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Dozens killed as tornado hits Oklahoma

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:11:18 -0400

WASHINGTON - A massive tornado ripped through parts of Oklahoma city and its suburbs in the United States killing at least 24 people, including nine children, besides leaving scores homeless. As winds at over 320 kilometers per hour (kmph) flattened homes and businesses and severely damaged a hospital and two elementary school, the death toll was earlier said to be more than 90 but it was ...

US president lauds Thein Sein for Myanmar reforms but urges end to violence against Muslims

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:16:52 -0400

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama praised the reforms of Myanmar leader Thein Sein but urged him to end violence against Muslims. Sein is the country's first president to visit the White House in almost half a century. Speaking from the US capital Monday Obama said he recognized Sein's work to guide Myanmar down "a long and sometimes difficult, but ultimately correct, path to follow." ...

Six Afghan policemen killed in Herat bombing

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:21:19 -0400

KABUL, Afghanistan - At least six Afghan policemen guarding a strategically important dam were killed in a roadside bombing Tuesday in the war-torn country's western province of Herat, officials said. They said that suspected Taliban insurgents triggered the explosion when a police patrol vehicle heading to Herat city was travelling in the Chashti Shareef district of the province. "There ...

Genocide conviction of former Guatemala dictator overturned

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:16:15 -0400

GUATEMALA CITY - The constitutional court of Guatemala has ordered that the genocide trial of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt should be taken back to the middle of proceedings, thus overturning his conviction and sentencing to 80 years in prison. The ruling on Monday doesn't annul the entire trial of the case but the top court has ordered that whatever happened after April 19 should be ...

Chinese boat with 16 fishermen freed by North Korea

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:21:12 -0400

PYONGYANG - A Chinese boat and 16 fishermen held by armed North Koreans for more than two weeks have been released, easing the latest tension in relations between the neighbouring allies. Owner Yu Xuejun, who was not on board the boat when it was seized on 5 May, wrote on his microblog that his captain called him at 3.50am to say the crew and boat were set free and that they were on their way ...

Fergie Premier League manager of year

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:10:02 -0400

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was named the Premier League manager of the year and accepted the award from the League Manager Association Monday. Ferguson, 71, announced his retirement last week after 27 years at the helm transforming United into a great team with a record of 20 top-flight league titles. His 1,500th and last match in charge of United was a stunning 5-5 draw at ...

Iran allows eight contenders for presidential election

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:02 -0400

Iranian legislative body has approved eligibility of eight presidential candidates for the June 14 poll in the country, Xinhua reported Tuesday. The candidates, including the country's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and former foreign minister Ali-Akbar Velayati -- for the presidential election have been approved by Iran's Guardian Council of Constitution, semi-official Mehr news agency ...

Russia to scrap worlds biggest n-subs

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:01 -0400

Russia will decommission and scrap two of the world's largest submarines by 2018, a defence industry source has said. The Severstal and the Arkhangelsk, both Project 841 (Typhoon-class) ballistic-missile submarines, are based at Severodvinsk on the White Sea. They will be withdrawn from the Navy by this year-end and will begin to be dismantled. "This process is to be completed before 2018-2020 ...

After 12 Miranda Kerr feels good in husbands clothes

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:50:01 -0400

Supermodel Miranda Kerr likes to wear her husband Orlando Bloom's clothes because it makes her feel closer to him. The 30-year-old steals items from her husband's wardrobe also because she likes his relaxed rock 'n' roll style. "Sometimes I wear my husband's jacket or T-shirt. It feels good because it's his and it's fun to mix it up," contactmusic.com quoted Kerr as saying. Kerr, who is known ...

Oklahoma tornado toll lowered to 24 from 91

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:10:01 -0400

As rescuers searched for survivors of Monday's devastating tornado that pulverized a vast swath of the Oklahoma City suburbs, authorities revised the death toll down to 24 from 91. Nine of the fatalities are children. The Monday afternoon storm carved a trail through the area as much as two miles wide and 17 miles long, CNN reported citing officials. Hardest hit was Moore, Oklahoma - a suburban ...

British Open squash World no.1 Nicol too hot for Joshana

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:10:02 -0400

World No.1 and defending champion Nicol David outclassed India's Joshana Chinappa in the first round of the Allam British Open Squash Championships here Tuesday. The Malaysian squash great took 30 minutes to get past her 26th ranked opponent 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 at the KC Stadium. Joshana had qualified for the main draw. Dipika Pallikal, India's highest ranked player at 15, plays her first round ...

Chinese premier to be conferred Pakistans highest honour

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:10:02 -0400

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who is paying a two-day official visit to Pakistan from Wednesday, will be conferred Nishan-e-Pakistan - the country's highest honour. The visit, taking place immediately after the elections in Pakistan, "will provide an opportunity to Premier Li to meet the new political leadership in Pakistan. The visit would also provide further impetus to Pakistan-China strategic ...

Lok Sabha speaker meets Belarus president

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:10:02 -0400

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has told Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko that India deeply values its relations with the east European country, a statement from her office said Tuesday. "India deeply values the cordial and friendly relations between the two countries," said the speaker, who is leading a parliamentary delegation to Belarus. Meira Kumar also met Prime Minister Mikhail ...

Enhanced contract payments for Australian cricket eves

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:20:02 -0400

Cricket Australia (CA) Tuesday announced a restructuring of the contracting system for women players which will result in the Australian female cricketers becoming some of the best paid female athletes in the country. CA approved a restructure of the contract system with a move from a three-tier payment system to a squad-ranking system. The top player retainer increases substantially from ...

Indian IT honcho Phaneesh Murthy sacked for undisclosed relationship

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:20:01 -0400

Indian tech honcho Phaneesh Murthy was Tuesday sacked as chief executive of US-based software services company iGate Corporation "for not disclosing a relationship with a subordinate", over a decade after he was forced to quit Indian IT bellwether Infosys on similar charges of sexual misconduct. "The decision to terminate the employment of president and chief executive Phaneesh Murthy was made ...

2018 World Cup infrastructure inadequate

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:00:02 -0400

Russia is struggling to beef up its hospitality infrastructure ahead of the 2018 World Cup, with seven of the 11 host cities lagging behind in the number of hotel rooms on offer. Only Moscow, Sochi, St. Petersburg and Kazan meet the FIFA requirement of 60,000 hotel rooms for host cities, World Cup deputy CEO Alexander Djordjadze said Tuesday at the Football Build Expo here. "It's no secret that ...

China to host maiden Royal Trophy golf meet

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:30:02 -0400

The Royal Trophy Golf Tournament will be held for the first time in China Dec 20-22 at Dragon Lake Golf Club in Guangzhou, Royal Trophy co-managing director Ivan Ballesteros said Tuesday. "We are very pleased to announce that the next edition of the Royal Trophy will be held at Dragon Lake Golf Club in China. The previous edition of the competition was an enormous success with the Asian team ...

Indian mission in Jeddah working to fix passport problem

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:20:02 -0400

The Indian consulate in Jeddah is using diplomatic channels to make passport authorities in Saudi Arabia accept newly-designed Indian passports, which they are refusing saying they were not officially informed about the change. According to Consul General Pranav Ganesh, the consulate is aware of the "unexpected problem", the Arab News reported Tuesday. "The matter has been taken up with the ...

Moscow safer than New York Russian minister

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:10:01 -0400

Russian police reforms have proved so successful that, in some areas, Moscow outperforms New York on safety, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev has boasted while on a visit to the US. Kolokoltsev made the claims during a meeting in New York late Monday with New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. "We have compared the crime situation in Moscow and New York, factoring in the ...

