 A pair of strange new worlds that blur the boundaries between planets and stars have been discovered beyond our Solar System. A few dozen such objects have been identified in recent years but this is the first set of "twins". Dubbed "planemos", they circle each other rather than orbiting a star. Their existence challenges current theories about the formation of planets and stars, astronomers report in the journal Science. "This is a truly remarkable pair of twins - each having only about 1% the mass of our Sun," said Ray Jayawardhana of the University of Toronto, co-author of the Science paper. "Its mere existence is a surprise, and its origin and fate a bit of a mystery." ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk
censor News |
Editor - 10:51:00 08-04-06
|
 Congo election shows worrying East-West divide |
Far from unifying the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo, Sunday's historic elections have highlighted the deep division between the east and west of the vast former Belgian colony. The July 30th polls were meant to heal wounds after a brutal 1998-2003 war which tore apart Congo's aging infrastructure and killed four million people, mostly from hunger and disease. Results are still weeks away but indicators point to a landslide victory for President Joseph Kabila in his native Swahili-speaking east while former rebel and Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba is ahead in the west, where Lingala is spoken. "The DR Congo Cut In Two" read a headline in Le Phare, a Kinshasa daily. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2274008
full News |
Editor - 10:36:00 08-04-06
|
| Thousands flee Sri Lanka fighting |
Thousands of civilians fled Sri Lanka's eastern battle zone by tractor and on foot on Friday as shells fell nearby during an artillery battle between Tamil Tiger rebels and the army, survivors said. Small pockets of rebels continued firefights with troops in the eastern Muslim town of Mutur, where aid workers say between 20,000-30,000 people were trapped by the fighting before they headed south in search of safety. Tamil Tigers also attacked army camps, while the Army said it killed dozens of rebels as Norway's peace envoy flew in to discuss the future of Nordic truce monitors as the island slides back to civil war. "We left everything behind — our wealth, our belongings. We have to be somewhere safe," said 24-year-old shop owner S.M. Ramees, arriving with thousands of fellow displaced at the town of Palathoppur south of Mutur. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2274002
full News |
Editor - 10:26:00 08-04-06
|
| Military prosecutor wants GIs court-martialed Four U.S. soldiers accused of murdering Iraq detainees earlier this year |
A military prosecutor urged Friday that four U.S. soldiers be court-martialed for allegedly murdering Iraqi detainees, calling them war criminals. A defense lawyer said the Iraqis got “what they deserved.”“When these soldiers killed these detainees, they committed murder,” Capt. Joseph Mackey, the prosecutor, said in his closing arguments at a hearing to determine if the four should face a court-martial — and a possible death sentence.Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, Spc. William B. Hunsaker, Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard and Spc. Juston R. Graber are accused of murder in the killing of three Iraqi men taken from a house May 9 on a marshy island outside Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad. The soldiers, all from the 101st Airborne Division’s 187th Infantry Regiment, declined to testify at the hearing, relying instead on statements they made to military investigators....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14185093/
full News |
Editor - 10:24:00 08-04-06
|
| Cuba dismisses US democracy call |
Calls by US President George W Bush for Cubans to work for democratic change have been dismissed as "the epitome of delirium" by Cuban state-run TV. Commentators were reacting to Mr Bush's first public statements on the issue since Monday's announcement that Fidel Castro had undergone stomach surgery. President Castro, 79, has temporarily ceded power to his brother, Raul. Despite official statements that Fidel Castro is recovering, rumours about his health abound, both in Cuba and the US. While life goes on as normal on the island, correspondents say Raul Castro's failure to appear in public and a lack of information about his brother's whereabouts are fuelling speculation about the future. In Miami - where there is a large Cuban exile community - many have been celebrating what they believe to be Fidel Castro's demise. Those celebrating were described as "vampires" by Cuban TV commentators. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5244718.stm
full News |
Editor - 10:16:00 08-04-06
|
| Pressure mounts on France and U.S. to overcome resolution differences |
The U.S. and French ambassadors at the United Nations remained locked in talks Friday over the wording of a Security Council resolution on halting the fighting in Lebanon, diplomats said.But amid mounting international frustration over the pace of negotiations, both delegations imposed a news blackout on events.There was no indication when the full U.N. Security Council might vote on a resolution but the Ghanaian ambassador who is president of the council for August said the body was ready to meet at any moment."The French and the Americans are meeting now, they met late last night," said a diplomat on condition of anonymity. The two sides "are trying to work out a solution" and were meeting away from the UN headquarters.The diplomat said the differences are narrowing. The United States and France "are much closer" but the two sides are expected to keep working through the weekend, the official said....
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-04-mideast-un_x.htm?csp=34
full News |
Editor - 10:13:00 08-04-06
|
|
| post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
|
|
