Apr. 30 - The Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz accuses the White House of dramatically playing down the cost of the Iraq war.
Besides the heavy human price paid by ordinary Iraqis since the invasion of 2003, the former World Bank chief economist argues in his latest book that the economic cost to the U.S. has hit three trillion dollars.
Darcy Lambton reports.
SOUNDBITE: Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Former World Bank Chief economist
Apr 30 - Muslims in western India have been observing a bizarre ritual - they've been throwing their young children off a tall building to improve their health.
The faithful have been observing the ritual at a shrine in Solapur, in western India's Maharastra, for more than five hundred years.
They believe it will make their children strong and say no accidents have ever happened.
Sonia Legg reports.
19-year-old Bhutto became chairman after his mother Benazir was assassinated last year, which Khan denounced as undemocratic.
A Times Now reportApril 30 - The investigation continues into the alleged abuses committed by Indian troops working for the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The peacekeeping forces are accused of supplying arms to militias and smuggling gold and ivory, after an investigation by a BBC reporter.
A Times Now report.
April 30 - Melbourne's CBD is brought to a standstill by hundreds of angry cab drivers demanding more security after an Indian driver was stabbed.
An ANI report.
April 30 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad meets with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a controversial visit to India aimed at pushing a $7.6 billion pipeline deal.
An ANI report.
Apr. 29 - A 73 year old Austrian man appears before a judge in St Poelten after confessing to imprisoning his daughter for 24 years.
Austrian police sought answers on Tuesday (April 29) on how a father managed to imprison his daughter in a windowless cellar for 24 years and have seven children by her without authorities and neighbours knowing. 73 year old Josef Fritzl was brought before a judge at the regional court in St Poelten in order to have his custody extended. Staff at the jail where he was being held described him as calm and seemingly with little remorse. DNA tests have shown he was the father of Elizabeth's six surviving children.
Penny Tweedie reports.
Apr. 28 - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is providing some financial backing for candy maker Mars' $23 billion purchase of global chewing gum giant Wm Wrigley Jr.
The proposed deal creates the world's biggest sweets company and encourage current leader Cadbury to try and win over Hershey.
Conway Gittens reports from New York.
Featured Speaker: Bill Perez, chief executive officer, Wm Wrigley Jr Co
Apr. 29 - Barack Obama denounced the Reverend Jeremiah Wright-- his pastor of the past twenty years-- in his strongest language to date.
Obama told reporters that Wright's comments this week do not accurately reflect the person he met 20 years ago and were disrespectful to the senator personally.
Jon Decker reports.
Apr. 28 - Climbers are preparing to take a specially-adapted Olympic torch to the summit of Mount Everest.Helen Long reports.
Apr. 26 - The first German Championships in Office Chair Racing took place in Bad Koenig-Zell on Saturday. 70 participants took the chance to bring their office chair out into the sunshine and put it through its paces.
The race down the Odenwaelder street was mainly downhill and involved starting on a steep ramp and racing over another ramp.
The only uniform rule was the obligatory crash helmet - and many people needed it. Dozens of the racers fell off their chairs, and many chairs didn't make it to the end of the 170 metre race intact.
April 28 - India’s space agency launches 10 satellites, mainly belonging to Germany and Canada, boosting the country’s space research capabilities. The satellites were carried into space by India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which blasted off from a space centre near Chennai.
A Times Now report.
Apr. 27 - The Indian cricket board suspended spinner Harbhajan Singh temporarily on Saturday pending a disciplinary hearing for reportedly slapping compatriot S Sreesanth after Friday's Indian Premier League match. The hearing will be held in New Delhi on Monday and the final verdict will be announced by match adjudicator and referee Farokh Engineer.
An ANI report.
The accident happened when a passenger train travelling from Beijing to the city of Qingdao derailed and crashed head-on into an oncoming train in Shandong Province.
The official Xinhua News Agency reported that at least 60 had been killed and about 70 of those injured are in a critical conditionThe announcement is part of Apple's attempt to become the top smartphone seller in the U.S.
