Big Bang Experiment Ready To Go

DOI 8 May 2008

SKY NEWS (LONDON)—The world's biggest scientific experiment, the Large Hadron Collider, will switch-on within weeks. Particle collisions should begin in August or September 2008. Thousands of scientists have spent more than a decade building the Collider at the European Centre for Nuclear Research in Geneva. The equipment is in a 27 km tunnel 100 meters beneath Switzerland and France. Atoms will race around at virtually the speed of light in an atmosphere colder than outer space. The millions of collisions will create temperatures 100,000 times hotter than the sun. Scientists hope that they will uncover secrets about the universe's structure and reveal more about dark matter. Source: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91221-1315292,00.html (Reliability: 8)

Comment: Some individuals fear that the collider will create black holes and swallow up the planet, destroying life on Earth. However, scientists have dismissed such claims. A great deal of research, money, and brain power has gone into this project, making it more likely to succeed than the average science experiment. However, science projects do not always work. According to one scientist, if the project fails, "We will have assembled the world's most expensive piece of modern art."

Telecom Egypt Agrees To Consortium Deal For Cable System Construction

DOI 07 May 2008

AFRIK.COM (PARIS)- Egypt’s landline operator Telecom Egypt (TE) said in a statement on 07 May 2008 that they will help construct a USD 700 million undersea cable system that links Europe, the Middle East and India. The deal is part of a global consortium. The statement said that the Europe/India Gateway (EIG) would "significantly enhance capacity and diversity between the countries of these regions." It added that it also would provide interconnection with other cable systems already in place that connect to Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. TE hopes that the 9,000-mile system will become operational by the second quarter of 2010 and will link together 13 nations and three continents. Source: http://en.afrik.com/news11878.html (Reliability: 7.5)

Comment: The announcement comes after cables were severed earlier this year that caused Internet outages across the Middle East and parts of India. Egypt was without full connection to the Net for almost two weeks Companies across the region complained that action was not taken immediately, which threatened major losses. The new consortium agreement hopes that the cable system will help prevent future outages.