‘DIRECT INVASION’
Russia Denies Sanctions Revenge On McDonald’s
21 August 2014, 11:19 Russia Denies Sanctions Revenge On McDonald’s Tweet Russia’s food safety agency has denied it has closed fourMcDonald’s restaurants in Moscow as an act of revenge for US sanctions. Rospotrebnadzor insisted there was no…
photo: Creative Commons / Zac allan
Dramatic Video Shows Fatal St. Louis Police Shooting
Share Watch more news videos | Latest from the US CopyPolice in St. Louis released video showing officers shooting and killing a man – a shooting that occurred only 10 days after an officer in nearby…
photo: AP / Matt Rourke
Mysterious source of ozone-depleting chemical baffles NASA
The world agreed to stop using CC14 as part of the Vienna Convention on Protection of the Ozone Layer and its Montreal Protocol, which attained universal ratification in 2009. A chemical used in dry cleaning and fire extinguishers may have been…
photo: AP / NASA
Seals ‘brought TB to the Americas before Europeans’
The long-held idea that Europeans were the first to bring tuberculosis to the Americas when they arrived in the 15th Century has been thrown into doubt. Instead, a study suggests that the deadly disease was present in the area hundreds of years…
photo: Ark Animal Photo
Tragedy puts Marina Silva at heart of Brazil campaign
Environmental activist Marina Silva has unexpectedly found herself centre stage in Brazil‘s presidential election campaign, following the death in a plane crash of Eduardo Campos, the candidate for the Brazilian Socialist Party(PSB). But Ms…
photo: AP / Eraldo Peres
Obama denounces “brutal murder” of journalist
Washington, Aug 20 (EFE). — President Barack Obama spoke out on Wednesday about the videotaped beheading by the Islamic militant groupISIL of a U.S. journalist, describing the murder as “an act of violence that shocks the conscience of the…
photo: AP / Charles Dharapak
Kuwait detains Muslim cleric suspected of funding militants: security source
KUWAIT (Reuters) – Kuwait detained a prominent Sunni Muslim cleric at the Gulf state‘s airport on Wednesday after the United Statesincluded him on a sanctions list on suspicion that he is funneling money to militants in Iraq and Syria, a security…
photo: AP / Edlib News Network ENN, File
ISIS releases video of beheaded American journalist
20 Aug 2014
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, better known as ISIS, an Islamic terrorist group released a video on Tuesday showing a man,they claim is a missing Americanjournalist’s beheading at the hands of a member of the terrorist group. ISIS leaders said the purpose for releasing the horrific video is to send a message to the…
Israeli-US relations tested once again in Gaza war
JERUSALEM (AP) — When Israel completes its damage assessment from its latest war with Hamas, it may conclude that one of the biggest casualties was its all-important relationship with the United States. A recentAmerican decision to hold back on the…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
At least nine killed in Gaza as peace talks collapse
Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip have fired rockets at Israelfor a second day after fighting resumed with the collapse of truce talks and anIsraeli air strike that killed three people in Gaza. Claiming that Israel had “opened a gateway to hell”,…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Wall Street market report
(Close): Apple shares surged to an all-time high on Tuesday helping to drive shares on Wall Street higher for a second consecutive day. Shares in the tech giant closed up 1.4% at $100.53,…
photo: AP / Mark Lennihan
Southern California wildfire burns out of control
KERNVILLE, Calif. (AP) — An out-of-control wildfire inSouthern California’s Kern County has scorched about 5 square miles of dry brush and prompted evacuations in several neighborhoods. U.S. Forest Servicespokeswoman Cindy Thill said early Tuesday…
photo: US DoD / Jason Kriess
US ship neutralizes chemical weapons
3 of Pope Francis’ relatives killed in Argentina car crash, Vatican says
Travel deals BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Three relatives ofPope Francis died in a car crash Tuesday along a provincial highway in Argentina, the Vatican and local highway police said. Police Superintendent Jorge Raineri said the small car…
photo: Creative Commons
Sri Lanka will deny visas to UN investigators, says Mahinda Rajapaksa
Sri Lanka will deny visas to UN investigators looking into allegations of war crimes during the civil war, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said. The United Nations Human Rights…
photo: UN / Aliza Eliazarov
MYSTERY: Unknown Bombers Hit Libyan Capital
Gaza Strip cease-fire extended 24 hours
19 Aug 2014
More talks planned between Israel, Hamas aimed at ending war MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH Associated Press Comments A Palestinian man stands near the rubble of the house of Hussam Kawasma, one of three Palestinians identified by Israel as suspects in the killing of three Israeli teenagers, after it was demolished by theIsraeli army in the West Bank city of…
UN sends aid to half a million fleeing violence in Iraq
Full ArticleKhaleej Times
19 Aug 2014
The initial aid shipments will contain 3,300 tents and 20,000 plastic sheets for shelter, 18,500 kitchen sets and 16,500 jerry cans. The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday it was launching a major aid operation to get supplies to more than half a million people displaced by fighting in northern Iraq.…
Silva gaining favour in Brazil?
Brasilia, Brazil – Environmentalist Marina Silva could unseat incumbent Dilma Rousseff in Brazil‘s October presidential vote, a poll found on Monday, a stunning political twist after Silva‘s running mate was killed in a plane crash. Silva, a…
photo: AP / Eraldo Peres
Barack Obama: Ferguson protesters must “seek to heal rather than wound”
Related Articles National Guard troops ordered intoFerguson: a sign of riots crisis 18 Aug 2014 Ferguson riots left a ‘deep wound’ acrossAmerica 17 Aug 2014 Violence returns to Ferguson as autopsy shows Michael Brownshot at least six…
photo: AP / Charles Dharapak
Israel: No New Ceasefire Deal Reached With Hamas
A senior Israeli official has told Sky News an agreement has not been reached with Hamas on a possible extension of an existing five-day ceasefire in Gaza. It comes amid Palestinian media reports that a new ceasefire deal has been drawn up between a…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Ferguson curfew lifted as US National Guard troops deployed on streets
The Times of India
FERGUSON: US National Guard troops deployed in a suburbanMissouri town on Monday as authorities struggled to contain week-old protests triggered when a police officer shot dead an unarmed black teenager. State governor Jay Nixon lifted an overnight…
photo: AP / Charlie Riedel
Julian Assange Leaving Ecuadorian Embassy In London “Soon”
Today, after two years of self-imposed imprisonment, he met with the press to announce that he will be leaving the embassy soon, but – “…but perhaps not for the reasons that Murdoch press and Sky news are saying at the…
photo: AP / Jason DeCrow
Turkish Foreign Ministry Summons German Ambassador Amid Growing Spy Scandal
MOSCOW, August 18 (RIA Novosti) – The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Monday the German ambassador in Ankara to express concern over recent reports of German intelligence agencies eavesdropping on talks between officials from the United…
photo: AP / Ronny Hartmann
Federer sets Cincinnati title record
Roger Federer won an unprecedented sixth championship inCincinnati, overcoming one bad set. Serena Williams dominated for her first title.Federer extended his record of finals perfection in Cincinnati, beating David Ferrer6-3, 1-6, 6-2 in the…
photo: AP / Al Behrman
‘Israel must end collective punishment of Gaza’s people,’ pleads UN commissioner Pierre Krähenbühl
18 Aug 2014
The United Nations‘ top humanitarian official in the Middle East has issued an impassioned appeal for a new deal for Gaza to end the “collective punishment” of its 1.8 million inhabitants imposed by Israel‘s seven-year blockade of the territory. As Egyptian mediators prepared to renew efforts today to persuade Israel and Hamas to agree a durable…
Assange talks of leaving embassy, sowing confusion
18 Aug 2014
LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sowed confusion Monday with an announcement that appeared to indicate he was leaving his embassy bolt hole, but his spokesman later clarified that that would not happen unless the impasse over his extradition were resolved. Assange made the cryptic comments during a press conference at the Ecuadorean…
Kurdish forces ‘take control’ of Iraq’s Mosul dam
18 Aug 2014
Kurdish forces have taken control of most of Iraq’s largest dam after battlingIslamic State fighters in nearby villages, reversing some of gains made by the insurgents in the north with US military support. The forces, also known as the peshmerga, will have full control of the Mosul Dam in “just a matter of time,” said Fuad Hussein,…
Guinea bears brunt of West Africa Ebola havoc
18 Aug 2014
After seven years of hard work and conscientious saving, Issouf Balde was about to realise his life-long dream of fulfilling one of the five pillars of Islam by travelling to the holy land of Mecca for the Islamic pilgrimage, but the Ebola virus dashed his hopes. “My travel agent returned my money for the trip, saying that the embassy ofSaudi…
It’s Confirmed! Black Holes Do Come in Medium Sizes
An image of the galaxy Messier 82 compiling data fromNASA‘s Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope. The intermediate-mass black hole M82 X-1 is the brightest object in the inset, at about 2 o’clock near the…
South Africa’s Great Rhino Airlift
Poachers have hunted South Africa’s rhinos nearly to extinction—but conservationists have a bold new plan to evacuate the animals to safer ground. South Africa is the most dangerous place in the world to be a rhinoceros. Targeted for their horns,…
photo: AP / Denis Farrell
Chadian troops rescue 85 Nigerian hostages from Boko Haram
updated 8:44 PM EDT, Sat August 16, 2014 A video of Abubakar Shekau, who claims to be the leader of the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, is shown on September 25, 2013. Boko Haram is an Islamist militant group waging a campaign of…
photo: AP / Jerome Delay
Second Youth Games open in wet Nanjing
NANJING China (Reuters) – The second Youth Olympicsopened in a wet Nanjing on Saturday with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach encouraging the teenage athletes to have fun and embrace social media. “You are here…
photo: Creative Commons / Huang Sir
Police, protesters clash again in Ferguson
FERGUSON, Mo. — Anger spurred by the death of a black teenager at the hands of a white police officer boiled over again when protesters stormed into a Missouri convenience store — the same store that Michael Brownwas accused of robbing. Police and…
photo: Creative Commons / Loavesofbread
Brazil’s Marina Silva likely to run for president: reports
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – The Brazilian Socialist Party is likely to announce environmentalist Marina Silva as its presidential candidate next week, replacing party leader Eduardo Campos who was killed in a plane clash, three leading local newspapers…
photo: Creative Commons / José Cruz/ABr
British Officials Find 35 People Inside Shipping Container
VOA News British police say one man has died and at least 19 people have been hospitalized after they were found inside a shipping container at a port east of London.…
photo: Creative Commons / ClemRutter
Jihadis accused of new massacres in Iraq and Syria
17 Aug 2014
Islamic State (IS) militants have been accused of massacring hundreds of people in areas under their control in northern Iraq and eastern Syria. At least 80 members of the Yazidi religious minority are believed to have been killed with women and children abducted in a village in Iraq. IS is also accused of killing 700 tribesmen opposing them in…
Chadian troops rescue 85 Nigerian hostages from Boko Haram
updated 8:44 PM EDT, Sat August 16, 2014 A video of Abubakar Shekau, who claims to be the leader of the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, is shown on September 25, 2013. Boko Haram is an Islamist militant group waging a campaign of…
photo: AP / Jerome Delay
Second Youth Games open in wet Nanjing
NANJING China (Reuters) – The second Youth Olympicsopened in a wet Nanjing on Saturday with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach encouraging the teenage athletes to have fun and embrace social media. “You are here…
photo: Creative Commons / Huang Sir
Police, protesters clash again in Ferguson
FERGUSON, Mo. — Anger spurred by the death of a black teenager at the hands of a white police officer boiled over again when protesters stormed into a Missouri convenience store — the same store that Michael Brownwas accused of robbing. Police and…
photo: Creative Commons / Loavesofbread
Brazil’s Marina Silva likely to run for president: reports
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – The Brazilian Socialist Party is likely to announce environmentalist Marina Silva as its presidential candidate next week, replacing party leader Eduardo Campos who was killed in a plane clash, three leading local newspapers…
photo: Creative Commons / José Cruz/ABr
British Officials Find 35 People Inside Shipping Container
VOA News British police say one man has died and at least 19 people have been hospitalized after they were found inside a shipping container at a port east of London.…
photo: Creative Commons / ClemRutter
Airstrikes Target Islamic State Militants at Iraq Dam After ‘Massacre’ of Religious Minority
IRBIL, Iraq — Airstrikes pounded the area around Iraq’s largest dam on Saturday in an effort to drive out militants who captured it earlier this month, as reports emerged of the massacre of some 80 members of the Yazidi religious minority by Islamic…
photo: WN / Jamal Penjweny
Iraq crisis: Yazidi villagers ‘massacred’ by IS
16 Aug 2014
Militants in northern Iraq have massacred at least 80 men from the Yazidi faith in a village and abducted women and children, reports say. Islamic State (IS) fighters entered Kocho, 45km (30 miles) from Sinjar, on Friday afternoon, reportedly telling men to convert to Islam or die. The group’s atrocities against non-Sunni Muslims have shocked…
Germany spied on Kerry, Clinton: Der Spiegel
Germany’s foreign intelligence service listened in on calls made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, his predecessor Hillary Clinton and for years monitored its NATO partner Turkey, the German magazine Der Spiegelreported on Saturday.…
photo: AP / Manuel Balce Ceneta
Ex-Seleka fighters massacre 34
Bangui, Central African Republic – Suspected ex-rebels from the Central African Republic‘s Seleka movement massacred at least 34 people in several northern villages over the past three days, an officer in the Africanpeacekeeping force MISCA told AFP…
photo: AP / Jerome Delay
IAEA Director General to Visit Iran on August 17
MOSCOW, August 15 (RIA Novosti) — The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, will visit Iran on August 17 for meetings with Iranian…
photo: AP / IRNA,Adel Pazzyar
Witnesses
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Aug 15 (Reuters) – Suspected IslamistBoko Haram fighters have abducted dozens of boys and men in a raid on a remote village in northeast Nigeria, loading them onto trucks and driving them off, witnesses who fled the violence said…
photo: AP / Sunday Alamba
Suarez takes part in Barca training
Luis Suarez trained with his new Barcelona team-mates for the first time on Friday Barcelona striker Luis Suarez trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Friday morning after the Court of Arbitration for Sportrelaxed the…
photo: AP / Emilio Morenatti
