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Drone strikes are legal and extend to US citizens as well, says Obama

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:41:57 -0400

WASHINGTON - In a major counter-terrorism speech, President Barack Obama Thursday defended the covert US drone program and stressed that despite the controversies around it, the strikes are legal and save lives. He also said the use of lethal force extends to U.S. citizens as well. This disclosure comes a day after his administration acknowledged publicly for the first time that four US ...

Two civilians among 13 dead in Pakistan car bomb

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:37:50 -0400

QUETTA, Pakistan - At least 13 people, including two civilians, were killed in a car bomb targeting a police vehicle in western Pakistani city of Quetta Thursday, police officials said. The bombing also injured at least 20 people in the capital of Baluchistan province, riven by Islamist militancy and a violent separatist insurgency. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the ...

Kerry holds talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:37:23 -0400

JERUSALEM - US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday separately began meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials but appeared doubtful about his success on getting the two warring sides back to peace negotiations. This is Kerry's fourth trip to the Middle East in as many months of his assuming the office of the top US diplomat. He was been trying to revive a peace process that has been ...

Meeting of Syrian opposition leaders begins in Istanbul

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:33:08 -0400

ISTANBUL - Syrian opposition leaders Thursday began their three-day meeting in this Turkish capital city to decide on their participation in talks aimed at end the civil war in the country. As the meeting began in Istanbul a prominent Syrian figure in the opposition proposed a transition plan for the country that requires President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to a senior aide and leave ...

Taliban influence in Afghanistan to grow Russian agency

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:40:01 -0400

The Taliban influence in Afghanistan may grow after international coalition forces pull out, while rising radicalism in Syria could lead to the country's disintegration, Russian military intelligence agency GRU has said. GRU chief Lt. Gen. Igor Sergun said the situation in Afghanistan poses a "serious challenge to international stability" and that the withdrawal of the International Security ...

Trailblazer Sri Srinivasan creates history as top US judge

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:20:02 -0400

Chandigarh-born "trailblazer" Indian-American legal luminary Srikanth 'Sri' Srinivasan has made history with the US Senate unanimously confirming him as the first South Asian judge on the powerful appeals court for the American capital. Srinivasan, 46, currently principal deputy solicitor general of the US, was Thursday confirmed by the Senate by a 97 to 0 vote, as a judge on the US Court of ...

Pope hopes Chinas Catholics can pray without fear

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:50:01 -0400

Pope Francis hopes Chinese Catholics would be able to practise their faith freely and without fear, inviting them to stay loyal to the Vatican, whose authority is challenged by China's Communist rulers. "Let them live daily lives practising their faith... without being afraid to speak of Jesus," the pontiff said. Pope Francis said he prayed that China's Catholics would receive "the grace to ...

Bullets mailed to Berlusconi prosecutor

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:30:01 -0400

Two bullets and written threats were mailed to magistrate Ilda Boccassini, prosecutor in the sex trial of former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, Milan's chief public prosecutor said. Dubbed "Ilda the Red" due to her flaming red hair, Boccassini has also prosecuted Berlusconi in earlier cases. "In recent weeks, a growing number of letters with serious threats have been sent to Boccassini. She ...

Hashish from India seized in Germany

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:20:01 -0400

A parcel containing two kg of hashish reportedly sent from India has been seized in Germany. The substance was found hidden inside beach tennis rackets mailed to an address in Italy, police said. Police sniffer dogs detected the haul of so-called "black bombay" hashish, estimated at 20,000 euros, during a routine check at Germany's Frankfurt airport. The parcel arrived onboard a flight from New ...

Rare birth of mega-galaxy captured by space telescope

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:50:01 -0400

Researchers in the US have captured rare images of the creation of a massive galaxy about 10 times the size of the Milky Way that was formed when two young galaxies collided 11 billion years ago, a study said. "Capturing the creation of this type of large, short-lived star body is extremely rare - the equivalent of discovering a missing link between winged dinosaurs and early birds," scientists ...

Italian man immolates himself after losing home

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:50:01 -0400

An unemployed 64-year-old labourer in Italy's Sicily island died after setting himself alight, when he failed to repay a 10,000 euro loan and lost his home. Giovanni Guarascio, from Vittoria village, sustained severe burns to 60 percent of his body when he doused himself with petrol and lit a match May 14 at the run-down cottage where he and his family lived. The cottage was sold at an auction ...

Russia to build new parliament compound

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:50:02 -0400

A new Russian parliamentary centre will be built in central Moscow, that will house both the upper and lower houses as well as their administrative and support services, an official said. The idea of building such a parliamentary compound has been considered for a while. The upper and lower houses, their administrative and support services are currently scattered around Moscow at over 10 ...

Berlusconi at centre of massive tax fraud says court

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:50:02 -0400

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi played a key role in a "massive" fraud by his media group, appeals judges in Milan have said. The 76-year-old Berlusconi had appealed against his four-year conviction and a five-year ban from politics for tax fraud in a film-rights case involving his Mediaset television company. Explaining why the court upheld his four-year prison term, the judges ...

Taylor Swift likes smart comfortable wear

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:00:01 -0400

Singer Taylor Swift likes to wear clothes which exude style, but still don't restrict her movement on stage. The 23-year-old, who is on Red World Tour, looks for smart yet practical clothes, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "For performance, I'm not only looking for something that looks cool in front of 20,000 people but it's also about the functionality of it, can I run around in it? Can I throw my ...

Man held in Italy for exploiting prostitute

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:00:01 -0400

A man was arrested in the southern Italian city of Naples on suspicion that he was "exploiting" a Romanian prostitute on the pretext of regularly driving her to work. In exchange for the lift to the eastern Poggioreale district, the 28-year-old Romanian woman allegedly had to pay the man a "fare" of 20 euros and also have sex with him, police said. The 30-year-old man was previously known to ...

Sale of Russian weapons to Syria destabilising Kerry

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:30:01 -0400

The sale of S-300 air defence systems by Russia to Syria would be "destabilising" for the region, US Secretary of State John Kerry said. "S-300 missiles coming from Russia, or other countries, Iranian missiles, are destabilising to the region," Kerry said. "The United States is committed, not only in its defence of Israel, but in its concerns for the region to try to address this issue." ...

Jennifer Love Hewitt enjoys being in own skin

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:00:01 -0400

Jennifer Love Hewitt feels people will never stop commenting - whether you're thin or voluptuous. But she says it is more important to feel good in your skin, and she does so with her regular dose of running, yoga and Pilates. "I'm an actress, I live in L.A., I work in Hollywood. But I've learned that if you're too skinny, they'll say something about it. If you're not skinny enough, they'll say ...

New Russian spacecraft reusable for up to five flights

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:00:01 -0400

Russia's new reusable spacecraft being developed by the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation will be able to make up to five space flights, the rocket maker said. The spacecraft's technical design has been finalised but is yet to be officially approved, Energia deputy general designer Alexander Chernyavsky said. The new reusable craft is to replace the Soyuz carrier rocket and is expected to ...

The Hangover franchise over say actors

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:00:01 -0400

For Comedian Ed Helms and actor Bradley Cooper, actors of the successful "The Hangover" films, the franchise is "over". Cooper, who essays the role of Phil Wenneck, said: "It's over. It's done. Yeah, it's done." "It would take peace in the Middle East for me to do 'Hangover IV'," femalefirst.co.uk quoted Helms as saying. Helms plays Stuart "Stu" Price in the movie. The first two films in the ...

New light rocket Angara ready for launch

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:00:01 -0400

Russia's first light-class modification Angara 1.2PP carrier rocket is ready for its maiden launch, its manufacturer Khrunichev Center said. The first Angara will be sent to the Plesetsk space centre in northern Russia later this month, the manufacturer said in a statement, but did not give a precise launch date. Meanwhile, the first heavy-class Angara-A5 has been completed and will soon be ...

