Irene floods: Supplies airlifted to Vermont towns

Soldiers have begun airlifting storm-relief supplies to Vermont towns which are still cut off after the trail of destruction left by Irene.More than 200 roads are blocked or washed away in Vermont, hampering rescue efforts to 13 towns.Irene killed 44 people in 13 US states, according to the Associated Press, and caused billions of dollars' damage.President Barack Obama pledged storm-stricken areas would have "the support they need so that folks can recover"."A lot of our fellow citizens are still reeling from Hurricane Irene and its aftermath," he told a military veterans event in Minneapolis.'Irene whacked us'President Obama's remarks came a day after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) warned of shortfalls in a disaster relief...

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Libya's interim leadership has rejected the idea of deploying any kind of international military force, the UN envoy to the country has said. Ian Ma

Libya's interim leadership has rejected the idea of deploying any kind of international military force, the UN envoy to the country has said.Ian Martin said the UN had considered the deployment of military observers.Earlier, the chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC) said the country did not need outside help to maintain security.The news came as fighters loyal to the council approached the pro-Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte from east and west.The city's defenders have been given until Saturday to surrender.However, fugitive leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's spokesman Moussa Ibrahim rejected the ultimatum."No dignified honourable nation would accept an ultimatum from armed gangs," he said in a telephone call to AP news agency on Tuesday...

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Bolivia: Senior officials jailed over 2003 protests

Bolivia's Supreme Court has convicted five senior military officers in connection with the killings of 64 people during protests in 2003.Four former generals and an admiral were sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison.Two former ministers were jailed for three years each for complicity in what was described as a "genocide".The protesters in El Alto had demanded an end to the export of natural gas to the US using Chilean ports.It is the first time that high-ranking military men have been convicted by a civilian court in Bolivia for human rights abuses, reports the BBC's Mattia Cabitza from the court in the Bolivian city of Sucre.The former generals, Roberto Claros Flores, Juan Veliz Herrera, Jose Ovaldo Quiroga and Gonzalo Alberto...

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Tests show fastest way to board passenger planes

The most common way of boarding passenger planes is among the least efficient, tests have shown.The best method has been the subject of study for years but now various approaches have been put to the test.Boarding those in window seats first followed by middle and aisle seats results in a 40% gain in efficiency.However, an approach called the Steffen method, alternating rows in the window-middle-aisle strategy, nearly doubles boarding speed.The approach is named after Jason Steffen, an astrophysicist at Fermi National Laboratory in Illinois, US. Dr Steffen first considered the thorny problem of plane boarding in 2008, when he found himself in a long boarding queue.He carried out a number of computer simulations to determine a better method...

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China jails two more Tibetan monks over fire death

A Chinese court has sentenced two Tibetan monks to prison over the death of a fellow monk who set himself on fire in an apparent protest.Chinese authorities say the man, Rigzin Phuntsog of the Kirti monastery, immolated himself on 16 March.Tsering Tenzin and Tenchum will be jailed for 13 and 10 years respectively for "intentional homicide", Xinhua news agency said.On Monday, the court jailed another monk for 11 years over the death.Drongdru, Phuntsog's uncle, is accused of hiding him after he set himself on fire and depriving him of medical attention for 11 hours. The exact circumstances surrounding the monk's death remain unclear.The latest verdicts come as the US questioned whether China had followed its own legal standards in the case."We...

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Golden Globe audience up, Gervais' hosting panned

LOS ANGELES: Host Ricky Gervais may have turned off the audience members and critics at Sunday night's Golden Globe Awards, but viewers seemed turned on, watching the show in larger numbers than one year ago.The Golden Globes, an annual film and TV awards show in Hollywood, drew just under 17 million total viewers to network NBC, which was up slightly from 2010 when British comedian Gervais, who is known for his acerbic sense of humor, hosted for the first time, according to audience figures released on Monday.Last year's ceremony was up 14 percent from 2009's roughly 15 million viewers, and the upward trend shows the telecast is recovering somewhat from the 2008 Hollywood writers strike which reduced the Globes to a news conference.Still,...