Guinea declares public health emergency over Ebola
By Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) – Guinea has declared a public health emergency over an Ebola epidemic that has killed more than 1,000people in three West African states and is sending health workers to all affected border points, a government…
photo: AP / Kjell Gunnar Beraas, MSF
Pilot’s artificial arm detaches while landing
LONDON (AP) — A British air accident report has recounted how a pilot briefly lost control of a passenger plane after his artificial arm became detached from the control yoke during landing. The report, published Thursday, said the…
photo: Public Domain / Arpingstone
Space is the place to solve the riddle of life, maybe
15 Aug 2014
Understanding how life got started here on planet Earth may mean searching for its counterparts “out there” HOW did early Earth’s inert matter give rise to its teeming life today? That’s one of the biggest questions in science – and has long been one of the hardest to answer. We’ve known for 60 years that life’s most basic building blocks can form…
Evidence suggests Ebola toll vastly underestimated – WHO
Full ArticleThe Irish Times
15 Aug 2014
Staff with the World Health Organisation battling an Ebola outbreak in West Africasee evidence the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimates the scale of the outbreak, the UN agency said on its website yesterday. The death toll from the world’s worst outbreak of Ebola stood on Wednesday at 1,069 from 1,975 confirmed, probable and…
Guinea declares public health emergency over Ebola
By Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) – Guinea has declared a public health emergency over an Ebola epidemic that has killed more than 1,000people in three West African states and is sending health workers to all affected border points, a government…
photo: AP / Kjell Gunnar Beraas, MSF
Pilot’s artificial arm detaches while landing
LONDON (AP) — A British air accident report has recounted how a pilot briefly lost control of a passenger plane after his artificial arm became detached from the control yoke during landing. The report, published Thursday, said the…
photo: Public Domain / Arpingstone
Imran Khan leads opposition rally
Thousands have gathered in the Pakistani city of Lahore as a key opposition rally got under way, demanding the government’s ouster over allegations of vote fraud. The demonstration is led by Imran Khan, famous cricketer-turned-politician who heads…
photo: AP
Cairo’s Rabaa massacre: One year later
D. Parvaz is the special projects editor at Al Jazeera Englishonline. She was in Cairo in July and August 2013, and witnessed the violent dispersal of protesters at the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in on August 14. Al Jazeera asked her to share her…
photo: AP / Ahmed Abdel Fattah, El Shorouk Newspaper)
More than 1 million people affected by Ebola: WHO
United Nations, August 14: With more than one million people affected by the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the WHO has warned that there is “no early end in sight” to the severe health crisis and called for “extraordinary measures” to stop…
photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe
Russian PM Medvedev’s Twitter account hacked: gov’t
MOSCOW, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) — Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev‘s Twitter account has been hacked, and the words on his resignation were fake, the Russian government press service said Thursday. “The (latest) tweets are not…
photo: AP / RIA-Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Government Press Service
N Korea Fires Missiles As Pope Visits South
North Korea has launched several missiles into the sea to coincide with a visit by Pope Francis to the South. Three rockets were fired as the pope’s plane approached Seoul – and there were reports of a further three, shortly after he touched…
photo: AP / Andy Wong
Pope Francis Welcomed by South Korean Leaders, North Korean Rockets
14 Aug 2014
VOA News Pope Francis received a warm welcome from South Korean PresidentPark Geun-hye on Thursday as he began a five-day visit to the country. During his trip, Francis will participate in a Catholic youth festival and a mass for peace and reconciliation on the divided and tense Korean peninsula. In…
photo: AP / Andrew Medichini
More than 1 million people affected by Ebola: WHO
United Nations, August 14: With more than one million people affected by the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the WHO has warned that there is “no early end in sight” to the severe health crisis and called for “extraordinary measures” to stop…
photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe
Fresh strikes follow ceasefire extension in Gaza
Cairo/Jerusalem, August 13: Palestinian militants launched more rockets into Israel prompting the Israelis to resume their strikes on Gaza Stripmoments after the Egypt brokered five-day truce began between the two sides Thursday. The new ceasefire…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Saudis give UN $100m to fight ‘terrorism’
Saudi Arabia has handed over a check for $100 mln to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help finance the UN’s center to combat global terrorism. The UN chief welcomed the gift at a ceremony in his office and said the recent upsurge in terrorism in a…
photo: AP / Evan Schneider
Potentially Dangerous Asteroid Is Actually a Pile of Rubble
This image is one of several radar views of the asteroid 1950DA as observed on March 4, 2001 by astronomers using the Arecibo Observatory inPuerto Rico. A new study of asteroid 1950 DA released Aug. 13, 2014 finds that the space rock is actually a…
photo: Public Domain / File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske)
Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos killed in plane crash
Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos was killed in a plane crash on Wednesday, local television channel GloboNews reported, throwing the country’s October election into disarray and knocking local financial markets lower. Campos’ private…
photo: Creative Commons / Renato Araújo
Disaster avoided as Swiss Alps train derails
Three train cars derailed and 11 people were injured on Wednesday (local time) after a Swiss mountain train ran into a landslide in the Alps. One carriage slid off the tracks onto a steep slope and was halted by trees. The accident…
photo: Creative Commons / Leyo
Planned U.S. Cyber Warfare Program Could Hurt Innocent Countries
WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) – A developing U.S. cyber security program would not only hunt down and halt potential computer attacks but also strike back without staff oversight, according to former U.S. National Security Agency contractor, Edward…
photo: Creative Commons
Military sends more advisers, but still no boots for Iraq
Full ArticleCanberra Times
13 Aug 2014
Survival assured?: Yazidi Iraqi refugees are safe for now, according to GeneralMartin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photo: New York TimesWashington: The US military has sent 130 additional advisers to northern Iraq to plan for the evacuation of refugees under siege by Islamist militants, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel…
Isis terror will affect everyone
Full ArticleBelfast Telegraph
13 Aug 2014
Bloodthirsty Islamic State militants threaten Iraqi civilians with genocide. But the country’s barbaric civil war could also have effects on the West – with dire consequences for all of us, writes Patrick Cockburn. Iraq has disintegrated. Little is exchanged between its three great communities – Shia, Sunni and Kurd – except gunfire. The outside…
Ukraine denounces Russian ‘cynicism’ as aid convoy nears border
13 Aug 2014
Related Articles Hapless victims of the West’s waiting game 13 Aug 2014 Russia andUkraine set for tense stand off over ‘aid’ convoy 12 Aug 2014 Ukraine bans Russia aid convoy amid ‘Trojan Horse‘ fears 12 Aug 2014 Russia sends 280 aid lorries to Ukraine 12 Aug 2014 “The level of Russian cynicism knows no bounds,” said Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the…
France to supply arms to Iraqi Kurds
Full ArticleThe Siasat Daily
13 Aug 2014
Paris, August 13: French President Francois Hollande has announced that Francewould supply arms to Iraq‘s Kurdish forces to fight Islamic State (IS) militants who have overrun the country’s northern areas and triggered a security crisis, media reports said Wednesday. The move is “in response to the urgent need expressed by the regional authorities…
photo: AP
Gaza blast leaves several dead during attempt to disable Israeli missile
Officers were attempting to diffuse ordnance as it exploded leaving at least five dead, including AP journalist Simone Camilli Associated Pressjournalist Simone Camilli on a balcony in Gaza City, during Israeli air strikes.Photograph: Lefteris…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
President Obama Issues a Statement on the Death of Michael Brown
This afternoon, President Obama issued a statement on the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was fatally shot on Saturday by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri: The death of Michael Brown is heartbreaking, andMichelle and I send our deepest…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci
Some 1,400 migrants try to reach Spain from Africa
MADRID (AP) — Some 700 migrants stormed border fences to try to enter Spain‘s northwest African enclave city of Melilla from Morocco on Tuesday while the sea rescue service said it had picked up another 700 seeking to enter the…
photo: AP / Marcos Moreno
South Africa to evacuate hundreds of rhinos
Endangered: There may be as few as 8400 white rhino left inSouth Africa’s Kruger National Park. Photo: Duan Biggs Pretoria: South Africaplans to evacuate hundreds of rhino from the famed Kruger National Park to safe havens out of horn…
photo: Creative Commons / Joonasl
Officers Fire Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets at Missouri Protesters
Share Watch more news videos | Latest from the US CopyOfficers in riot gear fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters inFerguson, Mo., renewing tensions after the Saturday police shooting death of unarmed Michael Brown, 18. Ferguson…
photo: AP / Jeff Roberson
Report: Crimes Against Humanity Likely in Egypt Protest Deaths
VOA News Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi should be investigated for possible human rights violations in connection with the killing of hundreds of protesters last year in Cairo. In a new report Tuesday, the…
photo: AP / Mohammed
Ethical to use untested Ebola drugs, says WHO
Full ArticleBBC News
12 Aug 2014
Untested drugs can be used to treat patients infected with the Ebola virus, the World Health Organization says. The WHO said it was ethical in light of the scale of the outbreak and high number of deaths – over 1,000 people have died in west Africa..The statement was made after its medical experts met in Switzerland on Monday to discuss the issue.…
Robin Williams: his hyped-up humor, energy forever silenced
12 Aug 2014
Tom Long Detroit News Film Critic Comments Williams (Kevin Winter / Getty Imagesfor TV Land) What to say when the funny man laughs no more? That comedy truly is tragedy turned on its head, and sometimes a smile cracks under the weight? That wit so fast and fearless flirts with danger? That the secrets spoken aloud on stage, the inner demons…
photo: Public Domain / High Contrast
Robin Williams (63) dies from apparent suicide
Robin Williams, the versatile actor whose madcap comic style made him one of television and film’s biggest stars, was found dead late yesterday from an apparent suicide at his home in Northern California. He was 63. The comedian’s appeal stretched…
photo: AMPAS
Climate change biggest Great Barrier Reef threat: report
Great Barrier Reef Photo: Leigh Henningham Climate changeis the most serious threat to the Great Barrier Reef, according to a major new report. Warmer ocean currents are also likely to remain a threat to the Queenslandcoral ecosystem…
photo: Public Domain / Kahnx
Kinder Morgan to combine its family of companies
New York • The group of oil and gas pipeline and storage companies controlled by Kinder Morgan but traded separately will combine and become the 4th biggest U.S. energy company by market value. The companies announced Sunday that Kinder Morgan Inc.,…
photo: AP / David J. Phillip
Iran’s president lashes out at nuke deal critics
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani offered his harshest criticism yet Monday of hard-liners opposed to making a deal over its contested nuclear program with world powers, saying they should go “to hell.” Iran reached a…
photo: AP / Jason DeCrow, File
Report criticizes U.S. over Afghan civilian deaths
KABUL, Afghanistan: The U.S. failed to properly investigate civilian killings, including possible war crimes, which occurred during its military operations in Afghanistan, the international rights group Amnesty Internationalsaid Monday. NATO said it…
photo: U.S. Army
Turkish activists say new flotilla to challenge Israeli blockade of Gaza
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish aid group said on Monday it would send ships again to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza, four years afterIsraeli commandos stormed its flotilla bound for the Palestinian territory and killed 10 people. The…
photo: Free Gaza movement
US Ebola Vaccine Ready for Testing on Humans – Reports
MOSCOW (August 11) RIA Novosti – An Ebola vaccine co-developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and US scientists has shown promising results on animals and is to enter the first stage of testing on humans if approved by USFood and Drug…
photo: WN / RTayco
Iraq’s highest court paves way for Maliki to serve third term
Full ArticleYahoo Daily News
11 Aug 2014
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq‘s highest court ruled on Monday that Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki‘s…
Central African Republic Gets First Muslim PM
VOA News The Central African Republic has its first Muslim prime minister. Mahamat Kamoun, a former special adviser to interim PresidentCatherine Samba-Panza, will lead a transitional government that is seeking to implement a cease-fire…
photo: AP / Jerome Delay
Football: Arsenal crush Man City
Arsenal, who went nine years without a trophy before winning the FA Cup in May, collected their second piece of silverware in three months when they crushed champions Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shieldat Wembley. Arsenal thoroughly deserved…
photo: AP / Matt Dunham
France, Britain join Iraq rescue mission
US jets attacked jihadists who have besieged civilians on an Iraqi mountain for a week, as France and Britain yesterday joined a desperate race to save the stranded people from starvation. Two days after Washington deployed its air force over Iraq to…
photo: AP / Christophe Ena
Hurricane Bertha hits Britain bringing a month’s worth of rain
Articles Here’s Bertha: Storm set to travel across UK 09 Aug 2014 Homes evacuated and motorists strand
ISREAL
TEL AVIV, August 10 (RIA Novosti) – Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu refused to return the country’s delegation to Cairo for Gazatalks on Sunday unless the Palestinian militants stop the shelling of the country’s territory. “Israel will not…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Nagasaki Marks 69th Anniversary of Atomic Bombing
VOA News In Japan, tens of thousands of people turned out on Saturday to mark the 69th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. Thousands of aging survivors, government officials and others attended a ceremony in the city’s…
photo: AP / Shizuo Kambayashi
MASSACRE IN IRAQ
Iraq Reports 500 Yazidis Killed, 300 Women Enslaved By Islamic State Militants..‘Women And Children Were Buried Alive’.. Thousands Of Iraqi Minorities Flee..
