Bodies from crashed AirAsia plane arrive in Indonesian city

 Indonesian Navy ship KRI Yos Sudarso takes part in the search operation for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501, as seen from an Indonesian Hercules aircraft, south of Pangkalan Bun, central Kalimantan 

CREDIT: REUTERS/ANTARA FOTO/ANDIKA WAHYU

(Reuters) - The first two bodies from the AirAsia plane that crashed off the coast of Borneo arrived on Wednesday in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, where relatives have gathered to await news of their loved ones.

Rescuers believe they have found the plane on the sea floor off Borneo, after sonar detected a large, dark object beneath waters near where debris and bodies were found on the surface.

Ships and planes had been scouring the Java Sea for Flight QZ8501 since Sunday, when it lost contact during bad weather about 40 minutes into its flight from Surabaya to Singapore.

Seven bodies have been recovered from the sea, some fully clothed, which could indicate the Airbus A320-200 was intact when it hit the water. That would support a theory that it suffered an aerodynamic stall.

Tatang Zaenudin, an official with Indonesia's search and rescue agency, said earlier that one of the bodies had been found wearing a life jacket. But he later said no victim had been recovered with a life jacket on.

"We found a body at 8.20 a.m. and a life jacket at 10.32 a.m. so there was a time difference. This is the latest information we have," he told Reuters. Two bodies, in coffins bedecked with flowers and marked 001 and 002, arrived by an air force plane in Surabaya.

Most of the 162 people on board were Indonesians. No survivors have been found.

HUNT FOR "BLACK BOX"

Hernanto, of the search and rescue agency in Surabaya, said rescuers believed they had found the plane on the sea bed with a sonar scan in water 30-50 meters (100-165 feet) deep. The black box flight data and cockpit voice recorder have yet to be found.

Authorities in Surabaya were making preparations to receive and identify bodies, including arranging 130 ambulances to take victims to a police hospital and collecting DNA from relatives.

"We are praying it is the plane so the evacuation can be done quickly," Hernanto said.

Strong wind and waves hampered the search and with visibility at less than a kilometer (half a mile), the air operation was called off in the afternoon.

"The weather today was really challenging in the field, with waves up to 5 meters high, wind reaching 40 km per hour (and) heavy rain, especially in the search area," Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, the head of the search and rescue agency, told reporters in Surabaya.

He added that the plane's whereabouts had not yet been confirmed and so the search for it would continue.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said his priority was retrieving the bodies.

Relatives, many of whom collapsed in grief when they saw the first grim television pictures confirming their fears on Tuesday, held prayers at a crisis center at Surabaya airport.

"UNBELIEVABLY" STEEP CLIMB

The plane was traveling at 32,000 feet (9,753 meters) and had asked to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid bad weather. When air traffic controllers granted permission for a rise to 34,000 feet a few minutes later, they received no response.

The pilots did not issue a distress signal.

A source close to the probe into what happened said radar data appeared to show that the aircraft made an "unbelievably" steep climb before it crashed, possibly pushing it beyond the Airbus A320's limits.

"So far, the numbers taken by the radar are unbelievably high. This rate of climb is very high, too high. It appears to be beyond the performance envelope of the aircraft," he said.

The source, who declined to be named, added that more information was needed to come to a firm conclusion.

Online discussion among pilots has centered on unconfirmed secondary radar data from Malaysia that suggested the aircraft was climbing at a speed of 353 knots, about 100 knots too slow, and that it might have stalled.

The Indonesian captain, a former air force fighter pilot, had 6,100 flying hours under his belt and the plane last underwent maintenance in mid-November, said the airline, which is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia.

Three airline disasters involving Malaysian-affiliated carriers in less than a year have dented confidence in the country's aviation industry and spooked travelers.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing in March on a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew and has not been found. On July 17, the same airline's Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

On board Flight QZ8501 were 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, and one person each from Singapore, Malaysia and Britain. The co-pilot was French.

The AirAsia group, including affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India, had not suffered a crash since its Malaysian budget operations began in 2002.

For fuel cell vehicles to be viable, hydrogen stations must expand

An Iwatani Corp. employee prepares to fill a Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle at a hydrogen fueling station in Tokyo on Nov. 17. | BLOOMBERG

Fuel cell vehicles made their world commercial debut in mid-December, possibly setting the stage for a new wave of environmentally friendly cars.

Because FCVs runs on hydrogen, filling stations that supply the element are essential for promoting widespread use of the vehicles, which emit no carbon dioxide.

Japan at present only has a handful of commercial hydrogen stations, but there are plans to boost the number to 100 by the end of March 2016.

Interest in establishing hydrogen stations is growing not only among existing gasoline station operators, but also among firms in other fields, including city gas providers, a convenience store chain and automakers.

But industry observers and operators of such stations say the nascent business still faces many challenges, including high construction and running costs, regulations and lack of space in crowded cities.

