IFA meets to decide Kennedy fate

IFA meets to decide Kennedy fate

IFA meets to decide Kennedy fate

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 01:35 AM PDT

Raymond Kennedy's future as Irish FA president should be decided at a meeting on Monday night.


Flooding in Haiti leaves 10 dead

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:18 PM PDT

Flooding has killed at least 10 people in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas, officials say.


Malarial mosquitoes helped defeat British in battle that ended Revolutionary War

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:48 PM PDT

Major combat operations in the American Revolution ended 229 years ago today, Oct. 19, at Yorktown. For that we can thank the fortitude of American forces under George Washington, the siegecraft of French troops of Gen. Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, the count of Rochambeau - and the relentles...



At least 19 killed in fiery Mexican bus crash

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:58 PM PDT

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - At least 19 people were killed in central Mexico on Monday when a bus crashed into a truck and burst into flames, authorities and news media said.

Residents hurt in care home fire

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:44 PM PDT

Four elderly residents and two members of staff are taken to hospital after a suspected arson attack at a care home in Cleveleys.


Talks on Government Help to Airlines

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:52 PM PDT

Negotiators are meeting in Ottawa this week to discuss questions about the financing of the airplane business.

Four convicted in NY terror plot

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:51 PM PDT

Four men are convicted in New York of plotting to blow up synagogues and shoot down military aircraft, after being snared by an FBI informant.


148 Pakistani Lawmakers Suspended

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 11:42 AM PDT

Pakistan's election commission says 148 lawmakers have been suspended for failing to disclose details of their wealth.

U.S. Envoy to Discuss Sanctions With Iran's Neighbors

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:14 PM PDT

The Obama administration dispatched Stuart Levey, its point man on Iran sanctions to Turkey and Azerbaijan, as the U.S. attempts to further constrict trade flows between Tehran and its closest neighbors.


The Caucus: Unions Try to Counter G.O.P. Push

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 06:26 AM PDT

Democrats are relying more than ever this year on organized labor to help even the playing field.

Personal Health: Secrets of the Centenarians

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:20 PM PDT

Approaching her 100th birthday, Esther Tuttle speaks of three critical attributes that might be dubbed longevity's three R's: resolution, resourcefulness and resilience.

BP Raises $1.8 Billion in Asset Sale

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:22 PM PDT

BP has said it will raise $30 billion to pay claims relating to the Gulf spill. It has raised $11 billion so far.

Minister's 'genital prints' slip of tongue is internet hit

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 09:59 AM PDT

A slip of the tongue by France's interior minister becomes an internet hit after he mistakenly spoke of "genital prints".


France hit by wave of nationwide strikes

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 11:58 AM PDT

Youths burn cars, set up blockades and clash with riot police outside some high schools in the French capital and nearby suburbs against the government's public sector reforms


Suspected US Missile Strike Kills 7 in NW Pakistan

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 11:24 AM PDT

Intelligence officials say American missiles have killed seven people in a militant stronghold near the Afghan border.

Fraud Found Rampant in Afghan Vote

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 01:06 PM PDT

Widespread incidents of fraud in Afghan elections last month will lead to the disqualification of as much as a quarter of the ballots cast.


Al Qaeda Remains Top Threat

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:51 PM PDT

Al Qaeda hasn't diminished as an international threat, but the nature of the threat has changed, said senior British security officials during a background briefing connected to the release of the country's new National Security Strategy.


Australia's New Saint--- Who's Also My Relative

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 11:47 AM PDT

The pope's declaration of the nun Mary MacKillop as Australia's first saint Sunday sparked jubilation among thousands of Australians who packed St. Peter's Square. For this reporter, the event was more personal: She was family.


China's vice president on track to become next leader

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:02 PM PDT

BEIJING - China's Communist Party Central Committee ended its annual meeting Monday by elevating Vice President Xi Jinping to a vice chairmanship of the powerful Central Military Commission, apparently cementing his role as the country's next president and demonstrating that the closely guarded ...


