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Saturday 29 June 2013

Confederations Cup: Spain to face Brazil in final

Sergio Ramos leads the celebrations as Jesus Navas' penalty takes Spain to Sunday's Confederations Cup final.Spain beat Italy 7-6 on penalties after semifinal ends goalless after 120 minutesWorld Cup winners will now meet hosts Brazil in Sunday's Confederations Cup finalItaly have chance to seal third place against Uruguay on Sunday

(CNN) -- Reigning world and European champions Spain set up the purists' dream Confederations Cup final against host nation Brazil but only after squeaking past a stubborn Italian side on penalties.

The heavyweight European nations produced an entertaining game which somehow ended goalless after extra time, as both sides' endurance was tested to the limit in the heat of Fortaleza.

In contrast to the finishing seen in open play, the strikes at goal in the penalty shootout were of the highest standard until defender Leonardo Bonucci skied the 13th effort well wide of goal.

Read: Brazil scrape into Confederations Cup final

That allowed Jesus Navas to coolly fire Spain into Sunday's final as 7-6 winners on penalties -- so maintaining their hopes of holding the world, European and Confederations Cup titles all at once.

Having won the World Cup (2010), the European Championship (on three occasions) and the Olympics (1992), FIFA's so-called Festival of Champions -- which pits the continental champions against both the World Cup winners and hosts -- is the one trophy missing from Spain's illustrious cabinet.

The absence of injured striker Mario Balotelli was keenly felt as Christian Maggio, Alberto Gilardino and Claudio Marchisio all missed gilt-edged opportunities in the opening 45 minutes.

"I think it was an excellent performance from both teams, who proved they are right at the top of the European game," Spain coach del Bosque told FIFA's official website.

"Italy were better than us for the whole first period when they put us in uncomfortable situations several times.

"We couldn't control the game properly and we looked very open. But, bit by bit, we got a second wind, improved after the interval and ended up being the better side come extra time.

"Then fortune went our way in the shootout, which put us through to a great final. We're enormously excited about taking on Brazil in the Maracana."

"Despite all the things they've won - our players feel like kids! They're playing Brazil at the Maracana and that's taken them back to boyhood days."

Read: Can anyone stop Spain at 2014 World Cup?

The host nation ensured they will be playing in the iconic Rio de Janeiro stadium, which is set to host the 2014 World Cup final, when beating fellow South Americans Uruguay 2-1 in a tight contest on Wednesday.

Italy will feel they deserved more from the game than the chance to win third place when facing the Uruguayans in Salvador on Sunday, even if goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon did turn a Xavi effort against the post in the dying moments.

"The lads played a great match, from the first minute to the last, and we created plenty of situations that could have won us the game, but once it goes to penalties anything can happen," said Cesare Prandelli, whose tactics successfully stifled the Spanish.

"Spain are currently ahead of us because they've been following the same ideology for years, whereas we're still forging our own path.

"This match has been a great test for us, no doubt about that, and we passed it despite the result. We were convinced about how we needed to play, in both technical and tactical terms, and we proved that we have the quality to battle it out with the best."

Read: Spain win 2012 European Championship

Prandelli can reflect on a far superior display to the two teams' meeting in the European Championship final in Kiev one year ago, when Spain romped to a 4-0 victory as they lifted the continental title for the third time following previous triumphs in 1964 and 2008.

When the sides had met in the group stages in Gdansk last year, the 1-1 draw was built upon Italy's decision to play a three-man defense -- and Prandelli's decision to revert to that system once again restricted Spanish creativity for large parts of the game.

Brazil coach Felipe Scolari will have followed the tactical ploy with interest as his side bid to win the Confederations Cup for the third time in a row following successes in 2005 and 2009.

Read: Brazil president proposes referendum for reforms

As has become a feature of the Confederations Cup, the build-up to the match witnessed clashes between police and anti-government protesters.

Brazil has been hit by wave of mass demonstrations as its citizens clamor for better public services in a land where $15 billion has been set aside to host the Confederations Cup and next year's World Cup.

