06 june 05 / Minor planet named after Indian student / Saddam to face only 12 charges /There's No Oil Deal With US, Says Kingdom

Minor planet named after Indian student

MUMBAI: In a rare honour, an Indian student will share the space in the galaxy with eminent scientists such as Einstein and Madam Curie, as the Linear Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S. has named a minor planet, 17095, after him.

The planet, discovered by MIT, has been named "Mahadik Planet" after Bhushan Mahadik, an alumni of Fr. Agnel Junior College at Navi Mumbai, Principal of the college Fr. S. Almeida told PTI here on Sunday.

Mahadik, now now pursuing undergraduate studies in Berkley, U.S. in recognition of his achievement as a finalist in 2003 in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held at Ohio, U.S., Fr. Almeida said.

Minor planets comprise material left over from formation of the solar system, most likely that never coalesced into a planet because of Jupiter's gravitational influence.

Ever since the first minor planet was discovered in 1801 and named "Ceres" after the Roman Goddess, about 20 per cent of the current minor planets have received a name.

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Saddam to face only 12 charges

Agencies

Baghdad: Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is likely to face just 12 charges when he is tried for crimes against humanity later in the year. A spokesman for the Iraqi government said there were more than 500 potential cases being brought against Saddam, but that there would be little point in pursuing them all. "There is no reason to waste time in dealing with them all," said government spokesman Leith Kubba. "We are completely confident that the 12 fully documented charges that have been brought against him are more than sufficient to ensure he receives the maximum sentence," Kubba told journalists. Saddam is accused of committing a string of crimes against humanity during over two decades in power. Charges include the 1988 chemical attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja, the forceful repression of the 1991 Shiite rebellion and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. --- There’s No Oil Deal With US, Says Kingdom P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News   JEDDAH, 6 June 2005 — Saudi Arabia has not signed any long-term agreement with Washington for supplying the United States with oil at fixed prices, according to Majed Al-Muneef, adviser to the minister of petroleum and mineral resources. Addressing a seminar organized by the Council of Saudi Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Riyadh, he said the reports about oil deals with the US were baseless. “Oil prices are fixed by companies mediating between producers and consumers,” he explained.