World News
Browse all articles and features filed under the News desk.
NASA finds Earth-size planets outside solar system
NASA's Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system, a milestone in the search for planets like the earth, the space agency said on Tuesday. The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are the smallest planets out
Hollywood still struggling to focus 3D technology
Two years after breakthrough 3D megahit "Avatar," Hollywood is still struggling to decide how best to use the new technology, as filmgoers tire of the novelty and say no to annoying glasses. While 2011 ends with a couple of well-received 3D movies - including Steven Spielberg's h
US military families line up for Christmas gifts
It's an unlikely sight at one of the biggest US military bases: young families lining up and waiting patiently outside a warehouse for free gifts to slip under the Christmas tree. Times are tough as much for military families as for anyone else in America this Christmas, making d
Scientists find answer to supernova riddle
The discovery of a supernova only hours after its explosion has probably solved a long-standing mystery on the origin of the brightest known phenomena in the Universe, scientists reported. On August 24, scientists witnessed the spectacular eruption of light and energy thrown off
Van cylinder blast death toll rises to 12
The death toll in Hingorja van cylinder blast has reached 12, DCO Khairpur said. According to reports, the van was carrying more than two dozen passengers when its gas cylinder exploded. The van caught fire after the explosion. The dead bodies and those injured have been rushed t
White House plays for time in pre-Christmas showdown
The White House Wednesday asked Congress to pass a temporary spending measure to head off the prospect of a government shutdown as a bitter pre-Christmas standoff escalated with Republicans. The vast functions of the US government will creak to a halt unless a new one-trillion-do
12 alleged Qaeda inmates escape Yemen prison
Twelve alleged Al-Qaeda militants plus two other inmates have tunnelled their way to freedom from a prison in the south Yemen city of Aden, a security official said on Monday. The prisoners fled through a six-metre (yard) tunnel they dug at the western end of Aden's central priso
Canada bans face veils for citizenship oaths
Canada's immigration minister announced Monday a ban on wearing face coverings such as burka and niqab veils when taking a citizenship oath. "Starting today, any individual will have to show his or her face when taking the oath of citizenship," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney t
South Korea planning to buy cruise missiles
South Korea is planning to add air-launched cruise missiles capable of destroying high value targets in North Korea to its arsenal, reports and officials said Wednesday. The plan is awaiting parliamentary approval, a defence ministry spokesman told, adding that the air force want
NASA catalogs thousands of asteroids near Earth
About 1,000 asteroids big enough to cause catastrophic damage if they hit Earth are orbiting relatively nearby, a NASA survey shows. In a project known as Spaceguard, the U.S. space agency was ordered by Congress in 1998 to find 90 percent of objects near Earth that are 1 km (0.6
18 new planets discovered
Using twin telescopes at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, astronomers have discovered 18 new Jupiter-like planets orbiting massive stars. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), surveyed about 300 stars, and focussed on those dubbed “retired” A-type stars
Drone lost in Iran belonged to CIA
US officials have expressed concern at the loss of a drone near Iran's eastern border with Afghanistan. A Pentagon spokesman said the US were worried especially as the unmanned aircraft was "in a place where we're not able to get to it". Iranian media say the drone was shot down
Stormy sun could knock out power grids
An upcoming cycle of stormy solar activity risks causing damage to electrical transformers and threatening vulnerable energy infrastructure around the globe, a report by an insurance group says. The sun follows a predictable 11 year activity cycle, with the next period of stormy
Pakistan stays out of US probe into Nato-raid
Pakistan is refusing to take part in a US military investigation of air strikes near the Afghan border that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead, the Pentagon said Friday. Pakistan was invited to cooperate in the probe into Saturday's incident, which has enraged Islamabad and plunged
Clashes in Yemen kill five
Clashes between forces loyal to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and dissident tribesmen in the country's second-largest city Taez killed five people on Thursday, medics said. "Five people were killed and 20 wounded," one medic told. Witnesses said the fighting erupted early i
Nine killed in Hong Kong tower fire: Police
A fire engulfed a Hong Kong residential tower and popular tourist market early Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring 30, police said. Ambulances rushed the injured to nearby hospitals as firefighters battled to put out the blaze, which started before dawn at a stall in the
14 killed in Taxila road mishap
A least 14 people were killed when a Rawalpindi bound van went out of control and hit a tree catching fire later, Geo News reported Tuesday. According to details, the passenger van was on its way to Rawalpindi from Peshawar when the driver lost control and hit a tree. Soon after
Russia launches Chinese satellite
A Russian Proton-M rocket completed the successful launch Saturday of an advanced Chinese communications satellite that should help expand television coverage in parts of Southeast Asia. The Roscosmos space agency said the AsiaSat 7 satellite was placed in its designed orbit afte
Russia 'makes first contact' with stranded Mars probe
Russia on Thursday announced its scientists had for the first time made contact with its stranded Mars probe Phobos-Grunt, a day after the European Space Agency said it had received a signal. "A signal from the probe has been received and some telemetry data. At the moment our sp
Egyptians set to vote under deadly shadow
Egyptians are set to vote on Monday in the first legislative elections since Hosni Mubarak was ousted, but a deadly countdown to the polls has cast a dark shadow over Egypt's first step to democratic rule. For days, bloody clashes have raged in Cairo's Tahrir Square and in severa