But RIM is fighting back with new applications of its own.
Manoush Zomorodi reports.
Apr 27 - Afghan's president is said to be safe after an attempt on his life for which the Taliban is claiming responsibility.
Officials say President Hamid Karzai is unharmed but police say two members of parliament and several civilians have suffered gunshot wounds in the attack in Kabul.
Paul Chapman reports.
apr 27 - An Austrian man has been arrested after allegedly fathering seven children by his own daughter after locking her up in basement for 24 years.
A woman in Austria has told police that she was kept prisoner and abused by her father in a basement room, where she bore him seven children - and the man's wife remained unaware of the alleged abuses.
Benet Allen reports.
Thousands of riot police wielding shields and truncheons have been guarding the route of the Olympic flame as it began a two-day journey from South to North on the divided Korean peninsula.
Paul Chapman reports.
Istanbul is wowing the crowds with displays of tulips where a massive bulb-planting operation launched three years ago is beginning to bloom in style.
Paul Chapman reports.
Traditional wrestling gyms in India are facing tough times, as many young men prefer to pump iron rather than wrestle each other to the ground in loin cloths.
Siddhartha Dubey reports.
Thousands of Belgian students participate in a soda and Mentos fountain record attempt.
A student association in Leuven, Belgium, arranged the record breaking attempt at a historical square in the city.
1360 students simultaneously placed a tube of sweets into a bottle of soda to create the fountains.
The mixture shot into the air covering the revellers in sticky fluid. The concoction of sodas and Mentos became popular on the website YouTube after two men, known as EepyBird, from the USA posted videos of them making the fountains.
The EepyBird website says the coke and mentos cocktail works because of a process they call 'nucleation' where the carbon dioxide in the soda is attracted to the mentos, creating enough pressure to form geyser-like fountains.
The two men, Fitz Grobe and Stephen Voltz who describe themselves as mad scientists were present at the event and said it was an 'astonishing' experience.
Reuters QuickCut is a video snapshot of the most compelling images from around the world.
apr 26 - Children in Ortega have to wade across a raging river to get to and from school since the nearest bridge collapsed.
It's been 12 years since the bridge over the Teutan River but authorities have yet to replace it and local fishermen charge the equivalent of 28 cents to ferry the youngsters across in their canoes which most cannot afford.
Paul Chapman reports.
Apr 26 - Further pro-Tibet protests dog the Olympic torch on the relay route through central Japan.
At least five people have been arrested during the protests along the route of the torch guarded by 100 Japanese police officers and Chinese flame attendants shielding the torch bearers.
Paul Chapman reports.
Apr. 25 - More than 20 people have been killed after a bomb ripped through a packed bus just outside the capital Colombo.
An army spokesman says Tamil Tiger rebels are to blame for the attack - one of the most deadly in three months.
Susan Flory reports.
Apr. 25 - Hundreds have died in Shi'ite areas since Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, a Shi'ite, launched a crackdown against Shia militias.
The violence has raised fears that an internal Shia power struggle could undo the security gains of recent months.
Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
SOUNDBITESApr. 25 - An artist in India's southern Kerala state displays his talent for painting pictures using his tongue.
Ani K, a drawing teacher, drew inspiration from a fellow artist who painted with his foot. However, learning his craft was not without its dangers as he suffered headaches and nausea from the paint fumes. Eventually he mastered the art and is now able to finish one canvas in 3-4 days.
Apr. 24 - Treasury Secretary Paulson said while food prices may be rising higher, there are no shortages of food.
On Thursday, Brazil - in the footsteps of India - said it was suspending rice exports in order to feed its own people and keep prices stable.
The country said it would also sell rice from its own stockpiles.
Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
April 25 - The most senior aide to APJ Abdul Kalam says the former Indian President was ready to quit office after the controversy surrounding the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly in 2005.
Secretary PM Nair made the claim in his newly released book titled “The Kalam Effect: My years with the President”.
A Times Now report.
