Powered By Blogger

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Spy Satellite Spotted By Amateur Space Watchers

A secret spy satellite has been pinpointed by amateur space watchers - but no one knows exactly what it's up to.
The world's largest rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral last week, carrying the secret satellite.
The launch's live feed was cut after a few minutes due to the payload's secrecy.
Just days later, an Australian observer spotted the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite.
It was located near longitude 104E, over the Strait of Malacca, a stretch between the Malaysian Peninsula and the Indonesian Island of Sumatra.
The blog of Dutch satellite tracker Marco Langbroek helped guide amateur astronomer Paul Camilleri toward the discovery.
Spy Satellite
The satellite appears to be drifting west, Mr Langbroek wrote.
"My guess (and no more than that) is that it will eventually stop drifting near either 80E (south of Sri Lanka) or perhaps 10 E (over central Africa)," he said.
"The reason for the initial placement near 104E is likely that in this position it is initially well placed for the Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility ground station in central Australia during the initial check-out phase."
There has been speculation that it is a Mentor satellite, which picks up electronic signals from ships, aircraft, ground stations and other satellites.
The signals are processed on board the Mentor satellites, and encrypted before being sent back to authorities in the US.
The NRO is described on its website as a government agency used when the US "needs eyes and ears in critical places where no human can reach - be it over the most rugged terrain or through the most hostile territory".

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Rihanna Cried On Stage and the Internet Is Emotional About It

Rihanna cried on stage last night, and her fans have a lot of feelings about it.

The benevolent queen was singing “Love the Way You Lie,” when the tears started flowing at Aviva Stadium in Dublin for the premiere show of her U.K. ANTI tour. Rihanna shook her head, pressed her tattooed fingers against her temples and raised her hand in the air as she took a moment to collect herself. But the tears continued to stream down her face — without disrupting her perfect eye makeup, of course.

“What a night!!!! Such an emotional show for me!,” she captioned a video of the concert on Instagram.

She powered through the entire show, but in response to this display of emotion, people have taken to Twitter to express concern for her well-being. One loyal Rihanna subject asks that the singer come online to reassure everyone she’s O.K., so she can resume living life.


Lightning Strikes Kill At Least 56 In India

At least 56 people have been killed by lightning in the eastern Indian state of Bihar over the past 24 hours.

Dozens more were injured when thunderstorms and monsoon rains lashed 14 districts, a state official said.

The victims were mainly farm labourers but also included shepherds watching their sheep.

Scores of cattle also died after being struck by lightning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "Deeply anguished by loss of lives due to lightning. My thoughts & prayers are with those who lost their near & dear ones. May the injured recover quickly."

EU Chief's Referendum Warning: 'Out Is Out'

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned "out is out" if British voters decide to leave the European Union.
Mr Juncker said David Cameron had secured the "maximum" Brussels could give, adding there will be no further renegotiations on Britain's relationship with the EU.
His intervention on the eve of polling day came as NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg played up the UK's role in boosting security, warning that a fragmented Europe will "add to instability and unpredictability".
Speaking in Brussels, Mr Juncker said: "The British policymakers and British voters have to know that there will be no kind of any renegotiation.
"We have concluded a deal with the Prime Minister, he got the maximum he could receive and we gave the maximum we could give.
"So there will be no kind of renegotiation, nor on the agreement we found in February, nor as far as any kind of treaty negotiations are concerned.
"Out is out."
Mr Stoltenberg praised the UK for acting as a "bridge" between the EU and NATO, plus Europe and the US, while outlining the country's role in combating terrorism and other issues.
He told the Guardian: "I don't have a vote. It's up to the people of Britain to decide.
"What I can do is tell you what matters for NATO, and a strong UK in a strong Europe is good for the UK and it's good for NATO, because we are faced with unprecedented security challenges, with terrorism, with instability and an unpredictable security environment, and a fragmented Europe will add to instability and unpredictability."
Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi has also appealed for Britons not to make "the wrong choice" in Thursday's vote, saying a Brexit would swap "autonomy for isolation, pride for weakness and identity for self-harm".
It comes two days after the president of the European Council Donald Tusk appealed to Britain, telling voters: "Stay with us. We need you. Together we will cope with future challenges. Apart it will be more difficult."
Mr Juncker's comments drew a furious response from Vote Leave campaigner Boris Johnson, who condemned him as an "unelected tinpot figure".
Mr Johnson said: "Who elected Jean-Claude Juncker to run anything in this way? Who put him in charge of us in this way?
"This gives the game away. If we stay in there is no prospect of any further change.
"This is it, folks. We have been told from the horse's mouth that any hope of further change is absolute illusion."
He added: "It is time for us to show our courage and our commitment to democracy by standing up to these unelected tinpot figures."
UKIP leader Nigel Farage wrote on Twitter: "Jean-Claude Juncker directly contradicts the Prime Minister. There is no further renegotiation."
He added: "Mr Juncker confirms this is Britain's last chance saloon. We must vote to Leave EU."
:: Time To Decide: A special programme on the eve of the EU Referendum with Dermot Murnaghan on Wednesday from 10pm


