TopNews - Washington

Swedish Startup asmallworld founder creates new social network to take on Facebook

Jamie Williamson — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:06:31 +0000

Washington, May 29 : Swedish startup `asmallworld. net' founder Erik Wachtmeister is preparing to take on Facebook by creating a new social media site.

Wachtmeister has planned to launch Bestofallworlds. com this month, and was recently spotted meeting with Facebook foes Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss,

"Facebook is about vanity, not really utility, and the noise from the past. Best of all Worlds is about utility and the present and the future in a trusted environment," The New York Post quoted Wachtmeister, as saying.

Obama''s top military advisor backs cutting U.S. aid to Pak over Dr Afridi arrest

Jamie Williamson — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:36:46 +0000

Washington, May 29 : U. S. President Barack Obama''s top military adviser, General Martin Dempsey, has said senate lawmakers had made the right call by voting to trim aid to Pakistan, over the conviction of Dr Shakil Afridi, who helped the CIA track down Al-Qaeda chief, Osama Bin Laden.

"I think that choices should result in consequences. And I think, the Senate acted appropriately," The News quoted General Dempsey, as saying.

"Pakistan is an important country in the region and globally. And so we need to work through the relationship," Dempsey added. (ANI)

Obama slams US’ treatment of Vietnam veterans as ‘national disgrace’

Jamie Williamson — Tue, 29 May 2012 09:17:49 +0000

Washington, May 29 : President Barack Obama has slammed America's treatment of Vietnam veterans, describing it as a `disgrace', and vowed that combat troops returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would not suffer similar dishonour.

Obama said the Vietnam war was `one of the most painful chapters in our history', especially `how we treated our troops who served there.'

"You were often blamed for a war you didn't start, when you should have been commended for serving your country with valor," he said while addressing veterans before a monument dedicated to the 60,000 Americans killed in Vietnam.

US denies parachuting into N Korea to probe underground military installations

Jamie Williamson — Tue, 29 May 2012 09:14:44 +0000

Washington, May 29 : The US military has denied reports that its special forces have parachuted into North Korea to gather intelligence on that country''s underground military installations, saying a source had been misquoted.

According to the Herald Sun, current affairs magazine The Diplomat had quoted Brigadier General Neil Tolley, commander of special forces in South Korea, saying that American and South Korean troops had been entering the North Korea for ''special reconnaissance'' missions.

Global warming skeptics know more about science than climate change believers

Jamie Williamson — Tue, 29 May 2012 08:37:43 +0000

Washington, May 29: People who are not that worried about the effects of global warming tend to have a slightly higher level of scientific knowledge than those who are worried, according to a new study.

The results published in the journal Nature Climate Change was determined by asking questions about both science and statistics to 1,540 representative Americans.

The quiz contains 22 questions like: "Electrons are smaller than atoms -- true or false?"

"How long does it take the Earth to go around the Sun? One day, one month, or one year?"

"Lasers work by focusing sound waves -- true or false?"

Steve Jobs’ handwritten 1974 Atari memo to be auctioned

Jamie Williamson — Tue, 29 May 2012 07:46:48 +0000

Washington, May 29 : A handwritten note by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that described changes Atari could make to an arcade game, is up for auction, according to a report.

US-based Sotheby''s is auctioning the memo penned in 1974 by then-19-year-old Jobs that describes changes Atari could make to its World Cup Soccer arcade game to add fun and functionality.

According to CNET, the memo is expected to fetch 10,000 to 15,000 dollars.

Jobs worked briefly at Atari, helping the game maker improve design, before he co-founded Apple.

Modern birds `more closely related to dinosaurs than thought`

Jamie Williamson — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:28:36 +0000

Washington, May 28 : Modern birds are, essentially, living dinosaurs, with skulls that are significantly similar to those of their juvenile ancestors, according to a new study.

At first glance, it''''s hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common.

After all, one is a bird that weighs less than an ounce, and the other is a dinosaur that was the size of a school bus and tipped the scales at more than eight tons.

