120 killed in India monsoon floods
24 min 54 sec ago - AFP

120 killed in India monsoon floods

Military helicopters carried out emergency food drops on Wednesday for thousands of people stranded by flash flooding from early monsoon rains which have killed at least 120 in northern India, officials said.The states of Uttarakhand and Himachal ...
US House passes bill banning abortion after 20 weeks
48 min 36 sec ago - AFP

US House passes bill banning abortion after 20 weeks

The US House of Representatives approved a Republican measure restricting abortion to the first 20 weeks after conception, one of the most stringent pro-life bills in the past decade.The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act passed the chamber ...
England, S. Africa face off in Champions Trophy semis
54 min 15 sec ago - AFP

England, S. Africa face off in Champions Trophy semis

England and South Africa will hope lady luck does not desert them when they clash in the Champions Trophy semi-final at the Oval in London on Wednesday.Both sides, aiming to end a frustrating wait for a major one-day title, are fortunate to make the ...
Woman, child held captive like 'slaves' in US
1 hour 3 min ago - AFP

Woman, child held captive like 'slaves' in US

A mentally disabled woman and her daughter were forced to live in an Ohio basement with snakes and pitbulls and were treated like slaves for more than two years, US prosecutors said.The case came to light after the woman was caught stealing a candy ...
Obama to invoke call of history in Berlin speech
1 hour 8 min ago - AFP

Obama to invoke call of history in Berlin speech

Barack Obama will Wednesday invoke the Cold War history of German-US solidarity, on a long-awaited first visit to Berlin as president, but will face sharp questions on US spy snooping programmes.Almost 50 years to the day since John Kennedy declared ...
Dish abandons Sprint bid, clearing way for SoftBank
1 hour 36 min ago - AFP

Dish abandons Sprint bid, clearing way for SoftBank

US satellite television provider Dish Network said it has dropped plans to submit a revised bid for Sprint Nextel, paving the way for a rival offer from Japan's SoftBank.Dish said it still saw "strategic value" in a merger with Sprint but that it ...
Border security dispute puts US immigration bill at risk
1 hour 49 min ago - AFP

Border security dispute puts US immigration bill at risk

A huge US immigration bill inched forward in the Senate, but Republicans warned that the landmark reform risks stalling or even dying in Congress unless backers agree to further tighten border security.The Senate is spending most of this week and ...
US, Jamaican sprinters look to Moscow
1 hour 58 min ago - AFP

US, Jamaican sprinters look to Moscow

Sprint hierarchy could be established this week as the United States and Jamaica hold their trials for the athletics World Championships scheduled for Moscow August 10-18.Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin spearhead the US challenge to six-time Olympic ...
Russell Brand divorced Katy Perry via text message
2 hours 32 min ago - AFP

Russell Brand divorced Katy Perry via text message

British comic Russell Brand told Katy Perry he was divorcing her by text message, the US pop star said in a new magazine interview, adding that she hasn't heard from him since.Brand issued a statement in December 2011 announcing that he had filed ...
N.Korean leader stresses Hitler's skills, report claims
2 hours 34 min ago - AFP

N.Korean leader stresses Hitler's skills, report claims

North Korean ruler Kim Jong-Un has reportedly given copies of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" to his top officials, urging them to study it as a leadership skills manual.Kim handed out translations of the German dictator's manifesto to select officials ...
US reporter who felled Gen McChrystal dies in crash
2 hours 38 min ago - AFP

US reporter who felled Gen McChrystal dies in crash

Michael Hastings, the Rolling Stone journalist who triggered the 2010 downfall of US Afghanistan commander General Stanley McChrystal, died in a car crash, his employer announced.Hastings, whose profile of McChrystal quoted the four-star general as ...
Japan's May trade deficit widens on import costs
2 hours 49 min ago - AFP

Japan's May trade deficit widens on import costs

Japan extended a string of trade deficits in May, official data showed on Wednesday, as the country's import costs rose on the weak yen, but shipments to the United States and China soared.The strong export data -- up 10.1 percent over last year -- ...
Revenge not on Brazil's agenda, says Marcelo
3 hours 5 min ago - AFP

Revenge not on Brazil's agenda, says Marcelo

Brazil left-back Marcelo says his side will not be seeking revenge when they renew acquaintance with Mexico in their second game of the Confederations Cup in Fortaleza on Wednesday.The last encounter between teams representing the two countries saw ...
Tennis 'Crazy' Zheng lifts burden off Li Na
3 hours 21 min ago - AFP