Passenger plane crashes in Iran, almost 50 dead
Hurricane Bertha hits Britain bringing a month’s worth of rain
Related Articles Here’s Bertha: Storm set to travel across UK 09 Aug 2014 Homes evacuated and motorists stranded after flash flooding 09 Aug 2014 Hawaii is hit by wind and rain in first wave of rare double hurricane 08 Aug 2014 The yellow warning…
photo: Public Domain
Israel Refuses to Hold Gaza Talks with Palestinians ‘Under Fire’
TEL AVIV, August 10 (RIA Novosti) – Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu refused to return the country’s delegation to Cairo for Gazatalks on Sunday unless the Palestinian militants stop the shelling of the country’s territory. “Israel will not…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Is Sunday’s Supermoon Full Moon Really That Super?
No doubt by now you’ve likely heard about the excitement concerning what supposedly will loom large in our sky on Sunday night. It’s the “Super Moon!” Well … maybe not quite. I really don’t want to be the wet blanket at your…
photo: WN / Aruna Mirasdar
Nagasaki Marks 69th Anniversary of Atomic Bombing
VOA News In Japan, tens of thousands of people turned out on Saturday to mark the 69th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. Thousands of aging survivors, government officials and others attended a ceremony in the city’s…
photo: AP / Shizuo Kambayashi
Half a million Japanese evacuated
A typhoon is lashing Japan as the country heads into a holiday week, causing authorities to order the evacuation of half a million people living near swollen rivers and cancelling hundreds of flights. Typhoon Halong also disrupted land traffic…
photo: AP / Shizuo Kambayashi
Five Gaza deaths as talks continue
Related Articles Violence continues in Gaza as White Housecondemns renewed rocket fire 08 Aug 2014 Gaza violence resumes as 10 year-old killed amid collapse of ceasefire talks 08 Aug 2014 Gaza 360: panorama shows devastated neighbourhood 08 Aug 2014…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Egypt court dissolves Muslim Brotherhood party
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt‘s administrative court dissolved Saturday the political party of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and ordered its assets liquidated, the state news agency reported. The decision against the Freedom and Justice Party comes…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil
Sinister Edge To Israel’s Divisions Over Gaza
Full ArticleSkynews
09 Aug 2014
Five years ago I covered Operation Cast Lead, the precursor to Israel‘s recent offensive against Hamas in Gaza. This week I went back for the latest sequel and its aftermath. Some things were different, but depressingly despite the passage of the time, many things were the same. This time the Israelis allowed the world’s media into Gaza, rather…
Egypt court dissolves Muslim Brotherhood party
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt‘s administrative court dissolved Saturday the political party of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and ordered its assets liquidated, the state news agency reported. The decision against the Freedom and Justice Party comes…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil
Obama Vows To Continue Iraq Airstrikes ‘If Necessary’
President Barack Obama said, “if necessary” he will continue airstrikes to combat “terrorists” affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or ISIL) in his weekly address, which was released on Saturday. However, Obama also…
photo: White House / Pete Souza
Judge rejects $324.5M settlement in anti-poaching case involving Apple, Google
SAN FRANCISCO: A federal judge has decided a $324.5 million settlement isn’t enough to cover the damages done to more than 60,000 high-tech workers in a class-action lawsuit alleging Google and Apple conspired with other technology companies to block…
photo: AP / Keystone, Walter Bier, file
Rally sends stocks higher
New York A burst of buying Friday in U.S. stocks defied slumps in other markets and offered hope for investors shaken by geopolitical turmoil. Major U.S. stock indexes closed up around 1 percent, buoyed by signs that tensions in Ukraine might be…
photo: AP / Richard Drew
Indonesian tsunami: A miracle reunion after 10 years
An Indonesian couple reunited with their daughter a decade after she was swept away by the 2004 tsunami said on Friday they were now hopeful of finding their son, who also went missing in the disaster. Raudhatul Jannah, then aged four, and her…
photo: Public Domain / BotMultichillT
Gaza conflict: talks continue in Cairo as rockets fly in both directions
Five Palestinians have been killed since the 72-hour ceasefire ended on Friday morning Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City.Photograph: Majdi Fathi/ Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Corbis Talks are continuing inCairo in a desperate bid to…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Drogba Quits International Football
Didier Drogba has announced his retirement from international football. The Chelsea striker scored 65 goals in 104 appearances forIvory Coast over a 12-year period. He played in three…
photo: AP / Rebecca Blackwell
Gaza rockets hit southern Israel as truce unravels
Full ArticleThe Hindu
08 Aug 2014
Two rockets fired by Gaza militants slammed into southern Israel before dawn today, as a 72-hour truce appeared to be reaching an end. And two senior Hamas officials said the Palestinian militant movement would not extend a 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza that expires at 0500 GMT today, accusing Israel of rejecting their demands for a truce. A leader of…
Ebola Outbreak Is A Public Health Emergency
Full ArticleHuffington Post
08 Aug 2014
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization on Friday declared the Ebolaoutbreak in West Africa to be an international public health emergency that requires an extraordinary response to stop its spread. The WHO announced the Ebola outbreak — the largest and longest in history — is worrying enough to merit being declared an international health…
Odisha floods kill 35, affect 1.8 million
BHUBANESWAR: The floods triggered by heavy rains in the past week have affected nearly 1.8 million people in Odisha with the death toll rising to 35, an official said on Thursday. Eight more deaths were reported from 24 of the state’s 30 districts,…
Hamas Says No Deal With Israel on Extending Truce
VOA News The Hamas militant group that controls the Gaza Strip says it will not extend a 72-hour cease-fire with Israel, which is set to expire early Friday. Shortly before the truce formally ended at 8:00 a.m. local time, senior Hamas officials said…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
South Sudan atrocities amount to war crimes, report warns
Civilians subject to ‘extraordinary acts of cruelty’, including gang rape and ethnically motivated murder, says Human Rights Watch Direconditions at a UN camp for internally displaced people in Malakal. The conflict has displaced about 1.5 million…
photo: UN / Isaac Billy
Google to boost search ranks for secure sites
Related media Travel deals SAN FRANCISCO – Google is wielding the power of its dominant Internet search to push more websites into protecting the people using their services. The move announced late Wednesday involves a change in Google’s closely…
photo: AP / Virginia Mayo
France calls for UN emergency meeting over Iraq
PARIS (AP) — France says it has asked the U.N. Security Council for an emergency meeting over the advances of Islamic militants in Iraq. France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said…
photo: AP / Kevin Lamarque
China plans its own ‘Christian theology’
China says it may try to create a theology based onChristianity – that integrates the religion with Chinese culture and is compatible with the country’s socialist beliefs, it’s been reported. Wang Zuoan, a senior official for…
photo: AP / Elizabeth Dalziel
Laquintasaura: New dinosaur species discovered in Venezuela
Scientists have identified a new species of dinosaur, with the help of its 200-million-year-old fossilised bones. The species has been named Laquintasaura Venezuela, after its remains were discovered dinosaur in the La Quinta Formation in Venezuela.…
photo: Creative Commons / FunkMonk
Cambodia tribunal convicts Khmer Rouge leaders
07 Aug 2014
Click photo to enlarge Cambodian former Khmer Rouge servitors, Soum Rithy, left, and Chum Mey, right, embrace each other after the verdicts were announced, at the U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thurdday, Aug. 7, 2014. Three and a half decades after the genocidal rule of Cambodia‘s Khmer Rouge ended, the tribunal on…
Pistorius accused of lying in court
Full ArticleBelfast Telegraph
07 Aug 2014
Oscar Pistorius was an “appalling witness” who repeatedly lied in his testimony in a crude attempt to defend himself against a murder charge over killing his girlfriend, the chief prosecutor at his trial has said. During closing arguments, Gerrie Nel also harshly criticised the legal team of the double-amputee, saying it floated more than one…
photo: AP
Khmer Rouge trial verdict due in Phnom Penh
7 August 2014 Last updated at 02:01 BST A verdict is due in the first trial of the last two surviving leaders of Cambodia‘s Khmer Rouge regime.Khieu Samphan, the former head of state, and Nuon Chea, leader Pol Pot‘s deputy, have been on trial for…
photo: AP / Mark Peters
Rat invasion grounds Air India jet
An Air India flight has been grounded after rats were reportedly spotted scurrying about the aircraft. Crew members noticed the “scores” of rodents as flight…
photo: WN / Geeta
Benjamin Netanyahu: Deaths in Gaza ‘justified’
The Israeli Prime Minister has defended the actions of Israel’s armed forces in the recent war in the Gaza Strip, blaming the heavy civilian casualties on Hamas. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s intense bombardment ofGaza was a necessary response to…
photo: AP / Menahem Kahana, Pool
Rosetta arrives – and sends images of ‘superstar comet’
(Image: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA) “Rosetta is the sexiest space mission that has ever been,” said European Space Agency mission scientist Matt Taylor. He was speaking as the Rosetta probe finally arrived…
photo: Creative Commons / ESO
The ISIS Online Campaign Luring Western Girls to Jihad
Some of the European women already in the ranks of theIslamic State are trying to lure their ‘sisters’ to the marriage beds of the caliphate’s holy warriors. BEIRUT, Lebanon — The self-proclaimed Islamic State, formerly known by the acronym ISIS, is…
photo: AP Photo
The End of New York: How One Blog Tracks the Disappearance of a Vibrant City
As city rents skyrocket and small businesses close to be replaced by chain cafes and glass condos, Jeremiah Moss’s blog, Vanishing New York, keeps a rueful eye on the ‘progress.’ When I tell Jeremiah Moss—whose name turns out to be a pseudonym—that I…
photo: WN / Periasamy
David Cameron faces fresh Gaza pressure
The Liberal Democrats are calling for the suspension of arms export licences to Israel, adding to the pressure David Cameron is facing over Gaza. It comes after Baroness Warsi resigned as a Foreign Office minister, arguingDowning Street‘s…
photo: UN / Marco Castro
Three Years later, Japan Finally Tells The Truth: More Fuel Melted At Fukushima
Submitted on 08/06/2014 – 08:54
After years of obfuscation and, simply put, lies; TEPCO has admitted in a new report that more nuclear fuel had melted at the Fukushima nuclear reactor than previously stated. While this is dreadful news, it gets worse, as the report further confirms that despite Abe’s promises and TEPCO’s state-funded efforts to build ice-walls, it may miss an important deadline binding it to clean radioactive water stored inside the Fukushima nuclear plant. Bloomberg reports officials commenting “we are doing everything we can do,” but it appears, that is not enough as tens of thousands of tons of toxic water are expected to remain at the site by the imposed deadline.
