Home computers discover rare star

By putting their home computers to work when they would otherwise be idle, three "citizen scientists" have discovered a rare astronomical object.

The unusual find is called a "disrupted binary pulsar"; these pulsars can be created when a massive star collapses.

The discoverers, from the US and Germany found the object with the help of the Einstein@Home project.

It asks users to donate time on their computers, allowing them to be used for searching through scientific data.

This type of project is known as "distributed computing". Einstein@Home harnesses the power of home machines in order to process large amounts of data.

Credited with the discovery are Chris and Helen Colvin, both information technology professionals from Iowa, US, and systems analyst Daniel Gebhardt from Mainz in Germany.

Their computers, along with 500,000 others from around the world, are being used to analyse data for Einstein@Home. BBC News

France condemns conduct of officer after Togo dispute

French officials have condemned a senior soldier who was filmed threatening a Togolese journalist.

In a video released on YouTube, Lt Col Romuald Letondot is shown ordering the journalist to delete images from his camera during a protest in Lome.

When the journalist refuses, Col Letondot threatens to smash his camera and have him arrested.

French defence officials said they wanted an investigation and said the soldier may face punishment. BBC News

Study: Birth order can affect intelligence

NEW YORK, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Birth order in families, long blamed for sibling rivalries, may also affect children's personality and intelligence, a study suggests.

A study led by Tiffany L. Frank of Adelphi University in New York found first-borns are typically smarter while younger siblings get better grades and are more outgoing, LiveScience.com report Thursday.

The findings give clues about the influence of sibling relationships, which often receive less attention than the mother-child or father-child relationship, Frank said.

In the study, Frank and her colleagues surveyed 90 pairs of siblings in high school who were asked to report on their grades and then rank themselves against their siblings on intelligence, work ethic and academic performance.

In a second study, subjects were rated on a series of statements meant to assess personality. UPI

Scientists excited about nova explosion

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Astronomers say they've detected gamma rays from an exploding nova for the first time, a finding that overturns prevailing thought about such explosions.

A nova is a sudden, short-lived brightening when a white dwarf in a binary system erupts in an enormous thermonuclear explosion, but most scientists had believed such explosions were not powerful enough to emit high-energy gamma radiation, NASA said Thursday.

Gamma rays are the most energetic form of light, and NASA's Fermi's Large Area Telescope detected the nova for 15 days.

"In human terms, this was an immensely powerful eruption, equivalent to about 1,000 times the energy emitted by the sun every year," Elizabeth Hays, a Fermi project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said. UPI

US 'deeply concerned' with Iran religious persecution

WASHINGTON — The United States is "deeply concerned" with Iran's treatment of religious minorities, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday after seven Bahai leaders were sentenced to 20-year jail terms.

"The United States is deeply concerned with the Iranian government's continued persecution of Bahais and other religious minority communities in Iran," Clinton said in a statement.

"The United States is committed to defending religious freedom around the world, and we have not forgotten the Bahai community in Iran," she added.

"We will continue to speak out against injustice and call on the Iranian government to respect the fundamental rights of all its citizens in accordance with its international obligations".

Iran sentenced the seven leading members of the Bahai, the country's largest non-Muslim religious minority, to 20-year jail terms on Sunday.

They were arrested in May 2008 and this year were tried on charges ranging from spying for foreigners, spreading corruption on Earth, undermining Islam and cooperating with Israel.

"The United States strongly condemns this sentencing as a violation of Iran's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," Clinton said.

Clinton was referring to the 1966 UN treaty on fundamental freedoms, which Iran ratified before the 1979 Islamic revolution overthrew the pro-Western shah.

Earlier this week, Clinton cited the same treaty in a reprimand of Iran's plans to execute political dissidents, an 18-year-old who faces possible execution over homosexuality charges, and a woman who faced death by stoning after being found guilty of adultery.

She also named three political dissidents who were detained after high-profile street protests in 2009. AFP

Fatwas only by senior scholars: King

JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has issued a royal order saying only approved scholars can issue fatwas (religious edicts).

"As part of our religious and national duty we want you to ensure that fatwas are only issued by members of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars and other permitted people," King Abdullah said in the decree that was sent Thursday to Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, who heads the Presidency for Scholastic Research and Religious Edicts (Dar Al-Ifta) as well as the scholars council.

