A woman was seen crying walking next to media people after getting away from the attack against a Hotel in Nairobi. Explosions and gunfire at the hotel complex, Nairobi, Kenya, 15 Jan 2019. [Photo/IC]
NAIROBI -- The number of people killed when terrorists struck an upscale hotel and business complex in Nairobi on Tuesday has risen to 21 after six more bodies were recovered and one injured police officer died in hospital, the police said on Wednesday night.
Joseph Boinnet, inspector general of National Police Service, said at a press conference that a police officer who was involved in the rescue operations succumbed to injuries in hospital while six more bodies were recovered from the scene following forensic work by security officers.
He said 28 people were admitted to various hospitals in Nairobi and confirmed that five terrorists were "eliminated."
The police chief said the 21 victims killed during the attack include 16 Kenyans, one Briton, one American and three unidentified persons of African descent.
He said subsequent investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigation have resulted in the arrest of two key suspects believed to have facilitated the attack and are in custody helping the security officers with investigations.
"We wish to reiterate our appeal to all Kenyans to continue cooperating with the police and security agents in their joint efforts to counter terrorism as well as all forms of crime," Boinnet said.
His remarks came after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta revealed in an address to the nation on Wednesday morning that 14 civilians had been killed and hundreds rescued in the attack at DusitD2 Hotel complex located on 14 Riverside Drive in the district of Westlands in Nairobi.
The Kenya Red Cross said on its Twitter account on Wednesday evening that 19 people are still unaccounted for following the terror attack.
The organization said that a total of 94 cases of missing persons were reported but 75 have been closed positively as of 8:30 p.m. local time.
Somali terror group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they killed 47 people inside DusitD2 Hotel, part of a Thai-owned international chain that appeared to be the chief target of the attackers.
The militants issued a statement online on Wednesday evening, saying the Nairobi attack was a response to the "witless remarks" of U.S. President Donald Trump and his declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to the "systematic prosecution of Muslims in Palestine." Kenya is one of the strongest allies of the United States in Africa.
Saturday, 12 January 2019
US gov't shutdown enters 22nd day, setting new record
Xinhua
Updated: Jan 12, 2019
Photo taken on Jan 5, 2019 shows the White House in Washington DC, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]
WASHINGTON - As the clock struck midnight, the US partial government shutdown over disputed congressional funds for President Donald Trump's border wall entered its 22nd day on Saturday, marking the longest government closure in US history.
There is still no compromise in sight, no deal, and no easy alternative.
The president vowed to veto any spending bill that does not contain the $5.7 billion he is demanding to fund a wall on the US-Mexico border, while the Democratic lawmakers vowed to block any spending bill containing any kind of wall funds. Neither side seems willing to back down.
"Trump is facing a Democratic majority in the House that has no interest in funding a wall, or anything like a wall that could give Trump a win," said Christopher Galdieri, an assistant professor at Saint Anselm College.
US President Donald Trump speaks during a "round-table discussion on border security and safe communities" with state, local, and community leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, US, Jan 11, 2019. [Photo/Agencies]
"Trump has decided that it's a wall or nothing, but he has yet to offer House Democrats anything in exchange for it," Galdieri added.
However, the president indicated on Friday that he will not declare a national emergency immediately so as to use the military to build the wall, a move which may well end the standoff but is widely expected to cause fierce legal fights.
"What we're not looking to do right now is national emergency," the president told a roundtable discussion on border security at the White House.
In a new CBS News/YouGov poll released late on Friday, Trump, congressional Democrats and congressional Republicans all got lackluster marks for their handling of the government shutdown.
Only 35 percent of those polled approve of the president's handling of the shutdown, and a majority disapprove. Only 33 percent approve of the Democrats, while relatively more people are unsure, according to the poll.
More than eight in 10 Republicans approve of Trump's handling of the shutdown, while seven in 10 Democrats approve of congressional Democrats' handling of it.
Since the first day of his campaign for presidency, Trump has promised to build a wall along the massive US-Mexico border. While many immigrants head to the United States for economic reasons, Trump has argued that drug smugglers and gangs are among those entering the United States illegally.
The Democrats accuse the president of using the shutdown and border crisis to score political points.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, made a joint statement earlier in the week accusing the president of "manufacturing a crisis" and calling on him to re-open the government.
