Discovery of possible delta
may mean ancient seas on Mars


Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have found evidence of an ancient delta where a Martian river may have once emptied into the ocean.

"Scientists have long hypothesized that the northern lowlands of Mars are a dried-up ocean bottom, but no one yet has found the smoking gun," says Mike Lamb, an assistant professor of geology and a coauthor of the paper describing the results. The paper was published online in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

Scientists say the evidence is not extensive enough to prove the ocean existed, but note that most of Mars’ northern hemisphere is flat and at a lower elevation than the southern hemisphere. It is similar to ocean basins found on Earth.

Using images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Caltech scientists studied a 100-square-kilometer area on what might have been the former coastline. This area is located in a larger zone known as Aeolis Dorsa, which is covered in ridge-like features called inverted channels.

On Earth, inverted channels are the remnants of rivers or streams. After the river dries, silt and other finer materials erode away, leaving the larger rocks behind.

In the images analyzed by Caltech scientists, the inverted channels on Mars appear to fan out, which the scientists say could have been caused by three things: The channels could have been a drainage system down a mountain where they converged and created a larger river; it could have been caused by an alluvial water drainage fan; or the channels could be part of a river delta.

To determine which scenario they were looking at on Mars, scientists took pictures of the area from different points in the satellite’s orbit, creating stereo images. The camera on the orbiter can distinguish changes in elevation at a resolution of one meter.

They determined that the water that once flowed through the channels was spreading out rather than converging, meaning they were part of an alluvial fan or delta. Researchers also noticed an “an abrupt increase in slope of the sedimentary beds near the downstream end of the channels,” which is commonly seen when a stream empties into a large body of water.

Deltas have been observed on Mars before, but most are inside a geological boundary like a crater. The newly discovered delta showed no confining boundary.

"This is probably one of the most convincing pieces of evidence of a delta in an unconfined region — and a delta points to the existence of a large body of water in the northern hemisphere of Mars," said Roman DiBiase, a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech and lead author of the paper.

But scientists are quick to point out that there could be other explanations. For example, there could have been a confining boundary that later disappeared due to geological activity, but that would lead to the conclusion that the Martian surface was more geologically active than previously thought.

Further analysis of the hypothetical coastline will be needed before determining if there was a large ocean.

"In our work and that of others — including the Curiosity rover — scientists are finding a rich sedimentary record on Mars that is revealing its past environments, which include rain, flowing water, rivers, deltas, and potentially oceans," Lamb said. "Both the ancient environments on Mars and the planet's sedimentary archive of these environments are turning out to be surprisingly Earth-like."

 
Detroit, home of motor car,
opts for bankruptcy court


Detroit, Michigan filed for bankruptcy in U.S. federal court Thursday, making it the largest municipality in U.S. history to seek Chapter 9 protection. The filing is the latest move that comes after years of population decline and decreasing tax revenues in a city plagued by corruption and financial mismanagement.
 
The decision to seek bankruptcy protection comes as Detroit finds itself under the direction of a state-appointed emergency manager, Kevyn Orr.  He is trying to address an annual budget deficit of more than $300 million, and long-term debt that has soared to $20 billion.
 
But Michigan State University professor Eric Scorsone says Detroit’s path to bankruptcy did not occur overnight.
 
“It was a one-industry city. Unlike Chicago, New York and other cities that had economic diversity, Detroit really didn’t.  It had the auto industry. It had suppliers to the auto industry, and so as those went away, the city began a very long decline that’s really occurred over 50 years essentially,” says Scorsone.
 
At Detroit’s peak in the early 1950s, the population was at 1.8 million residents.  By 2010, it was down to around 700,000, with people fleeing the city amid racial tensions and declining job opportunities.
 
Wayne State University urban planning professor Robin Boyle says most of Detroit’s residents moved to the suburbs, or left the state altogether.
 
“They have so little disposable income to reinvest in their communities, that if they have money they leave, they go to the suburbs or they go to find work elsewhere, putting us into this vicious cycle that drives us further and further down. How you break that is the challenge in Detroit,” says Boyle.
 
In just the last decade, a bad situation in Detroit worsened as the industry that gave it the nickname “The Motor City” found itself in the worst financial shape since the Great Depression. The problem was triggered by slowing auto sales, amid declining home values and stricter lending practices, something Scorsone says hit Michigan harder than most places.
 
“I think what really happened in the last 10 years though, Michigan went through a very significant 10-year recession, really unlike the country as a whole, and that’s when elected officials should have been responding and really didn’t,” says Scorsone.
 
