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Man who abused NHLer Fleury apologizes

David Trifunov — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:53:00 +0000

Theo Fleury, who won both a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal, said there is no hope of rehabilitating his former junior league coach.

Experimental diet pill Qnexa one step closer to FDA approval

News Desk — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:45:00 +0000

Qnexa, a diet drug previously rejected by the Food and Drug Administration over safety concerns, should be approved, an advisory panel has said.

South Sudan expels Chinese oil firm chief

Luke Browne — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:36:56 +0000

In a letter to Liu Yingcai from South Sudan’s petroleum minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau, one of the reasons behind Yingcai’s expulsion was his decision to continue paying Sudan oil-transit fees using South Sudanese oil money without the government’s consent.

More than 65,000 affected by flooding in Acre, Brazil

Jill Langlois — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:13:18 +0000

Heavy rains that reached Acre state in northern Brazil have affected more than 65,000 people in the region, making it the second largest flooding on record for the state.

Kevin Rudd, former Aussie foreign minister, plots his next move from a Washington DC hotel room

Freya Petersen — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:06:00 +0000

Kevin Rudd, whose shock resignation as Australian Foreign Minister has sent the media into live blog mode, is using Washington D.C. as a staging point for his next move.

1 million children in Sahel could starve, says UNICEF

Heather Murdock — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:03:43 +0000

Last year, international donors helped quell a famine in East Africa, after the suffering became a major news story. For many of the victims, it was too late.

Puda Coal scandal: SEC charges 2 executives with fraud

Samantha Stainburn — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:01:11 +0000

Puda raised $116 million in two public offerings in 2010, attracting investors who wanted a piece of Puda’s profitable mining subsidiary Shanxi Puda Coal Group, Agence France-Presse reported.

Why you should care about foreign news

Michael Goldfarb — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:51:24 +0000

WARSAW — Shadid and Colvin are irreplaceable because of their skill, experience and humanity. But the terrible truth is they are not likely to be replaced, because the people who manage the news business do not begin to match their courage.

Chris Christie to Warren Buffett: 'write a check and shut up'

News Desk — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:29:38 +0000

Gov. Chris Christie also unveiled his budget proposal today with a 10 percent income-tax cut across the board.

Cherie Blair, Tony Blair's wife, begins phone hacking proceedings

Talia Ralph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:36:38 +0000

Cherie Blair, the wife of Britain's former prime minister Tony Blair, has issued a phone hacking claim understood to be against News Group Newspapers.

Estonian police arrested, accused of spying for Russia

News Desk — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:33:07 +0000

"I believe this project will help Lithuania to shake KGB disease. It is always better to know truth," said Birute Burauskaite of the Genocide and Resistance Research Center.

Strauss-Kahn released from jail after two days of questioning over prostitution ring

Alexander Besant — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Former IMF chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was released from prison in the northern French city of Lille during questioning by police over alleged involvement in a prostitution ring

Suspect in Capitol bomb plot waives right to hearings

Sarah Wolfe — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:14:45 +0000

A Moroccan man suspected of plotting a suicide attack in the U.S. Capitol waived his rights to preliminary and detention hearings Wednesday.

Edith Bouvier, French freelance journalist, in critical condition in Syria

Hanna Ingber — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:11:55 +0000

"There is a high risk she will bleed to death without urgent medical attention," according to a member of Avaaz, which has been working inside Syria. "We are desperately trying to get her out, doing all we can in extremely perilous circumstances."

Christians mark Ash Wednesday around the world

David Trifunov — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:05:00 +0000

Many attended a noon-hour mass to receive ashes on their foreheads, while thousands more shuffled through airport security in New Orleans on their way home.

Obama sings again; this time, 'Sweet Home Chicago'

Talia Ralph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:04:00 +0000

Obama took the mike to sing a few lines at a White House blues concert in honor of Black History Month.

Talia Ralph

President Obama hosted a blues concert at the White House on Tuesday night in honor of Black History Month, which featured performances by B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Obama himself.