The decree also asked Al-Asheikh to report to the king on those fully qualified and eligible to issue fatwas.

"Individual fatwas on personal matters such as matters of worship, dealings, personal matters are exempt from this ruling, but they should be between the questioner and the scholar. There should be a total ban on any topics involving strange or obsolete views".

The king said the issuing of fatwas by unqualified persons was a violation of Islamic teachings.

"We have observed the fallout from unqualified people issuing fatwas. It is our religious duty to stop them in order to preserve our religion, which is our dearest possession, and cut off an evil which, if we do not tackle now, will return with added force." the king added in the decree.

"Religion is no place for bragging nor seeking worldly ambitions".

The king said differences of opinion among scholars should be confined to their own circles and not involve other people.

"We find some people undermining the role of official establishments and crossing into state jurisdiction. They pose as eligible scholars to dispute these religious establishments," he added.

"This situation has prompted us to face them with determination in order to return them to the right path and make them understand the great role played by our religious establishments".

Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh had warned earlier that many fatwas issued by individuals recently had lacked balance.

They include giving permission to kill men and women who share workspaces or, more bizarrely, allowing them to work together if a woman breastfeeds her male colleagues. Arab News

Uganda presents bombing suspects to reporters

(CNN) -- The Ugandan government paraded four suspects in last month's deadly bombings in Kampala before reporters Thursday, with one of the men calling himself an "evil man".

"I know no one can believe that I did this evil," said one suspect, Idris Nsubuga, who spoke at a press conference organized by government officials. "...But deep down in me I broke down -- honestly I didn't know the impact of those explosives".

A series of bomb blasts that Ugandan police say were likely set off by suicide bombers tore through an Ethiopian restaurant and a rugby center during a World Cup match July 11, killing 79 people.

The government raised the death toll, which it had previously set at 76, on Thursday.

"Now before you I have these four individuals, they are all Ugandans, and these are the ones who are responsible for the execution of the operation," Uganda's chief military intelligence officer, James Mugira, said at the Thursday press conference. CNN

Living on the wrong side of currency slides

I never cared much about the currency markets before moving out of the U.S.

Euro, yen, dollar… those words zoomed by on the bottom of the business news tickers, the numbers behind them always fluctuating up and down, seemingly meaningless in my single currency world.

Then I moved to Japan, and like many American expatriates, I got a crash course on the impact of the currency market on my wallet.

When I moved here almost three years ago, the Japanese yen was hovering around 120, 110 versus the U.S. dollar. Now mid-August 2010, the yen is smack dab in the 80’s. The cost of living for me, and many people who are paid in dollars but live in a yen world, has gone up percentage wise double digits, through no fault of our own except for a weakening dollar.

Michigan native Paula Shioi remembers the days of the 300 yen versus the dollar, when she was in high school a few decades ago. Since then, the value of dollar has done nothing but go “down, down, down,” said Shioi. If the dollar strengthens versus the yen, “then I’d make a lot more money,” sighed Shioi.

But that’s not the way the markets are heading, said Professor Eisuke Sakakibara, at Aoyama Gakuin University.

Sakakibara has the unusual nickname of “Mr. Yen” in Japan, known for accurately predicting the trading level of the yen. But the public started calling him Mr. Yen in the late 90’s, when he worked at the Ministry of Finance, trying to influence the dollar-yen exchange rates through public comments.

Sakakibara continues to make public comments and forecasts where he feels the yen will head. Earlier this year, he predicted the yen would strengthen into the 80’s. I sat down with Professor Sakakibara recently, the yen 85 versus the dollar. CNN

Micro-machines offer new possibilities

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Tiny self-calibrating machines could be super accurate sensors for crime scene forensics, environmental testing and medical diagnostics, researchers say.

Purdue University scientists say a new technology allowing tiny machines called micro electromechanical systems to "self-calibrate" could help create a "nose-on-a-chip" for tracking criminal suspects, sensors for identifying hazardous materials or laboratory tools for specialists working in nanotechnology and biotechnology, a university release said Tuesday.