Detroit’s elected mayor at that time, Kwame Kilpatrick, became embroiled in a corruption scandal that forced him from office and ultimately landed him in jail, a distraction that added to Detroit’s mounting financial woes.
 
But Scorsone says Kilpatrick is not solely to blame for the city’s current financial issues.
 
“Any city in this situation, no matter how good the elected officials and the managers were, would have had a very difficult time. So to be fair, I think it’s both. I think it’s a combination of both mismanagement and economic decline. It’s hard to say what proportion of each, but they’re both there,” says Scorsone.
 
Wayne State University’s Robin Boyle says amid Detroit’s economic mess are signs of hope in a downtown area now known more for its urban blight than thriving city life.
 
“General Motors moved down there. The downtown is beginning to see revitalization through the activities of one or two property investors, so that has strength,” says Boyle.
 
Detroit’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing begins a one- to three-month period of review by a federal judge. If the process moves forward, it could be several years before Detroit officially emerges from bankruptcy.


North Korea continues rhetoric
as Panamå seeks U.N. help


North Korea is demanding Panamá return its ship and release the crew it detained after concealed weapons from Cuba were found on board. Pyongyang and Havana claim the weapons are for repair and return to Cuba but experts are investigating whether the two violated United Nations sanctions against North Korea weapons deals. 
 
North Korea's official Korea Central News Agency accuses Panamá of rashly attacking the captain and crew of its ship, the "Chong Chon Gang."
 
Panamanian authorities say they seized the vessel this week on suspicions it was smuggling narcotics after leaving Havana.  But, when they searched the ship, they found what appeared to be Soviet-era military weapons hidden under hundreds of bags of sugar.
 
KCNA quoted an unnamed foreign ministry spokesman late Wednesday admitting the ship carried a cargo of what he called aging weapons.  But the spokesman said it was part of a legitimate contract for overhauling weapons, for return to Cuba, and accused Panamanian investigators of taking issue with the shipment to justify what he called their violent action.
 
Panama authorities, however, say it was the 35-man North Korean crew that rioted to try and stop investigation of the ship. They say the captain attempted to commit suicide. Authorities have said the crew remains uncooperative with investigators and could face criminal charges.
 
Shin In-kyun, head of the Korea Defense Network, a private research group in Seoul, says Cuba argues the weapons were for repair but, if they are for repair, it did not need to hide the container underneath the cargo and cover it with sugar.  It looks like the weapons were hidden.  In this situation, he says, it appears that Cuba illegally exported weapons to North Korea, but it is up to the United States and United Nations to provide evidence.
 
United Nations sanctions outlaw any country from trading weapons with North Korea except light arms.
 
Panamá has called in U.S., European and U.N. investigators to inspect the seized cargo.
 
Panamanian authorities say regardless of any contract between North Korea and Cuba, the weapons were undeclared and therefore illegal.
 
Cuba's Foreign Ministry issued an earlier, detailed statement admitting the ship carried 240 metric tons of weaponry. 
 
It said the cargo included anti-aircraft missile systems, nine missiles “in parts and spares,” two Mig-21 airplanes and 15 spare plane engines.
 
Defense analyst Shin In-kyun says if investigators conclude North Korea was actually buying weapons from Cuba, stronger action may be called for and not only against Pyongyang.
 
He says the U.N. sanctions are against any country that exports weapons to North Korea.  The United States and other leading countries in Europe support this regulation.  He says if Cuba is found to have exported missile parts to North Korea, then sanctions could also be imposed against Cuba.
 
The U.N. sanctions were imposed on North Korea for its illicit nuclear weapons programs.  In February Pyongyang tested its third, and largest, nuclear device.
 
Shin In-kyun says along with Cuba, North Korea also trades with some countries in the Middle East, such as Syria and Iran for military hardware. 
 
This latest case, he says, will only strengthen the inspection of North Korean ships.


Texas governor signs bill
restricting abortion in state


Texas Gov. Rick Perry has signed new abortion restrictions that could shutter most of the clinics in the state.
 
The new law bans abortions after the fifth month of pregnancy and dictates when abortion-inducing drugs can be taken. But it also requires abortion clinic doctors to have hospital admitting privileges and restricts abortions to surgical centers. Only five of 42 abortion clinics in the state currently meet the new requirements.

The law will take effect in October and clinics will have a year to upgrade their facilities.
 
As he signed the law Thursday, Perry said it would improve the quality of care women receive, ensuring procedures are performed in clean, sanitary and safe conditions, by capable personnel." He said it "builds upon our commitment to protecting life.''

