SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he "didn't expect this one to work" soon after the failed landing of the company's Falcon 9 rocket on a robotic barge Friday evening.
Musk, 44, tweeted soon after the Falcon 9 launched its SES-9 satellite cargo from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and landed hard on the robotic barge after it returned back to Earth. The company was making another attempt at landing the rocket on a robotic ship at sea, after its previous failed attempt in January.
The company didn't think the landing would go so well. In a pre-mission overview, it said that "a successful landing [was] not expected."
Though the initial launch of its satellite cargo went as planned, most viewers of the livestream were interested in its descent back to Earth, hoping the company would pull off a successful landing. As TI's Dave Mosher reported previously, the drone ship came into view on the livestream, but once rocket thrusters appeared on the ship's deck, the feed switched off.
If the landing were successful, it would have one-upped the company's historic Dec. 21st launch and landing of a Falcon 9 rocket on solid ground. But SpaceX will no doubt keep trying, since the ability to launch and return a rocket at sea for reuse would dramaticallyreduce the cost of space travel.
The flight was originally scheduled for last week, but it suffered a series of delays until the successful launch on Friday.
Though SpaceX wasn't successful in landing this time, Musk said in his tweet the next flight "has a good chance."
Finland and the Netherlands have already shown their interest in giving people a regular monthly allowance regardless of working status, and now Ontario, Canada is onboard.
Ontario's government announced in February that a pilot program will be coming to the Canadian province sometime later this year.
The premise: send people monthly checks to cover living expenses such as food, transportation, clothing, and utilities — no questions asked.
It's a radical idea, and one that has been around since the 1960s. It's called "basic income." In the decades since it was first proposed, various researchers and government officials have given basic income experiments a try, to mixed results.
Folks at the Basic Income Canada Network, the national organization promoting basic income, have high hopes.
"We need it rolled out across Canada, and Quebec, too, is in the game," said chair of BICN, Sheila Regehr, in a statement. "So there's no reason why people and governments in other parts of this country need sit on the sidelines – it's time for us all to get to work."
Ontario officials haven't decided when or where exactly it'll roll out the program, nor how much each person will receive. When it does, the money will come from a portion of Ontario's budget set aside for the experiment.
In Finland, a small social democratic country, people will receive an additional 800 euros per month, or just shy of $900. In various citiesthroughout the Netherlands, people receive an extra $1,000.
Ontario at least doesn't seem to be spinning its wheels. Canada's federal minister of families, children, and social development, Jean-Yves Duclos, formally endorsed the experiment early last month, saying that basic income merits a genuine discussion.
"There are many different types of guaranteed minimum income," Duclos told The Globe and Mail. "I'm personally pleased that people are interested in the idea."
In theory, basic income should work.
While one kneejerk reaction is to argue that free money creates a lazy working class, research suggests the opposite is true. Supported by the financial safety net, people in one 2013 study actually worked 17% longer hours and received 38% higher earnings when basic income was given a shot.
In a country like Canada, where healthcare and retirement savings are already highly socialized, it isn't farfetched to think a steady income paid for by the taxpayers could roll out smoothly.
Correction: An earlier version of this post misattributed the pilot program to the Basic Income Canada Network, not the province of Ontario.
Migrant crisis: Migration to Europe explained in seven charts
More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe in 2015, sparking a crisis as countries struggled to cope with the influx, and creating division in the EU over how best to deal with resettling people.
The vast majority arrived by sea but some migrants have made their way over land, principally via Turkey and Albania.
Winter has not stemmed the flow of people - with 135,711 people reaching Europe by sea since the start of 2016, according to the UNHCR.
1. Which countries are migrants from?
The conflict in Syria continues to be by far the biggest driver of migration. But the ongoing violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, abuses in Eritrea, as well as poverty in Kosovo, are also leading people to look for new lives elsewhere.
2. Where are migrants going?
Although not all of those arriving in Europe choose to claim asylum, many do. Germany received the highest number of new asylum applications in 2015, with more than 476,000.
But far more people have arrived in the country - German officials said more than a million had been counted in Germany's "EASY" system for counting and distributing people before they make asylum claims.
Hungary moved into second place for asylum applications, as more migrants made the journey overland through Greece and the Western Balkans. It had 177,130 applications by the end of December.
3. How do migrants get to Europe?
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 1,011,700migrants arrived by sea in 2015, and almost 34,900 by land.
This compares with 280,000 arrivals by land and sea for the whole of 2014. The figures do not include those who got in undetected.
The EU's external border force, Frontex, monitors the different routes migrants use and numbers arriving at Europe's borders and put the figure crossing into Europe in 2015 at more than 1,800,000.
Most of those heading for Greece take the relatively short voyage from Turkey to the islands of Kos, Chios, Lesvos and Samos - often in flimsy rubber dinghies or small wooden boats.
4. How dangerous is the journey?
According to the IOM, more than 3,770 migrants were reported to have died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2015.
Most died on the crossing from north Africa to Italy, and more than 800 died in the Aegean crossing from Turkey to Greece.
The summer months are usually when most fatalities occur as it is the busiest time for migrants attempting to reach Europe.
But in 2015, the deadliest month for migrants was April, which saw a boat carrying about 800 people capsize in the sea off Libya. Overcrowding is thought to have been one of the reasons for the disaster.
