space, satellite

Instead of computer programs with a single processor, like satellites have today, with "SmartSat," Lockheed Martin says they'll be bringing multi-core processing to space

A decade on, Lockheed's smartphone-like software finally heads to space

Press Trust of India

The EU could approve Britain's request for a short delay to Brexit but only if UK MPs next week vote through the withdrawal deal they have twice rejected, European Council president Donald Tusk has said.
With nine days to go before Britain is due to leave the bloc, the country is gripped by uncertainty with little consensus how to proceed and Tusk's statement was received as an ultimatum to encourage lawmakers to get behind May's deal.
"I believe a short extension will be possible but it will be conditional on a positive vote on the withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons," Tusk told reporters Wednesday.
May told her country in a televised address from Downing Street late Wednesday that she was still "determined" to deliver Brexit and pull Britain through its worst political crisis in a generation.
"You want this stage of the Brexit process to be over and done with this. I agree. I am on your side," May said, adding that she was requesting a delay until June 30 with "great ...

EU chief says Brexit delay possible if MPs approve deal

PTI Automatic

The government of the Central African Republic and armed groups that had joined it in a peace deal have reached an agreement to form an "inclusive government," the African Union has said.
"The Central African authorities and the 14 armed groups (that) signed the peace accord negotiated in early February in Khartoum agreed to an 'inclusive government' in Addis Ababa," the AU said Wednesday.
The deal is the eighth attempt to bring peace to the conflict-wracked, impoverished state since 2012.
Signed in the CAR capital Bangui on February 6 after negotiations in Sudan, it brings together the CAR government and 14 armed groups who control most of the country.
The agreement called for a series of confidence-building measures, such as establishing joint patrols and the creation of a truth and justice commission within 90 days.
Under the peace accord's provisions, President Faustin-Archange Touadera agreed to form an "inclusive" government.
But within weeks, the deal was under strain -- five ..

Central African Republic reaches deal on new govt: African Union

A Palestinian was shot dead late Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian medical sources said, with the Israeli army saying a soldier opened fire after Israeli cars were stoned.
The Palestinian health ministry said Ahmed Manasara, 26, was shot dead near a checkpoint close to Bethlehem without providing further details.
The Israeli military said that a soldier had "opened fire after identifying rocks being thrown at Israeli vehicles.

Palestinian shot dead after stone-throwing at Israeli cars: Medics, army

The Fidesz party of firebrand Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been suspended from the European People's Party, the EU's biggest and most influential political grouping, the EPP said.
A spokesman Wednesday said 190 party members voted in favour of the suspension, with only three against, after reports of long and often heated discussions with Orban at a meeting in Brussels.
Fidesz had faced expulsion from the EPP after running a controversial billboard campaign that accused European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and liberal US billionaire George Soros, a bete-noire of Orban, of plotting to flood Europe with migrants.
The campaign has since been dropped and Orban has apologised for insulting partners from the EPP -- the mainstream conservative group of MEPs -- though the party leadership had warned this was not enough.
A statement said the suspension was a joint decision by Fidesz and the EPP in a last minute re-wording intended to stop Orban from slamming the door on ...

Hungary PM's Fidesz party suspended from European EPP group

Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan is being investigated by the Pentagon's inspector general for alleged bias in acquisitions toward his former employer, Boeing, the inspector general has said.
"We have informed him that we have initiated this investigation," Dwrena Allen, a spokeswoman for the inspector generals' office, said Wednesday.
Investigators are seeking to see if Shanahan, as deputy defense secretary, had violated ethics rules by disparaging Boeing rival Lockheed Martin in meetings at the Pentagon.
Government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) last week submitted a complaint to the inspector general, citing several media reports that alleged the 30-year Boeing veteran cast aspersions on Lockheed's F-35 fighter while pushing Boeing's F-15X.
"Mr. Shanahan reportedly praised Boeing in discussions about government contracts, said that Boeing would have done much better than its competitor Lockheed Martin had it been awarded a fighter ..