The President was egged on to belt out a few lines of "Sweet Home Chicago" at the behest of blues legends King and Guy, the Washington Post reported.

“You done started something. You gotta keep it up now,” Guy said.

Virginia governor revokes support for ultrasound bill

Priyanka Boghani — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:54:00 +0000

The bill received nationwide attention and also ridicule from comedy shows like Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.

Another website falls in global crackdown against online piracy

Jeb Boone — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:47:21 +0000

German file-hosting site skyload.net is next website brought down for online piracy, following Megaupload and Btjunkie.

Jeb Boone

German authorities have raided and shut down popular file-hosting site skyload.net, arresting the sites owner along with another individual who helped provide hosting services to the website, reported German news outlet Heise Online.

Skyload.net, along with several other sites accused of internet piracy and copyright violations have undergone increased pressure from authorities following the shutdown of Megaupload and the arrest of the site’s employees last month.

Both men have been charged with copyright-related offenses and face up to several years in prison if they’re found guilty.

These new arrests were part of ongoing legal actions directed against the moving streaming portal Kino.to which was raided and shut down in June of last year, resulting in the arrest of more than a dozen people in Germany, Spain, France and the Netherlands, according to file-sharing advocates torrentfreak.com and Heise Online.

Skyload.net and Megaupload.com have so far borne the brunt of the increased international efforts to stop online piracy and copyright violation. In addition, torrent hosting website The Pirate Bay recently switched its US-based ".org" domain for Sweden based ".se," fearing a crackdown by US authorities. Btjunkie.org, another wildly popular torrent hosting website, voluntarily closed its doors earlier this month after eight years in operation, fearing legal reprisals.

Speedos or Speedon’ts? That is the question

Iva Roze Skoch — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:39:26 +0000

Perhaps no other item of clothing has generated as much public debate as the infamous Speedo. But what’s the big deal?

Iva Roze Skoch

If you put any two Americans on any random beach in the world which Europeans frequent, the first thing they will unquestionably comment on will be the awful fashion statement called the Speedo.

Meanwhile, if you put any two Europeans on any beach Americans frequent, the first thing they will comment on will be the size of an average American — whether they wear ankle-length Hawaiian-patterned trunks or not.

Island-hopping in Thailand this week once again made it clear to me that the entire global male population divides into two distinct teams:

1) Swim trunks wearers (primarily Americans, Brits, Australians and New Zealanders)

2) “Banana hammock” wearers (the rest of the world)

While swim trunks wearers are 100 percent certain they are the more fashionable team, team Speedo has its own set of anti-trunk arguments, namely:
- in the 21st century, why would men voluntarily wear a male burqini?
- trunks are for homophobes and men not comfortable with their manhood (often the same people)
- trunks are not as “hygienic” (harder to dry and more fabric to absorb bacteria)
- if women — even the obese ones — have to “bare all” on the beach, it’s only fair men should, too
- annoying trunk wearers generally carry about two pounds of sand inside their trunks into any public shower
- you get a stupid tanline
- don’t even try to wear trunks while showering in an Icelandic pool (read this, Americans)

But all of the above is nothing comparing to all the slang terms out there for speedos.

A two-minute internet search generates enough synonyms to keep any men’s magazine subscriber entertained for decades.

Without further ado, Speedo is also known as:

Poll: Obama tops 50% against all Republican contenders in 2012

News Desk — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:24:20 +0000

Meanwhile, the 35-person committee of campaign co-chairs for Obama is joined by actress Eva Longoria, a frequent White House visitor.

Google to reveal smartphone glasses: reports

Mariya Karimjee — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:21:02 +0000

According to sources, glasses that will stream information to your eyeballs in real time are being developed at Google.

Mariya Karimjee

By the end of the year, we'll all have the option to wear a pair of Google-made glasses that will stream information to our eyeballs in real time, The New York Times reported today.

The glasses are expected to cost as much as a smartphone (in the $250 to $600 range). The glasses will be Android based, come equipped with a 3G or 4G connection, and will include a small screen that will sit a few inches from the wearer's eye.

