Blogs have become an important source of information with a blog being created about every second, there are bound to be many more good ones. The bottom line is that they all are produced by passionate people who have a wealth of information about their corner of the tech world.
There are a lot of reasons people find particular blogs worthy of their time. Some are valued solely for their aggregation of pertinent news, while others have formed a devoted following based on the robust and educated comments of their readers. Still others have become popular because of their humor or for the biting tone of their writers' opinions.
DTN News: Wishing Our Readers & Viewers a fabulous 2010 with full of great achievements and experiences. A meaningful chapter waiting to be written HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
DTN News: To Our Readers & Viewers ~ Wishing You, A Very Happy New Year 2010 & Best Wishes From DTN News Defense-Technology News
DTN News: To Our Readers & Viewers ~ Wishing You, A Very Happy New Year 2010 & Best Wishes From DTN News Defense-Technology News
*Source: DTN News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 30, 2009: New Year's Day, or January 1, is the first day of the year and is an occasion that witnesses the biggest annual celebration across all countries of the world. It is the time when we ring out the old year and welcome the present year with open arms, with eyes filled with new dreams and hearts replete with new expectations.Blogs have become an important source of information with a blog being created about every second, there are bound to be many more good ones. The bottom line is that they all are produced by passionate people who have a wealth of information about their corner of the tech world.
There are a lot of reasons people find particular blogs worthy of their time. Some are valued solely for their aggregation of pertinent news, while others have formed a devoted following based on the robust and educated comments of their readers. Still others have become popular because of their humor or for the biting tone of their writers' opinions.
DTN News: Wishing Our Readers & Viewers a fabulous 2010 with full of great achievements and experiences. A meaningful chapter waiting to be written HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!
Blogs have become an important source of information with a blog being created about every second, there are bound to be many more good ones. The bottom line is that they all are produced by passionate people who have a wealth of information about their corner of the tech world.
There are a lot of reasons people find particular blogs worthy of their time. Some are valued solely for their aggregation of pertinent news, while others have formed a devoted following based on the robust and educated comments of their readers. Still others have become popular because of their humor or for the biting tone of their writers' opinions.
DTN News: Wishing Our Readers & Viewers a fabulous 2010 with full of great achievements and experiences. A meaningful chapter waiting to be written HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!
DTN News: Iran TODAY December 30, 2009 ~ Tens Of Thousands At Pro-Government Rallies In Tehran
DTN News: Iran TODAY December 30, 2009 ~ Tens Of Thousands At Pro-Government Rallies In Tehran
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - December 30, 2009:Tens of thousands of government supporters rallied in cities across Iran on Wednesday swearing allegiance to the clerical establishment and accusing opposition leaders of causing unrest in the Islamic state.
Iran's police chief on Wednesday warned supporters of opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi only to expect harsh treatment if they joined illegal anti-government rallies, three days after eight protesters were killed in demonstrations. 
Pro-government protester waving a poster of Shiite radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, during a demonstration Wednesday Dec. 30, 2009, through the streets of Tehran, Iran. The large crowd are seen waving various banners and flags during the pro-government demonstration.
Tens of thousands took part in the government-organized demonstrations, which state television broadcast live, chanting slogans against the opposition leaders Mousavi and moderate defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karoubi.
"You should repent ... otherwise the system will confront you as a 'mohareb' (enemy of God)," cleric Ahmad Alamolhoda told reformist leaders at a Tehran rally, state TV reported. Under Iran's Islamic sharia law the sentence for a mohareb is death.
In Tehran, crowds burned American and British flags.
There was no word about any opposition supporters on the streets on Wednesday, despite talk of demonstrations on reformist websites. Foreign media are restricted from moving around to report on such protests which are illegal.
In Iran's bloodiest unrest since the aftermath of the disputed June 12 presidential election, eight people were killed on Sunday and at least 20 pro-reform figures, including three senior advisers to Mousavi were arrested.
Raising the stakes further in the crisis, a representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that opposition leaders were "enemies of God."
Television footage of the rallies in various cities showed people chanting "Mousavi is responsible for bloodshed ... We support our Supreme Leader." Some of them carried pictures of Khamenei. Similar rallies took place on Tuesday.
CLASHES AT ASHURA RITUAL
Since the deadly weekend clashes during the Shi'ite Muslim religious ritual of Ashura, political turmoil has entered a new phase in Iran with the clerical establishment piling pressure on the reform movement to end street protests.
