Argentina to launch new inflation data method

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina said Saturday it will start using a new method of measuring inflation after the International Monetary Fund censured Buenos Aires over the quality of its economic data.Economy Minister Hernan Lorenzino told C5N television that it would be "a new consumer price index to replace the current measure that has supposedly caused so many problems for the IMF."Lorenzino...

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Captor is caring for boy, Alabama sheriff says

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: "Ethan's innocent ... let him go home," a Midland City resident says about the childThe suspect has been identified as 65-year-old Jimmy Lee DykesDykes is accused of killing a school bus driver and abducting a 5-year-oldAuthorities have said there is no connection between Dykes and the boyMidland City, Alabama (CNN) -- As an armed standoff dragged into its fifth day Saturday,...

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Al Qaeda-linked militants free 2 Filipino hostages

MANILA, Philippines Abu Sayyaf gunmen have freed two Filipino members of a Jordanian TV journalist's crew believed to have been kidnapped by the al Qaeda-linked militants in June as they set out to interview the extremists in their jungle lairs in the southern Philippines, police said Sunday. Policemen found frail-looking cameraman Ramel Vela and audio technician Roland Letriro late Saturday and...

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Body of Missing Mom Reportedly Found in Turkey

The body of an American woman who went missing while on a solo trip to Turkey has been pulled from a bay in Istanbul, and nine people have been held for questioning, according to local media.Sarai Sierra, 33, was last heard from on Jan. 21, the day she was due to board a flight home to New York City.The state-run Andolu Agency reported that residents found a woman's body today...

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Astrophile: A scorched world with snow black and smoky

Astrophile is our weekly column on curious cosmic objects, from the solar system to the far reaches of the multiverse Object: Titanium oxide snowLocation: The hot-Jupiter planet HD 209458b There is something magical about waking...

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Twitter hit by "sophisticated" cyber attack

SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter said Friday it had been hit by a "sophisticated" cyber attack similar to those that recently hit major Western news outlets, and that the passwords of about 250,000 users were stolen."This attack was not the work of amateurs, and we do not believe it was an isolated incident," Twitter information security director Bob Lord said in a blog post.Lord referred to an...

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Attorney: Slain prosecutor brought gun to work

By Michael Martinez and Mariano Castillo, CNNupdated 9:01 PM EST, Fri February 1, 2013STORY HIGHLIGHTSSlain Texas prosecutor began carrying a gun to work daily, friend saysMark Hasse used a different courthouse exit every day, the attorney tells CNNProsecutor didn't explain why he was fearful, she saysSheriff's chief deputy says he hadn't heard of fears and the gun carrying(CNN) -- The Texas prosecutor...

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Egypt protesters, police clash at presidential palace

CAIRO Protesters denouncing Egypt's Islamist president hurled stones and firebombs through the gates of his palace gates on Friday, clashing with security forces who fired tear gas and water cannons, as more than a week of political violence came to Mohammed Morsi's symbolic doorstep for the first time. The streets outside the presidential palace were a scene of mayhem for hours into the night....

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Hillary Clinton Says Goodbye...Until 2016?

Feb 1, 2013 6:48pm Image Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP PhotoAfter four years, nearly a million miles traveled and 112 countries visited, Hillary Clinton stepped down as the 67th secretary of state on Friday. But even on this, her final day as America’s top diplomat, she could not escape the questions about what she’ll do four years from now.Many of the 1,000 employees...

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Swarm-mongering: Brainless blobs flock together

Birds of a feather flock together and now so do brainless, inanimate blobs. Made of microscopic particles, the artificial swarms could shed light on the mysterious mechanisms behind the natural swarming seen in fish and birds. They might also lead to materials with novel properties like self-healing. ...

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Sony invites press to mystery New York event

SAN FRANCISCO: Sony sent out invitations Thursday to a mystery event in New York City on February 20, sparking rumors that the world would get its first look at a new-generation PlayStation videogame console.Both Sony and Microsoft are expected this year to show off successors to their competing consoles, which have been evolving into home entertainment hubs for films, television, music,...

