Dalje.com - World (English)

Florence Green, last WW1 veteran, dies

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KINGS LYNN, England, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Florence Green, a veteran of the Women's Royal Air Force and the last living veteran of World War I, died at the age of 110 in an English nursing home. Green died in her sleep during the weekend, the Norfolk Eastern...

Skydiver could pass speed of sound

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

VIENNA, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- An Austrian skydiver says he'll attempt to set the record for highest skydive in history this year, aiming to fall faster than the speed of sound. Felix Baumgartner's jump from a balloon 120,000 feet in the air could lead to...

Brazil sues Twitter users over speed traps

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BRASILIA, Brazil, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Brazil has sued to suspend accounts of Twitter users who use tweets to warn people about radar locations, speed traps and DUI checkpoints, officials say. The attorney general of Brazil filed for a preliminary injunction...

'Deleted' Facebook photos still viewable

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Photos deleted by users of Facebook have lingered on the social network's servers for nearly three years, an investigation by a U.S. tech Web site found. Web site Ars Technica found that some of the photos users believed...

Symantec confirms code extortion attempt

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. security software maker Symantec has confirmed a hacker tried to extort $50,000 after stealing source code to several of its software titles. Symantec confirmed it was cooperating with a sting operation while...

N. Ireland politico Paisley hospitalized

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The Rev. Ian Paisley, the Protestant firebrand turned conciliatory politician, remained in intensive care in a Northern Ireland hospital Tuesday. Paisley's family had gathered at the Ulster Hospital in the...

2 mounties wounded

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KILLAM, Alberta, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were shot at a home near Killam, Alberta, Tuesday afternoon, the province's solicitor general said. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported the two officers were alive but...

Google debuts Chrome browser for Android

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Google says it is releasing its Chrome Web browser for Android smartphones and tablets, three years after the popular desktop version debuted. While many users had expected Chrome to be the default browser when...

Effect of birdsong on humans to be studied

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

GUILDFORD, England, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- British scientists say they are beginning research into whether birdsong can have a positive effect on human well-being and behavior. "A great deal of anecdotal evidence suggests that we respond positively to...

Bishops vow fight over healthcare policy

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW YORK, Thailand, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Catholic bishops threatened legal action if the Obama administration doesn't change a policy that Catholic entities cover birth control in health plans. Anthony Picarello, general counsel for the U.S. Conference...

Journalist beaten in South Sudan

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

JUBA, South Sudan, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A journalist in South Sudan said he was beaten by security guards as he recorded the proceedings of the National Assembly. The Sudan Tribune reported Mading Ngor, host of a popular early morning program on Sudan's...

Invader hits British ladybug numbers

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WALLINGFORD, England, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A decline in ladybugs native to Britain is being driven by an invasive species of the family of colorful little beetles, scientists say. The Asian harlequin ladybug, or ladybird as the beetles are called in many...

Report: Mind control of weapons possible

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Technological advances in neuroscience could allow future soldiers to control weapons systems simply by using their minds, British researchers say. The suggestion was part of a report released Tuesday by Britain's Royal Society...

File-sharing site BTJunkie shuts down

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- BTJunkie says it has voluntary shut down, becoming the latest file-sharing Web site to take action following the demise of MegaUpload. "We've been fighting for years for your right to communicate, but it's time to...

Rep. deletes Onion article post

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. John Fleming has deleted a post on his Facebook about a Planned Parenthood "Abortionplex" after discovering it was from satirical Web site The Onion. Fleming, R-La., posted a link Friday to the May 18...

Women's hoodie leads to suspect's arrest

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

IRWIN, Pa., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Police in Pennsylvania said they were able to identify a robbery suspect by the Victoria's Secret hoodie he borrowed from his former girlfriend. Investigators said Timothy Corwin, 25, of West Newton was wearing the hoodie,...

Family plans frugal February

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

DAVIS, Calif., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A California family says it will not be spending money on anything for the entire month of February except fresh milk for their children. Shelley and Bob Dunning of Davis said they made a final grocery store trip Jan....

Couple mark 80th wedding anniversary

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BROOKFIELD, Wis., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin couple celebrating their 80th wedding anniversary agree the secret to their long marriage is that the husband "knows who's boss." Roy Fleming, 100, and Dorothy Fleming, 95, marked their 80th anniversary...

