A Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket has successfully launched the DirecTV-11 Communications satellite for DirecTV. The Ukrainian-built rocket lifted off from the Norwegian Ocean Odyssey launch platform in the Pacific Ocean at 22:47:59 (UTC) yesterday evening, with spacecraft separation from the carrier rocket occurring at 23:49:03.

The mission, which marked the 13th orbital launch of 2008, is the 25th commercial launch to be conducted by the international Sea Launch consortium, the first of which also lofted a DirecTV satellite. This is also the 250th flight of the Block DM upper stage, which is used on some variants of the Zenit and Proton rockets. Launch had been delayed from November 2007 due to damage to the launch platform caused by the failure of an earlier Zenit launch. Delays from earlier this month were caused by a problem with the satellite, resulting in a ten-day delay, and a further two-day delay from Monday evening due to an undisclosed problem with the rocket.

DirecTV-11 is a Boeing 702 satellite, which will provide Direct-to-home High-definition television broadcasting services to houses in the United States, by means of Ka-band communications. It is one of three such satellites operated by DirecTV. The satellite made its first contact with the ground several hours after launch, at 05:44 GMT.

The launch was dedicated to Arthur C. Clarke who died on Tuesday. Clarke, who was most well known for writing the book which 2001: A Space Odyssey was based on, was also the first person to suggest placing satellites into geosynchronous and geostationary orbits. DirecTV-11 will be placed into such an orbit.

Sea Launch President Rob Peckham said that he "feels good" about the mission success, and that Sea Launch was "proud of [its] role in DirecTV's continued success". Steve O'Neill, the President of Boeing Satellite Systems, said that the launch was "a great ride", and thanked Sea Launch for their "excellent work".
The satellite's initial orbit was confirmed to be 250km x 36484.8km x 0°, differing by only 2.8km from the planned orbit.

Sea Launch have a further four launches planned for this year. In addition, its subsidiary Land Launch will conduct its first launch, using a Zenit-3SLB rocket from area 45/1 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome to launch the AMOS-60 satellite. This is currently scheduled for mid-April. The next Sea Launch mission, with the Galaxy 18 satellite, is scheduled for May.

Njogu Demba joins Tijan at Brann Gambian international striker, Njogu Demba, has teamed-up with Tijan Jaiteh at FC Brann in Norway. The 28-year old talismanic striker has put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal, Observer Sports can reveal. Brann and Demba’s former Danish club, Esbjerg, have agreed on a 9,5 million NOK deal that brings the Gambian-Swedish striker to the Norwegian champions.

 The athletic striker will be eligible to play for Brann on February 1, 2008, and Brann will hope that he can perform for them against the English giants, Everton, in the UEFA Club competition in mid-February. Demba will also join his new club for their upcoming pre-season camp at Spanish resort La Manga the coming two weeks, where Brann will face Swedes Helsingborg and Danes FC K¯benhavn as a warm-up to the new Norwegian league season.

"I'm happy to have signed the deal with Brann and I'm really looking forward to starting my new career here", Demba said. A native of Bakau, moved to Sweden as a youngster.

He has previously played for Swedish sides Falun BS and BK H‰cken, before moving to Greece. While in Greece, Demba played for PAS Giannina, Aris FC, Kerkyra FC and Panathinaikos. The experienced striker also played for Bulgarian side Levski Sofia. Since 2006, Demba has played for Danish top division side Esbjerg, where he had netted 23 times in 71 league appearances.

Could the findings of the task force constituted by the National Football governing body (GFA) to look into the matter of Ebrima Sohna, which is a subject of brawl concerning ownership of the player between Wallidan FC and Steve Biko FC be any guide, then Ebrima Sohna is owned by Wallidan FC.

Wallidan took a stance against Steve Biko, a rather puzzled tale, regarding the issuance of an International Transfer Certificate to Sohna, who now plays for Sandefjord FC, a first division side in Norway, at the request of Steve Biko, in spite of a declaration by the player himself that he was a property of Steve Biko at one stage.
The task force indicated in their report that from the documentary and overall oral evidence gathered so far it has no doubt that Ebrima Sohna is owned by Wallidan and not Steve Biko, a report which tends to divide public opinion: is the player owned by Wallidan or Steve Biko?

Meanwhile things seem to go down well for Wallidan, and by now Steve Biko would admit defeat in its claim to own the young star and retire to lick its wounds in a surreal twist.
The report indicated that Ebrima Sohna is a Wallidan fortune as there is preponderance of documentary evidence that Ebrima Sohna is, and was, a Wallidan player at the time his International Transfer Certificate was issued at the request of Steve Biko FC.

The report continued that “it was improper for Steve Biko FC to request for an International Transfer Certificate from the Gambia Football Association,” and also blamed the GFA Secretariat in the way and manner it handled the matter pertaining to Ebrima Sohna adding that “ there is every reason to believe that there is complicity and conflict of interest on the side of the GFA officials regarding this matter.”
“Consequently, Ebrima Sohna’s transfer to Sandefjord FC of Norway by Steve Biko is improper and not in consonance with both domestic and FIFA regulations”, the report stated.

