Thursday, June 17, 2010

India hopes monsoon will tame inflation



India’s Congress-led government is counting on bountiful monsoon rains to boost agricultural production and tame inflation that hit 10.16 per cent in May, driven partly by a 16.5 per cent rise in food prices

Source: http://www.ft.com

Iranian bank and ship lines face US sanctions



The Obama administration unveiled its widest ranging measures to date against Iran, affecting sectors ranging from banking to petroleum and shipping, in a bid to prevent Tehran from dodging existing restrictions and to encourage other jurisdictions to follow suit

Source: http://www.ft.com

French politicians cling to de Gaulle legacy



Younger people are unimpressed by the elite’s manipulation of a once-potent symbol on the 70th anniversary of French leader’s broadcast

Source: http://www.ft.com

Spain to reveal bank ‘stress tests’ results



The country’s central bank plans to publish the outcome of checks showing estimated loan losses, capital requirements and the contribution of promised balance sheet reinforcements

Source: http://www.ft.com

Osborne abolishes FSA and boosts Bank



Mervyn King will become one of the most powerful central bankers in the world, with a new remit to prevent the build-up of risk in the financial system in addition to his monetary policy role

Source: http://www.ft.com

Israel to ease Gaza blockade



Israel’s security cabinet relents on the Gaza land embargo following an international outcry over a deadly raid on an aid flotilla though no mention of any lifting of the sea blockade

Source: http://www.ft.com

Kyrgyzstan turmoil bares ethnic hate



Residents describe an orchestrated attack aimed at driving ethnic Uzbeks out of the neighbourhood in full view of the Kyrgyz armed forces

Source: http://www.ft.com

Cameron cautions on EU fiscal rules



Prime minister warns that Britain will not be bound by any new European rules to impose sanctions on fiscally irresponsible member states

Source: http://www.ft.com

Chávez attacks economic critics



Hugo Chávez has strongly defended his economic record as president of Venezuela after a turbulent year in which the country has been rocked by recession and 30 per cent inflation

Source: http://www.ft.com

BP agrees to back $20bn spill fund



BP reached a preliminary agreement with the Obama administration to set aside $20bn to cover claims relating to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, officials familar with the negotiations said

Source: http://www.ft.com

I was naive, not greedy, says ITV pundit sacked in tickets scandal



Football pundit Robbie Earle admitted he was "naive" after his World Cup tickets were used for "unauthorised purposes".



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Eyewitness: Outdoor entertainment



Photographs from the Guardian Eyewitness series Close...

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World Cup 2010: Spain 0-1 Switzerland



Highlights from Group H...

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World Cup winners and losers



Highlights - Germany 4-0 Australia By Chris Bevan BBC Sport in Cape Town It is still early days at the 2010 World Cup but the tournament is already taking shape. From South Africa's draw with Mexico in the curtain-raiser through to Switzerland's shock win over Spain on Wednesday, we have now had a chance see all 32 teams play at least once. For some, like Uruguay, qualification already looks a formality, but others are less certain of their fate. With the help of Jurgen Klinsmann and Mark Lawrenson, BBC Sport takes a look at what we have learned about each of the eight groups so far. GROUP A...

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Highlights - South Africa 0-3 Uruguay



Diego Forlan stars for...

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Pak to seek firming up of confidence building measures with India during resumed talks



ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is expected to seek the firming up of confidence-building measures during the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks with India to pave the way for progress in addressing long-standing issues like Kashmir, diplomatic sources said today. Senior Pakistani officials have broadly classified the issues to be raised during the meeting of the two foreign secretaries in Islamabad on June 24 as outstanding issues like the Kashmir issue, humanitarian...

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New Zealand Sikhs to move legally against club's turban ban



Wellington, June 17 (DPA) The Sikh Council of New Zealand announced on Thursday it would take legal action against an Auckland club that will not admit turban-wearing Sikhs to its premises because it bans all forms of headwear. The Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club voted to confirm the "no hats" policy on Sunday six months after...

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US envoy calls for strong message to North Korea on Flotilla attack



Seoul: The world must send a strong message to North Korea that its provocative actions are unacceptable, a senior US diplomat said on Thursday after talks on how to respond to the sinking of a South Korean warship. South Korea wants the UN Security Council to rebuke the North in a resolution imposing tough sanctions over the sinking of its navy corvette Cheonan in March, killing 46 sailors. Pyongyang has threatened military...

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China says Pakistan nuclear plants are for peaceful use



Beijing: China said on Thursday its civilian nuclear cooperation with Pakistan was for peaceful purposes, after the United States said it was seeking clarification from China on a deal to build two new reactors. "I want to stress that the civilian nuclear cooperation...

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EU assures Cameron 'we don't want more power'... after PM has bacon and eggs in Brussels



David Cameron will today fight to defend Britain’s right to set its own budgets in the face of another Brussels power grab. At his first European Union summit since winning power, the Prime Minister will refuse to sign up to plans to get the UK’s Budget signed off by the EU before it is delivered to Parliament. And Downing Street is planning to resist plans drawn up by the Germans to slap financial penalties on countries that do not rein in their spending. Arriving in Brussels today, Mr Cameron insisted Britain would play a 'very positive, very engaged' role in the EU but warned against wranglings about institutional reform. Instead, he called for a push to help Europe return to...

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2 Sudanese Rebels Appear At War Crimes Court



AMSTERDAM (AP) - Two men suspected in a deadly 2007 attack against African Union peacekeepers in Darfur...

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Court To Decide If Dutch Girl Can Sail The World



AMSTERDAM (AP) - A Dutch court is to decide Thursday whether a 14-year-old girl should be released from state custody so she can try to become the youngest person to sail solo around the globe, a ruling that comes just days after a California teenager was rescued on a similar attempt. Laura Dekker was made a ward of the state...

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Dutch Court To Rule In Piracy Trial Of 5 Somalis



ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - A Dutch court is to issue its verdict in the piracy case of five Somalis accused of attacking a freight...

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US returns 7 sculptures dating from Angkorian period that had been smuggled from Cambodia



PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The United States returned seven sculptures from the great Angkorian era on Thursday that had been smuggled out of Cambodia. Cambodian Buddhist monks blessed the artifacts during a handover ceremony at the port of...

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Dutch court to decide if girl, 14, is free to try to be youngest to ...



AMSTERDAM (AP) — A Dutch court is to decide Thursday whether a 14-year-old girl should be released from state custody so she can try to become the youngest person to sail solo around the globe, a ruling that comes just days after a California teenager was rescued on a similar attempt. Laura Dekker was made a ward of the state last year after her plan to set sail...

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Mumbai Jewish center whose rabbi was killed in November 2008 terror attacks gets new leader



MUMBAI, India (AP) — An Israeli couple will take charge of Mumbai's Chabad House, a Jewish community center that has been without a permanent rabbi since the previous leader was killed in the November 2008 terror attacks, a Chabad...

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Tests being conducted after dead sperm whale found 77 miles south of massive Gulf oil spill



NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A dead sperm whale has been found floating 77 miles south of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to a...

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New Hampshire professor pushes for return to slow reading, says words aren't fast food



CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Slow readers of the world, uuuuuuuu...niiiiite! At a time when people spend much of their time skimming websites, text messages and e-mails, an English professor at the University of New Hampshire is making the case for slowing down as a way to gain more meaning and pleasure out of the written word. Thomas Newkirk isn't the first or most prominent proponent of the so-called "slow reading" movement, but he argues it's becoming all the more important in a culture and educational system that often treats reading as fast food to be gobbled up as quickly as possible. "You see schools where reading is turned into a race, you see kids on the stopwatch to see how many...

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Authorities say small plane crash near airport kills 3 in southern Minnesota



ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration says three people have been killed in a plane crash near an airport in Rochester in...

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Vietnam’s gold habit weighs down dong



Per dollar of income, the Vietnamese consume more gold on average than anyone else on earth: in 2009, more than twice as much as Indians, 10 times as much as Chinese and 44 times as much as Americans

Source: http://www.ft.com

Cameron apologises for Bloody Sunday



David Cameron apologised for the killing by British troops of 14 demonstrators in Northern Ireland in 1972 on what has become known as Bloody Sunday, saying the killings were “wrong and unjustified”.