“First of all, it’s a basic premise that there must be enough stations available to serve the number of FCVs in use. It’s not about which has to come first. There needs to be a win-win situation for both,” said Takefumi Ishikura, chief manager of hydrogen station technology development at Tokyo Gas Co.

“But when you just look at the stations, reducing their (construction and running) costs is the biggest challenge. I think any station operator would agree with that,” he said.

Building a hydrogen station costs about ¥400 million to ¥500 million, compared with the ¥100 million required for a conventional gas station.

The government has offered subsidies of up to ¥280 million per station this fiscal year and plans to continue the support, but “you can’t depend on subsidies forever,” said Ishikura.

Hydrogen stations require dedicated equipment, including dispensers to inject the gaseous element into cars, hydraulic accumulators to store the chemical, and compressors. Production costs are high, however, because equipment orders are piecemeal, instead of in large volumes.

Tokyo Gas opened a hydrogen station in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, in December, the first such commercial operation in the Kanto region.

Major gas station operator JX Nippon Oil and Energy Corp. and city gas suppliers Osaka Gas Co. and Toho Gas Co. also plan to build hydrogen stations, as hydrogen is mainly produced through fossil fuels like oil and natural gas.

Carbon dioxide is also produced when making hydrogen through fossil fuels.

JX Nippon Oil and Energy hopes to open 11 hydrogen stations by April. Tokyo Gas is taking a more cautious approach, looking to open only one more facility in Urawa, Saitama Prefecture, at this point.

The hesitance by Tokyo Gas is because it is unclear how many FCVs will be on the road in the near future, making it difficult to order the necessary station equipment in large volumes, Ishikura said.

Koichi Oyama, senior manager of Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting Co. and a consultant to the auto industry, said firms making hydrogen station equipment are also wary of investing more to expand their business.

“I hear that opinions are split among the companies. One side says firms should actively promote hydrogen-related businesses because the government is helping. But the other urges careful observation to see how the situation evolves, because it is still unclear if FCVs will be in widespread use five or 10 years from now,” he said.

Deloitte Tohmatsu predicts that annual sales of fuel cell vehicles will reach 50,000 units in 2020, 200,000 in 2025 and 400,000 in 2030.

To reduce costs, hydrogen station operators hope the High Pressure Gas Safety Law will be relaxed.

Tokyo Gas says in Japan hydraulic accumulators need to be fully protected by carbon fiber, but overseas operators can use accumulators with partial protection — a cheaper way to operate.

Also, current regulations require that hydrogen stations be manned, not self-service, driving operating costs higher.

Filling dispensers must be placed at least 8 meters from the nearest street, thus requiring more space, which poses a problem in crowded cities.

Operators have no intention of disregarding safety, so they and regulators need to continue discussions on how rules can be eased or adjusted to promote the new business while ensuring safety, Ishikura said.

In terms of space, Iwatani Corp., a leading trading house in the gas business, said it will partner with Seven Eleven Japan Co. to build hydrogen stations and convenience stores in the same facilities, apparently taking advantage of Japan’s top convenient store chain’s ability to acquire sites.

Iwatani is also teaming up with Honda Motor Co. to provide compact hydrogen stations that need only 7.8 sq. meters of space. Honda’s technology utilizes solar energy to electrolyze water to generate hydrogen, so it produces no carbon dioxide when making hydrogen.

Hideo Okamoto, chief engineer of smart community planning at Honda, noted that while the system is compact, it can create only 1.5 kg of hydrogen a day and can store up to 18 kg, enough to fill up about four FCVs. Thus it’s only adequate for small-scale filling stations at the home or community level

Okamoto said his firm has never said it will be running a “station business,” because the capacity and size will be much smaller than regular hydrogen stations.

Many municipalities are interested in establishing compact hydrogen stations because they hope to use FCVs.

But under current regulations, small stations fall in the same category as regular hydrogen stations, so it is difficult to install compact facilities in cities because they must satisfy the various safety standards, including being walled in.

Okamoto said the carmaker wants the government to set new safety criteria for small stations.

Oyama of Deloitte Tohmatsu said one idea to promote the spread of hydrogen stations and FCVs would be to establish cost-sharing systems, including tax adjustments.

For example, people driving gasoline-powered cars would pay a little higher tax with the revenue being used to promote the spread of hydrogen stations using renewable energy to make hydrogen, because no carbon dioxide is emitted in the energy cycle — from generating hydrogen to burning it during driving.

“I think some tax money should be used for such pursuits that can surely reduce carbon dioxide emissions,” he said. - Japantimes

AirAsia flight QZ8501: Plane crash in Java Sea

An Aerial view of the waters near Bangka Island being searched for debris from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 in a navy fixed wing patrol craft near Bangka Island, Indonesia. Picture: Ed Wray Source: Getty Images

INDONESIA’S National Search and Rescue Agency chief confirmed that just three bodies have been recovered so far in the search for the AirAsia plane which crashed in the Java Sea, after another official said 40 had been found.

“Today we evacuated three bodies and they are now in the warship Bung Tomo,” Bambang Soelistyo told a news conference in Jakarta, adding that they were two women and a man.

