Syria crisis: Cameron loses Commons vote on Syria action. 30 August 2013Last updated at 06:13 ET David Cameron: "It is clear to me that the British parliament... does not want to see British military action" MPs have rejected possible UK military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to deter the use of chemical weapons. David Cameron said he would respect the defeat of a government motion by 285-272, ruling out joining US-led strikes. The US said it would "continue to consult" with the UK, "one of our closest allies and friends".
France said the UK's vote does not change its resolve on the need to act in Syria. Russia - which has close ties with the Assad government - welcomed Britain's rejection of a military strike. The prime minister's call for a military response in Syria followed a suspected chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on 21 August, in which hundreds of people are reported to have died. Assad said Syria would defend itself against any aggression. 'Harm relationship' PM 'diminished' Technology Review: The Authority on the Future of Technology. Physicists Recreate 'End Of Time' in Lab.
One of the most exciting areas of science is the emerging field of spacetime analogues. This is the discipline in which physicists play around with systems that have a formal mathematical link with general relativity. For example, changes in the way electrons move in graphene as it is cooled are identical to the changes that may have occurred in the universe soon after the big bang. So physicists can use cool graph to test theories about the universe’s earliest behaviour. Another example is the formal mathematical analogy between the behaviour of light in electromagnetic space and in spacetime. All of these experiments are jaw droppers (imagine making black hole in the lab). But Igor Smolyaninov at the University of Maryland likes to have a go. The idea is straightforward (no really!). Smolyaninov points out that an interesting situation occurs when these two materials are place end on. So what happens at the end of time? But interesting stuff nevertheless.
Science news and science jobs from New Scientist. Mapping the most complex object in the known universe. Caitlin Stier, contributor (Image: MPI for Medical Research) It's paint-by-numbers for neuroscientists. At the Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany, researchers have devised a faster way of computing the neural connections that make up the brain. Mapping out this intricate web previously depended on the human eye as no computer was powerful enough to handle the brain's complex network of 70 billion neurons and thousands of kilometres of circuits. Now with the help of two computer programs, Moritz Helmstaedter, Kevin Briggman and Winfried Denk have developed a faster and more accurate way of completing this neural cartography. The first program, KNOSSOS - named after an ancient palace labyrinth in Crete - lets untrained users visualise and annotate 3D image data while the second, RESCOP summarises their work.
The new programs could make the difficult but vital task of plotting out the brain's neural circuitry possible. Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American. The Case for Parallel Universes. Editor's note: In the August issue of Scientific American, cosmologist George Ellis describes why he's skeptical about the concept of parallel universes.
Here, multiverse proponents Alexander Vilenkin and Max Tegmark offer counterpoints, explaining why the multiverse would account for so many features of our universe—and how it might be tested. Welcome to the Multiverse By Alexander Vilenkin The universe as we know it originated in a great explosion that we call the big bang. For nearly a century cosmologists have been studying the aftermath of this explosion: how the universe expanded and cooled down, and how galaxies were gradually pulled together by gravity.
The nature of the bang itself has come into focus only relatively recently. It is the subject of the theory of inflation, which was developed in the early 1980s by Alan Guth, Andrei Linde and others, and has led to a radically new global view of the universe. Some of my physicist colleagues find the multiverse theory alarming. Physicists Recreate 'End Of Time' in Lab. iGoogle. Plane crashes into houses. Amnesia mum Naomi Jacobs, 32, wakes up as schoolgirl, 15. Polar bear kills young British adventurer in Norway | World news. A British teenager has been mauled to death and four others injured by a polar bear that came into the youths' tent as they camped on a remote Norwegian island in the Arctic circle.
Horatio Chapple, who was 17, died on Friday morning after the bear attacked on the Von Postbreen glacier on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. The bear was shot dead by one of the leaders of the party of 13, who were with a group of 80 taking part in a five-week Arctic expedition run by the BSES Expeditions, a youth development charity based at the Royal Geographical Society in London. The injured were helicoptered to a hospital 25 miles away in Spitsbergen's capital, Longyearbyen, after the group raised the alarm by satellite phone at 7.30am.
They were later flown to University hospital in Tromso, northern Norway. Two are understood to be severely injured. The first account of the attack came from Flinders' father, Terry. Fiona Harvey. Polar bear victim was strong, fearless and kind, say relatives | World news. The grieving family of a British teenager who was mauled to death by a polar bear on a remote Norwegian island in the Arctic circle have said he was "strong, fearless and kind".
Horatio Chapple, 17, died on Friday morning after the bear attacked a party on an adventure holiday on the Von Postbreen glacier, on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. Relatives of the Eton schoolboy said he had been "so excited about his plans to be a doctor" and praised his "amazing sense of humour and ability to laugh at himself". His family said: "He was on the cusp of adulthood and had a clear vision of where his life was going. " Police are investigating the circumstances of the attack, in which four other people were injured fighting off the bear. Reid, from Plymouth, Devon, suffered serious head and neck injuries when he was mauled by the bear. The first account of the attack came from Flinders's father, Terry. The BSES chairman, Edward Watson, said Chapple had been a "fine young man".
