April 11, 2007

Maryland rejects electoral college

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1131AP_Electoral_College_Maryland.html

Maryland officially became the first state on Tuesday to approve a plan to give its electoral votes for president to the winner of the national popular vote instead of the candidate chosen by state voters. Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, signed the measure into law, one day after the state's General Assembly adjourned. The measure would award Maryland's 10 electoral votes to the national popular vote winner. The plan would only take effect if states representing a majority of the nation's 538 electoral votes decided to make the same change. Other states are considering the change to avoid an election in which a candidate wins the national popular vote but loses in the Electoral College, as in 2000 when Democrat Al Gore lost to George W. Bush. Hawaii's legislature recently passed a similar measure, sending it to Republican Gov. Linda Lingle. California lawmakers adopted the measure last year, but Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it. North Dakota and Montana rejected it earlier this year.

Carbon cost of climate change concert criticized http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/climate_change/article2439525.ece
About a hundred artists will require transporting by air to their respective concerts, to be staged in London, Sydney, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Shanghai and New Jersey. Each singer will receive a "green briefing" on how they can change lifestyles to minimise their own, often above-average, carbon footprints. The briefing to which singers have agreed - to ensure they practise what they preach on 7 July when messages on the danger of global warming will be beamed to 2 billion people at the 24-hour concert - comes amid concerns that those delivering the green message are the worst offenders. Organisers have defended the concerts, which are the brainchild of the former US vice-president Al Gore, which aim to set a "green example" for other music events by using measures such as eco-friendly electricity, sustainable lighting and carbon-neutral travel. Mr Gore has come under attack for high energy consumption at his home.

Bush wants to create 'War Czar' position http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/10/AR2007041001776_pf.html

The White House wants to appoint a high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with authority to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies, but it has had trouble finding anyone able and willing to take the job, according to people close to the situation. At least three retired four-star generals approached by the White House in recent weeks have declined to be considered for the position, the sources said, underscoring the administration's difficulty in enlisting its top recruits to join the team after five years of warfare that have taxed the United States and its military. The White House has not publicly disclosed its interest in creating the position, hoping to find someone President Bush can appoint and announce for the post all at once. Officials said they are still considering options for how to reorganize the White House's management of the two conflicts. If they cannot find a person suited for the sort of specially empowered office they envision, they said, they may have to retain the current structure. The administration's interest in the idea stems from long-standing concern over the coordination of civilian and military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan by different parts of the U.S. government. The Defense and State departments have long struggled over their roles and responsibilities in Iraq, with the White House often forced to referee. The highest-ranking White House official responsible exclusively for the wars is deputy national security adviser Meghan O'Sullivan, who reports to national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley and does not have power to issue orders to agencies. O'Sullivan plans to step down soon, giving the White House the opportunity to rethink how it organizes the war effort. Unlike O'Sullivan, the new czar would report directly to Bush and to Hadley and would have the title of assistant to the president.

IMF says world economy set for robust growth http://rawstory.com/news/dpa/World_economy_set_for_robust_growth_04112007.html

The world economy is set to grow briskly in 2007-08, heading for a "soft landing" despite this year's stock-market jitters and slower growth in the United States and Europe, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday. Global growth will settle at 4.9 per cent both this year and next from a hot 5.4 per cent in 2006, but fast growth in China and India as well as solid US consumer demand should help keep momentum on track, the IMF said in its twice-yearly look at the world economy. Clouding the upbeat outlook are increased risks in the world financial system as buoyant stock markets spur leveraged buyouts and risk-taking by investors, the report said. Risks also include deeper-than-expected fallout from the US housing downturn, a new oil-price surge, a rise in protectionism or a sudden unwinding of large financial imbalances between key economies, the report said. But a drop in oil prices since last summer, easing inflation pressures in North America and signs that the US mortgage and housing-market crises are waning mean that the overall outlook is more confident than six months ago, the report said. Commodity-rich countries in Africa, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and Latin America will likely continue to prosper, with growth in Africa speeding up in 2007 as new oilfields come on stream, the IMF said.

