NASA discovers Tatooine, but not in a galaxy far, far away

Astronomers say a bit of science fiction is now reality. They've spotted a planet orbiting two suns.

The discovery was made by NASA's planet-hunting telescope Kepler. Scientists describe the find in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

They are calling the new planet Tatooine after the fictional body in the Star Wars films that boasts a double sunset.

The alien world, about the size of Saturn, is frigid and inhospitable. It orbits two stars 200 light-years from Earth.

Though there have been past hints of the existence of other planets that circled double stars, scientists said this is the first confirmation.

Kepler was launched in 2009 to find out how common other planets – especially Earth-like planets – are in the universe.

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Hurricane warning issued for SE coast of Newfoundland

Hurricane Maria is racing towards southeastern Newfoundland and is expected to make landfall there as a hurricane on Friday afternoon.

A hurricane warning has been posted along the Avalon Peninsula, where gusts up to 120 kilometres an hour are expected by Friday afternoon.

By early Friday, the storm was centred about 1,030 kilometres southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland and moving northeast near 70 km/h.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre says heavy rain is also expected, with some areas likely to receive 60 to 90 millimetres.

Environment Canada has also posted tropical storm warnings for Bonavista Peninsula, Burin Peninsula, the St. John’s area and Avalon Peninsula north.

A tropical storm warning means sustained winds of 63 km/h or more are expected in the warning zones within 24 hours.

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Cameron, Sarkozy on first European aid visit to Libya

The French and British leaders arrived in Libya on Thursday to congratulate the new rulers they helped install, but families fleeing besieged bastions of ousted strongman Muammar Gaddafi are a reminder that peace is still far off. The visit is a victory lap for Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron, who defied doubters at home to lead a Nato bombing campaign that succeeded in ushering in a victory by forces who swept away Gaddafi’s 42-year rule last month.

With security tight, spokesmen in Paris and London said the two had arrived in Tripoli. Cameron’s office said they would meet Libyan leaders before a news conference. The two men were expected to fly on to Benghazi later.

Both are popular on the streets of Libya, where “Merci Sarkozy” and “Thank you Britain” are common graffiti slogans. Both may hope to earn political dividends back home from what now appears to have been a successful

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6 ways Chinese firms swindle Indians

Alarmed by the growing instances of fraud being committed by Chinese companies, to which Indian small and medium firms are falling victim, New Delhi has swung into action and has — for the first time — done an analysis on the types of trade disputes.

The government has also cautioned Indian companies against trusting business-to-business (B2B) sites before zeroing in on a Chinese partner. It has also asked the Indian missions in that country to help in establishing the authenticity of Chinese firms. There have been 66 disputes this year alone between January and July, the value of which exceeds $1.8 million. A majority of the disputes have taken place with companies based in Hebei province (29 cases) and Tianjin municipality (26 cases). The government is also circulating a list of 48 companies that committed fraud this year

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US consumer prices, jobless claims rise

US consumers paid more for a range of goods and services last month, and unemployment benefit applications jumped last week to the highest level in three months. The latest data offered a picture of an economy facing inflationary pressures and a depressed job market.
The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in August, the labour department said on Thursday. That followed a 0.5% increase in July. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, core prices increased 0.2%. Prices for food, energy apartment rents, and clothing all increased.

Separately, the labour department said applications for unemployment benefits rose 11,000 to 428,000 last week. The four-week average rose for the fourth straight week to 419,500, the highest level in eight weeks

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India Robot Olympiad 2011 Starts Off in First Timer Mumbai

It's that time of year again when the school children from across the country are gripped with robotics fervour. Techtronics Education (India) Limited brings the sixth edition of Indian Robot Olympiad (IRO) 2011, the annual national level robotics championship in association with LEGO, world's premier manufacturer of play and education materials.

This year's edition of the IRO kick starts in Mumbai at Ecole Mondiale World School on September 17th-18th, 2011, which will be followed by the competition reaching Chennai (September 23rd-24th, 2011), Bangalore (September 24th -25th, 2011) and culminating finally in New Delhi (September 30th - October 1st, 2011). This year the two cities Mumbai and Chennai are making their debut in the IRO itinerary along with an additional practice day before the main event day. The Olympiad is amongst many initiatives taken by Techtronics Education to promote the basic mantra of learning by doing in the Indian education system.

The Indian Robot Olympiad is held in three categories - Primary School, Junior High and Senior High where students aged between 9-17 years participate. In this showcase of talent and intellect, teams from over 600 different schools across India will be participating and the two winning teams from each category will get to represent India in the World Robot Olympiad 2011 to be held in Abu Dhabi from November 18th - 20th, 2011. Some of the prominent schools participating are Appejay School, ST John High School, The Galaxy School, Manav Rachna International School, Saupin's School, National Public School, GD Goenka Public School, Rajhans Vidyalaya, Venkat International School, Jamnabai Narsee School, RMS International School, Dhirubhai Ambani International, Amity School, Chennai Public School, Ecole Mondiale World School, Genesis Global School, Velammal International School, Canadian International School among others.

The IRO 2011 will follow the 2011 WRO Open Category theme: "Robots for Life Improvement". Under this theme the participants need to identify areas in which robotics may be able to contribute to improving our life and then develop a robotic solution that fulfils this contribution and present it, following the General Rules of the Open Category competition. Participant students demonstrate capabilities of their Robots, which are created using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education NXT kits.

Highlighting the objective behind the event Mr. Sudhanshu Sharma, MD Techtronics Education (India) Limited stressed on the importance of "Learning by Doing" - the inherent principle behind Techtronics Education. He said, "Techtronics Education in India is committed to the core cause of learning by doing in the education system in India. Globally, the developed world has risen to the use of robotics and automation technology. In India, we want to make children familiar with this technology at an early stage to prepare them to embrace this technology with enthusiasm as they enter the professional world. With this Olympiad, Techtronics education has written yet another successful chapter in Indian Robotics Education, with a commitment of many such more."

