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NOAA predicts 3-6 major hurricanes, active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season

NOAA predicts active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season

Era of high activity for Atlantic hurricanes continues

May 23, 2013

Hurricane Sandy as seen from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite on October 28, 2012.

Download here (Credit:NOAA/NASA)

In its 2013 Atlantic hurricane season outlook issued today, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Centeris forecasting an active or extremely active season this year.

For the six-month hurricane season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook says there is a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).

These ranges are well above the seasonal average of 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.
 
“With the devastation of Sandy fresh in our minds, and another active season predicted, everyone at NOAA is committed to providing life-saving forecasts in the face of these storms and ensuring that Americans are prepared and ready ahead of time.” said Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., NOAA acting administrator. “As we saw first-hand with Sandy, it’s important to remember that tropical storm and hurricane impacts are not limited to the coastline. Strong winds, torrential rain, flooding, and tornadoes often threaten inland areas far from where the storm first makes landfall.”

Three climate factors that strongly control Atlantic hurricane activity are expected to come together to produce an active or extremely active 2013 hurricane season. These are:

• A continuation of the atmospheric climate pattern, which includes a strong west African monsoon, that is responsible for the ongoing era of high activity for Atlantic hurricanes that began in 1995; 
  
  
• Warmer-than-average water temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea; and
  
  
• El Niño is not expected to develop and suppress hurricane formation.

“This year, oceanic and atmospheric conditions in the Atlantic basin are expected to produce more and stronger hurricanes,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “These conditions include weaker wind shear, warmer Atlantic waters and conducive winds patterns coming from Africa." 

NOAA’s seasonal hurricane outlook is not a hurricane landfall forecast; it does not predict how many storms will hit land or where a storm will strike. Forecasts for individual storms and their impacts will be provided throughout the season by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center.

New for this hurricane season are improvements to forecast models, data gathering, and the National Hurricane Center communication procedure for post-tropical cyclones. In July, NOAA plans to bring online a new supercomputer that will run an upgraded Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) model that provides significantly enhanced depiction of storm structure and improved storm intensity forecast guidance.

Also this year, Doppler radar data will be transmitted in real time from NOAA’s Hurricane Operations CenterHurricane Hunter aircraft. This will help forecasters better analyze rapidly evolving storm conditions, and these data could further improve the HWRF model forecasts by 10 to 15 percent.

The National Weather Service has also made changes to allow for hurricane warnings to remain in effect, or to be newly issued, for storms like Sandy that have become post-tropical. This flexibility allows forecasters to provide a continuous flow of forecast and warning information for evolving or continuing threats.

“The start of hurricane season is a reminder that our families, businesses and communities need to be ready for the next big storm,” said Joe Nimmich, FEMA associate administrator for Response and Recovery. “Preparedness today can make a big difference down the line, so update your family emergency plan and make sure your emergency kit is stocked. Learn more about how you can prepare for hurricane season atwww.ready.gov/hurricanes.”  

Next week, May 26 - June 1, is National Hurricane Preparedness Week. To help those living in hurricane-prone areas prepare, NOAA is offering hurricane preparedness tips, along with video and audio public service announcements in both English and Spanish, featuring NOAA hurricane experts and the FEMA administrator at www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/.

NOAA’s outlook for the Eastern Pacific basin is for a below-normal hurricane season and the Central Pacific basin is also expected to have a below-normal season. NOAA will issue an updated outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season in early August, just prior to the historical peak of the season.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us onFacebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.

Haitian Government Alerts Residents To Tropical Wave

Haitian Government Alerts Residents To Tropical Wave

SANTO DOMINGO, May 22 (BERNAMA-NNN-XINHUA) -- Haitian authorities Tuesday called on communities in western Haiti to stay alert to possible downpour and thunderstorms caused by a tropical wave over the southeastern region.

Haiti's National Meteorological Centre (CNM) announced Monday night the formation of the year's first tropical wave, located south of the Caribbean Basin, saying it could lead to heavy rains in three provinces -- Sud, Centre and Artibonite.

The CNM said the low-pressure phenomenon, which arrived earlier than the usual hurricane season in the Atlantic, could cause extreme weather patterns, and residents in high-risk zones should take precautionary measures.

