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Investigators probing the disappearance of Flight MH370 have discovered possible new evidence of tampering with the plane's cockpit equipment which experts believe could be part of an attempt to avoid radar detection .... A report released by Australian air crash investigators shows that the missing Boeing 777 suffered a mysterious power outage during the early stages of its flight .... The plane's satellite data unit made an unexpected "log-on" request to a satellite less than 90 minutes into its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, according to the report. The report says the log-on request - known as a "handshake"...

Brazil's Ilha de Queimada Grande is the only home of one of the world's deadliest, and most endangered, snakesFrom Iguazu Falls to Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, there are some breathtakingly beautiful places in Brazil. Ilha da Queimada Grande, located about 90 miles off the São Paulo coast, seems like another one of those beautiful places—at first glance. Almost every Brazilian knows about the island, but most would never dream of going there—it's infested with between 2,000 and 4,000 golden lancehead vipers, one of the deadliest snakes in the entire world. These vipers' venom can kill a person in under an...

China has ambitious plans to touch down on Mars by 2020, likely with a rover, and to collect its own samples from the red planet 10 years after that, a top aerospace scientist has revealed. China already sent a probe, the Jade Rabbit (or Yutu) to the moon last year. It is expanding its horizons this time. Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of the country’s lunar project, said the new Mars programme aimed to create space probes – an orbiter and rover – for Mars, according to the Beijing Times. They will help answer questions including if there is extraterrestrial activity...

Quipus where used as a form of record-keeping in Inca society, which had no written language. A set of twenty-five well-preserved quipus were found in the archaeological complex of Incahuasi, south of Lima, Alejandro Chu, archaeologist in charge of the site reported on Tuesday. Chu told Andina News Agency that this is a major finding as the quipus were found in warehouses or kallancas and not in a funerary context, as most discoveries in the past, “what makes us believe they were used for administrative purposes”. According to the Peruvian archaeologist, these objects, used by the Inca empire and previous...

In an effort to get a glimpse of how the world thinks about beauty, the journalist Esther Honig sent out a photo of herself to graphic designers in more than 20 countries. Their task: to edit the photo to make Honig look "beautiful" — however the designer defined the term. The results are telling. Each photo represents the personal and cultural beauty standards of the designer, with the American editor giving Honig bright blue eyes and long hair, and the Israeli designer darkening her eyes and skin.    

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was "highly likely" on autopilot when it ran out of fuel and crashed into the Indian Ocean, Australian researchers have said. A new search area for the missing Boeing 777 plane has been announced by the Australian government .... Deputy Prime Minister Warren Trust confirmed the search will move further south to an area 1,800km (1,100 miles) off the western coast of Australia.... An expert group has reviewed the existing information on MH370, revealing that is it probable that the plane was on autopilot when it ended its flight. Truss said it was "highly, highly likely...

Locals call it the Door to Hell, a giant burning pit that has spit out angry flames for more than 40 years, casting a yellow-orange glow into the evening sky. "It takes your breath away," said visitor Gozel Yazkulieva, 34, from the Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat. "You immediately think of your sins and feel like praying."

LONDON, England (CMC) — An American dentist says he is suing British Airways for US$34,000 for flying him to Grenada in the Caribbean, instead of the Spanish city of Granada. After two years without a holiday and a lifetime of longing to see the architectural treasures of Granada, Edward Gamson felt he could at last relax as he sat back on a British Airways flight en route to the capital of Moorish Spain, according to the British Independent newspaper. The newspaper said that it was only when Gamson and his partner glanced at the electronic map on the in-flight entertainment...

Plans to build a new road in Iceland ran into trouble recently when campaigners warned that it would disturb elves living in its path. Construction work had to be stopped while a solution was found. From his desk at the Icelandic highways department in Reykjavik, Petur Matthiasson smiles at me warmly from behind his glasses, but firmly. "Let's get this straight before we start - I do not believe in elves," he says. I raise my eyebrows slightly and incline my head towards his computer screen which is displaying the plans for a new road in a neighbouring town. There...

KUALA LUMPUR: The captain of Flight MH370 has been identified as the prime suspect by a Malaysian police investigation into the disappearance of the plane after checks cleared all other people on board, a media report said today. The criminal inquiry does not rule out the possibility the Boeing 777-200 plane was lost due to mechanical failure or terrorism, but the police view is that if it was the result of human action, the captain was the most likely perpetrator, The Sunday Times reported. Malaysia's special branch focused the inquiry on Captain Zaharie Shah, 53, after intelligence checks failed to...

