Black hole 'bully' blasts galaxy

A powerful jet of particles from a "supermassive" black hole has been seen blasting a nearby galaxy, according to the US space agency (Nasa).

Galaxies have been seen colliding before, but this form of galactic violence is rarely witnessed by astronomers.

The jet could have a profound effect on any planets in the jet's path and could also trigger a burst of star formation.

The findings are to be published in the Astrophysical Journal.

They were obtained using Nasa's space-based Chandra X-ray Observatory, its Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as the Very Large Array (VLA) and Merlin radio telescopes on the ground.

It is like a black hole bully, punching the nose of a passing galaxy Neil Tyson, Hayden Planetarium

The event took place in a system called 3C321, which lies 1.4 billion light-years from Earth. It contains two galaxies in orbit around one another which are in the process of merging.

Most, if not all, galaxies - including our own Milky Way - are thought to host supermassive black holes at their galactic centres. A handful of these galaxies eject powerful jets from the vicinities of their black holes, and are known as radio galaxies - because jets are very "visible" at radio wavelengths.

The larger of the two galaxies in 3C321 - dubbed the "death star galaxy" by the astronomers - has a jet emanating from the vicinity of the black hole at its centre. The unfortunate smaller galaxy has apparently swung into the jet's line of fire.

Destructive force

A bright spot in some images shows where the jet has slammed into the side of the companion galaxy, dissipating some of its energy. After striking it, the jet has become disrupted and deflected.

Jets can race out at close to the speed of light and can travel vast distances. The jet in 3C321 was about 1,000 light-years across and might have travelled one or two million light-years from its origin.

The jet hits the galaxy at its edge Enlarge Image

These jets consist of high energy particles and magnetic fields. They produce enormous amounts of radiation, especially in the form of high-energy X-rays and gamma-rays.

"This jet could be causing all sorts of problems for the smaller galaxy it is pummelling," said Dan Evans, lead author from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, US.

This type of event is rarely seen. But astronomers Steve Croft and Wil van Breugel have observed a gas-rich jet setting off star birth in an arc of stars known as Minkowski's Object.

The combined effects of radiation and particles travelling at almost the speed of light could have disastrous consequences for the atmospheres of any Earth-like planets lying in the path of the jet.

Although we call it a death star galaxy, it might eventually be a source of new life in the more distant galaxy Martin Hardcastle, University of Hertfordshire

For example, protective layers of ozone in the planet's upper atmosphere could be destroyed, which could result in the mass extinction of any life that had evolved on the planet.

Neil Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, commented: "Black holes are famous for wreaking havoc on their environment. This particular black hole is disrupting its local region by dining on matter that wanders too close - which is the source of the energy for this jet.

"It also fires a jet out of the galaxy. So it is like a black hole bully, punching the nose of a passing galaxy."

Basic properties

"There are still basic unanswered questions about how these jets work," said co-author Martin Hardcastle of the University of Hertfordshire, UK.

"We don't know how exactly they're generated close to the black hole, what they're made of, how fast they're going, or how they evolve with time. So an object like 3C321 can act as an experiment which can give us an insight into the inner working of the jet."

The effect of the jet on the companion galaxy is likely to be substantial, because the galaxies in 3C321 are extremely close to one another. At only about 20,000 light-years apart, these galaxies lie approximately the same distance as the Earth is from the centre of the Milky Way.

It is possible that it would not all be bad news for the galaxy struck by the jet. The massive influx of energy and radiation from the jet may induce the formation of large numbers of stars and planets once its initial wake of destruction is complete.

"Although we call it a death star galaxy, in the end it might be a source of new life in the more distant galaxy," said Dr Hardcastle.

The images from the VLA and Chandra indicate that the jet started hitting the smaller galaxy just one million years prior to the light from the event arriving at Earth. This is a blink of the eye in the lifetime of 3C321, which marks it out as an important opportunity to study a rare astronomical phenomenon, say the astronomers.

Black holes reveal more secrets

Scientists say they have unlocked some of the secrets behind black holes, the gravitational fields known for sucking up light and stars from the Universe.

In a report in the journal Nature, US researchers say they have worked out how black holes emit jet streams of particles at close to light speed.

