| World News  | Pakistan, the world's most dangerous country, is still no safer
The Daily Telegraph
Chary of being accused of interference, various governments have described yesterday's resignation of Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan as an internal affair. If only that were so. It was, of course, up to the coalition formed by the two main political parties to initiate impeachment proceedings against the former general, an action that in effect forced him out of office. But the consequences are of global significance. First,...
photo: AP/Anjum Naveed
|  | Malaysia denies targeting Anwar with new DNA bill -
Yahoo Daily News
8 minutes ago KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia is planning to force criminal suspects to give DNA samples, but denied it is targetting opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim who refused to give a sample after his arrest on sodomy charges. Anwar, a former deputy premier until being sacked in 1998 and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges, has rejected the new allegations as a government plot and says he fears a DNA sample could be manipulated....
photo: AP / Lai Seng Sin
|  | Iran to allies: We'll launch satellites
The Columbus Dispatch
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran is prepared to help Muslim countries launch satellites, an Iranian official said yesterday, a day after Iran declared that it had test-fired a new rocket capable of carrying a satellite into orbit. "I am announcing now that Iran is ready to launch satellites of friendly Islamic countries into space," Reza Taghipour, head...
photo: WN / Kamaran Najm
|  | 10 French soldiers killed in Kabul firefight
Canada Dot Com
KABUL - Ten French soldiers have been killed in fighting with Taliban insurgents east of the Afghan capital, an Afghan military official said on Tuesday. The soldiers, part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), were killed in a major battle with insurgents that began on Monday about 50 kilometres east of Kabul, he said. It was the biggest single loss of French troops in Afghanistan since U.S.-led and Afghan forces toppled the...
photo: AP / Musadeq Sadeq
|  | Musharraf's 'poisoned chalice'
News24
Danny Kemp Islamabad - Pervez Musharraf has left a poisoned chalice for Pakistan, with the constitution and economy in tatters and even his gains against extremism and towards peace with India under threat, analysts say. Musharraf spent most of Monday's hour-long speech leading to his resignation as president defending his achievements since he seized power in a military coup nine years ago, saying that impeachment charges against him were false....
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
|  | Bush, Musharraf: An uneasy alliance
The News Tribune
CRAWFORD, Texas -- Running for president, George W. Bush couldn't name the new leader of Pakistan. But after the Sept. 11 attacks, Pervez Musharraf became a crucial but ultimately frustrating ally in the war against Islamic extremists. The embattled Musharraf, who resigned Monday, angered his countrymen by siding with the United States. He disappointed Washington by failing to be tougher with al-Qaida and the Taliban in Pakistan's lawless...
photo: White House/Shealah Craighead
|  | NATO ministers to review ties with Russia
The Examiner
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Map, News) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to push NATO allies Tuesday to curtail high-level meetings and military cooperation with Russia unless Moscow sticks to its cease-fire pledge to withdraw troops from Georgia. Tensions between Russia and the West are at some of their highest levels since the breakup of the Soviet Union, as Russian troops appeared to consolidate their hold on parts of Georgian territory...
photo: AP / Yves Logghe
|  | 'America's friend' Musharraf had to go, say Kashmiris
The Times of India
SRINAGAR: The end of Pervez Musharraf's nine-year rule in Pakistan has evoked mixed reactions in Jammu and Kashmir, though a majority feel the "dictator" had to go and that his exit should provide some lasting lessons for future leaders of Pakistan vis-a-vis relations with the US. "He was a dictator and he had to go. He ruled with the blessings of George Bush and Bush was the first to...
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
|  | Curfew relaxed in Jammu; Srinagar calm
The Times of India
19 Aug 2008, 1218 hrs IST,PTI JAMMU: With improvement in situation, curfew was relaxed in different regions of Jammu & Kashmir. Curfew were relaxed for varying periods in Jammu, Samba, Udhampur and Kishtwar districts in Jammu region on Tuesday. Curfew has been relaxed in Jammu city for 15 hours from 0500 hours, while it was eased for nine hours in Samba, official sources said. In Udhampur, authorities...
