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Suspect killed in Orlando has confessed to 2011 triple murders says FBI

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:03:51 -0400

NEW YORK A Chechen acquaintance of dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has confessed to slashing the throats of three people in a 2011 gruesome triple murder, federal law enforcement officials have said. Ibragim Todashev, who made the confession, was killed early Wednesday during a confrontation with the FBI and Massachusetts State Police in Orlando, Florida, a federal law ...

Obama seeks more transparency in use of drones

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 ...

Taliban car bomb kills 13 in Pakistan

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 begins efforts to restart Israeli and Palestinian peace talks

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 ...

Istanbul hosts meeting of Syrian opposition leaders

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 ...

Canada threatens to retaliate against change in US meat labeling rules

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:33:00 -0400

OTTAWA - Canada has threatened "retaliatory measures" against the United States move changing the so-called country of origin labeling that would track beef and hogs through the meat processing and distribution systems, stating that it is discriminatory, a view shared by the World Trade Organisation. On Thursday, the United States Department of Agriculture issued a final modification to its ...

After breaches Twitter beefs up security with two-step login

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:11:08 -0400

NEW YORK - Aiming to tackle recent high-profile breaches, popular micro-blogging site Twitter is introducing an optional two-step login for users to beef up security. The new system would try to ensure "it's really you" when a user signs in to Twitter, which transmits some 400 million messages a day. The move follows recent attacks into the twitter accounts of news organisations' such as ...

Irish biotech firm Elan rejects revised Royalty Pharma bid

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:52:46 -0400

DUBLIN/ WASHINGTON Ireland-based biotechnology firm Elan Thursday rejected Royalty Pharma's increased $6.4 billion takeover bid, shortly after the U.S. firm cut the acceptance bar for its latest offer to 50 percent plus one share. Royalty raised its hostile cash bid to $12.50 per share on Monday, from $11.25 previously, but made the new offer conditional on Elan shareholders rejecting, at a ...

Import alert by USFDA hits Wockhardt shares

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:26:11 -0400

MUMBAI - Shares of Wockhardt, one of the leading Indian pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, witnessed a sharp fall of 20% to Rs. 1,315 ($23.61) on the Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE) on Thursday after the US FDA published an import alert on one of its three manufacturing facilities near Aurangabad. The import alert, 'detention without physical examination of drugs from firms which have ...

Ford Motor to shutdown 2 units in Australia

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:26:07 -0400

MELBOURNE - Ford Motor Company Wednesday announced plans of closing its local manufacturing operations in Broadmeadows and Geelong in October 2016 thereby forcing 1,200 people out of work. Spelling the end of the iconic Ford Falcon in the country, Ford Australia president Bob Graziano announced that the carmaker would shut its Victorian facilities in October 2016, bringing an end to nearly ...

IMF warns UK against continuing austerity programme

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:53:31 -0400

LONDON - In a critique of the United Kingdom's austerity programme, the International Monetary Fund Wednesday urged the Europe's third largest economy to rebalance the policy to make the transition to a high-investment and more export-oriented economy. "The UK could boost growth by bringing forward measures already included in its fiscal plan, such as spending on infrastructure and job ...

We loved you so much you didnt deserve this Devastated family of murdered soldier Lee Rigby pay emotional tribute to him

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:59:42 -0400

'We were attempting to get hold of Lee, obviously we couldn’t. It was the middle of the night when we got confirmed to us it was Lee,' he said ...

Sweden Fifth Night Of Rioting In Stockholm

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:51:30 -0400

Riots continued for a fifth night in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. Cars, schools and a police station were set alight in response to the fatal shooting of an immigrant by ...

Durable goods orders rise point to factory sector resilience

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:43:36 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rose more than expected in April, a sign of resilience in the factory sector despite belt-tightening in Washington and weakness in overseas ...

Kerry says Israelis Palestinians must make tough decisions

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:43:35 -0400

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian leaders are nearing crunch time, when they must decide whether to revive long-dormant peace negotiations to end their decades-old conflict, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on ...

Video shows London suspects with radical preacher

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:41:44 -0400

This story contains video that some viewers may find graphic. (CBS News) LONDON -- Detectives in London were to question two people arrested over the murder ...

