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A gigantic, previously unknown set of galaxies has been found in the distant universe, shedding light on the underlying skeleton of the cosmos. "Matter is not distributed uniformly in the universe," said Masayuki Tanaka, an astronomer with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) who helped discover the galactic assemblage. "In our cosmic vicinity, stars form in galaxies and galaxies usually form groups and clusters of galaxies." But those collections of matter are just small potatoes compared to larger structures long-theorized to exist. "The most widely accepted cosmological theories predict that matter also clumps on a larger scale in the so-called 'cosmic...

President Barack Obama and Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday voiced wary optimism that the US economy is no longer in freefall, even as new data showed retail sales fell in March. In a speech at Georgetown University, Mr Obama reiterated that he detected “glimmers of hope” in the economy. He said the $787bn stimulus, the $700bn bank recapitalisation programme, $70bn housing plan and extra federal aid to Detroit auto-companies were “starting to generate signs of economic progress”. Meanwhile, Mr Bernanke said: “We have seen tentative signs that the sharp decline in economic activity may be slowing.” He added...

WASHINGTON - Former President Carter wouldn't quite say it, but he left little doubt this week about who he'd like to see in the White House next year. Speaking to local reporters Wednesday on a trip to Nigeria, the former Democratic president noted that Barack Obama had won his home state of Georgia and his hometown of Plains. "My children and their spouses are pro-Obama. My grandchildren are also pro-Obama," he said at a news conference, according to the Nigerian newspaper This Day. "As a superdelegate, I would not disclose who I am rooting for, but I leave you to...

WASHINGTON - In a race against herself in Michigan's renegade primary, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton attracted 55 percent of the vote and strong support from whites, Democrats and women. Blacks and independents were among the 40 percent who said they wanted an alternative. A contest without personal campaigning or television advertising is hardly a leading indicator of future contests. But it offers hints about the primaries and caucuses ahead, when Barack Obama as well as John Edwards will share the ballot with the former first lady in a race morphing from single-state contests to a grind-it-out, marathon competition for convention...

BAGHDAD - Anyone who still wonders what America's top two officials in Baghdad will report to Congress next month just hasn't been listening. The military and diplomatic public relations machines are running full bore. The message: "Things are getting better, but we need more time." Pushing that assessment most eloquently and fervently is Ambassador Ryan Crocker, a career diplomat and one of the State Department's most seasoned Mideast hands. He's polishing his report to Congress in every encounter with reporters and does not shy from talking about the difficult task he will face this fall in Capitol Hill committee rooms....

My oldest niece is graduating from high school next month and we are trying to come up with cool and different things to serve and other ideas for her open house. We'd appreciate any recipes, hints, what not to do, etc. etc..

TEHRAN (Reuters) - An adviser to Iran's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, suggested in remarks published on Wednesday that Tehran might consider suspending sensitive atomic work. The comments are the latest in a series of conflicting signals from Iranian officials on whether Iran would halt uranium enrichment, which the West fears Tehran is using to build nuclear bombs. Iran insists its plans are peaceful. President George W. Bush said on Wednesday he believed the United States and its allies were making progress toward solving their disputes with Iran over its nuclear program peacefully but direct talks with Tehran...

Hints of huge water reservoirs on Mars 19:00 25 January 2007 NewScientist.com news service David Shiga Mars once had enough water for a global ocean several hundred metres deep, but where has it gone? (Illustration: NASA/Greg Shirah) Mars is losing little water to space, according to new research, so much of its ancient abundance may still be hidden beneath the surface. Dried up riverbeds and other evidence imply that Mars once had enough water to fill a global ocean more than 600 metres deep, together with a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide that kept the planet warm enough for the...

A debris disk spied recently around a distant dead star is likely the remains of an asteroid that was vaporized when the star died, scientists say. The discovery, detailed in the Dec. 22 issue of the journal Science, could be a sign of what will happen in our own solar system in a few billion years. Because the crushed asteroid was probably gravitationally lassoed in by one or more planets, the finding also provides evidence that planetary systems can form around massive stars. While analyzing the light spectra of several hundred white dwarfs, astronomer Boris Gänsicke of the University of...

Archaeologists seek hints on 4000-year-old civilization in Tekirdað Wednesday, July 19, 2006 ANKARA - Turkish Daily News Archaeologists working on an ancient Thracian site in Tekirdað said on Monday they have unveiled part of an ancient city named Heraion Teichos, which is thought to date back to 2000 B.C. The excavation team of Mimar Sinan University's Archaeology Department has been working to unearth the ancient city, located near Tekirdað's Karaevli village, for the last six years. Head of the excavations, Associate Professor Neþe Atik, told the Doðan News Agency on Monday that they were the first team to conduct the...