Russia threatening new cold war over missile defence http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2054142,00.html

Russia is considering active counter-measures in response to Washington's controversial decision to base interceptor missiles and radar installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. The Kremlin has not publicly spelt out its plans. But defence experts said its response is likely to include upgrading its nuclear missile arsenal so that it is harder to shoot down, putting more missiles on mobile launchers, and moving its fleet of nuclear submarines to the north pole, where they are virtually undetectable. Russia could also bring the new US silos within the range of its Iskander missiles launched potentially from the nearby Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, they add. In an interview with the Guardian, the Kremlin's chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow felt betrayed by the Pentagon's move. "We were extremely concerned and disappointed. We were never informed in advance about these plans. It brings tremendous change to the strategic balance in Europe, and to the world's strategic stability."

He added: "We feel ourselves deceived. Potentially we will have to create alternatives to this but with low cost and higher efficiency." Any response would be within "existing technologies", he said. As well as military counter-measures, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, also wanted "dialogue" and "negotiations", he added. The Bush administration says the bases are designed to shoot down rogue missiles fired by Iran or North Korea. Its proposed system would be helpless against Russia's vast nuclear arsenal, it says. The threat of a new arms race comes at a time when relations between Russia and the US are at their worst for a decade. In February Mr Putin accused the Bush administration during a speech in Munich of seeking a "world of one master, one sovereign".

US, Russia clash on Georgia's Abkhazia separatist demand http://rawstory.com/news/dpa/US_Russia_clash_on_Georgia_s_Abkhaz_04102007.html

US and Russian diplomats traded insults on Tuesday when the UN Security Council discussed the situation in Georgia where the run-away Abkhazia region wants autonomy, backed by Russia. Russia had demanded that the US grant a visa to Abkhazia's Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba so he could appear before the 15-nation council in New York to plead for the case of Abkhazia independence from Georgia. The government in Tbilisi rejects independence and has fought with Russia while Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States - the federation of former Soviet states - maintains a peacekeeping mission in Abkhazia under United Nations auspices.

Serbia leader says no independent Kosovo http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070410/ap_on_re_eu/serbia_president_interview_1&printer=1;_ylt=AmYXVaK5tA4caZnMqjvdxoNbbBAF

Serbia's president said Tuesday his country will never agree to a Western-backed plan to make Kosovo independent, but warned Serbians they are at a critical crossroads in efforts to reconcile with mainstream Europe and end impoverishing isolation. In a wide-ranging interview, Boris Tadic told The Associated Press that joining the European Union is the only way forward for Serbia after years of ethnic wars during the breakup of the Yugoslav federation that turned the Balkan republic into a pariah state during the 1990s. Among the needed steps, he acknowledged, is doing more to arrest fugitives sought by the U.N. tribunal for war crimes committed during the Balkans wars. Support also is rising for nationalist hard-liners loyal to Serbia's late autocratic president, Slobodan Milosevic. Those forces are benefiting from Serbs' frustration over the push to give independence to Kosovo — the predominantly ethnic Albanian province that most Serbs cherish as the cradle of Serbian nationhood. Serbia's leaders repeatedly have warned that independence for Kosovo could return the nationalists to power and undermine hard-won regional stability and reconciliation. Tadic expressed fresh defiance over Kosovo on Tuesday. Serbia does not insist on ruling Kosovo economically or politically, but will not accept the province becoming an independent state, he said.Serbia was forced to relinquish administrative control of Kosovo after NATO air attacks in 1999 forced Milosevic to end a crackdown on ethnic Albanians. The province has been a U.N. protectorate since then, but Serbia argues it retains sovereignty over Kosovo.