Experts from Weather Services International (WSI) have forecast a very active hurricane season for this year, with at least 16 storms, including nine hurricanes, five of which are expected to be above Category 3.

The annual hurricane season begins June 1 and lasts through Nov 30.

Last year, Haiti was pummelled by Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Isaac, as well as other minor storms, that killed nearly 100 people, left some 250,000 homeless and caused agricultural losses of more than US$100 million.

PortaMiami rail might again be ready, almost

             The press is reporting again, that the proposed on-dock rail line connecting the PortAMiami to inland transshipment facilities will begin in the fall.

 

This is the third time the critically important, federal and state funded freight train line through the heart of downtown Miami has been announced.

The rail line that was postponed last year until after the HEAT season concluded, was described again without any discussion of how many hundred freight cars it would take to move 20 foot containers by the thousands from the newly arrived Super Post Panamax ships that PortaMiami hopes to call every week beginning in 2015.

How long would a train be if the port needed to clear 1,000 containers a day, a typically small offload for a SuperPost Panamax ship? Fewer containers offloaded would make the call cost-inefficient.

Also, the announcement comes without discussion of the implications of an extremely heavy, slow, herky-jerky powerhouse trundling through Miami and right past several historic buildings including the historically valuable and elderly Miami News Building, now the Freedom Tower.

Federal law requires an Environmental and Historical Preservation study be conducted and submitted at any time federal funds are used to build something anew or alter the landscape, especially around ports.

The submission requires  “aerial and ground-level color photographs (that) provide context and clarity for EHP reviewers. Photographs also allow reviewers to assess the environmental and historic resources on-site and in the area surrounding the proposed project.”

The question that will certainly be asked soon, if it was not already asked, is how much shaking a tall old building can take each day, or what can be done to mitigate the shaking earth and the shock from the sound of the moving train and its horns.

 Anyway, here is the press sequence on the PortAMiami rail saga with a few of my comments along the way:

 

 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2010

Port of Miami funded to rehab on-dock rail

Port of Miami Awarded $22 Million in Federal Funding

To Fast TRACK RESTORATION OF Rail FREIGHT Service

 

(MIAMI, October 15, 2010) – The U.S. Department of Transportation announced today that the Port of Miami is the recipient of a $22 million grant to restore and upgrade rail service between the Port and the Florida East Coast Rail Yard in Hialeah providing direct cargo access to the national rail system.  The grant has been awarded under the federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Discretionary program (TIGER II).

 

“The investment in on-port rail has the potential to provide a significant boost to the South Florida economy,” said Mayor Carlos Alvarez.  “The Port of Miami is the second largest economic engine in Miami-Dade County and supports more than 176,000 jobs throughout the state—this project will enable the port to increase its cargo capacity delivering a powerful punch to the local economy.”

 

TIGER grants are part of the national economic stimulus program.  The Port of Miami’s TIGER II application was among the nearly 1,000 submitted throughout the nation with applications from every state. 

 

“This is tremendous news,” said Port of Miami Director Bill Johnson.  “The Port of Miami’s award is one of only a handful of successful applications nationwide.  The federal investment in our port recognizes Miami’s expanding role in international trade and the potential for greatly increasing our cargo business in coming years.”

 

Johnson said the rail project is one of three major infrastructure projects critical to the Port’s future success.

 

“The tunnel project is already underway. Now, the restoration of rail service to our port is officially a go,” Johnson said.  “The third component is deepening our waters to -50 feet to accommodate the new generation of cargo vessels—our focus will now be securing the federal funding to make what we call the “Deep Dredge” a reality.  These three projects position the Port of Miami to become an even greater player in the global marketplace.”

 

The TIGER grants are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that improve national, regional or metropolitan transportation facilities, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions or increase energy efficiency.  The Port of Miami’s application was made in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida East Coast Railway.

 

Rail service linking the port with the Hialeah Rail was suspended in 2005, following damage to the rail bridge to the Port during Hurricane Wilma. Restoration of service is part of a comprehensive strategic plan that also includes a new highway tunnel under Biscayne Bay to the port and the dredging project to deepen the port harbor from the current 42-feet to 50-feet for the next generation of cargo vessels that will traverse an expanded Panama Canal beginning in 2014.

