Pigeon held in India on suspicion of spying

A pigeon is being held under armed guard in India on suspicion of being on a secret spying mission for Pakistan.

The culprit was found to have a ring around its foot and a Pakistan address and telephone number stamped on its body. Officials have stated that nobody is allowed to visit the bird.

Indian police are holding a pigeon under armed guard after it was caught on an alleged spying mission for arch rivals and neighbours Pakistan, according to reports in local media.

Prayers really can heal the sick, study finds

Controversial new research conducted by a team at Indiana university has suggested that prayer really can heal.

The study was lead by Professor Candy Gunther Brown and appeared to show that patients' hearing and vision improved when a healing practitioner prayed for them however experts at the National Secular Society have claimed that the study was religiously motivated and that the results were "highly suspect".

The power of prayer really can help to heal the sick, an international study has found - especially if the well-wisher is standing near the person they are praying for.

Hayabusa 2 will seek the origins of life in space

A successor to Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft could launch as early as 2014 to explore the origins of life.

Hayabusa 2 like its predeccessor will visit an asteroid but this time it will be a much larger one and the mission will be geared towards finding organic molecules that might have seeded our planet with life.

A new-and-improved successor to the troubled Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa – which finally returned a capsule to Earth earlier this year – could launch as soon as 2014. Hayabusa 2 would then be expected to return in 2020, bearing clues to the origin of life on Earth.

The man who 'sees' Virgin Mary every day

In the small village of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovina the Virgin Mary has reportedly appeared every day.

The reports started in 1981 when six children said they'd seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary on a hillside, ever since then it has been seen regularly - one local man even claims to see her on a daily basis.

For almost 30 years, the Virgin Mary has been said to appear daily in Medjugorje - a small village in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Six children first reported the apparition in June 1981, and although the Vatican has not yet recognised the miracle, it has not discouraged the faithful. The village is the fastest-growing Catholic pilgrimage site in the world.

Neptune nears end of first orbit since discovery

The planet Neptune is nearing the end of its first complete orbit since it was discovered in 1846.

Neptune was first discovered when observations of Uranus placed the orbit outside the path predicted by astronomers, it was then that the presence of another planet was predicted and the astronomer Johann Galle first observed it through a telescope.

The planet Neptune was in opposition — when the sun, Earth, and a planet fell in a straight line on Aug. 20. The planet will be exactly opposite the sun in the sky, being highest in the sky at local midnight. Usually this is also the point where the planet is closest to the Earth.

'Terror bird' was prize fighter

'Terror bird' was prize fighter

Posted on Friday, 20 August, 2010 | 3 comments

These giant, flightless birds that roamed South America 50 million years ago would have been fearsome predators.

New research has unveiled the facts behind the terror birds' huge and powerful beaks that would have been capable of delivering a deadly blow to their victims.

They are popularly called "terror birds", and with good reason. The giant, flightless beasts that roamed South America for more than 50 million years following the demise of the dinosaurs were fearsome predators.

Is The Dramatic Increase In Volcano Eruptions Happening Because We Are Getting Closer To 2012?

All of a sudden, volcanoes all over the globe have been violently erupting. In fact, some volcanoes that have been dormant for generations have been springing to life. So what are we to make of all this? The truth is that nobody knows for certain why so many volcanoes are suddenly so active. Could the dramatic increase in volcano eruptions be happening because we are getting closer to 2012? It is very hard to say. The truth is that what is going to happen in 2012 is one of the greatest unexplained mysteries of the world. Fortunately, we only have a couple years to wait until we find out what 2012 is going to hold for us. Meanwhile, those who are projecting massive earth changes in the year 2012 are pointing to these volcano eruptions as indications that we had better get prepared. Many believe that as we pass through the galactic plane in 2012 that we will see earth changes that are absolutely unprecedented. There are even many that believe that the earth will experience a catastrophic pole shift in the year 2012.

Others point to the dramatic increase in volcano eruptions and earthquakes as a sign that Bible prophecy is being fulfilled. In Matthew 24:7-8, it tells us this about the last days....

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."

Well, the truth is that whatever you believe there is no denying that the level of volcanic activity that we are experiencing right now is absolutely stunning....

*The eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano made headlines all over the globe, and it caused cancellations of thousands of flights in Europe because of the giant ash cloud that it produced.

*Scientists are warning that a second, much larger volcano in Iceland named Katla is showing signs that it may be about to erupt.

*A volcano known as Tungurahua (The "Throat of Fire") came to life last Friday morning, 130 kilometres southeast of Ecuador's capital, Quito, and exploded continuously through the night.

*Guatemala's Pacaya volcano, 50 kilometres south of Guatemala City, began erupting on Thursday afternoon.

*U.S. officials said on Monday that the rapid eruption of an underwater volcano in the Pacific Ocean has exhaled a steam and ash cloud in the air and left a trail of debris on the surface of the water near Sarigan Island in the Northern Mariana Islands.

*Costa Rica's Arenal volcano erupted recently, spewing geysers of lava, ash and toxic gases from its crater and forcing the evacuation of the national park where it is located.

*But it just isn't volcano eruptions that are increasing. We all know about the horrific earthquakes that happened in Haiti and Chile, and it is being reported that earthquakes are up 151 percent in 2010.

The reality is that we are seeing earth changes that are absolutely unprecedented in our lifetimes.

As we get closer to 2012 will these earth changes become even more dramatic?

Hopefully that is not the case, but there is no denying that the earth is starting to tremble.

So let us hope for the best and prepare for the worst. If all of this shaking keeps happening we could be headed into some very interesting times indeed.