Three days after disappearing during a wild storm, AirAsia confirmed debris found yesterday is that of missing flight QZ8501.

In a statement, the airline read it “regrets to inform that The National Search and Rescue Agency Republic of Indonesia (BASARNAS) today confirmed that the debris found earlier today is indeed from QZ8501, the flight that had lost contact with air traffic control on the morning of 28th December 2014.”

There were 155 passengers on board, with 137 adults, 17 children and 1 infant. Also on board were 2 pilots, 4 cabin crews and one engineer.

Monsoonal weather continues to affect the area of the search site, which has been suspended for the night. Conditions are less than ideal, with thunderstorms in the area creating rough seas, with reports at least six inches of rain are expected to be dumped throughout the night.

“This type of extreme weather can result in catastrophic failure,” aircraft expert Anthony Roma told msnbc.

The plane was flying within a level five thunderstorm, while three other flights successfully traversed the same flight pattern as QZ8501.

“In this area there are storms a great deal of the time, aircraft fly all the time,” said Mr Roma

San Diego-based guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson has responded to INdonesia’s request to support search operations. Source: AFP

After two days of searching, debris from parts of the aircraft, including an emergency exit door, luggage, oxygen tack and a life jacket, were found in the Karimata Straight between Sumatra, Java and Borneo, around 110 nautical miles south west from Pangkalan Bun.

Several corpses were spotted off Borneo island. Search and rescue teams were lowered on ropes from a hovering helicopter to retrieve the corpses, their efforts hindered by 2-meter-high (6-foot-high) waves and strong winds. They were recovered, swollen but intact, and taken to an Indonesian navy ship.

The ‘shadow’ of a plane was spotted on the seabed close to the debris.

Navy spokesman Manahan Simorangkir told AFP earlier that, according to naval radio, a warship had recovered more than 40 bodies from the sea. But he later said that report was a miscommunication by his staff. Reports indicate some bodies did not have life jackets on.

The debris was spotted just under 10 kilometres from when the flight was last seen on radar.

“At the present time, search and rescue operations are still in progress and further investigation of the debris found at the location is still underway,” the statement read.

“AirAsia Indonesia employees have been sent to the site and will be fully cooperating with BASARNAS, National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), and relevant authorities on the investigation.”

Commander of 1st Indonesian Air Force Operational Command Rear Marshall Dwi Putranto shows aeroplane parts and a suitcase found floating on the water near the site where AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared. Picture: Dewi Nurcahyani Source: AP

Several countries are helping Indonesia retrieve the wreckage and the passengers.

The United States announced it was sending the USS Sampson destroyer, joining at least 30 ships, 15 aircraft and seven helicopters in the search for the jet, said Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo.

A Chinese frigate was also on the way, while Singapore said it was sending two underwater beacon detectors to try to detect pings from the plane’s all-important cockpit voice and flight data recorders. Malaysia, Australia and Thailand also are involved in the search.

An Indonesian air force Puma helicopter takes off during search and rescue operations. Picture: Bay Ismoyo Source: AFP

The tragic news was made worse when Indonesian television footage showed a body floating in the sea during aerial searches for the plane.

Pandemonium broke out at Juanda International Airport, at least two distraught family members were carried out on stretchers from the room where they had been waiting for news in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city and the takeoff point for the aircraft that disappeared during a storm on Sunday.

Many screamed and wailed uncontrollably, breaking down into tears while they squeezed each other. One middle-aged man collapsed and was rushed from the room on a stretcher.

“We are sorry to be here today under these tragic circumstances,” said Sunu Widyatmoko, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Indonesia, in AirAsia’s statement.

“We would like to extend our sincere sympathies to the family and friends of those on board QZ8501. Our sympathies also go out to the families of our dear colleagues.”

Commander of Indonesian Air Force 1st Operational Command Rear Marshall Dwi Putranto, centre, shows the aeroplane parts and a suitcase found floating on the water. Picture: Dewi Nurcahyani Source: AP

Meanwhile AirAsia’s Group Executive Officer, Tony Fernandes added he was “absolutely devastated” amid news he was “rushing” to Surabaya to be among the grieving families.

Speaking in Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya after meeting with distraught relatives of some of the 162 passengers, Fernandes said he “apologised profusely” for the accident.

“The passengers were on my aircraft and I have to take responsibility for that,” he said, adding that he was focusing on supporting the families.

“There is at least some closure as opposed to not knowing what’s happened and holding out hope,” Fernandes told reporters.

He said the pilot of the ill-fated plane was “extremely experienced” with 20,000 hours of flying.

“There were some very unique weather conditions and let’s wait for the investigation to be concluded.”

“This is a very difficult moment for all of us at AirAsia as we await further developments of the search and rescue operations but our first priority now is the wellbeing of the family members of those on-board QZ8501.”

In its statement, AirAsia Indonesia said it will be inviting family members to Surabaya, where a “dedicated team of care providers will be assigned to each family to ensure that all of their needs are met”.

