A Vatican astronomer has come to the help of NASA with a historic mission to study an asteroid. Meteorite expert and Vatican astronomer, Jesuit Brother Bob Macke, came to the aid of the US space agency after building a custom device that would allow the study of material of a sample collected from an asteroid. The mission is that of the unmanned spacecraft, Osiris-Rex, which was launched in 2016 in order to collect samples on an asteroid named Bennu. Bennu is located close to Earth and Osiris-Rex successfully collected a cup of material from the asteroid in 2020. Now, the vessel is approaching Earth and is due to release the sample in a return capsule on 24 September before continuing its orbit of the sun. Macke was contacted by the lead of the mission’s sample analysis working group, Andrew Ryan, who asked him to build the device that was needed in order to analyse the sample of the Bennu asteroid. The device has been devised so that it can analyse the density and porosity of the samples to help identify the make up of the asteroid surface. It is known as a pycnometer and NASA has strict requirements for the device, though other companies contacted were not willing to custom make one. Macke, however, took up the task and was able to build it in five weeks thanks to the assistance of students at the University of Arizona who collaborate with the Vatican Observatory’s advanced technology telescope in Tucson. In March it was delivered to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston for a test run and is hoped to be used for the real thing when the sample arrives from space. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Prime minister Modi praises bill as "special moment" for his country, ahead of general elections.

Nearly a fifth of parents fear their teenager will ignore a health issue while at university, as many self-diagnose on Google, research has found. Just 13 per cent of the 2,000 parents polled think their son or daughter would consult a proper doctor as soon as they feel unwell. More than one in 10 (12 per cent) think their offspring would be too lazy to seek medical attention, and 11 per cent fear they do not make their health a priority. The study of parents whose children either attend university, have done in the past or plan to soon, by Bupa Family+, also found that many (53 per cent) said their child thinks they are ‘invincible’ and nothing bad will ever happen to them. And as thousands of students prepare to start university, 56 per cent of parents feel excited for their child while 41 per cent are anxious. Dr Naveen Puri, GP and spokesperson for Bupa Family+, which commissioned the research to support the launch of its Family+ insurance proposition built around savings on health insurance for families, said: “All parents worry about their children, whatever their age. “But it can be especially difficult when they move out for the first time and become more independent – and you are no longer nearby to help them. “As a child and even a young adult, when you are unwell or have a health issue, your parents are often your first port of call, or even the ones spotting something is wrong in the first place. “They are usually the ones pointing you in the right direction, sorting appointments and arranging medication you might need. “Moving out or going to university is both an exciting and daunting time for all the family and we hope our new Family+ cover, which also insures older children, will help provide peace of mind to parents and their children alike.” It also emerged that parents’ top fears for their children as they embark on life away from the family home include their financial situation (44 per cent), their mental health (43 per cent), and whether they will be lonely (43 per cent). Others worry about who they will be spending time with (31 per cent), if they’ll know how to look after themselves (32 per cent) and what they’ll do when they feel unwell (23 per cent). And 64 per cent of those who have a child who has already left home admitted they have even lost sleep worrying about them. It emerged that 55 per cent think they would still be the first port of call for help or advice if their child felt unwell despite no longer living under the same roof. Ahead of them moving out, 63 per cent of parents will teach them how to manage their finances, while 59 per cent give tips on how to cook healthy meals. Others show their child how to use a washing machine (56 per cent), how to drink responsibly (40 per cent) and how to deal with mental health concerns (43 per cent). The study, carried out via OnePoll, also revealed girls are considered more likely to take care of their physical (43 per cent) and mental (41 per cent) health than boys (13 per cent and 11 per cent). Dr Naveen Puri, GP and spokesperson for Bupa Family+ said: “Our health is so important, and it can be worrying for parents that their child may be unwell when they aren’t there to help. “Making sure they have the knowledge about what to do in different health situations is a great way of not only ensuring they can look after themselves but also allows you to relax a little knowing they have the tools they need.” Here are the top reasons why parents worry their child would ignore health issues: 1. Googling and self-diagnosing 2. Being too lazy 3. Health is not a priority 4. Embarrassed to talk about their health 5. Worried a GP would judge them Read More ‘It can be hard when your kids leave the nest,’ mother says as study finds parents want their children back How to cope with anxiety during university How often should you wash your pyjamas? ‘My baby’s blue eyes drew praise – but their colour was a warning sign’ Brits get itchy feet in their home after five years, study finds

