Babies know what’s fair

A study by a group of American students discovered that infants acquire a sense of fairness before age 2, the Science Daily reported Saturday. “We found that 19 and 21-month-old infants have a general expectation of fairness, and they can apply it appropriately to different situations,” said Stephanie Sloane, a psychology graduate student at the University of Illinois, who conducted the study with UI’s Renée Baillargeon and David Premack of the University of Pennsylvania.Sloane’s team showed the

Feb. 21, 2012

Blast at steel plant in NE China kills at least 13

BEIJING (AP) _ At least 13 people have been killed and 17 hurt in a blast at a steel plant in northeastern China. (Bloomberg)The state-run Xinhua News Agency says the blast late Monday night in Anshan city in Liaoning province happened when a mold exploded in a steel-casting plant. The cause of the

Feb. 21, 2012

McCain: Egypt working to resolve NGO crisis

CAIRO (AP) ― Sen. John McCain said Monday Egypt’s military rulers have reassured him that authorities are working “diligently” to resolve a criminal case against U.S. pro-democracy groups that has brought relations between the two allies to their lowest point in decades.It was the first public statement to indicate the two sides are trying to find a way to move from the brink of a spat that has threatened U.S. aid to Egypt and shook confidence in the country’s transition to democracy.As part of

Feb. 21, 2012

Obama and Karzai discuss Afghan reconciliation moves

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― U.S. President Barack Obama talked with Hamid Karzai Monday about Afghan-led reconciliation moves following the Afghan president’s talks with the leaders of Pakistan and Iran, the White House said.The telephone conversation also followed Karzai’s assertion in a newspaper interview last week that his government was involved in talks with the Taliban, both with and without the United States.“They discussed regional support for Afghan-led reconciliation, the Afghanistan-Pakistan-

Feb. 21, 2012

Secretive Navy SEALs take starring role in new film

 Scenes from a movie "Act of Valor," starring real, active-duty Navy SEALs. (AP-Yonhap News) The secretive Navy SEALs are coming out of the shadows for a new Hollywood film, with elite commandos cast in starring roles in a radical departure for America's special forces.   In "Act

Feb. 20, 2012

U.S., Britain urge Israel not to attack Iran

JERUSALEM (AP) ― The U.S. and Britain on Sunday urged Israel not to attack Iran’s nuclear program as the White House’s national security adviser arrived in the region, reflecting growing international jitters that the Israelis are poised to strike.In their warnings, both the chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, and British Foreign Secretary William Hague said an Israeli attack on Iran would have grave consequences for the entire region and urged Israel to give interna

Feb. 20, 2012

44 dead in Mexico prison riot

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) -- A fight among inmates led to a prison riot in northern Mexico that killed 44 people Sunday, a security official said. Relatives of inmates at Apodaca prison, pull the security fence following a riot inside the prison, Sunday, near Monterrey, state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. (AF

Feb. 20, 2012

Iran Oil Ministry: Exports cut to Britain, France

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran has halted oil shipments to Britain and France, the Oil Ministry said Sunday, in an apparent pre-emptive blow against the European Union after the bloc imposed sanctions on Iran's crucial fuel exports.In this Sept. 27, 2000 file photo, an Iranian oil worker repairs a pipe a

Feb. 20, 2012

German government, opposition agree on new president

BERLIN (AP) -- Germany's government and the two major opposition parties said they would jointly nominate former East German human rights activist Joachim Gauck to be the country's next president.The 72-year-old Gauck is a former Lutheran priest who opposed East Germany's then-communist regime and b

Feb. 20, 2012

Thousands protest Spain’s new labor reforms

Hundreds of thousands of protesters were marching throughout Spain on Sunday in the first large-scale show of anger over new labor reforms that make it easier for companies to fire workers and pull out of collective bargaining agreements.  A woman shouts slogans against the government's recentl

Feb. 20, 2012

Korean War veteran’s family recovers long-lost Purple Heart medal

LEXINGTON, Massachusetts (AP) ― Connie Hadley Bachman’s phone rang recently, and a stranger started speaking about something that’s made the 84-year-old’s heart ache for decades. The caller spoke of Bachman’s younger brother, an Air Force pilot who died in combat in North Korea in 1951. This time, the Lexington woman’s tears for him would be bittersweet. The man on the phone was a military officer who wanted to return a Purple Heart medal that belonged to her brother, 1st Lt. Thomas E. Hadley II

Feb. 19, 2012