Experts favor US approval of Merck sleeping pill
10 min 59 sec ago - AFP

Experts favor US approval of Merck sleeping pill

An independent panel of experts on Wednesday recommended US approval of a new Merck sleeping pill called suvorexant, but expressed concerns over the highest dosage and risks of drowsy daytime driving.A majority of the panel voted that the drug was ...
Guan adds another US event to schedule
31 min 33 sec ago - AFP

Guan adds another US event to schedule

Chinese schoolboy Guan Tianlang has added another stop to his US tour, accepting a sponsor's exemption for the US PGA Tour's St.
Dead sea lions found in Peru, poisoning suspected
33 min 7 sec ago - AFP

Dead sea lions found in Peru, poisoning suspected

Dead sea lions have been discovered on beaches in northern Peru amid suspicions they were poisoned by fishermen, activists and authorities said.The remains, together with those of dolphins and sea turtles, turned up over the past two weeks near the ...
France seeks to brand Hezbollah as 'terrorist' group
48 min 28 sec ago - AFP

France seeks to brand Hezbollah as 'terrorist' group

France is to call for the military arm of Hezbollah to be added to an EU terror blacklist due to its backing of the Syrian regime, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Wednesday."Because of the decisions that have been taken by Hezbollah and ...
Storm shelters few in 'Tornado Alley'
49 min 57 sec ago - AFP

Storm shelters few in 'Tornado Alley'

Seventy-five percent of the world's tornadoes occur in the United States, yet few people who live in "Tornado Alley" bother with the trouble and expense of a proper shelter from the storms.Mel Evridge, 69, a retired builder who experienced both ...
US report urges action on intellectual property theft
58 min 15 sec ago - AFP

US report urges action on intellectual property theft

A high-powered commission said Wednesday that intellectual property theft was costing the United States the equivalent of all its exports to Asia and urged a tougher approach to China.The 11-month study led by high-ranking former US officials said ...
1 hour 51 min ago - AFP

GE sees $6.7 bn in acquisitions by year-end

US industrial conglomerate General Electric expects to spend about $6.7 billion in acquisitions through the rest of the year, GE chief executive Jeffrey Immelt said Wednesday.In a presentation to analysts, Immelt noted the company had planned $10 ...
US formally takes responsibility for killing Awlaki
1 hour 52 min ago - AFP

US formally takes responsibility for killing Awlaki

The United States formally admitted for the first time on Wednesday that it had killed radical American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and three other US citizens in anti-terror strikes abroad.The acknowledgement that Washington targeted Awlaki in Yemen in ...
Iron woman Zheng stuns Wozniacki in Brussels
1 hour 54 min ago - AFP

Iron woman Zheng stuns Wozniacki in Brussels

China's Zheng Jie knocked top seed Caroline Wozniacki out of the Brussels Open on Wednesday, just hours after prevailing in a three-set opener held over because of Tuesday's heavy rain.Zheng, the world number 51, eased past the Dane 6-2, 6-4 to ...
Poland claims world's first life-saving face transplant
1 hour 58 min ago - AFP

Poland claims world's first life-saving face transplant

Polish doctors carried out the world's first life-saving face transplant, the centre's spokeswoman said Wednesday, weeks after a 33-year-old man was disfigured by a machine in a workplace accident."It is Poland's first face transplant and also the ...
New EU climate policy unlikely before 2015: Poland
2 hours 4 min ago - AFP

New EU climate policy unlikely before 2015: Poland

The European Union is unlikely to hammer out its new policy on global warming ahead of a global climate deal that could be clinched in 2015, Poland's environment minister said Wednesday."A long discussion on climate change is getting underway.
Google boss says company is doing 'right thing' on tax
2 hours 19 min ago - AFP

Google boss says company is doing 'right thing' on tax

Google boss Eric Schmidt insisted Wednesday his company was trying to do the "right thing" as it faces criticism in Britain over the amount of tax it pays, saying it was for countries not companies to decide tax policies.Schmidt was commenting after ...
SARS-like virus claims new life in Saudi
2 hours 21 min ago - AFP

SARS-like virus claims new life in Saudi

A man who had contracted the coronavirus has died in Saudi Arabia, raising the death toll in the kingdom from the SARS-like virus to 17, the health ministry announced on its website on Wednesday."A male non-Saudi died on Tuesday in a hospital in the ...
AIDS scientists optimistic of AIDS cure, for some
2 hours 23 min ago - AFP

