World Fwire News - Page 19

11,000 elephants lost to ivory poaching in Africa

Gabon's Minkebe Park in Africa, home to the largest elephant population, has lost 11,000 jumbos to ivory poaching since 2004, The Wildlife Conservation Society said.

US man recovers stolen 300-year-old German Bible

A man's heart sank when he realised that burglars had broken in and stolen a safe holding his most prized possession — a 300-year-old family Bible.

Come 2016, all dogs in England to be fitted with microchips

British authorities say that all dogs in England will have to be fitted with microchips from 2016.

Suicide bomber kills four north of Baghdad

Iraqi officials say a suicide bomber has rammed his explosives-laden car into an army checkpoint north of Baghdad.

Nepal begins Bengal tiger census, India to match

Hundreds of wildlife experts carrying sophisticated cameras began combing the forests in Nepal's southern plains on Tuesday in the Himalayan nation's biggest campaign yet to count the number of endangered tigers roaming in its national parks.

US Secret Service chief to step down this month

Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan announced his retirement Friday, bringing to a close a turbulent period for the law enforcement agency that included a South American prostitution scandal and a pair of White House gate-crashers.

Ahmadinejad accuses Iran speaker's family of corruption

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the parliament speaker's family of corruption on Sunday, turning a long-standing rivalry between two of Iran's most powerful figures into a face-to-face feud, months before an election.

Drone strike decisions don't come lightly, says Panetta

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says decisions to strike potential terrorist targets with unmanned drones don't "come lightly."

New US Secretary of State Kerry speaks to Netanyahu, Abbas about peace

S Secretary of State John Kerry stressed his commitment to promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace on Sunday in telephone calls to the leaders of both sides, the State Department said.

600 official files on state and public property go missing in Pak

Around 600 documents related to state and public property have been lost by the Pakistani capital's civic authority in the last four years, a media report said.

Myanmar rebels, government to hold talks in China

Myanmar's government and ethnic Kachin rebels in northern Myanmar say they will hold talks in China this week after some of the worst fighting in the country in years.

Five survive plane crash off Venezuela coast

A small plane crashed into the sea off Venezuela's coast on Saturday, leaving one person dead and five survivors who were rescued and brought to shore.

Pakistan cabinet ratifies Iran pipeline agreement

Pakistan cabinet has approved a $1.5 billion deal with Iran for laying the 785 km long Pakistan segment of a gas pipeline that could address the needs of the energy-starved nation.

Four killed, 18 missing in Indonesia landslide

A government official says a landslide triggered by torrential rain has killed at least four villagers and left 18 others missing in western Indonesia.

Pak govt failed to deliver, needs radical change: UK envoy

British envoy Adam Thomson has said Pakistan needs "radical change" as the government has failed to deliver, but cautioned against any "unconstitutional" move against the democratic set-up, including a prolonged caretaker administration.

American killed in Algerian hostage crisis

An American has been killed in the hostage standoff at an Algerian gas plant, officials said today.

Pak Taliban head tells cadres to respect ceasefire with govt

Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has directed his men in the northwest tribal region to abide by a peace accord with the government, a media report said Sunday.

Millions attend Islamic gathering in Bangladesh

Millions of Muslim devotees have raised their hands to seek divine blessings, world peace and revival of Islamic values at one of the world's largest Islamic gatherings near Bangladesh's capital.

Malala's friends jubilant at her rapid recovery

Kainat Riaz and Shazia Ramzan, the two fellow students who were injured when Taliban shot at teenaged rights activist Malala Yousafzai, are overwhelmed with the news of the rapid recovery of their 15-year-old friend in Britain.

16 prisoners missing after Nigeria jailbreak

At least 16 inmates from a prison in Nigeria have escaped during a jailbreak, Xinhua reported on Friday.

Did Armstrong lie about his 'one small step' quote?

Three months after Armstrong's death, his family has claimed that he wrote the words - to mark the moment he stepped onto the Moon - months in advance and had always intended to include the notorious missing 'a' in the speech.

Low-budget Chinese film, 'Lost in Thailand', sets box-office record

Chinese state media say the wacky road movie Lost in Thailand has grossed more than 1 billion yuan ($160 million) since its 12 December debut.

Iraq PM warns Sunni protesters, makes small concession

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has warned he will not tolerate Sunni anti-government rallies indefinitely, but made a concession to their demands by promising to free some women prisoners. Thousands of Sunnis have been taking to the streets of Iraq for more than a week in protest against Maliki, whom they accuse of discriminating against their sect and being under the sway of their non-Arab Shi'ite neighbour Iran. The incident has once more threatened to plunge a delicate power-sharing deal into turmoil, just as President Jalal Talabani, a moderating influence, is in Germany for medical care after suffering a stroke.

Andhra man found dead in US, homicide investigation launched

Venkat Reddy-Goli, 47, was found dead by the police inside the Central Liquors store in Colerain Township of Ohio.

Central African Republic president says ready to share power with rebels

BANGUI (Reuters) - Central African Republic's embattled President Francois Bozize said on Sunday he was ready to share power with the leaders of a rebellion that has swept aside government defences to within striking distance of the capital. The three-week old onslaught by the rebel alliance Seleka has highlighted the instability of the landlocked former French colony, which remains one of the least developed nations on the planet despite its rich deposits of uranium, gold and diamonds. "I am ready to form a government of national unity with Seleka to run the country together, because I am a democrat," Bozize told a news conference following a meeting with African Union Chairman Thomas Yayi Boni in the capital Bangui.