British pair freed from pirates, BBC UK

A retired British couple are freed more than a year after being taken captive by Somali pirates who boarded their yacht off the Seychelles.

Seven die in fire in immigrant hostel in Dijon, France

Several people jumped out of windows to escape the blaze in Dijon
Seven people have been killed and 11 seriously injured by a fire in a nine-storey hostel housing immigrants in the eastern French city of Dijon.
One person died after jumping from the seventh floor of the building, while the other six died from the effects of smoke inhalation.

Troop pull-out urged in Nicaragua-Costa Rica border row

Nicaragua says its troops will not withdraw
The Organization of American States has urged Nicaragua and Costa Rica to withdraw their security forces from a disputed river border, where there has been tension for a month.
In a resolution, the OAS said the two countries should begin urgent talks to resolve their differences.

US offers Israel incentive plan for settlement freeze

Israel's 10-month construction freeze in the West Bank expired on 26 September
Israel's prime minister has briefed his cabinet on a package of incentives the US has proposed if it renews a partial freeze on settlement construction.Washington has reportedly said it will strengthen its commitment to oppose UN resolutions critical of Israel, and

Ireland 'in preliminary talks with EU on bailout'

The Republic of Ireland's government has not formally denied it is in talks with the EU
The Republic of Ireland is in preliminary talks with EU officials for financial support, the BBC has learned.
It is now no longer a matter of whether but when the Irish government formally approaches the European Financial Stability Fund

ESA Science & Technology: Call for a Medium-size mission opportunity for a launch in 2022

Through the present Call for Missions the Director of Science and Robotic Exploration solicits from the broad scientific community proposals for the competitive selection of mission concepts to be candidate for the implementation of one medium-size (M-class) mission for launch in 2022, following the launch of the first L-class mission. The deadline for submission of proposals is 3 December 2010, 12:00 (noon) Central European Time.

ESA - Robotic Exploration of Mars: The ESA-NASA ExoMars programme 2016-2018

Establishing if life ever existed on Mars is one of the outstanding scientific questions of our time. To address this important goal, the European Space Agency (ESA), in cooperation with NASA, has established the ExoMars Programme to investigate the Martian environment and to demonstrate new technologies paving the way for a future Mars sample return mission in the 2020's.
Two missions are foreseen within the ExoMars programme: one consisting of an Orbiter plus an Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator (to be launched in 2016) and the other, with a launch date of 2018, consisting of two rovers. Both missions will be carried out in cooperation with NASA.

ESA Science & Technology: New roadmap to guide ESA in search for exoplanets

The idea of other planets hidden in the vastness of space has long captured human imagination and there has been a recent explosion in the number of exoplanets discovered, with the total fast approaching 500. As the research community heads towards this milestone, ESA called on them for recommendations on how the Agency could build upon this success. The result is a recently published roadmap from the Exoplanet Roadmap Advisory Team (EPR-AT), which looks at the future of the field and how to reach their ultimate, long-term goal: finding an Earth-like planet with possible signatures of life.

Solar Sailing Messages from Earth

As of March 22 we are no longer collecting names for IKAROS, however you can still send your name and message on the LightSail mission.
A pioneering mission is preparing to set sail and you can be aboard!
Lightsail, a project of The Planetary Society, will merge the ultra-light technology of nanosats with the ultra-large technology of solar sails setting a course to the stars. LightSail-1 is the beginning of an innovative program that will launch three separate spacecraft over the course of several years.

Earth's pull 'shaped Moon's surface'

The Moon, showing part of its far side, photographed from the Apollo 16 spacecraft in April 1972

The Earth may have played a major role in shaping the lunar surface, according to a new research study by US researchers.

The team members say our planet's gravitational pull distorted the shape of the Moon in ancient times.

Eggs with the oldest known embryos of a dinosaur found

An artist's impression of what the dinosaurs might have looked like

Palaeontologists have identified the oldest known dinosaur embryos, belonging to a species that lived some 190 million years ago.

Twitter anger over bomb tweeter

Tweeters have joined forces to support Paul Chambers, the man convicted and fined for a Twitter message threatening to blow up an airport.

The Twitter community is angry that the 27-year-old accountant has failed to overturn his conviction.

Francis Ford Coppola receives lifetime Oscar

Coppola has produced more than 30 films, including The Black Stallion, The Outsiders and Lost in Translation

Somali pirates free UK couple Paul and Rachel Chandler

Retired UK couple Paul and Rachel Chandler, hours after being released

A retired British couple have been released by Somali pirates after being held captive for more than a year.

Paul, 60, and Rachel Chandler, 56, from Kent, were seized from their yacht near the Seychelles in October 2009.

Aung San Suu Kyi 'willing to meet Burma's generals'

Ms Suu Kyi said her party was investigating allegations of fraud in the elections

Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has told the BBC she is willing to meet its military leaders to help work towards national reconciliation.

A day after her release from house arrest, she said it was time to "sort out our differences across the table".

Sizing up Brazil

The Globalist is a daily online magazine about the global economy, politics, and culture.

Amidst all the hype surrounding its Asian counterparts China and India, Brazil has quietly but firmly established itself as one of the world's most dynamic economies. As the country prepares to elect a new president, we wonder: Which of these statements about Brazil are true?

Al-Qaida denies plot to target Muslim haj pilgrims

DUBAI: Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula denied on Sunday it would stage any action to coincide with the Muslim haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia after a Saudi minister said such an operation could not be ruled out.

Britain may run out of web addresses by 2012

LONDON: Britain will run out of internet addresses by 2012, warns a web scientist.
Vint Cerf, a Google vice-president, said the "unbelievable" trend could prevent British businesses from communicating with their customers around the world and in the country.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi, newly free, calls for talks

YANGON, MYANMAR: Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, freed from seven years of house arrest, told thousands of cheering supporters on Sunday that she would continue to fight for human rights and the rule of law in the military-controlled nation. She called for face-to-face talks with the junta's leader.