Monday, February 16, 2015

Mystery Mars haze baffles scientists

A mysterious haze high above Mars has left scientists scratching their heads.
The vast plume was initially spotted by amateur astronomers in 2012, and appeared twice before vanishing.
Scientists have now analysed the images and say that say the formation, stretching for more than 1,000km, is larger than any seen before.
Writing in the journal Nature, the researchers believe the plume could be a large cloud or an exceptionally bright aurora.
However, they are unsure how these could have formed in the thin upper reaches of the Martian atmosphere.

Start Quote

To begin with, I thought there was a problem with the telescope or camera”
Damian PeachAstronomer
"It raises more questions than answers," said Antonio Garcia Munoz, a planetary scientist from the European Space Agency.
Around the world, a network of amateur astronomers keep their telescopes trained on the Red Planet.
They first spotted the strange plume in March 2012 above Mars' southern hemisphere.
Damian Peach was one of the first stargazers to capture images of the phenomenon.
He told BBC News: "I noticed this projection sticking out of the side of the planet. To begin with, I thought there was a problem with the telescope or camera.
"But as I checked more of the images, I realised it was a real feature - and it was quite a surprise."
Mars plumesDamian Peach was one of the first astronomers to image the plume
The vast, bright haze lasted for about 10 days. A month later, it reappeared for the same length of time. But it has not been seen since.
An international team of scientists has now confirmed the finding, but they are struggling to find an explanation.

Start Quote

We know in this region on Mars, there have been auroras reported before”
Dr Garcia MunozEuropean Space Agency
One theory is that the plume is a cloud of carbon dioxide or water particles.
"We know there are clouds on Mars, but clouds, up to this point, have been observed up to an altitude of 100km," Dr Garcia Munoz said.
"And we are reporting a plume at 200km, so it is significantly different. At 200km, we shouldn't see any clouds, the atmosphere is too thin - so the fact we see it for 20 days in total is quite surprising."
Another explanation is that this is a Martian version of the northern or southern lights.
Dr Garcia Munoz explained: "We know in this region on Mars, there have been auroras reported before. But the intensities we are reporting are much much higher than any auroras seen before on Mars or on Earth.
"It would be 1,000 times stronger than the strongest aurora, and it is difficult to come to terms that Mars has such an intense aurora."
If either of these theories are right, he said, it would mean our understanding of Mars' upper atmosphere is wrong.
He hopes that by publishing the paper, other scientists might also come up with explanations.
If they cannot, astronomers will have to wait for the plumes to return.
Close-up observations from telescopes or the spacecraft that are currently in orbit around the Red Planet could help to solve this Martian mystery.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter

Egypt bombs IS in Libya after beheadings video

Egypt says it has bombed Islamic State targets in Libya, hours after the militants released video of apparent beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians.
State TV said the dawn strikes had targeted camps, training sites and weapons storage areas. A second wave of strikes was reported hours later.
Libyan officials said Egypt hit targets in the militant-held city of Derna.
The strikes came amid widespread condemnation of the killings. The US and UN described them as "cowardly".
A video emerged on Sunday showing militants forcing a group of men to the ground and decapitating them.
The kidnapped Egyptian workers, all Coptic Christians, were seized in separate incidents in December and January from the coastal town of Sirte in eastern Libya, under the control of Islamist groups.
Relatives of Egyptian Coptic Christian workers mourn in Al-Our. 15 February 2015There was open grief in Al-Our, Egypt, where many of the Coptic Christians were from
Egyptian cockpit video footage reportedly shows air strikes in eastern Libya
The video of the beheadings was posted online by Libyan jihadists who pledge loyalty to IS. It was one of the first such videos to come from an IS group outside its core territory in Syria and Iraq.
The video describes the Copts as "crusaders" and refers among other things to two women, wives of Coptic priests, whose alleged conversion to Islam triggered a sectarian dispute in Egypt in 2010.
IS militants claim to have carried out several attacks in Libya, which in effect has rival governments.
line
At the scene: Orla Guerin, BBC News, Al-Our, Egypt
Relatives of Egyptian Coptic Christian workers mourn. 15 February 2015
Thirteen of the dead men came from the village of Al-Our, in Minya.
Screams of grief come from several houses in the dusty back streets, and groups of black-clad women go from house to house to offer condolences. One woman, wailing in the street, tells us she has lost five relatives.
In the packed courtyard of the church, mourners are gathering for a memorial service.
Local men say they are desperate for work and Libya is their only hope of a job. Many say they still have relatives working there, and that villagers will continue to go there in search of work.
line
Egypt did not give the locations of the air strikes, but a spokesman for Libya's internationally recognised Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni told the BBC that Egyptian jets had taken part in co-ordinated air strikes on Derna.
Who are Egypt's Coptic Christians?
"Eight strikes have been conducted so far [in Derna]. The plan is to target all IS locations in the country wherever they are," said Mohamed Azazza.
Libyan air force commander Saqer al-Joroushi said the Egyptian strikes had been co-ordinated with Mr Thinni's government, and that his planes had also carried out strikes.
Between 40 and 50 people had been killed, he added.
Several hours later, the AP news agency quoted unnamed security officials as saying that Egyptian warplanes had again struck Derna.
'Inhuman criminal killers'
Egypt declared seven days of national mourning after the release of the video.
In a televised address, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi described IS as "inhuman criminal killers".
"Egypt and the whole world are in a fierce battle with extremist groups carrying extremist ideology and sharing the same goals," he said.
He later visited St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo to offer his condolences to Coptic Pope Tawadros II.
Egypt is already fighting Islamist insurgents based in the Sinai peninsula who have declared their allegiance to Islamic State.
President Sisi arrives at St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo. 16 Feb 2015President Sisi, centre, met Coptic Pope Tawadros II, right, after news of the beheadings
Sirte abductions
Leading international condemnation, the United States called the killings "despicable" and "cowardly".
Pope Francis expressed his "profound sadness".
In a statement, the UN Security Council "strongly condemned the heinous and cowardly apparent murder" of the Christians.
Libya is home to a large community of both Muslim and Coptic Egyptians, with most working in the construction sector.
In the first kidnapping in Sirte, in late December, a group of Coptic Christians was abducted at a fake checkpoint while trying to leave the city.
Days later, militants raided a residential compound in Sirte and separated Christians from Muslims before handcuffing their captives and taking them away.
line
Analysis: Jim Muir, BBC News
The butchering of the Egyptian Copts appears to signal Libya's arrival as yet another platform for the militants of IS, broadening the franchise and the challenge to Western powers and their regional allies.
Conditions seem to be ripe for them to flourish in Libya as they have in Iraq and Syria, filling and expanding niches left by failed and unjust governments, and a chaotic free-for-all of local militias.
Past horrors perpetrated and propagated by IS have apparently served only to attract more extremists to its black flag, creating a sense of dynamic momentum.
By bombing IS in Libya, President Sisi may have fallen into its trap and increased its appeal, given the repression he is meting out to Egyptian Islamists.
line
Libya has been in chaos since 2011 and the overthrow of its then-leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi.
Since then, numerous militia groups have battled for control.
It has two rival governments, one based in Tripoli and the other in Tobruk.
Meanwhile, the eastern city of Benghazi - where the 2011 revolution began - is largely in the hands of militant fighters, some with links to al-Qaeda.
The head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency warned last month that IS was assembling "a growing international footprint that includes ungoverned and under-governed areas", including Libya.
line
Libya's rival power bases
Map locator
  • Tripoli: government appointed by old parliament that challenged legitimacy of last year's elections
  • Tobruk: internationally recognised government, ousted from capital not long after 2014 election
  • Both backed by loose alliance of militias focused on local interests
  • Benghazi: second city and headquarters of 2011 Revolution, largely in hands of Islamist fighters, some with links to al-Qaeda
  • Misrata: third city and main port, also loyal to Tripoli authorities. Its militias keep them in power.
  • Derna: home to Islamic State