“Counsellors, religious and spiritual personnel have also been invited to the family centre to provide any necessary services,” it read.

Earlier, Indonesia’s director general of civil aviation, Djoko Murjatmodjo, told AFP: “For the time being it can be confirmed that it’s the AirAsia plane and the transport minister will depart soon to Pangkalan Bun.”

“Based on the observation by search and rescue personnel, significant things have been found such as a passenger door and cargo door.

“It’s in the sea, 100 miles (160 kilometres) southwest of Pangkalan Bun,” he said, referring to the town in Central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo.

                           

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo speaks during a press conference at the AirAsia crisis center at Juanda International Airport on December 30. Picture: Robertus Pudyanto Source: Getty Images

A search for the aircraft has been underway since Sunday afternoon when it lost contact with Indonesian air traffic control.

The plane, with 155 passengers and seven crew, was less than an hour into a flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore when it is believed to have encountered a violent thunderstorm.

Its pilots requested a change of flight path due to bad weather, just minutes before contact was lost.

Chiara Natasha at right (who was not on the flight) pictured with her mother Indahju Liangsih. Chiara Natasha lost her parents and two brothers on the flight. Photo: Facebook Source: Supplied

The Herald Sun reports a Melbourne-based student was on-board the plane when it disappeared. Monash University student Kevin Alexander Soetjipto was travelling from Indonesia to Singapore with relatives when the plane vanished over the Java Sea.

Mr Soetjipto is from Malang in Indonesia and it is believed he was in Australia on a student visa.  - news.com.au

AirAsia flight QZ8501: Indonesian TV station TV One airs bodies, shocks relatives

This aerial view taken over the Java Sea shows floating debris from AirAsia flight QZ8501. Picture: Bay Ismoyo Source: Supplied

RELATIVES of passengers on AirAsia flight QZ8501 began crying hysterically and fainting as Indonesian television footage showed a body floating in the sea during aerial searches for the plane.

At least two distraught family members were carried out on stretchers from the room where they had been waiting for news in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city — the takeoff point for the aircraft that disappeared during a storm on Sunday.

TV One, the network which showed the footage, have since apologised

“My heart will be totally crushed if it’s true. I will lose a son,” 60-year-old Dwijanto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP.

More than 48 hours after the Airbus A320-200 lost contact carrying 162 people to Singapore, aerial searchers spotted items in the Java Sea which officials said were from the plane.

The navy later said 40 bodies had been retrieved from the water. “Based on the navy radio, it has been reported that the warship Bung Tomo has retrieved 40 bodies and the number is growing. They are very busy now,” spokesman Manahan Simorangkir said.

As the first body was shown floating in the water on rolling television news, relatives burst into tears and hugged one another amid cries for more ambulances, said an AFP reporter at the scene.

A relative of one of the passengers on AirAsia flight QZ 8501 receives medical attention as he collapses at the breaking news of debris and bodies being found. Picture: Robertus Pudyanto Source: Getty Images

In this image taken from video released by TV One, a rescuer is lowered on rope from a hovering helicopter near a body in Java Sea waters in Indonesia. Picture: TV One Source: AP

One man covered his face and had to be held up by two other men before he fainted and was taken out by stretcher. Another woman was screaming and crying as she was supported by the mayor of Surabaya. A female AirAsia officer shouted at the television media for showing footage of a floating body, while about 200 journalists were barred from the room holding the families, the windows of which were boarded up.

“Is it possible for you not to show a picture of the dead?

Please do not show a picture of a dead body,” said the officer. “That’s crazy.” Munif, a 50-year-old whose younger brother Siti Rahmah was on the plane, said he had been trying hard to keep the other families calm.

“But the atmosphere was very different after the footage of a dead body was shown. Families became hysterical,” he said.

“Because everyone was wailing and yelling, I couldn’t deal with it so I decided to leave the room.” In Malaysia, families of those on the MH370 flight that went missing without a trace in March hoped those lost in the latest tragedy could at least have a proper burial.

“The families can now have a closure and have a peace of mind which I am dying for,” said Selamat Omar, whose 29-year-old son was on the Malaysia Airlines plane.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s search chief said a plane had spotted a “shadow” on the seabed which is believed to be the missing AirAsia jet. - news.com.au

AirAsia Plane Debris and Bodies Are Found in sea.

'Several bodies recovered and floating debris spotted in search for missing AirAsia plane in Java Sea.

Family members of passengers onboard missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 cry at a waiting area in Juanda International Airport, Surabaya December 30, 2014. 

CREDIT: REUTERS/BEAWIHARTA

SURABAYA, Indonesia —Search teams have recovered at least 40 bodies and numerous pieces of wreckage from missing AirAsia plane  as search teams said that a “shadow” has been spotted on the seabed on Tuesday.  But it remained unknown what caused AirAsia Flight 8501 to plunge into the sea on Sunday less than an hour after taking off from the Surabaya airport.

