Beaches in Ballina Shire to stay closed again today

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UPDATE 4pm: BEACHES throughout the Ballina Shire will remain closed over the weekend following more shark sightings in the area over the past two days.

A number of shark sightings have been reported, including one that was spotted by surf live-savers at Lighthouse Beach earlier today.

The latest sightings, and the fact that large numbers of bait fish remain present in the area, have prompted the decision to keep beaches closed until 6pm Sunday.

Police and local life-savers will reassess the situation on Sunday evening.

INITIAL REPORT: BEACHES across Ballina Shire will be closed again today, with Ballina Surf Life Saving Club deciding to keepShelly Beach and Lighthouse Beach closed until at least Monday.

SLS North Coast duty officer Garry Meredith said lifesavers were consulting with Ballina Shire Council and police and would make a group decision on the remainder of the coastline later today.

Lifesavers have staked 21 closed signs along the Shire's beaches and will continue to monitor the beaches today with jetskis and vehicles.

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Beaches in Ballina Shire to stay closed again today

Astronomers close in on planets that could be masters of survival

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12.02.2015 - (idw) Max-Planck-Institut fr Astronomie

Two independent groups of astronomers, one led by Simona Ciceri of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, have discovered an unusually massive planet which orbits a red giant star. The planet, Kepler-432b, is one of a total of just five known planets which orbit red giant stars at a fairly close distance. Previously, it had been thought that such planets would be swallowed by their host stars fairly quickly; the new discovery indicates they might survive for longer than previously thought. First hints of the existence of the planet Kepler-432b came from measurements of NASAs Kepler space telescope. The telescope recorded tiny dips in the brightness of the planets host star, caused by the planet passing directly between the star and observers on Earth and blocking some of the stars light (planetary transit). Such dips, however, can have causes other than orbiting planets. Confirmation that Kepler had indeed found a planet came only with the recent independent observations by two groups of astronomers: a group led by Simona Ciceri of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) and one led by Mauricio Ortiz of the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University (ZAH). The astronomers had used the CAFE spectrograph at the 2.2 meter telescope at Calar Alto Observatory to detect the planets traces in the spectrum of the star (radial velocity method). The group from ZAH also observed Kepler-432b with the Nordic Optical Telescope on La Palma (Canary Islands).

The combination of the observations by Kepler and with the CAFE spectrograph provided sufficient data to enable the astronomers reconstruct the planets size and mass. Kepler-432b turns out to be unusual in more than one respect. It is about the same size as Jupiter, but with six times Jupiters mass, making it unusually dense. Its orbit is an elongated ellipse, leading to temperature variations between 500 and 1000 degrees Celsius as the planet moves around its host star.

But the most puzzling aspect of Kepler-432b might be why it and other similar planets exist in the first place. The problem is the planets proximity to its host star. Of the nearly 1900 exoplanets known, around 50 orbit stars in the later stages of their lives: red giant stars, which have swollen to between ten and a hundred times their former size as their outer regions have heated up. For a stars planets, this swelling-up can be fatal: Planets too close to the star will be swallowed up, and planets orbiting too close to the red giants surface are likely to be drawn in and swallowed within tens or a few hundreds of million years a short time-span compared with the more than 10 billion years life-time of a star like our Sun.

Until now, astronomers have observed 5 planets, including Kepler-432b, which are unusually close to their red giant hosts. Of these, only two, namely Kepler-432b and Kepler-91b have been observed sufficiently closely to determine both their mass and their size (radial velocity and transit data). Another two have been detected only by measuring their planetary transits, while one has been found using spectral measurements only (radial velocity method).

Even though the planet has proven a master of survival so far, in the long run, there will be no escape: The days of Kepler-432b are numbered, adds Mauricio Ortiz, the PhD student at Heidelberg University who led the other study of the planet. In less than 200 million years, Kepler-432b will be swallowed by its continually expanding host star.

Contact information

Simona Ciceri (first author) Max Planck Institute for Astronomy Phone: +49 6221 528-351 ciceri@mpia.de

Luigi Mancini (co-author) Max Planck Institute for Astronomy Phone: +49 6221 528-454 mancini@mpia.de

Markus Pssel (public information officer) Max Planck Institute for Astronomy Phone: +49 6221 528-261 pr@mpia.de

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Astronomers close in on planets that could be masters of survival

Heidelberg Astronomers Discover Rare Planet

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12.02.2015 - (idw) Ruprecht-Karls-Universitt Heidelberg

