Space telescope detects Earth-like planets

WASHINGTON • Astronomers using the Kepler space telescope have detected 219 possible new exoplanets in our galaxy, including 10 relatively small, rocky and possibly habitable planets similar to our own, Nasa said on Monday.

These are the last additions to the catalogue of exoplanets compiled during the first phase of the Kepler mission, when the space telescope scanned some 200,000 stars in the Cygnus constellation in an effort to find worlds beyond our own.

WASHINGTON POST

French defence head quits over scandal

PARIS • French Defence Minister Sylvie Goulard has resigned over a fake job scandal that has hit her small MoDem party, an ally of President Emmanuel Macron's party.

Ms Goulard, previously a member of the European Parliament, yesterday said she could not remain in the government while facing investigation of alleged misuse of expenses at that Parliament.

A newspaper claims MoDem used European parliamentary funds to pay assistants based in France.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE