■ Brazil
Ancient observatory found
Archaeologists discovered a pre-colonial astrological observatory possibly 2,000 years old in the Amazon basin near French Guiana said a report published on Friday. "Only a society with a complex culture could have built such a monument," archaeologist Mariana Petry Cabral of Amapa Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, told O'Globo newspaper. The observatory was built of 127 blocks of granite each 3m high and regularly placed in circles in an open field, she said. Cabral said the site resembles a temple which could have been used as an observatory, because the blocks are positioned to mark the winter solstice. The discovery is in Calcoene, 390km from Amapa State's capital Macapa.
■ United States
Bush's new man sorry
Conservative ex-journalist Tony Snow conceded on Friday that his first outing as President George W. Bush's new spokesman was "just a mess," as he apologized for a bumpy first day on the job. An effort to foster bonhomie with reporters badly misfired when he chose to hold his first press chat in his pleasant, but far-too-small White House office. The choice of venue found a couple dozen reporters crammed uncomfortably into the room while a couple dozen others cooled their heels out in the hall. "I didn't realize it would be so highly attended," Snow said apologetically, asking for "a little forbearance" on day one of his new job.
■ United States
Shuttle prepares for July
Nine months after its troubled last flight, shuttle Discovery was hauled out of its hangar on Friday and taken to the Kennedy Space Center's assembly building for final preparations before moving to the launch pad. NASA is aiming to launch Discovery in July and end a three-year, US$1.5 billion effort to resume regular shuttle service to the half-built International Space Station. "I'm ecstatic," said vehicle manager Stephanie Stilson. "This is what the team looks forward to." Rollout to the launch pad is targeted for May 19. Final flight clearance, however, is pending the results of wind tunnel tests that NASA hopes will prove the revamped fuel tank is safe to fly.
■ Canada
Kyoto changes needed
The government is willing to comply with its Kyoto Protocol commitments only if its emissions targets are lowered in phase two of the international climate change accord, beyond 2012, Ottawa said on Friday. In two submissions to the UN climate change body ahead of an international conference next week, the government called for longer deadlines, voluntary targets and exceptions for its resource-based economy. Last year, Canada was flagged in a UN report as high on a list of nations most likely to run into difficulty implementing Kyoto Protocol commitments.
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