Source: http://www.ft.com

Copy-cat fears over Australian resources tax



Industry leaders are discussing whether Australia’s proposal to ‘super-tax’ its natural resources could spread to Canada, Brazil, Chile and other established mining jurisdictions

Source: http://www.ft.com

Terror stalks Kyrgyz city ravaged by rioting



As the evening call to prayer sounded from the mosques scattered across the city of Osh, what few people were left on the street disappeared altogether, fearing both the shoot on sight curfew and the terror that the coming night might bring

Source: http://www.ft.com

Hong Kong flat sale collapse knocks Henderson



The territory can no longer boast of having the world’s most expensive apartment after the collapse of a $57m sale, in a sign that its property market is cooling

Source: http://www.ft.com

Unemployment rises as public sector shrinks



Unemployment in the UK rises to 2.47m as the state sheds 7,000 jobs over three months, but the number of people claiming jobeseekers’ allowance falls to a better-than-expected 4.6%

Source: http://www.ft.com

Spanish banks break ECB loan record



Rise in borrowing to €85.6bn from €74.6bn provides further evidence of the acute tensions in the Spanish banking system

Source: http://www.ft.com

Osborne to warn big banks over crisis tax



Mansion House speech to warn big banks that they will have to pay for the damage they inflicted on the British economy and could be broken up

Source: http://www.ft.com

France unveils reforms to tackle debt



The French will have to work two years longer before retiring and the rich will pay higher taxes in an effort to drag the country’s pensions budget out of the red

Source: http://www.ft.com

Obama vows BP will pay for spill



Barack Obama issues an urgent call for the US to lessen its reliance on oil, urging Congress to act to reduce the chances of a catastrophe like the Gulf of Mexico oil spill ever happening again

Source: http://www.ft.com

How Earth's only natural satellite formed



The moon was probably formed after a massive space collision between a planet-sized object billions of years ago, in what Nasa described as the "big whack".



Source: http://www.herald.ie

NKorea warns UN to handle ship sinking impartially



HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press Writer= SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea urged the U.N. Security Council to impartially handle the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on the secretive state, warning Wednesday ongoing tension over the incident could trigger nuclear war. The threat came hours after the country's U.N. ambassador told reporters at a rare news conference in New York that its military will respond if the world body questions or condemns North Korea over the sinking. Sin Son Ho repeated his regime's position that it had nothing to do with the sinking that killed 46 South Korean sailors. "The U.N. Security Council must fulfill its responsibilities by bringing to...

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The nation's weather



WEATHER UNDERGROUND For The Associated Press= The low pressure system that was responsible for the widespread heavy rain in the Great Plains was expected to lift northeast into the Great Lakes and Northeast on Wednesday, carrying a cold front through the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley. This would result in widespread coverage of showers and thunderstorms east of the Mississippi Valley, with a risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of the Mid-Atlantic from Virginia to Pennsylvania. Farther south, from North Carolina across the Southeast, storms were expected to once again increase in the afternoon. Excessive moisture and seabreezes would help to enhance localized thunderstorms. Moving to...

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Tragedy sets tone in race for new Polish president



VANESSA GERA Associated Press Writer= WARSAW, Poland (AP) — National tragedy has set the stage in Poland for a presidential election whose outcome could shape the country's direction on issues like the adoption of the euro, welfare reform and even its mission in Afghanistan. Two months after President Lech Kaczynski was killed in a plane crash along with 95 others, Poles vote Sunday in an early presidential election to choose his successor. The two main contenders are men whose own fates have been altered by that disaster — the president's identical twin brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and Bronislaw Komorowski, the pro-business parliament speaker thrust by law into the role of acting president....

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2 Sudan war crimes suspects surrender



AMSTERDAM (AP) — The International Criminal Court says two men suspected of war crimes in Sudan have traveled to the Netherlands voluntarily and surrendered to the court. The men, identified as Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus, had been secretly indicted in August 2009 for allegedly playing leadership roles in attacks on African Union peacekeepers in Darfur. The court said in a statement Wednesday that the men will come before a judge Thursday and will remain in an undisclosed location in the Netherlands until then. World news...

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Cambodia: Breakdance arrives on the streets of Phnom Penh



A Cambodian who grew up in America brings a new cultural framework to young followers Traditional Cambodian culture. Photograph: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP Lithe and limber with the joints of a marionette, "Floater" lets it rip around the linoleum mat laid on the pavement. To the beat of a 1980s American hip-hop remix from a boom box, the Cambodian kid, real name Chea Sokchen, 15, transforms into a whirlwind of twisting hips and twirling limbs. After rotating...

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Perfumes off UK shelves over Indian workers wage allegations



LONDON: In a move that could affect India's draw as a cheap manufacturing destination, Superdrug, the UK's second-largest health and beauty retailer, has pulled out the perfumes of reality TV star Katie Price from its shelves following allegations that Indian workers making the bottles were not even paid minimum wages. The Observer on Sunday, of The Guardian group, has said its investigations revealed that Indian workers at a factory in Gujarat were paid £2.05 a day to make perfume bottles for Price's Stunning and Besotted fragrances. Glassworkers should earn at least £2.25 a day. A...

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Fitch sees euro zone breakup as 'remote risk'



PARIS: Credit rating agency Fitch sees a break-up of the euro zone as a "remote risk" and not one of its most likely scenarios, a Fitch director said on Wednesday....

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Perfumes off UK shelves over Indian wages



Perfumes off UK shelves over Indian wages Share ARTICLEURL In a move that could affect India's draw as a cheap manufacturing destination, Superdrug, the UK's second-largest health and beauty retailer, has pulled out the perfumes of reality TV star Katie Price from its shelves following allegations that Indian workers making the bottles were not even paid minimum wages. The Observer on Sunday, of The Guardian group, has said its investigations revealed that Indian workers at a factory in Gujarat were paid £2.05 a day to make perfume bottles for Price's Stunning and Besotted...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Iran backs 20% uranium enrichment



Iran backs 20% uranium enrichment Share ARTICLEURL Parliament speaker Ali Larijani on Wednesday called on Iran's government to push ahead with its controversial programme to enrich uranium to 20 percent, despite being slapped with fresh UN sanctions. "The Iranian parliament demands that the government continues producing 20 per cent enriched uranium and not stop it at all as some countries have not adhered to the NPT (nuclear...

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Wolfgang Schäuble - Greece default 'will not happen'



The eurozone is staggering under a mountain of debt and Europe risks years of...

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France to raise retirement age from 60 to 62



PARIS (AP) - France is to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 in 2018 in an effort to get the country's spiraling public finances under control, the labor minister said Wednesday. Eric Woerth called the measure - already strongly opposed by the opposition Socialist Party and labor unions - a "real moral obligation," given France's burgeoning deficit and its aging population, which he said...

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Iran says has conditions to resume nuclear talks - TV



TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday the Islamic state was ready to resume talks with major powers over its nuclear work, but had conditions, state television reported. The U.N. Security Council...

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Iraqi Kurdistan must stop genital mutilation - report



BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The practice of female genital cutting, or "circumcision", is widespread in Iraq's northern Kurdish region and authorities must develop a long-term plan to eradicate it, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. It is estimated that more than 130 million women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), a centuries-old practice still common in some countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, western and...

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ANALYSIS - Militant gains unlikely in Kyrgyz unrest



LONDON (Reuters) - Provided Kyrgyzstan does not descend into total chaos, its ethnic violence is unlikely to hand gains to militant Islamists whose creeping influence in central Asia is testing nerves from Moscow to Beijing. Ethnic Uzbek refugees, fled from clashes in the city, gather on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border, while waiting for permission to escape to Uzbekistan, near Osh, southern Kyrgyzstan, June 15, 2010. (REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov) Radical groups sympathetic to the Taliban or al Qaeda have had nothing to do with the unrest that has cost at least 176 lives since June 10 in the country's worst clashes for 20 years. But analysts say any radical Islamist attempt to use the strife to impose...

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Kyrgyz city still tense after ethnic fighting



OSH, Kyrgyzstan (Reuters) - Kyrgyz troops patrolled the burned-out streets of the southern city of Osh on Wednesday to maintain a fragile peace between ethnic groups following days of fierce fighting. A Kyrgyz serviceman sits on an armoured vehicle in the city of Osh, southern Kyrgyzstan, June 15, 2010. (REUTERS/Stringer) Mainly Muslim Kyrgyzstan has been on edge since a revolt in April toppled the president of the ethnically divided Central Asian country and brought an interim government to power. Clashes between its main ethnic...

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French storms and floods kill 9, 12 missing



MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - Floods caused by heavy rain killed nine people and left 12 missing near France's Mediterranean coast, local officials said on Wednesday. More than 350 mm (14 inches) of rain fell on...

