Washington, July 23: A large percentage of online banking sites have at least one design flaw, which in turn, can make customers vulnerable to cyber thieves when it comes to their money or even identity, finds a new study led by an Indian-origin researcher.

Atul Prakash, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and doctoral students Laura Falk and Kevin Borders examined the Web sites of 214 financial institutions in 2006 and found that 75 percent of them had security flaws.

According to the study’s researchers the design flaws aren''t bugs that can be fixed with a patch, in fact, they stem from the flow and the layout of these Web sites.

Washington, July 23: Experts at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering are studying interactions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with bubble-blowing robots, after finding that such kids interact more easily with mechanical devices than with humans.

Professor Maja Mataric and PhD student David Feil-Seifer, both specialists in Socially Assisted Robotics (SAR), say that they are trying to develop a robot “control architecture” that will tailor robot interactions to the specific needs of ASD children to help therapists treat their condition.

Washington - The United States on Tuesday criticized a 2- billion-dollar Russian package of arms sales to Venezuela, saying the weaponry pursued by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez goes beyond the country's defensive needs.

"We've repeatedly communicated concerns with Russia about Chavez's arms build-up in the past, and we're going to continue to do so," Gonzalo Gallegos, a US State Department spokesman said.

"We continue to question ... whether such acquisitions are in line with Venezuela's legitimate defense needs," Gallegos added.

Washington  - The US envoy and architect of the peace deal that ended the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina called former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic an "evil" man whose arrest was "historic."

"He was the most evil man I have ever met in my life," Richard Holbrooke, the US ambassador who brokered the 1995 Dayton Accords to end the 1992-1995 ethnic war, said on CNN.

Washington  - The United States pledged to move forward on the nuclear cooperation deal with India after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a vote of confidence on Tuesday.

Singh's survival in the 275-256 parliamentary vote was essential for the deal that will allow the United States to provide nuclear material to India for civilian energy reactors.

"It's good for India because it would help provide them a source for energy that they need, one that is non-polluting and one that doesn't emit greenhouse gas emissions," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Washington  - A federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost as much as 25 billion dollars, a congressional research arm reported Tuesday as the US government once again pressured legislators to approve an emergency rescue plan for the two mortgage giants.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said there was a "significant likelihood" that Fannie and Freddie - which together underwrite about half of all US home loans - would require government intervention over the next two years.