Lance Armstrong loses $10 million arbitration ruling

Lance Armstrong loses $10 million arbitration ruling

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2012 file
FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2012 file photo, Lance Armstrong speaks to delegates at the World Cancer Congress in Montreal. A three-man arbitration panel has ordered Armstrong and Tailwind Sports to pay $10 million in a fraud dispute with SCA Promotions, the promotions company announced Monday, Feb. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes, File) (Credit: AP)
(AP) -- An arbitration panel ordered Lance Armstrong and Tailwind Sports Corp. to pay $10 million in a fraud dispute with a promotions company for what it called an "unparalleled pageant of international perjury, fraud and conspiracy" that covered up his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Dallas-based SCA Promotions announced the 2-1 decision against the former cyclist when its lawyers said...
news 12

78-year-old dies in Bedford Park fire

A weekend fire in Bedford Park claimed the life of a 78-year-old woman. 
The FDNY has ruled the fatal electrical fire at 2874 Grand Concourse an accident. It also says there were no working smoke alarms in the home. 
The elderly victim has been identified as Margaret Henry. 
Officials say her body was discovered in the kitchen at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. ...

Weather update: Snow adding to bitter blast

The city is in the middle of a deep freeze that nearly broke a more than 20-year record. 
On top of the bitter cold, there is another winter storm on the horizon, bringing light snowfall overnight into Tuesday morning. 
News 12 meteorologists say the borough is expected to see between 2 and 3 inches by the time it ends at around 1 p.m. 
The temperature only warms.

New York City goes 12 days without a homicide -- a modern record

 CRIME

New York City’s Record Murder-Free Streak Ends After 12 Days

A NYPD patrol vehicle is seen near the Marcy Houses public housing development in the Brooklyn borough of New York
Stephanie Keith—ReutersA New York Police Department patrol vehicle is seen near the Marcy Houses public housing development in the Brooklyn borough of New York January 9, 2015.

Eric Roman was shot in Queens on Friday and died the next day

An unusually long run of days without a murder in New York City ended Saturday just shy of two weeks.
The New York Police Department believes this 12-day stretch was the longest without a homicide since the early ’90s, though last February saw a comparably long streak of 10 days.
Eric Roman was shot outside of his home in Queens on Friday and died of his wounds in a hospital on Saturday, the New York Times reports. The same day, another Queens man was found dead in his basement with head trauma, though that case has not yet been ruled a homicide.
Officials believe cold weather is the primary cause for these extended periods of quiet, and the shooting rate isn’t down year over year—136 people have been shot in New York as of Saturday this year, compared to 110 in the same period last year.
But while shootings are up, the murder rate is on thedecline: homicides are down 2.5% year-to-date as of Feb. 8, and 82.4% since 1993.