Pakistan human rights worker Khalid Khawaja found dead

The body of a Pakistani human rights activist has been found in the North Waziristan tribal area, weeks after he was reportedly kidnapped by militants. Officials said Khalid Khawaja's body was found in a ditch near the town of Mir Ali on Friday afternoon. He had been shot in the head and chest. A note attached to the body claimed...

Oil spill sparks new drilling ban

The US administration has banned oil drilling in new areas of the US coast while the cause of the oil spill off Louisiana is investigated. White House adviser David Axelrod told that they wanted to know exactly what led to last week's explosion on the BP-operated rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Last month President Barack Obama eased a moratorium...

Five children hurt in fresh attack on school in China

Five young children have been hurt at a school in north-eastern China after a man attacked them with a hammer before killing himself. It was the third such incident in China in as many days. The man, said to be a local farmer, grabbed two children before setting himself on fire at the pre-school in Shandong province's Weifang city. The...

Ghost estates testify to Irish boom and bust

David McWilliams is the man who coined the phrase "ghost estate" when he wrote about the first signs of a disastrous over-build in Ireland back in 2006. Now, it is a concept the whole country is depressingly familiar with. Most Irish people have one on their doorstep - an ugly reminder, says the economist and broadcaster, of wounded...

China opens World Expo 2010 in Shanghai

 The 2010 World Expo has opened in the city of Shanghai in what China hopes will be further proof of its rising global influence. Almost 250 countries and international organizations are showcasing their culture in an event themed around sustainable development. Many are doing so in pavilions with radical architecture. World leaders,...

Election 2010, A dozen things to watch for in final TV debate

Two down, one to go. Thursday's third and final election debate is important. It is the closest to polling day and will be watched by many people who have yet to decide how to vote. What the three party leaders say and how they perform will influence the decision that these voters make. In other words, this debate could make all the...

Pakistan Taliban militants 'reappear' in Swat valley

Taliban militants have resumed targeted killings of local leaders in Pakistan's troubled Swat valley, officials have told. Pakistan's army declared the Swat valley free of militants after carrying out an anti-Taliban operation in 2009. A Pakistani army spokesman said three people had died in attacks over the last 10 days. Local journalists...

Nigerian senator Sani denies marrying girl of 13

A Nigerian senator accused of marrying a 13-year-old Egyptian girl says he has done nothing wrong. Ahmad Sani Yerima, 49, told that his fourth wife was not 13, but would not say how old she was. He denied breaking the law but said he would not respect any law that contradicted his religious beliefs. The Nigerian senate ordered an...

Brown sorry for 'bigoted woman' gaffe

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown described himself as a "penitent sinner" on Wednesday after personally apologizing to a voter he described as a "bigoted woman." Brown visited the home of Gillian Duffy in Rochdale, northwestern England, after he was caught on microphone describing in blunt terms his encounter with the 65-year-old widow...

China executes killer of eight school children

A former community doctor who killed eight school children in China's eastern Fujian province has been executed, state media say. Zheng Minsheng, 42, was shot in the city of Nanping after China's top court approved his sentence, Xinhua news agency reported. The execution came one month after he stabbed eight young children to death...

iPhone blogger has computers seized by police

Police in California have seized computers belonging to the editor of a gadget blog which was involved in the purchase of an iPhone prototype. Gizmodo had admitted it paid $5,000 to an unnamed individual for the next generation device, which was reportedly left in a bar by an Apple employee. Editor Jason Chen published photographs...

Nokia launches first open source Symbian phone

The first handset to use the Symbian operating system since it became open source has been announced by Nokia. The N8 phone has a 12 megapixel camera and allows people to record and edit High Definition video clips, as well as watch web TV services. Analysts said the phone was a "pivotal device" in efforts "to make Nokia's high end...

Dating by blood type in Japan

People in most parts of the world do not think about their blood group much, unless they have an operation or an accident and need a transfusion. But in Japan, whether someone is A, B, O or AB is a topic of everyday conversation. There is a widespread belief that blood type determines personality, with implications for life, work and...

