Asian Defense News: Ethiopia

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Thursday, March 14, 2013

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: Barack Obama Invites First Black Miss Israel To Dinner

Asian Defense News: DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: Barack Obama Invites First Black Miss Israel To Dinner
*Yityish Aynaw, the first Ethiopian-born pageant winner, said the US president had been a 'notable influence in her life'

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Phoebe Greenwood, Tel Aviv - guardian.co.uk
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 14, 2013: It will be one of the hottest tickets in town. When the US president,Barack Obama, arrives in Israel on an official visit next week, one of the highlights for the country's dignatries will be a dinner hosted at Israeli president Shimon Peres's home. And among those set to dine with the two presidents is the first black Miss Israel, Yityish Aynaw.

When the president's staff called to invite her to the dinnerAynaw, who was crowned just a few weeks ago, was understandably taken aback. "I didn't believe this was happening," she told the Jerusalem Post.

Aynaw arrived in Israel from Ethiopia when she was 12 years old. The beauty queen, who has worked as a sales assistant since leaving the army, has admitted that it was initially difficult for her to assimilate into Israeli society. Despite being 100,000 strong, the Ethiopian Jewish community is marginalised in Israel, where some rabbis have questioned the authenticity of their Jewish faith.

In the course of the Miss Israel competition, Aynaw told the panel of judges: "It's important that a member of the Ethiopian community win the competition for the first time. There are many different communities of many different colours in Israel, and it's important to show that to the world."

On learning that she would be dining with the US president alongside the Israeli leadership, Aynaw admitted that as a young immigrant, she would not have believed "such a thing could happen" to her. Once the news sunk in, however, the 21 year-old former Israeli army officer declared herself "excited" and reasoned: "The first black Miss Israel to be chosen and [Obama] is the first black American President. These goes together."

Obama, she said, has had a "notable influence in her life".

Shortly after winning the title, Aynaw named assassinated US civil rights leader Martin Luther King as one of her heroes: "He fought for justice and equality, and that's one of the reasons I'm here: I want to show that my community has many beautiful qualities that aren't always represented in the media."

While she may have embraced her life in Israel, Aynaw has refused to adopt a Hebrew name as many of African immigrants have done. "I was born sick but my mum believed I had a future," she told Jewish publication The Tablet, explaining that her name in Amharic, the second most spoken Semitic language in the world after Arabic, means "looking towards the future". "I'd never change my name," she said. "Ever".

With African roots and controversial names in common, Miss Israel and President Obama have ample mutual ground to break the ice.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Phoebe Greenwood, Tel Aviv - guardian.co.uk
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DTN News - U.S. DRONES NEWS: White House Confirms US Drones In Ethiopia

Asian Defense News: DTN News - U.S. DRONES NEWS: White House Confirms US Drones In Ethiopia

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources VoA

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - October 30, 2011: The White House says the United States has drones in Ethiopia and that the unmanned aircraft are there to conduct reconnaissance missions, not airstrikes.

Spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Friday that the operation is part of the U.S. government's partnership with Ethiopia to promote stability in the Horn of Africa and combat terrorism.

U.S. military officials have confirmed the drones are flying into Somalia, where the government is battling the al-Qaida-Linked militant group al-Shabab.

The drones can be armed with missiles and satellite-guided bombs, but a military spokesman told VOA on Friday the missions are strictly for surveillance purposes.

Authorities say the remote-controlled aircraft are flying from an airfield in the southern Ethiopian city of Arba Minch.

The spokesman also said the drone operation is unrelated to Kenya's ongoing military offensive inside Somalia.

Kenyan troops moved into Somalia two weeks ago in pursuit of al-Shabab militants, who are suspected of kidnapping several foreigners on Kenyan territory.

On Friday, Kenyan and Somali forces captured the town of Burgabo in the Lower Juba region.

Kenyan troops have now moved within 200 kilometers of the port city of Kismayo, the third largest city in Somalia and an economic hub for al-Shabab.

Endurance (Courtesy - Wikipedia)

RQ-4 Global Hawk, a high-altitude reconnaissance UAV capable of 36 hours continuous flight time

Because UAVs are not burdened with the physiological limitations of human pilots, they can be designed for maximized on-station times. The maximum flight duration of unmanned, aerial vehicles varies widely. Internal-combustion-engine aircraft endurance depends strongly on the percentage of fuel burned as a fraction of total weight (the Breguet endurance equation), and so is largely independent of aircraft size. Solar-electric UAVs hold potential for unlimited flight, a concept originally championed by the AstroFlight Sunrise in 1974^[61]^[62]^[63]^[64] and the much later Aerovironment Helios Prototype, which was destroyed in a 2003 crash.

