A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Nasa confirms planet discovery
SEATTLE – Astronomers have discovered the smallest planet ever found outside our solar system and the first that is rocky like Earth.
Nasa’s Kepler mission has confirmed the discovery of its first rocky planet, named Kepler-10b, measuring 1.4 times the size of Earth, according to Nasa.
The discovery of this “exoplanet” is based on more than eight months of data collected by the spacecraft from May 2009 to early January 2010.
“All of Kepler’s best capabilities have converged to yield the first solid evidence of a rocky planet orbiting a star other than our Sun,” said Natalie Batalha, Kepler’s deputy science team lead at Nasa’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. – (AP)
At least 18 killed in Nigerian violence
JOS – Attackers armed with machetes killed at least 18 people in two attacks on villages in central Nigeria yesterday, the latest in a series of ethnic and religious clashes in the troubled region.
Thirteen of the victims, including women and children, were killed in an attack on the largely Christian village of Wareng in Plateau state in the early hours of the morning, police commissioner Abdulrahman Akano said.
“I can authoritatively confirm that 13 people have been killed in that night attack,” he told reporters.
A further five people were killed in what appeared to have been a reprisal attack in the village of Barkin Ladi, he said. – (Reuters)
Police interview the 'golden voice'
LOS ANGELES – A homeless former radio announcer who became a YouTube sensation for his “golden voice” has been questioned by police after a disturbance at his Hollywood hotel.
Los Angeles police said two people were taken to the Hollywood police station on Monday after an incident at the Renaissance Hotel.
A police spokesman declined to identify the two people as they were not arrested or charged, and he would not elaborate on the disturbance.
Local media and celebrity websites reported that Ted Williams (53) and his daughter were questioned after getting into an argument at the hotel.
– (Reuters)