By SARAH ANDREWS, Associated Press Writer
BARCELONA, Spain - Europe's fastest supercomputer — an IBM that can make 40 trillion calculations per second — booted up for the first time Tuesday at a research center in Barcelona.
The so-called MareNostrum computer boasts 40 teraflops of speed, which in layman's terms means it can make more calculations than a human pecking at a calculator could make in 10 million years.

Vatican City, Vatican City, Apr. 12 (UPI) -- Several contenders to
succeed the late Pope John Paul II have staked out distinctive positions
on how the Vatican should relate to Islam.

Vatican watchers predict next week's conclave to elect a new pope will
turn in significant measure on what the 115 cardinals participating in
the conclave think should be the church's position on Islam, the New
York Times said Tuesday.

The late pontiff's approach was conciliatory, insisting on dialogue,
even after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20050412-094123-7161r.htm

Monday, April 11, 2005 8:27 p.m. EDT

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suggested the Jewish state is in
crisis and appears to be on the "eve of a civil war" as his goverment
moves to remove 8,000 Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip.

In his most ominous comments about the level of tension in his country
as it seeks to end Jewish settlements in the Gaza strip later this
summer, Sharon said his government's decision is meeting angry resistance.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Sharon – in Crawford, Texas
Monday for talks with President Bush – told correspondent David Gregory
point-blank he expects settlers to rebel "before and during" the
withdrawal. "One should not underestimate the tension here, the
atmosphere here. It looks like on the eve of a civil war," Sharon said.

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