Hung jury reportedly emotional at Jodi Arias trial

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:41:43 -0400

Defendant Jodi Arias listens to defense attorney Kirk Nurmi make his closing arguments during her trial on Friday, May 3, 2013 at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix. A jury was not able to reach a unanimous decision on whether to sentence her to ...

Eye Opener Emergency landing after airplane catches fire

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:41:41 -0400

A holiday travel mess has ensued after a bridge in Washington State collapsed and closed one of the nation's biggest highways. Plus, a new warning about this year's hurricane season. Also, a woman who reunited with her dog after the Oklahoma tornado gives an update. All that, and all that mattered, in today's "Eye ...

Bridge section disappears in big puff of dust

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:41:41 -0400

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. Dan Sligh and his wife were in their pickup truck on Interstate 5 heading to a camping trip when a bridge before them disappeared in a "big puff of dust." "I hit the brakes and we went off," Sligh told reporters from a hospital, adding he "saw the water approaching ... you hold on as tight as you can." Sligh, his wife and another man in a ...

Turkey parliament passes anti-alcohol bill

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:39:14 -0400

Turkey's parliament has backed a controversial bill restricting the consumption and advertising of alcohol in the predominantly Muslim country. The measure, passed on Friday, prohibits alcoholic beverage companies from sponsoring events and restricts the places where such drinks can be consumed. It also bans the sale of alcoholic drinks between 10pm and 6:00am. Supporters of the measure - ...

Deadly blast targets Thai soldiers

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:39:14 -0400

Five paramilitary soldiers have been killed and one other has been wounded by a roadside bomb in southern Thailand, local police say. Police said on Friday that the soldiers were travelling in a pick-up vehicle to meet Muslim community leaders in the Saiburi district of Pattani, one of Thailand's southernmost provinces hit by a near-decade long rebellion which has claimed more than 5,500 ...

Kerry urges hard decisions for peace talks

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:39:13 -0400

John Kerry, US secretary of state, has urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take "hard decisions" to revive the Middle East peace process. Kerry has been pressing Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks that broke down in September 2010. "We're getting toward a time now when hard decisions need to be made," he said in Tel Aviv on Friday at the end of his ...

FIFA to bring in tough anti-racism sanctions

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:39:12 -0400

The man leading FIFA's anti-racism taskforce is putting forward three tough measures to crackdown on racism in football at FIFA's congress in Mauritius next week. Jeffrey Webb speaks exclusively to Al Jazeera's Lee Wellings about FIFA's ...

Woolwich attack Outpouring of grief for murdered Lee Rigby as stream of strangers leave their tributes on street where he died

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:05:14 -0400

The killing of an off-duty soldier in a brutal attack in broad daylight on a London street has shocked the nation, inspiring hundreds of strangers who had never met him to leave poignant ...

Shes The Man actress Amanda Bynes arrested after throwing marijuana bong out of window

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:58:06 -0400

Police say an apartment building official called police to complain that Bynes was smoking marijuana and rolling a joint in the lobby. The officers went to Bynes' apartment, where they saw heavy smoke and a bong, which Bynes then threw out the window in front of the officers. Bynes was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and criminal possession of marijuana. ...

U.S.casts doubt on credibility of Iranian election

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:52:39 -0400

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The United States on Friday called into question the credibility of Iran's presidential election next month, criticizing the disqualification of candidates and accusing the government of disrupting Internet ...

Can men grow up

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:51:44 -0400

>Editor's note: Pepper Schwartz is professor of sociology at the University of Washington and the author or co-author of 17 books, the latest of which is "The Normal Bar. " She is the AARP Love and Relationship Ambassador and writes the Naked Truth column for AARP.org. She is a senior fellow at the Council on Contemporary Families, a nonprofit organization that gathers research on American ...

North Korea says will take positive steps for peace

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:48:09 -0400

Choe Ryong-hae (C), director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army (KPA) of North Korea, walks with Chinese Ambassador Liu Hongcai (2nd R) before departing Pyongyang airport for China, in this May 22, 2013 picture released by the North Korea's KCNA news agency in ...

Former sex slaves Osaka mayor should quit

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:46:13 -0400

South Korean Kim Bok-Dong, who served as a sex slave for Japanese soldiers during World War II, speaks during the 1,000th weekly protest in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, Dec. 14, ...

