VOA News
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51 Dead as Massive Tornado Hits Oklahoma
Rescue crews are continuing to search for survivors in the central U.S. state of Oklahoma, where a tornado with winds of 320 kilometers an hour caused massive destruction and killed at least 51 people. Authorities say the death toll is expected to rise. Among those killed were young children who were inside a school when the tornado hit Monday afternoon. Large sections of Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb, were destroyed as the tornado flattened entire neighborhoods and sent debris flying ...
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Obama Praises Burma Reforms, Calls For End to Attacks on...
U.S. President Barack Obama praised Burma's president on Monday for his leadership in pushing through political reforms, while warning that ethnic and communal violence targeting minority Muslims in Burma must stop. Mr. Obama spoke Monday at the White House, alongside Burmese President Thein Sein, the former general who in 2011 became president after Burma's first democratic polls in more than five decades. The U.S. leader credited his counterpart for using his time in office to ...
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51 Killed as Massive Tornado Hits Oklahoma
A tornado with 320 kilometer-per-hour winds has killed at least 51 people and caused massive destruction in the central U.S. state of Oklahoma, destroying two schools and entire neighborhoods. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office said the death toll was expected to rise as rescue workers move deeper into the hardest-hit areas. The tornado, more than a kilometer wide, hit Monday afternoon and destroyed large swaths of Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb, injuring dozens of people, sending ...
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Senate Panel Accuses Apple of Using Complex Tax Loopholes
A U.S. Senate committee says Apple has avoided paying taxes on billions of dollars in profits by setting up a complex network of off-shore entities. The Senate panel says Apple created foreign subsidiaries with no employees or physical offices so it would pay little or no taxes on its earnings. It says Apple is holding $145 billion in cash, of which more than $100 billion is held offshore. Apple chief Tim Cook is scheduled to go before the panel on Tuesday. It is common for multi-national ...
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37 Killed as Massive Tornado Hits Oklahoma
A tornado with 320 kilometer-per-hour winds has killed at least 37 people and caused massive destruction in the central U.S. state of Oklahoma, destroying two schools and entire neighborhoods. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office said the death toll was expected to rise as rescue workers move deeper into the hardest-hit areas. The 1.6 kilometer wide tornado hit Monday afternoon and destroyed large swaths of Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb, injuring dozens of people, sending debris flying ...
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10 Killed as Massive Tornado Hits Oklahoma
A tornado with 320 kilometer-per-hour winds has killed at least 10 people and caused massive destruction in the central U.S. state of Oklahoma, destroying two schools and entire neighborhoods. The 1.6 kilometer wide tornado destroyed swaths of Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb, injuring dozens of people, sending debris flying and setting buildings on fire. Rescue workers have pulled several children alive out of the rubble of the schools. The severe weather outbreak was expected to spread ...
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Massive Tornado Hits Oklahoma Again
A huge tornado with 320 kilometers-per-hour winds has torn through the central U.S. state of Oklahoma, destroying homes for the second day in a row Monday. The 1.6 kilometers wide tornado destroyed swaths of Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. Local media reported several children have been rescued from the school. There were several reported injuries but no immediate reports of ...
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Wave of Attacks Kills At Least 76 in Iraq
A wave of car bombings and suicide attacks against Shi'ite Muslims ripped through Iraqi cities Monday, killing at least 76 people and wounding scores more, extending the worst sectarian violence since U.S. troops withdrew from the country in December 2011. The attacks increased the number of Iraqis killed in sectarian clashes over the past week to more than 200, including 70 who died Friday in a series of bombings targeting Sunnis. Monday's violence was extensive in Baghdad, where at ...
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President Obama To Visit Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania
The White House says U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to Africa this summer, visiting three countries. In a statement Monday, the White House says President Obama along with his wife, Michelle, will travel to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania in late June and early July. The administration says Obama will meet with government officials as well as leaders from business, civil society and youth groups. It says the trip - from June 26 to July 3 - will reinforce the close ties between ...
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Obama Praises Burma Reforms, Calls For End to Attacks on...
U.S. President Barack Obama praised Burma's president on Monday for his leadership in pushing through political reforms, while warning that ethnic and communal violence targeting minority Muslims in Burma must stop. Mr. Obama spoke Monday at the White House, alongside Burmese President Thien Sein, the former general who in 2011 became president after Burma's first democratic polls in more than five decades. The U.S. leader credited his counterpart for using his time in office to ...
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EU Worried by Russia's Human Rights Record
The European Union criticized Russia's human rights record on Sunday, saying it was increasingly concerned at a wave of restrictive legislation and prosecutions against activists. The 27-nation bloc cited the cases of protesters arrested at a demonstration on the eve of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration last year who are still awaiting trial, and a new law requiring charities with funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents". "Both sides discussed at ...
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Radical Islamist Killed in Tunisia Street Protests
Tunisian authorities say a street battle between radical Islamists and police has killed one Islamist protester on the outskirts of the capital, Tunis. Authorities said the man, in his late 20s, died of injuries sustained in Sunday's fighting in the Etadhamen district. The radical activists, also known as Salafists, threw stones at Tunisian police to protest a government ban on their annual conference in the center of the country. Police fired tear gas to break up the violent protest and ...
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HEALTH: GINGER / ASTHMA
Ginger - whether it's fresh, powdered or pickled - adds zest to all sorts of dishes. The spicy root can also help asthma sufferers breathe a bit easier. Many common drugs used to relieve the effects - medications known as beta-agonists - work by relaxing the smooth muscles constricting the bronchial tubes, enabling air to flow in and out of the lungs more easily. Researchers at Columbia University, working with human bronchial tissue samples, found that purified components of ginger can ...
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Afghanistan, India to Discuss Military Aid
Afghan President Hamid Karzai plans to discuss increased military aid with Indian officials during his visit this week to New Delhi. The trip, which begins Monday, follows recent cross-border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. A spokesman for the Afghan president says Mr. Karzai will ask for assistance for the strengthening of the country's military and security institutions. Afghanistan and India signed a strategic partnership in 2011 which included India's training of Afghan ...
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Syrian TV: Troops Enter Rebel Stronghold of Qusair
Syrian state television says government troops have entered the rebel town of Qusair as part of a weeks-long offensive to recapture the strategic area connecting Damascus to the Mediterranean coast. Syrian TV said state security forces moved into Qusair on Sunday and began hunting down terrorists - the government's term for rebels fighting a two-year war to oust autocratic President Bashar al-Assad. A Syrian official told Western news agencies that government troops captured the ...
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Report Says Iran Hangs 2 Spies Working for Israel, US
Iranian authorities executed two men on Sunday convicted of working for Israeli and U.S. spy agencies, Iran's Fars news agency reported. Mohammad Heidari, accused of passing security-related information and secrets to Israeli Mossad agents in exchange for money, and Kourosh Ahmadi, accused of gathering information for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, were hanged at dawn, it said. The sentence for their execution was handed down by ...
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Ivory Coast Militia Leader Arrested for 2011 Massacre
Soldiers in Ivory Coast have arrested a militia leader who was allegedly involved in a 2011 massacre of political opponents. Military officials say Amade Oueremigave himself up Saturday as soldiers began to converge near his hideout. Oueremi and his fighters backed President Alassane Ouattara in the violence that broke out after the 2010 election when former president Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down. Human rights groups say Oueremi took part in a massacre of Gbagbo supporters in the ...
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Oxbow Wins Preakness, Orb Finishes 4th
Oxbow has won the Preakness Stakes, meaning that there will be no Triple Crown winner this year. Oxbow, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens and trained by veteran trainer Wayne Lukas, Saturday led the Preakness in Baltimore, Maryland from start to finish. Oxbow was the surprise winner with 15-to-1 odds. Itsmyluckyday finished second and Mylute was third. Kentucky Derby champion and favorite Orb finished fourth in the Preakness -- the second jewel in horse racing's Triple Crown ...
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African Mines: A Potential Source of Funds for...
In sub-Saharan Africa, many economies are growing briskly, thanks to the continent’s abundant natural resources and global commodities boom. Development experts say revenues from minerals, oil and gas could help many countries fund much needed roads, bridges, dams and other infrastructure. A recent report by the Africa Progress Panel, a group of influential business and political leaders, says there’s great potential in the continent’s extractive wealth – but also many challenges. ...
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At Least 5 Dead in Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion
Authorities in Texas say at least five -- possibly as many as 15 -- people have been killed in the southwestern U.S. state as a result of Wednesday's massive explosion at a fertilizer plant. A spokesman for the Waco, Texas police department says at least 160 people were injured when the blast ripped through the plant in the nearby town of West as firefighters were battling a fire. Between 50 and 75 houses within a five block radius were either heavily damaged or destroyed. West's ...
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Sectarian Violence Kills 11 in Iraq
It was a violent day in Iraq Saturday with at least 11 people killed and 10 policemen kidnapped as hatred simmers between the ruling Shi'ite majority and the Sunni minority. Gunmen broke into the home of an anti-terrorism policeman in the Baghdad suburb of Rasheed, killing him, his wife, and two children. Another security officer was killed elsewhere in Rasheed. Police say gunmen killed a Sunni cleric near his home in the southern port city of Basra and a car bomb exploded in the town of ...
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Report: Obama Trims Afghan War Budget Request
U.S. President Barack Obama is trimming his funding request for the Afghan war. The Reuters news agency quotes an unidentified White House aide as saying the president has decreased his request for funding the war in Afghanistan by 10 percent for the 2014 fiscal year budget. The report says the president reduced his original request from $88.5 billion to $79.4 billion. The White House issued a statement Friday saying the change was made to account for the drawdown of troops set to ...
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Report: Obama Trims Afghan War Budget Request
U.S. President Barack Obama is trimming his funding request for the Afghan war. The Reuters news agency quotes an unidentified White House aide as saying the president has decreased his request for funding the war in Afghanistan by 10 percent for the 2014 fiscal year budget. The report says the president reduced his original request from $88.5 billion to $79.4 billion. The White House issued a statement Friday saying the change was made to account for the drawdown of troops set to begin next...
