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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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