Two research groups of Heidelberg astronomers have independently of each other discovered a rare planet. The celestial body, called Kepler-432b, is one of the most dense and massive planets known so far. The teams, one led by Mauricio Ortiz of the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University (ZAH) and the other by Simona Ciceri of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg, report that the planet has six times the mass of Jupiter, but about the same size. The shape and the size of its orbit are also unusual for a planet like Kepler-432b that is revolving around a giant star. Press Release Heidelberg, 12 February 2015

Heidelberg Astronomers Discover Rare Planet Kepler-432b is a dense, massive celestial body with extreme seasons

Two research groups of Heidelberg astronomers have independently of each other discovered a rare planet. The celestial body, called Kepler-432b, is one of the most dense and massive planets known so far. The teams, one led by Mauricio Ortiz of the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University (ZAH) and the other by Simona Ciceri of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg, report that the planet has six times the mass of Jupiter, but about the same size. The shape and the size of its orbit are also unusual for a planet like Kepler-432b that is revolving around a giant star. In less than 200 million years, this red giant will most likely swallow up the planet. The results of this research were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

The majority of known planets moving around giant stars have large and circular orbits. With its small and highly elongated orbit, Kepler-432b is a real maverick among planets of this type, says Dr. Davide Gandolfi from the state observatory Knigstuhl, which is part of the Centre for Astronomy. Dr. Gandolfi is a member of the research group that discovered the planet. He explains that the star around which Kepler-432b is orbiting has already exhausted the nuclear fuel in its core and is gradually expanding. Its radius is already four times that of our Sun and it will get even larger in the future. As the star is reddish in colour, astronomers call it a red giant.

The orbit brings Kepler-432b incredibly close to its host star at some times and much farther away at others, thus creating enormous temperature differences over the course of the planets year, which corresponds to 52 Earth days. During the winter season, the temperature on Kepler-432b is roughly 500 degrees Celsius. In the short summer season, it can increase to nearly 1,000 degrees Celsius, states astronomer Dr. Sabine Reffert from the state observatory Knigstuhl. Kepler-432b was previously identified as a transiting planet candidate by the NASA Kepler satellite mission. From the vantage point of the Earth, a transiting planet passes in front of its host star, periodically dimming the received stellar light.

The days of Kepler-432b are numbered, though, adds Mauricio Ortiz, a PhD student at Heidelberg University who led one of the two studies of the planet. In less than 200 million years, Kepler-432b will be swallowed by its continually expanding host star. This might be the reason why we do not find other planets like Kepler-432b astronomically speaking, their lives are extremely short.

Original publication: M. Ortiz, D. Gandolfi, S. Reffert, A. Quirrenbach, H.J. Deeg, R. Karjalainen, P. Montas-Rodrguez, D. Nespral, G. Nowak, Y. Osorio and E. Palle: Kepler-432 b: a massive warm Jupiter in a 52 day eccentric orbit transiting a giant star, Astronomy & Astrophysics 573 (January 2015), doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201425146

S. Ciceri, J. Lillo-Box, J. Southworth, L. Mancini, T. Henning, D. Barrado: Kepler-432 b: a massive planet in a highly eccentric orbit transiting a red giant, Astronomy & Astrophysics 573 (January 2015), doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201425145

Contact: Dr. Davide Gandolfi, Associate Professor Dr. Sabine Reffert Landessternwarte Knigstuhl observatory Tel: +49 6221 54-1722, -1713 dgandolfi@lsw.uni-heidelberg.de sreffert@lsw.uni-heidelberg.de

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Heidelberg Astronomers Discover Rare Planet

Police: 1 dead in shooting at Copenhagen free speech event

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LONDON A gunman raked a Copenhagen cafe with dozens of bullets Saturday during a free-speech forum, killing a 40-year-old man and injuring three police officers in an attack that survivors said appeared to have been an attempt to mimic last months massacre at a satirical newspaper in Paris.

The French ambassador to Denmark and a cartoonist previously targeted for depicting the prophet Muhammad were among those taking part in the debate who survived the torrent of gunfire.

Early Sunday, police said that one person was killed and two police officers were wounded in a shooting near a synagogue in downtown Copenhagen, according to the Associated Press. Hours later, police killed a man who shot at them near a train station, the AP said. It was unclear if the man was responsible for either of the attacks and also whether the attack at the synagogue shooting was linked to the attack at the cafe.

Late into the night, police were hunting for a lone gunman who fled in a getaway car and who was described as a male in his late 20s wielding an assault rifle. A photo released by Danish authorities shows him wearing a dark-blue ski jacket with a red woolen cap and a matching scarf covering the lower portion of his face.

Police in Sweden, separated from Copenhagen by a five-mile-long bridge, also joined the search.