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North Korea Launches Short-Range Missiles Into Sea
South Korea says North Korea has fired three short-range missiles into the East Sea -- also known as the Sea of Japan. The South's Defense Ministry says it detected two launches Saturday morning, followed by another in the afternoon. A ministry spokesman says the North's intent was not clear. He says South Korea's military is watching for any additional launches and "possible provocations." Japan's Kyodo news service reported a Japanese official confirmed the ...
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Earth and Moon Share Water Source
Water on the moon came from the same source thought to have supplied most of the water on Earth, according to new research published in the journal Science. The common origin offers new insights into how planets formed and evolved. Scientists have long believed our Moon was formed when a Mars-size planet collided with the Earth 4.5 billion years ago and jettisoned a disk of molten debris into space. The cataclysm would have generated enough heat on the newborn Moon to burn off the elements...
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Kerry Meets Bangladeshi Counterpart
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States wants to see Bangladesh move forward on improving labor standards after a building collapse that killed hundreds of garment workers. Kerry met Friday with Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and expressed deep sadness over the Rana Plaza disaster that left more than 1,120 people dead three weeks ago. The meeting came as Bangladesh reopened hundreds of garment factories, just days after closing them. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and ...
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Bombs Targeting Iraqi Sunnis Kill 70
A series of bomb attacks has targeted Sunnis in Iraq, killing 70 people and increasing fears of renewed sectarian conflict. The deadliest blast Friday struck Sunni worshippers who were leaving a mosque in Baquba, just north of Baghdad, and was followed by a second explosion as people gathered to help the wounded. At least 41 people were killed in the twin bombings. Later in the day, a roadside bomb exploded during a Sunni funeral procession in Madain, south of Baghdad, killing eight ...
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UN Chief Discusses Syria with Russian Officials
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in Russia, where he says it is important to not "lose momentum" in setting up a peace conference on Syria next month. Mr. Ban told reporters Friday that momentum gained by talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov should be built upon, not wasted. He said a U.N. team is ready at any time to investigate claims that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against rebels. Lavrov has ...
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Cigarette Smuggling Suspects May Have Ties to Terrorists
New York authorities have arrested 15 men accused of running a cigarette smuggling ring and say some of the suspects may have ties to Islamic militant groups. Officials said Thursday the suspects allegedly smuggled more than one-million cartons of cigarettes from Virginia into New York, depriving the city and state of tax revenue. They say despite the lucrative scheme, the suspects lived modestly, raising suspicions that they were sending the money elsewhere. Authorities also say one of the...
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Bombers Target Iraqi Mosque and Markets, Killing at...
Car bombs killed at least 12 people Thursday in Shi'ite neighborhoods of the Iraqi capital, while to the north, a suicide bomber struck a Shi'ite mosque in Kirkuk, killing at least 13 worshippers. A wave of bombings on Wednesday in Baghdad and other cities killed at least 33 people and wounded scores of others. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is blaming the deaths on rising sectarian violence that has plagued the country since security forces raided a Sunni protest camp near Kirkuk ...
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Saudi Princes Lose Battle to Keep UK Lawsuit Secret
Two Saudi princes will not be able to keep details of an international commercial dispute a secret, a British court ruled on Thursday, despite lawyers arguing that the case could damage Saudi relations with Britain and the United States. The appeal was made by Prince Mishal bin Abdulaziz al Saud, a former defense minister, and his son Prince Abdulaziz bin Mishal, who are locked in a legal business tussle with Jordanian businessman Faisal ...
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Boston Suspect: Bombing Was Retribution For US Actions
Law enforcement sources say the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect scrawled a note on the boat where he was hiding, calling the blasts revenge for U.S. attacks on Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. Police found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in the boat in a backyard in suburban Boston, four days after the April 15 bombings killed three people and wounded more than 260. U.S. news media reported Thursday that Tsarnaev called the Boston victims "collateral damage." He said the United ...
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Cambodia Shoe Factory Collapses; At Least 2 Dead
Cambodian officials say a shoe factory has collapsed outside of Phnom Penh, killing at least two people and trapping an unknown number of others. Police say rescue efforts are underway at the low-rise building in Kampong Speu province, about 75 kilometers west of the capital. They say at least six people are injured. The Wednesday accident comes less than a month after a building housing garment factories collapsed in Bangladesh, killing more than 1,100 workers. That disaster has prompted a...
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IAEA: No Breakthrough in Iran Nuclear Talks
The United Nations' top nuclear inspector, Herman Nackaerts, says talks with Iran have ended with no agreement and no date set for new talks. This was the 10th round of talks since the beginning of last year between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. U.N. inspectors want access to Iranian nuclear facilities and documents. The IAEA is concerned Iran may be building a nuclear weapon and wants to visit such places as the Parchin military site. Iran says Parchin is a standard ...
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Taiwan Rejects Philippine Apology for Taiwanese...
Taiwan's premier Jiang Yi-huah is rejecting the Philippines president's apology for last week's shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by the coast guard. Mr. Jiang says President Benigno Aquino's apology is unacceptable because it calls the shooting "unfortunate" and "unintentional." Taiwan has imposed sanctions on the Philippines including recalling its envoy to Manila and freezing job permits for Philippines workers. Taiwan also plans to hold naval ...
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Equatorial Guinea Arrests Opposition Leaders Over March
Equatorial Guinea arrested at least four members of the opposition for seeking to organize a protest ahead of a legislative election this month, Amnesty International and a local rights activist said on Wednesday. The founders of the opposition Democratic Party for Social Justice, Clara Nsegue Eyi and Natalia Angue Edjodjomo, were detained on Monday for preparing the demonstration calling for their group's legalization. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema's government deployed a heavy ...
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IAEA: No Breakthrough in Iran Nuclear Talks
The United Nations' top nuclear inspector, Herman Nackaerts, says talks with Iran have ended with no agreement and no date set for new talks. This was the 10th round of talks since the beginning of the year between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. U.N. inspectors want access to Iranian nuclear facilities and documents. The IAEA is concerned Iran may be building a nuclear weapon and wants to visit such places as the Parchin military site. Iran says Parchin is a standard ...
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Report: UN Panel Finds Sanctions Hinder N. Korea Nuclear...
A United Nations panel says financial and trade sanctions and an arms embargo have significantly hindered North Korea's nuclear weapons program. In a report seen by the Reuters news agency, the panel says the sanctions have not stopped the North from building missiles and nuclear weapons. But it says the sanctions cut off funds that would have gone into expanding these weapons programs. According to Reuters, the panel says North Korea is working to avoid sanctions by money laundering and ...
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Philippines Apologizes for Death of Taiwanese Fisherman
The Philippines has apologized to Taiwan for the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by the coast guard - an incident that has added to an already tense relationship. The Philippines' top representative in Taipei voiced his government's deep regret to Taiwanese Foreign Minister David Lin Wednesday. Another Philippines official plans to meet with the family of the fisherman. Both countries plan a thorough investigation. Taiwan threatened to begin naval exercises near the ...
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Safety Nets Shielded Europe's Poorest From Crisis
New figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development show that social welfare programs shielded some of the poorest Europeans from the harshest effects of the global financial crisis - programs that are now being cut as countries adopt austerity measures. The new study by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development looks at a number of countries hit by the financial crisis between 2007 and 2010, including the United States and Mexico. But its...
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Walmart to Inspect Bangladesh Factories
The world's largest retailer, Walmart, is ordering inspections of all 279 of its suppliers' factories in Bangladesh and will publicly announce the results. Walmart is acting after a building containing garment factories in Bangladesh collapsed last month, killing more than 1,100 workers. Walmart says it will no longer buy goods from any factory that fails safety inspection and does not make proper repairs. Walmart is acting separately from a joint agreement by several top global ...
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Distant Pulsar Lends New Support for Einstein’s...
A recent study is providing new support for a theory that many scientists consider to be one of the two major pillars of modern physics - Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. It seems there are always members of the scientific community who are eager for the chance to knock the air out of Albert Einstein's nearly 100 year-old General Theory of Relativity. This milestone work describes how the elemental force of gravity helps to shape the geometry of space and time. And ...
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Gunmen Attack Baghdad Liquor Stores, 12 Killed
Gunmen using silenced weapons attacked at least nine liquor stores in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 12 people, police and medical sources said. Police sources said the attack targeted a row of stores selling alcohol in Zayona district of eastern Baghdad, which has a majority Shi'ite population. Even though most people shun alcohol, forbidden under Islamic law, Iraq is a generally less conservative Muslim society than neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, thanks to its mix ...
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Cyclone Kills 7 in Sri Lanka; Thousands Displaced
A cyclone caused by a tropical depression in the Bay of Bengal killed at least seven people in Sri Lanka, government officials said on Tuesday. Cyclone Mahasen, which brought heavy rains and landslides to Sri Lanka, was expected to hit Bangladesh and Burma later this week. “Seven people have died and 10 people have got injured. There are 7,399 people from 1,947 families affected,'' Lal Sarath Kumara, the spokesman at Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center, told ...
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Obama Calls Apparent Pakistan Winner Sharif
U.S. President Barack Obama has telephoned his congratulations to Pakistan's likely new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose party won Saturday's parliamentary election. White House spokesman Jay Carney says the United States and Pakistan have a long history of working together. He said Mr. Obama looks forward to continued cooperation with the Pakistani government. He also praised Pakistani voters for a large turnout in the face of intimidation by extremists. Official results Tuesday ...
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Kerry Says Syria Peace Talks Expected in June
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he expects Syria's government and the main opposition coalition to attend a peace conference in early June. Speaking in Stockholm Tuesday, Kerry said Russia has informed him that the Syrian government has presented names of potential negotiators. Syrian state media quotes Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi as saying the government needs more details before making a final decision whether to attend the talks. Kerry warns Syria that a boycott would ...