Starlings fly over the West Wing of the White House in Washington, US, Jan 9, 2019. [Photo/Agencies]
Since the first day of his campaign for presidency, Trump has promised to build a wall along the massive US-Mexico border. While many immigrants head to the United States for economic reasons, Trump has argued that drug smugglers and gangs are among those entering the United States illegally.
The Democrats accuse the president of using the shutdown and border crisis to score political points.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, made a joint statement earlier in the week accusing the president of "manufacturing a crisis" and calling on him to re-open the government.
Chang'e-4 lunar probe to lay groundwork for human return to moon
Xinhua
Updated: Jan 12, 2019
Yutu 2, China's lunar rover, leaves tracks on the far side of the moon in a photo provided by the China National Space Administration on Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]
BEIJING - Nearly 50 years have passed since people first stood on the moon. Can we return? How will radiation on the moon affect astronauts? How much water is there? Where did the water come from?
To better understand the lunar environment and prepare for a human return to the moon, the Chang'e-4 probe, which has just made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon, carries payloads jointly developed by Chinese, German and Swedish scientists to conduct research.
"Our goal is to measure particle radiation on the lunar surface and the risk to people and equipment," said Zhang Shenyi, a researcher with the National Space Science Center (NSSC) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Zhang cooperated with German scientists in developing the first ever instrument to measure neutron radiation on the moon.
Unlike earth, the moon has no magnetic field and atmosphere to protect it from cosmic particles, which could harm astronauts and spacecraft.
"Before a crewed mission to the moon, our detection could help evaluate the harm of radiation, and pave the way for a return and future exploration," said Zhang.
Professor Robert Wimmer-Schweingruber, of the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics of Kiel University, Germany, said preparing for future human exploration of the moon is an excellent idea.
"If astronauts want to go on to the moon, there are a lot of risks, such as rockets, landing and surviving on the moon. But if everything is okay and the astronauts come back to earth, the radiation on the moon is the only danger that remains in their body. So we need to understand that," said Wimmer-Schweingruber.
The instrument also measures thermal neutrons, which allows scientists to study the subsurface water on the moon.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the United States and the Soviet Union launched many manned and unmanned missions to the moon. After a lull, a new round of exploration was triggered in the 1990s when scientists found there might be water on the moon.
Many scientists believe frozen water might be in areas never exposed to sunlight in the craters of the moon's polar regions. But how much water is there? And is there water in the South Pole-Aitken Basin where Chang'e-4 landed?
"The measurement of neutrons is one of the important indicators to judge whether there is a water resource in the landing area," said Zhang.
The instrument will also detect the content of iron oxide in the lunar soil and study the particle acceleration mechanism of solar storms between the sun and the earth, he said.
Zhang Aibing, also a researcher with the NSSC, cooperated with Swedish scientists in developing an instrument on the Chang'e-4 rover to measure neutral atoms to study the interaction between the solar wind and the lunar surface.
"This is the first measurement of neutral atoms on the lunar surface. With the rover, we can study the interaction between the solar wind and the lunar surface in different terrains," said Zhang.
"Some scientists believe that hydrogen ions in the solar wind may combine with oxygen on the lunar surface to form water. This is a subject we want to study through our measurement," Zhang said.
Chinese scientists are also developing such kind of instrument that could be used to explore Mars, he said.
Johan Koehler, head of Solar System Science and Space Situational Awareness, Swedish National Space Agency, said the exploration of the far side of the moon is a great achievement by China. "We are very happy to be a part of it.
"The solar wind interacts with the lunar surface, and spreads particles around. These particles form the extremely thin atmosphere-like gases environment of the moon surface. And this is the environment that we know very, very little about. The research is very important to extend humanity's knowledge of the solar system," said Koehler.
"There is a theory that water on the surface of the moon is formed by the interaction of the solar wind with the surface regolith. So this is something that the Swedish scientists together with the Chinese scientists want to answer."
Friday, 11 January 2019
DJ SHEXY, IS DROPPING HIS NEW SONG SOON
Djshexy
This is much more gracious year with mama's prayer ....on SOFT .....DIGGING DEEP with DJ Shexy lyrics upcoming artist this is more than you can think listen up on air, blowing the matter on the street. Omu Soft Soft Soft...GBA.