`Long time Lego enthusiast and Chief Judge - IRO 2010, Mr. Apurva Kalia added, "It's been our sincere effort to set highest benchmark each time with the India Robot Olympiad. Our ultimate aim is driven by the motive to produce world champions in international robotic competitions. I am also pleased to see that each year as we host the Olympiad, the existing benchmarks just go higher."

Notes to Editor

About Techtronics Education

Learning by Doing - is the mantra behind Techtronics Education. Started in 2006, Techtronics Education has tied up with world's leading learning solutions provider and manufacturer of products for hands-on, activity based learning - LEGO Education - as their partner and distributor in India.

Inspired by the "National Curriculum Framework" of NCERT, Techtronics Education has been unwavering in their efforts to give a wholesome activity based education to the students of classes 3rd to 12th, and prepare them for exciting careers in science and technology. Techtronics helps schools in setting up and running robotics activity clubs and teacher training programs all across India.

About LEGO

The LEGO Group is a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company is still owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family who founded it in 1932.

The LEGO Group is engaged in the development of children creativity through playing and learning. Based on the world-famous LEGO brick, the company today provides toys, experiences and teaching materials for children in more than 130 countries. The LEGO Group has approximately 8,000 employees, and it is the world's fifth largest manufacturer of play materials.

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Indian pharma ind to be in world's top 5'

India will emerge as one of the Top 5 global markets for pharmaceutical products by 2020, driven by huge domestic demand and increased consumer spending on drugs, according to a study by city-based Ikon Marketing Consultants.
Describing the ongoing decade as a healthy one for the pharma industry, Ikon Marketing Consultants (IMC) Founder and Principal Consultant Azaz Motiwala said, "The global pharma market is expected to grow at 7 per cent to 8 per cent over the next five years, reaching an anticipated USD 1.7 trillion in 2020."

He noted that the Indian consumer currently spends nearly 1 per cent of his total income on drugs and pharmaceuticals, which will not change significantly in the current decade.

"However, with the rise in the per capita income, the spending is going to be triple (approximately USD 33) by 2020," Motiwala said.

By 2020, nearly 650 million people will have health insurance cover, while private insurance

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Centre issues terror alert for Maharashtra, adjoining states AGENCIES

The Centre has advised all states bordering Maharashtra to be fully alert in the wake of intelligence inputs that terrorists may target Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai by using small aircraft.

Directors General of Police of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Goa apart from the CISF have been asked by central security agencies to remain on high alert to foil any possible terrorist design to attack the Mumbai airport, sources said.

A specific input suggested that terrorists may try to use a small aircraft or a helicopter to target the country's busiest airport, the sources said.

The Centre asked the police chiefs to put small aircraft and private helicopters under strict vigil before they are allowed to fly, they said.

The sources said the Centre has also directed that unused airstrips and private helipads be brought under the watch of local law enforcement agencies and put under strict vigil.

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Ottawa lifts freeze on Libyan assets, reopens Tripoli embassy

Canada is preparing to release $2.2-billion in frozen assets to Libya’s new government.

The National Transitional Council has pressed Canada to quickly release the funds, frozen in February under UN sanctions against the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, to help finance basic services in a chaotic transition to a post-Gadhafi government.

The United Nations sanctions committee has now given Ottawa permission to release the funds, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said on Monday. He did not say precisely when the money will be transferred to Libya’s new government.

“These funds will help the Libyan people in the short and the medium term,” he said. “Whether it’s helping to pay for police officers or teachers, restoring electricity or water, or helping to ensure hospitals have what they need to operate, this money will help the new government of Libya get back on its feet.”

Other countries, including Britain and the United States, have already received UN permission to release some of the sums frozen in their country. But unlike those countries, which only released a small portion of the frozen assets, Canada’s exemption appears to cover most or all of the assets frozen in February, when officials put the sum on ice at $2.1-billion.

The government is also preparing to re-open the Canadian embassy in Tripoli, with Ambassador Sandra McArdell and others already working from a temporary location in the capital, Mr. Baird said. He did not mention the presence of Canadian soldiers, reported to be on the ground in Libya to try to secure the embassy that was used until the anti-Gadhafi rebellion.

“Having now taken stock of the situation, we are starting the work of refurbishing and securing our embassy in Tripoli,” Mr. Baird said.

He said the new embassy will have more diplomats than before to expand trade and commercial services – as businesses from Canada and many western countries seek to resume and expand their operations in the oil-rich nation now that Col. Gadhafi’s regime has been displaced.

Mr. Baird did not say precisely when the embassy will re-open, or make any comment on whether the Harper government will seek to extend the Canadian military mission in Libya, now slated to end Sept. 27.

His news conference, held in the foyer of the House of Commons, was cut to a brief, four-question session when reporters started asking about Mr. Baird’s parliamentary secretary, Mississauga–Erindale MP Bob Dechert.

It emerged last week that Mr. Dechert had exchanged amorous e-mails with a reporter for China’s state news agency, Xinhua, long judged by Canadian and other western governments to be deeply connected to Beijing’s spy services.

Mr. Baird said over the weekend that Mr. Dechert would not be fired from his post as parliamentary secretary for what the MP called a flirtatious relationship.

And when reporters asked about it Tuesday morning, his press aide immediately yelled “last question.” Mr. Baird, his voice lowered, said he had nothing further to say, and walked away from the podium after taking reporters’ questions for just under two minutes.

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