 

“The Port of Miami wants to thank members of the U.S. Congressional delegation for their support,” said Port Director Bill Johnson.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

Port of Miami freight-train system so important it can wait to end of Heat season

 

By Alfonso Chardy

achardy@ElNuevoHerald.com

 

Besides, it only cost $22 million and after Heat season, only downtown workers will be inconvenienced!

 

A new $22-million Port of Miami rail track for freight trains is nearly ready after nine months of construction, according to Florida East Coast Railway (FEC).

Husein Cumber, an FEC spokesman, told El Nuevo Herald during a recent tour of the project that the first train will run later this year, likely in the fourth quarter and well after basketball season ends at AmericanAirlines Arena, located next to the track at the seaport entrance.

“We will let the Miami Heat win their championship and will start after that,” said Cumber, jokingly.

FEC executives have been in close contact with arena and City of Miami officials so that the new service will have the least impact on downtown activity, mainly in the vicinity of the rail crossing next to the arena.

Cumber said there will be no train service before or after events in the arena to avoid further tying up traffic. Traffic congestion on roads around the arena increases significantly before and after events.

Initially the service would feature one train – one leaving the port with cargo and one coming back empty, said Cumber.

“We support the project, but raised concerns as to the possible impact on our stakeholders downtown,” said Javier Betancourt, deputy director of the Downtown Development Authority. “The FEC has been very good about keeping us advised on their plans and we understand the trains will be short and swift so as not to tie up traffic, particularly on Biscayne Boulevard.”

Trains will move at about 30 miles per hour and generally clear an intersection in roughly 90 seconds.

“We’re talking about a train that will go through the crossings in a typical traffic-light cycle,” said Cumber.

The 4.2-mile track runs from the port to a point near Northeast 79th Street where it connects with existing FEC tracks to Jacksonville and the Hialeah Railyard.

FEC’s main goal is to transport port cargo to Jacksonville where it can be loaded aboard trains from other railroads headed for various cities around the country. The amount and frequency of cargo eventually will dictate the trains’ schedules, said Cumber.

“So, a customer may say they want a container coming out of the Port of Miami in Atlanta or Memphis or Charlotte on a certain date at a certain time,” said Cumber. “And what we need to do is make sure the train leaves the Port of Miami in time to make a connection in Jacksonville in order to get that container to the end destination.”

Once FEC secures client commitments, Cumber said, it will draw up specific freight train itineraries.

 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/13/2747438/freight-train-system-to-start.html#storylink=cpy

  

May 22, 2013

 

CARGO INDUSTRY

PortMiami rail upgrade now on track

 

 

BY ALFONSO CHARDY

ACHARDY@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM

The digging of the PortMiami tunnel has ended. The dredging of the port’s cargo harbor is about to begin. What’s still pending is the third leg of the port’s modernization program: a rail line so trains can transport cargo directly from the seaport to other major U.S. cities.

That should begin to change within the next 45 days, PortMiami Director Bill Johnson said this week. That’s the schedule for starting delayed construction on the unfinished upgrade of the track within the port. Cargo trains likely will begin rolling on the track by October.

The port track upgrade is part of a broader $46.9 million project to refurbish the Florida East Coast Railway track in Miami. The track from just outside the port to 72nd Street was recently upgraded, connecting it to the existing FECR track to Jacksonville and the Hialeah Railyard.

The project is a partnership involving the port, FECR, the state and the federal government. Railway officials expressed satisfaction about the announcement.

“The Florida East Coast Railway is pleased to be granted the authority to award a contract for the design and permitting for the on-port rail at PortMiami,” said Robert Ledoux, FECR senior vice president. FECR is providing its expertise in rail construction management for this important on-port rail project, he said. Johnson said the notice to proceed likely will go out to FECR in late July.

The upgrade should have been finished months ago, but the project was delayed because of logistics related to tunnel excavation and shipping companies that were occupying the area where the track is to be rebuilt, Johnson said..