On US request Russian arms dealer held in Lithuania

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:50:02 -0400

Lithuanian security services have arrested a Russian national at the request of the US Justice Department, which suspects him of smuggling export-restricted military equipment. Dmitry Ustinov, 46, was detained over a month ago at Vilnius airport in Lithuania, after he arrived from the US to allegedly negotiate a sales deal for night vision equipment used by the US military, the Delfi news portal ...

Cruise liner captain to stand trial over shipwreck

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:50:02 -0400

The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner that hit rocks and sank off Tuscany last year, killing 32 people, will go on trial in July. Francesco Schettino faces criminal charges including multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship before all the 4,229 passengers had been evacuated. The trial will open July 9 in Grosseto, the city nearest to the site of the wreck. Schettino is accused of ...

Russell Brand kissed Sheridan Smith

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:01 -0400

Actor-comedian Russell Brand was reportedly spotted kissing actress Sheridan Smith after a recent show here. The BAFTA winning actress was also said to be spotted hanging out with Brand at a food festival last week. However, she has denied having any romantic link with the actor. "Just had dinner with lovely friends. And yes they're wrong yet again. He's one of my best mates," Smith posted on ...

Eva Longoria gets her Masters degree

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:01 -0400

Actress Eva Longoria gladly flaunted a graduation gown after picking her Master's degree from the California State University. The 39-year-old star qualified in Chicano studies from the university. The "Desperate Housewives" star took to Twitter to share her joy, and wrote: "Big day today! Very excited to graduate for my Master's degree in Chicano Studies! You're never too old or too busy to ...

Obama to curtail drones in focused war on terror

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:40:01 -0400

Making a shift from a boundless "global war on terror", US President Barack Obama Thursday announced a new counter-terrorism policy narrowing the use of drones that has put it at odds with key allies like Pakistan. "Today, the core of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on a path to defeat. Their remaining operatives spend more time thinking about their own safety than plotting against us," ...

Senate confirms Chandigarh-born as top US judge

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:40:01 -0400

Chandigarh-born Indian-American legal luminary Srikanth 'Sri' Srinivasan made history Thursday as the US Senate confirmed his nomination as a top US judge in a 97 to 0 vote. Srinivasan, 46, currently principal deputy solicitor general of the US, would be the first judge of South Asian descent on the powerful appeals court for the American capital, often called the nation's second-highest court. ...

UAE issues stamp to commemorate satellite

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:30:02 -0400

Emirates Post has issued a stamp to showcase the UAE's achievement in the field of science and technology, and to commemorate the "Y1A", the first multipurpose satellite by Yahsat. The satellite, a milestone for the nation, is designed to provide advanced satellite services to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central and South West Asia. The stamp is available in a denomination of four dirhams, ...

Bid to smuggle African ivory foiled in Dubai

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:30:01 -0400

Dubai Customs has foiled a bid to smuggle 259 pieces of ivory that arrived from Africa at its Jebel Ali Customs Centre. The ivory items fall under the endangered fauna and flora category, in which international trade is prohibited by the CITES Convention. Dubai Customs inspectors seized the shipment "using advanced inspection techniques", an official said. "The smugglers tried to pass the ...

Amanda Seyfried was happy with big bosom

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:02 -0400

Actress Amanda Seyfried feels she looked better with bigger breasts, but she says she had to lose a bit of overall weight for her Hollywood journey. "I looked way better when I was 15. I had beautiful huge breasts and then I came to Hollywood and I was like, 'I got to lose weight. I got to look thin and fit.' And I lost them a little bit," femalefirst.co.uk quoted the 27-year-old. Seyfried ...

Jennifer Aniston to play stripteaser in Were The Millers

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:01 -0400

Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston is ready to perform a striptease act in her forthcoming film "We're The Millers". The 44-year-old plays a drug smuggling lap dancer in the comedy film, directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, reports thesun.co.uk The star cast also includes Emma Roberts, Ed Helms and Jason Sudeikis. The film will hit screens in Britain Aug ...

China seeks closer ties enhanced strategic cooperation with Pakistan Li

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:50:02 -0400

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday urged China and Pakistan to nurture even closer ties, and enhance comprehensive strategic cooperation while addressing Pakistan's parliament. In a speech titled "Let all-weather China-Pakistan friendship bear new fruits," Li said peace, development and cooperation is the theme of the times, and Asia has become one of the most dynamic and most visible areas ...

25 killed 30 injured in suicide attacks in Niger

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:20:21 -0400

At least 25 people were killed and 30 got injured after two suicide bomb attacks Thursday at a military base and a plant run by French nuclear giant Areva in northern Niger, reported Xinhua. A total of 20 Nigerien soldiers and 5 assailants died in twin suicide attacks against a military barracks in Agadez, the main town in northern Niger, and another one at a factory owned by Somair, a ...

Syrias Assad stresses resolve to keep fighting terrorism

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:00:01 -0400

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed Thursday his resolve to continue fighting "terrorism" in tandem with efforts for a political solution to the country's 26-month-old crisis, reported Xinhua citing state-run SANA news agency. Assad made the remarks while meeting with a Tunisian delegation, to whom he said his administration will keep fighting "terrorism" and "those who back it" in ...

Eisenberg imbibes stage confidence from mother

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:50:01 -0400

Hollywood actor Jesse Eisenberg, who plays a magician in forthcoming film "Now You See My", says he imbibed the confidence to perform from his talented mother. "My mother was like a hippy clown. She did folk songs at children parties. She was like a great performer and I grew up in a house of somebody who was like a confident performer. She was really great in front of an audience and my ...

Obesity in children linked to parents marital status

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:50:01 -0400

A new study by US researchers shows that children living with married parents are less likely to be obese. "Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue in our country with nearly one-third of all US children aged 2-17 overweight or obese," said Rachel Kimbro, study co-author and associate professor of sociology at the Rice university. "Despite this, very little research has been ...

Pakistani umpire Rauf withdrawn from Champions Trophy

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:40:01 -0400

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Thursday withdrew Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf from next month's Champions Trophy in England and Wales after his name cropped up in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing scandal. ICC said it took the decision after media reports indicated that the 57-year-old umpire was under investigation by Mumbai Police. Rauf, who is an ICC Elite Panel umpire, has ...

Saudi company to hire 5000 Nitaqat-hit Indians

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:30:01 -0400

A company in Saudi Arabia's eastern province has said it will hire 5,000 Indian workers affected by that country's new labour policy. The Nasser S. Al-Hajri Corp (NSH) is holding a two-day recruiting drive in Riyadh Thursday and Friday, the Arab News reported Thursday. "We plan to recruit 27 categories of workers, ranging from technicians to project managers," a company spokesman was quoted as ...

Players recovery is of paramount importance Barua

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:30:02 -0400

Recovery of players is one of the key factors to success in tournaments like the AFC Cup where you play every alternate day, Indian women's football team coach Anadi Barua said Thursday. Three high-intensity matches in five days is bound to take a toll on any footballer. "If my player is not fit, I won't get the best from her. Our physiotherapist stresses on the importance of warm-up before ...

Indian flight attendant jailed in Dubai

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:30:02 -0400

A court here has sentenced a male Indian flight attendant of Emirates airline to six months in jail for stealing credit cards from two passengers and using them to buy mobile phones. The criminal court also ordered the 28-year-old man, identified only by his initials DT, to pay 6,000 dirhams to the passengers he stole from, The National reported Thursday. According to the report, the flight ...

London attack Hunt on for terror clues

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:30:01 -0400

A Londoner of Nigerian descent was identified Thursday as one of the two suspects who decapitated a British soldier. The terror strike prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to go into a huddle with top officials and the military put in place additional security measures. Michael Adebolajo, a 28-year-old Londoner of Nigerian descent, is one of the two suspects who hacked to death the British ...

