Fort Hood gunman rests case in penalty phase
FORT HOOD, Texas – The Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood decided not to call witnesses or testify Tuesday during his trial’s penalty phase, which is his last chance to plead for his life before the jury begins deliberating whether to sentence him to death.
Maj. Nidal Hasan rested his case without submitting any evidence to counter the emotional testimony from victims’ relatives, who prosecutors hope convince jurors to hand down a rare military death sentence. The same jury convicted Hasan last week for the attack, which also wounded more than 30 people at the Texas military base.
Experts say Yosemite was primed for fire
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Unnaturally long intervals between wildfires and years of drought primed the Sierra Nevada for the explosive conflagration chewing up the rugged landscape on the edge of Yosemite National Park, forestry experts say.
The fire had ravaged 282 square miles by Tuesday, the biggest in the Sierra’s recorded history and one of the largest on record in California.
Containment increased to 20 percent but some 4,500 structures remained threatened and firefighters were making stands at Tuolumne City and other mountain communities.
The blaze was just 40 acres when it was discovered near a road in Stanislaus National Forest on Aug. 17, but firefighters had no chance of stopping it in the early days.
Fueled by thick forest floor vegetation in steep river canyons, it exploded to 10,000 acres 36 hours later, then to 54,000 acres and 105,620 acres.
New chemical element confirmed by scientists
BERLIN – Scientists in Sweden say they have confirmed the existence of a new chemical element, but its name may need some work.
Researchers at Lund University said Tuesday their find backs up claims by teams in Russia and the United States a decade ago that had remained unverified until now.
The Swedish scientists say they conducted experiments which allowed them to detect the “fingerprint” of the short-lived but super-heavy element that’s been dubbed ununpentium.
The name, which refers to the element’s 115th place in the periodic table, is only provisional.
The element will likely get a new name if the discovery is formally approved.
Associated Press
