Baghdad hit by deadly blasts on invasion anniversary
Up to 60 people have been killed in a series of car and suicide bombings mainly in Shia areas in and around Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, officials say. The co-ordinated attacks targeted markets, restaurants, bus stops and day laborers during the morning rush hour. Iraq’s deadliest day in six months came on the 10th anniversary of [...]
Will Bosco Ntaganda’s surrender bring peace to DR Congo?
On the retreat in the battlefield, wanted war crimes suspect and Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda has raised the white flag, fleeing to Rwanda and handing himself into the US embassy in Kigali. Known as “the Terminator”, over the last two decades Gen Ntaganda has fought for several rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of [...]
Member of EU Syria delegation killed in Damascus suburb
A member of the European Union’s delegation in Syria has been killed in a rocket attack in a Damascus suburb. Ahmad Shihadeh, an EU policy officer, was killed in Darayya, to the south-west of the capital, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said. He lived in the area and was killed while providing humanitarian help [...]
Last cardinal arrives at Vatican
The last of the 115 cardinals who will chose the new Pope has arrived in Rome. Vietnamese Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man joined his colleagues in closed-door discussions at the Vatican. His presence means a date can now be set for the conclave to choose a successor to Benedict XVI as head of the Roman [...]
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith to be tried in New York
A man described as a spokesman for Osama bin Laden has been arrested and will be tried in New York City, the US has confirmed. Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was captured within the last week in Jordan, Congressman Peter King said on Thursday. Mr Abu Ghaith is Bin Laden’s son-in-law and played a role in plotting [...]
Syrian army battles against rebel takeover of Raqa
Syrian warplanes struck captured security buildings in Raqqa Tuesday, casting a pall over the northern city a day after euphoric rebels seized much of it and captured the provincial governor, one of the highest-ranking officials to fall into rebel hands, activists said. Fighters also battled pockets of regime loyalists for complete control of Raqqa, a [...]
How to get along for 500 days alone together
The search is on for a couple to train as astronauts, for a privately funded mission to Mars. But wouldn’t any couple squabble if cooped up together for 18 months? Explorer Deborah Shapiro, who spent more than a year with her husband in the Antarctic, provides some marital survival tips. It never ceases to amaze [...]
NY ‘cannibal cop’ skewered, but where’s the beef?
Even by New York standards, the trial of an NYPD cop accused of planning to eat large numbers of pretty young women — including his wife — makes people sit up. Gilberto Valle, a non-descript looking 28-year-old with six years as one of New York’s Finest, is the main course in this stomach churning legal [...]
Music, movie industry to warn copyright infringers
WASHINGTON — Internet users who illegally share music, movies or TV online may soon get warning notices from their service providers that they are violating the law. Ignore it, and face a potential Internet slow-down for 48 hours. For the first time since the unpopular lawsuits of the mid-2000s, the music and movie industries are [...]
Congress to stop spending cuts
President Barack Obama urged state governors on Monday to pressure Congress to prevent $85 billion in across-the-board government spending cuts from going into effect on Friday, saying he is willing to reach a compromise with Republicans. But the president gave no indication that he would try to start negotiations or take steps to blunt the [...]