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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Israel names observers to bolster inquiry



The country hopes that the appointment of David Trimble, the Nobel laureate, and Canadian Ken Watkin will add credibility to the investigation into the flotilla raid

Source: http://www.ft.com

Mexican drugs war reaches new heights



Mexico’s bloody drugs war reached new heights after 10 federal police officers were killed in a single attack and at least 28 inmates died following a clash of suspected rival drug gangs in a prison

Source: http://www.ft.com

UN ‘gravely concerned’ over Korean sinking



The Security Council’s carefully worded statement, read out after separate briefings from the South and North Korean delegations, did not state who was to blame for the incident

Source: http://www.ft.com

Osborne needs to find £34bn in Budget



If all the additional budgetary reduction was taken from non-protected departments in line with ambition to concentrate on spending cuts to reduce the deficit, real budgets would be slashed by a third, the IFS said

Source: http://www.ft.com

Death toll rises in Kyrgyz ethnic violence



Much of Osh lies in ruins after four days of ethnic fighting in southern Kyrgyzstan that has left at least 124 people dead and sent up to 100,000 ethnic Uzbeks fleeing for safety in Uzbekistan

Source: http://www.ft.com

China PM calls for better labour conditions



Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, urges better treatment of the nation’s vast army of migrant workers as employees at a Honda factory suspend the latest in a series of strikes that has laid bare growing assertiveness

Source: http://www.ft.com

US puts Singapore, Thailand on human trafficking watch list



Washington, June 15: The United States has put allies Singapore and Thailand as well as Vietnam on a human trafficking watch list, accusing them of failing to prevent women from being forced into prostitution. The move yesterday opens the way for the US to cut off some civilian assistance, although...

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Sudan's Bashir forms new government



Khartoum, June 15: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Monday formed a 35-member government two months after multi-party elections, according to an official decree distributed to the media. Bashir handed the key Foreign Ministry to Ali Karti from his ruling National Congress Party while the strategic Oil Ministry went to Luwal Ashweil Deng, from the...

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Kenyan churches blame govt for blast at rally



Nairobi, June 15: The National Council of Churches has accused Kenya's government of involvement in a grenade attack on a rally against a draft constitution that would allow abortions in life-threatening pregnancies and recognise Islamic courts. The accusation yesterday over Sunday evening's attack, which killed six people,...

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UN tells Koreas to exercise restraint



London, June 15: Following separate meetings with North and South Korean delegations, the UN Security Council has appealed to both parties to exercise restraint. Tension escalated after a South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sank near the disputed maritime border with North...

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At least 23 killed in Bangladesh landslides



Dhaka, June 15: Officials say landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 23 people and left several others missing in southeastern Bangladesh....

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Obama to press BP on compensation



Washington, June 15: US President Barack Obama says his government is about to reach a deal with British energy giant BP to compensate victims of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Obama said he would press BP executives to set up a multi-billion-dollar account to pay damage claims to people hurt by the worst US ecological disaster until now. The escrow fund was...

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Indian plunges to death in Abu Dhabi



Abu Dhabi: An Indian man, hailing from Hyderabad, fell to his death from the 12th floor of his office building in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi but it is unclear if this was a case of suicide. The victim Prasad worked as an office boy at a private firm in the Emirates city and fell...

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Uzbekistan closes borders to refugees



Uzbekistan last night closed its borders to refugees fleeing neighbouring Kyrgyzstan as the numbers killed in the ethnic violence spiralled and aid agencies reported fresh allegations of atrocities from the survivors. With over 100,000 refugees pouring into Uzbekistan, Central Asian state's Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Aripov said the border would be shut, despite pleas from aid groups and the UN to leave it open. "Today we will stop accepting refugees from the Kyrgyz side because we have no place to accommodate them and no capacity to cope with them," he said. Uzbekistan needed international...

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DPRK puts forward three principles to ease tension



PYONGYANG - Political parties and organizations of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday put forward three principles to ease the tension on the Korean Peninsula. The principles were listed in a joint statement...

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29 inmates, 10 officers killed in Mexican violence



MEXICO CITY - A total of 29 inmates were killed Monday in a prison riot in the northwestern city of Mazatlan in Mexico's Sinaloa state, officials said. Meanwhile, at least ten police...

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S.Korea-US to delay nuclear energy pact revision talks



SEOUL - Talks between South Korea and the United States over the issue of revising the Korea-US Atomic Energy Agreement, initially scheduled to begin in the first half of 2010, will be postponed until after September, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency...

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Death toll from Indian boat capsizing rises to 55



NEW DELHI - The death toll from the boat capsizing in northern Indian on Monday has risen to 55 as rescue workers had...

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Kyrgyzstan's unrest exposes heavy political jockeying



BEIJING - Widespread riots have for days rattled southern Kyrgyzstan, leaving at least 124 dead and 1,685 injured. The unrest has caused grave concern in the international community. As world countries and international organizations call for an early restoration of stability in the Central Asian state, questions remain over why violence flared up...

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Monday, June 14, 2010

Bipasha's latest ad raises eyebrows



Mumbai, June 14: Bipasha Basu these days is busy picking up a slew of endorsements, just like her beau John Abraham . And her...

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John turns choosy as he eyes hit hat-trick



New Delhi, June 14: John Abraham has been on a break from shooting films for a good seven to eight months now. We hear that he has realised the importance of being choosy. And since he has been earning well enough through his endorsement...

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Video: Scarlett Johansson wins Tony award -- watch speech; Denzel Washington wins (list of winners)



Scarlett Johansson -- AP Photo/Richard Drew It was a magical evening for those nominees and winners at tonight's 2010 Tony Awards. Two of the big winners this evening were Scarlett Johansson and Denzel Washington. As People reports, Johansson won for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Washington won for Best Actor in a Play. Johansson said during her acceptance speech: "Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be on Broadway, and here I am." She also thanked her husband Ryan Reynolds saying "Thank you for being a theater widower for me." Washington said during his acceptance speech: "I'm amazed....

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Westwood ends victory drought



Associated Press Lee Westwood came to Memphis, Tenn., for the first time in his career to sharpen himself for the U.S. Open. He wound up putting in a little overtime. Westwood won the St. Jude Classic for his second career PGA Tour victory and his first since...

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Hamlin keeps the heat high in Michigan



BROOKLYN, MICH.: Denny Hamlin continued his hot streak, dominating Sunday's NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway to pick up his second consecutive victory and fifth of the season. Hamlin led 123 laps and controlled the second half of the race, easily pulling away from Kasey Kahne on a restart with fewer than 20 laps remaining. Kahne held on for second, followed by pole sitter Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. Four-time defending series...

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Readers vote BMW designs top in 3 segments



Readers of Auto Bild, one of the largest-circulation car magazines in the world, and 20 of its European sister magazines selected the best-designed cars of the year in May - and BMW took three of the five...

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Rubina still in slum...



Rubina Ali Qureshi, the little girl from a Mumbai slum who shot to stardom with Slumdog Millionaire, is set to release the Marathi version of her autobiography even as she continues to live in the same squalid surroundings feeling “unsafe and insecure”. The book, titled Majha Taryankade Pravas, has been translated from an English version, Slumgirl Dreaming, by Mumbai author Maitreyi Joshi. The book, originally penned in French by Rubina in...

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Oil rises above $74 as Asian equities rally



Benchmark crude for July delivery was up 78 cents to $74.56 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped $1.70 to close at $73.78...

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I can't use cheating tactics: Ash



I can't use cheating tactics: Ash Share ARTICLEURL She did it, but without prompting. Aishwarya Rai will be seen in the Hindi as well as Tamil versions of "Raavan" that is releasing on Friday, but says she didn't use any prompting for either and relied on memory for her dialogues in both the languages. "I can't take prompting. First of all, I don't know the art of someone holding a placard and me reading it," said Aishwarya, 36. "I tried it once, but it was such a flop because I was in the water and they were holding the placard behind the camera and suddenly Vikram enters the frame and he started acting his bit. Then I had to bank on...

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Little Britain: what is life like as a small person?



Ricky Gervais's latest project is a sitcom that focuses on the daily life of a person of restricted growth. But what is it really like to be small? Gillian Martin: 'All society sees is the stereotype.' Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian Gillian Martin, 34 Newly qualified teacher, Rawtenstall, Lancashire We have been talking for 10 minutes when Gillian Martin stops. She wants to explain something. "This is really unique: for me to sit here and think and talk about my physicality. It's not on my mind 24/7." She says it pleasantly, but it's easy to see what she means: she would rather the media had a broader interest in people of restricted growth. "I'd love to see a small person...

