Battle to keep the remainder of the Berlin Wall

Battle to keep the remainder of the Berlin Wall


Battle to keep the remainder of the Berlin Wall

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:19 PM PDT

BERLIN — The workers used the early morning darkness to obscure their secretive task: removing pieces of the longest-remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall.

When the wall fell in 1989, Berlin's residents were eager to clear away the hated divider as quickly as they could. Now many of the people who fought to scrub it from the map are scrambling to preserve what remains. This week, they came up against a developer determined to build on his property, situated in the former no man's land between East and West Berlin.

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Thomas McEvilley, Critic and Scholar of Non-Western Art, Dies at 73

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:02 PM PDT

Mr. McEvilley's evisceration of a Museum of Modern Art show on "primitivism" in 1984 put curators on the defensive and changed the debate about multiculturalism in art.

Sudanese rebel group releases 31 kidnapped Darfuris

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:21 PM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudanese rebels have released 31 Darfuris who they had kidnapped a week ago on their way to a conference for people displaced by the region's decade-long war, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Saturday.

Phil Ramone, Record Producer and Winner of 14 Grammys, Dies at 79

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:18 PM PDT

Mr. Ramone, who worked with some of the biggest stars of the last 50 years, defined the role of record producer as being roughly equivalent to that of a movie director.

Kosovo Albanians angered by Serbia talks

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:21 PM PDT

Demonstrators in Mitrovica raise anti-government slogans in lead-up to meeting to decide fate of Serb-dominated north.

Protest simmers nonstop in New Delhi street

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:17 PM PDT

NEW DELHI — The massive protests that swept India after the gang rape of a paramedical student in the capital last year may seem to have disappeared from the headlines here.

The young woman who was assaulted died; the government gave her family a new apartment and financial compensation. The accused are on trial and a new law has stiffened the penalties for sexual assault.

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Opponents of 'bedroom tax' protest

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 08:54 AM PDT

Thousands of people demonstrate against changes to the benefits system which they describe as a "bedroom tax".

Turin Shroud shown live on Italy TV

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 11:52 AM PDT

The Turin Shroud - which is revered by many Christians as the burial cloth of Jesus Christ - is shown live on Italian TV and modern media platforms.

Serena storms to record Miami win

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:03 PM PDT

Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova in the Sony Open final to become the fourth woman to win an event six times.

Juventus pull clear in Italy

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:48 PM PDT

Serie A leaders extend their lead at the top after downing hosts Inter Milan 2-1 in thrilling Derby d'Italia.

Maduro calls Venezuela opposition "heirs of Hitler"

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 11:50 AM PDT

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's acting President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday called the country's opposition "heirs of Hitler," accusing them of persecuting Cuban doctors working in the South American country the way Jews were persecuted in Nazi Germany.

VIDEO: New rules hit Italy's race tracks

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 11:45 AM PDT

Horse-racing tracks around Italy are facing the threat of closure, and many of the animals who race at them could be destroyed.

São Paulo Journal: Lowrider Culture Spreads to Brazil and Beyond

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 09:48 AM PDT

A subculture with roots in East Los Angeles is spreading in parts of Asia and Europe, and is raising eyebrows in South America's largest city.

Egypt's prosecutor general orders arrest of well-known satirist

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 11:39 AM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's prosecutor-general on Saturday ordered the arrest of the country's best-known satirist, Bassam Youssef, for making fun of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood.

Scores killed in Nigeria religious violence

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:34 PM PDT

Security tightened after Christian villagers in Plateau state accuse ethnic Fulani Muslims of burning their homes.

VIDEO: Scientists study starving sea lion pups

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 11:28 AM PDT

Efforts are being made to find out why hundreds of starving sea lion pups are washing up on the beaches of California.

Late bogeys spoil McIlroy's round

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 11:35 AM PDT

Three bogeys in the final six holes check Rory McIlroy's progress at the Houston Open after an impressive front nine.

Teachers back strike action on pay

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 11:24 AM PDT

Teachers chant 'Gove must go' as the NUT conference supports plans for industrial action over pay and pensions.

Former ETA head, blamed for airport bomb, dies in hospital

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 11:18 AM PDT

MADRID (Reuters) - The former head of Basque separatist group ETA believed to have ordered the Madrid airport bombing that ended a truce in 2006 has died while serving a prison term in France, an ETA prisoner support group said on Saturday.

Music producer Phil Ramone dies

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 11:15 AM PDT

US Grammy Award-winning producer and compact disc pioneer Phil Ramone has died aged 72, his son says.

Timeline of escalating threats on Korean peninsula

Timeline of escalating threats on Korean peninsula


Timeline of escalating threats on Korean peninsula

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 11:51 PM PDT

North Korea's announcement Saturday that it had entered a "state of war" with South Korea was the latest in a long line of escalating threats and postures adopted by all sides in the current crisis on the Korean peninsula.