For all their differences, though, new study, led by Harvard scientists, has now suggested that the two are more closely related than many believed.

Financially struggling white voters favour Romney over Obama

Jamie Williamson — Mon, 28 May 2012 13:27:36 +0000

Washington, May 28 : Almost 55 percent of middle-class white American voters, who are struggling financially, favoured Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama, according to a new poll.

Obama is still trailing Romney among middle-class white voters who described themselves as struggling to stay afloat, Politico reports.

According to the Washington Post-ABC poll, only 32 percent of white voters preferred to vote for Obama.

The poll revealed that almost 56 percent of white voters, who say they know someone who has been laid off, backed Romney to 32 percent for Obama.

Facebook may launch smart phone next year

Jamie Williamson — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:16:12 +0000

Washington, May 28 : Facebook may launch its first-ever smartphone by next year, a new report has revealed.

According to Stuff. co. nz, Facebook has sought engineers to work on building hardware for a Facebook smartphone, which would mark the social network''s third attempt to develop a smartphone, the report cited.

The news comes as search engine giant Google completed the acquisition of Motorola Mobility for 12.5 billion dollars earlier this week, a move that could help Facebook counter that with its own foray into the smartphone hardware business.

Smallest ever five-ringed structure created and imaged

Jamie Williamson — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:02:11 +0000

Washington, May 28 : A team of European scientists has created and imaged the smallest possible five-ringed structure - about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair.

A combination of clever synthetic chemistry and state-of-the-art imaging techniques allowed the Scientists at the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the University of Warwick and IBM Research - Zurich to bring a single molecule to life in a picture.

The scientists decided to make and visualise olympicene whose five-ringed structure was entered on ChemSpider, the RSC's free online chemical database of over 26 million records two years ago.

McCain condemns Obama''s ''feckless'' foreign policy, handling of Syrian crisis

Jamie Williamson — Mon, 28 May 2012 10:38:38 +0000

Washington, May 28 : Senator John McCain has condemned President Barack Obama''s foreign policy and his handling of the Syrian crisis.

"This administration has a feckless foreign policy that abandons American leadership," Politico quoted McCain as saying.

"It cries out for American leadership; American leadership is not there," he added.

McCain also condemned Obama for handling the human rights crisis in Syria.

The Arizona Republican called the U. S.''s response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad''s killing of civilians a "shameful episode in American history."

Panetta warns cuts to defense spending would be ‘disastrous’ for US

Jamie Williamson — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:25:03 +0000

Washington, May 28 : U. S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has warned that scheduled congressional cuts to the defense budget in January would be overall "disastrous" for America.

Panetta said the Pentagon "has to play a role in trying to be able to achieve fiscal responsibility," but warned against allowing the cuts, which would take place as a result of the failure to reach a deficit reduction deal last year.

Magnitude 6.4 quake hits Argentina, no casualties

Jamie Williamson — Mon, 28 May 2012 06:53:49 +0000

Washington, May 28 - An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale jolted Santiago del Estero province in northern Argentina early Monday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. No casualties was reported.

The temblor occurred at 2.07 a. m. local time (05.07 GMT). It had its epicentre, with a depth of 589.30 km, initially determined to be at 28.0597 degrees south latitude and 63.1087 degrees west longitude, and about 120 km east-southeast of Santiago del Estero city, the provincial capital, Xinhua reported. (IANS)

Americans flocking to India for stem cell therapy

Jamie Williamson — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:19:51 +0000

Washington, May 28 - A growing number of Americans are travelling to India to seek treatment for rare diseases through India's experimental embryonic stem cell therapy, according to an investigative report.

Among them Cash Burnaman, a 6-year-old South Carolina boy, who travelled with his parents to India seeking treatment for a rare genetic condition that has left him developmentally disabled, CNN reported.

"Cash is mute. He walks with the aid of braces. To battle his incurable condition, which is so rare it doesn't have a name, Cash has had to take an artificial growth hormone for most of his life," it said.

