Government to set up bank chains

Government to set up bank chains


Government to set up bank chains

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 10:19 PM PDT

Three new High Street banking chains are to be created by the government by 2015 as part of a major overhaul.


US war crimes questions for SLanka general: report (AFP)

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 10:25 PM PDT

Sri Lanka's top military commander, General Sarath Fonseka (pictured), is to be questioned by US authorities over allegations of war crimes during the island's fight against Tamil Tiger rebels, a report said Sunday.(AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)AFP - Sri Lanka's top military commander, General Sarath Fonseka, is to be questioned by US authorities over allegations of war crimes during the island's fight against Tamil Tiger rebels, a report said Sunday.



Russians protest for human rights

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 10:37 PM PDT

Russian police say they've arrested 50 people who took part in an illegal human rights protest in Moscow.


Russians protest for human rights

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 10:37 PM PDT

Russian police say they've arrested 50 people who took part in an illegal human rights protest in Moscow.


US, SKorea plan for NKorea collapse: report (AFP)

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 10:14 PM PDT

South Korean protesters burn anti-North Korea placards during a rally in Seoul. The United States and its ally South Korea have drawn up a contingency plan to cope with emergencies in North Korea, including a possible regime change there, a report said Sunday.(AFP/File/Kim Jae-Hwan)AFP - The United States and its ally South Korea have drawn up a contingency plan to cope with emergencies in North Korea, including a possible regime change there, a report said Sunday.



Japan foreign min to meet Clinton over U.S. bases - Kyodo

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 10:15 PM PDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's foreign minister will meet his U.S. counterpart on Friday for talks expected to focus on a row over the reorganisation of U.S. military bases in Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.


Wenger talks up title chances after derby delight (AFP)

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 09:25 PM PDT

Arsenal teammates celebrate after scoring the second goal of their Premier League match against the Tottenham Hotspurs at the Emirates Stadium. Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of gatecrashing the English Premier League's established elite have been put back into perspective as they slumped to a chastening 3-0 defeat at Arsenal.(AFP/Carl de Souza)AFP - Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal are showing the class and authority of English Premier League title contenders after a comfortable 3-0 win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur.



China sacks education minister amid scandal (AP)

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 10:28 PM PDT

AP - China's legislature has removed the country's unpopular education minister amid a corruption scandal in a city he used to oversee and widespread public dissatisfaction with the education system.


Mexican natives overtake UN office

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 04:55 PM PDT

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico - Some 150 indigenous farmers took over a UN office in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas to demand the release of three jailed leaders, their group said Saturday.

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Six Guantanamo Uighurs arrive in Palau

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 04:51 PM PDT

altWASHINGTON Six Chinese Muslim Uighurs who had been held at Guantanamo Bay were transferred to the Pacific island nation of Palau to be resettled there, the US Department of Justice and lawyers said.

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Israel unhappy with Iran-West talks

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 01:39 AM PDT

TEHRAN - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran's arch-foe Israel is unhappy with talks between Tehran and the West, but he hopes the negotiations will continue, ISNA news agency reported on Saturday.

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Dalai Lama defends visit to disputed Indian state

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 11:43 PM PDT

TOKYO - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said he was surprised at China's protest against his planned visit to an area of India claimed by Beijing, hinting he backed India on the border issue.

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Afghan poll faces Abdullah boycott threat

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 10:59 PM PDT

KABUL - Abdullah Abdullah was poised Saturday to boycott Afghanistan's run-off presidential poll unless incumbent Hamid Karzai has a last minute change of heart and bows to a series of demands from his rival.

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Karzai rival to make poll decision

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 10:04 PM PDT

Abdullah Abdullah set to declare whether he will take part in presidential election runoff.


Mubarak avoids talk of succession

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 09:15 PM PDT

The Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, has promised further domestic reforms at the annual conference of his ruling National Democratic Party in Cairo.


Mubarak avoids talk of succession

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 09:15 PM PDT

The Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, has promised further domestic reforms at the annual conference of his ruling National Democratic Party in Cairo.


Marley heirs wage global war on trademark pirates (AP)

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 09:01 PM PDT

This June 16, 2009 photo shows a worker painting a sign with the image of Bob Marley in front of Tuff-Gong Studios where Marley recorded some of his best-known songs in the capital of Kingston, Jamaica. This year, Marley's family, with the help of a private equity firm and a team of lawyers, are trying to wrestle control of all rights to Marley's ubiquitous image from merchandise counterfeiters doing an estimated $600 million in annual sales across the globe. (AP Photo/Michael Sloley)AP - Coming to a store near you: Bob Marley video games, shoes ... snowboards?



Philippines rejects ransom demand for Irish priest (AFP)

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 09:15 PM PDT

This video grab taken somewhere in Lanao province, southern Philippines, on October 24 and released October 31 shows kidnapped Irish priest Father Michael Sinnott holding a copy of a local newspaper dated October 22. In the video, Sinnott says two million dollars must be paid for his release.(AFP/HO)AFP - The Philippines on Sunday rejected a two million dollar ransom demand by the kidnappers of an elderly Irish Catholic priest in the troubled south but said it would continue efforts to ensure his release.