“I am so very sorry for this accident,” Joko Widodo, Indonesia’s president, said before meeting with families of passengers here. “I hope families can stay strong while facing tragedy.”

Throughout the afternoon, the Indonesian authorities built up an inventory of debris collected by ships and helicopters from the sea surface: life vests, aircraft parts and what appeared to be a small blue suitcase. Indonesian television showed a rescuer descending from a helicopter toward a corpse, which like other bodies found was not wearing a life jacket.

The Indonesian authorities said the pieces of wreckage were found about 60 miles southeast of the last known position of the plane — the opposite direction from the plane’s path, a fact that was not explained. Search teams also spotted what they said might be a larger submerged piece of the fuselage of the Airbus A320-200, which was operated by the Indonesian affiliate of AirAsia.

The crash was a particular loss to Surabaya’s ethnic Chinese community. Flights from Surabaya to Singapore serve as shuttles for residents here who do business in Singapore or have family members there. The air disaster seems to have also disproportionately affected Surabaya’s Christian community.

Leaders of Bethany, a massive, three-story megachurch in a wealthy neighborhood on the outskirts of Surabaya, pored over the plane’s manifest when it became available on Sunday and determined that at least five passengers were members of families who attend the church.

Deddy, one of the church pastors, said the crash was a tragedy for all of Indonesia. But, he said, “We can guess from the names that many are Christian and Chinese.”

If passengers from both the AirAsia plane and the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared in March are included in the calculations, 1,320 people died in air accidents in 2014, the deadliest year since 2005, according to the Bureau of Aircraft Incidents Archives, an organization that tracks aviation accidents.

But the number of fatalities this year has been heavily skewed by the AirAsia crash and two Malaysia Airlines disasters — another of the airline’s jets was shot down over Ukraine in July with 298 people aboard — which taken together made up 60 percent of all aviation deaths in 2014.

Over all, advances in aviation safety remain encouraging — the number of airline crashes has been on a downward trend for several decades. There were 111 crashes in 2014, and by this measure it was the safest year since 1927 — a remarkable decline given the exponential growth in air traffic.

The two-day delay in locating the AirAsia wreckage, however, seems likely to add to pressure on airlines to equip their aircraft with devices that send out location coordinates and other diagnostic information.

On board Flight QZ8501 were 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, and one person each from Singapore, Malaysia and Britain. The co-pilot was French.

U.S. law enforcement and security officials said passenger and crew lists were being examined but nothing significant had turned up and the incident was regarded as an unexplained accident. Indonesia AirAsia is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia.

The AirAsia group, including affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India, had not suffered a crash since its Malaysian budget operations began in 2002. - 

“The technology to update a vessel’s position every minute, 30 seconds or even one second is readily available and cheap,” he said by email. - Reuters

North Korean Internet, 3G network 'paralyzed'

North Korea's Internet and 3G mobile networks were paralyzed on Saturday evening, China's official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The network had not returned to normal as of 2130 local time, Xinhua reported, citing reporters in the country that had confirmed the situation over fixed telephone systems.

The report comes after the North Korean government called Obama a "monkey" and blamed the United States for enduring instability in the country's Internet infrastructure, after the U.S. blamed North Korea for hacking attack on Sony Studios.

The attack was allegedly conducted to deter Sony from showing a comedy film called "The Interview," the plot of which featured a scheme to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and it resulted in major expense and embarrassment for Sony.

North Korea and the U.S. remain technically in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The rivals also are locked in an international standoff over the North's nuclear and missile programs and its alleged human rights abuses. The U.S. stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against North Korean aggression.

The internet and mobile phone networks were still down as of 9:30pm local time. -  Reuters

Russia offers support to North Korea amid Sony hacking fallout

MOSCOW (AP) -   Russia on Thursday offered sympathy to North Korea amid the Sony hacking scandal, saying the movie that sparked the dispute was so scandalous that Pyongyang’s anger was “quite understandable.”

Washington failed to offer any proof to back its claims of Pyongyang’s involvement in the hacking, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said at a briefing, adding that the U.S. threats of retaliation were “counterproductive.”

The U.S. has blamed Pyongyang for the recent cyberattack on Sony Pictures, which produced “The Interview,” a comedy depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang has denied a role in the hacking, but also praised it as a “righteous deed.”

Sony initially decided not to release the film because of threats against U.S. cinemas, but released the movie online Wednesday.

Russia’s ties with the communist North soured after the 1991 Soviet collapse, but have improved under President Vladimir Putin’s watch. Moscow has taken part in international efforts to help mediate the standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear arms and missile programs, although its diplomatic efforts have had little visible effect.

Last week, the Kremlin said that it had invited Kim to Moscow in May to attend festivities marking the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

Commenting on the Sony hacking scandal, Lukashevich said that “the concept of the movie is so aggressive and scandalous, that the reaction of the North Korean side, and not just it, is quite understandable.”

He went on to say that Pyongyang had offered to conduct a joint investigation into the incident, adding that the proposal could help ease tensions and reflected a “sincere desire of the North Korean side to study the issue in detail.”

