EARTH

Nigeria plans to change the base year for its gross domestic product (GDP) to 2008 from 1990, a move that could lead to a huge jump in the estimated size of Africa's second biggest economy, the national statistics chief said on Thursday.

Gabon's oil union ONEP has re-launched talks with the government on a dispute over the use of expatriate labour, averting for now the threat of a strike in the sector.

A black asteroid as big as an aircraft carrier zoomed past Earth on Tuesday, delighting astronomers who trained telescopes on the ancient body in hopes of learning more about its composition and origin.

Asteroid 2005 YU55 is scheduled to make its closest approach to Earth today at 3:28 p.m. PST (6:28 p.m. EST/1128 UTC).

Kazakhstan plans to begin construction of a third gold refinery next year to process an expected increase in volumes of the precious metal, the country's Industry Ministry said on Monday.

A huge asteroid will pass closer to Earth than the moon on Tuesday, giving scientists a rare chance for study without having to go through the time and expense of launching a probe, officials said.

An asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier is heading toward Earth and will fly by it closer than the moon on Tuesday, providing a rare observing opportunity to scientists, NASA said.

Six men return from 520 days spent in isolation to simulate the psychological demands of a manned space mission to Mars.

The Iraq/Afghanistan Wars have been costly, but the United States' longer trend of spending too much on defense and not enough on public goods over two decades could end up costing the economy and the nation far more.

Asteroid 2005 YU55 is scheduled to skirt Earth on Nov. 8, giving astronomers an unparalleled opportunity to make observations about the space rock. Over four hundred yards across, the asteroid is large enough to cause damage on a regional scale if it were to make contact. Luckily, it will just miss Earth, whizzing past at the decidedly cozy distance of 201,700 miles - closer than our own Moon.

As international pressure mounts on Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to drop his bid to put the deal before the Greek people for a referendum vote, and instead immediately accept its terms as drafted, Greek-American New Yorkers are once again shocked at the intransigence of their home country's leadership.

An asteroid will come within 202,000 miles of earth on Nov. 8--closer than the moon.

The glamorous and easy-going Riviera resort of Cannes turns into a fortified camp this week as French police prepare for the arrival of world leaders for a G20 summit set to be hijacked by fears that a euro zone crisis relief plan is unraveling.

Some big Thai producers of electronic parts could have their flood-hit factories up and running again by the end of November, sooner than expected now that flooding in central provinces has stabilized, but the picture varies greatly across industry.

Nargis Yadav lies in the arms of her mother in a small rural clinic in north India - one of seven billionth babies born around the world on Monday.

Flood waters in Bangkok and across Thailand are finally receding, after months of what eventually became the worst flooding in the country in 50 years.

Beijing on Monday denied a U.S. commission's claim that China may have been responsible for hacking incidents on U.S. environment-monitoring satellites, saying that the committee had ulterior motives in writing such a draft report.

A court in Morocco has sentenced to death the man believed to be behind a deadly April bombing of a cafe in Marrakesh.

NASA's newest Earth-observing satellite soared into space Friday aboard a Delta II rocket after liftoff at 5:48 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California

Vancouver-based Argentex Mining Corp. said Friday that Argentina's new decree tax repatriation law will not affect the company in the near term.

Check a map, these places do exist!