Supermoon has graced the skies, appearing bigger and brighter than usual, as it comes closer to the Earth – and is likely to bring higher tides. The phenomenon, known as a perigee full moon, means the Moon appears up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than when it is furthest from the planet. The optimum… Continue reading Biggest full moon graced the night sky
Category: Front Page
Front Page news
Ed Kennedy, scoop reporter who broke the news of WW II end, receives Associated Press apology
The Associated Press has apologized for sacking Ed Kennedy, a war reporter who broke the news that World War II had ended one day before the agreed embargo. Ed Kennedy defied the military censors to report the Nazi surrender on the night of 7 May 1945 in France. The US and the UK had agreed to… Continue reading Ed Kennedy, scoop reporter who broke the news of WW II end, receives Associated Press apology
Who really won World War II?
Sixty-seven years ago, in May 1945, the Nazi regime collapsed being squeezed ever more tightly between two fronts – the Soviet Union on one side and the Western Allies on the other. But which of these fronts was the most important? Throughout the Cold War, and ever since, each side has tended to see its… Continue reading Who really won World War II?
Japan left without nuclear power by switching off the last reactor at Tomari plant
Japan has decided to switch off its last working nuclear reactor, as part of the safety drive since the March 2011 tsunami triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima plant. The third reactor at the Tomari plant, in Hokkaido prefecture, is shutting down for routine maintenance. The move leaves Japan without energy from atomic power for… Continue reading Japan left without nuclear power by switching off the last reactor at Tomari plant
Vladimir Putin’s mystery tsar palace built on Russia’s Black Sea coast?
An extraordinary building has gradually taken shape on a thickly wooded mountainside overlooking Russia’s Black Sea coast near the village of Praskoveevka. The building is alleged to be a palace built for the personal use of President Vladimir Putin, with massive and illegal use of state funds. Originally conceived, it is said, as a modest… Continue reading Vladimir Putin’s mystery tsar palace built on Russia’s Black Sea coast?
CERN physicist Adlene Hicheur jailed in France for terror plot
Adlene Hicheur, a French physicist at the prestigious CERN laboratory has been sentenced to five years in prison for plotting terrorist attacks. Adlene Hicheur was arrested in 2009 after police intercepted his emails to an alleged contact in al-Qaeda. The emails suggested Algerian-born Adlene Hicheur was willing to be part of an “active terrorist unit”,… Continue reading CERN physicist Adlene Hicheur jailed in France for terror plot
Queen Elizabeth II has never visited Greece, Prince Philip’s homeland
Queen Elizabeth II, one of the most travelled monarchs ever, has been to 116 countries on official state visits as Queen, but not Greece. Queen Elizabeth II has travelled from the tiny island nation of Tuvalu in the Pacific, to Russia, China, Chile, Ghana, Australia and almost everywhere in between. So it may seem surprising… Continue reading Queen Elizabeth II has never visited Greece, Prince Philip’s homeland
Chen Guancheng can apply to study abroad, say Chinese authorities
China says activist Chen Guangcheng can apply to study abroad, potentially indicating a way out of the diplomatic crisis with the US over him. A Chinese foreign ministry statement said Chen Guangcheng could “apply through normal channels in accordance with the law”. The blind dissident fled house arrest last month and spent six days inside… Continue reading Chen Guancheng can apply to study abroad, say Chinese authorities
Argentine Olympic advert filmed in Falklands without permission
Argentina has broadcasted a political advert filmed on the territory of Falkland Islands without authorization. The advert features an Argentine athlete training in the Falklands ahead of the London Olympics in July. It ends with the slogan: “To compete on English soil, we train on Argentine soil.” Falklands legislator Ian Hansen dismissed it as a… Continue reading Argentine Olympic advert filmed in Falklands without permission
Adolf Hitler profile uncovered in WWII British intelligence report
A newly unveiled report written for wartime British intelligence says Adolf Hitler developed a “messiah complex” towards the end of World War II. The report, written in 1942 by Cambridge academic Joseph MacCurdy, said Adolf Hitler was turning increasingly to “Jew-phobia” as defeat loomed. Social scientist Mark Abrams commissioned the report, which came to light… Continue reading Adolf Hitler profile uncovered in WWII British intelligence report
Chen Guangcheng phones US Congress to plead for help to leave China
Activist Chen Guangcheng has phoned a US Congressional hearing to plead for help in his attempts to leave China with his family. Chen Guangcheng said he feared for the safety of his family and wanted to meet visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton face-to-face. The dissident is in a Beijing hospital sealed off by… Continue reading Chen Guangcheng phones US Congress to plead for help to leave China
Osama Bin Laden’s documents seized in Abbottabad raid posted online
Osama Bin Laden’s documents seized during the raid on the Abbottabad compound were posted online by the research wing of the US military academy, West Point. The newly released papers reveal a frustrated Osama Bin Laden struggling to control an unruly network, the US military says. The papers show al-Qaeda leader was unhappy with affiliates’… Continue reading Osama Bin Laden’s documents seized in Abbottabad raid posted online
Ukraine slams Euro 2012 boycott
Ukraine denounces a threatened EU boycott of next month’s Euro 2012 football championship as “destructive”. In a statement, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said the move would undermine the image of the tournament and be detrimental to millions of Ukrainians and Poles. Poland – which is co-hosting Euro 2012 – has also criticized any boycott. Several European… Continue reading Ukraine slams Euro 2012 boycott