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Germany seeks extradition of Israeli



Germany is seeking the extradition from Poland of an Israeli man arrested over an alleged link to the assassination of a senior Hamas operative in Dubai

Source: http://www.ft.com

Price jump shocks coffee speculators



Speculators in commodities suffered multi-million dollar losses last week after the cost of robusta coffee jumped nearly 20 per cent in just three days

Source: http://www.ft.com

Merkel pleads for calm amid coalition disputes



Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, has issued an urgent appeal for calm in her troubled coalition after her government’s problems deepened amid splits over spending cuts

Source: http://www.ft.com

Belgium elections show rise in separatism



Separatist parties emerged as the dominant political force following parliamentary elections, presaging a tense summer of negotiations as the divided country seeks to piece together a new government

Source: http://www.ft.com

US banks set to lose swaps fight



Banks are likely to lose a key lobbying battle in the US over whether they will be forced to spin off their lucrative swaps desks, according to people familiar with financial reform negotiations in Congress

Source: http://www.ft.com

UK growth forecasts to be revised down



Official growth forecasts for the UK economy will be cut as the newly established Office for Budget Responsibility publishes its first report on the country’s economic prospects

Source: http://www.ft.com

Kandahar strategy draws criticism



US plans to turn the course of the Afghan war with a large-scale operation to secure Kandahar risk driving more people into the arms of the insurgents, a senior United Nations official has warned

Source: http://www.ft.com

Strong euro hid crisis, says EU chief



Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Union, has blamed the strength of the euro in recent years for blinding the eurozone to its underlying fiscal problems

Source: http://www.ft.com

Kyrgyzstan ethnic violence escalates



Kyrgyzstan’s interim government said it had arrested a ‘well-known person’ on suspicion of fomenting the worst ethnic riots in 20 years, which have killed at least 117 and left cities in flames

Source: http://www.ft.com

US wants BP compensation set aside



Adm Allen says he is expecting BP’s response to his latest demands for a revised plan to cope with latest higher estimates of the amount of oil leaking from the well

Source: http://www.ft.com

Pak rejects Taliban-ISI link



Pak rejects Taliban-ISI link Share ARTICLEURL Pakistan has rejected a report claiming that its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) not only funds and trains Taliban fighters in Afghanistan but...

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Tokyo Stock Exchange: closing price list -3-+



TOKYO, June 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—TSE Prices UP/DN Hitachi Capital Corp 1252 UP 12 Hitachi Const 1754 UP 54 Hitachi Kokusai Elec 793 UP 12 Hitachi Ltd 349 UP 5 Hitachi Metals Ltd 913 UP 16 Hitachi Zosen Corp 127 UP 2 Hokkaido Elec Power 1896 UP 14 Hokuetsu Kishu Paper 462 UP 8 Honda Motor Co 2711 UP...

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Tokyo Stock Exchange: closing price list -8-+



TOKYO, June 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—TSE Prices UP/DN Stanley Elec Co 1645 UP 25 SUMCO Corp 1833 UP 24 Sumitomo Chem Co 373 UP 8 Sumitomo Corp 953 UP 16 Sumitomo Elec Ind 1100 UP 31 Sumitomo HI Ltd 537 UP 20 Sumitomo Metal Ind 214 DN 1 Sumitomo Metal Min 1221 UP 13 Sumitomo Mitsui Fin 2646 DN 1...

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Tokyo Stock Exchange: closing price list -6-+



TOKYO, June 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—TSE Prices UP/DN Nippon Meat Packers 1132 UP 18 Nippon Paper Grp Inc 2594 DN 9 Nippon Sharyo Ltd 427 UP 16 Nippon Sheet Glass 247 UP 9 Nippon Shokubai Co 866 0 Nippon Soda Co 321 UP 5 Nippon Steel Corp 313 UP 4 Nippon Suisan 279 UP 3...

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Tokyo Stock Exchange: closing price list -7-+



TOKYO, June 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—TSE Prices UP/DN Osaka Gas Co 322 UP 3 Pacific Metals Co 658 UP 21 Panasonic Corp 1259 UP 39 Panasonic Elec Works 951 UP 22 Penta-Ocean Const Co 125 UP 1 Pioneer Corp 324 UP 5 PGGIH UP 500 POSCO - - Promise Co 638 DN 2 Renown Inc 331 DN 6...

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Tokyo Stock Exchange: closing price list -4-+



TOKYO, June 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—TSE Prices UP/DN Keisei Elec Rail Co 507 UP 6 Keyence Corp UP 270 Kikkoman Corp 961 UP 9 Kinden Corp 806 DN 6 Kintetsu Corp 267 UP 5 Kirin Holdings Co 1181 DN 23 Kobe Steel Ltd 186 UP 3 Koito 1440 UP 55 Kokuyo Co 785 UP 2 Komatsu Ltd 1664 UP 33...

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Tokyo Stock Exchange: closing price list -9-+



TOKYO, June 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—TSE Prices UP/DN Tokyo Steel 968 UP 2 Tokyo Style Co 768 UP 24 Tokyu Const Co 235 UP 2 Tokyu Corp 361 UP 5 Tokyu Land Corp 347 UP 17 TonenGeneral Sekiyu 801 UP 6 Toppan Printing Co 765 UP 13 Topy Ind Ltd 180 UP 5...

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Teenage boy arrested for posting 'manga' content on YouTube+



KYOTO, June 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—A 14-year-old boy was arrested Monday for allegedly posting pirated "manga" comic stories on the video-sharing site YouTube, in the...

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Tokyo Stock Exchange closing indexes+



TOKYO, June 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Nikkei 225 9,879.85, UP 174.60 points Nikkei 300 177.43,...

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2-yr-old Saitama girl dies after choking on dental cotton+



SAITAMA, Japan, June 14 (AP) - (Kyodo)—A 2-year-old girl died Monday after choking on dental cotton during treatment for a broken tooth at a...

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Belgium divide deepens after Flemish separatists win election



New Flemish Alliance led by Bart De Wever becomes largest party with Dutch-speaking Flanders set to demand more self-rule New Flemish Alliance leader Bart De Wever hails his party's Belgium election victory Photograph: Dirk Waem/EPA The Belgian general election produced a stunning win for a Flemish separatist party that wants Dutch and French-speakers to end years of acrimonious linguistic disputes, or go their own way and break up Belgium. The New Flemish Alliance shook up Belgium's political scene yesterday by winning 27 seats, up 19 from the 2007 elections, to become the country's largest party. Its win was a withering verdict on premier Yves...

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Fresh ethnic violence erupts in Kyrgyzstan



SASHA MERKUSHEV Associated Press Writer= OSH, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — Sporadic gunfire continued through the night and fresh fires raged in southern Kyrgyzstan on Monday. The Central Asian nation's worst ethnic violence in decades showed no signs of abating as thousands of Uzbeks fled the slaughter. The official death toll reached 117 with 1,500 hurt, the Health Ministry of this beleaguered former Soviet country, which hosts U.S. and Russian military bases, announced early Monday. Accounts from international aid agencies and other witnesses suggest the real figures could be multiples higher: the International Committee of the Red Cross has said its delegates witnessed about 100 bodies being buried...

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Report: US finds mineral riches in Afghanistan



WASHINGTON (AP) — The New York Times reports that a team of U.S. geologists and Pentagon officials has discovered vast mineral wealth in Afghanistan. Officials say it could be enough to turn the scarred and impoverished country into one of the world's most lucrative mining centers. Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the United States Central Command, tells the paper the mineral deposits are potentially "hugely significant." The report says Americans discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, including iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium. World news...

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Australian bomb hoaxers could face decade in jail



SYDNEY - People who falsely claim a bomb is on board a plane or at an airport could be jailed for up to 10 years under tough new Australian legislation announced Monday. The proposed penalty is a sharp increase over the current maximum punishment of two years,...

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Kanishka inquiry report to be released on Thursday



Toronto: A quarter-century after Canada's worst terrorist attack killed 329 people, an inquiry commission will make its report into the 1985 Kanishka bombing public this week, outlining recommendations about how to prevent such tragedies in future. The report by the Public Inquiry Commission on the Air India bombing is expected to be delivered to prime minister Stephen Harper and be made public on Thursday. The report is...

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Queen Elizabeth caught driving without seat belt



London: An elderly lady was caught driving a car without a seat belt. But she wasn't fined because she can't be. She's the Queen! Queen Elizabeth drove her Jaguar away from...

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Pictures of Blagojevich: a crook or a fool?



MIKE ROBINSON The Associated Press CHICAGO - Was Rod Blagojevich a crook? Or was he merely a bumbler, a goof , naive, trusting and played for a fool by cynical campaign fundraisers and political fixers? Some will have trouble swallowing the idea of Blagojevich, a veteran lawmaker who was elected Illinois governor twice, as the all-American chump. But a defense theme at his racketeering and fraud trial is that he simply didn't know what was going on around him. Experts say the strategy can be effective but present problems. They say defense attorneys need to ensure their client doesn't look insincere. Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to scheming to profit from his power to fill President...

