One day homeowners everywhere may be protected from deadly carbon monoxide fumes, thanks to a device invented at NASA's Langley Research Center.
The device uses a new class of low-temperature oxidation catalysts to convert carbon monoxide to non-toxic carbon dioxide at room temperature and also removes formaldehyde from the air.
The catalysts initially were developed for research involving carbon dioxide lasers.
Wearing the full veil has caused controversy in Europe and the Middle East
19 July 2010Last updated at 15:02 GMT
Female students wearing a full face veil will be barred from Syrian university campuses, the country's minister of higher education has said.
Ghiyath Barakat was reported to have said that the practice ran counter to the academic values and traditions of Syrian universities.His ruling, published on the All4Syria website, was said to be in response to requests from students and parents.
The issue of full face veils has caused controversy in other countries.
We have never gone to the extreme left or the extreme right”
End QuoteKinda al-ShammatLaw professor, Damascus
Kinda al-Shammat, a law professor and women's rights activist in Damascus, welcomed the decision and said it was in line with the Syrian belief in moderation.
"We have never gone to the extreme left or the extreme right," she told Al-Arabiya TV. Secular identity
However the BBC's Lina Sinjab in Damascus says the ruling could be a sign that Syrian Society is becoming more conservative.
"In recent years, Syria has witnessed an Islamic revival with more and more women wearing the Hijab," she reports.
"This decision could be seen as a step by the government to enforce its secular identity."
In 2009, Egypt's then foremost Muslim cleric, Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, barred female students from wearing the full-face veil at the al-Azhar University, Sunni Islam's centre of learning and scholarship.
He also upset other Muslim scholars by saying French Muslims should obey any law that France might enact banning the veil.
Earlier this month, France's lower house of parliament overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban wearing the Islamic full veil in public.
It must be ratified by the Senate in September to become law.
Belgium's lower house of parliament has also passed a bill to ban clothing that hides a person's identity in public places, although it does not specifically refer to full-face Islamic veils.
Rescuers are trying to pull out trapped passengers from mangled cars.
New Delhi, India (CNN) -- A moving train rammed into a stopped train in eastern India early Monday, killing more than 50 people and injuring 100, police said.
Emergency crews were still at the scene more than eight hours after the crash, but there was no sign of more passengers trapped in the wreckage, said Humayun Kabir, police chief in the Birbhum district of West Bengal state.
Authorities are investigating what caused the moving train to rear-end a stationary train just before 2 a.m. Monday (4:30 p.m. ET Sunday) at the Sainthia station, Indian railway spokesman Anil Saxena said.
A relief train and emergency crews rushed to the scene, he said.
The impact detached at least three coaches of the stopped Vananchal Express, Saxena said.
One of them was pushed off the tracks and slammed into an overpass above the tracks, Kabir said. India's massive rail network is marred by a poor safety record.
At least 100 rail crashes occurred in the 2009-2010 fiscal year, according to rail officials.
Of the 115 train accidents authorities recorded in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, 80 were blamed on staff failures.
Boats on the surface are ready to resume collecting the oil
BBC.,19 July 2010Last updated at 02:35 GMT
The US government has ordered BP to submit a plan for reopening its capped well in the Gulf of Mexico amid concerns that oil may be seeping from the ocean floor near the well.
The US official in charge of cleaning up the oil spill, Thad Allen, said the plan would have to be implemented as soon as possible if this was confirmed.
Once the cap was released, oil would once again be funnelled to the surface.
However, BP says it will take three days to start this process.
During this time, oil would be released into the sea.
The well began leaking oil into the Gulf after BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on 20 April, killing 11 workers, and capsized two days later.
BP had hoped the cap could stay in place until relief wells stop the leak for good.
But with pressure readings from within the well lower than expected, scientists had raised concerns that oil could leaking into the surrounding undersea bedrock.
And in a letter to BP chief managing director Bob Dudley, Admiral Allen said: "Given the current observations... including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance...
"I direct you to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the well head be confirmed."
The flow of oil from the well was shut off by the cap at 1425 local time (1925 GMT) on Thursday and testing has continued since then.
Work on both of the relief wells designed to close off the well permanently is currently suspended because of the testing. 'Worst disaster'
The Gulf of Mexico spill has been described as the worst environmental disaster the US has seen.
The subsequent spill has affected hundreds of miles of Gulf coastline since April, with serious economic damage to the region as tourists have avoided Gulf Coast beaches and fishing grounds have remained closed.
BP has put the costs of dealing with the disaster at over $3.5bn (£2.3bn).
It has already paid out more than $200m to 32,000 claimants. The company is evaluating a further 17,000 for payment and is seeking more information on 61,000 other claims.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is to meet Mr Obama in Washington on Tuesday, and BP - formerly British Petroleum - is expected to be a key topic of discussion.
NEW CAP FOR LEAKING OIL WELL
In June, BP placed a cap, known as an LMRP cap, over the top of the Deepwater Horizon well so oil could be collected at the surface. However, this continued to leak oil and has now been replaced with a better fitting device.
