Pro-Moscow leader claims Ukraine poll win
OPPOSITION leader Viktor Yanukovich emerged as the apparent winner in Ukraine's presidential contest yesterday, holding on to a lead of almost 3 percentage points with abo
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

West vows tough action as Iran reveals 'nuclear fuel' expansion
THE United States and France said yesterday it was time to impose new sanctions on Iran after Tehran announced it was planning a major expansion of its nuclear programme.
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

Michael Jackson's doctor charged with involuntary manslaughter
MICHAEL Jackson's doctor pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter last night.
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

Death threats for school head who told Israeli army: You're not welcome here
AN ISRAELI headteacher has received death threats and evoked the ire of the army's top brass for refusing to allow officers into his school.
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

China pulls plug on net hacker college that signed up 180,000
POLICE in central China have shut down a hacker training operation that openly recruited thousands of members online and provided them with cyber attack lessons and malicious
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

Toyota's woes deepen with Prius recall plan
TOYOTA plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem, it was reported last night.
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

Avalanche kills 17 army trainees
AN AVALANCHE ploughed into an Indian army training centre at a ski resort town in Kashmir yesterday, killing 17 soldiers and seriously injuring 17 others.
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

Al-Qaeda in Yemen urges jihad against Jews and Christians
THE Yemen-based wing of al-Qaeda has called on Muslims in the Arabian peninsula to wage jihad, or holy war, against Christians and Jews in the region.
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

French sale of warship to Russia raises fears in Georgia
FRANCE has agreed to sell Russia a warship and is considering a request for three more, French defence officials said yesterday ? the first major arms deal between Russia and
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

Tallest skyscraper closes its doors
THE world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting d
8 Feb 2010 at 6:00pm

BBC World

Toyota in global recall of Prius

People's Daily Online

Inter-Korean tour talks to be held on Monday as scheduled: S Korean gov't
The inter-Korean working-level talks on cross-border tours will be held on Monday as scheduled, Seoul's Ministry of Unification said Saturday in a press statement. South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) exchanged the list of delegates on Friday via Panmunjom channels, and the Seoul side decided to attend the talks, the ministry said. According to local media, Kim Nam-shik, director general of the Unification Ministry's inter-Korean exchange bureau, will head the S ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:20am

Yemen sentences exiled Shiite political leader to 15 years
A Yemeni security court on Saturday sentenced in absentia Yahya al-Houthi, a political leader of Shiite rebel group, to 15 years in prison for his role in forming a militia to overthrow the current republican system. Yahya al-Houthi, brother of the rebel group's commander Abdul Malik Badr Eddin al-Houthi, is now based in Germany. The court considered Yahya al-Houthi as fugitive from justice while the public prosecution has filed a request to the Interpol to arrest Yahya al-Houthi and extra ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:19am

Nations assure Afghanistan of support for peace with Taliban
by Zhang Ning Several nations have assured Afghanistan of their support for its peace plan to end Taliban insurgency. A statement issued Thursday by Afghanistan's Presidential Palace said Afghan President Hamid Karzai Wednesday met with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and discussed on Afghanistan's peace process. Karzai informed the Saudi king of his government's efforts for reconciliation with the Taliban, requested the king "to guide the Afghan government on its talks with the insu ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:18am

Japan's naval refueling ship return home from Indian Ocean
Japan's two Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) ships returned to Japanese territory Saturday, marking an end to eight-year refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan. The 13,500-ton supply ship Mashu and the 4,550-ton destroyer Ikazuchi arrived at Harumi Wharf in Tokyo Bay, following Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa's Jan. 15 order to terminate the Indian Ocean mission supplying oil and water to vessels used by internationa ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:17am

All relevant issues to be discussed in Pyongyang: UN envoy
A UN envoy on Saturday said here that he plans to discuss all relevant issues with officials of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) during his visit in Pyongyang next week. Lynn Pascoe, under-secretary-general of the United Nations for political affairs, said he "expect to talk about the entire range of issue" while visiting Pyongyang, according to Yonhap News Agency. Pascoe made the remarks following a meeting with Seoul's chief nuclear negotiator Wi Sung-lac and when asked b ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:17am