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35 feared drowned as boat capsizes in north India



LUCKNOW, India-At least 35 people are feared drowned after a boat capsized on the Ganges river in northern India early Monday, police said. The crowded...

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Vietnamese taxi driver returns bag with $26,500



HANOI, Vietnam-A Vietnamese company says it's lucky an honest man was driving the taxi cab where a forgetful...

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Separatist party wins big in Belgian election



BRUSSELS-Voters gave a stunning win in general elections to a Flemish separatist party that wants Dutch and French-speakers to end years of acrimonious linguistic disputes -- or go their own way and break up Belgium. The New Flemish Alliance on Sunday shook up Belgium's hidebound political scene, winning 27 seats, up 19 from the 2007 elections, to become Belgium's biggest party. Its win was a withering report card on Premier Yves Leterme's outgoing coalition of Christian Democrats, Liberals and Socialists -- split into Dutch- and...

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Sunday, June 13, 2010

Darling hid £7bn ‘good news’ from Brown



PM only told the day before final Budget, just weeks ahead of the election, in a move that in effect left a £7bn present for his Conservative successor

Source: http://www.ft.com

Iran security forces avert anniversary rally



Iran’s security forces almost outnumbered a few thousand opposition supporters in central Tehran in order to prevent a rally on the first anniversary of the country’s disputed presidential election.

Source: http://www.ft.com

Report cites Pakistan support for Taliban



Pakistani military intelligence not only funds and trains Taliban fighters in Afghanistan but is officially represented on the movement’s leadership council, giving it significant influence over operations, a report said

Source: http://www.ft.com

Kyrgyzstan gives army shoot-to-kill power



Kyrgyzstan will send reserve forces and volunteers to its troubled south on Sunday after a third night of gun battles took the death toll to 80 in the central Asian state’s worst ethnic violence in two decades

Source: http://www.ft.com

BP ready to suspend dividend pay-outs



BP executives will promise Barack Obama that the company will retain sufficient cash to meet all legitimate claims, which analysts say could range from $5bn to $40bn, as David Cameron, British prime minister, prepared to discuss the oil spill with the US president

Source: http://www.ft.com

Blame devil for clerical sex abuse says Pope, as he begs forgiveness



Pope Benedict has begged forgiveness from sex abuse victims and promised at a Mass celebrated by 15,000 priests from around the world to "do everything possible" to protect children.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Ship set to rescue teen sailor Abby



A French fishing vessel was expected to reach stricken Californian teenage sailor Abby Sunderland today.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Miliband reveals his struggle to be a dad



British Labour leadership hopeful David Miliband has spoken for the first time about his long struggle to have children with wife Louise, and their decision to adopt after years of IVF treatment failed.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Jailing of OJ was 'payback' time, says appeal team



Former American football star OJ Simpson's conviction for a gunpoint hotel room robbery amounted to prejudicial "payback" for his 1994 double-murder acquittal, his lawyer told Nevada judges.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

One of twins mauled by fox is out of hospital



A baby girl mauled by a fox as she slept was recuperating at home today after being discharged from hospital.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Wall of water kills 16 in US flash flooding



Floodwaters that rose by up to 8ft an hour tore through a packed campsite, killing at least 16 people.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Karzai Seeks Support for Kandahar Operation



Filed at 1:59 a.m. ET KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought support Sunday for the NATO campaign to ramp up security in the key southern city of Kandahar and bolster his government's influence in a Taliban stronghold rife with violence, crime and corruption. Karzai flew to Kandahar for only his second trip in recent years to the city -- the biggest in the south and spiritual birthplace of the Taliban. Karzai, who was born in the outskirts of Kandahar, is to have two meetings -- one with about 50 tribal and provincial leaders and another with several hundred area residents. Many of them are skeptical of the campaign, which has already begun in the area. Insurgents...

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England Goalie's Blunder Gives U.S. Tie



RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AP) — England's players couldn't get off the field fast enough. The Americans lingered to savor the night. They walked to the end of Royal Bafokeng Stadium where thousands of red, white and blue-clad fans were waving the Stars and Stripes and cheering their heads off. Try convincing the U.S. team and its fans there wasn't a winner in the 1-1 draw with mighty England. "We'll take more out of a draw than they will," said U.S. goalkeeper , the man of the match. "They're going to feel like they should have won the game."...

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No. 1 seed Arizona State outlasts Arkansas on Marrero's hit in 12th inning



TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Deven Marrero's one-out RBI single in the 12th inning lifted No. 1 national seed Arizona State over in the Tempe super regional on Saturday night. Kole Calhoun led off with his fifth walk. Riccio Torrez was...

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Al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants behead 3 loggers in southern Philippines



MANILA, (AP) — -linked militants beheaded three loggers in the Philippines in apparent retaliation for government offensives in the country's south, security officials said Sunday. The killings were carried out as the country celebrated its 112th Independence Day, the latest in a series of terror acts by the Abu Sayyaf insurgency to mark the holiday. About 30 Abu Sayyaf gunmen ran into the three Christian men hauling timber in a rain forest near Maluso town on Basilan island Saturday. Relatives found their remains hours later, Basilan provincial police chief...

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CNN



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Ethnic Rioting Spreads in Kyrgyzstan, With 80 Dead



Filed at 2:16 a.m. ET OSH, Kyrgyzstan (AP) -- Ethnic rioting spread Sunday in southern Kyrgyzstan, where at least 80 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded. Thousands of Uzbeks fled after their homes were torched by roving mobs of Kyrgyz men. Fires destroyed much of Osh, the second-largest city in a Central Asian country that hosts U.S. and Russian military air bases. Stores were looted and the city was running out of food. Gunfire rang out Sunday in another major southern city, Jalal-Abad, where the day before a rampaging mob burned a university, besieged a police station and seized an armored vehicle and other weapons from a local military unit. In the nearby Bazar-Kurgan...

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John Travolta Donates $10,000 to Mandela Charity



...

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Deputy director of China's drug regulator dismissed amid investigation



BEIJING - The deputy head of China's food and drug regulator is being investigated and has been dismissed from his post, a state news agency said Sunday, citing an anti-corruption agency. The move comes three years after the former chief of the drug agency was executed after a bribe-taking scandal in which several deaths were blamed on medicines the agency approved. Zhang Jingli, deputy director of the State Food and Drug Administration is under investigation for suspected "serious disciplinary violations," the official Xinhua News Agency said. The term is a standard party reference for graft and abuse of power. Xinhua cited the Communist Party of China Central Commission for...

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Sunday's World Cup 2010 round-up



Britain's Sunday newspapers showed no sympathy for England goalkeeper Robert Green after his blunder allowed the United States to equalise in their group C encounter which ended 1-1. The News of the World, Sunday Mirror and Independent all used the headline, "Hand of Clod" with...

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Belgians vote after debate on splitting country



By PHILIP BLENKINSOP, Reuters BRUSSELS - Belgians voted in a parliamentary election on Sunday for a government that could move towards breaking up the country and that will need to curb the third-highest debt ratio in Europe. The Flemish separatist N-VA (New Flemish Alliance), which advocates the gradual dissolution of Belgium, is forecast to be the largest party in Dutch-speaking Flanders and possibly the country. "The ballot box question is not whether but by how much the N-VA will win," said Dutch-language newspaper De...

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Kyrgyz gov't to reinforce south, ethnic riots kill 80



By HULKAR ISAMOVA, Reuters OSH, Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyzstan will send reserve forces and volunteers to its troubled south on Sunday after a third night of gun battles took the death toll to 80 in the Central Asian state's worst ethnic violence in two decades. The interim government of Kyrgyzstan, an ex-Soviet republic hosting U.S. and Russian military bases, granted shoot-to-kill powers to its security forces after deadly riots between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in the southern cities of Osh and Jalalabad. The Interior Ministry said in a statement it would send a volunteer force to the south because the situation in Osh and Jalalabad regions...

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Japan space probe set for Australian outback return



By Reuters SYDNEY - A Japanese space probe which scientists hope will bring back a sample from an asteroid is due to return to Earth on schedule late on Sunday in the Australian outback, an Australian defence official said. The Hayabusa probe is due to land around 11:30 p.m. (1400 GMT) near the Woomera military range in the remote...

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Heat on BP to improve oil spill response



By JEFFREY JONES and KEITH WEIR, Reuters BURAS, La./LONDON - BP Plc faced renewed U.S. pressure on Sunday to do more to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, as the United States and Britain tried to avert a potentially damaging row over the crisis. The British energy giant placed a containment cap on its blown-out seabed well this month, but oil continues to gush into the ocean, polluting beaches and wildlife habitats, killing marine life and threatening tourism and fishing. U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson told BP in a June 11 letter made public on Saturday that its containment plan did not go far enough or include enough back-up measures in the event of equipment failure or...