Kesha drops underwear at awards ceremony

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:50:01 -0400

Singer Kesha attended the Billboard Music Awards 2013 in a little black dress, but without an underwear. She says it was a conscious decision. "I'm rolling with my by out. It's a different look for me. I like to mix it up," eonline.com quoted the singer as saying. "I wanted to be really naked in every sense of the word, so I went bare with the makeup, bare with the by," she ...

India expects greater backing from Russia in UNSC quest

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:30:02 -0400

India, with its "time-tested relationship" with Russia, expects greater backing from Moscow in its quest for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, a diplomatic officical said here Tuesday. "India's interest in securing permanent membership of UN Security Council is supported by Russia, but there is now an expectation that our Russian friends need to do more - and be seen to be doing ...

Indian student in Dubai ranked second in ISC exam

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:10:01 -0400

An Indian student in a school here was ranked second in this year's Indian School Certificate (ISC) class 12 examination. Kartik Kolachina of Gems Modern Academy scored 98.75 percent to be ranked second in the science stream, the Khaleej Times reported Tuesday. He scored 98 each in physics and computer science, 99 in chemistry and 100 in mathematics. Other students of the school in other ...

MJs estate mints $600 million since his death

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:40:01 -0400

Late King of Pop Michael Jackson's estate has made $600 million since his death in 2009. It is more money than the "Thriller" star ever minted while he was alive. The money primarily came from ticket sales. His posthumous sales are believed to amount to more than any single living artist during the same period, reports independent.co.uk. Contributing factors include ticket sales for Cirque du ...

Indian lorry driver jailed in Singapore

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:10:02 -0400

An Indian lorry driver has been jailed by a court in Singapore for causing the death of one person and injuring 14 others due to negligence while driving. Periyasamy Jayaprakash, 25, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Mathialagu Kathiravan, 19, when his lorry collided head-on with another lorry on the Tanah Merah Coast Road here in the morning of July 3 last year, the Straits Times reported ...

Cold weather affects blood pressure

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:10:02 -0400

Cold weather affects blood pressure, shows a study that assessed a staggering 169,000 blood pressure measurements. The study has found that some people's blood pressure is affected more by the cold weather and this blood pressure sensitivity to temperature may be a marker of early mortality, said a statement from the University of Glasgow. Sandosh Padmanabhan, reader at the Institute of ...

Four mn jobs created in two years Brazilian president

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:10:01 -0400

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has said that 4.13 million full jobs have been created since the beginning of her administration in January 2011. In her weekly radio show "Breakfast with the President", Rousseff said Monday the achievement was much more significant against the backdrop of the global economic woes, which had seen many developed countries struggling with rising unemployment. ...

Indian-origin men in New Zealand face gang-rape charges

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:10:01 -0400

A woman has given evidence in a court in New Zealand implicating four men of Indian origin of raping her in turns in April 2011. Amir Chand, 25, Harvinder Singh, 22, Kamaljeet Singh, 27, and Sumit Vermani, 26, are defending the charges in the high court in Hamilton, Fairfax NZ News reported Tuesday. The woman has claimed that the four men raped her in the course of an evening during the ...

National Federation Party ready for 2014 Fiji elections

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:10:01 -0400

Fiji's National Federation Party (NFP), comprising mostly of Indian-origin members, says it is ready for the elections scheduled for 2014 in that south pacific island nation. Party president Raman Pratap said that there was no need for a change in the party's executive line-up and a meeting will be held in June to discuss the party's election strategy. "All we have to do now is start with our ...

Afghan women getting jailed for moral crimes

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:40:01 -0400

The Afghan government should take urgent steps to halt an alarming increase in women and girls imprisoned for "moral crimes," Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. Statistics from Afghanistan's interior ministry indicate that the number of women and girls imprisoned for "moral crimes" had risen to about 600 in May 2013 from 400 in October 2011 - a 50 percent rise. Since October 2011, there has been ...

Mediterranean diet component snatches cancer cells immortality Study

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:30:01 -0400

Scientists have found a compound in foods associated with Mediterranean diet that deprives cancer cells of their immortal nature, says a study. By altering a very specific step in gene regulation, this compound essentially re-educates cancer cells into normal cells that die as scheduled. One way that cancer cells thrive is by inhibiting a process that would cause them to die on a regular cycle ...

Spain not yet on Brazils level Iniesta

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:10:01 -0400

Andres Iniesta says Spain cannot yet claim to be on the same pedestal as Brazil in football's international hierarchy. The Barcelona midfielder has been a key member of a Spain team that has won the two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup. In an interview with Brazilian daily O Globo, Iniesta said Brazil had maintained a unique aura owing to the country's rich football history. "To ...

2018 FIFA World Cup stadium may be delayed until 2017

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:02 -0400

The completion date for Zenit St. Petersburg's $1.1 billion stadium has been put back again and it may not open until 2017, a decade after construction work began, the head of the government agency auditing the project said. The stadium is to host a 2018 World Cup semifinal, but the new date means there could be a rush to prepare it for scheduled Confederations Cup games in 2017. "The ...

Andhra markets GAME city at Cannes

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:02 -0400

Riding on its extensive cinema industry, which produces one of the largest number of films in India, the government of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is keen to use the latest technological innovations in the industry to create skill development and employment opportunities for its youth. "We are planning to set up a GAME city which will serve as the hub for Gaming, Animation, Media ...

Maarty Broekman wants to work with Alesha Dixon

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:01 -0400

Music reality TV show "Britain's Got Talent" contestant Maarty Broekman says he wants to make music with judge Alesha Dixon. The eccentric Dutchman auditioned shirtless - he came dressed in a red leather jacket and sequinned leather trousers. He impressed the judges when he sang classic tune "Backdoor Lover". "Maybe Alesha and I can write music together. I'll wait for that day, after I win the ...

Russia announces cash prizes for World University medallists

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:30:02 -0400

Russia's federal government will pay out roughly $5,400 to Russian gold medallists at this summer's University Games in the Russian city of Kazan, according to a decree signed Tuesday by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Silver medallists, meanwhile, will receive a bonus of just over $2,600, while bronze medallists will earn about $1,600, as Russia looks to finish first in the medal table for the ...

Kesha gives underwear a miss at awards night

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:30:02 -0400

Peter Andre hunting for two pads

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:30:01 -0400

Singer Peter Andre is hunting for two houses - one for his work and the other for his children. "I've decided to buy two new homes - a flat in London and then a house with lots of land between where I live now and Brighton," femalefirst.co.uk quoted him as saying. "The reason for this is that I'd like somewhere to spend time with the kids out in the country, within easy reach of their school," ...

Love scenes are judged Michael Douglas

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:30:01 -0400

Hollywood actor Michael Douglas says it is tough filming love scenes for any movie because everybody judges them. He has shot a gay love scene with actor Matt Damon in his forthcoming film Steven Soderbergh's "Behind the Candelabra". The 68-year-old believes that the cast, crew and eventually moviegoers are more critical of love scenes because everyone can relate to the acts, as opposed to ...

Heather Graham fan of Gwen Stefanis adventurous style

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:30:01 -0400

Actress Heather Graham loves how singer Gwen Stefani experiments with style. "I love watching what Stefani wears. She's adventurous and looks like she's having fun. I really enjoy people who are perky and don't care. She just goes for it, marching to her own drum and having fun with clothes," femalefirst.co.uk quoted her as saying. The 43-year-old actress will be seen in "Hangover ...

Sikh man in Finland fights for right to wear turban at work

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:10:01 -0400

A Sikh bus driver in Finland is fighting for his right to wear a turban while at work. Gill Sukhdarshan Singh, who works at the Veolia bus company at Vantaa near the Finnish capital of Helsinki, is trying to set a precedent by making the authorities allow him to wear a turban at work, Yle, the Finnish public broadcasting company, reported Tuesday. "I have a right to my turban, and I am a Sikh ...

