Free Republic

WASHINGTON — North Korea has told the United States that it possesses nuclear weapons, Bush administration sources said Thursday, according to published reports. Both the Associated Press and Reuters reported that Pyongyang made the admission during its talks in Beijing with the U.S. and China. A U.S. official told the Associated Press that North Korea (search) may conduct a test of its weapons, although there are no indications a test is imminent. He acknowledged that preparations for an underground test could be concealed. According to the official, a North Korean nuclear detonation would deplete by half their estimated stockpile of...

The unique atmospheric conditions following last year's terrorist attacks on the United States have helped Australian scientists solve a 50-year-old mystery: why bodies of water, like backyard swimming pools, are evaporating much more slowly than decades ago, despite global warming. In the aftermath of September11, more than 10,000 aircraft were suddenly grounded for three days. "It was like a big experiment you can't normally do," said Michael Roderick of the Australian National University and Co-operative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting. People across the US reportedly remarked at how clear the skies became. Dr Roderick and Professor Graham Farquhar used data...