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American Psychologist Joyce Brothers Dies at 85
American psychologist and pop-culture figure Joyce Brothers, who parlayed her 1950s game show celebrity into a six-decade media career, died Monday. She was 85. Her long-time publicist said she died outside New York City of natural causes. Brothers, who once taught at Columbia University, first gained fame on the 1950s game show "The $64,000 Question" for her encyclopedic knowledge of boxing. She became the only woman to win the show's top prize, and by 1958 NBC television had ...
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Activists: Syrian Troops Oust Rebels from Southern Town
A Syrian rights group says government forces have ousted rebels from a southern town on a strategic highway from Damascus to Jordan. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad secured control of Khirbet Ghazaleh on Monday. The Syrian government has been waging a counteroffensive against rebels in the southern province of Daraa in recent days, reversing some rebel gains made earlier this month. Rebels have been trying to seize...
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AP News Agency Says US Seized Phone Records
The Associated Press news agency says the U.S. government has seized two months of telephone records for many of its reporters and editors. The organization's chief executive, Gary Pruitt, called the action a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into AP's newsgathering operations. Pruitt said Monday that the AP learned from the Justice Department on Friday that the government agency gathered phone records for more than 20 separate phone lines of AP offices and ...
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American Psychologist Joyce Brothers Dies at 85
American psychologist and pop-culture figure Joyce Brothers, who parlayed her 1950s game show celebrity into a six-decade media career, died Monday. She was 85. Her long-time publicist said she died in New York City of natural causes. Brothers, who once taught at Columbia University, first gained fame on the 1950s game show "The $64,000 Question" for her encyclopedic knowledge of boxing. She became the only woman to win the show's top prize, and by 1958 NBC television had ...
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Burma Evacuating Camps Ahead of Cyclone
Officials in Burma say they are evacuating thousands of residents from camps for displaced people ahead of a cyclone expected later this week. The officials say they are moving people from low-lying camps in the west of the country, where communal violence broke out last year between Buddhists and Muslims. Hundreds died in that violence and tens of thousands of others were left homeless, mostly ethnic Rohingya Muslims. Weather forecasters predict that Cyclone Mahasen will hit land in ...
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UN Links Terrorism in Africa to Organized Crime
The United Nations Security Council pointed Monday to the connection between terrorism in Africa and organized crime, and called for a strengthened global response. The 15-member Security Council unanimously adopted a statement declaring its deep concern for what it calls the increasing violence perpetrated by armed groups, the number of which, it said, are growing in several regions and sub-regions of Africa. The council approved the statement during a discussion of the fight ...
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Global Retailers Join Bangladesh Safety Plan as Survivor...
Several of the Western world's largest clothing companies have signed onto a plan requiring them to help pay for garment factory safety improvements in Bangladesh. The deal, announced Monday, came as authorities ended the search near Dhaka for victims of the world's worst-ever garment industry disaster. The death toll from the April 24 factory collapse near Dhaka stood at 1,127 as workers ended their search. The safety deal brings together Sweden's H & M chain, the largest ...
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Astronaut's 'Space Oddity' Music Video Goes Viral
A music video shot aboard the International Space Station went viral on Monday, turning an astronaut into an overnight music sensation with his zero-gravity version of David Bowie's hit “Space Oddity.” As the first Canadian to command the space station, a $100 million project of 15 nations, Chris Hadfield had already earned himself a place in the history books. But as he prepared to return home on Monday after more than five months in orbit, Hadfield released a poignant ...
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Turkey's Support for Syrian Opposition Under Fire
The twin car bombings Saturday in the town of Reyhanli, near Turkey's border with Syria, killed 48 and injured more than 100, and have increased fears that Turkey is being dragged into Syria's civil war. The Turkish government is facing growing criticism for its support of the Syrian opposition. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has emerged as one of the most vocal leaders in the region supporting the uprising against Syria's Bashar al-Assad. But when the ...
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Saudi Man Traveling With Pressure Cooker Arrested
A Saudi man was arrested at the international airport in Detroit after authorities said he made a false statement about why he was traveling with a pressure cooker. Hussain al-Kwawahir was being held Monday in Detroit on allegations of using a passport with a missing page and lying to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Pressure cookers packed with explosive powder and shrapnel were used in the Boston Marathon bombings last month, killing three people and wounding more than ...
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Bangladesh to Raise Pay for Garment Workers
Bangladesh's government says it plans to raise the minimum wage for garment workers in response to protests linked to last month's collapse of a factory building that killed more than 1,100 people. Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddiky announced Sunday that a new minimum wage board will issue a recommendation for new wages that would be retroactive to May 1. The recommendations would have to be approved by government ministers. The average pay for a garment worker in Bangladesh is $38 ...
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China Investigates Top State Planner
Chinese officials say a deputy chairman of China's top planning agency is under investigation. In a one-sentence statement carried by state media Sunday, the Communist Party's disciplinary agency said that Liu Tienan, deputy head of the Cabinets' National Development and Reform Commission is being investigated for suspected "severe discipline violations," a phrase usually reserved for corruption cases. The report gave no further details. The investigation into Liu comes ...
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Singapore Investigates Death of American Researcher
Singapore opens an official inquest Monday into the death of an American engineer whose family suspects he was murdered over a project involving the illegal transfer of sensitive technology to China. Authorities are seeking to establish whether scientist Shane Todd committed suicide in June 2012 as police contend, or whether he was the victim of foul play. An autopsy concluded Todd died by hanging, after his body was found suspended from a door in his Singapore apartment, two days after he...
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UN: Some 800,000 People to Need Food Aid in Niger
Some 800,000 people will require food aid in Niger in the coming months despite a good harvest last year due to problems supplying cereals to markets, which have pushed up prices, and an influx of Malian refugees, the United Nations said. The U.N. office for humanitarian coordination (OCHA) said they would need food from now until the start of the rainy season, which is usually in July, July and August. It said the situation was critical in 13 regions surveyed by the government in March, ...
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Suicide Bomber Kills 6 in Southwest Pakistan
The police chief of Pakistan's troubled Baluchistan province has narrowly escaped a suicide attack that killed at least six and wounded 46 others. Officials said Inspector General Mushtaq Sukhera had just entered his residence in Quetta when a suicide bomber in a vehicle laden with explosives blew himself up outside the house. At least two police officers, three paramilitary soldiers and one passerby were killed. Residents said the explosion was so loud that it was heard all over the ...
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Exit Polls: Bulgaria's Borisov Wins Vote, But Short of...
Exit polls in Bulgaria suggest the party of center-right leader Boiko Borisov narrowly won the most votes in a parliamentary election, just three months after he resigned as prime minister under pressure from anti-government protests. The surveys released at the close of Sunday's voting indicated Borisov's GERB party won 30 to 33 percent of the vote, ahead of the Socialists, who were projected to get 25 to 27 percent. If the result is confirmed, it would leave Borisov short of a ...
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Republicans Demand Probe for IRS Tax Targeting
Republican lawmakers have called for a broad investigation of the U.S. tax agency's revelation that its agents singled out conservative political groups for heightened scrutiny, demanding that President Barack Obama personally apologize for the action. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said Sunday the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service during the 2012 political campaign "is something we cannot let stand. It needs to have a full ...
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US Senator Alleges Benghazi Attack ‘Cover Up’
A high-ranking Republican Senator has labeled the Obama administration’s initial characterizations of last year’s deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya as a “cover up.” Senator John McCain is calling for a special investigative committee to further probe the administration’s actions after the September assault that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. Fallout continued in Washington days after ABC News said it obtained emails showing State Department editing of ...
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Republicans Demand Probe for IRS Tax Targeting
Republican lawmakers have called for a broad investigation of the U.S. tax agency's revelation that its agents singled out conservative political groups for heightened scrutiny, demanding that President Barack Obama personally apologize for the action. House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, said Sunday the targeted of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) during the 2012 political campaign "is something we cannot let stand. It needs to have a full ...
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Pakistan's Sharif Poised to Regain Power After Historic...
The conservative party of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif has taken a commanding lead as votes continued to be tallied Sunday for crucial parliamentary elections marred by Taliban intimidation. As unofficial results continued to pour in, state television estimates showed Mr. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League having easily secured enough seats to form a government and close to the majority needed to rule outright. In a dramatic showing, former cricket player Imran Khan's ...
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Astronauts Go On Spacewalk to Fix Space Station Ammonia...
Two American astronauts went on a six hour-long spacewalk Saturday to fix an ammonia leak outside the International Space Station. Astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn removed a 113-kilogram box housing a faulty pump and replaced it with a spare. NASA engineers say they do not see any new signs of a leak and are very happy. But they say it could take months before they know if the problem is permanently fixed. Ammonia is used to cool the space station's power system. The crew first ...
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G7 Financial Leaders Discuss Boosting Global Recovery
Finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations, also known as the G7, have ended a two-day meeting with a recognition that austerity measures have to be balanced with policies to boost growth. The officials from the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Britain and Italy were meeting at Hartwell House near London. The officials also agreed on the importance of finding measures to deal with failing banks and working collectively to stop companies and individuals...
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Bombs Near Turkish-Syrian Border Kill 40
Twin car bombs in a Turkish town near the Syrian border have killed at least 40 people and wounded more than 100 others, and top Turkish officials are pointing fingers at the Syrian government. Turkey's interior minister, Muammar Guler, says two car bombs went off in the town of Reyhanli, just a few kilometers from a Syrian border crossing. Massive explosions devastated nearby buiildings, and ambulances rushed to the site Saturday to treat scores of victims. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent ...