Over a million people took to the streets in the early days of the tournament but there were just an estimated 5,000 protesting in Fortaleza on Thursday, with police saying they arrested 72 people.

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'Star Trek' shields for astronauts?

The deflector shield is aimed at protecting spaceship occupants from harmful radiation given off by the Sun.NASA's Curiosity mission to Mars revealed that astronauts on a round-trip would face high radiation levelsScientists at the UK's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory are working on a radiation shield for astronautsA model has been tested inside a fusion reactor which produces a plasma like that of the solar windThe team are hoping to test their concept in space in the next five years

London (CNN) -- You've answered the call for volunteers, signed up for the Mars trip and you are looking forward to boldly going to space, the final frontier, to explore a strange new world.

But wait. Recent evidence from NASA's Curiosity rover mission to the Red Planet has revealed that astronauts on the round-trip would be exposed to high levels of radiation from cosmic rays and high-energy particles from the sun contained in solar storms. NASA says a Mars voyager would receive a radiation dose around 100 times the average yearly exposure on Earth.

Along with all the other risks of spaceflight, this would clearly be bad for your health -- and it is proving difficult to find a solution.

Eddie Semones, a radiation health expert at NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center, told CNN that shielding to completely block the radiation danger would have to be "meters thick" and too heavy to be used aboard a spacecraft.

A model with the mini-magnetosphere shield is tested in a plasma stream.In contrast, with the release of the Star Trek movie "Into Darkness," science fiction fans have once again got used to the ease with which Captain Kirk gives the order for "shields up" and the crew of the Enterprise being protected instantly from the hostility of space.

Perhaps though, a real Star Trek shield may no longer be science fiction -- scientists at the UK's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) certainly think so.

Radiation 'potential showstopper'

They have been testing a lightweight system to protect astronauts and spacecraft components from harmful radiation and working with colleagues in America to design a concept spaceship called Discovery that could take astronauts to the Moon or Mars.

"Star Trek has great ideas -- they just don't have to build it," said Ruth Bamford, lead researcher for the deflector shield project at RAL.

"The radiation problem is a potential showstopper. I'm very concerned that the radiation issue is not being addressed very publicly and it's absolutely key.

"Even if astronauts are sick for 3-4 days, it could still threaten the mission because the whole crew are affected -- and vomiting and diarrhea in space is no joke. It could also potentially lead to organ failure," said Bamford.

The RAL plan is to create an environment around the spacecraft that mimics the Earth's magnetic field and recreates the protection we enjoy on the ground -- they call it a mini magnetosphere.

Even if astronauts are sick for 3-4 days, it could still threaten the mission because the whole crew are affected -- and vomiting and diarrhea in space is no joke.
Space scientist, Ruth Bamford"On Earth, mostly we're protected by the atmosphere but ultimately what the Earth's magnetic field is doing is forming a first line of protection for life," explained Bamford.

"The concept behind what we're suggesting is due to the evolution in our understanding of plasmas. What we discovered is that if you put a magnetic field around an object in a flowing plasma, the electrons, which are very light, will follow the new magnetic field that you've put there but the ions, the very fast ions, will overshoot -- they won't follow the magnetic field lines.

"You end up with a constant electric field that can be enough that it actually refracts or deflects enough of the radiation from inside the magnetic cavity that you've formed to protect the astronauts ... enough like the Earth that they can survive."

The mini-magnetosphere concept has also been proposed by a team at Washington University in the United States as a way of harnessing the solar wind to create a propulsion system.

Other shielding ideas are also being explored. The Inspiration Mars Foundation that is committed to sending a crew to Mars has proposed lining the spacecraft's walls with water, food and even human waste to help protect the astronauts.

Early results 'pleasing'

New Scientist magazine recently reported that the "hydrocarbons in excrement and food are good candidates for radiation shielding."

It added: "NASA's Water Walls project uses a similar concept, but Inspiration must make it work for real."

As a child, Bamford was inspired to explore a scientific career by the Apollo moon landings and is a fan of the Star Trek series. She believes the concepts explored in the science fiction films are a useful shorthand for scientists when trying to explain their work.

