images encourage readers to re-use and re-publish the images freely.
This colorful view of Mercury was produced by using images from the color base map imaging campaign during MESSENGER's primary mission. These colors are not what Mercury would look like to the human eye, but rather the colors enhance the chemical, mineralogical, and physical differences between the rocks that make up Mercury's surface.
Σάββατο 21 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Boko Haram attacks another base in Borno
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Posted: 20 Dec 2013 12:25 PM PST
Boko Haram, a Nigerian terrorist group with ties to al Qaeda, has launched another attack on a military barracks in Borno state, Nigeria. The attack occurred today in Bama, about 65 kilometers from Maiduguri, where earlier this month Boko Haram dramatically attacked a military facility, and refuted government claims that the group is on the run.
In the early hours of this morning, Boko Haram militants attacked a base belonging to the 202 Tank Battalion, killing an unknown number of soldiers, as well as their families who lived with them at the barracks.
Witnesses have said that "dozens, or perhaps even hundreds, of insurgents swarmed the barracks in a convoy of 4X4 trucks, armed with assault rifles, explosives and rocket-propelled-grenades," according to Agence France Presse. The use of improvised explosive devices(IEDs) and petrol-bombs has also been confirmed.
The attack lasted until 7 a.m., at which time the military deployed fighter jets from Maiduguri, forcing Boko Haram to flee.
It is thought that Boko Haram insurgents massed near or on the Cameroonian side of the border, and attacked the base from the east. Nigeria has said that it needs Cameroon's help in order to "silence" Boko Haram, and Cameroon claims to have already stepped up security along the Nigerian border. However, Borno officials have accused Cameroonian authorities of habitually refusing to arrest or chase Boko Haram militants fleeing across the border after attacks in Nigeria.
More violence in the area
This is the latest of many Boko Haram attacks in Bama this year. In May, some 200 heavily armed Boko Haram militants launched coordinated attacks, killing 22 policemen, 14 prison officials, two soldiers, and four civilians, and freed more than 100 prison inmates. Arriving in buses and pickup trucks and dressed in army uniforms, the militants attacked an army barracks and a police station and then raided the town prison; 13 militants were killed in the operation.
On Aug. 5, Boko Haram again attacked a police station, which resulted in the deaths of one policeman and 17 Boko Haram fighters. Authorities recovered AK-47 assault rifles, bombs, and RPG equipment after the attack. Later that month, on Aug. 27, 18 people were killed when Boko Haram militants dressed in Nigerian military gear opened fire on members of the civilian JTF, a vigilante group helping the army fight against Boko Haram.
Earlier this month, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau appeared in a video, warning of more attacks to come: "By Allah, we will never stop. Don't think we will stop in Maiduguri."
Clearly, Boko Haram has not.
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Posted: 20 Dec 2013 11:51 AM PST
A Nigerian Federal High Court has sentenced a member of Boko Haram's shura council to life imprisonment.
Kabiru Umar, also known as Kabiru Sokoto, was found guilty of planning the 2011 Christmas Day bombing in Niger state. He was also found guilty of having prior knowledge of the attack, and failing to notify the authorities.
His trial has come amidst a Human Rights Commission investigation into rights abuses and illegal detention centers used by the government to imprison suspected Boko Haram members, who some believe are held arbitrarily and in violation of the law.
According to one witness, himself a captive, Kabiru Umar was the highest-ranking Boko Haram member in Sokoto state and provided logistical help and materiel for an attack on a police station.
Umar was initially arrested on Jan. 14, 2012, but caused an uproar in Nigeria when he escaped from police custody, and a bounty of $310,000 was offered for information leading to his recapture.
The suspicious nature of his escape - a police vehicle came under fire while escorting him from their headquarters to his house outside Abuja to conduct a search - led to the dismissal of the head of Nigeria's police force, Hafiz Ringim, and six of his deputies. Umar was recaptured on March 10, 2012, in Taraba state, near Nigeria's border with Chad.
Between 2007 and 2012, Umar was involved in terrorism acts in Sokoto, including planting bombs at police headquarters and other government institutions throughout the state.
In 2011, at least 37 people were killed during morning Mass at the Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, near Abuja, when a car laden with explosives rammed into the gates of the church. At least three other people died in four separate bomb attacks in Nigeria that day.