Acting Pentagon chief Shanahan investigated over Boeing bias

Senators have called for the United States to slap sanctions on Myanmar's army chief, saying more needed to be done to bring accountability over the campaign against the Rohingya.
In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the four senators Wednesday said Myanmar has shown "no credible signs of progress" despite widespread international condemnation of the killings and sexual violence against members of the mostly Muslim minority.
Senators including Dick Durbin, the number-two Democrat, said that sanctions against Myanmar's army chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, as well as other top officers would demonstrate "US intolerance for behavior that contravenes fundamental human rights."
"The Trump administration has taken no action against these senior officials even though sanctions designations would send a strong message that the United States supports accountability for those perpetrating well-documented human rights abuses against the ...

Senators ask US to sanction Myanmar army chief

Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo has issued a thinly veiled jab at US Democrats over anti-Semitism, following controversial comments by a Muslim congresswoman over American support for Israel.
Speaking from Jerusalem on Wednesday during a Middle East tour largely focused on countering Iran, Pompeo told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "All nations, especially those in the West, must go to the barricades against bigotry." He noted the "dark wave of anti-Semitism" in Europe and the US.
"Sadly, we in the United States have seen anti-Semitic language even in the great halls of our own capital," he said.
His remarks came after Muslim Democratic congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, last month suggested that supporters of Israel are urging lawmakers to have "allegiance to a foreign country." She also suggested that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbying group was paying US politicians to support Israel.
Both Pompeo and Netanyahu are scheduled to speak at AIPAC's annual conference ..

In Jerusalem, Pompeo takes a jab at US Democrats on anti-Semitism

French soldiers will be deployed Saturday to help guard public buildings, allowing police to focus on dealing with "yellow vest" demonstrators in case of renewed violence in Paris and other cities, the government has said.
It was announced separately that Prime Minister Edouard Philippe had decided to put off a planned overseas trip to French Guiana at the weekend to be on hand at home.  "Given the special situation concerning public order, the premier decided to postpone his visit," his office said.
Last Saturday, more than 5,000 police officers failed to stop hundreds of violent protesters from rampaging along the Champs-Elysees, burning and looting over 100 businesses in disturbances that lasted more than seven hours.
Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux Wednesday said the troops will be redeployed from the "Sentinelle" anti-terror operation, which patrols streets and protects airports, train stations, places of worship and other sites.
This will allow police forces to ...

French soldiers on duty for next 'yellow vest' protest

Four farmers were killed in an attack by Boko Haram insurgents in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, witnesses said here.
The attack came a day after the jihadists killed three people in a raid in neighbouring Adamawa state.
Fighters in trucks on Tuesday opened fire on the farmers as they worked in their fields outside Lassa village on the fringes of the group's Sambisa forest enclave.
"We lost four of our kinsmen to Boko Haram who came around 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) yesterday and shot them dead in their farm outside the village," Adamu Galadima, a militia leader assisting the military to fight the Islamists, said Wednesday.
"They (Boko Haram) tried to enter the village but our vigilantes mobilised and chased them away," he said.
Resident Danjuma Ijaduwa who gave a similar account, told AFP the attack was a reprisal after the jihadis incurred heavy losses the previous day.
On Tuesday, vigilantes in Lassa laid an ambush on Boko Haram fighters as they fled a military pursuit.
The insurgents ...

Four farmers killed in Boko Haram attack in Nigeria: Witnesses

- In many countries it is a common sight, but when musicians began playing their instruments at a Dubai metro station, surprised commuters stopped to take photos of the rare performances.
The emirate is known among its residents for its pristine streets and impeccably clean metro stations -- where commuters can be fined for chewing gum, or even drinking water, on a train.
Khadija played her guitar, as passersby listened intently.
She was performing as part of the week-long Dubai Metro Music Festival taking place across five stations.
"I am very happy because they chose me, and I am proud to be an Emirati doing this here," the 19-year-old told AFP.
"I am excited to perform for the public and grab their attention," she said, as her friend stood by nodding in encouragement.
Khadija played the guitar continuously and only took her eyes off her fingers once to readjust her thin black veil.
Twenty-five musicians from different countries -- including Portugal, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi ...

