Washington, April 14 : Scientists have discovered in experiments that the widespread die-off of drought-stressed trees across the southwestern United States during future droughts will occur at least five times faster if climate warms by 4 degrees Celsius.

The experiments were conducted at the University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2.

According to the scientists, quantitative information on how sensitive drought-stressed trees are to hotter temperatures is critical for predicting drastic, sudden and widespread die-offs.

Washington, Apr. 14 : The Somali pirates picked off by Navy Seal sharpshooters for holding Captain. Richard Phillips hostage were a ragged band of boys with little experience, but had plenty of weapons, the New York Post quoted officials, as saying yesterday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the four brigands who took Phillips captive after a botched hijacking of the Maersk Alabama were only 17 to 19 years old.

"Untrained teenagers with heavy weapons," Gates told a students and faculty at the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Virginia.

Washington, April 14 : Researchers have developed a technology that detects damage to critical suspension components in military vehicles simply by driving over a speed bumplike "diagnostic cleat" containing sensors.

"Our aim is to save time and maintenance costs, but more importantly to reduce downtime by catching damage before it leads to failure in the field," said Douglas Adams, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of Purdue University's Center for Systems Integrity.

New York, Apr 14 : American pop singer Nick Lachey’s romance with former MTV VJ Vanessa Minnillo is apparently going through a rough patch.

According to sources, the couple “are on the rocks big time. They argue all the time, and Nick is done with her. He feels like she’s holding him back, careerwise.”

Minnillo was recently seen storming out of an Los Angeles restaurant with an angry face, while Lachey chased her in embarrassment.

Chicago, Apr 14 : It's Bo day at Obama residence. The eagerly awaited White House pooch, a Portuguese water dog, joins the First family today.

Bo has a big clout behind him - he''s a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy. But, besides that he had to prove himself worthy through a vetting process.

The pooch's final vetting came during a visit to the White House for a little over an hour in mid-March.

However, Bo''s selection comes with some controversy.

Washington, Apr 14 : They might keep you socially happy in the cyberspace, but in real life, social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook harm people''s moral values, as they don''t allow time for compassion or admiration, warn scientists.

According to a study from a neuroscience group led by corresponding author Antonio Damasio, director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California, emotions linked to our moral sense awaken slowly in the mind.

The finding suggests that digital media culture may be better suited to some mental processes than others.