EU ups the ante in battle with bad boy Hungary

Paul Ames — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:21:00 +0000

To deter an Athens-on-the-Danube scenario, the EU demands Hungary to get its fiscal act together.

Anonymous hacks Greek justice website, threatens to erase the debts of Greek citizens

Amy Silverstein — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:07:00 +0000

This is the second time that the website has been hacked this month.

Marie Colvin remembered

Charles M. Sennott — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:45:00 +0000

Celebrated correspondent's death in Syria comes just days after Anthony Shadid's.

Charles M. Sennott

BOSTON – The news that Marie Colvin was killed while reporting in Syria hit like a gut punch this morning.

I had to pull over on my commute to take it in, and take in the extraordinary tragedy of losing two of the best Middle East correspondents of our generation in the space of one week.

Indiana lawmaker stands by slam on Girl Scouts

Sarah Wolfe — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:43:00 +0000

The Indiana state lawmaker who called the Girls Scouts a radical organization that promotes abortion and homosexuality is sticking by his comments despite ridicule from his own party.

Ethiopian and Somali troops seize strategic town of Baidoa from Al Shabaab militants

Luke Browne — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:42:35 +0000

The town, 160 miles from the capital Mogadishu, was a stronghold for Al Shabaab, and its most important base after the southern port of Kismayo.

Facebook can predict job performance, study shows

Meena Thiruvengadam — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:39:10 +0000

Facebook profiles are good predictors of job performance, American researchers have found.

Mozambique oil: Shell offers $1.6 billion for Cove Energy

Samantha Stainburn — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:34:06 +0000

Cove recently reported the discovery of one of the world's largest areas of recoverable gas in a decade, located off Mozambique, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

America's Most Wanted fugitive nabbed in Montreal

David Trifunov — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:32:45 +0000

Fugitive arrived in Canada eight years ago with assumed identity.

Rio's Carnival street parties bring out 4 million revellers (VIDEO)

Jill Langlois — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:22:00 +0000

One bloco alone, the Cordão da Bola Preta, broke records when it attracted over 2 million people.

NASA puts parts of John F. Kennedy Space Center up for rent

Jessica Phelan — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:11:00 +0000

"I have a lot of facilities that we, NASA, no longer need," according to the center's director, Robert Cabana. "I don't have the money to maintain them, I don't have the money to tear them down. They're just going to sit and rot."

Somalia News: Al Shabaab losing ground in Africa

Tristan McConnell — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:48:53 +0000

Al Shabaab faces a stronger military onslaught in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Tristan McConnell

NAIROBI, Kenya — Somalia's Islamist militants, Al Shabaab, which recently announced its formal incorporation into Al Qaeda, seems to be losing ground.

On Wednesday Ethiopian and Somali soldiers took the central town of Baidoa which is a key strategic city that had once served as a seat of government.

More from GlobalPost: Kenyan and AMISOM forces aim to expel Al Shabaab

Ethiopian soldiers backed by government-aligned militia have pushed Al Shabaab out of other towns and villages along Somalia's western border in recent months adding to the pressure Al Shabaab is under elsewhere in the country.

In the south Kenya's army is making slow progress in its advance on Kismayo, a port town and militant stronghold, while in the capital Mogadishu African Union peacekeepers are forcing Al Shabaab ever further from the center of the city.

It is too early to count Al Shabaab out but they are facing a stronger military onslaught than at any time since their insurgency began five years ago.

More from GlobalPost: Somalia News: Schools raided for child soldiers

Arab Spring: Journalist deaths during uprisings

Priyanka Boghani — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:48:00 +0000

The Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 claimed 15 lives in the press corps, and 2012 has already seen five deaths in Syria.

Bioshock Infinite: A video game that takes on US politics

Jeb Boone — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:35:00 +0000

Bioshock Infinite, a fantasy video game, addresses issues related to the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street.

Jeb Boone

Just as gamers were getting a grip on the near farcical amount of incredible titles released last year, 2012 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting years in gaming. At the top of this year's most anticipated games sits Diablo III, Blizzard's next installment in the beloved Diablo franchise that has been 12 years in the making.

