Earth dodges asteroid, nation bans romance

Near miss for Earth in 24 years

An asteroid about the size of three football… Near miss for Earth in 24 years

An asteroid about the size of three football fields will narrowly miss Earth, scientists said earlier this month.

In the nearest miss in recorded history for an object of this size, the asteroid, named 2004 MN4, will pass between Earth and the moon on April 13, 2029.

This is closer than the orbit of many telecommunications satellites. It will be so near that the rock will appear, to the naked eye, like a faintly lit but fast-moving star.

Calculations of the asteroid’s orbit made on Christmas Eve of 2004 suggested a 1-in-60 chance of a direct collision with Earth. A week later, scientists revised their estimates to a zero percent probability, The Independent reported.

MN4 is far and away the largest asteroid to come this close to Earth since astronomers began recording such events. Two others have come closer, but they were only about 10 yards wide, compared to the 350 yards of MN4.

Asteroids as large as this are expected to pass by Earth roughly every 1,300 years.

If a collision were to occur, the explosion would be equivalent to about 20 hydrogen bombs exploding concurrently, generating colossal tsunamis and sending vast amounts of dust and rubble into the atmosphere to form a shield that would block out sunlight — equal to what scientists describe as a “nuclear winter.”

Miners die down mine

At least 203 miners died after a gas explosion that occurred 794 feet down a coal shaft in a Chinese mine last week.

The disaster happened three years after a reported “overhaul” of China’s workplace practices, reported the Associated Press.

An almost insatiable need for coal and other mineral fuels has prompted many Chinese companies to cut costs, even with safety inspectors paying visits to their premises.

As the world’s top coal producer, China extracted approximately 1.9 billion tons last year. In the same year, more than 6,000 miners died in explosions, mine collapses, fires and floods. This is an average of roughly 16 workers per day.

The Associated Press reported that China accounts for 80 percent of the world’s coal mining fatalities.

The immediate cause for the explosion is unknown, and the disaster prompted a media blackout in China, with all newspapers ordered to only use material supplied by the state-run Xinhua News Agency, reported the Asia Pacific Media Network.

“The propaganda department has ordered this. I don’t know why,” said a journalist at the Shenyang Evening News.

Twelve miners remained missing after the explosion, and 30 family members of the victims were hospitalized “due to deep grief,” the Xinhua News Agency said.

Man blames inanimate object for misfortune

A German man has mailed a stone back to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. He found it at a site of historic ruins and took it back to Germany, but he no longer wants to keep it and blames it for three years of bad luck.

“Since [finding the stone] I’ve had only trouble and misfortune in my life,” Michael Beil wrote in a letter to Thai officials.

“That’s why I wish that this stone should be returned to its original place. Please put this stone back at the temple in Ayutthaya and pray for me, so that my luck can return,” he wrote.

Tourism Authority director Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhay said the stone would be held by the Ministry of Culture’s fine arts department, reported the AFP news agency. But he said it would be difficult to make sure the stone was returned to the original temple.

Neo-Nazis demonstrate to mark bombing

A crowd of 5,000 neo-Nazis and members of other far-right political groups upstaged the 60-year anniversary of the bombing of Dresden, Germany, by the Allied powers during World War II.

Waving black flags and marching to the music of Wagner, last week’s crowd formed the largest neo-Nazi demonstration in post-WWII history, reported The Guardian. They dwarfed the official memorial service, during which officials laid wreaths to honor the dead.

Dresden, a city known more for its medieval architecture and art galleries than its industry during the war, was targeted by the Allies for “firebombing,” which is similar to that used on Tokyo. As opposed to dropping heavy loads of explosives and destroying a few structures, bombers steadily dropped smaller incendiaries around the city for many hours in an attempt to demolish the entire urban center in one huge bonfire.

Because the end of the war was only months away at the time of the bombings, a number of historians now see little military sense for targeting Dresden for complete destruction. The aftermath is remembered as a symbol of total war — a moment captured in modern literature as the pivotal event of Kurt Vonnegut’s novel “Slaughterhouse 5.”

One of the most controversial issues surrounding the bombing of Dresden is the casualty figures. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels deliberately overestimated the count at the time, stating that between 150,000 and 200,000 had been killed. Modern historians put the figure at between 35,000 and 40,000 dead.

The neo-Nazis protesting last week cited Goebbels’ figures and compared the bombing to the Holocaust, reported the AP. The demonstration encountered several hundred anti-fascist protesters, and riot police were on hand to quell any possible violent confrontations.

Late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill withdrew his support for similar bombing raids after the attack on Dresden. He wrote in a 1945 memo, “It seems to me that the moment has come when the question of bombing German cities simply for the sake of increasing the terror, though under other pretexts, should be reviewed.”

Red roses of Valentine’s deemed vice, banned

Saudi Arabia banned red roses, other red flowers and red cards in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day earlier this month.

The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, one of Saudi Arabia’s religious vigilante authorities, checked on florists three times a day to ensure its will was imposed, reported Reuters.

The committee acts this way every year in an attempt to prevent Saudis from celebrating holidays not recognized by the strict dogma of the official “Wahhabi” Islam. Only two annual religious festivals are recognized: the feasts after Ramadan, the month of fasting, and the Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.

Despite prohibition, the demand for banned roses and other red items was strong and, according to Reuters, unofficial business was booming despite the restrictions.

Mayor attempts suicide in court

In front of a crowded courtroom and live television viewers, a former Peruvian mayor attempted suicide to avoid facing a 20-year prison sentence for double homicide.

The AP reported Florencio Valverde “swallowed a flask of poison in open court” after he was found guilty of organizing the killing of two people when he was mayor of the village of Choras, which is 155 miles northeast of Lima.

Television pictures showed Valverde swallowing the contents of a small bottle of unidentified liquid before security guards were able to wrestle him to the ground. He was taken to hospital, where his stomach was pumped.

Valverde had previously accused the presiding judges of finding him guilty because he had declined to pay them a $5,000 bribe, the AP reported.