“We perceive the U.S. threats to take revenge and calls on other nations to condemn the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as absolutely counterproductive and dangerous, as they only would add tensions to the already difficult situation on the Korean Peninsula and could lead to further escalation of conflict,” Lukashevich said. 

How a company plans to make it snow in Dubai

Snow isn't something you'd usually associate with Dubai, not when summers have an average temperature of 104 degrees F and the coldest of winters is only around 57 degrees. But the Kleindienst Group of real estate developers are positive they can simulate snowfall on the streets -- or at least on The Heart of Europe (THOE) islands within Dubai's The World man-made archipelago. 

The group first announced its plans to make it snow on the islands earlier this year, but now it's sharing how it plans to do so and has even made a test snowman, just in time for Christmas.

Company CEO Josef Kleindienst told 7 Days in Dubai that his company plans to put snowmakers on select THOE streets, which is made up of islands fashioned after European locations, such as Austria, Germany, Sweden, St. Petersburg and Monaco.

The streets will also be cooled using underground pipes so the snow doesn't melt as soon as it hits the ground. As the snow melts, a subsurface mechanism collects the water and uses it to create snow again. 

Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany believe that the system will make it possible to achieve an 81 degree Fahrenheit temperature, even during summers, which is apparently the ideal outdoor temp in Europe.

Kleindienst knows full well how crazy it sounds to build and maintain climate-controlled outdoor locations, but he says his company's execs were convinced when their team of German scientists concocted the plan:

"If you can heat a pool outdoors in the winter, why can't you cool an area outdoors in the summer?" While he believes the test snowman proves the system can work and claims that its energy consumption is "not more than a mall" (it's unclear whether he means consumption for each street or for all of THOE, though), not everyone's convinced. Sustainable development expert Sougata Nandi says:

Maintaining open-air spaces during peak summer will be heavily energy intensive. For example, to cool enclosed areas such as the ski slopes in Mall of the Emirates consumes huge energy. So to make it snow, and keep the snow outdoors, would be a lot of energy. - engadget

Planes Goes Hybrid-Electric In Important Step To Greener Flight

Aviation accounts for 2 per cent of man-made carbon emissions — but that could be vastly reduced by new technology. Photo: The Independent

The first ever hybrid aircraft to be able to recharge its batteries took off yesterday — potentially signalling the beginning of a new form of low-carbon, green flight.

Cambridge University researchers teamed up with Boeing to make the plane. They hope that the plane will be able to provide new forms of cleaner, low-carbon air travel.

Hybrid engines — which are gaining popularity in cars — combine a battery and a petrol engine. Doing so uses 30 per cent less fuel than a plane with a petrol-only engine.

The petrol engine works with the battery-powered one at take-off and climb, when the plane needs extra power, but the electric motor can then switch into generator mode and recharges the batteries, or help the motor in minimising fuel consumption. The same technology is used in hybrid cars.

“Although hybrid cars have been available for more than a decade, what’s been holding back the development of hybrid or fully-electric aircraft until now is battery technology,” said Dr Paul Robertson of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who led the project. “Until recently, they have been too heavy and didn’t have enough energy capacity.

But with the advent of improved lithium-polymer batteries, similar to what you’d find in a laptop computer, hybrid aircraft – albeit at a small scale – are now starting to become viable.”

The technology is still far from able to be put on commercial airliners, but the move is an important step, researchers said. The test flights took place at Sywell Aerodrome near Northampton. The plane did a series of small hopes along the runway before taking off for evaluation flights at over 1,500 feet.

Aviation is thought to be responsible for about 2 per cent of man-made carbon emissions.

--The Independent

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare claims Christmas number one

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has become the fifth Call of Duty game to claim the coveted Christmas number one title

                                                   Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has fought off competition from FIFA 15 and Grand Theft Auto 5 to claim the coveted top spot in the Christmas 2014 video games chart.

Grand Theft Auto 5 remains the top selling game in the UK on the PlayStation 4, but did not sell enough across other formats to beat Call of Duty to the top spot, coming third overall.

Sales of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare received a last-minute boost, thanks to a well-timed promotion on the PS4 version, helping it leapfrog FIFA 15, according to GfK Chart-Track, which compiles the video games chart.

"Last year, FIFA 14 pulled off a similar trick, sneaking ahead of Call of Duty: Ghosts at the last minute to claim the festive top spot, and it appears that Activision Blizzard were set on exacting revenge in 2014," said GfK.

Sales of Call of Duty were up 33 per cent this week, while FIFA 15 sales were up 8 per cent and Grand Theft Auto V sales were up 16 per cent.

Despite a 97 per cent surge in sales of Assassin’s Creed: Unity, and sales of The Crew up 92 per cent due to a huge price promotion, Far Cry 4 remained Ubisoft’s top selling game over the festive week, claiming fourth spot.

