New cloud formation discovery may lessen warming forecast

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new discovery about how clouds form may scale back some of the more dire predictions about temperature increases caused by man-made global warming. That's because it implies that a key assumption for making such predictions is a bit off. "What this will do is slightly reduce and sharpen the projections for temperature during the 21st century," said researcher Jasper Kirkby. Nonetheless, he added, "We are definitely warming the planet." Kirkby works at the European Center for Nuclear Research, or CERN, near Geneva. He is the lead author of one of three studies on the topic released Wednesday by the journals Nature and Science. Essentially, the work reveals a previously unknown natural process that in a complex way creates atmospheric particles around which clouds form. The most common source of particles is air pollution, usually sulfuric acid from the burning of fossil fuels. There are also natural sources, but they have been considered far less important for cloud formation. The new work shows that a combination of cosmic rays from space and gases emitted by trees also creates particles, and then clouds, without man-made pollution. The scientists witnessed this in a cloud simulation chamber and from a Swiss mountaintop observatory more than two miles high (3.5 kilometers). "This process is only effective in pristine environments and there are very, very few pristine environments left on Earth," Kirkby said. Nowadays, the process is overwhelmed by pollution particles. To a layman, the significance of this for predictions of global warming may appear a bit, um, cloudy. But here's how it works: The computer models used to make those predictions require making assumptions about what conditions were like before industrialization, when the widespread burning of coal, oil and gas began pumping greenhouse gases into the air. Clouds are an important factor in this because they cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight back to space. Nobody knows just how cloudy skies were in the old days. Scientists have figured there were far fewer clouds than now, Kirkby said. But the discovery of a new natural route to cloud formation suggests that cloud cover was in fact greater than scientists had assumed. If so, the way these simulations work, it would mean that greenhouse gases haven't been quite as potent in producing warming so far as scientists thought. So, ton for ton, they may not be quite as potent in producing future warming either. Kirkby said it's too soon to tell how much less warming the new study implies. Other recent studies found flaws in climate forecasts because of uncertainty about clouds that would increase, not decrease, possible warming in the future. A better understanding of clouds is good, but much more work is needed before scientists dial down warming estimates for the future, said Yale scientist Trude Storelvmo and NASA climate scientist Kate Marvel, who didn't participate in the new work.

Kurdish rebel car bombing kills 3: Turkish official

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish official says a car bombing by Kurdish rebels against a gendarmerie station near the Syrian border has killed three people. The official said the attack in the town of Midyat, in Mardin province, killed two government-employed village guards and a junior officer. The station chief was seriously wounded. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. A cease-fire between the sides collapsed last summer leading to a surge of violence, including PKK bomb attacks against police and military personnel and large-scale military operations to flush out the rebels. Turkish warplanes regularly raid PKK bases in northern Iraq.