High public debt raises fiscal crisis risk IMF official

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:10:01 -0400

An official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned here that high public debt would raise the possibility of fiscal crisis. "We tend to underestimate the cost of fiscal crises before they occur," Carlo Cottarelli, director of IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department, said Monday during a luncheon speech hosted by the Washington-based think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics ...

New fabric developed to drain away sweat

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:02 -0400

Bioengineers have developed a waterproof fabric that could drain away sweat, a study says. The new fabric works like human skin, forming excess sweat into droplets that drain away by themselves, said inventor Tingrui Pan, professor of biomedical engineering. One area of research at Pan's micro-nano innovations laboratory at UC Davis in California, US, is a field known as microfluidics, which ...

Indian sand artist wins Danish grand prize

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:50:02 -0400

Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has won the Danish 'grand prize' at the 2nd Copenhagen International Sand sculpture festival 2013 for his 15-foot coloured sand sculpture created on the "Go green, Save Earth" theme. Pattnaik got the award Monday at the prestigious festival being held in Denmark's capital city for his maiden coloured sand sculpture on foreign land. It took him seven days to ...

Dhakas rickshaw army - commuters best option

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:50:02 -0400

With a hoot and a honk, meandering through Dhaka's famed traffic snarls, the legion of psychedelic rickshaws that are an essential part of Bangladesh's capital have a new claim to fame - they ferried protestors for free from parts of the city to the site of the revolutionary Shahbag movement during its peak in February and March. Thousands of protesters, mostly youths, had been staging protests ...

Lindsay Lohan struggles in rehab

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:20:01 -0400

It seems actress Lindsay Lohan is struggling in rehab after the doctors cut her off from Addreall. The 26-year-old actress is completing her 90-day stint at the Betty Ford Clinic in California. And her friends are worried that she is lacking energy, reports femalefirst.co.uk. A source said: "Lindsay just doesn't want to be there. She was forced to go to Betty Ford by the judge instead of going ...

The Doors band member Ray Manzarek dead

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:20:01 -0400

Veteran singer-songwriter Ray Manzarek died Monday night at his home in Rosenheim, Germany. He was suffering from cancer. He was 74. "He had been fighting bile duct cancer," thesun.co.uk quoted Manzarek's publicist as saying. Born in Chicago in 1939, Manzarek was the keyboardist with the legendary rock band band The Doors (1965) co-founded by Manzarek and Jim Morrison in Los Angeles. The band, ...

Chris Bown getting close to Chloe Green

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:20:01 -0400

Singer Chris Brown is reportedly "growing close" to retail heiress Chloe Green. The two have been spending time together. "Green met Brown last year when he serenaded her at her dad's 60th birthday party. She was always a big fan and thinks he's really hot," mirror.co.uk quoted a source as saying. "After he split with Rihanna and she split from Marc (Anthony), they've been spending more time ...

US shouldnt be jealous with China India ties Daily

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:30:02 -0400

The visit of Premier Li Keqiang to India will promote a strategic partnership, but the US should not become jealous since Beijing and New Delhi do not want to be its enemy, a state-run daily said Tuesday. "Li Keqiang's India visit will promote the two countries strategic partnership to a large extent. "But the United States should not be jealous, because China and India do not want to be its ...

Reggaeton star Yomo unhurt in shootout

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:20:03 -0400

Puerto Rican reggaeton star Yomo was unhurt in a shootout that occurred Monday on a busy highway in San Juan in which a woman who was traveling with the singer was wounded multiple times, police said. Authorities said that the 32-year-old singer, whose real name is Jose Alberto Torres Abreu, was in an automobile with several other people when unknown gunmen opened fire on the vehicle near the ...

India China trade imbalance to grow Chinese experts

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:20:02 -0400

The trade imbalance between India and China may keep growing, experts here said with one of them noting that "India needs more Chinese manufactured products". As Premier Li Keqiang visits India, his first overseas trip, China Daily spoke to experts who said the trade imbalance is likely to keep growing and the situation is hard to change. "India's trade deficit with China is expanding. In the ...

Depardieu to open restaurant in Russian city

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:20:02 -0400

French actor Gerard Depardieu, a Russian citizen since early this year, is soon to open a restaurant in the city where he now resides, authorities said Monday. "Depardieu told us that he will soon open a restaurant that aims to attract creative, enterprising people," Valeri Maresiev, information minister for the Russian Republic of Mordovia, told the Interfax news agency. The actor went through ...

Weaker yen fuels economic optimism in Japan

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:20:02 -0400

The Japanese government Monday revised upward its evaluation of the economy given the weakness of the yen, which is helping to push exports and encouraging companies to increase production. In its economic report for May, the cabinet raised its evaluation of three of the 14 categories it analyzes: exports, industrial production and profits. In addition, it said that the economy "is moving ...

Autopsy reveals Argentine ex-dictator died of heart attack

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:10:02 -0400

Gen. Rafael Videla, the emblematic figure of the military junta that ruled Argentina from 1976-83, died of a heart attack resulting from injuries and broken bones he suffered five days earlier when he fell in the shower, judicial sources told the official Telam news agency. The erstwhile strongman was found dead Friday inside his cell at the prison where he was serving a life sentence for crimes ...

Lis India trip to enhance regional growth Chinese daily

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:00:02 -0400

Premier Li Keqiang's visit to India will contribute to regional economic development and integration, a Chinese daily said Tuesday. An editorial in China Daily noted that Li's ongoing visit to India will create a new chapter in Sino-Indian relations. "That Li chose New Delhi as the first leg of his first overseas trip as China's head of government is a strong signal to the outside world that ...

Mexicos tourism sector goes up

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:20:01 -0400

Economic activity associated with tourism grew 4 percent in 2012 compared with the year before, Mexico's INEGI statistics service said. Spending by foreign and domestic tourists increased by 4.7 percent last year. In the fourth quarter of 2012, tourism activity topped the same period in 2011 by 4 percent, INEGI said Monday. By segments, spending by domestic tourists rose 4.8 percent, while ...

Governments failing to protect minorities says US

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:20:01 -0400

US Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed concern at global problems of discrimination and violence against religious groups, including Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs besides increasing use of blasphemy and apostasy laws. "In too many places, governments are also failing to protect minorities from social discrimination and violence," he said Monday ...

Oklahoma City faces second deadly tornado in 13 years

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:00:02 -0400

A devastating tornado in the Oklahoma City suburbs in southcentral US, that has killed at least 51 people, including seven children at an elementary school, was second only to one in May 1999 in its fury. The twister 13 years ago, rated a maximum EF5 on the Fujita Tornado Scale, killed 36 people and smashed some of the same communities, according to CNN. On May 3, 1999, a total of 74 tornadoes ...

Justin Timberlake is in demand on Cannes red carpet

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:00:02 -0400

Teenage girls went wild when singer and actor Justin Timberlake stepped onto the red carpet at Cannes as part of the team that made the Coen brothers' movie "Inside Llewyn Davis". Hundreds of girls waited hours Sunday to catch sight of Timberlake, some with the singer's name written across their bosoms. Hearing the screams for an autograph of their idol, he spent a fair amount of time signing ...

Paraguay becomes South Americas used car paradise

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:00:02 -0400

Paraguay has become the main destination in South America for used cars from Japan, the US and other countries, thanks to new regulations aimed at making it easier to import automobiles so low-income consumers can purchase vehicles. Used cars are all the rage in Paraguay, where vehicles that have been shipped from thousands of kilometers away are put to use as soon as they are repaired and made ...

