News Bytes

Clinton Library releases UFO files
It is not often that US politicians are embarrassed by questions concerning the existence of UFOs. It did happen now during the US election campaign. Congressman Dennis Kucinich was asked about just that by a NBC moderator. Also the candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were present. Former politicians and security experts demand that the US government seriously look into the subject. One third of the US population believes in the existence of extraterrestrials. This week, the Clinton Library will allow a closer look at the archives on extraterrestrials and release files from Bill Clinton's time in office.

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Record: from NY to LA in 31 hours
Driving 4,790 kilometers (2,976 miles) in under 32 hours is a challenge even on the race track. It is virtually impossible on the highway from New York to Los Angeles. US rally race driver Alex Roy, however, made it - quite illegally within 31 hours and 4 minutes with an average 90 miles (145 kilometers) per hour. A man like Alex Roy has a lot of enemies - quite a lot indeed. At least 31,000, to be precise. That was the number of highway cops the 35-year old driver passed by when realized his own American dream last fall and broke the old Cannonball record. Every American with even the slightest passion for cars knows about the race from coast to coast named after the movie "The Cannonball Run." And most people know that the record for the enormous distance between New York and Los Angeles is 32 hours and seven minutes ever since 1983. "Was," as Roy would say now, and all those car enthusiasts will have to respectfully agree. Because he and his co-driver Dave Maher did what nobody thought was possible - they broke the record and drove the 2,976 miles in 31 hours and 4 minutes.

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Americans like Smart
In Silicon Valley, Smart invited to its presentation of the mini car that will be sold in the US starting 2008. More than 30,000 Americans have already pre-ordered the tiny car. "Big is out and small is in," as the US magazine "Business Week" wrote. In the US, the business magazine continues, the sales of small cars had recently gone up 70 percent. And even if the base level for that calculation was rather low, this is still a significant increase. And now right in the middle of this reorientation of the American car industry fueled by rising gas prices as well as the climate debate, Daimler introduces his concept of the subcompact Smart Fortwo. Introducing a new car brand on the American market is a difficult and expensive venture - not made easier by the fact that the only available model is 2.7 meter (8.8 feet) short and is run by a 1.0 liters 3-cylinder engine with 71 hp. Smart's global boss Anders Jensen, however, believes that the, at least for the US highly unusual car is the "right car at the right place at the right time."

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Prayers for rain have been answered
Sonny Perdue, Governor of Georgia, had called for public prayer after several months of drought, asking people to pray for rain. The prayer, apparently, were heard, because two days later, it started raining. Only 5 cm (two inches) of rain fell over a period of one day, however, not enough to raise the water level of the state's lakes. The day before, heavy rains had fallen in Tennessee, damaging houses and injuring nine people. The weather service has currently listed more than a quarter of the United States' eastern part under the highest drought category.