Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng wants secret accords revealed

Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng wants secret accords revealed


Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng wants secret accords revealed

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:51 PM PDT

Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng appealed to Congress Tuesday to press the Obama administration to release what he said were high-level diplomatic agreements made with China when then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton negotiated his departure from China nearly a year ago.

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Chinese army colonel says avian flu is an American plot against China

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:25 PM PDT

Colonel Dai Xu of the People's Liberation Army wrote online that the new strain of bird flu hitting China, known as H7N9, is an American "bio-psychological weapon" meant to destabilize China. The rant, posted to Dai's account on the Twitter-like service Weibo, had already been shared by more than 30,000 fellow users by the time that the South China Morning Post reported it on Monday. Dai now has a quarter million followers on Weibo, which is quite a platform.

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Mauritania jails Canadian for two years for terrorist conspiracy

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:53 PM PDT

NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - A 24-year-old Canadian man held in Mauritania was sentenced to two years in prison for terrorist conspiracy in the West African state, according to judicial documents seen by Reuters.

US 'gambling nun' in church thefts

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:01 PM PDT

A Catholic nun pleads guilty to stealing $130,000 (£85,000) from rural churches in the state of New York to fuel a gambling addiction, police say.

Days before Venezuela vote, Maduro vows wage hikes

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:34 PM PDT

CARACAS (Reuters) - Acting President Nicolas Maduro promised on Tuesday to hike Venezuela's minimum wage by about 40 percent if he is elected in a weekend vote to replace late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

Armenian opposition cries foul as president is re-installed

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:31 PM PDT

YEREVAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Armenians protested in Yerevan on Tuesday against the inauguration of President Serzh Sarksyan for a second term, saying that his re-election had been fixed.

Russia Cracks Down on Election Watchdog

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:46 PM PDT

Russian authorities have filed the first case under a controversial new law on nongovernmental organizations, taking aim at a often-critical election watchdog for its failure to register as a "foreign agent."

Photos of the Day: April 9

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:40 PM PDT

In today's pictures, police beat a protester in a field in Turkey, a man sleeps in his onion shop in Bangladesh, a boy receives bee venom therapy in Gaza City, and more.

New leaks detected in Japan's Fukushima plant

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:02 PM PDT

TEPCO says the latest leak involves a tank being used to take water from one of the two that were previously leaking.

New leaks detected in Japan's Fukushima plant

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:02 PM PDT

TEPCO says the latest leak involves a tank being used to take water from one of the two that were previously leaking.

Colombians march in polarizing bid to make peace with FARC

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:27 PM PDT

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Waving balloons and dressed in white, tens of thousands of Colombians marched in Bogota and across the nation on Tuesday in a polarizing gathering for peace that critics slam as a show of support for Marxist FARC rebels.

More Senate Republicans Oppose Filibuster on Gun Bill

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:59 AM PDT

With backers of gun safety laws increasingly optimistic that they can corral the votes necessary to begin debate, Senator Harry Reid said he would schedule a vote for Thursday.

Saudis build Yemen border fence

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:06 PM PDT

Saudi Arabia builds a giant border fence to seal off its frontier with Yemen as security deteriorates after the 2011 uprising, officials say.

'Balanced' Woods ready for Masters

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:55 PM PDT

World number one Tiger Woods feels he is "very balanced" as he attempts to win a fifth Masters this week.

Five Indian U.N. peacekeepers killed in South Sudan

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:32 AM PDT

UNITED NATIONS — A force of about 200 unidentified armed assailants ambushed a supply convoy in South Sudan on Tuesday, killing five U.N. peacekeepers and seven civilians, U.N. officials said.

The ambush marked the deadliest armed attack on the United Nations since the region became engulfed in intercommunal violence between warring ethnic groups. It also raised concerns that the United Nations has become a target in that violence.

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Syria's al-Nusra 'part of al-Qaeda'

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 08:07 AM PDT

The leader of the Iraqi wing of al-Qaeda says his group will merge with al-Nusra Front in Syria under a new name.

Panel Calls for Broad Changes in Science Education

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:22 AM PDT

New standards for curriculum, which at least 26 states have pledged to consider, take a firm stand on climate change and evolution and emphasize hands-on learning.

Sudan's army says kills 15 rebels, retakes part of South Darfur

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:50 AM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudanese forces retook a southern part of the country's Darfur region after clashing with insurgents, killing 15, a military spokesman said on Tuesday, while rebels claimed victory in fighting in northern Darfur.

Analysis: North Korea tests Obama's "strategic patience"

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:46 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's next act of defiance could be a critical test of whether President Barack Obama's "strategic patience," his long-standing policy toward the nuclear renegade state, is beginning to run out.