Golfer Sharmila set for Deloitte Ladies Open

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:10:01 -0400

Indian golfer Sharmila Nicollet is raring to go at the Deloitte Ladies Open after her recent success at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open at Antalya, where she finished tied 17th. Sharmila, the only Indian at the Ladies European Tour (LET), is playing in the prestigious tour for a second successive year and will compete against some of the top lady golfers in the world. The 250,000 euro ...

Ex-Malaysian Indian lawyer three others get death

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:00:01 -0400

A former Malaysian Indian lawyer and three others were sentenced to death Thursday in the high profile murders of a Malaysian businesswoman and three others in 2010. The high court in Shah Alam, the capital of the Malaysian state of Selangor, sentenced former lawyer N. Pathmanabhan, 43, and farm hands T. Thilayalagan, 21, R. Matan, 22, and R. Kathavarayan, 33, for the murders of cosmetics ...

China to support Pakistan for stability development Li

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:00:01 -0400

The Chinese government will unswervingly stick to its friendly policy toward Pakistan and support the South Asian nation in realising stability and better development, visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here Thursday. Li was speaking during a meeting with Pakistani military leaders, including chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Khalid Shameem Wynne, army chief General ...

London attack victim was a serving soldier

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:50:02 -0400

British police confirmed Thursday the man killed in Southeast London was a "serving soldier". "We can confirm that the man who died in Woolwich yesterday (Wednesday) is a serving soldier. In line with the wishes of his family we will not be releasing his identity at this stage," London Metropolitan Police said in a short statement through twitter. The man was hacked to death by two attackers ...

Londoner of Nigerian descent suspect in terror attack

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:40:02 -0400

Michael Adebolajo, a 28-year-old Londoner of Nigerian descent, is one of the two suspects who hacked to death a British soldier in London, a media report said Thursday. The two terror suspects are being held under armed guard at hospitals in London and one of them has been named by Sky News sources as Adebolajo. The vicious attack on the soldier took place Wednesday in Woolwich, southeast ...

Indian-origin mans death in custody classified as murder

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:40:01 -0400

The death of a 32-year-old Indian-origin man while in police custody in Malaysia has now been classified as a murder. N. Dharmendran had died Tuesday while he was in a lock-up at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters. According to city police chief Mohmad Salleh, the post-mortem report showed that Dharmendran might have been murdered while in police custody, local media reported Thursday. "The ...

I learnt magic tricks from mother Jesse Eisenberg

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:20:02 -0400

Hollywood actor Jesse Eisenberg says he got confidence to perform the tricks of an illusionist in his forthcoming film "Now You See Me" by watching his mother. "My mother was like a hippy clown. She did folk songs at children parties. She was like a great performer and I grew up in a house of somebody who was like a confident performer. She was really great in front of an audience and my ...

London attack British PM holds crisis meeting

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:10:01 -0400

British Prime Minister David Cameron Thursday chaired crisis talks following a terror attack here that left a soldier dead. The government and security officials are racing to respond to the killing of a British soldier, an act that shocked the country. Cameron held a meeting of the emergency response committee Cobra Thursday morning after coming back to London from France, reported Sky News. ...

Madonna recalls meeting Kim Kardashian as a baby

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:10:01 -0400

Singer Madonna remembers meeting her fan Kim Kardashian when the reality TV star was a kid. In fact, the 54-year-old singer even gave Kim her accessories as souvenir, reports dailystar.co.uk. "I met her years ago when she was a little girl, believe it or not. She told me she was a huge fan, and it was during the time I was wearing all of the rubber bracelets on my arms," said Madonna. "I took ...

China central bank switches to liquidity injection

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:50:02 -0400

The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, swung back to liquidity injection this week with 128 billion yuan ($20.9 billion) being pumped into the banking system through its regular open market operations. The PBOC move marked a turn-around in the central bank's open market operations last week when it drained 35 billion yuan from banks in the open market after hedging the ...

China hasnt used Pakistan against India Daily

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:40:01 -0400

China has played a positive role in the continuous easing of the relationship between India and Pakistan, said a state-run daily which added, "China has not played balancing strategy, using one country against the other." An article in the Global Times said that when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his entourage flew from India to Pakistan Wednesday for a two-day visit, his plane was escorted by ...

Katherine Heigl happy being away from limelight

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:40:01 -0400

Actress Katherine Heigl, who moved with her family to Utah, is leading a non-glamorous life, but she is enjoying it. "Our house is in the mountains where I can enjoy being a mother and wife. Our dogs love roaming - every time I try to leave they bark and jump on me," femalefirst.co.uk quoted her as saying. "Everything is much easier. I'm happy arranging barbecues with neighbours and drinking ...

Indian-origin actor honoured in New Zealand

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:30:02 -0400

Indian-origin actor Jacob Rajan has been made a member of New Zealand Order of Merit for his contributions to theatre. Rajan was honoured Thursday at an investiture ceremony by New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mataparae at Government House here, local media reported. Rajan is a founding partner of the Indian Ink theatre company. He is known for collaborating with his partner in Indian ...

Indian Caribbean Museum in Nat Geo list of 500 sacred places

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:10:02 -0400

The Indian Caribbean Museum, described as "a national treasure, a window to the past, and an opportunity to see history come alive", has been cited by a National Geographic publication that showcases 500 of the world's most powerful and spiritual places and guides travellers who wish to visit them. "This is a fitting recognition in just seven years of our existence, especially as we celebrate ...

ICC launches Champions Trophy website

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:50:01 -0400

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Thursday launched the official event website for the Champions Trophy, which will be held in England and Wales June 6-23. The site will be accessible at www.icc-cricket.com. The site will have short-form highlights from all tournament matches as well as exclusive behind-the-scene content. The official match centre will be informative and interactive, ...

India to train 500 Nigerians in vocational skills

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:40:01 -0400

India wants increased partnership with Nigeria in education through institutional cooperation, content development, faculty exchange and joint ventures that would enhance the West African country's human resource devlopment, according to Indian High Commissioner Mahesh Sachdev. "Bilateral cooperation in education has had a proud history and remains a priority. A generation of Nigerians have fond ...

`Ageing Asia to strain worlds long-term economic growth

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:40:01 -0400

The Asia-Pacific region will continue to power global economic growth in 2013, but the region's increasing ageing population will cast a shadow on the long-term development, according to a Canadian think-tank. "Productivity gains and a large, young working-age population have done much to boost Asian economic growth over the past three decades. But Asia's demographic dividend is quickly coming ...

Gwyneth Paltrow pockets millions for fragrance campaign

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:30:03 -0400

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow reportedly earned $2 million for the campaign of Hugo Boss's latest scent - Boss Jour Pour Femme. The ads will not be aired in the US and Paltrow will be flying from London to Spain for the launch, a source told eonline.com. The "Iron Man 3" actress might have earned a lot from the brand's campaign but she likes to stock up her closet with numerous perfumes. "I am one ...

Retail sales in South Korea fall

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:30:02 -0400

Retail sales in South Korea decreased last month as domestic demand remained in the doldrums amid the sluggish economic recovery, a government report showed Thursday. Total sales at three major discount outlets, including E-Mart, Lotte Mart and Homeplus, declined 9.8 percent in April from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Combined sales at three major ...

Brazil announces $13 bn budget cut for 2013

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:30:02 -0400

The Brazilian government has announced a curtailment of 28 billion reais ($13.65 billion) in the 2013 federal budget. The budget cut aims to help the government achieve the primary surplus goal, which was established at 155.9 billion reais ($76 billion) for the year under review, which represents 3.2 percent of Brazil's GDP, Planning and Budget Minister Miriam Belchior said. The cut falls ...

Singapores exports continue to fall

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:30:02 -0400

Singapore's external trade continued to fall in the first quarter of this year, with declines for total trade, non-oil domestic exports (NODX) and non-oil re-exports (NORX), the city-state's trade promotion agency, International Enterprise Singapore, said Thursday. This is the third consecutive quarter of decrease for both total trade and NODX. According to the data, the NODX, a key gauge of the ...