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Bullet in the arm reminds Bulgaria Muslims of repression

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 11:12 PM PDT

"Here, feel the bullet, it was never taken out," says Ibrahim Byalk, presenting his arm where a bullet is still lodged 40 years after he was shot at for refusing to change his name to a non-Muslim one.

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North Korea says enters "state of war" against South

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 09:08 PM PDT

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea in a continuing escalation of angry rhetoric directed at Seoul and Washington, but the South brushed off the statement as little more than tough talk.


No survivors yet found in Tibet landslide search

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 10:11 PM PDT

A huge search and rescue operation failed to locate any survivors by Saturday morning, more than a day after a giant landslide in Tibet buried 83 mine workers under two million cubic metres of earth.

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Chinese stylist Lu Weixing presents new women's collection

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 10:07 PM PDT

Chinese stylist Lu Weixing presented his new women's collection called Lu Classic on Thursday, at Beijing Fashion Week. Copyright (AFP RELAXNEWS/ AFPTV), 2013.

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From bedroom to boardroom: UK teen turns tech millionaire

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 09:55 PM PDT

Like many British teenagers, Nick D'Aloisio has a hole in the knee of his jeans and gets in trouble when his bedroom is untidy. Unlike most, the 17-year-old has just sold an app to Yahoo! for tens of millions of pounds.

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Michelee Yeoh to continue acting career

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 09:36 PM PDT

Despite receiving numerous lifetime achievement awards, international movie star Datuk Seri Michelle Yeoh said she would continue her acting career for it was her true passion.

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Cheaper BlackBerry handset confirmed

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 09:04 PM PDT

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has confirimed that a mid-range phone running the company's latest operating system will debut later this year.

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Share prices likely to trend lower next week

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 08:36 PM PDT

Share prices on Bursa Malaysia will likely trend lower next week due to an overbought situation. Affin Investment Bank Vice President and Head of Retail Research Dr Nazri Khan said the benchmark FBM KLCI is now ripe for a pullback after hitting an all-time high of 1,688 last year.

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Is Facebook about to launch its own version of Android?

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 08:28 PM PDT

The invitation to an April 4 event suggests Facebook could be set to reveal its own mobile operating system built around the social media network's features and services.

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Galaxy SIV Mini coming in June

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 08:19 PM PDT

A smaller version of Samsung's upcoming flagship phone will launch in Europe in June.

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Muslims vanish as Buddhist attacks approach Myanmar’s biggest city

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 09:50 PM PDT

SIT KWIN (Myanmar), March 30 — The Muslims of Sit Kwin were always a small group who numbered no more than 100 of the village's 2,000 people. But as sectarian violence led by Buddhist mobs spreads across central Myanmar, they and many other Muslims are disappearing. Their homes, shops and mosques destroyed, some end up in refugee camps or hide in ...


Pope leads traditional Good Friday rite at Rome Colosseum

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 09:25 PM PDT

ROME, March 30 — Thousands of people holding candles turned out at Rome's Colosseum to see Pope Francis mark the first Good Friday of his pontificate with a traditional "Way of the Cross" procession around the ancient amphitheatre. Francis, who was elected on March 13, sat under a red canopy on Rome's Palatine Hill as representatives of the ...


North Korea says enters "state of war" against South

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 09:08 PM PDT

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea in a continuing escalation of angry rhetoric directed at Seoul and Washington, but the South brushed off the statement as little more than tough talk.


N.Korea says to enter ‘state of war’ against South Korea — KCNA

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 09:01 PM PDT

SEOUL, March 30 — North Korea said today it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea in a continuing escalation of tough rhetoric against Seoul and Washington after coming under international sanctions for its nuclear test. "From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North ...


N. Korea declares 'state of war' with South

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 08:27 PM PDT

North Korea on Saturday declared it had entered into a "state of war" with South Korea and warned Seoul and Washington that any provocation would swiftly escalate into an all-out nuclear conflict.

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China adopts new vision for world peaceful development

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 08:22 PM PDT

The "China threat" and "neo-colonialism" remain cemented in the minds of those who view China's rapid development with doubt, misunderstanding or hostility, but these terms are really outdated.

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Cyprus hopes to see more cash controls lifted

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 08:13 PM PDT

Cypriots hoped for further relaxation of the first capital controls in the eurozone Saturday after authorities on the bailed-out island dropped domestic restrictions on credit card payments.

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28 dead, 13 injured in China colliery blast

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 08:02 PM PDT

Twenty-eight people were confirmed dead and 13 others injured in a coal-mine gas blast late Friday in northeast China's Jilin Province, authorities said Saturday.

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Papal ritual raises hope for better ties with Islam

Posted: 29 Mar 2013 07:41 PM PDT

The inclusion of two Muslims in a foot-washing ceremony by Pope Francis is one of several gestures of openness towards the Muslim world that could change perceptions of the Vatican, observers said.

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