…o sign the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, the Palestinians hope to take legal action in the court to challenge Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. The bid follows an attempt in 2011 by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), to join the UN as a full member state, which failed because of a lack of…
…ve the two-state solution” with Israel. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, said the bid “doesn’t advance peace – it pushes it backwards”. The assembly voted 138-9 in favor, with 41 nations abstaining. Hundreds of Palestinians celebrated on the streets of Ramallah, in the West Bank, after the result was announced. “Sixty-five years ago on this day,…
…academic competency is such that she has earned herself a place in Mensa, becoming the high-IQ society’s youngest U.S. member. Emmelyn Roettger was accepted into the club in March, aged two years and 11 months, with an IQ of 135. The little girl suffers from poor vision, causing “unspecified delays” in her development which doctors had initially mistaken for signs of autism. But when her mother,…
nd taking cash and cigarettes. The last two crimes happened within minutes of each other at around 10:15 p.m. on May 10. The gang stood huddled in a bus stop on Muirhead Avenue East, Norris Green, for 20 or so minutes, one by one going to peer inside the nearby All in One shop until they were sure the coast was clear. As seen on CCTV, they filed into the shop and robbed it, leaving the lone staff…
…8217;s Darkest Secrets”, is out next month – by coincidence at the same time as the UK release of a new film directed by Clint Eastwood about another supposed closet gay among Washington’s 20th-century hard men. But while FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover, played in Eastwood’s film by Leonardo DiCaprio, allegedly had an affair with his squeaky-clean deputy Clyde Tolson, Richard Nixon̵…
Ratings agency Moody’s has lowered its outlook for the European Union’s AAA credit rating to “negative” and warned that the bloc’s rating could be downgraded. Moody’s said the move reflected the negative outlook for the ratings of the EU’s key budget contributors. Earlier this year, Moody’s put ratings of Germany, France, Netherlands and the UK on a negat…
AstraZeneca today announced that AXANUM, a fixed dose combination of 81 mg low-dose ASA (acetylsalicylic acid) and 20 mg esomeprazole (Nexium), has received positive agreement for approval in 23 European Union member countries and in Norway. AXANUM once-daily pill is a combination of low-dose ASA 81mg and esomeprazole 20mg. Esomeprazole, which is the active ingredient in the proton pump inhibit…
Prince Harry’s ten-day holiday in Las Vegas bore an uncanny resemblance to the hit film The Hangover. Accompanying the third in line to the throne at the Las Vegas were two of his closest friends – Tom “Skippy” Inskip, 25, and 30-year-old Arthur Landon. The latter is the son of the infamous “White Sultan”, Brigadier Tim Landon, one of Britain’s richest and most secretive men. The brigadier, who d…
…also a vice-marshal, was vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission and held top posts in the ruling Workers’ Party. Hyon Yong-Chol is believed to have been appointed a general in 2010 but is not currently part of the military commission chaired by young leader Kim Jong-Un, reports said. He appears to be the latest rising star in North Korean politics. Ri Yong-Ho’s remov…
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the world to draw a “clear red line” over Iran’s nuclear programme. In a speech at the UN, Benjamin Netanyahu said time was running out to stop Tehran from having enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb. Israel and Western countries suspect Iran is seeking such a capability. Tehran says its programme is peaceful….
European Union leaders have agreed to set up a single eurozone banking supervisor – a major step towards a banking union. A legislative framework is to be in place by January 1st 2013, with the body starting work later next year. The European Central Bank-led mechanism will have the power to intervene in any bank within the eurozone. The deal appears to be a compromise between France and Ge…
henylbutazone, or “bute”, in 0.5% of horsemeat tested. The EU said it was “a matter of food fraud and not of food safety”. The three-month programme of checks was agreed by the 27 EU member states in February after horsemeat had been found in a batch of Findus frozen lasagne. Horse DNA has been found in up to 5 percent of beef products randomly tested across the EU “…
…parliamentarian, Keith Vaz was approached by the family for help. John Lofthouse was given the questions by Jacintha Saldanha’s husband Benedict Barboza, 49, an NHS accountant, their son Junal, 17, and daughter Lisha, 14. Yesterday, John Lofthouse attended a mass at Westminster Cathedral where prayers were said for Jacintha Saldanha. He was accompanied by other members of the hospital’…
…upport an important treaty that improved intellectual property standards internationally,” he said. “We expect that ACTA will move ahead without the EU, which is a significant loss for the 27 member states.” What is ACTA? • The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is an international treaty aiming to standardise copyright protection measures. • It seeks to curb trade of cou…
…espected organization include Prince Albert of Monaco, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush and Tony Blair. General David Petraeus also made an appearance, but it was in 2010 and long after she had left school. Jill Kelley has become the central figure in the scandal which has caused David Petraeus, 60, to step down as head of the CIA and forced General John Allen to…
Newly released FBI files have revealed that hip hop super-group The Wu Tang Clan was involved in carjackings, murders, drug dealing and money laundering. The FBI’s dossier on the group’s founding member, Ol’ Dirty Bastard (ODB) has been released in response to a Freedom of information request. ODB, aka Russell Jones, died of an accidental drug overdose in 2004, after consuming a…
…s any member state to request consultations if it believes its security is threatened. This is believed to be only the second time in NATO’s history that a member state has invoked Article 4. In 2003, Turkey asked for NATO assistance to ensure its security in the run-up to the Iraq war. A NATO official quoted by AP news agency said Turkey’s NATO envoy would inform other ambassadors of…