GM recalls nearly 20000 new Cadillac SRX SUVs

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:30:02 -0400

General Motors Corporation said it is recalling nearly 20,000 new Cadillac SRX SUVs for faulty wheel lug nuts, according to a Detroit News report. The Detroit automaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it is recalling 18,871 2013 SRX SUVs in the US and nearly 1,000 in Canada over concerns that a wheel could eventually fall off, reported Xinhua. GM has been investigating ...

Chinas manufacturing slows HSBC

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:30:01 -0400

China's manufacturing activity fell into contraction for the first time since October, a preliminary survey from the HSBC showed. The HSBC Flash Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for May fell to 49.6 in May, dropping under the boom-bust line of 50 for the first time since October, according to figures released by HSBC Thursday. Qu Hongbin, chief economist of the HSBC China, said ...

Australia looks into allowing Sikhs to wear turban at work

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:10:01 -0400

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that she would look into the issue of allowing Sikhs in her country to wear the turban while at work and also while riding motorcycles. "We will work with your community to help make the necessary changes requested on cultural and religious grounds," the Blacktown Sun quoted her as saying Thursday during a visit to Gurdwara Sahib in the Sydney ...

First edition of Harry Potter auctioned fetches 150000 pounds

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:50:02 -0400

The first edition of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone" has reportedly been sold for 150,000 pounds (over $200,000) at an auction held at Sotheby's. The one-of-a-kind copy contains handwritten notes by Rowling, a 43-page commentary and 22 original illustrations, reports thesun.co.uk. The book, published in 1997, was sold to a telephone ...

Rupert Grint tries luck at Bingo

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:50:02 -0400

Bingo is apparently the favourite pastime for the 24-year-old "Harry Potter" star and he was seen trying his luck at it, reports dailystar.co.uk. An onlooker said: "We couldn't believe it when we saw him come in. He tried to be quite low-key and didn't ask for any special treatment." "He stayed for two hours and played a couple of games, but didn't win anything. We overheard him telling pals it ...

Cheruiyot to miss World championships for pregnancy

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:50:01 -0400

Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot will not be able to defend her 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres titles at this year's Moscow World championships as she is expecting her first child. The runner said in a statement Wednesday that she felt it was "the right time to start a family" at the age of 29, reports Xinhua. Cheruiyot plans to return for the 2014 season and compete in the 2015 World championships in ...

Pellegrini announces Malaga departure

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:40:03 -0400

Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed he will leave the Spanish football club at the end of the current season. The Chilean confirmed his departure at a public appearance at the Deputation of Malaga Wednesday, where he was awarded the Golden Shield of the province of the region for his excellent work at the club, reports Xinhua. Pellegrini, who had previously coached Villarreal and Real ...

Indian-origin boy wins 2013 National Geographic contest

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:40:02 -0400

Twelve-year-old Indian-origin boy Sathwik Karnik won the 2013 National Geographic Bee by correctly naming Chimborazo, a peak in Ecuador, as the farthest point on earth from the Equator. A seventh grader from King Philip Regional Middle School in Norfolk, Massachusetts, in the US, he won the 25th edition of the bee in a heated final against 13-year-old Conrad Oberhaus of Lincolnshire, Illinois. ...

Jennifer Lopez launches shopping tool for Latinos

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:40:02 -0400

Singer Jennifer Lopez has teamed up with Verizon Wireless for the launch of Viva Mvil, a shopping tool designed with Latino consumers in mind. "This new company is here to revolutionise the entire mobile experience for Latinos," eonline.com quoted Lopez as saying. "There's no specific place for Latinos to be specifically catered to. We will continuously evolve the wireless shopping experience ...

Seedorf out to revive Botafogos past glory

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:40:02 -0400

Mention Botafogo to most young Brazilian football fans and the likelihood is the word will conjure images of a battling club with a small, if passionate, supporter base and a sparse trophy cabinet. Forgotten is the fact that Brazil's 1962 World Cup-winning team comprised five Botafogo players, including the crooked-legged Garrincha, rated by many as the game's greatest player before Pele, ...

I live for Jolie kids Brad Pitt

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:40:02 -0400

Brad Pitt says he was wasting his life on drugs before he met Angelina Jolie. The actor admits he now lives for his partner and their six children. "For a long time I thought I did too much damage - drug damage. I was a bit of a drifter and wanted to see things. But then I got burnt out and felt that I was wasting my opportunity. This was about a decade ago. It was an epiphany - a decision not ...

12 killed in Pakistan bombing

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:10:01 -0400

Twelve people were killed in Pakistan's Quetta city Thursday when a car packed with 100 kg explosives blew up just as a vehicle carrying security personnel was passing by. The deafening explosion took place in Bhosa Mandi area of Quetta Thursday morning, DawnNews reported. Fayyaz Sumbal, a senior police official, said militants targeted the police's Rapid Response Force (RRF) vehicle through a ...

Ricky Martin calls for gay rights law in Puerto Rico

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:50:01 -0400

Singer Ricky Martin called Wednesday in a letter sent to the Puerto Rican House of Representatives for the legislative body to approve a bill which would prohibit discrimination due to sexual orientation on the island. The letter, which was released by Martin's representatives in San Juan, was made public at a time when the bill has run into opposition by a group of lawmakers in the lower house, ...

Santos reject Barcelona Neymar bid

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:50:01 -0400

Santos have rejected a 20 million-euro offer from Barcelona for Brazil star Neymar. The Brazilian outfit, which last week turned down Barcelona's initial 18 million-euro bid for the striker, made the decision after a meeting of the club's board Wednesday night, reports Xinhua. "Santos has analysed the the proposal and it doesn't meet our requirements," Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues ...

Lydia Davis bags Man Booker Prize

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:50:01 -0400

American short story writer Lydia Davis was declared the winner of the fifth 60,000 pounds Man Booker International Prize at aceremony held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Her inventive, carefully-crafted and hard to categorise works saw off the challenge from nine other contenders from around the world, a press release Wednesday evening said. India's U.R. Ananthamurthy was also ...

Home sales fall in Spain

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:40:01 -0400

The 54,512 home sales recorded in Spain in this year's first quarter represent a decline of 21.5 percent from the same period in 2012, the development ministry said. Foreigners were the buyers in 17 percent of the transactions. The decline in the first quarter reflects the impact in the sector of the end of the tax deduction for buying a primary residence and the increase in the levy on new ...

Olimpia hold Fluminense in Libertadores quarters

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:40:01 -0400

Olimpia raised hopes of an unlikely semifinal berth after holding Fluminense to a 0-0 draw in their Copa Libertadores quarterfinal first leg. The Paraguayan outfit was reduced to 10-men at the Sao Januario stadium in the 82nd minute Wednesday when midfielder Eduardo Aranda received his second yellow card for a foul on Rhayner, reports Xinhua. Despite dominating possession and creating a number ...

Kazakhstan defeat India in volleyball tourney

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:30:01 -0400

Kazakhstan defeated India 3-2 in the China International men's volleyball tournament here. Kazakhstan won 25-12, 23-25, 24-26, 25-20, 15-7 Wednesday, reports Xinhua. "Our team is so young that they didn't cooperate well and made mistakes, but I am satisfied with their performance," said Gilyazutdinov Rafael, assistant coach of Kazakhstan team. "Our setup was bad today and that is why we lost ...

Finance head Carrion to run for IOC president

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:30:01 -0400

Finance Commission head Richard Carrion has joined the race to succeed International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge. The Puerto Rican will run against Thomas Bach, Ng Ser Miang and Wu Ching-kuo, who has yet to officially declare his intention to run, reports Xinhua. Carrion, 60, has no sporting background. He is chairman of a financial holding company and since 2002 has ...

Rapper tweets London attack live

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:30:01 -0400

"Ohhhhh myyyy God!!!! I just see a man with his head chopped off right in front of my eyes!," rapper Boya Dee live tweeted in horror as he saw the London terror attack unfold. Boya Dee tweeted furiously as two machete-wielding men brutally attacked and killed a soldier in southeast London Wednesday afternoon. The two attackers were later shot and injured by police. Prime Minister David Cameron ...