Little-known extremist cleric chosen to lead Afghan Taliban

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A little-known extremist cleric was chosen Wednesday to be the new leader of the Afghan Taliban, just days after a U.S. drone strike killed his predecessor. But within hours of the Taliban's announcement that the group's council of leaders had unanimously selected Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, opposition to him emerged — a sign that rifts within the insurgency could widen and possibly drive the Taliban further from peace talks with the government of Afghanistan. The Taliban called on all Muslims to support Akhundzada as a matter of religious obligation and declared three days of official mourning for Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour, who was slain Saturday by a U.S. drone in Pakistan. The announcement came as a suicide bomber struck a minibus carrying court employees in Kabul, killing at least 11 people, an official said. The Taliban promptly claimed responsibility for the attack. Afghan government officials took the opportunity of Akhundzada's ascension to again offer direct negotiations aimed at ending the Taliban's 15-year insurgency. Both Kabul and Washington considered Mansour to be an obstacle to the peace process. The office of President Ashraf Ghani said the latest developments brought the Taliban "yet another opportunity to end and renounce violence, lay down their arms, and resume a normal and peaceful life." Deputy presidential spokesman Zafar Hashemi said if the Taliban decide against joining the peace process, "they will face the fate of their leadership." Hours after the Taliban's statement on their new leader was made to the media, the head of a main dissident faction that broke away last year to protest Mansour's elevation said the group would not accept Akhundzada either. The breakaway faction, led by Mullah Mohammad Rasool, did not appear to object so much to Akhundzada as to the closed and undemocratic manner of the selection process by the council, which is believed to have met in Pakistan. Rasool's splinter group is based in western Afghanistan near the border with Iran, and has fought fierce battles in the south with Mansour loyalists. Rasool's deputy, Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, said the faction would not accept Akhundzada's leadership for the same reason they rejected Mansour: He was elected by a small clique of Pakistan-based insiders with little input from the rank-and-file or field commanders in Afghanistan. "For us, the issue with Mullah Akhtar Mansour and this Haibatullah is the same," Niazi said. "We were not against Mullah Akhtar Mansour but the way he was selected, and yet again they sit together and choose one another. ... We will not accept him as a new leader until and unless all religious scholars and tribal elders sit together and appoint a new leader." Akhundzada, believed to be in his 50s, is a religious scholar who was the Taliban's chief justice before his appointment as a deputy to Mansour. He is known for public statements justifying the Taliban's extremist tactics and their war against the Afghan government. His views are regarded as hawkish, and he is expected to continue the aggressive style of Mansour, who refused offers to negotiate with the Kabul government and launched a series of bold attacks during his brief and divisive rule. Akhundzada is regarded as a convincing orator and was close to Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, who consulted with him on religious matters. A member of the Noorzai tribe, Akhundzada comes from a line of religious scholars and heads a string of madrassas, or religious schools, across Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province. Pakistani authorities have long been accused by both Kabul and Washington of giving shelter and support to some Taliban leaders — an accusation that Islamabad denies. The insurgents have been fighting to overthrow the Kabul government since 2001, when their own Islamic regime was removed by the U.S. invasion. Mansour officially became leader of the Taliban last summer, when the 2013 death of Mullah Omar was revealed, but he is believed to have run the movement in Mullah Omar's name. The revelation of Mansour's apparent deception led to widespread mistrust among senior Taliban commanders, with several factions breaking away and fighting Mansour loyalists in Afghanistan's poppy-growing southern Taliban heartland. Senior Taliban figures had hoped Mansour's death and Akhundzada's ascension could help heal some of those rifts. A former foreign minister under the Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Ghous, told The Associated Press that Akhundzada was well-respected inside the movement and choosing him as leader was "a very wise decision." The Taliban statement also said two new deputies to Akhundzada have been appointed — both of whom had earlier been considered to be among the main contenders for the top job. One of them is Sirajuddin Haqqani, who was also one of Mansour's deputies and who leads the notorious Haqqani network — the faction behind some of the most ferocious attacks in Afghanistan since 2001. The other is the son of Mullah Omar, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoub, who controls the Taliban military commissions for 15 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. Akhundzada's appointment came as a surprise to some, including Ghous, who said that despite not being a top contender but a "third candidate," the new leader would rise above any personal animosity or conflict that might have arisen had either Haqqani or Yaqoub been chosen.

SA coach Domingo backs 'champion' Steyn to get back to best

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa coach Russell Domingo called Dale Steyn a "champion" bowler on Wednesday and backed the pacer to return to top form. Domingo was speaking as South Africa's squad prepared to depart for a triangular limited-overs series in the Caribbean without their No. 1 quick bowler. Steyn struggled with a series of injuries over the last 12 months and was rested for the tour by South Africa. Instead, he will get some match practice with Twenty20 stints for Glamorgan and in the Caribbean Premier League. Steyn's fitness struggles raised concerns last season in South Africa that, at 32, he might be approaching the end of his career. He'll turn 33 next month. "Dale Steyn is a champion bowler, he just hasn't played too much recently," Domingo said. "Often with players like Dale, when you write them off, that's when they become the most dangerous." Steyn's latest injury, a right shoulder problem, forced him to miss most of the home test series loss to England at the start of the year. He played only two games in the World Twenty20, when he appeared to be missing his usual menace and hadn't fully recovered from the injury to his bowling arm. South Africa's decision to rest Steyn for the triangular series against West Indies and Australia is part of a plan to keep him fresh for the upcoming test season. South Africa hosts New Zealand in August and then tours Australia for three tests in November. Steyn has 406 test wickets and is closing in on Shaun Pollock's South African record of 421. He could pass the mark this season. South Africa also has a new fast-bowling star to fall back on. Domingo said there would now be a temptation to play 21-year-old speedster Kagiso Rabada in every game and every series the Proteas play. "We need to be very careful about that," Domingo said. The coach also had an interesting take on the importance of being the top-ranked test team after South Africa was knocked off No. 1 with that defeat to England. "When you're number one, it's important. When you're not, it's not," Domingo said. South Africa won't have Steyn in the Caribbean but will have captain AB de Villiers following some sensational batting performances in the IPL. De Villiers is expected to join the South African squad after Sunday's IPL final and before the Proteas' first game against West Indies in Guyana next Friday.

