SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea put two U.S. journalists on trial on Thursday on charges of illegally entering the state with "hostile intent," in a case that could worsen tension with Washington after Pyongyang's nuclear test last week.
The journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling of the U.S. media outlet Current TV, were arrested in March near the border between China and North Korea while working on a story. The TV network was co-founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
North Korea's KCNA n…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 5:13am —
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President Barack Obama arrived in Cairo this morning, greeted by a ceremonial playing of the Egyptian and American national anthems outside the Quba Palace, immediately followed by a one-on-one meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Both men reported that they had discussed a range of issues of concern in the Middle East. Mr. Mubarak said the discussion had included "the situation and everything related to Iran and to the region."
"We discussed everything candidly and frankly without an…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 5:11am —
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CANBERRA (Reuters) - A student who fell with a noose around his neck during a mock class hanging that was arranged by teachers has enraged Australian authorities.
The high school student fell from a table while fellow students, under the supervision of a teacher, were photographing a staged hanging as part of an English class project.
"It beggars belief that such an incident could take place," Queensland state Education Minister Geoff Wilson told local radio on Wednesday.
"I'm a parent. The l…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 5:08am —
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA, which has tiptoed into the new world of social media with Twittering astronauts and Facebooking rovers, is taking the next step with an invitation-only outreach to "the twedia" to cover a space shuttle launch.
There are so many details to work out that the so-called TweetUp, originally planned for next week's launch of space shuttle Endeavour, has been rescheduled for the August flight of shuttle Discovery, said Michael Cabbage, a spokesman for the U.S.…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 5:06am —
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials have confirmed 20 deaths from the new strain of H1N1 flu, with more than 11,000 confirmed or probable cases.
Three U.S. deaths were reported on Wednesday -- two in New York and one in Connecticut.
Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 11,054 confirmed and probable cases with 17 deaths on Wednesday -- before the three new deaths were reported. But CDC officials have said the confirmed cases represent only a tiny pr…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 5:04am —
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WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand man, spurned by the woman of his dreams, has come up with a novel way of disposing of the diamond engagement ring he bought her -- a treasure hunt.
Anyone keen to pick up the ring, valued at NZ$5,000 ($3,268), will need to be in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, on Saturday to join the hunt, the Dominion Post newspaper reported.
"I met this girl I thought was pretty cool, bought a ring, turns out she wasn't as keen," Anthony Gardiner, a 29-year-old ca…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 4:59am —
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is the first sitting head of state to make the Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List, with his many magazine covers and best-selling books blurring the line between politics and celebrity.
The president came in at No. 49 on the annual list released on Wednesday -- which ranks celebrities based on their earnings and mentions in the media -- after he made $2.5 million last year from his two best-selling books.
"Obama is hands-down the most famous person…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 4:43am —
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Chad Billingsley got back to winning ways, pitching six shutout innings to help the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 win over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks Wednesday.
The powerful right-hander struck out nine and threw 111 pitches to snap a mini-slump of two straight lost decisions and three of his last four as he improved to 7-3 on the year.
"I fell behind a few hitters and...was not really attacking the zone," Billingsley told reporters.
"But I was able to get ahead…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 4:24am —
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MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - New Hampshire on Wednesday became the sixth U.S. state to authorize gay marriage, deepening a New England niche for same-sex weddings and the spending that comes with them.
New Hampshire's Democratic-controlled House of Representatives endorsed gay marriage in a 198-176 vote, hours after the state Senate approved the legislation 14-10 along party lines, making the state the fourth this year to back gay marriage in the United States.
Governor John Lynch, a…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 4:16am —
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has enjoyed one of the most rewarding seasons of his career but he says that would count for nothing if his team fail to win the NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic.
The best-of-seven series starts on Thursday with Game One at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles with the Western Conference champion Lakers installed as favorites.
"It's been a helluva year, winning a gold medal and making it to the finals last year," Bryant told re…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 4:13am —
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BENTONVILLE, Arkansas (Reuters) - Discounter Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) says it will add more than 22,000 jobs in its U.S. namesake stores in 2009.
The forecast points to lower growth compared with last year, as the world's biggest retailer opens fewer of its U.S. Wal-Mart discount stores to focus on expansions and renovations.