"In the everyday macroscopic world, we can accurately measure distance and mass because we have well known standards such as rulers or weights that we use to calibrate devices that measure distances or forces," said Jason Vaughn Clark, professor of electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering. "But for the micro- or nanoscopic worlds, there have been no standards and no practical ways for measuring very small distances or forces". UPI

Man detained in Michigan serial killings

FLINT, Mich., Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A man suspected of stabbing 14 men and killing five of them in Michigan was in custody Thursday following his arrest in Atlanta, authorities said.

Genesee County, Mich., Prosecutor David Leyton told reporters Thursday Elias Abuelazam, 33 -- who is also suspected in four stabbing cases in Virginia and Ohio -- was arrested Wednesday night at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport prior to boarding a flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.

Abuelazam was identified as an Israeli Arab who may have been in the United States on a work visa. He had lived in Flint, Mich., since May, and had also lived in Virginia and Florida, authorities said.

Leyton said a judge in Flint signed an arrest warrant Thursday, naming Abuelazam in the July 27 stabbing death of Antwoine Marshall, 26, and the suspect will likely face more charges. UPI

Jaguar Saved from Poachers Stars in Brazil Movie

(AP)  An endangered spotted jaguar rescued from poachers is one of the stars of a soon-to-released feature film shot in the Brazilian Amazon, officials said Thursday. 

The 15-month-old jungle cat named Catarina plays the mother of a lost cub found by two children in "Taina 3" - an adventure story about an 8-year-old Indian girl who dreams of becoming a warrior and battles a timber smuggler bent on exploiting the rainforest. 

Natalia Lima of Ibama, the enforcement branch of the Environment Ministry, said agents in the city of Coari rescued Catarina in March from poachers who intended to sell her to foreign tourists for 30,000 reals ($17,000). Lima did not give further details of the rescue or identify the poachers or tourists. 

The jaguar spent four months being cared for at Ibama headquarters in Manaus and was then taken to Santarem in the state of Para for filming. 

Catarina is an "extremely docile animal who loves being around people, especially children," said "Taina 3" producer Virginia Limberger. "It was very easy working with her". CBS News

Angolan writer de Carvalho dies at 69

LUANDA (Reuters) - Ruy Duarte de Carvalho, a celebrated Angolan writer, film-maker, sculptor and anthropologist, has been found dead at his home in Namibia, Angola's state news agency reported on Thursday. He was 69.

De Carvalho wrote more than 15 books including novels, collections of short stories and poetry, becoming famous during the African nation's three-decade-long civil war that ended in 2002.

Angola's Angop news agency did not give details of the cause of his death.

The Portuguese-born de Carvalho changed his citizenship to Angolan in the mid-1980s after living in the former Portuguese colony in his early teens. He later earned a doctorate from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. Reuters Africa

Google accuses California of rigging bidding process for e-mail contract

Google tried to compete for the pact but never formally joined the race because state officials drew up a lengthy list of requirements the company said was impossible for it to meet

Marc Lifsher and David Sarno, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Sacramento and Los Angeles — 

The state of California is negotiating a $60-million deal to use Microsoft Corp.'s technology to revamp the government's 200,000-user e-mail systems — a deal that rival Google Inc. wants to stop.

Google spent months trying to compete in the contract bidding process but never formally joined the race because state officials drew up a lengthy list of requirements the company said were impossible for it to meet. Now, the Internet giant is accusing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration of rigging the bidding system in favor of its rival in Redmond, Wash.

"There's no competition when only one team's allowed to play," Google spokesman Andrew Kovacs said. "With a level playing field, we're confident we could provide a better product and save California taxpayers millions of dollars, which could be used to fund state services much more important than e-mail".

The state government's call for e-mail modernization comes at a key time for Google. The Mountain View, Calif., company, which dominates Internet searching, is challenging Microsoft's ubiquitous Outlook e-mail system. A small but growing number of municipalities are adopting Google's technology. Late last month, the company unveiled a new "cloud-based" product for government that garnered a key security clearance from the federal government.

So the loss of the contract could be a major blow to Google in its effort to persuade government agencies and other big computer system operators to abandon their energy-hogging, proprietary server farms for cheaper Internet-based "cloud" data repositories that can serve hundreds or thousands of users around the globe.

In general, cloud computing enables e-mail and other applications to operate on remote servers rather than on workers' desktop machines. Such a setup can provide protection from computer crashes, more storage and energy conservation.

Google argues that its software system would generate about one-third more savings than the $6 million a year that the state says it would save by going with Microsoft's proposal.