The Boston University team say the streams originate in the magnetic field near the edge of the black hole.

They say it is within this region that the jets are accelerated and focused.

Despite the fact that it is probable that a black hole lurks at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, astronomers still know very little about these celestial monsters which vacuum up almost everything in their path, even light.

Professor Alan Marscher of Boston University and colleagues claim they have delved deeper than ever into their heart.

Using almost every type of telescope known to humankind, Prof Marscher believes he has worked out where and how the jets - or blazars - are formed.

Using an array of 10 powerful radio telescopes, aimed at the galaxy BL Lacertae, the researchers studied a black hole just as it was sending forth a blazar jet.

The astronomers had suspected that the supermassive black hole was spewing out plasma jets in a winding corkscrew, and they say that their observations have now confirmed just that.

"We have gotten the clearest look yet at the innermost portion of the jet, where the particles actually are accelerated," Prof Marscher said in a statement.

University of Michigan astronomy professor Hugh Aller, who worked on the project, told Reuters news agency that the process of accelerating the material to nearly the speed of light was similar to what happened in a jet engine.

"We think it is focused by a nozzle of sorts and it comes out at us," he was quoted by Reuters as saying.

However, the BBC's science correspondent Neil Bowdler says despite this breakthrough, scientists are no closer to finding what lies within the black hole - beyond what is called the event horizon

In fact, if the theoretical physicists are right, our correspondent says, then we will never be able to see inside these strange phenomena.

The researchers studied a black hole just as it was sending forth a jet

Oil jumps to near $120 a barrel

Oil prices have touched fresh highs as traders bet that violence in key producing nations will hurt supply.

US light, sweet crude rose as high as $119.90 a barrel, before closing at $119.37. London's Brent crude peaked at $116.75 a barrel.

The rises were supported by fears of further attacks on pipelines in Nigeria and oil cartel Opec's refusal to raise quotas to curb rising prices.

Comments that it will raise production in 2012 failed to dampen sentiment.

"Again there are some concerns over supply disruptions in Nigeria," said David Moore, commodities strategist at Commonwealth Bank of America.

Attacks on Royal Dutch Shell's pipelines there last week led to a drop in production of about 169,000 barrels per day for shipments in April and May.

As a result, the company said it would be unable to honour its contractual obligations at the Bonny terminal in Nigeria's Delta region for these two months.

Anti-government attacks on the region's oil infrastructure have been escalating for the past few years.

Opec stance

The continued oil rally was supported by Opec secretary general Abdalla Salem el-Badri's stance that real demand was being well matched by current supply with no immediate need to lift production levels before 2012.

Then, the producers' group would boost capacity by five million barrels a day.

He said he did not expect to discuss whether prices were too high or too low at an energy forum in Rome attended by government ministers and oil firm bosses.

"The oil futures market is very strong, but the physical markets are not so strong," said Ehsan ul-Haq, head of research at consultancy JBC Energy.

Oil climbs on UK pipeline fears

Oil prices rose above $119 a barrel as oil giant BP prepared to shut down a key North Sea pipeline and a strike at Exxon in Nigeria disrupted production.

BP's Forties pipeline, which provides a third of the UK's daily oil output, will close if a two-day strike by refinery workers goes ahead.

US light crude rose $3.15 to $119.21 a barrel, but later settled at $118.52. London Brent crude settled at $116.34.

Rebels in Nigeria also claimed another attack on a Royal Dutch Shell pipeline.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has repeatedly tried to sabotage Shell's production in recent weeks.

A strike by workers at Exxon Mobil, Nigeria's biggest foreign oil producer, has further disrupted production in the African country. It said it had been forced to halt its output of crude oil, estimated at 200,000 barrels per day.

Oil had hit a record high of $119.90 a barrel on Tuesday.

Strike planned

In the UK, workers at the Grangemouth plant are due to take part in a two-day strike from Sunday in a row over pensions.