Fists fly in Ukraine parliament punch up

Lawmakers in Ukraine scuffled with each other, throwing punches and eggs, as parliament met Tuesday to ratify a treaty with Russia that extends the latter's navy presence in the Ukraine's Crimean peninsula until 2042. The ruling Regions party eventually ratified the treaty but not before howls of protest from the opposition. Someone...

Indian diplomat suspected of spying for Pakistan

India suspects one of its diplomats in Pakistan has been spying for Pakistani intelligence, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said Tuesday. "The matter is currently under investigation. The official is cooperating with our inquiries," the ministry's official spokesperson said in a statement. Indian media are reporting that the diplomat has been arrested. The Ministry of External...

Muslim swimsuits bare little on Turkish catwalks

Hair driers blast air and racks of clothing clatter past as organizers make their final preparations for a fashion show. Some of the backstage bustle is downright comical. Short Turkish women, carefully wrapped up in trench-coats and brightly-colored Muslim headscarves, struggle to help towering, leggy models from Slavic and Latin...

China's car craze on display

The axis of the automotive world has shifted east. Forget Detroit and the troubles that have beleaguered U.S. automakers. While the global auto market has contracted through the financial crisis, vehicle sales in China have soared -- with Chinese sales eclipsing the U.S. as the world's top auto market for the first time. The importance...

4 bad habits can age you by 12 years

Four common unequaled habits combined — smoking, drinking extremely much, inactivity and pinched diet — can flourish you by 12 years, sobering new scrutinize suggests. The findings are from a study that tracked nearly 5,000 British adults being 20 years, and they spot yet another reason to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Overall, 314 relatives...

China's famed Pearl River under denim threat

On the banks of the Pearl River, vendors set up shop daily at the Luwei village market. Mr. Liu wanders through the stalls at dusk, selecting vegetables and fish from the local fishmonger for dinner. As the sun sets on the murky river, he marvels at the disturbing transformation of the waterway he calls home. "The water has turned dark and black," he says. "People used to swim in...

Thai king speaks for first time in political crisis

For the first time amid the political upheaval raging in Thailand, the nation's revered king spoke out Monday, calling on new judges to help stabilize the country. Speaking from the hospital where he has been since last year, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 82, addressed a group of newly appointed judges. "I would like all you to preserve...

British ambassador survives attack in Yemen

The British ambassador to Yemen survived an apparent suicide bomb attack Monday on his convoy in the capital, Sanaa, the British government and Yemen Embassy in Washington said. "There was (a) small explosion beside the British ambassador's car. He was unhurt. No other embassy staff or British nationals were injured," said a statement...

Landslide buries cars, cuts highway in Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan - An certified says rescuers are searching over travelers juice three cars swamped by a massive landslide when a hillside collapsed in northern Taiwan. Firefighter Tang Cheng-yu says the Sunday landslide buried a makin's of a three-lane highway in rubble about the size of two soccer stadiums. A motorist capital reported...

First Iraqi flight to London in 20 years lands at Gatwick

The first commercial flight from Iraq to the United Kingdom in 20 years landed at London's Gatwick Airport late Sunday night and took off for Baghdad Monday morning. Commercial air links were cut after the United Nations imposed sanctions on Iraq for invading Kuwait in 1990. Iraqi Minister of Transportation Karim Mahdi Salih and ...

South Africans battle baboons in city streets

As natural habitats disappear in South Africa, baboons and humans are increasingly coming into close contact, and conflict. In South Africa's Cape Peninsula there has been a large-scale transformation of wild baboons' natural habitat into land for housing, industry and agriculture, according to the University of Cape Town Baboon Research...

Foreign Office apologises for Pope 'condom' memo

The Foreign Office has apologised for a "foolish" document which suggested the Pope's visit to the UK could be marked by the launch of "Benedict" condoms. Called "The ideal visit would see...", it said the Pope could be invited to open an abortion clinic and bless a gay marriage during September's visit. The Foreign Office stressed...

Tea 'healthier' drink than water

Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers. The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates. Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart...