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Friday, March 13, 2009

Comets Could Spell Doom for Life in Space

Some stars have a high level of comet activity around them, and that could spell doom for any life trying to take root on any local planets. Ongoing research is trying to determine what fraction of stellar systems may be uninhabitable due to comet impacts. Many of our own solar system's comets are found in the Kuiper Belt, a debris-filled disk that extends from Neptune's orbit (30 AU) out to almost twice that distance. Other stars have been shown to have similar debris disks. "The debris is dust and larger fragments produced by the break-up of comets or asteroids as they collide amongst themselves," says Jane Greaves of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.Roughly 20 percent of nearby sun-like stars have debris disks that are more substantial than our Kuiper Belt, according to data from the Spitzer space telescope.

Alaska volcano simmers down

An eruption may not be imminent after all for Alaska's Mount Redoubt, authorities said Thursday."For the past two weeks or so, the seismic activity at Redoubt volcano has significantly decreased," said Michelle Coombs, a geologist for the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the U.S. Geological Survey. The status is now at a "yellow" level, meaning the volcano is "exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, or eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions." In late January, experts began paying close attention to the volcano and raised the alert to "orange," indicating that it could erupt at any time. "We believe based on what we're seeing now, that if it were to erupt, that we would see enough increase in seismic activity to give us sufficient warning to go back up to orange," Coombs said.Two other volcanoes in Alaska are also at the "yellow" status currently, and Mount Redoubt could remain at that level for months, Coombs said.

Nikkei stock index surges 5.15 percent by close

Nikkei closed up 5.12%, buoyed by continuing gains on Wall Street, after the Nikkei slipped to 26-year lows last week. The Japanese government announced last month it is to launch another stimulus package.Japan's Nikkei stock index closed up 5.15 percent on Friday, its biggest gain this year, after Wall Street extended a winning streak thanks to rare good economic news.     The Nikkei-225 index climbed 371.03 points to end at 7,569.28. The broader Topix index of all first-section shares gained 23.37 points, or 3.33 percent, to finish at 724.30.

Spain stays top of FIFA world ranking

LONDON European champions Spain remained top of FIFA's world rankings published on Wednesday while their Iberian neighbours Portugal climbed back into the top 10.Spain moved 300 points clear of second placed Germany, boosted by their 2-0 win over England in a friendly in Seville last month. As a result of that defeat, England slipped from eighth to ninth. Portugal, who beat Finland in a friendly last month, moved up to 10th from 12th after dropping out of the top 10 in December. They replaced Turkey, who dropped down to 11th after a 1-1 draw in a friendly with Ivory Coast in February. Russia climbed one place up to eighth despite not playing in February. Norway, who beat Germany 1-0 in a friendly in Duesseldorf were one of the month's biggest movers, climbing 11 places to 45th. The standings are based on team's performances over the last four years.

FIFA RANKINGS (Previous positions in brackets) 1. (1) Spain 2. (2) Germany 3. (3) Netherlands 4. (4) Italy 5. (5) Brazil 6. (6) Argentina 7. (7) Croatia 8. (9) Russia 9. (8) England 10. (12) Portugal 11. (10) Turkey 12. (11) France 13. (12) Czech Republic 14. (14) Ukraine 15. (15) Paraguay 16. (16) Cameroon 17. (20) United States 18. (18) Israel 19. (19) Greece 20. (17) Romania