Azerbaijan has launched what it has called an “anti-terrorist operation” targeting Armenian military positions in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, as heavy artillery firing was reported around its capital. The Azerbaijani defence ministry announced the start of the operation hours after four soldiers and two civilians died in landmine explosions in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. It raises concerns that a full-scale war over the region could resume between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which fought heavily for six weeks in 2020. The ministry did not immediately give details but said “positions on the front line and in-depth, long-term firing points of the formations of Armenia’s armed forces, as well as combat assets and military facilities, are incapacitated using high-precision weapons”. The Azerbaijani statement said: “Only legitimate military targets are being incapacitated.” But ethnic Armenian officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said the region’s capital Stepanakert and other villages are “under intense shelling”. Earlier on Tuesday, Azerbaijan said six people died in two separate explosions in the region, which is partly under the control of ethnic Armenian forces. A statement from Azerbaijan‘s interior ministry, state security service and prosecutor-general said two employees of the highways department died before dawn when their vehicle was blown up by a mine and that a truckload of soldiers responding to the incident hit another mine, killing four. Nagorno-Karabakh and sizeable surrounding territories had been under ethnic Armenian control since the 1994 end of a separatist war, but Azerbaijan regained the territories and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself in a six-week war in 2020. That war ended with an armistice which placed a Russian peacekeeper contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh. But Azerbaijan alleges that Armenia has smuggled in weapons since then. The claims led to a blockade of the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, causing severe food and medicine shortages in the region. Red Cross shipments of flour and medical supplies reached Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday but local officials said road connections to the region were not fully open. The hostilities come amid high tensions between Armenia and its longtime ally Russia. Armenia has repeatedly complained that the 3,000-strong Russian peacekeeping force was unable or unwilling to keep the road to Armenia open even though that duty was stipulated in the agreement that ended the 2020 war. Armenia also angered Russia, which maintains a military base in the country, by holding military exercises with the United States this month and by moving toward ratifying the Rome Convention that created the International Criminal Court, which has indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday denied claims that Russia was informed in advance of Azerbaijan‘s intention to mount the operation, saying the peacekeepers were notified only “a few minutes” before it began. Reporting by Associated Press.

Football fans in Tehran celebrate a rare chance to see an international sports superstar at close range.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has filed an appeal to be released from jail on espionage charges, but the Moscow City Court did not immediately rule on it

The European Union is urging Serbia and Kosovo to respect an agreement meant to end tensions between them and set their relations on a more normal path

NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 19, 2023--

After five decades of agony for the family of a nine-year-old girl who was raped and killed, police have identified the culprit of the heinous crime. Debbie Lynn Randall vanished in mid-January of 1972. Her body, which had been raped and strangled, was found 16 days later after thousands of people banded together to search for the missing girl. She was thought to have been abducted from a nearby laundromat in Marietta and was found near an intersection of Windy Hill and Powers Ferry Road in Marietta, Georgia. For decades, the family never learned who did this to the nine-year-old, with her parents dying before they ever got to know the truth. In 2022, a piece of cloth that was recovered from the crime scene was sent to forensics for further analysis after police obtained more DNA testing funding. DNA Labs Internation conducted further testing and found a potential match for the killer, and contacted the family to provide additional DNA samples for comparison. The man they finally landed on was identified as William Rose, someone who was never on police radar at the time. William Rose, however, will never face justice for his crime, as he died by suicide in 1974, two years after he killed Debbie. He was 24 at the time of the murder and would have been around 75 if he were still alive. Debbie’s mother died of leukaemia in 2018 and her father died only last year, however, her brother, Melvin Randall was at the news conference to hear who the person was who killed his sister. "My family appreciates everything they’ve done - all the time and the effort that they’ve done to bring to a close." Mr Randall said. "I wish my mother was here, but I know she knows in heaven that it’s finally over." Debbie went to the laundromat half a block away from her house with her stepfather at around 7pm, but he left before her, reports WAFB. Around 8.30pm Debbie’s mother became concerned about her whereabouts and went out the laundromat to try and find her, but an employee said she left an hour before. Two local youths said that a dark pickup truck backed up in a parking lot near the girl’s home and drove away quickly. All that was left in the parking lot was spilt laundry detergent. While Rose did not live in the area, he likely often visited the the community because he had relatives there, Ron Alter, a cold case investigator with the district attorney’s office said. "If he drove by, I’m sure he saw her. I believe that was a crime of opportunity. He saw her by herself and abducted her," Mr Alter said. He also confirmed that Rose had prior arrests for alcohol-related incidents. Mr Alter said it’s possible Rose killed himself because he was afraid of being caught or going to jail. It was thanks to new technological advances in DNA testing that justice and peace were given to this family after all this time "It may take us some time, but with the new technologies that are coming out every day, we’re going to do everything we can to solve our cold cases, to make sure we bring people to justice," Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady said. As for Debbie’s surviving brother, he says that he has forgiven Rose for what he did to his sister. “I learned over the years that it does you no good to hate or hold grudges,” he said. Read More Georgia deputies killed in ‘ambush’ while serving arrest warrant The BTK killer’s need for notoriety led to his capture a decade ago. He’s now a ‘prime suspect’ in at least two other murders ‘Lady of the Dunes’ killer identified after nearly 50 years

Climate change made torrential rains that triggered deadly flooding in Libya up to 50 times more likely, new research said Tuesday, noting that conflict and poor dam maintenance turned...

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 19, 2023--

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 19, 2023--