State officials denied Google's allegations of bias and were disappointed the company never submitted a bid. "The state went to great lengths to ensure we had as many bidders as possible," said Bill Maile, a spokesman for the state's information technology office. Los Angeles Times

What's behind the weather chaos?

(CNN) -- Is the record-shattering heatwave that has been blamed for the death of thousands in Russia somehow related to the devastating flooding in Pakistan?

Are these disasters happening more frequently -- and are they a result of global warming?

Sometimes these connections can clearly be observed and understood. At other times they are more complex, taking place across time scales much longer than we are able to observe.

Muscovites will long remember the summer of 2010 as the hottest and most extreme weather summer in the city's long history. The all-time temperature record was set, and re-set, five different times during a two-week span from late July to early August. In that period the temperature climbed above 30 degrees Celsius (87 degrees Fahrenheit) for 29 consecutive days (and still counting).

In addition to the extreme heat, which reached up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) on multiple days in a city that averages an August high of 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit), the capital was shrouded in a thick layer of smoke from area wildfires. CNN

WikiLeaks preparing to release 15,000 more Afghanistan documents

(CNN) -- The founder of WikiLeaks said Thursday the whistle-blower website is preparing to release another roughly 15,000 documents about the war in Afghanistan.

"We are about halfway through them," Julian Assange told reporters in London, England. "This is a very expensive process".

The Pentagon on Thursday warned WikiLeaks against releasing more documents. "It would compound a mistake that has already put far too many lives at risk," said Geoff Morrell, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.

"The only responsible course of action for them is to immediately remove all the stolen documents from their website and expunge all classified material from their computers," he said. "If they were to publish any additional documents after hearing our concerns about the harm it will cause our forces, our allies and innocent Afghan civilians, it would be the height of irresponsibility".

But Assange said he is "absolutely" committed to moving forward with the release. "A lot of the recent criticism about Afghanistan was totally expected," Assange said Thursday. CNN

Judge gives green light for same-sex marriage in California

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A federal judge ruled on Thursday to allow same-sex couples to marry in California, starting on August 18, handing another victory to supporters of gay rights in a case that both sides have said is likely to end up in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage last week, ruling that voter-approved Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution. Walker had issued a temporary stay on his decision, which on Thursday he said he would lift.

The high-profile case is being watched closely by supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage, as many say it is likely to make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. If it does, the case could result in a landmark decision on whether people in the United States are allowed to marry others of the same sex.

Same-sex marriage is legal in five U.S. states and in the District of Columbia, while civil unions are permitted in New Jersey. The five states are Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Iowa and New Hampshire. CNN

Firefighters battle raging forest blazes in Portugal

(CNN) -- More than 700 firefighters are battling a dozen forest blazes raging in northern Portugal, government agencies said Thursday.

Only one fire is considered under control and three firefighters have died so far.

Despite adverse weather conditions -- high temperatures of 40 degrees-plus Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and low humidity -- the government will not "stop fighting" said a statement from Rui Pereira, minister of Home Affairs.

The cause of the fires has not yet be determined but police are conducting an investigation. Portuguese police told CNN that 13 people have been arrested in connection to the fires. CNN

Bulgaria EU's Greatest R&D Laggard, Focus on Engineering Urged

Bulgaria’s economy is ranking last in innovations and research and development, according to a research report of the Bulgarian Industrial Association.

The study was carried out by the BIA, one of the major employers’ organizations in Bulgaria, in cooperation with trade unions as part of a project for the development and implementation of a branch and regional information system about the workforce.

The BIA research has shown that Bulgarian companies export primarily products with low added value, invest little in new technologies and R&D, and have low dynamics when it comes to acquiring new patents.

“Bulgaria ranks last in the EU in global competitiveness. It has the smallest opportunities for creativity and innovations in terms of finding funding and fast scientific solutions, and the Bulgarian economy is among the slowest to update its technologies,” states the analysis of the Bulgarian Industrial Association.

The BIA recommends that Bulgarian should come up with a national innovations strategy, and should increase its state R&D spending to 0.8%-0.9% of the GDP by 2020, while also introducing incentives for private companies to invest in research and developmentactivities.

The industrialists are also urging intensified emphasis on mathematics and IT in school education, including an obligatory school-ending exam in math.