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Astronauts Remove Possible Leak Source During Spacewalk
Two American astronauts have completed a spacewalk to replace a large pump controller box outside the international space station that may be the source of an ammonia leak. NASA says astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn removed the 113-kilogram box and replaced it with a spare about two-and-a-half hours into their walk. The pair spent more than six hours outside the space station Saturday. On Friday, the space station's Canadian commander, Chris Hadfield, described the ammonia leak ...
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Egypt Authorities Foil Terror Attacks
Officials in Egypt say authorities have arrested three suspected al-Qaida-linked militants who were planning to carry out suicide attacks on vital installations and an unspecified foreign embassy. Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim told a news conference Saturday that the men had been in contact with Dawood al-Assady, a leader of al-Qaida in southeast Asian countries. He said that the group was planning to attack government buildings and a foreign embassy. He did not say which one. Ibrahim...
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Astronauts Remove Possible Leak Source During Spacewalk
Two American astronauts have replaced a large pump controller box outside the international space station that may be the source of an ammonia leak in the orbiting laboratory's power cooling system. NASA says astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn removed the 113-kilogram box and replaced it with a spare about two-and-a-half hours into their spacewalk. On Friday, the space station's Canadian commander, Chris Hadfield, described the ammonia leak as a "serious situation," ...
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Ryan Crocker to Join US Broadcasting Board
President Barack Obama has announced he will nominate former Ambassador Ryan Crocker to join the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the Voice of America and other government-supported international broadcast media. Crocker is one of the most honored American diplomats in recent decades. He retired in 2012 after 37 years in the U.S. foreign service, including appointments as ambassador to Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon and, most recently, Afghanistan. After ...
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Explosion Near Turkish-Syrian Border Kills 13
Turkey's interior minister, Muammar Guler, says the death toll from bombings near the country's border with Syria has risen to 40, with about 100 more wounded. Guler says two car bombs went off in the town of Reyhanli, just a few kilometers from a Syria border crossing. Turkish media outlets had reported earlier that there were four blasts Saturday. Several ambulances were dispatched to the scene to treat the victims. No one has claimed responsibility for the carnage.
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Historic Election Polls Close in Most of Pakistan
Polls have closed in most areas in Pakistan, in historic elections that will bring about a transition from one civilian administration that finished a full term in office to another civilian administration. Voters were supposed to stop casting ballots for lawmakers in the National Assembly at 1200 GMT, but officials extended the voting period by one hour Saturday because many people were still waiting to vote. A VOA reporter on the scene says some Pakistanis are still casting ballots in a...
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Explosion Near Turkish-Syrian Border Kills 4
Turkey's interior minister, Muammar Guler, says explosions near the country's border with Syria have killed at least four people and wounded at least 18 others. Turkish media outlets reported four blasts Saturday in the town of Reyhanli, just a few kilometers away from a Syria border crossing. The cause of the explosions has not been determined. Several ambulances have been dispatched to the scene to treat the victims.
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7 Killed as Clans Clash in South Sudan's Jonglei
Seven people have been killed and dozens injured in inter-clan fighting in South Sudan's restive Jonglei state, officials said Friday. Officials in the state's Akobo County said violent clashes pitted members of the Waat and Walgak clans against each other on Tuesday and Wednesday. French medical charity Doctors Without Borders, which goes by its French acronym MSF, said it has treated 16 people with gunshot wounds “We received 16 people and two of them died of internal bleeding ...
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Woman Rescued From Bangladesh Disaster Rubble
Emergency workers in Bangladesh have rescued a woman who survived 17 days buried in the rubble of a collapsed garment factory complex, as the death toll from the disaster rose to more than 1,000. Pale, drawn but seemingly unhurt, Reshma Begum was cut from the ruins and hoisted onto a stretcher Friday to wild cheers from the crowds. She managed to survive by taking sips from bottles of water buried with her. Begum, 19, said from her hospital bed that she drank only a small quantity'' ...
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IRS Apologizes for Singling Out Conservative Groups
A top official from the U.S. tax agency has apologized to conservative groups that were singled out for additional scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) during the 2012 political campaign. Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups, said Friday about 75 organizations that included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in applications for tax-exempt status were put through unnecessary, additional reviews. In some cases, groups were asked ...
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Global CO2 Level Reaches 400PPM, Highest in 3.6 Million...
The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached a milestone on Thursday - the daily average topped 400 parts per million, a level not seen since the middle Pliocene era, some 3.6 million years ago, when the Arctic was wetter, warmer and ice-free. Scientists have been measuring CO2 data for more than half a century, gathered from analyzers mounted high atop the Hawaiian volcano Mauna Loa. When the project began in 1958, the CO2 level was 315 parts per million. Since late...
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Texas Paramedic Charged In Connection With Fertilizer...
Texas law enforcement officials have charged a paramedic who helped respond in last month's deadly fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West with unlawful possession of a pipe bomb. Bryce Reed was charged Friday with possession of an unregistered destructive device. But law enforcement officials said they had not linked the charge to the April 17 fire and blast at West Fertilizer Company. Fourteen people were killed in the blast, which has been treated largely as an industrial ...
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New Anti-Cocaine Vaccine Passes Key Test
Researchers in the United States report they have made important progress on a new anti-cocaine vaccine. In laboratory tests with non-human primates, the scientists used a radiological tracking technique to confirm the result of earlier tests with mice -- that the vaccine prevented cocaine molecules from reaching the brain and triggering a dopamine-induced high. The successful primate test means human clinical trials could begin within a year. According to Dr. Ronald Crystal, the lead ...
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UN Reportedly Has Testimony That Syrian Rebels Used Sarin
U.N. human rights investigators have gathered testimony from casualties of Syria's civil war and medical staff indicating that rebel forces have used the nerve agent sarin, one of the lead investigators said on Sunday. The United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria has not yet seen evidence of government forces having used chemical weapons, which are banned under international law, said commission member Carla Del Ponte. "Our investigators have been in neighboring ...
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Moscow Says 'Not Planning' New Missile Sale to Syria
Russia's foreign minister says Moscow is "not planning to sell" an advanced air defense system to Syria. Sergei Lavrov responded to questions Friday in Warsaw about a Wall Street Journal report that said a sale of Russia's S-300 missile batteries to Damascus was imminent. But despite denying reports of a new sale, Lavrov said Russia has previously signed agreements with Syria and "is completing deliveries - in line with the agreed contracts - of equipment which is ...
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British Olympian Dies During America's Cup Practice
A British Olympic medalist has died after the catamaran of a Swedish team training for the upcoming America's Cup races capsized off the coast of California. Andrew ``Bart'' Simpson died Thursday after the capsized boat's platform trapped him underwater for about 10 minutes. Another sailor was injured. The Swedish team Artemis and two other yacht teams, each outfitted with multimillion-dollar racing boats that can achieve speeds of 72 kilometers per hour, are challenging ...
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British Olympian Dies During America's Cup Practice
A British Olympic medalist has died after the catamaran of a Swedish team training for the upcoming America's Cup races capsized off the coast of California. Andrew ``Bart'' Simpson died Thursday after the capsized boat's platform trapped him underwater for about 10 minutes. 36-year-old Simpson was a member of Artemis, Sweden's entry in the America's Cup. He won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
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AU Calls for Sudan, South Sudan Summit on Abyei
The African Union (AU) called on Thursday for an urgent meeting of the leaders from Sudan and South Sudan to find a solution for the flashpoint Abyei region after the killing of a tribal leader and an Ethiopian peacekeeper. On Saturday, Kuwal Deng Mayok, the chief of the Dinka tribe allied to South Sudan, was killed by a member of the Misseriya tribe in Abyei claimed by Khartoum and Juba. One Ethiopian peacekeeper and 15 Misseriya, who are allied to Sudan, also died, according to the ...
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US Blacklists Firms for Evading Iran Oil Sale Sanctions
The United States has blacklisted two companies it says helped Iran evade sanctions on oil sales and slapped penalties on four Tehran-based firms it says helped the Islamic Republic enrich uranium, the latest efforts to pressure Iran's nuclear program. “As long as Iran tries to evade our sanctions, we will continue to expose their deceptive maneuvers,'' David Cohen, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department said in a news ...
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EU Envoy: US-EU Trade Pact Will Be 'Game Changer'
European Union officials on Thursday touted the huge economic potential of a proposed free-trade pact with the United States even as they poked fun at its cumbersome name, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. "We've launched this strange animal called TTIP ['tee tip']," EU Ambassador to the United States JoIao Vale de Almeida said at a reception to mark Europe Day. "This is a game-changer. As I like to say, this is the mother of all free trade ...
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7 Killed in Bangladesh Garment Factory Fire
Officials in Bangladesh say at least seven people died in a fire in a garment factory in the capital late Wednesday. The fire erupted in the Tung Hai Sweater Factory in Dhaka's Mirpur district after most workers had gone home. Authorities say police and garment factory officials were holding a meeting in the 11-story building when the fire broke out. Earlier Wednesday, the Bangladesh government said it had shut down 18 garment factories for safety reasons following the April 24 collapse ...
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Senators Want Iranian Access to Foreign Cash Blocked
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a bill to stop Iran from gaining access to billions of dollars in foreign currency reserves. In the Iran Sanctions Loophole Elimination Act, sponsors say Iran is trying to avoid U.S. and European Union sanctions by converting its foreign accounts from euros into local currencies. The legislation would impose U.S. sanctions on overseas banks if they convert Iranian-held euros into other currencies. U.S. officials believe ...
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Malaysian Police Declare Opposition Protest 'Illegal'
Malaysian police have threatened to arrest those participating in an unsanctioned rally to protest results of an election the opposition says was marred by massive fraud. National police chief Ismail Omar says the protest to be held late Wednesday is illegal because the organizer, outspoken opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, did not apply for a government permit. Malaysia's Peaceful Assembly Act tightly regulates protests and public gatherings, and requires organizers to receive advance ...
