Japan offers to enrich Irans uranium

Haaretz::2010-02-24

In a new twist on the international community's effort to reign in Tehran's nuclear ambitions, Japan has offered to enrich uranium on Iran's behalf, the AFP news agency reported on Wednesday. Iran has not yet responded officially but its parliament speaker Ali Larijani is expected to discuss the offer in a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in Tokyo on Wednesday, the agency said, quoting the Japanese-language Nikkei business daily.

90 Feared Dead In Plane Crash

::2010-01-25

Rescue teams are battling stormy weather to find survivors and recover bodies after a plane burst into a ball of flames and plunged into the Mediterranean Sea. The plane lost contact with airport control shortly after taking off from Beirut amid thunder and heavy rain and crashed into the water off Lebanon's south coast.

Haiti earthquake: Up to 100,000 may have died

::2010-01-15

Up to 100,000 people may have died in the Haiti earthquake, the Pan American Health Organisation has said, as the UN launches an appeal for more than $550m (£337m) in aid. "A variety of sources are estimating the numbers [at] between 50,000 and 100,000," said Jon Andrus of PAHO, the Americas arm of the World Health Organisation.

Blazing ring eclipse races across Africa, Asia

::2010-01-15

A solar eclipse that reduced the sun to a blazing ring surrounding a sombre disk plunged millions of people in Africa and Asia into an eerie semi-darkness on Friday.

ISI building targeted in Multan; eight killed

::2009-12-09

MULTAN: Two suicide attackers launched a gun-and-bomb assault on the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) building here on Tuesday and killed at least eight people and injured over 45. The attackers also died. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The assailants, armed with rocket-propelled guns and hand grenades and riding a single-cabin vehicle, first fired on policemen at a checkpoint near the ISI regional headquarters.

Iranians snatch five British sailors

Mirror::2009-12-01

Five British sailors are being held hostage after their racing yacht was seized by the Iranian Navy. Foreign Secretary David Miliband said last night that the Government was in touch with the sailors’ families and all the crew members are believed to be safe.

Obama to lay out Afghanistan exit plan

BBC::2009-12-01

President Barack Obama is expected to announce that US forces will begin handing over to Afghan security forces by mid-2011, as part of an exit plan. In a much-anticipated speech to the nation within hours, he is also set to unveil a rapid deployment of 30,000 fresh troops over six months. But Mr Obama will not give a pullout date; officials say that will depend on conditions on the ground at the time. The administration's sense of urgency is palpable, says our correspondent.

8 killed in U.S. drone missile attacks in SWA

::2009-05-09

WANA: At least eight persons were killed and seven injured in U.S. drone missile attacks at Sararogha area in South Waziristan Agency (SWA).

First picture of North Korean rocket – but no sign of satellite

TimesOnline::2009-04-07

A US research institute has released the first photographs of Sunday’s launch of the Musudan-ri launch site in the north-east of North Korea. They clearly show the rocket’s smoke trail across the forested hills and the fiery trail of the projectile itself. But where did it end up?

Italy quake death toll rises to 179

AFP::2009-04-06

Rescuers are continuing to search for survivors of Italy's worst quake in 30 years which killed at least 179 people. More than 24 hours after the quake shook the central Italian region of Abruzzo, emergency workers dug out two students from collapsed buildings in the medieval mountain city of L'Aquila, with a population of 68,000 people, that was worst hit by the disaster. Emergency services scrambled to find victims trapped under thousands of collapsed homes and buildings and warned the toll would rise significantly. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he had declared a state of emergency.

Thousands Flee Over Red River Flood Threat

Sky News::2009-03-28

Thousands of people are being evacuated in America as rising waters along the Red River threaten to top a 112-year record high.