Amanda Knox appeals slander conviction

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PERUGIA, Italy, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- American Amanda Knox, who was acquitted in the 2007 killing of her roommate in Italy, is appealing her slander conviction, her attorney said. Carlo Dallas Vedova, Knox' Italian lawyer, told ABC News Tuesday her defense...

Teacher suspended for 'air freshening' boy

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TWILLINGATE, Newfoundland, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A Canadian teacher in Newfoundland has been suspended for spraying air freshener on a 10-year-old student who had eaten fish for lunch. The Nova Central School District announced Tuesday the unidentified teacher...

EU: No change in Palestinian aid

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BRUSSELS, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The European Union says the Palestinian Authority's new Fatah-Hamas unity government will not change the EU's ongoing financial assistance to Palestinians. Hamas is officially considered a terrorist group by the European Union...

Bloated diplomatic presence in Iraq to shrink

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BAGHDAD, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- In a sign of declining U.S. influence, the State Department is preparing to cut its diplomatic presence in Iraq, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday. The staff of the new $750 million U.S. embassy, the largest of its kind...

Faster data storage created by heat

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

YORK, England, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A new way of magnetic recording using heat will allow data processing hundreds of times faster than by current hard drive technology, British researchers say. International research led by the physics department at the...

Record response to call for new astronauts

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

GREENBELT, Md., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- NASA says it received more than 6,300 applications for a position in the space agency's next class of astronauts, twice as many as it typically receives. It was the second highest number of applications ever received...

Attempt at record skydive announced

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- An Austrian daredevil says he will attempt the highest skydive in history that will see him exceed the speed of sound during his descent. After jumping from a balloon at an altitude of 120,000 feet, Felix Baumgartner will likely...

Dad picking up DUI son gets DUI

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MEDIA, Pa., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Police in Pennsylvania said man who came to pick up his son, who was charged with driving under the influence, was arrested for the same offense. Pennsylvania State Police said Timothy Smith of Chadds Ford showed up at the...

Man 'always wanted' police to chase him

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BUTTE, Mont., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A Montana man who told police he led them on a chase because he "just always wanted to do that" was fined $1,000 for reckless driving. John Hughes, 55, of Butte was fined Thursday after pleading guilty to misdemeanor...

Tribunal sentences defense member to jail

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The U.N. war crimes tribunal for the Balkan conflicts Tuesday sentenced a member of the defense team to a year in jail for contempt of court. The sentencing of Jelena Rasic came after she was convicted last week...

Smartphone can intervene in depression

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they're developing a smartphone that can learn to spot symptoms of depression in a user and urge the user to call or go out with friends. The project is part of an effort by Northwestern University...

Study measures concern in polar issues

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

DURHAM, N.H., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Americans' knowledge of the world's polar regions has increased since 2006 but has not translated into more concern about polar environments, a study has found. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire conducted an...

Pregnancy of rare rhino being monitored

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

JAKARTA, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Wildlife scientists say they are carefully monitoring the pregnancy of a Sumatran Rhino, one of the world's most endangered species, at an Indonesian sanctuary. The rhino named Ratu at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia's...

Genome of ancient humans sequenced

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LEIPZIG, Germany, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- German researchers say they have completed the genome sequence of a Denisovan, a representative of an Asian group of extinct humans related to Neanderthals. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology...

New computer chip design boosts speed

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say a new technique in computer chip design can increase overall computer processor performance by an average of more than 20 percent. In the new design, graphics processing units and central processing...

iPod lost in N.Y. turns up in Puerto Rico

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A teenager who lost his iPod in upstate New York said he was shocked and delighted when it was returned by a postal worker who found it in Puerto Rico. Joe Desotelle, 16, of Williamsville, N.Y., said he lost his...

Police: Robber had pies, not bomb

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Police in California said a bank robber who claimed to have a bomb in a fast food bag was actually only carrying a pair of McDonald's apple pies. Sacramento police said Daniel Hegwood, 33, was carrying the McDonald's bag...

Nail surgically removed from man's skull

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Doctors at a Minnesota hospital said they removed a 3 1/4 inch nail that became lodged 2 3/4 inches into the back of a construction worker's head. Jeff Luptak, who sustained the injury when a colleague was handing him...

China to face electricity shortages?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- China could face power supply outages this year due to a shortage of coal, China's Electricity Council warned. CEC, an association representing power firms, estimates the country's power shortages to reach 40 million kilowatts...