90-year jail for Turks who poisoned Russians

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:40:01 -0400

Four Turkish nationals were sentenced Monday to 90 years in prison after they were found guilty of lethal poisoning a group of Russian tourists in 2011, a lawyer said. Some 20 Russian tourists were hospitalised with severe alcohol poisoning in Bodrum in late May on their return from a sailing tour organised by a local company. Four of them died in Turkish hospitals, while another victim died ...

US lawmakers seek more internal-security cooperation with India

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:20:01 -0400

Ahead of the second US-India Homeland Security dialogue here Tuesday, the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans has sought expanded cooperation between the two countries on internal security issues. Indian Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who arrived here Sunday, will be co-chairing the dialogue with the US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. He will also meet Federal ...

World Bank UN chiefs to visit African Great Lakes region

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:01 -0400

The World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will make a joint visit to Africa's Great Lakes region, a World Bank statement said Monday. The visit is to be undertaken in support of a landmark peace agreement and to push for economic development in the troubled region. "The visit will draw attention to the plight of fragile and conflict-affected countries ...

Situation on Korean Peninsula still serious

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:40:01 -0400

The security situation on the Korean Peninsula is still serious after North Korea's recent missile launch and its defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons, South Korea has said. "We continue to face a grave situation due to a series of provocations and nuclear threats by North Korea," said South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se at an annual conference of chiefs of overseas diplomatic missions in ...

Jolie to play own mother in biopic

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:10:01 -0400

Actress Angelina Jolie will reportedly play her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, in a biopic made by her partner Brad Pitt's production banner Plan B. Bertrand died of cancer in 2007. She was 56. Jolie recently announced that she opted for a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of getting breast cancer. If reports are to be believed, the biopic will go into production in 2014. But a release ...

Longoria misses the Beckhams

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:00:02 -0400

Actress Eva Longoria "misses" spending time with her close friends Victoria and David Beckham now that the couple has moved to London. The 38-year-old became close to the couple when they lived here. She admits it was a shame for her when they moved, but she is keen to visit them in London, reports contactmusic.com. "I think David and Victoria are an amazing couple who have an amazing reach ...

Rochelle Humes delivers girl

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:30:02 -0400

The Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes has become a first-time mother after giving birth to a baby daughter. The 24-year-old welcomed a baby daughter, her first child with fellow British pop star Marvin Humes of boyband JLS, reports contactmusiccom. Proud dad Marvin took to Twitter to share the happy news. "This morning we welcomed our baby girl Alaia-Mai Humes. Mum is doing great and baby is ...

51 killed as powerful tornado slams Oklahoma City

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:50:02 -0400

At least 51 people, including seven children at an elementary school, were killed as a massive tornado slammed Oklahoma City in south central US leaving widespread destruction in its wake. Emergency personnel were scouring the rubble at flattened Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma, hours after the tornado struck Monday afternoon, a video from CNN affiliate KFOR showed. As ...

Israel cancels UNESCO delegations visit

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:50:01 -0400

Israel has cancelled a planned visit by a UNESCO delegation to Jerusalem due to the efforts of Palestinian factions to politicise it. The Israeli foreign ministry said Monday the Palestinians were trying to turn this visit into a "fact-finding mission of Israel's moves in Jerusalem ". "The delegation's visit has been postponed, " reported Xinhua citing a source. "This was supposed to be a ...

95 killed in Syrian violence Report

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:30:02 -0400

A total of 95 people, including 23 Hezbollah members, have been killed in an intense fighting in Syria's Al-Qussair city since Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday. The toll comprises four civilians, 56 rebel fighters, 12 government troops and 23 fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group, Xinhua reported. The army pushed its way into al-Qussair ...

812 drug suspects held in joint Mekong patrolling

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:00:02 -0400

A total of 812 drug crime suspects have been arrested as part of a joint anti-drug campaign launched by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand on the trans-boundary river of Mekong, Xinhua reported. Drug trafficking has long plagued transportation on the Mekong river, which runs through the opium-producing Golden Triangle Region. Launched around mid-April, the ongoing two-month drive also included ...

Winona Ryder proud of forehead lines

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:00:01 -0400

Actresses might typically go for treatment if their face wrinkles too much, but Winona Ryder says she is very much proud of the lines on her forehead. "I'm not trying to knock it, but, I have a little bit of traffic now on my forehead, which I'm like very proud of actually, and it's interesting how people just instinctively are like, 'Oh, maybe you should get something done for that.' And it's ...

Russia needs 3 to 5 years for an efficient economy

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:50:01 -0400

Russia will need three to five years to exit stagnation and build an efficient economy, former finance minister Alexei Kudrin has said. "Even if we roll up our sleeves and set to work right now, we'll need from three to five years to achieve new elements of efficiency," Kudrin said at an Open Tribune meeting held by the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament. He also said the ruling ...

Massive tornado jolts Oklahoma City in US

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:30:01 -0400

A gigantic tornado Monday ripped through a suburb of Oklahoma City in the US , destroying a school, sparking fires and flattening homes across whole neighbourhoods. The twister struck about 4.00 p.m. (local time) Monday in Moore city, a suburb of about 55,000 people just south of Oklahoma City in the Oklahoma state. Rescuers were searching for survivors as scores of primary school children were ...

Nigeria Islamic extremist inmates to be released

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:09:29 -0400

ENUGU, Nigeria -; Nigeria's military says the West African nation is prepared to release some of the prisoners it has taken in the country's fight against Islamic ...

Car bomb other attacks kill 20 in Iraq

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:09:28 -0400

In this photo taken on Monday, May 20, 2013, Ali Karim weeps over his daughter's coffin before her burial in the holy Shiite city of Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. A wave of car bombings across Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods and in the southern city of Basra killed and wounded dozens of people, police said. (AP Photo/ Alaa ...

Officials Stony Brook student had drugs $35G in cash in dorm room

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:06:35 -0400

Elmhurst , Queens, pleaded not guilty to felony drug charges after authorities seized $35,000 in cash, marijuana, hallucinogens and drug paraphernalia from her dorm room, officials ...

Tornado rescue search almost over

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:02:13 -0400

Gary Bird said he is "98% sure" there are no more survivors or bodies to recover under the rubble in Moore.Mr Bird says every damaged home has been searched at least once, and that his goal is to conduct three searches of each location just to be sure.He is hopeful the work could be completed by nightfall, though heavy rains have slowed efforts and soaked debris piles.Mr Bird says no ...

Israel warns Syria of consequences if Golan fire continues

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:57:18 -0400

The head of Israel's armed forces warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday of "consequences" if fire continues from Syrian territory against Israeli troops in the occupied Golan ...

Primark to provide aid to Bangladesh factory victims

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:54:27 -0400

Bangladesh rescue nears end, death toll at 1127 Budgetfashion retailer Primark says it will provide short-term financial assistance to all victims and families affected by the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh last month, while the clothing industry continues to formulate a long-term compensation plan. The collapse of the building, where clothes were made for various ...

MEPs urge EU to tackle tax havens and avoidance

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:51:45 -0400

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said the EU has built up a "toolbox" for tackling tax avoidance and fraud and "now we have to use ...

Dozens killed by 200 mph tornado

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:51:42 -0400

Iran Bars Mashaei and Rafsanjani as Candidates

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:50:25 -0400

TEHRAN ...

Harry Potter book with author notes sold for $228K

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:46:58 -0400

LONDON (AP) -- A first edition copy of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" that contains author J.K. Rowling's notes and original illustrations has sold for 150,000 pounds ($228,000) at a London ...

Apple CEO makes no apology for companys tax strategy

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:45:43 -0400

1 of 7. Apple CEO Tim Cook (C), CFO Peter Oppenheimer (L) and Apple Head of tax operations Philip Bullock appear before a Senate homeland security and governmental affairs investigations subcommittee hearing on offshore profit shifting and the U.S. tax code, on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 21, ...

