ONE NEWS

Sunday, November 15, 2009 TOKYO: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has big plans, as it wants to conquer outer space to generate solar energy by 2030. The idea is to collect solar power in space and beam it down to earth, in the form of lasers or microwaves. The so-called Space Solar Power System project is led by big corporations such as Mitsubishi, NEC, Fujitsu und Sharp.As a first step, JAXA wants to deploy photovoltaic elements in outer space where they will be assembled in the form of dishes several square kilometers in size. Solar energy in space is about five times stronger than on earth, and the solar energy will be transformed into power in space.The dishes are supposed to zap the lasers and microwaves to gigantic parabolic antennae located on earth, probably in remote areas such as dam reservoirs, for example. JAXA wants to begin conducting feasibility tests with a 100-kW demo system before eventually boosting that number to 1 Gigawatt.

Sunday, November 15, 2009 LONDON: A new pop single featuring the voice of acclaimed physicist Stephen Hawking as a tribute to astronomer Carl Sagan is up for grabs.The author of A Brief History of Time blends his voice with dialogues from Sagans 1980s TV show Cosmos: A Personal Voyage in the seven-inch single.The release of A Glorious Down is intended to come out at the time when Sagan would have been 75, reports a UK-based newspaper.Composer John Boswell set the lyrics to various instruments for the track that will have one-hundred-and-fifty limited edition versions. It was produced by White Stripes frontman Jack White's Third Man Records label.

Saturday, November 14, 2009 Someone alert Dan Brown. The novelist's best-selling "The Da Vinci Code" contained many conjectures about the history and provenance of the "Mona Lisa" -- many of which have been dismissed as pure nonsense by scholars and religious figures.Now comes word that at least one persistent rumor concerning the masterpiece is true. Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" used to have eyebrows, according to a French art expert.Pascal Cotte was granted special access to the 16th-century painting at the Louvre Museum in Paris, according to a report in the London Telegraph. Cotte said Da Vinci built up the painting in layers, the last being a special glaze. He then painted details such as the eyebrows on top of the glaze."That could explain why the eyebrows have disappeared," he told the British newspaper. "They have faded because of chemical reactions or they have been cleaned off." Using a 240 megapixel camera, Cotte ...

Sunday, November 15, 2009 LONDON: Gale-force winds and heavy rain have brought flooding and damage to Britain as forecasters predict the worst storm of the year so far.Forecasters say that winds in excess of 80mph, that’s strong enough to cause damage including bringing down trees and branches, are expected to intensify this weekend as the storm sweeps across the UK.MeteoGroup said that Wales, southern and eastern England are likely to bear the brunt of the storm, but winds could reach a "rare" 70mph inland in London and the Home Counties.The forecasts comes after five people, including a pregnant woman and two small children, had to flee their car when it was enveloped by floodwater in Dorset.A Dorset Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said the water was up to the car bonnet by the time crews arrived but all five had got out and were safe.In a separate incident two people in a car were also pulled out of floodwater at Broadwindsor in Dorset and were unhurt, whilst in Bourne...

Saturday, November 14, 2009 MUMBAI: At least nine people were killed and 25 injured when a New Delhi-bound train derailed near the western Indian city of Jaipur early on Saturday, officials said. Fifteen coaches of the Mandor Express jumped the track about 40 km from Jaipur, and rescue teams were working to free trapped passengers, state chief minister Ashok Gehlot toldreporters. "Rescue operation is still on," he said, adding the cause of the accident was being investigated.

Saturday, November 14, 2009 PARIS: Rafael Nadal set up a semifinal match up against Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Gael Monfils gave French fans hope of a home champion by reaching his first Paris semifinal with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Marin Cilic. Monfils will play Radek Stepanek, who advanced when U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro retired trailing 4-0 with a groin injury from his previous match.