Poland’s ‘war on terror’ shame
Full ArticleAl Jazeera
06 Aug 2014
On July 24, European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Poland has to pay 230,000 euros ($307,366) compensation to two individuals whose human rights had been violated. Guantanamo detainees Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn (also known as Abu Zubaydah), and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri won a case against Poland, which, according to the…
David Cameron faces fresh Gaza pressure
The Liberal Democrats are calling for the suspension of arms export licences to Israel, adding to the pressure David Cameron is facing over Gaza. It comes after Baroness Warsi resigned as a Foreign Office minister, arguingDowning Street‘s…
photo: UN / Marco Castro
Use of experimental Ebola drug raises red flags among medical experts
Two American aid workers were gravely ill, fighting to survive infection with the deadly Ebola virus. A San Diego drug company had three doses of an experimental Ebola medicine that showed promise in monkeys but had never been tested in humans.…
photo: Creative Commons / Leasmhar
As Israel and Hamas claim victory, Gaza residents ask what was gained
In the wake of any ugly conflict, the question of who won can seem beside the point. Still, as fighting in the Gaza Strip gave way to a truce on Tuesday, Israel and Hamas both were quick to claim victory. And it was left to those who took the…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
U.S. Major General Killed In Afghanistan Identified
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An American major general was shot to death Tuesday in one of the bloodiest insider attacks of the longAfghanistan war when a gunman dressed as an Afghan soldier turned on allied troops, wounding about 15 including a German…
photo: DOD Collections Photo
Aftershock hits N West township
Orkney, North West – An aftershock hit the township of Khuma, near Orkney in the North West on Tuesday evening, which was the epicentre of an earlier 5.5 magnitude earthquake. People gathered outside one of the houses that was destroyed during the…
photo: Creative Commons / MacRusgail
Israel completes Gaza withdrawal as ceasefire takes effect
Related Articles Baroness Warsi resigns from Governmentover Gaza 05 Aug 2014 Gaza grandmother found dead in bombarded farming town 04 Aug 2014 Bomb Gaza: the ‘disgusting’ games on Google‘s app store 04 Aug 2014 Hamas video of Ghoul sniper with ‘2km…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Japan defence paper warns over China’s ‘dangerous acts’ in sea, air
TOKYO: Japan warned on Tuesday that China’s “dangerous acts” over territorial claims in the East China Sea could lead to “unintended consequences” in the region, as fears grow of a potential military clash. The annual defence white paper was adopted…
Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in $108m bid to end bribery trial
05 Aug 2014
BERNIE Ecclestone hopes to walk from court a free man tonight (AEST) after negotiating a $US100 million ($108m) payment to settle the criminal bribery case against him. The Formula One chief will hear tonight whether Bavarian judges have accepted the deal he negotiated with prosecutors for the biggest personal financial settlement in German legal…
Israel pulls troops out of Gaza as 72-hour truce begins
Full ArticleSun Sentinel
05 Aug 2014
GAZA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM— Israel pulled its ground forces out of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and started a 72-hour ceasefire with Hamas mediated by Egypt as a first step toward negotiations on a more enduring end to the month-old war. Minutesbefore the truce began, Hamas launched a salvo of rockets, calling them revenge for Israel’s “massacres.”…
Israel completes Gaza withdrawal as ceasefire takes effect
Related Articles Baroness Warsi resigns from Governmentover Gaza 05 Aug 2014 Gaza grandmother found dead in bombarded farming town 04 Aug 2014 Bomb Gaza: the ‘disgusting’ games on Google‘s app store 04 Aug 2014 Hamas video of Ghoul sniper with ‘2km…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Japan defence paper warns over China’s ‘dangerous acts’ in sea, air
TOKYO: Japan warned on Tuesday that China’s “dangerous acts” over territorial claims in the East China Sea could lead to “unintended consequences” in the region, as fears grow of a potential military clash. The annual defence white paper was adopted…
photo: Creative Commons
Ebola crisis: World Bank announces $200m emergency fund
The World Bank has announced that it is allocating $200m in emergency assistance to help West African countries contain the Ebola outbreak. The money will be distributed to the governments of Liberia, Sierra Leone andGuinea as well as to the World…
photo: UN / Rick Bajornas
Grand Canyon investigating squirrel-kicking video
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) ? Authorities are looking into a viralInternet video that shows a man kicking a squirrel off what appears to be the edge of the Grand Canyon. But park officials say the chances of finding the man are slim. “Right now they are…
photo: Creative Commons / Andreas F. Borchert
Doctor confirmed as second Ebola case in Nigeria
Nigeria has confirmed the country’s second case of Ebola in a doctor who treated a Liberian man who died of the virus last month in Lagos. This comes as a South Korean university rescinded an invitation for three Nigerians to attend a conference and…
photo: AP / Sunday Alamba
US STOCKS-Wall St up on earnings, Portugal bank deal
* Berkshire Hathaway shares up after results * Michael Korsshares reverse premarket move, fall 5.5 pct * Diamond Offshore weighs on Loews earnings * Indexes: Dow flat, S&P up 0.2 pct, Nasdaq up 0.3 pct (Updates prices, adds comment) By Rodrigo…
photo: AP / Richard Drew
Half a million advised to evacuate as heavy rain lashes Japan
Very heavy rain is expected to fall in western Japan, mainly on the island of Shikoku, until Tuesday noon, the Japan Meteorological Agencysaid. A man drowned in a raging river while more than half a million people were advised to evacuate over the…
photo: AP / Gregory Bull
Israel Is Minting the Next Generation of Hate
The children of Gaza still have dreams for their future. Who do they admire? Anyone who might protect them: a doctor, a journalist, the fighters from Hamas.
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Israel Reportedly Spied On Kerry Talks
Israeli intelligence reportedly listened in on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s telephone calls during Middle East peace negotiations last year. Der Spiegel quotes “a reliable source” saying Israel eavesdropped on conversations made on telephones that were not encrypted. It reports that at least one other foreign intelligence service listened on Kerry’s talks, as well, but did not specify which. Neither the U.S. nor Israel has commented. At the same time, documents newly released by Edward Snowden show that the NSA works closely with its Israeli counterpart SIGINT National Unit and provides surveillance assistance to monitor and target Palestinians, as do British and Jordanian agencies.
Strong earthquake kills 367 in China
Full ArticleLongview News Journal
04 Aug 2014
BEIJING (AP) — A strong earthquake in southern China’s Yunnan province toppled thousands of homes on Sunday, killing at least 367 people and injuring more than 1,800. About 12,000 homes collapsed in Ludian, a densely populated county located around 366 kilometers (277 miles) northeast of Yunnan’s capital, Kunming, China’s official Xinhua News…
Half a million advised to evacuate as heavy rain lashes Japan
Very heavy rain is expected to fall in western Japan, mainly on the island of Shikoku, until Tuesday noon, the Japan Meteorological Agencysaid. A man drowned in a raging river while more than half a million people were advised to evacuate over the…
photo: AP / Gregory Bull
Interfax: Ukraine soldiers desert in Russia
MOSCOW (AP) â?? More than 400 Ukrainian soldiers have crossed the border into Russia and deserted the Kiev government, news agency Interfax quoted a border security official as saying Monday. Ukraine confirmed the crossing but said the soldiers were…
photo: AP / Sergei Grits
NSA Has ‘Far-Reaching’ Partnership With Israeli Intelligence Agency
Documents published Monday by The Intercept revealed the “far-reaching” extent of the U.S. National Security Agency‘s collaboration withIsraeli intelligence services. The revelations came as the U.S. State Departmentcriticized Israel for its…
photo: US DoS
Man accidentally kills himself posing with a gun for a Facebook selfie
OSCAR Aguilar was a man who loved to impress with his selfies, but when he decided to pose with a handgun it resulted in his death. Aguilar, 21, a veterinarian from Mexico City has a…
photo: AP / Russel A. Daniels
Obama to decide on immigration by end of summer
WASHINGTON — A senior White House adviser says President Barack Obama will make a decision by the end of the summer on how to use his authority to address immigrants living illegally in the…
photo: AP / Isaac Brekken
Strong quake kills 367 in southern China
A strong earthquake in southern China’s Yunnan provincetoppled thousands of homes on Sunday, killing at least 367 people and injuring more than 1,800. About 12,000 homes collapsed in Ludian, a densely populated county located around 366 kilometers…
photo: AP
Islamic State Seizes Control Over Iraq’s Largest Dam
MOSCOW, August 3 (RIA Novosti) – The Islamic State militants have seized control of Iraq’s biggest dam, an oilfield and three more towns in the country’s north on Sunday, Reuters has reported, citing witnesses. Concerns grow that…
photo: AP
Deadly Quake Topples 12,000 Homes In China
At least 150 people have been killed and more than 1,400 injured by an earthquake in southwest China.
Some 12,000 homes collapsed in Ludian, a densely populated county in Yunnan province, according to the Xinhua news agency.
This Stunning Map Holds The Key To Fighting Climate Change
Civilians die in latest Ukraine offensive
03 Aug 2014
Nine civilians have been killed in new fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists around the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk in east Ukraine, local officials say. Six people were killed in shelling and gunfire on the outskirts of Donetsk, Deputy Mayor Kostantyn Savinov said on Sunday, while city officials said three others were…
China Factory Explosion Kills 68 Workers
The BBC has reported that the factory, which employs 450 workers, belongs to the Kunshan Zhongrong Metal Products Company, has contracts with large automobile manufacturers like General Motors. In a workshop where wheel hubs are polished, 264 workers…
Outbreak of fighting between Azerbaijan, Armenia kills 15
BAKU, Azerbaijan — A sharp escalation in fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh has left 15 soldiers dead and prompted Russia to issue an urgent call for calm. Azerbaijan’sDefense Ministry said…
photo: AP / Karen Minasian
Afghan election recount stalls again
A recount of votes in the Afghan election has been suspended again, despite being scheduled to restart on Saturday after the Muslim Eid holiday. The breakdown came despite late night phone talks between US Secretary of StateJohn Kerry and candidates…
photo: AP / Hoshang Hashimi
Gaza Update: Fate Of Israeli Soldier Unknown; Death Toll Surpasses 2009 Level
A day after they were to begin a cease-fire, Israel and Hamas are still firing at one another, in a conflict that has killed at least 1,650 Gazans, 63Israeli soldiers and 3 Israeli civilians, according to tallies from the respective sides. Those…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Cease-fire broken, Israel pounds Gaza as it searches for soldier
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel launched dozens of airstrikes early Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip as part of a large-scale search for a soldier Israel suspects was captured by Hamas fighters. At least 35 Palestinians were killed in the…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Nasa’s new plan: To make O2 on Mars
02 Aug 2014
MUMBAI: With eye on human occupation of Mars, Nasa on Thursday unveiled a selection of seven instruments which will be on board the Mars 2020 rover to conduct unprecedented science and exploration technology investigations. One of the instrument includes the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE), an...
Cease-fire broken, Israel pounds Gaza as it searches for soldier
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel launched dozens of airstrikes early Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip as part of a large-scale search for a soldier Israel suspects was captured by Hamas fighters. At least 35 Palestinians were killed in the…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Woody Allen accusations: Allen responds to reports he won’t cast black actors
Woody Allen has been through a lot during his career. Now new accusations are out saying that he will not cast black actors in his movies. On Thursday, The Wrap shared about this news and how Woody Allen is responding to these new…
photo: AP / Barry Brecheisen
Heavy Gaza fighting ahead of proposed 3-day truce
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian officials say 17Palestinians, including 10 members of one family, were killed in…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Scientists explain mystery of our ‘lemon Moon’
It might look like a perfect sphere to you and I but scientists have now declared that the Moon is most definitely “lemon-shaped”. Researchers from the University of California published a new study in the journal Nature using advanced laser…
photo: Creative Commons / ComputerHotline
Octopus mom protects her eggs for an astonishing 4-1/2 years
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – If someone were to create an award for “mother of the year” in the animal kingdom, a remarkably dedicated eight-limbed mom from the dark and frigid depths of the Pacific Oceanmight be a strong…
Peace Corps withdraws over Ebola fears
Medical personnel demonstrate protective equipment to educate team members on the Ebola virus in Liberia. Photo: Reuters Washington:The US Peace Corps announced on Wednesday it…
photo: AP / LM Otero
Gaza conflict: Scottish government promises £500,000 humanitarian aid
The Scottish Government is to provide £500,000 of aid funding to help the people of Gaza. External affairs minister Humza Yousaf said the money would go towards providing water, food, shelter and medical assistance, .…
TRUCE BLOWN APART
Ebola crisis: Sierra Leone and Liberia announce state of emergency
01 Aug 2014
The Ebola virus outbreak has led both Sierra Leone and Liberia to declare states of public emergency, meaning the army can now move in to enforce quarantine zones. It is a major escalation of both governments’ responses to the disease, which has killed more than 670 people across four West African countries since February. The measures in Sierra…
Heavy Gaza fighting ahead of proposed 3-day truce
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian officials say 17Palestinians, including 10 members of one family, were killed in…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Scientists explain mystery of our ‘lemon Moon’
It might look like a perfect sphere to you and I but scientists have now declared that the Moon is most definitely “lemon-shaped”. Researchers from the University of California published a new study in the journal Nature using advanced laser…
photo: Creative Commons / ComputerHotline
Octopus mom protects her eggs for an astonishing 4-1/2 years
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – If someone were to create an award for “mother of the year” in the animal kingdom, a remarkably dedicated eight-limbed mom from the dark and frigid depths of the Pacific Oceanmight be a strong…
photo: GFDL / Albert kok
Peace Corps withdraws over Ebola fears
Medical personnel demonstrate protective equipment to educate team members on the Ebola virus in Liberia. Photo: Reuters Washington:The US Peace Corps announced on Wednesday it…
photo: AP / LM Otero
Gaza conflict: Scottish government promises £500,000 humanitarian aid
The Scottish Government is to provide £500,000 of aid funding to help the people of Gaza. External affairs minister Humza Yousaf said the money would go towards providing water, food, shelter and medical assistance, .…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Rahul forced Sonia to decline PM post in 2004: Natwar Singh
NEW DELHI: Estranged Gandhi family loyalist Natwar Singhclaimed it was Rahul Gandhi‘s ultimatum to “do anything” that prevented Soniafrom taking up the post of prime minister in 2004, contradicting the Congresschief’s 2004 claim that she was…
photo: AP
The Genocide Trial Of Two Former Khmer Rouge Leaders Is Cleared To Begin
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A United Nations-assisted tribunal on Wednesday cleared the way to begin the genocide trial of two elderly former top leaders of Cambodia’s 1970s Khmer Rouge regime. Survivors of the communist regime’s reign of terror,…
photo: AP / Andy Eames
People of Gaza ‘desperate’ as Israel pledges ‘to destroy’ tunnels
31 Jul 2014
31 July 2014 Last updated at 11:55 BST Israel will not stop its operation in Gaza until all the tunnels constructed by Hamas have been destroyed, PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said. Speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting, he said Israel was determined to destroy the tunnels – used to attack troops and towns – “with or without a ceasefire”. Meanwhile the…
Peace Corps withdraws over Ebola fears
Medical personnel demonstrate protective equipment to educate team members on the Ebola virus in Liberia. Photo: Reuters Washington:The US Peace Corps announced on Wednesday it…
photo: AP / LM Otero
Gaza conflict: Scottish government promises £500,000 humanitarian aid
The Scottish Government is to provide £500,000 of aid funding to help the people of Gaza. External affairs minister Humza Yousaf said the money would go towards providing water, food, shelter and medical assistance, .…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Rahul forced Sonia to decline PM post in 2004: Natwar Singh