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Sex and the city 3

Sex and the city 3 Sarah Jessica Parker has told MTV News there might be a third Sex And The City movie! SHe said:"I think there is perhaps one more small, important story to tell. Whether or not we choose to do that and when we choose to do that remains, obviously, the unknown, but it's nice to ponder."Sarah has previously commented on bringing the ladies back to the big screen, saying she'd love to work on another 'SATC' project -- just not right now."I'd definitely tell that third story, and I know Michael [Patrick King, the director] would do it right. But maybe not now. Maybe in five years, you know?" she said earlier this year.Bring it on! I would LOVE a Sex And The City 3 movie!...

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New Zealand Press Association closes after 131 years

The New Zealand Press Association is closing, ending 131 years of supplying news to the country's print media.The company struggled in recent years as media ownership and distribution in New Zealand changed.Forty journalists will lose their jobs with the closure of offices in Wellington, Auckland and Sydney.Deputy Editor Greg Tourelle said it was a sad day, but New Zealand media remained a competitive industry.NZPA was set up in 1879 and was New Zealand's only independent news agency. It was owned by New Zealand's daily newspaper publishers and supplied the 26 daily newspapers with a 24-hour national and international news service and news images.All the newspapers paid a subscription, based on their circulation, to share news, and it meant...

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August was 'deadliest month' for US in Afghan war

August 2011 has become the deadliest month for US troops in the nearly 10-year war in Afghanistan, according to an unofficial tally.The Associated Press counted 66 US deaths in the month, including 30 killed when their helicopter was shot down by Taliban insurgents.But across the year, casualties are down slightly from 2010.President Barack Obama plans to withdraw 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by next summer."As our mission transitions from combat to support, Afghans will take responsibility for their own security, and the longest war in American history will come to a responsible end," President Obama told a veterans event on Tuesday.Last month, the newly installed Nato commander in Afghanistan, Gen John Allen, warned of "tough days ahead"...

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Minister snapped leaving No 10 with Afghan memo

A senior minister has accidentally revealed a UK government briefing document "welcoming" the departure of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell was photographed clutching the note as he left No 10.It said the UK should "publicly and privately" approve Mr Karzai's decision not to seek a third term in 2014.In response, Foreign Secretary William Hague said the memo was "pretty low level", adding "these things happen".Mr Mitchell was photographed leaving Downing Street following a meeting of the National Security Council - in which ministers discussed Libya, Afghanistan and a range of other issues.The BBC's Political Correspondent Robin Brant said Mr Mitchell immediately realised he had mistakenly displayed...

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Irene floods: Supplies airlifted to Vermont towns

Soldiers have begun airlifting storm-relief supplies to Vermont towns which are still cut off after the trail of destruction left by Irene.More than 200 roads are blocked or washed away in Vermont, hampering rescue efforts to 13 towns.Irene killed 44 people in 13 US states, according to the Associated Press, and caused billions of dollars' damage.President Barack Obama pledged storm-stricken areas would have "the support they need so that folks can recover"."A lot of our fellow citizens are still reeling from Hurricane Irene and its aftermath," he told a military veterans event in Minneapolis.'Irene whacked us'President Obama's remarks came a day after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) warned of shortfalls in a disaster relief...

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Syrian troops 'fire on Eid demonstrators

Seven people have been shot dead by security forces during anti-government protests in Syria at the start of the festival of Eid al-Fitr, activists say.Thousands took to the streets demanding the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad after morning prayers marking the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan.Activists said six were killed in the southern province of Deraa, including three in the town of al-Harra.Several protesters were also reportedly injured in the suburbs of Damascus.State television, meanwhile, broadcast pictures of the president attending prayers in one of the capital's mosques and taking coffee and cakes with fellow worshippers, reports the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.CemeteriesThere were impromptu demonstrations against Mr Assad...

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Bolivia: Senior officials jailed over 2003 protests

Bolivia's Supreme Court has convicted five senior military officers in connection with the killings of 64 people during protests in 2003.Four former generals and an admiral were sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison.Two former ministers were jailed for three years each for complicity in what was described as a "genocide".The protesters in El Alto had demanded an end to the export of natural gas to the US using Chilean ports.It is the first time that high-ranking military men have been convicted by a civilian court in Bolivia for human rights abuses, reports the BBC's Mattia Cabitza from the court in the Bolivian city of Sucre.The former generals, Roberto Claros Flores, Juan Veliz Herrera, Jose Ovaldo Quiroga and Gonzalo Alberto Rocabado,...

