As Eliot Spitzer left office and David Paterson became governor, New Yorkers almost breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t last long When Eliot Spitzer bucked the New York Democratic establishment and selected Senate minority leader David Paterson as his running mate in 2006, many people thought Spitzer was crazy – and Paterson, too.
Moscow signs agreement that will see Russia help construct up to 20 atomic plants India and Russia today signed a nuclear co-operation agreement, which paves the way for the building of about a dozen nuclear reactors in India, with Russian help, over the next few decades.
Head of supreme council says Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law group is likely victor based on preliminary results The political grouping headed by Iraq’s prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, today began preparing negotiations for a new coalition government after edging ahead in the latest counts of Sunday’s general election. The poll’s outcome is still unclear but Maliki’s State of Law group is growing in confidence after preliminary results gave it victory in at least two southern provinces. Only partial counts have been released from six of Iraq’s 18 provinces, excluding Baghdad
Animals at Shenyang Forest zoo reportedly starved to death after being fed only chicken bones Eleven rare Siberian tigers, starving and kept in small cages, have died at a cash-strapped zoo in China, heightening concerns about conditions at wildlife facilities in the country. The deaths of the tigers occurred in the past three months at the zoo based in the cold north-east. Reports said the tigers starved to death, having been fed only chicken bones
Murcia residents start Facebook campaign to attract global coffee chain – possibly for the muffins, the wifi or the mugs! Murcia is one of the fastest growing cities in Spain, the proud capital of the country’s south-eastern market garden region. But the coffee guzzling citizens of Murcia say it still lacks the one thing that would prove they have made it onto the global map of cities that count: the green, white and black sign of a local Starbucks.
Government tells residents to leave battle zone as al-Shabaab militia takes positions near presidential palace Somalia was today embroiled in some of its fiercest fighting for nearly a year as government troops shelled advancing rebels in the capital, Mogadishu. The Islamist militia group al-Shabaab attacked government positions near the president’s palace and four people were killed by return fire, witnesses said. The violence erupted in the Wardhigley district in the early hours, the third day of battles between the insurgents and government forces backed by African Union troops.
At least 39 killed and 95 wounded in suicide blasts which appeared to target Pakistani military Twin blasts rocked Lahore today, hitting a high-security military district and killing at least 39 people. Unconfirmed reports put the death toll at up to 50, while more than 95 people were injured.
Catholic prelate says priests and deacons should keep sermons brief and maintain eye contact to keep flock well-tended The book of Genesis says God created the heavens and Earth in less than a week. Now, Catholic clergy are being asked to follow suit and keep their sermons to under eight minutes in a recommendation issued from the Vatican. Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, says homilies should be brief to cater for people with short attention spans
The Senate majority leader’s wife is hospitalised with broken neck and broken back after her car was hit by a truck Sad news this evening for Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, with his wife Landra and his daughter Lana in hospital in Washington DC with serious injuries, after the car they were travelling in was hit by a truck. Senator Reid’s office put out a statement : “Senator Reid’s wife, Landra, and daughter, Lana, were involved in an accident earlier today. They are being treated at a Washington-area hospital.
Mahmoud Abbas ‘not ready to negotiate’ after Israel announces 1,600 new homes for East Jerusalem The Palestinians pulled out of a new round of indirect peace talks last night, even before they had begun, as a protest at Israel’s decision to announce approval for hundreds of new homes in a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.