The task force, involving Kebba Masaneh Ceesay, Vice Chairman of the GFA Technical Committee, Badou Jassey, Chairman of the GFA Referees committee, Mr Charles Thomas of the National Sports Council and Mr Lamin Camara, A Barrister at Law, recommended that the Steve Biko Management immediately, without any delay, render full account to Wallidan FC of all administrative and financial transactions in respect of the transfer of Ebrima Sohna to Sandefjord FC and that Sandefjord FC and FIFA be informed accordingly of this decision.

Pointing the way to the future, the report further recommended that in future inter-club transfers, de-registration, etc., be made as transparent as possible and brought to the attention of the GFA President and all the relevant Stakeholders.

According to evidence gathered, one thing which is incontrovertible is that Sohna was registered by Wallidan in 2005 and has played during that FA period. All the official Referees pre-match reports have indicated Sohna entering the field of play as Wallidan player. Sohna is in all the Referees’ match reports as playing for Wallidan. He was also on the list of players registered by Wallidan for 2005 and 2006, and he has never played any match in any particular season for Steve Biko.

It will be noted that last January in the CAF Youth Championship(20 January to 3 February 2007 in Congo), the GFA forwarded the list of the Gambian  squad to CAF declaring that the following were members of the squad with their respective Clubs: Sohna was again officially listed as Wallidan player.

Given all this preponderance of evidence in favour of Wallidan, it seems evident that the GFA Secretariat have a case to answer for likely complicity in this matter, and the Biko Club to account to Wallidan through GFA, all monies and administrative transactions. It is believed that the football public would also like to know the nature of transactions in this and similar international transfer arrangements of our national players. Who were the individuals who received monies for the transfer… how much money was involved in the initial payment and subsequent payments to Sohna’s Gambian team by Sandefjiord FC of Norway? This is the information expected.

SK Brann and Tijan Jaiteh face a number of tough tests after being drawn in Group D for the Uefa Cup group stages.

Norwegian league leaders will face Dinamo Zagreb, Rennes, FC Basel and Hamburg.

Brann, who are on the verge of claiming the Norwegian title, admitted that it’s a group with some very difficult opponents. 

Dinamo already look impressive and have shown how strong they are, and a hot reception will await  any opponent  in Zagreb while  Basel have been the measure of all Swiss teams and with Rennes any thing can happen in the group.

Brann are the unknown in the group, but they should not be underestimated as they have shown a good example by eliminating Club Brugge on their home soil. 

Meanwhile Hamburg Trainer, Huub Stevens, is looking forward to pitting his wits against some new teams for him.

“As a trainer I have never played these sides before.  We will watch them, collect information and prepare ourselves well” he explained.

He however sees Dinamo Zagreb as perhaps his team’s most dangerous opponent.

“Dinamo is a strong side, who has already knocked-our Ajax.  They also showed against Werder in the Champions League that they will not make life easy for us.”

One year ago, Tyson Gay capped his breakout season with a stellar 19.68 victory at the World Athletics Final. This year, Stuttgart may have witnessed the birth of another sprint star, Norwegian Jaysuma Saidy Ndure.

24 hours after finishing second to World record holder Asafa Powell in the 100m here at the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, where he lowered his own national record to 10.06, the 23-year-old produced a stunner of his own after powering away to a 19.89 victory in the 200.

“I was just gone, it was crazy, it was unbelievable,” was the Gambian-born Ndure’s reaction when seeing ‘19’ flash onto the screen. “I feel really happy. These were some great conditions here today. And I made good use of them.”

Clearly leading off the bend, one could sense an upset in the making, but Ndure said he wasn’t surprised to find himself ahead of Osaka bronze medallist Wallace Spearmon heading into the home straight.

“No I was not surprised; I’m a faster 100m runner than him. He’s very slow in the 100 and I took advantage of that.” He clearly did, leaving the American well back in 20.18

It was a massive leap forward for the 23-year-old, who arrived in Stuttgart with a 20.25 best to his credit. But the happy-go-lucky sprinter, who began training seriously just two years ago, said he wasn’t that surprised that he pulled off the victory. Indeed, he said, he had big plans for the weekend.

“I’ve been training very hard this year. Yesterday I was looking forward to running under ten seconds. But with the false starts and all that, it was a little bit bad in the 100. I was a little bit tired, because it took three starts yesterday. But then today I came into the race feeling all fresh again. I feel great.”

Raised by his mother, Saffie Saidy, in Gambia, Ndure participated in a wide variety of sports, and athletics wasn’t immediately his first choice.

“Life was good in Gambia,” he said. “I was doing athletics just for fun. I was playing basketball and volleyball more often, and football a little bit. I was talented, but it was only part-time for me. And then the Gambians invited me to compete for the national team. But I still wasn’t serious because I didn’t like to train.”

Ndure moved to Norway in 2001, to join his father, Babou Ndure, who’d been living in the Scandinavian country for 27 years.

