Monthly Archives: March 2012
Obama downplays Medvedev ‘open mic’ gaffe
Source : agencies Adjusted by Hamid Khastan United States President Barack Obama has played down criticism of his candid, open-microphone chat with a Russian counterpart by assuring his critics he was not
Arab League begins key Baghdad summit
Drought and uprisings are threatening to undermine the Middle East’s economy, Arab officials said as they discussed plans to boost the region’s stability at the start of a key summit in Baghdad.
Syria ‘accepts’ Annan plan to end crisis
The Syrian government has agreed to accept the six-point plan by joint United Nations-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on ending the violence in Syria, the former UN chief’s spokesman has said. “The
Suicide vests found in Afghan defence complex
Eleven suicide vests have been found at the defence ministry compound in Afghanistan, which also houses the residence and office of the Afghan president. Al Jazeera’s James Bays, reporting from the Afghan
Amnesty alarmed by execution surge
Executions around the world soared last year with countries such as Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia resorting to the death penalty more often, Amnesty International has said in a new report. The
Strauss-Kahn put under formal probe in France
Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been put under formal investigation by a French court over his alleged role in a prostitution ring. Richard Malka, a lawyer for Strauss-Kahn, said he has
New Mali leader defends military coup
Mali’s new military leader has defended last week’s coup in the west African nation, saying the president he deposed had failed the country. In an exclusive interview to Al Jazeera, army officer
Sudan summit suspended after border clashes
Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, has suspended an April summit with his southern counterpart following renewed clashes between the two armies on the border. “The government announced that it suspended Bashir’s visit
US seeks China help on N Korea rocket launch
Barack Obama, the US president and Chinese President Hu Jintao are holding talks expected to focus on US frustrations with China’s slow progress in pushing North Korea to comply with international obligations.
Wife defends US soldier in Afghan massacre
The wife of the US soldier charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in a pre-dawn attack in Afghanistan has expressed disbelief that her husband was involved in the killings of 17
Turkey’s ex-army chief on trial for coup plot
Ilker Basbug, Turkey’s former army chief, has gone on trial on charges of leading a terrorist group accused of plotting to overthrow the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister. Basbug
Annan ‘studying’ Syria response to peace plan
Turkey and Norway have closed their embassies in Syria, further isolating President Bashar al-Assad’s government as special envoy Kofi Annan study’s its response to his peace plan. Assad’s forces continued to bombard
French gunman’s brother charged
The brother of a gunman whose grisly murder spree shocked France has been charged with complicity in the attacks, but his lawyer said he should not be made a scapegoat. Abdelkader Merah
Obama for ‘world without nuclear weapons’
Barack Obama, the US president, has said that he is pushing for “a world without nuclear weapons” and is committed to deterring nuclear proliferation, ahead of a two-day 53-nation nuclear summit in
Pakistan MPs to debate US ties
Pakistani legislators are set to resume debate on revising the rules of relationship with the US, about four months after 24 of its soldiers were killed in an American air raid along
Merkel’s party wins German state election
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s junior coalition ally has been roundly kicked out of a regional assembly in a vote which handed Merkel’s own party a clear victory, initial projections showed. The pro-business
Obama warns N Korea over rocket launch
US President Barack Obama has visited US troops stationed on South Korea’s border with North Korea in a show of solidarity with Seoul, ahead of a global summit there on nuclear security.
Senegal votes in presidential runoff
Dakar, Senegal – Polling stations have opened in Senegal, where more than five million voters are expected to cast ballots in a presidential runoff between incumbent Abdoulaye Wade and opposition leader Macky
Obama Seeks Tougher China on Pyongyang
Mr. Obama warned Sunday that a launch could also result in tighter sanctions against North Korea. “Every time North Korea has violated a Security Council resolution it’s resulted in further isolation, tightening
Hong Kong elite choose Leung as leader
A former propery consultant has been elected as the new chief executive of Hong Kong, according to a live televised stream of the vote count. Leung Chun-ying had been considered the favourite
Al-Masry football ban prompts street clashes
At least one person has been shot dead and 19 others injured in clashes between security forces and angry football fans in Egypt’s Port Said after their club al-Masry was banned for
Cylinder Hides Contents and Makes Them Invisible to Magnetic Fields
The cylinder is built using high temperature superconductor material, easily refrigerated with liquid nitrogen and covered in a layer of iron, nickel and chrome. This simple and accessible formula has been used
Scientists Wrest Partial Control of a Memory
The results are reported in the March 23, 2012 issue of the journal Science. Researchers have known for decades that stimulating various regions of the brain can trigger behaviors and even memories.
New Light Shed On Wandering Continents
“This melt-rich layer is actually quite spotty under the Pacific Ocean basin and surrounding areas, as revealed by my analysis of seismometer data,” says Dr. Nicholas Schmerr, a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellow.
High-Throughput Screening Finds Surprising Properties for Antioxidants: Some Compounds Can Damage DNA, but May Treat Cancer
National Institutes of Health researchers from two institutes and one center have demonstrated that some antioxidants damage DNA and kill cells instead of protecting them. The findings, published in the Proceedings of
Humans Began Walking Upright to Carry Scarce Resources, Chimp Study Suggests
The team of researchers from the U.S., England, Japan and Portugal investigated the behavior of modern-day chimpanzees as they competed for food resources, in an effort to understand what ecological settings would
New Theory On Size of Black Holes: Gas-Guzzling Black Holes Eat Two Courses at a Time
Researchers from the UK and Australia investigated how some black holes grow so fast that they are billions of times heavier than the sun. The team from the University of Leicester (UK)
Romney extends lead in Republican race
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush has announced he was endorsing Mitt Romney for president, giving the ex-Massachusetts governor a boost after a big win in the Illinois Republican primary. “Primary elections have