Critics view the law as over-regulation intended to make abortions harder to obtain. Federal judges have blocked enforcement of similar measures in other states, questioning their constitutionality. Opponents are expected to file similar suits in Texas.
 
A small band of protesters dressed in black and holding a sign that read, "Shame'' marched outside the governor's office. The legislation had sparked weeks of protests at the Texas State Capitol.


McCain says immigration bill
faces a difficult, uphill fight


U.S. Sen. John McCain admitted Thursday that he and other backers of immigration reform are not winning, and must boost efforts to get the House of Representatives to pass such a bill.
 
McCain said proponents, who include businesses, churches and labor, will wage an aggressive campaign in selective congressional districts next month to make the case for a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration laws.
 
“Here is a fact: We are not winning,” the Arizona Republican told reporters. “So we have to wage a campaign. That doesn't mean a negative campaign. It means a positive campaign.”
 
“You need to respond to things that are said. You need to build support. You need to network,” McCain said.
 
The Democratic-led Senate last month overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill crafted by McCain and seven of his colleagues, but it was declared dead on arrival in the Republican-led House.
 
Most of the opposition to the White House-backed bill is over a provision that would provide a pathway to citizenship for up to 11 million illegal immigrants now in the United States.
 
Backers say the pathway would draw undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and make them productive and tax-paying members of the American way of life, improving the U.S. economy.
 
Critics argue that the pathway would amount to amnesty, and attract more illegal immigrants into the country.

McCain and two fellow co-authors of the Senate bill, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, recently met with tech giants, including Google, Intel and Microsoft, to discuss the campaign for immigration reform, aides said.
 
They plan to target more than 100 House Republicans who are seen as at least open to the possibility of voting for immigration reform, which would help provide business with needed high- and low-skilled workers, aides said.
 
“There are many members of the House who don't want to take up any bill at all,” said McCain.
 
McCain and others initially predicted that if the Senate passed an immigration bill with strong bipartisan support, it would pressure the House to consider it.

The comprehensive bill passed 68-32, but House Republican leaders have refused to even bring it up. Backers are now hoping that the House simply passes a limited bill.
 
That would trigger a House-Senate conference where negotiators could try to combine the two measures into a single new piece of legislation.
 
Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, another co-author of the Senate bill, said, “I wouldn't say we are losing. But when you have a battle, you are constantly engaged.”
 
Menendez said even though Congress will be on recess in August, it will be a pivotal month for immigration reform.
 
“We need the entire universe of people who care about immigration reform to be active next month,” Menendez said. “If we do that, we will be well positioned for the fall in the House. If we don't, we will run a risk.”
 
Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, a leading foe of the Senate bill, dismissed the effort as an act of desperation.
 
“The problems with the Senate bill can't be fixed with new TV ads,” he said.

Thursday, more than 90 Catholic college presidents sent letters to all Catholic House members, including Speaker John Boehner, urging them to support a comprehensive immigration bill.
 
“We hope that as you face intense political pressure from powerful interest groups, you will draw wisdom and moral courage from our shared faith tradition. Catholic teaching values the human dignity and worth of all immigrants, regardless of legal status. We remind you that no human being made in the image of God is illegal,” they wrote.
 
In a telephone conference with reporters, University of Notre Dame President John Jenkins was asked about other actions the university presidents would take to get House members to pass an immigration bill.
 
“We thought about revoking their degrees,” Jenkins joked before admitting, “We don't have a lot of authority over them.”
 
Catholic organizations are planning radio ads, telephone town halls with local Catholic leaders, newspaper op-eds and other events to rally support.
 
Boehner, at his weekly news conference, stood firm on his position that the House would pass common-sense legislation.
 
“Americans expect, as a nation of laws, that we'll enforce them starting at the border,” Boehner said. “They expect that no one who broke our laws will get special treatment.

 
Currency restrictions hamper
Argentine youths' papal trips


Not even an Argentine pope's planned return to South America has inspired the government to loosen strict currency controls for prospective pilgrims trying to see Pope Francis in neighboring Brazil next week.
 
Thousands of young people, many of modest economic means, plan to travel to Rio de Janeiro for the Catholic Church's World Day of Youth to greet the Argentine native on his first trip abroad as head of the church when he arrives on Monday.
 
But restrictions on exchanging pesos for Brazilian reais have complicated their plans and many here say the rules should have been eased for the occasion.
 
"The government isn't being reasonable," Buenos Aires-based Bishop Raúl Martín said. "Obviously many Argentines were going to go to Brazil for this."
 