5. Which European countries are most affected?
Although Germany has had the most asylum applications in 2015, Hungary had the highest in proportion to its population, despite having closed its border with Croatia in an attempt to stop the flow in October. Nearly 1,800 refugees per 100,000 of Hungary's local population claimed asylum in 2015.
Sweden followed close behind with 1,667 per 100,000.
The figure for Germany was 587 and for the UK it was 60 applications for every 100,000 residents. The EU average was 260.
6. How has Europe responded?
Tensions in the EU have been rising because of the disproportionate burden faced by some countries, particularly the countries where the majority of migrants have been arriving: Greece, Italy and Hungary.
In September, EU ministers voted by a majority to relocate 160,000 refugees EU-wide, but for now the plan will only apply to those who are in Italy and Greece.
The UK has opted out of any plans for a quota system but, according to Home Office figures, 1,000 Syrian refugees were resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme in 2015. Prime Minister David Cameron has said the UK will accept up to 20,000 refugees from Syria over the next five years.
7. How many asylum claims are approved?
Although huge numbers have been applying for asylum, the number of people being given asylum is far lower.
In 2015, EU countries offered asylum to 292,540 refugees. In the same year, more than a million migrants applied for asylum - although applying for asylum can be a lengthy procedure so many of those given refugee status may have applied in previous years.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.
Ahmed Shehzad called up for World T20 SHARETWEETEMAILAhmed Shehzad. PHOTO: AFPKARACHI: Pakistan’s opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad is line to replace Khurram Manzoor in the World T20 squad as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked for his passport so that his Indian visa arrives in time.Shehzad was overlooked for the Asia Cup and World T20 but his consistent performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) built pressure on the selectors and the team management to select him.The failure of the top-order in Asia Cup, especially Khurram Manzoor’s poor run of form, forced the selectors to rethink about their decision.Pakistan drop Shehzad for Asia Cup, World Twenty20The right-handed opening batsman is closing in on 1,000 T20I runs as well as he is just 59 runs short at 941.“Ahmed has been asked to submit his passport for the World T20,” a PCB official confirmed while talking to The Express Tribune. “His inclusion in the World T20 side will be made official soon.”
Pakistan has undergone a series of positive developments that merit recognition, claimed a recently published report in a top US magazine.
“These developments set the table for the sort of policies and investments needed to move the country on a path traveled by Indonesia or Brazil,” American-based magazine Forbes said, adding Islamabad had its first peaceful democratic transition in 2013 and the military, the civilian government, and civil society are broadly aligned on security issues.
Further, the report pointed out that the country’s economy has been growing for a number of years and it is back on track to complete an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme from start to finish for the first time in its history.
“Pakistan’s growing middle class, which will expand from an estimated 40 million people today to 100 million people by 2050, represents a powerful engine for change, demanding both improved services and greater access to opportunities.”
The bi-weekly went on to claim that there is a huge potential in Pakistan’s energy sector and suggested that more capable people are needed to head the industries that will carry its future growth; run it’s national, provincial and city governments; and grow its universities.
“Pakistan’s abundant coal reserves and access to water flowing from the Himalayas mean it could be the ‘Saudi Arabia of Coal’ and the ‘Saudi Arabia of Hydropower.’ Pakistan also has significant wind, solar and geothermal potential,” it said.
Furthermore, the report indicated that it is in favour of the United States and Pakistan that the latter grows a lot faster than its neighbours. “If current trends continue, by 2050, India’s economy will be 40 times larger than Pakistan’s, and China’s economy 100 times larger. It is in both US and Pakistani interests to see that Pakistan grows a lot faster.”
It, however, warned the country is still not where it needs to be in terms of improving its educational sector. “The government has made some increases in spending on education, up from 1.9 percent of GNP in 2004 to 2.5 percent in 2014; Pakistan aspires to spend 4 percent of GNP on education so it is still not where it needs to be.”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is an emerging market with a strategic location, access to deep sea, natural resources, good irrigation system and talented youth that comprises 60% of the population, Ambassador of Republic of Korea Dr Song Jong-Hwan said on Thursday.
He said that Korea had fewer resources but was now considered as one of the top economies of the world and that was because of extraordinary sacrifice of the people and their work ethics.
He said that he was convinced that Pakistan would achieve its own economic miracle: Miracle of Indus River.
He was expressing these views while delivering a lecture on Pak-Korean relations at National University of Modern Languages (NUML).
NUML Rector Major General (Retd) Zia Uddin Najam, NUML Director General Brig Riaz Ahmed Gondal, NUML Registrar Brig (Retd) Aminullah Khan, King Sejong Institute Director Dr Atif Faraz and a large number of students attended the lecture.
Dr Song Jong-Hwan said that both countries have strong bilateral relations and Korea is assisting Pakistan in many mega projects like IT Park, health, education, transportation and energy sectors to make the country prosperous.
He stressed the need of education and shared that over a period of time Korea spent over 20% of its annual budget on this sector.
Korean Ambassador said that Pakistani youth can change the fate of the country and for that end they must learn the art of work ethics.
Speaking on the occasion, NUML Rector said that Korea was listed in the world’s top economies and as a nation has set an example for others by adopting exceptional work ethics.