AIDS scientists optimistic of AIDS cure, for some

Top AIDS scientists were optimistic Wednesday of finding a cure for the disease that has claimed 30 million lives -- but said it might not work for all people.The experts have high hopes for a treatment that will be given at an early stage of ...
Twitter tightens security after high-profile breaches
2 hours 34 min ago - AFP

Twitter tightens security after high-profile breaches

Twitter said Wednesday it was stepping up its security measures for the popular messaging service following a series of high-profile breaches by hackers hitting media organizations and others.Twitter said it would implement a new login verification ...
2 hours 51 min ago - AFP

In tense Mexico state, vigilantes refuse to drop guns

Farmers wearing bulletproof jackets and toting assault rifles ride in pick-up trucks emblazoned with the word "self-defense" to protect this rural western Mexico town from the Knights Templar drug cartel.The federal government deployed thousands of ...
'Kill Mittal' game capitalises on French workers' struggle
3 hours 6 min ago - AFP

'Kill Mittal' game capitalises on French workers' struggle

A new French online game is allowing players to step into the shoes of an ArcelorMittal worker by fighting police and a robot version of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal to keep a factory open.Players throw barrels and beams at police in the ...
Canada lifts ban on gay men donating blood
3 hours 7 min ago - AFP

Canada lifts ban on gay men donating blood

Canadian health authorities lifted Wednesday what was effectively a ban on gay men giving blood, announcing new rules making men who have not had sex with men in the past five years eligible.Under the previous regime, men who had sex with men since ...
Kiwi Wagner wants England to 'hate him'
3 hours 10 min ago - AFP

Kiwi Wagner wants England to 'hate him'

New Zealand's Neil Wagner said Wednesday he wanted to make England's batsmen "hate him" and "get in their face" as the Black Caps look to square the Test series with victory at Headingley.England won the first Test of this two-match campaign with a ...
Swiss take a step to unlocking mystery of ageing
3 hours 21 min ago - AFP

Swiss take a step to unlocking mystery of ageing

Swiss researchers said Wednesday that they had taken a step closer to unlocking the mystery of ageing after discovering the impact of a longevity gene in mice and then managing to extend the life-span of worms by 60 percent thanks to a basic ...
40 Syrian soldiers killed in Idlib province: NGO
3 hours 31 min ago - AFP

40 Syrian soldiers killed in Idlib province: NGO

Forty Syrian soldiers and pro-regime militiamen were killed in fighting with rebels who captured an army camp near the town of Nayrab in the northwestern province of Idlib on Wednesday, a watchdog reported.Rebels took control of the army camp, which ...
Muslim imams pray at Auschwitz for Holocaust dead
3 hours 35 min ago - AFP

Muslim imams pray at Auschwitz for Holocaust dead

Muslim leaders from across the globe knelt in prayer for the Holocaust dead at the Auschwitz's notorious Wall of Death on Wednesday, in an emotional visit to the Nazi German death camp in southern Poland.Imams from Bosnia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, ...
Israel general sees increased risk of surprise war
3 hours 55 min ago - AFP

Israel general sees increased risk of surprise war

Middle East unrest increases the chance of a surprise attack on Israel, the head of its air force said on Wednesday, but added that he did not see an attack as imminent."When you look (around) today I think that a surprise war can be born in very ...
Al-Jazeera leads Arab news channels: survey
3 hours 59 min ago - AFP

Al-Jazeera leads Arab news channels: survey

Al-Jazeera is the Middle East and North Africa's most-watched Arabic-language television channel, according to an independent survey, the Qatar-based broadcaster said on Wednesday.An audience survey carried out Ipsos and Sigma in the first quarter ...
Bergman auction scrapped after suspected theft
4 hours 5 min ago - AFP

Bergman auction scrapped after suspected theft

An auction of items belonging to late Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman has been cancelled, the auction house said on Wednesday, after police said the objects were likely stolen from the family.Photos, letters -- most of them addressed to his fourth ...
Concept flu vaccine may protect against many strains
4 hours 5 min ago - AFP

Concept flu vaccine may protect against many strains

Scientists unveiled a concept vaccine against flu Wednesday they said may protect against various strains with a single jab.Tested in ferrets, considered good human models, the synthetic vaccine uses nanotechnology to attack parts of the influenza ...
Science sinks teeth into Neanderthal weaning habits
4 hours 6 min ago - AFP

Science sinks teeth into Neanderthal weaning habits

Neanderthals may have started weaning their young from seven months of age and transferred them to solid food by just over a year, a fossil tooth study said Wednesday.This is within the range for modern humans and chimpanzees, a research team wrote ...
Hamilton confident of grabbing Monaco pole
4 hours 10 min ago - AFP

