Malaysia Airlines loses contact with plane carrying 239 people
Full ArticleSwissinfo
08 Mar 2014
Reuters Image Caption: A woman, believed to be the relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, cries at the Beijing Capital International Airport (reuters tickers) March 8, 2014 – 04:06 By Stuart Grudgings KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing…
China draws ‘red line’ on North Korea, says won’t allow war on peninsula
08 Mar 2014
Reuters Image Caption: China’s Foreign Minister Wang speaks during a news conference as part of the National People’s Congress in Beijing (reuters tickers) March 8, 2014 – 06:18 BEIJING (Reuters) – China declared a “red line” on North Koreaon Saturday, saying that China will not permit chaos or war on the Korean peninsula, and that peace…
Malaysia Airlines plane ‘presumed lost’
Sepang – Several nations searched waters off Southeast Asia on Saturday after aMalaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 passengers disappeared and was presumed lost, leaving stunned relatives demanding answers. Contact with Flight MH370 was lost somewhere…
photo: Public Domain / Arpingstone
Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group
Arab Spring Reuters Image Caption: Supporters of Muslim Brotherhood and oustedEgyptian President Mursi shout slogans against military and interior ministry in front of Al Rayyan mosque after Friday prayers in the southern suburb of Maadi, outskirts…
photo: AP / Egyptian Interior Ministry
German survives on flies while lost in Outback
BRISBANE, Australia — A German tourist who was missing for more than two weeks in the Australian Outback survived by eating flies after becoming lost and stranded by floodwaters, police said Friday. Daniel Dudzisz was picked up by a motorist…
photo: Creative Commons / Siddeshindia
Michael Jackson’s ‘long lost son linked by DNA’
Michael Jackson is the subject of a new paternity scandal. A 31-year-old man named Brandon Howard has claimed for years his biological father is the late pop star. Brandon agreed to submit to a DNA test, the results of which were unveiled Thursday at…
photo: AP / Mark J. Terrill
Cold War past shapes complex Merkel-Putin relationship
07 Mar 2014
Arab Spring Unrest in Ukraine Reuters Image Caption: Russia‘s President Putinspeaks with German Chancellor Merkel before the first working session of the G20Summit in Constantine Palace in Strelna near St. Petersburg (reuters tickers) March 7, 2014 – 10:01 By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) – After one of her first encounters with Vladimir Putin in...
Ukraine crisis: Crimea vote ‘will not be recognized’
07 Mar 2014
Ukraine‘s interim prime minister has warned the Crimean parliament “no-one in the civilised world” will recognise its referendum on joining Russia. Arseniy Yatsenyuk and others in the Kiev government have called the vote “unconstitutional” and “illegitimate”. But the referendum has the support of theRussian…
Crimean Parliament votes to join Russia
06 Mar 2014
Lawmakers in Crimea called a March 16 referendum on whether to break away from Ukraine and join Russia instead, voting unanimously on Thursday to declare their preference for doing so. “This is our response to the disorder and lawlessness in Kiev,” Sergei Shuvainikov, a member of the local Crimean legislature, said.
‘Angry’ Pistorius fired shot out of car sun-roof, ex tells court
PRETORIA— A seething Oscar Pistorius fired his pistol out of a car’s open sun-roof after an argument with a police officer, ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor told a court on Friday, the fifth day of his trial for the murder of Reeva…
photo: AP / Antonio Calanni
Facebook, YouTube face ban in Turkey
Ankara – Turkey‘s embattled prime minister has warned that his government could ban social media networks YouTube and Facebook after a raft of online leaks added momentum to a spiralling corruption scandal. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already…
photo: AP / Clemens Bilan
Erdogan Says Turkey Could Ban Facebook and YouTube
By Reuters on 3:46 pm March 7, 2014. Category International, World Tags: Facebook, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, YouTube Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Bloomberg Photo) Istanbul. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could ban…
photo: AP / Burhan Ozbilici
Obama Phones Putin About Ukraine; Putin Says Differences Remain
VOA News The White House says President Obama has told his Russiancounterpart, Vladimir Putin, that Moscow‘s actions in Ukraine are a violation of that country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Officials say the two leaders spoke for…
photo: White House / Pete Souza
Australia’s Queensland hit by record drought
Australia‘s Queensland is suffering its most widespread drought on record, with almost 80% of the state now included in the list of affected areas. Queensland received little rain in February, which is normally the wettest month of the year,…
photo: WN / patricia
Niger extradites Gaddafi’s son Saadi to Tripoli
Full ArticleThe Independent
06 Mar 2014
Niger has extradited Muammar Gaddafi‘s son Saadi Gaddafi, the Libyan government has announced. The government says Saadi Gaddafi, one of the deposed Libyan leader’s eight children, is being detained in Tripoli and will be treated…
Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni to sue over secret tapes
Full ArticleBBC News
06 Mar 2014
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni have launched legal action after secret recordings of them were leaked online. Lawyers for MrSarkozy filed a request for an emergency injunction to prevent more transcripts from being…
Crimea will remain in Ukraine, says new PM
Tweet Johannesburg, Mar. 6 (ANI): Ukraine‘s new Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyukhas said embattled Crimea must remain part of Ukraine. In his first interview since taking office last week, Yatsenyuk Crimea said Crimea will however be granted more…
photo: Creative Commons / ?? ???????
Russia, West try to hammer out Ukraine diplomacy
PARIS (AP) — Facing off in Europe‘s capitals, Russia and the West began trying to build the elements of a diplomatic solution to Europe’s gravest crisis since the Cold War — even as the West appeared increasingly resigned to an entrenched Russian…
photo: Public Domain
Tymoshenko says West must stop Russian aggression
Share Photo?? Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko poses for a photo during an interview with the Associated Press in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 5, 2014. Tymoshenko says the West must force Russia to withdraw troops…
photo: AP / Emilio Morenatti
German president seeks to visit Nazi massacre site
Germany‘s president arrived in Athens Wednesday on a three-day visit that will include visiting the site where Nazi troops massacred dozens of people, in an attempt to ease anti-German sentiment stoked by Greece‘s financial crisis. Joachim Gauck‘s…
photo: AP / Kostas Tsironis
Iran’s Guard says it has multiple warhead missiles
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday said it had acquired missiles with multiple warheads, the latest armaments advance to be claimed by the Islamic Republic. At a ceremony Wednesday, Defense MinisterHossein Dehghan…
photo: AP / Iranian Defense Ministry
On death anniversary, Chavez revolution challenged
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Hugo Chavez always said his socialist project would last decades, but a year after the Venezuelan president‘s death even some of his most fervent supporters are having their doubts. AP Hugo Chavez always said his…
photo: AP / Rodrigo Abd
Former IRS official refuses to testify at hearing
STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press= WASHINGTON (AP) â?? Former Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner is once again refusing to answer questions at a congressional hearing on the…
photo: AP / J. Scott Applewhite
Putin’s Clever Game of Chess
Saudis, UAE, And Bahrain Withdraw Envoys From Qatar In Security Dispute
Full ArticleBusiness Insider
05 Mar 2014
Qatar‘s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (L) inspects the honour guard during a ceremonial reception at Malacanang palace in Manila April 10, 2012. RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain said on Wednesday they were withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar becauseDoha had not implemented an agreement among…
Passive smoking causes irreversible damage to kids’ arteries
The research, which lends weight to campaigns for smoking to be banned in private cars and homes, found passive smoking leads to a thickening of children’s artery walls, adding some 3.3 years to the age of blood vessels by adulthood.Exposure…
India to hold national elections from April 7-May 12
NEW DELHI: India said Wednesday that it will hold national elections from April 7 to May 12, kicking off a vote that many observers see as the most important election in more than 30 years in the world’s largest democracy. The run-up to the election…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Saudi, UAE, Bahrain withdraw Qatar envoys
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have said they are withdrawing their ambassadors to Qatar because Doha had not implemented an agreement among Gulf Arab countries not…
photo: AFP / 2010 AFP
World’s first artificial heart patient dies
On Monday the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris issued a statement, announcing the 76-year old unnamed-man fitted with the Carmat artificial heart in December had died Sunday. The man, suffering from terminal heart failure, lived 75 days…
photo: Creative Commons / rick proser
Pistorius trial: A look at dramatic 2nd day
PRETORIA, South Africa A witness cried and Oscar Pistorius arrived late for the afternoon session on a dramatic second day of the double-amputee Olympian‘s murder trial. A look at the happenings Tuesday in and out of the high court inPretoria: —…
photo: AP
Estonia PM Ansip resigns – Europe’s longest-serving PM
After nine years in office, Estonian PM Andrus Ansip has announced his resignation to enable a successor to lead his party into 2015 elections. Mr Ansip, who at 57 is the longest-serving prime minister in the European Union, is likely to be replaced…
photo: EC / © European Union 2010
Snake eating croc, battle in Australia caught on camera: Crocodile devoured
A snake that was eating a croc was caught on camera Sunday, according to a Mar 3 CBS12 news report. Photos of the battle between a water python and crocodile inAustralia’s Lake Moondarra went viral and a feared predator-turned prey has been…
photo: Creative Commons / Trödel
‘IF I DECIDE TO USE ARMED FORCES IT WILL BE IN LINE WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW’
ASSOCIATED PRESSPutin: Russia Reserves Right To Use Military In Ukraine.. Hopes Russia Won’t Have To Use Force.. U.S. Announces $1 Billion In Aid For Ukraine.. Kerry Lands In Kiev.. How Russian, Ukrainian Military Stack Up.. Moscow Hopes West Won’t Impose Sanctions.. European Observers To Travel To Crimea..
Putin: Russia Has Right to Use ‘All’ Options in Ukraine
Full ArticleVoa News
04 Mar 2014
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country is prepared to use all options to protect Russians in Ukraine, but that he hopes it will not have to use force.President Putin&aposs comments Tuesday come amid a growing crisis overRussia&aposs military presence in the Ukrainian region of Crimea. The United States and its European allies are…
China’s Uighur Terror Attack
Masked attackers stabbed over 160 people at a train station over the weekend inKunming—and Beijing is blaming the violence on Uighurs from its restive Xinjiang province. Kunming, in southwest China, is one of the country’s most pleasant provincial…
photo: Creative Commons / adifromusa
UN vehicle ambushed in DRC
Kinshasa – Five United Nations peacekeepers were injured when rebels ambushed their vehicle in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday, the UN mission in the country said. Two…
photo: UN / Sylvain Liechti
Bin Laden’s son-in-law goes on trial
New York – Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, went on trial in New York on Monday, becoming one of the highest-profile defendants to face terrorism charges in the United States. Prosecutors have accused the Kuwaiti-born Abu Ghaith,…
photo: AP / Elizabeth Williams
Bill Gates reclaims top of Forbes billionaire list from Slim
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) – Bill Gates has returned to the top of Forbes magazine‘s annual list of the world’s richest people, as rising stock markets swelled the ranks of billionaires, which included a record number of women. With a net worth of…
photo: AP / Eduardo Verdugo
Algeria’s Bouteflika registers for April election
ALGIERS (Reuters) – Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Monday formally registered his candidacy for April’s election, one of the few times the aging independence veteran has spoken in public since suffering a stroke last year.Bouteflika‘s…
photo: AP
Ban Ki-moon Recommends Peacekeeping Force for CAR
Margaret Besheer UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. secretary-general says the situation has changed “drastically” in the Central African Republic and he is recommending that the Security Council authorize a U.N. peacekeeping force to protect…
photo: AP / Richard Drew
TENSION BUILDS: U.S. WEIGHS SANCTIONS, PUTIN DEFIANT
GettyUkraine: Russia Violated Air Space… Pro-Russia Protesters Occupy Gov’t Building…REPORT: Russia Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Annex Crimea… Ukraine Readies Forces…Markets Tumble… Russia Blocks Pro-Ukraine Websites… ‘The Biggest Crisis In Europe In The 21st Century’… Cold War Echoes… Pressure On Obama Grows…
Karzai: Afghan war fought in West’s interest
03 Mar 2014
Expressing “extreme anger” towards the United States government, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said in an interview that the war in Afghanistan was not fought with his country’s interests in mind. “Afghans died in a war that’s not ours,”Karzai said in an interview with the Washington Post newspaper published late on Sunday, just a…
Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial to Begin in South Africa
Share ABC Entertainment News | ABC Business News Copy Disgraced Olympicathlete Oscar Pistorius goes on trial Monday in Pretoria, South Africa, on four charges — including premeditated murder — in the shooting death of his girlfriend. Pistorius,…
photo: AP / Masi Losi-Pretoria News
NATO deplores Russia’s actions, but no hard response seen
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Russia‘s seizure of Crimea is a threat to peace in Europe and the situation must be “de-escalated”, NATO‘s secretary-general said on Sunday, but diplomats said the alliance was unlikely to agree on major steps to rein Russia in….
photo: AP / Petr David Josek
Mass Stabbing at China Train Station Leaves 27 People Dead
By Agence France-Presse on 10:15 am March 2, 2014. Category Asia-Pacific, International Tags: China, Uighurs, Xinjiang Knife-wielding assailants left 29 people people dead and more than 130 wounded in an unprecedented attack at a Chinesetrain…
photo: Creative Commons / own work ( 40fifw0 )
US Warns Putin Over Crimea Incursion
By Agence France-Presse on 9:41 am March 2, 2014. Category International, WorldTags: Russia, ukraine, ukraine unrest Unidentified armed men patrol in front of theCrimean parliament in Simferopol, Ukraine, on March 1, 2014. (AFP Photo/GenyaSavilov)…
photo: White House / Pete Souza
Moazzam Begg charged with Syria-linked terrorism offences
LONDON: The former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg was remanded in custody on Saturday charged with Syria-related terror offences. Begg who was born in Birmingham to a family of Indian descent appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court and denied…
photo: AP / Alastair Grant
Sarah Palin: ‘I told you so on Ukraine’
It’s not true that Sarah Palin once said “I can see Russia from my house.” That was comedian and Palin impersonator Tina Fey on “Saturday Night Live.” But back in 2008 when she was the GOP’s vice presidential candidate, trying to establish her…
photo: Creative Commons / Gage Skidmore
Attack on China train station leaves 33 dead
02 Mar 2014
BEIJING — More than 10 knife-wielding attackers slashed people at a train station in southwestern China late Saturday in what authorities called a terrorist attack byUighur separatists, and police fatally shot four of the assailants, leaving 33 people dead and 130 others wounded, state media said. The attackers, most of them dressed in black,…
Mass Stabbing at China Train Station Leaves 27 People Dead
By Agence France-Presse on 10:15 am March 2, 2014. Category Asia-Pacific, International Tags: China, Uighurs, Xinjiang Knife-wielding assailants left 29 people people dead and more than 130 wounded in an unprecedented attack at a Chinesetrain…
photo: Creative Commons / own work ( 40fifw0
US Warns Putin Over Crimea Incursion
By Agence France-Presse on 9:41 am March 2, 2014. Category International, WorldTags: Russia, ukraine, ukraine unrest Unidentified armed men patrol in front of theCrimean parliament in Simferopol, Ukraine, on March 1, 2014. (AFP Photo/GenyaSavilov)…
photo: White House / Pete Souza
Moazzam Begg charged with Syria-linked terrorism offences
LONDON: The former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg was remanded in custody on Saturday charged with Syria-related terror offences. Begg who was born in Birmingham to a family of Indian descent appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court and denied…
photo: AP / Alastair Grant
Hedonistic fury awaits as Rio gears for carnival
Amid a cacophony of samba drums and sequinned dancers, Rio residents prepared to launch themselves into five days of hedonistic entertainment with the start of the city’s legendary carnival. The metropolis of six-million has been gearing up for weeks…
photo:
Pakistani Taliban Promise Cease-Fire To Resume Peace Talks
The Pakistani Taliban said Saturday it will observe a month-long cease-fire to revive failed peace talks with Islamabad. “The senior leadership of the Taliban advises all subgroups to respect the Taliban’s call for a…
photo: AP / B.K.Bangash
Basque militants vow to put all arms beyond reach
MADRID (AP) — The Basque separatist group ETA confirms it has begun to store weapons beyond its members’ reach and says the secretive process eventually will render its entire arsenal harmless. ETA issued its first statement following a Feb. 21…
photo: AP / Alvaro Barrientos
Militant ambush kills 12 of polio workers escort in Pakistan
By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – Militants killed 12 members of the security escort for a polio vaccination team in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, detonating a roadside bomb before opening fire on their convoy, according to officials….
photo: AP / Mohammad Sajjad
Obama warns Russia on Ukraine
01 Mar 2014
WASHINGTON As Ukrainian leaders accused Russia of carrying out an armed invasion in the Crimea region, President Barack Obama on Friday warned Russia not to intervene militarily, saying the United States would stand with the world to condemn a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. “There will be costs,” Obamadeclared in a brief.