It also advocates the extensive integration of IT in the teaching of engineering in Bulgarian universities as well as the creation of engineering research centers as part of each Technical University. Novinite

Satellites register over 350 wildfire hotspots in Russia

Satellite monitoring showed a significant drop in the number of wildfire hotspots on the Russian territory with only 359 registered on Thursday, according to the ScanEx website that receives information from two NASA satellites.

The Aqua satellite, equipped with an atmospheric infrared sounder, and Terra, equipped with a thermal emission and reflection radiometer, registered 359 hotspots from fires across Russia on August 11, compared with 494 just a day earlier.

The satellites also registered significant increase in hotspots in worst fire-ravaged Ryazan and Moscow regions, where the number of wildfires grew from 12 and 14 to 69 and 41, respectively.

"It does not mean that wildfires have spread so rapidly. Yesterday vast parts of these regions were covered by clouds. So today's information should be compared to Tuesday's data, when the sky was clear. A total of 127 hotspots were spotted near Ryazan and 68 near Moscow then," ScanEx director Vladimir Gershenzon told RIA Novosti. RIA Novosti

Volga republic of Mari El accuses Jehovah's Witnesses of extremism

Authorities in the Russian Volga Republic of Mari El opened a criminal case against the local branch of Jehovah's Witnesses for circulating extremist materials, the local investigation department said.

The religious organization, known in the West for persistent door-to-door evangelism, now faces charges of instigating religious hatred in Yoshkar-Ola, the capital of the republic.

More than 30 books, issued and handed out by the organization, have earlier been put on the national list of extremist literature.

"Members of the religious organization handed out literature included into the list of extremist materials and conducted public sermons on the superiority of Jehovah's Witnesses over followers of other religions," investigators said in a statement.

During the investigation, numerous "extremist" religious books and brochures were seized. RIA Novosti

Israeli man held at airport over US serial stabbings

US police have arrested a man in connection with a series of stabbings that left five dead in three states.

Police say Elias Abuelazam has ties to the towns of Flint, Michigan and Leesburg, Virginia, where nearly 20 attacks have taken place.

He was stopped at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport as he tried to board a flight to Israel.

Mr Abuelazam is an Israeli citizen and permanent US resident, a Michigan official told the Associated Press.

At a news conference on Thursday, Virginia police said they had been notified at 2130 local time on Wednesday that the suspect was attempting to leave the country by plane.

They co-ordinated with Atlanta police to have him stopped at the airport, police said.

Atlanta police said they had paged Mr Abuelazam at the airport as he waited to board a Delta Air Lines flight to Tel Aviv.

Passengers later said Mr Abuelazam appeared tense and was stopped at the boarding gate, before being led away without incident by six officers. BBC News

California same-sex marriages 'can resume' next week

A US judge who overturned California's same-sex marriage ban has ruled gay nuptials may resume on 18 August.

Judge Vaughn Walker overturned the ban, known as Proposition 8, last week. Its proponents asked for a stay pending their appeal against his ruling.

His latest decision follows calls from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California Attorney General Jerry Brown for gay weddings to resume.

The measure had been passed by voters in the state in 2008.

Judge Walker overturned Proposition 8 in a 136-page decision, saying it unconstitutionally discriminated against same-sex couples who sought to wed.

Supporters of the ban, who argue it was created to protect the traditional idea of marriage, were quick to file an appeal against that decision.

At first Judge Walker suspended the resumption of same-sex marriages until he could hear arguments on whether to stay the ruling.

But on Thursday he ruled: "Defendants and all persons under their control or supervision shall cease to apply or enforce Proposition 8" on 18 August at 1700 local time (0000 GMT). BBC News

Poland extradites Israeli 'agent' to Germany

Poland has extradited to Germany a suspected Israeli agent wanted in connection with the killing of a Hamas commander in Dubai, officials say.

Uri Brodsky, an Israeli citizen, faces charges relating to the forging of a passport allegedly used in January by the killers of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

The UAE believes Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, was involved, though Israel insists there is no proof.

Mr Brodsky was arrested in Poland in June on a warrant issued by Germany.

The warrant accused him of espionage, though the court that granted the extradition said he could only be prosecuted for alleged forgery of a German passport believed to have been used by one of the assassins. BBC News