FORTIES OIL PIPELINE The Forties pipeline system (FPS) carries crude oil from the Forties oil fields in the North Sea After making landfall at Cruden Bay the oil travels to the Kinneil terminal at Grangemouth At Kinneil it is stabilised and gas processing takes place The Kinneil terminal uses electricity and steam from the nearby Grangemouth refinery to operate Strike refinery shutdown complete

The BP-run pipeline from the Forties oil fields in the North Sea, relies on steam and electricity from the Ineos refinery at Grangemouth in central Scotland.

A BP spokesman said that closing Grangemouth would cause up to 70 platforms in the North Sea to either shut down or reduce production of oil.

BP said the pipeline would close when the provision of steam and electricity from Grangemouth runs out.

The company added that it would keep the pipeline open as long as possible, but anticipated shutting it late on Saturday, if strike action goes ahead.

Several factors have been behind the rally in oil prices.

Demand for oil from booming economies such as China and India is growing, while supplies have remained tight.

Opec, a group of oil producing countries, has shown itself disinclined to raise quotas to curb rising prices.

And supply disruptions, like those in Nigeria and the expected shutdown of the Forties pipeline, have lead to short-term spikes in prices.

A weak dollar has also made dollar-denominated assets such as oil and other commodities relatively cheap for some investors.

Beijing warned of 'terror threat'

There is a "real possibility" that the Beijing Olympics will be attacked by terrorists, the head of global police body Interpol has warned.

Speaking in Beijing, Ronald Noble said the Games could give "easy cover" to groups such as al-Qaeda.

He also warned that protesters who have disrupted the Olympic torch relay might also target this summer's Games.

China claims to have foiled several plots to attack the Olympics by Muslim separatists from Xinjiang province.

Mr Noble told a security conference in the Chinese capital: "Based on reports of thwarted plots in the Chinese media, including an attempt to bring down an airliner headed to Beijing, it seems clear that the threat has increased."

Global platform

He said the unrest in Tibet, and the protests that have followed, had given rise to "additional complications" for the organisers of the Games.

"When thwarted attacks are coupled with the recent violent protests viewed by us all worldwide, prudence requires us to recognise the real possibility that groups and individuals could carry on their protests at the actual Games," he said.

"These activities could range from disruptive behaviour, like blocking major transportation routes or infrastructure or interfering with competitions, to more violent acts like assaulting Olympic officials or athletes or destroying property."

He also said security services must be prepared "for the possibility that al-Qaeda or some other terrorist group will attempt to launch a deadly terrorist attack at these Olympics".

He said the influx of foreigners and the world's media could provide "easy cover" for terrorists and ensure any attack would get global coverage.

Mr Noble added that an Interpol team would be training Chinese officers in crisis management and major event operations before the Games.

Vast ice island trapped in Arctic

An island of ice the size of Manhattan has drifted into a remote channel and jammed itself in.

The Ayles Ice Island changed the Arctic map by breaking free from the Canadian coast two years ago.

Scientists have been tracking the progress of this monster iceberg amid fears that it could edge west towards oil and gas installations off Alaska.

The creation of the island is seen by many scientists as a key indicator of the rapid warming of the Arctic.

Ayles Ice Island is vast, measuring about 16km (10 miles) long and five kilometres (three miles) across.

In May, I joined a team that staged a dramatic landing by ski-plane on to the island itself to carry out the first scientific analysis.

See a map of the region

Satellite pictures monitored by the Canadian Ice Service show how it has drifted along the coast (310km since May) and is now wedged into the Sverdrup Channel, an inlet between two of the Queen Elizabeth Islands that make up the northernmost limits of the Canadian High Arctic.

No danger

One of the scientists on the May expedition, Dr Luke Copland, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, says this year's unusually low concentrations of sea-ice - which freezes and thaws with the seasons - may explain how the ice island ended up in its current position.

The BBC visited the ice island in May of this year

However, given the potential hazard of such a vast block of ice, this may be the safest outcome for the time being.

Dr Copland told me: "The main message now is that the Ayles Ice Island is out of the danger area for the oil rigs in the Beaufort Sea. Now that it has moved out of the wide open Arctic Ocean and into the Queen Elizabeth Islands it is likely to stay stuck in there."

During the expedition, Dr Copland planted a satellite beacon to provide the most accurate possible track of the island's movements.

Sadly the beacon has now stopped working - either because it has run out of battery power or more likely because its radio path to the satellites above is somehow obscured.

