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Pakistan floods just one of its water woes

SHIKARPUR, Pakistan – Thousands of farmers have crowded this once-quiet Pakistani town. They live on the hospital’s lawn, they camp on overpasses. Their fields are destroyed, covered by billions of gallons (liters) of brown soupy floodwater.
But ask those farmers about their water troubles and they’ll tell you flooding is just the most [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 29, 2010

India urged to ‘pray’ for completion of Delhi Games

NEW DELHI (AFP) – New Delhi’s top official has urged Indians to “pray” for the city’s Commonwealth Games sporting venues to be completed on time, after massive delays in construction threatened the October 3 start.
In remarks broadcast Saturday, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said: “I can only pray and request the [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 29, 2010

NKorean leader appears to be headed home

CHANGCHUN, China – North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il apparently headed home Saturday after a secretive and surprise trip that reportedly included a meeting with China’s top leader to appeal for diplomatic and financial support for a succession plan involving his youngest son.
Reporters have followed a motorcade — apparently used by [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 29, 2010

Scores turn out to bury Philippine hostage-taker

TANAUAN, Philippines (AFP) – Scores of mourners attended the burial Saturday of the sacked policeman who hijacked a bus in Manila, triggering a hostage crisis in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed.
Even as the government tried to distance itself from the incident, hundreds crowded into a church for the funeral [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 29, 2010

US considers fresh approach to N. Korea: report

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States, looking for a diplomatic breakthrough on the Korean Peninsula, has begun weighing a fresh effort at engagement with the government of North Korea, The New York Times reported.
Citing unnamed officials and analysts, the newspaper said a new overture to Pyongyang would be preceded by additional [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 28, 2010

Bollywood takes on sexual harassment in new film

MUMBAI (AFP) – Bollywood is tackling the subject of sexual harassment in the workplace, which campaigners say is increasingly becoming an issue as traditional gender roles change in modern urban India.
“Hello Darling”, which was released on Friday, is inspired by the 1980 Hollywood comedy “Nine To Five” in which Jane Fonda, [...]

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China seeks fresh nuclear talks as Kim eludes cameras

BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) – China is lobbying neighbors to sign up to a road map for renewed nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong-il is visiting China amid conciliatory words and threats of “holy war.”
The details of Beijing’s plan for restarting stalled six-party nuclear talks came from a South [...]

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UN: 1 million more displaced by Pakistan floods

THATTA, Pakistan – Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis fled floodwaters Friday after the surging River Indus smashed through levees in two places, but many refused to leave the danger zone while others took shelter in an ancient graveyard for Muslim saints.
The new flooding came after the Taliban issued a veiled threat [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 28, 2010

China’s monster traffic jam rears its head again

BEIJING – China’s monster traffic jam has reared its head again, with trucks and cars backed up for up to 18 miles (30 kilometers) Saturday on a highway north of Beijing, although that is a third the size of what it was.
The traffic jam came four days after the break-up of an [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 28, 2010

Philippine fire leaves thousands homeless

MANILA, Philippines – Officials say a massive fire has left thousands homeless in two coastal villages north of the capital.
Fire Officer Domingo Gastilo says the fire broke out late Thursday, possibly when gasoline a man was pouring into a container near an open stove caught alight.
The fire lasted four hours, racing through some [...]

Read More » No commentAugust 28, 2010