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
| Business News  | Venezuela seizes control of cement companies -
Yahoo Daily News
By FABIOLA SANCHEZ, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 14 minutes ago CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan government officials backed by National Guard troops seized control of cement plants owned by Mexico's Cemex SAB after failing to reach a deal on terms for nationalizing them. As a deadline for talks expired at the stroke of midnight Monday, Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez raised a fist in the air while flag-waving workers cheered at a Cemex plant....
photo: AP Photo / Fernando Llano
|  | Honda hoping TL can revive Acura
The Columbus Dispatch
MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- The redesigned Acura TL has a smile on its face. Or at least the chrome across the grille looks a lot like a smile, or maybe even a smirk. Honda of America hopes the Ohio-built sedan can help breathe new life into its luxury brand. The fourth-generation TL had its coming-out party yesterday at the Honda assembly plant in Marysville, about five weeks before customers can buy one. The new version is larger, more powerful and...
photo: Creative Commons / Aude
|  | GM brings back employee discounts to boost sales
Canada Dot Com
General Motors Corp, aiming to boost sagging sales, rolled out a major promotion for U.S. dealers Monday that includes employee-level discounts on almost all the Chevrolet cars and trucks in its showrooms. The sweeping discount offer takes effect Wednesday and marks GM's return to a strategy it had abandoned in the last two years, in an effort to make its pricing more transparent and to wean American consumers from fire-sale blowout deals. But...
photo: Public Domain / IFCAR
|  | Toyota retools with rest of industry
Ohio
In the first six months of the year, Toyota's U.S. sales executives watched with alarm as demand tumbled for one model after another in the lineup. First it was the big Tundra pickup, then large SUVs and luxury models and by June, demand had slipped even for midsize, car-based sport utilities like the Highlander that Toyota was preparing to build at a new plant in Mississippi. Toyota's manufacturing specialists had ordered the tooling and...
photo: Creative Commons / File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske)
|  | "Hannah Montana" hits DVD stores
Asbury Park Press
This week's new DVD releases include "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert." Teen sensation Cyrus and her pop-star alter ego Hannah Montana headlined a sold-out concert tour, which then turned into a sold-out movie at theaters. For her millions of fans who missed the live shows, the movie's crisp digital 3-D images offered something of an illusion that they were seeing their idol in person. Along with the stage...
photo: Flickr /
|  | TSX Edges Higher As Resources Rise
Canada Dot Com
The Toronto Stock Exchange's main index finished slightly higher yesterday as a rise in resource shares offset nagging fears of more fallout from the credit crunch. In choppy action, the materials sector was lifted 2% by gold producers, which rose along with bullion prices and helped to put a floor under the benchmark index. Gold climbed to end just under $800 an ounce while the U. S. dollar weakened. Traders said yesterday's action could be the...
photo: Creative Commons / nodomain.cc
|  | Southern Airlines stock plunges 81%
Canada Dot Com
China Southern Airlines Co., Asia's largest carrier by passenger numbers, predicted "a long period of hardship" and posted a wider first-half operating loss after fuel prices doubled. The carrier will redeploy capacity and seek to boost revenue from first and business-class cabins to boost its performance, Chairman Liu Shaoyong said in Monday. The operating loss was $170 million, compared...
photo: Creative Commons / Dice
| Entertainment News  | People in the news
The Columbus Dispatch
Getting under her skin Malaysia's Islamic opposition party has urged the government to cancel a concert by Avril Lavigne, saying the Canadian singer's onstage moves are "too sexy." The rock singer plans to start a monthlong Asian tour with a performance Aug. 29 in Kuala Lumpur. Government officials, who vet all foreign artists, will decide this week whether she risks violating the country's strict standards. Performers can't wear clothes with...
photo: WN
|  | Anna Faris is not your typical house bunny
Canada Dot Com
Anna Faris wants to make one thing clear: She did not have a fling with Hugh Hefner during the filming of House Bunny. Yes, she does play a fluff-headed Playboy Bunny in the movie opening this week. Yes, she filmed a fair number of scenes in the famed Playboy Mansion, some of them with Hef himself. And yes, the filmmakers definitely needed his co-operation to get the project off the ground. But that's as far as it went.Faris: Thumbs-up from...