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Teen sailor healthy, weary after 3 days adrift



CHRISTOPHER WEBER The Associated Press THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - A California teenager who spent three days adrift on the turbulent Indian Ocean described her ordeal as "crazy" as she started a long journey home aboard a French fishing boat that rescued her Saturday from her crippled sailboat. Abby Sunderland was bumped and bruised but otherwise healthy, her parents said after hearing from the 16-year-old in a 20-minute phone call to their home northwest of Los Angeles. "She sounded tired, a little bit small in her voice, but she was able to make jokes and she was looking forward to getting some sleep," her mother, Marianne Sunderland, told reporters outside the family home. Her mother, who is...

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Spycam tenant feels like prostitute after ordeal - NZ



A woman secretly filmed by a former mayoral...

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Cadet Training For Islands



Schools in the Lau Group will receive...

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Friday, June 11, 2010

Sales dip raises doubts on US recovery



US retail sales fell unexpectedly in May, breaking a seven-month stretch of increases, and signalling that the US consumer remains fragile

Source: http://www.ft.com

Bhopal ruling heightens sense of betrayal



Abdul Jabbar Khan chokes up when he walks underneath the steel pipework and corroding tanks of the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. The memories of the thousands of dead from a deadly poison gas cloud 26 years ago are too fresh

Source: http://www.ft.com

Art imitates political life in Iran



Inside an Iranian school, a couple of dozen artists in their twenties are using their talents to make radical political statements. Small portraits of protesters who were killed while marching against the Islamic regime are spread on the floor

Source: http://www.ft.com

Chinese inflation exceeds 3% target



Rate exceeds 3 per cent target set by the government for the year at a time when wage pressures in the economy are intensifying, but other data suggest growth is slowing

Source: http://www.ft.com

Sarkozy seeks to block bid for Le Monde



The race to recapitalise France’s newspaper of record took a new turn when it emerged that the French president intervened against three businessmen who are the takeover favourites

Source: http://www.ft.com

An FT interview with Hillary Clinton



The secretary of state talks about American leadership, her job as saleswoman-in-chief for the US and why any rivalry with Barack Obama is ‘ancient history’

Source: http://www.ft.com

S Africa narrowly miss World Cup win



The South African national team nearly provided the host country with the perfect start to the tournament, drawing the opening game 1-1 with Mexico in an encounter that matched the excitement of its football-mad fans

Source: http://www.ft.com

Ambani brothers to compete in telecoms



Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man, will re-enter the country’s telecoms market, pitching him into direct competition with his younger sibling, Anil

Source: http://www.ft.com

Banks set new store on building gold vaults



The growing interest in the metal among investors worried about the global economy and Europe’s sovereign debt crisis has led to a shortage of long-term storage space

Source: http://www.ft.com

BP ready to suspend dividend pay-outs



BP executives will promise President Obama to retain sufficient cash to meet all legitimate claims, which analysts say could range from $5bn to $40bn

Source: http://www.ft.com

ECB loans for banks



THE European Central Bank is offering short-term loans to banks in an attempt to ease market tensions.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Solo sailor Abby (16) is safe after ocean storm



A 16-year-old girl trying to sail solo around the world is safe and well, her parents said, after a massive search and rescue was launched in the Indian Ocean after she triggered distress signals.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

A big day for football. A giant leap for a continent



Not far from Soccer City, the stadium which today houses the opening ceremonies of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, stands the Maponya mall. There you can buy Versace sunglasses, eat sushi, smoke a €22 Havana cigar and even buy a car from the Audi dealer.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

A year on, Swine flu toll touches 18,156: WHO



Geneva, June 11, AFP: The World Health Organisation said on Friday that 18,156 people had died from swine flu, a year after the influenza was declared a pandemic. The virus is now "globally less active," Gregory Haertl, a spokesman of the UN health agency said, but he warned that...

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Eminem - Recovery (Review)



The new Eminem album leaked onto the Internet today, and so we figured we’d do a quick review and turn the leak into a positive because the album really does deserve to sell well. It was originally intended to be a follow up to his 2009 album Relapse, but that idea was scrapped, and instead he decided to make it a stand alone album. It makes more sense that he did, as a lot of the album is dedicated to apologizing to the fans for how bad Relapse was. So how does it stack up against his previous release? Will it live up to the hype or be a disappointment? Will he stick to his word and do away with that voice he used on Relapse? Well I’m glad to say it does live up to the hype and he did...

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Snoop Dogg & Kurupt - L.A. Lakers 2010 Theme



Even though the Lakers...

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Taiwan cancels film fest tour



TAIPEI: Taiwan has decided to cancel its participation in a top film festival in Shanghai, Taipei officials said today, citing fears that the island would be treated as a part of...

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China school attacker faces death penalty



BEIJING: A Chinese court today sentenced to death a man who injured 16 children and a teacher in an April stabbing spree-the third such punishment after a series of school attacks that shocked the nation. An intermediate court in the southern province of Guangdong sentenced Chen Kangbing to death...

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Mandela's great-granddaughter dies



JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela, separated from his family by nearly three decades in an apartheid prison, has endured a long history of heartache in his private life. Rather than glorying in South Africa's hosting of the World Cup today, the country's first black president was instead in mourning at home after his great-granddaugher died in an eve of tournament car crash. The death of 13-year-old Zenani Mandela was...

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Taipei slashes ex-prez life term to 20 years



TAIPEI: In a surprise decision, Taiwan's high court today cut ex-president Chen Shui-bian's life sentence for corruption to 20 years in jail, but the former leader said he would appeal. The court, which also reduced former first lady Wu Shu-chen's life term to 20 years imprisonment, said it had reached the decision after concluding that Chen had embezzled less money than previously...

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World Briefs



Russia for warships PARIS: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday as Moscow pressed demands that French warships it wants to buy should come with high-tech equipment. The sale of the Mistral-class assault ships is widely seen as France's most ambitious bid yet to reach out to...

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Gazans hit hard by blockade



GAZA CITY: Three out of four factories in Gaza have closed because they can't import or export. Legitimate businesses have been replaced by a...

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Clashes in Kyrgyzstan, emergency imposed



BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan's interim government declared a state of emergency and slapped a curfew on southern parts of the country today after ethnic clashes left at least 23 people dead and over 300 wounded. Interim President Roza Otunbayeva-whose government has struggled to assert its rule over the ex-Soviet state since taking power amid unrest in April-backed off earlier statements that authorities had regained control. "The situation remains tense....

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39 killed in Mexico shootings as drug war rages on



CIUDAD JUAREZ: Gunmen brought terror to two towns in northern Mexico, killing at least 39 people, police said, as the country struggles to tackle the scourge of powerful and violent drug cartels. In Chihuahua, the capital of northern Chihuahua state, more than 30 armed men stormed a drug rehabilitation center overnight, killing 19 people and wounding four others. Meanwhile, an unknown number of gunmen carried out a series of armed attacks and executions across the town of Madero, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, police said. In Chihuahua, the gunmen arrived in six trucks around midnight on Thursday and stormed the second floor of the Templo Cristiano Fe y Vida (Christian Faith and...

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19 slain at Mexico rehab clinic, 16 in second city



The killings marked one of the bloodiest weeks ever in Mexico and came just weeks after authorities discovered 55 bodies in an abandoned silver mine, presumably victims of the country's drug violence. The bullet-riddled bodies of 14 men and two women were found Friday in different parts of Ciudad Madero, a city in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, where violence has surged this year amid a turf battle between the Gulf cartel and its former ally, the Zetas gang of hit men. Authorities earlier said 20 were killed but reduced that to 16. Police had no information on suspects. It was the deadliest day in Tamaulipas drug violence since 18 gunmen were killed during a series of coordinated...

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NKorea vows to blow up South propaganda facilities



In 2004, the rival Koreas ended decades of propaganda campaigns as relations warmed following a landmark summit in 2000. However, South Korea resumed radio broadcasts to the North last month and installed a dozen propaganda loudspeakers along the border. The resumption of psychological warfare was part of punitive steps...

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Church: Cuba agrees to free political prisoner



PAUL HAVEN Associated Press Writer= HAVANA (AP) — Roman Catholic leaders announced Friday that Cuban authorities have agreed to free an ill political prisoner and transfer six others to jails nearer home, the latest in a rare series of concessions from a government not known for its tolerance of dissent. The decision means freedom for Ariel Sigler, one of 75 activists, community organizers and journalists arrested in a 2003 crackdown. Sigler, who was serving a 25-year sentence for treason, has been hospitalized recently for an unknown ailment. Six other prisoners — Hector Fernando Maceda, Juan Adolfo Fernandez, Omar Moises Ruiz, Efren Fernandez, Jesus Mustafa Felipe and Juan Carlos Herrera —...