Serbia convicts own soldiers for war crimes http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/11/wserb11.xml
In a landmark ruling - the first conviction Serbia has handed down on its own forces since the 1992-5 war – four men were sentenced to up to 20 years for their part in the executions of six men in woods near Trnovo, south-east Bosnia, on July 17, 1995. The victims were from Srebrenica, 90 miles away, where Bosnian Serb forces killed up to 8,000 other Muslim men that same week in Europe's worst massacre since the Second World War. The case was brought after video of the killings, filmed by the paramilitaries themselves, emerged in 2005. Until then, many in Serbia had refused to believe that their soldiers were guilty of the atrocities they were routinely accused of by the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague. In particular, reports of the massacre at Srebrenica were portrayed in Belgrade as biased and exaggerated. But no apologist could explain away the brutal and systematic killings that were filmed by the Scorpion paramilitaries. The vast graveyard which now lies on the edge of Srebrenica is a memorial to what happened, as the mass killings began under the command of Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, one of the Hague's most wanted men. He remains on the run. But the families of the victims complained that the sentences were too lenient. Former Scorpions commander Slobodan Medic and his right-hand man, Branislav Medic, were both given 20 years. Pero Petrasevic, the only man to plead guilty, was given 13 years, and a fourth man, Aleksandar Medic, five years. A fifth defendant was acquitted. The verdict also seems unlikely to succeed in quelling resurgent nationalist sentiment in Serbia, where the ultra-nationalist Radical party came top in recent elections, fuelled in particular by the likely imminent loss of the province of Kosovo. A decision by the United Nations Security Council could grant Kosovo effective independence in the coming weeks.

Sofia to get spring cleaning http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=79074
Activists disguised as litter containers went around Bulgarian capital Sofia on Saturday to call on its citizens to take part in the cleaning initiative. A total of 80 companies have already declared their will to participate in the annual cleaning of Sofia. One of the goals of the cleaning is to remove all illegal dumpsites around Sofia. After that the whole city will be washed clean. The municipality is hoping that all Sofia citizens will take active participation in the annual initiative. The participants in the cleaning will be encouraged with gifts and prizes, granted by several big companies. The cleaning starts Tuesday and will end on April 22.

Bulgaria's Newly Formed Secret Files Commission Holds 1st Session http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=79075
Bulgaria's secret files opening commission will hold Tuesday its first session after the government elected its members on April 5. The commission has to open the files and announce the names of all Bulgarian citizens who have once contributed to the work of the former secret services of the country. It will also make public the names of those who worked for the intelligence unit of the Bulgarian National Army.

Bulgaria wants to go nuclear http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=79130
Bulgaria's economy and energy minister is expected to put the issue of the closed units at the country's sole nuclear power plant on the table of discussions in the European Parliament. Minister Rumen Ovcharov will join a debate on the increasing demand for energy and prices hikes in South-eastern Europe.

Vietnam wants to go nuclear http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=05ECO100407
Because of chronic electricity shortages, residents, businesses and production facilities regularly experience blackouts as authorities allocate and distribute limited amounts of energy. Viet Nam lacks power because the energy sector’s growth has not matched the country’s overall economic development, according to Deputy chief of the Government Office Nguyen Xuan Phuc. He said the Industry Ministry had urged the Electricity of Viet Nam Corporation (EVN) to accelerate the construction of power plants and transmission lines. In addition to the building of new thermo and hydro power plants, Vietnamese authorities would begin planning for nuclear power plants, the Phuc said. EVN has predicted that there will be shortages of at least 141 million kWh over the three-month dry season (between March and May) due to a prolonged drought, which is dying up many reservoirs, including energy sources like Hoa Binh Hydro-power Plant’s water reserves. This Phuc also said that to attain Viet Nam’s target GDP growth rate of 8.5 per cent per year, the energy sector must grow at least 17 per cent annually.

Mekong agriculture ministers to discuss food security issues http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=03ECO100407
Agriculture ministers of six Greater Mekong sub-region countries met in Beijing yesterday for the first time to discuss a far-reaching programme in agricultural co-operation. The six ministers of Cambodia, China’s Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam have since 1992 been working together under the GMS Economic Co-operation Programme initiated by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The programme has helped create transport corridors among the six countries, enabling faster trade of goods, and increased economic growth. Changes in the area have resulted in a range of new issues for the countries to address such as the possible effects on national and subregional food security on the rural poor because of the switch from food to bio-energy crops. New animal and crop disease risks are becoming prominent, especially with the recent outbreaks of avian influenza in some countries of the subregion. To deal with these issues, the countries must increase their capacities in science and technology as well as create new policies and regulations and food safety standards, the ADB said.