The RAL deflector shield she has helped to develop has been tested on a model inside a fusion reactor which produces a plasma like that of the solar wind. Bamford said they were delighted with the results.

The RAL team now hope the project can be scaled up and fly on a real craft. "First we need a technology demonstrator in space in, say, five years," said Bamford. "That's quite realistic for a dedicated, small, unmanned spacecraft.

"I'm sure our idea will work. It does work. There are a number of improvements to make it work better though -- perhaps we should call down to Scotty."

READ: A one-way ticket to Mars, apply now

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth gets 5% raise

NEW: Spending last year includes $1 million for work on apartment for William, CatherineThe Crown Estate manages a huge property portfolio for Queen Elizabeth IIIts profits for the past year are up by 5.2% from the previous yearThe profits go into the public purse, and the queen gets a grant equal to 15% of profits

London (CNN) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II can expect a sweet 5% raise next year, thanks in large part to record profits from real estate.

The Crown Estate, a public body that manages property for the monarch, posted a record profit of 252.6 million British pounds ($387.2 million) for the last financial year -- up by 5.2% from last year.

The good news for the nation is that all the profit from the estate is paid into the public coffers.

Read: Queen Elizabeth II marks 60th anniversary of coronation

The queen is then paid a grant each year by the Treasury equal to 15% of the profit from two years before.

The Crown Estate is owned by the queen as monarch but is not her private property, meaning she has no direct control over it. The total portfolio is now valued at 8.1 billion pounds (nearly $12.4 billion).

The estate's revenue comes from everything from chic central London stores to offshore wind farms and rural housing developments.

Even U.S. retailer J. Crew helped swell its profits in the last year -- it's one of a number of international brands to open a new store on Regent Street, in the heart of London. Apple, Banana Republic and Anthropologie are three more of the big American firms to find a home on the Crown Estate-owned street.

As for energy production, about 300 new offshore wind turbines came on line over the year.

The estate manages almost all of Britain's coastal waters and some of its finest parkland, including Windsor Great Park, by Windsor Castle.

It is also one of the country's largest rural landowners, holding about 356,000 acres of agricultural land and forests, together with mineral resources, homes and commercial property.

Read: Who can inherit the British throne?

In the past year, it put 250,000 pounds into creating new mountain bike trails at the Glenlivet estate in Scotland and invested 1 million pounds to support coastal communities and care of the marine environment.

According to its website, the estate's vision "is to be the UK's most respected property business because of the way in which we manage this portfolio of assets on behalf of the nation."

Overspending

The queen's grant for 2012-2013 totaled 31 million pounds, jumping to just over 36 million pounds for the current financial year.

She spent 2.3 million pounds more than the allotted grant last year -- when she was "exceptionally busy" with travel and events to mark the diamond jubilee -- the annual report said. The extra cost was met from a reserve fund.

The queen had 288 public engagements in the year to March 31, 2013, and her husband, Prince Philip, had 275, the report said. The queen didn't travel abroad in the last financial year, but other members of the royal family, including Princes William and Harry, undertook 30 foreign engagements on her behalf.

Spending last year on royal properties included 700,000 pounds (just over $1 million) so far on the refurbishment of an apartment at Kensington Palace for William and his wife, Catherine, who are expecting their first child in July.

Work on the apartment, which was built to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren, architect of London's landmark St. Paul's Cathedral, is due to be completed this fall.

The "Sovereign Grant" came into effect in April of last year, after the passage of new legislation that consolidated public funding for the monarch's official duties and royal palaces in return for the profits from the Crown Estate.

The queen has her own private estate, which includes Balmoral, in Scotland, and Sandringham, her country retreat in Norfolk.

The Crown Estate's record profits will be welcome news for the Treasury, as the government struggles to bring the nation's debt and spending under control.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced more cuts to public spending Wednesday in his 2013 Spending Review.

CNN's Susannah Palk and Max Foster contributed to this report.

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