White House Goals for Afghanistan to Include Greater Role for Pakistan

WASHINGTON  The Obama administration expects to announce new objectives for the flagging war in Afghanistan as soon as next week that place an onus on next-door Pakistan to contain extremism, defense and administration officials said Thursday. The White House objectives were expected to roughly parallel 15 goals contained in a 20-page classified report to the White House from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Among them were getting rid of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan and adopting a regional approach to reducing the threat of terrorism and extremism in both countries. An administration official said that although the review was not complete, one thrust was that Pakistan needed to recognize that combating extremism was in its own interest as well as that of U.S.- and NATO fighting forces across the border in Afghanistan. The official, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity because the review was not complete. President Barack Obama was expected to explain the redrawn U.S. objectives to NATO allies when he attends a NATO summit in Europe next month. The in-house review coordinated by the White House National Security Council lays out objectives over three years to five years, although that doesn't necessarily mean the U.S. military could leave in that time, defense officials said. The U.S. goal in Afghanistan must be to protect Kabul's fragile government from collapsing under pressure from the Taliban -- a goal that can only be achieved by securing Pakistan's cooperation, increasing substantially the size of Afghanistan's national security forces and boosting economic aid in the region, according to senior military and intelligence officials. Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, and Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, met privately on Thursday with more than a dozen senators. Although the session was confidential, it was part of the administration's effort to recruit support for a trimmed-down U.S. mission in the war begun by former President George W. Bush in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The White House review was expected to frame U.S. objectives in two major categories: strategic regional goals for stability in impoverished Afghanistan and nuclear-armed Pakistan and smaller-scale warfighting goals for the growing U.S. military commitment in Afghanistan. Broadly speaking, the Obama administration was expected to endorse a doctrine of counterinsurgency that has military and civilian components and that scales back U.S. expectations for Afghan democracy and self-sufficiency. A main theme is the premise that the military alone cannot win the war, officials said. The review was expected to focus on containing the Taliban and the proliferation of lesser-known militant groups, providing a greater sense of security and stability for Afghan civilians and increasing the size and proficiency of the Afghan armed forces. "I would say that, at a minimum, the mission is to prevent the Taliban from retaking power against a democratically elected government in Afghanistan and thus turning Afghanistan, potentially, again, into a haven for al-Qaida and other extremist groups," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in an interview with National Public Radio this week. Part of the strategy would be purely military, as the 17,000 additional troops Obama has approved for Afghanistan this year attest. Their role is to face off against extremists in the busy spring and summer fighting season and buy time for less tangible counterinsurgency tactics to take hold. Administration and military leaders have given a glimpse into one such tactic, describing ways that Afghan and U.S. leaders might co-opt or pay off mid- and lower-level Taliban and other insurgents in rough imitation of a successful strategy to blunt the insurgency in Iraq. The review overseen by former CIA analyst Bruce Reidel drew on several generally bleak internal government assessments of the war done over the past six months. People familiar with those accounts sum up the conclusions much as Obama himself described the Afghanistan war in a New York Times interview last week: The United States is not winning.

US bill ties aid with access to A.Q. Khan

WASHINGTON Already reeling under terrorist violence and political turmoil, Pakistan came under increased US pressure on Thursday when lawmakers introduced a legislation aiming to cut off military aid to the country unless American officials were able to question Dr A. Q. Khan. The United States claims Dr Khan headed a network of nuclear proliferators and some US politicians want to question him over his alleged involvement in providing nuclear know-how to Iran, Libya and North Korea. He was placed under house arrest after the unearthing of the alleged network but was released in early February. ‘Khan is again a loose nuke scientist with proven ability to sell the worst weapons to the worst people,’ said Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harman, a lead author of the bill. The legislation would also tie continued US military aid to assurances from Islamabad that it is monitoring Dr Khan’s movements and activities. ‘Hopefully, appropriate Pakistani officials worry as we do that their civilians could become nuclear targets — as could Nato soldiers in neighbouring Afghanistan or civilians in any number of Western countries,’ said Rep. Harman. The United States had stopped military and economic assistance to Pakistan in 1990, following a dispute over its nuclear programme. Diplomatic observers in Washington, however, say that it would be difficult to bring such sanctions against Pakistan at this stage when the United States wants the allied nation to increase its role in fighting terrorism. Pakistan is already resisting Washington’s offer for greater US involvement in training the Pakistani military. Senior US officials and lawmakers — such as Vice President Joe Biden and Senator John Kerry, who heads the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee — have described the previous sanction against Pakistan as a mistake and opposed any future sanctions. US officials say that the previous sanction, known as the Presslar Amendment, reduced their influence in Pakistan, particularly in the military, and has left bitter memories in that country.

Obama extends Iran sanctions

US President Barack Obama has extended one of the many levels of sanctions against Iran, prohibiting American companies from working with the Iranian oil industry and halting trade, export/import and investment ties with Iran.President Barack Obama said Thursday he had extended one of the many levels of sanctions against Iran, imposed in 1995 over claims Tehran dealt in terrorism and sought weapons of mass destruction.     The sanctions, prohibiting US companies aiding the development of the Iranian oil industry and halting trade, export/import and investment ties with Iran, were imposed by the Clinton administration and have been extended on an annual basis by successive presidents. They would have expired without Obama's formal action to extend them. "The actions and policies of the Government of Iran are contrary to the interests of the United States in the region and pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat" to US national security and the US economy, Obama said in a message to Congress. The sanctions are one portion of the large range of punitive US, United Nations and international measures imposed against Iran, for various reasons, including its alleged backing for terrorism and nuclear drive. Over more than 20 years, Washington has steadily upped sanctions against Iranian entities in hopes of pressuring Tehran to pull back on its nuclear program -- which the US says is aimed at developing nuclear weapons.