Woman wakes to find stranger at stove

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida said a woman who awoke to the smell of smoke discovered a stranger attempting to cook in her kitchen. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the Neptune Beach woman woke up around 4 a.m. Monday...

Dozens dead in northern Yemen violence

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SANAA, Yemen, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Dozens were killed in deadly clashes in northern Yemen as Sunni Muslim Salafists try to force back advancing Shia militants, witnesses said. A tacit truce in the province of Hajjah between fundamentalist Salafists and Shia-led...

Girls' hair set on fire, boy charged

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A 15-year-old boy is charged with assault in New Brunswick for allegedly setting girls' hair on fire in a high school classroom, police said. News emerged Tuesday of the incident Friday at Simonds High School...

Grenade donated to Salvation Army

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Workers at a Salvation Army store in Florida said they discovered a dummy hand grenade while sorting through a box of donations. The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County said the workers were sorting through a box...

Boss fired over tractor drift racing

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

IRKUTSKAVTODOR, Russia, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A street cleaning company in a Russian city said an official will be fired because of a video of his workers racing tractors that appeared on YouTube. The video features two tractors drift racing, a type of racing...

Sweden: Police search for stabbing suspect

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Police in Gothenburg, Sweden, Tuesday searched for a man suspected in the stabbing of 10-year-old girl outside of a school. The girl, who was stabbed in the neck Monday, was recovering in a hospital, the Swedish news...

Waters around wrecked Costa Concordia OK

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ROME, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Waters in the area where the Costa Concordia cruise ship wrecked off Italy's Tuscan coast pose no danger to the environment, an Italian official said Tuesday. Franco Gabrielli, the Civil Protection director, told the Italian Senate...

Berlusconi faces new criminal charges

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MILAN, Italy, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi was indicted Tuesday for allegedly publishing an illegally obtained wiretap, officials say. In 2005, a high profile wiretap was published in Il Giornale, the conservative newspaper...

Iran detains people for links to BBC

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Sources inside Iran told the BBC several people have been detained for alleged links to the British broadcaster's Persian news service. The action follows charges Iranian authorities are conducting a campaign of bullying and...

Pope says victims must be a top priority

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

VATICAN CITY, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI says in a Vatican statement the Catholic church must make it a top priority to help victims who were sexually abused by clergy members. A statement, issued by the Vatican at an international symposium...

Russia exposes 199 spies

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday Russian counterintelligence had exposed 199 spies working for foreign powers last year. At a meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Medvedev discussed the list of...

Mom arrested for giving toddler cigarettes

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A Swedish woman has been charged with child abuse for allegedly giving her 3-year-old son beer and cigarettes, police say. Sydsvenskan reported two cellphone videos show the woman, in the company of other adults, urging...

Iran oil minister: Sanctions ineffective

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ARAK, Iran, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The oil industry in Iran is independent so sanctions recently imposed on the republic will be ineffective, Iran's oil minister said Tuesday. Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi, speaking in Arak, said the country's oil industry has...

U.S. to move 4,700 marines to Guam

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TOKYO, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A scaled down number of 4,700 U.S. Marines will be transferred to Guam from their base in Okinawa, Japan, Japanese government sources said. The sources told The Yomiuri Shimbun the reduction is the result of a review of a 2006...

Colombian drug lord nabbed in Venezuela

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BOGOTA, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- One of Colombia's most wanted drug lords has been arrested in Venezuela along with his brother, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos confirmed. Martin Llanos, whose real names is Hector Buitrago, was arrested just hours after...

Canada easing Afghan helpers' immigration

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

OTTAWA, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The Canadian government is cutting red tape to keep immigration promises made to interpreters and aides in Afghanistan, the Toronto Star reported Tuesday. Since Canada joined the NATO international military intervention in 2001,...

Iranians expect to feel sanctions' effects

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Most Iranians said they think sanctions by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union will hurt the country, a Gallup poll indicated. Twenty-seven percent of Iranians polled said the sanctions already imposed...

Mubarak can't attend own trial

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAIRO, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was unable to attend his trial in Cairo Tuesday due to inclement weather, officials said. Turbulence prevented Mubarak, 83, from being flown to court from the International Medical Center...

S. Korean activists' trip barred

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The South Korean government barred members of a private organization from going to China this week to meet with North Koreans, an official said. The meeting was to discuss implementation of an accord reached in 2000 at the first...

