Obama's support for gay marriage splits US

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Barack Obama has been praised and criticised a day after he became the first sitting US president to publicly support gay marriage.

Social conservatives and religious leaders condemned his remarks.

Baby did not fall from ferry into Belfast Lough say police

A 37-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of wasting police time, after reports of a baby falling from a ferry turned out not to be true.

Testosterone supplements may help male weight loss

Older obese men could shift excess weight by taking testosterone supplements, suggest findings announced at the European Congress on Obesity.

In a study, hormone-deficient men were given testosterone supplements in a similar way to HRT for older women.

Men lost an average of 16kg over five years when testosterone levels were increased back to normal.

Sony reports record loss amid disasters and strong yen

Japanese electronics maker Sony has reported a record annual loss as natural disasters last year and a strong yen hurt its earnings.

The firm reported a net loss of 456.7bn yen ($5.7bn; £3.5bn) for the year to the end of March, compared with a 259.6bn yen loss last year.

Facebook app store launches amid mobile revenue worries

Facebook has launched its own app store to promote mobile programs that operate using the social network.

The Best Workout to Blast Belly Fat and Lower Blood Sugar

There's a new champ in the fitness ring with a one-two punch that would send Sugar Ray Robinson spinning. It's an exercise combo that helps you burn fat and lower blood sugar better than either exercise alone.

Life after Firefox: Can Mozilla regain its mojo?

Mozilla Foundation president Mitchell Baker is sitting on a ticking time bomb.

The survival of her company, which pledges to make the web a better place, is at the mercy of one of its main competitors, Google.

If you haven't heard of Mozilla, you almost certainly know - and perhaps use - its most famous product: the Firefox browser.

Facebook criticised over data download tool

Facebook has updated a tool that lets users look at some of the data the social network holds on them.

The update gives people an "expanded archive" of their activity on Facebook letting them see friend requests and login locations.

Facebook said other categories of data would be added in the future.

Trayvon Martin: George Zimmerman appears in court

George Zimmerman, the Florida neighbourhood watchman accused over the death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, has appeared in court.

During the brief hearing, a date of 29 May was set for a formal reading of the charges and a bail hearing.

Madonna album suffers record sales slump in US

Madonna's MDNA has suffered the biggest second-week drop in sales for a number one album in US chart history.

Shift workers 'risking' Type 2 diabetes and obesity

Shift workers getting too little sleep at the wrong time of day may be increasing their risk of diabetes and obesity, according to researchers.

The team is calling for more measures to reduce the impact of shift working following the results of its study.

Icann's internet suffix application deadline looms

Organisations wishing to buy web addresses ending in their brand names have until the end of Thursday to submit applications.

For example, drinks giant Pepsi can apply for .pepsi, .gatorade or .tropicana as an alternative to existing suffixes such as .org or .com.

Parties are able to request up to 50 web address endings.

JK Rowling announces title of first adult novel

Author JK Rowling has announced her first adult novel will be called The Casual Vacancy.

The Harry Potter writer revealed in February that she was working on the book, and said it would be "very different" from her previous material.

Post-Flu Depression? Increase Your Serotonin

You're nearly over the flu but still feel down in the dumps -- even depressed. It's not just because the laundry's 2 feet high and you're behind at work. Your immune system is still recovering from its no-holds-barred battle against the flu virus,

Man in underwear crawls over frozen river to rescue dog

A man who stripped down to his underwear and crawled across a frozen river to rescue his trapped dog has been condemned by firefighters.

According to an eyewitness, the man fell into the River Stour, in Dedham, Essex, at about 10:00 GMT on Sunday but managed to climb out with the animal.

Fellow dog walker Paul Wenborne, who witnessed the incident, described it as a "foolish act of bravery".

An Essex Fire Service spokesman said: "This was extremely dangerous."

Fish porter Mr Wenborne, 52, of Rayleigh, Essex, said he was amazed at the man's actions.

'Stripped down'

"I was with two friends and we couldn't believe what we were seeing," he said.

"He stripped down to his pants and started crawling across the ice.

"About a yard or so from the dog, he fell in but managed to get hold of the dog and put it on the ice.

"He then had to swim two or three yards and then crawl back on the ice to dry land.

"He put his clothes back on and carried on. It was a foolish act of bravery."

Essex Fire Service confirmed it was not called to the incident.

Last week, Essex assistant divisional officer Stuart McMillan issued a warning about icy lakes and ponds.

"Even though this ice appears to be strong it can be eggshell thin and anyone who falls through into the water below could get trapped under the ice and would only be able to survive for minutes in the freezing water," he said.

"The most common cause is people chasing their dogs out on to the ice, and I urge people not to do this.

"It isn't worth the risk. Dogs will normally make it safely off the ice and back to the shore - the same cannot be said for people."

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A 9-Year-Old Player Becomes the Youngest-Ever Life Master

When Richard Jeng of Johns Creek, Ga., set the record for the youngest-ever Life Master in 2009 at 9 years, 6 months and 12 days, many thought that would never be broken. Wrong!

On Feb. 1 at the Lone Star Regional in Houston, Zach Garrison of Spring, Tex., set a new mark at 9 years, 2 months and 7 days. Will this stand forever?