Taliban bombings harm civilians in Afghanistan
Bomb attacks launched by the Taliban militants in Afghanistan often claim the lives of non-combatants instead of troopers, as the latest wave of strikes left three civilians dead and 25 others injured in the Taliban hotbed Helmand province on Friday. An explosive device, according to the police, planted on a motorbike and ripped through a crowd of people who were watching dog fighting outside provincial capital Lashkar Gah turned the weekly holiday to a mourning day. Friday like in many Mu ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:14am

Italian PM meets Pentagon chief on Iran, Afghanistan
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi met with visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Saturday on Iran, Afghanistan and other important issues. Berlusconi briefed Gates on the outcome of his recent trip to Middle East and reiterated Italy's tough stance on Iran, according to a statement issued by the Italian government. Italy believes that pressure on Iran should be increased, in order to force it to change stance and demonstrate its willingness for regaining confidence from t ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:11am

U.S. requests no more troops from Turkey to Afghanistan: Gates
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Saturday that his country had not requested Turkey to send any new troops to Afghanistan, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported. Following his meeting with Chief of Turkish General Staff Ilker Basbug in the Turkish capital of Ankara, Gates was quoted as saying that the United States was almost completely devoted to the issues of Afghanistan and the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) . He said, "we are pleased with the partnership bet ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:10am

U.S. security chief calls for global effort to meet challenges
U.S. National Security Advisor Gen. James L. Jones called on Saturday for more coordination from European allies and emerging powers in facing global challenges. "America cannot confront the challenges of this century alone" and "Europe cannot confront them without America," Jones said while attending a security conference here, "We have listened, consulted and coordinated our actions with allies and partners -- and welcomed European leadership -- in meeting urgent global challenges." "We ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:09am

G7 Finical Ministers' meeting ends in Canada's Arctic Iqaluit
&$ &$Finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) most industrialized countries attend a meeting in Iqaluit, Canada's Arctic city, Feb. 6, 2010. The G7 Finical Ministers' meeting continued on Saturday morning in Iqaluit to focus on continuing cooperation on global economic and financial stability and balanced development in an effort to inform the June G8 and G20 summits. (Xinhua/Zhang Dacheng)&$&$ Finance mini ...
7 Feb 2010 at 11:05am

Guardian Unlimited World

Toyota recalls hybrid cars over brake concerns

Around 8,500 British Prius owners affected in recall of almost 0.5m vehicles by carmaker hit by string of recent safety scares

Toyota is to recall almost half a million hybrid cars worldwide, including its Prius model, in the latest blow to the carmaker's reputation following a string of safety scares.

The recall will begin immediately in Japan before similar measures are implemented overseas, the firm said today. The action could affect about 8...

Defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka to face coup attempt charge as row over election result takes dramatic turn

The defeated candidate in last month's tense presidential election in Sri Lanka, General Sarath Fonseka, was arrested today at his office in Colombo and is to be charged with attempting a military coup to overthrow the government.

The sudden arrest of the 59-year-old former chief of Sri Lankan armed forces and the architect ...

? Democrats fear Republicans will win seat held since 1974
? President's poll ratings fall further amid health care impasse

The Democratic party faces another election test after the death yesterday of John Murtha, a congressman dubbed by his colleagues the "king of pork".

Murtha, aged 77, had been in the House of Representatives since being elected to his Pennsylvania district in 1974.

The fear in the party is that Republicans will notch up anoth...

? Minister to make key decision on major crop
? Broad alliance takes on Monsanto subsidiary

A fierce row over the future of the humble aubergine, staple ingredient of fiery brinjal curries for tens of millions of Indians, will reach a climax on Wednesday with a key government decision on the possible future commercial cultivation of genetically-modified strains of the plant. If permission is given, the aubergine will become the first GM foodstuf...

Laura Chinchilla wins 47% of the vote and will be Latin America's fifth woman president when she takes office

Costa Rica has elected its first female president in a landslide victory, marking another political milestone for women in Latin America.

Laura Chinchilla, from the centrist ruling party, won 47% of the vote in a crowded field in yesterday's poll, further eroding the region's reputation as a bastion of machismo and patriarchy.

"Wives and ...

Conrad Murray freed on $75,000 bail after pleading not guilty to involuntary manslaughter

Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles yesterday in relation to the singer's death last year from a cocktail of drugs.