Tennis 'Crazy' Zheng lifts burden off Li Na

Never-say-die Zheng Jie was hailed for her 'crazy' tennis at Wimbledon by champion Serena Williams 12 months ago and under-pressure compatriot Li Na couldn't be happier.World number six Li, China's first Grand Slam champion when she won the French ...
Bi-weekly iron dose same as daily in pregnancy
3 hours 47 min ago - AFP

Bi-weekly iron dose same as daily in pregnancy

Pregnant women who take an iron supplement twice a week receive the same health benefits as expectant mothers who take a daily dose of the essential mineral, new research showed.The study, carried out by a team from the University of Melbourne, ...
German coach claims credit as Australia go to Rio
3 hours 56 min ago - AFP

German coach claims credit as Australia go to Rio

Coach Holger Osieck claimed vindication for his methods after Australia qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with a last-gasp header."I know what I'm doing," he told reporters after the Socceroos squeezed past Iraq 1-0 before a sellout 80,00 ...
Japan look to avoid early exit, face Italy next
4 hours 20 min ago - AFP

Japan look to avoid early exit, face Italy next

The task facing both, Asian champions Japan and three-time world champions Italy is clear cut in Recife at the Confederations Cup.An Italian win on Wednesday, on the heels of Sunday's success over Olympic champions Mexico should propel the Azzurri ...
'Shrek' film studio plans growing TV income
5 hours 40 sec ago - AFP

'Shrek' film studio plans growing TV income

DreamWorks Animation, the studio behind blockbusters including "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda," said Tuesday it plans to expand its small-screen output with television deals around the world.The US company, which announced an agreement Monday to produce ...
US actor charged with assaulting girlfriend
5 hours 8 min ago - AFP

US actor charged with assaulting girlfriend

US actor Edward Furlong, whose credits range from "Terminator 2" (1991) to 2011 hit "The Green Hornet," was charged Tuesday with assaulting his girlfriend, prosecutors said.The 35-year-old is also accused of threatening her if she went to the ...
'Lost music' of Holocaust comes alive once again
5 hours 14 min ago - AFP

'Lost music' of Holocaust comes alive once again

Nicholas Biniaz-Harris is a young American classical pianist who is more at home performing Bach, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff than the obscure works of Nazi concentration camp inmates.But as the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, the 17-year-old ...
Facebook touts advertising milestone
5 hours 27 min ago - AFP

Facebook touts advertising milestone

Facebook said Tuesday that more than a million businesses now advertise at the leading social network."I know business owners like these invest their hard-earned money and time into running their companies," Facebook's Dan Levy said in a blog post ...
You clap, so I clap: Peer pressure drives applause
5 hours 38 min ago - AFP

You clap, so I clap: Peer pressure drives applause

If you have just seen a play that you privately think is drivel, will you keep silent when everyone around you demands an encore?Possibly not, says an unusual investigation published Wednesday in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.Combining ...
British banking needs 'radical' overhaul: study
5 hours 41 min ago - AFP

British banking needs 'radical' overhaul: study

Britain needs a "radical" overhaul of its scandal-hit banks, with reckless bankers facing jail and bonuses deferred for up to ten years, a government commission set up after the Libor scandal proposed in a final report on Wednesday.The Parliamentary ...
With Mario, expect the unexpected - Prandelli
5 hours 54 min ago - AFP

With Mario, expect the unexpected - Prandelli

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli warned Confederations Cup rivals Japan - as well as his own side - to expect the unexpected from striker Mario Balotelli in Thursday's showdown in Recife.Balotelli netted a poacher's winner in Sunday's win over Olympic ...
World's largest all-solar-powered boat shines in NYC
6 hours 35 min ago - AFP

World's largest all-solar-powered boat shines in NYC

The world's largest fully solar-powered boat, "Turanor PlanetSolar," docked in New York on Tuesday during a mission to study the effects of climate change on the Gulf Stream current.Sponsored in part by the Swiss government, the 35-meter (115-foot) ...
Brazilians cry foul over football costs, corruption
6 hours 38 min ago - AFP

Brazilians cry foul over football costs, corruption

If the young people of Brazil are in the street, it is no longer just to play football there, contrary to the popular image of a country fixated with 'futebol' to the point of obsession.Instead, they are capitalising on the Confederations Cup to ...
Lew's signature on US greenback less loopy
6 hours 42 min ago - AFP