A new amateur video has emerged showing the crew of the Costa Concordia cruise ship reassuring passengers nothing was wrong, after the vessel had begun taking in water. In the footage, a crew member says “everything is under control” and asks passengers to go to their cabins. It is thought the delay in deciding to abandon the ship may have cost lives. At least 11 people died. Rescue w…
…ks. Facebook certainly does not need to boost its revenue – especially at the risk of alienating its most powerful tool for generating revenue: Its 800 million active users. In the first half of 2011, Facebook doubled its profits. With zero subscription-based revenue, the company is still worth $75.3 billion – seven times higher than Twitter’s $10.7 billion implied value, accordi…
…e Universe, and yet scientists concede they know virtually nothing about them. European Space Agency (ESA) member states made their decision at a meeting in Paris. Euclid should be ready for launch in 2019. ESA nations had already selected the telescope as a preferred venture in October last year, but Tuesday’s “adoption” by the Science Programme Committee (SPC) means the financi…
The European Space Agency is to mount Juice probe, a billion-euro mission, to Jupiter and its icy moons. Juice probe has just been approved at a meeting of member state delegations in Paris. It would be built in time for a launch in 2022, although it would be a further eight years before it reached the Jovian system. The mission has emerged from a five-year-long competition to find the next ̶…
…Chinese people might wonder how Bo Xilai managed to get away with behavior that national leaders were praising until just a few weeks ago. Bo Xilai began his attack on organized crime in the summer of 2009. Thousands – including government officials, police officers and business people – were detained. This campaign ran in tandem with a movement to promote the singing of revolutionary…
The deadline for voting for 2013 Oscar nominations has been extended after some people experienced problems with a new online voting system. Some of the academy’s 6,000 members had reported trouble logging into the voting website, while others said they found it confusing. Organizers said the deadline would be extended by 24 hours to January 4. It is the first time voting has been allowed o…
Former CIA Director David Petraeus believed he could keep his affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell secret even after he was interviewed by the FBI, it emerged today. After meeting David Petraeus on October 21 and also conducting two interviews with Paula Broadwell, the second on November 2nd, the FBI had concluded that no criminal charges would be brought. But the FBI appears to have decide…
…. After his revolutionary counter-insurgency tactics saved Iraq, David Petraeus oversaw battlefield success in Afghanistan commanding a surge of 30,000 troops ordered by President Barack Obama in late 2009. “I don’t think he was professionally overrated. His were genuine accomplishments,” said James Carafano, a war historian with the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. Senator John…
Eurovision 2013: Russia calls Azerbaijan's failure to award any points as outrageous actionRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called Azerbaijan's failure to award any points to Russia's entry in this year’s Eurovision song contest as "outrageous". Sergei…
Brad Pitt says he felt he was wasting his life while married to Jennifer AnistonBrad Pitt has revealed he felt he was wasting his life on drugs while he was married to Jennifer Aniston. In yet another blow to his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt…
George Michael fell out of his car at 70 mph while travelling on a four-lane stretch of M1 motorwayAn M1 motorway driver has described the moment she nearly ran over George Michael as he lay covered in blood on the road after falling from his car at 70 mph. Katherine Fox,…
Lady Gaga is back in her favorite high heels after recovering from hip surgeryLady Gaga has been reunited with her favorite heels as she hit the town in New York in her trademark super high boots. Lady Gaga's re-emergence comes after she was seen…
Hilaria Baldwin joins husband Alec at Cannes Film Festival 2013 to promote his documentary Seduced and AbandonedAlec Baldwin famously lost his cool with film producer Harvey Weinstein at last year's Cannes film festival. But it appears that Alec Baldwin, 55, has managed to keep his…
Jennifer Lawrence wears blue body paint to portray X-Men's MystiqueJennifer Lawrence has hit the X-Men set like a bolt from the blue and her fans have been given a glimpse of the 22-year-old star in all her painted glory as she reprises her…
Dominique Venner: Suicide inside Notre-Dame de Paris
Eurovision 2013: Russia calls Azerbaijan’s failure to award any points as outrageous action
Brad Pitt says he felt he was wasting his life while married to Jennifer Aniston
Did Amanda Berry’s 911 dispatcher curse at her?
Christie Brinkley poses in a swimsuit at 59
Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn drop his kids off at school
George Michael fell out of his car at 70 mph while travelling on a four-lane stretch of M1 motorway
Lady Gaga is back in her favorite high heels after recovering from hip surgery
Travis Alexander home becomes tourist attraction
Carl Pistorius: Oscar Pistorius’ brother acquitted in Marietjie Barnard’s death case
Jose Manuel Barroso urges full tax data exchange
Why penguin can’t fly
Apple among America’s big tax avoiders
North Korea releases Chinese fishing crew
Efrain Rios Montt genocide and crimes against humanity conviction overturned
Hilaria Baldwin joins husband Alec at Cannes Film Festival 2013 to promote his documentary Seduced and Abandoned
Jennifer Lawrence wears blue body paint to portray X-Men’s Mystique
Oklahoma tornado kills at least 51 people as two entire schools flattened in Moore
Ray Manzarek dead: The Doors co-founder dies aged 74 after long battle with cancer
Christine White dies in a nursing home in Washington at the age of 86
Brazilian husband caught cheating wife as lover escapes from window
Travis Alexander case: Jodi Arias’ attorneys file motion for mistrial
Laura Fernee claims she is too pretty to work
Full spring cleaning burns more calories than running a marathon
Face Trainer: Training balaclava claims to tone up saggy faces
Macaulay Culkin at risk of lung cancer
Eurovision 2013: Azerbaijan inquiry into “nul points” for Russia
Oscar Pistorius will not compete in 2013
Kate Middleton has a Marilyn Monroe dress blow up moment at William van Cutsem wedding
Iraq: At least 54 people killed in series of car bomb attacks in Baghdad, Basra and Samarra