Murray, aged 57, pleaded not guilty just hours after being charged, and was released on bail of $75,000 (£48,000), and is due to reappear before the court on 5 April. The charge ca...

Cuba has produced some of the world's most explosive dancers ? but its cultural isolation comes at a cost. On the eve of two major UK tours, Judith Mackrell visits Havana

Virtually blind and wearing Jackie Onassis sunglasses that might have been bought when Jackie O was still alive, Alicia Alonso has her ballerina face painted on every morning: a wide slash of scarlet lipstick, thick found-ation, flaring black eyebrows. She may be approaching h...

New arrivals take proportion of non-Spanish residents to 12%

The number of immigrants registered as living in Spain has increased more than sixfold over the last 10 years, figures released by its National Statistics Institute have revealed.

Some 5.6 million non-Spaniards were registered as living in the country last year, accounting for 12% of the population, an increase of 400,000 on 2008.

Immigration helped the population reach 46.7 million in ...

In Washington they're not sure who's in charge. In Brussels they're squabbling. Ian Traynor reports on the EU's crisis of confidence

Sitting in parkland in the shadow of the European parliament, the Bibliothèque Solvay is that rare thing in Brussels's dismal European quarter ? a pretty building.

But when heads of government or state from 27 countries meet here on Thursday under their new president, Herman Van Rompuy of Belgium, they will have li...

Tan Zuoren jailed over Tiananmen Square article but supporters say detention owing to research into death of pupils in quake

A Chinese activist who investigated the deaths of children in schools that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake was today jailed for five years for subversion, his lawyer said.

The court in Chengdu sentenced Tan Zuoren over comments he made in online articles about the violent crackdown on Tiananmen Square protests in 1989....

Toronto Globe and Mail: International

Ontario man among dead at U.S. power plant
Explosion on Sunday killed five workers, including Hamilton man Roy Rushton

The New York Times

Paperwork Hinders Airlifts of Ill Haitian Children
Doctors and aid workers are wrestling with proving that they are not illegally transporting children, whose risk of dying is rising while the paperwork awaits.
by By IAN URBINA
9 Feb 2010 at 3:11am

U.N. Climate Panel and Chief Face Credibility Siege
Rajendra K. Pachauri and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change face accusations of scientific sloppiness and potential financial conflicts of interest.
by By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
9 Feb 2010 at 1:46am

News Analysis: For Kremlin, an Election in Ukraine Cuts Two Ways
Russia?s preferred candidate is the apparent winner, but the starkly contested presidential race contrasts sharply with Russia?s recent history.
by By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
9 Feb 2010 at 1:48am

In Northern Iraq, a Vote Seems Likely to Split
In Nineveh Province, a parliamentary election considered crucial to Iraqi unity is highlighting conflicts among ethnic and religious groups.
by By STEVEN LEE MYERS
9 Feb 2010 at 2:50am

Japanese Split on Exposing Secret Pacts With U.S.
Agreements on U.S. bases and allowing nuclear-armed ships in Japanese ports date from the 1960s and 1970s.
by By MARTIN FACKLER
9 Feb 2010 at 1:06am

Toyota Details Recall of 2010 Prius for Brake Problems
The worldwide recall will affect about 436,000 units of the 2010 Prius and other hybrid models, according to the company?s filing.
by By HIROKO TABUCHI and NICK BUNKLEY
9 Feb 2010 at 1:30am

Sri Lanka Arrests Defeated Candidate
Sri Lanka arrested the former army commander and presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka on Monday, for what the army said were military offenses.
by By LYDIA POLGREEN
9 Feb 2010 at 1:05am

Iran Is Said to Begin Nuclear Enrichment
Brushing aside international threats of stricter sanctions, Iran reportedly began enriching its uranium on Tuesday.
by By ALAN COWELL and THOM SHANKER
9 Feb 2010 at 3:16am

Pakistani Military Retakes Key Town in Tribal Belt From Taliban
The military has retaken the town of Damadola, in the Bajaur area, where the army has been fighting militants for more than a year, officials said.
by By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
9 Feb 2010 at 1:59am

French ?Identity? Debate Leaves Public Forum
The prime minister moved a contentious debate over ?national identity? to a group of experts, ending the debate in its public form.
by By STEVEN ERLANGER
9 Feb 2010 at 1:25am