JERUSALEM -- A top Israeli government official said Friday that Israel might release Palestinian prisoners as part of an Egyptian proposal to win freedom for an Israeli soldier held by militants in Gaza. It marked the first time Israel has expressed willingness to cut a deal for the release of the soldier, who was seized June 25 by Hamas-affiliated militants. Avi Dichter, Israel's minister of public security, said that once the Israeli soldier is released and militants stop rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel could release Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture. "The release of the soldier, Gilad Shalit, will be...

New Trojan asteroid hints at huge Neptunian cloud 19:00 15 June 2006 NewScientist.com news service Kelly YoungThe four known Neptune Trojans are shown in their position 60 degrees ahead of Neptune. The known clusters of Trojan asteroids on either side of Jupiter are also shown (Illustration: Scott Sheppard) A newly discovered asteroid in Neptune's orbit indicates the existence of a much larger, but as-yet-unseen, cloud of rocks in that region. The asteroids in Neptune's orbit might even outnumber those in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the new research suggests." The asteroid was discovered by Scott Sheppard of...

[ . . . ] The publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad by the Danish newspaper in September eventually sparked violent demonstration in the Islamic world, where millions were offended by the caricatures. . . Then things quieted down again and the crisis seemed to have passed. But has it? A special issue of the online journal of Ansar al-Sunna, which means "Supporters of Sunni Islam," could respark the flames. The online journal has taken the unprecedented step of listing dozens of European newspapers that reprinted the Muhammad cartoons. . . Terrorism experts who follow the site believe the...

TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hinted Monday that Iran was considering withdrawing from the worldwide Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and said he did not think the U.N. Security Council would impose sanctions on Iran. "Those who speak about sanctions would be damaged more" than Iran, he told a news conference. "But no particular event will happen, don't worry." He also renewed his criticism of Israel, calling it a "fake regime" that cannot continue to exist. Israel has long identified Iran as its biggest threat, and these concerns have grown amid repeated calls by Ahmadinejad for Israel's destruction. "Some 60 years...

WASHINGTON – Supreme Court justices appeared troubled Tuesday by President Bush's plans to hold war-crimes trials for foreigners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And several seemed outraged by the government's claim that a new law had stripped the high court of authority to hear a case brought by Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni who once worked as a driver for Osama bin Laden. Hamdan has spent nearly four years in the U.S. prison at Guantanamo, and the Supreme Court has been asked to decide if he can be put on trial with fewer legal protections before a type of military...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Dec. 22, 2005 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hinted at an announcement on troops levels in Iraq during a flight here today. The secretary said there has not been an official U.S. government announcement, but said one will be forthcoming soon. "It's possibly the worst-kept secret in Baghdad," said a senior defense official. News reports have said that there will be a two-brigade cut in the number of troops needed in Iraq. Senior defense officials said the increasing size and capabilities of Iraqi forces are primarily responsible for the possible cut. Iraqi soldiers and police handled...

NEW YORK - Threatened with huge fines and possible jail time, the city's transit union suggested Wednesday that it would be willing to end a strike that has shut down bus and subway service for two days — if a plan to change workers' pensions were dropped. The union's suggestion came as millions of New Yorkers again trudged to and from work — some walking miles, others riding bicycles and in-line skates in the morning's 24-degree chill. The contract covering 33,000 New York transit workers expired last week, and the union called the strike Tuesday morning despite a state law...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is beginning to sound like Candidate Schwarzenegger, hinting in interviews that he plans to run for re-election in 2006. The Republican governor could announce his plans as soon as mid-September, around the state GOP convention and after the Legislature adjourns for the year. At the same time, he will be ramping up a campaign for three ballot initiatives set to go before voters in a Nov. 8 special election. "I think he needs to do it for two good reasons," said Bill Whalen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution who worked for former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson....

WASHINGTON - Thousands of pages of newly released documents from John Roberts' first government job show a highly intelligent, politically savvy young man, wrestling with charged legal and political issues on behalf of the deeply conservative Reagan administration. As a special assistant to Attorney General William French Smith in 1981 and 1982, Roberts advocated positions and drafted memos on issues from judicial restraint to voting rights to affirmative action, which were as controversial then as they are now that Roberts is no longer a twenty-something aide but a nominee for a seat on the Supreme Court. Roberts generally took strongly...

