Deep-diving submarine ‘Triton’ introduced

NEW YORK: An American manufacturer has created a submarine which is capable of reaching the deepest point of the ocean. The Triton 36,000 is capable of descending at a rate of 500 feet per minute which allows it to reach those parts of the ocean which have never been seen by man.

The submarine is capable of reaching depths of 35,800 feet which allows adventure seekers to see something they have never experienced before.

Three men of Pakistani-origin killed in UK riots

LONDON: Three people of Pakistani origin died Wednesday after being hit by a car during riots in the central English city of Birmingham, officials said, amid reports that they died while trying to protect their community from looters.

Police said they had arrested a man and launched a murder inquiry after the incident which happened at around 1:00 am (0000 GMT) as Britain's second biggest city suffered from another night of riots.Paramedics said they found around 80 people at the scene after the men were hit by the car. Two of the men were pronounced dead at the scene and the third died later in hospital.According to reports the men who died had just come out of a mosque and were protecting their neighbourhood during the riots.Around 200 people from Birmingham's Asian community gathered outside the hospital where the victims were taken and that riot police were also stationed there.

US loses AAA credit rating for first time

WASHINGTON: Standard & Poor's cut the US credit rating for the first time in history Friday, saying the country's politicians are increasingly unable to come to grips with its massive fiscal deficit and debt load.

S&P cut the US rating from its top-flight triple-A one notch to AA+, and added a negative outlook to it, saying there was a chance it could be downgraded again within two years if progress is not made cutting the huge government budget gap.It was the first time the US was downgraded since it received an AAA rating from Moody's in 1917; it has held the S&P rating since 1941.The rating came after a strong push back from the White House, which called S&P's analysis of the economy deeply flawed.A Treasury spokesperson alleged that there was a "two trillion dollar error" in the S&P analysis, without offering any immediate explanation.The blow came after the White House, Democratic and Republican lawmakers finally agreed on Tuesday to a deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling after months of wrangling which sent jitters rippling through the global economy still trying to recover from the 2008 recession.A debt downgrade will be a symbolic embarrassment for President Barack Obama, his administration and the United States, and could raise the cost of US government borrowing.more

Swedish Man Builds Nuclear Reactor in His Kitchen

Sweden –  Too many chefs spoil the broth -- but how many nuclear reactors?

Swedish authorities have detained a man who attempted to build a nuclear reactor in his kitchen, Helsingborgs Dagblad reported Tuesday.

"I was arrested and sent to jail when the police and the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority searched my apartment," the unnamed nuclear enthusiast wrote on a blog detailing his project. "They took all my radioactive stuff, but I was released after a hearing. But I am still suspect for crime against the radiation safety law."

Police in the western town of Angelholm were alerted when he contacted Sweden's nuclear authority and asked if it was permitted for an individual to build a nuclear reactor in his home. more

Piece of destroyed Space Shuttle Columbia found in lake

CAPE CANAVERAL: A piece of the space shuttle Columbia, which broke apart and burned on re-entry more than 8 years ago, has been found in a lake, NASA officials said.

Wreckage from shuttle Columbia was uncovered in East Texas this week, the result of a prolonged drought lowering water levels in a lake.The spherical tank, which is about four feet in diameter, is stuck in the mud alongside Lake Nacogdoches.More than 40 tons of wreckage rained down on a long swath of East Texas and Louisiana as Columbia disintegrated during its atmospheric re-entry in February 2003, killing all seven astronauts.The debris, which was found, is thought to be either a liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen tank.The aluminum tank was part of the shuttle's electrical power distribution system. Now full of mud.About 40 percent of the shuttle has been recovered since the accident.