India's Ashis Roy, 80, runs half marathon in US

Jamie Williamson — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:54:18 +0000

Washington, May 28 - India's grand old marathon man Ashis Roy, who turns 80 June 1, is running again after a gap of over six months, this time by participating in a half marathon in Alexandria.

Roy, who has run a record 113 marathons, completed the half marathon in Alexandria, a Washington suburb in neighbouring Virginia, Sunday with a timing of 3 hours, 10 minutes and 40 seconds. He was awarded a finisher's medal and an age group winner medal.

Clinton to visit Scandinavia, Caucasus, Turkey

Jamie Williamson — Sun, 27 May 2012 04:00:43 +0000

Washington, May 27 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will undertake a week-long visit to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, according to the US State Department.

During her visit (May 31-June 7), Clinton will discuss Syria, Iran and green growth with leaders of these countries, Xinhua quoted the US State Department as saying Friday.

In Denmark, she will participate in the Green Partnerships for Growth, a bilateral initiative to promote green technology through public and private sector partnerships.

Google warns users of virus that could shut down Internet connections on July 9

Jamie Williamson — Sat, 26 May 2012 11:53:54 +0000

Washington, May 26 : Search giant Google has issued a warring to its millions of users that they could lose the ability to connect to the Internet in July due to a computer virus.

The problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world.

In a highly unusual response, the FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for those infected users, but that system will be shut down on July 9, killing connections for those people.

Romney still haunted by ''like to fire people'' line

Jamie Williamson — Sat, 26 May 2012 11:47:42 +0000

Washington, May 26 : Republican candidate Mitt Romney has said that he still regrets his some comments that he made before, which were taken out of context and misconstrued by the media.

Referring to his `I like to be able to fire people', Romney said that he actually meant it in relevance to those such as health-insurance companies, which provide inadequate services.

"To me to try and be a little more careful in what I say, I''ve had a couple of those during the campaign, which have haunted me a little bit, but I''m sure before this is over will haunt me a lot," Politico quoted Romney, as saying.

How ancient Chinese medicine predicts health seeing tongue appearance

Jamie Williamson — Sat, 26 May 2012 11:05:38 +0000

Washington, May 26 : Since 5,000 years, Chinese have used a system of medicine that measures the appearance of the tongue to classify the overall physical status of the body, or zheng.

Now, University of Missouri researchers have developed a computer software that combines the ancient practices and modern medicine by providing an automated system for analysing images of the tongue.

"Knowing your zheng classification can serve as a pre-screening tool and help with preventive medicine," said Dong Xu, chair of MU's computer science department in the College of Engineering and study co-author.

Soon, wearable energy T-shirts could charge your phones

Jamie Williamson — Sat, 26 May 2012 10:46:32 +0000

Washington, May 26 : Using a simple process, engineers have baked a cotton T-shirt into activated carbon, and by adding a thin conductive metal layer, they have created a stable, high performing super capacitor.

The engineers from the University of South Carolina envision using cotton for energy storage in flexible electronics, roll-up displays, and implanted medical devices.

One day, donning a T-shirt could mean you're also sporting a smart device charger. Engineers have successfully transformed cotton into a flexible, highly conductive component, which means it could charge devices.

Facebook eyeing Opera Software buyout to create own browser

Jamie Williamson — Sat, 26 May 2012 09:07:49 +0000

Washington, May 26 : Social networking giant is planning to buy a Norwegian software firm in a bid to launch its own browser, according to a report.

Tech blog Pocket-lint, cited unnamed `trusted sources,' as saying that Facebook is looking at Opera Software, the company behind Opera Web browser, to expand into the browser space.

According to CBS News, the move would place Facebook in competition with other tech companies in the browser game such as Yahoo, which recently launched Axis, and Google.

Aliens that visit Earth won’t enslave or vaporize us, says E.T. hunter

Jamie Williamson — Sat, 26 May 2012 09:01:09 +0000

Washington, May 26 : Sci-Fi movies like "Battleship" and "Men in Black 3" often depict aliens terrorizing our planet.