April 25 - Security agencies are on high alert ahead of Manmohan Singh’s trip to Jammu and Kashmir, where the Indian Prime Minister expects to visit sensitive areas susceptible to militant attacks.
A Times Now report.
Apr. 24 - Rice risks becoming a luxury in the face of soaring prices - threatening pinched budgets in the West but starvation in developing countries.
Riots have flared like a trail of gunpowder through West Africa as some of the world's poorest people struggle to cope with soaring inflation that's seen the prices of basic foods more than double in a year. The U.S. benchmark rice price -- at the Chicago Board of Trade -- has risen to over $24 per 100 pounds of rough rice, while the world benchmark for Thai rice has surged to more than a $1,000 per tonne of milled rice.
Apr. 25 - A proposed six-month ceasefire is dismissed by Israel as a ruse by Hamas to re-arm and re-group after recent fighting.
Hamas, after talks with Egyptian mediators, is calling for a mutual cessation of hostilities in Gaza along with an end to a crippling Israeli-led blockade of the territory.
Paul Chapman reports.
Apr. 24 – Members of the transgender community, eunuchs and homosexuals from across the country and abroad congregate in India’s Tamil Nadu to offer themselves in marriage to local deities.
At dawn they are transformed into widows and made to perform a purification ceremony. This festival attracts about 70,000 participants annually.
An ANI
WARNING: This report contains graphic material.
Apr. 23 - An elephant has killed three people, including a 75 year old woman during a rampage at a temple festival in India's southern Kerala.The elephant suddenly became violent and ran amok, trampling and goring people at the temple. The animal was eventually tranquillized.
Helen Long reports.
Using so-called spider search technology, Spock crawls people data from various sources on the Web including social networks like MySpace, Yahoo, and Wikipedia, creating a unique profile of a person.
Samira Nanda reports
April 23 - Sparks fly ahead of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s first official visit to India.
Washington has urged New Delhi to encourage Iran to stop nuclear enrichment, but India hit back saying it did not need "any guidance" on conducting its bilateral relations.
A Times Now reportApr 22 - Hillary Clinton handily defeated rival Barack Obama in Pennsylvania, prolonging an increasingly negative Democratic presidential race.
Hillary Clinton handily defeated rival Barack Obama in Pennsylvania, prolonging an increasingly negative Democratic presidential race.
Jon Decker reports.
April 22 - Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh reassures the Indian armed services that their grievances over the 6th Pay Commission report will be dealt with.
The military is disgruntled at what it sees as marginal pay hike proposals for mid-level officers and jawans.
A Times Now report.
Organised by the Eastern Bavarian Beard and Moustache Club, the event drew competitors from many countries including Britain, Germany and Switzerland.
Soundbite:
An ANI report.
Apr 21 - Georgia has accused Russia of shooting down an unmanned reconnaissance plane over Georgian territory at the weekend.
The Georgian defence ministry released video footage it said came from the drone's on-board camera and which it said showed a Russian MiG-29 jet firing on the Georgian plane as it flew over the breakaway Abkhazia region.
The Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili described the incident as "an act of international aggression by Russia."
In an initial response, a spokesman for Russia's air force called the allegation "nonsense."
Open for just 10 days, the Navigenics store offers genetic profiling that identifies customers' potential ailments for $2500.
Apr. 20 - Heavy fighting between Somali Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian troops is taking place in Mogadishu where at least 80 people have been killed in the last 24 hours.
The fighting was fiercest in the Islamist stronghold of northern Mogadishu. Residents said the two sides, which had reinforced positions overnight, exchanged heavy fire in the early hours of Sunday around the Save Our Souls (SOS) Hospital. The transitional government is still struggling to impose its authority on the Horn of Africa nation and flush out the insurgents who mount near-daily roadside bombings and grenade attacks in Mogadishu.
Apr. 20 - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is threatenening to wage 'open war' against the Iraqi government and U.S. forces if military opearations against his Mehdi militia continue.