Father's pride in son who shot attacking polar bear | World news | The Observer. Expedition leader Michael Reid. His family were told by British Embassy officials that he shot the polar bear that killed Horatio Chapple. Photograph: PA The father of the adventure group leader who shot a polar bear that had killed a schoolboy and also savaged him and three other Britons in Svalbard on Friday says he has been moved by the tributes paid to his son. Michael "Spike" Reid, 29, was one of two leaders of the expedition, which came under attack while camped near the Von Postbreen glacier, 25 miles from Longyearbyen, the capital of the Norwegian islands that make up the Svalbard archipelago.
Horatio Chapple, 17, a sixth-former from Bishopstone, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, was killed. Four others were injured: Reid and fellow trip leader Andrew Ruck from Aberdeen, and two teenagers, Patrick Flinders from Jersey and Scott Bennell Smith from Cornwall. He added that the incident had come as a complete shock. Horatio's family paid tribute to a "strong, fearless and kind" boy. Polar bear attack survivors to return to UK | World news. Survivors of the polar bear attack have been treated at the Tromso hospital. Photograph: Rex Features Two members of an expedition injured in a polar bear attack in which a 17-year-old was killed will return to the UK on Sunday, the organisers of the trip have said. Scott Bennell-Smith and Patrick Flinders will be flown back to Britain under the care of a specialist medical evacuation team, BSES Expeditions confirmed.
The organisation, formerly British Schools Exploring Society, asked for the pair's privacy to be respected. Horatio Chapple, from Salisbury, in Wiltshire, died in the attack in Svalbard, Norway, on Friday. The five were part of a group camping on the Von Postbreen glacier, near Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Horatio's family described him as "strong, fearless and kind", and had been "so excited about his plans to be a doctor". Eton College, where the teenager was a pupil, said: "Horatio was a very well-liked member of the school and respected by masters and boys alike. Essex village is living in fear after FOUR THOUSAND gypsies turned up for a festival. Shocking pig abuse at abattoir.
Homepage. Norway attacks. 27 August 2012Last updated at 09:17 GMT Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in two attacks in Norway last year, is found to be sane and is sentenced to 21 years in jail by a court. How the twin terror attacks unfolded in Norway A table showing the victims Profile of the 32-year-old suspect Island's iconic status made it a target A second report concludes the killer was sane Right-wing politicians reopen sensitive issue Muslim immigrants feel increasingly uneasy Should the views of a killer be publicised? Norwegians angered by first assessment of Breivik Norwegians resolve to meet hatred with love Online manifesto shows meticulous preparation Norway remembers victims of the twin attacks Attitude to risk might change after attacks World leaders react to twin attacks. As it happened: Norway attacks. As it happened: Norway attacks aftermath.
First funeral after Oslo massacre. Man dead and police officer hurt in Tottenham shooting. 5 August 2011Last updated at 10:29 It is thought the police officer was shot first A man is understood to have been shot dead by a policeman in north London. A police officer was also injured in the incident in Ferry Lane in Tottenham Hale on Thursday evening. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been called in to investigate the death and it said a firearm had been recovered. It is thought the officer, who was taken to hospital and later discharged, was shot first but this is not known for certain, an IPCC spokesman said.
In a statement, the IPCC said: "It is understood that the shooting followed an MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] operation. " 'Heard four shots' The Metropolitan Police would not confirm if the man had been shot by a police officer. A Scotland Yard spokesman added: "One male was pronounced dead at the scene and one officer was taken to hospital. " The IPCC said a firearm had been recovered from the scene "There was also a surveillance van on the corner. " London riots: Timeline and map of violence. Riots in London and around the country saw widespread looting and buildings set alight. Dozens were left homeless after a night of riots on the streets of Tottenham after a peaceful demonstration on 6 August over the death of a man who was shot by police turned violent. Here is a timeline of what happened, starting with most recent events. 00:22 BST - The Metropolitan Police say 1,103 people have now been arrested in connection with the riots and 654 people have been charged.
Greater Manchester Police said they had so far made 147 arrests and more than 70 people had already gone through the courts. Merseyside Police said they had made 77 arrests and charged 45 people. West Midlands Police said 445 people had been arrested and Nottinghamshire Police said they had arrested 109 people and charged 69. The night passes off peacefully - with officers still on the streets in large numbers. 20:04 BST - The debate concludes and the Commons adjourns. UK riots: How Monday's night of violence unfolded.
Live: UK riots. New York recovers as Irene passes. 28 August 2011Last updated at 22:36 Officials warned that the storm remained dangerous - as New Yorkers breathed a sigh of relief Hundreds of thousands of evacuated New Yorkers are being allowed back home after a weakening Tropical Storm Irene passed without extensive damage. Fears of major flooding have subsided and New York's stock exchanges are due to open on Monday, even if public transport and flights remain suspended. But President Obama has warned that the effects of Irene are "not over yet". After causing widespread destruction along the US eastern seaboard, it is forecast to hit Canada early on Monday. At least 11 deaths have been linked to the powerful storm, which destroyed buildings in North Carolina and Virginia, and left millions without power.
The storm was classified as a category three hurricane, carrying winds of more than 120mph (192km/h), when it swept through the Caribbean last week but later weakened, being downgraded to a tropical storm as it reached New York. Power cuts. РИА Новости. Royal.