But veteran E. T. hunter Jill Tarter has said that science fiction is probably far from reality in its depiction of Earth-contacting extraterrestrials.

Tarter, who announced Monday that she's retiring after spending 35 years scanning the heavens for signals from intelligent life beyond Earth, has said that any aliens that visit Earth probably won't want to enslave or vaporize us.

India highlights 'human dimension' of adopted woman facing deportation

Jamie Williamson — Sat, 26 May 2012 04:34:47 +0000

Washington, May 26 - Highlighting the "human dimension" of an adopted Indian American woman who faces deportation 30 years after she came here, India has asked the US to ensure her case is treated with the utmost sensitivity and compassion.

According to media reports, Kairi Abha Shepherd was adopted in 1982 by a Utah woman as a three-month-old child. But when she was 8, her adoptive mother died of cancer. When she was 17, she was arrested and convicted of felony cheque forgery to fuel a drug habit.

First commercial spacecraft docks with space station

Jamie Williamson — Sat, 26 May 2012 02:01:55 +0000

Washington, May 26 - Private American spaceflight company SpaceX's unmanned capsule docked with the International Space Station (ISS) Friday, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to have reached the orbital outpost, Xinhua reported.

According to US space agency NASA, SpaceX's Dragon capsule was securely bolted to the Harmony module of the station at 1602 GMT, following a grab by the station's robotic arm earlier in the day.

"Dragon has attached with the International Space Station!!!! History has been made!!!," SpaceX tweeted following the docking.

Rare transit of Venus to be visible 5-6 June

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:03:17 +0000

Washington, May 25 : Venus will cross the face of the Sun on 5-6 June, a rare occurrence that will not be seen again for over a hundred years.

ESA's Venus Express, a spacecraft orbiting the planet, will be reporting the event live from the Arctic island of Spitsbergen.

And the Venus Express science team will be discussing the latest scientific results from the mission while enjoying a unique view of the 2012 transit under the 'midnight Sun'.

NASA scientist weighs space rock from millions of miles away

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:52:31 +0000

Washington, May 25 : A NASA scientist has accurately determined the mass of a nearby asteroid from millions of miles away.

Steve Chesley at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., made the achievement by utilizing data from three NASA assets -- the Goldstone Solar System Radar in the California desert, the orbiting Spitzer space telescope, and the NASA-sponsored Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

Obama leads by thin margin over Romney in crucial swing states, finds poll

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:43:31 +0000

Washington, May 25 : U. S. President Barack Obama has a narrow advantage over presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney in three most crucial states, Florida, Ohio and Virginia, according to poll.

According to the NBC-Marist polls, Obama has a 4- point lead over Romney with 48 percent to 44 percent in Florida and Virginia.

In Ohio, Obama is ahead with 48 percent over Romney at 42 percent, Politico reports.

Democrats are also up in the Virginia, Florida and Ohio Senate races, though by small gaps that indicate all three are likely to be close in November. (ANI)

Obama doc sentencing shows Pak backs terrorism and radical Islam: U.S. Congressman

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:40:32 +0000

Washington, May 25 : U. S. Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has said the persecution and unjust imprisonment of Dr Shakeel Afridi, who helped the U. S. locate Osama Bin Laden, explicitly demonstrates the fact that the Pakistan Government is on the side of terrorism and radical Islam.

"Dr Afridi''s recent sentencing to three decades in prison is the crescendo of Pakistan''s anti-Americanism," Fox News quoted Rohrabacher, as saying.

New record for graphene solar cell efficiency set

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:17:57 +0000

Washington, May 25 : University of Florida physicists have set a new record by creating a new graphene solar cell with unprecedented power-converting capabilities.

Graphene solar cells are one of industry's great hopes for cheaper, durable solar power cells in the future.

But previous attempts to use graphene, a single-atom-thick honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms, in solar cells have only managed power conversion efficiencies ranging up to 2.9 percent.