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Australia condemns 'irresponsible' Wikileaks cable leak

An Australian official has described as "incredibly irresponsible" Wikileaks' release of a US cable that appears to name Australian terror suspects.The cable was among more than 130,000 confidential US cables released by the whistle-blowing group, many of which did not remove the names of sources.Such information has previously been redacted in Wikileaks releases.The group has denied that any sources were exposed or that there were any mistakes in the data release.In a statement on its website, Wikleaks said its latest release contained 133,887 cables sent from US embassies around the world to the state department - more than half its whole cache."For the first time, the diplomatic cables are available from every country that has US diplomatic...

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Libya rebel leaders give ultimatum to Gaddafi fighters

Libya's interim leaders have given pro-Gaddafi forces until Saturday to surrender or face military force.Mustafa Abdul Jalil, who leads the National Transitional Council (NTC), said the ultimatum applied to loyalists of Col Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte and in other towns.The announcement came after Col Gaddafi's wife and three of his adult children fled to neighbouring Algeria.Algeria has defended the move, which rebels called an "act of aggression".Col Gaddafi's own whereabouts are unknown - rumours have variously placed him in Sirte, in regime-controlled Bani Walid south-east of Tripoli, and in the capital itself.The rebels are trying to overcome pockets of resistance by Gaddafi loyalists, and preparing to advance on Sirte.Speaking...

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New body 'liquefaction' unit unveiled in Florida funeral home

A Glasgow-based company has installed its first commercial "alkaline hydrolysis" unit at a Florida funeral home.The unit by Resomation Ltd is billed as a green alternative to cremation and works by dissolving the body in heated alkaline water.The facility has been installed at the Anderson-McQueen funeral home in St Petersburg, and will be used for the first time in the coming weeks. It is hoped other units will follow in the US, Canada and Europe.The makers claim the process produces a third less greenhouse gas than cremation, uses a seventh of the energy, and allows for the complete separation of dental amalgam for safe disposal.Mercury from amalgam vaporised in crematoria is blamed for up to 16% of UK airborne mercury emissions, and many...

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Crew survive as Nato jets collide over Lithuania

French and Lithuanian jets have collided during a Nato exercise in the Baltic state but all three crew members involved escaped serious injury.The two pilots aboard the Lithuanian L-39 trainer ejected, after which their jet crashed in a rural area without causing any civilian damage, Nato said.The pilot of the lightly damaged French Mirage fighter landed it safely.Nato jets based at Lithuania's Zokniai air base patrol the airspace of the Baltic states.Nato said in a statement that the planes had collided at 09:30 (06:30 GMT) while taking part in a training flight based out of Zokniai.Local media reports say the Lithuanian pilots landed in Rekyva lake in the Siauliai region.Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius told journalists an investigation had...

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Rajiv Gandhi murder: Court stays hanging of plotters

A court in southern India has stayed the executions of three men convicted of plotting the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.The men were to have been hanged at a jail in Tamil Nadu on 9 September but that has now been put back eight weeks.India's president rejected a plea for mercy this month. Lawyers for the men say the time taken to decide the plea - 11 years - was unconstitutional.The killing of Rajiv Gandhi by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber shocked India.The three men - Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan - were all members of the separatist rebels, who were defeated by Sri Lankan troops in 2009. The first two are from Sri Lanka, the third is an Indian Tamil.Gandhi's killing was widely seen as retaliation for his having...

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MEP criticises European politicians who ignore markets

European politicians must not ignore markets, according to Sharon Bowles, chair of the European Parliament's economic and monetary committee.Ms Bowles chaired the session on Monday about the eurozone debt crisis."Jean-Charles Juncker, the president of the Eurogroup... said, 'We shouldn't believe the markets,' and he got big applause," she told BBC News.She added that the big problem was that politicians thought the markets would do nothing while they went on holiday."It was a little bit of playing to the crowd, but that is the attitude amongst many who who think politics is above the markets and politics has to dictate," she said.A second bailout for Greece was agreed on 21 July, but will not be implemented by eurozone parliaments until mid-September."We...

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What Is It With American Politicians And 'Corndogs'?