Zach first watched his parents, David and Kristy Garrison, playing with his older sisters, Danielle and Samantha. Then, when he learned about Jeng, he decided he wanted to play bridge. So in 2010 his parents started to teach him and his younger sister, Sarah. At the beginning Zach couldn’t go to the bridge club because his hands were so small that he had difficulty getting his cards out of a duplicate board and sorting them.

With practice at home, though, he began to play with his mother in the 299er games at the Bridge Club of Houston. During one of those deals he was passing while the other three players were bidding. On the next round he placed the Stop card onto the table (which was supposed to mean that he was about to make a jump bid), then he passed. Afterward, when asked why he had used the Stop card, he said that he wanted his mother to stop bidding.

Zach started his serious run at the Life Master title with the 2011 Houston Regional. He studied all aspects of the game, finding them equally fascinating.

The diagramed deal was played last month during a Junior Fund game in Houston. It was sent in by North, Duane Friedrich of Houston.

After East opened one club, Zach (South) could have been expected to overcall one no-trump, but he passed. Then, when Friedrich (North) balanced with one diamond, Zach jumped to three no-trump.

West led the spade eight (second-highest from a weak suit, not treating the ten as an honor). East won with the king and returned a spade to dummy’s ace. (To hold South to nine tricks East had to shift to a low heart, a very hard play to find.)

Declarer ran dummy’s club nine, West taking the queen and returning a spade. Now South cashed the diamond winners to reach the position pictured above, at bottom.

On the diamond jack East threw the heart queen, and declarer discarded his low heart. Then, knowing exactly what he was doing, Zach played a club to the ten and exited with the heart king to endplay East.

Zach had taken two spades, five diamonds and three clubs. Plus 430 was a cold top.

An experienced expert would have been very happy with that play. For a 9-year-old it was wonderful.

Watch out for Zach Garrison in the future.

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Anonymous says attack put CIA website offline

Hackers have claimed responsibility for making the CIA website inaccessible on Friday - the latest attack on a US federal agency.

A Twiter post on a feed used by hackers' collective Anonymous said "CIA Tango down", a phrase used by the US Special Forces after killing an enemy.

Anonymous said in another tweet that just because it reported a hack, that did not mean it carried out the attack.

This would not be the first time the CIA website has been put offline.

In June 2011, a group affiliated with Anonymous, Lulz Security, temporarily brought down the agency's homepage.

The CIA site remained offline on Friday evening after several hours, and a spokeswoman said the agency was looking into the reports.

Hackers usually target such websites through a denial-of-service attack, which involves bombarding the site with traffic until its servers are overwhelmed.

There is no suggestion that the security of the CIA's actual computer systems have been compromised.

Earlier this month, Anonymous managed to intercept a conference call between the FBI and British police as they discussed legal action against hackers.

And following the shutdown of the Megaupload file-sharing website last month, a statement attributed to Anonymous claimed responsibility for shutting down the websites of the Department of Justice and FBI, among others.

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Syria rejects new Arab League peace mission proposal

Syria has "categorically rejected" an Arab League resolution calling for a joint Arab-UN peacekeeping mission to end the country's 11-month conflict.

Yusuf Ahmed, Syria's envoy in Cairo, said the plan "reflected the hysteria of these governments".

Russia said it was studying the proposal but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said violence must end before peacekeepers could be sent.

The UN General Assembly is set for a key debate on the crisis in Syria.

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, who has been sharply critical of the actions of President Bashar al-Assad's government, is expected to address the assembly.

Earlier, the Arab League said it was ending all diplomatic co-operation with Syria, and promised to give "political and material support" to the opposition.

he league's moves come a week after a UN Security Council resolution on Syria, which would have endorsed a previous Arab League peace initiative, was vetoed by Russia and China.

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Cairo says the new resolution contains the toughest language on Syria by the Arab League so far and makes it much more likely that the issue will return to the Security Council.

The fact that they are considering these moves shows the extent of the Syrian regime's isolation, our correspondent adds.

But, he says, it remains to be seen whether Moscow will continue to lend its support to its old allies and trading partners.

The League's resolution also formally ends the observer mission it sent to Syria in December. It was suspended in January amid criticism that it was ineffective in the face of continuing violence.

The head of that mission, the controversial Sudanese General Mohammed al-Dabi, had submitted his resignation on Sunday.

Earlier, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri backed the Syrian uprising in a video message, telling the opposition not to rely on the West or Arab countries for support.

There have been reports that US officials suspect al-Qaeda involvement in two deadly blasts in the second city of Aleppo last week.

Meanwhile, fresh violence in the Syrian city of Homs was reported on Monday.

"Tank shelling has been non-stop on Baba Amr and the bombardment on al-Waer [district] began overnight," activist Mohammad al-Hassan told Reuters.

Following a brief lull in fighting, at least four people were killed in Baba Amr on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory on Human Rights said.

At least 35 were reported dead on Saturday.

Activists say more than 400 people have been killed since security forces launched an assault on opposition-held areas on the city this month.