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TV channel owner ordered arrested in Venezuela



JORGE RUEDA Associated Press Writer= CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant Friday for the owner of a television channel that takes a critical line against President Hugo Chavez. Intelligence agents arrived at a home owned by Guillermo Zuloaga seeking to arrest him and one of his sons Friday night, but their whereabouts were unknown, defense lawyers said. Zuloaga is president and majority shareholder of Globovision, the country's only remaining channel on the airwaves that is stridently opposed to Chavez. A court issued the warrant for the businessman and his son, also named Guillermo, citing accusations of illegally keeping 24 new Toyota sport-utility...

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Calif. hostage standoff ends with man shot dead



SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say an armed man holding a 1-year-old boy hostage in a Sacramento apartment complex has been fatally shot by police. A Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman says police used an explosive charge Friday evening to blow a hole in the side of the apartment where 26-year-old Anthony Alvarez had been barricaded since Wednesday. Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran says Alvarez "engaged" an officer and was shot multiple times. Curran says the 1-year-old suffered only an abrasion on his leg. The child was taken to a hospital as a precaution. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) —...

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Massacre in Mexican drug rehab centre



At least 30 gunmen burst into a drug rehabilitation centre in a Mexican border state...

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Sri Lankan President changing law to extend rule



Plans to amend legislation, which limits the country's leader to serving only two terms, have been approved by the government. Officials in Colombo said the cabinet had effectively rubber-stamped the...

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Torture, executions leave 39 dead in 2 Mexico cities



MEXICO CITY - Violence flared across Mexico, with 19 men executed at a drug rehab center in Chihuahua and 18 men and two women tortured and killed near Tampico, officials reported Friday. With most residents inside watching their national team's World Cup match with South Africa, killers Friday morning dumped the tortured bodies of 20 victims on residential streets near the Gulf Coast city of Tampico. Troops recovered the bodies of 18 men and two women in...

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Slovakia coalition fighting for survival



BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Slovakia's three party governing coalition is fighting for survival in a parliamentary election on Saturday, challenged in a tight race by the center-right opposition. Prime Minister Robert Fico's left-leaning party - which has promised to maintain the welfare state, in contrast to the budget-cutting being implemented in several other European countries - appears according to polls to be heading for the largest share of the vote. And the chances of its junior coalition partner, the ultranationalist Slovak National Party of Jan Slota,...

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Cruise role to hit big screen



Tom Cruise is bringing his foul-mouthed Hollywood producer character Les Grossman to the big screen.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Vietnam national faces trial in drugs farm case



A 33-YEAR-OLD man accused of having a cannabis farm valued at over €160,000 in his house is facing trial on the charges.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Ex-Blue Peter host engaged



Former Blue Peter host Konnie Huq has become engaged to her fellow presenter Charlie Brooker, it has been confirmed.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

New demand to suspend Jacko doctor



California's state medical board has again requested a judge to suspend the licence of the doctor charged over the death of Michael Jackson.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Obama plea to ease Gaza blockade



US president Barack Obama wants to sharply limit Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the botched naval raid that is straining American and Israeli relations with allies around the world.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

And you thought our TDs were bad ...



Former New Zealand government ministers used their official credit cards to buy pornographic movies, Bollinger champagne, flowers for a romantic partner and even an airline ticket, official records showed today.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Step back 5,500 years to world's oldest shoe



About 5,500 years ago someone in the mountains of Armenia put his best foot forward in what is now the oldest leather shoe found.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Girl fights for life after crash



A 15-YEAR-OLD girl was fighting for her life today after she was knocked down while out walking.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Easy, tiger! Klein scent used to lure big cats in jungle



Biologists racking jaguars in the jungle have found the Calvin Klein cologne Obsession For Men attracts big cats.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

New life-saving army underwear



US scientists have designed some new men's briefs that may be comfortable, durable and even stylish but, unlike most underpants, may be able to save lives.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Stowaway clung to wheel of jet at 25,000ft



A young Romanian risked death stowing away in the undercarriage of a jumbo jet to Britain despite being entitled to come into the country legally.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Tokyo stocks rise sharply after Wall St. gains, weaker yen+



TOKYO, June 11 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: TO BE LED) Tokyo stocks rose...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Former Taiwan Pres. Chen's life sentence cut to 20 years+



TAIPEI, June 11 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The Taiwan High Court overturned life sentences for...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Gov't eyes beefing up consultation services to reduce suicides+



TOKYO, June 11 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The central and local governments should expand consultation services for people who are suffering from unemployment and hardship as suicides have risen sharply in 2009, the government said...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Japan aims to cap spending below FY 2010 level for 3 yrs from FY 2011+



TOKYO, June 11 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The government is aiming to cap expenditures for three years...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Rare photo of slave children found in NC attic



RALEIGH, N.C. – A haunting 150-year-old photo found in a North Carolina attic shows a...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

UN resolution 'incorrect', 'illegal': Iranian spokesman



TEHRAN - Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast denounced the UN Security Council's resolution against Tehran as "incorrect and illegal," the...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Iran accuses West, vows to pursue nuclear program



TEHRAN - Tehran accused the West on Thursday of cheating the world on the UN resolutions to impose a new round of sanctions against the country and vowed to pursue its "peaceful" nuclear program. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that "Western countries cheated the international community" by persuading them to vote for sanctions against Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported. The UN Security Council Wednesday adopted a resolution to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its suspected nuclear program. Referring to the adoption of new sanctions, the spokesman asserted that such moves are aimed at preventing the Iranian nation from pursuing its...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

NATO countries to cut fat and not muscle: Rusmussen



BRUSSELS - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Thursday urged member states to "cut fat not muscle" in defence budgets as they are forced to make cuts due to current financial crisis. NATO defence minister began a two-day meeting at...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

EU seeks to open sea route to Gaza



Ships may...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Bittersweet Tweets From Iran



Night after night, as I read more of Parham's Persian tweets, I dreamt of death,...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Humanities education: Is it worth the effort anymore?



THE market has spoken to aspiring students of the humanities and it has said, "Don't bother." Some...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

'Nobody denies Jewish history here'



Palestinian Authority President...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Happy National Log Cabin Day and Iced Tea Day-- Drink Iced Tea in a Log Cabin



Today, June 10, 2010 is national log cabin day and iced tea day. Both tea and log cabins have been around for...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Speedsisters: Battling sexism in West Bank motor-racing



Among the 70 competitors for the Nablus leg of the...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Taiwan TV says court upholds conviction of former president, but cuts sentence to 20 years



TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan's High Court rejected former President Chen Shui-bian's appeal of his conviction on graft charges Friday, but cut his life sentence to 20 years, TV stations reported. All of Taiwan's seven cable stations also said that former first lady Wu Shu-chen's conviction on graft charges was upheld, but that her own life sentence was cut to 14 years. The High Court was meeting in closed session to read out the verdict on the Chen and Wu cases, so it was impossible to immediately confirm the TV reports. Chen, 59, was found guilty in September 2009 by the Taipei District Court of embezzling $3.15 million from a special presidential fund, receiving bribes worth at least $9...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

No restriction on questions to Headley by NIA: US



Chicago: Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist, David Coleman Headley, answered to all the questions of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team for a week and there was "no restriction" the questions posed by the Indian investigators, US Justice Department said today. "Headley and his counsel agreed to the meetings...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Iran leader in China after about-face on sanctions



SHANGHAI - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was visiting Shanghai to tour the World Expo and was expected to speak later Friday, two days after host China yielded to international pressure to back new nuclear sanctions against Tehran. Ahmadinejad was not scheduled to meet with Chinese leaders while in China. He also skipped Thursday's summit in Uzbekistan of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was attended by Chinese president Hu Jintao. Iran is an observer in that group. The new...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Taiwan TV: Chen's sentence cut to 20 years



TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan's High Court rejected former President Chen Shui-bian's appeal of his conviction on graft charges Friday, but cut his life sentence to 20 years, TV stations reported. All of Taiwan's seven cable stations also said that former first lady Wu Shu-chen's conviction on graft charges was upheld, but that her own life sentence was cut to 14 years. The...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Volcker presses on risky trading



The former Federal Reserve chief presses Democrats in Congress to adopt a firm ban on proprietary trading as they prepare for a public ‘conference’ to finalise financial regulatory reform

Source: http://www.ft.com

Crowds and cameras greet Kerviel in court



Jerome Kerviel faced judges on Tuesday as a long-awaited showdown began over his part in a €4.9bn trading loss that brought Société Générale close to collapse.