There seems to be some unwritten rule that American politicians must be photographed eating a corndog. To a non-American, I have to wonder what this ritual is all about.Perhaps it is a combination of two separate 'American' political messages:1) The 'hotdog' is truly an American cultural icon 2) The American rural Midwest and South is all about 'corn' as an agricultural product - highly subsidized.Put the two together and you have the definitive American political-culinary expression .. a corndog. Bon appetite.-National Corndog Day! ... love the lo...

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Harper Turns Blind Eye To Gazebogate - That Says More About Harper Than It Does About Tony Clement

Ethical Conservatives? .... simply a myth."On the Clement case, team Harper’s strategy appears to be to simply ride out the criticism. Stonewall the media and the opposition until fatigue with the issue has set in and everyone moves on. It has worked in the past. It will likely work now.The ethical course for the Conservatives is to discipline the minister. If they don’t, they are sending a different signal entirely, one that shows no respect for the taxpayers who put up the $50-million."G &...

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Anime star Doraemon To Have Own Museum

TOKYO — Doraemon, the magical robot cat who has been a staple of Japanese manga, animated television shows and movies since 1969, is to be the star of a new museum. The iconic blue beast is the best-loved of all the creations of manga artist Fujiko F. Fujio, who died in 1996, and will serve as the face of the museum, which opens to the public on September 3. The museum is in the city of Kawasaki, just to the south of Tokyo, and was where he lived from 1961. Fujiko F. Fujio was the pen name of Hiroshi Fujimoto, who who collaborated with Moto Abiko — known as Fujiko Fujio (A) — for 36 years from 1951. Doraemon will not be the only inhabitant of the museum, however, as Fujio was a prolific storyteller over the course of his career. The other characters...

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Don’t Use Diesel, Petrol To Fuel Oil Lamps

KUALA LUMPUR – The Federation of Malaysian Consumers’ Associations (Fomca) has warned the public against using diesel and petrol to fuel oil lamps. Fomca advisor Prof Datuk Mohd Hamdan Adnan said the use of diesel and petrol instead of kerosene was dangerous because they are highly flammable. “I see that the use of these fuels is becoming rampant during the festive season due to the difficulty in getting kerosene,” he told Bernama. Mohd Hamdan also called on parents to monitor their children. He said children would normally play with fireworks, exposing them to risks should they come close to the oil lamps. “Hari Raya is a day of joy. We don’t anything to happen because of negligence on the part of parents,” he said. – BERN...

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It Is Going To Be A Wet Aidilfitri

KUALA LUMPUR – It is going to be a wet Aidilfitri, according to the weatherman. The Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast rain in most parts of the country tomorrow and on Wednesday. Aidilfitri is expected to fall tomorrow. A spokesman told Bernama rain was expected in the northern and east coast states of peninsular Malaysia as well as Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan and southern Johor. “In other areas, the weather is expected to be cloudy,” he said. The weather in Sabah and Sarawak was expected to be fair in the morning tomorrow and on Wednesday, according to a report on the department’s website, www.met.gov.my. In the afternoon, isolated showers were expected...

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Libya conflict: Gaddafi family 'flee to Algeria'

The wife and three children of fugitive Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have entered Algeria, the Algerian foreign ministry says.Algeria's APS news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying that Col Gaddafi's wife Safia, daughter Ayesha and sons Muhammad and Hannibal had crossed into Algeria early on Monday.The report came as rebels in Libya were trying to overcome the pockets of resistance by Gaddafi loyalists.Col Gaddafi's whereabouts are unknown.The arrival of Col Gaddafi's wife and three children in Algeria had been reported to the UN and to Libyan rebel authorities, the Algerian foreign ministry said.It said they had crossed the border between Libya and Algeria at 08:45 local time (07:45 GMT) on Monday.The BBC's Jon Leyne in the eastern...

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Obama nominates Alan Krueger as his new chief economist

US President Barack Obama has nominated Alan Krueger, a Princeton University expert on unemployment, as his new chief economist.The decision comes as the president prepares to unveil a new jobs package in a speech planned for shortly after the Labor Day holiday on 5 September.High unemployment remains one of the main concerns about the US economy, with the rate standing at 9.1%.Mr Krueger was previously a Treasury Department economist from 2009-2010.If confirmed by the Senate, he will become the Obama administration's third chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in as many years.Christina Romer served in the post from 2009-2010 and was followed by Austan Goolsbee. Both resigned after a year in the job to return to academia.President Obama...