Live - Blackburn v Sunderland

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 11:31 AM PDT

Sam Allardyce's Blackburn, 16th in the Premier League, host Steve Bruce's 15th-placed Sunderland as both teams look to move into the top half of the table.


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Japan PM wants China to ensure citizens’ safety

Japan PM wants China to ensure citizens’ safety

Japan PM wants China to ensure citizens’ safety

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:30 AM PDT

TOKYO, Oct 18 — Japan's prime minister on Monday urged China to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens and firms and called for calm after Chinese protesters took to the streets over a territorial feud straining ties between Asia's top economies. Sino-Japanese relations deteriorated sharply last month after Japan detained a Chinese trawler captain ...


197 Kenwark workers sacked

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:47 AM PDT

A total of 197 workers from the troubled Kenmark Industries Sdn Bhd have been served with termination letters with immediate effect, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) said.

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S.Korea's vice FM named national security adviser

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:45 AM PDT

SEOUL, Monday 18 October 2010 (AFP) - South Korea's former nuclear envoy has been named the new national security adviser to President Lee Myung-Bak, the presidential office said Monday.

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Indonesia to probe fresh torture claims: police

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:44 AM PDT

JAKARTA, Monday 18 October 2010 (AFP) - Indonesian police said Monday they would investigate fresh reports of torture by security forces against civilians in restive Papua province, after a graphic video was posted online.

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MACC appeals against acquittal of ex-immigration DG

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:43 AM PDT

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has filed an appeal against the acquittal of former immigration director-general Datuk Wahid Md Don by the Sessions Court, here last Friday over an alleged involvement in bribery of RM60,000.

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BN to announce Batu Sapi candidate on Sunday: Musa

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:41 AM PDT

The Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election will be announced on Sunday, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said.

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Myanmar says no foreign monitors, media allowed in for poll

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:32 AM PDT

NAYPYIDAW, Monday 18 October 2010 (AFP) - Myanmar will not allow any foreign election observers or international media into the country for its first poll in two decades, a senior official said Monday.

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Vietnam official jailed for life over Japan aid scam: court

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:31 AM PDT

HANOI, Monday 18 October 2010 (AFP) - A Vietnamese court handed a life sentence on Monday to a former senior transport official charged with corruption in a scandal that led Japan to suspend aid, a court source said.

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GLC transformation brings significant benefits, Dewan Rakyat told

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:30 AM PDT

Government-linked companies (GLCs), particularly those placed under G-20, have managed to strengthen their financial positions and enhanced operational efficiencies after the introduction of the GLC Transformation Programme in May 2004.

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Plaza Low Yat to evict tenants convicted of piracy

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:28 AM PDT

Plaza Low Yat will evict tenants convicted of piracy in support of the government's anti-piracy initiatives.

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Panel set up to evaluate text of Friday prayers sermons

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:27 AM PDT

The Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has set up a committee to evaluate and ensure quality of text of Friday prayers sermons for four major moques in Federal Territory, Dewan Rakyat heard today.

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Racist statements - action being considered against two teachers

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:25 AM PDT

The punishment to be imposed on two teachers for making racist statements last August is likely to be decided soon.

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Policeman injured in struggle with suspected drug trafficker

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:22 AM PDT

A police inspector was injured in a struggle with a suspected drug trafficker in a swamp area in Kampung Lebak, here yesterday.

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Taiwan city may bar Chinese officials with rights records

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:21 AM PDT

TAIPEI, Monday 18 October 2010 (AFP) - The city council in Taiwan's second-largest city has demanded that the local government bar visits by Chinese officials with poor rights records, an official said Monday.

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Public Bank quarterly pre-tax profit above RM1 bln for first time

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:20 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR, Monday 18 October 2010 (Bernama) -- Public Bank Bhd has surpassed the RM1 billion mark for the first time by recording a pre-tax profit of RM1.05 billion in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2010, from RM856.51 million a year ago.