Electric UAVs kept aloft indefinitely by laser power-beaming^[65] technology represent another proposed solution to the endurance challenge. This approach is advocated by Jordin Kare and Thomas Nugent.

One of the major problems with UAVs is the lack of inflight refueling capability. Currently the US Air Force is promoting research that should end in an inflight UAV refueling capability. The first UAV-UAV refueling flights are expected sometime during the first half of 2012.^[66]

One of the uses for a high endurance UAV would be to "stare" at the battlefield for a long period of time to produce a record of events that could then be played backwards to track where improvised explosive devices (IEDs) came from. Air Force Chief of Staff John P. Jumper started a program to create these persistent UAVs, but this was stopped once he was replaced.^[67]

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is to sign a contract on building an UAV which should have an enormous endurance capability of about 5 years. The project is entitled "Vulture" and a September 15, 2010 news release indicated DARPA’s Vulture Program Enters Phase II.^[68] The developers are certain neither on the design of the UAV nor on what fuel it should run to be able to stay in air without any maintenance for such a long period of time.^[69]

Notable high endurance flights
UAV	Flight time	Date	Notes
QinetiQ Zephyr Solar Electric	336 hours 22 minutes	9–23 July 2010	^[70]
QinetiQ Zephyr Solar Electric	82 hours 37 minutes	28–31 July 2008	^[71]
Boeing Condor	58 hours 11 minutes	1989	The aircraft is currently in the Hiller Aviation Museum, CA. ^[72]
QinetiQ Zephyr Solar Electric	54 hours	September 2007	^[73]^[74]
IAI Heron	52 hours	?	^[75]^[76]
AC Propulsion Solar Electric	48 hours 11 minutes	June 3, 2005	^[77]
MQ-1 Predator	40 hours 5 minutes	?	^[78]
GNAT-750	40 hours	1992	^[79]^[80]
TAM-5	38 hours 52 minutes	August 11, 2003	Smallest UAV to cross the Atlantic ^[81]^[82]
Aerosonde	38 hours 48 minutes	May 3, 2006	^[83]
Vanguard Defense Industries	2 hours 55 minutes	11 February 2011	VTOL platform carrying a 18 lb payload.^[84]
TAI Anka	24 hours	30 December 2010	^[85]

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources VoA

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News
Contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Friday, December 24, 2010

DTN News - SPECIAL REPORT: Ethiopian Christ Icon Found 500 Years On

Asian Defense News: DTN News - SPECIAL REPORT: Ethiopian Christ Icon Found 500 Years On

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The Telegraph UK

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 24, 2010: An 15th century Ethiopian icon of the infant Christ child sitting on his mother's knee was discovered after it was cleaned by a British charity.

The central panel of the triptych had over the centuries become blackened with the sprinkling of perfume that the monks use as they worship.

The hugely important and stunning painted wood panel is now visible in its original coloured glory, showing a pale-faced Jesus with black curly hair and rosy cheeks.

His hand has three digits raised and two down as if blessing the person looking at him.

He has a halo and is wearing a gown and is perched on his mother's knee and she too has a halo.

The monks at the Monastery of St Stephen on an island in Lake Hayq in the north of the African country believe the icon, known as The One Who Listens, to be miraculous.

The artist had great skill, which is particularly obvious in the detail of Mary's robes.

In the central panel are three other figures, two archangels, Michael and Gabriel, armed with swords ready to protect the saviour and the third, St Stephen, after whom the monastery is named.

The side panels have 12 figures upon them all looking inwards towards the central picture.

They include Abuna TeklelyesusMoa, who sponsored the work, various saints including St Peter and St Paul, and abbots from the monastery.

It is one of the most celebrated icons in Ethiopia and is now housed in a special museum with other ancient relics.

The British charity The Ethiopian Heritage Fund sent experts to preserve the painting that had previously been covered with varnish.

Blair Priday from the charity, said: "This icon is one of the most celebrated in Ethiopia and because of its veneration, over time, the central panel had become blackened and was later painted over with thick layers of varnish as protection.

"The faces of the mother and child were barely visible.

"The varnish was carefully removed so it regained the original luminosity.

"The icon's repair was undertaken by Laurie Morocco, a foremost icon restore, who camped in the monastery's grounds while he did the work.

"In the mid 15th century a new technique of painting on wood with an undercoating of Gesso was introduced resulting in a much more luminous effect.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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