Dr Copland said: "The fact that we were receiving partial signals from the beacon suggests that something was blocking it. The most obvious candidates are that it has fallen into a crack in the ice or a pond of meltwater; or been covered over by a snowdrift. Beyond that we can't tell anything.

"There is a possibility that the beacon will come back to life if the obstruction moves out of the way."

In the meantime, satellite pictures will be the only source of news about the fate of the island. And given the rapid retreat of sea-ice - heading for a record low this year - scientists will want to keep a close watch on this new feature of the Arctic geography for years to come.

Click here to see the Canadian Ice Service website tracking the beacon's location.

The Ayles Ice Island calved off the Ayles Ice Shelf in August 2005 The calving event was the largest in at least the last 25 years A total of 87.1 sq km (33.6 sq miles) of ice was lost in this event The largest piece was 66.4 sq km (25.6 sq miles) in area This made the slab a little larger than Manhattan Since calving, the ice island has moved 490km (300 miles)

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Ayles Ice Island could now bounce between the Queen Elizabeth Islands

Polar bears 'at risk' in Canada

Polar bears in Canada are at risk from climate change but not threatened with extinction, a panel of experts has advised the Canadian government.

The government should develop a plan to protect the country's estimated 15,000 polar bears, the panel said.

The plight of the polar bear has long concerned environmentalists.

The animals face loss of habitat on two fronts, the panel said - hunting, and melting ice in the Arctic, which is widely blamed on climate change.

While recognising both problems, the panel found that Canada's polar bear population was not declining enough to place it in the most serious category as an endangered species.

Instead, it has been classified as a species of special concern.

'At risk'

"Based on the best available information at hand, there was insufficient reason to think that the polar bear was at imminent risk of extinction," said Jeff Hutchings, the panel's chairman.

"That's not to say that it's not in trouble. A special concern species is a species at risk in Canada and requires legislative action."

Canada's environment minister, John Baird, is obliged to accept the government-commissioned report's findings and address threats to the animal's survival, including climate change.

But a management plan for Canada's polar bears will not be required until 2014 - by which time some scientists believe the summer sea ice in the Arctic may have completely disappeared.

Canada's polar bears are at risk from hunting and melting ice in the Arctic

Africa plans biggest dam project

A plan to build the largest and most powerful hydroelectric dam in the world is being discussed in London.

Financiers and African politicians will look at how to finance the $80bn (£40bn) cost of the Grand Inga project.

The plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo would generate twice as much energy as China's Three Gorges dam.

It is hoped it will boost Africa's electricity supply by a third, but opponents doubt it will help the poorest Africans without electricity.

The World Energy Council, (WEC) which is hosting the two-day meeting in London, says the Grand Inga project will help the estimated 500 million Africans without access to electricity.

"We have to raise the level of access to commercial energy all through Africa and other parts of the world, where this poverty is faced," WEC secretary general Gerald Doucet told the BBC.

"We can't do it without building these projects, but of course, on a sustainable basis that takes into account the social, civil and environmental issues.

"And I can say that in the past, mistakes have been made, but WEC is here to make sure those mistakes are not repeated," Mr Doucet said.

New grid

Power would be transmitted to other countries via a giant new distribution system to Egypt in the north, Nigeria in the west and to South Africa.

In order that construction can start as planned in 2014, the World Energy Council is calling for finance for a feasibility study to be done as soon as possible.

The Grand Inga project would be built on the Congo river alongside two existing hydroelectric plants and is expected to begin operating between 2020 and 2025.

The plans include a 205m-high dam, 15km-long reservoir and a plant with a capacity to produce 320 terawatt hours of electricity annually.

The idea for the project was first conceived in the 1980s, but political turmoil in the DR Congo meant that the plans could not proceed.

Dutch bill to ban magic mushrooms

The Dutch cabinet has proposed a bill to ban the sale of hallucinogenic or so-called "magic mushrooms".

A majority of MPs is expected to back the proposal, which comes after a number of accidents, mostly involving tourists.

The health ministry said the number of incidents linked with the use of magic mushrooms had almost doubled in the last four years, mainly in Amsterdam.

