Suicidal planet seems on death spiral into star

WASHINGTON – Astronomers have found what appears to be a gigantic suicidal planet.
The odd, fiery planet is so close to its star and so large that it is triggering tremendous plasma tides on the star. Those powerful tides are in turn warping the planet's zippy less-than-a-day orbit around its star.
The result: an ever-closer tango of death, with the planet eventually spiraling into the star.
It's a slow death. The planet WASP-18b has maybe a million years to live, said planet discoverer Coel Hellier, a professor of astrophysics at the Keele University in England. Hellier's report on the suicidal planet is in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
"It's causing its own destruction by creating these tides," Hellier said.
The star is called WASP-18 and the planet is WASP-18b because of the Wide Angle Search for Planets team that found them.
The planet circles a star that is in the constellation Phoenix and is about 325 light-years away from Earth, which means it is in our galactic neighborhood. A light-year is about 5.8 trillion miles.
The planet is 1.9 million miles from its star, 1/50th of the distance between Earth and the sun, our star. And because of that the temperature is about 3,800 degrees.
Its size — 10 times bigger than Jupiter — and its proximity to its star make it likely to die, Hellier said.
Think of how the distant moon pulls Earth's oceans to form twice-daily tides. The effect the odd planet has on its star is thousands of times stronger, Hellier said. The star's tidal bulge of plasma may extend hundreds of miles, he said.
Like most planets outside our solar system, this planet was not seen directly by a telescope. Astronomers found it by seeing dips in light from the star every time the planet came between the star and Earth.
So far astronomers have found more than 370 planets outside the solar system. This one is "yet another weird one in the exoplanet menagerie," said planet specialist Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
It's so unusual to find a suicidal planet that University of Maryland astronomer Douglas Hamilton questioned whether there was another explanation. While it is likely that this is a suicidal planet, Hamilton said it is also possible that some basic physics calculations that all astronomers rely on could be dead wrong.
The answer will become apparent in less than a decade if the planet seems to be further in a death spiral, he said.

Source: Yahoo News

Cambodia to crack down young gangsters

With an aim to keep good social order in the Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh Municipality has advised relevant authorities to crack down and trace both male and female Cambodian gangsters including those are under 16 years of age.
Touch Narouth, chief of Phnom Penh Police said on Thursday that until recently, his authorities had arrested more than 200 young Cambodian gangsters and they were educated before being released.
In a meeting held Wednesday, the Governor Kep Chutema, advised all local competent authorities including the police and the court in Phnom Penh to help curb with gangsters so as to reduce the social disorder and to avoid their disturbance to all residents in the capital.
He said Phnom Penh must be a safe and clean place for both local and foreigners as it is the heart of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Among the new orders, he also stressed that young girl who is under 16 years old must be banned from entering into night clubs, karoke, bars, guest houses or hotels after 8 p.m., especially to those who are not accompanied by their parents.
According to Kep Chutema, most of the young Cambodian gangsters are the children of the powerful and rich people.
In June this year, Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a directive asking his relevant authorities across the nation to warm up their efforts and prevention against the juvenile groups who are involved in public disturbances and drug use.
Keat Chantharith, spokesman of the National Police said the police has recorded the name list of about 7,000 delinquents around the country and each or in group of the individuals are being targeted. 　

Source: Xinhua

Cambodia pulls back troops from disputed temple

Cambodia began a partial withdrawal of troops from its disputed border with Thailand on Thursday, a move likely to ease tensions between the two over a 900-year-old Hindu temple.
"This shows the positive position of Cambodia, that we want to live in peace, and is something the two nations will benefit from," said General Chea Dara, deputy commander in chief of Cambodia's armed forces.
"At the same time, we still have enough troops to defend our own territory," he told Reuters by telephone from the border.
The regional commander on the Thai side of the border said there were no plans to follow suit.
"There will be no withdrawal from this side," Major-General Chawalit Chunprasan told Reuters.
The Preah Vihear temple, which is perched on an escarpment that forms a natural border between the two Southeast Asian neighbours, has for decades been a source of tension and nationalist fervour.
The two countries have been embroiled in a series of standoffs over the temple in the past year, resulting in border skirmishes that claimed the lives of seven troops.
Thailand is challenging a United Nations decision to make the temple a world heritage site under Cambodia's sole jurisdiction.
Cambodia was awarded Preah Vihear in a 1962 international court ruling, but the court did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the ruins.
Thailand wants joint development and supervision of the temple, which could one day become a lucrative tourist site.
The two countries are also in dispute over parts of the Gulf of Thailand, where oil and gas deposits have been found.
Military representatives from both sides agreed on Monday to exercise restraint at the border. The Cambodian pull-back is due to end on Sunday.