Actor Hoffman died from toxic mix of drugs
The US actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died from taking a combination of heroin, cocaine and other drugs, the New York City medical examiner has ruled, The death of Hoffman, 46, who was found on February 2 with a needle in his arm on the floor of…
photo: AP / Francois Mori
Signed copies of Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ auctioned for over $60,000
Two copies of Mein Kampf signed by Adolf Hitler were put up for auction online through Nate D. Sanders auction house and sold for $64,850, way above expectations. The two copies…
photo: Creative Commons
Ukraine crisis: Obama warns Russia against intervention
US President Barack Obama has warned Russia there will be “costs” for any military intervention in Ukraine. He said he was deeply concerned by reports of Russian military movements inside the country. Ukraine’s acting president has…
photo: White House / Pete Souza
Brazil Parties Ahead of Main Carnival Celebration
AFP RIO DE JANEIRO — The crowds dance to the rhythm of the samba in a variety of costumes, from the everyday to the exhibitionist. Although the official Rio carnival is yet to begin, tens of thousands of people are already partying in the streets of…
photo: AP / Silvia Izquierdo
Hollande calls for unity in CAR
Thousands of international troops dispatched to volatile Central African Republicare there to help keep the country from breaking apart, France’s President said on Friday, days after the French parliament voted to prolong the country’s…
photo: AP / Jacques Brinon
In slight to Hollande, Berlin fetes Sarkozy
By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) – In his first major speech since losing the French presidency in 2012, Nicolas Sarkozy weighed in on euro zone integration, theUkraine conflict and the risks of weak leadership in Europe to an adoring crowd of fellow…
photo: AP / Markus Schreiber
Yanukovych rejects military action
Fugitive Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych is pledging to fight for his country’s future but says he will not ask for military assistance. It is his first public appearance since disappearing from Ukraine. “I intend to keep fighting for the…
photo: AP / Pavel Golovkin
A Food Line In Venezuela
Unidentified armed men patrol Crimean airport in Ukraine
28 Feb 2014
Updated: February 28, 2014 12:38AM KIEV, Ukraine — Dozens of armed men in military uniforms without markings were patrolling the airport in the capital of Ukraine’s strategic Crimea region on Friday as tensions in the country’s Russian-speaking southeast escalated. Russian state television quoted eyewitnesses saying the men arrived at the…
Tea Party vows to move US Congress to right
WASHINGTON – The largest group in the conservative US Tea Party movementcelebrated its fifth anniversary on Thursday with a pledge to push Congress further to the right and capture the White House in 2016. At a rally in a hotel ballroom two blocks…
photo: Creative Commons / Freedom Fan
N Korea tests missiles amid S Korea-US exercises
North Korea has fired four short-range missiles into the sea, South Korean defence ministry officials say, in a move widely seen as a response to South Korea‘s military exercises with the US. A ministry spokesman said that the missiles were…
photo: AP / Andy Wong
United Kingdom Gets A Spectacular View Of The Northern Lights
People in Britain, Ireland, Scotland, and elsewhere are catching a glimpse of the rare but incredible Northern Lights that are usually only seen inside the Arctic Circle, Sky News reports. The Lights, known as Aurora Borealis, are a natural…
Top Castro Aide Turned Dissident Huber Matos Dies at 95
Huber Matos, a top Cuban revolutionary who was sent to prison for 20 years for turning against Fidel Castro, died Thursday in Miami. His…
photo: AP / Javier Galeano
Spanish economy trundles on in fourth quarter
Spain’s economy grew between October and December as domestic demand and investments improved, data showed, adding to signs that its recovery from recession is slowly gaining traction. Gross domestic product expanded by 0.2 per cent in the fourth…
photo: European Community / EC
Unemployment falls to 12.1%, close to European average
Unemployment has fallen to 12.1 per cent, official figures have revealed. As theGovernment detailed its latest plans to drive job creation, the Central Statistics Office quarterly national household survey said the number of people out of work…
photo: European Community /
Qantas cuts 5,000 jobs, posts AUD 235 mn loss in first half
Disclosing a AUD 235 million half- year loss, Australian national airlines Qantas today announced axing…
photo: AP / Rob Griffith
All sides committing ‘war crimes’ in South Sudan: reports
27 Feb 2014
Nairobi: War crimes have been committed by all sides in conflict-wracked South Sudan, Human Rights Watch said Thursday, reporting widespread atrocities in weeks of carnage in the world’s youngest nation. Thousands have been killed and almost 900,000 forced from their homes by over two months of battles between rebel and government forces, backed by…
Unemployment falls to 12.1%, close to European average
Unemployment has fallen to 12.1 per cent, official figures have revealed. As theGovernment detailed its latest plans to drive job creation, the Central Statistics Office quarterly national household survey said the number of people out of work…
photo: European Community / EC
NASA’s Kepler mission announces confirmation of 715 new planets
Scientists with NASA‘s Kepler mission announced Wednesday that the number of verified planets beyond our solar system (also called exoplanets) has increased by 715. These newly confirmed exoplanets orbit 310 stars,many are in multi-planet systems…
photo: NASA
New shipment of chemical weapons leave Syria
Tweet Damascus, Feb 27 (IANS) A new shipment of Syria‘s stockpile of chemical weapons left its territory Wednesday, as a continued international effort to rid the war-torn country of its chemical arsenal, the UN confirmed in a…
photo: UN / Jean-Marc Ferré
Tourist board anger over ‘sex tourism’ Adidas shirts
Brazil forced the withdrawal of a line of World Cup shirts bearing suggestive motifs seen as harming the country’s image. Following a complaint by the state tourist board, official cup sponsor Adidas withdrew the shirts, which had…
photo: Creative Commons / Wilson Dias/Abr
UK Soldier Lee Rigby’s Killers Sentenced
A pair of al Qaeda-inspired extremists have been jailed for the murder of an off-duty British soldier who was hacked to death on a London street in front of horrified crowds. Self-described “soldier of Allah” Michael Adebolajo was sentenced…
photo: AP / Kirsty Wigglesworth
Russian Navy Boosting Security in Crimea – Defense Minister
MOSCOW, February 26 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is taking additional steps to ensure security at its naval facilities on the Crimean Peninsula amid the growing political unrest in Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said…
photo: AP / Alexei Druzhinin, Pool
Ukraine’s Maidan protest unites different beliefs
KIEV, Ukraine For the past three months, tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been singing the Ukrainian national anthem on Kiev‘s central square, the Maidan, united in their dreams of change. In fact, the protest movement is a mixed bag of…
photo: European Community / EC
Vladimir Putin Orders Test Of Combat Readiness Of Troops In Central, Western Russia: Report
Obama warns Afghan president of full troop withdrawal
26 Feb 2014
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama told Hamid Karzai on Tuesday that he is now planning for a full US troop withdrawal because of the Afghan leader’s repeated refusal to sign a security pact. But in a rare telephone call with Afghan President Karzai, Obama also held out the possibility of agreeing to a post-2014 training and anti-terror mission…
Benedict Dismisses Renewed Rumors About Why He Left Papacy
Almost exactly one year to the day since Benedict XVI stepped down as spiritual leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, the former pope has issued his first public comment on recurring rumors in the Italian media that he didn’t resign of…
photo: AP / Michael Sohn
Nato alert over Afghanistan pullout
Nato‘s secretary general says that if Afghan leaders and the White House can’t agree on a key security pact, the US-led alliance will pull all of its troops and equipment out of Afghanistan by December. The statement from Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the…
photo: US Army / Dixie Rae Liwanag
Why stakes are high in European election
This year’s elections to the European Parliament – taking place on 22-25 May across the EU – will see an unprecedented battle over the bloc’s powers and role. For the first time anti-EU parties will pose a major challenge in many countries….
photo: European Community / EC
Ukraine’s acting leader still seeking consensus on interim government
KIEV, Ukraine: Hoping to reach a consensus that would heal some of Ukraine’s wounds, the country’s acting president on Tuesday delayed the seating of an interim government for at least two days, even as opposition colleagues appealed to…
photo: European Community / EC
Obama tells the Pentagon to plan for Afghan pullout
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a blunt warning to Afghan President Hamid Karzai,President Barack Obama threatened on Tuesday to withdraw all U.S. troops fromAfghanistan by the end of this year if a crucial security pact isn’t signed — and he ordered the…
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk Cuomo
Ukraine a costly prize for West
WASHINGTON – Ukraine may well be the geopolitical prize nobody can afford to win. As the country begins the delicate climb out of the chaos that saw yet another political turnover, the US and the European Union have had a look at theUkrainian…
photo: EC / © EU
Nigerian Islamists kill 29 pupils in boarding school attack
25 Feb 2014
Gunmen from Islamist group Boko Haram stormed a boarding school in northeastNigeria overnight and killed 29 pupils, many of whom died in flames as the school was burned to the ground, police and the military said today. “Some of the students bodies were burned to ashes,” Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai said of the attack on the…
Westward shift by Ukraine would be momentous event
BRUSSELS — A firm course change in Ukraine — westward and turning away fromMoscow — would have momentous consequences for the balance of power inEurope. The move would propel the continent’s second-largest country into the orbit…
photo: European Community / EC
Greater efforts needed to curb sexual violence in Mogadishu
Follow @{0}FEEDBACKEMAILPRINTEASY READSHARE NAIROBI/MOGADISHU, 25 February 2014 (IRIN) – Sexual and gender-based violence is a major issue in Somalia, especially for internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in south and central Somalia. A…
photo: UN / Albert Gonzalez Farran, UNAMID
Dozens of students killed in Nigerian school
YOLA, Nigeria (AP) â?? Suspected Islamic militants killed dozens of students in a predawn attack on a northeast Nigerian college, survivors say, setting ablaze a locked hostel and shooting and slitting…
photo: UN / Albert Gonzalez Farran, UNAMID
Is the UN a paper tiger or a sleeping lion?
Does the UN have any teeth? It is not an academic question. There will come a time when it will need teeth. The UN has been called by detractors the World’s LargestDebating Society. Sometimes it seems like they can’t agree on when to break for…
photo: UN / Paulo Filgueiras
Costa Rica seeks court ruling on Nicaragua border dispute
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) – Costa Rica will ask the International Court of Justice to settle a decade-old maritime border dispute with Nicaragua related to…
photo: AP / Esteban Felix
Peru’s Humala names fifth PM, keeps finance minister in cabinet shuffle
LIMA (Reuters) – Peru‘s President Ollanta Humala named his housing minister as his fifth prime minister on Monday in a cabinet shuffle that reappointed his…
photo: AP / Martin Mejia
German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Israel with cabinet
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that she is visiting Israel with most of her new cabinet in order to show Germany‘s friendship with the Jewish state and that her country is working to secure the future of Israel. Merkel was speaking at an…
photo: AP / Michael Sohn
In key reform, Pope Francis centralizes Vatican finances
BY TOM KINGTON
ROME — In the most concrete sign to date of his intention to reform the Vatican, Pope Francis announced the creation Monday of a single authority to handle all business…….
Scientists identify oldest crystal on Earth — 4.4 billion years old
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By Deborah NetburnFebruary 24, 2014, 1:05 p.m.
The oldest known material on Earth is a tiny bit of zircon crystal that has remained intact for an incredible 4.4 billion years, a study confirms.
The ancient remnant of the early Earth may change the way we think about how our planet first formed.
The crystal is the size of a small grain of sand, just barely visible to the human eye. It was discovered on a remote sheep farm in western Australia, which happens to sit on one of the most stable parts of our plane
Egypt government resigns, paving way for Sisi to seek presidency
24 Feb 2014
Ariel Sharon Arab Spring Reuters Image Caption: Egyptian Army chief Field Marshalal-Sisi arrives for a meeting with Russian President Putin at Novo-Ogaryovo (reuters tickers) February 24, 2014 – 13:10 By Yasmine Saleh and Asma Alsharif CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt‘s government has resigned, the prime minister said on Monday, paving the way for army…
Egyptian Government Resigns
VOA News Egypt‘s interim prime minister Hazem el-Beblawi says his Cabinet has resigned. He announced…
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis
Polio-like disease seen in California children
Doctors investigating handful of cases of paralysis in one or more limbs Doctorgiving an eight-week old baby the polio vaccine. The children in California had been vaccinated against polio but the disease seems to have similar effects.Photograph:…
photo: Creative Commons
Ukraine: Opposition Leader Tymoshenko Freed
Jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has been freed, after Ukraine’s parliament declared President Viktor Yanukovych unable to carry out his duties. The resolution was passed by deputies in the assembly who applauded and sang the national…
photo: AP / Vadim Ghirda
Prime Minister: Algeria’s Bouteflika to Seek Fourth Term in April
Reuters ALGIERS — Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the aging independence veteran who suffered a stroke last year, will run for re-election on April 17, his premier said on Saturday, a vote likely to hand him a fourth term in power….
photo: AP / Sidali Djarboub
Pope Welcomes New Cardinals, Many From Developing World
In a solemn ceremony at the Vatican, Pope Francis on Saturday bestowed red hats on his first batch of cardinals. Ten of the 19 new princes of the church come from outside Europe, including some of the poorest countries in the world. Their selection…
photo: AP / Osservatore Romano
Maduro issues Obama challenge amid mounting protests
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called on Barack Obama to “accept the challenge” and hold direct talks, as the death toll from escalating anti-government protests jumped to eight Friday. The announcement was particularly surprising because…
photo: AP / Gil Montano
China Is Furious Over Obama’s Meeting With The Dalai Lama
See Also WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – President Barack Obama held low-key talks with the Dalai Lama on Friday, prompting the Chinese government to ask why the White House ignored Beijing‘s warnings that the meeting with the exiledTibetan spiritual…
photo: AP / Charles Dharapak
Ukraine parliament ousts Yanukovich, Tymoshenko freed
23 Feb 2014
By Pavel Polityuk and Matt Robinson KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine‘s parliament voted to remove President Viktor Yanukovich after three months of street protests, while his arch-rival Yulia Tymoshenko hailed opposition demonstrators as “heroes” in an emotional speech in Kiev after she was released from jail. Yanukovich abandoned the capital…
Ukraine: Opposition Leader Tymoshenko Freed
Jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has been freed, after Ukraine’s parliament declared President Viktor Yanukovych unable to carry out his duties. The resolution was passed by deputies in the assembly who applauded and sang the national…
photo: AP / Vadim Ghirda
Prime Minister: Algeria’s Bouteflika to Seek Fourth Term in April
Reuters ALGIERS — Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the aging independence veteran who suffered a stroke last year, will run for re-election on April 17, his premier said on Saturday, a vote likely to hand him a fourth term in power….
photo: AP / Sidali Djarboub
Pope Welcomes New Cardinals, Many From Developing World
In a solemn ceremony at the Vatican, Pope Francis on Saturday bestowed red hats on his first batch of cardinals. Ten of the 19 new princes of the church come from outside Europe, including some of the poorest countries in the world. Their selection…
photo: AP / Osservatore Romano
Ukraine Protester Olesya Zhukovska Tweeted After Being Shot In Neck
| by MARIA DANILOVAPosted:
Olesya Zhukovska, left, is helped after being shot in her neck by a sniper bullet, in Independence Square, the epicenter of the country’s current unrest, Kiev, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Alexander Sherbakov) | ASSOCIATED PRESS
U.S. Official: Beijing Preparing For ‘Short, Sharp’ War With Japan
21 Feb 2014
China is stepping up war games in preparation for a possible conflict with Japanover the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, a tiny island chain in the East China Sea claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo, a senior U.S. Navy official says. Captain James Fanell, deputy chief of staff intelligence and information operations for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, made the…
Maduro issues Obama challenge amid mounting protests
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called on Barack Obama to “accept the challenge” and hold direct talks, as the death toll from escalating anti-government protests jumped to eight Friday. The announcement was particularly surprising because…
photo: AP / Gil Montano
China Is Furious Over Obama’s Meeting With The Dalai Lama
See Also WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – President Barack Obama held low-key talks with the Dalai Lama on Friday, prompting the Chinese government to ask why the White House ignored Beijing‘s warnings that the meeting with the exiledTibetan spiritual…
photo: AP / Charles Dharapak
Arizona ‘anti-gay’ bill sparks protests in two cities
Protests have been held in Arizona against the state’s passage of a bill allowing business owners to refuse service to gays on religious grounds. Hundreds rallied for demonstrations in the cities of Phoenix and Tucson, a day after the bill was…
photo: AP /
Maduro challenges Obama to ‘high-level’ dialogue
CARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro challenged his US counterpartBarack Obama on Friday to hold “high-level dialogue” between their governments and proposed to appoint an ambassador to Washington. The sudden announcement was surprising…
photo: AP / Fernando Llano
Renzi government to be sworn in today
The new Italian government of centre-left (PD) leader Matteo Renzi is almost up and running, just one week after the collapse of Enrico Letta’s coalition. Mr Renzi (39) and his government will be sworn in this morning in the Presidential Palacewhile…
photo: AP / Riccardo De Luca
Obama, Putin agree on need for quick peace deal
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Friday that a deal aimed at halting bloody clashes between government forces and protesters in Ukraine needs to be quickly implemented so that the country stabilises, a US…
photo: White House / Pete Souza
Obama backs Dalai Lama’s ‘Middle Way’ approach
Tweet Washington, Feb 22 (IANS) In the face of objections from China, President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama Friday saying the US supports his “Middle Way” approach of neither assimilation nor independence for Tibetans in China. Obama‘s meeting…
DEAL
Getty2004 Constitution Restored… Early Elections… REPORT: Over 100 Dead From Clashes… GRAPHIC Photos Of Destruction, Bloodshed
Iran boosts military support in Syria to bolster Assad
21 Feb 2014
LONDON/ANKARA (Reuters) – As Syria‘s war nears the start of its fourth year, Iranhas stepped up support on the ground for President Bashar al-Assad, providing elite teams to gather intelligence and train troops, sources with knowledge of military movements say. This further backing from Tehran, along with deliveries of munitions and equipment from…
US President Barack Obama to meet Dalai Lama
US President Barack Obama meets with the Dalai Lama in 2010. Photo: MCTWashington: US President Barack Obama will meet Tibet‘s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the White House on Friday, in an encounter likely to draw the ire of China….
photo: White House / Pete Souza
Venezuela threatens to expel CNN over protest coverage
Venezuela‘s President Nicolas Maduro has threatened to expel the US news network CNN from the country over its reporting of recent protests there. MrMaduro said he would take action if CNN did not “rectify its coverage”. Earlier, Mr…
photo: AP / Rodrigo Abd
115 killed, 1,500 buildings razed in Nigerian town
BAMA, Nigeria — The latest attack by suspected Islamic extremists in Nigeria’s northeast has left 115 people dead, more than 1,500 buildings razed and some 400 vehicles destroyed, witnesses said Thursday, as a traditional ruler accused the military…
photo: AP / Sunday Alamba
Poor Turnout in Libyan Vote for Constitution-Drafting Body
Reuters TRIPOLI — Libyans trickled to the polls on Thursday to elect an assembly to draft a constitution, with the paltry turnout reflecting deep political disillusion with the chaos pervading Libya since Moammar Gadhafi‘s 42-year rule ended in…
photo: AP / Manu Brabo
Facebook purchases WhatsApp mobile messaging service for $19B
Facebook is buying mobile messaging service WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, by far the company’s largest acquisition and bigger than any acquisitionGoogle, Microsoft or Apple have ever done. • ; NEW YORK — Facebook is buying mobile…
photo: AP / Margarethe Wichert/dapd
Lie detector for tweets? Researchers working on it
By John JohnsonPublished February 19, 2014Newser A polygraph examiner applies electrodes on the fingers of a subject.AP Photo/Fernando VergaraEuropean researchers say they’re developing a system that can sniff out lies on Twitter, Facebook,…
photo: WN / Yolanda
North America summit: Obama, Peña Nieto enter with low ratings
MEXICO CITY — One thing that Presidents Obama and Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexicoshare is they are hardly considered heroes in their homeland. Both have low domestic approval ratings that sometimes stand in sharp contrast to their images…
photo: White House / Pete Souza
Ukrainian president agrees to truce with opposition following deadly clashes
20 Feb 2014
Tweet London, Feb. 20 (ANI): Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has agreed to a truce with opposition leaders, after at least 26 people died in clashes this week..
