All Entries in the "World News" Category
‘Malaria and weak bones’ Killed Egyptian King Tutankhamun
The Egyptian ‘boy king’ Tutankhamun may well have died of malaria after the disease ravaged a body crippled by a rare bone disorder, experts say.
The findings could lay to rest conspiracy theories of murder.
The scientists spent the last two years scrutinising the mummified remains of the 19-year old pharaoh to extract his blood and DNA.
This [...]
Obama nominates first US ambassador to Syria since 2005
US President Barack Obama has formally nominated career diplomat Robert Ford as the first American ambassador to Syria in five years.
There has been no US envoy in Syria since Damascus was implicated in the murder of ex-Lebanon PM Rafik Hariri.
The White House announcement came on the eve of a visit to Syria by William Burns, [...]
Heavy US Snowstorm
US snowstorm causes power cuts in Washington DC region
“This is may be the biggest storm that we have had”
Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power in Washington DC and nearby states after a blizzard blanketed the area with record snows.
Electricity was cut to at least 300,000 homes as the snow felled trees, and cut [...]
Mass casualties in Middletown US as Kleen Energy Plant explodes
Middletown blast: ‘Mass casualties’ at US power plant
A huge explosion has rocked a power plant in the US state of Connecticut, with US media reporting at least two people killed and many more injured.
People living several miles from the plant reported that their homes were shaken by the blast at the Kleen Energy plant, being [...]
Michael Jackson’s doctor ‘to be charged over death’
Dr Murray has denied he caused Michael Jackson’s death
Los Angeles prosecutors will file a criminal case against Michael Jackson’s doctor on Monday in connection with the singer’s death, officials say.
Dr Conrad Murray’s legal team says it expects him to be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The announcement came shortly before the doctor had planned to surrender himself [...]
China Shows Little Patience for U.S. Currency Pressure
BEIJING — A senior Chinese official said on Thursday that China would not bow to pressure from the United States to revalue its currency, which President Obama says is kept at an artificially low level to give China an unfair advantage in selling its exports.
The official, Ma Zhaoxu, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a [...]
Hacking for Fun and Profit in China’s Underworld
CHANGSHA, China — With a few quick keystrokes, a computer hacker who goes by the code name Majia calls up a screen displaying his latest victims.
“Here’s a list of the people who’ve been infected with my Trojan horse,” he says, working from a dingy apartment on the outskirts of this city in central China. “They [...]
Nigerian Suicide Bomber: Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab Linked to Al-Qaeda Terrorist network.
A diplomatic row might be developing between Nigeria and the United States of America following Friday’s arrest of a Nigerian who attempted to detonate an explosive aboard an American airliner.
The Nigerian, identified as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, 23, was allegedly over powered by some of the 278 passengers aboard a Northwest Airline Flight 253 while [...]
Nigerian Student Detonates Explosive on Aircraft
A Nigerian student at the University College, London, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, has been arrested for detonating an explosive device aboard a Northwest/Delta Airlines flight 243.
Wire reports indicated that the 23-year-old student, detonated the device as the Airbus A330 aircraft, inbound from Amsterdam, was landing at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Detroit, Michigan, United States late on [...]
Obama Turns to Job Creation, but Warns of Limited Funds
WASHINGTON — After months of focusing on Afghanistan and health care, President Obama turned his attention on Thursday to the high level of joblessness, but offered no promise that he could do much to bring unemployment down quickly even as he comes under pressure from his own party to do more.
One effort offers weatherization incentives [...]
Ambitious Plan for Electric Cars in Denmark
COPENHAGEN — Is saving $40,000 at the showroom enough to get drivers behind the wheel of an electric car? With a program in the works to add easy access to charging stations, Denmark is about to find out.
For all their potential, electric cars have always been the subject of more talk than action, and only [...]
U.S. Economy Lost Only 11,000 Jobs in November as Unemployment Rate Fell to 10 Percent
In the strongest employment report since the recession began nearly two years ago, the government said Friday that the nation’s employers had all but stopped shedding jobs in November, taking some of the pressure off of President Obama to come up with a wide-ranging jobs creation program.
The Labor Department reported that the United States economy [...]
Iran Vows to Enrich Uranium to a Higher Level
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran said Wednesday it will enrich uranium to a higher level on its own, the latest indication the country was rejecting a U.N.-backed proposal aimed at thwarting any effort by Tehran to make material for a nuclear weapon. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted Iran will not negotiate with the West over its nuclear [...]
Iran Approves Plan for 10 Enrichment Sites
The Iranian government approved a plan Sunday to build 10 new uranium enrichment facilities, a dramatic expansion in defiance of U.N. demands it halt the program.
The decision comes only two days after the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency censured Iran, demanding it immediately stop building a newly revealed enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom [...]
Dubai Credit Crisis: U.A.E. Will Support Banks
MUMBAI — The United Arab Emirates central bank on Sunday said that it stood behind domestic and foreign banks operating in Dubai after last week’s announcement that Dubai World needed more time to pay back some of its $60 billion in debt.
Dubai surprised the financial world on Wednesday when it said it would ask creditors [...]
China Joins U.S. in Pledge of Hard Targets on Emissions
BEIJING — The Chinese government announced Thursday that it had set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 relative to economic development. China is aiming to reduce what it calls carbon intensity by 40 to 45 percent compared to 2005 levels, according to Xinhua, the state news agency.
The announcement came the day after [...]
Obama May Add 30,000 Troops in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — President Obama said Tuesday that he was determined to “finish the job” in Afghanistan, and his aides signaled to allies that he would send as many as 25,000 to 30,000 additional American troops there even as they cautioned that the final number remained in flux.
The White House said Mr. Obama had completed his [...]
Obama Fumes Over North Korea and Iran
SEOUL, South Korea — President Obama delivered a stern message on Thursday to North Korea and Iran that they risk further sanctions and isolation if they do not rein in their nuclear ambitions.
Appearing at a joint press conference with President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea, Mr. Obama singled out Iran, where leaders have apparently rejected [...]