Modernization is aimed at making PortMiami the first port of call on the U.S. East Coast when giant freighters start using the Panama Canal once widening of the facility is completed in 2015.

Cargo trains are a key component of the port’s strategy because they will provide a direct link between the container ships that dock at the cargo harbor and cities to the north. The track runs north to Jacksonville, a major cargo distribution center that links up with rail lines serving Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois and Texas.

Dredging will deepen the cargo harbor to accommodate the larger container ships that will cross the canal once it’s widened.

The tunnel provides a direct link from the port to area expressways for cargo trucks, which currently have to meander through downtown streets to enter and exit the seaport.

Johnson said the contract for the upgrade was signed May 16 and construction is expected to start in 45 days, with completion by September.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/21/3409547/portmiami-rail-upgrade-now-on.html#storylink=cpy

 

Great Lakes Dredge wins Miami channel deepening contract

Great Lakes Dredge wins Miami channel deepening contract

MAY 16, 2013 — Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (NASDAQ:GLDD), the largest provider of dredging services in the United States, today reported it has won a $122 million contract for deepening of the Miami Harbor. Dredging on this project is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter and will deepen the Port of Miami channel to minus 50 feet, allowing the port to accommodate the next generation post-Panamax vessels that will transport cargo through the expanded Panama Canal starting in early 2015.

Rock cutter suction dredge Texas

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the "Corps") awarded the base work for this project which encompasses excavation of the offshore entrance channel to the Port. Option work involving the deepening of the inner channels, which is necessary to provide access to the Port's berthing areas, is expected to be awarded by January 31, 2014. These options, if awarded, will bring the value of the project to $206 million.  

The Miami deepening project will take place in the environmentally sensitive waters of one of the busiest ports in the United States. Seagrass and coral resource health monitoring and water quality and sedimentation measurement activities are important components of the project. Great Lakes and its environmental partners will implement project specific procedures to ensure the safety of the public, crews employed on the project, vessel traffic and the environment.

Great Lakesm which has substantial dredging experience at PortaMiami, will be working under contract and supervision of the Corps, and collaborating with other project stakeholders including the Port of Miami and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to monitor the marine environment before, during and after the dredging operations.

David Simonelli, President of Dredging Operations for Great Lakes said, "We are ready to undertake this next phase of deepening the Port of Miami. We have a long and successful history of dredging in Miami dating back to the 1970's.

"We will employ the heavy-duty rock cutter suction dredge Texas specifically designed for excavating the hard limestone found in Miami and other East Coast ports. This is one of the most powerful vessels in its class. We have assembled a team of world class environmental partners to assist in the seagrass and coral mitigation components of the project as well as the extensive daily environmental monitoring. We expect to employ over 300 crew and staff in the execution of this project.

"We are committed to maintaining the safety of our employees and protecting the surrounding environment. We look forward to partnering with our client, the Corps, as well as the Port of Miami and State of Florida to successfully complete one of the most challenging dredging projects in U.S. history. Improving our nation's port facilities to meet the growing needs of international trade is a critical component in the development and growth of the Port of Miami and the surrounding economy."

Jonathan Berger, Chief Executive Officer concluded, "We are extremely pleased the Corps has selected Great Lakes to execute this challenging project. As the nation's leading dredging contractor we have the people, equipment and systems to deliver this deepening on schedule and on budget."

Dredge contract awarded to handle bigger ships at Miami's port

Dredge contract awarded to handle bigger ships at Miami's port

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Zachary FagensonReuters

4:18 p.m. CDT, May 16, 2013

MIAMI (Reuters) - The United States Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $180 million contract to dredge Miami's harbor to an Illinois-based company on Thursday, part of a plan to deepen the port channel to handle larger ships coming through the expanded Panama Canal in 2015.

The port hopes its short distance from the canal, as well as $2 billion of planned infrastructure upgrades, will make Miami a more attractive choice for global shippers looking to distribute goods to the U.S. market.

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Miami's deep dredge project, due to begin in August will make the port more competitive with other deep water east coast ports, including Baltimore and Norfolk, enabling it to handle larger "Post-Panamax" ships that carry two or three times the load of standard freighters.