Suspect Arrested After Dozen People Wounded in Texas College Stabbing

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:16 PM PDT

At least 12 people were injured after an attack at a Houston-area campus of Lone Star Community College, officials said Tuesday.

Iran opens uranium mines, yellow cake plant

Iran opens uranium mines, yellow cake plant


Iran opens uranium mines, yellow cake plant

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:08 AM PDT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Tuesday it had started production at two uranium mines and a yellow cake plant, declaring that Western opposition would not slow its nuclear programme days after talks between Tehran and world powers failed to reach an accord.
    


Facebook to start charging users to contact celebrities

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:41 AM PDT

Facebook has started charging UK users to contact celebrities through the social network.

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In the pink: the April Fool's prank played on Sergey Brin

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:40 AM PDT

Company members pranked Google co-founder Sergey Brin by turning his car into a bright pink Batmobile for a newly revealed April Fool's day joke.

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Negative tweets about flu vaccine spread like wildfire: study

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:38 AM PDT

Wondering how social media may influence your health decisions? A new study finds that Twitter posts about flu vaccines may have unexpected effects -- positive messages may backfire, while negative ones spread like wildfire.

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Penis size does matter to women, researchers say

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:30 AM PDT

The eternal question of whether penis size matters to women has been probed by a team of international scientists who reported on Monday that yes, ladies do find larger men more attractive.

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SUPP chief maintains stand not to defend Miri seat

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:28 AM PDT

Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui has maintained his decision not to defend the Miri parliamentary seat in the coming 13th General Election to give way to a new face.

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China bird flu outbreak spurs food safety fears

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:27 AM PDT

China's bird flu outbreak is "devastating" poultry sales, an industry group said Tuesday, as the H7N9 virus which has killed seven people triggered a new food safety scare.

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A distant dream

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:26 AM PDT

We can return to the reality if we take a look at the rankings of our top universities in the 2012 to 2013 QS World University Rankings. Our ace university, University of Malaya, was ranked the 156th in the world and 35th in Asia.

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Junk food only makes a bad mood worse: study

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:13 AM PDT

For young women concerned about their diet and weight, a bout of unhealthy eating when in a bad mood can make you feel a lot worse about yourself, according to a new US study.

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Nepalese man burns pregnant wife alive: police

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:01 AM PDT

Police have arrested a man in rural Nepal after he allegedly killed his 22-year-old pregnant wife by stuffing her into a hay bale and setting it alight, an officer said on Tuesday.

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VIDEO: Manet exhibition to hit cinemas

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 04:05 PM PDT

The Royal Academy's biggest exhibition of Manet's work in the UK has been made into a film to be broadcast in 29 countries in a live simulcast in April.

VIDEO: Kenya prepares for inauguration

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:13 PM PDT

Uhuru Kenyatta is set to be sworn in as Kenya's new president, following his victory in March against Raila Odinga.

VIDEO: Nepal's rhino protectors

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 04:05 PM PDT

BBC reporter Anbarasan Ethirajan joins an anti-poaching patrol in Nepal which aims to protect one-horned rhinoceroses

VIDEO: Obama's passionate plea for gun control

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 07:17 PM PDT

Speaking at the University of Hartford, a hour from Newtown, where 26 died in school massacre in December, Mr Obama said citizens must demand action.

VIDEO: US reacts to death of Lady Thatcher

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 10:54 PM PDT

During the 1980s, the special relationship between Britain and America was elevated to heights.

Japan's quake-crippled nuclear plant "losing faith" in leaking water pits

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:01 AM PDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - The company that runs a Japanese nuclear power plant destroyed by a tsunami two years ago said on Tuesday it was losing faith in temporary storage pits for radioactive water - but it doesn't have anywhere else to put it.
    


Iran opens new uranium mines, yellow cake plant

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:51 PM PDT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran opened new uranium mines and a yellow cake production plant on Tuesday, state news agency IRNA reported.
    


North Korea warns foreigners to quit South

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:49 PM PDT

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea warned foreigners in South Korea on Tuesday to quit the country because they were at risk in the event of conflict, the latest threat of war from Pyongyang.
    


Iraqi al Qaeda wing says Nusra Front is its Syria branch -SITE group

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:34 PM PDT

DUBAI (Reuters) - The Iraqi wing of al Qaeda announced that a rebel group at the forefront of the rebellion in Syria was its branch in that country and that both groups would operate under one name, according to the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group.
    


N. Korea urges foreigners in South to evacuate

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:28 PM PDT

North Korea said Tuesday the Korean peninsula was headed for "thermo-nuclear" war and advised foreigners in South Korea to consider evacuation, in the latest in a series of apocalyptic threats.

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