The full chart for the week of 20 December is as follows:

1. Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare

2. FIFA 15

3. Grand Theft Auto V

4. Far Cry 4

5. Assassin’s Creed Unity

6. The Crew

7. Destiny 

8. Minecraft (Xbox edition)

9. Minecraft (PlayStation edition)

10. Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham 

11. Just Dance 2015

12. Driveclub

13. WWE 2K15

14. The Evil Within

15. Assassin's Creed: Rogue

16. Super Smash Bros

17. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

18. Dragon Age: Inquisition

19. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

20. LittleBigPlanet 3 - .telegraph.co.uk

Watch Cadillac’s 640-hp 2016 CTS-V do a burnout in a derelict building

The current state of Detroit is causing a lot of suffering and is a black eye for a nation that likes to think of itself as the richest and most powerful in the world, but there is an upside.

It’s not exactly surprising that the 640-horsepower 2016 Cadillac CTS-V can do a burnout, but it sure is cool to see the proof. Especially when said burnout is done in a derelict building.

The smoke show was shot in Detroit’s Michigan Theater according to World Car Fans. The building is apparently used as a parking garage, making it the ideal location for some V-Series shenanigans.

Related: 2016 Cadillac ATS-V arrives with 455 turbocharged horsepower

Those shenanigans come courtesy of the same 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 used in the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. It drives the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission also shared with the Z06, and other Corvette models.

With the aforementioned 640 hp, plus 630 pound-feet of torque, the 2016 CTS-V is the most powerful production Cadillac ever. With a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph, it’s likely the fastest as well.

Cadillac’s engineers probably don’t want people to think of their BMW M5-rivalling sedan as a high-end muscle car, but those power and performance figures will surely dominate any discussion of the CTS-V, particularly once they’ve seen what good burnouts it can do. - .digitaltrends.com

10 Ways to Soothe a Sore Throat

These easy, non-prescription remedies can help ease soreness and scratchiness fast.

Feel better fast

A sore throat can be the first sign of a cold, a side effect of strained vocal cords, or an indication of something more serious (like strep throat).

Regardless of the cause, your immediate concern when soreness strikes is how to get relief, fast. You may be tempted to run to your doctor, but some of the best treatments are home remedies and over-the-counter meds, says Jeffrey Linder, M.D., an internist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston.

Here are 10 to try the next time you're feeling scratchy, hoarse, or just plain sick.

Anti-inflammatories

One of the most effective treatments for sore throat is probably already in your medicine cabinet: an over-the-counter, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as Advil or Aleve.

"These medicines are combination pain relievers and anti-inflammatories, so they'll make you feel better and they'll also reduce some of the swelling associated with a sore throat," Dr. Linder says. "If you have a fever that's also contributing to your symptoms, they can help reduce that as well."

Saltwater gargle

Several studies have found that gargling several times a day with warm salt water can reduce swelling in the throat and loosen mucus, helping to flush out irritants or bacteria.

Doctors generally recommend dissolving half a teaspoon of salt in one cup of water. If the salty taste is too unpleasant for you, try adding a small amount of honey to sweeten the mixture slightly. (Just remember to spit the water out after gargling, rather than swallowing!)

Lozenges and sprays

Sucking on cough drops stimulates saliva production, which can help keep your throat moist. But many varieties are no more effective than hard candies, Dr. Linder says. For an added benefit, choose brands with a cooling or numbing ingredient, like menthol or eucalyptus.

Over-the-counter sprays like Chloraseptic produce an effect similar to cooling lozenges. They won't cure your sore throat or help you fight off the underlying cold, but they may help dull the pain temporarily. Chloraseptic's active ingredient, phenol, is a local antiseptic that also has antibacterial properties, Dr. Linder says.

Cough syrup

Even if you don't have a cough (yet), over-the-counter cough syrups can help ease soreness. Like drops and sprays, they coat the throat and provide temporary pain relief.

If you're headed to work, be sure to choose a non-drowsy formula. But if you're having trouble sleeping due to a sore throat, a nighttime formula like NyQuil (which contains a pain reliever and an antihistamine) or Robitussin AC (guaifenesin and codeine) can relieve pain and help you get some shuteye.

Fluids

"Staying hydrated is very important, especially when you're sick and your throat is irritated or inflamed," Dr. Linder says. "You should be drinking enough fluid so that your urine is light yellow or clear. This keeps your mucous membranes moist and better able to combat bacteria and irritants like allergens, and makes your body better able to fight back against other cold symptoms."

What you drink is up to you, Linder adds. Water always works (ice cubes, too!), but you can also change it up with something slightly sugary, like a watered-down fruit juice, or something salty, like chicken broth.

Tea

Tired of drinking water? A warm cup of herbal tea can offer immediate, soothing relief for a sore throat. What's more, non-herbal teas—whether they're made with black, green, or white leaves—contain antioxidants that are thought to strengthen immunity and ward off infection.

For an extra boost, add a teaspoon of honey. It'll help the "medicine" go down, and it has antibacterial properties that may help you heal faster.