The Port of Baltimore recently completed work on one berth that can accommodate the larger ships.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez called the contract award a "major milestone" for Miami's port, which was vital its future success and growth.

"Port Miami will be the only U.S. East Coast Port south of Virginia to be at the required minus 50 feet level in time to welcome the new generation of larger container cargo vessels arriving via the expanded Panama Canal," he said.

The port currently has a maximum depth of 42 feet deep and dredging deeper requires federal authorization. The dredging contract was won by Great Lakes Dock and Dredge, which describes itself as the largest provider of dredging services in the United States.

Miami's dredge project won the bipartisan support of both the Obama administration and Florida's Republican Governor, Rick Scott, who pledged $112 million in state funds to the project.

In order to satisfy environmental concerns in Biscayne Bay, the dredging project includes the restoration of more than 16 acres of sea grass and the creation of over nine acres of artificial reef.

The deepening of Miami's channel will create 33,000 new jobs and double cargo traffic, according to port director Bill Johnson, who led the drive to make the port a major logistics hub connecting Asia and Latin America. The project is in tandem with Miami International Airport and Florida's east coast rail link.

Miami is the only port south of Norfolk, Va., with congressional authorization to dredge to 50 feet. Other cities such as Charleston, Savannah and New Orleans are rushing to get hundreds of millions of dollars of projects funded and underway in time for the opening.

The Army Corps of Engineers recently completed a study showing Savannah's $652 million dredge is viable and is also studying the harbor at Charleston, and plans to finish dredging New York Harbor by 2014. The New York/New Jersey Port Authority set aside $1 billion to raise the Bayonne Bridge to 64 feet so the large vessels can pass underneath.

Port Everglades, 30 minutes north of Miami, is also seeking permission to dredge its harbor to 50 feet.

(Reporting by Zachary Fagenson.; Additional reporting By David Adams. Editing by Andre Grenon)

May 16, 2013, 7:12am EDT

Record funding flows to Florida’s cargo, cruise ports

 

Enlarge

 

In the Florida Ports Council's Five Year Mission Plan, required annually by the state, the association for the state’s 15 ports says that without port projects, such as the dredging of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, the state could lose out on the prospects for nearly 60,000 new jobs over the next two decades and nearly $350 million a year in state and local taxes.

 

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JIM TURNER, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Florida’s seaports are set to embark on a massive round of waterfront and transit upgrades as the cargo and cruise facilities are in line for a record-setting year of funding from the Legislature.

But Sunshine State port leaders caution that the proposed $111 million bump simply allows Florida to remain afloat against the tide of competition for global trade from other areas along the gulf and East coasts and in the Caribbean as the expansion of the Panama Canal approaches completion.

The Legislature has upped funding in the budget for seaports to about $288 million in the coming year through money set aside for specific port projects and bonding, which could further increase the total.

Among the 26 projects are the widening of the channel-turning basin at Port Canaveral; lengthening the deepwater turn-around for cargo ships at Port Everglades; replacing and repairing the pier at the Port of Fernandina; completing the cargo storage at Port Manatee; replacing 1.3 miles of on-dock rail line at the Port of Pensacola; and doubling the container yard, with the addition of cranes and equipment, at Port Panama City.

Even with the extra funding, port leaders say the opening remains narrow as Florida seeks to expand its trade with partners in Central America and South America, while working to attract more Asian traffic that has grown via the Suez Canal.

“In some cases we are trying to play catch up and in other cases we’re trying to maintain advantages we have,” said Florida Ports Council President Doug Wheeler. “If you’re not prepared to services these vessel and lines, then they will go somewhere else. I don’t think there is any question about that.”

Servicing the industry means being able to accommodate, through wider and deeper channels and ports, the larger passenger cruise lines and Panamax supercargo ships now being put into service.

In the council’s Five Year Mission Plan, required annually by the state, the association for the state’s 15 ports says that without port projects such as the Miami “Deep Dredge,” dredging of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, and cargo expansion at the Port of Tampa’s Port Redwing, Florida could lose out on the prospects for nearly 60,000 new jobs over the next two decades and nearly $350 million a year in state and local taxes.