Source: http://www.ft.com

Nato trucks destroyed near Pakistan capital



At least seven people are killed when gunmen attack more than 50 parked vehicles carrying supplies for western forces in Afghanistan, the first such attack near Islamabad

Source: http://www.ft.com

California political ad spending set for record



California is set for a year of record spending on political advertising after Meg Whitman poured $80m into her successful bid to win the Republican nomination to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger as the state’s governor

Source: http://www.ft.com

Dutch voters face political uncertainty



Exit poll predicts a result too close to call in a fight between the rightwing Liberal party and left-of-centre Labour party

Source: http://www.ft.com

EU urged to speed up financial regulation



France and Germany have urged the European Union to speed up its efforts to tighten financial regulation, calling for EU-wide powers to ban naked short-selling and the harmonisation of settlement delays

Source: http://www.ft.com

Bernanke points to modest US recovery



The US economy is on a slow but sustainable path of recovery and has suffered little so far from the economic travails in the eurozone, Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, said

Source: http://www.ft.com

US Gulf tops global rankings for new oil output



In its annual statistical review BP reveals that more new oil was produced last year from fields in the US Gulf of Mexico than from any other region in the world

Source: http://www.ft.com

Unrest spreads among Chinese workers



Industrial action has extended beyond south China’s industrial heartland, posing a dangerous new challenge for Beijing

Source: http://www.ft.com

US blames Europe as Turkey opposes sanctions



Robert Gates suggested EU reluctance to admit Turkey as a member could be pushing it away from the west as the country voted against stepping up sanctions on Iran

Source: http://www.ft.com

Soldiers looted air crash bodies Sister loses £1 'fake' will fight



Four Russian soldiers have been charged with stealing bank cards from the wreckage of the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Lighter, camera and action for the new iPhone 4



Launched this week in a blaze of publicity, the iPhone 4 is just 9.3mm thick, making it the thinnest smartphone on the market. The curved design has been squared off and flattened with stainless steel and glass embellishments.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Granny saved dogs but left boy in blaze



A woman told how she accidentally left her grandson in her burning house as she rescued her beloved dogs.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Irish woman sentenced to seven years for religious row in Qatar



AN Irish woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison after she ignited a religious row in a mosque in Qatar.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

The cow who jumped over the pool ... and had to be rescued



When the cow jumped over the moon, all sorts of havoc ensued.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

When Secularism Is Not Enough



Can Islamic jihad be resisted simply on the basis of Western secular values? Some readers of my posts on the role of Christianity in resisting Islam have objected that bringing Christianity into the debate only muddies the water. As...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Former sheriff's deputy charged in connection with Jesters probe



Dan Herbeck of the Buffalo News...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Japan's Jan.-March economic growth revised up to annualized 5.0%+



TOKYO, June 10 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Japan's economy grew a real 5.0 percent on an annualized basis...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Japan's wholesale prices up 0.4% in May on year+



TOKYO, June 10 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: TO BE LED) Japan's wholesale prices grew 0.4 percent in May from a year...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

3RD LD: U.N. Security Council adopts Iran sanctions resolution+



NEW YORK, June 9 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE QUOTES) The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Wednesday to slap additional sanctions on Iran over its nuclear ambitions, including an extensive assets freeze and travel bans on the head of the country's nuclear research center and entities involved in nuclear and missile development. The resolution requires U.N. members to conduct cargo inspections on Iranian vessels under certain conditions and places new restrictions on Iranian imports of conventional weapons. The cargo inspections were modeled after ones conducted on North Korean ships in line with a resolution the world body adopted last year against the country for...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Tokyo stocks open higher on steady yen+



TOKYO, June 10 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Tokyo stocks opened higher Thursday, a day after the Nikkei stock index closed at a six-month low, as a respite in the yen's sharp rise against the dollar and the euro prompted investors to buy shares that had fallen...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Pro-business party leads in Dutch election



A woman casts her vote at a polling station set up in the the living room... Voters walk out of a polling station at a police post on the beach, after... Voters fill out their ballots in a church in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednes... AMSTERDAM (AP) - An anti-Islam party notched large gains in Dutch elections on Wednesday, but a contest between the two largest parties on the right and left remained too close to call. With 91 percent of votes counted, the pro-business VVD party led Labor by 31 seats to 30 in the 150-seat parliament, a result that spelled weeks and possibly months of haggling to fashion a ruling coalition among parties deeply split on immigration and how to curb government...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Obama calls for new approach to blockade of Gaza



WASHINGTON -President Obama called Wednesday for a "new conceptual framework" to replace Israel's blockade of Gaza, saying that he thinks the effort should be narrowed to focus only on arms shipments. Obama said a new blockade could target the weapons that Israel says are being used against its citizens, "rather than focusing in a blanket way on stopping everything and then, in a piecemeal way, allowing things into Gaza." The comments, made after a White House meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, reflect the administration's willingness to pressure Israel on the issue since commandos stormed an aid flotilla headed for Gaza on May 31, killing nine...

Source: http://rss.wn.com

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Nigeria cancels $420m runway contract



Controversy surrounding plans to build a runway at the airport in Abuja has underlined concerns about public procurement in Africa’s biggest oil and gas producer

Source: http://www.ft.com

Brazil growth gives rise to fears of overheating



Brazil’s economy was among the fastest growing in the world during the first quarter, adding to fears the economy is overheating and to expectations that the central bank will raise rates again

Source: http://www.ft.com

Spanish public sector strikes over pay cuts



Tens of thousands of civil servants joined protests against government austerity measures announced a month ago

Source: http://www.ft.com

N Korea finds World Cup sponsors in Italy



North Korea was part of the “axis of evil” identified by George W. Bush and is subject to sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme but, for a little-known Italian sportswear company, politics is no obstacle to sponsoring the country’s World Cup team

Source: http://www.ft.com

Trio accused of Ritz sale bid fraud



A lawyer and two associates orchestrated an ‘ambitious scam’ in which they fraudulently tried to sell the Ritz – which they did not own – for £250m, court told

Source: http://www.ft.com

Japan’s Kan unveils new cabinet



Naoto Kan, Japan’s new prime minister, unveiled a new cabinet that included 11 ministers from the previous administration of Yukio Hatoyama, in a move that emphasised stability over sweeping change

Source: http://www.ft.com

EU agrees on tougher economic scrutiny



European Union finance ministers will agree tough new intervention powers for EU officials if member states’ economic statistics are suspected to be flawed

Source: http://www.ft.com

EU to press ahead with bank levy plan



European Union finance ministers have pledged to pursue a levy on the banking sector, in spite of the lack of global consensus signalled at last weekend’s G20 meeting and differences amongst EU states over how any funds raised should be used

Source: http://www.ft.com

UN set to approve Iran sanctions



The United Nations Security Council is set to approve sanctions against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, its main shipping line and two of its banks, after a six-month push by the Obama administration

Source: http://www.ft.com

Hayward moves into Obama line of fire



Barack Obama has launched a scathing attack on comments made by BP chief executive, Tony Hayward, which seemed to minimise the impact of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on the environment

Source: http://www.ft.com

EU budgets agreement



EU finance ministers have agreed to reveal national budget plans to European partners before unveiling them at home.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Thinner, sleeker and faster - new iPhone gets its official launch



Apple has revealed the next iPhone, with a higher-resolution screen, longer battery life and thinner design.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Alanis marries rapper Souleye



Rock singer Alanis Morissette has secretly married her boyfriend, a rapper she started dating last year.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

White House veteran quits over Israel tirade



Helen Thomas, the veteran White House correspondent who grilled and often exasperated 10 presidents, has quit abruptly in a storm over "reprehensible" remarks about Israel.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Fiancee killed by lightning



A hiker was struck by lightning and killed moments before her boyfriend was about to propose.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Obama savages BP chief over spill



US President Barack Obama has launched a stinging attack on BP chief Tony Hayward over the Gulf coast oil disaster.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Last member of 'Great Escape' war heroes dies at 97



A veteran thought to be the last survivor of the prisoner-of-war breakout immortalised in the film The Great Escape has died aged 97.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

Porn actor jumps to death after killer sword rampage



A porn actor who plunged to his death off a cliff as police tried to arrest him for murder and attempted murder after a sword rampage, aimed to kill or maim as many people as possible a detective said.



Source: http://www.herald.ie

We'd just finished watching Britain's Got Talent. Then I went up to find the blood on the cot



Some people get real pleasure from looking out of the window at home in the early evening to see a wild fox loping across the garden. These graceful creatures, famous in mythology for their cunning, have fired the human imagination for centuries.



Source: http://www.herald.ie