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Saturday, October 7, 2006

The city of Bratsk in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, received a new turbine for its famous 4,500 megawatt hydroelectric plant founded in the mid-1950s on the Angara river. In future this new unit will cause an efficiency rise up to 255MW for each turbine.

Currently, the Bratsk Power Station operates 18 hydro-turbines, each with capacity of 250MW, produced by the Leningrad Metal Works (“LMZ”) in the 1960s. The plant is the second level of the Angara Hydroelectric Stations cascade. Since its full commissioning in 1967, the station was the world’s single biggest power producer until Canada’s Churchill Falls in 1971. Annually the station produces 22.6 billion kWh.

The precious 80 tonne cargo was transported to Pulkovo International airport of Saint-Petersburg where it was loaded on Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan to made all the way to Bratsk by air. On October 4, 2006 it landed in the Bratsk airport. In two days the unit 16 replacement arrived to the assemble place on the Angara river.

Sergey Emdin, CEO of IrkutskEnergo JSC, noted the press that the Bratsk plant reconstruction project includes not only the economical, but the ecological aspect by reducing carbon dioxide emission for 6 million tonnes for the period of 2008-2012.

In 2006 and 2007 the old plant is scheduled to receive two more working wheels – by one for each year respectively, and in 2008 and 2009 another four – by two for each year.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Indian nuclear scientist Homi Sethna has died at the age 86. His death was announced by Homi Mehta, a long time associate of Sethna. The cause of death was announced as lung fibrosis.

During his career Sethna held several posts including director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. During his time with the AEC Sethna presided over India’s nuclear experiment at Pokhran in 1974.

K. Sankaranarayanan, governor of Maharashtra, said in a condolence message “Dr. Homi Sethna was one of India’s pioneering nuclear scientists, who had played a crucial role in the successful conduct of India’s first peaceful nuclear test in 1974. Even after his retirement, he held many important positions and continued to contribute to the task of nation building. I pay my respects to the memory of Dr. Sethna… and convey my heartfelt condolences to his family members.”

Friday, December 21, 2012

Recently, Wikinews spent time with with United States Paralympic skier Jasmin Bambur who was at Copper Mountain, Colorado for the IPC Nor-Am Cup.

((Wikinews)) We’re interviewing Jasmin Bambur. He is a guy. He’s from Serbia, right?

Jasmin Bambur: Yes, ma’am, I am from Serbia but I race for US Paralympic.

((WN)) How did a Serb end up racing for the USA?

Jasmin Bambur: It’s very simple. You just get married to a fine American lady and she give you citizenship and you ski fast and you get on the team. That’s very simple.

((WN)) Why do the Australians love you so?

Jasmin Bambur: We’re a very small community, as ski racers, and we’re always great friends. So we kind of hang out together and help each other out. And then in the end, depends who wins, either hate them or love them.

((WN)) They said you’re some sort of professional racquetball player or something?

Jasmin Bambur: It’s actually team handball. It’s a sport [where] you have seven players like rugby. And yes, I played it professionally until I was 18 in Europe. And when war started in Kosovo, I moved to the United States and that’s how I end up here.

((WN)) You weren’t always a sit skier?

Jasmin Bambur: I am a sit skier now but actually the reason I am a sit skier is I had a car accident in 2000. I fell asleep driving. Driving and sleeping don’t go together. I don’t know why.

((WN)) Yeah, that’s a difficult lesson to learn. So how have you been doing at this event?

Jasmin Bambur: Skiing? I’ve been skiing for about ten years, racing about four. And so far it’s going great.

((WN)) You won a medal, at this thing, right? One of these days?

Jasmin Bambur: I won two medals in Super G, two third places, and yesterday I got second place in slalom.

((WN)) And what’s your favourite one?

Jasmin Bambur: Favourite is Super G.

((WN)) Because you go fast?

Jasmin Bambur: Yes, fast and very little turning. So that’s my pick[?].

((WN)) Thank you very, very much.

Jasmin Bambur: No problem.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

London, England— Tuesday, following her team’s 62–37 win over Mexico in the quarter-finals at the North Greewich Arena, Wikinews interviewed Amber Merrit of the Australian women’s national wheelchair basketball team.

