Russian Bombers Harry US Ship

But doesn't intend to reopen bases

(NEWSER) - The US military is seeking more access to the Philippines, sources tell Reuters , though not, they hasten to add, new full-blown bases there. The Philippines voted to remove gigantic US naval and air bases 20 years ago, but the country remains a US ally, and the US is hoping for more access to its ports and airfields to refuel warships and planes. "It's access, not bases," one official clarified. And the desire seems to be mutual. More»

Team will join crew at international space station

(NEWSER) - A Russian rocket blasted off from a space center in southern Kazakhstan today, transporting a NASA astronaut, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, and two Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station. The team will join a Russian commander, a NASA astronaut, and a Japanese astronaut on board the station when they dock on Sunday, notes the AP . "We are ready," Caldwell said, in Russian, just before the launch. More»

The world's most significant secret places revealed

(NEWSER) - Want to visit Area 51? Too bad: The mecca for conspiracy theorists isn't open to visitors. Listverse runs down the 10 most significant places around the world that are nearly impossible for the general public to visit:

• Mezhgorye: This Russian town is believed to house people working on Mount Yamantaw—which is believed to be a secret nuclear facility or bunker.
• Vatican Secret Archives: Though you can view any document more than 75 years old, you can’t enter the archives.
• Club 33: Yes, Disneyland sells booze, but only at Club 33. At the private club next to the Blue Bayou restaurant in New Orleans Square, membership costs $10,000 to $30,000—after you get to the top of the 14-year waiting list.

Cockpit fire forces move; plane same type as in Air France crash

(AP) - An Airbus 330 carrying 203 people has made an emergency landing in Guam after an electrical problem sparked a small fire in the cockpit, airline officials said. There were no injuries. Though it's the same type of plane as the Air France flight that crashed last week in the Atlantic, the incidents appear unrelated, and an airline official said the electrical problem didn't raise any new safety concerns about the aircraft. More»

(NEWSER) - Countries are tightening borders and stepping up containment methods as the swine flu body count continues to rise, the New York Times reports. The disease is suspected in 152 deaths, all in Mexico; 50 US cases are now confirmed from California to New York City. Health officials in Japan and at least eight other Asian countries are now screening anyone arriving from North America. More»