A telescope the size of 30 football fields
BEIJING • China has started assembling the world's largest radio telescope, which will have a dish the size of 30 football pitches when completed, state media reported as Beijing steps up its ambitions in outer space.
The 500m Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope nestles in a bowl-shaped valley between hills in the south-western province of Guizhou, images posted online show.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Ex-Maldives leader's jail term commuted
COLOMBO • Former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed has had his 13-year prison sentence commuted to a term under house arrest, his international lawyer Jared Genser said yesterday.
The lawyer's comments came hours after the Maldives' prosecutor-general said he would appeal against Nasheed's conviction for terrorism in March which drew heavy international criticism. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
No heavy schoolbags for Maharashtra kids MUMBAI • Children struggling under the weight of an oversized schoolbag are a common sight the world over, but now one Indian state has ordered parents to ensure children lighten their load.
The government of Maharashtra has passed a resolution saying no child must carry to school a backpack that exceeds 10 per cent of his body weight.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE