middle | Common News Update

Nov42022 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launches broadcast satellite to serve Europe, Africa, Middle East

Science

Nov. 3 (UPI) -- SpaceX Thursday put the Hotbird 13G satellite into orbit for Eutelsat to bolster broadcast systems across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In a statement Eutelsat said, "Once into orbit and positioned, the satellite Eutelsat Hotbird 13G will, with its twin Eutelsat Hotbird 13F launched on Oct. 15, reinforce and enhance the broadcast of more than a thousand television channels into homes across Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Moreover, the two satellites will offer advanced features in terms of uplink signal protection and resilience." The Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched at 1:22 a.m. EST from Cape Canaveral, Florida, according to Eutelsat. Eutelsat's statement said that the satellite "was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit." It was...

Dec222020 by adminNo Comments

Submarine USS Georgia transits Strait of Hormuz as Middle East tensions rise

Business

Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The guided-missile submarine USS Georgia passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said Monday in a rare disclosure. The submarine, which can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, was escorted by the guided missile cruisers USS Port Royal and USS Philippine Sea through the strait as it entered the Persian Gulf. Advertisement The U.S. military rarely announces the movements of its submarines, and the disclosure comes as U.S. officials are on alert for heightened tensions in the Middle East. Jan. 3 marks the first anniversary of the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who died in a U. S. drone strike in Iraq. "We are prepared to defend ourselves, our friends and partners in the region, and we're prepared to react, if necessar...

Jun212020 by adminNo Comments

Rare annular solar eclipse leaves ‘ring of fire’ above parts of Africa, Middle East, Asia

World

June 21 (UPI) -- A rare "ring of fire" solar eclipse was visible across parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia on Sunday. The annular eclipse, the first of two solar eclipses set to take place in 2020, produced a visible orange ring of sunlight around the Moon, viewable in a narrow portion of the globe. Advertisement An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is farthest from the Earth, according to NASA. "Though the Moon orbits Earth about once a month, its orbit is tilted by five degrees, so the perfect alignment that creates an eclipse is relatively rare," said NASA. "Often the Moon is too high or too low in our sky to block out the sun." Northern India experienced a near-full solar eclipse with 99.4 percent of the Sun blocked at the peak of the event. Some portions of Europe and the ...

Dec62019 by adminNo Comments

Esper: U.S. never discussed, considered sending 14K more troops to Middle East

Business

Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Reports that the U.S. is considering sending an additional 14,000 troops to the Middle East are "flat out wrong," Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in a statement Friday. "As the Department has stated repeatedly, we were never discussing or considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East," Esper said in the statement. "Reports of this are flat out wrong. DOD will always stand ready to respond to future actions by our adversaries if and when they arise, but the Pentagon is not considering sending 14,000 troops to CENTCOM. This report is false." On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported the administration is considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East, a claim Pentagon officials have denied since. But on Thursday, John Rood, under...

Nov162019 by adminNo Comments

England’s middle order rescue day two of New Zealand warm-up

Sports

Tour match, Cobham Oval, Whangarei (day two of three):New Zealand XI 302-6: Phillips 116, Blundell 60, Archer 2-58, Stokes 2-64England 355-8: Pope 88, Buttler 88, Denly 68, Mitchell 2-10, Tickner 2-19ScorecardJoe Denly says he is "as near as 100% fit" to face New Zealand in the first Test after scoring 68 on day two of the warm-up match against New Zealand A.Denly, who is expected to bat at three, missed the Twenty20 series against the Kiwis after injuring ankle ligaments.Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope both scored 88 to also help rescue England after they had fallen to 105-5. New Zealand A declared on 302-6 in the final warm-up match before next week's first Test at the Bay Oval in Tauranga.Denly...