In their next match, the Gliders will face the victors from the United States versus Canada, having suffered their first loss of this year’s Games to Canada on Sunday night by seven points.

((Laura Hale)) I’m excited to see you in London, because you were so fantastic in that interview.

[Wikinews previously interviewed Merrit, and teammates in July. —Ed.]

Amber Merrit: Thank you.

((WN)) Which state are you from?

AM: I’m from WA. [Western Australia —Ed.]

((WN)) You wheel change! What was wrong with your wheel?

AM: I smashed out three spokes. Someone hit me, and I lost three spokes in my chair.

((WN)) was that because you were playing really aggressively against Mexico?

AM: Yeah, or they were playing really aggressive against us.

((WN)) Watching that game it didn’t seem that they were playing that aggressive, in terms of they came in with set pieces; they weren’t doing the full-court press; they didn’t seem prepared for your offensive and defensive tenacity. ((Hawkeye7)) You kept on all holding them out, where they weren’t even getting across the centre line

AM: I think we have a really physical style of basketball where we’re going to press, and when we press we try to stop chairs and make sure they don’t get over that halfway line. They’re going to come out and play as hard as they can against us and sometimes there is that odd mishap where they might smash a few spokes cause they hit us. It happens.

((WN)) You tipped a lot in previous games. You haven’t tipped so much in this series.

AM: No, I’ve managed to keep my balance this time. Or maybe they haven’t hit me hard enough to put me down on the floor.

((WN)) Part of the appeal of wheelchair basketball, and I feel guilty admitting it, it watching you guys tip.

AM: And fall out. It’s embarrassing but I like it.

((WN)) You’ve got your next game coming up, which is going to be against the winner of the United States or Canada later today

AM: We’re not 100% sure yet who that’s going to be.

((WN)) Looking forward to meeting them?

AM: Yeah! Looking forward to coming up against them.

((WN)) Who would you prefer?

AM: I don’t know if I have a preference, to be honest. Whoever its going to be, we’re still going to go out there and play as hard as we can and take it to them as a team.

((WN)) Do you think you’ve been adequately prepared coming in to this, with your tournament in Sydney, your tournament in the Netherlands?

AM: Yeah, I think we’ve come in very well prepared for this tournament. We’ve been together for a while now as a team. Of course we had the Gliders and Rollers world challenge. We also went to Arnheim in the Netherlands for a pre-tournament, and we’ve trained together in Cardiff. And then after Cardiff we came in to London; so we’ve had that time together as a team and we’re doing really well.

((WN)) Does that give you an advantage over other teams?

AM: I’m not sure, because I don’t know what other teams have been doing behind the scenes as their training.

((WN)) Thank you very much.

AM: No worries!

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Wal-Mart Canada’s first three supercenters opened in Ancaster, London and Stouffville, Ontario.

The idea originally started in the United States in late 2005 and was announced that it would be arriving in Canada.

Flat screen TVs suspended from the ceiling will feature a television network, featuring fashion shows of Wal-Mart’s clothing lines, TV commercials featuring brands the retailer carries, and corporate messages.

With an expanded selection of electronics, hardware, home and housewares, the Wal-Mart supercentre could be compared to Future Shop, Home Depot, Home Outfitters, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Fortinos. The supercentre has wider aisles, higher ceilings, clear signage, and cash registers in selected departments such as electronics and clothing.

“Our goal is to become the one-stop shop for customers,” said Mario Pilozzi, chief executive of Wal-Mart Canada. “You see how fresh that is today? We are going to maintain that freshness in these stores.”

Wal-Mart’s Canadian supercentres are more sophisticated then their U.S. counterparts, because Canadian grocers have created higher expectations among the average consumer, company officials say.

However, Wal-Mart openings are controversial in many communities. Activists claim they can be detrimental to local economies, driving out locally owned businesses, lowering wages, and leading to suburban sprawl.

Wal-Mart already has plans to open fourteen new supercentres in 2007, of them Scarborough, Sarnia, Brampton and Vaughan will be early in the year.