Other titles set to launch in 2012, like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm, Halo 4, Borderlands 2, and Mass Effect 3 are, simply put, some of the most highly-anticipated releases of the last two decades. In the case of Counter-Strike: GO and Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm, these games will be played in international tournaments, from Seoul to Helsinki, for millions of dollars in prize money.

Yet during this election year in the United States, one release may pique the interest of politicians, voters, and gamers alike.

BioShock Infinite, the third installment of the controversial first-person shooter franchise developed by Irrational Games is a title that values its politically relevant narrative just as much as gameplay mechanics.

After Marie Colvin death, Syria asks foreign journalists to report to government: Reuters

Mariya Karimjee — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:32:42 +0000

Syria's information ministry announced today that foreign journalists who were illegally in the country should report to the government, Reuters reported. The announcement came only hours after two foreign journalists, Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik, were killed in the Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr.

Erin Brockovich can't yet pinpoint what is causing Tourette syndrome in New York, she says

Amy Silverstein — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:30:00 +0000

School officials are accused of not cooperating with Brockovich during her investigation.

US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to investigate overdraft fees

Samantha Stainburn — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:25:35 +0000

“Overdraft practices have the capacity to inflict serious economic harm on the people who can least afford it,” Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray said, according to the AP.

Microsoft files EU complaint against Motorola

Luke Browne — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:14:02 +0000

The move marks a new stage in the long-running and increasingly acrimonious rivalry between Microsoft and Google, which bought Motorola for $12.5 billion last year in the California company’s biggest acquisition to date.

France-Britain drone project papers stolen in Paris rail station

Jessica Phelan — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:51:49 +0000

Why do officials find it so hard to hang on to their stuff?

The latest butter fingers belong to an engineer with French company Dassault Aviation, who had his briefcase stolen from a train station in Paris.

Inside, according to Le Parisien, were documents relating to a joint drone-building project between Britain and France.

Dead dog offered credit card

Sarah Wolfe — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:43:00 +0000

Capital One urges 'Spark Sloan,' who's been dead for 10 years, in a letter to apply for a special credit card offer.

Sarah Wolfe

A Canadian man's dog is offered a credit card -- even though she's been dead for 10 years.

Kelly Sloan, who lives in Sarnia, Ontario, discovered the letter from Capital One last week while leafing through his mail, urging "Spark Sloan" to apply for a special credit card offer, The Observer reported.

“They’ve got the right name, the right address, and it’s a heck of a deal," Sloan told the newspaper. "She can apply online today, and I guess, get her card."

The family dog died at age 13.

If she had gotten her paws on some plastic, Spark probably would have bought herself a hula hoop, Sloan jokingly told The Observer.

This isn't the family's first run-in with Capital One. Their saga with the credit card company began when Sloan's father died in 1999.

Sloan said he contacted Capital One to cancel his father's credit card, but notices, updates and requests for information addressed to his deceased father kept coming and began piling up, The Observer reported.

Frustrated, Sloan filled out a form creatively. Now, years later, Spark is getting posthumous offers in the mail.

When contacted by The Observer, Capital One apologized for their mistake.

“We do comb through to make sure we’re sending them to the appropriate people, but obviously there’s an error here and we apologize,” Capital One representative Laurel Ostfield told the newspaper.

Home sales jump more than 4 percent in January

Tim Fitzsimons — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:22:09 +0000

Sales of previously inhabited homes in the United States jumped 4.3 percent in January, bringing good economic news to a battered real estate market.

'Miss' banned in France, called discriminatory to women

News Desk — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:14:00 +0000

The honorific "Miss" is now officially banned in France, with women to be called "madame," not "mademoiselle," on government documents, regardless of marital status.

News Desk

Au revoir, mademoiselle.

The term "Miss" was officially banned in France today. The office of French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said it would be struck from government documents, along with the terms "maiden name" and "married name" for women, Agence France-Presse reported.

Buenos Aires train crash kills at least 49 (VIDEO)

Jill Langlois — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:12:00 +0000

At least 49 are dead after Buenos Aires train came in too fast and hit the barrier at the end of the platform at Once Station.

