Space-ferry may be ready by 2010Russia, Europe, and Japan may jointly develop a crewed spacecraft called Kliper to ferry as many as six astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The spacecraft could launch as early as 2010 - just as NASA retires its space shuttles.
The three space agencies are in discussions to develop the craft, which is intended as a replacement for Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. Soyuz has been the workhorse of Russia's human spaceflight programme, but is based on 40-year-old technol... (more)
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Hackers Attack Via Chinese Web SitesWeb sites in China are being used heavily to target computer networks in the Defense Department and other U.S. agencies, successfully breaching hundreds of unclassified networks, according to several U.S. officials.
Classified systems have not been compromised, the officials added. But U.S. authorities remain concerned because, as one official said, even seemingly innocuous information, when pulled together from various sources, can yield useful intelligence to an adversary.
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Wiretaps Unfold Italian Tycoons' Dirty LaundryThe 53-year-old mother of five offers words of comfort to the man on the other end of the line.
"Stay calm, stay calm," she says to him, over and over. "Re-l-a-x."
"Thanks, dear," he says at one point in the conversation.
The woman is the wife of the gray-haired governor of Italy's central bank, one of the most powerful financial positions in the country. The man is not the gray-haired governor.
But he does hold another powerful positio... (more)
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‘US combat troops returning from Iraq face major health peril’US combat troops traumatised by their experiences in Iraq may suffer long-term damage to their physical health, as well as known risks to their mental well-being, the British magazine New Scientist warns.
“Veterans will be paying the price of combat for decades to come,” it says in its next issue, out on Saturday.
Doctors are already familiar with the psychological impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the modern name for shell shock, a term c... (more)
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Nonprofits Cloak Donors to Governor SchwarzeneggerGov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is benefiting from millions of dollars raised by a network of tax-exempt groups without revealing that the money comes from major corporations with business before his office.
The groups are run by Schwarzenegger's closest political allies, who also represent some of California's biggest interest groups. Unlike the governor's many campaign funds, the nonprofits are not required to disclose their contributors and can accept unlimited amounts.
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Battle escalates over fliers' personal dataThe Homeland Security Department is making another push to get personal data on airline passengers in an effort to keep terrorists off flights.
The lobbying effort comes months after the House and Senate, concerned about invading privacy, gave preliminary approval to a measure that would ban the department from tapping into credit reports, court files, shopping histories and other personal information for one year.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff wants ... (more)
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Homeless Woman Returns Purse With $800 Cash InsideA homeless woman living at a Salvation Army shelter in Tampa with her five children found and returned a purse containing $800 in cash and two paychecks, according to a report.
Canesha Blackman, 24, was on her way to the Polk County Government Center for a bus pass when she found the purse in the parking lot. But instead of keeping the cash, she turned the purse into a worker inside the building.
"People ask me, 'What were you thinking?'" Blackman said. "If it was m... (more)
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Acts of hate: full list of 'deportation' actsThe Home Office today published a list of "unacceptable behaviours" which will lead to the deportation or exclusion of any foreign national who commits them from the UK.
According to the Home Secretary the list is indicative rather than exhaustive and covers any non-UK citizen whether in the UK or abroad.
Terrorist violence
Cannot foment, justify, glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs
Terrorist acts
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DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: Water, Water Everywhere...The crisis-weary African continent, which has two of the world's longest rivers -- the 6,400-kilometre Nile River and the 4,370-kilometre Congo River -- is suffering from a virtual economic paradox: a shortage of water amidst potentially plentiful supplies.
"In spite of a few large rivers like the Congo and the Nile, 21 of the world's most arid countries, in terms of water per person, are located in Africa," South Africa's Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry told a symposium ma... (more)
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Still Dying in DarfurHere's a sad little secret: Every time I write about Darfur in this space, traffic drops by at least a third. So here goes nothing.
A few months ago I asked a veteran news producer why television had devoted so little attention to such a significant humanitarian crisis. The producer cited budget constraints and added, "Plus, the villages aren't burning anymore." When they were burning, as Nick Kristof has so poignantly documented, the media hardly cared. NBC spent 5 minutes on Dar... (more)
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Painkillers can cause fatal stomach bleedingApproximately one third of all hospitalizations and deaths related to gastrointestinal bleeding can be attributed to the use of aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) painkillers like ibuprofen, a study in Spain suggests.
Moreover, up to one third of these painkiller-related incidents may be due to low-dose aspirin.
Dr. Angel Lanas, at University Hospital in Zaragoza, and his associates evaluated data from 26 Spanish hospitals on hospitalizations ... (more)
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American Legion Declares War on Protestors -- Media Next?The American Legion, which has 2.7 million members, has declared war on antiwar protestors, and the media could be next. Speaking at its national convention in Honolulu, the group's national commander called for an end to all “public protests” and “media events” against the war, even though they are protected by the Bill of Rights.
"The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives b... (more)
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Smokers need not applyA classified ad from automobile firm Toyota in Asker and Bærum specifying that smokers will not be employed has sparked controversy.
"This is lifestyle fascism. You have to ask, what next? Will it be the fat, the ugly, those with heart trouble or smelly feet?" said social medicine professor Per Fugelli.
A full-page ad in local newspaper Budstikka made it clear that smokers were unwanted at the Toyota offices in the Oslo suburb.
"People must be a... (more)
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Is India's outsourcing honeymoon over?Surprise! India's reign as the world's "Outsourcing King" may be slipping, even with its rock-bottom call center costs.
A new report from market research firm Gartner, Inc. warns that a labor crunch and rising wages could erode as much as 45 percent of India's market share by 2007.
Indian industry watchers acknowledge that the country's outsourcing industry -- its golden goose of the moment -- is indeed facing a "serious" problem.
In an interview with... (more)
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Oil Surges to Record, Gas Rises as Storm Threatens U.S. OutputCrude oil rose to a record $67.40 a barrel in New York and natural gas reached $10 for the first time in 30 months on concern that a storm heading for Florida may threaten production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical Storm Katrina, the 11th named storm of the year, is forecast to reach hurricane strength before crossing Florida August 26 and moving into the Gulf, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. The Gulf of Mexico accounts for 24 percent of U.S. gas producti... (more)
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Freak weather batters EuropeExtreme weather is afflicting Europe, with swaths of Portugal and Spain ablaze in the drought while Austria and Switzerland suffer floods after torrential rain.
Temperatures of 43C coupled with strong winds during the worst drought on record have fanned the flames of the forest fires which have been raging out of control across Portugal for several weeks.
Pope Benedict XVI, a Bavarian, said in his weekly general audience in the Vatican that he felt spiritually close... (more)
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Rave Party Guests Claim Excessive Force from SWATRave party guests from around the world claim the Utah County Sheriff used excessive force to break up a party in Spanish Fork Canyon last Saturday night, and they may seek redress in federal court.
Still, the Utah County Sheriff's department stands behind its officers and said the video proves the accusations are false.
About 90 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies broke up what they said was a rave party on public and private property in the Diamond Fo... (more)
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