Month: March 2010

Washington, March 28:International agencies, inspectors and western intelligence officials believe Tehran is planning to build more nuclear enrichment sites in defiance of international demands, The New York Times reported late Saturday.

Quoting anonymous sources from several governments and international agencies, the Times reported that United Nations inspectors were looking for evidence of two such sites.

Florida, March 27: A Two-year-old girl is in critical condition after accidentally shooting herself in the stomach.

The incident took place after McKenzie Smith found the gun on the nightstand next to her mother’s bed in Port Richey, Florida, myFOXtampabay.com reports.

The boyfriend of her mother, 22-year old Ralph Ronzino, has been arrested for the accident.

Her mother Jessica Smith, 22, was home at the time but Ronzino, the owner of the weapon, was at the store when it went off.

Washington, March 27: US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev have finalised a historic new deal to cut long-range nuclear arms, slashing the number of deployed warheads by a third.

After months of intense negotiations, the pair sealed what Mr Obama called “the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades,” as they hailed improved ties that hit a low under US president George W Bush.

South Korea, March 27: Officials said there was no sign so far the North was to blame / AP

ALMOST 50 sailors are missing after a South Korean warship sank near the tense border with North Korea.

Officials said there was no sign so far the North was to blame.

President Lee Myung-Bak called an emergency security meeting and ordered a swift and thorough probe into what appeared to be one of the country’s worst military tragedies for decades.

“Fifty-eight sailors have been rescued and 46 others are missing,” a spokesman for the Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) said.

Finland, March 27: A Finnish court has convicted a corporate lawyer of kidnapping an heiress and holding her captive for two weeks until her family paid a multimillion euro ransom.

Juha Turunen was sentenced on Friday to nine years in prison.

The Helsinki District Court also found him guilty of assault and embezzlement.

The 45-year-old Turunen had admitted during the trial that he kidnapped 26-year-old Minna Nurminen last year and held her captive at an apartment in Turku, western Finland. She was released unharmed and police recovered the ransom money.

London, March 27: A Couple who inflicted more than 70 injuries on a three-year-old boy they babysat were found guilty of his murder.

Toddler Ryan Lovell-Hancox suffered a brain hemorrhage brought on by up to 10 blows to his head when it hit a floor or wall. Experts said his injuries were similar to those suffered by a road accident victim, Sky News reports.

The toddler was in the care of Kayley Boleyn, 19, and her boyfriend Christopher Taylor, 25, longtime friends of his mother, Amy Hancox. They offered to help her care for the boy in 2008.

Washington, March 27: A 6.2 MAGNITUDE earthquake struck in the northern part of Chile, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake was measured at a depth of 59 km and the epicenter was located 611 km north of the capital city of Santiago.

No tsunami watch was issued.

In February, a massive 8.8-magnitude quake rocked the country and triggered a tsunami, killing 452 people.

—Agencies

Washington, March 27: It was the 2008 US presidential campaign all over again overnight, with Alaska’s Sarah Palin taking swipes at Democrat Barack Obama with folksy quips and Senator John McCain standing at her side.

But this time Obama is president, Ms Palin is a Republican superstar wannabe – albeit an ex-state governor – and Senator McCain is in a fight for his political life.

Morocco, March 27: The father of five children murdered by their mother has been stuck with the bill for her trial and conviction.

A Belgian court sentenced Genevieve Lhermitte to life in prison last year for killing her son and four daughters, aged three to 14, in 2007, while her then husband was on a trip to Morocco.

As Lhermitte is in jail and insolvent, the Belgian state has sought to recover court expenses and collect fines from Bouchaib Moqadem.

France, March 27: Italy’s postal service has intercepted a threatening letter containing a bullet addressed to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, while letter bomb sent to a minister caught fire.

A large envelope containing a letter addressed to Mr Berlusconi with the threat “you will end up like a rat” was discovered on Friday in a post office in the Libate suburb of the northern city of Milan.

Thailand, March 27: Two soldiers were injured when a grenade was thrown at an army-run television station in Thailand, as protesters increased pressure on the Government.

The station, Channel 5, showed footage of the two soldiers with bleeding leg wounds being lifted into a pick-up truck and taken to hospital.

“An M-79 grenade was launched from the road in front of Channel 5 but the bomb hit a net above the fence before falling and exploding on the pavement,” police operations command spokesman Prawut Thavorsiri said yesterday.

London, March 27: British Airways said 66 per cent of all its cabin crew staff went to work yesterday despite a four-day walkout being staged by the Unite union.

Air passengers had to cope with more travel disruption as cabin crew took to picket lines once again.

But the airline said 96 per cent of staff turned up to work at London’s Gatwick airport.

There was a turnout of 61 per cent of staff for Heathrow longhaul flights and 56 percent for Heathrow shorthaul flights.

The strike follows a dispute between the Unite union and BA bosses over jobs and cost cutting.

Bangkok, March 27: Thai troops retreated from several security posts in the capital today, bowing to demands from 80,000 jubilant red-shirted protesters who mounted a rally to
demand fresh elections.

The “Red Shirts” loyal to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra targeted seven points where soldiers have been stationed during two weeks of street demonstrations, including
the city’s zoo and Buddhist temples.

In the face of the massive flag-waving crowds of protesters, who arrived in cars, on motorbikes and on foot, the military agreed to withdraw from positions in Bangkok’s