Two-vehicle crash kills 11 in Ontario

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

STRATFORD, Ontario, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A flatbed truck and extended passenger van collided in southwestern Ontario, killing 11 people and injuring three others, Canadian police said. The crash happened Monday in Hampstead, northeast of Stratford, around...

Death toll rises to 15 in Egypt protests

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAIRO, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Ongoing clashes between Egyptian police and protesters have claimed the lives of at least 15 people, Egypt's Ministry of Health said Tuesday. In addition to the dead, hundreds of protesters have been injured since Sunday night...

Three arrested for kidnapped child's death

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Cambodian police arrested three suspects in the abduction and slaying of the 8-year-old son of a U.S. embassy security guard, officials said. Guard Kong Rasy, 42, was told if he paid the kidnappers they would return...

Shale boom has spillover effect, IHS says

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

HOUSTON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Technological developments in shale oil and natural gas drilling have made those reserves easier to extract while benefiting other economic sectors, IHS said. The IHS Chemical 2012 Oil Field Chemicals Report concluded the global...

Canada says no to fracking, critics say

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

OTTAWA, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Most Canadians asked told an advocacy group opposing shale natural gas development they aren't in favor of the extraction method known as fracking. A poll conducted by Environics Research for the Council of Canadians, an anti-fracking...

Iran ready to block oil exports to Europe

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Iranian lawmakers are ready to back a bill that would cut oil exports to some members of the European Union before July, the parliamentary speaker said. The European Council last month approved of an embargo of Iranian oil, a...

Maldives president resigns

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MALE, Maldives, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives resigned Tuesday after weeks of public unrest, saying staying in office would only increase problems. Nasheed, a pro-democracy activist and strong environmentalist who became...

Cold Europe needs Caspian gas, TAP says

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BAAR, Switzerland, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Cold weather and natural gas disruptions from Russian suppliers highlight the need to move Caspian gas to European consumers, a pipeline director said. Russian natural gas company Gazprom said last weekend it was having...

IEA: Slovakia needs diverse energy sector

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Expanding energy ties between the Slovak republic and its regional neighbors will ease its reliance on Russian natural gas, the IEA said. Slovakia gets nearly all of its natural gas and oil from Russia. The International...

London committed to green economy

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Though greenhouse gas emissions from the United Kingdom were up, London aims to meet its overall climate objectives, the energy secretary said. The British Department of Energy and Climate Change said data indicate overall greenhouse...

Watercooler Stories

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Doughnut race raises $120K for hospital RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Organizers of the eighth annual Krispy Kreme Challenge in North Carolina said 7,700 people participated to raise more than $120,000 for a hospital. The organizers said the participants...

Iran, Pakistan to increase energy ties

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Pakistan and Iran are ready to expand their trade relationship in the natural gas sector, officials said from Pakistan. Iran is moving ahead with a natural gas pipeline from the South Pars gas field in the Persian...

Gazprom wants stronger Belarus

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Russian natural gas company Gazprom said it backed plans to further develop its trade, transport and investment ties with Belarus. Russian energy company Gazprom said last month that it plans to increase the amount of natural...

Noble Energy finds more gas in Israel

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

HOUSTON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. energy company Noble Energy announced the discovery of a major natural gas prospect in the deep waters off the coast of Israel. Noble said a natural gas discovery was made in the Tanin prospect in 5,100 feet of water. The...

Total to cut gas flaring offshore Nigeria

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PARIS, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- French supermajor Total said it was moving ahead with plans to develop an oil field off the coast Nigeria in a sustainable manner by reducing gas flaring. Total announced the start of the second phase of development of its Ofon...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Colo. man builds Tebow from snow SUPERIOR, Colo., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A Colorado man said his giant snow sculpture of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow in his familiar "Tebowing" pose is gaining attention. Tracy Fox of Superior said he and...

The almanac

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2012 with 328 to follow. The moon is full. The morning stars are Mars, Saturn and Mercury. The evening stars are Neptune, Venus, Jupiter and Uranus. Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius....

Moscow: Assad meeting seeks quick reforms

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

DAMASCUS, Syria, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Russia's foreign minister said top diplomats were preparing to tell Syrian President Bashar Assad Tuesday quick reforms are needed to stabilize the country. "We've repeatedly urged Syria to speed up reforms, and...