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Malaysia's Anwar Vows to Challenge Election Results
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is vowing to stay in his post and lead a campaign challenging the results of an election that delivered his coalition a controversial defeat. Final results show the ex-deputy prime minister's three-party Pakatan Rakyat coalition won just 89 of 222 parliament seats, despite capturing the popular vote during Sunday's polls. Anwar told a news conference at his party's headquarters Tuesday that he continues to receive reports of fraud and ...
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Army: New Boko Haram Raid in Northern Nigeria Leaves 55...
The Nigerian military says some 200 Islamist militants raided a remote northeastern town Tuesday, leaving 55 people dead, including police, prison officials and civilians. Army spokesman Sagir Musa blamed the pre-dawn attack on al-Qaida-linked Boko Haram militants, and said the strike targeted the town of Bama, a remote settlement near the borders of Cameroon and Chad. Musa told reporters that gunmen entered the town in trucks and buses mounted with machine guns, and that barracks and ...
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Army: New Boko Haram Raid in Northern Nigeria Leaves 55...
The Nigerian military says some 200 Islamist militants raided a remote northeastern town Tuesday, leaving 55 people dead, including police, prison officials and civilians. Army spokesman Sagir Musa blamed the pre-dawn attack on al-Qaida-linked Boko Haram militants, and said the strike targeted the town of Bama, a remote settlement near the borders of Cameroon and Chad. Musa told reporters that gunmen entered the town in trucks and buses mounted with machine guns, and that barracks and ...
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US Stocks Close At Record High
The best-known U.S. stock market index closed at a record high Tuesday, the first time the Dow Jones Industrial Average has ended the day's trading above 15,000. Investors in the United States, Europe and Japan have been encouraged by a strong U.S. employment report Friday which reduced worries about economic growth. That growing confidence helped push the Dow to 15,056. The S&P 500 also hit a record close of 1,625. The Dow has recovered the last of its losses from the financial ...
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US Stocks Close At Record High
The best-known U.S. stock market index closed at a record high Tuesday, the first time the Dow Jones Industrial Average has ended the day's trading above 15,000. Investors in the United States, Europe and Japan have been encouraged by a strong U.S. employment report Friday which reduced worries about economic growth. That growing confidence helped push the Dow to 15,556. The S&P 500 also hit a record close of 1,625. The Dow has recovered the last of its losses from the financial ...
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Gas Tanker Truck Explosion Kills 19 in Mexico
A gas tanker truck explosion has killed at least 19 people in a Mexico City suburb. The pre-dawn blast on a highway in Ecatepec injured 36 people, and damaged 15 automobiles and 27 homes. Officials said eight children were among the dead and warned the death toll could rise. The truck apparently overturned and authorities are investigating the cause of the accident. The driver reportedly survived the accident and was in a hospital receiving medical treatment and being questioned.
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Obama, SKorean President Show Unity on NKorea
U.S. President Barack Obama says the United States and South Korea are as "united as ever," while North Korea is "more isolated than ever." Speaking at the White House Tuesday alongside South Korean President Park Geun-hye, President Obama says the days when North Korea could issue a threat and elicit concessions are "over." The news conference followed a meeting between the two leaders that included talks on North Korea and its recent wave of nuclear ...
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US Secretary Kerry Heads to Russia for Talks
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Russia Tuesday for talks on the war in Syria and other issues. He is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Later, Kerry will hold a full bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. They are expected to discuss a wide range of issues including Syria, the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, Afghanistan and trade. Kerry and Lavrov have met several times in the past few months, but this will be ...
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Kerry Heads to Russia for Talks
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to Russia for talks on the war in Syria and other issues. Secretary Kerry arrives Tuesday in Moscow where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Later, Kerry will hold a full bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, where they are expected to discus a wide range of issues including Syria, the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, Afghanistan and trade. Kerry and Lavrov have met several times over the ...
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South Korean President Meets UN Chief
South Korea's new President Park Geun-hye meets in Washington Tuesday with U.S. President Barack Obama, for talks likely to be dominated by concerns over North Korea. White House spokesman Jay Carney says the United States is working very closely with Seoul on what he called the "challenge presented by the behavior" of North Korea. He says the two leaders will also discuss economic ties and called the relationship between the United States and South Korea "enormously ...
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Brazil to Deploy 6,000 Cuban Doctors to Remote Areas
Brazil plans to hire 6,000 Cuban doctors to serve in remote parts of the country where medical services are deficient or nonexistent, despite controversy over the quality of their training. Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota said on Monday negotiations were under way involving the Washington-based Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) to allow the Cuban doctors to practice in Brazil. Brazilian medical associations have opposed Cuban-trained doctors practicing in their country, ...
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Thousands Attend Anti-Putin Rally in Moscow
Thousands of protesters gathered in Moscow to mark the first anniversary of an anti-Kremlin demonstration last year that ended in violence and with the arrest of hundreds of demonstrators. Monday's rally in Moscow's Bolotnaya Square marked last year's protest, which fell the day before Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a third presidential term. Participants in Monday's rally called on authorities to release some 26 people facing charges related to last year's ...
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Malaysia's Long-Ruling Coalition Retains Power
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been sworn into office after his coalition won a fiercely contested parliamentary election. As Mr. Najib took the oath of office Monday, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he would not accept the election results because of what he called "unprecedented" fraud. He called for a rally in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday. Final results from Sunday's election show Prime Minister Najib Razak's National Front coalition capturing ...
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Kerry to Meet Livni, Judeh in Rome on Wednesday
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who has special responsibility for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, in Rome on Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said on Monday. Kerry will also meet Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Rome. The meetings are part of Kerry's effort to find a way to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which fell apart in 2010 in a dispute over Israel's construction of Jewish settlements on ...
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Malaysia's Long-Ruling Coalition Extends Rule
Election officials say Malaysia's ruling coalition has won a simple majority in parliamentary polls, extending its 56-year rule after a tough fight with a strengthened opposition alliance. Preliminary tallies show Prime Minister Najib Razak's National Front coalition capturing 112 of Malaysia's 222 legislative seats, and 57 for the opposition's three-party alliance. Hours after the polls closed on Sunday, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, in a message posted on Twitter, said ...
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Malaysia's Long-Ruling Coalition Extends Rule
Malaysia's long-governing coalition has won national elections to extend its 56 years of unbroken rule, fending off the strongest opposition it has ever faced. The Election Commission reported Prime Minister Najib Razak's National Front coalition captured 112 of Malaysia's 222 parliamentary seats to win a simple majority Sunday. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's three-party alliance took 57 seats with more than two-thirds of the results confirmed. More than 10-million people ...
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Suicide Car Bomber Kills Eight in Somalia
At least eight Somalis were killed in the capital, Mogadishu, after a suicide car bomber rammed his car into a convoy carrying a delegation from Qatar. Officials say the visiting Qatari delegation, who were travelling in the interior minister's convoy, were not hurt in the blast and proceeded on to their hotel. The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack which occurred in Mogadishu's central 'Kilometer 4' road ...
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Malaysia's Long-Ruling Coalition Extends Rule
Malaysia's long-governing coalition has won national elections to extend its 56 years of unbroken rule, fending off the strongest opposition it has ever faced. The Election Commission reported Prime Minister Najib Razak's National Front coalition captured 112 of Malaysia's 222 parliamentary seats to win a simple majority Sunday. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's three-party alliance took 57 seats with more than two-thirds of the results confirmed. More than 10-million people ...
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Bangladesh Factory Collapse Death Toll Tops 600
The death toll from Bangladesh's garment factory building collapse has surpassed 600, as workers continue to look for bodies in the rubble. Officials announced the new numbers Sunday, but they added that they expect the toll to rise. Witnesses at the site of the wreckage say the stench of decomposing bodies still hangs heavy in the air, as rescue workers remain uncertain exactly how many victims remain trapped. This far out from the April 24 collapse, authorities say they have found it ...
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Huge Turnout in Malaysian National Elections
Malaysians voted in record numbers in Sunday's national elections that analysts say could weaken or possibly end the ruling coalition's nearly 56 years in power. Election officials said turnout in the country of 28-million people was about 80 percent, in what could be the closest vote since the National Front coalition took power half a century ago. Early results show the Front holding a slight lead, mainly in its traditional rural strongholds, and the opposition running strong in ...
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Malaysia Votes in National Elections
Malaysians are voting Sunday in national elections that analysts say could see the ruling coalition ousted after nearly 56 years in power. The ruling bloc, headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak's United Malays National Organization, has not lost an election since independence from Britain in 1957. However, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's three-party coalition hopes that widespread grievances about the ruling bloc will result in a surge of votes to propel them into power. Recent ...
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Syria Accuses Israel of Rocket Attack Near Damascus
Syria's capital Damascus was rocked by explosions early Sunday. Syrian state-run media said Israeli rockets had struck a military research center on the outskirts of the capital. The blasts occurred a day after an Israeli official said his country had carried out an air strike targeting a consignment of missiles in Syria. The research center in Jamraya hit Sunday was also targeted by Israel in January. Earlier, activists in Syria said thousands of Sunni Muslims have fled the coastal ...
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Obama: W. Hemisphere Economies Must Be Ready to Compete...
U.S. President Barack Obama says the economic systems of the Americas must integrate if they want to compete in a 21st century world. Mr. Obama said at a regional economic forum in Costa Rica Saturday that the countries of the Western Hemisphere need the best educational and regulatory systems. He said if the nations do not coordinate their activities, they will fall behind other regions in the world. In his weekly radio address, Mr. Obama said Latin America represents an "incredible ...
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Karzai Asks Taliban to Strop 'Destroying Own Country'
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on the Taliban to fight Afghanistan's enemies instead of "destroying their own country." The remarks in Kabul Saturday did not mention Pakistan directly but were widely seen as a swipe against it, days after the two nations' security forces clashed on their shared border. One Afghan died and two Pakistani soldiers were wounded in the border dispute. Afghanistan and Pakistan have had tense relations since Pakistan's formation, and ...
