Astronomers have discovered that the Great Red Spot, the famous storm on the surface of Jupiter is blasting the planet's upper atmosphere with intense heat. The finding is published in the journal Nature. And while the exact source of the heat is still a mystery, researchers believe that sound waves may be responsible. Our science reporter Jonathan Web has more details.
Today's fresh insights come from the NASA infrared telescope in Hawaii. And they concern the "big bad planet, big bad storm", the famous Great Red Spot. Far above the clouds of this vast hurricane, three times the diameter of earth, the telescope detected a temperature spike in Jupiter's thin upper atmosphere. The scientists led by Dr. James from Boston University suggest that sound from the storm might be creating this high-altitude hotspot. High temperatures right across Jupiter's upper atmosphere have baffled scientists for decades. The planet is too far from the sun to be so hot. Thunderer's sound waves from Jovian storms might be the answer.
That was Jonathan Web.
President Mutharika of Malawi has promised to introduce a new law to combat a practice where men known as "hyenas" are paid to have sex with young girls as an initiation into adulthood. He made the announcement just days after the BBC interviewed an HIV-positive man who claimed to have had sex with more than 100 girls, many of them underage. Our correspondent Ann met President Mutharika in the capital Lilongwe and asked him how he'd reacted when news of the man's activities came to light.
When I heard about this, I was shocked obviously and we all were. And I called the police and advised them to arrest this man. That's against the law in this country. So that's what motivated me to make that order.
But by arresting him, isn't this going to drive the rest to the underground to continue their practice but away from the law?
Maybe it will obviously. I think probably some people may go underground but at least some time some people may stop. I think it was a wise decision. And they found that it has actually violated the law and he will be tried and convicted. And I think that will send a signal to other people who may be doing this that this kind of practice is unacceptable.
What else is your government doing to deal with this harmful cultural practices?