Umar was also found guilty of training over 500 men in the manufacture and use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), with the stated aim of attacking government facilities in Sokoto. For this offense, Umar received an additional 10 years, to be served in addition to his life sentence.
According to the judge, Umar showed no remorse throughout the trial.
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Posted: 20 Dec 2013 10:12 AM PST
In a newly released video, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan eulogized Qari Hussain, a top commander of the group who trained suicide bombers and plotted operations against the West, including the failed Times Square bombing in May 2010. Qari Hussain trained suicide bombers for numerous attacks and once described them as "the atomic weapons of Muslims."
The Taliban emailed the over 60-minute video celebrating the death of Qari Hussain to The Long War Journal today. The video was produced by Umar Media, the Movement of the Taliban's official media outlet, and emailed by the group's official email account.
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and Umar Media did not respond to the The Long War Journal's request to confirm the date and location of Qari Hussain's death, or how he was killed.
On numerous occasions, Pakistani officials have rumored that Qari Hussain had been killed in US drone strikes and Pakistani military operations. The last report of his death was on Jan. 12, 2012; he was said to have been killed in a US drone strike in a village near Miramshah in North Waziristan. Hakeemullah Mehsud, then the emir of Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, was also rumored to have been killed in that attack. Hakeemullah was not killed, but later died in a US drone strike nearly two years later, on Nov. 1, 2013.
The Taliban have referred to Qari Hussain as a "martyr" several times in the past but had not released a statement officially announcing his death. For instance, in a statement released in November that announced the appointment of Sheikh Khalid Haqqani to serve as the deputy emir of the group, Qari Hussain was described as "the martyr Qari Hussain."
Qari Hussain's martyrdom video features interviews with Qari Hussain and other Taliban commanders. Also included is footage of Faisal Shahzad, the operative who came close to detonating a car bomb in Times Square in the heart of New York City on May 1, 2010. Qari Hussain claimed credit for the plot in a video that was first released to The Long War Journal. [See LWJ report, Exclusive: Tapes show Hakeemullah Mehsud is alive and threatens attacks in the US.]
In the video claiming credit for Times Square, Qari Hussain said Faisal Shahzad was sent to attack the US for a drone strike that killed Baitullah Mehsud, the founder of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and for a US and Iraqi military operation that killed both Abu Omar al Baghdadi, the founder of the Islamic State of Iraq, and Abu Ayyub al Masri, al Qaeda in Iraq's military chief. Qari Hussain also accused the US of unfairly jailing "Lady al Qaeda" Aafia Siddiqui, and said the US pushed the Pakistani military to attack the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, a radical madrassa in Islamabad whose clerics openly supported the Taliban and al Qaeda. [For more on the Pakistani Taliban's role in the Times Square plot, see LWJ reports, Pakistani Taliban claim credit for failed NYC Times Square car bombing, US sees Pakistani Taliban involvement in Times Square attack after downplaying links.]
Qari Hussain also played a role in training Abu Dujanah al Khurasani [Humam Khalil Muhammed Abu Mulal al Balawi], the Jordanian whodeceived the CIA into believing he was providing intelligence on al Qaeda's operations in Pakistan. Khurasani killed seven CIA officials and bodyguards, and a Jordanian intelligence officer, in the Dec. 30, 2009 suicide attack against the CIA at Combat Outpost Chapman in Khost province, Afghanistan. Khurasani had lured the officials by promising to have detailed intelligence on the location of Ayman al Zawahiri.
The US added Qari Hussain to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists in January 2011 for his involvement in the Times Square plot, the attack on COP Chapman, and numerous attacks in Pakistan.
In the designation, the State Department described him as "the deadliest of all TTP's commanders." [See LWJ report, US adds Qari Hussain Mehsud to list of designated terrorists].
Background on Qari Hussain Mehsud
Based out of South Waziristan until the military operations in the Mehsud tribal areas in the fall of 2009, Qari Hussain had relocated to the Mir Ali region in North Waziristan. He had long been a close ally of al Qaeda.
He served in the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, a radical anti-Shia terror group that serves as muscle for al Qaeda, and in the Harkat-ul-Jihad-i-Islam, under the command of Ilyas Kashmiri, who later served as a military chief for al Qaeda. Qari Hussain also served as a senior leader in the Fadayeen-i-Islam, a terror outfit that conducted numerous attacks against the Pakistani government.
