Dilemma X

NASA’s Kepler Mission announces a planet bonanza, 715 new planets NASA NASA’s Kepler mission announced Wednesday, Feb 26, 2013 the discovery of 715 new planets. These newly-verified worlds orbit 305 stars, revealing multiple-planet systems much like our own solar system. Nearly 95 percent of these planets are smaller than Neptune, which is almost four times […]

Brazil, Europe plan undersea cable to skirt U.S. spying Reuters Brazil and the European Union agreed on Monday to lay an undersea communications cable from Lisbon to Fortaleza to reduce Brazil’s reliance on the United States after Washington spied on Brasilia. At a summit in Brussels, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said the $185 million cable […]

Scotland: Voters prepare for September independence referendum Michael Settle The Herald (Scotland) Electoral registration officers across Scotland have been placed on high alert to spot attempted abuse of the system from Scots with main homes in England trying to register to vote in September’s independence referendum – an illegal act punishable by up to a […]

Venezuela, Cuba agree to implement 56 welfare projects Xinhua CARACAS- Venezuela and Cuba have agreed to implement 56 welfare projects, Venezuela’s Vice President Rafael Ramirez said Thursday. The consensus was reached during a two-day bilateral high-level committee meeting in Caracas. “With the cooperation of Cuba, we have focused on our people, which is the most […]

Sydney Airport master plan for terminals approved by federal government Jamie Freed The Sydney Morning Herald Sydney Airport’s latest master plan, which calls for combining domestic and international operations at shared terminals, has been approved by the federal government. But federal Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Warren Truss says his approval does not negate the […]

Spain opens door to Sephardic Jews after historic expulsion The Spanish conservative government plans to make amends with a law expected to be passed within weeks or months that offers citizenship to the descendants of legions of Jews forced to flee in 1492. By Aron Hellerjorge Sainz The Associated Press MADRID — They were burned […]

Ethiopia: Halfway point reached in Addis Ababa Light Rail public transportation project By Yonas Mulatu Addis Fortune ADDIS ABABA- The Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC) says 50 percent of the Addis Ababa Light Railway project (LRT) has been completed. The construction of railway tracks for the 34.25 km (21.28 miles) of electric railway line has been […]

European Union suspends most of its remaining sanctions against Zimbabwe The European Union is to further ease sanctions on Zimbabwe next week, but will keep a travel ban and asset freeze on President Robert Mugabe and his wife. Agence France Press (AFP) BRUSSELS– The European Union is ready to suspend most of its remaining sanctions […]

Tequesta Native American village artifacts uncovered in downtown Miami By Andres Viglucci The Miami Herald Miami’s historic preservation board on Friday roundly rejected a developer’s plan to carve out and display a prehistoric remnant of a recently uncovered Tequesta village in downtown Miami, and instead set the stage for potentially designating the site a protected […]

New Zealand: Tallest skyscraper plan for Auckland By Anne Gibson The New Zealand Herald New Zealand’s tallest new skyscraper is planned to be an entertainment hub, sporting cinemas and other amenities to pull the crowds. A $350 million 209m (685.69ft) skyscraper has been announced for a CBD site left vacant since the 1980s when Chase […]