Oklahoma tornado damage could top $2 bn

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:30:01 -0400

The tornado that killed 24 people and injured more than 200 others in Moore, Oklahoma, could have done more than $2 billion worth of damage, officials said Wednesday. State Insurance Commissioner John Doak announced that figure Wednesday in a statement to the press, adding that losses from the wreckage could equal the amount caused by the twister that struck Joplin, Missouri, in 2011, leaving ...

Four debutants in Dutch squad for Indonesia China friendlies

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:20:01 -0400

Dutch football head coach Louis van Gaal has named four debutants in the squad for the friendlies in Indonesia and China in June. Heracles Almelo midfielder Lerin Duarte, Feyenoord leftback Miquel Nelom, Swansea City defender Dwight Tiendalli and FC Utrecht midfielder Jens Toornstra were included in the squad Wednesday, reports Xinhua. Ajax reserve goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, who is yet to ...

Japanese economy has begun to recover central bank

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:10:01 -0400

Japan's central bank said Wednesday that it will continue pursuing its current stimulus program and that the country's economy "has begun to recover" thanks to a reversal in the decline of exports, which account for 40 percent of Japanese GDP. "Domestic demand remains resilient due to the effects of the monetary relaxation measures" and the recently-approved stimulus policies, the Bank of Japan ...

Russian rocket wreckage threatens Ecuador satellite

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:10:01 -0400

The Ecuadorian Civil Space Agency issued an alert Wednesday about a possible collision of its Pegaso satellite, launched last month, with the wreckage of a Russian rocket. "ALERT: Possible collision of NEE-01 PEGASO and remains of Russian rocket," appeared Wednesday on the Twitter account of the space agency known as EXA. EXA's director, astronaut Ronnie Nader, published a notice from the Joint ...

Youre going to lose woman tells London attacker

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:40:02 -0400

"You're going to lose," a brave woman told one of the two machete-wielding London attackers who killed a soldier. "You're going to lose. It's only you versus many," said Ingrid Loyau-Kennett as she tried keep the attacker talking so he would not kill anyone else. Two men carrying weapons brutally assaulted and killed the soldier in Woolwich in southeast London Wednesday afternoon. The two ...

Mexico City hosts chili pepper festival

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:40:01 -0400

Chili peppers and sauces will take centre stage at a festival being held this week in Mexico City, where the spicy plant, one of the pillars of Mexican cuisine, will be honoured, organizers said. The first Chilis, Sauces and Mortars Festival, which will be held Friday to Sunday, is being organized by the Enchilada Fair, the National Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH, said. Mexico ...

13 people held for protesting mystery death in China

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:40:01 -0400

Thirteen people were arrested after taking part in a protest demanding transparency in the investigation of the mysterious death of a 22-year-old woman near a Beijing market, Chinese police said Wednesday. The circumstances surrounding her death, which authorities attribute to suicide but which the deceased's friends and family are calling a rape-murder, had hundreds of people demonstrating in ...

12 die in Pakistan bombing

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:30:01 -0400

Twelve people, including eight police personnel, were killed and over 20 injured Thursday in a powerful bombing in Pakistan's Quetta city. The deafening explosion took place in Bhosa Mandi area of Quetta Thursday morning, DawnNews reported. Fayyaz Sumbal, a senior police official, said militants targeted the vehicle of police's Rapid Response Force (RRF) through a remote control bomb. The ...

US senate panel approves immigration reform

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:30:01 -0400

Immigration reform that plans to legalize some 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US passed its first test as the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-5 to approve a bipartisan bill to overhaul the system. The draft prepared by the "Gang of Eight" Republican and Democratic senators will next go to the full Senate for debate. President Barack Obama congratulated the Judiciary Committee and ...

China to buy gas from Turkmenistan

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:10:01 -0400

China will import gas from the world's second largest gas reserve in the Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan. Kakageldy Abdullayev, CEO of Turkmenistan's national gas company Turkmengaz, said the Galkynysh field will be used to build up Turkmen gas exports to China. The field is expected to produce 25 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year for China, with Turkmenistan's total gas ...

European leaders hold summit on tax evasion

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:10:01 -0400

The heads of state and government of the European Union held a summit Wednesday in an effort to make more progress in fighting tax evasion and tax fraud. EU leaders are targeting tax crimes both within the borders of their countries and in foreign tax havens despite the reluctance of Austria and Luxembourg. The leaders of the EU's 27 member states are expected to give the go ahead to the ...

Dead Boston bomber involved in 2011 slayings Report

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:00:01 -0400

Deceased Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev participated in a 2011 gruesome triple murder outside Boston along with a Chechen killed during a confrontation with law enforcement officers, according to media reports. Ibragim Todashev was fatally shot early Wednesday during an interview with the FBI and Massachusetts State Police in Orlando, Florida, CNN reported citing a federal ...

Bangladeshs Green Radio heralds new era of environment education

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:50:01 -0400

Nature lovers in Bangladesh can tune in to 89.6 FM for their daily dose of green awakening, courtesy a 45-minute programme which aims at bridging the gap between environmentalists and laymen by keeping them abreast of burning topics related to the sector. "As our country has become the most vulnerable nation to climate change, we thought of making a dedicated programme on the environment to ...

Italy has lowest graduate share in Europe

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:40:01 -0400

Italy has the lowest graduation rates in Europe with just one-fifth of people aged 30-34 holding a university degree, according to a study. A total of 31 percent of Italian families cannot afford to pay for their children's university studies, and must take out loans or have their offspring seek jobs to help fund tuition and living costs, said the report by charity Save the Children. It said ...

Policeman shoots wife dead commits suicide

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:30:02 -0400

A policeman allegedly shot his wife dead at their home in the northern Italian town of Cadoneghe and then turned the handgun on himself, officials said. The policeman's colleagues became concerned after he failed to arrive for work. They went to his apartment, where they found the couple's lifeless bodies inside, lying in a pool of blood. The alleged murder-suicide is believed to have been a ...

Over 10 new oil fields found in Siberia

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:00:01 -0400

Space imaging studies have revealed over 10 new oil deposits in Krasnoyarsk territory in Siberia, a scientist said. "The method of space imaging quantum-optical filtration allows us to identify the boundaries of deposits," said Valery Rostovtsev, associate professor of Tomsk Polytechnic University's geology and prospecting department. "We can see four deposits near Bely Yar in the Tomsk Region, ...

Stockholm riots continue for a fifth night

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:57:07 -0400

At least nine cars, twoschools and a police station were set ablaze as riots swept through Stockholm's immigrant-dominated suburbs early Friday for the fifth straight night, police and firefighters ...

John F Kennedy was a fan of Hitler and Nazi Germany diaries reveal

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:51:25 -0400

John F Kennedy openly admired Nazi Germany when he toured the country as a young man, according to a new book marking the 50th anniversary of his historic 1963 visit to Cold War West ...

Warning Over Kids Raised On Diet Of Porn

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:49:25 -0400

Children who access pornography are more likely to have sex at a younger age and engage in "risky" sexual behaviours, a report by the Office of the Children's Commissioner has warned. The report also found that access to porn can influence children's sexual beliefs, developing unrealistic attitudes about sex, bad attitudes towards relationships and beliefs that women are ...

Scouting’s Half-Turn From Bigotry

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:56:28 -0400

voted on Thursday to reject discrimination halfway. They will now allow openly gay boys to be scouts. But they will still forbid openly gay and lesbian adults to be scout leaders. With the decision, made by about 1,400 delegates attending a national convention in Grapevine, Tex., one of the country's oldest and most influential youth organizations has ducked the chance for a principled ...

President Obama makes case for end of the war on terror

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:54:18 -0400

Chris Hayes highlights the president's big policy speech on drone strikes, closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and ending the war on terror. He's joined by Congressman Keith Ellison, Democrat of ...