The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Estranged Gandhi family loyalist Natwar Singhclaimed it was Rahul Gandhi‘s ultimatum to “do anything” that prevented Soniafrom taking up the post of prime minister in 2004, contradicting the Congresschief’s 2004 claim that she was…
photo: AP
The Genocide Trial Of Two Former Khmer Rouge Leaders Is Cleared To Begin
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A United Nations-assisted tribunal on Wednesday cleared the way to begin the genocide trial of two elderly former top leaders of Cambodia’s 1970s Khmer Rouge regime. Survivors of the communist regime’s reign of terror,…
photo: AP / Andy Eames
Uighur group says nearly 100 casualties in China clash
BEIJING: A clash in Xinjiang, home to China’s mostly MuslimUighur minority, left nearly 100 people dead or wounded, an exile group said on Wednesday after what authorities called a “terror attack” on a police station and township. Dozens of…
photo: AP / Andy Wong
Al-Qaeda Is Getting Europe To Fund Terrorism Through Ransom Payments
Al-Qaeda is increasingly funding terror operations thanks to at least $125 million in ransom paid since 2008, largely by European governments to free western hostages, the New York Times reported. The payments totalled $66 million in 2013 alone,…
photo: AP / Thomas Samson
Unconditional Gaza ceasefire needed now
Wednesday, 30 July 2014, 3:57 pm Press Release:Unconditional Gaza ceasefire needed now The Israeli response in Gaza is disproportionate and with the firing of tanks and mortars into civilian areas, increasingly indiscriminate, says Labour’s Foreign…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Ukrainian ‘seizes Avdiivka’ in rebel Donetsk stronghold
30 Jul 2014
Ukraine says it has seized a key town near the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, as fighting intensifies in the east. Pro-Russia separatists were driven out of Avdiivka on Wednesday, the army says. The strategic town is near the airport and train station in Donetsk. Heavy fighting around Donetsk has prevented international experts from reaching the…
Hamas rules out rapid Gaza truce as Israel steps up bombardment
30 Jul 2014
JERUSALEM: Hamas’ military chief ruled out a truce in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday until the Islamist group’s demands for an end to the economic embargo of the territory are met. Meanwhile, the Israeli army stepped up its bombardment. Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, can withstand the Israeli offensive, its leaderMohammed…
150 Feared Trapped In Landslide In India Village
30 Jul 2014
Map locating Malin village in India‘s western Maharashtra state A major landslide on Wednesday struck a village in western India following heavy monsoon rains, leaving 150 people feared trapped, a rescue official said. The landslide submerged Malin village in Pune district of Maharashtra state, said Alok Avasthy, regional commandant at the National…
Unconditional Gaza ceasefire needed now
Wednesday, 30 July 2014, 3:57 pm Press Release:Unconditional Gaza ceasefire needed now The Israeli response in Gaza is disproportionate and with the firing of tanks and mortars into civilian areas, increasingly indiscriminate, says Labour’s Foreign…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
US accuses Russia of missile pact violation
In an escalation of tensions, the administration of US President Barack Obama accused Russia of conducting tests in violation of a 1987nuclear missile treaty, calling the breach “a very serious matter” and going public with allegations that have…
photo: AP / Haraz N. Ghanbari
US paratroopers in Afghanistan hope to give Taliban a few final blows
SHINKAI, Afghanistan — It was a homecoming of sorts for Lt. Col. Paul Larson, returning to this remote corner of southern Afghanistan at the twilight of America’s longest war. He was back to take stock of a slice of the battlefield that seemed…
photo: USMC / Frances Johnson
Ma Nature lends a hand; rain helping crews hem in Utah wildfires
A series of rain showers, coupled with a fleet of water-bearing helicopters and 500 firefighters on the ground, had crews anticipating full containment of central Utah’s stubborn Levan Wildfire by week’s end. FireInformation Officer Dorothy Harvey…
photo: US DoD / Jason van Mourik
Gold, diamonds feed Central African religious violence
NDASSIMA Central African Republic (Reuters) – Three young rebels, their AK47s propped against wooden stools in the afternoon heat, guard the entrance to the giant Ndassima goldmine carved deep into a forested hilltop in Central African Republic. Sat…
photo: AP / Florence Richard
UN chief reinforces call for Gaza ceasefire
AP: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reinforced the Security Council‘s call for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire in theGaza war yesterday and demanded that Israel and Hamas end the violence “in the name of humanity”. The United…
photo: UN / /Eskinder Debebe
Russia Hopes Its Experts Will Take Part in MH-17 Crash Investigation – Russia’s UN Envoy
29 Jul 2014
UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (RIA Novosti) – Russia hopes that its experts’ participation in the MH-17 crash investigation in the east of Ukraine will ensure its integrity,Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin said on Monday.…
UN chief reinforces call for Gaza ceasefire
AP: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reinforced the Security Council‘s call for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire in theGaza war yesterday and demanded that Israel and Hamas end the violence “in the name of humanity”. The United…
photo: UN / /Eskinder Debebe
Ceasefire considered ‘a test Kerry could not possibly pass’
Business Day
Related articles Kerry presses for Gaza ceasefire as death toll passes 800 IT TOOK US Secretary of State John Kerry five days in the Middle East to negotiate a 12-hour pause in the bloody fighting between Hamas and Israel. Prospects for extending…
The shooting down of the Malaysia Airliner MH17 shows the world the devastating carnage when civilian airplanes used for commercial flights are targeted in the war games between governments.…
photo: UN / Devra Berkowitz
Deadly blasts in Israel and Gaza threaten fragile truce
The war in Gaza threatened to erupt again on Monday following a lull in fighting after several children and adults were killed when missiles struck a refugee camp and the compound of Gaza’s biggest public hospital, and four Israelis died in a mortar…
photo: UN / Shareef Sarhan
Israel-Gaza conflict: nine children perish in park massacre
A strike on a Gaza park has killed 10 people, nearly all of them children, as the death toll from the fighting rose on both sides. RelatedArticles The Israeli military said nine soldiers died in separate attacks – four were killed in a mortar attack…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Britain cuts EU migrants’ access to welfare
British Prime Minister David Cameron has set out new welfare rules to cut European migrants’ access to social security payments, marking the latest in a string of British measures aimed at addressing voters’ concerns over immigration. Writing in The…
photo: European Community / EC
Human rights groups urge Abbas to seek redress at International Criminal Court
With more than 1,030 people now dead in Gaza, mostly civilians, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has been urged by human rights organisations to urgently seek access to the (ICC) – so that it can pursue allegations of war crimes and crimes against…
photo: UN / Violaine Martin
Ukraine forces battle for MH17 crash site
28 Jul 2014
Ukrainian armed forces have mounted a major onslaught against pro-Russian separatist fighters in an attempt to gain control over the area where a Malaysia Airlines plane was downed earlier this month. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Sunday that a column of Ukrainian armoured personnel carriers, trucks and tanks had entered the…
McDonald’s China stops using all Husi products
McDonald’s on the mainland has stopped using products from all Husi food plants since last Friday, the company said in a statement released this afternoon. “We have noted the public’s concerns regarding our use of Husi’s products … McDonald’s has…
photo: AP / Andy Wong
28 July 2014, 5:12 UN Calls For ‘Unconditional‘ Gaza CeasefireTweet The United Nations Security Council is calling for “an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza during an emergency session. The council is set to release a…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Australia gives $4.7 million for Gaza relief
The Australian government is providing five millionAustralian dollars (4.7 million $) in urgent humanitarian assistance to Gaza, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
U.S. faces intelligence hurdles in Malaysia airlines flight crash
ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — A series of unanswered questions about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shows the limits of U.S. intelligence gathering even when it is intensely focused, as it has been in Ukraine since Russiaseized Crimea in March.…
photo: UN / Devra Berkowitz
U.S. Embassy in Libya evacuated amid growing violence
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Embassy in strife-torn Libya was evacuated early Saturday, under cover of American warplanes and spy aircraft, according to the State Department and the Pentagon. Personnel from the embassy were evacuated as security…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci
Gaza militants fire rockets after Israel extends truce
27 Jul 2014
U.S. faces intelligence hurdles in Malaysia airlines flight crash
ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — A series of unanswered questions about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shows the limits of U.S. intelligence gathering even when it is intensely focused, as it has been in Ukraine since Russiaseized Crimea in March.…
photo: UN / Devra Berkowitz
U.S. Embassy in Libya evacuated amid growing violence
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Embassy in strife-torn Libya was evacuated early Saturday, under cover of American warplanes and spy aircraft, according to the State Department and the Pentagon. Personnel from the embassy were evacuated as security…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci
The number of killed in Gaza has exceeded 1,000
The number of Palestinians on the Gaza Strip who are slain in the fighting between Hamas and Israel has risen to over 1,000 people. VimeoPhoto: A Palestinian man reacts as he lies on the remains of…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Barack Obama banned from entering Chechnya
• Chechen president cites US and EU ‘state terrorism’ • Three EU leaders also barred from entry The Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov, meets the actor Gérard Depardieu in Grozny last year but Barack Obama is not welcome.Photograph: Stringer/Reuters…
photo: AP / Musa Sadulayev
EU extends sanctions against senior Russian officials
The European Union has extended sanctions against seniorRussian officials in the wake of the shooting down of the Air Malaysia flight last week. Two hundred and ninety-eight people died when the plane came down inUkraine on July 17th, 10 of whom…
photo: AP / Virginia Mayo
EU to toughen Russia sanctions over Ukraine
26 Jul 2014
The European Union is set to adopt much tougher economic sanctions againstRussia for its role in the Ukraine crisis, officials said. After discussions on broadening the sanctions from the current mix of asset freezes and travel bans, the legal instruments required to give effect to the new punitive measures will be taken up on Tuesday, they said.…
Air Algerie crash wipes out entire families
26 Jul 2014
BAMAKO: All passengers and crew on board an Air Algerie jetliner that crashed inMali died in the tragedy, which completely wiped out several families, Franceannounced. As the first images emerged of the crash site, showing a charred landscape and debris scattered over a wide area, French President Francois Hollande said in a sombre televised…
Israel May ‘Broaden’ Assault As Truce Stalls
Israel is preparing to “broaden” its ground assault on Gazaafter reportedly rejecting an international plan for a temporary truce. US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was “confident progress can be made” on a seven-day truce that…
photo: AP / Charles Dharapak
Syrian air strike kills 20 rebels
Beirut – A Syrian Air Force strike on the border with Lebanonkilled around 20 Syrian rebel fighters on Friday, security sources said, in the latest spillover of violence into the area. The…
photo: AP / Shaam News Network, SNN
“Trolled” from U.S. Congress, Wikipedia bans edits
Online encyclopaedia Wikipedia has issued a ten-day ban against an anonymous editor of its website located on the premises of the U.S. Congress, after the latter engaged in “disruptive editing,” on a wide range of subjects, from…
photo: AP / Susan Walsh
Gaza Death Toll Soars Past 800
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams GAZA/JERUSALEM, July 25 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pressed regional proxies to nail down a Gaza ceasefire on Friday as the civilian death toll soared, threatening to spread Israeli-Palestinian…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Ukraine’s prime minister quits
KIEV, Ukraine — Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a pro-Western technocrat who has guided the Ukrainian government through the tumultuous months since the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych, resigned abruptly yesterday after the governing…
photo: AP / Sergei Chuzavkov
China takes no chances in meat safety scare
Reuters Shanghai China’s food regulator has visited close to 600 restaurants, businesses and food distributors as it investigates a fast-spreading food safety scare that has dragged in a number of global brands and hit food outlets as far away…
photo: Creative Commons / Solomon203
Iraq gets new president, UN chief seeks more urgency
The UN chief met current Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and stressed the need for a broad-based government to be formed as soon as possible to save the country from collapse. Kurdish politician Fouad Massoum becameIraq’s new president on…
photo: AP / Hadi Mizban
U.S.: RUSSIA IS FIRING ON UKRAINE
ASSOCIATED PRESSEvidence Russia Targeting Ukrainian Military Positions, Planning To Deliver ‘More Powerful Multiple Rocket Launchers’ To Rebels.. Kiev: Preliminary Info Russia Shot Down Fighter Jets.. Russia Denies, Says Jet Allegation A ‘Fantasy’
Palestinians killed in West Bank Gaza solidarity march
25 Jul 2014
At least two Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank during protests againstIsrael‘s military campaign in Gaza, officials say. At least 10,000 protesters marched from Ramallah towards East Jerusalem, where they were met by Israeli forces.Around 200 protestors were wounded. Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza’s fighting has…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Ukrainian prime minister announces resignation
Full ArticleLexington Herald-Leader
25 Jul 2014
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced his resignation Thursday, opening the way for new elections that would reflect the country’s starkly changed political scene after the ouster of pro-Russian PresidentViktor Yanukovych in February. Yatsenyuk, a supporter of closer ties with Europeand a key participant…
Iraq gets new president, UN chief seeks more urgency
The UN chief met current Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and stressed the need for a broad-based government to be formed as soon as possible to save the country from collapse. Kurdish politician Fouad Massoum becameIraq’s new president on…
photo: AP / Hadi Mizban
Passenger Plane Wreckage ‘Spotted In Desert’
The wreckage of a passenger jet which vanished from radar in West Africa has been spotted in northern Mali‘s desert, the country’s president has said. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said: “I have just been informed that the wreckage has been…
photo: GFDL /
Female tourist killed in Kenyan city of Mombasa
A female tourist was killed in the Kenyan port city ofMombasa today in the same area where a Russian visitor was murdered earlier in July by a criminal gang, a police official said. The…
photo: AP / AP
Israel swears in new president amid Gaza war
Travel deals JERUSALEM – (AP) — Israel’s parliament has sworn in Reuven Rivlin as the country’s new president, replacing Nobel Peacelaureate Shimon Peres whose term ends as Israel is fighting a war against Hamas inGaza. Rivlin’s swear-in ceremony…
photo: AP / Debbie Hill, Pool)
Israeli fire hits UN facility in Gaza, killing 15
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli tank shells hit a compound housing a U.N. school in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens who were seeking shelter from fierce clashes on the streets outside, Palestinian officials…
photo: UN / Shareef Sarhan
Arizona execution takes nearly 2 hours
PHOENIX — A condemned murderer took nearly two hours to die and gasped for about 90 minutes during an execution in Arizona that quickly rekindled the national debate on capital punishment in the U.S. The execution of 55-year-old Joseph Rudolph Wood…
photo: AP / Pat Sullivan
Venezuela opposition leader on trial
Caracas – Jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez went on trial in Venezuela on Wednesday, accused of masterminding anti-government protests that turned violent and left 43 people dead. Days after the demonstrations began in mid-February, Lopez…
photo: AP / Alejandro Cegarra
Things In The Middle East Are About To Get Much Worse
Submitted on 07/24/2014 – 17:16
There are major clashes occurring currently in The West Bank tonight as claims of 10s of thousands and Palestinians clash with Israeli soldiers. Sadly, as the photos below reveal taken moments ago show, things appear set to get very much worse.
