NASA releases complete image of Pluto's crescent

On Thursday, NASA released the first complete picture of Pluto's crescent from the New Horizons probe. The probe captured the image with its Multi-spectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) on July 14, fifteen minutes after closest approach to the planet.

After nine years' journey, New Horizons made closest approach to Pluto on July 14 and released the first coloured photo of the dwarf planet's atmospheric haze on October 8. An incomplete crescent photo of Pluto was released in September.

The photo shows different layers of the haze of Pluto's faint atmosphere with Sputnik Planum, an icy plain, visible on the right side and uneven plateaus on the dark left side.

Charon's Craters[edit]

Scientists also announced their discovery that 5km wide Organa crater on Charon, the largest satellite of Pluto, absorbed large amount of radiation of wavelength 2.2µm in an infrared scan, evidence of frozen ammonia. A nearby crater, named Skywalker, of comparable size showed the presence of water ice.

Will Grundy from the New Horizons composition team said "Why are these two similar-looking and similar-sized craters, so near to each other, so compositionally distinct?" He also proposed various ideas about the abundance of ammonia. The impact creating the crater could be more recent, or may have hit a subsurface ammonia pocket, or brought ammonia with it.

Studies in 2000 revealed that Charon has ammonia, but its concentration in the Organa crater was extraordinarily high.

Bill McKinnon, New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging deputy lead, called it "a fantastic discovery". He further said "Concentrated ammonia is a powerful antifreeze on icy worlds, and if the ammonia really is from Charon’s interior, it could help explain the formation of Charon's surface by cryovolcanism, via the eruption of cold, ammonia-water magmas."

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Crescent Pluto.
Image: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI.

Organa crater.
Image: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI.

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Romanian nightclub fire kills over two dozen

Officials said at least 27 people are dead and 155 injured after pyrotechnic effects used at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, Romania reportedly malfunctioned yesterday, sparking a fire.

File photo of pyrotechnic effects
Image: Toggy.

The club was hosting an album launch party which attracted hundreds of attendees at the time of the fire. As of this morning, some people thought to be attending the nightclub were still unaccounted for.

A witness told local media that pyrotechnics used in the club ignited nearby objects. The Facebook page for the album launch event said "customized light show and pyrotechnic effects" were to be used at the scene.

A crush occurred as people flocked to exits in an attempt to flee from the nightclub. A witness interviewed by Reuters said "there was a stampede of people running out of the club."

On the Facebook page for the album launch event, users who believed people they knew may have been attending the event posted questions asking about where their friends or family members were. Many victims of the fire did not carry any form of identification with them. The Government has set up a hotline for those whose friends or family members are believed to have been at the club.

President of Romania Klaus Iohannis said on Facebook he was "shocked and deeply saddened"^((ro)) by the incident.

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Scottish Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey 'critically ill' says Royal Free Hospital

The Royal Free Hospital in London yesterday said a nurse suffering with complications after Ebola, Pauline Cafferkey, is "critically ill" after her condition deteriorated. Cafferkey, 39, was readmitted to an isolation unit at the Royal Free on the night of October 8𔃇 where she had spent time earlier in the year after contracting Ebola in Sierra Leone whilst treating patients with the infection.

The hospital said in a statement: "We are sad to announce that Pauline Cafferkey's condition has deteriorated and she is now critically ill. She is being treated for Ebola in the high level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital."

Royal Free Hospital, London; from file.
Image: User:Ryan4314.

Cafferkey visited an out of hours GP clinic on October 5 where her symptoms were not linked to Ebola, before deciding to go to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on October 6 where she was treated at the hospital's infectious diseases unit. Two days later, she was flown by plane to the Royal Free. She is the only person known to suffer with Ebola in this way for a second time, which can remain in the body after an initial recovery.

Jonathan Ball of the University of Nottingham said he'd heard of nothing like this. "I am not aware from the scientific literature of a case where Ebola has been associated with what we can only assume as life-threatening complications after someone has initially recovered, and certainly not so many months after."

Pauline's sister Toni Cafferkey was critical of the wrong diagnosis, telling the Sunday Mail newspaper, "At that point me and my family believe they missed a big opportunity to give the right diagnosis and we feel she was let down. Instead of being taken into hospital, she spent the whole of Tuesday very ill".

A spokesperson for NHS Glasgow and Clyde said Pauline Cafferkey did receive a diagnosis from an out of hours clinic and said: "Her management and the clinical decisions taken based on the symptoms she was displaying at the time were entirely appropriate. All appropriate infection control procedures were carried out as part of this episode of care."