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Syrian Sunnis Flee Coastal City Fearing Massacre
Activists in Syria say thousands of Sunni Muslims have fled the coastal city of Banias, fearing attacks after the alleged mass killings at a nearby village. The Britain-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights estimated that 4,000 Sunnis fled their homes early Saturday. An observatory official told VOA pro-government security forces are instigating the exodus. The observatory has accused Syrian forces of killing at least 150 civilians, including women and children, in a "large-scale ...
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Obama: W. Hemisphere Economies Must Be Ready to Compete...
U.S. President Barack Obama says the economic systems of the Americas must integrate if they want to compete in a 21st century world. Obama said at a regional economic forum in Costa Rica Saturday that the countries of the Western Hemisphere need the best educational and regulatory systems. He said if the nations do not coordinate their activities, they will fall behind other regions in the world. In his weekly radio address, Obama said Latin America represents an "incredible ...
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Israeli Airstrike in Syria Targeted Weapons Cache
Sources in Israel have confirmed that the country's air force launched a strike in Syria against what are believed to be stockpiles of weapons headed for the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. There has been no official statement on the attack from the Israeli government. U.S. officials told news agencies late Friday that the strike occurred late Thursday or early Friday. The reports said there is no indication that Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace. The officials spoke to ...
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Syrian Sunnis Flee Coastal City Fearing Massacre
Activists in Syria say hundreds of Sunni Muslims are fleeing the coastal city of Banias, fearing new attacks after the alleged mass killings at a nearby village. The Britain-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights says the families started leaving the area early Saturday. On Friday, Syria's main opposition group accused President Bashar al-Assad's government of committing a "large-scale massacre" in the northwest village of Bayda, killing at least 150 civilians, including ...
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New York Museum to Return 10th Century Statues to...
New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is returning two 10th century statues to Cambodia. The two stone sculptures, called "Kneeling Attendants," were donated to the museum in the 1980s and 1990s. Museum director Thomas Campbell said Friday, however, that officials recently found new information on the ownership history of the statues, which they did not have 20 years ago. He said the museum is committed to an ongoing effort to learn as much as possible about the ownership ...
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Report: Boston Bombing Suspect Died from Gunshot wounds,...
A state medical report says the deceased suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings died from gunshot wounds to the torso and extremities, and from blunt trauma. The document, seen Friday by reporters, also states that suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot by police and run over and dragged by a vehicle. The report confirms Boston area police accounts of events early April 19, when 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his 19-year-old brother Dzhokar led police on a chase in a hijacked car....
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Madagascar's President Breaks Pledge Not to Run in Vote
Madagascar's president, Andry Rajoelina, has registered as a candidate in upcoming elections despite pledging that he would not do so. The president's name appears on a list of candidates that was released by election officials on Friday. Mr. Rajoelina is one of 41 approved candidates for the July 24 vote. President Rajoelina told Radio France International that he decided to run after learning that the wife of former president Marc Ravalomanana would enter the race. Mr. Ravalomanana ...
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Air Pollution Linked to Artery Hardening, Increased...
U.S. researchers say urban dwellers exposed to the highest levels of fine particulate air pollution had faster hardening of the arteries, putting them at increased risk of stroke, compared to people in less polluted sections of the same city. The finding adds to a growing body of evidence that residing in polluted urban areas is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a leading cause of death around the world. It can cause stroke ...
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Scientists Discover How to Grow New Blood Vessels
Scientists have discovered how heart disease patients with dangerously blocked arteries are able to grow new blood vessels to by-pass the blockage, and keep oxygen-rich blood flowing through their bodies. The discovery is raising the possibility of new treatments for cardiac patients. In people with heart disease, it is not uncommon for new blood vessels to grow around blocked arteries in order to keep essential, oxygenated blood coursing through the body. But those emergency blood ...
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At Least Three Dead in Chad Coup Attempt
At least three people were killed in a gunfight in the central African country of Chad during what authorities said was a failed attempt to overthrow the government. The government said that a "small group" had been conspiring for more than four months to "destabilize the institutions of the republic." Security forces, who had been monitoring the individuals, encountered the alleged conspirators late Wednesday near the capital, N'Djamena, sparking a gunfight that left ...
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Community-Based Program: More Women Refuse Female...
The founder of an international group that educates people about the dangers of female genital mutilation - also known as female genital cutting or FGM/C - says a growing number of women are refusing to undergo the practice. Molly Melching, founder of the non-profit group, Tostan, says her community-based program of education and training has helped reduce the practice in more than 6,000 communities in eight African countries. Molly Melching says Tostan has been successful in changing ...
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N. Korea Sentences American to 15 Years Hard Labor
North Korea says it has sentenced an American citizen to 15 years of hard labor after finding him guilty of committing what it says are "hostile acts" against the state. The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that Pae Jun-ho, known as Kenneth Bae in the United States, was convicted by the country's supreme court, Tuesday. North Korea previously said he confessed to committing crimes aimed at overthrowing the government. But it has not specified the exact nature ...
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NKorea Sentences American to 15 Years Hard Labor
North Korea says it has sentenced an American citizen to 15 years of hard labor after finding him guilty of committing what it says are "hostile acts" against the state. The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that Pae Jun-ho, known as Kenneth Bae in the United States, was convicted at a trial two days earlier. It has previously said he confessed to committing crimes aimed at toppling the government. The 44-year-old was arrested in November in the northeastern port ...
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President Obama Visits Mexico Amid Shifting Drug War...
U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Mexico and Costa Rica this week, starting with a flight Thursday to Mexico City, where he will meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto , who took office in December of last year. The two leaders may put most emphasis on trade and bilateral cooperation, but they also are likely to review efforts to defeat drug smuggling organizations based in Mexico. The presidential visit to Mexico provides leaders from both countries an opportunity to emphasize their ...
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Experts Find Evidence of Cannibalism at Early US...
Historians have found the first firm evidence that starving colonists at America's first English settlement resorted to cannibalism. Forensic experts from Washington's Smithsonian Institution say they found the bones of a 14-year-old girl among the remains of horses, cats and dogs at Jamestown, Virginia. They say the girl's remains show sloppy and desperate signs of butchering, including chops to the head in an apparent effort to take out her brain for food. English-speaking ...
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Reports: Pakistani and Afghan Forces Clash at Border
Reports from northwestern Pakistan say Afghan and Pakistani security forces along the border exchanged gunfire late Wednesday. Pakistani authorities say Afghan troops began firing at a checkpoint across the border, and the Pakistani side was forced to respond. The Pakistanis say at least two of their security personnel were wounded. Afghan security officials blamed the other side, accusing the Pakistanis of trying to take control of a checkpoint inside Afghan territory. The exchange of ...
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Global Muslim Survey Finds Support for Sharia, But Also...
A majority of Muslims around the world believe sharia - or traditional Islamic law - should prevail in the countries in which they live, but at the same time most say they favor religious freedom for people of other faiths, according to a new survey. The survey by the Pew Research Center is based on more than 38,000 face-to-face interviews in countries where Muslims are both a majority and a minority. Its focus was on Muslim views on religion and politics. One of the key findings was ...
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Less-Used HIV Treatment for African Children More...
The nearly 3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa who are living with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- can be treated with one of two drugs to suppress the virus. Nevirapine is the drug of choice in most of those countries, because it costs less than the other - efavirenz - and is more widely available in a formula for children. However, a new study by researchers in Philadelphia and Botswana comparing the effectiveness of the two drugs found that initial treatment with efavirenz ...
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Saudi Oil Minister: US Energy Independence is Naive
Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali al-Naimi says the United States is naive to think it could become independent from Middle East oil. Al-Naimi told an audience in Washington Tuesday that he welcomes an increase in U.S. oil and gas production as good for the U.S. economy and world oil supplies. But he said the idea of energy independence is naive and simplistic, because he said global energy markets are interconnected. Since the 1973 Middle East oil embargo, many Americans, including President...
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US Task Force Recommends Widespread HIV Testing
A U.S. task force is recommending that all American adults be tested for HIV, regardless of their risk of contracting the disease. The government-backed panel of doctors and scientists released the recommendations Monday, calling for routine HIV screening for everyone between the ages of 15 and 65. The new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now align with similar recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Previously, the task force had ...
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Cargo Plane Crash Kills 7 in Afghanistan
A civilian cargo plane has crashed at a U.S.-run airbase in Afghanistan, killing all seven people on board. Officials say the plane went down shortly after takeoff Monday. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for the crash at Bagram Air Field, but coalition forces said there were no reports of insurgent activity in the area just north of the Afghan capital, Kabul. The coalition did not identify the victims, type of aircraft involved or the name of the company that owned it. The ...
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Mexican Image of US Improves
As U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to visit Mexico this week, a new survey shows that Mexicans have an increasingly favorable opinion of the United States. A survey by the Pew Research Center finds that 66 percent of Mexicans have a positive view of the United States. That is up from 56 percent a year ago and much higher than in 2010, when favorable Mexican attitudes towards the United States were only at 44 percent. On the topic of immigration, the survey finds that Mexicans are...
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Putin, Obama Discuss Security Cooperation
Officials in Russia say President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama have agreed to increase contacts between their countries' intelligence agencies following the Boston Marathon bombings. The two leaders spoke by telephone Monday. The White House says President Obama reiterated his appreciation for the close cooperation that the United States has received from Russia on the Boston attack. The White House also says the two presidents will hold a bilateral summit in Russia in ...
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Cassini Sends First Close-Ups of Saturn's Monster Storm
Scientists are studying their first close-up view of a monster hurricane that's been swirling around Saturn's north pole for the past decade or more. The storm, photographed by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, measures about 2,000 kilometers wide, about 20 times bigger than an average hurricane on Earth. According to NASA, the thin clouds at the outermost edges of the storm are traveling at 150 meters per second. One of the most notable features of the storm is that it is contained ...