Lie detector for tweets? Researchers working on it
By John JohnsonPublished February 19, 2014Newser A polygraph examiner applies electrodes on the fingers of a subject.AP Photo/Fernando VergaraEuropean researchers say they’re developing a system that can sniff out lies on Twitter, Facebook,…
photo: WN / Yolanda
North America summit: Obama, Peña Nieto enter with low ratings
MEXICO CITY — One thing that Presidents Obama and Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexicoshare is they are hardly considered heroes in their homeland. Both have low domestic approval ratings that sometimes stand in sharp contrast to their images…
photo: White House / Pete Souza
France, Germany, US Speak Out Against Ukraine Violence
France, Germany and the United States are taking a united stance against the deadly violence in Ukraine. During a joint news conference Wednesday withGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris, French President Francois Hollande…
photo: AP / Guido Bergmann
S.Africa court delays decision on televising trial
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s High Court on Wednesday delayed judgment on an application by local television stations to broadcast live the murder trial of double-amputee Oscar Pistorius who is charged with murder in the shooting death of his…
photo: AP / Themba Hadebe
Tony Blair Allegedly Offered Secret Advice to Murdoch Empire
At the height of the Murdoch phone hacking scandal, former prime minister Tony Blair was allegedly offering his services as a secret adviser. Tony Blair secretly offered to become an unofficial adviser to Rupert Murdoch and his media empire at the…
photo: AP / Noah Berger, File
Russia releases Pussy Riot members after questioning
Kremlin critics slammed the arrest of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and MariaAlyokhina as a public relations disaster for the Winter Games. Russian police on Tuesday released the two most famous Pussy Riot members in Sochi, host of theWinter Olympics,…
photo: AP / Dmitry Lovetsky
Iran nuclear talks start on a positive note
Envoys from Iran and six world powers noted the positive negotiating atmosphere but kept expectations low as they started talks on Tuesday in Vienna on a comprehensive deal to end the stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear programme. “We had a…
photo: AP / Vahid Salemi
142 Cities In Brazil Are Now Rationing Water As Drought Goes Critical
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 02/19/2014 – 15:10
Did you know that the drought in Brazil is so bad that some neighborhoods are only being allowed to get water once every three days? At this point, 142 Brazilian cities are rationing water and there does not appear to be much hope that this crippling drought is going to end any time soon. Unfortunately, most Americans seem to be absolutely clueless about all of this. And this horrendous drought in Brazil could potentially have a huge impact on the total global food supply. As a recent RT article detailed, Brazil is the leading exporter in the world in a number of very important food categories…
Fiery Maduro foe now fights from Venezuela jail
19 Feb 2014
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Moments before his dramatic arrest, opposition leaderLeopoldo Lopez told a sea of white-shirted supporters that he doesn’t fear years behind bars if that’s what it takes to open eyes to the damage done to Venezuela by 15 years of socialist rule. “If my jailing serves to awaken a people, serves to awaken Venezuela … then…
Russia releases Pussy Riot members after questioning
Kremlin critics slammed the arrest of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and MariaAlyokhina as a public relations disaster for the Winter Games. Russian police on Tuesday released the two most famous Pussy Riot members in Sochi, host of theWinter Olympics,…
photo: AP / Dmitry Lovetsky
Iran nuclear talks start on a positive note
Envoys from Iran and six world powers noted the positive negotiating atmosphere but kept expectations low as they started talks on Tuesday in Vienna on a comprehensive deal to end the stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear programme. “We had a…
photo: AP / Vahid Salemi
Scotland’s in the EU and can keep the pound
The claim by the president of the European commission, José Manuel Barroso, that it would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible” for an independent Scotland to join the EU is utterly bizarre (Report, 17 February). His comparison with Kosovo to…
photo: Euro
Thailand Clashes Kill Four As PM Charged
A police officer was among four people killed during gun battles as police cleared anti-government protesters who have blocked state buildings since November. The violence in Bangkok came as corruption charges were filed against Thai Prime…
photo: AP / Wason Wanichkorn
UK storms a result of climate change, say nearly half of poll respondents
Survey for Avaaz suggests support for Ed Miliband‘s call for action with only 27% denying climate change linked to floods Water being pumped out of flooded houses near the river Thames at Chertsey, Surrey, on Monday. Photograph: Amer…
photo: AP / Sang Tan
Barroso casts doubt on independent Scotland becoming an EU member
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said states breaking away from existing European Union countries would struggle to gain EU membership, further complicating Scottish nationalists‘ already uncertain plans for independence. Barroso…
photo: European Community / EC
Olympics divide Sochi’s indigenous tribes
BOLSHOI KICHMAI, Russia — While Vladimir Putin and rich Olympic sponsors watch the Winter Games in gleaming arenas, boys in nearby Bolshoi Kichmai herd their goats by tying them to rickety bicycles, riding against the wind through a rocky…
photo: UN/UN
World powers, Iran start talks on lasting nuclear settlement
18 Feb 2014
VIENNA (Reuters) – Six world powers and Iran began talks in Vienna on Tuesday in pursuit of a final settlement on Tehran‘s disputed nuclear program in the coming months despite…
Scotland’s in the EU and can keep the pound
The claim by the president of the European commission, José Manuel Barroso, that it would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible” for an independent Scotland to join the EU is utterly bizarre (Report, 17 February). His comparison with Kosovo to…
photo: European Community / EC
Thailand Clashes Kill Four As PM Charged
A police officer was among four people killed during gun battles as police cleared anti-government protesters who have blocked state buildings since November. The violence in Bangkok came as corruption charges were filed against Thai Prime…
photo: AP / Wason Wanichkorn
UK storms a result of climate change, say nearly half of poll respondents
Survey for Avaaz suggests support for Ed Miliband‘s call for action with only 27% denying climate change linked to floods Water being pumped out of flooded houses near the river Thames at Chertsey, Surrey, on Monday. Photograph: Amer…
photo: AP / Sang Tan
Barroso casts doubt on independent Scotland becoming an EU member
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said states breaking away from existing European Union countries would struggle to gain EU membership, further complicating Scottish nationalists‘ already uncertain plans for independence. Barroso…
photo: European Community / EC
Olympics divide Sochi’s indigenous tribes
BOLSHOI KICHMAI, Russia — While Vladimir Putin and rich Olympic sponsors watch the Winter Games in gleaming arenas, boys in nearby Bolshoi Kichmai herd their goats by tying them to rickety bicycles, riding against the wind through a rocky…
photo: UN/UN
Mediator apologises to Syrians for lack of peace progress
International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologised to the Syrian people for the lack of progress at peace talks in Geneva after their second round ended on Saturday with little more than an agreement to meet again. As it became clear that the talks…
photo: UN / Jean-Marc Ferré
More U.S. soldiers forced out over misconduct
Army misconduct (AP) WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. soldiers forced out of the Army because of crimes or misconduct has soared in the past several years as the military emerges from a decade of war that put a greater focus on battle competence…
photo: US Army / David Devich
DEAR KIM JONG UN,
STOP KILLING AND TORTURING YOUR PEOPLE.
ASSOCIATED PRESSSincerely,
The United Nations
Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro expels three US officials amid protest tensions
17 Feb 2014
The Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has ordered the expulsion of three US Embassy officials after Washington came to the defence of an opposition hard-liner accused by the leader of responsibility for bloodshed during anti-government protests. Maduro didn’t identify the consular officials but charged that intelligence officials who tailed them…
Barroso casts doubt on independent Scotland becoming an EU member
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said states breaking away from existing European Union countries would struggle to gain EU membership, further complicating Scottish nationalists‘ already uncertain plans for independence. Barroso…
photo: European Community / EC
International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologised to the Syrian people for the lack of progress at peace talks in Geneva after their second round ended on Saturday with little more than an agreement to meet again. As it became clear that the talks…
photo: UN / Jean-Marc Ferré
More U.S. soldiers forced out over misconduct
Army misconduct (AP) WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. soldiers forced out of the Army because of crimes or misconduct has soared in the past several years as the military emerges from a decade of war that put a greater focus on battle competence…
photo: US Army / David Devich
Military ethics lapses are linked to lower standards, push for more troops
WASHINGTON • The number of U.S. soldiers forced out of the Army because of crimes or misconduct has soared in the past several years as the military emerges from a decade of war that put a greater focus on battle competence than on character. Data…
photo: US DoD / Public Domain
Travel agents report strong early bookings this season
PUNE: After a slow travel season last year, bookings for summer vacations have started much earlier this time, with many travellers making a beeline for long-haul destinations such as South Africa, Canada, Australia and Europe and even South America….
photo: WN / Marzena J.
U.S. military intervention, done right, could boost African stability
For decades, one golden rule has guided America‘s military involvement in Africa:Stay out. Generally speaking, the reason was a sense that the strategic stakes did not justify the risk. When we deviated from this rule, we often learned lessons the…
photo: UN / Marco Dormino
Geneva-II concludes without tangible results
Geneva, February 15: The Geneva-II international conference on Syria concluded Saturday without achieving tangible results, Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN-Arab Leaguejoint envoy to Syria, said. Brahimi said a proposed agenda for the next round of talks was…
photo: AP / Ivan Sekretarev
200 MINERS TRAPPED UNDERGROUND
Morsi faces spying charges as third trial to begin
16 Feb 2014
CAIRO : Deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was Sunday facing charges of espionage and carrying out “terror attacks” in Egypt, as a third trial against him was due to get under way. The latest court case is part of a relentless government crackdown targeting Morsi and his Islamist supporters since he was ousted by the military on…
Mediator apologises to Syrians for lack of peace progress
International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologised to the Syrian people for the lack of progress at peace talks in Geneva after their second round ended on Saturday with little more than an agreement to meet again. As it became clear that the talks…
photo: UN / Jean-Marc Ferré
More U.S. soldiers forced out over misconduct
Army misconduct (AP) WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. soldiers forced out of the Army because of crimes or misconduct has soared in the past several years as the military emerges from a decade of war that put a greater focus on battle competence…
photo: US Army / David Devich
Military ethics lapses are linked to lower standards, push for more troops
WASHINGTON • The number of U.S. soldiers forced out of the Army because of crimes or misconduct has soared in the past several years as the military emerges from a decade of war that put a greater focus on battle competence than on character. Data…
photo: US DoD / Public Domain
U.S. military intervention, done right, could boost African stability
For decades, one golden rule has guided America‘s military involvement in Africa:Stay out. Generally speaking, the reason was a sense that the strategic stakes did not justify the risk. When we deviated from this rule, we often learned lessons the…
photo: UN / Marco Dormino
More storms batter Britain
15 Feb 2014
LONDON (Reuters) – Two people were killed and 32 people were rescued from a seaside restaurant on Friday as storms and strong winds battered Britain, adding more misery to areas already hit by widespread flooding and transport chaos. Gales of up to 80 miles per hour and heavy rain lashed southern England and Wales overnight, Britain’s Met Office…
Geneva-II concludes without tangible results
Geneva, February 15: The Geneva-II international conference on Syria concluded Saturday without achieving tangible results, Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN-Arab Leaguejoint envoy to Syria, said. Brahimi said a proposed agenda for the next round of talks was…
photo: AP / Ivan Sekretarev
Napolitano consults with parties on new govt
ROME (AP) â?? Italy‘s president is consulting with political party leaders to determine if Democratic Party leader Matteo Renzi has enough support to form a new government. Giorgio Napolitano was in the second day…
photo: AP / Markus Schreiber
Bahrain policeman dies after bomb blast
Bahraini authorities said that a policeman has died of wounds he suffered in a bomb blast during protests marking the third anniversary of the kingdom’s anti-government uprising. A “terrorist explosion” struck in the Shia village of Dair outside the…
photo: AP / Hasan Jamali
Taliban: US will meet same fate as Soviets
Kabul – The Taliban called on Afghans to expel the United States from Afghanistanon Saturday just as they said Afghan mujahideen fighters had done to Soviet forces25 years ago to the day. In a statement issued on the 25th anniversary of the final…
photo: USMC / Zachery B. Martin
Mars ‘jelly doughnut’ mystery finally solved
Where did the infamous rock that seemed to appear out of nowhere on Mars come from? The explanation, it turns out, is more simple than sci-fi. by This before-and-after pair of images of the same patch of ground 13 days apart documents the arrival of…
photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.
