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Earthquake Kills 3,000 Across South Asia
A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the Pakistan-India border Saturday reduced villages to rubble, triggered landslides and flattened an apartment building. More than 3,000 people were killed in both nations, and a Pakistan army spokesman called the devastation "a national tragedy."
Guatemala Floods Death Toll Rises to 613
Dozens of Mayan Indians used hand tools to dig through hardening mud on Saturday, searching for bodies under a landslide that swallowed a Guatemalan neighborhood and pushed the regionwide death toll from a week of pounding rains to 613.
China's flood season claims more than 1,200 lives
China's current flood season has claimed more than 1,200 lives and caused billions of dollars in damage to property, state media said Saturday.
Trailer Parks Planned for Katrina Victims
The government's head of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts made a surprise visit to a newly built trailer park Saturday and said hundreds of similar makeshift towns are planned to house residents displaced by the storm.
U.S. Ill Prepared for Massive Flu Outbreak: Report
The United States is unprepared for a global flu pandemic, according to a draft of a federal report, which predicts a worst-case scenario that could lead to the deaths of 1.9 million Americans and the hospitalization of 8.5 million more people with costs exceeding $450 billion.
Peres Defies Party Demands to Quit Coalition
Shimon Peres said Friday the Labor party, which he heads, will remain in the coalition until the general election next October. Shinui party leader Yosef (Tommy) Lapid rejected an offer to join.
Israel to Offer to Free More Terrorists
Sharon's top aide Dov Weisglass and the PA chief negotiator are meeting Friday to map out details for next week's Sharon-Abbas summit. Israel to offer to free Arab prisoners and remove roadblocks.
Palestinian militant groups join in unity pledge
Rival Palestinian militant groups put up a united front on Saturday to denounce inter-factional kidnappings and violence that have undermined calls by President Mahmoud Abbas for law and order in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"We announce all of the military wings are united in their position and destiny and that we consider any attack on any one of us as an attack on us all," eight factions, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, said in a statement.
Israel Expects Hamas Takeover Of Gaza
Israel has assessed that Hamas was preparing to seize control of the Gaza Strip. Israeli security officials said Hamas has already gained control over large areas of the Gaza Strip. They said Hamas forces have taken over several towns and could complete the process in 2006.
Shalom: Egyptians Not Doing Enough to Stop Weapons Smuggling
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom stated Egyptian forces along the Rafiah border to Gaza are not doing enough to prevent the importation of weapons and ammunition into Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled Gaza.
Gaza Border Security Agreement Nears
Israel and the Palestinians were moving toward agreement on new security arrangements for Gaza's border with Egypt, officials from both sides said Saturday, a deal that could allow Palestinian residents of the coastal strip relatively free movement for the first time.
US: NATO's expansion in Afghanistan is going well
NATO's gradual expansion across Afghanistan, assuming responsibility for security from a US-led coalition, has so far been seamless, a US general said Saturday as the alliance geared up to move into new volatile regions.
Russia to Build Military Airbase in Tajikistan — Officials
Russia is to build an airbase outside the Tajik capital Dushanbe, officials said on Friday, in the latest sign of Moscow seeking to build up its military presence in ex-Soviet Central Asia, the Reuters news agency reports.
The move comes as neighbouring Uzbekistan has ordered U.S. troops to leave an airbase used since 2001 for operations in Afghanistan. Washington still has an airbase in Kyrgyzstan, not far from a Russian one set up after U.S. troops arrived there.
Iran's Stocks Plunge After Vote for U.N. Review of Nuclear Program
Iran's government and Parliament held emergency meetings this week on the country's plummeting stock market, where prices have declined nearly 30 percent since Sept. 24. The decline began after the International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution referring Iran to the United Nations Security Council for violating its nuclear obligations.
Malaysia's Bank Islam posts massive losses over bad loans
Malaysia's first Islamic bank has posted losses of over 120 million dollars and moved into the red over a slew of bad loans acquired during the Asian financial crisis.
The bulk of the provisions were due to non-performing loans (NPLs) of the bank's offshore unit in Labuan, Malaysia's offshore financial hub, given out to companies in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina and South Africa, said the report.
Sunnis fail to agree boycott of Iraq referendum
The threat of a unified Sunni Arab boycott of next week's constitutional vote in Iraq receded on Saturday as Sunni leaders failed to agree on how to oppose the U.S.-backed document.
New U.S. proposal on N.Korea nuclear programs: Kyodo
The United States has drafted a proposal on North Korea's nuclear weapons programs that would call on the secretive state to declare all weapons and programs within six months, Kyodo news agency said on Saturday.
Christian Video Games Offer Wholesome Action
With all the raunchiness and violence in mainstream video games, a group of Christian businessmen hears a call to provide a more wholesome alternative.
There's not as much violence and stuff — it's not as gruesome," said Chris Lynn, 12, adding that he likes that in a game.
Sinochem, Total join hands again to explore oil market in east China
China National Chemicals Import and Export Corp. (Sinochem), one of China's four major oil firms, and France's Total have agreed to form a joint venture for establishing an oil product marketing network in east China, officials said Saturday.
Delphi, the Largest U.S. Auto Supplier, Files for Bankruptcy
Delphi Corp., the nation's largest auto supplier, filed for bankruptcy Saturday, sending shock waves through a U.S. auto industry already weakened by high labor costs and falling market share.
Delphi's bankruptcy, which is expected to result in plant closures and layoffs, is one of the largest in U.S. history. The company has 50,000 U.S. employees.
Destitute immigrants face repatriation after desert misery
Hundreds of African migrants were facing repatriation to their homelands after almost a week stranded in dire conditions in the Moroccan desert, having attempted to reach Europe through Spain's tiny north African enclaves, aid sources said.
