September 6, 2010
BAGHDAD – Only one of Nidal Haidar's six sisters is married. She has given up on ever getting hitched.
"Our chances of finding husbands are diminishing as we grow older," said Haidar, a 38-year-old dressmaker from Baghdad. "I am at an age where anyone who may propose to me will either be a widower or very, very old, but no one is really proposing to me since all the men now are looking for a rich or a young bride."
International
September 6, 2010
London and Paris – Rooful Ali is an accountant who commutes, "suited and booted," to his corporate office in London from Northamptonshire, England, where he grew up in a Bangladeshi family. His avocation is photography. But he also finds time to direct the first Europe-wide association of Muslim professionals.
International
September 6, 2010
BEIJING – Senior U.S. and Chinese officials met Monday to steady relations upset by disputes over currency, trade and military affairs despite calls for a tougher line on Chinese economic policies that some say are contributing to American unemployment.
With congressional elections in two months, President Barack Obama is under pressure to kick-start the economy and many lawmakers say he should start by addressing China's lopsided trade surplus and currency policies.
International
September 6, 2010
MAPUTO: The death toll has risen to 13 from rioting that broke out last week in Maputo in protest at rising food prices, Mozambique's health minister Ivo Garrido told a news conference Monday.
"I am sorry to say that the number of deaths rose from 10 to 13. On Friday, two more lifeless bodies were taken to a Maputo hospital. One patient died last night in Maputo central hospital," he said.
The protests broke out on Wednesday after an increase in bread prices, which came on top of recent hikes in prices for electricity, water and fuel.
International
September 6, 2010
NAHUALA, Guatemala – When news came over the radio that a landslide had buried two pickup trucks and a bus along a major highway, Suagustino Pascual Tuy and others rushed to the rescue, picks and shovels in hand.
Digging through the mud, they managed to extract several people alive, including Pascual Tuy's nephew. Suddenly the mountain above began crackling and a second cascade of rock and earth swept over the gathered crowd, turning many would-be rescuers into victims themselves.
International
September 6, 2010
DOHA: Iran's president said Sunday that any Israeli attack against his nation would mean the destruction of the Jewish state.
The two nations have exchanged numerous threats and warnings in the confrontation over Iran's nuclear program, which Israel, the United States and other countries believe is aimed at developing weapons, despite Tehran's denials.
International
September 6, 2010
CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand authorities extended a state of emergency in earthquake-hit Christchurch Monday and said the centre of the country's second largest city remained a no-go zone.
Authorities said strong aftershocks continued to rock Christchurch following the 7.0-magnitude quake on Saturday, which caused extensive damage estimated at two billion dollars (1.44 billion US).
Police and troops manned roadblocks sealing off the city centre, with the Civil Defence authority saying the area remained closed due to danger from falling masonry and glass.
International
September 6, 2010
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican said on Sunday it was in contact with Tehran over the case of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery amid a global diplomatic push for clemency.
The Vatican said it was using "diplomatic channels" to intervene in the case, while Italy urged Iran for a "act of clemency".
Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, is facing the death penalty after being convicted of having an extramarital relationship in a case that has sparked an international campaign for her release.
International
September 6, 2010
LONDON: Increasingly erratic rainfall patterns related to climate change pose a major threat to food security and economic growth, water experts said on Monday, arguing for greater investment in water storage.
In a report by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), experts said Africa and Asia were likely to be hardest hit by unpredictable rainfall, and urged policymakers and farmers to try to find ways of diversifying sources of water.
International
September 5, 2010
CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand braced for more destruction Sunday as aftershocks and an approaching storm threatened an area of the country hit by the most devastating earthquake in decades.
Prime Minister John Key said it was "a miracle" no one had died when the major 7.0 magnitude quake wreaked more than a billion dollars of damage on the nation's second-biggest city of Christchurch.
Civil defence officials warned that ongoing aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 5.4, coupled with a ferocious storm blowing in could threaten already-weakened buildings.
International