5 dead in murder-suicide at Georgia health spa

Sarah Wolfe — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:01:00 +0000

Police say a man entered a Korean health spa in surburban Atlanta and shot four people to death before turning the gun on himself.

Iran: Search for nuclear weapons was a failure, United Nations says

Amy Silverstein — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:57:45 +0000

UN officials did not reach an agreement with Iran.

Apple defends its right to use iPad name in China

Thomas Mucha — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:33:00 +0000

Can Apple use the name iPad in China? The company made its case today in court.

Thomas Mucha

It's been a big day for Apple in China.

The world's most valuable company — and America's hottest brand — defended its right to use the iPad name at the Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court.

Yes, it's a big deal when a company faces a legal challenge to its fastest-selling product.

But it's an ever bigger deal when that challenge happens to be in China, the world's fastest-growing market.

As Macro readers know from our ongoing coverage of the story, Apple was sued by a small Chinese firm Proview International, which claims that it owns the rights to the iPad name in China.

Proview has had some success against Apple in the dispute: Chinese authorities have seized iPads from some retailers, and iPad sales have been blocked in several smaller Chinese cities.

On Tuesday, Apple sent a nasty letter to Proview's chairman (read it here in both Mandarin and English).

Apple also put out this statement:

"We bought Proview’s worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago. Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple in China and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter. Our case is still pending in mainland China.”

So how did it go in court Wednesday?

Obama to propose lowering corporate tax rate to 28 and 25 percent

Tim Fitzsimons — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:08:00 +0000

Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner will unveil the proposed tax code overhaul Wednesday, but it is unlikely to be passed in an election year.

Buffalo kills suspected poacher at Kruger park in South Africa

Erin Conway-Smith — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:28:00 +0000

The Cape buffalo killed the suspected poacher inside Kruger National Park, near its northern borders with Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Erin Conway-Smith

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A suspected poacher has been killed by a buffalo at Kruger National Park.

The 35-year-old man was trampled to death last night by the Cape buffalo north of Punda Maria rest camp, near the park's northern borders with Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Germany must stop castrating sex offenders, says European rights watchdog

Jessica Phelan — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:19:00 +0000

As German law stands, people considered at risk of committing sexual crimes can volunteer to undergo the procedure in order to help them manage "an abnormal sex drive."

Costa Concordia: Eight more bodies found in wreckage

Luke Browne — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:54:00 +0000

“Before today, fifteen people were still listed as missing and presumed dead, putting the death toll from the catastrophe at 32 people killed.

São Paulo's Carnival mob-starter identified

Jill Langlois — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:47:01 +0000

This isn't the first time Faria has had a run-in with the law. In 2001, he was charged with stealing from bank machines and forming a gang.

General Motors in alliance talks with French automaker Peugeot

Luke Browne — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:08:21 +0000

French Labor Minister Xavier Bertrand told Europe 1 radio on Wednesday that Peugeot Chief Executive Philippe Varin “informed me last night of these discussions for a strategic partnership, and told me it was good news for the company.”

White South African family seeks US asylum, claiming racial discrimination

Erin Conway-Smith — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:45:00 +0000

An Afrikaner family has applied for asylum in the United States, claiming that as white South Africans they face racism back home.

Erin Conway-Smith

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A South African family is seeking asylum in the United States, claiming that as white Afrikaner farmers they face racial discrimination back home.

The family's lawyer has been contacting US academics to try and get scholarly opinions that would help with their case, South African daily the Times reported today. Lawyer Rehim Babaoglu said the family is too afraid to be identified.

Free porn: Not just on the Internet in India

Jason Overdorf — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:52:04 +0000

Overheard from Konark to Khajuraho....

Jason Overdorf

This past week, I traveled to Orissa to visit Konark's famous Sun Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Given India Today's dismay over the sudden invasion of the Internet, you'll be shocked to discover what I found.

Nearly a thousand years before Al Gore invented the Internet, Indians had pioneered the field of free porn.

