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EU SATELLITES AIM TO CHALLENGE U.S.

 
Published Oct. 22, 2011

A Russian rocket launched the first two satellites of the European Union's Galileo navigation system Friday after years of delay in an ambitious bid to rival the ubiquitous American GPS network. Laurent Wauquiez, France's higher education minister and former deputy minister for European affairs, said Europe should not depend on a U.S. military-based GPS system. The EU wants Galileo to dominate the future with a system that is more precise and more reliable than GPS.

German satellite could hit today

German scientists said Friday that they expect pieces of a defunct satellite hurtling toward the atmosphere to hit Earth today or Sunday. The German Aerospace Center said parts of the minivan-sized satellite will burn up during re-entry but up to 30 fragments weighing a total of 1.87 tons could crash into the Earth. The scientists are unsure where the fragments will land.

Amazon jungle highway dropped

Bolivian President Evo Morales said Friday that he was scrapping plans to build a highway through a nature reserve in jungle lowlands, bowing to pressure after a two-month protest march by Amazon Indians. The march galvanized opposition to the road.

Associated Press

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