White House struggles to contain new Libya storm
WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (AFP) – Mitt Romney has accused Vice President Joe Biden of “doubling down on denial” as the White House struggled to combat a growing storm over the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi. The latest exchanges battered an administration repeatedly thrown onto the defensive by the political reverberations of the attack [...]
Can a few cherries a day keep gout away?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Cherries may no longer be for just topping off ice cream sundaes; in a new study of people with gout, eating the fruit was linked with a 35 percent to 75 percent lower risk of having an attack. While adopting a cherry regimen sounds pleasant enough, the study’s lead author [...]
Arrest warrant issued for Indian magnate Mallya
HYDERABAD, India, Oct 13 (AFP) – An Indian court filed an arrest warrant Friday for Vijay Mallya, a Formula One tycoon nicknamed the “King of Good Times”, over allegations that cheques written by his troubled airline had bounced. The non-bailable warrant was issued in the local sessions court in the southern city of Hyderabad against [...]
‘Creative export’ Priyanka Chopra flying high
Superstar and close friend Shah Rukh Khan recently called actress Priyanka Chopra the country’s first creative export. Apart from her hugely successful movie movie Barfi! Priyanka”s s first single, ‘In My City’ was produced by the famous RedOne and features American rapper artiste Will.i.am. The song, inspired by her childhood experiences was launched in India [...]
Turkish PM calls for UN reform to tackle Syria
ISTANBUL, Oct 13 (AFP) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called yesterday for reform to the UN Security Council to allow progress to resolve the Syria crisis which has been held up by veto powers Russia and China. “If we must wait for one or two permanent members, then Syria’s fate is really in [...]
Italian court to decide on trial for cruise ship disaster
ROME, Oct 13 (AFP) – An Italian court will begin hearings on Monday to determine who could stand trial for a cruise ship disaster that left 32 people dead, amid accusations of safety breaches and fatal delays. Hundreds of lawyers, scientific experts and survivors from the Costa Concordia tragedy in January are expected to attend [...]
Internet addiction added to the list of serious mental disorders
Children addicted to the internet could soon be classed as having a serious mental illness, it has been claimed. According to the Sun-Herald, ‘internet-use disorder’ will be included in the DSM-IV – the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – from May next year. The diagnosis will include those who are addicted to their [...]
History meets the future
Google have teamed up with the world’s museums for a massive update to their online ‘cultural institute’ that offers users the chance to learn about some of the major figures and events of the past century. The latest additions to the Google Cultural Institute archives, available to view from today, are intended as an online [...]
French President shared mistress with Sarkozy minister
They have always been seen as a nation of lovers, happy to give in to their passions and turn a blind eye to the indiscretions of others. But the latest revelations about the sexual goings-on at the top of their political establishment have shattered the usual French sangfroid. It emerged on Friday that the First Lady, [...]
Malala Yousafzai: Pakistan’s Taliban policy in spotlight
The attack on 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai underlines the ambivalence of Pakistani state institutions towards Islamist militants. It is also one of those rare incidents that seems to be galvanising public opinion against the militants. A 2009 video showing Taliban militants flogging a teenage girl in the Swat Valley created similar anger across the country and [...]
Diplomats in India must learn ‘Hinglish’
Prepare for a new addition to the English language, with ‘Hinglish’ on the rise. The hybrid child of Hindu and English, the language is now becoming India’s most important language – to the extent that British diplomats posted to the country have now been told they will need to learn the language. Hinglish is not so [...]
BBC in sex scandal cover-up
A TV director told the BBC he saw Jimmy Savile having sex with an ‘very, very young’ girl in his dressing room but was ignored, it emerged today. When David Nicolson alerted the corporation, bosses told him: ‘That’s the way it goes,’ according to a report today. The now 67-year-old, who had been a director on [...]
Asia’s rich crave luxury hand-crafted cars from Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – The global economic doldrums may have weighed on businesses around the world, but in Malaysia a luxury hand-crafted carmaker struggles to keep up with demand as orders pour in from China and the Middle East. Some customers are willing to wait nearly two years for their Bufori vehicle, which costs anywhere [...]
Right-winger feeds French immigration row with ‘pain au chocolat’ pastry tale
PARIS (Reuters) – A right-wing politician vying to head France’s opposition conservative party has raised a storm by suggesting Muslim youths tear pain au chocolat pastries from children’s hands during Islam’s fasting month. The controversy has inflamed old strains over secular and mainly-Catholic France’s struggle to assimilate Muslim culture. Jean-Francois Cope, who is challenging a [...]
EU’s Nobel award gets mixed welcome
BRUSSELS, Oct 12 (AFP) – Europe’s leaders hailed Friday’s award of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to the EU in recognition of 60 years without war, but critics attacked it as misplaced, even undeserved, while tweeters derided it as a bad joke. Alongside congratulations, there were calls too for the EU to live up to [...]
UN launches global campaign to abolish child marriages
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – The United Nations has launched a global campaign to abolish an anachronistic social practice still prevalent in some communities around the world: child marriages. “International conventions declare that child marriage is a violation of human rights because it denies girls the right to decide when and with whom to marry,” says [...]
Shadow fighting erupts over Gaddafi
CAIRO, (IPS) – Civilians in the town of Bani Walid, 170 km south-east of Tripoli, are facing a humanitarian crisis as Libyan security forces lay siege to the stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi supporters, cutting off water, food and medical supplies. Local doctors told Amnesty International that on Oct. 4, three vehicles carrying medical supplies, oxygen, [...]
A U-2 flight that nearly sparked a nuke war
WASHINGTON (AFP) – At 9:09 am on October 27, 1962, Major Rudolf Anderson climbed into the cockpit of his U-2 spy plane for a flight that nearly triggered a nuclear apocalypse. Five days earlier, president John F. Kennedy had revealed evidence that the Soviets had deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba, setting off a harrowing war [...]
The Cuban missile crisis at 50
CAMBRIDGE – This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis – those 13 days in October 1962 that were probably the closest the world has come to a major nuclear war. President John F. Kennedy had publicly warned the Soviet Union not to introduce offensive missiles into Cuba. But Soviet leader Nikita [...]
