Blog Profile / World from Newser
| URL : | http://www.newser.com/section/2/world-news-headlines.html | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | News / International Affairs | |
| Posts on Regator: | 11061 | |
| Posts / Week: | 66.1 | |
| Archived Since: | March 4, 2010 | |
Blog Post Archive
Rare Dialect Dying in US ... Texas-German?
Another unique American dialect is fading into obscurity, and it's a safe bet that most never knew it existed in the first place: "Texas German." It's so unusual that University of Texas linguist professor Hans Boas tells the BBC he has "found no two speakers that speak roughly alike." And...
Iran: We Hanged CIA, Mossad Spies
Iran is claiming that it has today hanged a pair of spies it convicted of slipping information to the CIA and Israel's Mossad, according to a state radio report. The report is sketchy on when the men were arrested or convicted, but says the dead are Mohammad Heidari, who was...
Women's Rights Bill Deemed Too Offensive in Afghanistan
Religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation today aimed at strengthening provisions for women's freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience. The law criminalizes, among other things, child marriage and forced marriage, and bans the traditional practice of exchanging girls and women to settle disputes. It...
No. 14: Gay Marriage Now Legal in France
French President Francois Hollande fulfilled a major campaign promise today by signing into law a measure legalizing gay marriage, reports Reuters. The first same-sex weddings can be held in 10 days, notes the BBC. Opponents in the heavily Catholic country aren't done protesting the move, however, and plan another demonstration...
North Korea Test-Fires Missiles Into Sea
North Korea apparently felt things were getting a little too calm of late and launched three short-range missiles into the sea off its eastern coast today, reports the BBC. Notably, those tests did not include the firing of the longer-range Musudan missile, which theoretically could hit the US. Generally, short-range...
Brazil's Ambitious Plan: Erect 10K-Mile Virtual Fence
Brazil's border is pretty mammoth (here's a visual reminder ), and a growing economy has made illegal activities (chief among them illegal immigration) an equally growing concern. But the country has a plan: a 10,000-mile fence... except that this one is virtual. For reference, America's southern border is only...
Argentine Dictator Videla Dies in Prison
Former dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, who took power over Argentina in a 1976 coup and led a military junta that killed thousands of his fellow citizens in a dirty war to eliminate so-called "subversives," died quietly in his sleep today while serving life in prison for crimes against humanity. He...
Women Dressed as Obama at Berlusconi's Parties
Silvio Berlusconi's notorious "bunga bunga" parties featured women dressed as sexy nuns, nurses and... Barack Obama. That's according to Moroccan dancer Karima el-Mahroug—known better as "Ruby Heartstealer"—with whom the former Italian Prime Minister is accused of paying for sex when she was still underage. In court today, El-Mahroug...
Iran Clerics Veto Every Woman Running for President
A whole heck of a lot of people are running for president of Iran—and after today, they'll all be dudes. In a single pronouncement, Iran's ruling clerics struck all 30 women who had registered for the race from contention, with one telling a semi-official news agency that even putting...
World to Get Its Tallest Dam
The title of world's tallest dam may shift to a new country in a decade's time. Plans for a 1,030-foot dam—45 feet taller than the current title holder, Tajikistan's Nurek dam—have gotten the green light from China's environmental ministry. The $4.4 billion dam would enable a...
Video Claims to Show Toronto Mayor on Crack
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is trying to fend off the first reports of what could be a monumental scandal. Both the Toronto Star and Gawker say they've seen a video that purports to show Ford smoking crack cocaine. Two reporters from the Star watched the video three times and say...
Russia Sends Syria Ships— and 'Ship Killers'
Russia is reportedly sending military aid to Syria that seems designed to counter any attempt at military intervention from the US or other Western countries. US officials tell the New York Times that Russia has sent the regime new, radar-equipped anti-ship cruise missiles, weapons that could fend off an international...
Venezuela's Latest Shortage: Toilet Paper
Amid milk and coffee shortages, Venezuela is now facing a sanitary crisis: There's not enough toilet paper to go around. "I'm 71 years old, and this is the first time I've seen this," said one man shopping for the stuff. "This is the last straw." Another shopper said she'd "been...
Inside the Wild, 4-Hour Trek to Smuggle KFC Into Gaza
They say everybody needs a little KFC, and it seems they're right. Gaza residents don't have access to a local branch—so they're willing to pay more than twice the going price to get it delivered from Egypt in a highly complex process that takes some four hours. Sure, it's...
Another Factory Collapse Kills 2
Another factory collapse is in the headlines, this one in Cambodia. The ceiling caved in at a facility outside Phnom Penh that makes Asics sneakers, reports the AP. At least two workers are dead and seven injured. It's not even close to the scale of the disaster in Bangladesh three...
Kim Has 2 Daughters —by 2 Women: Source
Looks like one of the planet's craziest dynasties is ensuring that it'll be around to entertain/horrify future generations: Kim Jong Un, that baby-faced dictator who is said to have fathered a daughter late last year, reportedly has another kid on the ground. Chosun Ilbo reports by way of a Beijing...
Syrians Allege Chemical Attack: 'Suffocating Smell'
Government helicopters dropped chemical weapons last month on the Syrian town of Saraqeb, eyewitness testimony strongly suggests. A BBC correspondent visited the town, and was regaled with accounts and videos of box-like devices being dropped out of helicopters and emitting deadly gas. "It was a horrible, suffocating smell," said the...
Moscow Forbids Gay Rights Parade
Officials in Moscow have forbidden activists to hold a gay rights parade there, saying that it would conflict with a government-mandated campaign to promote patriotism in young people, the New York Times reports. The city noted that the Kremlin had been backing legislation banning "homosexual propaganda" in cities around the...
Vatican Sends Disgraced UK Cardinal Away for 'Penance'
The Vatican yesterday ordered a disgraced Scottish cardinal to leave Scotland for several months to pray and atone for sexual misconduct, issuing a rare public sanction against a "prince of the church" and the first such punishment meted out by Pope Francis. The Vatican said Keith O'Brien, once Britain's highest-ranking...
6 Locals Killed in Kabul Suicide Attack on NATO
A suicide bomber in Kabul launched an attack on NATO vehicles, killing six civilians and wounding 30 in the process, the AP reports. "It was a powerful explosion and some of the dead civilians were badly burnt and can not be recognized," says an Afghan official. During the rush-hour attack,...