Bremerhaven, Germany - Scientists testing an idea to beat global warming have met with an unexpected result as the experiment proceeds in polar waters, a German science official said Saturday.

One type of algae, haptophytes, reproduced rapidly in the ocean after a nutrient-rich eddy of water, 1,530 kilometres north-east of the island of South Georgia, was fertilized with iron by Indian and German scientists.

Ulrich Bathmann, head of bioscience at the Alfred Wegener polar and oceanography institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany, said the growth had been different from previous, smaller-scale experiments.

New York, Feb 14 : Want to get hold of a personally autographed iPod loaded with your favourite star's most loved songs? Well, then log on to Tonic. com without thinking for a minute.

The e-commerce site is auctioning iPods autographed by celebrities, and pre-loaded with their favourite songs.

A total of 70 A-listers, from actors to models to politicians, have lended their ear for the auction, reports the New York Daily News.

The proceeds from sales will benefit music programs in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast region.

Washington  - It's time for you to get yourself an online storage account. The reasons why are compelling - and they keep piling up.

Stockholm  - A Swedish courtroom is set on Monday to become the scene of a showdown between lawyers representing big music and film companies and the operators of a popular website that allegedly acts as a hub for illegal file sharing.

Four men face charges as accessories in violating copyright law, helping others "breach copyright laws" and of making illegal gains by selling advertisements on the Pirate Bay website.

The Pirate Bay website was temporarily shut down in June 2006. Its backers said it was a not-for-profit group and did not store copyrighted material, but only offered a search engine for users who exchange music, films and computer games.

San Francisco  - Microsoft has long been accused of copying the computer innovations of its smaller competitor Apple. Now it is also copying parts of Apple's retail model.

The software giant plans to start its own chain of retail stores highlighting its products, following the success of Apple's 251 stores in engaging customers and boosting Apple's profile.

The Microsoft announcement on Friday did not include details of the retail rollout but it will not be the company's first attempt to open up a retail shop. The company opened a Microsoft store in Sony's Metreon centre in San Francisco in 1999, in which it showcased technology from Microsoft and its partners, but the store closed in 2002.

With the aim to find who is behind the Downadup/Conficker virus, Microsoft has announced a reward of $250,000 (£172,000) to who so ever will come up with the answer.

The Conficker worm that started circulating in October 2008 has been successful in infecting millions of computers worldwide.

The reward is being offered by the software giant, since it sees the Conficker worm as a criminal attack.