Human rights groups say more than 7,000 have died throughout Syria since last March. The government says at least 2,000 members of the security forces have been killed combating "armed gangs and terrorists".

Syria restricts access to foreign media and it is not possible to verify casualty figures.

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Video game sales fall ahead of PlayStation Vita launch

Video game sales slumped in the US - their biggest market - in January.

NPD group said stores sold $1.14bn (£720m) worth of games over the month, down 34% on the previous year. It added that hardware sales were down 38%.

The consumer data provider linked the drop to a lack of major new releases.

Other analysts also pointed to worries about the economy and said this might have an impact on the upcoming launch of Sony's PlayStation Vita console.

NPD said that Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the month's best-selling title. It was followed by Just Dance 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and NBA 2K12.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 held onto its title as the top selling hardware platform for the sixth month running.

"While the lack of new launches was a major reason for software declines, games which launched in the last three months of 2011 also performed poorly in January 2012, down 31% in units compared to fourth quarter launches in January 2011," NPD analyst Liam Callahan added.

"As shoppers were not drawn to stores due to new launch activity, this potentially impacted additional software purchases made on impulse."

The video games news website, IGN, said it had noted a similar drop-off in activity in the UK market. It said sales should pick up when Mass Effect 3 goes on sale in March, but noted that shoppers were worried.

"You can't really deny that the economy is a factor," Keza MacDonald, the firm's UK games editor, told the BBC.

"The lack of big new releases is just a tiny bit of the picture. The fact people are buying less games shows up in the US, European and Japanese data.

"People are just buying fewer games because they have less money to spend. The data before Christmas was also not particularly strong."

Vita's challenge

The news comes as Sony prepares the global launch of its new PlayStation Vita games console. The device goes on sale across Europe, Australia and the Americas on 22 February.

Analysts at IHS Screen Digest have forecast 7 million units will be sold by the end of the year. They say that would be 25% less than what its predecessor the PlayStation Portable System achieved over its initial roll-out.

"I think there is a segment of the population - potentially a narrowing segment - which is still engaged by specialist devices such as handheld consoles," said the firm's head of games, Piers Harding-Rolls.

"But it is a very price-driven situation and part of that equation is definitely the content on offer.

"Sony has hit the mark with a strong line-up at launch which should drive strong initial sales, but there's the potential that demand will drop off quite significantly after the first few weeks."

Industry watchers note that the console will have to compete for attention with Apple's latest iPad which the Wall Street Journal suggests will launch in March.

"A lot of the market for handheld gaming was kids and that market has completely shifted to iPhones, Android phones and touchscreen tablets," said Ms MacDonald.

"The Vita is a nice bit of kit - it has gadget appeal - but I'm not sure it has mainstream appeal."

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Immune cells use 'starvation tactics' on HIV

Scientists have shown how some cells in the body can repel attacks from HIV by starving the virus of the building blocks of life.

Viruses cannot replicate on their own; they must hijack other cells and turn them into virus production factories.

A study, published in Nature Immunology, showed how some parts of the immune system destroy their own raw materials, stopping HIV.

It is uncertain whether this could be used in therapy, experts caution.

HIV attacks the immune system and can weaken the body's defences to the point that everyday infections become fatal.

However, not all parts of the immune system become subverted to the virus' cause. Macrophages and dendritic cells, which have important roles in orchestrating the immune response, seem to be more resistant.

Raw materials

Last year researchers identified the protein SAMHD1 as being a critical part of this resistance. Now scientists believe they know how it works.

They have shown that SAMHD1 breaks down the building blocks of DNA. So if a cell needs to make a copy of itself it will have a pool of these building blocks - deoxynucleoside triphosphates or dNTPs - which make the new copies of the DNA. However, they can also be used by viruses.

The study, by an international team of researchers, showed that SAMHD1 lowered the levels of dNTPs below that needed to build viral DNA and prevented infection. When they removed SAMHD1 then those cells had higher levels of dNTPs and were infected by HIV.

The report said: "By depleting the pool of available dNTPs, SAMHD1 effectively starves the virus of a building block that is central to its replication strategy."

It is possible for macrophages and dendritic cells to produce SAMHD1 as they are "mature cells" which do not go on to produce new cells.

Prof Baek Kim, one of the researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center, said: "It makes sense that a mechanism like this is active in macrophages.

"Macrophages literally eat up dangerous organisms, and you don't want those organisms to have available the cellular machinery needed to replicate and macrophages themselves don't need it, because they don't replicate.

"So macrophages have SAMHD1 to get rid of the raw material those organisms need to copy themselves. It's a great host defence."

Dr Jonathan Stoye, virologist at the Medical Research Council National Institute of Medical Research, was part of the team which determined the chemical structure of SAMHD1 last year and predicted that it would attack the dNTPs.

"We hypothesised that it works in this fashion and the paper tells us we were right. It is depleting cells of these dNTPs, in cells which are not proliferating (dividing)."

However, some cells do need to divide to boost numbers as part of the immune defence. Such as CD4 cells which are the prime target for HIV infection.

"Cells which are proliferating would be in trouble if we took dNTPs away," Dr Stoye said.

He added: "How we can use the anti-retroviral action of this protein is not clear to me."

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