Officials: Uganda’s leader to sign anti-gay bill
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni plans to sign a bill into law that prescribes life imprisonment for some homosexual acts, officials said Friday, alarming rights activists who have condemned the bill as draconian in a country where homosexuality…
photo: Public Domain / TSgt. Jeremy T. Lock
The World’s Best (Unaltered) Photos
In order to view this feature, you must download the latest version of flash player here. In a striking departure from past years, the World Press Photo top prize was given not for a hard-news image, but was awarded to John Stanmeyer for a photo of…
photo: World Press Photo / John Stanmeyer
Indonesia volcano eruption sparks mass evacuation
14 Feb 2014
Ash cloud from Java island‘s Mount Kelud forces 100,000 people to flee their homes and international airports to close Villagers covering their faces from volcanic ash after Mount Kelud’s eruption: two people were killed overnight from falling debris. Photograph: Hafidz Novalsyah/AP A major volcanic eruption inIndonesia has shrouded a large swath…
Indonesia volcano erupts; 2 killed, 100,000 evacuated
SUGIHWARAS, Indonesia (Updated) — An explosive volcanic eruption on Indonesia’s most populous island blasted ash and debris 18 kilometers (12 miles) into the air Friday, killing two people while forcing authorities to evacuate more than 100,000and…
photo: USGS
Valentine’s Day ‘a threat to Muslim values’
Malaysian authorities have said Valentine’s Day is a threat to Muslim values in their annual swipe at the February 14 occasion, which was marked with a mass wedding involving 138 couples. In its official Friday sermon text distributed to mosques in…
photo: AP / Tatan Syufla
100,000 displaced as volcano erupts in Indonesia
A volcano has erupted on the heavily populated Indonesian island of Java, sending a huge plume of ash and sand 17km (10 miles) into the air and forcing the displacement today of more than 100,000 people and closure of five airports.Indonesia’s…
photo: AP / Irwin Fedriansyah
Snow wallops a second punch for US East Coast
Tweet Washington, Feb 14 (IANS) Walloping a second punch, snow returned to theAmerican capital even as Washingtonians were digging out of the worst storm in four years that spread heavy snow and sleet along America‘s East Coast. About 1.2million…
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
A Christian-Muslim crisis of faith in Africa
The last time the world watched Christians…
photo: AP Photo
Afghanistan frees detainees U.S. sees as ‘dangerous’
Afghan authorities released 65 detainees from a detention facility Thursday in direct defiance of protests from the United States, which said the men were connected to the killing of Afghan civilians and coalition forces. The U.S. command says more…
photo: AP / Anja Niedringhaus
Italian PM announces resignation in 24 hours
Tweet Rome, Feb 14 (IANS) Italy‘s Prime Minister Enrico Letta announced Thursday that he would resign in the next 24 hours, after his own Democratic Party (PD) and major force in the ruling coalition asked for a new cabinet to be formed. The…
photo: AP / Alessandra Tarantino
Ethnic cleansing’ underway in Central African Republic, say Amnesty
12 Feb 2014
“Ethnic cleansing” is being carried out against Muslim civilians in the Central African Republic, with international peacekeepers unable to prevent it, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. The rights group said it had documented at least 200 killings of Muslim civilians by Christian militia groups known as the anti-balaka, set up in the wake of…
Algeria Plane Crash: Lone Survivor As 102 Killed
A sole survivor has been found after a military transport plane with 103 people on board crashed in Algeria‘s rugged eastern region. The C-130 Hercules was carrying 99 passengers – soldiers and their families – and four…
photo: AP / Mohamed Ali
At Least 1 Survivor Emerges From Algeria Military Plane Crash
Algiers – One survivor has been found in the wreckage of a military plane that crashed in eastern Algeria on Tuesday, a military source said. “One survivor was found and 52 confirmed dead,” Algeria`s official news agency reported. A military source…
photo: AP
Palestinian Official Says ‘Armed Resistance’ an Option If Peace Talks Fail
The Palestinian official who headed Yasser Arafat’s security force at the start of theSecond Intifada is warning that armed conflict may well follow the failure of current peace talks with Israel. “They should expect a reaction,” Jibril Rajoub tells…
photo: AP / Bernat Armangue
Amid Test Launches, Iran Touts Multi-Warhead Missile Capacity
Iran on Monday said it “successfully” vetted two new missiles, including one with a multiple-warhead capacity typically associated with nuclear payloads. Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan described the weapon as part of a “new…
photo: AP / Fars News Agency, Vahid Reza Alaei
Iran celebrates 35th anniversary of Islamic Revolution
Iran President Hassan Rouhani: “Iran’s foreign policy, based on national interests, is independent from any groups and parties”. TEHRAN – Iran is not afraid of sanctions, and all threats against Iran are childish and trivial was the message from…
photo: Creative Commons / Tajally
Barclays Announces Up To 12,000 Job Cuts
LONDON – The British lender Barclays said on Tuesday that it would cut up to 12,000 jobs over the course of 2014 as part of its continued restructuring, and it reported a loss in the fourth quarter. The bank, which is cutting about 7,000 jobs in…
photo: AP / Alastair Grant
France in Central Africa : The reluctant interventionist
11 Feb 2014
Two months after the beginning of military operation of French troops in theCentral African Republic, it is time to debunk a few myths. France‘s military intervention has raised eyebrows, both in and outside France, for reasons which, interestingly, are opposite. On the one hand, some African elites are, as usual, suspicious of France’s…
NASA finds clues to possible water flows on Mars
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) — U.S. space agency NASA said Monday its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Odyssey orbiter have sent back clues that liquid water may still exist today on the Red Planet. The spacecraft spotted “dark, finger-like markings”…
photo: AP / NASA/JPL
French President’s Visit To U.S. To Highlight Security Cooperation, Free Trade
Washington DC – French President Francois Hollande will kick off an official state visit to the United States on Monday – the first by a French leader in nearly two decades. Hollande will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at Andrews Air Force…
photo: AP / AFP PHOTO/POOL/ERIC FEFERBERG
Pakistan Taliban readies 500 female suicide bombers, negotiator says
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The Pakistani Taliban has as many as 500 female suicide bombers ready to act, a representative of the group involved in peace negotiations said, underscoring the risk of further violence if talks fail. The Tehrik-e-Taliban…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
European Media Thinks That Beyoncé and President Obama Are Having an Affair
Sacre Bleu! French newspaper Le Figaro is reporting that Beyoncé and President Barack Obama are carrying out a love affair. Yes, you read that correctly. PascalRostain, a French photographer, told the publication that “there is something…
photo: White House / Pete Souza
Ancient star helps scientists understand universe’s origins
SYDNEY: Australian astronomers have found the oldest known star in the universe, a discovery that may help to resolve a long-standing discrepancy between observations and predictions of the Big Bang billions of years ago. Dr Stefan Keller, lead…
photo: Creative Commons / Iridia
Syria’s warring sides brace for fresh peace talks
GENEVA: Syria‘s warring sides headed on Monday into a new round of UN-brokered peace talks, 10 days after a debut session managed little beyond a pledge on evacuating civilians from the besieged city of Homs. After government and opposition delegates…
photo: Creative Commons / Pereslavtsev
North Korea again withdraws invitation for US official to visit Kenneth Bae
Further stumbling block to release of Bae, US missionary who has been held for more than a year in the North Kenneth Bae is brought before the media inPyongyang last month. Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters North Korea has rescinded an invitation for a…
photo: US Navy / MCCS Spike Call
Bosnia unrest: Bruised and bitter in Sarajevo
10 Feb 2014
Anyone thinking Bosnia‘s protests were strictly a matter of disenchanted youth might have changed their mind after a Sunday in Sarajevo. Flashes of white hair dotted the crowd which gathered in front of Bosnia’s smoke-blackened presidency building at noon. Some of these senior participants said they wanted to make sure the budding protest…
Ancient star helps scientists understand universe’s origins
SYDNEY: Australian astronomers have found the oldest known star in the universe, a discovery that may help to resolve a long-standing discrepancy between observations and predictions of the Big Bang billions of years ago. Dr Stefan Keller, lead…
photo: Creative Commons / Iridia
Syria’s warring sides brace for fresh peace talks
GENEVA: Syria‘s warring sides headed on Monday into a new round of UN-brokered peace talks, 10 days after a debut session managed little beyond a pledge on evacuating civilians from the besieged city of Homs. After government and opposition delegates…
photo: Creative Commons / Pereslavtsev
North Korea again withdraws invitation for US official to visit Kenneth Bae
Further stumbling block to release of Bae, US missionary who has been held for more than a year in the North Kenneth Bae is brought before the media inPyongyang last month. Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters North Korea has rescinded an invitation for a…
photo: US Navy / MCCS Spike Call
Cooler Pacific is causing global warming ‘pause’
The global warming “pause” which some climate sceptics have taken as evidence that climate change is a myth could in fact be explained by a dramatic increase in the amount of heat being taken out of the atmosphere by the Pacific Ocean, a study has…
photo: Creative Commons / Pascal Guiraudou
Taliban airs Kabul CIA office attack video
The Taliban has released a video, which appears to show the planning and execution of an attack on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) compound inAfghanistan last June. The video, which Al Jazeera obtained and aired on Sunday,…
photo: AP / Rodrigo Abd
U.S. aid plan seeks to shield Afghanistan from end to war economy
By Missy Ryan KABUL (Reuters) – The Obama administration will unveil on Monday a package of aid initiatives it hopes will help Afghanistan, still one of the world’s poorest countries after a dozen years of massive international aid efforts,…
photo: US Army / Eric Provost
Afghanistan Economy Photos US Defence Wikipedia: Afghanistan
On a dusty road in the middle of nowhere, Afghanistan, an IED explodes under aU.S. Humvee. It’s an ambush: rocket-propelled grenades, rifle and machine-gun fire rain down from the nearby hills. U.S. troops fight off the attack, but several are…
photo: USMC / Zachery B. Martin
UN: More children dying in violence
09 Feb 2014
KABUL (AP): The number of children killed and wounded in Afghanistan‘s war jumped by 34 per cent last year as the Taliban stepped up attacks across the country and continued to lay thousands of roadside bombs, the United Nationssaid yesterday. Overall civilian casualties were up by 14 per cent, reversing 2012‘s downward trend and making 2013 one…
U.S. aid plan seeks to shield Afghanistan from end to war economy
By Missy Ryan KABUL (Reuters) – The Obama administration will unveil on Monday a package of aid initiatives it hopes will help Afghanistan, still one of the world’s poorest countries after a dozen years of massive international aid efforts,…
photo: US Army / Eric Provost
War prepared them to save lives in Jacksonville
On a dusty road in the middle of nowhere, Afghanistan, an IED explodes under aU.S. Humvee. It’s an ambush: rocket-propelled grenades, rifle and machine-gun fire rain down from the nearby hills. U.S. troops fight off the attack, but several are…
photo: USMC / Zachery B. Martin
Tokyo has heaviest snowfall in decades
Yokohama: The snowfall was the heaviest in the capital for 45 years Photo: APTokyo: The heaviest snow in decades in Tokyo and other areas of Japan has left at least five dead and 600 injured across the country. As much as 27 centimetres of snow…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Scotland Yard officers arrested over porn images
London, February 08: Three Scotland Yard officers part of the British Prime Minister‘s security at his Downing Street residence here have been arrested for exchanging “extreme” pornography on their smartphones. The Metropolitan Policesaid the three…
photo: AP / Akira Suemori
Taliban says dog it seized is well
KABUL — A military dog captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan two months ago is in good health and being fed a diet of kebabs, his captors say. The fate of the dog became the subject of widespread speculation after the Taliban posted an Internet…
photo: USMC / Zachery B. Martin
N. Korea transfers American from hospital to labor camp
Kenneth Bae, a Korean American tour guide and evangelist imprisoned in North Korea for more than a year, has been transferred from a hospital to a labor camp, the U.S. State Department said Friday. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki…
photo: AP / Ahn Young-joon
Two Dead After Train Derails In French Alps
PARIS (AP) — Officials say an enormous boulder has smashed into a tourist train, derailing it and killing two people. The train derailed Saturday morning outside theFrench town of Annot, and Mayor Jean Ballester told BFM television that “there…
photo: Creative Commons / Photnart
Japan snowfall disrupts air, rail and road transport
08 Feb 2014
A severe snow storm warning has been issued in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, with residents urged to stay indoors. Correspondents say it is the…
Salvadoran sea survivor still too frail to go home
The Salvadoran man who says he spent more than a year drifting across the Pacific Ocean before making landfall in the Marshall Islands is still too weak to travel and will remain in the island nation for a while longer, an official said…
photo: Public Domain / Official Navy Page
Two dead, 89 injured as heavy snow hits Japan: Reports
Tokyo: Heavy snow and severe weather struck Tokyo and other areas across Japanon Saturday, leaving two dead and around 90 injured, reports said. More than 600 flights were grounded as the weather agency issued a severe storm warning for the capital….
photo: US Navy / Photographer’s Mate Third Class John E. Woods
IAEA officials arrive in Iran for cooperation talks
ITEHRAN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) — Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) have arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials on bilateral cooperation, Press TV reported on Saturday….
photo: AP / Ronal
Spain princess testifies in historic fraud probe
A Spanish princess headed into court Saturday for a historic judicial hearing to help determine whether she and her husband illegally used company funds for personal expenses, including lavish parties at their modernist Barcelona mansion.Princess…
photo: AP / Daniel Ochoa de Olza
UN: Afghan Civilian Deaths Up In 2013
VOA News The United Nations says the war in Afghanistan has taken an increasing toll on civilians, making last year one of the deadliest for Afghan civilians in the 12-year war. A report released Saturday by the U.N. Assistance…
photo: AP / Musadeq Sadeq
NSA collects less than 30 percent of U.S. call data, officials say
WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency is collecting less than 30 percent of all Americans‘ call records because of an inability to keep pace with the explosion in cellphone use, according to current and former U.S. officials. The disclosure…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci
Sochi 2014 begins with teams, classical music and a flying girl
By Faith Karimi and Michael Martinez
February 7, 2014
Fireworks explode over Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia, as the Olympic cauldron is lit during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Games on Friday, February 7.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Suspect reportedly in custody in Turkey after jet bomb threat, desire to fly to Sochi
- Opening began with a girl, rigged with wires, flying over floats depicting Russian landscapes
- Russian President Vladimir Putin attended
- Putin pushed for the International Olympic Committee to hold the Games in the nation
(CNN) — With lights, floats and flying, Russia kicked off the opening ceremony in Sochi as the world turns its attention to the costliest Olympic Games in history.
Spectators from all over the world watched the introduction of athletes that marked the official start of the Winter Olympics.
Light shows and music, lots of it, filled the air, starting at exactly 8:14 p.m. local time, or 20:14 in military time.
“Most of the ceremony focuses heavily on Russian classical music,” said Konstantin Ernst, the main creative producer of the ceremony.
“Unfortunately, unlike London, we cannot boast a plethora of famous world-known pop performers. This is why we are now focusing on what Russia is best known for musically around the world; namely, classical music.”
Syria crisis: UN poised for Homs humanitarian operation
07 Feb 2014
A pause in fighting to evacuate hundreds of civilians from besieged areas of the city of Homs in Syria is expected to begin on Friday. The ceasefire should also allow long-awaited aid into the worst hit areas. The UN welcomed reports that a “humanitarian pause” had been agreed with Syrian authorities. Rebels are also expected to back the…
Taliban Show Video Of Captured U.S. War Dog
The Taliban have released a video of what they claim is a captured U.S. military dog named “Colonel”. The video appeared on the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” Web site. A related Twitter account said that the dog was captured after a December 23rd…
photo: Public Domain / Sgt. Jason Brace
Peace talks start between Pakistan, Taliban team
Peace talks between the Pakistani government and representatives of the Taliban began on Thursday after a short delay, the first test for the government’s controversial initiative of seeking a peaceful resolution to the country’s bloody insurgency,…
photo: AP / Osama Faisal
Iraq illegally detaining women: report
Iraqi authorities are detaining thousands of women illegally and subjecting many to torture and ill-treatment, including the threat of sexual abuse, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report published yesterday. Many women were detained for months or…
photo: AP / Hadi Mizban
If Leaders Fail, People Will Lead – Kofi Annan
When leaders fail to lead, people take charge and leaders then have to follow, saysKofi Annan, former UN Secretary General and Nobel laureate. In an exclusive interview to TOI, Annan expresses optimism that slowly and steadily, the world is gearing…
photo: AP / Ng Han Guan
Tunisia marks anniversary of Belaid murder
Tunis – Tunisians on Thursday marked 12 turbulent months since the assassination of opposition politician Chokri Belaid, with his family still demanding to know what happened despite the alleged assassin being shot dead this week. The charismatic…
photo: AP / Amine Landoulsi
US Official to China: Clarify or Adjust South China Sea Claims
VOA News The United States‘ top diplomat on East Asia has suggested China‘s wide-ranging territorial claims in the South China Sea do not comply with international law and should be clarified or adjusted. China claims nearly the entire…
photo: US Coastguard
Iraq illegally detains thousands of women, tortures many-HRW
06 Feb 2014
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi authorities are detaining thousands of women illegally and subjecting many to torture and ill-treatment, including the threat of sexual abuse, Human Rights Watch said in a report published on Thursday. Many women were detained for months or even years without charge before seeing a judge, HRWsaid, and security forces…
US Official to China: Clarify or Adjust South China Sea Claims
VOA News The United States‘ top diplomat on East Asia has suggested China‘s wide-ranging territorial claims in the South China Sea do not comply with international law and should be clarified or adjusted. China claims nearly the entire…
photo: US Coastguard
Wall Street ends lower
New York – US stocks slipped on Wednesday as technical support offset the latest batch of mixed data, which failed to lift sentiment after a string of soft economic indicators earlier in the week. In a volatile trading session, the benchmarkStandard…
photo: AP / David Karp
Risk of Depression May Rise With Too Much or Too Little Sleep
Wed Feb 05 16:00:00 EST 2014 Comments SHARE By Robert Preidt, HealthDayReporter WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Too much or too little sleep can increase the risk of depression, according to two new studies. Inappropriate amounts of…
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
Military spending: Balance tipping towards China
It is tempting to see statistics for overall defence spending as providing an image of sorts of the ranking of the major military players around the world. So this year’s edition of the annual reference book – The Military Balance – published by…
photo: AP / Wally Santana
Special Report: Areva and Niger’s uranium fight
ARLIT, Niger/PARIS (Reuters) – When France began mining uranium ore in the desert of northern Niger in the early 1970s, Arlit was a cluster of miners’ huts stranded between the sun-blasted rocks of the Air mountains and the sands of the Sahara. The…
photo: Creative Commons / Celuca
Six killed in Rio as police move in before World Cup
Rio de Janeiro: Police launched a major operation in Rio’s favelas, leaving six people dead and four wounded with the World Cup just four months away. Police moved into five favelas after a policewoman was shot to death in an attack on a…
photo: AP / Felipe Dana
Scientists talk of ‘pandemic potential’ after first confirmed human death from new strain of bird flu
05 Feb 2014
Chinese scientists have said the “pandemic potential” of a new strain of bird flu “should not be underestimated” after the first known human infection resulted in the death of an elderly woman. The new strain is a variant of a virus known as H10N8, which scientists believe may have originated in wild birds, and later spread to poultry. The victim,…
UN decries child abuse in Syria
05 Feb 2014
The United Nations has accused both sides to the Syria conflict of grave violations against children. Children caught in the Syrian war are being recruited as child soldiers, used as human shields, and tortured, according to a new UN report. The report, released on Tuesday, found that in the early stages of the nearly three-year…
Six killed in Rio as police move in before World Cup
Rio de Janeiro: Police launched a major operation in Rio’s favelas, leaving six people dead and four wounded with the World Cup just four months away. Police moved into five favelas after a policewoman was shot to death in an attack on a…
photo: AP / Felipe Dana
Mandela left money to wife, staff, schools and ANC
Former South African president Nelson Mandela’s estate, worth about US$4.1 million, will be shared between his family, members of his staff, schools that he attended and the African National Congress (ANC), the movement that fought white rule and now…
photo: AP / SABC TV
Syria stalls as chemical weapons deadline looms
04 Feb 2014
The deadline is looming for Syria‘s President Bashar al-Assad to sacrifice his complete chemical arsenal – and it looks increasingly likely he will miss it. One thousand three hundred tonnes of chemicals are supposed to be shipped out of the country by 5 February, but it is another deadline that will slip by with no significant movement on the…
Microsoft, Twitter, Google and Facebook reach agreement with NSA
In an agreement with the NSA, the tech giants Microsoft, Twitter, Google and Facebook all released data to authorities every six months as a result of secret court orders according to their disclosure for the first time on Monday, reports the…
photo: Creative Commons
Indian-American doctors pitch for Dr Vivek Murthy’s confirmation
WASHINGTON: An influential group of Indian-American doctors has campaigned at the Capitol Hill for Dr Vivek Murthy, who has been nominated by President Barack Obama for the post of Surgeon General of the United States. On the eve of his confirmation…
photo: AP / Meredith Nierman
Bill Clinton chosen as most forgivable liar
Tweet Washington, Feb 4 (ANI): Americans have chosen Bill Clinton as the most forgivable liar amongst other public figures who…
photo: Creative Commons / Arianselmani
Al-Qaida shuns militant group blamed for bloody infighting among Syria’s Islamic factions
Published February 03, 2014Associated Press FILE – In this file image from television transmitted by the Arab news channel Al-Jazeera on Monday Jan. 30, 2006, Al-Qaida’s then deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri gestures while addressing the camera….