Martin said some 18,000 youth have officially registered for the event in Rio, where many will sleep in schools sponsored by religious organizations and do mission work. He reported receiving daily phone calls from people with problems changing money.
 
Local media estimates some 42,000 Argentines will attend.
 
Before traveling abroad, Argentines must apply for permission to exchange pesos with tax regulators. They are asked details of their travel plans and must present documents, including details of their salaries, to authorities.
 
The problem is that many traveling to the World Day of Youth are too young to work, said Martin, and are being denied reais because they have no proof of salary. Taking money out of an ATM machine with a credit card, previously the option of last resort, is no longer feasible in Brazil as Argentine withdrawals are restricted in countries that share a border with Argentina.
 
Argentina's leftist President Cristina Fernández slapped new controls on foreign currency purchases just after winning re-election in October 2011, to try to stop capital outflows.
 
Difficulty exchanging money has pushed many Argentines to the black market in search of dollars, and currency venders line the streets of major cities whispering change to passing pedestrians.
 
Church leaders, however, do not want to encourage illegal activity and are simply requesting information from the government on how young people can legally obtain a limited amount of Brazilian currency, Martin said.
 
A spokesman for Argentina's central bank said existing regulations allow religious institutions to exchange money directly with the bank, though individuals traveling to see the pope on their own must apply with tax regulators as usual.
 
Martin shunned the option of involving churches in currency exchanges.
 
"It seems ridiculous to require young people to go to a priest in order to exchange a small amount of money to go to a brother nation for a youth fair," he said.


U.S. stock markets hit records
over earnings and joblessness


The Dow and the S&P 500 hit record highs during Thursday's trading day and at the close. Investors were cheered by some strong corporate earnings reports, encouraging data on the job market, and reassurances from the head of the U.S. central bank.
 
A Labor Department report showed the number of Americans signing up for unemployment assistance dropped to its lowest level in two months. Jobless claims fell 24,000 to a nationwide total of 334,000.
 
Economists use unemployment insurance claims to track layoffs, and they say declining claims mean a strengthening job market.
 
Wednesday and Thursday, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress that efforts to stimulate the economy will continue until improved growth shows they are no longer needed. That may mean that the Fed's program of buying billions of dollars in securities each month will not be cut back until later this year, and very low short-term interest rates could stay in place until sometime next yea


New king in Belgium facing
dividing, unhappy country


The monarchy, along with soccer and beer, is viewed as one of the rare things that unify linguistically divided Belgium and when Prince Philippe becomes its new king Sunday he will try to prove this is still so.

The early signs are that he has work to do. In a poll conducted by the private TV stations VTM and RTL, just under half of all Flemish respondents believed Philippe would be a good king, compared to two-thirds of respondents in Wallonia.

The political bickering between French-speaking Wallonia in the south and Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north extended into the debate about the future monarch even before King Albert II announced his plan to abdicate two weeks ago.

Far-right Flemish separatists Vlaams Belang will not attend Sunday's coronation ceremony. The more moderate Flemish separatist party N-VA will be represented, but not by its figurehead Bart De Wever, the mayor of Antwerp.

“The idea that we need a fundamentally undemocratic institution such as the monarch to ensure political stability in this country, which I doubt, tells you more about this country than about the monarchy,” De Wever wrote in an open letter to the prince in May.

In the neighboring Netherlands, the monarch no longer has a role in politics.

In Belgium, although the institution is largely ceremonial, laws need the king's signature to come into force and, after an election, he appoints mediators to aid the formation of a  governing coalition, typically a protracted process.

Philippe drew criticism when he entered the political debate in 2004, accusing Vlaams Belang of trying to rip Belgium apart.

“I can assure you that such people will have me to deal with,” he told Story magazine in an interview at the time.

N-VA calls for the monarch's role to be purely ceremonial, while the French-speaking parties, including the Socialists of Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, oppose this.

“It's not always clear whether it is a fundamental debate about a republic versus a monarchy or whether it's about Flanders versus Belgium. I think it's the latter,” said Dave Sinardet, politics lecturer at the universities of Antwerp and Brussels.

Flemish critics view the 53-year-old Philippe as a French-speaking outsider. He is far less comfortable speaking Dutch than French, although he went to a Dutch-language secondary school after primary education in French.

Winning hearts and minds of the people, as newly crowned Willem Alexander has done in the Netherlands, may also depend on whether Philippe can soften his reserved image.

His wife Mathilde, who is often seen at public events involving children and appears more outgoing than her husband, proved more popular in the opinion poll by VTM and RTL.