CERN - Sounds of the Universe

Latest news from the particle accelerator facility of CERN, Geneva.

From techno beats to classical melodies, from jazz swinging to pop and rock riffs – the ATLAS experiment can play them all thanks to Quantizer.



This new platform translates ATLAS events into notes and rhythms, meaning one of the most complex scientific instruments in the world will not only search for new physics, but also generate music.

The Quantizer device was conceived by Juliana Cherston, a Master’s student in the Responsive Environments Group at the MIT Media Lab, and designed in partnership with ATLAS Doctoral student Ewan Hill from the University of Victoria. They have just released Quantizer on the web, providing real-time audio samples produced with the latest data.

Being convinced that any continuous data stream, received from constant measurement of time-dependent physical processes, could be transformed into some kind of music, I tried to combine the cosmic version of the ATLAS tunes with cosmic video visualisations produced by BBC. The original video is being accompanied by human composed relaxation music.

If you switch off the video sound manually and, instead, activate the below ATLAS tunes you will find a nice combination of galactic views and live music of natural origin. You might even like YouTube to find for you further visualisations of space and watch them in fullscreen mode while listening to the sounds from sub-atomic proceedings.






Activate cosmic ATLAS tunes from CERN

Hezbollah - Proceedings in Syria

Tonight, news is spreading about a prominent military commander for Hezbollah, Mustafa Badr Addin, and who had lost his life in Syria while fighting in an alliance with Iranian revolutionary guards and regular troops of the Assad regime. His funeral in Lebanon now made thousands of supporters take to the streets.




الآلاف يشاركون في تشييع جنازة مصطفى بدر الدين القائد العسكري البارز لحزب الله

Thousands participate in the public funeral of Mustafa Badr
Addin, the military leader starring in combat for Hezbollah.

[Source: BBC Arabic evening news on May 13, 2016]


Tonight, as well, the Arabic channel of Al-Jazeera covered the subject in their regular special "Behind the News ما وراء الخبر". Here some quotations from that program:




حزب الله تكبد خسائر كبيرة من مقاتليه و نخبة قادته العسكريين في سوريا

Hezbollah is suffering from big losses of its warriors and [from] the choice of its military leaders in Syria.

بدر الدين قتل في منطقة يحميها كل من النظام السوري و روسيا و إيران

The killing of Badr Addin happened in a region protected by the Syrian regime, by Russia and Iran.

بدر الدين كان مسؤول الوحدات المقاتلة لحزب الله في سوريا و شقيق زوجة عماد مغنية

Badr Addin was responsible for the fighting units of Hezbollah in Syria and brother of Imad Mughniyya's wife.

[Editor's Note: Imad Mughniyya had been an important member of the Hezbollah secret service. Mughniyya was held responsible for several terrorist attacks against U.S. and Israeli targets. He died in a car bombing in Damascus in 2008.]

بدر الدين هو المتهم الأول في اغتيال رئيس الوزراء اللبناني الأسبق رفيق الحريري

Badr Addin is the first suspect in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.

الصحافة الإسرائيلية ترحب بمقتل بدر الدين و تقول إنه ضربة قاصمة لحزب الله

Israeli media are celebrating the death of Badr Addin and say that [his death] is a disastrous blow against Hezbollah.

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Update for May 14, 2016:

Reminding Unfinished Business .....

UN envoy warns that Hezbollah expansion can threaten Lebanon.

[Headline of Washington Post on May 13, 2016]

Hezbollah’s involvement in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq risks to spill over sectarian tensions into Lebanon where the Islamic State and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front are steadily expanding.

UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen expressed his serious concern at Hezbollah and other militias having not only continued but even increased their military activities since the Security Council ordered them to disband in 2004. He also expressed concern at the reported expansion of extremist groups within Lebanon, mostly in Palestinian refugee camps. All activities to be abandoned are seen as a general threat to the internal stability and sovereignty of Lebanon where the political wing of Hezbollah already holds two seats in the country's government.

So far the raw information from United Nations Security Council and which has been deployed, as well, by Al-Arabiya العربية the following day on May 14:



Above photo: Terje Roed-Larsen deals with implementation of
the 2004 Security Council resolution No. 1559 that is, among
other items, calling for disarmament and demobilization of all
militias operating in Lebanon.