photo: AP / Militant website
Al Qaeda breaks link with Syrian militant group ISIL
By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s general command said on Monday it had no links with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), in an apparent attempt to reassert its authority over fragmented Islamist fighters in Syria‘s…
photo: AP / IntelCenter
Oscar winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead after drug overdose
![Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote." (js1)](http://cdn1.wn.com/vp/i/6c/306210776d4fb0.jpg "Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote." (js1)")
Veteran actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is also an Academy Award winner, was reportedly found dead at his apartment in Manhattan on Sunday. The actor, who…
photo: AMPAS
Gunmen kidnap British national in Yemen
Tweet Sanaa, Feb 3 (IANS) Gunmen Monday kidnapped a British national inYemen‘s capital Sanaa, the second such incident in the Arab country within a week, an interior ministry official said. The British man was…
photo: AP / Hani Mohammed
South Sudan ravaged by ethnic violence
03 Feb 2014
– A dead silence hung over the Munuki West neighbourhood of South Sudan‘s capital, Juba. Amid the tightly packed shacks, doors hung from their frames and broken furniture lay scattered outside. A lone group of soldiers was still going from house to house. They appeared to be looking for anything of value that may have been left behind, or for…
Farrow claims ‘untrue,’ ‘disgraceful,’ Allen says
Woody Allen has called Dylan Farrow’s allegations of child molestation “untrue and disgraceful,” signaling that he would fight renewed claims dating back toAllen‘s tempestuous relationship with actress Mia Farrow in the early 1990s. The movie…
photo: AP / Manu Fernandez
Fears Death Toll Could Rise in Indonesia Volcano Eruption
By Ardi Ibrahim on 3:31 pm February 2, 2014. Category Featured, News Tags:Indonesia natural disasters, Indonesia volcanic eruptions, Mount Sinabung A villager run as Mount Sinabung erupt at Sigarang-Garang village in Karo district, Indonesia’s…
photo: AP / Binsar Bakkara
Mexican castaway washes up in Marshall Islands after 16 months at sea
An emaciated Jose Ivan washed up Ebon Atoll, in the Marshall Islands, in a battered 24-foot fiberglass boat, claiming to have been adrift in the Pacific for 16 months after floating approximately 8,000 miles from Mexico. He also stated that he had…
photo: Creative Commons
Ukraine unrest: Kerry to meet opposition at summit
US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to meet top Ukrainian opposition leaders on the sidelines of a security summit in Munich, amid continuing unrest in the country. Mr Kerry said his message would be one of full support. On the eve of the…
photo: US DoS
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s ‘Bridgegate’ scandal reignites
A former New Jersey official on Friday claimed Governor Chris Christie knew about politically-motivated traffic jams as they were happening, re-igniting a political scandal that has taken a toll on the prominent Republican many had considered a…
photo: Creative Commons / Jim Harper
A new definition for al-Qaeda
Katherine Zimmerman is a senior analyst at the American Enterprise Institute’sCritical Threats Project and authored the report “The al-Qaeda Network: A NewFramework for Defining the Enemy.” What exactly is al-Qaeda? And who cares?…
photo: AP
US seeks death penalty for Tsarnaev
Washington/Boston – The United States will seek the death penalty for accused bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is charged with planting homemade explosives devices that killed three people and wounded 264 at the Boston Marathon last year, the…
photo: AP / Charles Krupa
Mount Sinabung fills the sky over Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, with smoke and ash as it erupts . The volcano has been erupting since September.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Hot ash up to 700 degrees raced down the mountain’s slope in just a few minutes
- Jakarta Post: This is the first time Mount Sinabung’s eruptions have resulted in deaths
- A recovery operation was scheduled for Sunday
Amanda Knox’s and Italy’s Bridge of Sighs
02 Feb 2014
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. Amanda Knox’s and Italy‘s Bridge of Sighs Amanda Knox’s back and forth guilty-not-guilty-and-guilty trial reminds one of Italy’s Bridge of Sighs and it is still troublesome court system. Out of the disintegrative patterns that had guided Europe for centuries, Venice and otherItalian city-states…
Fears Death Toll Could Rise in Indonesia Volcano Eruption
By Ardi Ibrahim on 3:31 pm February 2, 2014. Category Featured, News Tags:Indonesia natural disasters, Indonesia volcanic eruptions, Mount Sinabung A villager run as Mount Sinabung erupt at Sigarang-Garang village in Karo district, Indonesia’s…
photo: AP / Binsar Bakkara
Mexican castaway washes up in Marshall Islands after 16 months at sea
An emaciated Jose Ivan washed up Ebon Atoll, in the Marshall Islands, in a battered 24-foot fiberglass boat, claiming to have been adrift in the Pacific for 16 months after floating approximately 8,000 miles from Mexico. He also stated that he had…
photo: Creative Commons
Gunmen open fire in protests ahead of Thailand’s national election
01 Feb 2014
updated 7:05 AM EST, Sat February 1, 2014 Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — Gunfire erupted during anti-government protests in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, witnesses said. At least six people were wounded, Erawan Medical Centre said. The violence comes amid high tensions a day ahead of national elections. Witnessessaw at least eight gunmen emerge from…
Ukraine unrest: Kerry to meet opposition at summit
US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to meet top Ukrainian opposition leaders on the sidelines of a security summit in Munich, amid continuing unrest in the country. Mr Kerry said his message would be one of full support. On the eve of the…
photo: US DoS
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s ‘Bridgegate’ scandal reignites
A former New Jersey official on Friday claimed Governor Chris Christie knew about politically-motivated traffic jams as they were happening, re-igniting a political scandal that has taken a toll on the prominent Republican many had considered a…
photo: Creative Commons / Jim Harper
A new definition for al-Qaeda
Katherine Zimmerman is a senior analyst at the American Enterprise Institute’sCritical Threats Project and authored the report “The al-Qaeda Network: A NewFramework for Defining the Enemy.” What exactly is al-Qaeda? And who cares?…
photo: AP
US and Britain question Syria’s motives over slow chemical weapons handover
31 Jan 2014
The US and Britain have expressed concern over the Syrian government‘s delay in removing chemical weapons materials due to be destroyed under an international disarmament deal. Chuck Hagel, the US defence secretary, revealed on Thursday that he had asked his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, to pressure Damascus to comply with the agreement, and…
photo: AP / Shaam News Network via AP video
US seeks death penalty for Tsarnaev
Washington/Boston – The United States will seek the death penalty for accused bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is charged with planting homemade explosives devices that killed three people and wounded 264 at the Boston Marathon last year, the…
photo: AP / Charles Krupa
Asians Usher in Lunar New Year
Zlatica Hoke WASHINGTON — People in many Asian countries as well as Asiancommunities elsewhere in the world are marking the start of a new lunar year with family gatherings, fireworks and street parties. According to the ancient Chinese horoscope,…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick
Navy admiral is Obama’s pick to take reins of NSA
WASHINGTON — A Navy admiral is President Barack Obama’s choice to be the next head of the National Security Agency, which is embroiled in controversy over its secret surveillance programs and massive collection of phone and Internet data….
photo: US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Robert A. Wood Sr.
American Student Found Guilty in Murder Retrial
American exchange student Amanda Knox says she is “frightened and saddened” after being re-convicted in the stabbing death of her roommate when they were…
photo: AP / Alessandra Tarantino
Google sells Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 billion
Even under Google, Motorola failed to gain traction in a rapidly evolving smartphone market now dominated by South Korea’s Samsung and US-basedApple. Google agreed on Wednesday to sell Motorola to Chinese tech giant Lenovo for $2.91 billion, after a…
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
Justin Bieber charged with assault in Canada
TORONTO — Justin Bieber was charged with assault for allegedly hitting a Torontolimousine driver several times in the back of the head last month, just hours after his attorney entered a separate not guilty plea in Florida to drunken-driving…
photo: WN / Aaron Gilbert
President Obama vows to assert power
President Obama used broad strokes to outline the administration’s agenda during his annual State of the Union address last night, and while Democratic pundits saw it as “forward-looking,” those on the other side of the aisle…
photo: US DoD
Amanda Knox faces verdict in Italy retrial for the murder of Meredith Kercher
30 Jan 2014
American Amanda Knox will not be in court on Thursday to hear Italian judges give their verdict in her retrial for the murder of Briton Meredith Kercher when the two were roommates studying in Perugia in 2007. Knox, who is living in Seattle, is standing trial alongside her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. She denies any involvement in…
Justin Bieber charged with assault in Canada
TORONTO — Justin Bieber was charged with assault for allegedly hitting a Torontolimousine driver several times in the back of the head last month, just hours after his attorney entered a separate not guilty plea in Florida to drunken-driving…
photo: WN / Aaron Gilbert
President Obama vows to assert power
President Obama used broad strokes to outline the administration’s agenda during his annual State of the Union address last night, and while Democratic pundits saw it as “forward-looking,” those on the other side of the aisle…
photo: US DoD
Pope as superman: Vatican tweets graffiti of hero pontiff
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis as superman, flying through the air with his white cape billowing out behind him: the image graffitied by an anonymous…
photo: Creative Commons / Fczarnowski
Active supermassive black holes discovered in merging galaxies
Tweet Washington, Jan. 29 (ANI): A team of astronomers have found at least one supermassive black holes (SMBH) almost always becomes active and luminous by accreting a large amount of material in luminous, gas-rich, merging galaxies. A team of…
photo: Creative Commons / ESO/M. Kornmesser
Turkey raises I-rate to boost lira
Turkey‘s central bank has sharply raised its key interest rate from 7.75 to 12% to try to stave off inflation and support the ailing national currency. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting called yesterday by the central bank after the lira…
photo: WN / akgunsemra
Did NSA Use Angry Birds or Other Apps for Spying?
One of the first revelations by Edward Snowden, a former contract employee of theNational Security Agency, involved the NSA‘s use of popular services for gathering. Among these services were Facebook and Gmail, which the NSA had been using since…
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
Ukrainian president accepts PM’s resignation
MARIA DANILOVA Associated Press= KIEV, Ukraine (AP) â?? Ukraine’s president has accepted the prime minister’s resignation but has asked him to stay on in an acting…
photo: AP / Efrem Lukatsky
Ukraine to debate amnesty for protesters
29 Jan 2014
Ukraine‘s parliament is due to debate a possible amnesty for scores of protesters arrested in anti-government demonstrations. President Viktor Yanukovych has said he wants to make the amnesty conditional on protesters leaving official buildings and taking down barricades. The opposition has so far ruled this out and is demanding early…
Pope as superman: Vatican tweets graffiti of hero pontiff
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis as superman, flying through the air with his white cape billowing out behind him: the image graffitied by an anonymous…
photo: Creative Commons / Fczarnowski
Active supermassive black holes discovered in merging galaxies
Tweet Washington, Jan. 29 (ANI): A team of astronomers have found at least one supermassive black holes (SMBH) almost always becomes active and luminous by accreting a large amount of material in luminous, gas-rich, merging galaxies. A team of…
photo: Creative Commons / ESO/M. Kornmesser
Did NSA Use Angry Birds or Other Apps for Spying?
One of the first revelations by Edward Snowden, a former contract employee of theNational Security Agency, involved the NSA‘s use of popular services for gathering. Among these services were Facebook and Gmail, which the NSA had been using since…
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
Ukrainian president accepts PM’s resignation
MARIA DANILOVA Associated Press= KIEV, Ukraine (AP) â?? Ukraine’s president has accepted the prime minister’s resignation but has asked him to stay on in an acting…
photo: AP / Efrem Lukatsky
EU, Russia look for scarce common ground at summit
BRUSSELS — Russian President Vladimir Putin and European Union leaders are looking for meager common ground during what promises to be a difficult summit centering on Ukraine and human rights. Already shortened to Tuesday’s 2 ½…
photo: AP / Virginia Mayo
Thai government says no delay in Sunday election
Thailand‘s government announced Tuesday it will go ahead with an election this weekend despite an opposition boycott, months of street protests and the likelihood of more violence in the country’s political crisis. The government made the…
photo: AP / Sakchai Lalit
NATO faces tough decisions on staying in Afghanistan
By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO faces tough decisions next month about whether to pull all its troops out of Afghanistan after this year if PresidentHamid Karzai does not sign accords allowing them to stay, the alliance’s leader said…
photo: US Army / David Devich
Bhutto son calls for Pakistan military action on Taliban
28 Jan 2014
The son of the assassinated former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, has called on the country’s authorities to take military action against militant groups.Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said politicians must “wake up” to the threat posed by armed groups such as the Taliban. His comments come as the government holds urgent talks…
NATO faces tough decisions on staying in Afghanistan
By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO faces tough decisions next month about whether to pull all its troops out of Afghanistan after this year if PresidentHamid Karzai does not sign accords allowing them to stay, the alliance’s leader said…
photo: US Army / David Devich
Egypt’s military OKs El-Sisi for presidential run
updated 10:42 AM EST, Mon January 27, 2014 (CNN) — Egypt‘s military leadership council on Monday gave newly promoted Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi — the army chief who helped oust the country’s first democratically elected president — its…
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis
Thieves steal Pope John Paul’s blood from church
Tweet ROME – Thieves broke into a small church in the mountains east of Romeover the weekend and stole a reliquary with the blood of the late Pope John Paul II, a custodian said on Monday. Franca Corrieri said she had discovered a broken window…
photo: Creative Commons
Why The Irrelevance Of Davos Is Good News
No crisis can last forever, and the main lesson I’m taking from the 2014 World Economic Forum is that, at least as far as the world’s elite are concerned, we’ve finally put the financial crisis behind us. There are still a lot of things to worry…
photo: European Community / EC
Questions and answers on Hagel’s nuke force probe
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon‘s decision to look into what ails the Air Force group responsible for nuclear missiles was hardly a bolt from the blue. It followed months of accumulating evidence of trouble in a segment of the military fewAmericans even…
photo: US DoD / Aaron Hostutler USMC
US: Afghanistan releases 37 ‘dangerous’ prisoners
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military says Afghanistan’s government has released 37 “dangerous” prisoners who pose threats to the country and the region. The…
photo: US Army / David Devich
Why paid vacations are good for companies and economy
A Dec. 31 article ran in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune under the headline “Area last for paid time off.” Facts VACATION DAYS REQUIRED The top countries for legally required paid vacation days. This does not include legal paid holidays, of which some…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
Egypt’s divisions starker than ever
27 Jan 2014
– For the second time in two weeks, Egyptians flocked to the streets in Cairo onJanuary 25 to cheer the army-backed interim government. Nominally they came down to Tahrir Square to mark the third anniversary of the start of the 2011revolution, the 18-day revolt that eventually overthrew longtime President Hosni Mubarak. Yet there was almost…
Questions and answers on Hagel’s nuke force probe
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon‘s decision to look into what ails the Air Force group responsible for nuclear missiles was hardly a bolt from the blue. It followed months of accumulating evidence of trouble in a segment of the military fewAmericans even…
photo: US DoD / Aaron Hostutler USMC
US: Afghanistan releases 37 ‘dangerous’ prisoners
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military says Afghanistan’s government has released 37 “dangerous” prisoners who pose threats to the country and the region. The…
photo: US Army / David Devich
Why paid vacations are good for companies and economy
A Dec. 31 article ran in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune under the headline “Area last for paid time off.” Facts VACATION DAYS REQUIRED The top countries for legally required paid vacation days. This does not include legal paid holidays, of which some…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
Samsung, Google sign patent agreement
Samsung Electronics Co. says it has signed an agreement with Google Inc. to cross-license their patents. The Asian tech heavyweight said on…
photo: WN / Geeta
Pope’s Doves Attacked During Vatican Prayers
27 January 2014, 3:44 Pope‘s Doves Attacked During Vatican Prayers Tweet Two white doves released as a peace gesture by children standing with the Pope have been savaged by a crow and a seagull. The attack was witnessed by tens of thousands of…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Daft Punk win early Grammy Awards
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis steamrolled the competition in the early going Sunday at the 56th annual Grammy Awards. The Seattle hip-hop duo swept the rap awards in the pre-telecast for rap album (“The Heist“) and rap song and best rap sung…
photo: WN / Aaron Gilbert
Afghanistan: Will the Taliban take over again?