Vietnam International Film Festival to open in the US http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/culture/060407/culture_v.htm
Organised by the non-profit Vietnamese-American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) and the Vietnamese Language and Culture (VNLC) at University of California, Los Angeles, this year's festival theme is Sharing Visions, echoing the need for Vietnamese cinema to extend its reach beyond the Vietnamese communities to the larger, global audience. Screenings will be held mainly at University of California, Irvine (UCI)'s Film & Video Centre with selected screening panel discussions at UCLA and in Westminster, California on two consecutive weekends from April 12-15 & 19-22. Opening Night will be held at the Edwards University Cinema 6, Irvine. The third biennial ViFF welcomes a record number of films this year - a total of 51, including 13 features submitted by filmmakers of Vietnamese descent from around the world.

Elusive turtles inspire photo show http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/culture/050407/culture_e.htm

Rare photos of legendary turtles living in Hoan Kiem Lake went on show at the Temple of Literature on April 3. The photos are the work of retired literature teacher Luu Duc Ngo, who has spent most of his free time trying to capture the illusive - and some say mythical - turtles on film. The legend of Hoan Kiem Lake turtles has been part of Vietnamese folklore for generations, and sightings are believed to be auspicious. However, few have actually seen the lake's turtles - including those who live and work nearby. To discourage doubters, Ngo has made it his life's work to keep the legend of the turtles alive. Everyday, he spends at least two hours cycling around the lake on the off chance that one of the shy and retiring reptiles will raise its scaly head. The Temple of Literature exhibition features more than a hundred photos Ngo has taken over the last three years, together with articles about the legendary turtles. The exhibition will run until April 15. The photos will then be exhibited at the Viet Nam Culture and Arts Centre and Thang Long Royal Citadel to celebrate the 117th anniversary of the birth of President Ho Chi Minh, May 19.

U.S. says holding China to higher trade standard http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1043740920070410

A pair of new cases against China at the World Trade Organization show the United States is now holding Beijing to a higher standard, but do not represent a U.S. slide toward protectionism, an American trade official said on Tuesday. Charging that China was breaking its 2001 entry agreement, Washington sought consultations with Beijing over its twin complaints, which could lead to a formal case being brought if no deal is struck within 60 days. The U.S. action -- along with worries about the health of the U.S. housing market -- help pushed the dollar to a two-year low against the euro on Tuesday as traders worried it was a sign of increased protectionism. The Bush administration, in a February 2006 top-to-bottom review of trade relations with China, warned Beijing that a grace period for implementing its WTO commitments was over.

Glass baby bottles making comeback http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/04/09/MNGPBP56A71.DTL&type=printable

Glass baby bottles, replaced decades ago by unbreakable plastic, are making a comeback. Independent tests done for The San Francisco Chronicle and reported in November found bisphenol A, a chemical that mimics estrogen, in a baby bottle and several toys. Bisphenol A is also found in the lining of food cans, some anti-cavity sealants for teeth, and electronics. Then, in late February, Environment California, an advocacy group, released a report titled "Toxic Baby Bottles" that drew intense national media coverage. When heated, five of the most popular brands of polycarbonate -- the clear, shatterproof plastic used in baby bottles -- leached bisphenol A at levels that have been found to cause harm in laboratory animals, Environment California found. Even at low levels, bisphenol A has been linked to abnormalities in the mammary and prostate glands and the eggs of laboratory animals, scientists say. Animal tests also show bisphenol A can speed up puberty and add to weight gain, and may cause changes that can lead to breast and prostate cancer. Makers of polycarbonate bottles and industry representatives say parents have been alarmed unnecessarily about a product that meets federal standards and has been in widespread use for more than 25 years. That didn't stop San Francisco from approving a ban on children's products containing bisphenol A and certain phthalates, the chemicals that soften polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. Animal studies also have shown that phthalates interfere with sex hormones.