New microchip can transmit data 1000 times faster than Bluetooth

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:14:44 +0000

Washington, May 25 : Scientists have developed a revolutionary microchip that can transmit large volumes of data at ultra-high speeds of 2 Gigabits per second, which would be 1,000 times faster than Bluetooth.

With this new microchip, data the size of 80 MP3 song files (or 250 megabytes) can be transferred wirelessly between mobile devices, in the flick of a second.

MJ overdose drug propofol to be used in Missouri executions

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:05:55 +0000

Washington, May 25 : The anesthetic, whose overdose had caused the death of pop star Michael Jackson, has now become the drug of choice for executions in Missouri, causing a stir among critics who question how the state can guarantee a drug untested for lethal injection won't cause pain and suffering for the condemned.

Last week the Missouri Department of Corrections announced that it was switching from its longstanding three-drug method to use of a single drug, propofol.

Missouri would be the first state ever to use propofol as an execution drug.

Apple chief Cook to forgo $75m dividend payments

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:49:03 +0000

Washington, May 25 : Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that he will forgo 75 million dollars in dividend payments, that he would get for the more than 1million dollar shares he would receive over the next decade.

According to The Telegraph, in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple claimed Cook to be exclude him from a recently instituted company program, through which employees can accumulate dividends on their restricted stock units that are still vesting. When probed why Cook was doing this, Apple declined to comment beyond the filing.

Has Facebook hired design firm Bolt Peters in attempt to fix reputation?

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:42:36 +0000

Washington, May 25 : Facebook has hired design firm Bolt Peters, even as rumors circulate that the social networking giant might have taken the initiative to fix its image and reputation, following the IPO bungle.

Bolt Peters, which has worked on more than 200 projects with clients that include Sony, HP, Electronic Arts, Volkswagen and the Washington Post, said the firm will closing up shop next month.

"We''re thrilled the Bolt Peters team is joining Facebook," a Bolt spokeswoman said, confirming the deal.

Fox News viewers found to be ‘worst informed’: Study

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:32:57 +0000

Washington, May 25 : Fox News viewers are less informed than those who watch other programmes, or no TV news at all, a new research has found.

A study conducted by the Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, has found that an average American was able to correctly answer 1.8 out of four questions on international news and 1.6 out of five domestic related news.

However, Fox News followers could answer only 1.04 domestic questions correctly, which is worse than those who said they watched no media at all, at 1.22.

Google’s ‘transparency report’ reveals Microsoft''s piracy problems

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:31:00 +0000

Washington, May 24 : Google has released a report in the U. S. to provide a better understanding of the intellectual property abuses on the internet, after Microsoft faced copyright infringement problems by other websites.

The new report, released by the internet search giant, includes a breakdown of all requests Google has received since July 2011 to remove copyright-infringing content from its search index. Google also plans to update the information daily.

Now, Yahoo! Inc. launches own browser ‘Axis’

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:27:40 +0000

Washington, May 24 : American web giant Yahoo has launched a web browser called Axis, in a bid to define the company and its goals.

The announcement was made in the U. S. last night, as the firm, which has recently lost its chief executive, battles to remain relevant and keep its users.

"Our search strategy is predicated on two core beliefs, one, that people want answers, not links and two, that consumer-facing search is ripe for innovative disruption," said Shashi Seth, Senior Vice President, Connections, Yahoo! Inc.

Blind dissident Chen demands China to probe harassment of family by officials

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:15:33 +0000

Washington, May 25 : Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng has said that China should thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for harassing his family and supporters.

During his first interview after arriving in the United States, he said that China''s handling of its officials, who harassed his family and supporters, would determine whether the country has taken responsibility for the abuse carried against them.

Experts call for ‘even playing field’ during IPOs in wake of Facebook flotation disaster

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:12:39 +0000

Washington, May 25 : Even as Facebook continued to face heat over whether they gave unfair advantage to preferred clients, IPO analysts have said rules need to be changed to allow investors a more even playing field to sell their shares.

