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| AP Photo Waterfront change Water pours Thursday from one of four man-made waterfalls in New York City. This one at the Brooklyn Bridge and three others are part of a public art display by artist Olafur Eliasson called “The New York City Waterfalls,” on view along the shores of the city’s waterfront through Oct. 13. |
From The Associated Press
Mars lander finds salty environment
LOS ANGELES—The Phoenix lander’s first taste test of soil near Mars’ north pole reveals a briny environment similar to what can be found in backyards on Earth, scientists said Thursday.
The finding raises hope that the Martian arctic plains could have conditions favorable for primitive life. Phoenix landed a month ago to study the habitability of Mars’ northern latitudes.
“There’s nothing about it that would preclude life. In fact, it seems very friendly,” mission scientist Samuel Kounaves of Tufts University said of the soil. “There’s nothing about it that’s toxic.”
Phoenix so far has not detected organic carbon considered an essential building block of life. Last week, the lander found evidence of ice below the soil. Scientists generally agree that liquid water, a stable energy source and organic, or carbon-containing, compounds are required for a habitable zone.
Planetary scientist David Paige of the University of California, Los Angeles, said it is too early to tell whether the minerals found in the soil could support life. Paige, who had no role in the mission, said the find was not surprising because rocks weather over time and bits of minerals mix with the soil.
Presidential candidates react to gun ruling
WASHINGTON, D.C.—John McCain welcomed a Supreme Court decision invalidating a District of Columbia handgun ban. Barack Obama said he favors an individual’s right to bear firearms as well as a government’s right to regulate them.
The hotly contentious issue surfaced in the presidential campaign Thursday after the Supreme Court ruled that Americans have a constitutional right to own guns and struck down the 32-year-old D.C. ban.
McCain, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, heralded the justices’ action as “a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom.”
McCain said, “This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain vigilant in defense of our freedoms.”
His Democratic rival, Obama, issued a more carefully worded statement apparently aimed at both moderate voters and his liberal base. The statement did not specifically say whether Obama agreed with overturning the specific D.C. ban. But he said Thursday’s ruling “will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.”
“I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through commonsense, effective safety measures,” Obama said.
Wave of bad news sends Dow down nearly 360
NEW YORK—A barrage of bad news including yet another record high for oil drove stocks sharply lower Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 360 points to their lowest level in nearly two years.
The market also worried about fresh signs of trouble in the financial, high-tech and automotive industries. Negative analyst comments sent shares of General Motors Corp. stock to their lowest point in more than three decades. Citigroup Inc. stock fell sharply after an analyst give it a “sell” rating and warned investors to expect less from the brokerage sector in an uneasy economy.
Oil futures shot past $140 for the first time after the head of OPEC predicted the price of a barrel of crude could rise well over $150 this year and Libya said it may cut oil production. That increases the odds that gasoline prices, which crossed a nationwide average of $4 a gallon weeks ago, will extend their advance, and that goods and services across the economy will get ever more expensive.
The blue-chip index is now 19 percent below its record close last October of 14,164.53.
All the bad news overshadowed a report by the National Assocation of Realtors that sales of existing homes edged up in May for only the second time in the past 10 months. It also wiped out any positive impact from the Federal Reserve’s widely expected decision Wednesday to leave interest rates unchanged.
Iraq bombings kill dozens, 3 US Marines
BAGHDAD—A suicide bomber attacked a meeting of pro-government Sunni sheiks west of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 23 people, including three U.S. Marines. At least 18 more people died in a car bombing in the northern city of Mosul.
Both attacks happened in Sunni Arab areas where al-Qaida in Iraq has been active. They appeared to be part of a campaign by both Sunni and Shiite extremists to undermine U.S. efforts to shore up local administrations and secure the security gains achieved since early last year.
The target of the Mosul blast appeared to be the provincial governor, who was near the explosion but escaped injury.
The U.S. military announced that al-Qaida’s top leader in Mosul, known by his nickname Abu Khalaf, was killed in a raid two days earlier. U.S. officials say Mosul is the last major Iraqi city where al-Qaida has a significant presence.