Abe begins landmark visit to Myanmar

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:43:49 -0400

Shinzo Abe, Japanese prime minister, is travelling to Myanmar on the first visit to the country by a Japanese leader in 36 years, as Japan attempts to reassert its position as a top economic partner after decades of poor relations with the previous military regime. Travelling with a delegation of business leaders, Abe was to arrive in Yangon on Friday evening for a three-day trip, and will meet ...

High Court rules Sally Bercows tweet about Lord McAlpine WAS libellous

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:11:48 -0400

Mrs Bercow faces legal bills running to tens of thousands of pounds after losing a court battle over her tweet in November last year which read: ‘Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *Innocent ...

UK weather Rain threatens to turn the Bank Holiday weekend into a washout... but millions of Brits vow to make the most of it as they take to the roads

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:11:47 -0400

It traditionally signals the countdown to summer, but wind and lashing rain today threatened to turn the late May Bank Holiday weekend into a ...

BREAKING NEWS Prison van of police killer Dale Cregan crashes on way to Preston Crown Court

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:11:46 -0400

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: 'Shortly before 9.40am on Friday, 24 May, a road traffic collision occurred by the roundabout at the exit of junction 31A of the M6 ...

Michael Adebowales childhood friend speaks about normal murder suspect 22

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:11:45 -0400

and Michael Adebolajo, 28, ran the soldier down with their car before 'hacking, chopping and cutting' at his body like 'crazed animals' screaming 'Allah Akbar!’ – an Islamic phrase meaning ‘God is great’, witnesses ...

Huge earthquake hits Russias east coast

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:05:15 -0400

A powerful earthquake has hit Russia's Far East with tremors felt as far away as Moscow, about 7,000 kilometres (4,400 miles) west of the ...

Video Bridge linking Washington and Canada collapses

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:05:15 -0400

Authorities have said no one was killed, but three people were rescued and taken to hospital.The four-lane motorway bridge, which is over 50 years old, crosses the Skagit River near Mt Vernon on the Interstate 5, about halfway between Seattle and Vancouver.The cause of the collapse, which came at the beginning of one of the US's busiest holiday weekends, is still unknown. The state ...

Stockholm riots Clashes grip surburbs as violence flares for fifth night

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:05:14 -0400

Fire fighters were called to a school in Tensta, north Stockholm and a Montessori school in the Kista suburb which were set ablaze by rioting youths. Emergency services were also called to Rinkeby, northern Stockholm to extinguish six vehicles that were set alight whilst parked next to each other.Father of two Aleks Sakala, whose children attend the Montessori school, said setting schools on ...

Czech Murders Kevin Dahlgren Detained In US

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:03:37 -0400

A California man wanted over a quadruple murder in the southern Czech city of Brno has been detained by police as he flew into Washington DC. "Kevin Dahlgren, charged with quadruple homicide, was detained on Thursday evening," Czech regional police chief Leos Trzil told reporters on Friday. He added that the suspect had flown to Dulles Airport on a regular flight from Vienna. ...

Heathrow airport closed after British Airways plane on fire over central London makes emergency landing

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:02:36 -0400

A British Airways plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow as eyewitnesses reported seeing the aircraft "on fire" flying over central ...

Africa backs Kenya call for Hague court to drop Kenyatta case

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:55:30 -0400

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - African nations have backed a request by Kenya for charges of crimes against humanity by its president to be referred back to the east African country, African Union documents ...

Group linked to Algeria gas plant attack claims Niger raids

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:55:30 -0400

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - An al Qaeda-linked group that carried out the raid on the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria in January has claimed to have participated in Thursday's attacks in ...

British security services in spotlight after soldier murder

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:55:29 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's security services faced questions on Friday over whether they could have done more to prevent the murder of a soldier hacked to death in a busy London street after it emerged that his suspected killers were known to intelligence ...

Rand Paul uses 2016 bully pulpit to push Obama on drones

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:54:04 -0400

President Obama Thursday gave a sweeping national security speech outlining his approach to fighting global terrorism, the legality of his administration's use of unmanned aircraft to hunt and kill suspected terrorists, and his desire to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The speech was an hour long and in the middle of it were two sentences aimed squarely at one of his ...