Rescue Efforts Near End in Oklahoma

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:45:21 -0400

MOORE, Okla. ...

Arizona ban on abortion after 20 weeks struck down by federal court

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:52 -0400

Arizona 's ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, absent a medical emergency.The 9th US circuit court of appeals said the law violated a woman's constitutionally protected right to terminate a pregnancy before a foetus is able to survive outside the womb. "Viability" of a foetus is generally considered to start at 24 weeks; normal pregnancies run about 40 weeks. Nine ...

Irans presidential election clearing the path

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:50 -0400

Iran 's presidential election in 2009 still hangs heavily over the country. Even though the leaders of the Green movement are today under house arrest, and its membership divided over whether to boycott the presidential elections next month, much of what is happening is a result of the lessons the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, learned then. In preparation for the announcement of ...

San Francisco 49ers will host 50th Super Bowl in new Santa Clara stadium

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:48 -0400

NFL announced on Tuesday. Super Bowl L will be played in the 49ers new stadium in Santa Clara, the first time the NFL showpiece has been held in the Bay Area since 1985.The NFL owners, meeting in Boston, also awarded the 51st Super Bowl ...

Rightwing Tory rebels call on peers to reject gay marriage bill

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:47 -0400

House of Lords to reject the bill after 133 Tory MPs, including two cabinet ministers, defied David Cameron to vote against the measure.As a Tory grassroots organisation warned of a "civil war in conservatism", prompted in part by the legislation, more than half of the Conservative parliamentary party voted against the bill after one ministerial aide complained of a "sham ...

Artists criticise war centenary plan

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:46 -0400

first world war has been attacked by a group of actors, writers and campaigners including Jude Law and Michael Morpurgo, author of the children's novel War Horse which is set during the conflict.Promising a "truly national commemoration", the prime ...

Letters Democratic deficit begins at home

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:45 -0400

Europe obsession seems to eclipse all logic. But she was wrong about the role of the European parliament and the democratic deficit in the EU. It's true that EU legislation needs to have the support of both MEPs and national governments, but to accuse the parliament of simply rubber-stamping what heads of state have agreed does a disservice to our scrutiny of legislation.Despite the ...

Letters Gay marriages and straight civil partnerships

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:43 -0400

marriage at the expense of - to some of us - the much more enlightened civil partnership? With successive governments promoting legally formalised relationships - and shamefully continuing to discriminate against cohabiting couples and their children in areas such as pensions, inheritance tax and separation rights - surely this is a golden opportunity to attract new recruits? My partner and I are ...

Fossil fuel divestment campaigns victory in Australia will be a moral one | Alexander White

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:41 -0400

gigatons of carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, fossil fuel companies have reserves of carbon from oil, coal and gas of almost 3000 gigatons --far exceeding the climate's safe limit if it were to all be burned.This "math" has been known for some years before McKibben's ...

Letters Remembering war to promote peace

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:40 -0400

first world war . Far from being a "war to end all wars" or a "victory for democracy", this was a military disaster and a human catastrophe.We are disturbed, therefore, ...

Abdel Hakim Belhaj torture case may be heard in secret court

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:38 -0400

One of the first cases to be heard by the government's new generation of secret courts may be a claim brought by a Libyan dissident who was kidnapped along with his pregnant wife and flown to one ...

Apple chief calls on US government to slash US corporate tax

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:36 -0400

Apple has called for US corporate tax rates to be slashed after it admitted sheltering at least $30bn (20bn) of international profits in Irish subsidiaries that pay no tax at all.In a dramatic display of how threats from multinational corporations are driving down taxes across the world, chief ...

Fed officials dampen speculation of imminent bond tapering

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:41:46 -0400

FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two senior Federal Reserve officials on Tuesday played down chances that the U.S. central bank would signal a readiness to taper bond buying at its meeting next month, dampening speculation the Fed might soon dial back its ultra-easy ...

Former Iran President Rafsanjani barred from June election

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:41:09 -0400

Iran’s former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been barred from running in next month’s presidential election. The 78-year-old who led the country between 1989 and 97 is not among the eight final candidates confirmed by the electoral watchdog, the Guardian Council. A former chief of staff to President Ahmadinejad, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, has also been disqualified, according ...

Tornado claims child victims

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:41:09 -0400

The Storm Prediction Centre warned the town of Moore to get ready, but video of the destruction shows how helpless we are in the path of a tornado’s force. The Plaza Towers primary school has been described as the strongest building in the area, but when the children followed their teachers’ instructions, many of them became victims caught in a deadly trap. A shaken Becky Nelson, ...

Survivors tell of the moment the Oklahoma tornado struck

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:41:08 -0400

In the hours after the tornado struck, survivors began to describe what had happened to them – among them some of the children at the Plaza Towers Elementary school which had taken a direct hit. ';The tornado went in and I was so afraid that I was hanging onto one of the desks and I fell back and then all the dirt start getting on my eyes and on my clothe,'; said Isabela Rojas. ...

Opinion We love and fear the skies

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:32:35 -0400

>Editor's note: Nathan Gunter is the managing editor of Oklahoma Today magazine, the state's official magazine. A graduate of Westmoore High School in Moore, Oklahoma, he holds degrees from Wake Forest University and the University of Oklahoma.(CNN) -- Oklahomans have a special relationship with the sky. We know how to look up. On the prairies of western Oklahoma, the skies are so big, and so ...

Updates Rating changed to EF5

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:19:35 -0400

>For local coverage of Monday's devastating storms in Oklahoma, go to these CNN affiliates: KFOR, KOCO, KOKH, KOKI(CNN) -- At least 24 people -- including nine children -- were killed when a massive tornado struck an area outside Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, officials said. Read more: Heartbreaking scenes in Oklahoma City after disasterAt least seven of those children were killed at ...

The I love you theyll never forget

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:25 -0400

>Are you experiencing severe weather in your area? Send photos and videos to CNN iReport. But please remember to stay safe. For local coverage of Monday's devastating storms in Oklahoma, go to these CNN affiliates: KFOR, KOCO, KOKH, KOKIMoore, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Sun was hard to come by in Moore, Oklahoma, Tuesday. The sky still looked menacing, dark and ...

Iran candidate list for presidential race

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:57:31 -0400

COMBO - This combination of eight pictures shows eight candidates approved Tuesday, May 21, 2013 for Iran's June 14 presidential election to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who cannot run again because of term limits, clockwise from left: Mohammad Gharazi, Mohsen Rezaei, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, Saeed Jalili, Ali Akbar Velayati, and Hasan Rowhani, taken between May 9 and ...

Ex-Ford execs charged in Argentine torture cases

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:57:25 -0400

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -; Three former Ford Motor Co. executives have been charged with crimes against humanity in Argentina for allegedly targeting union workers for kidnapping and torture after the country's 1976 military ...

Apple boss faces inquiry on taxes

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:50:19 -0400

21 May 2013 Apple's CEO has disputed assertions by a Senate panel that the company avoids billions of dollars in US taxes by shifting profits to foreign ...

Yahoo wants Tumblrs teens

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:40:02 -0400

>Editor's note: Douglas Rushkoff writes a regular column for CNN.com. He is a media theorist and the author of the new book "Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now. "(CNN) -- So why would Yahoo -- the original king of Internet discussion groups -- pay over $1 billion for a simple little blog-publishing tool like Tumblr? Doesn't the giant Web company have the ability to create its own ...

UK MPs vote to back gay marriage

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:39:18 -0400

The British government's controversial plans to legalise gay marriage cleared the House of Commons tonight despite efforts by Tory backbenchers to derail the ...

