News Headlines - 21 May 2013

▽N Korea sends military leader as "special envoy" to China - Channel NewsAsia

North Korea has sent a top military official to China as a personal envoy of leader Kim Jong-Un, at a time of strained relations between Pyongyang and its allies in Beijing, state media reported.

▽Iran and Hezbollah’s Support for Syria Complicates U.S. Strategy on Peace Talks - NYTimes.com

As evidence grows of increased Iranian support for the Syrian government, the Obama administration’s strategy to bring the bitter fighting there to a close faces more challenges than ever.

▽BBC News - Irish potato famine pathogen identified

A plant pest that causes potato blight spread to Ireland in 1845 triggering a famine that killed one million people. DNA extracted from museum specimens shows the strain that changed history is different from modern day epidemics, and is probably now extinct.

▽Xbox One: Microsoft reveals new console that 'changes everything' | The Guardian

Microsoft revealed a new Xbox console on Tuesday that not only integrates TV, internet and gaming, but also will measure your heartbeat and recognise your voice. The company said the Xbox One will revolutionise its users' lifestyles by integrating the cloud, voice control and gesture technology into a simple, intuitive machine.

▽Why penguins cannot fly : Nature News & Comment

A new study argues that birds cannot be both masterful divers and flyers, because flying abilities must weaken as the animals adapt to diving. Rather than looking at penguins, a team led by biologist Kyle Elliott at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, examined species of diving seabirds that still have some ability to fly.