Russians Blame Texas Parents for Adopted Boy’s Death
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — The emergency room death of a 3-year-old boy adopted from Russia is being called “murder” by officials in Moscow, but Texas officials investigating the case say they don’t know where the Russians are getting their clai…
Russian Meteor: Scientists Say Meteor Pieces Found Near Frozen Lake
Chad Baker/Photodisc/Thinkstock(CHEBARKUL, Russia) — Scientists confirmed Saturday the first recovered fragments of the giant meteor that exploded over this region on Friday, according to Russian media. The fragments were found on the edge of a giant …
Pope Benedict XVI Appoints New Boss to ‘God’s Bank’
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(VATICAN CITY) — It was more than just a routine personnel matter Friday for Pope Benedict XVI to name a new president of the Vatican Bank: German lawyer Ernst von Freyberg. The appointment may well be the last of the pope&…
‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius Disputes Murder Charge
Liza van Deventer/Foto24/Gallo Images/Getty Images(PRETORIA, South Africa) — According to a statement released Friday by his manager, Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee and Olympic track star, is disputing the murder charges leveled against him “in t…
‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius Kept Weapons for Security, Journalist Says
Julia Vynokurova/Getty Images(PRETORIA, South Africa) — Oscar Pistorius, the Olympic and Paralympic athlete who was charged Thursday with the murder of his girlfriend at his South Africa home, kept a handgun by his bedside and a “machine gun” in his b…
Russia Considers Cameras to Combat Drunk Airline Passengers
Fog Stock/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Russian lawmakers are considering plans to install surveillance cameras inside commercial aircraft as part of the country’s effort to crack down on unruly, often drunk, passengers.Other officials have suggested banning d…
Russia Unhappy with Plans to Strike Wrestling from 2020 Olympics
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — The International Olympic Committee’s plans to remove wrestling from the 2020 Olympics has drawn widespread criticism, and now it has drawn an appeal from Russia. Russia has historically performed well in wrestling eve…
Iran Claims Installation of New Centrifuges
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TEHRAN, Iran) — Iran says it has begun installing a new generation of centrifuges at one of its main nuclear facilities.According to Iranian media, Iran’s atomic energy organization chief, Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, said Wednesday…
Catholic Church Growing in Third World, but European Cardinals Control Power
Joe Raedle/Getty Images(NEW YORK) – As Catholics across the globe begin the holy season of Lent, many look toward Rome and wonder if the Vatican will break with tradition and choose the first pope from outside Europe in modern times.The Catholic…
US Still Assessing Whether N.Korea Test Was Nuclear, Claims Panetta
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — At what he called his final Pentagon press conference Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the U.S. is still trying to determine if the North Korean test early Tuesday morning was really nuclear. North Ko…
Thai Airline Calendar with “Maxim” Models Has Officials Steaming
Nok Air(BANGKOK) — The low-cost Thai airline Nok Air is bringing new meaning to the phrase, “Fly the Friendly Skies” by hiring scantily clad Maxim models to show off its fleet of planes in a series of photos in a promotional calendar. But the Thai Min…
North Korea Tremor Arouses Suspicion of Nuclear Test
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images(TOKYO) — A large tremor measured at magnitude 4.9 was detected by the U.S. Geological Survey in North Korea, and governments in the region are trying to determine whether it was a nuclear test that the North Korean regime…
North Korea Tremor Arouses Suspicion of Nuclear Test
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images(TOKYO) — A large tremor measured at magnitude 4.9 was detected by the U.S. Geological Survey in North Korea, and governments in the region are trying to determine whether it was a nuclear test that the North Korean regime…
North Korea Tremor Arouses Suspicion of Nuclear Test
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images(TOKYO) — A large tremor measured at magnitude 4.9 was detected by the U.S. Geological Survey in North Korea, and governments in the region are trying to determine whether it was a nuclear test that the North Korean regime…
Boyfriend Rentals Boom During Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day
Zoonar/Thinkstock(BEIJING) — Chinese Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day are only days apart this year, giving a boost to a new and booming business in China — boyfriend rentals.Taobao, China’s popular shopping website, says that online searches for t…
Bolshoi Ballet Acid Attack Mystery Deepens
YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty ImagesMOSCOW – The mystery over who was behind the vicious acid attack on Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the famed Bolshoi Ballet, became even more intriguing on Friday, when police said they believe those responsi…
Duchess Sarah Ferguson Settles Phone-Hacking Dispute with Newspaper Group
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images(LONDON) — Sarah Ferguson has settled her phone-hacking legal claim against the publishers of the now defunct British tabloid The News of the World. Ferguson, the Duchess of York, received a public apology and undisclosed …
Report: US Embassy in Kabul ‘Dangerously Vulnerable’ to Attack
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(KABUL, Afghanistan) — The U.S. Embassy compound in Kabul is “dangerously vulnerable to a new attack,” according to a new report issued Friday by an independent watchdog group that monitors government spending and mis…
$1B Later, US Claims Anti-Terror Victory in Somalia
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Four years and over $1 billion in U.S. support later, the Obama administration Thursday claimed a victory in its war on terror in Africa by officially recognizing the government of Somalia, once a country ove…
Japan Airlines Grounds All Dreamliners After ANA Emergency Landing
Duncan Chard/Bloomberg via Getty Images(TOKYO) — Japan Airlines Tuesday grounded all five of its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes, following an emergency landing made by All Nippon Airlines (ANA) when a battery warning light went off in the cockpit of…