My guide, a guy named Sunil, explained it thus:

Alexander Ankvab, president of Abkhazia, survives attack on convoy

Luke Browne — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:43:57 +0000

A landmine exploded as Ankvab’s convoy travelled to the rebel region’s main city of Sukhumi on Wednesday, with unidentified gunmen subsequently opening fire with machine-guns and grenade-launchers.

Crocodile bites man's testicles during Zimbabwe river crossing

Erin Conway-Smith — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:40:00 +0000

Zimbabwe man attacked by crocodile while crossing Chivake River suffers bites on his testicles and penis, but credits a box of tomatoes with saving his life.

Erin Conway-Smith

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A Zimbabwe man is in hospital after a crocodile bit off his testicles and part of his penis as he tried to cross a flooded river, pants-less and carrying box of tomatoes on his head.

Jonah Maturure, 70, from Marutaya village in Gutu, said he was crossing the Chivake River, swollen from recent heavy rains, with tomatoes for sale when the crocodile attacked him.

Prudes and porn: India panics at the naked web

Jason Overdorf — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:27:27 +0000

Sex is everywhere. But the worst thing about the Internet kind is that it's free.

Jason Overdorf

By the looks of it, India Today magazine makes more money from sex than it does from art, literature, hate, god, and politics put together.

Every year it does a survey or two about Indian bedroom antics, announcing that 70 percent of Punjabis are into wife-swapping, that 27 percent of Tamils are backdoor men (in one way or another) or that 46 percent of urban women fantasize about (Bollywood's) Govinda.

But that's all in the guise of censure, so it's OK. What's really got the (fake) prudes hot and bothered this time around -- following a too-convenient news peg supplied by two politicians caught watching porn in the Karnatak state assembly -- is the Internet. "Blue movies" and skin mags are one thing, the logic runs, but when porn is free, the sky really is about to fall.

Just for kicks, get on Google and type "hot desi sex" or maybe something a little more innocuous like "voluptuous Punjabi princess" and you'll see what these guys are getting at.... Okay, stop! Are you 18 years old? All right. You can read the rest.

Nigeria: Shell says oil lost to thieves, corruption

Heather Murdock — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:14:48 +0000

Shell, Nigeria's largest oil company, complains that 150,000 barrels of oil are lost daily to thieves.

Sarkozy defends French butchers amid halal spat

Paul Ames — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:14:00 +0000

ROME — As he fights to overcome a poll deficit ahead of April's election, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has found an issue he can sink his teeth into: halal meat.

Venezuela: Tough fight ahead for opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski

Girish Gupta — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:14:00 +0000

CARACAS — Less than a week after winning Venezuela’s opposition primary, Capriles Radonski suffered criticism of his Jewish roots, an allegation of homosexuality and was called a “low-life pig” by the man he will fight in October’s election, President Hugo Chavez.

Afghanistan: NATO 'Quran burning' protests continue, at least 6 dead

News Desk — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:08:00 +0000

The US Embassy in Kabul announced it was on lockdown, after warning that protests at a nearby American military base were turning violent. "Please, everyone, be safe out there," it tweeted.

Western journalists killed in Syria were allegedly targeted (VIDEO)

Tim Fitzsimons — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:05:00 +0000

BEIRUT — Citing intercepted communications, the Telegraph reported that Syrian authorities had issued direct orders to target the media center.

Sympathy for Bollywood's Saif Ali Khan -- arrested for assault

Jason Overdorf — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:03 +0000

Gandhi-schmandhi: Some behavior just deserves a punch in the nose

Jason Overdorf

Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan -- a man whom by all rights I should despise, given my wife's obsession with him -- was arrested Wednesday in Mumbai. Allegedly, he was eating at a restaurant in a five star hotel with his girlfriend, Kareena Kapoor, and he popped some guy in the nose for mouthing off.

Fakes and frames: Why can't Delhi police convict?