One person was killed and three wounded after gunmen shoot at a cafe during meeting attended by controversial cartoonist who received death threats for publishing images of prophet Muhammad. (Reuters)

It was the same intention as Charlie Hebdo, except they didnt manage to get in, the French ambassador, Franois Zimeray, told the news service Agence France-Presse about the attack on the cafe, referring to the Jan. 7 attack in Paris. Intuitively I would say there were at least 50gunshots, and the police here are saying 200. Bullets went through the doors, and everyone threw themselves to the floor.

Denmarks prime minister called the incident a terrorist attack and put the country on high alert Saturday evening.

Political leaders from across Europe condemned the attack at the cafe, with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls tweeting, Freedom attacked in #Copenhagen. Solidarity with the Danes.

The attack was likely to add to already deep apprehensions over terrorism that are being felt across Europe as the continent contends with rising radicalism and a flood of homegrown fighters traveling to and from the battlefields of the Middle East.

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Police: 1 dead in shooting at Copenhagen free speech event

Are Students Free to Speak Their Mind? Well at Southampton, yes.

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The debate surrounding thelimitationsof free speech has been a key issue of the last fewmonths, from Charlie Hebdo to Page 3, it has not been out of the news and campus censorship is a big part of that debate.

Anyone who works in student media will know campus censorship is a big issue. Traditionally student media has been an outlet to criticise the mistakes of Universities and their Unions. But recently there has been a myriad of accusationsof Unions and Universities censoring their papers.

But Southampton isnt on that list.

New research by Spiked has described Southampton as

A students union, university or institution that, as far as we are aware, places no restrictions on free speech and expression other than where such speech or expression is unlawful.

The research looked into the Universitys policys on free speech, external speaker policies, bullying and harassment policies, equal opportunities policies. As well as the Student Unions, no platform policies, safe space policies, and student codes of conduct.

Perhaps Southamptons disaffiliation with the NUS is to thank.The NUSs no platform policy means thatNUS events and NUS officers, can not voice extremists such as the British National Party and English Defence League. Hence in 2012, whenLeeds Student Paper, printed an interview with Nick Griffin. Aaron Kiely, the NUS Black Students Officer at the time, wrote an open letter demanding the Editor removed the interview immediately, on the grounds it was voicing fascism.Other NUS policies banned voicing Julie Bindel and George Galloway. It begs the question, where do the limitations lie? If were going to ban the BNP, should we ban UKIP too? If were not, should we voice ISIS too?

Prestigious Universities such as Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh,, Kings, Leeds, Leicester, Oxford, UCL, SOAS, and Leicester have ranked among the worst Universities on Spiked list, whereas local Universities such as Solent and Winchester have joined Southampton at the top. Only 20% ranked as well as Southampton, meaning 80% limit free speech on campus, interestingly Unions tend to limit free speech more than Universities.

The Sun was the most popular banned item, followed byRobin Thickes Blurred Lines, unruly sports teams. BDS (a pro-Palestine group) and pro-life groups were also common bans.

There are a number of restrictions placed on free speech under UK law, such as harassment, and incitement to violence but a lot of these bans do not effect these.

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Are Students Free to Speak Their Mind? Well at Southampton, yes.

Shooting targets free speech event in Denmark, killing one

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A gunman fired on a cafe in Copenhagen as it hosted a free speech event Saturday, killing one man, Danish police said. The event was organized by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who has faced numerous threats for caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad.

Danish police said the gunman shot through the windows of the Krudttoenden cafe, which the TV2 news channel said were riddled with some 30 bullet holes. Helle Merete Brix, one of the event's organizers, told The Associated Press that Vilks was at the meeting but was not hit.

"I saw a masked man running past," Brix said. "I clearly consider this as an attack on Lars Vilks."

Police were looking for the perpetrators, who they said drove away in a dark Volkswagen Polo after the shooting, which took place shortly before 4 p.m. (1500 GMT, 10 a.m. EST).

In a statement, Danish police said the victim was a 40-year-old man inside the cafe attending the event. He has not yet been identified.

Police spokesman Henrik Blandebjerg said three police colleagues at the event were also shot.

"I heard someone firing with an automatic weapons and someone shouting. Police returned the fire and I hid behind the bar. I felt surreal, like in a movie," Niels Ivar Larsen, one of the speakers at the event, told the TV2 channel.

Brix said she was ushered away with Vilks by one of the Danish police guards that he gets whenever he is in Denmark.

The cafe in northern Copenhagen, known for its jazz concerts, was hosting an event titled "Art, blasphemy and the freedom of expression" when the shots were fired.

Franois Zimeray, the French ambassador to Denmark who was at the conference, tweeted that he was "still alive."

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Shooting targets free speech event in Denmark, killing one