I knew nothing of choir abuse allegations, says Pope’s brother
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The brother of Pope Benedict XVI has agreed to give evidence in the sex scandal rocking the Catholic Church in Germany. Read more
‘I’m NOT Jon Venables’: Terror of young father, 27, accused on Facebook of being Bulger killer
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A social networking group was set up asking whether Venables is a man called David Calvert, aged 27, from Fleetwood, near Blackpool. Read more
Floods bring snake danger
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Queensland emergency services are stocking up on anti-venom medication after reports of snakes in flood-bound St George in the state’s southwest. Floodwaters are slowly falling but the Department of Community Safety says snakes trying to find dry ground are prevalent. Up to 20 homes remain flooded at St George and roads continue to be [...]
World's Worst Earthquakes
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When faults let loose with a mighty rumble, the reverberations are felt across the globe. As Mother Nature takes lives and property with such minute warning, super temblors anywhere in the world remind those in quake-prone zones of the vulnerability of great metropolitan regions and remind us to be prepared with good building codes and [...]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
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The Tamil Tigers is a separatist group wanting an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1976 by Velupillai Prabhakaran, pictured, who was killed in May 2009, the Tigers were formally defeated with his death but continue with a new leader. Read more
Nigeria on Red Alert After Scores Killed With Machetes
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At least 100 people, and likely more, have been killed in an outburst of religious violence in Nigeria — some of the dead are just babies, according to government officials. News agencies are reporting death tolls ranging from 100 to 300. From the New Zealand Herald: “Rioters armed with machetes slaughtered more [...]
What? No Worcestershire?
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Can you correctly pronounce the top-ten mispronounced foodie words? Give it a shot Bruschetta Gnocchi (pictured) Gyro Huitlacoche Pouilly-Fuisse Mole Paczki Pho Prosciutto Sake Go to The Stew for the correct answers. Read more
Stolen Corpse Of Cypriot Ex-President Found
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Cypriot police have found the corpse of former president Tassos Papadopoulos three months after it was swiped from his grave. Read more
‘Bad Company 2′ topples 360 competition
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Electronic Arts’s Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has ended Aliens Vs. Predator‘s reign at the top of the Xbox 360 weekly chart. Read more
Cyprus police confirm body is ex-leader’s corpse
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A body discovered in a Nicosia cemetery is the stolen corpse of Cyprus’ ex-president Tassos Papadopoulos, police said Tuesday. Read more
HP heir slams Fiorina in letter to conservatives; but Carly got some respect — if not endorsement — at right-wing confab
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California GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina filed papers for her first political run Monday. And as a first-time candidate without a political record of votes and such, she’s got to run on her record as the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Read more
Staying at the Basra ‘B&B’
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It is jokingly dubbed ‘the most expensive B&B in the world’. Then again the trailer camp is the only ‘bed and breakfast’ that also provides lunch, dinner, a gym, 24-hour Internet access and a relatively secure place to stay in Basra.Situated within the newly-acquired American military base in this southern-Iraqi province, the B&B provides private [...]
In Colombia, democracy is stirred but not shaken
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There is plenty of pessimism about democracy these days, and autocrats seem to be on the march on every continent. So we should take note when democracy triumphs over autocratic temptations. Read more
Pentagon resists Army’s desire to stop development of MEADS missile system
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Another battle is brewing at the Pentagon over a costly weapons program that many military leaders do not want but that so far has proven difficult to kill. Read more
Zabul province seeks U.S. troops, but is caught in Afghan numbers game
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QALAT, AFGHANISTAN — To work in Zabul province these days is to feel forsaken. Read more
Haiti faces colossal and costly cleanup before it can rebuild
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Before Haiti and international donors can rebuild this devastated city, they must first destroy it. Read more
For scientists, Chile becomes the ideal lab for studying seismic activity
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TALCA, CHILE — When an aftershock nearly as big as Haiti’s earthquake jolted this city on Friday, those already reeling from last month’s huge quake shuddered in fear. But Jeff Genrich, a 53-year-old earthquake scientist from California, lolled in bed. Read more
Gates discusses Afghan reconciliation efforts, new Kandahar offensive
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KABUL — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that recent military offensives against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan had gained momentum but that a reconciliation effort proposed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai was unlikely in the near term to cause senior Taliban leaders to lay down their arms. Read more
Haiti frees U.S. missionary held over kidnapping
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PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – A court in Haiti on Monday freed a U.S. missionary jailed for weeks on charges of kidnapping children in the chaos that followed the country’s devastating January 12 earthquake, witnesses said. Read more
Obama targets insurers, sells reform plan
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama launched a sharp attack on health insurers on Monday and called on his fellow Democrats to rise above politics and pass a healthcare overhaul in the next few weeks. Read more