UN: Gaza humanitarian situation ‘dire’
24 Jul 2014
UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has expressed extreme concern at the situation in Gaza, describing a ceasefire as “vital”. She said the conflict meant 44% of Gaza was a no-go area for Palestinians, and residents were running out of food. More than 710 Palestinians and 30 Israelis have been killed in the past 16 days of fighting,…
Gaza fighting rages amid cease-fire efforts
IBRAHIM BARZAK and PETER ENAV Associated PressComments An Israeli tank moves through the morning mist near the Israel andGaza border July 24, 2014. Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded the Gaza Stripon Thursday, as Hamas militants stuck to their…
photo: UN / Shareef Sarhan
U.N. says Israel may be committing war crimes by having killed 518 civilians, including 170 children
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has suggested that the Israeli military might have committed war crimes by shelling and launching…
photo: UN / Violaine Martin
Australia readies 50 police to send to Ukraine
Related media Travel deals CANBERRA, Australia – (AP) — Australia has sent 50 police to London in anticipation of deploying them to Ukraineto secure the Malaysian plane crash site as part of a potential U.N. team that’s under consideration, the…
photo: UN / Shareef UN
Former Nazi guard dies before extradition
Philadelphia – A former Nazi concentration camp guard died hours before a judge on Wednesday ordered his extradition to Germany, where he faced charges of aiding and abetting the deaths of 216 000 Jews. Johann Breyer, 89, who served during World War…
photo: Creative Commons / Morneomorneo
Fire season in West so far is below expectations
GRANTS PASS, Ore. Widespread drought across the West had forecasters expecting an above-average wildfire season this summer, which so far has not lived up to expectations. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said Wednesday that the hot windy…
photo: US DoD / Jason Kriess
Wall Street Journal Hacked Again
Hacked again. That’s the story at the Wall Street Journal this week as the newspaper reports computer systems housing some of its news graphics were breached. The systems have been taken offline in an effort to isolate any attacks, according to…
photo: AP / Matt Dunham
’47 killed’ in Taiwan plane crash
A plane landing in stormy weather has crashed outside an airport on a small Taiwanese island, with 47 people feared dead. Transport ministerYeh Kuang-shih was quoted by the government’s Central News Agency as saying another 11 people were injured…
photo: AP / Wong Yao wen
Nigerian president vows to free missing girls
23 Jul 2014
President Goodluck Jonathan has met for the first time some of the parents of 219 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls and dozens of classmates who managed to escape from their Boko Haram captors. Jonathan assured them on Tuesday of his determination that those still in captivity “are brought out alive,” presidential spokesman Reuben Abati told reporters…
Survey finds sharp increase in teen use of HGH
NEW YORK (AP) — Experimentation with human growth hormones by America‘s teens more than doubled in the past year, as more young people looked to drugs to boost their athletic performance and improve their looks, according to a new, large-scale…
photo: AP / Adam Nadel
Gaza blockade key to any Israel-Hamas truce deal
KARIN LAUB Associated Press= GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) â??Ibrahim Zain was driven from his home by Israeli tank fire this week, but says he’d rather endure more Israel-Hamas fighting than accept an unconditional cease-fire he fears will leave in…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Heroin antidote Naloxone offers US hope against overdose
23 July 2014 Last updated at 00:02 BST “To call heroin an epidemic is an understatement,” says Camden, New Jersey, Police Chief Scott Thomson. “Our cops were out on the street and they didn’t have any tools to help the people there.” But in recent…
photo: AP / Mel Evans
Wall St. gains on earnings, data; conflicts still eyed
By Ryan Vlastelica NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as some positive earnings and economic data pointed to a market that still had room to rise despite the S&P 500 hitting an intraday record. Investors continued to pay close attention…
photo: AP / David Karp
Mexico’s circuses caught up in animal rights spat
Travel Deals $1325 & up — Rome, Florence & Venice 7-Nts. from Philly See all travel deals » The Associated Press Posted: Tuesday, July 22, 2014, 4:30 PM MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexico‘s “circus wars” are heating up, as a growing movement to…
photo: AP / Rebecca Blackwell
Brooklyn Bridge ‘white flags’ stump police
Authorities in New York are investigating who raised two large white flags on the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge early on Tuesday. The flags briefly flew atop two towers at either end of the storied landmark in the place of two American flags…
photo: AP / Richard Drew
Chrysler recalls Jeep SUVs for ignition switches
DETROIT (AP) â?? Chrysler is recalling up to 792,300 older JeepSUVs worldwide because the ignition switches could cause engine stalling. Tuesday’s recall covers 2005-2007 Grand Cherokees and…
photo: Public Domain / Jetman7060
China’s President Xi Jinping signs Venezuela oil deal
22 Jul 2014
Chinese President Xi Jinping has signed a series of oil and mineral deals withVenezuela. They include a $4bn (£2.34bn) credit line in return for Venezuelan crude and other products. The agreements came on the latest stop of a four-country visit to Latin…
Israel hits dozens of targets in Gaza Strip
22 Jul 2014
Israeli aircraft and tanks have hit more than 70 targets in the Gaza strip, including five mosques, a football stadium and the home of the late leader of Hamas’ military wing, according to Palestinian police. At least seven Palestinians were reported killed in the new round of air strikes early on Tuesday, bringing the death toll ofIsrael‘s…
More than 20 members of one family killed in Gaza strike
A hospital was shelled, killing and injuring staff and patients, and up to 28 members of one family died in an air strike as Gaza endured another day of relentless bloodshed on Monday . As heavy shelling and fighting on the…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Philippine president faces impeachment complaint
Manila — Twenty-eight people, including activists and a retired Catholic bishop, filed an impeachment complaint Monday against Philippine President Benigno Aquino III for his implementation of a major economic stimulus program that the Supreme Court…
photo: AP / Bullit Marquez
NASA names building for Neil Armstrong
NASA honored one of its most famous astronauts Monday by renaming a historic building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It now bears the name of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon when the Apollo 11mission landed…
photo: NASA
Hillary Clinton Urges The U.S., Europe To Get Tough On Russia
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton says the U.S.and Europe should work together to develop tougher sanctions on Russia and says she backs President Barack Obama‘s calls for a thorough investigation into the passenger jet that was shot down…
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster
US urges global push for Israeli, Hamas cease-fire
CAIRO — With high hopes but low expectations, the U.S.stepped up calls Monday for an international push to end fighting in the Gaza Stripas President Barack Obama sent his top envoy to the Mideast to help broker a new cease-fire between…
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster
The Israeli Army Is Suffering Some Of Its Most Severe Losses In Years
Israeli soldiers walk near the border with the central Gaza Strip July 14, 2014. See Also So far, 25 Israeli soldiers have been killed during the first four days of ground operations in Gaza. This equals over one-fifth as many as the 121 Israeli…
photo: AP / Ariel Schalit
Gaza death toll rises as truce effort intensifies
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A high-level attempt by the U.N.chief and the U.S. secretary of state to end deadly Israel-Hamas fighting was off to a rough start Monday: Gaza‘s Hamas rulers signaled they won’t agree to an unconditional cease-fire,…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Hamas says kidnapped Israeli soldier in Gaza
21 Jul 2014
> • Qassam Brigades announced they had kidnapped an Israeli soldier and hold him captive in Gaza. • Qassam Brigades has identified the Israeli soldier as ShaulAron and his military number as 6092065. • Israel has not confirmed on the abduction. GAZA, July 20 (Xinhua) — The Islamic Hamas movement’s armed wing announced on Sunday that they had…
Gaza’s bloodiest day as at least 100 Palestinians are killed
Gaza endured the bloodiest day of the two-week conflict between Hamas and Israelon Sunday, with an Israeli assault in a residential area causing carnage described by the Palestinian leadership as a “heinous massacre” and a “war crime” by the…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Who will speak for the MH17 victims?
July 20, 2014 — Updated 1538 GMT (2338 HKT) The passengers and crew aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 came from around the world and held a wide range of hopes and dreams. While the identities of the 298 people aboard have not been release by the…
photo: AP / Vadim Ghirda
James Garner of ‘Rockford Files,’ ‘Maverick’ Dead at 86
James Garner, star of the long-running TV shows “The Rockford Files” and “Maverick” has died at 86, according to media reports. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that an ambulance was dispatched to the actor’shome in Los…
photo: AP
HIV infection rate in U.S. drops by a third over decade
New York — The rate of HIV infections annually diagnosed in the United States fell by one-third over the past decade, a government study finds. Experts call it hopeful news that the AIDS epidemic may be slowing in the U.S. “It’sencouraging,” said…
photo: US Navy / Photographer’s Mate Airman Konstandinos Goumenidis
Who Will Save the Wolverine? Not the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
How one bureaucrat’s climate denial overruled wildlife scientists and put the Northern Rockies species on the road to extinction. A witless remark by a single bureaucrat may be dooming America’s remaining wolverines to extinction. The specious crack…
photo: GFDL / MatthiasKabel
Italy says 19 boat migrants die, thousands rescued this week
By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) – Nineteen people died trying to reach Italy on a boat packed with hundreds of migrants, probably poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes from its engines, said the Italian Navy on Saturday, which has rescued more than 4,000…
photo: AP / Nino Randazzo, Health Care Service
Anita Powell MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — The InternationalAIDS Society has confirmed that at least six high-level researchers and AIDS experts were among those killed on the Malaysia Airlines flight downed Thursday over volatile eastern Ukraine. The…
photo: AP / Schalk van Zuydam
THOUSANDS FLEE GAZA
MAHMUD HAMS via Getty ImagesMajor Tank Offensive In Crowded Gaza City.. IDF Troops Battle With Hamas..
Israelis destroy Hamas tunnels in Gaza offensive, death toll touches 342
19 Jul 2014
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: Israeli bulldozers demolished more than a dozen tunnels on Saturday in the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian authorities reported intensified air strikes and shelling as the death toll from Israel‘s ground offensive rose to at least 342 Palestinians. Diplomats struggled to revive a cease-fire. Israeli soldiers uncovered 34
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
HIV infection rate in U.S. drops by a third over decade
New York — The rate of HIV infections annually diagnosed in the United States fell by one-third over the past decade, a government study finds. Experts call it hopeful news that the AIDS epidemic may be slowing in the U.S. “It’sencouraging,” said…
photo: US Navy / Photographer’s Mate Airman Konstandinos Goumenidis
Who Will Save the Wolverine? Not the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
How one bureaucrat’s climate denial overruled wildlife scientists and put the Northern Rockies species on the road to extinction. A witless remark by a single bureaucrat may be dooming America’s remaining wolverines to extinction. The specious crack…
photo: GFDL / MatthiasKabel
Italy says 19 boat migrants die, thousands rescued this week
By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) – Nineteen people died trying to reach Italy on a boat packed with hundreds of migrants, probably poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes from its engines, said the Italian Navy on Saturday, which has rescued more than 4,000…
photo: AP / Nino Randazzo, Health Care Service
AIDS Society Mourns Researchers, Experts Killed in Crash
Anita Powell MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — The InternationalAIDS Society has confirmed that at least six high-level researchers and AIDS experts were among those killed on the Malaysia Airlines flight downed Thursday over volatile eastern Ukraine. The…
photo: AP / Schalk van Zuydam
Israeli troops battle Hamas, uncover Gaza tunnels
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops uncovered more than a dozen cross-border tunnels and battled Gaza militants on the second day of an open-ended ground operation Saturday as the Palestinian death toll climbed to 325 and diplomats scrambled…
photo: AP / Tsafrir Abayov
Diplomatic Crisis Grows Over MH17 Plane Crash
Henry Ridgwell LONDON — The Malaysia Airlines crash in eastern Ukraine is drawing reaction from leaders around the world. With suspicions growing that a surface-to-air missile shot down the aircraft, there are increasing tensions in the…
photo: Creative Commons / White House / Pete Souza
Typhoon Rammasun kills at least eight in China
Typhoon thought to be strongest to hit southern China in 41 years moves north after claiming at least 77 lives in Philippines Link to video:Typhoon Rammasun makes landfall in China A typhoon believed to be the strongest storm to hit southern China…
photo: Creative Commons / Keith Edkins
Israeli troops battle Hamas, uncover Gaza tunnels
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops uncovered more than a dozen cross-border tunnels and battled Gaza militants on the second day of an open-ended ground operation Saturday as the Palestinian death toll climbed to 325 and diplomats scrambled…
photo: AP / Tsafrir Abayov
Typhoon Rammasun kills at least eight in China
Typhoon thought to be strongest to hit southern China in 41 years moves north after claiming at least 77 lives in Philippines Link to video:Typhoon Rammasun makes landfall in China A typhoon believed to be the strongest storm to hit southern China…
photo: Creative Commons / Keith Edkins
UN chief Ban heading to Mideast in Gaza peace bid
Added At: 2014-07-19 10:54 AM Last Updated At: 2014-07-19 10:54 AM The Himalayan Times – Saved Articles(s) The headlines has been added to your saved article(s) To View your saved article(s)please Click Here…
photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe
UN chief to travel to Middle East in bid to end fighting
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to the Middle East on Saturday in a bid to end the fighting between Israel and Palestinians, alarmed at a serious escalation that includes a ground offensive by Israel, said a senior UN official. Israel…
photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe
EU-U.S. 6th round of trade talks end in Brussels
BRUSSELS, July 18 (Xinhua) — The sixth round ofTransatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between theEuropean Union (EU) and the United States concluded in Brussels Friday, paving the way for…
photo: EC / (C)2014-EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Iran, six powers haggle over extending nuclear talks: diplomats
VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran and six world powers haggled on Friday over the terms of extending negotiations on a nuclear deal for four more months after failing to bridge wide gaps on limits for Tehran‘s atomic program, diplomats said. It has been clear…
photo: EC / EC
Two protestors hit by bullets in Kashmir clash
Srinagar, July 18: Two people sustained bullet injuries during clashes with the security forces in in Jammu and Kashmir‘s Kulgam district Friday after a protest against Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza turned violent, police said. “Two…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
COVER-UP?
