World News
Browse all articles and features filed under the News desk.
SpaceX delays ISS launch again
The US company SpaceX on Wednesday said it was unlikely to meet a planned May 7 launch to send its Dragon space capsule to the International Space Station, but did not set a new date for the attempt. "At this time, a May 7th launch appears unlikely," spokeswoman Kirstin Grantham
Study finds warming speeding up rainfall
An Australian study of ocean salinity over the past 50 years has revealed a "fingerprint" showing that climate change has accelerated the rainfall cycle, a researcher said Friday. The study published in the journal Science and conducted by Australian and US scientists looked at o
Scientists in quest to find white orca
A team of Russian scientists say they will embark on a quest next week to observe the only all-white, adult killer whale ever spotted - a majestic and elusive bull they have named Iceberg. The researchers from the universities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg first spotted the orca
Pakistan successfully test-fires Hatf IV
Pakistan has successfully test-fired long-range Hatf IV (Shaheen 1A) ballistic missile, Geo News reported Wednesday. According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan successfully conducted the launch of the intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Hatf IV Shaheen-1A Weap
SpaceX delays first private launch
WASHINGTON: SpaceX said Monday it is pushing back by a week a bid to become the first private company to attempt to launch a spacecraft to the International Space Station on an unmanned cargo mission. "After reviewing our recent progress, it was clear that we needed more time to
Philippine bomb wounds 22 soldiers
A powerful booby trap bomb wounded 22 Philippine soldiers, seven of them critically, as they patrolled a former stronghold of Al-Qaeda-linked militants Tuesday, the military said. The soldiers were patrolling the outskirts of a remote camp captured last month from Abu Sayyaf extr
Whale barf in perfumes to be replaced
A product from fir trees and yeast may soon replace ambergris, a kind of whale barf, to make expensive perfume, scientists said Thursday. For centuries, perfume makers have prized ambergris for its ability to prevent scent from dissipating. The wax-like substance is secreted by s
Bomb attack near Nigeria church kills 40
A car bombing near a church in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna on Easter Sunday killed at least 40 people, while another blast later in a separate city caused a number of injuries. The deadly explosion in Kaduna, an important cultural and economic centre in Nigeria's north,
Greece shaken by retiree's suicide
An elderly man shot himself in the head Wednesday in a central Athens, drawing an emotional response from Greeks who flooded the area in a spontaneous anti-government protest. The 77-year-old retired pharmacist killed himself in busy Syntagma Square, just 100 metres (yards) from
Two dead due to heavy rain in Brazil
At least two people were killed late Friday in Brazil's southeastern state of Rio de Janeiro due to a heavy downpour, which triggered mudslides and interrupted traffic, media reported. The newspaper Folha reported that one person had been found dead in the wreckage of his collaps
Yemeni forces kill 38 Qaeda suspects
Yemen's armed forces killed 38 suspected members of Al-Qaeda in two days of air raids and shelling of their hideouts in the country's south, a government official said Tuesday. "Thirty-eight members of Al-Qaeda were killed in shelling and air strikes that targetted their position
Tokyo chefs angry over new blowfish laws
odoxin is found in parts of the blowfish, including the liver, heart, intestines and eyes, and is so intense that a tiny amount will kill. Every year there are reports of people dying after preparing blowfish at home. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says city laws covering the
Dutch helicar takes maiden flight
Flying cars are the Jetsons dream that never came true. But wait, some Dutch dudes have cobbled together a weird helicar contraption that combines all the worst, most impractical elements of car and helicopter into one amazingly expensive prototype. On the ground, this thing — ca
European cargo vessel docks
An unmanned European craft docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday 2233 GMT, laden with tonnes of fuel, water, oxygen and other supplies, France's CNES space agency said. The robot freighter hooked up with the station, which is currently staffed by six astr
Libyan PM visits scene of tribal clashes
Libya's prime minister flew to a desert oasis city on Sunday to try to patch up a tribal dispute that has killed about 150 people over the past week and underscored the ethnic faultlines threatening Libya's stability. A Reuters team that flew with the prime minister to Sabha, abo
N Korea test-fired short-range missiles
North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles off its west coast this week amid international alarm at its planned long-range rocket launch, South Korean newspapers said Friday. The North fired what appeared to be two KN-01 ground-to-ship missiles with a range of up to 120 kilo
More than 70 dead in Libya clashes
Three days of clashes between tribes in the southern Libyan town of Sabha have killed more than 70 people, Libyan government spokesperson Nasser al-Manaa said on Wednesday. "It is regrettable that more than 70 people have been killed and more than 150 have been wounded," since Mo
Japan 'ghost ship' reaches Canada
A fishing boat lost in the massive Japanese tsunami a year ago has turned up off Canada's west coast, authorities said Saturday. An aerial inspection suggested that there was no one on board, Transport Canada spokeswoman Sau Sau Liu told AFP. The 65-meter (210-foot) vessel was sp
New device invisible to magnetic fields
European researchers said Thursday they have created a device invisible to a static magnetic field that could have practical military and medical applications. Fedor Gomory and colleagues in Slovakia and Spain designed a cloak for a direct current, or dc, magnetic field that is s
Princess Diana's former home reopens
Kensington Palace, home to Queen Victoria and Princess Diana in the past and from next year to Prince William and his wife Catherine, reopens to the public Monday after extensive renovation. Fringed by manicured gardens, the red-brick palace in central London has borne witness to