Life-or-death retrial for Arias

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:54:00 -0400

24 May 2013 The judge in a murder trial that riveted Americans with its details of sex and violence has declared a mistrial in the life-or-death penalty phase after the jury said it could not reach a ...

Police probe Manson disciple tapes

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:53:59 -0400

Texas ruled in March that Charles "Tex" Watson waived his right to lawyer-client privilege when he allowed his lawyer to sell the eight cassette tapes to an author nearly 40 years ago for a book on his life.The tapes, which were converted to electronic audio files, are being reviewed to determine whether there is evidence that could resolve unsolved murders.Watson, who sought to prevent ...

UN anger at throw out case plea

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:53:58 -0400

Kenya 's argument that it should be allowed to work out its own problems, and that the ICC was obsessed with bringing cases against African rulers and politicians."We have asked that these proceedings be terminated as soon as possible," Macharia Kamau, Kenya's UN ambassador, said. "Clearly they need to end because they are not consistent with peace and justice in our ...

Arrest warrant for dead rapper

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:53:57 -0400

burial site and sparse obituary information has led to talk in hip-hop circles that rapper Tim Dog, who owes thousands of dollars to women he was convicted of swindling, faked his own ...

Scouts to admit gay youngsters

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:53:56 -0400

Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has thrown open its ranks to gay Scouts but not gay adult Scout leaders - a fiercely contested compromise that some warned could fracture the organisation and lead to mass ...

We are the champions but we Germans need Europe as much as Europe needs us

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:53:54 -0400

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund players celebrate on the last occasions they won the Uefa Champions League in 2001 and 1997 respectively. Photographs: ...

Cabinet office to fly rainbow flag during Pride week

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:43:10 -0400

Francis Maude is to show the government's commitment to the equality agenda by allowing the rainbow flag to be flown from the cabinet office in Whitehall during Pride week next month.David Cameron has faced criticism for attempting to distance the Tory leadership ...

US Senate approves first India-born senior judge

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:02:26 -0400

The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved Srikanth Srinivasan as the most senior US judge of South Asian descent, amid speculation that he may one day be tapped for the Supreme ...

TV Soap Characters Promoting Bad Health

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:59:59 -0400

Leading characters in TV soaps are promoting unhealthy lifestyles with too much drinking, a poor diet and an almost total lack of exercise, according to an academic study. Several actors are portrayed drinking alcohol in at least a third of the scenes they appear in, while others are shown eating chips, cake and fry-ups. The two-week study by Liverpool John Moores University Business School ...

Boy 9 brings crowd to its feet at school closing rally

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:59:27 -0400

Source: YouTube Footage of a nine-year-old boy delivering a speech slamming the Mayor of Chicago's plan to shut down his school has gone viral. Asean Johnson, who fans hope will be president one day, attends Marcus Garvey Elementary School which had been slated for closure by the Chicago Public School administration. In a speech at a rally against the closures of 50 schools in Chicago, ...

Man arrested for London decapitation from devoutly Christian family

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:40 -0400

Michael Adebolajo, with bloodied hands, speaks into a phone camera following the killing in Woolwich, London, of Drummer Lee Rigby on Wednesday. Photograph: ...

Obama defends drone strikes ‘in last resort’

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:39 -0400

A demonstrator adjusts a sign reading "Stop Killer Drones" hung on a mock drone at the gates of Fort McNair where US president Barack Obama spoke yesterday. Photograph: Kevin ...

Woolwich’s mixed community in shock as it tries to make sense of brutal murder

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:39 -0400

Members of the Sikh community wait to lay flowers yesterday close to the crime scene in Woolwich, London, where 25-year-old soldier Lee Rigby was murdered on Wednesday. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty ...

Dutch anxiety over ‘Sharia triangle’ police no-go area in The Hague

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:38 -0400

The leader of the Dutch far-right Party for Freedom Geert Wilders speaks to the press during his visit to the Schilderswijk district in The Hague. Photograph: Martijn Beekman/AFP/Getty ...

Propaganda of the deed

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:37 -0400

Yet, taking the long view, the propaganda of the deed has to be seen in its historical context as an expression not of the strength of the social forces who turn to it as a tactic, but of their marginalisation and weakness. It receded as an anarchist tactic after the first world War at a time when mass action became a real alternative to them, and returned to favour in the 1970s ...

Peace plan for Syria includes call for Assad to step down and exit country

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:37 -0400

Former Syrian opposition National Coalition president Moaz al-Khatib yesterday called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down and leave the country as fighting between pro-government forces and rebels continued in the besieged Syrian town of ...

Tea Party stirs in wake of tax controversy

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:36 -0400

Tea Party movement sprang to life at grassroots rallies, a spontaneous protest against government overreach that grew and grew until it stunned Democrats and many moderate Republicans in the 2010 midterm ...

Muslim Britain a community viewed through prisms of security and paranoia

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:35 -0400

Calling for war on the streets of Britain, Michael Olumide Adebolajo, born in East London to Nigerian parents, told a passer-by: "We apologise that women had to see this today but in our lands our women have to see the ...

Two arrested over Woolwich killing

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:34 -0400

Two people have been arrested and six homes raided by British police investigating the brutal killing of a British soldier on the streets in east London by Muslim ...

John Kerry reaches out in effort to restart Middle East peace talks

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:34 -0400

US secretary of state John Kerry greets workers as he visits a restaurant in the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday. Photograph: Jim ...

Maureen O’Hara says Wayne birthplace visit to be her final public appearance

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:33 -0400

She announced the end to her public life as her family said they had hired new Irish lawyers to seek more information about her finances and assets, in Ms O'Hara's and her family's long-running dispute with her former personal assistant Carolyn ...

Chirstine Lagarde may be subject to criminal investigation

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:32 -0400

criminal investigation on suspicion of being an accessory to fraud and the misuse of public funds when she completes two days of questioning by a French court today. Ms Lagarde is not suspected of personal enrichment, but of incompetence, negligence or having been instrumentalised by the former president Nicolas Sarkozy to reward a political ally, the businessman and ...

London killing dishonours Islam say Muslim groups

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:32 -0400

The brutal killing of a British soldier in Woolwich has been condemned by leading Muslim organisations in Britain, who said the perpetrators had dishonoured ...

Extremist group’s teachings changed lives of British Muslims

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:31 -0400

It has been known by a myriad of names, but the reach of the banned Islamic organisation al-Muhajiroun has changed the lives utterly of a generation of young British ...

EU threatens action over Bangladesh working conditions

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:30 -0400

Bangladesh unless it sees an improvement in the country's working conditions following the collapse last month of a building housing a number of garment ...

Proposal to ban use of refillable olive oil vessels in restaurants slips from European Commission agenda

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:29 -0400

EU agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos yesterday confirmed the European Commission was withdrawing the proposal to regulate how olive oil is served and presented in restaurants, recognising that it had not garnered "widespread ...

William Hague Israel Losing Support In UK

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:54:15 -0400

Britain's Foreign Secretary has brushed aside an Israeli minister's allegation that anti-Israeli sentiment was growing in the United Kingdom - by agreeing with him. William Hague's comments come after Yuval Steinitz, a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said perceptions of Israel were more negative in Britain than in other countries. ...

Obama shifts U.S. from perpetual war-footing limits drone strikes

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:49:53 -0400

1 of 12. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about his administration's counterterrorism policy at the National Defense University at Ft. McNair in Washington, May 23, ...

The oddly calm scene

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:47:33 -0400

>Are you from the area affected, or London in general? What is your reaction to the incident? Send us your images, video and experiences. London (CNN) -- Why did Lee Rigby have to die?That's what people around Britain -- its officials, its authorities, its citizens -- asked themselves Thursday, a day after the soldier was hit with a car, then hacked to death on a London street in broad ...