Hamilton confident of grabbing Monaco pole

Lewis Hamilton is confident that if can grab pole position for Mercedes on Saturday he can fend off all his supposedly faster rivals to win Sunday's keenly-anticipated 71st Monaco Grand Prix.The 28-year-old Briton, who has a special like for street ...
Sunbathing crocodile shocks Indonesian beachgoers
4 hours 14 min ago - AFP

Sunbathing crocodile shocks Indonesian beachgoers

Hundreds of sunbathers fled a popular Indonesian beach in panic when a four-metre (13-foot) crocodile laid down next to them to soak up some rays, an official said Wednesday.Crowds were thronging the beach at Balikpapan on Borneo island at the ...
EU leaders face up to shale challenge
4 hours 25 min ago - AFP

EU leaders face up to shale challenge

EU leaders agreed Wednesday to face up to the challenge posed by the shale oil and gas revolution which has slashed US energy prices, undercutting Europe's competitive edge."All leaders are aware that sustainable and affordable energy is key to ...
Mostly Asian expat workers end rare UAE strike: company
4 hours 35 min ago - AFP

Mostly Asian expat workers end rare UAE strike: company

Thousands of mainly Asian expatriate workers in the United Arab Emirates have ended a strike they began at the weekend in a rare stoppage aimed at improving their conditions, their employer said Wednesday."Arabtec confirms that all workers returned ...
Contemporary spin on ancient art in Rome exhibition
4 hours 39 min ago - AFP

Contemporary spin on ancient art in Rome exhibition

From ancient Greek statues with futuristic helmets to gladiator shields decorated with shoes, a series of Italian contemporary art works are going on show among the ruins of Rome's Forum.Many of the creations by 17 artists -- spread throughout the ...
Tunisia Salafist spokesman released on bail
4 hours 43 min ago - AFP

Tunisia Salafist spokesman released on bail

Ansar al-Sharia spokesman Seifeddine Rais, detained in the Tunisian city of Kairouan at the weekend as police enforced a government ban on its annual congress, was released on bail on Wednesday, the Salafist group said."God be praised, our brother ...
Bayreuth celebrates Wagner's 200th birthday
4 hours 45 min ago - AFP

Bayreuth celebrates Wagner's 200th birthday

Braving blustery showers and unseasonally chilly temperatures, hundreds of people turned out in Bayreuth Wednesday to celebrate the 200th birthday of German composer Richard Wagner.Bavaria's political elite, headed by state premier Horst Seehofer, ...
4 hours 46 min ago - AFP

'Soldier' killed in 'shocking' London street attack

British police shot and wounded two men after a man thought to be a serving soldier was killed outside a London barracks, in an attack Prime Minister David Cameron called "truly shocking".In a dramatic move, the government's emergency response ...
Ibrahimovic not ruling out PSG departure
4 hours 50 min ago - AFP

Ibrahimovic not ruling out PSG departure

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic admitted Wednesday that a departure from the Ligue 1 champions could not be ruled out if the club continues to lack stability behind the scenes.The celebrations of PSG's first French title in 19 years ...
Major powers urge Assad to commit to peace
4 hours 58 min ago - AFP

Major powers urge Assad to commit to peace

Major powers urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to commit to peace and step down as they gathered in neighbouring Jordan to discuss preparations for a Russian- and US-proposed peace conference.Ahead of a meeting of the Friends of ...
Pregnant Cheruiyot out of world championships
5 hours 3 min ago - AFP

Pregnant Cheruiyot out of world championships

Kenya's double world 5,000m and 10,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot is expecting her first child and will not be defending her titles in Moscow this summer, the runner said Wednesday."I am very happy to announce that I will take some time off from ...
Europe's biggest port, Rotterdam, opens major extension
5 hours 10 min ago - AFP

Europe's biggest port, Rotterdam, opens major extension

Europe's busiest port of Rotterdam opened a multi-billion euro extension on Wednesday, with wider and deeper basins to accomodate the world's biggest freight ships.The Maasvlakte 2 project is the largest feat of Dutch maritime engineering in decades ...
Japan nuclear reactor atop active fault: regulator
5 hours 22 min ago - AFP

Japan nuclear reactor atop active fault: regulator

Japan's nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that one reactor was sitting directly above an active tectonic fault, effectively ruling out a restart forever.The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said it had approved a report from experts which found a ...
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