"People want the leaders of sedition to be punished. We will not remain silent over insulting the religion," one speaker told a Tehran rally, state TV reported.
Oil prices briefly rose above $79 a barrel to a fresh five-week high on Tuesday, supported by expectations of colder U.S. weather and concerns over political unrest in Iran.
Iran's police chief said on Wednesday "there was no more room for tolerance over participants in illegal rallies."
"Those who participate in illegal rallies will be confronted more harshly and the judiciary will confront them more decisively," said Esmail Ahmadi-Moqadam, the official IRNA news agency reported. "Some of Sunday's protesters are ... considered as mohareb and will be confronted firmly."
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, locked in a row with the West over Iran's nuclear program, said that the opposition rallies on the religious ritual of Ashura was a foreign-backed "nauseating masquerade."
Pro-government demonstrators also chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Britain," state TV reported. Iran has accused foreign powers of meddling in its affairs, which has provoked robust denials.
When the June poll returned hardline Ahmadinejad to power, his reformist opponents cried foul and thousands of Iranians took to the streets in the biggest anti-government unrest in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic.
Authorities deny vote-rigging but the protests were showing no sign of subsiding six months after the election and despite a determined crackdown on protesters and opposition leaders.
The elite Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday accused the foreign media of conspiring with the opposition to harm Iran.
Hardliners who took to the streets on Tuesday also called for the punishment of opposition leaders. The opposition website Jaras said students at two Tehran universities clashed with hardline Basij militia.
"We have asked the judiciary to arrest the leaders of this sedition," said hardline MP Hasan Norouzi, without saying just how many lawmakers made the demand. "Karoubi, Mousavi and all those who ignite tension should be arrested and tried."
Analysts say the arrest of senior opposition leaders would increase tensions in the country. The opposition says more than 900 protesters were arrested on Sunday but police said 500 "rioters" were arrested, with 300 still in detention.
Police said the "suspicious" deaths on Sunday were under investigation, denying opposition claims that the people were killed by police.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council confirmed eight deaths, but Tehran's prosecutor dropped the number to seven.
The semi-official Fars news agency said Mousavi's nephew, who was killed in the bloodshed, was buried on Wednesday at Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.
Pro-government protester waving a poster of Shiite radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, during a demonstration Wednesday Dec. 30, 2009, through the streets of Tehran, Iran. The large crowd are seen waving various banners and flags during the pro-government demonstration.
Tens of thousands took part in the government-organized demonstrations, which state television broadcast live, chanting slogans against the opposition leaders Mousavi and moderate defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karoubi.
"You should repent ... otherwise the system will confront you as a 'mohareb' (enemy of God)," cleric Ahmad Alamolhoda told reformist leaders at a Tehran rally, state TV reported. Under Iran's Islamic sharia law the sentence for a mohareb is death.
In Tehran, crowds burned American and British flags.
There was no word about any opposition supporters on the streets on Wednesday, despite talk of demonstrations on reformist websites. Foreign media are restricted from moving around to report on such protests which are illegal.
In Iran's bloodiest unrest since the aftermath of the disputed June 12 presidential election, eight people were killed on Sunday and at least 20 pro-reform figures, including three senior advisers to Mousavi were arrested.
Raising the stakes further in the crisis, a representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that opposition leaders were "enemies of God."
Television footage of the rallies in various cities showed people chanting "Mousavi is responsible for bloodshed ... We support our Supreme Leader." Some of them carried pictures of Khamenei. Similar rallies took place on Tuesday.
CLASHES AT ASHURA RITUAL
Since the deadly weekend clashes during the Shi'ite Muslim religious ritual of Ashura, political turmoil has entered a new phase in Iran with the clerical establishment piling pressure on the reform movement to end street protests.
"People want the leaders of sedition to be punished. We will not remain silent over insulting the religion," one speaker told a Tehran rally, state TV reported.
Oil prices briefly rose above $79 a barrel to a fresh five-week high on Tuesday, supported by expectations of colder U.S. weather and concerns over political unrest in Iran.
Iran's police chief said on Wednesday "there was no more room for tolerance over participants in illegal rallies."
"Those who participate in illegal rallies will be confronted more harshly and the judiciary will confront them more decisively," said Esmail Ahmadi-Moqadam, the official IRNA news agency reported. "Some of Sunday's protesters are ... considered as mohareb and will be confronted firmly."
