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Astronomers have measured the precise distance to over a quarter of a million galaxies to gain new insights into a key period in cosmic history. The 3D map of the sky allows scientists to probe the time six billion years ago when dark energy became the dominant influence on the Universe's expansion. No-one knows the true nature of this repulsive force, but the exquisite data in the international BOSS survey will help test various theories. The analysis appears in six papers. These have all been posted on the arXiv preprint server. "This is an incredibly exciting time to be working...

WASHINGTON – A government report says Mexican criminal organizations have more than doubled heroin production in a year and have cemented their grip as the predominant wholesale suppliers of illicit drugs in the United States. The National Drug Threat Assessment concluded Thursday that Mexican groups were the only drug trafficking enterprises operating in every region of the United States.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The freeze that lingered over much of the nation Wednesday was expected to be followed by strong winds and more bitter cold through the Midwest and deep into the South. The unusually persistent Southern cold snap has been blamed for at least six deaths and threatened to freeze Florida citrus crops. The cold was expected to continue through the weekend. The National Weather Service predicted the heaviest snow from the fast-moving system would fall on Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, with 4-6 inches predicted along with some locally heavier amounts through Thursday. In a rare turn for the...

Good vid on what is going on in Malmo.

It was a recipe for a typical New Mexico political stew: Start with two lucrative contracts worth $1.4 million, stir in at least $100,000 in political contributions, add a dash of questionable bid procedures and top it off with a heaping tablespoon of suspicious timing. This is the concoction that boiled over into the federal investigation that has derailed, at least for now, Gov. Bill Richardson's ambitions for a seat in President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet. ~~snip~~The big picture is fairly simple. CDR Financial Products LLC of Beverly Hills was paid $1.4 million from work it did on behalf of the...

The FBI is investigating how a California firm won a state consulting contract worth almost $1 million in connection with the massive GRIP transportation bond program. Agents have been interviewing people involved in awarding contracts to CDR Financial Products LLC, and are looking at its political contributions to political action committees established by Gov. Bill Richardson. The $1.6 billion GRIP bond program is one of the biggest in state history and has been used to pay for road improvements and the Rail Runner commuter train. GRIP stands for Governor Richardson's Investment Partnership and was approved by the Legislature during a...

TRENTON, N.J. -- Gov. Jon S. Corzine dubbed the state's new property tax relief program a step toward easing the burden of America's highest property taxes, but applying to get that help is proving a burden to beleaguered Garden State homeowners. "I found it a bit difficult and time consuming,'' said Alice Tulecki of Brick, who is among those who struggled to complete the recently mailed property tax relief application sent by the state to homeowners. Under the new program approved by Corzine and pushed by legislative Democrats, most homeowners will get a check this fall equal to 20 percent...

Islamists' grip tightens on Somalia By Mike Pflanz, East Africa Correspondent (Filed: 05/08/2006) The African front line in the West's war on terrorism has collapsed as mass resignations from Somalia's fragile government have all but handed power to hard-line Islamists. Twenty senior officials quit the United Nations-backed transitional administration this week. That brought to 39 - a third of the government - the number who have abandoned the struggle to stabilise the country and ward off the threat of an Islamist regime giving succour to al-Qa'eda in east Africa. Islamic militants control much of southern Somalia All have left office...

Sunni Arabs gain American backing in negotiations to form a new government.BAGHDAD – One month after Iraq's Dec. 15 election, a shift is afoot that will probably weaken Shiite political clout as the country's factions enter serious negotiations to form a new government. Increasingly, the US is throwing its weight in Iraq behind Sunni Arabs, about 20 percent of the country, to ensure they are part of a new coalition government. Analysts say the US is convinced reconciliation with Sunni Arabs will help stop the insurgency. There is also an American unease with the growing influence of Iran on Iraq's...

BEIJING - Sixteen years after the bloody crackdown at Tiananmen Square, China's grip on dissent has tightened. From religion to the media, political activism to the Internet, Hu Jintao's regime watches all - and silences any challenge to the Communist Party. Members of non-sanctioned churches risk detention, potentially incendiary chat rooms are shut down, newspapers are kept on a short rein and employees of foreign news organizations have been arrested and accused of spying. Last month, an international conference on democracy planned for Beijing was canceled. When Hu came to power in 2002, many had hoped that the new president...

Suburban streets in the grip of feral youths, says police chief By Nigel Bunyan (Filed: 18/05/2005) Feral youths are running wild in suburban streets with no fear of either the police or the criminal justice system, a senior police officer said yesterday. Chief Supt David Baines, of Greater Manchester police, spoke out as Phil Carroll, 48, continued to fight for his life after being attacked by a gang of youths he had confronted in an alleyway behind his home.Mr Carroll, from Lower Broughton, Salford, gave chase to the gang when one of them threw a stone that hit his car....

NAJAF, Iraq, Aug. 9 - American forces besieging militiamen of a rebel cleric in a shrine and cemetery sacred to Shiite Muslims tightened their cordon on Monday, United States military officials in Baghdad said, and they warned the rebels that they could not receive any outside support. But the warnings drew an immediate riposte from the cleric, Moktada al-Sadr, who emerged from days of silence to reject demands for the militiamen to surrender. "I will defend Najaf until the last drop of my blood," Mr. Sadr said at a news conference in the Imam Ali shrine, which has served as...

April 8 ? Sonny Ramaswamy is trying to walk a very fine line. He doesn't want to be seen as an alarmist, but he thinks people ought to know about the thought that keeps haunting him these days. Ramaswamy, who chairs the department of entomology at Kansas State University, is concerned that the tiny little insects he has spent a lifetime studying could become implements of international terrorism. It's possible, he says, that even a stable fly, or something as tiny as an aphid, could be used to distribute deadly pathogens over a wide geographical area in a surprisingly...

Taliban tighten their grip on Afghan villagers with terror tactics By Hamida Ghafour in Shah Joy (Filed: 06/03/2004) The Taliban's intimidation tactics are simple. A convoy of about 20 Honda motorcycles surrounds a house, looking for people who support America or President Hamid Karzai. If they find one, they kill him. If not, the householders are beaten to serve as a warning to others. People in the village of Shah Joy, 180 miles south-west of Kabul, are torn between supporting a moderate government struggling to reconstruct the country and supporting the Taliban simply to survive. It is a common dilemma...

Movie grip murder suspect arrested By Associated Press Police on Thursday arrested a movie grip suspected of murder, kidnapping and rape after he attempted to escape officers by leaping from a second-floor apartment. Paul Alan Ott, 35, of Los Angeles, was taken into custody at about 1:30 a.m. at a Hollywood apartment complex, police Sgt. Lamont Jarrett said. Ott was held on $1 million bail. Police believe the heavily tattooed Ott killed a woman found in a parked sport utility vehicle, and kidnapped and raped another woman who led police to the body, police spokeswoman Adriana Sanchez said. A third...

Less than a week before the meeting between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen, Israeli security sources believe that Yasser Arafat is strengthening his hold on the Palestinian Authority. Recently Arafat received an urgent request for $20,000 to buy 6,000 meters of cloth to make uniforms for the Palestinian police. Arafat approved and signed it and instructed Finance Minister Salam Fayyad to transfer the money. Why is the chairman allocating funds, and why is he still involved with the security organizations, which should have been transferred to the supervision of the new prime minister, Abu Mazen?...