Iran launches monkey into space

Lisa Grossman, physical sciences reporterLast summer, the Iranian Space Agency announced their plan to send a monkey into space - and now they've apparently done it.According to Iranian state-run television, a press release on the space agency's website, and photos of the event, Iran sent a live rhesus monkey into sub-orbital space aboard a small rocket called Pishgam, or Pioneer. There's even a...

Read More..

"Off the scale" smog envelops Beijing again

BEIJING: Pollution levels in Beijing rose above index limits on Tuesday, the US embassy said, as a dense cloud of haze shrouded large swathes of northern China.Mask-wearing residents of the capital battled through a second consecutive day of pollution at hazardous levels, despite Beijing municipal authorities warning those with respiratory difficulties to stay indoors.It is at least the...

Read More..

Why tackle immigration now? 'Elections,' says McCain

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: House lawmakers are also said to be working on a bipartisan immigration planNEW: President Obama will not present legislation, but call for action, during a speech TuesdayEight senators, four from each party, unveil a "first step" toward an agreement Conservatives reject the senators' plan as "amnesty"Washington (CNN) -- Millions of undocumented immigrants would get immediate...

Read More..

"Maternity Tourism": How Chinese couples buy U.S. citizenship

(CBS News) CHINO HILLS, Calif. - Any child born in the United States is automatically an American citizen. Mexican mothers have, for years, crossed the border to give birth here for that reason. Maternity tourism in America has also caught on now with mothers in China. Ada Lin, a young Chinese girl whose parents traveled to America so she could be born an American citizen/CBS News Ada Lin is 4...

Read More..

US Mom Missing in Turkey Took Side Trips

Sarai Sierra, the New York mother who disappeared in Turkey while on a solo trip, took several side excursions out of the country, but stayed in contact with her family the entire time, a family friend told ABC News.Turkish media reported today that police were trying to establish why Sierra visited Amsterdam and Munich. Police were also trying to establish the identity of a...

Read More..

DNA privacy: don't flatter yourself

The secrets contained in our individual genomes are less valuable than we like to believe IMAGINE donating your DNA to a project aimed at discovering links between genes and diseases. You consent to your genome sequence being released anonymously into the public domain, though you are warned there is a remote possibility that it might...

Read More..

Ex-CNB chief's defence asks court not to convict innocent man

SINGAPORE: The final leg of the corruption trial of the former chief of the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), Ng Boon Gay, started on Monday with the defence asking the court not to convict an innocent man just to bring home the message that corruption is wrong.Ng, 46, is accused of obtaining oral sex from 36-year-old Cecilia Sue, a former IT sales representative, in exchange for helping...

Read More..

In charred club, cell phones ring with calls for the dead

Hundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil nightclub fireHundreds dead in Brazil...

Read More..

Massive loss of life in Brazil nightclub fire

Last Updated 10:16 p.m. ET BRASILIA, Brazil Flames raced through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing more than 230 people as panicked partygoers gasped for breath in the smoke-filled air, stampeding toward a single exit partially blocked by those already dead. It appeared to be the world's deadliest nightclub fire in more than a decade.Firefighters responding to the blaze...

Read More..

'Barrier of Bodies' Trapped Nightclub Fire Victims

A fast-moving fire roared through a crowded, windowless nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, filling the air in seconds with flames and a thick, toxic smoke that killed more than 230 panicked partygoers, many of whom were caught in a stampede to escape.Inspectors believe the blaze began when a band's small pyrotechnics show ignited foam sound insulating material on the...

Read More..