The funding must still be signed by Gov. Rick Scott, who also happens to be one of the biggest boosters of improving the waterfront transit hubs.

“The more we grow and enhance our ports, the more Florida will flourish as a central trading destination for global commerce, which ultimately means more jobs for Florida families,” Scott said in a release Tuesday.

Scott has until May 24 to sign the $74.5 billion budget.

At Scott’s urging, the state has seen its seaport funding grow from $117 million in 2011 to $177 million last year.

Scott has also previously floated state Department of Transportation money into the dredging at PortMiami - $75 million - and to the Jacksonville Port Authority - $36 million. The state remains hopeful that the federal government will repay the money.

Wheeler along with officials from Port Manatee, JaxPort, Port Everglades, Canaveral Port Authority, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, PortMiami, the Lee County Port Authority and the Panama City Port Authority will join Scott next week as part of a 96-member trade mission to Santiago, Chile.

Long expected wave of X class Solar Flares has begun. Back up your data

 

CHANCE OF FLARES: NOAA forecasters estimate a 50% chance of X-class solar flares and an 80% chance of M-class solar flares today. The source would be active sunspot AR1748, which is turning toward Earth. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

ANOTHER X-FLARE ON MAY 15: When the week began, the sun hadn't unleashed an X-flare all year long. In only two days, sunspot AR1748 has produced four. The latest X-flare from this active sunspot occured on May 15th at 0152 UT. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the extreme ultraviolet flash: Although the sunspot is not directly facing Earth, this flare might have produced a CME with an Earth-directed component.

We are waiting for coronagraph data from SOHO and the twin STEREO probes to check this possibility. Stay tuned for updates. In summary, AR1748 has produced an X1.7-class flare (0217 UT on May 13), an X2.8-class flare (1609 UT on May 13), an X3.2-class flare (0117 UT on May 14), and an X1-class flare (0152 on May 15). These are the strongest flares of the year, and they signal a significant increase in solar activity. 

This is interesting: Russia Launches ‘Orbital Noah’s Ark’ Eyeing Mars Missions

Russia Launches ‘Orbital Noah’s Ark’ Eyeing Mars Missions

Published by Klaus Schmidt on Sun Apr 21, 2013 7:58 am via: RIA Novosti

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Soyuz, Roscosmos, Bion-1M

MOSCOW – Russia orbited the world’s only returnable satellite dedicated to biological research in space on Friday, helping to pave the way for future interplanetary flights, Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said.

“The Bion-1M satellite has separated from the Soyuz carrier rocket and entered an elliptic orbit at 575 kilometers (357 miles) above the Earth,” a Roscosmos spokesman told RIA Novosti.

Bion-M1 is carrying 45 mice, eight Mongolian gerbils, 15 geckos, snails, and containers with various microorganisms and plants.

During its 30-day flight, more than 70 physiological, morphological, genetic and molecular-biological experiments will be conducted in support of long-duration interplanetary flights including Mars missions.

In addition, Bion-1M carries a number of Russian and foreign microsatellites that will gradually detach from the spacecraft in the next two days and go on their individual missions.

Copyright 2013 RIA Novosti. All rights reserved.

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Largest Superyacht in the World Launched

Largest Superyacht in the World Launched

Today the 5th of April 2013 the largest superyacht in the world was launched from its production shed at the Lurssen shipyard in German. As of now she is called 'Azzam' but this could change over the next couple of weeks as her name will be crafted onto her stern and sides for all to see. She measures a whopping 180m (590ft) in length and can reach speeds greater than 30kts by a combination of 2 gas turbines and 2 diesel engines with a total of 94000hp, which is astonishing for a superyacht of her size.

Engineer Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi assembled a world class team which he personally directed in all areas of the development of project Azzam. Under his guidance the original concept of the yacht was developed starting with the overall requirements with regards to general layout, size and performance and exterior style.

His brief was to build a large luxury yacht with an innovative design that would be able to travel at high speed in warm and shallow waters, whilst providing luxurious, sophisticated and modern accommodation to its guests.

The technical engineering was developed by Lurssen, the exterior design by Nauta Yachts and the interior design by Christophe Leoni to create what is, without doubt, the most complex and challenging superyacht which has ever been built.