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Indonesia calls for vigilance in terrorism fight

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 12:18 AM PDT

NUSA DUA, Monday 18 October 2010 (AFP) - Indonesia on Monday called for greater vigilance and cooperation in the fight against terror, as counter-terrorism chiefs from around the world met in Bali.

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Australia hails Mary, nation's first saint

Posted: 17 Oct 2010 03:14 PM PDT

SYDNEY: Australia's press today hailed the canonisation of the country's first saint as a moment of national unity, praising the "battling nun" in a flurry of souvenir editions.

Images of Mary MacKillop, anointed St Mary of the Cross in Rome yesterday, adorned the front pages of Australia's major newspapers under headlines such as "Our Saint Mary" and "Hail Saint Mary".

The Australian newspaper described it as the day the nation stood "proud and full of pious praise", with cheers ringing out across St Peter's Square for the woman who founded Australia's first religious order.

The Sydney Morning Herald said Pope Benedict XVI had confirmed MacKillop's "special place in history", declaring that "you could have heard a pin drop" as she was officially made a saint.

"It was among the biggest contingents of Australians gathered together in Europe in peacetime," the Herald said. "8,000 of them, exultant in the shadow of the dome of St Peter's to celebrate the sainthood of one of their own."

Sydney's Daily Telegraph tabloid exclaimed that "the prayers of a nation" had been answered.

"Any event that can bring so many Australians together in celebration from across religious and social divides can only be considered a positive," it said.

The Herald said MacKillop's story resonated beyond secular scepticism about miracles and sainthood, likening her heroism to that of Australian soldiers in World War I.

"Those who believe in the miracles ascribed to Mary MacKillop will pray to her for help," it said in an editorial.

"Others of a rationalist turn of mind may smile politely here -- yet still find in her both inspiration and example."

- AFP

Thai PM in court as party faces ban threat

Posted: 17 Oct 2010 03:00 PM PDT

By Thanaporn Promyamyai

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva arrived at court amid tight security today as his ruling party fights to avoid a political ban that could bring fresh upheaval to the deeply divided kingdom.

Abhisit will be a witness for the defence at the Constitutional Court in what could be the final hearing in the case, which centres on accusations of misuse of a 29-million-baht (RM2.8-million) state grant in 2005.

The Democrat Party -- Thailand's oldest party -- could be dissolved if found guilty, while the premier, who was its deputy leader at the time, could be handed a five-year ban from politics, alongside other executives.

Abhisit looked relaxed as he arrived but made no comment to the throngs of reporters gathered outside the court, where there was a heavy police presence.

Thailand's Election Commission (EC) in April called for the ruling party to be abolished over the accusations, as well as a separate case alleging an undeclared political donation.

The call coincided with the country's worst political violence in decades, which ultimately left 91 people dead and almost 1,900 wounded in a series of street clashes between opposition protesters and armed troops.

The Democrats are accused of paying 23 million baht to advertising firms, despite only having permission to spend 19 million on billboard marketing.

Abhisit has rejected accusations that a member of his party had attempted to influence the judiciary over the case.

Pivotal role

The opposition's allegations that a Democrat lawmaker met an aide of a Constitutional Court judge ahead of the hearing -- and was captured on video -- were splashed on the front pages of local media today.

Judicial rulings have played a pivotal role in shaping Thailand's political landscape in the past.

The Democrats came to power two years ago after court decisions ousted allies of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was himself unseated in a 2006 military coup.

Two premiers were forced from office by the judiciary in 2008 -- one of whom, Samak Sundaravej, was removed for taking payments for hosting TV cooking shows.

Uncertainty over the government comes at a difficult stage for the country, which remains bitterly torn in the wake of deadly opposition protests by the opposition "Red Shirt" movement.

The Reds accuse Abhisit's government of being undemocratic because it came to power with army backing in a parliamentary vote after the controversial court rulings, and their protests have called for immediate elections.