Syria - Saudi Opinion

السعودية: "الأسد وإيران" و"الإرهاب" وجهان لعملة واحدة

Saudi-Arabia: "Assad and Iran" as well as "Terrorism"
are but two sides of the same coin.

حمّلت السعودية النظام السوري وإيران مسؤولية انتشار التطرف والنزعات الطائفية في المنطقة.ـ

Saudi Arabia blamed the Syrian regime and Iran responsible for the spreading of extremism and sectarian tendencies in the region.

وقال عبد الله المعلمي مندوب السعودية في مجلس الأمن إن استنجاد الأسد بمجموعات ترفع شعارات طائفية أوجد بيئة لتقوية التطرف في سوريا .ـ

Abdullah Al Mouallimi, Saudi representative in the Security Council, said that Assad is helping groups to raise sectarian slogans, thus creating an environment to strengthen extremism in Syria.

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on May 12, 2016]


Editor's Note:

Ambassador Abdullah Al-Mouallimi is Saudi-Arabia's representative to the United Nations.

On January 4, 2016, the members of the UN Security Council had condemned in the strongest terms reported attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran, and its Consulate General in Mashhad in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which resulted in intrusions into the diplomatic and consular premises, causing serious damage. [saudimission.org].

Despite Security Council support in the above mentioned attack on Saudi diplomats and diplomatic premises, it should be noted that Saudi-Arabia's relations with the UN Security Council are rather tense, even though the country was elected as its temporary member in 2013.

On October 18, 2013, Saudi Arabia declined its election to the Security Council for the 2014-2015 period. In its statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited the failure of the Council to act in regard to the crisis in Syria, the continuing lack of a "just and lasting solution" to the situation in Palestine, and that the Council had failed to make the Middle East a nuclear weapons-free zone. Instead, Saudi-Arabia pleaded for a reformation of the Council that would enable the organization to carry out its duties and responsibilities. This was the first time in the Council's history that an already elected member would reject its membership. [unelections.org]

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Syria after Short Armistice

The Syrian conflict regains impetus after a 24-hours armistice negociated between U.S. secretary-of-state John Kerry and Russian minister Sergej Lavrov.




غارات روسية عنيفة على ريف إدلب وحلب

Fierce Russian incursions into Idlib and Aleppo district.

أغارت طائرات روسية وسورية على أحياء في حلب شمالي سوريا بعيد غارات مكثفة على الريفين الجنوبي والغربي للمدينة بمشاركة الطائرات الروسية التي قتلت 14 شخصا في بلدة بنّش بريف إدلب.ـ

Russian and Syrian planes launched an attack against Achiya in Aleppo [district], northern Syria, shortly after concentrated incursions into districts south and west of the town with the assistance of Russian planes that killed 14 people in the community of Bannesh in Idlib district.

[Source: Al-Jazeera الجزيبة on May 11, 2016]




Achiya / Aleppo - Results of an earlier bombing
reported by Al-Bawaba البوابة on May 8, 2016.
Three citizens should have died in that assault.




Earlier report from the shelling of Bannesh in Idlib district
and which came from El-Wehda الوحدة the day before on
May 10, 2016. The death toll reported at this time was 10
compared with 14 only some hours later.

..............................

Pyongyang - Workers Party Congress

Celebrations for North Korea's 7th Workers Party Congress.
[XinHua news agency on May 11, 2016]




Pyongyang, May 7 (KCNA) -- The second-day sitting of the Seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) took place on Saturday, May 7. This is the first fully translated video about congress proceedings provided by "Voice of Korea".

However, there is not much new in Kim Jong-Un's speech which is celebrating progress achieved by the Workers Party, as well as North Korea's peculiar and isolated way of getting along with all current economic and geopolitical challenges. Even though international media already stressed a remark made by North Korea's leader the day before and saying the country would only apply nuclear weapons when being attacked, no reliable facts about future plannings are available. Only one thing seems to be clear: There will be a 5-Years-Plan starting in 2016 and lasting until 2020.




For more substantial information on the Workers Party Congress and N Korea's current situation, here an Al-Jazeera special which could not be accused of taking sides in a subject that relates North and South Korea, China, Japan and the U.S.

..............................

