Parts of unmanned Russian spaceship burn up over Dubai

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Parts of unmanned Russian spaceship burn up over Dubai

2017-10-18 12:48 Last Updated At：12:48

Parts of an unmanned Russian cargo spaceship burned across the night sky of the Arabian Peninsula, drawing gasps from Dubai to Riyadh before breaking up in the Earth's atmosphere and scattering in the Indian Ocean.

The fiery end Monday night to parts of Progress MS-07 came as planned after it delivered 2.5 metric tons (2.75 tons) of water, food and scientific equipment to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

But its 80-second appearance in the skies of the United Arab Emirates stunned onlookers in a region where Iran regularly test-fires ballistic missiles and Shiite rebels in Yemen have threatened to use them against Abu Dhabi. Even a day later, government officials still hadn't corrected their earlier statements identifying the object as a meteor.

The disposable spacecraft blasted off Saturday from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch complex in Kazakhstan. Its rockets and stages earlier fell harmlessly and largely unnoticed into the atmosphere, said Hasan Ahmad al-Hariri, the CEO of the Dubai Astronomy Group.

Parts of the ship could be seen re-entering the atmosphere from 7:35 p.m. (1535 GMT) Monday, al-Hariri said. It streaked across the Dubai skyline behind the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, drawing both stunned and anxious reaction from those watching.

"It was quite visible for the public," al-Hariri told The Associated Press. "It's not something you see every day. It was beautiful to see that thing up in the sky, disintegrating into pieces."

Soon, "people were banging me with calls," he said.

The governmental Dubai Media Office, citing the sheikhdom's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, quickly described the aerial display a "meteorite." The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement that "the meteor was a natural and regular phenomenon at this time of the year."

But it wasn't a meteor. Al-Hariri said it was the 6.5-meter (21.3-foot)-long spaceship breaking up some 140 kilometers (87 miles) in the sky.

NASA told the AP on Tuesday night that the spaceship made it to the International Space Station early Monday morning. It referred further questions to the U.S. Joint Space Operations Center, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, which hopes to launch a probe to Mars in 2020, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The UAE announced in February it wanted to build the first city on Mars by 2117.

For al-Hariri, whose semi-governmental organization hopes to soon open its Al Thuraya Astronomy Center along the flight path of the Dubai International Airport, the incident Monday night shows the importance of educating the public about the wonders of space. He noted that despite the UAE's rapid development, its empty deserts offer beautiful viewing of the stars at night, including glimpses of the Milky Way.

"It was something that was really worth to look at," he said. "It was beautiful to see."

Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever

2024-05-07 18:21 Last Updated At：18:31

Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.

At the ceremony inside the gilded Grand Kremlin Palace, Putin placed his hand on the Russian Constitution and vowed to defend it as a crowd of hand-picked dignitaries looked on.

“We are a united and great people and together we will overcome all obstacles, realize all our plans, together we will win,” Putin said after being sworn in.

Since succeeding President Boris Yeltsin in the waning hours of 1999, Putin has transformed Russia from a country emerging from economic collapse to a pariah state that threatens global security. Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine that has become Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, Russia has been heavily sanctioned by the West and is turning to other regimes like China, Iran and North Korea for support.

Already in office for nearly a quarter-century and the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin, Putin’s new term doesn’t expire until 2030, when he will be constitutionally eligible to run again.

In a heavily choreographed performance, Putin was pictured in his office looking at his papers before walking along the Kremlin’s long corridors, pausing at one point to look at a painting, on the way to his inauguration.

His guard of honor waited in the sleet and rain for hours, in temperatures hovering just above freezing, while Putin headed to the Grand Kremlin Palace in a car.

Putin used the the first moments of his fifth term to thank the “heroes” of his war in Ukraine and to rail against the West.

Russia “does not refuse dialogue with Western states," he said. Rather, he said, "the choice is theirs: do they intend to continue trying to contain Russia, continue the policy of aggression, continuous pressure on our country for years, or look for a path to cooperation and peace.”

The Russian leader was greeted with applause when he entered the hall with more than 2,500 people who, his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, had been invited to the ceremony. They included senior members of the Russian government as well as celebrities including American actor Steven Seagal.

A French diplomat confirmed the French ambassador attended the inauguration. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy did not attend and Russian state news agency Tass reported she was out of the country.

The question now is what the 71-year-old Putin will do over the course of another six years in the Kremlin, both at home and abroad.

Russian forces are gaining ground in Ukraine, deploying scorched-earth tactics as Kyiv grapples with shortages of men and ammunition. Both sides are taking heavy casualties.

Ukraine has brought the battle to Russian soil through drone and missile attacks, especially in border regions. In a speech in February, Putin vowed to fulfill Moscow’s goals in Ukraine, and do what is needed to “defend our sovereignty and security of our citizens.”

Shortly after his orchestrated reelection in March, Putin suggested that a confrontation between NATO and Russia is possible, and he declared he wanted to carve out a buffer zone in Ukraine to protect his country from cross-border attacks.

At home, Putin's popularity is closely tied to improving living standards for ordinary Russians.

Putin on Tuesday once again promised Russians a prosperous future, but since the invasion of Ukraine, many have seen their cost of living go up.

Putin began his term in 2018 by promising to get Russia into the top five global economies, vowing it should be “modern and dynamic.” Instead, Russia's economy has pivoted to a war footing, and authorities are spending record amounts on defense.

Analysts say now that Putin has secured another six years in power, the government could take the unpopular steps of raising taxes to fund the war and pressure more men to join the military.

At the start of a new term, the Russian government is routinely dissolved so that Putin can name a new prime minister and Cabinet.

One key area to watch is the Defense Ministry.

Last year, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu came under pressure over his conduct of the war, with mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin launching withering criticism against him for shortages of ammunition for his private contractors fighting in Ukraine. Prigozhin's brief uprising in June against the Defense Ministry represented the biggest threat to Putin's rule.

After Prigozhin was killed two months later in a mysterious plane crash, Shoigu appeared to have survived the infighting. But last month, his protege, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, was detained on charges of bribery amid reports of rampant corruption.

Some analysts have suggested Shoigu could become a victim of the government reshuffle but that would be a bold move as the war is still raging in Ukraine.

In the years following the invasion, authorities have cracked down on any form of dissent with a ferocity not seen since Soviet times.

Putin indicated Tuesday that he would continue to silence critics.

He told his audience in the Grand Kremlin Palace to remember the “tragic cost of internal turmoil and upheaval," and said that Russia “must be strong and absolutely resistant to any challenges and threats.”

Putin enters his fifth term with practically no opposition to his rule inside the country.

His greatest political foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic penal colony in February. Other prominent critics have either been imprisoned or have fled the country, and even some of his opponents abroad fear for their security.

Laws have been enacted that threaten long prison terms for anyone who discredits the military. The Kremlin also targets independent media, rights groups, LGBTQ+ activists and others who don't hew to what Putin has emphasized as Russia's “traditional family values.”