“I had been living in Africa with my mom, and I later moved to live with him,” he said, before adding with a wide grin, “I’m a guy, and I need to be raised by a guy, not a woman.”

In Oslo, he continued along his athletics path, but didn’t begin taking it seriously until about two years ago, following a bronze medal finish in the 100 at the 2004 African Championships. That year he reached the quarter-finals in both sprints at the Olympic Games in Athens, and reached the semis of the longer sprint in Helsinki a year later.

After becoming a Norwegian citizen in December 2006, he immediately began rewriting the nation’s sprinting lists. After his dash in Stuttgart, he made a significant revision to the continental all-time list as well, blasting all the way to No. 3, behind only former World record holder Pietro Mennea of Italy and Greek Konstadínos Kedéris.

Although he was forced to miss Osaka, he’s competed notably over the past month, finishing second in the Zürich and Brussels 100m contests and winning in Berlin.

But for now he’s not thinking about record, rivals, or even which is his better event. He’s clearly having fun, and plans to continue enjoying himself.

“I’m still going to run both races,” he said. “I’m doing pretty good in the 100, today was great, so I’m going to keep running both of them. And right now, I’m not thinking about any records. I’m just going to keep on training, and just hope to see better times.”

Gambian Tijan Jaiteh and his Norwegian club, Brann FC, repeated last league round and won yet again 4-0. This time at home against relegation threatened Odd Grenland. A goalless first half was succeeded by four goals in the second half. Brann's captain Martin Andresen scored on a penalty after 48 minutes to start the party.

In a match Brann dominated substitute winger Erik Huseklepp scored after 68 minutes from close range.  Left winger Petter Vaagan Moen made it 3-0 just two minutes later with a deflected long shot.

The Norwegian Tippeliga's top scorer, Thorstein Helstad, had the honour of closing the night with his goal after 77 minutes amidst estimated 17 398 supporters.

With Sunday's comfortable and inspirational victory, Brann confirm their position at the top of the league on 49 points with only five league rounds to go.

Close on their heels are Stabaek on 39 points.

Ebrima Sohna’s side Sandefjord continue to languish at the bottom of the 14-team table. Sandefjord secured only 15 points in 21 league matches.

And so the search for the life on Mars continues...in Norway.An international team of scientist called the Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition(AMASE)has been very busy designing devices and techniques to find life on Mars.

Recently,the team decided to test their life-detection equipment in a place that it believes is vewry siminar to Mars in geology:a frozen volcano in Svalbard,Norway.What the team's instruments found inside the volcano was a rare and highly complex microbial community in blue ice vents.

The team was greatly encouraged by its finding for a number of reasons.First,it believes that Mars alsohas ice-filled volcanic vents just like the one in Svalbard,and these vents may also harbor life.In fact,some scientists surmise that life on the Earth may have begun in and around volcano.

Second,both the living and fossillezed organisms that the team found in the ice vents are exactly the kind of evidence of life they will be searching for on Mars.Ergo,if such organisms are present in a Mars-like environment on Earth,what are the chances of finding such organisms on Mars itself?

Connecting the Dots

What do frozen microbes inside a frigid volcano in the Arctic Circle have to do with life on Mars?

Well,nitrogen is essential to life.Hence,traces of it,even the minutest amounts,may be evidence of life.The AMASE scientists studied how a certain tyoe of nitrogen was distributed in soils,water,rocks,plants,and microbes.

In Svalbard's case,the scientists found that microbes and fossils left nitrogen fingerprints embedded in he volcano's ice as well as on he cracks and surfaces of rocks.The actual amount varied,depending on how nitrogen interacted with the environment and living organisms.

So if nitrogen is evidence of life and microbes in a Mars-like environment leave nitrogen fingerprints on rocks,then finding such microbes on Mars would mean that Mars once harbored(or still does harbor,as the case may be)life.

When Sterile Is Good

Instrument sterility is a serious concern in this study,as it should be.Imagine how embarrassing it would be for the team if microorganisms from Earth hitched a ride on the life-detection instruments and get"discovered"on Mars.

To ensure that the equipment would actually detect Martian,and notEarth microbes,tha AMASE team fitted a miniaturized version of the equipment with:Several successful tests proved that the team was able to "maintain sterile smapling procedures without introducing contamination from humans."

This means that the microbes the scientists found embedded in the ice are really survivors that have successfully adapted to the extrmely cold condition.

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Just six more matches before the end of the Norwegian League, Gambian Tijan Jaiteh’s SK Brann have extended their lead on the table with six points.

Brann FC humiliated mid-table placed, Fredrikstad, away 4-0 last Sunday with Helstad netted twice in the 65th and 79th minute.

Andresen first opened the scores for Brann in the 48 minutes and Karadas netted the second for the Norwegian giant in the61st minute.

SK Brann’s arch rival on the table, Lillestrom, was humiliated by Tromso at home 3-0, giving SK Brann the sole commander on the table.

SK Brann has now 42 points against 36 for Lillestrom.

Meanwhile Sandefjord of Ebrima Sohna are still at the bottom of the table with 15 points in 20 matches played.