Source: Reuters

Cambodia withdraws tanks from frontier with Thailand

Cambodia has withdrawn several tanks from the frontier with Thailand, the local media reported Thursday
"The withdrawal of the military tanks was ordered by Prime Minister Hun Sen last Sunday and those tanks have to go back to their strongholds," Chea Dara, deputy commander-in-chief of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces quoted by the Khmer language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea as saying.
"We want to see border with full security, safety, good development without arm confrontation with neighboring countries," he added.
"We withdrew our tanks starting on August 26," he said, adding that "those tanks moved back to their headquarters but if the situation is changed, we still enable to mobilize as quickly as possible to the border."
Cambodian and Thai troops have confronted with heavy weapons at the border particularly at areas near 11th century khmer Preah Viheat temple since July 15, 2008 and it caused casualties on both sides when armed clashes occurred.
After negotiations including top level meeting of Prime Ministers, Foreign ministers and commanders at regions, they agreed to reduce troops and withdrew subsequently to pave the way for the joint border committees from both sides to measure the land at the areas and plant the border markers.

Source: Xinhua

Japan to provide Cambodia over $ 10 mln for building sea fish reproduction center

Japan has promised the Cambodian government over 10 million U.S. dollars for the creation of a sea fish reproduction center in Preah Sihanouk province, DAP News reported on its website on Wednesday.
The planned fish center will be in the Tom Nop Rolok region, DAP News quoted the Fishery Administrative Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Nauv Sam as saying.
"The Center for Development of Sea-Fishing Water Research will be the first such facility in Cambodia and will help support the nascent aquaculture and well-established sea fishing industry," Nauv Sam said in a national seminar on Cambodian Fishing For Food Security on Tuesday.
Those involved said they hope the project will help provide fish and shrimp for the local market and eventually for export.
"It is a chance for Cambodia to become self-reliant, no need to go to Thailand or other anywhere else to buy fish," Nauv Sam added.
Cambodians eat over 50 kg of fish each year, though most are fresh water.

Source: Xinhua

Thailand-Tough measures await red shirts

Internal Security Act invoked to pre-empt violence: PM

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva plans to impose stringent measures under the Internal Security Act from Saturday to Tuesday in order to safeguard se-curity within Bangkok following the red-shirt protesters' threat to stage a rally to bring down the government.
Abhisit said he would appoint Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban to be in charge of the enforcement of the internal-security law.
The core leaders of the red shirts have vowed to stage an anti-government rally on Sunday at the Royal Plaza. The government has estimated several tens of thousands will likely participate.
Abhisit said unlike an emer-gency decree, the enforcement of the Internal Security Act was aimed at pre-empting any violence. An emergency decree is normally invoked after violence has taken place.
The enforcement of this law, in which the police and the military authorities as well as top policy-makers from the government will work as a team, will be limited to Dusit district, where the rally is expected to take place.
"Although the protesters have said the rally will not be violent like during Songkran, we cannot remain complacent. A 'third party' might step in to take advantage of the situation. Accidents can happen," said Abhisit.
He insisted the government respected the right to stage a demonstration, but it also had a duty to ensure law and order.
TURMOIL FEARS
Abhisit is afraid the red shirts' rally, staged in support of ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his return to Thailand, might damage confidence at a time when the economy is improving and expected to register positive growth in the fourth quarter.
PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey said the rally was aimed at creating political turmoil leading to a sudden change in government.
"Some members of the red shirts do not want the same kind of violence as in April to happen again. But other members would like to resort to violence to bring about a sudden change in government," he said.
Satit said while the red shirts had the right to stage a demonstration and exercise free speech, if they were to shut down traffic or create violence, that would be a different matter.
"They [some elements of the anti-government movement] want to create violence and then lay the blame on the government, so that it loses its legitimacy to continue to run the country," said Panithan Wattanayagorn, acting government spokesman.
During yesterday's Cabinet discussion of the Internal Security Act, Chumpol Silapa-archa, the tourism and sports minister, asked the prime minister whether en-forcing this tough law would af-fect confidence in the tourism industry.
"I don't know, because I do not belong to the red-shirt group. But if there is a threat of an unusual situation, we must step in to manage things," Abhisit replied.
Chumpol also asked whether the government planned to invoke the Internal Security Act but not actually enforce it.
Abhisit replied: "Once we have declared the Internal Security Act, we have to implement it."