Thursday’s other bombing took place at a building in Karmah, 20 miles west of Baghdad, where dozens of sheiks had gathered for a meeting attended by U.S. officials, said Col. Fawzi Fraih, civil defense director of Anbar province.
Mars lander finds salty environment
LOS ANGELES—The Phoenix lander’s first taste test of soil near Mars’ north pole reveals a briny environment similar to what can be found in backyards on Earth, scientists said Thursday.
The finding raises hope that the Martian arctic plains could have conditions favorable for primitive life. Phoenix landed a month ago to study the habitability of Mars’ northern latitudes.
“There’s nothing about it that would preclude life. In fact, it seems very friendly,” mission scientist Samuel Kounaves of Tufts University said of the soil. “There’s nothing about it that’s toxic.”
Phoenix so far has not detected organic carbon considered an essential building block of life. Last week, the lander found evidence of ice below the soil. Scientists generally agree that liquid water, a stable energy source and organic, or carbon-containing, compounds are required for a habitable zone.
Planetary scientist David Paige of the University of California, Los Angeles, said it is too early to tell whether the minerals found in the soil could support life. Paige, who had no role in the mission, said the find was not surprising because rocks weather over time and bits of minerals mix with the soil.
Presidential candidates react to gun ruling
WASHINGTON, D.C.—John McCain welcomed a Supreme Court decision invalidating a District of Columbia handgun ban. Barack Obama said he favors an individual’s right to bear firearms as well as a government’s right to regulate them.
The hotly contentious issue surfaced in the presidential campaign Thursday after the Supreme Court ruled that Americans have a constitutional right to own guns and struck down the 32-year-old D.C. ban.
McCain, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, heralded the justices’ action as “a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom.”
McCain said, “This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain vigilant in defense of our freedoms.”
His Democratic rival, Obama, issued a more carefully worded statement apparently aimed at both moderate voters and his liberal base. The statement did not specifically say whether Obama agreed with overturning the specific D.C. ban. But he said Thursday’s ruling “will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.”
“I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through commonsense, effective safety measures,” Obama said.
Wave of bad news sends Dow down nearly 360
NEW YORK—A barrage of bad news including yet another record high for oil drove stocks sharply lower Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 360 points to their lowest level in nearly two years.
The market also worried about fresh signs of trouble in the financial, high-tech and automotive industries. Negative analyst comments sent shares of General Motors Corp. stock to their lowest point in more than three decades. Citigroup Inc. stock fell sharply after an analyst give it a “sell” rating and warned investors to expect less from the brokerage sector in an uneasy economy.
Oil futures shot past $140 for the first time after the head of OPEC predicted the price of a barrel of crude could rise well over $150 this year and Libya said it may cut oil production. That increases the odds that gasoline prices, which crossed a nationwide average of $4 a gallon weeks ago, will extend their advance, and that goods and services across the economy will get ever more expensive.
The blue-chip index is now 19 percent below its record close last October of 14,164.53.
All the bad news overshadowed a report by the National Assocation of Realtors that sales of existing homes edged up in May for only the second time in the past 10 months. It also wiped out any positive impact from the Federal Reserve’s widely expected decision Wednesday to leave interest rates unchanged.
Iraq bombings kill dozens, 3 US Marines
BAGHDAD—A suicide bomber attacked a meeting of pro-government Sunni sheiks west of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 23 people, including three U.S. Marines. At least 18 more people died in a car bombing in the northern city of Mosul.
Both attacks happened in Sunni Arab areas where al-Qaida in Iraq has been active. They appeared to be part of a campaign by both Sunni and Shiite extremists to undermine U.S. efforts to shore up local administrations and secure the security gains achieved since early last year.
The target of the Mosul blast appeared to be the provincial governor, who was near the explosion but escaped injury.
The U.S. military announced that al-Qaida’s top leader in Mosul, known by his nickname Abu Khalaf, was killed in a raid two days earlier. U.S. officials say Mosul is the last major Iraqi city where al-Qaida has a significant presence.
Thursday’s other bombing took place at a building in Karmah, 20 miles west of Baghdad, where dozens of sheiks had gathered for a meeting attended by U.S. officials, said Col. Fawzi Fraih, civil defense director of Anbar province.
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