But owners of the shops that sell them say the ban is unnecessary.

"The use of mushrooms can produce hallucinogenic effects which can lead to extreme or life-threatening behaviour," the health ministry said in a statement late on Friday after the cabinet decision.

But the association of owners of so-called "Smart Shops" where the hallucinogenic fungi are sold say that magic mushrooms, which contain the hallucinogenic ingredient psilocybin, are only dangerous when they are taken together with alcohol or other drugs.

Compromise proposal

The BBC's Geraldine Coughlan in The Hague says the government's decision was prompted by the death of a 17-year-old French girl last year, who jumped from a bridge in Amsterdam.

But no formal link was established between her death and the use of mushrooms.

Other incidents involving the drug have included an Icelandic tourist jumping from a balcony and breaking both legs and a Danish tourist driving his car wildly through a camping ground, narrowly missing sleeping campers.

The ban on the cultivation and use of the mushrooms means most of Smart Shops will have to close.

The shop owners argue that users will now buy dried mushrooms, which are already illegal.

The Mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, has proposed as a compromise, a three-day cooling-off period between getting the information on magic mushrooms in the Smart Shops and actually buying them.

Under the suggested scheme, if an informed tourist decides to go ahead with a mushroom trip, he can pick up his pack of paddos in the Smart Shop, three days later.

Users of fresh mushrooms experience effects ranging from giggling fits and intensification of colours, lights and sounds to, more rarely, hallucinations. Negative effects can include vomiting, and anxiety.

Europe launches sat-nav tester

A demonstrator spacecraft for Europe's proposed Galileo satellite navigation system has launched from Kazakhstan.

The Giove-B satellite was taken into space atop a Soyuz rocket which left Earth at 2216 GMT, Saturday.

The demonstrator will test the key technologies which will eventually be built into the 30 operational platforms that form the Galileo network.

These include the atomic clocks which provide the precise timing that underpins all sat-nav applications.

Giove-B - a half-tonne, 2.4x1x1m box assembled by EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space - is the second demonstrator satellite to go into orbit following the launch of Giove-A in 2005.

The first mission met international obligations to claim the frequencies Galileo will use to transmit its signals to receivers on the ground.

This second mission flies a spacecraft which is, to a large degree, a template for the 30 operational platforms that will follow.

A fundamental focus for Giove-B will be the in-orbit behaviour of its passive hydrogen maser clock.

It is the most stable clock ever put in permanent orbit, and is designed to keep time with an accuracy of better than one nanosecond (billionth of a second) in 24 hours.

As well as its atomic clocks (Giove-B carries three clocks), the latest demonstrator will test the generation of signals across the full spectrum Galileo intends to use for its five sat-nav services.

Saturday's launch from the Baikonur spaceport was an important moment for Galileo which has experienced several delays.

Giove-B was held on the ground for a year because of a component failure during the final stages of its preparation for flight; but more generally, the Galileo programme itself has seen its timeline slip on a number of occasions, and has come close to being abandoned.

Europe has already spent 1.6bn euros ($2.5bn; £1.3bn) on the project and ministers have warned that the additional 3.4bn euros ($5.3bn; £2.7bn) recently approved for sat-nav investments will be the limit on expenditure.

GALILEO UNDER CONSTRUCTION A European Commission and European Space Agency project 30 satellites to be launched in batches by end of 2013 Will work alongside US GPS and Russian Glonass systems Promises real-time positioning down to less than a metre Guaranteed under all but most extreme circumstances Suitable for safety-critical roles where lives depend on service Q&A: Europe's Galileo project

Galileo is envisaged as being technologically complementary to GPS, and is touted as a key high-technology venture for the EU.

It is designed to improve substantially the availability and accuracy of timing signals delivered from space.

Users should get quicker, more reliable fixes and be able to locate their positions with an error of one metre compared with the current GPS error of several metres.

"One of the short-comings of GPS has been the ability to rely on it for safety-critical applications such as landing aircraft," said Richard Peckham from EADS Astrium.

"Galileo has a safety-of-life service which is basically an integrity, a monitoring service that checks the signal constantly. With this, we should be able to start relying on satellite navigation much more than we can today with GPS."