No deaths as bridge collapse sends vehicles into river

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:54:03 -0400

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. Dan Sligh and his wife were in their pickup truck on Interstate 5 heading to a holiday weekend barbecue when a bridge before them disappeared in a "big puff of dust." "I hit the brakes and we went off," Sligh told reporters from a hospital, adding he "saw the water approaching ... you hold on as tight as you can." He said a semi-truck carrying a ...

Is Obama ending war on terror

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:54:02 -0400

He came to talk about the future, but the past keeps pulling him back. President Obama outlined his vision for a revised American counterterrorism policy during Thursday's speech at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., renewing his call to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and announcing new guidelines to govern the use of targeted drone strikes on foreign soil. ...

Attacks on soldiers incredibly hard to prevent ex-MI6 chief warns as ministers say controls are difficult in a free society

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:19:18 -0400

Preventing the brutal killing of soldier would have been ‘incredibly hard’, a former MI6 chief warned as the security services face questions about its failure to intercept the ...

Syria opposition struggles to forge transition plan before talks

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:03:14 -0400

George Sabra (L), a veteran Christian opposition figure and acting President of the Syrian National Coalition, speaks during the opening session of a meeting by members of the Syrian opposition in Istanbul May 23, ...

Emergency landing briefly shuts down Heathrow

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:01:15 -0400

LONDON An emergency landing at London's Heathrow Airport forced officials to close both runways at the busy international hub Friday morning, but all passengers and crew were evacuated safely from the British Airways jet. British Airways said in a statement that an Airbus A319 carrying 75 passengers destined for Oslo, Norway, was forced to turn around not long after takeoff due to a ...

IMF chiefs trial over payout resumes

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:58:35 -0400

Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, is being questioning by French prosecutors in order to decide if she should be charged over a state payout to a well-connected entrepreneur during her time as finance minister. Lagarde has played ...

Russia Serbia To Sign Strategic Agreement

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:13:49 -0400

Serbia and Russia are due to sign an agreement later in the day on strategic partnership. The document is scheduled to be signed by President Vladimir Putin and his Serb counterpart Tomislav Nikolic in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Serbian media say the agreement calls on the bolstering of ties across a spectrum of areas, including business, trade, and infrastructure projects. It also ...

Kazakh Journalist Jailed Over Unsanctioned Protest

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:13:48 -0400

ASTANA -- A court in Astana has sentenced a journalist to 15 days in jail for taking part in an unsanctioned protest. Berik Zhaghyparov's lawyer told RFE/RL that her client was sentenced late on May 23. Zhaghyparov pleaded not guilty, saying he was at the protest as an independent journalist to cover the event. Police detained Zhaghyparov along with several demonstrators. The ...

Russian Far East Hit By Okhotsk Earthquake Tsunami Alert Lifted

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:13:47 -0400

A powerful earthquake has hit Russia's Far East region, sending tremors across the country and sparking a short-lived tsunami warning. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, whose epicenter was in the Sea of Okhotsk, east of the Russian coast and north of Japan, was a preliminary magnitude of 8.2. It struck at a depth of more than 600 kilometers below sea level. Minor tremors ...

Kerry Initiative can create breakthrough in peace process

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:38 -0400

In a meeting with British Secretary of State Hague, President Peres says that though the process to renewing Palestinian-Israeli talks is long and hard, it is important to note positive developments in the ...

Hague Israel losing support in UK because of settlements

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:37 -0400

After Steinitz questions whether Britain is still a friend of Israel, British foreign secretary says settlement activity causing support for Israel to wane in UK, other European ...

Analysis Sinai is becoming a major threat to Egypt

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:34 -0400

kidnapped last week in the Sinai Peninsula . They were released unhurt after marathon negotiations that lasted until dawn Wednesday between a representative of military intelligence, a Salafi sheikh and a representative of the Swarka tribe, one of the largest in the peninsula.No one will guarantee it will be the last kidnapping. The official version is that no deal was struck, and it may be ...

Olmert W. Bank policies behind bad intl press

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:32 -0400

The government is at fault for its own negative image in the international press because of its policies in the West Bank, former prime minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday."I think it is inarguable that Israel's main problem isn't public diplomacy; it's first of all a policy problem," Olmert said. "We won't be able to convince the world we're right ...

