Myanmar police fire water cannon at mine protest: activist

YANGON: Riot police fired water cannon to disperse people protesting against a controversial Chinese-backed copper mine in northern Myanmar, an activist told AFP on Thursday."While we were sleeping riot police came to the site and fired water," said Yaywata, a monk who was among hundreds of people demonstrating against the mine, which has seen months of protests over complaints of alleged...

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Apple's iTunes 11 could debut tomorrow, report says

After a month-long delay, the next generation of Apple's popular iTunes music software could launch as early as tomorrow.iTunes 11 could make its long-awaited debut Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported this evening in a profile of Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue. While not exactly offered as the definitive release date, Thursday is the second to last working day before Apple's self-imposed...

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Caterpillar Fungus Has Anti-Inflammatory Properties

In the Tibetan mountains, a fungus attaches itself to a moth larva burrowed in the soil. It infects and slowly consumes its host from within, taking over its brain and making the young caterpillar move to a position from which the fungus can grow and spore again. Sounds like something out of science fiction, right? But for ailing Chinese consumers and nomadic Tibetan harvesters, the parasite...

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Huge Jackpot Looms, but Can Money Buy Happiness?

Nov 28, 2012 1:02pm Can money buy happiness? If you’re clutching several Powerball tickets in one hand as you thumb through yacht and pony catalogs with the other, you’re probably betting yes.We’re all told the odds of winning are abysmal — about 1 in 175 million — but let’s assume you win the $500 million jackpot. Experts say the initial euphoria will wear off...

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Gas explosion in Springfield points to ageing pipes

Human error and corroded pipes were a catastrophic combination on 23 November when a natural gas explosion in Springfield, Massachusetts, injured 21 people and damaged more than 40 buildings. Gas company officials attributed the...

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Some SMRT bus drivers involved in illegal strike return to work

SINGAPORE: Some of the SMRT bus drivers from China involved in an illegal strike over salaries returned to work on Wednesday.A driver from China who had completed his shift on Wednesday morning told reporters at Woodlands dormitory, where some of the drivers are staying, that all drivers from his room went to work.He said staff from the Chinese embassy spoke to the drivers at about 11:00pm...

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NASA hedges on Curiosity's mystery Mars discovery

There's something historic in this Martian dirt and rubble, unless there isn't.(Credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech )Let's review what we know about NASA's Martian secret heard round the solar system last week:An NPR reporter happened to be recording in the office of the lead scientist for the Curiosity rover as some data from the rover's on-board chemistry lab was coming in. When pressed by the reporter to interpret...

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Pictures: Falcon Massacre Uncovered in India

Photograph courtesy Conservation IndiaA young boy can sell bundles of fresh Amur falcons (pictured) for less than five dollars. Still, when multiplied by the thousands of falcons hunters can catch in a day, the practice can be a considerable financial boon to these groups.Since discovering the extent of Amur hunting in Nagaland this fall, Conservation India has taken the issue to the local Indian...

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Petraeus Scandal: Socialite Jill Kelley Fighting Back

Tampa socialite Jill Kelley is fighting back. Today, sources close to the woman who was caught in the media crossfire during the David Petraeus sex scandal have released new letters aimed at reclaiming her reputation.In a letter released to reporters by Jill Kelley's spokesperson, Kelley's attorney goes after a New York businessman who claimed Kelley was using her connections...

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Lake life survives in total isolation for 3000 years

It is seven times as salty as the sea, pitch dark and 13 degrees below freezing. Lake Vida in East Antarctica has been buried for 2800 years under 20 metres of ice, but teems with life. The discovery of strange, abundant bacteria in a completely...

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