Some observers questioned whether Abhisit's backers in the military and Bangkok-based elite would allow the Democrats to be toppled.

Former Thai diplomat Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an author and fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said he did not believe the party would be disbanded.

However, he said one potential motive for dissolution would be as a gesture to the Reds to rebuff allegations of double standards in the legal system.

Pavin said "even then, they will have a plan B", with rumours that a new party would swiftly rise from the ashes of the old.

- AFP

 

China mine death toll hits 30 as anger rises over rescue

Posted: 17 Oct 2010 02:47 PM PDT

BEIJING: The death toll from a coal mine blast in China has risen to 30, officials said today , as hopes faded for seven miners still trapped -- prompting anger from web users wishing for a Chile-style rescue.

Saturday's accident in the central province of Henan was the first major incident in China's notoriously dangerous mines since the dramatic rescue last week of 33 miners trapped for more than two months in Chile, watched worldwide.

State media joined users of China's vast blogosphere in condemning the country's existing safety procedures, saying more needed to be done to reduce the massive mine death toll, which last year topped 2,600.

In the city of Yuzhou in Henan, rescuers pulled more bodies out of the dank coal pit early today, bringing the death toll to 30, with seven others still unaccounted for, the State Administration of Work Safety said in a statement.

Rescuers said yesterday there was little hope of finding any more survivors in the colliery, and that it would likely take several days to find those still missing.

Du Bo, the deputy director of the rescue operation, said the missing miners were likely buried in the more than 2,500 tonnes of coal dust that smothered the pit after the gas blast.

A total of 276 miners were at work below ground when the disaster happened, and 239 managed to make it to the surface, the national work safety agency said.

Independent labour groups say the actual number of mine deaths last year is likely much higher than the seven people a day estimated by the government.

The government has repeatedly vowed to shut dangerous mines and increase safety, but the accidents continue with regularity as mines hustle to pump out the coal on which China relies for about 70 percent of its energy.

Unfavourable comparisons

On the Internet, reaction has been swift and bitter -- with many making unfavourable comparisons to the situation in Chile.

"The Chilean miracle has signed the death warrant of the mine safety system in China," one user using the screen name Xiaodaoren wrote on sina.com's popular Twitter-like microblogging service.

"If we don't fundamentally resolve these mine security issues, the accidents will not stop and we will be unable to avoid the deaths and injuries."

Another, named Cheng Jing 33, wrote: "The difference with Chile is enormous. The mines here are not inspected enough and poorly managed."

And Yunfeng Tongxue added: "The Yuzhou miners are not as lucky as those in Chile."

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera offered to help China, saying during a visit to London that his country had learned from the San Jose mine disaster.

Chen Jiaguo, a miner who escaped the blast, told the Beijing News that safety zones in the mine were mostly filled with debris -- not survival equipment and basic necessities.

"There was no rescue equipment in the tunnels, no food or water and most of the time, the safety zones were filled with scrap metal and debris," the paper cited Chen as saying.

"Other than that, the ventilation fans were not strong enough and did not ventilate the air enough."

In an editorial today, the state-run newspaper said China's efforts were not good enough.

"If we cannot in the shortest amount of time possible build emergency rescue systems in our mines and give miners a chance to live... then more and more miners are going to be placed in harm's way," it said.

In July, Premier Wen Jiabao lamented China's "serious" work safety situation, ordering mining bosses to work side-by-side with workers in the pits to ensure companies observed safety rules.

To satisfy that requirement, a deputy chief engineer was in the Yuzhou mine at the time of the explosion and helped evacuate miners, the China News Service reported.

China had its own "miracle" mine rescue in April when 115 miners were rescued after more than a week trapped underground in a flooded mine shaft in the northern province of Shanxi.

- AFP

Yum Seng to Budget 2011!

Posted: 17 Oct 2010 11:35 PM PDT

There is much to chear about the Budget 2011. For example, at least there is no price hike for alcoholic drinks. So, let's put aside the worries, raise our glass, and yum seng!

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