News
No light at end of Thai-Burma smuggling tunnel
Thailand beefed up its border checks this week after 54 illegal Burmese migrants died seeking a better life.
Taiwan-China meeting seen as major ice-breaker
A landmark meeting on Saturday between China's president and Taiwan's vice president-elect broke 60 years of ice and paved the way for trade and transit links such as regular direct flights, local media and analysts said.
Media magnate and ex-mayor face off in Italian poll
Italians began voting on Sunday in an election that will hand media magnate Silvio Berlusconi or former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni, two very different men with similar policies, the task of trying to cure economic malaise.
Traditional acupuncture may ease migraines
Acupuncture, as practiced in traditional Chinese medicine, may offer some relief from migraine pain, a new study suggests.
Trans-fats linked to breast cancer risk in study
Trans-fats, which are being phased out of food because they clog arteries, may raise the risk of getting breast cancer, European researchers reported on Friday.
In north Italy, immigration is hot election topic
Wearing an Italian soccer cap and sipping an espresso, Moroccan Abbes Mohamed is certain that a centre-left victory in Italy's election on Sunday and Monday would improve life for immigrants.
Kenyan leaders break deadlock on cabinet-sources
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga struck a deal on a power-sharing cabinet on Saturday after secret one-on-one talks to end a six-week impasse, sources close to the talks said.
German official: limits on Afghan participation
Germany's foreign minister on Saturday said the next U.S. administration should not expect significantly greater participation by the German army in Afghanistan.
IMF says global financial instability increasing
The International Monetary Fund's steering committee said on Saturday that global financial instability has increased since last autumn and monetary policy should be flexible and aim for medium-term price stability.
UK's Darling wants BoE rate cuts passed on
British mortgage lenders need to pass on Bank of England interest rate cuts to their consumers to reduce pressure on the slowing housing market, finance minister Alistair Darling told Reuters on Saturday.
Haiti's government falls after food riots
Haiti's government fell on Saturday when senators fired the prime minister after more than a week of riots over food prices, ignoring a plan presented by the president to slash the cost of rice.
Under fire, Obama clarifies small-town remarks
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama tried to quell a political furor on Saturday over his comments about small-town Pennsylvanians, saying he used the wrong words to describe their mood.
Nigerian army detains four Americans in Niger Delta
Nigerian security forces on Saturday detained four U.S. citizens and a Nigerian who were travelling in the western Niger Delta, the scene of numerous militant attacks, a military commander said.
Bomb explodes in Iranian mosque, 8 killed
A bomb exploded in a mosque in southern Iran on Saturday, killing at least eight people and wounding more than 60 others, Iranian media reported.
Haiti's government falls after food riots
Haiti's government fell on Saturday when senators fired the prime minister after more than a week of riots over food prices, ignoring a plan presented by the president to slash the cost of rice.
Seven miners trapped at Peruvian site in the Andes
Peruvian police and civil defense officials worked on Saturday to rescue seven miners trapped under a landslide at a small independent mine near the Andes mountains, a regional government official said.