Carrier rocket with Soyuz MS-27 manned spacecraft blasts off from Baikonur Cosmodrome
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The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Soyuz MS-27 spaceship blasted off from Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:47 am., Kazinform News Agency reports.
It carries the crew of the 73rd long-duration expedition to the International Space Station (ISS).
The crew includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Zubritsky and Sergey Ryzhikov as well as NASA astronaut Jonny Kim.
The cosmonauts onboard the rocket are reported feeling good.
Notably, today's launch from Baikonur is dated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
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How renewables could power every car on Earth
Images | Depositphotos
The international think tank Ember has published a new analysis highlighting the role of solar and wind power in strengthening national energy independence. The report presents three key insights that show how the shift to renewables can not only reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports, but also provide long-term economic stability, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Most of the world's population depends on fossil fuel imports
According to Ember’s estimates based on 2022 data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), 74% of the global population lives in countries that are net importers of fossil fuels. These include Japan, which meets 87% of its energy demand through imports, South Korea (81%), Turkey (69%), and Germany (67%). By contrast, China has managed to keep its energy import dependency at just 21%, thanks to significant domestic energy production-particularly from renewables-and large-scale electrification of its economy.
The import cost of a solar panel ‘pays back’ in just one year
A $100 million investment in solar panels can generate as much electricity in a year as burning imported gas costing the same amount. Unlike fossil fuels, which require ongoing spending, solar panels are a one-time expense that can offset gas import costs within a year and save billions over their 30-year lifespan.
Beyond the cost of the panels themselves, installing solar panels involves additional expenses-such as labor, land, and financing-which International Renewable Energy Agency estimated at about $0.50 per watt in 2023. To reduce future reliance on imports, many countries are investing in domestic battery manufacturing.
The world is already producing enough solar and wind
In 2024, global wind and solar power generation reached 4,626 terawatt-hours (TWh). At the same time, global demand for motor gasoline amounted to 27.25 million barrels per day-equivalent to 14,042 TWh of energy. However, internal combustion engines are highly inefficient, converting only about 24% of that energy into useful work, which means just 3,370 TWh were actually used.
Electric vehicles, by contrast, are around 84% efficient, making much better use of electricity. If all of the wind and solar power generated in 2024 had been used to power electric vehicles, it would have delivered approximately 3,886 TWh of usable energy-enough to fully replace gasoline in the global vehicle fleet.
The share of renewables in global electricity generation reached 15% in 2024-three times higher than seven years earlier. And according to IEA projections, electricity demand from electric vehicles is expected to grow nearly tenfold by 2030.
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No request for help from nationals in Türkiye after 6.2M earthquake - Kazakh MFA
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The General Consulate of Kazakhstan in Istanbul has not received any requests for help from Kazakhstani nationals after a powerful 6.2M earthquake in Türkiye’s Istanbul, with a series of aftershocks, on April 23, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that there are 1,137 citizens of Kazakhstan registered at the General Consulate of Kazakhstan in Istanbul.
It is closely monitoring developments in cooperation with Turkish authorities and diplomatic missions of Kazakhstan in the country, says the statement.
Kazakhstani nationals are urged to keep calmness and vigilant as well as follow the local authorities’ guidance.
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Sculptor Zurab Tsereteli passes away at 91
Images | ria.ru
Sculptor and President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli has passed away at the age of 91, his aide Sergey Shagulashvili told TASS.
Zurab Konstantinovich passed away at 1:30 a.m. Now we are deciding when to hold the wake," he said.
According to him, the death occurred due to heart failure.
Tsereteli is an artist and a sculptor, an educator and a public figure, People’s Artist of the USSR, Georgia and Russia, the President of the Russian Academy of Arts.
He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Tsereteli was in charge of many large-scale art projects. In 1970-1980, he was the art director of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in 1980 - the art director of the Moscow Olympics, in 1995, he oversaw the construction of the Poklonnaya Hill memorial in Moscow and the reconstruction of the interior of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.
His works are located in streets and squares, state and public buildings in Moscow and other cities in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and abroad.
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Rare planetary alignment of Venus, Saturn, Moon at the close of April
Images | NASA/JPL-Caltech
A rare 'smiley face' triple conjunction is coming to Earth's morning skies around April 24th and 25th when Venus, Saturn and the crescent moon form a celestial smirk near the horizon, WAM reports.
That's when a rare celestial spectacle called a triple conjunction will occur. On the morning of Friday, Venus, Saturn and the crescent moon will appear close together in the predawn sky, forming a triangular formation reminiscent of a smiley face, according to NASA.
The arrangement of Venus, Saturn and a slender crescent Moon may create a unique visual phenomenon resembling a smiling face in the sky, NASA Solar System Ambassador Brenda Culbertson said.
The two planets will act as the "eyes" of the "smile," with the delicate crescent Moon forming the "mouth," Culbertson added. Venus will be the brighter of the two planets.
This alignment will be visible to anyone who has a clear view of the eastern horizon before sunrise on 25th April.
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