The U.S. military says 20 Sh'ite militia were killed in overnight clashes between U.S.-backed Iraqi forces and the Mehdi Army in Sadr City, the militia's Baghdad stronghold. Fighting in the Sadr City slum has claimed hundreds of lives since last month when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces launched a crackdown against Shi'ite militia groups in Baghdad and Basra. In a statement on Saturday, Moqtatda al-Sadr said he was giving the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government a 'last warning' to 'take the path of peace.'
Helen Long reports.
Tariq Azizuddin, who vanished in February with his driver and bodyguard, is seen urging Pakistan's government to comply with the militants' demands.
Paul Chapman reports.
By Dan Williams
HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) - Anticipating a showdown with Iran, Israel decides secretly to deploy a submarine off its arch-foe's coast.
But how? The quickest route from Israel's Mediterranean coast is via the Suez Canal, which runs through Egypt and which the classified vessels shun. So the submarine is hidden in the belly of a commercial tanker, which delivers it to the Gulf.
Such is the plot of an Israeli thriller, "Undersea Diplomacy." Does it hold water? Perhaps not. Then again, the author, Shlomo Erell, is no mere novelist. He's an ex-admiral with experience in Israel's most sensitive military planning.
"It's pure fiction, but it's informed fiction," he said simply, when asked if his book reflects how the Israeli fleet of Dolphin-class submarines could be used against Iran, whose leadership has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," stoking international concern over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Israel has three Dolphins, with two more on order from Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, a German shipyard custom-building them at a steep discount as part of Berlin's bid to shore up a Jewish state founded in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust.
The submarines are a subject of deepest secrecy given speculation that they carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
Many analysts believe the Dolphins are Israel's "second strike" weapons, referring to the Cold War theory that a country can deter foes from launching nuclear attacks by maintaining the ability to retaliate, even after its own territory has been laid waste. A nuclear "platform" out at sea is the best guarantee.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, and independent experts say it is years away from any such capability. Some, in turn, think Israel's expanding submarine fleet may be part of preparations to foil the perceived future threat through force.
"There is nothing on the horizon to suggest Iran would have the capability to knock out Israel's nuclear delivery means," said Sam Gardiner, a retired U.S. air force colonel who stages Middle East war games for U.S. government and private clients.
The Dolphins, he said, may be part of "a conventional capability to deal with the number of targets Israel believes would need to be struck in a conventional preemptive attack."
DISTANCE NO OBJECT?
Israel sent jets to bomb Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981 and has hinted it could do the same against Iranian facilities if U.S.-led diplomatic pressure failed to rein in Tehran's plans.
But the Iraqi raid was on a single site, relatively close to Israel's borders. Targets in Iran might be too numerous and distant for Israel's air force, especially as intermediate Arab states or Turkey would likely refuse overflight rights.
Israel is assumed to have ballistic missiles, yet its small size may make surprise launches impossible: an unannounced missile test in January became news within minutes as the startled residents of nearby towns reported the roaring takeoff.
Submarines could bridge the gap, especially if positioned in Iranian waters. That possibility has given rise to speculation that Israel wants five Dolphins in order to allow for at least one to be at sea at all times while others are being serviced.
The question remains of how far they might travel.
Israeli navy sources say the Dolphins do not use the Suez -- to avoid being inspected by Egyptian harbormasters. That means that, to reach the Gulf, Israel would either have to resort to fantastical ruses like the one in "Undersea Diplomacy," or send the submarines around Africa -- a month-long trip at least.
Jason Alderwick, a maritime analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, is skeptical.
"I don't buy the idea of a rotation. These submarines have not been purchased with a view to operating in the Gulf," he said. As Dolphins run on conventional rather than nuclear power so require regular refueling and shore maintenance, he described them as better suited to close Mediterranean missions.
Israel also has access to the Red Sea through Eilat port. But navy sources said there was no plan to dock submarines there because the narrow Red Sea, which is shared with several Arab states, is vulnerable to blockades at the Straits of Tiran.
DETERRENTS NEVER USED
Restricted to the Mediterranean, analysts point out, the Israeli Dolphins could pose a "second-strike" threat to Iran only if they carried nuclear cruise missiles capable of hitting targets as far as 1,500 km (970 miles) away.