Chicken soup

An age-old home remedy for colds, chicken soup can help soothe a sore throat, as well. "The sodium in the broth may actually have anti-inflammatory properties, and it can feel good going down," Dr. Linder says.

Soup has an added benefit when you're sick: Eating can be painful and difficult with a swollen or very sore throat, so sipping some liquid nourishment will ensure that you're getting the nutrients you need to fight off your infection.

Marshmallows

Although there's no hard evidence that it works, sap from the marshmallow plant has been used for hundreds of years—usually in tea form—to treat coughs, colds, and sore throats. And while real marshmallow bears little relation to the puffy campfire treats that took its name, both may have sore throat-fighting properties.

According to anecdotal reports, modern-day marshmallows can help ease sore throat pain, possibly because the gelatin coats and soothes. "It's not the wackiest thing in the world," Dr. Linder says. "If your throat is really swollen and it really hurts to swallow anything, I can see how something slippery and sweet like marshmallows might provide some relief."

Rest

It may not be the quickest solution, but getting some rest is probably the best thing you can do to battle the infection that caused your sore throat in the first place, Dr. Linder says.

"The vast majority of sore throats are caused by cold viruses, and we know that there's very little we can do to cure a cold once we've got it," he says. "Making sure your body is well rested will at least help it fight off the virus so you can get better sooner."

Antibiotics

Every once and a while—about 10% of the time in adults—a sore throat will be caused by a bacterial infection such as Streptococcus pyogenes. If, and only if, you test positive for strep throat or another bacterial infection, your doctor should prescribe an antibiotic. (Taking antibiotics for a sore throat caused by a virus will not be effective.)

Always take the full course of medicine, even if you feel better after a few days. - .health.com

Top 7 video games of 2014

Visitors walk past a placard of "FIFA 15" video game featuring soccer player Lionel Messi at the Gamescom 2014 fair in Cologne Aug. 13, 2014. (REUTERS/Ina Fassbender)

The holidays should be all about fun and games. Fortunately, you can find both as gifts - and for a modest investment.

In a year in which “Cards Against Humanity” made a splash at parties and big name hits such as “Dark Souls II” and “Call of Duty” dominated console playtime, there were some excellent, mesmerizing and entertaining alternatives on a variety of platforms. Here are seven of my favorites over the past year.

80 Days ($4.99)

The inspiration for the steampunk trend, Jules Verne's “Around the World in 80 Days” is given the hypertext homage treatment in this mobile game. It's more interactive novel — with a colonial subtext - than video game. The graphics are subtle, not stunning. But it's not about eye candy; this is one of the rare cases where the story keeps you in the game. (iOS and $5 Android)

Monument Valley ($3.99)

The term hand-crafted may seem like an oxymoron when applied to a video game, but it aptly describes “Monument Valley.” Essentially a puzzle-based game with a nod to Escher, in “Monument Valley” you explore fabulous architecture peppered with optical illusions and secret passages with the mute princess Ida. It's surprisingly calming and enticing at the same time. (iOS and Android)

Threes! ($0.99 to $6.99)

Addictive is the ultimate compliment for a game, and “Threes!” is certainly that. If you've ever wasted an hour playing Blackjack or been hooked on “Tetris,” you'll appreciate this title. By sliding numbered cards back and forth and up and down in a 4 by 4 grid, you rack up points based on the card combinations you accumulate until all the rectangles in the grid are filled with numbers. It's trickier than it sounds and each card has its own quirky personality. ($1.99 iOS, $0.99 Android and $6.99 Xbox One) 

Pokemon Art Academy ($30)

Getting kids to follow an artist like Cezanne's brush strokes isn't the easiest way to get children interested in art, especially in this digital age. That's why “Pokemon Art Academy” is such an ideal hook. The graphical game offers 40 step-by-step lessons, from line drawing to shading and perspective. Players also learn contrast and coloring using pencil and paintbrush. True, drawing on a screen isn't the same as drawing on paper, but kids will learn the basics here to get them started. (Nintendo 2DS and 3DS)

FIFA 15 ($60)

Big game hunters will appreciate this soccer, er, football title for the fact that it takes full advantage of the latest gaming platforms - Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The physics of the game are much more realistic, whether it's following the trajectory of a ball into the net or watching a player slip and slide on a soaked playing field. Best of all, there are no financial scandals or ear biting in the game. (Xbox One and PlayStation 4 recommended; also available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3)

Never Alone ($14.99)

A young girl and an arctic fox are the protagonists in this snow-swept, puzzle-driven game. Based on the folklore of the Native Alaskan Iñupiaq people, the game includes some narration by tribal elders and several fascinating tales. There are a few missteps in the mechanics of the game, but the stories and scenery more than make up for the minor glitches. (Xbox One and PlayStation 4)

A Bird Story ($4.99)

Some game titles are so different, they merit mention. “A Bird Story” is the cinema verite of games, told without text or directions. You follow the quotidian habits of a child in this contemplative yet strangely compelling story about a boy and his avian friend. (Windows and Mac) - FoxNews.com