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14 killed in blast at offices of Mexican state oil company

By CNN Staffupdated 8:28 PM EST, Thu January 31, 2013STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: 14 people were killed and at least 100 are injured, interior minister saysNEW: Mexico's president says he is heading to the scene to coordinate rescue effortsRescuers are searching for people trapped in the building, one of the city's tallestWitness: "People were screaming. ... You could see pieces of the wall falling"Mexico...

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14 dead, 80 injured in Mexico oil company blast

Updated 8:25 PM ET MEXICO CITY An explosion at the main headquarters of Mexico's state-owned oil company in the capital killed 14 people and injured 80 on Thursday as it heavily damaged three floors of the building, sending hundreds into the streets and a large plume of smoke over the skyline. There were also reports that as many as 30 people were trapped in the debris from the explosion, which...

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What If Undocumented Immigrants Had Voted?

If every undocumented immigrant had cast a vote for President Obama in 2012, he would have won Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, and he would have beaten Mitt Romney by nearly 11 percentage points nationally, instead of three.Only citizens can vote, however, and 11.2 million unauthorized residents didn't get the chance.But with immigration overhaul on the table, legalizing...

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Today on New Scientist: 30 January 2013

Timbuktu's precious scientific texts must be saved Islamist militants in Mali have burned documents that attest to science in Africa before European colonisation - what remains must be protectedThink that massage feels good? Try adding drugs Nerve bundles that respond to stroking have been identified and chemically activated in miceHow Obama will deliver his climate promise The US is set to...

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Research links acute malnutrition to gut microbes

WASHINGTON: A dearth of calories may not be the only reason some children face acute malnutrition, according to a new study out this week that says the microbes living in our guts may also be to blame.Within hunger-stricken communities, not all children fare the same. Some develop acute malnutrition, while others, even their brothers and sisters, may stay healthy.And some children respond...

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'Destroyed' owner of burned club attempts suicide

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: A lawyer for the owner blames the fire departmentThe club owner who attempted suicide is "emotionally destroyed," police sayNew patients are arriving at hospitals with respiratory symptomsThe fire department says club was in the process of renewing its licenseiReport: Are you there? Share your story.Santa Maria, Brazil (CNN) -- One of the owners of the Brazilian nightclub that...

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Obama: "No doubt" Congress will pass immigration, gun bills

Play VideoObama: "No doubt" gun, immigration bills will pass in coming monthsThere's more bipartisan support in Congress for comprehensive immigration reform than gun control legislation, President Obama said tonight during an interview with Univision, but qualified that even under his proposal, illegal immigrants shouldn't be harboring expectations that they'll be granted citizenship "manana." ...

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Obama Confident Immigration Reform Will Pass

President Barack Obama expressed confidence on Wednesday that he would sign comprehensive immigration reform into law by the end of this year.In an interview with Univision's Maria Elena Salinas, Obama explained that significant details of a bill still must be worked out by lawmakers, including the structure of a pathway to citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented...

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Today on New Scientist: 29 January 2013

Creatures of the air caught in the mist Photographer Todd Forsgren uses mist nets to briefly ensnare a variety of tropical South American birds before releasing them, unharmedDrug reduces enlarged prostate with few side effects Shrinking enlarged prostates by blocking a potent growth factor could avoid problems - such as erectile dysfunction - that accompany current treatmentsClimate change blamed...

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Tibetans in India launch drive against China

NEW DELHI: The Tibetan government-in-exile in India on Tuesday announced plans for a four-day campaign to bring global pressure on China in a bid to end a string of self-immolations in their Himalayan homeland.Penpa Tsering, speaker of the exiled Tibetan parliament based in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala, said the drive would include rallies and meetings and begin in New Delhi...

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Tearful Newtown dad: No new gun laws

By David Ariosto, CNNupdated 8:09 PM EST, Tue January 29, 2013STORY HIGHLIGHTSMark Mattioli, a parent of a Sandy Hook victim, says there are more than enough gun laws "The time is now" to strengthen gun laws, says Veronique Pozner, another parentCrowd interrupts the statement of a parent of a slain childConnecticut has some of the nation's strictest gun laws(CNN) -- His voice wavering, Mark Mattioli...

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