‘Portal to the Universe’ opens its doors to net surfers

July 2nd, 2009 BERLIN - The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) has achieved a milestone of sorts, in the sense that over a million people have already looked at the sky through a telescope for the first time, and even more have newly engaged in astronomy in just six months this year. This is just one of many achievements, as countless ongoing projects and planned initiatives indicate that the IYA2009 is well on the way towards achieving many of its goals.

July 2nd, 2009 BERLIN - Astronomers have unveiled the largest map of cold cosmic dust, which are peppered in the inner regions of the Milky Way galaxy, and are the potential birthplaces of new stars. Made using observations from the APEX telescope in Chile, this will prove an invaluable map for observations made with the forthcoming ALMA telescope, as well as the recently launched ESA Herschel space telescope.

June 16th, 2009 Obama: Israeli PM's speech opening for MideastWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's endorsement of Palestinian independence as a way to restart peace talks and called on Arab neighbors to join the discussion. Bending to U.S.

May 30th, 2009 AMRITSAR - India's Bharti group and Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, opened their first cash-and-carry joint venture store here Saturday on an investment of $7 million, and they plan to open at least 15 outlets across the country in the next three years. The stores will be run under the brand name of Best Price Modern Wholesale.

May 13th, 2009 BERLIN - Together with ESA's (European Space Agency's) Space Telescope Herschel, Planck is all set to go into orbit on May 14, to begin its studies of the cosmic microwave radiation and of the clues it gives about the Big Bang, the earliest phases of the cosmic history, and the structure and composition of the Universe. ccording to the standard model of cosmology, our Universe began 13.7 billions years ago in a Big Bang, the origin of Space and Time.

May 12th, 2009 Nazi-run camp where Demjanjuk allegedly workedBERLIN — The Sobibor extermination camp, where retired autoworker John Demjanjuk is alleged to have served as a guard, was built by Nazi officers in occupied Poland in 1942 and razed 18 months later. In the time it was operational, some 250,000 Jews, Gypsies and political prisoners were murdered in its gas chambers.

May 12th, 2009 BERLIN - Herschel, the largest space telescope ever built, would explore the depths of the Universe, once it launches into orbit aboard the latest ESA (European Space Agency) mission on May 14th. In 1.5 million kilometers distance from Earth, the space probe will orbit the Sun for 3 and a half years.

May 12th, 2009 History of Nazi-run camp where Demjanjuk workedBERLIN — The Sobibor extermination camp, where retired autoworker John Demjanjuk is alleged to have served as a guard, was built by Nazi officers in occupied Poland in 1942 and razed to the ground 18 months later. In the time it was operational, some 250,000 Jews, Gypsies and political prisoners were murdered in its gas chambers.

May 4th, 2009 World stocks up amid further upbeat economic signsLONDON — World stocks rose strongly on Monday, with some Asian markets up more than 5 percent amid upbeat economic news from China and the U.S. In Europe, Germany's DAX was up 83.87 points, or 1.8 percent, at 4,853.32, while France's CAC-40 rose 38.18 points, or 1.2 percent, to 3,198.03.

April 29th, 2009 Swine flu hits Germany, WHO calls emergency reviewBERLIN — Germany confirmed three cases of swine flu on Wednesday, becoming the third European country hit by the disease that has upended life in Mexico. New Zealand's swine flu total rose to 14 and the World Health Organization called for an immediate scientific review of the disease.

April 10th, 2009 BERLIN - Germany is to stage the controversial Mel Brooks musical "The Producers" for the first time amid a debate over whether the country is ready to laugh at its Nazi past. According to The Telegraph, the show, which opens in May, is being staged at the theatre where Hitler once watched a wartime version of The 'Merry Widow' Berlin's Admiralspalast Theatre is putting on the first-ever production of the show that features tap-dancing storm troopers and jokes about the invasion of Poland.

April 8th, 2009 BERLIN - The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured the image of an oddball galaxy that is highlighted with striking swirling dust lanes and glittering globular clusters. Dubbed NGC 7049, the galaxy is found in the constellation of Indus, and is the brightest of a cluster of galaxies, a so-called Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG).

March 14th, 2009 BERLIN - At the world's largest travel fair in the German capital, India's travel industry is promoting traditional remedies for those stressed out by the global financial crisis. Buoyed by the success of its 'Incredible India' promotion campaign, Indian travel officials this year are focusing on spa treatments and rural tourism.

March 11th, 2009 BERLIN - The world's biggest travel fair (ITB) opens its door this week against the backdrop of a deepening global recession with officials reporting Tuesday a fall in the number of exhibitors attending the five-day event. The world travel industry is gathering in Berlin amid signs of falling demand as both consumers and business cut back their travel plans in the face of the biggest downturn in the global economy since the Great Depression.

January 22nd, 2009 BERLIN - As 'Valkyrie' opens Thursday to the general public in Germany, the film about the 1944 plot to kill Hitler brings Hollywood glamour to one of the less known episodes of Germany's Nazi history. The US-German co-production is based on events leading up to July 20, 1944, when German officer Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, played by Tom Cruise, tried to kill Hitler by placing explosives under his table.