U.S., Britain Work to Broker Truce Between Pakistan's Leaders Amid Country's Protests

U.S. and British diplomats were scrambling to broker a truce between Pakistan’s feuding political leaders tonight as thousands of black-suited lawyers defied a government ban to launch a mass protest across the country. Richard Holbrooke, the new U.S. special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, telephoned Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s president, to discuss the unrest, which has raised fears that the army could take power once again. "Mr Holbrooke conveyed the anxiety of the U.S. administration over the worsening political crisis and asked the president to find ways to end the strife," a senior Pakistani official told The Times. David Miliband, the foreign secretary, also spoke to Mr Zardari as lawyers and opposition activists clashed with police at the start of a "long march" from major cities towards Islamabad, the capital. Organizers hope that hundreds of thousands will join the march, due to end with a rally in front of the national parliament on Monday, to demand that the government reinstate judges deposed under Pervez Musharraf, the former president. Nawaz Sharif, the former Prime Minister whose party quit the government last year over the same issue, has urged Pakistanis to join the march and to rise up against their weak civilian government.

China 'ready to add to stimulus'

China has "adequate ammunition" to fend off the worst effects of the global economic slowdown and is ready to add to already announced stimulus measures if needed, the country's premier has said. Speaking to reporters at the end of the annual National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Friday, Wen Jiabao outlined a four point plan for recovery, saying the government's "priority task remains to bolster confidence". "First and foremost, we need very strong confidence," he said. "Only when we have confidence can we have courage and strength, and only when we have courage and strength can we overcome difficulties." Wen was speaking at a rare press conference with international and local reporters in Beijing's Great Hall of the People. Mixing optimism with caution, he reiterated his warning made at the opening of the congress last week that 2009 would be a challenging year for China, but said the government had "prepared contingency plans to handle greater difficulties". "We have prepared enough 'ammunition' and we can launch new economic stimulus policies at any time."

"I expect that next year both China and the world will be better off"

Wen Jiabao,
Chinese premier


IMF wants Africa to be part of crisis solution

The final statement of the conference organised by the International Monetary Fund in Tanzania called for aid commitments towards Africa to be honoured and plead for Africa to be part of the solution to the global financial crisis.Africa must be part of the solution to the global financial crisis, leaders said Wednesday at the close of a two-day meeting organised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Tanzania.In a final joint statement, the conference also called for aid commitments towards Africa to be honoured, warning that urgent action was needed to avert losing a decade of economic gains on the continent."Africa must be a part of the solution to the global economic crisis facing Africa and the world, and Africa must be fully represented in the evolving global architecture," the statement said. The document was signed by IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete whose country hosted the conference and former UN chief Kofi Annan, who chairs the Africa Progress Panel. After assessing the impact on Africa of the global economic downturn -- which Strauss-Kahn described Tuesday as a "Great Recession" -- the conference's 300 participants on Wednesday attempted to find reasons for hope. Several key speakers argued now was the best time for private investment in Africa and pointed out that while rich countries were in recession, Africa was still experiencing economic growth, albeit slower than forecast a year ago. "Africa offers the highest return on investment in the world," said Mo Ibrahim, a pioneer of the continent's mobile phone industry and the founder of a prize rewarding good governance.

Orbiting Junk Causes Space Station Evacuation

The two astronauts and one cosmonaut aboard  the International Space Station had to duck for cover Thursday as space debris passed perilously close to the orbiting platform. Crew members Sandra Magnus, Michael Fincke and Yury Lonchakov were ordered into one of the Soyuz TMA-13 escape capsules at 12:35 p.m. EDT. In case the space station were to be hit, the astronauts could have undocked and headed back to Earth. The window of danger passed at 12:45 p.m., and left the capsule and reentered the space station. NASA said the offending object was most likely an old motor from the space station itself. The debris was was about one-third of an inch in width, said NASA spokesman Josh Byerly.

US missile strikes kill 14 in Kurram Agency

Pakistan, KURRAM AGENCY At least 14 people were
killed Thursday in suspected US missile strikes in Kurra Agency.  According to eyewitnesses, US drones fired four missiles on a residential building situated in Barjo area of Kurram Agency, killing at least 14 people. Officials say that the area is part of the territory from which Behtullah Mehsud and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan operate out of, and it the attack may have targeted either a militant hideout or a terrorist training campSources said that some foreigners were also among the dead. However, it was yet unconfirmed.

Shoe-thrower sentenced to three years in prison

A Baghdad court has sentenced Muntazer al-Zaidi, an Iraqi reporter who hurled his shoes at former U.S. President George W. Bush, to three years in prison, according to his employer, Al-Baghdadiya television.A Baghdad court sentenced an Iraqi reporter who hurled his shoes at former U.S. president George W. Bush to three years in prison on Thursday. Muntazer al-Zaidi worked for Al-Baghdadiya television, and earned instant worldwide fame when he threw his shoes at Bush at a news conference in December, calling him a dog. "This sentence is harsh and is not in harmony with the law, and eventually the defence team will contest this in the appeals court," said Dhiaa al-Saadi, the head of Zaidi's defence team. Zaidi's sister Ruqaiya burst into tears, shouting "Down with Maliki, the agent of the Americans," referring to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Zaidi's brother, Uday, said the verdict was politically motivated.