Lurssen Managing Partner Peter Lurssen proudly said: "When she will be delivered later this year, she will have been in build for only three years following one year of engineering." "She truly represents another milestone in not only our history but yachting history as well"he adds.

Nauta CEO Mario Pedol stated: "When I first saw the scale model before the general presentation to the Principal, I was 100% happy with the outcome and so was the Principal. Such recognition made me confident that we had achieved our goal".

As well as many other features she has a main salon that has a length of 29m and a beam of 18m which is an open plan layout with no pillars or obstructions. No other details about her interior layout and design have been released but when we find out Megayacht Global will bring it to you. 

Burgess CEO Jonathan Beckett said: "We are proud to be associated with this extraordinary and unique project as the owners technical consultants. The construction of this yacht with its highly complex technical features has been extremely demanding and challenging. It has been a real team effort between all the professionals involved including ourselves, the builder and the designers". 

Her interior decoration was undertaken by the renowned French designer Christophe Leoni"Though Yachting is not my main area of business, I thoroughly enjoyed the cooperation with Nauta and Lurssen and I'm confident that the final yacht is everything and more the owner expects." he said.

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Hacktivists attack Isreal- Israel strikes back as Global Cyber War Begins!

Angry Pro-Palestinian geeks intent on denying rich Israelis their mitzvah on FACEBOOK

By RT -- (April 7, 2013)

Hacktivist group Anonymous has launched a second massive cyber attack against Israel, dubbed #OpIsrael. The collective threatens to “disrupt and erase Israel from cyberspace” in protest over its mistreatment of Palestinians.

Dozens of Israeli websites were unavailable as of early Sunday.

In a video message posted on YouTube, Anonymous said that on April 7, “elite cyber-squadrons from around the world have decided to unite in solidarity with the Palestinian people against Israel as one entity to disrupt and erase Israel from cyberspace.”

Addressing the Israeli government, the group stated: “You have NOT stopped your endless human right violations. You have NOT stopped illegal settlements. You have NOT respected the ceasefire. You have shown that you do NOT respect international law.”

Earlier on Saturday, an Anonymous affiliated group identifying itself as The N4m3le55 cr3w announced that they “have gathered 600 websites and 100 plus servers we will be attacking” throughout Israel. The list includes banks, schools, businesses and a host of prominent government websites. “That is just our targets,” the group warned.

“We cannot speak on what the rest of Anonymous will be attacking but we can guarantee it will be in the 1000′s.”

The massive cyber attack falls on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day. Anonymous has accused the Israeli government of mistreating its own citizens, violating treaties, attacking its neighbors, threatening to shut down the Internet in Gaza and ignoring “repeated warnings” about human rights abuses.

“The estimations are that [the cyber-attacks] will reach an unusual level that we have never seen before,” Deputy Information Security Officer Ofir Cohen said in an e-mail sent to Knesset employees on Thursday, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Cohen added that the E-government – the Israeli government’s information security body – and the Knesset’s internet service provider (ISP) are working to block the attack.

On Wednesday, thousands of Israeli Facebook users were infected by a virus, although its effects at this point appear to be minimal.

On Friday, Israeli radio reported that scores of large organizations had closed their websites to shield them from hacker attacks.

Despite the impending threat, Lior Tabansky, a fellow at the Yuval Ne’eman Workshop for Science, Technology, and Security of Tel Aviv University, told the Times of Israel that distributed denial of service (DDos) attacks, which work by overwhelming targeted servers with traffic which stems from multiple systems, are the only tool at the hackers’ disposal.

“Unless they have names and passwords, [DDoS] is really their only attack strategy. Unfortunately, there is little a company can do to stop it, but it is not the major cyber-threat many people, especially in the media, believe it to be. It’s more of an annoyance, and if they do manage to intimidate sites into submission, the victory will be one of public relations.” However, other experts have warned that the hackers may attempt to deploy malware such as “Trojan horses”, which can steal information and harm host computer systems.

Anonymous launched the first ‘OpIsrael’ cyber-attacks in November 2012 during Operation Pillar of Defense, an eight day Israeli Defense Force (IDF) incursion into the Gaza s trip.