According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Cambyses II, the oldest son of Cyrus the Great, sent his army to destroy the Oracle of Amun at Siwa Oasis. 50,000 warriors entered the Egypt’s western desert near Luxor. Somewhere in the middle of the desert the army was overwhelmed by a sandstorm and destroyed. Although many scientists regard the story as a myth, amateur as well as professional archaeologists have searched for the remains of the Persian soldiers for many decades. Prof Kaper never believed this story. “Some expect to find an entire army, fully equipped. However, experience has long shown that...

Archaeologists have discovered one of the earliest Roman military camps in the Carnuntum on the Danube near Vienna. The discovery of the extensive military camp, that is believed to be the size of six football pitches, was done using a high tech radar machine that can detect objects deep into the ground. The camp was unearthed at the Archaeological Park Carnuntum, located in Lower Austria between Vienna and the Slovakian capital Bratislava. It was discovered near to the remains of an ancient village and researchers believe it is probably the earliest military camp at Carnuntum. The discovery follows that made...

Once in while, the CNN Travel braintrust blows it -- make that all the time if you happen to be @cnnalwaysblowsit47. Such was the case last year when we published our updated list of the greatest travel songs ever recorded. Sure, we included a few unassailable classics about life on the travel trail. Even @cnnisamoron231 couldn't rage against our inclusion of Willie Nelson's all-time sing-a-long "On the Road Again." But we have to admit, once in a while, @iloathecnn and @cnntroll99 have valid points to make. How exactly did we miss such obvious wanderlust ditties as the Allman Brothers Bands'...

This week, America’s foreign policy is dominating the headlines, but it’s the White House’s second-term domestic agenda that’s the focus of our Parade cover story. On Monday, June 23, the President and Mrs. Obama will host a Working Families summit in Washington, D.C. to discuss the need for affordable childcare and paid family leave, raising minimum wage, and achieving equal pay for all. In an interview conducted by Parade Editor-in-Chief Maggie Murphy and contributing writer Lynn Sherr on May 20, the Obamas opened up about their personal connection to these issues and what they hope to accomplish during their remaining...

Burned out from her job and still mourning the loss of her father, Jinna Yang decided to dramatically shake up her life and honor the memory of a man who always put others first. In April, Yang, 25, quit her job in digital media in Manhattan, sold about 80 percent of her belongings and bought a one-way plane ticket to Iceland. Before she left, she took an old photo of a tuxedo-clad Jay Yang and had a company she found online make a life-size cardboard cutout of her father, who died from cancer at 52 on Aug. 24, 2012. Jay...

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Harley-Davidson has introduced its first electric motorcycle, a sleek, futuristic bike that sounds like a jet airplane taking off and can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds. The bike isn't in production yet. Instead, the public will get its first look at handmade demonstration models at an invitation-only event Monday in New York. The company will then take the models on the road for riders to try and provide feedback. Harley will use the information to refine the bike, which might not hit the market for several more years. The venture is...

http://www.vanityfair.com/business/2014/07/dubai-international-airport-emirates-airbus-a380

Two senators unveiled a bipartisan plan Wednesday to raise federal gasoline and diesel taxes for the first time in more than two decades, pitching the proposal as a solution to Congress’ struggle to pay for highway and transit programs. The plan offered by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., would raise the 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal gas tax and 24.4-cents-a-gallon diesel tax by 12 cents each over the next two years, and then index the taxes to keep pace with inflation. The plan also calls for offsetting the tax increases with other taxes cuts. …

[ snip ] ... Ohio ranks first for schools using Indian nicknames and mascots, with 219. The roll call of individual Ohio schools is right there on the website for your scrutiny. For comparison's sake, [ snip ] (coming in at #8) Indiana, 112; ... [ snip ] Finally, and perhaps taking their cue from the professional team in Cleveland, Ohio ranks first for total number of schools using the nickname "Indians," with 122 offenders. [ snip end of excerpt ]my 2 cents below... With the Great State of Indiana and its capitol as Indianapolis, I think that both of...

My wife is going to Bangkok in August for work. She has 4 free days to spend touring. She's interested in going to Cambodia or Vietnam. What would you recommend that's unique and doable in a short time?