Will New Yorkers want a Mayor Weiner

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:29:59 -0400

>Editor's note: Errol Louis is the host of "Inside City Hall," a nightly political show on NY1, a New York City all-news channel.(CNN) -- Anthony Weiner's long-anticipated official announcement that he's running for mayor of New York City began with a slight glitch this week: A video announcing his candidacy was posted on YouTube in the middle of the night, then yanked off the site -- and ...

SNC-Lavalin sought Ottawas help to give Gadhafi’s son vice-president’s job

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:02:28 -0400

Canada's flagship engineering company hoped to persuade Ottawa officials to let a Libyan dicator's son come to Canada as a temporary foreign worker, newly unsealed court documents show.In 2008, Saadi Gadhafi, the 40-year-old son of Moammar Gadhafi, was being touted as a potential "Vice-President Maghreb" for SNC-Lavalin, with the multinational's executives stating that ...

Barred from election former president slams Iranian leadership

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:02:26 -0400

Former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has accused Iran's leadership of incompetence and ignorance just days after he was barred from standing in an election next month, the opposition Kaleme website reported on Thursday.Mr. Rafsanjani's comments appeared to add to the political conflict between those loyal to the leadership and opposition groups who have been marginalized since ...

U.S. Boy Scouts to permit gay members

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:02:25 -0400

The Boy Scouts of America's National Council has voted to ease a long-standing ban and allow openly gay boys to be accepted as Scouts.Of the local Scout leaders voting at their annual meeting in Texas, more than 60 per cent supported the proposal.Under the proposal drafted by the Scouts' governing board, gay adults will remain barred from serving as Scout ...

Canada disapproves new meat labeling rules

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:00:45 -0400

TORONTO -; Canada said Thursday that it is considering retaliatory measures against the United States in a dispute over meat-labeling rules that Ottawa and the World Trade Organization consider ...

Obama seeks new path in war on terror

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:50:51 -0400

/enpproperty--> WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama on Thursday sought to redefine his administration's counterterrorism policies, announcing new guidelines codifying controversial drone strikes against militant targets, while renewing his pledge to close the Guantanamo Bay military detention facility. Obama made the announcement during a major policy speech delivered at the National ...

US Boy Scouts to allow gay youths not leaders

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:50:23 -0400

The Boy Scouts of America said Thursday it will allow openly gay youths to join the organisation but maintain a ban on gay adult leaders, after a vote at its annual meeting in ...

IRS suspends division chief after agency scandal

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:50:22 -0400

The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) placed the head of its tax-exempt organisations division Lois Lerner on administrative leave, according to an IRS statement Thursday, after she refused to testify about a scandal at the tax ...

US Atlantic braces for active hurricane season

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:50:21 -0400

The United States is gearing up for more Atlantic hurricanes than usual this year, triggered by warmer water temperatures than average, US forecasters said ...

UPDATE 3-Former Goldman banker settles SEC pay-to-play charges

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:38:09 -0400

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, May 23 (Reuters) - A former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. investment banker has agreed to a five-year securities industry ban and a record fine to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges that he broke rules against influence peddling to win bond underwriting business in ...

IRS replaces Lois Lerner amid controversy over Tea Party targeting

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:35:22 -0400

refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner has been replaced as director the Internal Revenue Service division that oversaw agents who targeted Tea Party groups.Danny Werfel, the agency's new acting commissioner, told IRS employees in an email Thursday that he had selected a new acting head of the division.Ken Corbin will be the acting director of the agency's ...

Senator West Point case shows military has sexual harassment problem

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:35:20 -0400

Kirsten Gillibrand said the US military 'did not understand how to handle this problem of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct'. Photograph: Rick Gargiulo/The ...

Teacher confronted terrorists

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:03:05 -0400

>Were you there? Send us your photos, videos(CNN) -- Wednesday afternoon, former teacher Ingrid Loyau-Kennett was just a passenger on a bus passing through southeast London. Thursday she was being hailed as one incredibly brave woman who confronted a man seconds after he hacked a British soldier to death in broad daylight. READ MORE: Cameron condemns brutal hacking death, says Britain stands ...

Teacher confronted terrorists

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:03:05 -0400

Teacher confronted terrorists

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:03:05 -0400

ECBs Draghi Imperative to set up new bank body

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:48:39 -0400

FRANKFURT, Germany -; European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said it was "imperative" that Europe's leaders create a new agency with powers to restructure busted banks in order to help the region leave its economic and financial crisis behind it once and for ...

West Islip superintendent 12 students punished after using Facebook to cheat

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:46:01 -0400

Search schools for cheating investigations Twelve West Islip ninth-graders have been punished for using Facebook to cheat on biology homework, laboratory assignments and a recent exam, the district's superintendent confirmed Thursday.The group used the social media site to share answers -- including posting a photo of an answer sheet to the exam for other students to access while they ...

Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:46:01 -0400

Photo credit: Getty Images | Members of Scouts for Equality hold a rally to call for equality and inclusion for gays in the Boy Scouts of America as part of the "Scouts for Equality Day of Action" in Washington, DC. (May 22, ...

Mideast peace a priority Hague

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:38:03 -0400

Peace between Israel and the Palestinians is a "priority," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on a visit to the region on Thursday, warning that time was running out for a two-state ...

Star Wars Lego Model Is Worlds Largest

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:35:35 -0400

The unveiling of a massive Lego model in Times Square has brought new meaning to the saying that everything is bigger in New York City. The model of the Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter - the largest Lego model ever built - was given its public debut on Thursday. Made out of a whopping 5.3 million Lego pieces, the craft weighs in at nearly 46,000lbs and is 43 feet (13.1 metres) long. Its wingspan ...

Briton found hanged in French jail

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:32:32 -0400

Steele , 38, was found by prison guards hanging in his cell on Tuesday, four days after he was remanded in custody.Steele, who had lived near Paris for some years, was believed to be behind a scheme which took more than 1 million in loans from French banks.A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in France on 21 May and we stand ready to provide ...

Stephen Hawking Stars In Comic Book Series

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:30:27 -0400

would provide a glimpse into "the man, the myth and the legend". The series is expected to cover the physicist's college days, his work as a researcher at the University of Cambridge and some of his key discoveries. "The very concept of making an engaging comic book where the protagonist is essentially immobile is a pretty tall order," artist Zach Bassett said. ...

Boy Scouts Vote To Admit Openly Gay Youths

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:30:27 -0400

The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America has approved a plan to allow openly gay boys to join the organisation. The vote ends a policy that has been in place throughout the group's 103-year history. However the ban on gay and lesbian adult leaders remains in effect. The new policy, supported by more than 60% of the 1,400 Scout leaders who met in Grapevine, Texas for the ...

HTC managers depart as revenues dwindle and First delayed in UK

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:22:59 -0400

Widespread departures in Asia, Europe and US lead former staffer to suggest friends there should 'just quit. Leave now' - as Everything Everywhere delays HTC First ...

Obama and counter-terrorism bringing drones in from the cold

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:22:58 -0400

drones . Drone strikes have grown eightfold under the president who vowed in his Nobel prize acceptance speech that the US must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. And yet the standards that Mr Obama has applied to the killing of suspected militants in non-combat zones of Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia remain opaque. Not even the basic facts, such as the number of strikes, are ...

No the War on Terror Isnt Ending

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:22:29 -0400

President Barack Obama speaks at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, May 23, 2013. (Larry Downing/Reuters) In his speech, President Barack Obama sought to redefine and in many ways "rightsize," the global war on ...

Proxy advisory firm settles SEC charges over data breach

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:22:04 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Institutional Shareholder Services has settled civil charges by U.S. regulators that an employee of the prominent proxy advisory firm shared nonpublic voting data in exchange for meals and concert ...

Analysis Markets face rough summer ride as Fed pullback feared

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:22:04 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters) - For the past few months, the U.S. Federal Reserve has been squarely in the financial markets' corner, thanks to its massive dollops of monetary stimulus. But signs that the central bank is discussing reducing that support by purchasing fewer bonds mean that trading is likely to get bumpier in coming ...

