Sooty ships may be geoengineering by accident

GEOENGINEERING is being tested - albeit inadvertently - in the north Pacific. Soot from oil-burning ships is dumping about 1000 tonnes of soluble iron per year across 6 million square kilometres of ocean, new research has revealed. Fertilising the world's...

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Merkel counts cost as minister quits in election year

BERLIN, Germany: German Chancellor Angela Merkel was left licking her wounds on Sunday after her education minister quit amid a plagiarism scandal, depriving her of a key ally as she gears up for September elections. Merkel betrayed rare emotion as she accepted "with a very heavy heart" the resignation of Annette Schavan, a personal friend, who quit to fight charges from her former university...

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Almost famous: See celebs' early roles

By Henry Hanks, CNNupdated 5:05 PM EST, Thu February 7, 2013Stars who started out like GoDaddy's geekJesse HeimanSylvester StalloneJohn TravoltaKeanu ReevesCourtney CoxMatt LeBlancTina FeyRainn WilsonMegan FoxDean Wint...

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New Yorkers tell of hours stranded on snowy roads

FARMINGVILLE, N.Y. Stranded for hours on a snow-covered road, Priscilla Arena prayed, took out a sheet of loose-leaf paper and wrote what she thought might be her last words to her husband and children. She told her 9 1/2-year-old daughter, Sophia, she was "picture-perfect beautiful." And she advised her 5 ?-year-old son, John: "Remember all the things that mommy taught you. Never say you hate someone...

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LAPD Reopens Case of Suspected Cop-Killer's Firing

The Los Angeles Police Department announced today it will reopen the case of the firing of Christopher Dorner, but said the decision was not made to "appease" the fugitive former cop suspected of killing three people.Dorner, a fired and disgruntled former Los Angeles police officer, said in the so-called "manifesto" he released that he was targeting LAPD officials and their...

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Data-wiping algorithm cleans your cellphone

Paul Marks, chief technology correspondentMailing your cellphone to a recycling company might make you a few pounds, but it can leave you at risk of identity theft. The deletion techniques recycling companies use are meant for hard discs, and so don't work on the solid-state flash memory used in mobile phones. That means personal data like banking info, texts, contacts and pictures can end up in...

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India holds showcase to raise awareness on natural heritage

NEW DELHI: New Delhi is known as a cultural hub, where fairs and festivals of all kinds are held nearly every day. One such recent event had a special theme: raising awareness of the country's natural heritage.The 15-day "Green Haat" saw participants from across India showcase a variety of non-timbre forest produce.Goods on display ranged from wild grains, chillies and spices to medicinal...

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Hunted former cop may have up to 30 guns, source says

Ex-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntSTORY HIGHLIGHTSAs darkness and snow falls, police scale back manhunt until Saturday"The possibility...

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In letter, Sue Paterno defends late husband

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. Breaking more than a year of silence, Sue Paterno is defending her late husband as a "moral, disciplined" man who never twisted the truth to avoid bad publicity. The wife of the former Penn State coach is fighting back against the accusations against Joe Paterno that followed the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Her campaign started with a letter sent Friday to former Penn State players....

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Northeast Shuts Down as Blizzard Batters Millions

A blizzard of possibly historic proportions battered the Northeast Friday into Saturday, and forecasters feared as much as two feet of snow and strong winds could shut down densely populated cities such as New York and Boston, where cars were ordered off the streets.State officials declared states of emergencies throughout the region, and utilities estimated more than a half-million...

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Robot inquisition keeps witnesses on the right track

MEMORY is a strange thing. Just using the verb "smash" in a question about a car crash instead of "bump" or "hit" causes witnesses to remember higher speeds and more serious damage. Known as the misinformation effect, it is a serious problem for police trying to gather accurate accounts of a potential crime. There's a way...

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Scores missing after ferry sinks in Bangladesh: officials

DHAKA: Scores of people are missing after a ferry carrying around 100 passengers sank in a river in Bangladesh on Friday, officials said."So far we have gathered that the ferry was carrying around 100 people and some have swum to the banks," local police chief Jahangir Hossain told AFP after the accident on the Meghna river in the central district of Munshiganj.District administrator Saifuddin...

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Police converge on mountain town in hunt for cop killer

Ex-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntEx-cop at center of California manhuntSTORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: With snow coming, authorities continue to hunt for the suspect near Big Bear...

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Ex-LA cop, murder suspect sent parcel to Anderson Cooper

In this image provided by the Irvine, Calif., Police Department via The Orange County Register, former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Jordan Dorner is shown. Dorner is a suspect in the killings of Monica Quan and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, who were found shot to death in their car at a parking structure Sunday night. (AP Photo/Irvine Police Department via The Orange County Register) /...

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Cop Shooting Rampage: Manhunt on Mountain

The truck owned and driven by suspected cop killer Christopher Dorner during his alleged rampage through the Los Angeles area was found deserted and in flames on the side of Bear Mountain, Calif., this afternoon -- with tracks in the snow leading away from the vehicle.The San Bernadino Sheriff's Department confirmed the truck was Dorner's, but said at a news conference this...

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Today on New Scientist: 6 February 2013

Open Richard III DNA evidence for peer review A good case has been made that a skeleton unearthed from a car park is that of the last Plantagenet king of England - it's time to share the dataUniversal bug sensor takes guesswork out of diagnosis A machine that can identify all bacteria, viruses and fungi known to cause disease in humans should speed up diagnosis and help to reduce antibiotic...

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China bans ads on gift-giving to officials: media

BEIJING: China has banned ads that encourage giving luxury gifts to authorities, state media said on Thursday, the latest push against official extravagance since new leaders took charge vowing better governance.The ban came ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday on Sunday, as part of a high-profile campaign against government waste and corruption launched after Xi Jinping and others took...

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Shoes hurled at Iranian president during Egypt visit

From Adam Makary, for CNN updated 7:06 PM EST, Wed February 6, 2013STORY HIGHLIGHTSThis is the first visit to Egypt by an Iranian president in more than 30 years Prosecutor's office: Four men are out on bail after allegedly throwing the shoes Officials say the men are Salafis, who have accused Iran of financing ShiitesCairo (CNN) -- During a historic trip to Egypt, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad...

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