ASSOCIATED PRESSUkraine Accuses Rebels Of Destroying Evidence In Airliner Crash.. U.S. Building Case Against Separatists.. Victims Identified.. Black Box Mystery.. Obama: Wake-Up Call For Europe.. Fighting Flares In Region..
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17: What happened before the plane was shot down
18 Jul 2014
AVIATION experts and weapons analysts have shed more light on what happened on-board Flight MH17 before it was shot down. The flight, on a Boeing 777-200, was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Passengers left Amsterdam at 12.15pm (local time) in the afternoon, and were due to touch down in Kuala Lumpur the next day at 6.10am local time.…
Berlusconi Underage Sex Conviction Overturned By Italian Court
An appeals court in Italy has overturned the conviction of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on charges that he paid for sex with an underage prostitute and then abused his power to cover-up the crime. The Milan…
photo: AP / Riccardo De Luca
Rape, hunger and nameless kids at squalid children’s home in Mexico
ZAMORA Mexico (Reuters) – Children in a squalid home for abandoned and troubled kids run by a controversial mother figure in western Mexico said hunger and regular beatings drove them to offer sex for food and get high by sniffing paint. Mexican…
photo: AP / Rebecca Blackwell
Two names in the odds for the EU Commission’s foreign policy head
In Brussels, no answer on who will be the EU Commission’s foreign policy head. Two names are drifting in the odds: Italy’s Foreign MinisterFederica Mogherini — too soft on Russia — and Poland’s FM Radek Sikorski — too hard. If only David Cameron had…
photo: European Community / EC
US cautions Israel on civilian casualties as ground invasion continues
White House calls on Israel to restrict itself to ‘precise operation’ in Gaza while stressing its right to defend itself John Kerry emphasised the need to ‘avoid further escalation and to restore the 2012 ceasefire as soon as possible’. Photograph:…
photo: EC / EC
UN Security Council Tells Libyan Parties To Stop Fighting, Make Democratic Transition
UNITED NATIONS, July 18 (RIA Novosti) – After the UN pulled its international staff out of Libya, the UN Security Council issued a statement condemning “the recent violence in Libya, including the fighting around TripoliInternational…
photo: UN / Mark Garten
UN Security Council sets urgent meeting on Ukraine
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Friday morning on Ukraine. Britain’s U.N. Mission said Thursday it requested the meeting and later tweeted that it is set for 10 a.m. Friday. The request follows…
photo: UN / Mark Garten
Plane Disaster Could Be A Game Changer
18 July 2014, 5:47 Plane Disaster Could Be A Game ChangerTweet If Russia in any way had a hand in flight MH17’s fate, calls for Westerngovernments to intensify their response to the crisis will be loud. The terrible tragedy could be a game changer.…
photo: Creative Commons / Rolf Wallner
Russian jet shoots down Ukrainian warplane over Ukraine: Kiev military
17 Jul 2014
KIEV (Reuters) – A Russian jet shot down a Ukrainian SU-25 fighter plane that was on military operations over the east of Ukraine, where government forces are fighting to quell a pro-Russian separatist rebellion, a Ukrainian military spokesman said on Thursday. It was the strongest Ukrainian allegation to date of direct Russian military…
Afghan military official says gunmen attack Kabul Airport
Published July 16, 2014Associated Press Facebook0 Twitter0 KABUL, Afghanistan – Gunmen used rockets to attack the Kabul International Airport in the Afghan capital Thursday, a senior military official said. The gunmen occupied two…
photo: US DoD / U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Scanlan
Donors pledge 1.8 billion euros for flood-stricken Balkan states
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A conference of international donors pledged more than 1.8 billion euros ($2.43 billion) on Wednesday to help Bosnia andSerbia recover from devastating floods in May. The European Commission, the EU executive, said the…
photo: European Community / EC
UK police arrest 660 suspected pedophiles after online operation
July 16, 2014 — Updated 1130 GMT (1930 HKT) (CNN) — UK police have arrested 660 suspected pedophiles — including doctors, teachers and scout leaders — in a six-month operation spanning the country, the National Crime Agency said Wednesday. The…
photo: AP / Kin Cheung
Bank of America profits fall in second quarter
Bank of America returned to profitability in the second quarter, although earnings were down 43 percent from a year ago. The bank on Wednesday also announced a $650 million settlement that resolves all outstanding mortgage-related litigation with…
photo: Creative Commons / Gillian and Jim
Modi calls for urgent reform of UN security council, IMF
Fortaleza (Brazil)/New Delhi, July 15: Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi Tuesday called for “urgent reform” of institutions such as theUnited Nations Security Council and International Monetary Fund and said that there should be zero tolerance…
photo: PIB of India /
10,000-year-old rock paintings depicting aliens and UFOs found in Chhattisgarh
CHARAMA (Chhattisgarh): Chhattisgarh state department of archaeology and culture plans to seek help from Nasa and Isro for research on 10,000-year-old rock paintings depicting aliens and UFOs in Charama region inKanker district in tribal Bastar…
photo: AP / Eric Draper
20 dead after Moscow train derails
At least 20 people have died after a subway train derailed inMoscow, twisting and mangling crowded rail cars at the height of the morning rush-hour. [TICON-A VIDEO] About 150 more people were taken to hospital after the incident, with many of them…
New HIV/Aids cases dropping, says UN
16 Jul 2014
The United Nations has said new HIV infections and deaths from Aids were decreasing, making it possible to control the epidemic by 2030 and eventually end it ‘‘in every region, in every country’’. ‘‘More than ever before, there is hope that ending Aids is possible. However, a business-as-usual approach or simply…
UK police arrest 660 suspected pedophiles after online operation
July 16, 2014 — Updated 1130 GMT (1930 HKT) (CNN) — UK police have arrested 660 suspected pedophiles — including doctors, teachers and scout leaders — in a six-month operation spanning the country, the National Crime Agency said Wednesday. The…
photo: AP / Kin Cheung
Bank of America profits fall in second quarter
Bank of America returned to profitability in the second quarter, although earnings were down 43 percent from a year ago. The bank on Wednesday also announced a $650 million settlement that resolves all outstanding mortgage-related litigation with…
photo: Creative Commons / Gillian and Jim
10,000-year-old rock paintings depicting aliens and UFOs found in Chhattisgarh
CHARAMA (Chhattisgarh): Chhattisgarh state department of archaeology and culture plans to seek help from Nasa and Isro for research on 10,000-year-old rock paintings depicting aliens and UFOs in Charama region inKanker district in tribal Bastar…
photo: AP / Eric Draper
At least 20 people have died after a subway train derailed inMoscow, twisting and mangling crowded rail cars at the height of the morning rush-hour. [TICON-A VIDEO] About 150 more people were taken to hospital after the incident, with many of them…
photo: AP / Russian Emergency Situation Ministry
Germany Throws One Hell of a Party for World Cup Heroes
After beating Argentina 1-0 in the final World Cup match on Sunday, Germany returned home with the coveted gold trophy in hand. See also:German Newspapers Had a Field Day With the World Cup Win And from the second the team’s plane touched down, it…
photo: AP / Matthias Schrader
Iranian nuclear talks has ‘real gaps’ on key issues: Kerry
VIENNA – Participating sides will continue work to bridge the remaining “real gaps” on some key issues in Iranian nuclear talks as the July 20 deadline approaches, while tangible progress has been made on other key issues,US Secretary of State John…
photo: EC / EC
89 killed in suicide blast in east Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber blew up his car packed with explosives near a busy market and a mosque in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing 89 people and wounding more than 40, officials said. The attack in the town of Urgun in…
photo: AP / Altaf Qadri
Fighting fear, denial and death on Ebola frontline
15 Jul 2014
Medical staff can beat Ebola with more drugs and better health education I AMworking with medical staff in the West African country of Sierra Leone, where the people have never experienced an outbreak of Ebola on this scale before. There area lot of cases – we are really stretched – and my worry is that those we are seeing are the tip of the…
BRICS Neutrality on Ukraine a Diplomatic Win for Putin
Reuters FORTALEZA, BRAZIL — A summit of the BRICS group of emerging market countries will abstain from criticizing Russia‘s recent actions inUkraine, Brazilian officials said, a diplomatic victory for President Vladimir Putin. The summit…
UK foreign minister William Hague stepping down
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s high-profile foreign minister,William Hague, is leaving his job, the government said Monday — a surprise announcement that precedes a major shakeup of the Conservative-led administration. Prime Minister David Cameron‘s office…
photo: Creative Commons / Chatham House
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling Followingglobal trends and international pressures, Israeli political and military leaders have been forced to reconfigure their strategic and tactical responses to their brutal containment and policing…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Egypt proposes that Israelis-Hamas cease-fire
CAIRO — Egypt presented a cease-fire plan Monday to end a week of heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip that has left at least 185 people dead. The proposal marked the most serious attempt yet by international mediators…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Kerry says had good talks with Iran’s Zarif, EU’s Ashton
VIENNA (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday he had a good meeting with his Iranian counterpart and a seniorEuropean Union official over Tehran‘s nuclear programme ahead of a July 20 deadline for an agreement. “We are…
photo: AP / Alex Brandon
Philippines braces for floods from tropical storm
14 Jul 2014
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines was bracing for possible floods and landslides as a tropical storm continued to strengthen Monday as it moved closer to the country’s eastern seaboard. Tropical Storm Rammasun was expected to intensify into a typhoon before making landfall Tuesday morning…
photo: AP / Pat Roque
Germany beat Argentina 1-0 to make history of winning World Cup in America
Germany‘s players pose with the World Cup trophy after the final match between Germany and Argentina of 2014 FIFA World Cup at the Estadiodo Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 13, 2014. Germany won 1-0 over Argentina after 120…
photo: AP / Martin Meissner
Eight Killed in Blasts in Egypt’s Sinai Region
VOA News One security officer and seven others were killed in two successive explosions around security areas in Egypt‘s Sinai region, near the border with Israel, the Interior Ministry and security officials said. Egypt…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Assisted dying: Desmond Tutu signals support
Desmond Tutu has said he would support assisted dying for the terminally ill. Writing in The Observer he said he reveres “the sanctity of life but not at any cost”. He also suggested that prolonging the life of Nelson Mandela had been an…
photo: UN / Casey Crafford
Israel-Gaza air strikes kill 151 people
London, July 12: Even as Israel, Hamas continue to remain defiant and the death toll increased to 151, western countries will hold a meeting inVienna on Sunday to on how to ceasefire in Gaza. Britain, US, France and Germanywill meet in Vienna where…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Pakistan violates ceasefire in Jammu
JAMMU: Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire agreement along the International Border in Jammu & Kashmir…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Netherlands shuts down host Brazil
BRASILIA, BRAZIL — Robin van Persie and Daley Blind scored early goals to help give the Netherlands a 3-0 win over host Brazil in the third-place match at the World Cup on Saturday. With the result, the Netherlands finishes a World Cup unbeaten…
photo: AP / Natacha Pisarenko
Terrific World Cup ends with marquee final
13 Jul 2014
RIO DE JANEIRO — The World Cup ends Sunday with a marquee match-up,Argentina against Germany, and host Brazil rushing to be ready for an even bigger logistical challenge: the 2016 Olympics. As the winning captain, either Argentina forward Lionel Messi or Germany defender Philipp Lahm will hold aloft the most recognized trophy in sports in front…
Israel-Gaza air strikes kill 151 people
London, July 12: Even as Israel, Hamas continue to remain defiant and the death toll increased to 151, western countries will hold a meeting inVienna on Sunday to on how to ceasefire in Gaza. Britain, US, France and Germanywill meet in Vienna where…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Pakistan violates ceasefire in Jammu
JAMMU: Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire agreement along the International Border in Jammu & Kashmir…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Netherlands shuts down host Brazil
BRASILIA, BRAZIL — Robin van Persie and Daley Blind scored early goals to help give the Netherlands a 3-0 win over host Brazil in the third-place match at the World Cup on Saturday. With the result, the Netherlands finishes a World Cup unbeaten…
photo: AP / Natacha Pisarenko
Afghan rivals clinch deal, easing political crisis
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Afghanistan?s two rival candidates reached a breakthrough agreement Saturday to a complete audit of their contested presidential election and, whoever the victor, a national unity government. The deal, brokered by U.S.…
photo: Creative Commons / Employee of the U.S. State Department
John Kerry: Afghanistan Presidential Candidates Agree To ‘Comprehensive Audit’ Of Ballots
Kerry spent much of the past two days meeting with Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani and his opponent, former Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, to discuss a way forward after controversy greeted last Monday’s announcement that Ghani had…
photo: AP / Jason Reed
