BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- Two Hungarians and a Ukrainian arrested in an attempted sale of uranium were peddling material believed to be from the former Soviet Union, and it was enriched enough to be used in a radiological "dirty bomb," police said Thursday.
The three, who were arrested Wednesday in eastern Slovakia and Hungary, were trying to sell about a pound of uranium in powder form, said First Police Vice President Michal Kopcik.
"It was possible to use it in various ways for terrorist attacks," Kopcik said.
Investigators were still working to determine who ultimately was trying to buy the uranium, which the three allegedly was selling for US$1 million.
He said police had intelligence suggesting that the suspects -- whose names were not released -- originally had planned to close the deal sometime between Monday and Wednesday. Police moved in when the sale did not occur as expected, he said.
One of the Hungarians had been living in Ukraine.
Kopcik said three other suspects -- including a Slovak national identified only as Eugen K. -- were detained in the neighboring Czech Republic in mid-October for allegedly trying to sell fake radioactive materials. It was unclear to what degree, if any, ...   more »

European Space Agency provesArticle from: Font size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print
VENUS is looking a bit more Earth-like with frequent bursts of lightning confirmed.
For nearly three decades, since a 1978 NASA probe showed signs of electrical activity, astronomers have said Venus probably had lightning.
However experts weren't sure because of signal interference.
Now, a magnetic antenna on the European Space Agency's Venus Express probe has proved the lightning was real.
It is cloud-to-cloud and about 55km above the surface, said University of California professor C.T. Russell, lead author of a paper to be published in today's Nature journal.
Bursts of electrical energy from lightning are something scientists have long theorised could provide the spark of life in primordial ooze . . . but not on Venus.
"If life was ever something serious to talk about on Venus, it would be early in its history, not in its current state," Sean Solomon of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, who was not involved in this research, said.
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