A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the Pakistan-India border Saturday reduced villages to rubble, triggered landslides and flattened an apartment building. More than 3,000 people were killed in both nations, and a Pakistan army spokesman called the devastation "a national tragedy."
Guatemala Floods Death Toll Rises to 613
Dozens of Mayan Indians used hand tools to dig through hardening mud on Saturday, searching for bodies under a landslide that swallowed a Guatemalan neighborhood and pushed the regionwide death toll from a week of pounding rains to 613.
China's flood season claims more than 1,200 lives
China's current flood season has claimed more than 1,200 lives and caused billions of dollars in damage to property, state media said Saturday.
Trailer Parks Planned for Katrina Victims
The government's head of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts made a surprise visit to a newly built trailer park Saturday and said hundreds of similar makeshift towns are planned to house residents displaced by the storm.
U.S. Ill Prepared for Massive Flu Outbreak: Report
The United States is unprepared for a global flu pandemic, according to a draft of a federal report, which predicts a worst-case scenario that could lead to the deaths of 1.9 million Americans and the hospitalization of 8.5 million more people with costs exceeding $450 billion.
Peres Defies Party Demands to Quit Coalition
Shimon Peres said Friday the Labor party, which he heads, will remain in the coalition until the general election next October. Shinui party leader Yosef (Tommy) Lapid rejected an offer to join.
Israel to Offer to Free More Terrorists
Sharon's top aide Dov Weisglass and the PA chief negotiator are meeting Friday to map out details for next week's Sharon-Abbas summit. Israel to offer to free Arab prisoners and remove roadblocks.
Palestinian militant groups join in unity pledge
Rival Palestinian militant groups put up a united front on Saturday to denounce inter-factional kidnappings and violence that have undermined calls by President Mahmoud Abbas for law and order in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"We announce all of the military wings are united in their position and destiny and that we consider any attack on any one of us as an attack on us all," eight factions, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, said in a statement.
Israel Expects Hamas Takeover Of Gaza
Israel has assessed that Hamas was preparing to seize control of the Gaza Strip. Israeli security officials said Hamas has already gained control over large areas of the Gaza Strip. They said Hamas forces have taken over several towns and could complete the process in 2006.
Shalom: Egyptians Not Doing Enough to Stop Weapons Smuggling
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom stated Egyptian forces along the Rafiah border to Gaza are not doing enough to prevent the importation of weapons and ammunition into Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled Gaza.
Gaza Border Security Agreement Nears
Israel and the Palestinians were moving toward agreement on new security arrangements for Gaza's border with Egypt, officials from both sides said Saturday, a deal that could allow Palestinian residents of the coastal strip relatively free movement for the first time.
US: NATO's expansion in Afghanistan is going well
NATO's gradual expansion across Afghanistan, assuming responsibility for security from a US-led coalition, has so far been seamless, a US general said Saturday as the alliance geared up to move into new volatile regions.
Russia to Build Military Airbase in Tajikistan — Officials
Russia is to build an airbase outside the Tajik capital Dushanbe, officials said on Friday, in the latest sign of Moscow seeking to build up its military presence in ex-Soviet Central Asia, the Reuters news agency reports.
The move comes as neighbouring Uzbekistan has ordered U.S. troops to leave an airbase used since 2001 for operations in Afghanistan. Washington still has an airbase in Kyrgyzstan, not far from a Russian one set up after U.S. troops arrived there.
Iran's Stocks Plunge After Vote for U.N. Review of Nuclear Program
Iran's government and Parliament held emergency meetings this week on the country's plummeting stock market, where prices have declined nearly 30 percent since Sept. 24. The decline began after the International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution referring Iran to the United Nations Security Council for violating its nuclear obligations.
Malaysia's Bank Islam posts massive losses over bad loans
Malaysia's first Islamic bank has posted losses of over 120 million dollars and moved into the red over a slew of bad loans acquired during the Asian financial crisis.
The bulk of the provisions were due to non-performing loans (NPLs) of the bank's offshore unit in Labuan, Malaysia's offshore financial hub, given out to companies in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina and South Africa, said the report.
Sunnis fail to agree boycott of Iraq referendum
The threat of a unified Sunni Arab boycott of next week's constitutional vote in Iraq receded on Saturday as Sunni leaders failed to agree on how to oppose the U.S.-backed document.
New U.S. proposal on N.Korea nuclear programs: Kyodo
The United States has drafted a proposal on North Korea's nuclear weapons programs that would call on the secretive state to declare all weapons and programs within six months, Kyodo news agency said on Saturday.
Christian Video Games Offer Wholesome Action
With all the raunchiness and violence in mainstream video games, a group of Christian businessmen hears a call to provide a more wholesome alternative.
There's not as much violence and stuff — it's not as gruesome," said Chris Lynn, 12, adding that he likes that in a game.
Sinochem, Total join hands again to explore oil market in east China
China National Chemicals Import and Export Corp. (Sinochem), one of China's four major oil firms, and France's Total have agreed to form a joint venture for establishing an oil product marketing network in east China, officials said Saturday.
Delphi, the Largest U.S. Auto Supplier, Files for Bankruptcy
Delphi Corp., the nation's largest auto supplier, filed for bankruptcy Saturday, sending shock waves through a U.S. auto industry already weakened by high labor costs and falling market share.
Delphi's bankruptcy, which is expected to result in plant closures and layoffs, is one of the largest in U.S. history. The company has 50,000 U.S. employees.
Destitute immigrants face repatriation after desert misery
Hundreds of African migrants were facing repatriation to their homelands after almost a week stranded in dire conditions in the Moroccan desert, having attempted to reach Europe through Spain's tiny north African enclaves, aid sources said.