Source: The Nation

Flu vaccine testing makes ready for new pandemic

The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) has its first samples of typeA (H1N1) influenza nasal spray vaccine and has begun tests with animals to study its safety and toxicity, GPO director Dr Vitthit Attavejchakul said yesterday.

We have made the decision to step forward and produce the new vaccine. Nothing has changed the of vaccine's production procedure," he insisted.
The move comes after GPO scientists succeeded in culturing the virus in specific pathogen free eggs imported from Germany.
The German eggs have produced low yields of the vaccine but,Vitthit said,World Health Organisation experts had suggested GPO continue testing the vaccine in animals for 10 days to check safety and toxicity before trying it out on volunteers.
The GPO has already inoculated the virus seed vaccine into 1,500 specific pathogen free eggs and the results will be released soon. "I hope we'll have good news on this Friday," he said.
Because the German eggs had produced a low yield of the new flu vaccine, GPO decided to turn to other countries and placed orders for the same type of eggs from the Charles River company, a US supplier in Massachusetts.
But the first batch of these US eggs was damaged during transportation, resulting in a further delay to the vaccine testing process in Thailand. The next shipment of US eggs will arrive here on September 15, Vitthit said.
The eggs will be cultured for seven days, then another seven days are needed to test the vaccines in animals before being given to humans.
Based on the GPO's schedule, the first 20 million vaccine doses should be available in December when a second wave of the flu pandemic is likely in Thailand.
To date, only Silpakorn University's Faculty of Pharmacy is contracted to produce 10 million doses of the newflu vaccine, so the GPO is negotiating with other parties to supply the remaining volume.
Dr Thirawat Hemajutha of Chulalongkorn University cited a report from Mahidol University's Faculty of Science which has decoded the virus gene and found that the virus seed vaccine GPO imported from Russia has changed slightly and might have mutated.
" I was surprised when I read this report. The virus might be stronger than its current strain," he said. "If GPO still uses this virus seed to produce vaccine it might cause errors," he added.
He said he did not intend to panic the public over his warning but he wanted people to be aware of a likely second pandemic wave.
He said pregnant women should be the first group to receive the new flu virus vaccine as their risk of mortality is fourtimes higher than of other people. Medical workers will be the second group, followed by those people who are in the high risk categories.
To meet a second pandemic, he suggested pregnant women stay at home, while educational agencies should tell students to send addresses and contact numbers to their institutions in case they fall ill.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Higher Education Commission's secretarygeneral Sumeth Yamnun has urged schools upcountry to prepare measures to fight the pandemic expected in two or three months.

Source: The Nation

Psychiatrist says Khmer Rouge trial can help heal

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - A psychiatrist testified Tuesday that prosecuting the former leaders of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge can help ease the mental trauma of hundreds of thousands of victims who suffered under the brutal communist regime three decades ago.

Dr. Chhim Sotheara of the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization _ which promotes community mental health programs _ testified at the trial of Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who commanded a Khmer Rouge torture center when the group was in power from 1975-79.
A U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal is seeking justice for the estimated 1.7 million people who died in Cambodia from execution, overwork, disease and malnutrition as a result of the regime's radical policies.
Chhim Sotheara said according to his research, 14 percent of Cambodians, or about 800,000 people, suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder related to the Khmer Rouge's rule. The destruction of families and communities deprived people of their traditional pillars of psychological support, he said.
"The trial of the former Khmer Rouge leaders is an opportunity for the victims who had suffered and who have been traumatized for many years to overcome their trauma through justice," Chhim Sotheara told the tribunal.
He said the government should also hold public reconciliation forums to help heal the victims' pain.
Asked for comment by the judges, Duch (pronounced DOIK) agreed that people's psychological damage remained a problem.
"The consequences are tremendous and extensive and long-lasting. Even at this time, the consequences are still ongoing," Duch told the tribunal.
Duch is the first of five senior Khmer Rouge figures scheduled to face long-delayed trials and the only one to acknowledge responsibility for his actions. His trial, which started in March, is expected to finish before the end of the year.
He could face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Cambodia has no death penalty.

Source: AP