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, locked in a row with the West over Iran's nuclear program, said that the opposition rallies on the religious ritual of Ashura was a foreign-backed "nauseating masquerade."
Pro-government demonstrators also chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Britain," state TV reported. Iran has accused foreign powers of meddling in its affairs, which has provoked robust denials.
When the June poll returned hardline Ahmadinejad to power, his reformist opponents cried foul and thousands of Iranians took to the streets in the biggest anti-government unrest in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic.
Authorities deny vote-rigging but the protests were showing no sign of subsiding six months after the election and despite a determined crackdown on protesters and opposition leaders.
The elite Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday accused the foreign media of conspiring with the opposition to harm Iran.
Hardliners who took to the streets on Tuesday also called for the punishment of opposition leaders. The opposition website Jaras said students at two Tehran universities clashed with hardline Basij militia.
"We have asked the judiciary to arrest the leaders of this sedition," said hardline MP Hasan Norouzi, without saying just how many lawmakers made the demand. "Karoubi, Mousavi and all those who ignite tension should be arrested and tried."
Analysts say the arrest of senior opposition leaders would increase tensions in the country. The opposition says more than 900 protesters were arrested on Sunday but police said 500 "rioters" were arrested, with 300 still in detention.
Police said the "suspicious" deaths on Sunday were under investigation, denying opposition claims that the people were killed by police.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council confirmed eight deaths, but Tehran's prosecutor dropped the number to seven.
The semi-official Fars news agency said Mousavi's nephew, who was killed in the bloodshed, was buried on Wednesday at Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.
DTN News: China May Build Middle East Naval Base
DTN News: China May Build Middle East Naval Base
*China's rapidly-expanding navy is considering building its first foreign naval base, according to a senior admiral.
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media By Malcolm Moore
(NSI News Source Info) SHANGHAI, China - 
December 30, 2009: In a sign of the growing confidence of the Chinese military, Admiral Yin Zhuo said that the country may set up a base in the Gulf of Aden in order to support missions against Somali pirates.
Since the end of last year, China has sent four flotillas to the Middle East in order to take part in anti-piracy operations together with US, European, Indian and Russian warships. (Image/photo: Members of the Chinese navy honour guard marching during a welcoming ceremony). The latest mission, which departed from China in October, involved two missile frigates.
Mr Yin said a permanent base in the region would help supply Chinese ships. "We are not saying we need our navy everywhere in order to fulfil our international commitments," he said, cautiously. "We are saying to fulfil our international commitments, we need to strengthen our supply capacity."
His words, which came just a few days after China rescued 25 sailors from Somali pirates, were posted in an interview on the Defence ministry website. China is reported to have paid a USD4 million (Pounds2.5 million) ransom to free the De Xin Hai, a coal carrier.
Mr Yin, who is a senior researcher at the navy's Equipment Research centre, pointed out that the first Chinese ships in the Gulf of Aden spent 124 days at sea without docking, a logistical challenge.
However, Chinese ships have since been permitted to dock at a French base.
"If China establishes a similar long-term supply base, I believe that the nations in the region and the other countries involved with the (anti-pirate) escorts would understand," he said. "I think a permanent, stable base would be good for our operations."
Yin added he was aware that Chinese naval ships in the waters near the Gulf have aroused suspicions, but believed other nations understood Beijing's intention was to counter pirates. As the world's largest importer of oil, China is believed to want to establish bases throughout the Indian Ocean and South China Sea to protect its tankers.
December 30, 2009: In a sign of the growing confidence of the Chinese military, Admiral Yin Zhuo said that the country may set up a base in the Gulf of Aden in order to support missions against Somali pirates.
Since the end of last year, China has sent four flotillas to the Middle East in order to take part in anti-piracy operations together with US, European, Indian and Russian warships. (Image/photo: Members of the Chinese navy honour guard marching during a welcoming ceremony). The latest mission, which departed from China in October, involved two missile frigates.
Mr Yin said a permanent base in the region would help supply Chinese ships. "We are not saying we need our navy everywhere in order to fulfil our international commitments," he said, cautiously. "We are saying to fulfil our international commitments, we need to strengthen our supply capacity."
His words, which came just a few days after China rescued 25 sailors from Somali pirates, were posted in an interview on the Defence ministry website. China is reported to have paid a USD4 million (Pounds2.5 million) ransom to free the De Xin Hai, a coal carrier.
