Iraq hostage's body handed over

Iraq hostage's body handed over
Explosions rock Nigeria's Kano, at least six killed
Weapons testers fault key Pentagon systems
Analysis: Italy disaster shows Titanic lifeboat issues linger
Chileans guilty of 1991 arms deal
Italy approves sweeping reforms
Obama talks civic freedoms, IMF with Egypt's Tantawi
Mohamed Beltagy, Egypt’s Human Bellwether
Administration Rules Insurers Must Cover Contraceptives
Six dead in bomb blasts in Nigeria's second city
Nadal & Federer move into last 16
City Kitchen: A Bicoastal Approach to Crab Salad — City Kitchen
Scientists to Pause Research on Deadly Strain of Bird Flu
Ex-President Plans Return to Madagascar
Cowardice at sea is no crime -- at least in the U.S.
VIDEO: Did delay to abandon ship cost lives?
Exiled Madagascar ex-president vows to return
Israeli forces arrest Palestinian officials
American arrested in Syria?
India Ink: Six Words at the Jaipur Lit Fest

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 01:17 PM PST

The British Embassy in Baghdad has confirmed that a body handed over to them is that of Alan McMenemy, who was kidnapped in Iraq in 2007.

Explosions rock Nigeria's Kano, at least six killed

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 01:15 PM PST

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - At least six people were killed in a string of bomb blasts on Friday in Nigeria's second city Kano and the authorities imposed a curfew across the city, which has been plagued by an insurgency led by the Islamist sect Boko Haram.

Weapons testers fault key Pentagon systems

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:35 PM PST

The reliability of Pentagon weapons systems remains a serious problem, according to a 352-page annual report released the other day by the Defense Department. And among the systems that have tested poorly in terms of reliability are some of the military's most vaunted new aircraft: the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper and the Global Hawk.

Read full article >>

Analysis: Italy disaster shows Titanic lifeboat issues linger

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:46 PM PST

LONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - The capsizing of the Costa Concordia will pressure the cruise industry to address a safety question that has lingered since the Titanic disaster almost 100 years ago - how to get thousands of people off a giant cruise ship into lifeboats quickly.

Chileans guilty of 1991 arms deal

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:43 PM PST

Chilean judges convict two former generals of selling weapons to Croatia 20 years ago during the war in the former Yugoslavia, in violation of a UN arms embargo.

Italy approves sweeping reforms

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:19 PM PST

The Italian government approves a controversial series of reforms programme designed to boost its debt-stricken economy.

Obama talks civic freedoms, IMF with Egypt's Tantawi

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:50 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama stressed U.S. support for Egypt's move to democracy and discussed its International Monetary Fund talks in a telephone conversation on Friday with Egyptian military council chief Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the White House said.

Mohamed Beltagy, Egypt’s Human Bellwether

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:12 PM PST

To know the future of Egypt, watch what happens to Mohamed Beltagy, the embattled hero of the revolution.

Administration Rules Insurers Must Cover Contraceptives

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:37 PM PST

In ruling that health insurance plans must cover contraceptives for women without charge, the administration also rejected a broad exemption for employees of Roman Catholic hospitals, colleges and charities.

Six dead in bomb blasts in Nigeria's second city

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:14 PM PST

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - At least six people were killed in a series of bomb blasts in Nigeria's second biggest city Kano on Friday, officials and witnesses said.

Nadal & Federer move into last 16

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 04:10 AM PST

Rafael Nadal beats Lukas Lacko to reach the Australian Open fourth round, while Roger Federer sees off Ivo Karlovic.

City Kitchen: A Bicoastal Approach to Crab Salad — City Kitchen

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 11:55 AM PST

East Coast jumbo lump crab meat gets West Coast treatment in a salad inspired by the San Francisco dish known as crab Louie.

Scientists to Pause Research on Deadly Strain of Bird Flu

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:49 PM PST

The government had asked researchers who worked on a more contagious form of the bird flu virus to keep some of their data secret.

Ex-President Plans Return to Madagascar

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 11:13 AM PST

Marc Ravalomama, who was ousted in 2009, said he wanted to help rebuild his country. Officials there, however, say he is likely to face arrest.

Cowardice at sea is no crime -- at least in the U.S.

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Captain Francesco Schettino hopped a life boat after the Costa Concordia hit a rock off the Tuscany coast, he violated a sacred maritime tradition: that a captain should be the last to leave his ship.

VIDEO: Did delay to abandon ship cost lives?

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 11:26 AM PST

Some of the families of those still missing from the Costa Concordia have visited the wreck, while the rescue effort was hampered yet again as the sea threatened to shift the ship from the rocks.