Dubai metro stations come alive with the sound of music

The US Supreme Court appeared vexed on Wednesday by the case of a black man who was tried six separate times for the same crime in a process tainted by charges of racism.
Associate Justice Samuel Alito, one of the five conservative justices on the nine-member bench, said he found aspects of the case of death row inmate Curtis Flowers "troubling." Flowers, 48, was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to death for the July 1996 murders of four people in a furniture store in Winona, Mississippi, where he had briefly worked until being fired.
Flowers was tried five separate times for the crime before his 2010 conviction and has spent nearly half his life behind bars.
Three convictions were thrown out on appeal because of prosecutorial misconduct and two trials ended in a hung jury.
The Supreme Court is not examining the guilt or innocence of Flowers but whether the district attorney deliberately sought to keep black people off the jury in his most recent trial.
While prosecutors and defense ...

Top US court troubled by case of black man tried six times

The Federal Reserve does not expect to raise the benchmark lending rate again this year, according to a closely-watched forecast released Wednesday, a surprising sign the US economy is slowing.
It was an aggressive downshift that likely will come as a shock to many economists who did not look for such a drastic change in outlook from the central bankers, who as recently as September expected to raise rates three times in 2019.
The shift meant nine of the 17 members of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee lowered their projection for this year.
But the forecast also confirms the next move is still expected to be an increase in the key policy interest rate, though that is not now expected to come until sometime in 2020.
The explanation can be found in the stark change in language in the statement from FOMC, which voted unanimously to keep the key rate unchanged at 2.25 to 2.5 percent, and which reflects the slowdown world's largest economy.
In its second meeting of the year, 

US Fed officials expect no rate hike in 2019

Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to counter Iranian "aggression" as the two met in Jerusalem just weeks ahead of Israel's elections.
Pompeo was on a regional tour focused largely on Iran, but the meeting and his warm words on Netanyahu's leadership will likely be seen as support from US President Donald Trump's administration amid the Israeli premier's re-election fight.
Netanyahu, facing a stiff challenge from a centrist alliance in April 9 polls whilst under threat of indictment for corruption, will next week visit Washington, where he will meet twice with Trump.
Pompeo's visit offered the right-wing premier an opportunity to burnish his security and diplomatic credentials -- both key planks of his re-election campaign.  In comments after Pompeo's arrival, Netanyahu said Trump's pressure on Israel's main enemy Iran was already having an effect, referring to his withdrawal from the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers ..

Netanyahu, Pompeo vow to counter Iranian 'aggression'

A key witness in a high-profile corruption case implicating allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been arrested after backing out of a deal to testify for the state, police said Wednesday.
Michael Ganor was arrested on Tuesday after informing police of his intention to "change the version he gave during the investigation" into corruption suspicions around the purchase of submarines from Germany's ThyssenKrupp for Israel's navy, police said.
Ganor was taken to court on Wednesday, where his remand was extended until Sunday.
Police said in November there was evidence to press charges against a number of suspects, including Netanyahu's cousin and lawyer David Shimron.
Netanyahu was questioned as a witness in the case and was not considered a suspect.
Ganor, who had been ThyssenKrupp's local representative, had agreed to turn state's witness in return for serving a 12-month prison sentence for tax offences and paying a heavy fine.
His change of heart came shortly after ...

