A sixteen-year-old, who cannot be named under UK law, was acquitted of the murder of Christopher Faulkner last week. Mr Faulkner died after being stabbed during a scuffle in King George’s Playing Field, Stevenage in April this year.

The youth pleaded not guilty to murder but admitted inflicting the single stab wound to the chest that led to the death of 20-year-old Mr. Faulkner. The jury at St Albans Crown Court found him guilty on the lesser charge of manslaughter. Judge Michael Baker QC will sentence the youth later this month after reports have been prepared.

The European Union's digital library, Europeana, opened on Thursday Nov. 20, only to be overwhelmed and crash. Inspired by ancient Alexandria's attempt to collect the world's knowledge, Europeana objective is to bring Europe's cultural heritage out of its museums and libraries and onto the internet.

The European Commission is behind Europeana and provides the annual budget of 2.5 million euros (US$3.15 million). At its launch commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said, "Europeana is much more than a library; it is a veritable dynamo to inspire 21st century Europeans to emulate the creativity of innovative forbears like the drivers of the Renaissance."

The Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) lunar orbiter Chandrayaan-1 has begun its two-year-long science mission. On Nov 15, it sent a 30-kilogram impact-probe crashing to the surface of the Moon. The probe, painted on two sides with the Indian flag, reached the Moon's surface at 20:34 Indian Standard Time (15:04 GMT).

An ISRO representative told the AFP news agency, "During its descent from Chandrayaan-1, an onboard video camera transmitted lunar pictures to the ISRO command centre." The probe also sent back data about the Moon's tenuous atmosphere.

A landmark occasion occurred in the European Union last week. For the first time ever, the European Court of Auditors gave a "clean bill of health" to the EU’s account. It has only taken 14 years.

Previously the Auditors had refused to endorse the accounts, although it found the accounts themselves "reliable." This means that the European Commission had accurately recorded all transactions, assets and liabilities, but there were problems with how the money was used.

Chinese political activist wins Freedom of Thought award.

Hu Jia, a prominent Chinese human rights activist and dissident, is the winner of this year's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. China's ambassador to the EU had warned that selecting Hu Jia would, "bring serious damage to China-EU relations." China issued a similar warning to Norway when Hu Jia was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The European Parliament has awarded the Sakharov Prize annually since 1988. The prize honours individuals or organizations for their efforts on behalf of human rights and against oppression and injustice. Previous recipients include Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi and the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The prize is worth 50,000 Euros (US$65,000).