Aleppo - Hope for Relief

News Updates added below on May 6 / May 7, 2016:

An arrangement between the U.S. and Russia might finally bring relief for Aleppo, the town in northern Syria that, until now, suffered from incessant air-raids launched by forces of Basher Assad and his Russian allies.




هدوء في حلب بعد سريان الهدنة

Calming down in Aleppo after armistice entered into effect.

قال مراسل الجزيرة في حلب شمالي سوريا إن الهدوء عمّ المدينة في الساعات الأولى من صباح اليوم الخميس مع بدء سريان الهدنةغرد النص عبر تويتر التي اتفقت عليها الولايات المتحدة وروسيا، وقال النظام السوري إنه سيلتزم بها لمدة 48 ساعة.ـ

A correspondent for Al-Jazeera in Aleppo, northern Syria, reported a general calming down in the township during the first moments of Thursday morning [i.e. today, May 5] with the armistice entering into effect and the decision being "chanted" via Twitter regarding an arrangement between the United States and Russia and [a declaration] from the Syrian regime it would stick to [that arrangement] within 48 hours.

[Source: Al-Jazeera الجزيرة on May 5, 2016]

..............................



مجلس الأمن يحمّل نظام الأسد مسؤولية تدمير حلب

[UN] Security Council accuses Assad's regime of
being responsible for the devastation of Aleppo.

يعقد مجلس الأمن جلسة طارئة في هذه الأثناء لبحث الأوضاع في حلب وقد حمّل النظام السوري مسؤولية تدمير المدينة.ـ

The [UN] Security Council has called in an exceptional meeting [during the current period] for an evaluation of the situation in Aleppo and has [already] accused the Syrian regime of being responsible for the town's devastation.




اتفاق أميركي روسي.. الهدنة تشمل حلب

Agreement between America and Russia
... The cease-fire [should] include Aleppo.

واشنطن تأمل من موسكو الضغط على الأسد للالتزام بالترتيبات الجديدة

Washington is expecting Moscow to put pressure on Assad
with respect to [his] commitment to the new arrangements.

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on May 4/5, 2016]

..............................

Latest News on May 6, 2016:




خسائر للنظام وحزب الله بحلب والغارات مستمرة

[Assad] regime and Hisbollah suffering losses in Aleppo in continued attacks.

أعلنت فصائل المعارضة السورية المسلحة أنها أسرت عناصر بجيش النظام وحزب الله اللبناني وسيطرت على بلدة خان طومان ومحيطها بريف حلب، كما أكد حزب الله فقد الاتصال بمجموعة من مقاتليه، في حين شن النظام غارات على ريف إدلب، واستمرت المعارك بريف دمشق.ـ

Armed Syrian opposition groups reported they captured members of regime troops and from Lebanese Hizbollah and took over control of Khan Tuman community [and its environment] in Aleppo [district] as was confirmed by Hisbollah who had lost contact with a group of their fighters while the regime attacked in the Idlib [district] and fighting continued in Damascus [district].


Editor's Note:

- As to the proceedings in the Idlib region, an Al-Jazeera TV special showed homeless civil victims whose make-shift dwellings were hit during an air-raid by Assad's air force. An overall death toll of 30 was simultaneously reported and that should include an unknown number of children.

- The Khan Tuman community, mentioned above, is located 15 km southwest of Aleppo city. The village of Khan Tuman has been taken by a group of "Islamic opposition fighters" on Friday, May 6, according to a later report by Al-Arabiya (May 7).

[Source: Al-Jazeera الجزيرة on May 6, 2016]

...............................

Latest News on May 7, 2016:




Photo from the archives: Iranian fighters in Syria


الحرس الثوري يقر بمقتل 13 مستشاراً إيرانياً قرب حلب

The Revolutionary Guards lost 13 Iranian advisers in combat near Aleppo.

قر الحرس الثوري الإيراني، اليوم السبت، بمقتل 13 مستشاراً عسكرياً إيرانياً قرب مدينة حلب السورية في أكبر خسائر تلحق بإيران على ما يبدو منذ أن أرسلت قوات لدعم رئيس النظام السوري بشار الأسد.ـ

On Saturday [i.e. May 7] the Iranian Revolutionary Guards lost 13 Iranian military advisers in combat near the Syrian town of Aleppo in the biggest Iranian losses since troops were sent to support the president of the Syrian regime Basher al-Assad.

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on May 7, 2016]

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