27 January 2014 Last updated at 00:57 GMT Later this year the remaining Natoforces in Afghanistan will withdraw, leaving security in the hands of the Afghan National Army and police. The BBC‘s world affairs editor John Simpson visitedKabul, a city…
photo: DoD / Public Domain
Clashes kill nearly 50 as Egypt marks 2011 uprising
26 Jan 2014
CAIRO: Nearly 50 people were killed in weekend clashes that erupted during rival rallies marking the anniversary of Egypt‘s 2011 that toppled Hosni Mubarak, the health ministry said Sunday. Three years after Egyptians rose up to demand the overthrow of Mubarak, thousands of demonstrators in Cairo‘s Tahrir Square on Saturday chanted slogans backing…
Protesters settle in for the long haul
Three glossy brown cows, looking somewhat bewildered, gaze out from a large photograph hanging in the reception of Ukraine’s ministry of agriculture. On the wall underneath, fresh graffiti proclaims: “Power to the People.” “We took the building last…
photo: AP / Sergei Grits
Ukraine anti-government protesters try to seize energy ministry in Kiev
Demonstrators deny ministry’s claim they are holding two police captive as clashes continue in capital A protester throws a molotov cocktail during clashes with police in central Kiev, Ukraine, on Saturday. Photograph: Sergei Grits/AP Ukrainian…
photo: AP / Mindaugas Kulbis
Cairo bombings: militant group claims responsibility as new blast hits city
Tension high in Egyptian capital as al-Qaida inspired group says it will carry out more attacks Supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi clash with police on Friday. Photograph: Nameer Galal/NurPhoto/REX An al-Qaida-inspired group has…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil
Thailand elections can be postponed, court rules
Tweet Bangkok, Jan 24 (IANS) Thailand‘s general elections, due early next month, can be postponed in view of the ongoing political unrest following anti-government protests that began in November last year, the country’s constitution court ruled…
photo: AP / Apichart Weerawong
Samba-Panza’s oath day marred by violence
24 Jan 2014
Bangui – Sixteen people died in clashes in Central African Republic on Thursday as new interim president Catherine Samba-Panza took office with a plea for militia to lay down their arms to halt the escalating inter-religious violence. Almost one million people, or a quarter of the population of the former French colony, have been displaced by…
Australia Raid On Drugs Linked To Terror
23 Jan 2014
Australian authorities have seized more than Aus $580m (£300m) worth of drugs and assets as part of an investigation into money laundering that could be linked to terrorist activities. The haul included $26m (£13.5m) in cash. The AustralianCrime Commission (ACC), which has tracked a global network of criminals in more than…
Israel ‘Foils’ Al Qaeda’s US Embassy Bomb Plot
Israel has said it thwarted plans by al Qaeda to bomb the US embassy in Tel Avivand other targets. The plan to carry out a suicide bombing on the embassy was at an “advanced” stage, Israeli officials said. Three Palestinian men have been…
photo: AP / Bernat Armangue
Cairo – Egypt has seen state violence on an “unprecedented scale” since the army overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July following mass protests again his rule, Amnesty International said in a report on Thursday. Egypt’s…
photo: AP / Khalil Hamra
South Africa braces for mass platinum strike
Tens of thousands of workers at the world’s three top platinum producers were set to down tools Thursday in a pay strike that could have a devastating impact inAfrica‘s largest economy. Up to 80,000 workers at Impala Platinum, Anglo American…
photo: AP / Themba Hadebe
Australian police crack global money-laundering racket
SYDNEY: Australian police revealed Thursday they had cracked a major global money-laundering ring with operatives in more than 20 countries and funds syphoned off to groups reported to include Hezbollah. The Australian CrimeCommission said more than…
photo: AP / Rick Rycroft
Al Qaeda leader urges rebel groups in Syria to unite
updated 1:43 AM EST, Thu January 23, 2014 (CNN) — A message purportedly from al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri addressed militants fighting in Syria to unite. The message, more than five minutes long, was posted online on militant websites. Its…
photo: Public Domain
Report Details Overseas Accounts of Chinese Elite
Full ArticleThe New York Times
22 Jan 2014
Chinese elites have set up extensive offshore companies that allow them to conceal funds abroad, according to a new report from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The report, which is based on leaked documents covering thousands of tax haven clients, lists more than a dozen ofChina’s wealthiest people as well as…
Ukraine Protesters ‘Shot Dead’ By Police
Two people have reportedly been shot dead during clashes between police and protesters in Ukrainian capital Kiev. The country‘s interior ministry has so far confirmed only one death, but made no comment on the cause. A second person also died…
photo: AP / Evgeny Feldman
Report links Chinese elite to offshore tax havens
BEIJING — Relatives of China’s president and other business and political leaders are linked to offshore tax havens that “helped shroud the communist elite’s wealth,” a U.S.-based journalism group said Wednesday. The report by theInternational…
photo: AP / Vincent Yu
Severe snow storm closes Washington; emergency in three states
Tweet Washington, Jan 22 (IANS) A thick blanket of snow covered the eastern half of the US as a severe winter storm clobbered the country leading to closure of government offices in Washington and declaration of a state of emergency in three states….
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
Egypt tourism revenues down 41 pct in 2013 vs 2012
CAIRO Jan 21 (Reuters) – Egypt‘s tourism revenue sank by 41 percent to $5.9 billion in 2013 in comparison with a year earlier, Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou said on Tuesday, a further sign of pressure on one of…
photo: WN/ayt1
Google doodle pays homage to Martin Luther King Jr.
Tweet Washington, Jan. 21 (ANI): Google reportedly came up with a peaceful rendition on Martin Luther King Jr. on its doodle section, to pay homage to the legend, who…
photo: Creative Commons
Night work ‘throws body into chaos’
Doing the night shift throws the body “into chaos” and could cause long-term damage, warn researchers. Shift work has been linked to higher rates of type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and cancer. Now scientists at the Sleep Research Centre in…
photo: US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan G. Wilber
Comet-chasing Rosetta bleeps ‘Hello World’ after three-year hibernation
A European comet-chasing spacecraft that has been in hibernation for almost three years has woken up and sent its first signal back to Earth. The European Space Agency (ESA) received the all-clear message “Hello World!” from its Rosetta spacecraft,…
photo: Creative Commons
Syria accused of torture and 11,000 executions
21 Jan 2014
There is clear evidence that Syria has systematically tortured and executed about 11,000 detainees since the start of the uprising, a report by three former war crimes prosecutors says. One of the authors told the BBC there was evidence of government involvement. Damascus has denied claims of abuse. The investigators examined thousands of images of…
Google doodle pays homage to Martin Luther King Jr.
Tweet Washington, Jan. 21 (ANI): Google reportedly came up with a peaceful rendition on Martin Luther King Jr. on its doodle section, to pay homage to the legend, who…
photo: Creative Commons
Night work ‘throws body into chaos’
Doing the night shift throws the body “into chaos” and could cause long-term damage, warn researchers. Shift work has been linked to higher rates of type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and cancer. Now scientists at the Sleep Research Centre in…
photo: US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan G. Wilber
Comet-chasing Rosetta bleeps ‘Hello World’ after three-year hibernation
A European comet-chasing spacecraft that has been in hibernation for almost three years has woken up and sent its first signal back to Earth. The European Space Agency (ESA) received the all-clear message “Hello World!” from its Rosetta spacecraft,…
photo: Creative Commons
Extreme El Nino events set to double as Earth warms
Tweet Washington, Jan. 20 (ANI): Researchers have revealed that extreme weather events fuelled by unusually strong El Ninos are likely to double in number as Earthwarms. Co-author, Dr Agus Santoso of ARC Centre of Excellence for ClimateSystem…
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
In Japan, 250 bottlenose dolphins await slaughter or captivity
LONDON: More than 250 bottlenose dolphins have been rounded up by Japanesefisherman to be slaughtered for meat or sold into captivity, animal conservationists are warning. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) said dolphins were corralled…
photo: AP / Junji Kurokawa
‘Diabolical’ Arab countries behind Iraq strife: Nuri al-Maliki
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed “diabolical” and “treacherous” Arab countries for a protracted surge in nationwide violence in a speech on Sunday, but stopped short of naming individual countries. The premier said suicide bombers…
photo: AP / Karim Kadim
200,000 assemble in Ukraine in defiance of protest curbs
KIEV: Some 200,000 Ukrainian protesters massed in central Kiev on Sunday in defiance of hugely controversial new curbs pushed through by President Viktor Yanukovych in a bid to suppress a pro-EU protest movement. Many demonstrators wore pots and…
photo: AP / Ivan Sekretarev
Iran nuclear deal set to start
20 Jan 2014
World powers and Iran are about due to start implementing a landmark deal curbing Tehran‘s nuclear program, amid hopes that it will pave the way for a broad settlement of a decade-old standoff and ease fears of a new Middle East war. If, as expected, the United Nations‘ nuclear watchdog confirms Monday morning (Monday night NZ time) that Iran is…
photo: AP / Vahid Salemi
Extreme El Nino events set to double as Earth warms
Tweet Washington, Jan. 20 (ANI): Researchers have revealed that extreme weather events fuelled by unusually strong El Ninos are likely to double in number as Earthwarms. Co-author, Dr Agus Santoso of ARC Centre of Excellence for ClimateSystem…
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
In Japan, 250 bottlenose dolphins await slaughter or captivity
LONDON: More than 250 bottlenose dolphins have been rounded up by Japanesefisherman to be slaughtered for meat or sold into captivity, animal conservationists are warning. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) said dolphins were corralled…
photo: AP / Junji Kurokawa
‘Diabolical’ Arab countries behind Iraq strife: Nuri al-Maliki
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed “diabolical” and “treacherous” Arab countries for a protracted surge in nationwide violence in a speech on Sunday, but stopped short of naming individual countries. The premier said suicide bombers…
photo: AP / Karim Kadim
200,000 assemble in Ukraine in defiance of protest curbs
KIEV: Some 200,000 Ukrainian protesters massed in central Kiev on Sunday in defiance of hugely controversial new curbs pushed through by President Viktor Yanukovych in a bid to suppress a pro-EU protest movement. Many demonstrators wore pots and…
photo: AP / Ivan Sekretarev
Berlusconi and Italy’s left head strike electoral reform deal
ROME (Reuters) – Silvio Berlusconi has returned to the political scene after a tax fraud conviction, striking a deal with the leader of the largest center-left party on electoral reform that could give Italy badly needed stability. But the Saturday…
photo: AP / Alexei Nikolsky
Bomb kills 20 troops in NW Pakistan
BANNU, Pakistan (AP) — A bomb planted by the Taliban ripped through a vehicle carrying security forces inside a Pakistani army compound in the country’s volatile northwestern region Sunday, killing 20 troops, officials and the militants said. The…
photo: AP / Ijaz Muhammad
Japan PM Shinzo Abe calls for ‘frank’ talks with China, South Korea
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for “frank” summit talks withChina and South Korea to help solve historical and territorial disputes that have soured ties between the neighbours. A year of heated arguments have prevented the three…
photo: AP / Itsuo Inouye
Syria crisis: US hails opposition move to attend peace talks
19 Jan 2014
US Secretary of State John Kerry has welcomed a decision by Syria‘s main political opposition group to attend next week’s peace talks in Switzerland. His praise for the Syrian National Coalition‘s “courageous” move was echoed by the UK andFrance. The aim of the talks, to be held in Montreux, is to start the process of…
Bomb kills 20 troops in NW Pakistan
BANNU, Pakistan (AP) — A bomb planted by the Taliban ripped through a vehicle carrying security forces inside a Pakistani army compound in the country’s volatile northwestern region Sunday, killing 20 troops, officials and the militants said. The…
photo: AP / Ijaz Muhammad
Dennis Rodman In Rehab For Alcohol Abuse
19 January 2014, 1:33 Dennis Rodman In Rehab For Alcohol Abuse Tweet FormerNBA basketball star Dennis Rodman has checked into an alcohol rehabilitation centre. His agent, Darren Prince, confirmed the move but would not say in which facility Rodman…
photo: AP / Kim Kwang Hyon
Ex China premier Wen Jiabao states innocence in letter to Hong Kong columnist
Former premier Wen Jiabao has insisted on his innocence and integrity in a letter to a Hong Kong newspaper columnist in a bid to contain damage from claims that his extended family accumulated massive wealth during his tenure at the top. “I have…
photo: AP / Andy Wong
Libya declares state of emergency
Libya has declared a state of emergency, an official said, as the air force attacked remote south to end unrest between rival armed groups that have been clashing for days. The General National Congress, Libya’s highest political authority, took the…
photo: AP / Francois Mori
Divided Syria opposition debates joining peace talks
ISTANBUL : Syria’s exiled opposition began debating Saturday whether to join international peace talks next week after Damascus offered concessions including a ceasefire plan for the battered city of Aleppo. But the National Coalition remains riven…
photo: AP
Officials: Iranian diplomat killed in Yemen
SANAA, Yemen — Officials in Yemen say an Iranian diplomat has been killed in a drive-by shooting in the capital, Sanaa. Three security officials said the diplomat was leaving the Iranian ambassador’s house in the city’s southern…
photo: AP / Hani Mohammed
13 foreigners among 21 killed in Kabul restaurant attack
Full ArticleThe Times of India
18 Jan 2014
KABUL: A total of 21 people, including 13 foreigners, died in a Taliban suicide assault on a popular restaurant in Kabul, police said on Saturday, with two British citizens and two Canadians among those confirmed dead. Desperate customers tried to hide under tables as one attacker detonated his suicide vest at the fortified entrance to the Taverna…
APNewsBreak: Pope defrocked 400 priests in 2 years
In his last two years as pope, Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests for raping and molesting children, more than twice as many as the two years that preceded a2010 explosion of sex abuse cases in Europe and beyond, according to a document…
photo: AP / Alessandra Tarantino
Ukraine Leader Signs Controversial Anti-Protest Law
By Agence France-Presse on 2:25 pm January 18, 2014. Category International,World Tags: ukraine unrest A pro-European activist wearing the Ukrainian flag as a cape raises his symbolically-handcuffed hands during an opposition rally outside…
photo: AP / Sergei Chuz
Ugandan president slams gays while refusing to sign anti-gay bill
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni refused tosign into law a tough anti-homosexual bill passed by parliament last month. But the tone of his remarks offered little cheer for the country’s beleaguered gay rights groups….
photo: AP / Stephen Wandera
French president visits hospitalized first lady
PARIS – President Francois Hollande has visited France‘s first lady for the first time since she was hospitalized for rest following a gossip magazine’s report that he was having an affair with an actress. An official at the presidential palace said…
photo: AP / Michel Spingler
Obama To Back Modest NSA Surveillance Reforms
By JULIE PACE and KIMBERLY DOZIER, The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Capping a monthslong review, President Barack Obama is expected to back modest changes to the government’s surveillance network at home and abroad while largely leaving the…
photo: AP / Win McNamee, Pool
Rockets from Syria hit Lebanese towns, killing 7
A barrage of almost two dozen missiles and shells from Syria slammed into Lebanese border towns and villages on Friday, killing seven people, including several children who were out playing, Lebanese security officials said. The attack was the latest…
photo: AP / SANA
U.N. committee interrogates Vatican over sexual abuse scandal
17 Jan 2014
GENEVA — It resembled a courtroom cross-examination, except no question was off-limits, dodging the answer wasn’t an option and the proceedings were webcast live. After decades of accusations that its culture of secrecy contributed to priest sexual abuse, the Vatican was forced for the first time Thursday to defend its record in public and at…
West Prepares To Ease Sanctions as Iran Nuclear Deal Approaches
Henry Ridgwell LONDON — A temporary deal agreed in November between world powers and Iran regarding its nuclear program comes into force Monday. It’s seen as a stepping-stone to a broader agreement on the future of the program, which many…
photo: AP / Virginia Mayo
Madagascar court confirms ex-finance minister is president-elect
ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) – Madagascar‘s electoral court declared former finance minister Hery Rajaonarimampianina president-elect on Friday despite allegations by his defeated rival that the December run-off vote was rigged. The ruling raises the…
photo: AP / Schalk van Zuydam
WHO: Peshawar is ‘Largest Reservoir’ of Polio
The World Health Organization has declared Pakistan&aposs restive northwestern city of Peshawar as the world&aposs “largest reservoir” of polio. The internationalgroup on Friday…
photo: AP / Mohammad Sajjad
Explosion hits Bangkok protesters, wounding dozens
Dozens of people were wounded in Thailand‘s capital Friday when a grenade was hurled at anti-government demonstrators marching through Bangkok at midday, an ominous development that raises tensions in the country’s political crisis and the specter of…
photo: AP / David Longstreath
US nuke scandal: 34 officers accused of cheating
The U.S. Air Force has disclosed that 34 officers entrusted with the world’s deadliest weapons have been removed from launch duty for allegedly cheating — or tolerating cheating by others — on routine proficiency tests. The announcement was a…
photo: Public Domain / Slick-o-bot
900 students hit by suspected food poisoning in Japan
TOKYO : More than 900 pupils at elementary schools in a central Japanese city have fallen ill in a suspected outbreak of mass food poisoning, officials said. The number of students who reported…
photo: US Coastguard
Thailand Authorities to Investigate Rice Program for Corruption
VOA News Thai authorities said they will start a corruption investigation into a government subsidy program for rice farmers, in the latest setback for embattledPrime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The country‘s anti-corruption agency on Thursday…
photo: AP
Vote counting in Egypt’s constitution referendum begins
16 Jan 2014
Tweet Cairo, Jan 16 (IANS) Vote counting of Egypt‘s constitution referendum has been underway after polling stations across the country closed Wednesday evening, according to a statement of the High Electoral Committee. The constitution will be approved by winning over 50 percent of the vote, and the result of the referendum is scheduled to…
House OKs $1-trillion compromise budget for 2014
WASHINGTON — Partisan lawmakers feuding over the proper size of government reached a temporary truce Wednesday as the House easily approved a $1-trillion spending bill aimed at averting another federal shutdown. House Speaker John A. Boehner…
photo: AP / Charles Dharapak
French president admits problems in personal life
PARIS — French President Francois Hollande conceded Tuesday that he is going through “painful moments” with his companion, who was hospitalized after a magazine reported that he is secretly having an affair with a movie actress. But the…
photo: AP / Bob Edme
Clashes kill 11 on first day of Egypt vote
CAIRO (AP) — A referendum on a new constitution laid bare the sharp divisions inEgypt six months after the military removed the elected Islamist president. Pro-army voters lined up Tuesday outside polling stations, singing patriotic songs, kissing…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil
Iraq violence kills 24, militants stage big attacks near Falluja
By Alistair Lyon BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Sunni Muslim militants staged coordinated attacks near the western Iraqi city of Falluja on Tuesday, destroying two army tanks and capturing a police station, police said. There was no immediate word on the…
photo: AP
China jails doctor found guilty of baby trafficking
Zhang Shuxia tricked parents into giving up their babies by telling them the newborns were sick or had died. A Chinese former obstetrician was given a suspended death sentence on Tuesday for abducting newborn babies and selling them to traffickers,…
photo: WN / Sweet Radoc
Nigerian leader signs anti-gay law
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill on Monday that criminalizes same-sex relationships, defying Western pressure over gay rights and provoking criticism from the United States. The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in…