Church slaying families accept pursuit of death penalty

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Several family members of the nine people gunned down at a historic black church in Charleston say they support decisions by state and federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for the man charged in the slayings. Steve Hurd, whose wife, Cynthia, was among those killed June 17 during Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal, said he won't be at peace until Dylann Roof is put to death. "What would give me full closure would be if I were the one who pushed the plunger on the lethal injection, or if I were the one to pull the switch on the electric chair or if I was the one to open the valve on the gas chamber," he told The Associated Press on Wednesday. When "Roof's body is cold, sleeping in the ground — that's closure." Roof, 22, faces nine counts of murder in state court and hate crimes and other charges in federal court. The killings reignited discussions about race relations and led to the removal of a Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina Statehouse. Roof, who is white, had previously posed for photos with a rebel flag. This week, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced that federal prosecutors would seek the death penalty. South Carolina Solicitor Scarlett Wilson announced her decision in September. Roof's state trial is scheduled for next year. No date has been set for his federal trial. When Roof faced a judge last summer, family members of the victims told him they forgave him for his alleged crimes. Their expressions of grace and sympathy, in the face of their own monumental pain, moved many. "As we said in Bible Study, we enjoyed you," said Felicia Sanders, whose son Tywanza was killed. "But may God have mercy on your soul." In a statement released through Roof's lawyer at the time, his family said they had been "touched by the moving words ... offering God's forgiveness and love in the face of such horrible suffering." Both state and federal prosecutors have spent time consulting with relatives of the shooting victims over the pursuit of the death penalty, and Roof's federal attorneys have said their client would be willing to plead guilty if the maximum punishment weren't on the table. Due in part to problems in obtaining lethal injection drugs, no one has been executed in South Carolina since 2011. The federal government hasn't put anyone to death since 2003. "There is no room in our society for hatred and racism," Hurd's brother Malcolm Graham said. "I support the attorney general's decision to seek the death penalty. I believe he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." On Wednesday, a portrait was set to unveiled in the South Carolina Senate to remember Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor at Emanuel who was killed in the attack. Pinckney had been a state senator since 2001.

Paris auction house defends divisive sale of tribal items

PARIS (AP) — A Paris auction house has defended its practices as within the law after Native American leaders in Washington protested its latest plan to sell off part of their tribal history, getting bi-partisan support. Hundreds of religious tribal items and art objects are going up for bidding Monday at EVE auction house, including sacred Hopi objects that resemble masks and are considered to be living beings by the tribe. EVE director Alain Leroy told The Associated Press on Wednesday that "all the items proposed are of legal trade" and that "the public auction process allows the different tribes to acquire their past, and that is exactly what some tribes prefer to do, seeking efficiency and discretion." U.S. laws prohibiting the sale of Native American ceremonial items hold no weight in France.

Hacker who exposed Hillary Clinton's email server pleads guilty

WASHINGTON, May 25 (Reuters) - A Romanian computer hacker who revealed the existence of a private email server used by Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state pleaded guilty to hacking-related offenses on Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department said. Marcel Lazar, who used the alias "Guccifer," entered his guilty plea before Judge James Cacheris in U.S. District Court, Alexandria, Virginia, the department said in a statement. Sentencing was set for Sept. 1. In recent media interviews, Lazar claimed he had easily hacked into Clinton's controversial private email server. But the Justice Department statement did not confirm this claim, and a law enforcement official said investigators did not find evidence to support the claim.

Giant Chile telescope moves ahead with signing of construction contract

SANTIAGO, May 25 (Reuters): An Italian consortium that includes Astaldi Spa, Cimolai and subcontractor EIE secured a 400 million euro ($450 million) contract to design, manufacture and assemble the telescope and its protective dome, said the ESO, which is funding the project. The instrument, dubbed the European Extremely Large Telescope, will cost 1.1 billion euros to get up and running, Roberto Tamai told reporters on a conference call. With a main mirror 39 meters (128 ft) in diameter, it will be the largest optical/near-infrared telescope in the world, providing images around 15 times sharper than those of the Hubble space telescope, the ESO said. Ground and road preparation is already complete for the E-ELT, which will be situated on a remote mountain top in Chile's Atacama Desert, the site of numerous telescopes, many attracted by the Atacama's clear skies. Part of an expected next generation of massive telescopes, it should, when complete, be sensitive enough to detect Earth-sized planets orbiting distant systems and even their atmospheres - which could reveal whether they contain essential life biomarkers such as oxygen. It will also help astronomers answer questions such as when the first galaxies formed and how fast the universe is expanding. Although the main construction and operations are now fully funded, some of the later performance enhancements to the telescope will require further funding that has yet to be secured because of delays over the expected membership of Brazil.