Lew's signature on US greenback less loopy

It's not bubbly-cute any more, but Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew's new official signature, to go on all new US banknotes, should meet boss President Barack Obama's admonition not to debase the currency.Revealed by the Treasury Tuesday, Lew's ...
NASA enlists public in hunt for major asteroids
6 hours 46 min ago - AFP

NASA enlists public in hunt for major asteroids

NASA announced a Grand Challenge on Tuesday to enlist government agencies, industry, academics and citizen astronomers in the hunt for asteroids that could cause massive destruction.The US space agency said the challenge would complement another ...
Contador my biggest threat, says Froome
7 hours 20 min ago - AFP

Contador my biggest threat, says Froome

Spain's two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador has been nominated by race favourite Chris Froome as his biggest threat for this year's edition, which gets underway on June 29 in Corsica.Froome, Kenyan-born but brought up in South Africa ...
Deloitte fined $10 mn in US laundering case
8 hours 11 min ago - AFP

Deloitte fined $10 mn in US laundering case

Big accountancy Deloitte was fined $10 million by New York state on Tuesday for its actions in advising Standard Chartered Bank over money laundering.Deloitte's unit Deloitte Financial Advisory Services was fined and also banned for one year from ...
Kadhafis move to Oman in breach of sanctions: UN
8 hours 19 min ago - AFP

Kadhafis move to Oman in breach of sanctions: UN

A daughter and son of late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi have moved from Algeria to Oman in breach of UN sanctions, a UN ambassador said Tuesday.The United Nations and international police organization Interpol may soon issue a global alert over ...
Bulgaria's opposition boycotts parliament as protests rage
8 hours 27 min ago - AFP

Bulgaria's opposition boycotts parliament as protests rage

Bulgaria's biggest political party said Tuesday it was boycotting parliamentary sittings amid unrelenting public outrage over the appointment of a media magnate to a top security post.The decision by the conservative opposition GERB party added ...
Congolese teacher admits killing elephants for ivory: WWF
8 hours 35 min ago - AFP

Congolese teacher admits killing elephants for ivory: WWF

A Congolese teacher has confessed to killing eight elephants for their ivory and was arrested in possession of 25 kilogrammes (55 pounds) of ivory, conservation group WWF said Tuesday.David Ntazam, who teaches French, geography and history, was ...
Cameron says morning swim helped with G8 Syria talks
8 hours 49 min ago - AFP

Cameron says morning swim helped with G8 Syria talks

A dip in the icy waters of a Northern Irish lake proved the ideal tonic before a day of tough talks with G8 leaders on tax evasion and the Syria crisis, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday.Cameron told a press conference on the ...
Google asks US court to allow release of data queries
8 hours 54 min ago - AFP

Google asks US court to allow release of data queries

Google said Tuesday it asked a special US court handling national security investigations for permission to publish the number of requests for data to the Internet giant."Today we have petitioned the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to allow ...
Officials confirm Campbell-Brown doping probe
9 hours 2 min ago - AFP

Officials confirm Campbell-Brown doping probe

Jamaican sprint star Veronica Campbell-Brown, embroiled in a doping scandal that has rocked her homeland, has accepted a provisional suspension while her case is being investigated.Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) president ...
Ferrer loses title in shock first-round exit
9 hours 4 min ago - AFP

Ferrer loses title in shock first-round exit

Spaniard David Ferrer failed to get back on the winning track on his return after losing in the French Open final as he lost his 's-Hertogenbosch ATP title on Tuesday, going down 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 to veteran Belgian Xavier Malisse in the first ...
Icahn revamps Dell offer, urges rejection of buyout
9 hours 6 min ago - AFP

Icahn revamps Dell offer, urges rejection of buyout

Corporate raider Carl Icahn revamped his proposal Tuesday for embattled computer company Dell, calling for a big share buyback in a plan which would keep the company public.Icahn, who has lambasted a go-private plan led by founder Michael Dell as ...
Poland may delay launch of nuclear plants: PM
9 hours 10 min ago - AFP

Poland may delay launch of nuclear plants: PM

Poland could delay building its first nuclear power plants as natural gas, including shale gas, becomes less costly, the prime minister of the central European heavyweight said Tuesday.With a population of 38 million, Poland uses about 14 billion ...
Five-time champion Venus pulls out of Wimbledon
9 hours 33 min ago - AFP

Five-time champion Venus pulls out of Wimbledon

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams has pulled out of this year's tournament because of an ongoing lower back injury.Williams suffered her earliest French Open exit in 12 years when she crashed to a first-round defeat to Poland's Urszula ...
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