Trichet call it austerity or danger control

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:21:25 -0400

With Europe still mired in recession, euronews asked the former President of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, to consider the results of efforts to stabilise the region, and if he still thinks the eurozone is taking the right ...

I.R.S. Official Who Refused to Testify Is Suspended

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:20:53 -0400

WASHINGTON ...

Obama rhetorically ends the war on terror

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:10:27 -0400

President Barack Obama makes a point about his administration's counter-terrorism policy at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington on ...

Brazil police arrest 9 for abusing Indian girls

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:35:12 -0400

SAO PAULO -; Brazil's Federal Police say nine people have been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing Indians girls in the northern state of ...

Obama Details Plan To Pull Back From War On Terror

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:32:23 -0400

President Obama laid out his counterterrorism plans, including his policy on the use of drones, at a major speech at the National Defense University on ...

Feds Career drug dealer admits steroids distribution on LI

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:32:12 -0400

More coverage: 4 killed in Medford drug store shooting A Florida man, who authorities said was making $1 million-a-year distributing drugs on Long Island and in New York City, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Central Islip to conspiracy to illegally distribute steroids and distributing steroids, according to officials.When Gregory Kovar, 48, of Miami Beach, was arrested last June, ...

Nasa chief views asteroid plan

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:28:22 -0400

23 May 2013 Nasa chief Charles Bolden has inspected a prototype spacecraft engine that could power an audacious mission to lasso an asteroid and tow it closer to Earth for astronauts to ...

Grandmother trumped in court case

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:28:21 -0400

Donald Trump and against an 87-year-old grandmother who took him to court alleging that the star of the US version of The Apprentice cheated her in a skyscraper condominium ...

Grave of the Fireflies – review

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:27:22 -0400

Grave Of The Fireflies Production year: 1988 Country: Rest of the world Cert (UK): 12 Runtime: 88 mins Directors: Isao Takahata Cast: Akemi Yamaguchi, Amy Jones, Ayano Shiraishi, J Robert Spencer, Rhoda Chrosite, Tsutomu Tatsumi, Veronica Taylor, Yoshiko ...

Police make 2 new arrests in London soldier killing

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:24:10 -0400

British police investigating the brutal murder of a soldier by suspected Islamists in London said on Thursday they had arrested two alleged ...

The End of the Perpetual War

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:21:07 -0400

President Obama's speech today was the most important statement on counterterrorism policy since the 2001 attacks, a momentous turning point in post-9/11 America. For the first time, a president stated clearly and unequivocally that the state of perpetual warfare that began nearly 12 years ago is unsustainable for a democracy and must come to an end in the not-too-distant ...

History of the far right in Britain

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:18:35 -0400

English Defence League (EDL), which took to the streets of Woolwich after Wednesday's atrocity, has had a short but violent history and is led by a second-generation ...

Psy Imposter Crashes Cannes VIP Parties

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:16:28 -0400

A man pretending to be South Korean pop star Psy has blagged his way into some of the biggest parties at the Cannes film festival, it has emerged. The imposter bears a resemblance to the Gangnam Style singer and had been spotted at VIP events at the world famous festival. He partied with stars, picked up freebies, danced on a French TV show, and even signed a deal to take part in a Monaco ...

Football Racism Stadiums Could Be Closed

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:16:27 -0400

Uefa could impose partial stadium closures and 10-match bans for racism in European football after agreeing to toughen sanctions. The Uefa Executive Committee, meeting in London, agreed the measures alongside penalties for match-fixing and increasing anti-doping initiatives. From June 1, a partial stadium closure will be brought in for the first offence of racism by spectators, with a full ...

Google faces new federal antitrust probe source

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:11:55 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are in the early stages of an antitrust probe into whether Google Inc, which dominates web display advertising, has broken antitrust law in how it handles some ad sales, a source told Reuters on ...

George Zimmerman lawyers release data from Trayvon Martins cellphone

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:09:03 -0400

second-degree murder next month , at which the neighbourhood watch leader's defence team will claim Martin was the aggressor in their fatal confrontation in a Sanford gated community in February 2012.Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's lead attorney, still has to convince circuit court judge Debra S Nelson to allow the evidence to be shown to jurors, against the objections of prosecutors who ...

Obama orders review of press freedom guidelines in wake of recent scandals

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:09:02 -0400

press freedom in the wake of the media outcry over the seizure of AP phone records and the threat of criminal action against a Fox reporter.Representatives of media organisations will be invited to give their views.Obama announced the review as part of ...

Japanese distiller aims to revolutionise whisky drinking

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:09:01 -0400

whisky drinkers, and until recently that meant holing up in a small, dark den designed for serious drinking. But the country's leading distiller has been revolutionising drinking culture with the aid of a pint glass and a more than generous slug of soda.The whisky highballs introduced by Suntory, the privately owned Japanese drinks conglomerate that has the lion's share of the ...

Penny Pritzker clears Senate hurdle in bid to be Obama commerce secretary

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:09:00 -0400

appeared on her way to becoming US commerce secretary on Thursday , after a top Republican said she had satisfactorily answered most of his questions about her role in the failure of ...

Obama Calls for an End to a Key Aspect of the War on Terror

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:08:31 -0400

President Obama pauses during his speech at the National Defense University. (Larry Downing/Reuters) "Our laws constrain the power of the President, even during wartime, and I have taken an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States," President Obama said in a speech Thursday at the National Defense University. Obama's role as defender of the Constitution has been subject ...

Women tells how she tried to calm the suspects in the London soldier murder

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:07:24 -0400

The woman who talked to the attackers of the soldier in London has described how she tried to calm them down. Ingrid Loyau-Kennett is originally from France, and is a cub scout leader. She approached the two men who were still on the scene near the body of the man on a street in south east London. ';Well I saw a man on the road, obviously injured, and a car badly crashed. So I assumed it ...

The ups and downs of Franco-German harmony

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:07:23 -0400

SPD is closer to Hollande’s Socialist Party in policy and ideology. But the Franco-German alliance, often described as the motor of EU integration, has been known to overcome political differences in the past. Hollande’s predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy was so close to Chancellor Angela Merkel, that the pair became known as ';Merkozy.'; Now the bonds between the two nations ...

Obama Global War on Terror Is Over

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:23:54 -0400

President Barack Obama speaks about his administration's drone and counterterrorism policies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., on May 23, ...

How sweet it isn’t Scientists learn how some roaches rapidly evolve to avoid poison

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 -0400

People have been getting rid of cockroaches for decades by setting out bait mixed with poison. But in the late 1980s, in an apartment test kitchen in Florida, something went very wrong.A killer product stopped working. Cockroach populations there kept rising. Mystified researchers tested and discarded theory after theory until they finally hit on the explanation: In a remarkably rapid display of ...

Clashes in Lebanon feed fear of Syria spillover

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:30 -0400

In this image from amateur video obtained by a group which calls itself Ugarit News, shows rebel fighters celebrating after purportedly capturing an army base in Nairab, northwestern Syria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. The video is consistent with independent AP reporting. Rebel fighters captured an army base late Wednesday, a rare victory after a series of battlefield setbacks, the Britain-based ...

Embattled Toronto mayor fires chief of staff

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:28 -0400

While the firing comes amid a scandal involving a video purportedly showing the mayor smoking crack cocaine, City Councillor Jaye Robinson said it had to do with football. Ford was fired as coach of a Catholic high school football team on ...

Obama details drone policy in speech outlining counter-terrorism doctrine

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:13:33 -0400

President Barack Obama talks about his administration's counter-terrorism policy at the National Defense University in Washington. Photograph: Larry ...

Two more arrested over London soldier murder

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:09:40 -0400

British police investigating the brutal murder of a soldier by suspected Islamists in London said on Thursday they had arrested two alleged ...

IMF chief Lagarde in court in fraud probe

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:07:14 -0400

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus). IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, leaves her apartment building before appearing in French court, in Paris, Thursday, May 23, ...