Japan Gov't Issues False Statement About North Korea Launch

Japan — As if tensions over North Korea's imminent rocket launch/missile test aren't high enough, the Japanese government inaccurately released a statement earlier today that North Korea had in fact launched a rocket. The error was the result of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force being confused about radar information, a Defense Ministry official said.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told the media "We caused a great deal of trouble to the Japanese people. This was a mistake in the transmission of information by the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces."

Kyodo News agency reports that the government released the information at 12:16 p.m. local time via its email-based Em-Net emergency information system. And then retracted the statement 5-minutes later.

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By Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:39

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Spy Satellite Battle - Pentagon vs. Intel Community

United States — The White House will soon be briefed on the options the U.S. has for pursing future secret intelligence-gathering satellite technology. And it should come as little surprise there are two camps with decidedly different opinions, with the Pentagon on one side and the Intelligence Community (IC) on the other.

Sources tell AviationWeek that the White House could be briefed as early as next week about the IC's desire to acquire "high-end technology and larger satellites for the electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) collection mission", and the Pentagon's push for "medium-class satellites in a lower orbit".

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By Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:38

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Air Force Chooses New Nuclear Command HQ

United States — After a series of nuclear weapons-related mishaps in 2007 and 2008 the U.S. Air Force decided to create one command to be responsible for the Air Force's nuclear assets. Called the Global Strike Command, it provisionally stood up in January 2009, and now it has a likely home - Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. 
On April 2, the Air Force informed Congress that Barksdale had been selected as the preferred choice for the AFGSC's home base. An environmental impact study must be completed next, before the final decision is made.

AFGSC is scheduled to stand up this September.

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By Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:37

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German Firms Admit Spying on Workers

The German unit of aircraft manufacturer Airbus has admitted to spying on its employees between 2005 and 2007. Former management at Airbus ordered that the banking details of the entire German staff (about 20,000 people) be reviewed and compared to those of Airbus suppliers. No irregularities were found.

This revelation comes on the heels of another case of corporate surveillance in Germany. The head of Deutsche Bahn, the country's national rail operator, resigned this week amidst a scandal that finds the company snooped through thousands of employees' emails looking for leaks of sensitive information, as well as workers being critical of Deutsche Bahn.

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By Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:35

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No Survivors from North Sea Helicopter Crash

United Kingdom — Yesterday a Super Puma helicopter operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters crashed into the North Sea. There were no survivors. The helicopter was returning to Scotland from a BP oil platform when it went down with 2 pilots and 14 oil workers. Eight bodies have been recovered.
From Telegraph.co.uk:

"Divers are now trying to locate the wreck of the chopper to recover other bodies which are likely to be trapped inside and to locate the black box flight data recorder which will provide essential evidence to air accident investigators."

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By Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:34

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TOP TEN EVENTS IN APRIL 2009

Spring is in the air and love is all around or is it? Despite some encouraging rhetoric from the G20, the onset of spring is about the best news we are likely to hear from the mainstream media. There is more to life however than financial markets, terrorists, the credit crunch and the G20 talks that seems to dominate the international news. 

All around the world there are wonderful events taking place, so if you still have a job, there could never be a better time to travel or buy a car for that matter, as one never knows what is around the corner, so enjoy life whilst you can. 

Having said that, certain annual Events are in some places at least is in question. Take the small town of Manzanares el Real for example, where the residents in this small town of central Spain voted in a referendum to cancel their annual bullfighting Festival, because of the economic crisis. The move was actually proposed by the Mayor on the grounds that the event would divert resources from other important municipal services. The outcome has caused an outcry among supporters of bullfighting though and the debate continues.

So here are the Top 10 ten events that are occurring across Planet Earth in April 09…

The Philadelphia Film Festival 26th March – 6th April 2009
The Philadelphia Film Society is pleased to bring to the city of Philadelphia the 18th Philadelphia Film Festival, which has become one of the leading Film Festivals in the Eastern United States and this year is no exception. Featuring over 260 films, screening at 6 venues around the city, the 2009 Festival promises once again to electrify film lovers of all tastes. The event presents films from a varied number of countries and as always this year’s Festival will be hosting several special events, receptions and programs attended by our Festival goers, VIP’s and award winners, over the 12 day Festival bash.

Further information: www.phillyfests.com  


Wembley Stadium, London, England World Cup 2010 Qualifier: 1st April 2009 
England plays Ukraine at Wembley in this qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup.
This is a crunch game for England who heads their World Cup Qualifier table. The England team possesses arguably the best player in the world at the moment, Stephen Gerrard. Certainly the British Premier League is the best competitive professional football league in the world, however until recently the players have not been able the emulate the quality of the league. It’s taken an Italian Coach to put the England team in shape and fans all over the country will be willing on the team at the new impressive Wembley Stadium to secure a place at the 1210 World Cup finals in South Africa. Come on you Boys in White!

Further information: http://www.england2010.co.uk  


Aintree UK Grand National 2nd April – 4th April 2009 
The National is one of the highlights of the entire sporting year in the UK and the race captures the imagination of millions around the world, thanks to its ability to consistently produce thrilling finishes and heart-warming stories, as horse and rider try to conquer the mighty Aintree fences.