Russian banker accused by U.S. of spy role gets 2-1/2 years prison

NEW YORK, May 25 (Reuters) - A Russian banker whom U.S. prosecutors say was involved with a Cold War-era spy ring operating in New York City that sought to collect economic and other intelligence was sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison on Wednesday. Evgeny Buryakov, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan after pleading guilty in March to having conspired to act improperly as an agent for the Russian government. Buryakov had worked at Russian state-owned Vnesheconombank. He was arrested in January 2015 as U.S. authorities unveiled charges against him and two other Russians, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy.

Two board members of Vatican bank quit after management dispute

VATICAN CITY, May 25 (Reuters) - Two board members of the Vatican bank have quit following a disagreement over how the institute should be run, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Wednesday. The resignation of the two highly experienced bankers, Italian Carlo Salvatori and German Clemens Boersig, raises questions about efforts to modernise the scandal-plagued bank, which is called the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR). Reforming the IOR has been one of the most sensitive issues tackled by Pope Francis as he has sought to overhaul the complex, opaque Vatican administration, and the Church played down the abrupt departure of the two board members. "This reflects a divergence of opinion over the management of the institute, but that is normal. It is an unusual place," said Lombardi, without giving further details. Salvatori and Boersig were not immediately available for comment. However, a source with knowledge of the workings of IOR, who declined to be named, said there was frustration at the slow pace of change within the organisation over the past two years. The two bankers were part of a six-strong lay board that was appointed in 2014, the year after Pope Francis was elected with a mandate to make the Vatican administration transparent. The board members had a five-year mandate and were tasked with defining a new strategy for the bank, which had been accused of helping its clients to launder money and evade taxes. "The two board members made a competent and qualified contribution in this important phase for the stability and integrity of the Institute," a brief Vatican statement said. Earlier this month, IOR Chairman Jean-Baptiste de Franssu said a drive to tighten financial governance had made it "impossible to launder money" at the bank. Before joining the IOR board, Salvatori had held numerous high-rank positions in the Italian banking industry, including as CEO of Banca Intesa and chairman of Unicredit. Boersig was a former chairman of Deutsche Bank.

Former Canadian PM Harper to leave politics, reports say

OTTAWA, May 25 (Reuters) - Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will leave politics later this year, possibly to join U.S. private equity firm KKR, according to domestic media reports. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported that Harper, who was Canada's prime minister for nearly 10 years, has had offers of work from several U.S. companies, including KKR. Harper stepped down as leader of the Conservatives last October after the party was defeated by the Liberals, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Harper was re-elected as a member of parliament for a riding in Calgary, but will resign his seat before parliament comes back from its summer break in the fall, according to media reports. KKR declined to comment. Harper did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Globe and Mail newspaper, which first reported that Harper would step down, said he was also looking at establishing a foreign policy institute.

AFD leader Frauke Petry under investigation for perjury

BERLIN, May 25 (Reuters) - Frauke Petry, leader of the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD), is under investigation over accusations of perjury, the public prosecutor's office in Dresden said. Petry, her party buoyed by the arrival of more than one million mostly Muslim migrants in Germany last year, is accused of lying under oath to the state electoral committee in Saxony at the end of 2015 over party financing. Petry and fellow AfD member Carsten Huetter reportedly gave differing accounts of Petry's knowledge of donations which the AfD demanded of its candidates in advance of state elections in 2014, according to André Schollbach, a Left Party politician who has filed a report against the AfD leader. Petry denies the accusations, but has welcomed the investigation, which she hopes will show the weakness of the claims and "end media speculation", her spokesman Markus Frohnmaier said. The party has no lawmakers in the federal parliament in Berlin but has members in half of Germany's 16 regional state assemblies and threatens to erode support for Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling conservatives. AfD party deputy Alexander Gauland said the investigation should have no impact on Petry as long as no charges are brought against her.

AC Milan Striker M'baye Niang Suffers Car Accident

AC Milan striker M'baye Niang was involved in a car accident on Saturday night, but claimed Monday it was a minor incident in which he had been merely a passenger, reports AFP.

Earlier that evening he had helped Milan beat Torino 1-0 at home in lashing and relentless rain.

"I and my driver are both in good health. The car was aquaplaning, there was more fear than harm. Ready for the rest of the season with Milan, Forza Milan," the Frenchman, who does not have a driving licence, wrote on Twitter.

Previously, Sky Sport had reported that he would be out for two months with ankle and shoulder injuries, and that he had taken a breathalyser test, which proved negative.

In February 2014, when he was with Montpellier, Niang was given an 18 month suspended sentence for a road accident involving a Ferrari.

The player had fled and denied the charges, before spending four days in custody. The court cancelled his driving licence and banned him from the roads for three years.

The 21-year-old has had a breakthrough few months at the San Siro and has scored eight goals and provided five assists in 20 games in all competitions this season.