If all of the technologies in Giove-B work as predicted, engineers will be clear to launch the first four operational satellites in 2010.

Full capability has been set for the end of 2013.

Clintons' earnings exceed $100m

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and her husband, ex-President Bill Clinton, have revealed they earned more than $100m (£50m) in eight years.

Since 2000, the former first couple took in nearly $110m, with more than $20m made in 2007, and gave more than $10m to charity in the same period.

Almost half of the income was made from the former president's speeches.

Sen Clinton had been under pressure to release her returns since rival Barack Obama disclosed his for 2000-2006.

Both Sen Obama and John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, have said they will reveal their 2007 returns later this month.

Both Democratic candidates are keen to show they have nothing to hide from voters as they fight for their party's nomination, the BBC's Jack Izzard reports from Washington.

Many Americans will pore over these figures, which show just how much the Clintons are worth, he adds.

Lucrative books

"The Clintons have now made public 30 years of tax returns, a record matched by few people in public service," said Jay Carson, a Clinton campaign spokesman.

"None of Hillary Clinton's presidential opponents have revealed anything close to this amount of personal financial information."

The Clintons paid around $34m in taxes between 2000 and 2007, their returns show.

The last time the former first couple publicised their finances was in 2000 - the year they left the White House. In that year they reported a gross income of $416,000.

Since leaving office, though, Bill Clinton has given speeches around the world, as well as becoming involved in numerous business ventures.

He has also made $30m from his two books, My Life and Giving.

For her part, Mrs Clinton made more than $10m from her book Living History.

She donated all the proceeds from another work, It Takes a Village, to charity.

Although the New York senator revealed highlights of tax returns from 2007, she requested an extension for their full disclosure, citing the need for more information on a blind trust dissolved last year.

Beer distributor

Last week Mr Obama published seven years of tax returns on his website.

The data showed he earned nearly $1 million in 2006, nearly half of it coming from the publication of his second book, The Audacity of Hope.

In previous financial disclosures, Sen McCain has listed his primary sources of income as his Senate salary of $170,000 and his Naval pension of around $56,000.

Although Mr McCain's wife is heiress to a stake in Hensley & Co, one of the largest beer distributorships in the US - reportedly worth more than $100 million - a prenuptial agreement means most of her assets are kept in her name.

Bush praises Croatian democracy

Mr Bush praised Croatia for what he called its transition from communist tyranny to maturing democracy.

Mr Bush told the crowd Croatians should also be recognised for "helping the Afghan people defeat the terrorists and secure their future of liberty".

Mr Bush is due to fly to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin later on Saturday.

The meeting is the last in a series of scheduled talks between the two leaders.

Speaking in Zagreb, Mr Bush said Croatians had proved the value of fighting for democracy.

"There are many people who don't appear to understand why it takes so long to build a democracy. You can tell them how hard it is to put in place a new and complex system of government for the first time.

"There are those who actually wonder if people were better off under their old tyranny. You can tell them that freedom is the only real path to prosperity and security and peace."

Mr Bush flew to Croatia after a Nato summit in Romania and spent Friday in talks with its President, Stjepan Mesic.

Croatia and Albania have been invited to join Nato, though neighbouring Macedonia had its bid blocked because of an ongoing row with Greece - Macedonia is also the name of a region in Greece.

The BBC's Helen Fawkes in Zagreb said the transformation of Croatia sent out an important message to other countries in the Balkans.

Mr Bush's meeting with the Russian leader in the Black Sea resort of Sochi later on Saturday follows complaints by Mr Putin at the Bucharest summit against Nato's eastward expansion.

The former Soviet states of Georgia and Ukraine are seeking to become members of the security pact.

And, while the two countries were not offered a Membership Action Plan earlier this week, Nato did leave open the option of taking in the two countries.

Mr Putin leaves office next month, though he is expected to serve as prime minister under President-elect Dmitry Medvedev.

The Russian and American leaders are expected to discuss US plans to site a missile defence system in Eastern Europe.

Russia has strongly criticised the US proposals, which would see interceptor missiles based in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic.

Nato countries agreed to back US plans to site a missile defence system in the two countries at the Bucharest summit.