'Significant' water found on Moon

Nasa's experiment last month to find water on the Moon was a major success, US scientists have announced.

The space agency smashed a rocket and a probe into a large crater at the lunar south pole, hoping to kick up ice.

Scientists who have studied the data now say instruments trained on the impact plume saw copious quantities of water-ice and water vapour.

One researcher described this as the equivalent of "a dozen two-gallon buckets" of water.

"We didn't just find a little bit; we found a significant amount," said Anthony Colaprete, chief scientist for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission.

No doubt

October's experiment involved driving a 2,200kg Centaur rocket stage into the 100km-wide Cabeus Crater, a permanently shadowed depression at the Moon's far south.

At the time, scientists were hoping for a big plume of debris some 10km high which could be seen by Earth telescopes.

The following probe was designed to analyse the debris plume

The actual debris cloud was much smaller, about 1.6km high, but sufficiently large to betray the evidence researchers were seeking.

The near-infrared spectrometer on the LCROSS probe that followed the rocket into the crater detected water-ice and water vapour. The ultraviolet-visible spectrometer provided additional confirmation by identifying the hydroxyl (OH) molecule, which arises when water is broken apart in sunlight.READ MORE

Cleveland accused denies attack

A convicted US sex offender from Cleveland has pleaded not guilty to an attack that led to a search of his house and the discovery of 11 bodies.

Anthony Sowell pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, kidnapping, attempted murder and felonious assault, the Associated Press reports.

The charges were made after Mr Sowell's arrest last month.

The 50-year-old suspect spent 15 years in prison after being convicted of attempted rape.

Judge John O'Donnell set a bond of $1m (£600,000) on the charges and continued Mr Sowell's $5m bond from last week, when he was charged with five counts of aggravated murder.

He also appointed a lawyer for Mr Sowell. The lawyer, Brian McGraw, had no immediate comment.READ MORE

Major fire at Russia arms depot

At least two people have been killed after a series of explosions and fires at a weapons depot in central Russia, officials say.

The blasts ripped through the defence ministry navy depot on the outskirts of Ulyanovsk when soldiers attempted to decommission munitions.

The officials later said that 43 people who were feared dead had been found safe in a bomb shelter near the site.

Some 3,000 people were evacuated from the surrounding area.

The depot is about 900km (550 miles) south-east of the capital Moscow.

'Like fireworks'

Two fire-fighters died at the Arsenal 31 depot after the blasts and fires, Ulyanovsk Governor Sergei Morozov told the BBC.

Mr Morozov was earlier quoted in Russian media as saying that at least 10 people were taken to hospital.READ MORE

MoD probes new Iraq abuse claims

The Ministry of Defence has said it is investigating new allegations of abuse by the UK military in Iraq.

Lawyers acting for former Iraqi detainees are calling for a full public inquiry into 33 abuse claims made during UK military involvement there.

One allegation is that two soldiers raped a 16-year-old boy in 2003.

Armed forces minister Bill Rammell said such claims were taken seriously but formal inquiries must be held "without judgements being made prematurely".

"Allegations of this nature are taken very seriously. However allegations must not be taken as fact," he said.

Mr Rammell told the BBC "about seven of them have come in within the last month".

"The rest of them are cases that date back significantly beyond that period and they are being investigated. Any allegation of abuse is taken with the utmost seriousness."READ MORE

Brazil proposes carbon cut target

The Brazilian government has announced that it aims to achieve a reduction of at least 36% on its carbon emissions by the year 2020.

President Lula says climate change is the world's most challenging issue

If it meets its pledge, greenhouse gas emissions would be near 1994 levels.

The proposal, which is not a binding target, was revealed in advance of the major UN summit on climate change to be held in Copenhagen in December.

Brazil hopes to put pressure on richer nations to declare their intentions and break the deadlock in the negotiations.

Details of the government's proposals were unveiled following a meeting involving President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and some of his senior ministers.

'Ambitious' target

In common with other developing nations, Brazil is not setting a binding target for reducing carbon emissions, but is instead proposing to take voluntary action.READ MORE

Peru and Chile in 'spy' scandal

A new diplomatic row has erupted between Peru and Chile after a Peruvian court ordered the arrest of two Chilean military officers over alleged spying.

The court accused the officers of paying a Peruvian air force officer to reveal national secrets.

The officer, Victor Ariza Mendoza, has been arrested and charged with spying.

Peru's President Alan Garcia said he was leaving the Asia-Pacific summit in Singapore a day early over the espionage row.

He also said he had cancelled planned talks with his Chilean counterpart, Michelle Bachelet, at the Apec summit.

"I am returning 24 hours earlier than scheduled so I can obtain complete and sufficient information (on the issue) and to be able to speak from Peru," Mr Garcia said, quoted by AFP new agency.

Reports in the Peruvian media said Lima had recalled its ambassador to Chile for talks.