Oklahoma tornado The storm was a monster - even for Tornado Alley

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:39:03 -0400

The people of Moore know a twister when they see one. On 3 May 1999, an EF-5 storm tore through the Oklahoma suburb, killing 36 people and injuring 583. So when a dark, spinning cloud appeared in the skies to the southwest on Monday afternoon, they were prepared - or so they thought. The tornado touched down at ...

Kim Jong-un tries to rebuild bridges with release of Chinese hostages

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:39:02 -0400

Pyongyang has backed down from a potentially damaging confrontation with its closest ally by releasing the crew of a Chinese fishing boat held hostage for over two ...

Man kills himself in front of tourists at Notre Dame Cathedral

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:38:31 -0400

A man committed suicide in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, police say The site was evacuated The man, identified as Dominique Venner, regularly lashed out against same-sex marriage and Islamists Right-wing politician Marine Le Pen expressed respect for ...

Princes Warn Over Barbaric Animal Trade

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:37:25 -0400

Prince Charles and Prince William have accused the growing middle class desire for "exotic products" of being the main cause behind a 3,000% increase in illegal wildlife trade. Speaking at a wildlife trafficking conference at St James's Palace, Prince William also highlighted the ignorance of consumers that luxury is often coupled with "barbarity". Addressing ...

Gay Marriage Commons Passes Government Bill

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:37:24 -0400

Plans to legalise same-sex marriage in England and Wales have cleared the House of Commons with a majority of 205. The Government's controversial Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill has had its third reading in the Commons and will now go to the House of Lords. The vote was 366 in favour and 161 against. Sky's chief political correspondent Jon Craig said: "Early indications ...

Depardieu Boston Bombs Not Chechnyas Fault

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:37:23 -0400

The French actor Gerard Depardieu has said that Chechnya is not to blame for the Boston bombings because the suspects were brought up in America. Speaking in the southern Russian province of Chechnya, where he is shooting a movie with the British actress, Elizabeth Hurley, he said: "I was in the United States when the terrorist act was carried out in Boston. "I agree with Ramzan ...

IRS scandal former agency heads under fire

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:26 -0400

Anger at the Internal Revenue Service scandal boiled over at a congressional hearing on Tuesday when a senior Republican senator accused one of the former heads of the agency of "lying by omission".Senator after senator grilled the two IRS former bosses, Steven Miller, who was fired last week, and Doug Shulman, who was in charge at the time of the scandal and was giving evidence for the ...

From swivel-eyed loons to lesbian queens what fresh hell for the Tories | Hadley Freeman

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:24 -0400

a lesbian queen should gay marriage be legalised. Now, depending on your cultural reference points, the phrase "lesbian queen" will bring to mind a dodgy calypso song you once heard on holiday, a giant yacht ploughing its way majestically through the Indian ocean, or Clare Balding. Honestly, I'd be fine having any of the above as the ruling figure of Great Britain. Seriously, who ...

Christine Lagarde jets back to Paris to be questioned over Tapie payout

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:24 -0400

Christine Lagarde and Bernard Tapie are at the centre of a legal investigation into alleged complicity in embezzlement of public funds and abuse of power over a multimillion euro state payout that could expose the unhealthy friendships between high French politics and the world of business.Lagarde will jet back to Paris on Thursday to be questioned by court judges, hoping to clear her name in a ...

Shell starts process to identify its next chief executive

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:22 -0400

The hunt for Shell's next chief executive is under way, its chairman said on Tuesday, after CEO Peter Voser made what could be his last appearance at ...

Jamie Dimon sees off JP Morgan shareholder revolt

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:21 -0400

JP Morgan .Only 32% of shareholders voted to take his chairmanship away, in what was the first such vote since the full extent of JP Morgan's "London whale" trading losses were disclosed. That is down from a vote of roughly 40% in support of a similar proposal last year.But the dissident shareholders managed to attract stronger votes against directors on JP Morgan's risk ...

As we mourn Oklahoma lets not forget more people die weekly from gun crime | David Whelan

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:19 -0400

kills more people almost every week than even these mighty tornados. It is impossible to put a value on a life - and the 24 lost so far from yesterday's events is terrible and heart-breaking - but, since the beginning of ...

Miami face-eater victim recovering well from wounds

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:17 -0400

A homeless man whose face was chewed off in a cannibal-style attack on a causeway a year ago is recovering well from his life-changing wounds, but will never regain his eyesight, doctors said on Tuesday.Ronald Poppo, 66, "is very content with where he is right now," playing the guitar in his hospital room every day and enjoying following the Miami Heat's challenge for ...

Bradley Manning prosecutors seek to prove WikiLeaks suspect aided enemy

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:17 -0400

Bradley Manning have decided to drop one of 22 counts against him, but are pressing ahead with the most serious accusation, that he "aided the enemy".Military lawyers told Manning's final pre-trial hearing that they would no longer seek to prove the US soldier was guilty of leaking a single state department cable, known as ...

Oklahomans look past the storm Build and start over thats all you can do

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:16 -0400

Arrive in Moore and the first instinct is not to scan the sky but to look at your feet. The mud is everywhere, smeared on sidewalks, streets and buildings. Studded by debris and made sticky by the rain, it is splattered all over the Walmart, 40ft high and 400ft long, as if the store is trying to camouflage itself. Inside, store manager John Sanders was preparing to re-open anyway, 20 hours after ...

Jodi Arias urges Arizona jury to spare her death penalty

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:28:22 -0400

Jodi Arias looks at her defense attorney Jennifer Wilmott during the penalty phase of her murder trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona May 20, 2013 ...

World Bank boosts funds for Syria refugees Africa

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:28:21 -0400

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Bank plans substantial new funds to help Jordan cope with the influx of refugees from the civil war in Syria, and hopes new funds for central Africa will cement a peace deal there, the bank's President Jim Yong Kim said on ...

LZ Teachers remarkable courage

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:24:29 -0400

>Editor's note: LZ Granderson, who writes a weekly column for CNN.com, was named journalist of the year by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and was a 2011 Online Journalism Award finalist for commentary. He is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @locs_n_laughs.(CNN) -- Each day more than 55 million students attend the ...

24 people dead including 9 children

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:23:57 -0400

>Are you experiencing severe weather in your area? Send photos and videos to CNN iReport. But please remember to stay safe. For local coverage of Monday's devastating storms in Oklahoma, go to these CNN affiliates: KFOR, KOCO and KOKH. Moore, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Amid downed power lines, hissing gas pipes and immense devastation, rescuers searched "board by board" Tuesday for survivors and ...

Algerian president leaves Paris military hospital

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:43:57 -0400

PARIS -; Officials say Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has left the French military hospital where he has been treated for nearly a month and transferred to another ...

Palestinian group Ruler rights abuses increasing

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:43:55 -0400

The Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights said in its annual report Tuesday that incidents of abuse are up 10 percent since last ...

Reports Rafsanjani Ahmadinejad Ally Barred From Iran Election

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:43:01 -0400

Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has entered the race for the country's presidency. The move challenges plans by the Iranian establishment to ensure a loyalist wins next month's ...

Cops union Parolee responsible for Andrea Rebellos death

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:40:50 -0400

LI crime and police reports A Nassau County police officer acted properly during an encounter last week in which he shot and killed both an armed parolee and the Hofstra University student the man was holding hostage, the head of the officer's union said Tuesday."We back his position 100 percent," James Carver, president of the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association, said at ...

Sorrentino Bruni Tedeschi bring Italy to Cannes

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:39:29 -0400

CANNES, France -- La dolce vita came to Cannes on Tuesday, thanks to a pair of films set in Italy exploring lives of affluent ennui.Paolo Sorrentino's "The Great Beauty" and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's "A Castle in Italy" both feature wealthy characters whose lives have an emptiness at their center.Bruni Tedeschi - the only woman among the 20 directors competing for ...