Nochi Dankner set to lose control of IDB

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:32 -0400

An agreement bondholders reached overnight on Thursday may oust Nochi Dankner from controlling IDB, the Israeli conglomerate that controls companies such as Cellcom and Shufersal.The bondholders from two tiers of the pyramid company, IDB Holdings and IDB Development, would merge the two companies and convert bonds to stocks, thus wresting control from Dankner. IDB Holdings bondholders would get ...

Google mulls buying Waze presaging bidding war

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:30 -0400

Google Inc., maker of the Android operating system, is considering buying Israeli map-software provider Waze Inc., setting up a possible bidding war with Facebook Inc., people familiar with the matter said.Waze is fielding expressions of interest from multiple parties and is seeking more than $1 billion, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The ...

Israel near bottom of BBC poll ranking countries

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:30 -0400

Israel placed near the bottom of a BBC poll released Thursday ranking the world's most positively viewed countries.Some 26,000 people from 25 countries around the world were asked if they viewed a list of 16 countries and the European Union as having a "mainly positive" or "mainly negative" influence in the ...

Muslim writer touts Israeli tolerance of minorities

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:26 -0400

British author Dr. Qanta Ahmed spoke on Wednesday at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem about the difficulties for minorities in Islamic societies and how Israel is the only country in the Middle East that tolerates them.The event was organized by Alan Schneider, director of the B'nai B'rith World Center in Jerusalem, and cosponsored by the Ecumenical Theological ...

UK Israel agree to expand scientific cooperation

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:23 -0400

Britain and Israel have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand their scientific cooperation - despite calls in Britain for an academic boycott of this country. It was signed in Jerusalem on Thursday by Science, Technology and Space Minister Yaakov Peri and British Foreign Secretary William Hague.British Ambassador Matthew Gould and HU president Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, along with ...

Star Catcher Astrology for the week of May 24 2013

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:22 -0400

GEMINI (AIR) MAY 21 - JUNE 21 Your mind is working overtime and you are so highly charged right now that it may be difficult for you to unwind enough to sleep. Rather than working things out in your mind, write them down and give your hard disc a breather. This is the week for taking care of personal business and for putting your own needs first. Someone from your past is seriously ...

Israel backing Hungary to chair Holocaust forum

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:20 -0400

The Foreign Ministry is backing Hungary's quest to assume the chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2015, Hungarian prime ministerial chief adviser Zsigmond Perenyi ...

Shalom Zemach Committee protocols to be published

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:19 -0400

Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom announced on Thursday that he has decided to publish, in the near future, all of the protocols of the Zemach Committee, which made recommendations this fall about natural gas export quantities."I studied the issue at length since I took office and after talks with the Justice Ministry, I reached the conclusion that we must increase transparency in ...

Walking buses Parents bring kids to school on foot

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:17 -0400

Every Tuesday and Friday - barring inclement weather - groups of children mill their way through the streets of Binyamina together, with a parent acting as their "driver" for their "walking bus" to school."It's like a big caterpillar, a lot of legs and a lot of kids," Orit Yoav, one of the parents leading the project at Amirim elementary school in Binyamina, ...

Engine fault forces BA plane to land

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:07:40 -0400

London - British Airways said on Friday that a plane travelling from London to Oslo was forced to make an emergency landing after a fault in one of the ...

Heathrow closes both runways

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:07:37 -0400

London - Both runways were closed at London's Heathrow airport on Friday, a spokeswoman said, after a British Airways plane reportedly had to make an emergency ...

Attacker was one of their own

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:07:36 -0400

Investigators have not found any link between the London attack and Nigeria's own Islamist insurgency, which is based in the north of that West African country. The Adebolajos were a Christian family, and their surname suggests they are members of the Yoruba community from the mainly Christian ...

Hundreds mourn young tornado victim

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:07:35 -0400

This undated handout photo provided by Brandie Candelaria shows Antonia Candelaria. Candelaria was killed when a tornado struck Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Texas on Monday, May 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Brandie ...

US expects up to 11 hurricanes in 2013

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:07:34 -0400

MIAMI - The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season could be ';extremely active'; and spawn 13 to 20 tropical storms, seven to 11 of which are expected to become hurricanes, the U.S. government's top climate agency predicted on ...