Gaza Conflict: ‘Eight Dead’ In Latest Raids
Eight Palestinians have died in fresh Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip and two explosions have been heard in the Jerusalem area, according to reports. Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra told AFP the eight were killed in Gaza City, central…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Work to tow away Costa Concordia to start soon
Travel deals GIGLIO ISLAND, Italy – (AP) — Italian authorities say work to float the shipwrecked Costa Concordia so it can be towed away for scrapping can start Monday, weather-permitting. The cruise liner struck a reef when it came too close to…
photo: AP / Gregorio Borgia
Anxiety grips Lebanon following blasts, arrests
Full ArticleSan Francisco Chronicle
12 Jul 2014
BEIRUT (AP) — The roadblocks and sandbags are back, cafes and hotels are nearly empty and many of the tourists are gone. Anxiety is gripping Lebanon following a spate of suicide bombings, and an ongoing security sweep targeting militants — some of them who had been staying in four-star Beirut hotels — has triggered a wave of cancellations of hotel…
No normalizing of ties with Israel: Erdogan
ANKARA (Turkey): Turkey’s president on Friday called onIsrael to halt its offensive on the Gaza Strip and not to carry out a ground incursion, while the prime minister said there can be no normalizing of Turkish-Israeli ties as long as Israel’s…
photo: AP / Burhan Ozbilici
Iran preparing to start plant needed for interim nuclear deal-sources
Business Politics Print this story Jul 11, 2014 – 17:44 By FredrikDahl VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran has taken preparatory action to start up a uranium conversion plant it needs to fulfil an interim nuclear agreement…
photo: AP / Fabrice Coffrini
Over 100 killed in Gaza as rockets fall on Israel
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Palestinian death toll from Israel‘s massive air campaign in Gaza topped 100 people Friday as rockets fired by militants reached deeper into Israel — and for the first time in the fighting, struck from neighboring Lebanon. Gaza…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Amnesty slams abuses in Ukraine
A NEW Amnesty International report has highlighted the “hundreds” of abductions and incidents of torture by pro-Russian separatists inUkraine, and also criticised the excessive force used by government forces. Amnesty identifies the…
photo: AP / Sergei Grits
Lost at sea: Australia’s refugees
– With one boat carrying Sri Lankan asylum seekers sent back and a second stuck in legal limbo on the high seas, Australia finds itself in uncharted waters on the divisive issue of refugees. Conservative Prime MinisterTony Abbott swept the fractured…
photo: AP
Thailand’s military junta may prolong martial law
Thailand’s military junta has hinted at the possibility of continuing martial law for the duration of the interim charter, which is expected to last about a year, media reports said today. General Paiboon Kumchaya, assistant army chief and head…
photo: AP / Sakchai Lalit
ON A COURSE OF CONTINUING ESCALATION
Germany tells top U.S. spy official to leave the country
11 Jul 2014
July 11, 2014 — Updated 0732 GMT (1532 HKT) (CNN) — Germany‘s government has asked America‘s top spy chief stationed in the country to leave. It’s a punitive gesture usually reserved for adversarial nations in times of crisis and only very rarely for an ally, particularly a very close one. But allegations of American spying have seriously injured…
HIV re-emerges in ‘cured’ child
Mississippi – A toddler thought to have been cured of HIV now has detectable levels of the virus in her blood, the child’s doctors and US health officials said on Thursday. The Mississippi child’s stunning story, first disclosed at a medical meeting…
photo: AP / Ramon Espinosa
Church of England General Synod: women bishops campaigners praying for a breakthrough
Related Articles Church of England General Synod: women bishops campaigners praying for a breakthrough 11 Jul 2014 Church of England finally casts out Wonga 10 Jul 2014 Here is a selection of views from members of the General Synod on the eve of the…
photo: GFDL / Hans Musil
UK admits that air quality targets will be missed by 20 years
The air quality in some of the UK’s biggest cities is unlikely to meet EU standards before 2030, according to the government. Member states were supposed to meet targets on pollutants from diesel cars and trucks by 2010. The nitrogen dioxide…
photo: AP / Tim Ockenden
Israel Dramatically Steps Up Aerial Offensive on Gaza
JERUSALEM — Israel dramatically escalated its aerial assault in Gaza Thursday, hitting hundreds of Hamas targets. Palestinians reported that 16 people were killed in strikes that hit a home and a beachside cafe, and Israel’s missile defense system…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Israel: Iron Dome Intercepts 90 Percent of Rockets
Reuters JERUSALEM — Israel‘s Iron Dome interceptor has shot down some 90 percent of Palestinian rockets it engaged during this week’s surge of Gaza fighting, up from the 85 percent rate in the previous mini-war of2012, Israeli and U.S.…
photo: AP / Ariel Schalit
Put It Out Potter! Daniel Radcliffe ‘Entering Rehab To Quit Smoking’
Daniel Radcliffe is reportedly walking away from smoking as he plans to enter a treatment centre in order to ditch the filthy habit. The Harry Potter star previously overcame his problems with alcohol and now he’s taking the next steps to put…
photo: AP / Jon Furniss
Several killed in US drone strike in Pakistan
– At least six people have been killed in a US drone strike in the North Waziristan tribal area, where a Pakistani military operation against Taliban fighters is ongoing, intelligence sources told Al Jazeera. Two missiles were fired on a compound and…
photo: AP / Massoud Hossaini, Pool
Will NASA’s Pluto Flyby in 2015 Reignite Planet Debate?
10 Jul 2014
The world will get its first good look at Pluto a little more than a year from now, possibly reigniting the debate over the object’s planetary status. In July 2015, NASA‘sNew Horizons probe will fly by frigid and faraway Pluto, which was demoted to “dwarf planet” in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union. (Despite the..
Messi on the road to greatness
10 Jul 2014
Sao Paulo – Lionel Messi can secure his place among the game’s greats with aWorld Cup triumph after Argentina defeated the Netherlands on penalties on Wednesday to reach the final. On Sunday at the Maracana stadium in Rio, Messi will come up against a Germany team that has ended his two previous attempts to bring his country a third World Cup…
Google Glass Camera ‘Controlled Using Mind’
10 Jul 2014
10 July 2014, 10:00 Google Glass Camera ‘Controlled Using Mind‘ Tweet A Google Glass app that claims to let people take photographs using their mind has been launched. The free open-source MindRDR software has been developed by Londonfirm This Place and lets users control the device using…
Several killed in US drone strike in Pakistan
– At least six people have been killed in a US drone strike in the North Waziristan tribal area, where a Pakistani military operation against Taliban fighters is ongoing, intelligence sources told Al Jazeera. Two missiles were fired on a compound and…
photo: AP / Massoud Hossaini, Pool
Gulf of Mexico spill ‘caused lesions in fish’
Orlando, Florida – Oil that matches the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been found in the bodies of sickened fish, according to a team of Florida scientists who studied the oil’s chemical composition. “We matched up the…
photo: AP / Patrick Semansky
UN chief calls Mideast leaders, urges restraint
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for restraint and an end to the new wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence in a blitz of phone calls Wednesday to their leaders and key players in the region, warning that the situation…
photo: AP / Craig Ruttle
Pesticide blamed for bee deaths now linked to bird declines
A class of pesticides linked to the catastrophic collapse of bee colonies has now been linked to declines in bird populations, according to a Dutchstudy. The researchers found a strong correlation between pesticide concentrations measured in surface…
photo: Creative Commons / Cephas
Israel Prime Minister vows more attacks
Jerusalem: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to ramp up an Israeli…
photo: AP / Baz Ratner
US to develop ‘new model’ of relations with China: Obama
July 09: President Barack Obama today said the US is committed to the goal of developing a “new model” of relations with China defined by increased practical cooperation and “constructive management” of differences. “The United States welcomes the…
photo: AP / Jacquelyn Martin
Israel Hits Key Hamas Targets In Gaza Offensive
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army on Wednesday intensified its offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, striking Hamas sites and killing at least 8 people on the second day of a military operation it says is aimed at quenching rocket fire against…
photo: AP / Adel Hana
Google’s Smartphone Technology Will Help NASA Robots Navigate The International Space Station
09 Jul 2014
See Also Google smartphones will take NASA astronaut robots from 2006 tech to the future of space travel, according to Reuters. Robots with the phones, armed with technology from Google’s augmented reality experiment Project Tango, are set to launch on July 11. The Android augmented androids are called SPHERES — short for Synchronized…
Brazil in shock after World Cup humiliation
09 Jul 2014
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has urged the country to bounce back after its catastrophic 7-1 World Cup defeat against Germany. “Like all Brazilians, I am very, very sad after the defeat. But we will not let ourselves be broken,” she tweeted. The coach of the…
US to develop ‘new model’ of relations with China: Obama
July 09: President Barack Obama today said the US is committed to the goal of developing a “new model” of relations with China defined by increased practical cooperation and “constructive management” of differences. “The United States welcomes the…
photo: AP / Jacquelyn Martin
Israel Hits Key Hamas Targets In Gaza Offensive
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army on Wednesday intensified its offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, striking Hamas sites and killing at least 8 people on the second day of a military operation it says is aimed at quenching rocket fire against…
photo: AP / Adel Hana
Ancient spider brought to life by scientists
Related Articles First Britons’ footprints found on Norfolkbeach 07 Feb 2014 Biggest dinosaur could walk but not run or tackle hills 31 Oct 2013Jurassic Park ruled out – dinosaur DNA could not survive in amber 12 Sep 2013 Most dinosaurs were…
photo: WN
George Clooney slams Daily Mail over ‘irresponsible’ marriage story
US actor George Clooney has accused the Daily Mail of “irresponsibility” after it claimed his fiancée’s mother opposes their marriage on religious grounds. The British tabloid, he said, had been “negligent” in…
photo: Creative Commons / Michael Vlasaty
Indonesians go to polls to election new president
JAKARTA, July 9 (Xinhua) — Indonesians on Wednesday went to polls to pick up their new president for the country. The voting started first in the eastern part of Indonesia at 08: 00 a.m. local time which is two hours earlier than the rest parts of…
photo: AP / Dita Alangkara
FIFA World Cup: Brazil 1 Germany 7
Germany ended Brazil‘s FIFA World Cup dream with a sensational 7-1 semi-final victory as the hosts capitulated in Belo Horizonte. Shorn of injured playmaker Neymar, who suffered a fractured vertebra in the quarter-final against Colombia, and…
photo: AP / Frank Augstein
Obama Seeks $3.7B To Handle Immigration Crisis
The White House says it’s asking Congress for $3.7 billion to address the humanitarian crisis along the border with Mexico. The statement said the funds would cover domestic enforcement, repatriation and reintegration of migrants, transportation…
photo: Creative Commons / Andreas F. Borchert
Israel launches further air strikes on Gaza and warns of ground attack
08 Jul 2014
Israel has launched what could be a long-term offensive against the Hamas-ruledGaza Strip, the military said, striking at least 50 sites in Gaza by air and sea and mobilizing troops for a possible ground invasion in order to quell rocket attacks on Israel. The army said its offensive, dubbed “Operation Protective Edge,” is aimed at striking Hamas…
Madonna excused from jury service after two hours
![Madonna attends a news conference to promote her newest album, "Confessions On A Dance Floor." in Tokyo on Dec. 7, 2005. Television host Oprah Winfrey was scheduled to tape an interview with Madonna on Tuesday. Oct. 24. 2006, about the pop sing](http://cdn9.wn.com/vp/i/3c/84a245929d0e49.jpg "Madonna attends a news conference to promote her newest album, "Confessions On A Dance Floor." in Tokyo on Dec. 7, 2005. Television host Oprah Winfrey was scheduled to tape an interview with Madonna on Tuesday. Oct. 24. 2006, about the pop sing")
Madonna has appeared for jury service in New York but was relieved to avoid “creating a distraction” for the court. The pop star spent two hours waiting in a separate room from other prospective jurors, but was not…
photo: AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi
Prime Minister David Cameron: ‘No Stone Left Unturned’ In UK Child Sex Abuse Cover-Up Investigation
According to Reuters, there has been no evidence to substantiate the claims of a child sex abuse conspiracy within the political sphere yet. The key piece of evidence is a large file that contained major allegations. That file, according to IBT, was…
photo: AP / Peter Morrison
Additional 100 million Indians defined as poor
Added At: 2014-07-08 9:34 AM Last Updated At: 2014-07-08 9:34 AM The Himalayan Times – Saved Articles(s) The headlines has been added to your saved article(s) To View your saved article(s)please Click Here »…
photo: WN / Sayali Santosh Kadam
Germany ups pressure on Washington over spy claim
Berlin stepped up pressure on Monday on Washington over allegations that a German intelligence service employee spied for the United States, with Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the case threatened to undermine trust between the two allies. “If…
photo: AP / Gero Breloer
Japan braces for Typhoon Neoguri
A powerful typhoon forced Japanese authorities to cancel flights and urge more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes on Tuesday as the storm threatened to bring torrential rain and high winds to Japan’s southern islands. Typhoon Neoguri