There was joy and surprise in Argentina at the news of the pope’s election. Worshipers waiting patiently outside Buenos Aires Cathedral on the central Plaza de Mayo cheered and thundered with applause and cars honked their horns outside. And the cathedral bells immediately started tolling in celebration.
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The European Parliament has demanded further negotiations on the EU’s long-term budget which was painstakingly negotiated by EU leaders. The MEPs said the budget was not acceptable in its current form. Bethany Bell reports.
The battle over the EU’s long-term budget continues. In February after lengthy and difficult negotiations, national leaders agreed to a 3.3% cut. Countries like Britain want their EU contributions to fall in line with national austerity cuts. But other countries want to protect EU spending arguing that it will help re-launch growth. Now a resolution backed by the main parties in the EU Parliament has demanded further negotiations on the multi-year budget, although it doesn’t explicitly reject the 3% cut.
The world’s biggest radio telescope has been inaugurated in Chile on a mountain high above the Atacama Desert. The Alma project, which consists of 66 huge antennae, is expected to provide unprecedented information that may help us understand the origins of the universe. Andreas Lundgren, a Swedish astronomer who works on the project, explained what advantages this radio telescope has over traditional optical telescopes.