Greek strike amid debt clash with 'troika'

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ATHENS, Greece, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Greek politicians refused to yield to severe austerity demands, even as German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the refusal threatened "the entire eurozone." "I will not contribute to the explosion of a...

Toll from quake rises, aftershocks torment

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MANILA, Philippines, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A powerful earthquake that killed dozens of people in central Philippines terrorized survivors Tuesday unleashing hundreds of aftershocks, officials said. The 6.7-magnitude offshore earthquake, which struck just...

China defends veto of Syrian resolution

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- China wants all parties to stop the violence in Syria, a spokesman said, defending its veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution on the Middle East nation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters in Beijing...

Alberta study offers new poverty strategy

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

EDMONTON, Alberta, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A report published Monday by anti-poverty groups in Alberta urges the government to rethink its approach to fighting poverty in the Canadian province. The report suggests failure to address the root cause of poverty...

Man learns casino losses not deductible

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TORONTO, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A Toronto gambling enthusiast was dismayed to learn gambling losses do not constitute businesses expenses, the Toronto Sun reported Monday. Giuseppe Tarascio, described in Canada's Court of Appeals as a Bell technician by day...

Several dead in Pakistan factory collapse

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- At least 11 people including women and children died when a three-story medicine-making factory collapsed in Lahore, Pakistan, authorities said. Dawn newspaper said the factory located in the New Town area of the country's...

Book claims pope exorcised two men

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

VATICAN CITY, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Italian priest Gabriele Amorth claims in his latest book the pope inadvertently took part in an exorcism of two men, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday. The 87-year-old priest, known as "the exorcist of the Diocese...

Canadian Listeria victims to be paid

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

OTTAWA, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Compensation checks will begin arriving this week for victims of a 2008 Canadian Listeria outbreak, CBC News reported Monday. Tainted meat from a Maple Leaf Foods processing plant contained the bacteria Listeria, and the resulting...

China releases new moon images

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- China says a full map of the moon captured by the orbiter Chang'e-2 is the highest-resolution image of the entirety of the moon's surface published to date. The full coverage moon map was compiled from images taken by a stereo...

Turtles tracked to feeding 'hot spots'

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Satellite tracking of threatened loggerhead sea turtles has revealed two previously unknown feeding "hotspots" in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. researchers say. The locations are providing important habitat for...

China announces new launch rockets

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- China says it will debut a new generation of Long March launch rockets within the next five years to join its rocket fleet of satellite launchers. Long March-5, -6 and -7 will be non-toxic, low-cost, highly reliable, adaptable...

Virtual display could diagnose in space

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PARIS, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A heads-up display could provide 3-D guidance for astronauts and assist them in diagnosing medical problems or even performing surgery, European engineers say. The Computer Assisted Medical Diagnosis and Surgery System is a wearable...

Sea ice loss said driving European chill

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Meteorologists say ice-free seas in the arctic caused by global warming could explain a chill wind covering much of Europe that has killed more than 300 people. Experts said they believe complex wind patterns are being affected...

Illegal ivory still Egyptian problem

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAIRO, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Egypt is home to ongoing illegal trading in ivory with products sold in local tourists areas by traders who are seldom prosecuted, a wildlife group says. The animal conservation group Traffic says while the volume of trading in...

Islamist cleric to be released from prison

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The special immigration appeals commission in London has ruled radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada should be released from prison. Qatada, labelled as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe by a Spanish judge, has been jailed...

3D printer creates new jaw for woman

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BRUSSELS, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A Belgium woman is able to chew, speak and breathe normally after the implantation of a new jawbone created on a 3D printer, doctors say. The replacement jaw, created out of a fine titanium powder sculpted layer by layer by...

India court orders Web content censoring

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW DELHI, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A court in India has ordered Facebook, Google and about 19 other companies to censor their content to block objectionable material on the Web. The Delhi High Court has ordered the companies to present their plans for policing...

Word's oldest living thing studied

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PERTH, Australia, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- DNA testing suggests a swathe of seagrass in the Mediterranean could be the oldest known living thing on Earth, Australian researchers say. Carlos Duarte of the University of Western Australia in Perth and his colleagues...

Loose goat captured in Australia

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MELBOURNE, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Police in Australia said a goat reported on the loose near the Melbourne Zoo was caught at the end of a four-hour search. Police said officers were sent to search the area around 10:20 a.m. Monday after the billy goat was...