BERLIN - Opposition leader Angela Merkel, leading in polls for fall elections, signaled Thursday that she would continue Germany's limited support for rebuilding Iraq, but she would not say whether the war made the world safer — hedging on an issue where she's vulnerable to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Merkel indicated approval for what Schroeder's government is doing now, which includes training Iraqi security forces in the United Arab Emirates. "It's right that the German government has supported stabilization and reconstruction," Merkel told foreign journalists. "And when we're in government we'll take another look at the situation as it is ......

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A member of the state commission that boosted lawmakers' pay this week said Wednesday that the commission should consider another raise next year to keep the Legislature from becoming a place just for the "rich and famous." "I want to make sure that the salary remains attractive enough to get good-quality citizens to run for office," said Thomas Dominguez, an Orange County sheriff's investigator who originally was appointed to the Citizens Compensation Commission by former Gov. Pete Wilson. He was reappointed by former Gov. Gray Davis. The commission voted 5-0 on Monday to approve a 12 percent...

I frequently pull “all-nighters” because I like to trade foreign currency. It occurred to me that there might be several of you that skipped the sack last night – as I did – because of the elections. Here are some things that I’ve found helpful in fighting off fatigue from lack of sleep. Some advise against large amounts of caffeine in this situation. I disagree. I actually have a feedbag of coffee on my shoulder at all times. Try not to get out of hand though because drinking too much will make you feel irritated rather than more energetic. Eat....

WASHINGTON - Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) suggested Saturday night that Republicans may attempt to suppress black voter turnout to help President Bush (news - web sites) to victory in November. "What they did in Florida in 2000, they may be planning to do in battleground states all across this country this year," the Democratic presidential nominee said in remarks prepared for delivery to the Congressional Black Caucus (news - web sites). "Well, we are here to let them know that we will fight tooth and nail to make sure that this time, every vote is counted and...

Rock art hints at whaling origins Capture of a whale, showing a boat carrying whalers (left of the whale) and a float (on the right) Stone Age people may have started hunting whales as early as 6,000 BC, new evidence from South Korea suggests. Analysis of rock carvings at Bangu-Dae archaeological site in Ulsan in the southeast of the country revealed more than 46 depictions of large whales. They also show evidence that humans used harpoons, floats and lines to catch their prey, which included sperm whales, right whales and humpbacks. Details of the research are published in the journal...

WASHINGTON - Public support for the war in Iraq (news - web sites) remains strong, with almost two-thirds of the American public saying that going to war was the right decision, a poll out Thursday found. The number who said going to war was the right decision, 65 percent, is about the same number who felt that way in December, soon after the capture of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), according to the poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. More than 500 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of...

Bush hints at sending more troops to Iraq By Rupert Cornwell in Washington 22 November 2003 President George Bush has raised the possibility that next year American troop strength in Iraq might be increased, rather than reduced, if the fraught security in the country requires it. Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, and other senior administration officials have left little doubt US forces will remain in Iraq, even after the accelerated handover of most authority to a provisional Iraqi government in mid-2004. But the Pentagon's plan, under a complicated rotation system announced last month, is for total troop strength in Iraq...

Fossil hints at primate origins The bone is just over a centimetre long An ankle bone discovered in central Burma could be evidence of an ancient ancestor common to many of today's primates, including humans. The 45-million-year-old fossil has features that link it to all of the anthropoids, the grouping of human-like species such as apes and monkeys. If correct, this would tie their line of evolutionary descent to Asia and not Africa as some have suggested. The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The PNAS journal presents a paper on the discovery by Laurent...

North Bay, Ont. — Prime Minister Jean Chrétien dropped hints of an early retirement last night, telling his Liberal colleagues he is counting the weeks, not the months, until he leaves, and vowing to be the third Canadian Prime Minister whose successor wins the next election. As Paul Martin, his heir apparent, mouthed "Bravo," Mr. Chrétien said he will do "everything to make sure that the new leader will have the best conditions possible to win a fourth consecutive Liberal majority government." Relaxed, and at times speaking with a catch in his throat, Mr. Chrétien addressed his Liberal caucus for...

<p>In their public pronouncements, most Republican lawmakers say they won't vote for a tax increase this year.</p> <p>They have no interest, they say, in rewarding Democrats for high-spending ways they believe put the state in a budget hole now approaching $40 billion.</p>

Saddam Hints at Flexibility, U.S. Ships Set Sail By Samia Nakhoul and Evelyn Leopold BAGHDAD/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said Monday he would consider cooperating with a new U.N. resolution on arms inspections provided it was not merely a pretext for the United States to attack Iraq. As intense diplomatic wrangling went on among major powers over how to deal with Iraq, there were growing signs that Washington was preparing for possible war. U.S. officials told Reuters three U.S. military cargo ships capable of carrying tanks had left U.S. shores. "If a resolution is issued which respects...