Lima-based El Comercio reported that Mr Ariza had worked at the Peruvian embassy in Santiago in 2003.

Tensions are already strained between the two countries following a military exercise staged by Chile last month near its disputed border with Peru.READ MORE

New York 9/11 trial ignites row

Senior US Republicans have condemned the Obama administration's move to try alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others in New York.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said bringing the suspects from Guantanamo into the US would put "Americans unnecessarily at risk".

The five will be tried in a civilian court near Ground Zero. The prosecution says it will seek the death penalty.

Democrats hailed the decision, while families of 9/11 victims are divided.

The move is part of US President Barack Obama's efforts to close the Guantanamo detention centre for terror suspects.

"The Department of Justice will pursue prosecution in federal court of the five individuals accused of conspiring to commit the 9/11 attacks," US Attorney General Eric Holder told a news conference.

"I fully expect to direct prosecutors to seek the death penalty against each of the alleged 9/11 conspirators."

But Republican leaders immediately criticised the move.READ MORE

Obama affirms commitment to Asia

US President Barack Obama has welcomed a bigger role for China on the world stage and pledged to pursue greater co-operation with Asian countries.

Speaking in Tokyo, he said the US would not be "cowed" by North Korea's nuclear threats and that his commitment to the security of Asia was "unshakeable".

Mr Obama also called on Asian leaders to pursue balanced economic growth.

Early on Saturday, he flew to Singapore for an Asia-Pacific economic summit a few hours earlier than planned.

His trade representative Ron Kirk, who is already at the Apec meeting, says the US wants barriers to trade and investment removed to promote an open global trade system.Mr Obama will round off his week-long Asian tour with stops in China and South Korea.READ MORE

Asia offers Obama a warm welcome

Asian leaders welcomed the election of Barack Obama as the next president of the United States - as did the region's financial markets.

Some regional leaders said Mr Obama's victory in the US poll was the start of a new, more hopeful era.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the victory represented a message of hope not just for America, but for the rest of the world as well.

Many regional stock markets rose sharply on the news.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index initially increased by 5.2% and Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average jumped by 4.5%.

Indonesia's pride

The Australian prime minister's hope that Mr Obama's victory would help solve pressing global problems was shared by other leaders in the Asia-Pacific region.READ MORE

Obama seeks to reassure Asia allies

There seems to be a "first" to everything that President Barack Obama is, or does.

The first black leader of the US is also the first American president who has lived in Asia as a child - the first president with an "Asia-Pacific orientation", as US officials put it.

President Obama will try to capitalise on this during his week-long trip to the region.

He wants to build on and improve crucial relationships with allies and rivals across the Pacific.

He will be tackling a broad range of issues - some of them thorny, like global trade, China's currency and US debt, and how to deal with countries like North Korea and Burma, not to mention climate change.

He will also be the first US president to attend a summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) in Singapore.READ MORE

Storm blamed for Brazil power cut

A severe storm has been blamed for widespread power cuts in Brazil which lasted more than five hours, the government said.

The strong winds, heavy rain and lightning brought down a power line in Brazil, cutting two other lines and ultimately shutting Itaipu dam.

In the worst blackout to hit Brazil in years, up to a fifth of the population was left without power on Tuesday.

Neighbouring Paraguay was also briefly left in the dark.

Initial suspicion had focused on the Itaipu hydroelectric plant, which supplies 20% of Brazil's power, but officials there said the facility was working normally.

Grid 'strong'

Energy Minister Edson Lobao said the bad weather cut the transmission lines in Sao Paulo state, leading the huge Itaipu dam to shut down automatically.

"Our grid is strong and resistant, but there are moments that the system simply can't withstand," he told reporters in the capital Brasilia.

The outage caused chaos on the streets of major Brazilian cities, including Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which will showcase the 2014 World Cup and host the 2016 Olympics.READ MORE

Mexican purge axes corrupt police

Mexican authorities have dismissed almost a quarter of all traffic police in the city of Monterrey for failing corruption and competence tests.

It is the latest move by the Mexican government to clean up its police forces, many of which are suspected of having links to organised crime.

At the end of last month all 1,142 traffic police in Monterrey were pulled off duty to undergo extensive tests.

The tests assessed their honesty, mental aptitude and medical condition.

Their living circumstances were also reviewed - to see whether any evidence of possibly unlawful additional income emerged.

The end results have not been good.

More than 270 officers failed the exams outright. They have been dismissed.