Baby born at side of interstate

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A San Diego man said he just pulled over to the side of the road when his wife told him their baby was coming. Aaron Reynolds said he was driving his wife, Nicole, to a hospital around 12:50 a.m. Monday when they realized...

Evidence suggests ancient Mars ocean

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PARIS, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says its Mars Express orbiter has discovered strong evidence for a large ocean once covering part of the Red Planet. Using radar, it has detected sediments suggestive of an ocean floor within the boundaries...

Method to assess rare metals described

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have announced the development of a methodology for governments and corporations to determine the availability of critical metals. Based on a U.S. National Research Council template, the methodology...

Mock Mars mission to study food preference

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ITHACA, N.Y., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they're looking for volunteers for a four-month Mars mission in a mockup space capsule on Earth to measure appetites and food preferences. Designing a menu for a long spaceflight like a mission to Mars...

Study: Tree rings can miss climate events

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Using tree rings to measure ancient climate events may underestimate the climate cooling effects of volcanic eruptions, U.S. researchers say. Scientists at Penn State say this is because large enough temperature...

Jupiter spacecraft adjusts its course

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. space officials say the Juno probe's five-year mission to Jupiter is on course following a firing of rocket thrusters to better aim at the giant planet. The spacecraft performed the course adjustment Feb. 1, the...

Colo. man builds Tebow from snow

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SUPERIOR, Colo., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A Colorado man said his giant snow sculpture of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow in his familiar "Tebowing" pose is gaining attention. Tracy Fox of Superior said he and his family created the sculpture,...

Researcher touts merits of 'mobile dating'

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A researcher at Northwestern University in Illinois said he found "mobile dating," which is based in smartphone apps, can be a successful way to meet a partner. Eli Finkel, associate professor of psychology...

Toilet-loving boy, 4, gets free commode

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW BERLIN, Wis., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin 4-year-old fascinated by toilets is the star of a video produced by fixture-maker Kohler that has more than 100,000 hits on YouTube. Dustin Kruse of New Berlin, who first started showing an interest in toilets...

Web site pulls 'kidnapped' baby shirts

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PETERBOROUGH, England, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A British online store has pledged to stop selling baby clothes bearing the words, "Help, I'm being kidnapped. These are not my parents." A spokeswoman for the Web site Kiddicare, based in Peterborough,...

Lockheed to help with virtual training

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force's center for virtual training and experimentation will receive technical support from Lockheed Martin under an ID/IQ contract. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity award is for five years and...

'Atlantis' gone in new Google map image

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A Google Earth image with an undersea gridlike pattern some suspected were sunken streets of the mythological city of Atlantis has been updated, official said. Google said the pattern in an image in Google Ocean,...

Veteran's ashes sent to wrong address

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ALPINE, Calif., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A California woman who mailed her father's ashes and U.S. Army dog tags to her brother in Washington state said the package ended up at the wrong address. Carole Irwin of Alpine said she was told the package fell off...

Man accidentally shoots self at gun show

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SAVANNAH, Ga., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Police in Georgia said they are investigating in incident in which a gun show attendee apparently accidentally shot himself in the leg. Savannah-Chatham police said the 26-year-old Charles Lake man was reloading his pistol...

Neighbors' garage door openers all quit

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ST. CHARLES, Mo., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Neighbors on a Missouri cull-de-sac said they are baffled as to why all of their garage door openers stopped working at the same time. The residents of the five homes on Westhampton View Court in St. Charles said their...

Parents refuse to take disabled baby home

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The parents of a baby boy who was born prematurely and has a disability have refused to take him home from a Dubai hospital since October, police said. The baby was born at Dubai Hospital and transferred...

Anders Breivik to be jailed for another 10 weeks

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

OSLO, Norway, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The man who confessed to killing 77 people in a 2011 gun and bomb rampage in Norway appeared in court Monday for his last remand hearing before his trial. Anders Breivik, wearing a dark suit and handcuffs, allowed himself...

Eight die in flooding in Bulgaria

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BISSER, Bulgaria, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Eight people died in the southern Bulgarian village of Bisser early Monday, after a wall of the Ivanovo dam burst, causing massive flooding, officials said. Recent severe weather in Bulgaria -- serious snowfall, record-low...

Russian team reaches buried lake under ice

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Russian scientists say decades of drilling have culminated in their reaching a lake buried beneath Antarctic ice for 20 million years. Researchers say Lake Vostok, the largest of Antarctica's buried network of...