Darfur rebels kill up to 400 in Chad raids http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=553462007&format=print
Chadian authorities estimated last week that at least 65 people died in the early morning attacks on 31 March on two villages in eastern Chad, Tiero and Marena, home to 8,000. The new figure followed a visit to the remote area on Sunday by UN agencies, which described the scene as "apocalyptic". Ron Redmond, a UNHCR spokesman, said: "Estimates of the number of dead now range between 200 and 400. Most of the dead were buried where their bodies were found [so] we may never know their exact number." Meanwhile, Sudan and Chad traded threats and accusations yesterday over the cross-border attacks. The Sudanese government vowed a firm response, including possible military action, to what it said was a Chadian army attack on Monday that killed 17 of its soldiers.

Congo ex-rebel Bemba flies for treatment in Portugal http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=555132007

Opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba left Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, ending three weeks holed up in South Africa's embassy after his forces were routed in two days of fighting that killed 600 last month. A Reuters witness said Bemba boarded a private jet bound for Portugal, where he is due to have medical treatment. A convoy of around 15 armoured vehicles belonging to the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUC) carried Bemba in a convoy across the dark, deserted streets of the riverside capital Kinshasa in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Tanks and blue-helmeted riot police stood guard at the N'Djili airport outside the city, but there were no crowds or violence. The only onlookers were a small group of journalists. Bemba, who led a Ugandan-backed rebellion against the Kinshasa government in Congo's 1998-2003 war, lost a presidential run-off in October to incumbent Joseph Kabila in the vast, mineral-rich central African state's first free polls in over 40 years.

'Send in army' call to tackle crime in Rio http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=553822007

Sergio Cabral, the state governor, said he will ask the president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, today to send armed forces and deploy more elite police from the National Public Security Forces in Rio de Janeiro. Mr Cabral spoke to reporters after a memorial service for his family's security guard, who was killed in an attack on Sunday. Mr Cabral said there were 6,000 navy marines who could assist the police, according to the state government website, adding that the armed forces could help patrol the busiest highways of Rio de Janeiro. Federal police have mostly stayed out of the city and patrolled main roads and guarded state borders. But in 2003, about 3,000 federal troops were sent to maintain order during Rio's carnival after drug gangs set fire to buses, killed seven police officers and forced shops to close. The president said he was ready to comply if there was a request for federal troops to patrol Rio's streets. However in the capital, Brasilia, Tarso Genro, the country's justice minister, said he opposed using troops in Rio de Janeiro. "They are trained for war, not for policing," he said. Nearly 40 police officers have been killed in Rio de Janeiro since the start of the year. Many were shot while off duty.

Indonesia youth drug study http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20070411.H04&irec=3

Despite a nationwide anti-drug drive, the country continues to see more cases of drug use by schoolchildren. The number of illegal drug users continues to increase annually, with 81,702 of them students of elementary, junior high and senior high schools, according to the office of Narcotics Abuse Prevention Center at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN). In 2006 the agency recorded a total of 8,449 elementary school students who had used drugs last year. It was nearly a 400-percent increase from the 2005 figure of 2,542 students. An even greater increase of drug abuse, however, was recorded among students of junior high and senior high schools, he said, citing figures that showed a total of 73,253 students from both junior high and senior high schools had taken illegal drugs last year. It was much higher than the 2004 figure of 9,206 users among high school students and the 2005 figure of 19,489 students. Responding to a BNN survey, 86 percent said that they had consumed drugs due to the influence of their environment, another 74.15 percent said that they had used drugs just for fun and another 70 percent said that they had turned to drugs to escape from authoritarian treatment at home or at school. 51.14 percent of the respondents had consumed drugs under the influence of their peers and another 47.15 percent said that they had been influenced by movies and television shows. 47 percent of the respondents said that effective religious teachings at home played a significant role in preventing drug abuse among youths, followed by 32.44 percent who emphasized the implementation of disciplinary measures at home, and 28.32 percent, who said that a harmonious family relationship helped prevent such abuse.