Another 500 have been sent for more training. And, in a final insult, over half have been told they are overweight.READ MORE

US envoy opposed to Afghan surgey

US envoy opposed to Afghan surge

The US currently has some 68,000 troops in Afghanistan The US ambassador in Kabul has written to the White House arguing against sending thousands more American troops to Afghanistan. In a leaked cable, Karl Eikenberry said President Karzai's government should first prove it would tackle corruption. The message arrived amid intense debate over strategy, with President Obama yet to make a decision on troop numbers. This dramatic intervention would put the ambassador at odds with generals seeking reinforcements. On Wednesday, President Obama held his eighth meeting to discuss the question of whether to send tens of thousands more troops to confront the Taliban. Mr Eikenberry, a former American commander in Afghanistan, sent the secret cable in the past week, according to US media reports. Expressing concern about corruption in Afghanistan, he said it was "not a good idea" to send more soldiers, the BBC has been told.READ MORE

Adobe lays off one in 10 workers

US software company Adobe Systems has announced it is cutting 680 jobs, almost 10% of its workforce.

The software firm, best known for Photoshop, Flash and Acrobat, said the cuts were necessary to cut costs.

It added it that would be hit with pre-tax restructuring charges of between $65m (£39m) and $71m as a direct result of the cuts.

The lay-offs will not affect employees of web analytics firm Omniture, which was recently taken over by Adobe.

More than 7,000 people work for Adobe Systems.READ MORE

El Salvador facing food shortage

About 10,000 people in El Salvador are in need of food aid after devastating floods washed away crops.

Three days of national mourning are being held following the deaths of at least 140 people in the floods.

Thousands are living in shelters as a result of the disaster and large parts of the country are without electricity and clean water.

The areas around the capital, San Salvador, and the central province of San Vicente were hit hardest.

President Mauricio Funes has declared a national emergency.

At least 49 of the dead are believed to be children.

The torrential rains washed away crops across the region, leaving thousands of survivors to face the dangerous lack of a stable food supply, the UN World Food Programme says.

It hopes to deliver 90 tonnes of aid to the area in the coming days.READ MORE

Brazil minidress woman readmitted

A Brazilian student who was expelled from university for wearing a short dress has been readmitted.

Geisy Arruda was expelled after an incident on 22 October

Bandeirante University, a private college in a suburb of Sao Paulo, reversed its decision, following a public outcry and government criticism.

Videos of people jeering and swearing at the student, Geisy Arruda, have circulated widely on the internet.

They show the 20-year-old being led off by security guards on 22 October with a long, white coat covering her dress.

The university said in a statement on Monday it was reinstating Ms Arruda, without offering an explanation.

Earlier, it had said it had expelled her for disturbing classes through "a flagrant lack of respect for ethical principles, academic dignity and morality".READ MORE

FBI sued over Ethiopian jailing

An American man is suing the FBI for mistreatment while he was held in jail in Kenya and Ethiopia in 2007.

Mr Meshal says his constitutional rights were violated by the interrogations

Amir Meshal was arrested on the Kenyan border as he fled Somalia after the ousting of the Islamist administration.

According to the lawsuit, FBI agents interrogated him there, saying he had received al-Qaeda training in Somalia.

Mr Meshal says he was then returned to Somalia and sent on to Ethiopia for three months where US agents threatened him with torture and death.

He repeatedly denied the allegations and was released in May 2007 and returned to the United States after media inquiries and protests from human rights groups.READ MORE

New PC to encourage older users

A new computer aimed at people aged over 60 who are unfamiliar with PCs and the internet has been unveiled.

The simplified desktop - called SimplicITy - has just six buttons directing users to basic tasks such as e-mail and chat.

The computer comes pre-loaded with 17 video tutorials from television presenter Valerie Singleton

More than 6 million people over the age of 65 have never used the internet, according to government figures.

'Social benefit'

Each made-to-order computer takes two weeks from request to delivery and can be ordered by post.

The computer has been developed in partnership with Wessex Computers and a website aimed at older people called discount-age, set up by Ms Singleton.

She said she was shocked by the number of older people who do not have computers - a survey by the Office for National Statistics in August 2009 revealed that 6.4 million people over 65 have never used the internet.READ MORE

Microsoft disconnects Xbox gamers

Thousands of gamers may have been cut off from Microsoft's online gaming service Xbox Live for modifying their consoles to play pirated games.

Xbox Live allows gamers to play against one another

Online reports suggest that as many as 600,000 gamers may have been affected.

Microsoft confirmed that it had banned a "small percentage" of the 20 million Xbox Live users worldwide.

Microsoft said that modifying an Xbox 360 console "violates" the service's "terms of use" and would result in a player being disconnected.

"All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live," Microsoft has said in a statement."The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them."READ MORE

Washington sniper is put to death

The man behind the 2002 sniper attacks in and around Washington DC has been executed after a final appeal was thrown out.

John Allen Muhammad's lawyers say he was mentally ill, but Virginia Governor Tim Kaine rejected a plea for clemency.

On Monday, the US Supreme Court quashed an appeal for a stay of execution.

Muhammad, 48, was injected with a lethal drug for the murder of Dean Harold Meyers, one of 10 people killed during the attacks.

Muhammad's accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, is serving a life sentence in jail.

The pair killed 10 people during three weeks of attacks in Maryland, Washington and Virginia.READ MORE