World Fwire News - Page 24

Pope marks 50th anniversary of Vatican II

Pope Benedict XVI is marking the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the church meetings he attended as a young priest that brought the Catholic Church into the modern world but whose meaning is still hotly debated.

Mali extremists abusing rights, targeting women, kids: UN

Extremists imposing Islamic law in Mali's north are abusing human rights, particularly those of women, and paying families for children to become rebel fighters, a senior UN official said on Wednesday after returning from the country.

Mexican archaeologists find 1,300-tomb of leader

Experts detected a tomb made of stone blocks and measuring 1.8 metres tall and one metre wide containing the bones of a male individual.

Media seek court-martial files in WikiLeaks case

WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange are among those represented by the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights at the hearing on Wednesday.

Afghan religious figure offers bounty for anti-Islam filmmaker

The bounty is being offered by Mir Farooq Hussini, the spokesman for an organisation representing about 450 religious schools in the Herat province.

Air China delays two flights after threats

The airline said on its official microblogging site that the planes were to take off from Lhasa and Nanchang

US man dies after live roach-eating contest

The winner of a roach-eating contest in South Florida died shortly after downing dozens of the live bugs as well as worms

Militant attacks in Thailand leave 11 dead

Suspected Muslim militants have shot dead 11 people in a single day of bloodshed in Thailand's insurgency-plagued deep south

Bomb blasts hit Syrian security complex

Bomb blasts hit a security compound on the edge of Damascus overnight, in the latest attack by rebels against units loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, activists said.

Six Russian wheelchair users not allowed on plane

A pilot of a German airlines refused passage to six Russian wheelchair users heading to a seminar in Germany

Romney ahead of Obama in new poll

US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's strong performance in last week's debate helped him pull ahead of President Barack Obama, a Pew Research Center poll showed on Monday.

Turkish jets strike Kurdish rebel targets in Iraq

A news report says that Turkish jets have struck Kurdish rebel targets in two separate cross-border raids in northern Iraq

Ragpicker in China held for gnawing woman's face, biting cop

A half-naked rag picker in a Chinese city has been detained for attacking a woman on her face in a street and even biting a police officer's arm

Iran decides not to impeach minister over currency woes

Iran's parliament on Sunday abandoned its planned impeachment of a Cabinet minister over the free-fall of the country's currency, opting instead to look for more effective economic measures, like cutting spending.

US agrees to boost range of South Korean ballistic missiles

South Korea has reached a landmark agreement with the United States to extend the range of Seoul's ballistic missiles by more than twice the current limit to counter the threat from North Korea.

Now fat melting injections provide new hope to dieters

Here is some good news for dieters! Scientists are developing injections comprising animal cells that could help you lose stubborn fat like double chins and spare tyres.

North Korea soldier defects to South

A North Korean soldier killed two of his officers before crossing the heavily mined border into South Korea on Saturday, South Korea's defence ministry and media reports said.

Over 12,000 striking miners sacked in South Africa

The world's largest platinum producer Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) said it has fired 12,000 striking miners.

Two bomb blasts near Iraq Shiite mosque kills 5

Iraqi officials say a double bombing near a Shiite mosque in Baghdad has killed five people, including four worshippers

Vietnam returns endangered turtle to Cambodia

A critically endangered turtle that somehow made it to Vietnam decades ago has been returned to its original home — Cambodia

Syrian crisis may spill over: UN chief

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said he is alarmed by the escalating tensions along the Syrian-Turkish border and warned that the Syrian crisis may spill over into neighbouring countries.

Afghan 2014 polls to be as per schedule: Karzai

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his country's 2014 presidential election will be held on time even though the voting will coincide with the final withdrawal of US and NATO combat troops from Afghanistan.

Hollande to meet with Monti in Malta

Officials say the leaders of France, Italy and Spain will hold a meeting in Malta that is likely to be dominated by economic issues related to Europe's debt crisis.

Chicago police find several houses growing pot

In Chicago, a bustling urban metropolis where skyscrapers are as likely to sprout up as anything a farmer might plant, someone decided there was just enough room to grow something a little more organic: Marijuana.

Over 2 million wealthy Pakistanis don't pay taxes

Over two million wealthy Pakistanis live in palatial houses, possess arms, drive luxury cars, travel abroad and hold multiple bank account, but don't pay their taxes.

Russian woman fined $3,000 over 'Mein Kampf'

A woman staff member of a Russian university has been slapped a fine of 100,000 rubles ($3,000) by a court for posting an online copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf on her personal website.

Two car bombs hit Aleppo, Syria

Two car bombs exploded on a main square in a government controlled central district of Syria's second city Aleppo on Wednesday morning, a pro-government television channel said.

Nepal hit by swine flu outbreak

Physicians at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital confirmed the outbreak

Three explosions rock central Aleppo: Syrian TV

The blasts went off in the city's main square, an area controlled by government forces.