Royal Author Says Queen Has VIP Referendum Chats

The Queen has been asking dinner guests to give her "three good reasons why Britain should be part of Europe", according to Royal author Robert Lacey.
In an article for The Daily Beast website he wrote: "'Give me three good reasons', she has apparently been asking her dinner companions recently, 'why Britain should be part of Europe?'"
The comments were seized upon by The Sun newspaper, which ran a front page featuring the claim on Wednesday morning.
Mr Lacey said: "The Queen likes a healthy debate around the dinner table. It was just a question.
"She's aware of the complexities for different parts of the UK. As we know, she's very careful not to betray whatever her personal opinions may be on this. You can say the same of her husband."
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "The Queen is above politics and acts on the advice of her Government in political matters.
"The referendum is a matter for the British people to decide."
In May the Independent Press Standards Organisation ruled that The Sun had breached press regulations with a front page headline suggesting the Queen was in favour of the UK leaving the EU.
An issue of the paper published in March featured the headline "Queen backs Brexit", leading Buckingham Palace to complain, saying the Queen is "politically neutral".
Editor Tony Gallagher said he did not accept that an error had been made, but agreed to publish the judgement.
Traditionally, the Queen and her family never vote or stand for election.
Although the law does not ban royalty from voting, it is considered unconstitutional for them to do so.
The Queen is due to carry out some engagements in Liverpool on Wednesday

Yvette Cooper Gets Death Threat Against Her Kids

Labour MP Yvette Cooper has said she has alerted police after receiving a death threat against her children and grandchildren.

The Remain campaigner, who is married to former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls, received the sinister tweet on Tuesday from an account that accused her of sending pro-EU "propaganda" by email.

It said: "Hello, Yvette I have received your Stronger In propaganda emails 5 times please stop or I will kill your kids and grandkids."

Reposting the threatening tweet to her followers, the MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford said: "Got this today for speaking out for Remain..... This has to stop."

She said both the police and Twitter were looking into the matter, adding: "But this is for all of us. Time to stop the hatred."

Debenhams Optimistic Despite Sluggish Sales

Debenhams says it still expects to meet annual profit forecasts despite a dip in quarterly sales.
The department store chain has reported a 0.2% fall in like-for-like sales in the 15 weeks to 11 June, saying demand for clothes had been weak.
It said uncertainty within the UK trading market, particularly the clothing sector since the start of the year, contributed to the drop.
Despite the drop in third quarter sales, the company insists that full year pre-tax profits will be within the range of current market forecasts.
Under the direction of chief executive Michael Sharp, the retailer has developed its health and beauty categories and reduced its reliance on discounting and non-clothing sales and this has helped boost profits.
Mr Sharp will be replaced by Sergio Bucher, an Amazon fashion boss, when he steps down after five years at the helm on Friday.
He said he was leaving the company in very strong hands.
"Our strategy remains unchanged, with further progress in driving our non-clothing mix, continuing to improve service for multi-channel customers, and offering a wider choice in products and services," he said.