Further information: www.aintree.co.uk  

New south Wales Australia National Trust Festival 2009 ‘Our Place in Space – Under the Southern Cross’ 4th April – 19th April 2009
Welcome to the 2009 National Trust Festival, designed to celebrate cultural heritage
by being part of one of the longest-running community Festivals in New South Wales.
The Festival theme this year is ‘Our Place in Space - Under the Southern Cross’. It encompasses hundreds of fantastic events across metropolitan and regional NSW. The National Trust established the Heritage Festival 289 years ago to remind people to care about their built, environmental and cultural heritage. These concerns remain as relevant today as they were then. The National Trust continues to advocate for the conservation of our cultural heritage and historic landscapes, and they continue to rely on outside support to achieve these goals.

Further information: www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au

Naviglio Grande, Milan, Italy Fiori e Sapori 5th April 2009
Spring Festival, which sees over 200 florivivaisti from all over Italy participating. Beautiful flower displays transform Milan's historical Naviglio Grande into a carnival of fragrances and colors during the sensorial Fiori e Sapori (Flowers and Taste) experience. The annual flower and gardening show attracts cultivators and retailers from all over the country. It’s open from 9:00 am until sunset. 

Further information: http://www.giraitalia.it 

Scotland Melrose Sevens 126th Tournament 11th April 2009 
On Saturday 11th April 2009 the Melrose Rugby Football Club will host its 126th tournament. In the heart of the Scottish Borders the biggest and best of the Scottish Borders Rugby Sevens events returns once again. Melrose is the birthplace of the Rugby Sevens and is a must-see event for any rugby fan. Melrose Sevens draws thousands of spectators every year to see rugby played at its traditional home. 

Further information: www.melroserugby.bordernet.co.uk  

Bangkok Songkran (Thai New Year) – 13th April - 15th April 2009 
Songkran (สงกรานต์) is the most important feast for Thai people. Often called 'water' festival’, Songkran is the ancient New Year's Day happening occurring in mid-April. Officially now the official New Year's Day actually happens on the 1st January. In Bangkok, the Buddha image "Buddhasihing" is brought out from the National Museum for people to sprinkle lustral water at Sanam Luang, opposite the Grand Palace. During the Thai New Year parade Buddha statues are settled on cars. People sprinkle holy water on the statue to purify it.

Further information: www.thaiworldview.com 

Jinghong, China The New Year Water-Splashing Festival 13th - 15th April 2009 
Interested in doing something different? How about participating in the Jinghong water splashing Festival? The Dai people of Xishuangbanna celebrate New Year with a Buddhist water-splashing Festival. The 3-day event, centered in the town of Jinghong, features dragon boat races, traditional Dai dances and the bizarre activity of public drenching.

Further information: www.travelchinaguide.com 

Singapore World Gourmet Summit 19th April - 2nd May 2009 
The Singapore Tourism Board and Peter Knipp Holdings will host the seventh annual World Gourmet Summit, which will showcase the best of Singapore’s culinary scene along with some of the world’s truly finest Chefs. Guests can sample these stars' creations on “Gourmet Safari” tours of the city’s unexpected places to dine. Other events will include an awards luncheon, Gourmet BBQ, Bordeaux wine tasting and culinary workshops. Lasting for over 2 weeks, summit activities will take place at various venues and restaurants throughout town. 

Further information: www.worldgourmetsummit.com  

Seville La Feria de Abril 28th April - 3rd May 2009 
Seville's best party with traditional dress, parades, dancing and wild parties in a gorgeous environment. The fair officially begins at midnight on Tuesday, and runs 6 days, ending on the following Sunday. During past fairs, however, many activities have begun on the Saturday prior to the official opening. Each day the fiesta begins with the parade of carriages and riders at midday, carrying Seville's leading citizens which make their way to the bullring, the La Real Maestranza, where the bullfighters and breeders meet. For the duration of the fair, the fairgrounds, a vast area is on the far bank of the Guadalquivir River, are totally covered in rows of casetas (individual decorated marquee tents which are temporarily built on the fairground). Some of these casetas belong to the prominent families of Seville, some to groups of friends, clubs, trade associations or political parties. From around 9 at night until 6 or 7 in the following morning, at first in the streets and later only within each caseta, you will find crowds partying and dancing "Sevillanas", drinking Jerez sherry, or manzanilla wine and eating tapas.

Further information: www.andalucia.com 

By: Progress On 09:16

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Greetings from Exotic Manila

Exotic greetings from Manila, otherwise known as the American capital of Asia. Its here in the Philippines that the greatest national export is actually people, which is not surprising with their excellent service attitude and work ethic. There are approximately 3 million overseas workers, however thousands of Philippino's are returning home after in their droves after being laid off in the Middle East (especially Dubai), Macao and other parts of the world. The demand from the Cruise Industry is lowering too and once again its becoming a recruiters market. By Government law, each Philppino is required to send home at least 80% of their salary. This ruling, along with Visa processing. Documentation, airport taxes, Certification on necessary training and tax on recruitment / handling agencies helps to drive the national economy. Subsequently the country feels this global recession in different ways to us in the west.
Meanwhile, according to IATA, the Airline Industry is in serious crisis and it does not take an economist to work out why. The world banking crisis is making the risk of a major airline failure more likely because carriers will not be able to access funding for a rescue if they fall into trouble. The situation is so dire that the Director General of IATA."Airlines actually said “we are now in a very weak situation - they (Airlines) have debt of $170 billion so we are in a much worst position - we don't have cash,". It appears that its only a matter of time before another Airline or two goes down.

Changing the focus to the brighter topic of the “Top Ten” Events around the world in April. Hypo Global takes a quick look at the G20 from the perspective of BRIC countries and we have more from La Dolce Vita and Cyprus Events.
Grant Holmes, Editor Perpetual Traveller

By: Progress On 10:36

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