A week after the company had the biggest tech IPO in U. S. history, Facebook stock closed up 3.2 percent to 33.03 dollars on the NASDAQ Thursday, causing average investors to lose thousands of dollars while betting on the firm's IPO.

Rampant ‘short selling’ by speculators pulling down Facebook shares values

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:09:27 +0000

Washington, May 25 : Facebook faces a growing threat from speculators, who are trying to earn a profit from the company''s troubled flotation.

As more of Facebook's shares are available for borrowing, the ability for investors to bet against the company's shares has increasingly grown.

According to Data Explorer, which tracks data on short-selling, the firm's volume of shares available to borrow is rising as institutional investors allocate a portion of their Facebook shares to lending programmes that speculators can borrow from.

Soon, iPads to scan palms for passwords

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:02:34 +0000

Washington, May 25 : Tablet computers like the iPad may soon authenticate their rightful users by reading the unique movement of their hands, not their passwords.

Napa Sae-Bae, a doctoral student at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, is working to build an app that, using multitouch sensors, will biometrically authenticate tablet users' hand gestures, the Discovery News reported.

Compound that triggers cancer cell death developed

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:49:01 +0000

Washington, May 25 : A research group from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has developed a compound that can cause cancer cells to kill themselves.

The BCL-2 protein family plays a large role in determining whether cancer cells survive in response to therapy or undergo a form of cell death known as apoptosis.

Cells are pressured toward apoptosis by expression of pro-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins.

However, cancer cells respond to therapy by increasing expression of anti-apoptotic proteins, which bind and neutralize pro-apoptotic family members and mediate therapeutic resistance.

Obama reaffirmed revival of Pak-U.S. relations: White House official

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:35:25 +0000

Washington, May 25 : A White House official has said U. S. President Barack Obama has reaffirmed the reset of U. S.-Pakistan relations in a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari that took place on the sidelines of the NATO Summit on May 20-21.

White House Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said both countries want to see the NATO supply routes reopened, reports The Express Tribune.

"We are committed to seeing it reopened," he said, adding that the U. S. has been respectful of the parliamentary review process in Pakistan.

U.S. claims deterioration of human rights conditions in China

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:10:00 +0000

Washington, May 25 : The U. S. State Department has said that human rights conditions have deteriorated in China.

The State Department also said that Vietnam continued to severely restrict political rights and freedom of expression to its citizens.

The conclusions were drawn in the annual assessment of human rights around the world by the department, News 24 reports.

The report also criticised Sri Lanka for disappearances and killings of people by pro-government paramilitary groups, despite the end of civil war in 2009 in the country.

Hypodermic needles for injection could soon be history

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:32:32 +0000

Washington, May 25 : MIT researchers have engineered a device that delivers a tiny, high-pressure jet of medicine through the skin without the use of a hypodermic needle.

The device can be programmed to deliver a range of doses to various depths - an improvement over similar jet-injection systems that are now commercially available.

Among other benefits, the researchers said, the technology may help reduce the potential for needle-stick injuries.

A needleless device may also help improve compliance among patients who might otherwise avoid the discomfort of regularly injecting themselves with drugs such as insulin.

Seven injured as US n-submarine catches fire

Jamie Williamson — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:53:32 +0000

Washington, May 25 : At least seven people were wounded after a fire broke out overnight on a US Navy's nuclear-powered submarine, the Navy said Thursday.

The submarine is docked at a shipyard in Maine state, northeast of the US.

The fire broke out shortly before 6 p. m. Wednesday on the USS Miami, an attack submarine, Xinhua quoted Rear Admiral Rick Breckenridge, commander of Submarine Group-2, in a statement.

The injured included three Portsmouth Naval Shipyard firefighters, two crew members and two civilian firefighters providing support. All have been released after medical treatment.

LOFAR Telescope captures images of colliding galaxy cluster

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:20:16 +0000

Washington, May 24 : The International LOFAR Telescope has made the first images of galaxy cluster Abell 2256 in the frequency range of 20 to 60 MHz.