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Morsi Steps Back on Dispute With Judges
Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has reached a compromise with the judiciary to defuse an uproar over a proposed law that would have forced out thousands of the country's most senior judges. Mr. Morsi's Islamist allies have introduced legislation that would lower the retirement age for judges from 70 to 60, affecting more than 3,000 judges and prosecution officials. The Islamists say the legislation is needed because the courts are filled with loyalists of the deposed regime of ...
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Owner of Collapsed Bangladesh Factory Arrested
Police in Bangladesh say they have taken into custody the owner of a factory complex that collapsed last Wednesday, killing at least 377 people. Authorities announced Sunday that they detained Mohammed Sohel Rana near the border with India. Rana had been missing since the building's collapse on Wednesday. At the disaster site, meanwhile, a fire broke out in the wreckage and forced authorities to suspend the search for survivors temporarily. The fire that broke out Sunday night as rescue ...
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Lawmakers: Boston Bombing Probe Pursuing 'Persons of...
U.S. lawmakers say federal investigators probing the Boston Marathon bombings are pursuing "persons of interest" in the United States who may have links to the attacks. Speaking Sunday on ABC television, House Intelligence Committee chair Mike Rogers did not provide details. But he said better cooperation is needed with Russia to probe the movements of two suspects with ties to the southern Russian republics of Chechnya and Dagestan. New details have emerged with reports that ...
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Pakistan Bomb Attacks Kill 9
Three Taliban bomb attacks in northwest Pakistan killed at least nine people at political campaign offices Sunday, less than two weeks ahead of the country's parliamentary elections. In the month leading up to the May 11th elections, a wave of political violence has killed more than 50 people, with most of the attacks targeting candidates from secular parties opposed to the Taliban. Police say the campaign office of Syed Noor Akbar, who is running as an independent candidate for a ...
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Iraq Issues New Bans of Broadcast Media
Iraqi authorities have suspended the the licenses of the pan-Arabic television network al-Jazeera and nine other satellite television operations, after accusing them of inciting sectarian violence. The suspensions, announced Sunday and effective immediately, come as Baghdad seeks to curb rising unrest spawned by clashes at a Sunni protest camp last week. At least 170 people have been killed in the fighting since Tuesday. A statement from al-Jazeera based in Qatar said it was ...
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Two Police Officers Shot Near Italian Cabinet...
A prosecutor says Italian politicians were the intended target of a gunman who wounded two police officers outside the prime minister's office in Rome Sunday. The attack came as Prime Minister Enrico Letta and his Cabinet were sworn in about a kilometer away in the presidential office, during a time of heightened political tensions in Italy. The two wounded police officers are expected to survive, but one was shot in the neck and remains in serious condition. Police were able to arrest ...
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Owner of Collapsed Bangladesh Factory Arrested
Police in Bangladesh say they have taken into custody the owner of a factory complex that collapsed last week, killing at least 377 people. Authorities announced Sunday that they detained Mohammed Sohel Rana near the border with India. Rana had been missing since the building's collapse on Wednesday. His arrest came a day after authorities took at least two plant bosses and two engineers into custody. So far, authorities have arrested seven people total in connection with the ...
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Two Police Officers Shot Near Italian Cabinet...
Two Italian police officers were shot and wounded Sunday outside the prime minister's office in Rome, as the new leader and his Cabinet were being sworn in about a kilometer away. An eyewitness described the suspect as a tall man in his 40s and dressed in a grey suit with a tie. Police were able to arrest the suspect shortly after he opened fire late Sunday morning. The two wounded police officers are expected to survive their injuries, but one was shot in the neck and remains in serious ...
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Obama Jokes at Annual Correspondents' Dinner
U.S. President Barack Obama poked some good-natured fun at himself Saturday at the annual White House Correspondents' dinner, an annual event that brings together Washington insiders with Hollywood celebrities. Mr. Obama joked that his advisors had suggested he make jokes about himself, or "take [himself] down a peg." He said, "Guys, I've been in office four and a half years. How many pegs are left?" He showed fake pictures of himself on the cover of a retirement ...
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New York Officials to Search for Human Remains Near 9/11...
The New York City's medical examiner's office will search for human remains in an alley where a suspected part of a hijacked September 11th jet is wedged between two buildings. Police have declared the area a crime scene at least until forensics experts finish their work. A piece of a landing gear is stuck between an Islamic center and another building in lower Manhattan, close to where the World Trade Center stood. The name "Boeing" and a series of numbers can be ...
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Mississippi Man Charged in Poison Letter Case
Federal authorities have formally charged a Mississippi man with sending poisoned letters to President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator, and a judge. The FBI says 41-year-old Everett Dutschke was charged with attempting to use a biological weapon just hours after he was arrested Saturday. He will make his first court appearance Monday and could face life in prison if convicted. Dutschke allegedly sent letters laced with the deadly poison ricin to President Obama, Republican Senator Roger Wicker...
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South Sudan Refugees Stuck in Limbo, Face Tough Choice
About two million people have returned to South Sudan since a 2005 peace agreement ended decades of civil war that is estimated to have killed around the same number. But since South Sudan became a nation 18 months ago, tens of thousands of people who have wanted to enter South Sudan from the north are trapped in border towns, and face the tough choice of leaving behind their possessions as U.N. agencies struggle to get them home. Surrounded by piles of furniture and blackboards in a ...
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5 Detained as Bangladesh Building Collapse Toll Tops 350
Police in Bangladesh have detained five people in connection with the factory complex collapse that killed hundreds of people. Authorities say they arrested a factory owner late Saturday, hours after two government engineers involved with approving the building were taken into custody. Police have also detained two other factory bosses -- the managing director of New Wave Apparels and the company chairman . The complex that collapsed just outside Dhaka housed five garment factories. The...
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Russia Detains 140 Suspected Islamic Extremists
Russian authorities have detained 140 people suspected of ties to Islamic extremism at a mosque in Moscow. Russian state media quoted a Russian Federal Security Service statement as saying those detained Friday included more than 30 citizens of other countries. But the statement did not specify which nations. The detentions reportedly involve people suspected of involvement with extremist groups. Russia's Interfax news agency says the operation was aimed at identifying people wanted for ...
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4 Detained as Bangladesh Building Collapse Toll Tops 350
Police in Bangladesh have detained four people in connection with the factory complex collapse that killed hundreds of people. Officials say two garment factory bosses -- the managing director of New Wave Apparels and the company chairman -- are in custody, along with two government engineers involved with approving the building. The complex just outside Dhaka housed five garment factories. The owner of the building has been identified but authorities have not located him. Officials say the...
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No Progress in Sudan and SPLM-North Talks
A first round of mediated peace talks between Sudan and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement - North has ended without an agreement. Talks are centered on politics, security and providing humanitarian aid to Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Negotiators from the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement-North, SPLM-N, have made no progress on humanitarian aid, political and security matters. Talks mediated by the African Union ended ...
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Sudan Rebels Expand Offensive
Rebels from Sudan's war-torn Darfur region attacked a city in the neighboring state of North Kordofan Saturday, bringing their fight closer to the capital. A spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement, or JEM, said the attack on Um Rawaba is part of the group's plan to overthrow the Sudanese government. Um Rawaba is North Kordofan's second-largest city. The state has largely been free from the rebel activity taking place in Darfur to its west and South Kordofan to the ...
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2 Arrested in Bangladesh Building Collapse as Toll Tops...
Police in Bangladesh have arrested two owners of the garment factory that collapsed several days ago, killing at least 324 people. Officials said Saturday the managing direct of New Wave Apparels, Bazlus Samad, and company chairman Mahmudur Rahman Tapash are in custody. It is not clear if the men have been charged. Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 324 even as exhausted rescue crews continued to work non-stop, searching for survivors. Emergency responders say they saved at least 72 people ...
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Study: Latin America Threatened by Mounting Cancer...
Latin America's growing prosperity is fueling a cancer epidemic that threatens to overwhelm the region unless governments take urgent preventive action, a study published on Friday warned. A multinational team of researchers found the current state of cancer care and prevention in Latin America is incompatible with the socioeconomic changes taking place in the region, where an increasingly urban populace faces mounting lifestyle-related cancer risks. Writing in The Lancet Oncology ...
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Part of 9/11 Plane Found in New York City Alley
New York City police say a piece of what is believed to be one of the planes destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center may have been found. Police say surveyors found what looks like the landing gear of one of the jets wedged above a narrow alley between two Manhattan buildings. The word "Boeing" and an indentification number can plainly be seen. Officials are trying to figure out how to remove the part. They also are considering whether to ...
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Country Music Superstar George Jones Dies at 81
Country music superstar George Jones, regarded by many fans, critics, and fellow artists as the greatest of all time, died in Nashville Friday at 81. During his 60 year-long career, Jones turned out a string of country hits that captured both the sadness of life and the joy of living. The Texas-born Jones began singing on street corners and on local radio. He made his first record in 1954. His award-winning signature song, "He Stopped Loving Her Today," is regarded by many fans as ...
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Spain Says Its Economy Is Worsening
Spain says its economy is worsening and that it will take two years longer than first thought to meet Europe's deficit target. Madrid said Friday it expects its economy will shrink 1.3 percent this year, instead of the one-half of one percent figure it projected earlier. The government said it expects the Spanish economy will begin to grow again in 2014. At the same time, Spain, the fourth largest economy in the euro currency bloc, said its deficit would fall this year to 6.3 percent of ...
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DRC: Rebels Downsize Peace Talks Delegation
The Democratic Republic of Congo rebel movement M23 has reduced its delegation at peace talks in Uganda, reportedly to just two people. The movement says it has not abandoned the talks with the government but the two sides have not been talking. M23 spokesman Vianney Kazarama said some of the delegation stayed in Kampala and some are visiting their families. He declined to comment on reports that since Thursday it consists of only two people, while 10 others have gone back to ...
