Straits Times Interactive - WORLD

Obama, Romney try to play it safe in 2012 gamble

Sun, 27 May 2012 01:17:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) - In the risky business of running for president, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are largely playing it safe.

New Mexico fire forces evacuation near ghost town

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:34:00 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) - Residents near a privately owned New Mexico ghost town were ordered on Saturday to evacuate as a blaze in the Gila National Forest continued to burn erratically.

American kidnapped in West African nation of Benin

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:31:00 GMT

LAGOS (AFP) - An American citizen has been kidnapped in the West African nation of Benin, a United States (US) embassy spokesman said on Saturday, but details of the incident were unclear.

Hillary Clinton condemns Syria 'atrocity' in Houla

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:12:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday condemned the 'atrocity' of the deaths of 92 people in the Syrian town of Houla, joining global calls for world action to end the bloodshed.

Thousands take part in 'Slut Walks' in Brazil

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:09:00 GMT

SAO PAULO (AFP) - Several thousand scantily clad women staged boisterous 'Slut Walks' in several Brazilian cities on Saturday to protest sexual violence against women.

San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge to turn 75

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:37:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - San Francisco on Sunday will mark the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, the distinctive orange vermilion structure that attracts some 10 million visitors each year.

Shock over arrest in New York City boy's 1979 disappearance

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:28:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) - When police dug up a Manhattan basement last month in a fruitless search for the remains of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy who disappeared in 1979, Ms Lucy Suarez saw the news on TV and wished that the family of the missing child would finally get some peace.

Double blasts wound 5 in north-east Kenya

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:19:00 GMT

KENYA (REUTERS) - Two separate suspected grenade attacks at a hotel and a refugee in north-eastern Kenya wounded at least five people on Saturday, police said, days after a similar strike in the region.

French back Hollande's 1st days in power: Poll

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:05:00 GMT

PARIS (REUTERS) - Close to two thirds of French people approve of President Francois Hollande's actions in his first days in power, a poll showed on Saturday, giving him a strong foundation to face a parliamentary election and the challenges of the euro crisis.

Guards strike, inmates set free at Norway prison

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

OSLO (REUTERS) - Convicted sex offenders and violent criminals were let loose from a Norway prison this week when guards went on strike, forcing authorities to free 52 inmates, officials said.

Greek opinion poll shows pro-bailout party ahead

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

ATHENS (REUTERS) - Greece's conservative New Democracy party, which backs the country's international bailout, has a slight lead over the leftist Syriza, which opposes it, an opinion poll showed on Saturday ahead of a June 17 election.

Azerbaijan hosts Eurovision under shadow of arrests

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

BAKU (AFP) - Azerbaijan on Saturday prepared a spectacular show for a thrilling Eurovision Song Contest final that pits pensioners against young stars, but the party was marred by the detention of dozens of activists.

Pope's butler arrested in Vatican leaks scandal

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

VATICAN CITY, May 25, 2012 (AFP) - Vatican police arrested on Friday a man - reportedly the pope's butler - on allegations of having leaked confidential documents and letters from the pontiff's private study to newspapers.

Morocco hosts world's artists, imprisons its own

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

Morocco (AP) - Morocco's glittering Mawazine international music festival wraps up this weekend with performances by Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz, after nine days of showcasing the North African kingdom's cool factor - even as dissident Moroccan musicians are imprisoned for their anti-establishment lyrics.

Two dead, seven injured in Finland gunman shooting

Sat, 26 May 2012 13:58:00 GMT

HELSINKI (AFP) - Police arrested on Saturday an 18-year-old man suspected of killing two people and wounding seven others in a shooting targeting restaurants packed with teenagers in southern Finland.

2 US men held in Japan after Irish student's death

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:15:00 GMT

TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo police arrested two United States (US) men on Saturday as part of an investigation into the suspicious death of a female Irish exchange student, reports said.

Obama pays tribute to US war dead ahead of Memorial Day

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:26:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama paid tribute on Saturday to United States soldiers who died in service of the country, saying Americans were committed to the ideals of freedom for which these troops had given their lives.

Syria opposition urges UN action after 'massacre'

Sat, 26 May 2012 09:10:00 GMT

DAMASCUS, (AFP) - The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) has urged the United Nations (UN) Security Council to act urgently after regime forces 'massacred' what it said was more than 110 people in the town of Houla.

Afghan parliament approves US-Afghan security pact

Sat, 26 May 2012 06:51:00 GMT

KABUL (REUTERS) - Afghanistan's parliament approved on Saturday a strategic pact between Kabul and Washington, clearing the way for a United States (US) presence in the country for at least a decade after most foreign combat troops leave in 2014.

Man charged with murdering New York boy in 1979

Sat, 26 May 2012 05:29:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AFP) - The confessed killer of six-year-old Etan Patz, whose disappearance exactly 33 years ago sparked New York's biggest modern crime mystery, was charged on Friday with murder - but his lawyer questioned whether he is mentally capable to face prosecution.

Mexican boy's eyes gouged out 'to save the world'

Sat, 26 May 2012 05:24:00 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A five-year-old Mexican boy whose eyes were allegedly gouged out by his mother as part of a drug-fuelled ritual 'to save the world' is expected to live, but has been left completely blind, health authorities said on Friday.

Is China poor? Key question at climate talks

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:26:00 GMT

BONN (AP) - Another round of United Nations (UN) climate talks closed without resolving how to share the burden of curbing man-made global warming, mainly because countries don't agree on who is rich and who is poor.

US gunman who released hostages dies

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:21:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A gunman who held hostages at an Indiana real estate office shot himself after releasing them unharmed and has died, police said on Friday.

British minister called Murdoch aide 'mon ami' and 'papa'

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:16:00 GMT

LONDON (AFP) - Britain's culture minister faced fresh pressure on Saturday after a press ethics inquiry released dozens of light-hearted text messages between him and a lobbyist for Mr Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, whom he called 'mon ami' and 'daddy'.

Man discovers he is actually female

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:00:00 GMT

(THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK)- A man who went to hospital with a kidney stone received the shock of his life when told he was actually a female.