Stem cells could spell end for diabetes jabs http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=447810&in_page_id=1774

In the latest trial, patients' immune systems were suppressed using powerful drugs - to eliminate the white blood cells that were attacking the pancreas. The patient was then injected with a chemical which loosened stem cells from their bone marrow. These were filtered out, collected and later injected back into the patient's bloodstream. Some of the 14 patients responded more quickly than others, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers believe the stem cells developed into new white blood cells which did not attack the pancreatic beta cells. But they admit there are other possible interpretations - the stem cells could have developed into new beta cells in the pancreas. Or something might have happened to stop the existing beta cells being destroyed. The study only included a small number of patients between 14 and 31, and did not monitor their progress for very long. Because of the nature of the study, it is not known if further stem cell injections would be required at a later date. And unlike most medical trials there was no comparison with patients left untreated or only given drugs to suppress their immune system. Malcolm Alison, professor of stem cell biology at the Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, said: "In principle this is a cure because these people developed long-term control of their glucose levels. But these patients haven't been followed up long enough, so we cannot yet be sure." Studies have alreday shown that bone marrow transplants given to cancer patients also seemed to reverse certain auto-immune disease such as type one diabetes. Bone marrow is full of stem cells. Later it was found that treating patients with stem cells from their own blood could benefit individuals with a range of auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Chron's disease.

Warning upgrade over Stilnox weirdness http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/warning-upgrade-over-stilnox-weirdness/2007/04/05/1175366396888.html#

Australia's medicines authority has ordered the manufacturer of a controversial sleeping pill to upgrade its warning about mixing the pills with alcohol following reports of bizarre and dangerous behaviour. More than 500 complaints about Stilnox have been made to the national drug hotline, including reports of sleepwalkers crashing cars, falling off balconies, smoking, painting and having sex after popping a pill. Manufacturer Sanofi-aventis says a relationship between the drug and strange behaviour has not been scientifically established. But it has agreed to a request from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to upgrade the current warning about mixing the medicine with alcohol. Stilnox is used to treat short-term insomnia, a condition that affects more than six million Australians, the company said. The upgrade comes as Australian lawyers report being approached by several people wanting to take action against the pharmaceutical company following adverse reactions to the pills. The Adverse Medical Events Line is receiving up to 40 calls a day relating to Stilnox side-effects. Multiple cases involved serious injury, broken bones after falling from buildings, crashing cars and "self-harming" with knives. And earlier this week, a court heard one of two former NSW policemen who violently robbed a Brisbane hotel of more than $63,000 had been taking Stilnox. Stilnox is sold in the United States under the name Ambien.

Evidence of water outside solar system http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21538011-5005961,00.html

Travis Barman, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, said water vapour had been found in the atmosphere of a large, Jupiter-like gaseous planet located 150 light years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The planet is known as HD 209458b. Other scientists reported in February that they were unable to find evidence of water in this planet's atmosphere, as well as another Jupiter-like planet. Lowell Observatory, a privately owned astronomical research institution, announced the finding, which has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. The research was backed by NASA, it said. The detection of the presence of water vapour was possible because this planet, from the vantage point of Earth, orbits directly in front of its star every 3-½ days, allowing crucial measurements to be made. It is what is known as a transiting planet. Mr Barman said a Jupiter-like gaseous planet such as this one, as opposed to a rocky one like Earth, was highly unlikely to harbour life, and said the finding about water vapour in its atmosphere does not answer one way or another questions about the existence of extraterrestrial life.

Johnny Cash's Tennessee house burns down http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=554732007

The Tennessee home of late country icon Johnny Cash burned down on Tuesday as renovations were under way for its new owner, Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, a local newspaper reported. The Hendersonville Star News said fire officials have not determined a cause for the blaze. Gibb said at the time of the purchase that he was honoured to buy the house and was determined to preserve it to honour the Cashes' memory.

Airport cabbies' wee warning http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=551182007
CABBIES have been warned they will be banned from Edinburgh Airport unless they stop urinating in bushes near the main entrance.