Hundreds of Slime-Covered Seabirds Wash Ashore, Puzzle Scientists

A guillemot rescued by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

A mysterious greasy substance has been found on hundreds of seabirds — some dead, others injured — that have been washing up along England's south coast.

The birds, mostly guillemots, have been discovered along beaches from Weymouth to Torquay covered in the waxy film; many have very sore legs, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which has been rescuing the slime-coated creatures.

Environmental officials with the U.K.'s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), who are investigating the case, still don't know where the greasy substance came from, but they believe it is a "refined mineral-based oil mixture."

"Initial analysis indicates that the contaminant is a refined mineral oil and further analysis results are awaited," Stan Woznicki, the MCA's head of counter pollution, said in a statement Friday. [In Photos: Major Oil Disasters at Sea]

"We have not received any specific reports of pollution within the English Channel area, but today we sent one of our counter pollution surveillance aircraft to investigate," Woznicki added. "It covered the sea areas between Dover and the Isles of Scilly, but no pollution was detected."

MCA officials said the initial findings indicate that the substance is not palm oil, as had been suggested by at least one scientist. Simon Boxall, of the UK's National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, had issued a statement saying he suspected palm oil may have been accidentally spilled or illegally dumped from a cargo ship crossing the English Channel. In any case, Boxall said that finding the source of the spill likely will be difficult.

"To put it into perspective: the English Channel covers about 30,000 square miles. A slick from an illegal dump would be at most 1 square mile," Boxall said. "That's a bit like trying to find an averagely-sized village in England, but with no clue where it is, and it's moving around!"

While this mysterious spill is not common, it's not unique, either. "There was a large palm iil spill along the south coast [of England], which affected the bird life and did eventually hit the coast," Boxall told LiveScience. "It was assumed to be from illegal tank washing, but never tracked to the criminal ship."

Missing 13-year-old girl found dead in Calif. park

FAIRFIELD, Calif. (AP) — A 13-year-old girl reported missing Thursday has been found dead in a park in the Northern California city of Fairfield, police said.

A passerby discovered the girl's naked body a little before 7 a.m. Friday in the city's Alan Witt Parkand flagged down a police officer who was driving by, Fairfield Police Officer Cleo Mayoral said Saturday.

An autopsy was performed, but police did not release the girl's name or her cause of death. Mayoral said there were no obvious signs of trauma to the girl when she was found.

"I thought to myself, that looked like a mannequin, didn't look like a human body," the passerby, Eric May, told KTVU-TV.

The girl was reported missing around 5:45 p.m. Thursday by her guardian at a foster home in nearby Suisun City. That city's police Cmdr. Tim Mattos told the Daily Republic that the guardian last saw her board a school bus. He said she was in class all day and was expected home around 4 p.m.

He called the discovery of the dead child "a shock to our system."

No suspect or suspects have been identified, but detectives were canvassing neighborhoods and checking video images from surveillance cameras as part of their investigation, Mayoral said.

Sacramento television station CBS13 reported the girl attended Green Valley Middle School, which is about eight miles from the park.

School Principal Gregg Hubbs declined to comment on the girl's death.

Turkey police: NYC woman killed by blow to head

FILE - In this image from files provided by the family, Sarai Sierra is shown in an undated family photo, in New York. The New York City woman who went missing while vacationing alone in Istanbul was found dead on Saturday and police detained nine people for questioning in connection with her case, Turkey's state-run news agency said. Sarai Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two, was last heard from on Jan. 21, the day she was due to board her flight back home. Her disappearance attracted a lot of interest in Turkey, where such disappearance of foreign tourists are rare and Istanbul police had set up a special unit to find her. (AP Photo/Family Photo, File)

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish police say a New York City woman who went missing and was later found dead in Istanbul had suffered a fatal blow to the head.

Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin said Sunday that forensic experts had not concluded their autopsy report on the victim, Sarai Sierra, but that it was "clear" the head injury caused her death.

NTV, a Turkish broadcaster, says 15 people have been detained for questioning in the case.

Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two, was last heard from on Jan. 21, the day she was to fly home from a vacation. Her body was discovered Saturday evening near the remnants of ancient city walls.

Israeli minister: Assad's fall imminent

MUNICH (AP) — Israel's defense minister said Sunday that he sees the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad as imminent, and that it will be a major blow to his country's regional archrival Iran.

Ehud Barak's appearance at a gathering of the world's top diplomats and defense officials in Germany came days after an Israeli airstrike that U.S. officials say hit a convoy of anti-aircraft weapons inside Syria bound for the militant Lebanese Hezbollah group.

Israel hasn't publicly acknowledged the airstrike.

Barak brought the issue up and stopped short of confirming it, but said "what happened in Syria several days ago... that's proof that when we said something we mean it — we say that we don't think it should be allowed to bring advanced weapons systems into Lebanon."

He added that "Hezbollah from Lebanon and the Iranians are the only allies that Assad has left."

He said in his view Assad's fall "is coming imminently" and when it happens, "this will be a major blow to the Iranians and Hezbollah."

"I think that they will pay the price," he said.

Israeli defense minister comments on Syria strike

MUNICH (AP) — Israel's defense minister made his country's first public comments Sunday on an airstrike in Syria, suggesting that Israel had been behind the attack.

U.S. officials have said the attack hit a convoy of anti-aircraft weapons inside Syria bound for the militant Lebanese Hezbollahgroup but Israel hasn't publicly acknowledged the airstrike.

In the days ahead of the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials repeatedly warned of the dangers of Syrian weapons falling into the hands of Hezbollah and other hostile elements in the region.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak brought the issue up at a gathering of the world's top diplomats and defense officials in Germany, initially saying: "I cannot add anything to what you have read in the newspapers about what happened in Syria several days ago."

But, addressing the audience in English, he then added: "I keep telling frankly that we said — and that's proof when we said something we mean it— we say that we don't think it should be allowed to bring advanced weapons systems into Lebanon."

Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Israeli leaders have repeatedly expressed fears that if Syria were to disintegrate, President Bashar Assad could lose control of his chemical weapons and other arms.

The Syrian military said the target of Israeli jets was a scientific research center. The facility is in the area of Jamraya, northwest of Damascus.

Purported images of the targeted site, aired by Syrian state television on Saturday, show destroyed cars, trucks and military vehicles. A building has broken widows and damaged interiors, but no major structural damage.

Following the attack, Syria's ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul-Karim Ali, said Damascus "has the option and the capacity to surprise in retaliation," but that it was up to the relevant authorities to choose the time and place.

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition leaders and rebels on Friday slammed Assad for not responding to the airstrike, calling it proof of his weakness and acquiescence to the Jewish State.

On Saturday night, Netanyahu, who is in the process of forming a new ruling coalition, said his new government would have to deal with weapons "being stockpiled near us and threatening our cities and civilians" — an apparent reference to the deteriorating situation in Syria.

Barak said "Hezbollah from Lebanon and the Iranians are the only allies that Assad has left."

He said in his view Assad's fall "is coming imminently" and when it happens, "this will be a major blow to the Iranians and Hezbollah."

"I think that they will pay the price," he said.

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