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Bangladesh Building Collapse Death Toll Climbs to 275
The death toll from the collapse of a building in Bangladesh that housed garment factories has jumped to 275 as the search for survivors goes on. Rescue crews are working non-stop. Rescuers say they can hear the cries of those still trapped in the rubble. More than 3,000 people were in the building outside Dhaka when it collapsed Wednesday. At least 2,000 people have been rescued since the 8-story building collapsed. More than 1,000 were injured. Authorities do not know exactly how many ...
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Obama Mourns Victims of Texas Industrial Blast
President Barack Obama is promising the people of the town of West, Texas that the nation will never abandon the community, hit by last week's fertilizer plant blast that killed 14 people, injured at least 200 and wiped out part of the town. Mr. Obama spoke Thursday at a memorial for the victims, some of who were firefighters battling a blaze at the plant when it suddenly exploded. Mr. Obama said no words can adequately describe the courage displayed on what he calls a deadly night. He ...
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Bangladesh Toll Approaches 260
The death toll from the collapse of a building in Bangladesh that housed garment factories has climbed close to 260 as the search for survivors goes on. Rescue crews are working non-stop. They say they can hear the cries of those still trapped in the rubble. More than 3,000 people were in the building outside Dhaka when it collapsed Wednesday. More than 1,000 were injured. Authorities do not know how many people are missing. Police say the owner of the building and factory managers ignored...
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French Parliament Legalizes Gay Marriage
France has become the latest country to legalize same-sex marriage, but its opponents are vowing to keep fighting. The French parliament Tuesday gave final passage to a gay marriage bill, and President Francois Hollande has said he will sign it. French Justice Minister Christiane Taibira said the bill does not take away anyone's rights, while granting them to others. She said the first gay weddings will be beautiful. Opponents say they plan to file a legal challenge. Street protests in ...
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False Report of White House Blast Shakes Up Stock Markets
A false report of explosions at the White House and injuries to President Barack Obama sent U.S. stocks plunging Tuesday before they recovered quickly. The Associated Press said hackers broke into its Twitter account and wrote: "Breaking: Two explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured." Within minutes, the most widely watched U.S. stock index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, fell about 130 points, erasing the day's gains. But the Dow regained the losses just as ...
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US Drops Charges Against Man Accused of Sending Poisoned...
U.S. federal prosecutors have dropped charges against a Mississippi man suspected of sending poisoned letters to President Barack Obama and to a U.S. senator. A lawyer for Paul Kevin Curtis say investigators have turned their attention to another suspect whose house they already have searched. The attorney said investigators could find no evidence that Curtis was involved. Federal agents arrested Curtis last week after letters tainted with the deadly poison ricin turned up at facilities that...
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Diners Respond to Menus Listing Meal-Calories' Exercise...
In an effort to encourage consumers to make healthier food choices, the larger U.S. restaurant chains are required by law to display calorie information about items on their menus. However, most studies show that providing those numbers does not actually persuade many diners to order lower-calorie meals. So, researchers at Texas Christian University tried a different approach. They divided 300 young adults into three groups and gave each a menu with the same food and beverage choices - ...
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US Folk Musician Richie Havens Dies
American folk musician Richie Havens, who was the first performer at the Woodstock music festival, has died. His family said Havens died of a heart attack in New Jersey Monday. He was 72. Havens opened the three-day 1969 Woodstock Festival with the song Freedom, and performed for three hours. The concert was the turning point of his career. He also performed at Bill Clinton's presidential Inauguration in 1993. Havens released his debut album Mixed Bag in 1967 and went on to release more ...
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Nicaragua Catches Man on US Most Wanted List
Police in Nicaragua say they have detained a U.S. man on the FBI's most wanted list who is accused of producing child pornography. Police say they arrested former school teacher Eric Toth in the northern city of Esteli, near Nicaragua's border with Honduras. Toth taught elementary students at a private school in Washington DC when he was accused in 2008 of possessing and producing pornography. He disappeared shortly afterwards. The FBI added Toth to its most wanted list in 2012, ...
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Center-Right Cartes Wins Paraguayan Presidential Election
Horacio Cartes won Paraguay's presidential election Sunday, succeeding former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo, who was impeached last year for poor performance. Cartes, a business magnate who made his fortune in banking and tobacco, has vowed to create jobs in a nation where nearly 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty level. Cartes' election marks a victory for the center-right Colorado Party over challenger Efrain Alegre's leftist Liberal Party, which ...
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Ivory Coast Counts Vote After Boycotted Local Polls
Election officials in Ivory Coast are counting ballots after local elections Sunday that were boycotted by the party of former president Laurent Gbagbo. A spokesman for the country's Independent Electoral Commission said turnout was about 30 percent of the 5.7 million eligible voters. Almost 700 candidates ran for municipal seats, with an additional 84 on the ballot for regional positions. The elections are the first in Ivory Coast in more than a decade, and the first time the government ...
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Child Rape Survivor Improves, Protests Continue
Doctors say the 5-year-old girl, who was kidnapped, raped and tortured in India's capital New Delhi, is slowly improving. The child was in critical condition when she was transferred to the country's largest hospital Thursday. Doctors Sunday said she was responding well to treatment and that her condition had stabilized. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters took to the streets across India for a third day Sunday. The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of New Delhi's police ...
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Tributes to Boston at London Marathon
A defiant, festive mood prevailed Sunday at the London Marathon, despite concerns raised by last week's bombings at the Boston Marathon. Six days after bombs exploded near the finish line in Boston, runners in London sent out a powerful message of solidarity with the northeastern U.S. city and its victims. Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede won the men's race in two hours, six minutes, four seconds. Kenyan Priscah Jeptoo became the women's champion by finishing the 45-kilometer race in ...
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Hagel: US-Israel Weapons Deal a 'Clear Signal' to Iran
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says a major U.S. arms deal with Israel sends a "very clear signal" to Iran that military action could be used to stop Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Hagel made the comment to reporters on Sunday, as he flew to Israel to finalize the sale of advanced U.S. weapons including missiles designed to destroy enemy air defenses, aerial refueling tankers and troop transport planes. Israel could use those weapons to attack the Iranian nuclear ...
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Ivory Coast Local Polls Begin Amid Boycott
Voters in Ivory Coast began casting their ballots in local elections Sunday, amid high tensions following a boycott of the polls by the party of former president Laurent Gbagbo. They are the first local elections in more than a decade in French-speaking West Africa's largest economy and the first time the government has organized a vote since a disputed presidential contest in 2010 plunged the country into violence. Almost 700 candidates are running for municipal seats, with an additional ...
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More than 150 Dead in China Earthquake
The death toll from a powerful earthquake Saturday in southwest China's Sichuan province has climbed to more than 160 people, with more than 6,700 injured. China's official Xinhua news agency says President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out measures to rescue victims and minimize casualties following the disaster. Chinese officials called it a 7.0-magnitude quake, while the U.S. Geological Survey put the strength at 6.6. The quake occurred at a depth of 13 kilometers. Aerial photos ...
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Iraqis Vote in First Polls Since US Withdrawal
Iraqis have voted in the country's first elections since the 2011 U.S. military withdrawal, under tight security aimed at curbing violence from a revived al-Qaida insurgency. There were no reports of major violence Saturday, prompting a U.S. embassy statement congratulating the Iraqi people "for reaffirming their commitment to democracy and a future free of fear and intimidation." The statement also called Saturday's contests for local councils "a clear step ...
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Musharraf to Remain in Custody
Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has been ordered to remain in custody in connection with charges he ordered the illegal detention of judges in 2007. Mr. Musharraf will be held under house arrest at his villa on the outskirts of Islamabad until his next court appearance May 4. Fourteen witnesses have been included in the charges against him. The former general, who seized power in a coup and ruled Pakistan for nearly a decade, has seen his fortunes plummet since he returned in ...
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Russia Ties Cyprus Loan Terms to Release of Assets
Russia wants to play a bigger part in talks over solving Cyprus' financial problems but will only restructure its loan to the island if its interests there, especially those related to VTB Bank, are protected, Moscow's finance minister said. Russian banks and companies have poured money into Cyprus since the 1990s, taking advantage of the island's low taxes and relaxed business regulations. Many of them were caught unprepared when major account holders in Cyprus were told they ...
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Egypt's Mubarak Stays in Detention Despite Second...
A Cairo court on Saturday ordered Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak released on charges of illicit gains, the second release order for him in a week, but he will remain in detention because he still faces other charges, security and court sources said. The appeal hearing on Saturday was held in Torah prison, to where 84-year-old Mubarak was transferred from an army hospital on Wednesday after an apparent improvement in his fragile health. Earlier this week, a judge ordered ...
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Iraqis Vote in First Polls Since US Withdrawal
Iraqis voted Saturday in the country's first elections since the U.S. military withdrawal in 2011. Voters cast ballots for local officials in 12 of Iraq's 18 provinces. Around 8,000 local candidates are running for 378 positions in provincial councils. The vote tally is expected to begin on Sunday. The poll does not affect national leadership. But it is seen as a barometer of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's popularity in the lead-up to next year's parliamentary election. ...
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More than 150 Dead, 3,000 Injured in China Earthquake
The death toll from a powerful earthquake Saturday in southwest China's Sichuan province has climbed to more than 150 people, with more than 3,000 injured. China's official Xinhua news agency says President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out measures to rescue victims and minimize casualties following the disaster. Chinese officials called it a 7.0-magnitude quake, while the U.S. Geological Survey put the strength at 6.6. The quake occurred at a depth of 13 kilometers. Aerial photos ...
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113 Dead, 2,600 Injured in China Earthquake
Chinese state media say the death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck the western region of Sichuan Saturday morning has climbed to at least 113 people, with more than 2,600 injured China's official Xinhua news agency said that the death toll could rise as search and rescue teams make their way into affected areas. State media say hard-hit parts of Lushan county remain unreachable by road, with phone services cut off. Aerial photos released by China's military and aired on ...
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