Ariz. lawmakers may make Colt official state gun

PHOENIX (AP) -- The Arizona Legislature is considering a bill to designate a historic Colt revolver the official state firearm, angering gun-control activists who denounced the measure as insulting and a waste of time when the state is facing serious economic problems.

The measure comes less than two months after the deadly shooting in Tucson that killed six and wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a former Arizona legislator. The mass shooting has prompted gun-control supporters to push for tougher weapons laws, although that is unlikely to happen in an Arizona Legislature that has become a national leader in passing pro-gun laws in recent years.

What Customer ha better Cognise About Newport Beach Homes?

They are a dream of a lot of Peoples to have a Newport Beach Home, because we all Acknowlege Newport Beach is one of the world's finest and deluxe metropolises to live. Newport Beach, comprised in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, United States 10 miles (16 km) south of Downtown Santa Ana. Newport Beach is one of the metropolis with least population density as its total population stands out to be 86,252. The city is currently one of the wealthiest communities in the United States and has even been ranked first in some categories. Areas of Newport Beach include Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, Newport Coast, San Joaquin Hills, and Balboa Peninsula.

UN Security Council Links Security to Development

The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously issued a statement pointing out a close link between international security and economic development.

The 15-member Security Council heard repeated references to the linkage between poverty and conflict throughout the world. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking to the Council, said evidence abounds that peace, security and development are interdependent.

"Nine of the 10 countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators have experienced conflict in the last 20 years. Countries facing stark inequality and weak institutions are at increased risk of conflict."

Arizona Considers Easing Nation's Toughest DUI Law for 1st Time Offenders

An Arizona lawmaker who helped pass one of the nation's toughest DUI laws is now pushing for changes that critics say would defang it and put lives at risk.

The bill introduced by Republican state Sen. Linda Gray would cut from one year to six months the amount of time a DUI interlock device must be used by first-time offenders in Arizona. The interlock device -- basically, a breathalyzer attached to the starter of a vehicle -- prevents motorists with a blood alcohol level higher than .08 percent, from turning on their engine.

Gray, who has championed tougher DUI laws for the past 13 years, says six months is a long enough punishment. At the same time, she says her bill strengthens the law by adding other restrictions.

Fetal Surgery More Beneficial for Spine Defect

Results from a large study show that fetal surgery on the spine can produce better outcomes for children with the spine defect spina bifida, and shows a clear benefit over waiting until the child is born to perform the surgery.

In the past, both pregnant women and doctors alike were afraid of the surgery, which involves fixing a hole in the spine of a child while it is still in the womb. Pushes from the government wanting evidence of safety and successful outcome led hospitals to stop performing the surgery altogether.

"This is the first hope for spina bifida fetuses," said lead researcher Dr. Scott Adzick of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, one of three places that participated in the study.

Ivorian Refugees Stretching Water, Sanitation Facilities in Guinea

The Red Cross says refugees from Ivory Coast's political crisis are stretching water and sanitation facilities across the border in Guinea.

More than 30,000 refugees have fled the political crisis between competing presidents in Ivory Coast. Most of those refugees have gone to Liberia where the United Nations is building a camp that should be ready later this month.

Some of those refugees have gone to Guinea, where they are living in villages along the border that are already disrupted by the return of Guinean civilians who fled their own electoral violence.

Google Beats Bing at 'Jeopardy!' Computer Expert Says

A computer expert inspired by a special episode of legendary U.S. game show "Jeopardy!" tested the accuracy of search engines and found Google was superior to Bing, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

In two weeks, "Jeopardy!" will air a much-hyped man versus machine challenge, pitting its game show champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter against Watson, IBM's latest computer, to determine whether flesh or silicon would reign supreme.

To coincide with the airing of the special episode, computer expert Stephen Wolfram pitted various search engines -- including Google and Bing -- against each other to see which was the "Jeopardy!" champ.

Democrat says racism played role in election losses

Democratic congressman Jim Moran said racism was one factor in his party's losses in the 2010 midterm elections, invoking President Obama's race, slavery and the Civil War in a TV interview.

Moran, a Virginia lawmaker, told Arab network Alhurra after Obama's State of the Union Address earlier this week that "a lot of people in this country ... don't want to be governed by an African-American."

He went on to say that Democrats essentially lost the majority in the U.S. House for "the same reason the Civil War happened in the United States...the Southern states, particularly the slaveholding states, didn't want to see a president who was opposed to slavery."'