Last year, the company created 33,800 U.S. jobs, though that figure also included new jobs at its much smaller Sam's Club members-only chain of warehouse stores.
Wal-…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 4:10am —
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MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Chinese state-owned metals firm Chinalco may revise its planned $19.5 billion investment in miner Rio Tinto (RIO.AX)(RIO.L) before a June 14 deadline to avoid further delays in Australian government approval, two sources close to the deal said on Thursday.
Any changes would address concerns raised by both Canberra and Rio Tinto shareholders over the biggest overseas investment by a Chinese company.
"I think they'll (Chinalco) come out and make an announcement before the d…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 4:05am —
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CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday that he and Cuban ally Fidel Castro risk being more conservative than U.S. President Barack Obama as Washington prepares to take control of General Motors Corp.
During one of Chavez's customary lectures on the "curse" of capitalism and the bonanzas of socialism, the Venezuelan leader made reference to GM's bankruptcy filing, which is expected to give the U.S. government a 60 percent stake in the 100-year-old former symbol of…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 4:03am —
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Top executives of General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC were pressed by angry U.S. senators on Wednesday to rethink plans to slash more than 2,300 dealerships as a key part of their restructuring.
Industry analysts have long said that the sprawling retail networks hurt Detroit automakers because they force dealers -- particularly those in the suburbs of large cities -- to compete more against each other than rival automakers.
The automakers have set aggressive deadlines to identify the showroom…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 4:01am —
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The long-awaited Pre has nice new touches, but Palm Inc has a lot of work to do if the device is to be a serious competitor to the iPhone.
The device seemed to live up to some expectations but fall short on others for this reporter, who played around with the Pre for just a few days.
The interface does feel new and interesting with some lovely bells and whistles. But features like photo-viewing and surfing are sometimes painfully slow and social networking integration does…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 3:58am —
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CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama was in Egypt on Thursday to deliver an address that will be crucial to his efforts to repair U.S. ties with the Muslim world.
His speech is aimed at more than 1 billion Muslims across the world, but choosing Cairo underscores his focus on the Middle East, where he faces big foreign policy challenges.
Obama landed in Egypt from Saudi Arabia, where he discussed issues including the Arab-Israeli conflict. Obama was greeted at a palace in Cairo by Pres…
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Added by masrefdon on June 4, 2009 at 3:51am —
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A Brazilian supreme court judge on Tuesday suspended a lower court's order that would have given custody of a 9-year-old boy to the U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, where he was to be reunited with his American father.
Judge Marco Aurelio argued against taking Sean Richard Goldman from what has been his home for almost five years to the United States "in an abrupt manner."
Doing so, he wrote in his order published on the court's Web site, could subject the boy to psychological harm.
The deci…
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Added by masrefdon on June 3, 2009 at 9:03am —
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PARIS, France (CNN) -- Friends and relatives of the 216 passengers and 12 crew members on Air France Flight 447 are coming to terms with the news that wreckage from the flight was found in the Atlantic Ocean.
Among those on board were a member of Brazil's former royal family, a one-time performer with the Riverdance troupe, a Rio city official, executives from major international companies and an 11-year-old British schoolboy.
Pedro Luis de Orleans e Braganca, 26, was a descendant of the famil…
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Added by masrefdon on June 3, 2009 at 9:00am —
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Only nine years old in 1989, CNN was the only 24-hour news station on the air at the time. But staffers say the network suffered an inferiority complex when comparing itself to the major players in American television, who had dismissed the new upstart for years as "Chicken Noodle News."
Enter Tiananmen Square. Change the face of television news. Take your place in the big leagues. "It put CNN on the map," said Mike Chinoy, CNN's Beijing bureau chief during the crisis.
"It was the first time a…
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Added by masrefdon on June 3, 2009 at 8:57am —
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A group of rebel MPs have begun soliciting signatures for a round robin letter calling for Gordon Brown to step down, which they plan to hand to the prime minister after the results of the local and European elections have come in on Monday morning.
The Guardian has learned there are reports that the backbenchers think they can reach 70 or 80 signatories, with some claims that the letter could be delivered to Downing Street by the end of today.
Some backbenchers have seen the letter and are no…
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Added by masrefdon on June 3, 2009 at 8:54am —
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