Doughnut race raises $120k for hospital

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Organizers of the eighth annual Krispy Kreme Challenge in North Carolina said 7,700 people participated to raise more than $120,000 for a hospital. The organizers said the participants in Saturday's race ran from the North...

Protester killed in Cairo clash

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAIRO, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A protester Egyptian police shot in the neck and chest in a clash in Cairo Monday has died, a government health official said. Mohamed Qenawy, 21, became the eighth protester killed in Cairo clashes with police since demonstrations...

Obama's stepgrandmother OK after wreck

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KOGELO, Kenya, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Sarah Obama, stepgrandmother of U.S. President Barack Obama, said she's doing fine after a weekend traffic accident in Kenya. Saying she didn't want the accident "blown out of proportion," Obama, who is about...

Man, firefighter trapped in elevator

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CHICAGO, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Authorities in Chicago said a man trapped in an elevator was rescued by a firefighter, but the pair soon became stuck in a second elevator. Fire officials said firefighters responded to the Park Monroe Condominiums around 9:15...

Robber had shorts on his head

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

STOCK ISLAND, Fla., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said a man accused of attempted bank robbery wore a pair of shorts on his head during the crime, but they didn't cover his face. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Eli Escalera, 43, was wearing...

Swedish girl stabbed in neck near school

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A 10-year-old girl was seriously wounded Monday when she was stabbed in the throat outside a school in Gothenburg, Sweden, police said. Gothenburg police spokesperson Bjor Blixter said the girl was conscious and told...

Man must OK divorce to get out of prison

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

JERUSALEM, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Israel's supreme rabbinical court of appeals upheld a ruling to keep a man imprisoned until he grants his wife a bill of divorce. Meir Gorodetzki was sent to prison by the court for refusing to give his wife a divorce, or...

End to female genital mutilation urged

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Raising awareness and calling for the elimination of female genital mutilation were focuses of International Day of Zero Tolerance Monday, organizers said. The objective was of the observance is to draw international...

Abbas to lead Palestinian unity government

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

DOHA, Qatar, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will lead a Fatah-Hamas unity government, the two political factions announced Monday. The move is seen by analysts as a breakthrough for a long-sought reconciliation between...

Noriega hospitalized for possible stroke

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Former Panamanian dictator Manual Noriega was hospitalized in Panama City after he was diagnosed with a possible stroke, the National Police said. A police statement said Noriega, who will be 78 Saturday, was taken...

Official: 100 Boko Haram members arrested

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MAKURDI, Nigeria, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- More than 100 foreigners suspected of being members of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram have been arrested in Nigeria, an official said. Benue Gov. Gabriel Suswam said the suspects, arrested in that east-central...

Mexico's ruling party taps woman candidate

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MEXICO CITY, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Mexico's ruling party chose Josefina Vazquez Mota -- the first female nominated by a major party -- to lead the ticket in the presidential elections in July. Vazquez Mota bested two others in the primary of the conservative...

Report: Terrorists may target Shimon Peres

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

JERUSALEM, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Israeli security agencies say President Shimon Peres could be targeted by terrorists with the fourth anniversary of a Hezbollah leader's death approaching. The Yisrael Hayom daily said Peres' body guards were on heightened...

MEND blamed for with Nigerian oil attack

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ABUJA, Nigeria, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Attacks on Nigerian oil production will be used to drive energy companies from the Niger Delta, a militant group said. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta took responsibility for an attack on an oil pipeline...

Oil shale probe wrong policy, critics say

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A decision to investigate oil shale production in the western United States is another example of White House efforts to send more jobs overseas, a critic said. The U.S. Interior Department last week announced plans to investigate...

Romania's prime minister resigns

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BUCHAREST, Romania, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc resigned Monday after weeks of public protests against spending cuts and other austerity measures. Boc made the announcement on Romanian television, saying he was resigning to diffuse...

Pollution takes heavy toll on China

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- China is paying a high price for pollution resulting from the country's soaring economic development fueled by low energy costs, an environmental report claims. The average cost of China's resources output is $320 to $350 a...

Montenegro to join Russia's South Stream

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PODGORICA, Montenegro, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Montenegro said it was signing on to the South Stream natural gas pipeline for Europe after meeting with Russian officials, gas company Gazprom said. Leonid Chugunov, director of project management for Gazprom,...