Successful electronic retina implants in UK
Two men from UK, who have been totally blind for many years, have had part of their vision restored after surgery to fit pioneering eye implants. The men are able to perceive light and even some shapes from the devices which were fitted behind the retina. The patients are part of a clinical trial carried… Continue reading Successful electronic retina implants in UK
Chen Guangcheng says he is unable to meet US officials and to leave China
Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng says he has been unable to meet US officials to discuss his desire to leave the country. The blind dissident, in hospital in Beijing, says he believes Chinese officials were preventing US envoys from visiting him on Thursday. After he escaped house arrest last week, Chen Guangcheng spent six days in… Continue reading Chen Guangcheng says he is unable to meet US officials and to leave China
Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande trade insults in the final debate
President Nicolas Sarkozy and his rival Francois Hollande have traded insults in their only TV debate of the election campaign. Nicolas Sarkozy called Francois Hollande a “little slanderer”, while his challenger said the president shirked responsibility. The president defended his record and said he had kept France out of recession. But Francois Hollande said France… Continue reading Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande trade insults in the final debate
ESA will launch 1 billion-Euro Juice probe to Jupiter in 2022
The European Space Agency is to mount Juice probe, a billion-euro mission, to Jupiter and its icy moons. Juice probe has just been approved at a meeting of member state delegations in Paris. It would be built in time for a launch in 2022, although it would be a further eight years before it reached… Continue reading ESA will launch 1 billion-Euro Juice probe to Jupiter in 2022
Chen Guangcheng left US embassy in Beijing a week after his escape from house arrest
Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has left the US embassy in Beijing, a week after seeking shelter following his escape from house arrest. State news agency Xinhua said Chen Guangcheng left “of his own volition”. He is having a check-up at a Beijing hospital. His lawyer said he was “happy” and “free”. The announcement came as… Continue reading Chen Guangcheng left US embassy in Beijing a week after his escape from house arrest
The night Osama Bin Laden came for dinner to a Pakistani tribal family
A year on from the death of Osama Bin Laden, two Pakistani men tell how they came to host the then leader of al-Qaeda. Late one night in the summer of 2010, on the fringes of the Waziristan region in north-western Pakistan, half a dozen men of a local tribal family waited nervously for the… Continue reading The night Osama Bin Laden came for dinner to a Pakistani tribal family
Barack Obama’s Afghan speech: 23,000 troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan
President Barack Obama has pledged to “finish the job” and end the Afghan war, addressing the US public live from a military base in Afghanistan. Speaking a year after Osama Bin Laden’s death, Barack Obama thanked US troops and hailed plans to end combat operations. He arrived in Afghanistan on a publicly unannounced visit to… Continue reading Barack Obama’s Afghan speech: 23,000 troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan
Barack Obama makes surprise visit to Afghanistan one year after Osama Bin Laden’s death
President Barack Obama has arrived in Afghanistan on a previously unannounced visit. Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have signed a 10-year accord charting future relations between the countries. The agreement outlines the US role in Afghanistan after 2014, when most NATO combat forces are due to pull out. Barack Obama is also due… Continue reading Barack Obama makes surprise visit to Afghanistan one year after Osama Bin Laden’s death
How accurate were Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomy drawings?
The largest exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings of the human body goes on display in the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in UK this week. During his lifetime, Leonardo da Vinci made thousands of pages of notes and drawings on the human body. Leonardo da Vinci wanted to understand how the body was composed… Continue reading How accurate were Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomy drawings?
US Navy SEAL accuses Barack Obama of using them as “ammunition” for his re-election campaign
US Navy SEAL has slammed President Barack Obama for taking the credit for killing Osama bin Laden and accused him of using Special Forces operators as “ammunition” for his re-election campaign. In his newly released re-election campaign, President Bill Clinton is featured saying that Barack Obama took “the harder and the more honorable path” in… Continue reading US Navy SEAL accuses Barack Obama of using them as “ammunition” for his re-election campaign
Marine Le Pen vows blank vote in Sunday’s French presidential poll
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has vowed to cast a blank vote in Sunday’s French presidential poll run-off. Marine Le Pen told a rally of her National Front party that she could back neither incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy nor Socialist Francois Hollande and told supporters to follow their conscience. Marine Le Pen won 6.5 million votes… Continue reading Marine Le Pen vows blank vote in Sunday’s French presidential poll
India ferry sinking: rescue workers searching for survivors on the Brahmaputra River
Indian divers and rescue workers are looking for survivors on the Brahmaputra river in Assam state, where a ferry capsized during a storm on Monday, killing at least 103 people. Police said about 150 people had been rescued or swam to safety while at least 100 more were missing. The death toll was likely to… Continue reading India ferry sinking: rescue workers searching for survivors on the Brahmaputra River