Key witness in Israel corruption case arrested after reneging on deal

France warned Wednesday it was prepared to vote against Britain's demand for an extension to its Brexit deadline unless Prime Minister Theresa May presents a credible strategy to fellow leaders.
May asked her EU partners on Wednesday to extend the deadline for Brexit from March 29 to June 30 to give herself more time to find a path through the political deadlock in London.
But French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned that France could vote against the request when EU leaders meet in Brussels this week, reflecting growing exasperation in Paris and a desire to prevent the process from being dragged out.
"A situation in which Mrs May is unable to deliver sufficient guarantees on the credibility of her strategy at the European Council meeting would lead to the request being refused and a preference for a no deal," Le Drian told parliament.
A "no deal" exit -- in which Britain crashes out of the bloc without an agreement with its main trading partners -- is seen by analysts as ...

France warns could vote against Brexit extensions

The EU on Wednesday warned Britain it would have to hold elections to the European Parliament if it wants to delay Brexit until June 30, as Prime Minister Theresa May has requested.
Before May put in the request, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker urged her in a phone call not to set a date that was beyond the May 23 to 26 European elections.
A top EU diplomat meanwhile insisted that EU leaders would refrain from any decision on the delay at their Thursday-Friday summit.
"There will be no decision tomorrow," the diplomat briefed reporters.  Amid the confusion, EU Council President Donald Tusk, who coordinates EU summits, announced a press statement for 5:00 pm (1600 GMT).
"We will have an indication on what the 27 are ready to give the UK in case the withdrawal deal passes parliament, but nothing formal," the diplomat added.  May needs more time because her lawmakers have refused to approve the deal she struck with the EU to leave the bloc.
Elections to the European ...

Brussels warns May against June 30 Brexit delay

President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched a prolonged attack on the integrity of a huge probe into whether he or his election campaign colluded with Russia or obstructed justice -- but did say that the final report should be released.
"If you want to let them see it, let them see it," Trump said of the report, which independent special prosecutor Robert Mueller is believed to be close to finishing.  Trump has been investigated for almost two years, following suspicions that he or his team had improper ties to Moscow.
Mueller will submit his findings to the Trump-appointed attorney general, who is not obligated to release the report. But pressure is intense for the contents to be made public.
In anticipation, Trump intensified his long-running campaign to question the legitimacy of Mueller, who is widely respected, and to undermine confidence in the report itself.
Trump referred to his 2016 election win as "one of the greatest... in the history of this country" and said by contrast .

Trump slams Russia probe but says report should be public

War-torn Afghanistan has delayed its presidential election until September 28, officials announced Wednesday, the second time the ballot has been put back and five months later than it was originally scheduled to be held.
The announcement by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) comes after speculation that the vote would be postponed to create space for US-led efforts to end the 17-year war with the Taliban.
The presidential ballot was originally scheduled for April 20, then delayed to July 20. Many observers had considered both dates unrealistic given the Independent Election Commission (IEC) is still finalising results of October's shambolic parliamentary elections.
The IEC said in a statement Wednesday that the vote had faced "numerous problems and challenges ... therefore holding the elections based on the timelines previously announced is not possible".
"In order to better implement the rule of election law, ensure transparency as well as voter registration, the presidential 

Afghanistan presidential election delayed to Sept 28

A Pakistani student was arrested Wednesday after stabbing his professor to death for organising a mixed-gender reception at a government college, police said.
Associate professor Khalid Hameed was killed Wednesday on the campus of Sadiq Egerton College in the southern city of Bahawalpur, a local police official told AFP.
"The professor had organised a gender mix reception for the new students and the event was supposed to take place tomorrow, on Thursday," he said.
According to the report registered with the police, a copy of which was seen by AFP, the student had shouted that he killed the professor because he was "spreading obscenity".
"The gender mix reception is against the teachings of Islam and I had warned him to stop it," he was quoted as saying in the report filed with the police.
The professor's son Waleed Khan, who was with him at the time of the incident, said the student was waiting for his father.
"As my father was about to step into his office, the guy attacked him with 

AFP

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