Russian police detain 50 at human rights protest

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 09:15 PM PDT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police said they detained at least 50 people on Saturday at an unsanctioned human rights protest in central Moscow, but protesters put the number higher.


S. Sudan president makes first call for independence

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 09:15 PM PDT

JUBA, Sudan (Reuters) - South Sudan's president on Saturday urged southerners to vote for independence in a referendum if they wanted to be free, the closest he has come to calling publicly for the separation of the oil-producing region.


Bronx Park South Journal: A Desolate Princess of the Bronx? Not Then, Not Now

Bronx Park South Journal: A Desolate Princess of the Bronx? Not Then, Not Now


Bronx Park South Journal: A Desolate Princess of the Bronx? Not Then, Not Now

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 10:48 PM PDT

A 1991 photo of a girl wearing her Halloween costume amid a grim Bronx landscape captured many hearts. The girl remains full of life today.


Egypt party meet won't answer who succeeds Mubarak

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 12:21 PM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Choosing a possible successor to Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, 81, is not on the agenda for a ruling party conference this weekend, a party official said, despite silence on the issue fuelling speculation it might be.


S. Sudan president makes first call for independence

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 12:12 PM PDT

JUBA, Sudan (Reuters) - South Sudan's president on Saturday urged southerners to vote for independence in a referendum if they wanted to be free, the closest he has come to calling publicly for the separation of the oil-producing region.


A Steady Presence in the Bronx May Leave

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 12:50 PM PDT

Hideki Matsui has been a valuable bat in the postseason, but at 35 and with bad knees, the Yankees could let him leave after this season.


Zuma Rallies S. Africa to Fight AIDS

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 12:23 PM PDT

President Jacob Zuma acknowledged the viral cause of AIDS and the role of antiretroviral drugs in treatment, saying knowledge would overcome "denialism."


Privacy Looms Over Gay Rights Vote

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 12:25 PM PDT

A legal dispute in Washington State over whether petition signers' identities ought to be made public is raising new questions about privacy, free speech and elections in the Internet age.


Fulham see off nine-man Liverpool

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 09:51 AM PDT

Liverpool are reduced to nine men as they lose 3-1 at Fulham - their fifth league defeat in 11 games.


Abdullah to withdraw from Afghan run-off: report

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 11:42 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Abdullah Abdullah, the chief challenger to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, has decided to withdraw from a November 7 runoff election, the New York Times reported on Saturday.


Abdullah Will Quit Afghan Election, Officials Say

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 11:46 AM PDT

President Hamid Karzai's rival Abdullah Abdullah plans to announce Sunday that he will not take part in next week's run-off election vote, Western and Afghan officials said.


Rebels Widen Deadly Reach Across India

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 11:28 AM PDT

Indian Maoists, once dismissed as a ragtag band of outdated ideologues, are now present in 20 states and have evolved into a potent and lethal insurgency.


Philippines Hit by Typhoon, the 4th Storm in a Month

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 10:36 AM PDT

At least seven people were killed by Typhoon Mirinae, leaving fresh floods and new misery.


Women at Arms: After Combat, Anguish

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 11:44 AM PDT

As women who suffer from post- traumatic stress disorder return to a society unfamiliar with their wartime roles, they often choose isolation over embarrassment.


Design | Buick LaCrosse: How New Buicks Took Shape in China

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 08:14 PM PDT

The General Motors design studio in China has worked to adapt various global models for the Chinese market, and took the lead in creating the new Buick LaCrosse.


Passport Reveals Suspected Terrorist's Journey

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 12:10 PM PDT

When a passport believed to be Said Bahaji's turned up in Pakistan, authorities pieced together the life a former German engineering student whom they now suspect of being an al Qeada leader helping the Taliban battle government forces here.


Bangladesh workers riot over pay

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 11:51 AM PDT

At least two killed as textile workers take to the streets to demand salaries.


Leaders recall Berlin Wall's fall

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 11:38 AM PDT

Three Cold War-era leaders instrumental in the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago are reunited in Germany's capital.


UK soldiers 'shot' in Falklands

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 11:56 AM PDT

Three members of the UK armed forces are in hospital following a reported shooting in the Falkland Islands, the MoD says.


Democrats Push for Plan to Cut Deficit

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 12:23 PM PDT

The White House and Congressional leaders are weighing options for reducing the federal deficit, including a bipartisan commission that could force tax increases and spending cuts.


Afghan Challenger Threatens Election Boycott

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 08:32 AM PDT

Afghan presidential challenger Abdullah Abdullah will announce on Sunday whether he will boycott next week's runoff against incumbent Hamid Karzai, a move that could undermine the legitimacy of the controversial elections.


Corzine Courts Obama Backers in All-Out Push

Posted: 31 Oct 2009 12:28 PM PDT

In the final hours of an intense campaign, Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey is lashing himself to the president, hoping to sway the race.