National: A wave of computer hacking attacks can be traced back to a Chinese military cyber unit in Shanghai, according to a report to be released today by an American computer security company, the NY Times says. The attacks have been waged against American government and private organizations, including the NY Times itself.

• A leak in a fuel line caused the fire that crippled the Carnival cruise ship Triumph, the US Coast Guard said. The leak sprayed oil on a hot surface and ignited, according to the Coast Guard. As yet, there’s no explanation for why the fire caused failure of virtually all the ship’s systems.
• The Obama administration is planning a long-term study of how the human brain works, an effort similar to the human genome project that decoded human genes. Knowledge gained from the study could be useful in treating mental illness as well as physical brain diseases.

World: In a caper rivaling some of the world’s great robberies, men disguised as police officers heisted $50 million worth of diamonds just as they were about to be loaded on a plane at the Brussels airport. The robbers were described as eight well-armed and hooded men who drove onto the tarmac in two black vehicles with flashing lights. They pulled off the job in minutes and were gone.

• Oscar Pistorius said in an affidavit that he accidentally shot his girlfriend through the bathroom door thinking an intruder came in through an unsecured window. He said he didn’t know Reeva Steenkamp had gotten out of bed. At times Pistorius wept uncontrollably as the document was read out loud. Steenkamp was buried today.
• The European horsemeat scandal expanded again as Nestle, the world’s largest food company, has discovered equine meat in beef pasta meals sold in Italy and Spain. Do Italians really buy this TV dinners?

Seeds of Argument: The case of an Indiana farmer who replanted bioengineered soybeans goes to the Supreme Court this week.  Seventy-five year old Vernon Bowman was sued by Monsanto after he bought and re-planted a mixed lot of soybeans that included some of Monsanto’s Roundup resistant strain. Monsanto says he used their patented beans without paying a royalty.

Passing: Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss is being mourned as one of the greatest owners of a sports team. The Lakers won 10 NBA championships under his ownership, featuring Magic Johnson,  Shaquille O’Neal, and  Kobe Bryant. Magic recalled how when he told Buss he had HIV, the two of them hugged and cried.

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