PM calls for action on tax evasion

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:36:09 -0400

EU leaders Mr Cameron has urged European governments to join forces to act against "staggering" losses from tax evasion and "aggressive avoidance" by adopting a US system of cross-border tax information exchange - something the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy are jointly testing and intend to implement by the end of this year.And only two days ago the Prime Minister wrote ...

China agrees to impose carbon targets by 2016

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:35:38 -0400

The battle against global warming has received a transformational boost after China, the world's biggest producer of carbon dioxide, proposed to set a cap on its greenhouse gas emissions for the first ...

Iran election Rafsanjani blocked from running for president

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:34:54 -0400

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leaves office.Iranian state-run television station broadcast a statement by the interior ministry on Tuesday night announcing the final list of candidates. It did not include Rafsanjani or President Ahmadinejad's close ally, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei.Eight men were allowed to enter the race for the 14 June presidential election, including Iran's chief nuclear ...

Shell suffers embarrassing shareholder rebellion over executive pay

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:34:50 -0400

Peter Voser, chief executive of Shell, was awarded a 2.8m bonus after a year in which the company lost 1.05bn. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty ...

US to run delayed missile test on Tuesday

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:30:45 -0400

The United States will carry out on Tuesday an intercontinental ballistic missile test it had delayed last month to avoid stoking tensions with North Korea, the Air Force ...

Watch out Watford Here comes the secretive Bilderberg Group

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:47 -0400

Whether it's the shape-shifting group of reptilian descendants from the constellation Draco who control humanity, or the shadowy cabal of powerful financiers and politicians who covertly run all governments, conspiracy theorists are once again preparing for their annual jamboree of protest against those who really rule the world, this year in the highly secretive destination of... ...

China proposes emissions cap for first time

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:47 -0400

Video Amateur footage captures Oklahoma tornado

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:46 -0400

Terrifying amateur footage has captured the monster tornado that ripped through Oklahoma City surburbs, leaving a trail of devastation in its ...

Oklahoma tornado The people of Moore thought they were prepared for twisters. They were wrong

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:46 -0400

Early summit date set for US and China

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:45 -0400

The meeting, set for 7-8 June at a retreat south-east of Los Angeles, underlines the importance of the relationship between the countries as they work out ways to make room for an increasingly powerful China in a US-led world order.President Xi has said that China wants its rise to be peaceful, but that it will not compromise on issues of sovereignty - a stance that has aggravated disputes over ...

Chinese hostages released as North Korea backs down

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:45 -0400

Pyongyang has backed down from a potentially damaging confrontation with its closest ally by releasing the crew of a Chinese fishing boat held hostage for over two ...

Locked out Sheriffs fail to seize Winnie Madikizela-Mandelas art collection and silver teaset over long-overdue debt

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:44 -0400

Sheriffs trying to auction off part of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's art collection and silver teaset in order to settle a long-overdue debt were unable to proceed today, after being refused entry into her Soweto ...

No swimming Britain has some of the worst quality bathing water in Europe

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:44 -0400

Britain has some of the worst quality bathing water in Europe, with six per cent of its beaches and other swimming spots failing to meet the minimum EU ...

Oklahoma tornado latest Obama pledges support for as long as it takes to rebuild the suburb of Moore

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:42 -0400

President Barack Obama has said that authorities will work "as long as it takes" to deal with the devastation delivered by the massive hurricane that hit a heavily populated suburb of Oklahoma ...

Oklahoma tornado Children trapped in wreckage and at least 91 dead after massive storm rips through suburbs

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:41 -0400

President Barack Obama has said that authorities will work "as long as it takes" to deal with the devastation delivered by the massive hurricane that hit a heavily populated suburb of Oklahoma ...

Convicted Killer Jodi Arias Addressing Jury

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:22:54 -0400

The woman guilty of killing her ex-boyfriend is telling a jury why she should be spared the death penalty. Jodi Arias says she will spend the rest of her life contributing to philanthropic causes if jurors recommend she serve a life sentence for the killing of former lover Travis Alexander. In the packed Phoenix courtroom Arias acknowledge the pain the Alexander family has suffered since ...

Oklahoma Tornado Lost And Found Pages Set Up

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:22:54 -0400

around the town of Moore, killing at least 24 people. Possessions were blown more than 120 miles but many are now being returned to their owners after they were tracked down online. A mother found a drawing by her daughter that was picked up in a pasture near Depew. "I can't believe it!! This is from my little girl!" Bo Baucom wrote on Facebook. "This is her ...

FBI IDs Benghazi suspects _ but no arrests yet

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:19:28 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. officials say they have identified five men they believe might be behind the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year. The officials say they have enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists - but not enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian court as the Obama administration ...

Exclusive - Intel CEO shakes up units creates new devices group

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:17:58 -0400

By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp's new chief executive, Brian Krzanich, has launched a sweeping reorganization of the world's top chipmaker and created a unit aiming to retake the top chipmaker's lead in mobile and ...

Senate panel peels back Apples offshore taxes

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:17:26 -0400

U.S. Tracked Foreigners Leaving for Canada

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:16:49 -0400

WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of thousands of foreigners passing into Canada from the United States have unwittingly been a part of a grand experiment by the Department of Homeland Security to crack down on visitors who violate laws governing the length of their ...

Will IMF repeat anti-austerity call | Larry Elliott

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:51 -0400

Someone stands to lose face when the International Monetary Fund passes judgment on the UK on Wednesday. After two weeks crawling all over the economy, the big question is whether it will repeat the call it made last month for the chancellor to ease up on the pace of deficit ...

Eating disorders how do we improve the body image of our boys and girls | Glen Poole

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:50 -0400

eating disorders is on the rise is a timely reminder that we have a body image problem. However, it's not a problem we can hope to solve unless we consider the role that perceptions of gender play in the nation's emotional wellbeing.According ...

Prince Charles calls for war on animal poachers

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:49 -0400

Prince Charles has warned that criminal gangs are turning to animal poaching, an unprecedented slaughter of species that can only be stopped by waging war on the perpetrators, in the latest of a series of increasingly outspoken speeches about the environment.Addressing a conference of conservationists at St James's Palace in London, the Prince of Wales announced a meeting of heads of state ...

Alexander Lebedev braces for guilty verdict despite trial witnesses no-show

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:48 -0400

Alexander Lebedev fears that a Moscow court will hand down a guilty verdict in his trial on hooliganism charges despite the fact that the case appears to be falling apart.Only two prosecution witnesses appeared at a court hearing on Monday, where Lebedev pleaded not guilty to charges of battery and "hooliganism motivated by political hatred" for punching a fellow businessman during the ...

Fema uses Waffle House index to take stock of Oklahoma tornado disaster

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:47 -0400

When the main US federal emergency agency arrives at the scene of a disaster-hit area, one of the first places it turns to is the local Waffle House - and not just for its officials to grab a quick bite.Craig Fugate, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, came up with the idea of the "Waffle House index" as an informal way of measuring the impact of a disaster. The chain, ...

Cuba lifts import ban on domestic appliances

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:45 -0400

Cuba has authorised individual imports of appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and microwave ovens, lifting a ban imposed in 2005 amid a wave of energy shortages and blackouts.Islanders can now bring up to two such appliances per person into the country for noncommercial purposes. The list of approved items includes air conditioners with a capacity of less than one ton, ovens that ...

Why well never have total religious freedom | Andrew Brown

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:43 -0400

annual review of religious freedom around the world . Eight countries are marked out for particularly egregious violations: three are officially atheist, two are Sunni Muslim, one is Shia, one Buddhist, and one, Eritrea, is intolerantly multi-faith in that it recognises three streams of Christianity and one of Islam while persecuting all others.I'll list them all at the end of the article. ...