Lee Willett of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies noted that Dolphins lacked the vertical tubes used by much bigger Western and Soviet-era submarines to launch ballistic missiles.
Cold War tests showed nuclear warheads are too heavy to be delivered long distances on cruise missiles, so Israel could hit Iran only with conventional warheads if they were fired from the Mediterranean, he said.
A nuclear attack on Iran by a Dolphin, Willett argued, would have to be from the Gulf, which in turn would give away an unsupported submarine's position and probably doom it to being destroyed by surviving Iranian forces.
"The whole point of a deterrent is that it's never used," Willett said. "In designing the Dolphins as a second-strike platform, I imagine the Israelis were thinking 'it's not ideal, but it's the best we've got'."
Israel does not discuss its nuclear capabilities, under an "ambiguity" policy billed as warding off regional enemies while avoiding the kind of provocations that can trigger arms races.
Erell appeared to support such thinking. The message of his book -- which made a modest splash in Israel, and is currently available only in Hebrew -- was "how to use a submarine without resorting to war." "It's about affecting statecraft," he said.
(Editing by Andrew Roche and Sara Ledwith)
Apr. 18 - Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri releases a new audiotape calling the invasion of Iraq a failure.
The recording was posted on a website frequently used for militant videos and audio messages but has not been verified.
The audiotape was released to mark the recent fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.
SOUNDBITE:
(Arabic) AL-QAEDA'S NUMBER TWO AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI:
"My lecture to you today is about two important issues. The first is the passing of five years of the American invasion of Iraq. The second issue is the economic plundering to which our Ummah in Egypt and elsewhere in Muslim lands have been subjected. As to what the American occupation of Iraq has gotten after five years, it is - by the grace of Allah - failure and defeat.
Petraeus went before congress to ask to postpone the withdrawal of the additional forces about seven weeks after its scheduled time, which is next July. Bush declared that he will give Patraeus all the time he needs, a stupid joke to cover the failure in Iraq, which allows Bush to escape the decision to withdraw forces.
By passing the problem to the next President, Bush is declaring the failure of the Crusader invasion of Iraq."
Andrew Potter reports.
The only problem---the happy couple has yet to consummate their vows. Pavithra George reports.
The attack suggested that militants have launched a new campaign of violence in the country's north.
The funeral had been for two members of the U.S.-backed neighbourhood security unit who were recently killed.
Andrew Potter reports.
Apr. 17 - Searching for people in cyberspace is becoming more specific, thanks to a new vertical people search engine called Spock.com.
Using so-called spider search technology, Spock crawls people data from various sources on the Web including social networks like MySpace.com yahoo, and Wikipedia, creating a unique profile of a person.
Apr. 15 - Beijing's Olympic Bird's Nest Stadium makes its debut to the foreign media.
The iconic 3.5 billion yuan (500.2 million USD) arena, the centrepiece of the Beijing Olympics, took more than four years to build.
Construction started in December 2003 and was completed 14 weeks behind schedule.
It will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics and soccer finals during the Aug. 8-24 Summer Games.
Daragh Burke reports.
April 16 - Masseuses in Indonesia's East Java province are now required to wear padlocks on their pants to stop prostitution, courtesy of a recently-implemented policy by the local government.
Andrew Potter reports.
Apr 16 - The DC-9 plowed into a crowded neighbourhood of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo's east, in bad weather.
At least 33 people were killed in the crash and some 80 others were hurt.
Susan Flory reports.
Apr. 16 - U.S. or British forces have staged an air strike in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, killing four suspected militants.
A coalition military spokesman said the aircraft fired on a group of five gunmen carrying rocket-propelled grenades. A second missile was fired at a vehicle destroying it.
Turkey also staged an airstrike into Iraq, targetting Kurdish guerrillas in the country's north.
Apr 16 - A bus crash in western India has killed 40 children with at least 20 more missing.
The bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a canal.
Angry locals and inconsolable parents gathered at the crash site.