Qari Hussain was known as Ustad-i-Fedayeen, or the teacher of suicide bombers. Prior to the Pakistani Army offensive in South Waziristan in October 2009, Qari Hussain ran camps in the tribal agency where children were trained to become suicide bombers. Children as young as seven years of age were indoctrinated to wage jihad in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a video taken at one of his camps in Spinkai showed.
The Pakistani military first demolished Qari Hussain's suicide nursery during an earlier, shorter offensive against the Taliban in Spinkai in January 2008. The military launched the short operation after Taliban forces commanded by Baitullah Mehsud overran two military outposts and conducted attacks against other forts and military convoys in the tribal agency.
The military seized numerous documents and training materials in the demolished camp. In May 2008, a senior Pakistani general described the previous camp as a suicide "factory" for children. Sometime in the spring or summer of 2008, however, Qari Hussain rebuilt his child training camps in South Waziristan.
In November 2009, the Pakistani government placed a $600,000 bounty out for information leading to the death or capture of Qari Hussain. He was among the top three most wanted leaders of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, along with Hakeemullah and Waliur Rehman Mehsud, who, like Hakeemullah, was killed in a US drone strike in 2013.
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South Sudan's permanent war: the longest conflict in Africa
Sudan's civil war, which raged from the 1980s until a peace deal was brokered in the early 2000s, marks the longest war ever to take place on the African continent. Dr. Hassan al-Turabi, who served as intellectual mentor of the Sudanese regime for much of the war, states that "We have never known slavery," although many in the south claimed that the north launched regular slave raids into their territory. "There were times when the situation seemed quite hopeless," remarks Nhial Deng, former SPLM Secretary of Foreign Affairs, on the fitful negotiations that finally led to a peace treaty in 2005.
Darfur may dominate the headlines but in Southern Sudan, the story is more positive. After a 21 year civil war, peace seems to be returning to the region and refugees are coming home.
The peace deal agreed between the SPLA and government gives the South greater autonomy. Now, millions of displaced people are returning. "They're our people. They have a right to be here," reasons Vice President of Southern Sudan, Dr Machar. But tensions between the North and South still abound. According to the agreement, the South was supposed to receive 50% of all oil revenues. But some claim this is not happening. "We have received very little revenue", states Machar. Militias, allegedly armed by the government, are still creating terror in the South. Despite this, people like Martha are optimistic. "I'm very happy because I've come home."
Παρασκευή 20 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Πέμπτη 19 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Τετάρτη 18 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Δευτέρα 16 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
2015 Volkswagen Cross Blue Coupe Concept Exterior and Interior Walkaro...
Welcome to AutoMotoTube!!! On our channel we upload every day short, (2-5min) walkaround videos of Cars and Motorcycles. Our coverage is from Auto and Moto shows in North America and Europe - We visit different shows: Big, like Frankfurt, New York, Detroit, Los Angeles or Paris Auto Show, to small regional, Classic Car, RV and Boat Shows.
We have thousands of High Definition videos of different types of vehicles, everything from new, concept cars, super cars, classic, vintage, old cars, hot rods, motorbikes, recreational vehicles, motor boats, sailing yachts, to airplanes, bicycles, and even tractors :-)
In most of our videos, we take a look at the exterior design and interior arrangements of the vehicle, so you can receive a general idea and appreciation of a certain brand or model.
We have thousands of High Definition videos of different types of vehicles, everything from new, concept cars, super cars, classic, vintage, old cars, hot rods, motorbikes, recreational vehicles, motor boats, sailing yachts, to airplanes, bicycles, and even tractors :-)
In most of our videos, we take a look at the exterior design and interior arrangements of the vehicle, so you can receive a general idea and appreciation of a certain brand or model.
Recap: Broner vs. Maidana - SHOWTIME Boxing
Highlights from the explosive December 14th Showtime Championship Boxing event including Beibut Shumenov, Tomas Kovacs, Keith Thurman, Jesus Soto Karass, Leo Santa Cruz, Cesar Seda, Adrien Broner, and Marcos Maidana.
Κυριακή 15 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Σάββατο 14 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
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