photo: AP / Sunday Alamba
Survivors remember Costa Concordia disaster
Survivors of the capsized Costa Concordia have marked two years since the cruise ship grounded off Italy with a candlelight march on Giglio island and a moment of silence in the courtroom where the captain is on trial. Relatives of the 32 people…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
Syria says West talks to Damascus about Islamist rebels
15 Jan 2014
Western intelligence agencies have visited Damascus for talks on combating radicalIslamist groups, Syria‘s deputy foreign minister has told the BBC. Faisal Mekdadsaid there was a schism between Western security officials and politicians who are pressing President Bashar al-Assad to step down. The growth of jihadist groups among rebels…
photo: AP
Australia hit by hundreds of new wildfires
15 Jan 2014
Lightning strikes ignited more than 250 fires in southeast Australia as firefighters battled to put out the flames and the country sweltered in a heatwave. Efforts in the state of Victoria on Wednesday focused on containing about 20 blazes. A further 18 fires had already been brought under control or were being…
Clashes kill 11 on first day of Egypt vote
CAIRO (AP) — A referendum on a new constitution laid bare the sharp divisions inEgypt six months after the military removed the elected Islamist president. Pro-army voters lined up Tuesday outside polling stations, singing patriotic songs, kissing…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil
Iraq violence kills 24, militants stage big attacks near Falluja
By Alistair Lyon BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Sunni Muslim militants staged coordinated attacks near the western Iraqi city of Falluja on Tuesday, destroying two army tanks and capturing a police station, police said. There was no immediate word on the…
photo: AP
Govt forces to take over security in Mexico state
14 Jan 2014
MARK STEVENSON Associated Press= APATZINGAN, Mexico (AP) â?? Federal forces will take over security in a large swath of a western Mexico state where firefights between vigilante groups and drug traffickers erupted over the weekend, a topMexican official announced Monday. Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chongsaid federal forces with support…
At least 200 drown in South Sudan ferry accident while fleeing fighting
14 Jan 2014
Between 200 and 300 people fleeing fighting in the city of Malakal feared dead in ferry accident on the White Nile river The ferry passengers were fleeing fighting in the city of Malakal. Photograph: Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images At least 200 South Sudanese civilians drowned on Tuesday in a ferry accident on the White Nile river while…
China jails doctor found guilty of baby trafficking
Zhang Shuxia tricked parents into giving up their babies by telling them the newborns were sick or had died. A Chinese former obstetrician was given a suspended death sentence on Tuesday for abducting newborn babies and selling them to traffickers,…
photo: WN / Sweet Radoc
Nigerian leader signs anti-gay law
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill on Monday that criminalizes same-sex relationships, defying Western pressure over gay rights and provoking criticism from the United States. The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in…
photo: AP / Sunday Alamba
Underwear bomber’s life sentence upheld by U.S. court
Tweet Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian man who tried to set off an explosive hidden in his underwear while aboard a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day in 2009, on Monday had his life sentence upheld by a federal appeals court. The 6th U.S. Circuit…
photo: AP / Carole Kabrin
Cristiano Ronaldo Wins Ballon d’Or Award
Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has won the FIFA Ballon d’Oraward for player of the year. Ronaldo scored a staggering 62 goals in 52 matches for club and country in 2013 and was hot favourite to claim the…
photo: AP / Michael Probst
Syria peace talks: Russia and US lay groundwork for ceasefire
Damascus government and rebels consider allowing humanitarian relief as battling sides due in Paris for UN-led talks Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry at the US ambassador‘s residence in Paris. Photograph: Reuters Syria‘s government and the opposition…
photo: Public Domain / State Department photo
Emotional Rodman sorry after N Korea trip
Beijing – An emotional Dennis Rodman appeared to break down on Monday as he apologised on his return from a controversial trip to North Korea, where he sang “Happy Birthday” to regime leader Kim Jong-Un. The former NBA star was widely…
photo: AP / Jason Mojica
Israel boosts security for Sharon funeral
13 Jan 2014
JERUSALEM – Israel beefed up security for former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon‘s funeral near the Gaza border on Monday and warned the enclave’s Palestinianrulers not to allow rocket fire during the ceremony, which US Vice President Joe Biden planned to attend. Sharon died at the age of 85 on Saturday after eight…
India set to be declared polio-free
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is set to announce India as a polio-free nation, as the country marks its third consecutive year without any new recorded cases. The war to eradicate polio has been one of India’s public health success…
photo: AP / Ajit Kumar
Iran reaches deal with world powers on how to carry out nuclear pact
Iran and six world powers have agreed on how to implement a nuclear deal struck in November, with its terms starting from Jan. 20, officials announced Sunday. The announcement, made first by Iranian officials and later confirmed elsewhere, starts a…
photo: Creative Commons / U.S. Department of State
Sheikh Hasina sworn in as Bangladesh PM
Sheikh Hasina has been sworn in as Bangladesh‘s prime minister for her second straight term after a election marred by violence and boycotts. Her party won a clear majority, but many seats were…
photo: AP Photo / Pavel Raman
Pope names 19 new cardinals, focusing on the poor
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday named his first batch of cardinals, choosing 19 men from Asia, Africa, and elsewhere, including Haiti and Burkino Faso, to reflect his attention to the poor. Francis made the announcement as he spoke from…
photo: AP / Osservatore Romano
FUTURE ON THE BRINK AS AFGHAN CAMPAIGN ENDS
SANGIN, Afghanistan — The NATO campaign in Afghanistan may be ending late this year, but the war is not. Insurgent strongholds will remain — 13 years after theSept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks prompted a U.S. invasion — inspiring anxiety about…
photo: USMC / James Mast
Indonesia bans unprocessed ore export
Jakarta – An Indonesian law banning the export of unprocessed minerals took effect Sunday, with the government aiming to boost local operations and create more jobs and mining companies warning of losses and layoffs. Coordinating Economic Minister…
photo: AP Photo / Environment Ministry, Rasio Ridhosani, HO
Over 25,000 on the run from a volcano in Indonesia
More than 25,000 Indonesians have left their homes after several eruptions from a volcano on Sumatra, on one of Indonesia‘s major islands. Vimeo Photo:Villagerswalk through mud and ash as…
photo: AP / Binsar Bakkara
Africa sees violent, deadly start to 2014
12 Jan 2014
Muslim men with machetes rough up a Christian man while checking him for weapons last month in Bangui, Central African Republic. (Associated Press file) NAIROBI, kenya — The death tolls are huge and the individual incidents gruesome. One estimate says nearly 10,000 people have been killed in South Sudan in a month of warfare, while in…
Indonesia bans unprocessed ore export
Jakarta – An Indonesian law banning the export of unprocessed minerals took effect Sunday, with the government aiming to boost local operations and create more jobs and mining companies warning of losses and layoffs. Coordinating Economic Minister…
photo: AP Photo / Environment Ministry, Rasio Ridhosani, HO
UN chief saddened by Sharon’s death
United Nation, January 11: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon said Saturday he was “saddened” by the death of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, and called on the country to build on his legacy of pragmatism to press ahead with the Israeli-…
photo: UN / Paulo Filgueiras
Green spaces have lasting positive effect on well-being
Living in an urban area with green spaces has a long-lasting positive impact on people’s mental well-being, a study has suggested. UK researchers found moving to a green space had a sustained positive effect, unlike pay rises or promotions,…
photo: WN / Sanyogita Jogdeo
Central African Republic: UN envoy urges calm after transition leaders step down
Print 11 January 2014 – Following the resignation of the Central African Republic‘s two interim leaders, the top United Nations official in the crisis-riven country called for calm today, urging the authorities to mobilze around the speedy…
photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe
Egypt army chief says to run for president if people demand
Abdel Fatah Al Sisi‘s The comments come just days ahead of a referendum on a new constitution. Egypt’s army chief Abdel Fattah Al Sisi said he would run for president if the people demand it and the military supports him, state media quoted him…
photo: AP / Hassan Ammar
Iraq: At least 60 killed in 2 weeks of Anbar violence
BAGHDAD — Fighting between security forces and al-Qaida-linked militants in Iraq‘s Sunni-dominated Anbar province has killed at least 60 people over the past two weeks, an official said Saturday. The head of Anbar‘s Health Directorate, Khudeir…
photo: AP / Jaber al-Helo
Google Gmail update lets strangers send you emails
Google is about to introduce a big change to Gmail, which is raising plenty of eyebrows. You can now send emails to anyone with a Google+ account and they, in turn, can send you an email, even if you don’t know the person. On Thursday,…
photo: AP / Virginia Mayo
Ukraine ex-minister Lutsenko hurt in clashes in Kiev
11 Jan 2014
Several people have been injured in clashes between protesters and riot police in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Former Interior Minister and leading opposition figureYuriy Lutsenko was among those wounded. The…
Jihadists fighting back in north Syria
10 Jan 2014
Wreckage: People gather around the site of a car bombing in Hama province.Photo: Reuters Damascus: Jihadists battling rebels in northern Syria have sought to recover turf lost during nearly a week of fighting between them that has killed hundreds in the latest twist in the civil war. Thursday’s fighting came a day after the Islamic State of Iraq…
Samsung Galaxy S5 Due April, Maybe With Eye-Scan Security: Report
If you’re holding out for the next Android superphone, you may only have a few months to wait. Samsung has spoken out about its upcoming devices in a long interview with Bloomberg, and it plans to have the S5 out by April. Speaking…
photo: Creative Commons / Javierito92
In a Rare Video, Fidel Castro Surfaces
Fidel Castro, the former president of Cuba, made his first public appearance in nine months on Wednesday night at the opening of a nonprofit art studio in theRomerillo neighborhood of Havana. The former president showed up for the opening of the…
photo: AP / Alex Castro, Cubadebate
Frozen Niagara Falls: A rare creation by the artist polar vortex
A frozen Niagara Falls has turned into a sculpture of grand proportions, changing the scenery of the famous tourist spot into something else altogether. According to The Inquisitr on Jan. 9, the artist of this breathtaking sculpture is a visitor from…
photo: Public Domain / Quozl
Jury finds police lawfully killed Mark Duggan, whose death sparked UK riots
London: Police were acting lawfully when they shot dead an unarmed Mark Duggan, the 29-year-old father of six whose killing led to the London riots ofAugust 2011, an inquest jury has found. There was uproar in the courtroom after the jury…
photo: AP / Karel Prinsloo
Authorities in NY sue Novartis in kickback scheme
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. paid kickbacks to a specialty pharmacy in exchange for recommending refills of a blood transfusion drug it produces, according to an amended complaint filed Wednesday in a civil case brought by state and federal…
photo: AP/Keystone, Steffen Schmidt
Christie bridge scandal: Woman died after traffic delayed medics
A political retaliation scandal that erupted around Republican New Jersey Gov.Chris Christie on Wednesday may be about to get worse. In September, according to a report from the Bergen Record, paramedics trying to reach an unconscious 91-year-old…
photo: Creative Commons / Mikerussell
New Jersey Governor says he was misled by staff over bridge scandal
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Wednesday said he was misled by his staff after fresh revelations that a top aide played a key role in closing some lanes leading to one of the world’s busiest bridges in what critics say was a political…
photo: AP / Rich Schultz
Hamas and Iran rebuild ties three years after falling out over Syria
09 Jan 2014
News that high-level contacts between Palestinian party and Tehran have resumed is likely to dismay Israel and US Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, based in Qatar, met representatives from Tehran in Ankara and Doha in recent months, and may visit Tehran in the coming months. Photograph:Mohammed Saber/EPA A rapprochement between…
Jury finds police lawfully killed Mark Duggan, whose death sparked UK riots
London: Police were acting lawfully when they shot dead an unarmed Mark Duggan, the 29-year-old father of six whose killing led to the London riots ofAugust 2011, an inquest jury has found. There was uproar in the courtroom after the jury…
photo: AP / Karel Prinsloo
Christie bridge scandal: Woman died after traffic delayed medics
A political retaliation scandal that erupted around Republican New Jersey Gov.Chris Christie on Wednesday may be about to get worse. In September, according to a report from the Bergen Record, paramedics trying to reach an unconscious 91-year-old…
photo: Creative Commons / Mikerussell
New Jersey Governor says he was misled by staff over bridge scandal
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Wednesday said he was misled by his staff after fresh revelations that a top aide played a key role in closing some lanes leading to one of the world’s busiest bridges in what critics say was a political…
photo: AP / Rich Schultz
Honeybee shortage threatens crop pollination in Europe
In more than half of European countries, there are not enough honeybees to pollinate crops, according to new research. Scientists believe that a boom in biofuels has sparked a massive increase in the need for pollination. The shortage is particularly…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Angry Dennis Rodman defends North Korea visit
Dennis Rodman has angrily defended his visit to North Korea, ahead of a basketball game to mark leader Kim Jong-un‘s birthday. In an interview with CNN, Rodman was asked if he would raise the issue of a US citizen jailed in North Korea. The…
photo: AP / Kim Kwang Hyon
U.S. Military Helicopter Crashes on Coast of England
LONDON — An American military helicopter crashed on the coast of easternEngland on Tuesday, and all four people aboard were believed to have been killed, the authorities said. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international…
photo: US DoD
80 retired cops, firefighters charged in 9/11 disability fraud
Tweet NEW YORK – Eighty retired New York police officers and firefighters were charged on Tuesday in a suspected disability scam in which authorities said dozens of people falsely claimed to have been traumatized by the Sept. 11 attacks. In all, 106…
photo: AP / John Minchillo
Syria crisis: Islamist rebels urge attacks on opposition rivals
08 Jan 2014
A hardline Islamist rebel group in Syria has called on its supporters to attack rival opposition factions that do not support its cause. The call by the al-Qaeda-linkedIslamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) follows days of rebel infighting that has left scores dead. It came hours after another rebel group called on ISIS to observe a…
U.S. Military Helicopter Crashes on Coast of England
LONDON — An American military helicopter crashed on the coast of easternEngland on Tuesday, and all four people aboard were believed to have been killed, the authorities said. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international…
photo: US DoD
80 retired cops, firefighters charged in 9/11 disability fraud
Tweet NEW YORK – Eighty retired New York police officers and firefighters were charged on Tuesday in a suspected disability scam in which authorities said dozens of people falsely claimed to have been traumatized by the Sept. 11 attacks. In all, 106…
photo: AP / John Minchillo
Panama Canal, consortium closer to deal to keep expansion going
Reuters January 7, 2014 – 23:12 By Lomi Kriel and Elida Moreno PANAMA CITY(Reuters) – The Panama Canal and a Spanish-led building consortium expanding the major world cargo route moved nearer to a deal to keep work going amid a cost dispute…
photo: Public Domain / Official Navy Page
Newsweek Article On ‘Fall Of France’ Gets It All Wrong
We need to thank Newsweek for filling our New Year with joy. There is so much ineptness in a recent article by Janine di Giovanni aimed at destroying France — now a specialty of the magazine. “French bashing” is trendy again among Anglo-Saxons! Yet…
photo: AP / Laurent Cipriani
Spain’s Princess Cristina Faces Subpoena For Alleged Tax Fraud
MADRID (AP) — A Spanish court has subpoenaed Princess Cristina, the daughter ofSpain‘s King Juan Carlos, as a suspect in an investigation of alleged tax fraud and money laundering, the latest blow to the royal family’s reputation. Palma de Mallorca…
photo: AP / Manu Fernandez
Stone-age hunter gatherers had rotten teeth due to nutty diet
Tweet Washington, Jan. 7 (ANI): Researchers have discovered some of the earliest evidence for widespread tooth decay in humans. The new proof comes from skeletal remains of Stone-Age hunter-gatherers, who…
photo: Creative Commons / P.Lameiro
Polar Freeze Grips United States, Disrupting Travel, Business
By Nick Carrey & Kim Palmer on 10:53 am January 7, 2014. Category International,World Tags: United States, US cold snap The Chicago skyline is seen beyond the arctic sea smoke rising off Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois, January 6, 2014. A blast…
photo: AP / Vadim Ghirda
Thai government fears coup plan in the works
07 Jan 2014
Rallying: Anti-government protesters in central Bangkok on Monday. Photo: Reuters Bangkok: Thailand’s democratically elected government fears the country’s powerful military will be lured into staging a coup if anti-government protesters shut down Bangkok again next Monday. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is also facing legal…
photo: AP / Apichart Weerawong
Stone-age hunter gatherers had rotten teeth due to nutty diet
Tweet Washington, Jan. 7 (ANI): Researchers have discovered some of the earliest evidence for widespread tooth decay in humans. The new proof comes from skeletal remains of Stone-Age hunter-gatherers, who…
photo: Creative Commons / P.Lameiro
Polar Freeze Grips United States, Disrupting Travel, Business
By Nick Carrey & Kim Palmer on 10:53 am January 7, 2014. Category International,World Tags: United States, US cold snap The Chicago skyline is seen beyond the arctic sea smoke rising off Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois, January 6, 2014. A blast…
photo: AP / Vadim Ghirda
Iran not on Syria peace conference list: UN
January 06: UN leader Ban Ki-moon has sent invitations to 30 countries to attend aSyria peace conference this month, but did not include Iran, a spokesman said. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet on…
photo: Public Domain / State Department
Yellen first woman to lead US Fed
Janet Yellen, a key force behind the Federal Reserve‘s unprecedented and controversial efforts to boost the US economy, has been confirmed by the Senateto lead the central bank just as it begins to unwind that stimulus. When she succeeds Ben…
photo: AP / Eugene Hoshiko
Sports briefs: FIFA boss Blatter blasts Brazilians
“Brazil has just realized what it means to organize a World Cup,” Blatter said in an interview with Swiss newspaper 24 Heures. “They started a lot too late.” Join the Discussion Delays have included financial problems, worker safety issues and…
photo: AP / Michael Probst
US intelligence report predicts failure in Afghanistan
A stunning new intelligence report surfaced this week highlighting a dire situation in Afghanistan. The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) classified report suggested Afghanistan would quickly fall into chaos if US and NATO forces failed to sign a…
photo: US Army / Eric Provost
Mylan donates $3 million to Philippines relief effort
Reporter- Pittsburgh Business Times | Canonsburg-based drug giant Inc. has donated more than $3 million in medications to AmeriCares for its Typhoon Haiyanrelief efforts in the Philippines. The donation is the company’s biggest to the…
photo: USMC / Codey Underwood
DEEP FREEZE: -63°
Iraqis Make Gains Against Militants in Key City
06 Jan 2014
BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces and their tribal allies made gains in heavy fighting on Sunday in Ramadi, reclaiming parts of the city from Sunni militants aligned with Al Qaeda, security officials and tribal leaders said. Related Qaeda-Linked Militants inIraq Secure Nearly Full Control of Falluja (January 5, 2014) Power Vacuum in Middle East…
African Union missing in action in conflicts from Mali to South Sudan
Weak leadership and rivalry between states have hampered African efforts to bring security to the conflict-hit continent A French soldier patrols Bossangoa, Central African Republic. Foreign troops have struggled to stem sectarian clashes….