Andrew Potter reports.
Apr. 15 - Two car bombs have killed more than 50 people in Sunni Arab areas of Iraq.
The attacks took place in regions which had been relatively quiet compared to the Shi-ite south where battles have been raging. It's thought al Qaeda could be behind the attacks because of the Sunni Arab militant group's history of using car bombs. One car bomb killed 40 people and wounded 80 outside a provincial government headquarters in Baquba.
April 14 - More than a thousand barbecue fanatics in Uruguay grilled up 12 metric tonnes of beef, setting a new Guinness world record for the biggest barbecue.
Katharine Jackson reports.
April 15 - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf faces renewed pressure to quit office, after a new Gallup poll suggests 73 percent of the country wants him to step down.
A Times Now report.
Apr. 14 - The passenger train service between India and Bangladesh resumes after more than four decades of suspension.
Siddhartha Dubey reports.
One of Australia's most famous annual country festivals started on Thursday. It features agricultural shows, an amusement park and the Pied Piper Duck Show.
Sonia Legg reports.
Giants of the North was formed to help integrate dwarves into Brazilian society.
Stefanie McIntyre reports.
April 14 - A walk down the memory lane for Bollywood, after nearly two decades filmmakers once again shoot in Jammu and Kashmir valley. Now movie stars will be seen singing, dancing and coyly flirting in the lush surrounding.
An ANI report.
April 14 - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is pushing a proposal for gas and oil pipelines between his country and China to bolster bilateral ties, during his visit to Beijing that has highlighted security concerns.
A ANI report.
Afternoon tea has its roots in nineteenth century England where sandwiches and cakes would be eaten in the early afternoon, to fight hunger pangs.
A typical menu consists of finger sandwiches, scones and tea. But the Mandeville hotel in London has decided to make a change to the traditional afternoon tea, swapping cucumber sandwiches for roasted sirloin and chicken satay, hoping to attract the heteropolitan man.
The day started off with senior mahouts - elephant drivers - paying ceremonial homage to the mounts of 44 players on 12 teams.
Susan Flory reports.
The 15-metre long boat, named "Thor", took captain Robert McDonald, his son and over 5000 schoolchildren four years to build. After visiting Britain, McDonald hopes to follow in the wake of the Vikings and cross the Atlantic, sailing to North America via Iceland and Greenland.
Joanna Partridge reports
Socialist candidate Milly D'Abrraccio is a veteran of Italy's adult entertainment industry.
She's running for Rome's city hall and has, perhaps unsurprisingly, found a mostly male fanbase.
Andrew Potter reports.
Apr 13 - The Olympic torch arrives in Tanzania for its only Africa leg of the world relay ahead of Beijing games.
The Olympic torch arrived in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, on its only African leg of a relay that's has been plagued by protests.
Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai was scheduled to take part, pulled out at the last minute over China's policy in Tibet.
Michael Tetlow reports.
Apr 13 - Iranian officials differ on the cause of an explosion which killed at least 12 people in a mosque in the south of the country.
People in the Iranian city of Shiraz, a city of more than one million inhabitants and also a popular tourist destination, were urged to donate blood for the wounded and all nurses in the city were asked to report for work.
Benet Allen reports.
By helping people manage their 'social connections' while they're out and about, companies are hoping to keep customers coming back to their products and services.
Matt Cowan reports for Reuters.
Apr 12 - Cargo plane crashes in Moldova killing eight people on board.
Moldovan officials said the aircraft was owned by a Sudanese company, Kata, but the crew was from Moldova and Ukraine.
Benet Allen reports.
The focus on the campaign trail will soon turn from politics to policy as Clinton, Obama and John McCain will each get a chance Tuesday to focus on their national security credentials when Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, gives Congress an update on the situation there.
Jon Decker reportApr.11 - Chinese authorities release dramatic video to visiting journalists filmed by government sources.
Chinese officials say the video footage shot in several towns in Gansu province highlights the scale and intensity of recent unrest over Tibet.
Paul Chapman reports.
Benet Allen reports.