photo: OTRS
|  | SRK to match Big B with German tour
The Times of India
19 Aug 2008, 0559 hrs IST, BHARATI DUBEY ,TNN MUMBAI: Amitabh Bachchan's world tour, The Unforgettable , will now include Germany and Shah Rukh Khan will follow the Big B there with his own global tour, Temptation Reloaded, which has just returned from Amsterdam. There's more than meets the eye in two Bollywood biggies taking their tours to Germany, a fairly new market for Hindi films; it shows that stage...
photo: AP /
|  | Phil Collins sets divorce record
Canada Dot Com
you remember Genesis, don't you? - will pay £25 million - call it $50 million - to divorce his Swiss wife Orianne Cevey. They had 12 years together, seven of them married, and have two kids. This is a British record for a celeb divorce, surpassing the £24.3 million Paul McCartney paid his ex. Orianne was Phil's third wife. His total divorce payouts now add up $84 million. These days he's reportedly seeing U.S. TV newscaster Dana Tyler. This is an...
photo: AP/Alastair Grant
|  | Tom Cruise wakes up "Sleeper"
Canada Dot Com
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - As Tom Cruise writes the next chapter in his career, he's developing an interest in comic-book movies. With filmmaker Sam Raimi, the actor is setting up "Sleeper" as a feature project at Warner Bros. Cruise is loosely attached to star in the adaptation of the DC Comics/Wildstorm comic, which Raimi would produce with his Star Road Entertainment partner Josh Donen. Written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips,...
photo: MGM / UA
|  | South America beckons Hrithik
The Times of India
After sweating it out at the hectic shoots of Jodha Akbar in Karjat and Rajasthan, Hrithik is off to the beautiful locales of South America. The actor is shooting for Rakesh Roshan's Kites and the shoot is taking him places. Since the film happens to be a family affair,...
photo: PIB
|  | Casino bucks travel trend
Canada Dot Com
While cross-border trips by U.S. visitors to Canada have fallen to their lowest level in three decades, according to Statistics Canada, the impact in Windsor may not be as serious as in previous years following the rebranding and reopening of Caesars Windsor, which is attracting visitors from the U.S. and Canada to its 5,000-seat concert venue. Since 2001, Canadian tourism has taken a major hit because of border concerns, the strong Canadian...
photo: WN / Aruna Gilbert
| Health News  | The Diet Detective: Evaluating new foods, gadgets
The State
By CHARLES STUART PLATKIN - Special to The State I'm always looking for new healthy-living products and services. Here are a few of my latest finds. Calorie Bargain: Pace Salsa Verde (www.pacefoods.com/products.aspx) The Why: It's spicy, delicious and low calorie. Pace has been around for more than 60 years, but I would never have guessed they'd come out with a salsa this good. The Health Bonus: It's so low in calories. What We Liked Best: All...
photo: Creative Commons / Gveret Tered
|  | It's treatment time
Toronto Sun
Canada's police commissions are urging politicians to keep chronic offenders in pre-trial custody so they get the help they need and the public is protected. Repeat criminals typically have addictions or mental health problems and releasing them on bail simply gives them the opportunity to continue victimizing people, says Brian Gibson, chairman of the Edmonton Police Commission. "We have to be able to hold these people and start giving them some...
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick
|  | Acts of kindness
Chicago Sun-Times
Every year, an estimated 2,000 tons of unused medical supplies from U.S. hospitals -- about $200 million worth -- is disposed of as waste. The bulk of these items had been ordered by hospitals as surplus, in case extra supplies are needed during an operation. But...
photo: AP / Stefen Chow
|  | Kaine prepares Virginia for difficult budget cuts
Richmond Times Dispatch
Take a deep breath, Virginians. You're in for some serious belt-tightening. Even schools and health care -- spared in the last round of state budget cuts -- could be squeezed. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said yesterday that stark economic times across the nation and reduced tax revenue in Virginia will require the state to make difficult cuts to its $77 billion budget for 2008-10. Unlike Kaine, legislators in both parties offered projections on the...