photo: UN / Marco Dormino
India court says pre-marital sex ‘against religion’
A court in the Indian capital, Delhi, has said that pre-marital sex was “immoral” and against the “tenets of every religion”. Judge Virender Bhat made the remarks after ruling that sex between two adults on the promise of marriage…
photo: WN / Aruna Mirasdar
New Hyundai Genesis to Link Up with Google Glass
The upcoming Hyundai Genesis for the North American market will allow drivers to use wearable devices or smartwatches such as Google Glass to…
photo: GFDL
John Kerry Says Saudi King Abdullah Backs Israeli-Palestinian Push
By Arshad Mohammed RIYADH, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Saudi King Abdullah offered his “enthusiastic support” to U.S. efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, U.S.Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday. The U.S. diplomat made the comment…
photo: AP / Brendan Smialowski
Eusebio Dead: Soccer Legend Dies At 71
Getty LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Eusebio, the Portuguese soccer star who was born into poverty in Africa but became an international sporting icon and was voted one of the 10 best players of all time, has died aged 71, his longtime club Benfica said. He…
photo: Creative Commons / Alface
Bangladesh Votes in Polls Hit by Opposition Boycott and Violence
By Serajul Quadir & Nandita Bose on 5:26 pm January 5, 2014. CategoryInternational Tags: Bangladesh A Bangladeshi army soldier stands guard in front of a polling station as armed forces were deployed to maintain the law and order during the tenth…
photo: AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh
New York set to allow limited use of medical marijuana
New York: New York could soon join a growing group of American states that allow limited use of marijuana, with Governor Andrew Cuomo planning to announce an executive action that would grant access to the drug for those with serious illnesses, a…
photo: Creative Commons / nickolette
Bombings kill 20 in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad
05 Jan 2014
BAGHDAD (AP) — A new wave of bombings hit Iraq‘s capital, Baghdad, killing at least 20 people Sunday, officials said, the latest assault by militants who have been fighting Iraqi security forces and allied tribes in country’s west. The deadliest attack took place in Baghdad’s Shiite northern Shaab neighborhood, when two parked car bombs exploded…
Fallujah falls to Al Qaeda militants; 55 killed
FALLUJAH (Iraq): Iraq has lost Fallujah to Al Qaeda-linked fighters, a senior security official said on Saturday, putting militants back in control of the city in Anbar provincewhere American forces repeatedly battled insurgents. But security forces…
photo: USMC / Cpl. Mike Escobar
Mali, Niger evacuate citizens from Central African Republic
Reuters January 4, 2014 – 18:54 By Paul-Marin Ngoupana BANGUI (Reuters) – African countries have started evacuating their citizens from the Central African Republic in recent days amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions and inter-religious…
photo: UN / Tobin Jones
Afghanistan’s Worsening, and Baffling, Hunger Crisis
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan — In the Bost Hospital here, a teenage mother named Bibi Sherina sits on a bed in the severe acute malnutrition ward with her two children. Ahmed, at just 3 months old, looks bigger than his emaciated brotherMohammad, who is…
photo: US Army / Clay Beyersdorfer
Tunisia MPs reject Islam as main source of law
TUNIS: Tunisian lawmakers rejected Islam Saturday as the main source of law for the country that spawned the Arab Spring as they voted for a second day on a new constitution. The voting comes amid concerns that a January 14 deadline for the new…
photo: AP / Christian Lutz
South Sudan ceasefire talks delayed
04 Jan 2014
Face-to-face talks between warring parties in South Sudan have been delayed, government and rebel delegations said Saturday, dashing hopes of a swift ceasefire to end raging battles and risks of all-out civil war. South Sudan Information Minister Michael Makuei, part of the delegation to the talks in…
photo: AP / Ben Curtis
U.S. Is Facing Hard Choices in South Sudan
WASHINGTON — South Sudan is in many ways an American creation, carved out of war-torn Sudan in a referendum largely orchestrated by the United States, its fragile institutions nurtured with billions of dollars in American aid. But a murky, vicious…
photo: UN / Hailemichael Gebrekrstos
Philippines in 2014: Emerging Economies with Contentious Leadership
Across a number of emerging markets, the coming year will mark a consequential political transition. This could ultimately prove much more important that the U.S.Federal Reserve‘s scheduled tapering in early 2014, which is expected to precipitated…
photo: UN / Evan Schneider
From The Ruins Of A Tsunami, A Rebuilt Aceh Rises Anew
As survivors of Haiyan — November’s super typhoon in the Philippines — slowly put their lives back together, the rest of Asia has been marking the anniversary of another disaster. Shortly after Christmas nine years ago, a huge tsunami swept across…
photo: UN / Evan Schneider
Winter Storm Hercules: Homeless People In NYC, Northeast Face Grueling Weather
Hercules, the first gripping winter storm of 2014, barreled across 22 states Thursday night, affecting approximately one-third of the nation and killing at least nine. New England was among the strongest hit regions, with some cities in the area…
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
South Sudan ceasefire talks open as battles rage
03 Jan 2014
ADDIS ABABA: South Sudan‘s warring parties opened negotiations on Friday to end nearly three weeks of raging conflict in which thousands are feared dead and that has taken the world’s youngest nation to the brink of all-out civil war. Governmentand rebel negotiating teams are at a luxury hotel in neighbouring Ethiopia‘s capitalAddis Ababa, with…
Health care for transforms at snail’s pace
A woman’s appendix ruptured while she waited for emergency surgery at theMitchells Plain hospital in Cape Town last year. A 69-year-old former matron ofJubilee district hospital in Pretoria died barely five hours after the same hospital sent…
photo: UN / Rolla Hinedi
Children beheaded as violence grows in Central African Republic, U.N. says
January 3, 2014 — Updated 0640 GMT (1440 HKT) People wait for evacuation flights in a hangar at the airport in Bangui, Central African Republic, on Sunday, December 29. The African nation has been dealing with violence between Muslim andChristian…
photo: UN / Marco Dormino
Cambodia: Deadly Crackdown On Workers
Three people have been killed in Cambodia as police opened fire to try to quell a protest by garment factory workers. Workers armed with sticks, rocks and Molotov cocktails clashed with armed police in the capital Phnom Penh, according to witnesses….
photo: AP / Heng Sinith
2 newspapers call for clemency for Edward Snowden
LONDON — The New York Times and Guardian newspapers have called for clemency for Edward Snowden, saying that the espionage worker-turned-privacy advocate should be praised rather than punished for his disclosures. The papers — both of which have…
photo: AP / Kin Cheung
First snowstorm of 2014 descends on northeast US
HARTFORD (USA): The northeastern US, including New York City, prepared on Thursday for heavy snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures that threatened to slow the…
photo: AP / Seth Wenig
NSA eyes encryption-breaking ‘quantum’ machine: report
WASHINGTON: The US National Security Agency is making strides toward building a “quantum computer” that could break nearly any kind of encryption, The Washington Post reported Thursday. The Post said leaked documents from fugitive ex-NSA contractor…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci
Bill Bratton, Stop-And-Frisk Architect, Takes Over Nation’s Biggest Police Force
NEW YORK — William Bratton was sworn in as New York City’s police commissioner on Thursday afternoon, marking the start of his second term at the helm of the city’s police department and his first under progressive new mayor Bill de Blasio. De…
photo: AP / Kathy Willens
Rescue delayed for icebound ship in Antarctica
02 Jan 2014
The latest attempt to rescue passengers on board a research ship that has been trapped in Antarctic ice for more than a week was delayed again Thursday after sea ice prevented a barge from reaching one of the rescue vessels. The AustralianMaritime Safety Authority‘s Rescue Coordination Centre, which is handling the operation, said earlier on…
UN representative calls for truce in South Sudan
UN Special Representative for South Sudan Hilde Johnson has called for an end to fighting in the country. Ms Johnson also called for impending peace talks inEthiopia to be given a chance to…
photo: UN / Marco Dormino
Kenya grenade attack wounds 10 near Mombasa
Comment () Tweet MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — An official says 10 people have been wounded in a grenade attack at a restaurant south of Kenya’s coastal city ofMombasa. Kwale County Commissioner Evans Achoki said one of the two men on a motorcycle…
photo: UN / Marco Dormino
Where to go in 2014 – UK travel hot list
The Tour de France starting in Yorkshire and the Commonwealth Games coming toGlasgow are just two of the events set to make the UK a top destination for tourists in 2014 The Riverside Museum, Glasgow. Photograph: Murdo Macleod Glasgow If your image…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
2013 marked as ‘bloodiest year’ for Syria with 73,000 dead
Tweet Johannesburg, Jan. 02 (ANI): 2013 has been marked as the bloodiest year yet in the brutal civil war of Syria with more than 73, 000…
photo: AP / Media Office Of Douma City
Putin visits Volgograd bombing victims
Moscow, January 01: Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday visited some victims of recent terror blasts in Volgograd city and discussed public security with senior officials. Two suicide bombings struck in Volgograd, the first at a railway…
photo: AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Presidential Press Service, Dmitry Astakhov
New Year’s Eve celebrations usher in 2014 across the world
Published December 31, 2013FoxNews.com Millions around the world welcomed 2014 on Tuesday, as fireworks, dancing and all-night revelry marked huge displays of jubilation and unity around the globe. Crowds that filled New York City‘s Times Square…
photo: Creative Commons / S273s
Mining in Greenland – a country divided
Greenland‘s economy relies on fishing and hunting, but the government has ambitious plans to develop the country’s resource industries. In places like Narsaq, there’s a fear that mining could destroy the environment and traditional…
photo: Creative Commons / Bjoertvedt
New Year’s Eve celebrations usher in 2014 across the world
Published December 31, 2013FoxNews.com Millions around the world welcomed 2014 on Tuesday, as fireworks, dancing and all-night revelry marked huge displays of jubilation and unity around the globe. Crowds that filled New York City‘s Times Square…
photo: Creative Commons
Mining in Greenland – a country divided
Greenland‘s economy relies on fishing and hunting, but the government has ambitious plans to develop the country’s resource industries. In places like Narsaq, there’s a fear that mining could destroy the environment and traditional…
photo: Creative Commons / Bjoertvedt
UN envoy condemns attacks on key sites in DR Congo capital
Print 31 December 2013 – The top United Nations envoy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has deplored the attacks carried out on Monday on the headquarters of the Congolese Armed Forces and of the National Radio andTelevision Company,…
photo: UN / Sylvain Liechti
Cebu startups rev up
BARELY had typhoon Yolanda left Cebu in November when local developers buckled down to build systems to help in rescue, relief and rebuilding efforts. Couple Kristoffer Vincent Loremia and Yvonne, who sought shelter with their newborn child Xhian…
photo: UN / Evan Schneider
South Sudan town of Bor partially in rebel hands
Related Articles Civilians ‘going without food’ in South Sudan UN camp 30 Dec 2013Captured twice and looted twice, a state capital in South Sudan fears third battle 29 Dec 2013 South Sudan rebel leader dashes ceasefire hopes 28 Dec 2013 Leaders in…
photo: UN/UN
Uganda warns South Sudan rebel leader
RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press= JUBA, South Sudan (AP) â?? Uganda‘s president on Monday warned South Sudan’s rebel leader against rejecting the government’s offer of a cease-fire, saying regional leaders would unite to “defeat” the former vice…
photo: AP / Orlin Wagner
Feds announce test sites for drone aircraft
Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia will host the research sites, providing diverse climates, geography and air traffic environments as theFederal Aviation Administration seeks to safely introduce commercial drones intoU.S.…
photo: AP / Ariel Schalit
Israel releases 26 more Palestinian prisoners
31 Dec 2013
RAMALLAH, West Bank – Israel released 26 Palestinian prisoners early Tuesday, the third of four groups it promised to free as part of peace talks restarted during the summer. Most of the prisoners were from Palestinian Authority PresidentMahmoud Abbas’ ruling Fatah faction and were serving long sentences for killingIsraelis. Of the 26…
photo: AP / Nasser Nasser
Uganda warns South Sudan rebel leader
RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press= JUBA, South Sudan (AP) â?? Uganda‘s president on Monday warned South Sudan’s rebel leader against rejecting the government’s offer of a cease-fire, saying regional leaders would unite to “defeat” the former vice…
photo: AP / Orlin Wagner
Feds announce test sites for drone aircraft
Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia will host the research sites, providing diverse climates, geography and air traffic environments as theFederal Aviation Administration seeks to safely introduce commercial drones intoU.S.…
photo: AP / Ariel Schalit
Syria blamed for missed deadline on chemical arsenal
The Obama administration Monday called on Syria to honor promises to surrender its chemical weapons stockpile, a day after international experts acknowledged delays in removing some of the most lethal toxins from the country. U.S. officials conceded…
photo: Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Islamic Group Denies Links to Turkish Probe
ANKARA, Turkey — A foundation close to a U.S.-based Muslim cleric‘s movement has denied being behind a corruption probe targeting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s allies. Erdogan has rejected the corruption allegations as a conspiracy against…
photo: AP / Adem Altan
Schumacher fighting for life after fall
Seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher is fighting for his life after sustaining severe head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps resort of Meribel, doctors say. “We can say that his condition is life-threatening,”…
photo: AP / Christian Lutz
HK travelers warned on PH
THE Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) advised its citizens to “avoid all travel” to the Philippines following the devastation caused by typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last November 8 in…
photo: UN / Evan Schneider
Insurgents could quickly bounce back in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence agencies warn in a new, classified assessment that insurgents could quickly regain control of key areas of Afghanistan and threaten the capital as soon as 2015 if American troops are fully withdrawn next year, according…
photo: USMC / Gabriela Garcia
South Sudan rivals under international pressure to end violence
29 Dec 2013
JUBA: International pressure bore down on the two sides on Saturday in South Sudan‘s bloody violence to open peace talks to keep the young nation from sliding into civil war. East African and Horn of Africa peace brokers gave until December 31for President Salva Kiir and de facto rebel leader Riek Machar, whom Kiir sacked as vice-president in…
Suicide bomber kills 13 in Russia’s south
MOSCOW — Russian officials say at least 13 people were killed and scores were wounded Sunday by a suicide bomber at a…
photo: AP / Nikita Baryshev,Volgograd Mayor’s Office Handout
Unemployment benefits end in US for 1.3 mn jobless
Washington, December 28: For the more than 1.3 million people who have been jobless in the US for over six months, the holiday season came to a crashing halt Saturday with the cancellation of the federal government’s unemployment insurance payments….
photo: AP / Craig Ruttle
Lebanon ‘microcosm of regional conflicts’
BEIRUT: A Beirut car bomb that killed an anti-Syria politician underscores howLebanon has become a “microcosm of regional conflicts”, with violence escalating as Damascus and its ally Tehran become more emboldened, analysts say. Friday’s bombing…
photo: AP / Hussein Malla
Property market: what’s in store for homeowners in 2014?
Related Articles Bob Hope‘s ‘spaceship’ home: in pics 22 Mar 2013 At home with Sir David Frost 02 Sep 2013 Celebrity homes for sale 24 May 2013 For sale: Bond girlFiona Fullerton‘s Gloucestershire vicarage 14 Sep 2013 Cob house built from earth,…
photo: WN / marzena
Who is behind the Beirut bombing?
28 Dec 2013
The assassination of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri aide and former ministerMohamad Chatah in Beirut on December 27, is the latest in a series of attacks aimed at destabilising Lebanon and bringing it closer to the Syrian conflict. That Lebanon should witness this kind of spillover from the Syrian crisis is not surprising: Lebanon is host…
Indian woman gang-raped ‘twice in one night’
Police have arrested 10 people in India after a 21-year-old woman was gang-raped twice in one night be two apparently unrelated groups of men. Six of the men arrested have been charged with gang-raping the woman on the evening ofDecember 24, on…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick
Suicide attack on foreign troop convoy in Kabul kills three and wounds six
Nationalities of dead service members unclear after Taliban claim responsibility for car bombing in east of capital US trucks clear away an armoured vehicle hit by a bomb attack in Kabul that killed three. Photograph: Omar…
Immigration fears spark political firestorm in UK
LONDON — They’re portrayed as pickpockets who will steal British jobs. There arepredictions they will beg, the unruly young ones will stir up riots, and some will even try to sell babies. For months, Britain’s tabloids have repeatedly…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
Fourth injured SEAL moved to Landstuhl medical center
STUTTGART, Germany — A Navy SEAL undergoing medical treatment in Kenya for injuries suffered during the Dec. 21 rescue mission in South Sudan has been transferred to…
photo: UN/UN
China icebreaker steams to rescue science ship trapped off Antarctica
A Chinese icebreaker was on Friday due to reach the frozen seas where a scientific mission ship is trapped off Antarctica, as those onboard welcomed the easing of blizzard conditions. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is co-ordinating…
photo: US Coastguard
Thirty-four children died in Muzaffarnagar relief camps
At least 34 children have died in relief camps set up for thousands of people who fled their homes during Hindu-Muslim clashes in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in September, an official report says. The…
photo: WN / Yeshe Choesang
Climate Change This Week: The Good, The Bad, The Old, The New in 2013, and More!
Jingle right along with us this week, folks, for the usual up and down sleigh ride! Most Important Climate Message: “You CAN Do Something About It” is what people need to hear most, says a new , reports Emily Atkin at Climate Progress. And it’s true,…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
And so we find the stories out of Iran happen to be true and
not the work of some “Axis of Evil” fear-mongerer
that simply wishes to extoll the horrors of Iran’s emerging
nuclear energy program. I thought, perhaps erroneously,
that compiling a Top Ten of Top Ten Lists locatable on the Internet.
There he teaches tolerance and the ability to control and
understand the mutant powers his students have developed.