Experts say they do not believe the infection recurring within Pauline Cafferkey is contagious despite monitoring 58 people she has been in contact with. This is said to be a precaution as Ebola can only be spread through body fluids and the infection is not creating the same symptoms associated with a one-off diagnosis of Ebola.

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Civilian deaths as U.S. bombs hospital in Afghanistan

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 

Kunduz province in Afghanistan.
Image: User:TUBS.

The location of the hospital in Kunduz.
Image: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Twenty two civilians, including three children, died, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported, on Saturday after a United States airstrike hit a hospital in the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. Amongst the fatalities were twelve charity staff working for MSF. MSF said there were about two hundred people in the building.

	Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body.
—Médecins Sans Frontières

	The strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility.
—United States military

A statement was issued on the MSF website criticising the attack and stating "Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body." The US military released a statement saying they had struck "against individuals threatening the force" and "The strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility." The US Government announced there would be three separate investigations, carried out by the Afghan forces, the US military, and NATO. The Afghan interior ministry claimed there had been a Taliban presence in the hospital although this was denied by the insurgent organization.

The attack was also condemned by the International Committee of the Red Cross, whilst the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, described the strike as "inexcusable" and called for a full investigation.

On September 28, the Taliban launched an assault on Kunduz. The US has been carrying out air strikes to support Afghan government forces attempting to recover the city. MSF said it had often provided the Afghan and US governments with details of the location of the hospital, particularly on September 29. The Taliban had unsuccessfully tried to capture Kunduz in April this year, but they were pushed back by government forces.

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Major haemorrhage linked to alcoholism announced as cause of Charles Kennedy's death

Charles Kennedy, former UK Liberal Democrats leader, died of a major haemorrhage linked to his alcohol addiction, his family announced in a statement yesterday. Kennedy, a Scottish former Member of Parliament, died unexpectedly on Monday at the age of 55.

His family said in the statement, "Charles's death was caused by a major haemorrhage and the report makes clear this was a consequence of his battle with alcoholism. We are grateful to the many friends and also medical experts who sought to help down the years but ultimately this was an illness Charles could not conquer despite all the efforts he and others made."

They also spoke of the tributes that had been paid to the politician saying "It has become all too apparent to us how much Charles meant to so many people and how many lives he touched. We were grateful that his young son Donald was able to attend the Commons session where so many MPs spoke so warmly about his father. The words and images of that day, and of so many other tributes, will be there for us to look back on with pride in Charles, and Donald will always know what a special father he had."

On Wednesday, Members of Parliament from various political parties paid tribute to Kennedy. His ex-wife Sarah and 10-year-old son were in attendance to hear the tributes.

Despite a successful tenure as leader of the Liberal Democrats, Kennedy had to resign in 2006 as party leader due to his alcoholism. He was a Member of Parliament for 32 years until he lost his seat in last month's General Election.

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Beau Biden, son of US vice president, dies at 46

US Vice President Joe Biden's son Beau died of brain cancer on Saturday. He was 46.

File photo of Beau Biden, 2013.
Image: Doug Gansler.

After being diagnosed less than two years ago, Beau underwent treatment and was considered recovered, but was recently admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland due to return of the cancer.

Biden released a statement through the White House. Noting the family was with Beau when he died, he said, "It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life."

President Barack Obama and the first lady Michelle Obama cancelled a scheduled White House reception to visit the Biden family and give their condolences.

The Obamas released a statement not long after receiving the news that states, “Michelle and I are grieving. Beau Biden was a friend of ours. His beloved family [...] are friends of ours. And Joe and Jill Biden are as good as friends get."

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Kerry hospitalized after cycling accident

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had a cycling accident yesterday and as a result has broken his right leg. The accident happened near Scionzier, France; reportedly he may have hit a curb.

Official portrait of John Kerry, 2013.
Image: US Department of State.

Kerry was in Geneva on Saturday for talks with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Muhammad Javad Zarif, on the Iranian nuclear program. As a result of the accident Kerry has canceled his official trips, including an international conference on Islamic State (ISIS).

Kerry was taken to Geneva's HUG medical centre by helicopter and after an X-ray examination it was confirmed his right femur is fractured. John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, said "The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery".

Kerry is expected to receive further treatment in Boston by a doctor there who operated on him for a previous hip injury located, Kirby said, near the current injury.

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