Nigerian military in heavy fighting with Boko Haram militants

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:42 -0400

Nigeria 's military has been involved in heavy fighting with Islamist insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons from Libya as it steps up an offensive aimed at flushing ...

Republican pair opposed Sandy aid – but its totally different for Oklahoma

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:39 -0400

Oklahoma senators Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe are in a difficult position as attention turns to disaster relief for those affected by the tornado in Moore.Coburn and Inhofe have a record of vehement opposition to federal funding for disaster relief, and both opposed last year's $60.4bn aid bill for victims of Hurricane Sandy.But they don't seem to have a problem with federal funding for ...

How America became a third world country | Mattea Kramer and Jo Comerford for TomDispatch

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:38 -0400

The streets are so much darker now since money for streetlights is rarely available to municipal governments. The national parks began closing down years ago. Some are already being subdivided and sold to the highest bidder. Reports on bridges crumbling or even collapsing are commonplace. The air in city after city hangs brown and heavy (and rates of childhood asthma and other lung diseases have ...

Chelsea flower show top prize goes to Australians for first time in 100 years

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:37 -0400

The roar may not quite have been audible back home in Victoria, but the rest of the showground could be in little doubt who was victorious. For the first time in 100 years, a garden design team ...

Wagner anniversary revives German debate over controversial composer

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:36 -0400

Richard Wagner , often described as one of the most controversial Germans of all time, will be commemorated - warts and all - on the 200th anniversary of his birth on Wednesday with an exuberant lineup of events including new productions, statues, stamps, coins and books.Across the musical world and especially in his native land, a deluge of tributes are being paid to the man who still divides as ...

Pope expresses solidarity with Oklahoma tornado survivors

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:13:47 -0400

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis has expressed his "closeness to the families of all who died in the Oklahoma tornado," with special concern for "those who lost young ...

Syrian foes move towards talks but fighting rages

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:13:43 -0400

People wait for buses at the al-Abassin bus station, near Damascus' Jobar neighbourhood which is controlled by the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra during a guided tour by the Syrian Army May ...

St Peters Basilica protester blasts Italys social massacre

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:13:02 -0400

24/11/2012 15:07 CET An Italian beach resort manager has been spending a second day perched on a ledge of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican demanding the end to what he calls Italy’s social ';massacre'; and ';political horror show';. It is the third time in a year that Marcello De Finizio has climbed the dome to protest against the government and EU-imposed ...

Joint probe into Russias Eurovision votes stolen in Azerbaijan

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:13:02 -0400

17/05/2013 11:07 CET Russia and Azerbaijan are joining forces to investigate a Eurovision scandal that saw votes for Russia’s entry vanish. Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described as ';outrageous'; the revelations by Azerbaijan that although its country’s voters had put Dina Garipova’s ballad second, she got ';nul points'; instead of ...

German defence minister should go over drone fiasco

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:13:01 -0400

16/05/2013 14:44 CET After Germany’s scrapping of an expensive project involving the purchase of US-made drones, the opposition are now demanding the defence minister’s resignation. They claim Thomas de Maizire knew well in advance that the ';Euro Hawk'; would not get flight permission for European airspace, but held back information. The minister will make a statement ...

C.E.O. Denies That Apple Is Avoiding Taxes

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:10:02 -0400

WASHINGTON ...

Ally of Georgias Leader Charged With Abuse of Power

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:07:10 -0400

MOSCOW ...

Scenes from Moore

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:42:19 -0400

Scenes from Moore

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:42:19 -0400

Scenes from Moore

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:42:19 -0400

US envoy in Cuba engages critics on and offline

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:30:08 -0400

HAVANA (AP) — A U.S. diplomat has become a sort of tweeter-in-chief for the U.S. mission in Cuba, reaching out to some of Washington's most vocal critics on the island.The U.S. Interests Section has long cultivated ties to dissident bloggers and tweeters. But the mission's deputy chief Conrad Tribble has been reaching out to the communist Twitteratti as well.That has prompted ...

WikiLeaks prosecutors accept GIs plea to 1 count

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:26:05 -0400

FORT MEADE, Md. -; The government will accept an Army private's guilty plea to a lesser version of one of the 22 counts he faces for sending more than 700,000 classified U.S. documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, a military prosecutor said during a pretrial hearing ...

China vice-premier arrives in Zimbabwe

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:26:02 -0400

HARARE, Zimbabwe -; Chinese vice-premier Wang Yang has arrived in Zimbabwe at the start of an official trip to view his nation's burgeoning trade and development ties in ...

New Egypt tax law cuts for poor business hikes

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:26:00 -0400

CAIRO -; Egypt's president has signed a new tax law that cuts the amount paid by poorer Egyptians while increasing taxes on small and medium-sized ...

Egyptian troops mistakenly fire on a Sinai funeral

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:26:00 -0400

An Egyptian Army vehicle with a tank heads to the closed Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza strip, in Sheikh Zuweyid, northern Sinai, Egypt, Monday, May 20, 2013. Security officials said 17 military and more than 20 police armored vehicles were deployed in northern Sinai Monday as a response to the kidnapping by suspected militants of six policemen and a border guard there last ...

Rebels in C. African Republic protest conditions

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:25:58 -0400

BANGUI, Central African Republic -; Some members of the rebel alliance who overthrew the president of Central African Republic are protesting outside the luxury hotel where their leader is ...

Court frees man in murder that shocked SAfricans

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:25:58 -0400

JOHANNESBURG -; A magistrate drops charges against the boyfriend accused in the brutal gang-rape and killing of a teenager that shocked South ...

India offers more aid for rebuilding Afghanistan

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:25:57 -0400

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, right, listens to Afghan President Hamid Karzai during a meeting at the Indian Presidential Palace in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Karzai is meeting with Indian leaders and is expected to seek increased military aid from India. India has invested more than $2 billion in Afghan infrastructure, including highways and hospitals and rural electricity ...

Spain backs sending defensive arms to Syria rebels

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:25:55 -0400

Mouaz al-Khatib, former chief of the Syrian National Coalition, left, shakes hands with Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo on his arrival at the foreign ministry in Madrid, Spain Tuesday May 21, 2013. Syrian opposition groups meeting in Spain say they oppose all negotiation with President Bashar Assad's government unless it is aimed at his giving up of power. Some 80 ...

Kyrgyzstan bent on evicting US air base in 2014

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:25:53 -0400

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan -; Kyrgyzstan's president has reaffirmed that next year the Central Asian nation will evict the U.S. air base that supports military operations in nearby ...

Missing swimmer pleads not guilty to attempted kidnapping

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:23:14 -0400

A Massapequa man who faked his own drowning last year pleaded guilty Thursday to a conspiracy charge and agreed to repay authorities the more than $35,000 they spent searching for him in the waters off Jones Beach. Videojournalist: Jim Staubister (March 21, 2013 5:20 ...

Man pleads not guilty in beer fight stabbing

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:23:13 -0400

Photo credit: SCPD, Handout | Left, John Beaumont, 54, of West Babylon, on his way to arraignment in Central Islip Criminal Court where he was charged in the stabbing death of his brother Thomas Beaumont, 57, right. (May 12, ...

Donkeys suspected of killing man

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:17:54 -0400

Sandor Horvath, a 65-year-old retired firefighter, was apparently pulled off his motorcycle by the donkeys kept on a field next to his small farm in the town of Magyarszecsod. The animals are thought to have dragged him 50 yards, biting and trampling him.Police say they are still working on the case but have no new developments to report.The results of an autopsy to determine the exact cause of ...