photo: Creative Commons / Tim Kiser
|  | Liz Hurley parades her perfect pins as she cruises the Greek Islands
The Daily Mail
Liz Hurley proved she is still in fabulous shape when she stepped out in a skimpy outfit on holiday in Greece. Earlier this year there were rumours the actress may be pregnant when it appeared she was carrying a few extra pounds. But there was no sign of a bump, as the 43-year-old's tiny skirt and vest top revealed a toned physique which could belong to a woman half her age. Life's a beach: Liz and husband Arun hold hands as they board the luxury...
photo: AP/Alastair Grant
|  | 2 babies born in Alta. hospital infected by same unidentified bacteria
Canada Dot Com
CALGARY - Health officials revealed Monday two Alberta babies who contracted a severe - and in one case fatal - bacterial infection were born only a day apart at the same Lethbridge hospital, leading critics to call for an independent probe. While a local health region investigation found no evidence the newborns acquired the infection at the hospital, provincial opposition parties and patient advocates said there should be a further review of...
photo: GNU. File
|  | What years of using a sunbed can do to your face - as shown by ...
The Daily Mail
Despite growing fears over the health risks, for many fashion-conscious youngsters the golden glow of a suntan is a must-have. Now a charity campaign hopes to educate them about the ageing affects of excessive use of sunbeds. Singer Sandi Thom - who had a number one hit with I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker - has been artificially aged by 30 years to show how severely her skin is likely to be damaged. Three faces: Sandi Thom as...
photo: WN / deniseyong
|  | Infected babies born one day apart
Canada Dot Com
Health officials revealed Monday two Alberta babies who contracted a severe -- and in one case fatal -- bacterial infection were born only a day apart at the same Lethbridge hospital, leading critics to call for an independent probe. While a Chinook Health Region investigation has found no evidence the newborns acquired the infection at the hospital, opposition parties and patient advocates said there should be a further review of the July 28 and...
photo: Creative commons
| Politics News  | Obama VP announcement expected in coming days
Richmond Times Dispatch
CHICAGO -- Barack Obama will publicly disclose his vice presidential choice in the coming days, though the Democrat is keeping most aides who are preparing for the announcement in the dark and giving away nothing to voters as he campaigns. The Illinois senator has staffers in place to aid the No. 2 and his or her spouse, including more than a dozen seasoned operatives who have set up shop in a section of the campaign's Chicago headquarters. They...
photo: AP Photo / Jessica Hill
|  | Major urges more sports funding
BBC News
Former PM Sir John Major has called for guaranteed National Lottery cash for grassroots sports and criticised those who oppose spending millions on sport. Sir John, whose government set up the UK's lottery, told the BBC that sport was important and British success in Beijing had uplifted the nation. Great Britain has achieved its biggest haul of Olympic gold medals since 1920. Sir John said every political party should commit to developing...
photo: US DoD
|  | The environment, good governance and corruption
Independent Online
One might ask what do these three important issues have in common? I was recently researching the whole concept of good governance and corruption in preparation for a speech that I made in the House of Representatives on the Public Administration Bill before we went into summer recess. Two particular things struck me: a) That while the Maltese government in general and the Prime Minister in particular, had tried to brush off the MLPs...
photo: (UN /Mark Garten)
|  | Pakistan parties ponder Musharraf 'accountability'
The Charlotte Observer
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan There's no immunity deal for Pervez Musharraf, though Pakistan's coalition government hasn't decided whether to pursue charges against the former president who resigned rather than face impeachment, the nation's law minister said Tuesday. The U.S.-backed leader announced his exit Monday in an emotional address to the nation. The resignation was widely expected, and supporters and foes had suggested he was seeking guarantees...
photo: AP Photo/K.M. Choudary
|  | New faces for Indonesia's parties
BBC News
Midnight is the deadline for Indonesia's political parties to put forward their candidates for next year's parliamentary elections. A record 38 parties will contest the polls, each of which will put forward members ranging from established politicians to the newest faces. Politics in Indonesia has opened up dramatically in the past 10 years, as a result of...
photo: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
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