Otago Daily Times: World News

Strong quake strikes northern Argentina

Mon, 28 May 2012 17:55:28 +1200

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake has struck northern Argentina early on Monday, the US Geological Survey says.

Tibet capital sees first anti-China self-immolations

Mon, 28 May 2012 16:39:34 +1200

Two Tibetan men set themselves on fire in central Lhasa on Sunday, the first in a series of self-immolation protests against Chinese rule over Tibet to take place in the regional capital, the Xinhua state news agency says.

Ex-PM Blair faces grilling over Murdoch ties

Mon, 28 May 2012 12:28:54 +1200

Tony Blair's decision to openly court Rupert Murdoch to win power and ensure favourable coverage during his decade-long tenure as British prime minister will come under scrutiny when he faces a media inquiry today.

Couple beat, starved German teenager

Mon, 28 May 2012 10:35:32 +1200

A teenage German woman has been rescued from a Bosnian couple who are accused of starving and beating her for years and of harnessing her to a horse cart and making her pull it.

UN Security Council condemns Syria massacre

Mon, 28 May 2012 08:10:55 +1200

The UN Security Council has unanimously condemned the killing of at least 108 people, including many children, in the Syrian town of Houla, a sign of mounting outrage at the massacre that the government and rebels blamed on each other.

Nepal fails to meet constitution deadline

Mon, 28 May 2012 03:38:16 +1200

Nepal's warring political parties say they have failed to narrow their differences sufficiently to agree on a new constitution for the Himalayan republic before a midnight deadline, plunging the country into fresh political turmoil.

Egypt election body weighs complaints

Mon, 28 May 2012 03:25:39 +1200

Egypt's election committee is considering complaints about a presidential poll that has left voters with what many see as a painful run-off choice between an Islamist apparatchik and a throwback to Hosni Mubarak's era.

32 children killed in Syria attack

Sun, 27 May 2012 07:54:06 +1200

The United Nations said more than 92 people were killed in what activists described as an artillery barrage by government forces in the worst violence since the start of a UN peace plan to slow the flow of blood in Syria's uprising.

Rooftop gunman kills two in Finland

Sat, 26 May 2012 19:26:13 +1200

A gunman opened fire from a rooftop in a Finnish town centre early today, killing two people and wounding several others, police said.

Russian arms shipment en route to Syria: report

Sat, 26 May 2012 05:10:08 +1200

A Russian cargo ship loaded with weapons is en route to Syria and due to arrive at a Syrian port this weekend, Al Arabiya television said in a report that Western diplomats in New York described as credible.

UN inspectors find higher-grade uranium traces in Iran

Sat, 26 May 2012 05:06:06 +1200

United Nations inspectors have found uranium particles refined to a higher-than-expected level at an Iranian underground site where Tehran has installed more than 50 percent more enrichment centrifuges, a U.N. watchdog report said on Friday.

Muslims claim lead as Egypt counts votes

Sat, 26 May 2012 04:46:36 +1200

Egyptians must choose between a Muslim Brother or an ex-military man in a presidential run-off that highlights the stark rifts in a nation united in euphoria when Hosni Mubarak fell 15 months ago, first-round results indicate.

'Milestone' heart surgery saves infant

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:06:58 +1200

Italian doctors have saved the life of a 16-month-old boy by implanting the world's smallest artificial heart to keep the infant alive until a donor was found for a transplant.

Man confesses to boy's 1979 killing

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:28:25 +1200

A New Jersey man is in custody in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz from his New York City neighbourhood, a case that drew national attention to the plight of missing children, authorities said.

Deadly fighting in Somalia

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:16:10 +1200

At least five people were killed when a shell hit the minibus they were using to flee fighting in a town north west of Somalia's capital, as African Union and government soldiers intensify their fight against al Shabaab militants.

US senators penalise Pakistan for jailing doctor

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:13:50 +1200

US senators scandalized by Pakistan's jailing of a doctor for helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden have voted to cut aid to Islamabad by $33 million -- one million for each year in the doctor's sentence.

Student pleads guilty to threat on Obama's life

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:35:53 +1200

A college student has pleaded guilty in federal court to threatening in a Facebook post to kill President Barack Obama by putting "a bullet through his head."

Hewlett Packard to lay off 27,000 workers

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:52:01 +1200

Hewlett Packard Co said on Wednesday it would lay off roughly 27,000 employees or about 8 percent of its workforce to jumpstart growth, and its shares rose 11 percent.

Phony dying bride ordered to repay victims

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:02:00 +1200

A New York bride who faked having terminal cancer to swindle well-wishers into funding her dream wedding and honeymoon to the Caribbean has been ordered to repay more than $13,000 to her victims, prosecutors said.

Jail sentence for doctor who helped CIA track bin Laden

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:21:30 +1200

Pakistani authorities have sentenced a doctor accused of helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden to 33 years in jail on charges of treason, officials said, a move almost certain to further strain ties between Washington and Islamabad.

Ex-UK editor Morgan accused again on hacking

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:07:06 +1200

One of Britain's most respected journalists says former tabloid newspaper editor Piers Morgan showed him how to hack into phones 10 years ago, the latest twist in a scandal that has so far centred on Rupert Murdoch.

Fears for future as Egyptians cast votes

odtonline — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:55:15 +1200

For Egyptians worn down by a tumultuous military interregnum, the first opportunity to choose their leader freely looked as much like a poisoned chalice as a triumph of democracy.

Euro zone to prepare Greek exit plan

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:14:43 +1200

Each euro zone country will have to prepare a contingency plan for the eventuality of Greece leaving the single currency, euro zone sources say.

Fighter jets scrambled after mid-air security scare

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:29:31 +1200

A US Airways flight from Paris to Charlotte, North Carolina, was diverted to an airport in Maine where it landed safely after reports of a passenger showing "suspicious behaviour," US officials said.

Quake rattles Bulgarian capital

Tue, 22 May 2012 16:53:54 +1200

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Bulgaria's capital Sofia today, causing residents to rush into the streets.