Abell 2256 is a cluster containing hundreds of galaxies at a distance of 800 million light-years.

An international team of astronomers is using the telescope from ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, to study the formation of the galaxy cluster.

"The structure we see in the radio images made with LOFAR provides us with information about the origin of this cluster," explained lead author Dr. Reinout van Weeren (Leiden University and ASTRON).

Universe may be teeming with nomad planets

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:09:55 +0000

Washington, May 24 : A recent study proposed that the galaxy is packed with nomad planets adrift in space.

If this is the case, nomad planets may play a dynamic role in the universe

Recently, a study suggested that planets simply adrift in space may be something of a common phenomenon.

The researchers have proposed an upper limit to the number of nomad planets that might exist in the Milky Way Galaxy is 100,000 for every star.

And because the Milky Way is believed to have 200 to 400 billion stars, that could put the number of nomad planets in the quadrillions.

First terrestrial animals shuffled onto land using front limbs like crutches

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:29:12 +0000

Washington, May 24 : Animals first moved from sea to land using a crutch-like movement, where the front limbs hoisted the rest of the body, according to a new study.

Rotating limbs and spines first evolved in sea dwellers for swimming. Later these limbs and spines were used by some animals to move on land.

The transition from swimming to walking involved some awkward first steps, according to the study that recreated how one of the first animals, which left the sea for land, moved.

Zuckerberg underfire following IPO bungle up

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:44:48 +0000

Washington, May 23 : Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has come under fire for going missing from the public eye, since firm's disastrous IPO bungle.

Zuckerberg's last public appearance was when he rang the Nasdaq opening bell the day the shares went public. But apart from a wedding picture posted over the weekend, the Facebook chief has been missing in action.

In the five days since the company went public, investors have filed lawsuits against the social networking giant over the deal which was fumbled by its major underwriters and complicated by technical problems at the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Microsoft to release Office Apps for Android Tabs, iPads

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:10:24 +0000

Washington, May 24 : Software giant Microsoft is set to release Microsoft Office for Android tabs and iPads and an Outlook Web app for iOS this fall.

Although officially Microsoft has no comment to make, reports have surfaced that the full suite of Office apps will have a November release, according to website BGR.

According to BGR''s source, the app is said to look almost identical to the leaked images from a few months ago.

The source also claimed the app''s loading screen read "Office for iOS," suggesting iPhone and iPod Touch could have the software in their future as well.

Facebook may move shares to NYSE following post IPO crash

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:05:02 +0000

Washington, May 23 : Following Facebook's May 18, 2012, IPO crash on the Nasdaq Stock Market, the social media giant may move its shares to the New York Stock Exchange.

According to CBS News, a person, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that Facebook''s much-anticipated IPO was delayed by a half-hour on Friday because of glitches on the Nasdaq.

After pricing at 38 dollars, Facebook''s stock closed up 23 cents on Friday and has been down since. On Wednesday, it closed up 1 dollar, at 32 dollars, still down nearly 16 percent from the IPO price.

NYSE and a Nasdaq spokesman remained unavailable for comments. (ANI)

Court clears Google of violating software firm Oracle’s patents charges

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:40:39 +0000

Washington, May 24 : A jury in a California court has absolved Internet search giant Google of infringing patents owned by software developer Oracle.

Oracle had sued Google in August 2010, accusing Google of using Oracle''s Java programming language in its Android mobile operating system and infringed its intellectual property rights.

According to the BBC, the same jury had ruled two weeks ago that Google infringed Oracle''s copyright, but could not agree whether Google''s actions constituted "fair use".

However, Google maintained that the Android was built "from scratch".

Automaker Ford regains ownership of blue oval logo

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:36:06 +0000

Washington, May 23 : American multinational automaker Ford has reclaimed ownership of the blue oval logo.

The logo, which was one item among a huge swathe of security that Ford put up in late 2006 to secure a 23.4 billion dollar (15 billionn pound) loan from several banks, after the ratings agency Moody's raised Ford''s credit rating to investment grade.