Mr Yin, who is a senior researcher at the navy's Equipment Research centre, pointed out that the first Chinese ships in the Gulf of Aden spent 124 days at sea without docking, a logistical challenge.
However, Chinese ships have since been permitted to dock at a French base.
"If China establishes a similar long-term supply base, I believe that the nations in the region and the other countries involved with the (anti-pirate) escorts would understand," he said. "I think a permanent, stable base would be good for our operations."
Yin added he was aware that Chinese naval ships in the waters near the Gulf have aroused suspicions, but believed other nations understood Beijing's intention was to counter pirates. As the world's largest importer of oil, China is believed to want to establish bases throughout the Indian Ocean and South China Sea to protect its tankers.DTN News: Boeing-Built DIRECTV 12 Satellite Delivers 1st Signals From Space
DTN News: Boeing-Built DIRECTV 12 Satellite Delivers 1st Signals From Space
*Source: DTN News / Boeing
(NSI News Source Info) EL SEGUNDO, Calif., - December 30, 2009: Boeing [NYSE: BA] has received the first on-orbit signals from DIRECTV 12 nine hours after launch, indicating that the satellite is healthy and operating normally. DIRECTV 12 is a Boeing 702 commercial satellite that will provide consumer television programming to millions of U.S. households.DIRECTV 12 lifted off on an International Launch Services Proton Breeze M vehicle on Dec. 28 at 4:22 p.m. Pacific time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Controllers at the ground station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa, reported spacecraft acquisition at 1:38 a.m. Pacific time today.
"Yesterday's launch marks the 10th satellite Boeing has built and launched for DIRECTV, as well as the 22nd Boeing 702 satellite to fly in space," said Craig Cooning, Boeing vice president and general manager of Space and Intelligence Systems. "We are pleased that DIRECTV 12 is performing as planned and will continue to support the satellite through on-orbit testing in the coming months. From design and integration to launch and signal acquisition, our team has ensured that DIRECTV's new 702 will help them continue to deliver high-definition (HD) digital programming while maintaining excellent quality service."
Handover of DIRECTV 12 is scheduled for early 2010. Together with DIRECTV 10 and 11, the new satellite will help significantly expand DIRECTV's HDTV broadcasting to consumers across the contiguous United States, Hawaii and Alaska.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide
DTN News: Airlines News TODAY December 30, 2009 ~ MAS Sign Agreement With Airbus For 15 Aircraft
DTN News: Airlines News TODAY December 30, 2009 ~ MAS Sign Agreement With Airbus For 15 Aircraft
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - December 30, 2009: Malaysia Airlines and Airbus announced last week the signing of a Memorandum of Un
derstanding for an order of 15 A330-300s and purchase options for another 10.
The aircraft, costing a total of USD5 billion at list prices, will be delivered from 2011 to 2016.
MAS said the new aircraft would serve the growing markets of South Asia, China, North Asia, Australia and Middle East.
"The A330 will complement our incoming fleet of 6 A380 and 35 B737-800” said MAS CEO Tengku Dato’ Azmil Zahruddin.
“The new fleet will create a strong platform for us to profitably grow – the A380 will serve key long haul destinations such as London and Sydney, the A330 for medium haul markets while the B737-800 will be used to strengthen our domestic and regional routes.
Zahruddin said that the airline planned to “transform from a 100% leased fleet to owning at least a third of the aircraft” in its core fleet.
He added the airline planned to fund its aircraft purchases through a combination of a proposed rights issue and borrowings. MAS said it expects to gain annual savings of RM300 million when the 15 A330 aircraft are delivered.
derstanding for an order of 15 A330-300s and purchase options for another 10.
The aircraft, costing a total of USD5 billion at list prices, will be delivered from 2011 to 2016.
MAS said the new aircraft would serve the growing markets of South Asia, China, North Asia, Australia and Middle East.
"The A330 will complement our incoming fleet of 6 A380 and 35 B737-800” said MAS CEO Tengku Dato’ Azmil Zahruddin.
“The new fleet will create a strong platform for us to profitably grow – the A380 will serve key long haul destinations such as London and Sydney, the A330 for medium haul markets while the B737-800 will be used to strengthen our domestic and regional routes.
Zahruddin said that the airline planned to “transform from a 100% leased fleet to owning at least a third of the aircraft” in its core fleet.
He added the airline planned to fund its aircraft purchases through a combination of a proposed rights issue and borrowings. MAS said it expects to gain annual savings of RM300 million when the 15 A330 aircraft are delivered.