Hundreds attend Nigerian writer Chinua Achebes funeral

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:07:07 -0400

Writer Chinua Achebe shunned Nigeria's corrupt politicians and twice turned down national honours, never fearing to criticise those he felt ruined his country. Yesterday, however, the lawmakers and the country's elite came to praise ...

Ring Of Fire Earthquake Tremors Felt In Moscow

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:56:03 -0400

Two earthquakes have hit the Ring of Fire area, registering magnitudes of 8.2 and 5.7 and prompting a tsunami warning. Moscow felt tremors from the more powerful quake, causing some people to evacuate buildings despite the epicentre being more than 4,000 miles to the east. The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of Thursday's quake was in the Kuril-Kamchatka arc, one of the most ...

Boy Scouts of America to admit openly gay boys

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:55:06 -0400

The Boy Scouts of America has thrown open its ranks to gay youngsters, but not adult leaders, in a compromise that some warned could fracture the organisation and lead to mass ...

Meat labels getting facelift under new USDA rules

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:47:07 -0400

MILWAUKEE Shoppers in the U.S. will soon have more information about where their meat comes from, due to new federal labeling rules that went into effect Thursday. The rules require labels on steaks, ribs and other cuts of meat to say where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. Earlier U.S. Department of Agriculture rules only required that countries of origin to be noted, so a package ...

Now some unions upset over Obamacare

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:47:04 -0400

WASHINGTON When President Obama pushed his health care overhaul plan through Congress, he counted labor unions among his strongest supporters. But some unions leaders have grown frustrated and angry about what they say are unexpected consequences of the new law -- problems that they say could jeopardize the health benefits offered to millions of their members. The issue could create a political ...

Russia Syria agrees to take part in talks

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:44:43 -0400

Russia says the Syrian government had agreed in principle to attend an international peace conference proposed by Russia and the US, and criticised what it called attempts to undermine peace efforts. The summit has been suggested by the US and Russia and could take place in the Swiss city of Geneva. "We note with satisfaction that we have received an agreement in principle from Damascus to ...

Lebanon sectarian unrest toll rises

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:44:42 -0400

At least 23 people have been killed since Sunday in Syria-linked clashes between Sunni and Alawite residents of the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli, a security source said. Thursday was the bloodiest day yet in the clashes, with at least 11 people killed in 24 hours, the source said on Friday. Sporadic gunfire was heard on Friday between the neighbourhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh and the ...

Russia says Syrian government agrees in principle to conference

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:04:44 -0400

Russia and the United States , and criticized what it called attempts to undermine peace efforts. "Damascus has expressed its readiness in principle to participate in ...

Massive Far East quake felt in Moscow no casualties

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:04:41 -0400

MOSCOW (AFP) - A massive undersea earthquake Friday in Russia's Far East prompted a tsunami warning and was felt in cities including Moscow far to the west, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.The USGS estimated the quake at 8.2 magnitude and placed its epicentre in the Sea of Okhotsk off the shore of the Kamchatka Peninsula at a depth of more than 600 kilometres (370 ...

China says hopes visit of North Korean envoy can ease tension

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:01:08 -0400

Video shows British police shooting soldiers suspected killers

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:55:55 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - Dramatic video footage showing the moment when police shot the two men suspected of hacking to death a soldier in London was published on a British newspaper's website on Friday. The shaky, 10-second clip shows one of the men sprinting towards a police car with a knife in his hand before he is shot and tumbles to the ground. The second man appears to aim a gun at the ...

Amanda Bynes arrested on bong-related counts

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:55:18 -0400

NEW YORK Police say actress Amanda Bynes has been arrested in midtown Manhattan after she heaved a marijuana bong out of a window. It happened at an apartment building on West 47th Street at about 7:40 p.m. Thursday. Police say a building official called police to complain that Bynes was smoking marijuana and rolling a joint in the building's ...

US tax official put on leave over scandal

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:52:59 -0400

Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service official at the centre of the scandal over the agency's extra scrutiny of conservative groups, has been put on administrative leave after she refused to resign, according to a US politician. Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa said on Thursday that Daniel Werfel, the new acting IRS commissioner, was the one who asked for Lerner's ...

Briton John Steele found hanged in French jail

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:14:36 -0400

John 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 ...

London attack