Ford now meets the criteria that was made in the 2006 deal with banks, that it had to be judged to an investment grade by two ratings agencies to reclaim its security.

Investors sue Facebook for misleading them on business prospects following post IPO crash

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:31:33 +0000

Washington, May 24 : Investors have sued Facebook and its Wall Street advisers over claims that the social media giant misled them about the company's business prospects before its record flotation.

The investors filed two lawsuits on Wednesday following allegations that only major potential investors were told about the reductions that analysts at the banks made during Facebook''s fortnight-long sales pitch to hopeful shareholders.

"Some insiders and investors were preferred over others," The Telegraph quoted Darren Robbins, a lawyer for one set of retail investors, as saying.

`Ketchup problem` finally solved

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:11:57 +0000

Washington, May 24 : Researchers have come up with an innovative new way to put an end to a problem that has vexed men since long - how to knock loose that last inch of ketchup out of the bottle.

Dave Smith, a Ph. D. candidate at MIT, has spent the last two months at the Varanasi Research Group developing a slippery non-toxic coating that will end all of your ketchup frustrations, ABC News reported.

The coating, dubbed LiquiGlide, keeps condiments like mayo or mustard from sticking to the inside of the container, so that they smoothly slide onto your plate.

Bethlehem `may have existed centuries before Jesus`

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:30:53 +0000

Washington, May 23 : Israeli archaeologists have discovered an incredible 2,700-year-old clay seal that bears the name Bethlehem, which could prove that the town existed centuries before it became revered as the birthplace of Jesus.

The seal was unearthed while sifting through the debris removed from archaeological excavations near the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The coin-sized clay seal also called bulla, was imprinted with three lines in ancient Hebrew script: `in the seventh' `Bethlehem' and `to the king'.

New process may help reduce cost of anti-malarial drugs

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:01:30 +0000

Washington, May 24 : Scientists have developed a new, higher-yield, two-step, less costly process that may ease supply problems and zigzagging prices for the raw material essential for making the mainstay drug for malaria.

That disease sickens 300-500 million people annually and kills more than 1 million.

The process uses readily available substances and could be easily implemented by drug companies.

Obama accused of providing classified Osama raid documents to Hollywood filmmaker

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:31:00 +0000

Washington, May 24 : U. S. President Barack Obama has been accused of risking America''s national security after allegedly giving Hollywood filmmakers access to secret material on the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.

The secret documents, released under Freedom of Information laws, reveal that Obama''s defence department and CIA assisted Kathryn Bigelow, an Oscar-winning director, during the making of her film on the raid.

The Obama administration also provided a planner, operator and commander of SEAL Team Six, the elite Navy squad, which killed Laden, to Bigelow, The Telegraph reports.

US Senators liken Pak''s 5000 dollar per NATO truck demand to ''extortion''

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:28:21 +0000

Washington, May 24 : U. S. Senators John McCain and Carl Levin, the chair and ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have said the U. S. should not pay up to 5,000 dollars per truck to Pakistan, which McCain termed as "extortion", to resume NATO supplies into Afghanistan through its territory.

"We can''t look at aid in that light. It is now becoming a matter of principle," The News quoted senator McCain, as saying.

Senator Carl Levin said the U. S. should not pay Pakistan fees anywhere near that level, the paper states.

Indian student Dharun Ravi may stay for less than month in jail for good behaviour

Jamie Williamson — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:16:21 +0000

Washington, May 24: Indian-American student Dharun Ravi, who was convicted for using a web cam to spy on his roommate while he was making out with another man, could reduce his jail term if he earns credit for good behavior and work behind bars, according to New Jersey corrections officials.

Ravi, student of Rutgers University, has not yet begun his sentence because prosecutors filed an appeal on Wednesday, arguing that it is too lenient.

Officials in Superior Court in Middlesex County say he will not begin to serve any sentence until the appeals court has ruled.