Some 700 Israeli website suffered repeated DDos attacks, which targeted high-profile government systems such as the Foreign Ministry, the Bank of Jerusalem, the Israeli Defence Ministry, the IDF blog, and the Israeli President’s official website.

The Israeli Finance Ministry reported an estimated 44 million unique attacks on government websites over a four day period.

Following ‘OpIsrael,’ Anonymous posted the online personal data of 5,000 Israeli officials, including names, ID numbers and personal emails.

The group also took part in an attack in which the details of some 600,000 users of the popular Israeli email service Walla were released online.

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As cyber-war begins, Israeli hackers hit back

Anti-Israel groups start predicted hacking operation, with little initial major success. An Israeli ‘strike force’ responds with pro-Israel content on a resonant domain name

By David Shamah April 7, 2013, 1:37 am 24

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Screenshot of a Turkish site hacked by Israeli Elite Strike Force (Screenshot)

Related Topics

• anti-Israel hackers
• pro-Israel hackers
• cyber wars
• cyber-attacks
• OpIsrael

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Anti-Israel hackers stepped up their attempts to pull down Israeli sites over the weekend, with numerous attempted denial of service (DDoS) attacks against Israeli government sites. Hacker sites listed numerous websites they claimed to have disabled, and several sites reported slowdowns on Saturday night, but nearly all the sites the hackers claimed to have taken down were operating normally.

Among the sites that experienced actual downtime due to attacks were those of Israel’s Education Ministry and Central Bureau of Statistics, which was still offline as of Sunday morning.

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Meanwhile, Israeli hackers began to retaliate against the anti-Israel hack attacks, called #OpIsrael, with an operation of their own against sites in countries associated with the anti-Israel groups. A group called the Israeli Elite Strike Force over the weekend disabled dozens of sites in Pakistan, Iran, Syria, and several north African countries – and even acquired a domain name associated with the OpIsrael attack — opisrael.com. Instead of listing the sites anti-Israel hackers have defaced, that site features educational facts about Israel and the Jewish people, and a warning to anti-Israel groups that Israeli hackers were ready to fight fire with fire.

opsirael.com on Saturday night

Israeli Elite Strike Force seems to have been organized quickly in the past few days, in response to the threat by anti-Israel hackers to “erase Israel from the Internet” on April 7. The hackers released a list of some 1,300 Israeli sites that they planned to strike, claiming to have begun their attacks already on Saturday. But a check of most of the sites that the hackers claimed to have disabled – sites belonging to the Bank of Israel, the Tax Authority, the Central Bureau of Statistics, and other government agencies – showed they were operating normally. Several sites were hacked by groups associated with OpIsrael, but most of those were privately owned sites.

The hackers claimed to be identified with Anonymous, but Dr. Tal Pavel of MiddleEasterNet said that the group behind OpIsrael was most likely an ad-hoc assembly of Arab hacktivists calling themselves “Dangerous Hackers.” The group was not necessarily associated with international hacking group Anonymous, Pavel said, and on Saturday, individuals claiming to be members of Anonymous posted on the forum site 4Chan that they were not associated with OpIsrael. However, another alleged Anonymous site, possibly located in Sweden, on Saturday night claimed that Anonymous hackers were involved in the anti-Israel cyber attack.

A Twitter feed, ostensibly by Anonymous hackers, claimed it had stolen passwords and information from Israeli sites, including the Facebook account login data for Israeli government officials. However, Pavel said, such claims could not be trusted, because hacker groups often recycled old information from previously leaked databases, claiming it was fresh, in order to score a public relations victory. In several instances in recent days, said Pavel, he discovered that names and passwords hackers claimed to have stolen from Israeli servers last week were several years old.

Meanwhile, Israeli Elite Strike Force worked on Saturday night to pull down more sites. The group started attacking sites in Pakistan Friday but took off for Shabbat.

“We wish all our JEWISH brothers a Shabbat Shalom,” the group said in its Twitter feed. “This was just a little taste before the day of rest. Hell’s Fire To Come.”

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As cyber-war begins, Israeli hackers hit back