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South Africa: Hearing for ANC youth chief Julius Malema

The youth leader of South Africa's ruling African National Congress faces disciplinary action on Tuesday, charged with "sowing divisions" in the party.Julius Malema, 30, also faces charges of bringing the ANC into disrepute by calling for the government of Botswana to be overthrown.Once a key ally of President Jacob Zuma, Mr Malema has become a critic.Mr Malema, under separate investigation for alleged fraud and corruption, says he will accept the committee's ruling."We are taking responsibility for our actions and we are prepared for anything. We have always maintained that the ANC is our future, if that future is expulsion so be it," he said.Mr Malema, who is charged along with five other top youth league officials, could be expelled from...

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Yoshihiko Noda wins Japan leadership race

Japan's governing Democratic Party (DPJ) has chosen Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as its leader, lining him up to become the country's sixth prime minister in five years.Mr Noda secured victory in a run-off against Trade Minister Banri Kaieda, after a first-round vote in which no candidate won a clear majority.Prime Minister Naoto Kan later formally resigned with his entire cabinet.He has been criticised for his handling of the quake aftermath.Mr Noda, 54, is expected to be confirmed by parliament as prime minister on Tuesday.He secured 215 votes in the ballot against Mr Kaieda's 177 votes.Supporters of public favourite Seiji Maehara - the former foreign minister who was eliminated in first-round voting - threw their support behind Mr Noda...

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US blues musician David 'Honey-Boy' Edwards dies

US blues musician David "Honey-Boy" Edwards has died at his home in Chicago at the age of 96, his manager has said.Music historians say he was the last direct link to a unique generation of blues musicians and the last of the great pre-war bluesmen.Known for his far-ranging travels, Edwards was still playing about 70 shows a year in his 90s.He won a 2008 Grammy for traditional blues and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2010.Among his most famous songs were Just Like Jesse James, Long Tall Woman Blues and Gamblin' Man.Legendary story-tellerThe BBC's Peter Bowes, in Los Angeles, says Edwards' guitar-playing style was gritty and edgy.Born in 1915 in Shaw, Mississippi, Edwards learned to play as a child and left home at the age of...

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Irene: Death toll nears 40 as recovery begins

Tropical Storm Irene has killed 38 people, and authorities warn that flooding could continue for up to three days in northern US states.More than five million people remain without power, while Vermont is reeling from its worst floods in many decades.Insurance claims could top $7bn (£4.3bn), the Consumer Federation of America estimated.The brunt of Irene's impact was felt by towns and suburbs from North Carolina to Vermont.Driving rains and flood tides damaged homes and cut power to more than three million people in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York alone.Further damage predictedThe storm passed over the east coast at the weekend and has now moved over the border into Canada's north-eastern provinces. US authorities have warned the impact...

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Miners rescued from flooded illegal Chinese pit

Twenty-two coal miners have been rescued after being trapped underground for a week in north-eastern China, officials have said.The miners became trapped in the small, illegal mine in Heilongjiang province after accidentally drilling through into a neighbouring pit.One miner died in the accident, and three others are still missing.Xinhua reports that the mine, near the city of Qitaihe, had been ordered to close in 2007 but re-opened illegally.Hopes that the miners were still alive were revived on Sunday when noises were detected through a 920-ft (280m) pipe that was drilled to allow fresh air into the mine.Television images on the state broadcaster showed the men being brought slowly to the surface, all apparently in good health.China's mining...

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A Very Sad Day For One Newfoundland Family - Missing Daughter's Body Found In Saskatchewan UPDATED

This is a very sad day for one Newfoundland family and for the entire province of Saskatchewan. Local RCMP have now confirmed that human remains found in a farmers field are indeed those of a missing Nfld woman, Carol King.For the last few weeks, Sask residents in the hundreds have been combing the area in an effort to find clues on her disappearance. Her vehicle was found (empty) submerged in a farmers pond here.As it turns out, this young woman was on the way to an appointment with the RCMP at the time of her disappearance. She had complained of harassing behavior at her home recently.Out here in Saskatchewan, we have no way to let the family and friends know that they are in our prayers at this time.-The Regina Leader-Post .... -CBC Saskatchewan report .... -CBC: Sister of missing Newfoundland...

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