U.S. energy czar en route to Bulgaria

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. envoy for Eurasian energy is on his way to Sofia to discuss Bulgarian energy initiatives, the U.S. secretary of state said. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton...

Norway sets ambitious renewables target

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

OSLO, Norway, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The Norwegian government set a target of generating more than 60 percent of its electricity through renewable resources by 2020, an official said. Norway set a renewable energy target for 2020 of 67.5 percent of its domestic...

Ukraine looks to help ally EU gas concerns

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KIEV, Ukraine, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz is tapping into stored reserves to help bring heat to European consumers coping with arctic cold, officials said. Much of northern European is in the grips of a brutal winter blast....

Upton wants more Solyndra documents

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The White House is stonewalling an investigation into the bankruptcy of solar panel company Solyndra, recipient of a $535 million federal loan, a lawmaker said. Solyndra declared bankruptcy last year despite a $535 million...

Jordan talks to neighbors about energy

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

AMMAN, Jordan, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A Jordanian minister said Amman was working on ways to diversify the energy sector following a weekend explosion on an Egyptian natural gas pipeline. Saboteurs targeted a natural gas pipeline in the northern Sinai Peninsula...

API: Keystone critics are like North Korea

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The American Petroleum Institute said opponents of the Keystone XL oil pipeline don't have their facts straight on energy security. The White House in January delayed a permit for TransCanada to build the Keystone XL oil...

U.S. supports Bulgaria's shale decisions

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Bulgaria has the right, as a sovereign state, to make its own decisions on the extraction of shale natural gas deposits, the U.S. envoy to the country said. Bulgaria has as much as 35 trillion cubic feet of natural gas...

Report: Abducted Chinese to be freed

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Sudanese rebels were expected to soon free 29 Chinese workers they have been holding since Jan. 28, China's Xinhua News Agency reported Monday. Xinhua said the release of the workers, reported to be in good health, was...

U.S. offshore wind moves forward

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The Obama administration is moving forward with the process for wind energy lease sales off the coast of four mid-Atlantic states, the U.S. Department of Interior said. An environmental assessment by the Bureau of Ocean Energy...

Putin urges Gazprom to meet cold demand

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Gazprom should do all it can to meet the natural gas demands of its European customers during a bitter cold wave, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says. Putin, meeting with Gazprom officials Saturday in Moscow, urged the...

Watercooler Stories

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Homeless-themed duvet raises hackles STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Homeless advocates in Stockholm, Sweden, say the sale of a luxury duvet cover that resembles cardboard boxes is insulting. The covers went on sale for $104 each last month at the...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Crowd turns out for downtown cattle drive SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- About 38,000 people gathered in the historic district of San Antonio for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo's fifth annual cattle drive, organizers said. The event Saturday took...

Clinton: U.S. to 'expose' Assad supporters

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Washington will "expose" those backing the Assad government in Syria, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said as the regime ramped up its brutal crackdown. "We will work to expose those who are still...

The almanac

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Today is Monday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2012 with 329 to follow. The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mars, Saturn and Mercury. The evening stars are Neptune, Venus, Jupiter and Uranus. Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius....

Bitter cold, snow raise Europe death toll

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Extreme cold and heavy snow in Europe has killed more than 300 people, impeded travel and left about 50,000 without power, officials say. Ukraine's Ministry of Emergencies reported the most deaths in the Siberian arctic snap...

Powerful quake strikes Philippines

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MANILA, Philippines, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A powerful earthquake struck central Philippines' Negros Island Monday and prompting authorities to issue a tsunami alert for the region. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude of the offshore temblor...

Tibetan protest said gaining momentum

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The unrest in China's Tibetan population appears to be growing, with the weekend self-immolation of three Tibetan shepherds the latest sign, an analyst says. The three set themselves on fire in the southwest province of Sichuan...

Queen Elizabeth mark 60 years on throne

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II punctuated her 60th year on the throne Monday by rededicating herself to serving the people of her realm. "Today, as I mark 60 years as your queen, I am writing to thank you for the wonderful...

Eshel named Israeli air force chief

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel was named the next chief of the Israeli air force Sunday, defense officials said. Currently head of strategic planning for the armed forces, he will replace Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan in an appointment...

Chinese face problems policing country

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The growing Tibetan unrest in China highlights the difficulties China is facing in policing the country, experts said. Although Chinese authorities have cracked down on Tibetan protests in Tibet and in Xinjiang, the unrest has...