European astronomers said on Friday they had devised a technique to detect water in the atmosphere of planets orbiting other stars. Using a telescope in Chile, they teased out a tell-tale infra-red signature from water in the atmosphere of a gassy planet called HD 189733b, which orbits its star...
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Astronomers finetune search for life on other planets with new water detection technique
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CNBC anchor blasts cult of ‘enviro-socialists’
CNBC Squawk Box co-host Joe Kernen on Friday bashed environmentalists for their beliefs on climate change. Calling them “enviro-socialists,” he explained, “It is a cult. It is a bonafide cult.” The comment came after speaking with former president and CEO of U.S. Operations at Shell Oil John...
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Venezuela offers asylum to Edward Snowden
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday he had decided to offer asylum to former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who has petitioned several countries to avoid capture by Washington. “I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young...
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Detroit accuses bond insurer of stifling agreement with creditors
By Karen Pierog and Steve Neavling (Reuters) – The city of Detroit filed a lawsuit against bond insurer Syncora Guarantee Inc claiming the company blocked an agreement the city hopes to conclude with major creditors involving revenue from the city’s three casinos. The suit filed on...
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BART service resumes in San Francisco with 30-day stopgap agreement
By Jim Christie Commuter rail service in the San Francisco area resumed on Friday after striking employees of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system agreed to extend current contracts by 30 days. The strike, the first since 1997 by BART’s workers, began on Monday after talks broke down just hours...
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Baltimore mayor tells Matthews: ‘The public agrees’ on gun control, ‘but Congress just hasn’t had the courage to act’
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) used MSNBC’s host Chris Matthews’ own data on Friday to rebuke his suggestion of an urban-rural divide on gun safety laws. Rawlings-Blake said she saw not a divide among Americans, but between citizens and lawmakers. “That is us...
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Security flaw affects 99 percent of Android phones: report
Security flaw affects 99 percent of Android phones: report (via The Christian Science Monitor) A security research firm discovered a flaw in Android phone operating system that would allow hackers to modify a regular application into a malicious one completely undetected by smart phone users, the...
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16-month-old girl dies after relative leaves her in locked vehicle for hours
A 16-month-old girl died on Friday after being left inside a locked van while temperatures exceeded 90 degrees, WJZ-TV reported. Baltimore County Police said the girl, identified as Sabriya Towels, was left behind by an unnamed male relative who was supposed to take her to a local Head Start care...
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U.S. missile defense system test sputters out
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A test of the only U.S. defense against long-range ballistic missiles failed on Friday, the third consecutive failure involving the interceptor system managed by Boeing Co, the Defense Department said. “Program officials will conduct an extensive review to...
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Escaped inmate tackled by flag-wearing man on Fourth of July
It was not the home of the free on July 4 — at least not for James Myers, because that was the day the escaped prison inmate was tackled to the ground by a man wearing an American flag shirt. WEWS-TV reported that Myers, who is serving a life sentence for rape, escaped from Mansfield...
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Boston University accuses Apple of stealing professor’s idea for iPhone
Boston University claims Apple stole professor's idea (via The Christian Science Monitor) Patent wars are all the rage in the tech community, and Apple is often viewed as the most aggressive patent warrior in Silicon Valley. Now, in an odd turn around, Boston University has decided to take...
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Costa Rican woman: Pope John Paul II cured my brain aneurysm
With a portrait of John Paul II on the wall behind her and a rosary around her neck, Floribeth Mora faced a roomful of reporters to explain how her brain aneurism was cured by praying to the late pope. “Rise, don’t be afraid!” Mora said John Paul told her. The cure — deemed...
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White House rejects ‘false claims’ of interfering in Egypt
Statement says US ‘not aligned with any political party or group’ as Muslim Brotherhood questions ElBaradei reports The White House has rejected “false claims” that it is working with specific parties in Egypt to “dictate” how the country should proceed following...
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Lawmakers’ impasse keeping Poland out of Eurozone
Poland will not be able to join the eurozone for years because of a parliamentary impasse that could last through 2019, Prime Minister Donald Tusk indicated in an interview published Saturday. “We will not enter the eurozone without changing the constitution. We do not have that kind of...
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North and South Korea agree on inspection of joint industrial zone
North and South Korea agreed Sunday to inspect a joint industrial zone shuttered amid high cross-border tension and to hold talks on preventing another closure, reports said. After rare talks which lasted more than 12 hours, officials from both sides agreed to allow Seoul businessmen to visit...
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BBC reporter shot in the head during Egyptian protests
BBC Middle East bureau editor Jeremy Bowen was shot in the head and leg while covering a demonstration in support of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Friday, the Huffington Post reported. “I think it was a shotgun,” Bowen told the British newspaper the Daily Mirror. “I...
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Egyptian cleric issues fatwa over ‘invalid’ coup against Morsi
Influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi on Saturday issued a religious decree, or fatwa, urging Egyptians to support overthrown Islamist president Mohamed Morsi who was toppled by the army on Wednesday. “Their every action is invalid,” Qaradawi said of “those who have...
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Virginia mom charged with child neglect in 8-month-old boy’s death
A 32-year-old Virginia woman was arrested on Saturday and charged with felony child neglect in the death of her 8-month-old son, WRC-TV reported. Zoraida Magali Conde Hernandez was being held at the Arlington County Detention Facility without bond. Authorities said Hernandez drove the boy to work...
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Radical wind changes blamed for Arizona firefighter deaths
Arizona wildfire: Details emerge on tragedy that killed 19 hotshots (via The Christian Science Monitor) As more becomes known about the devastating Arizona wildfire that killed 19 members of a “hotshot” team, broader questions are being raised: How to address the spread of residential expansion...
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U.S. pressure helps Snowden make his case for asylum: experts
As Venezuela and Nicaragua offer lifeline to whistleblower, experts say US actions are strengthening his case for safe haven Attempts by the US to close down intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden’s asylum options are strengthening his case to seek a safe harbour outside of Russia, legal...
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