Jason Overdorf — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:38:16 +0000

Special Cell comes under fire for fabricating evidence and framing suspects

Jason Overdorf

When the Delhi police joined Facebook, they didn't get many friend requests. And some people wrote in asking for a "hate" button. So it's not too surprising that pesky reporter-activist types are out for blood, following new revelations about the dread Special Cell – the Indian capital's answer to L.A.'s Rampart squad.

It turns out that the supercops struggle to convict a third of the alleged criminals they pursue, according to the results of a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by the filed by Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association (JTSA). But it's not because they're the bumbling slobs caricatured in media reports on new mandatory fitness programs for the force, or the incompetent investigators portrayed in the recap of the farcical botching of Page One cases like the 2008 double murder of 14-year-old Aarushi Talwar and a family servant, argues Manisha Sethi in an interesting article for Kafila.org.

Man tried to rob Irish bank dressed as a woman, but his beard gave him away

Hélène Hofman — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:43:00 +0000

Once the beard had given his attacker's true identity away the building society manager shouted: "stop being stupid."

Inmates seize control of Bali prison

Hélène Hofman — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:20:00 +0000

Inmates chased guards out of the prison with sticks, stolen weapons and bricks

Kevin Rudd quits as Australian foreign minister after chat with Hillary Clinton

Freya Petersen — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:27:00 +0000

What did US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton say to Australia's embattled Foreign Minister during a private chat at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Mexico?

Australia's Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd resigns over leadership squabble

Hélène Hofman — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:55:00 +0000

"The simple truth is that I cannot continue to serve as foreign minister if I do not have Prime Minister Gillard's support," Kevin Rudd said.

Cocaine trade generates $900 million a year in West Africa

Amy Silverstein — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:46:37 +0000

Drug cartels use West Africa as a shortcut when selling cocaine to Europe.

Tyler Clementi suicide: Trial of his roommate Dharun Ravi began today

Amy Silverstein — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:10:00 +0000

Questions linger about what drove Clementi to commit suicide. His roommate had filmed him kissing another man before his death.

Chikilidae: new family of legless amphibian is discovered in India (VIDEO)

News Desk — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:23:00 +0000

"India's biodiversity is fast depleting. We are destroying these habitats without mercy,” said SD Biju of the University of Delhi.

Christchurch commemorates anniversary of devastating earthquake

Talia Ralph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:10:00 +0000

New Zealand marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating Christchurch earthquake Wednesday, which killed 185 people and devastated buildings and homes throughout the city.

Florida lawmaker wants the Transportation Security Administration to give up its coin collection

Samantha Stainburn — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:00:40 +0000

Rep. Jeff Miller has written a bill that would require the TSA to donate travelers' loose change to the USO.

Samantha Stainburn

What happens to the spare change that passengers traveling through American airports leave behind? The Transportation Security Administration scoops it up and adds the money to its operating budget.

But maybe not for long. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., wants Congress to pass a bill that would require the TSA to donate the money to the United Service Organizations (USO), a private nonprofit that operates centers for the military at 41 US airports, MSNBC reported.

Hepatitis C now kills more people in the US than HIV, CDC says

News Desk — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:31:00 +0000

Hepatitis C, the sexually transmitted viral infection, now kills more people in the US than does HIV, according to a study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

And of the estimated 3.2 million Americans with a chronic hepatitis infection, about half of them don't know it, Reuters cited the study as saying.

Radiation from Japan's Fukushima power plant found 400 miles off the coast

Amy Silverstein — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:31:00 +0000

The water had 1,000 times the amount of radioactive contamination than it did before the meltdown.

William Weldon, Johnson & Johnson CEO, to retire

Samantha Stainburn — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:13:33 +0000

Since 2009, the company has been forced to order two dozen recalls of its nonprescription drugs, the Associated Press reported, and J&J’s prescription drug division has had to recall at least two drugs, for seizures and HIV.

Brit Awards: Adele takes home two awards (VIDEO)

News Desk — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:12:57 +0000

Other winners of the night included Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Lana Del Rey.

Brazilian Beatles tribute takes Carnival by storm

Jill Langlois — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:07:53 +0000

In its second year, Sargento Pimenta, Rio's Carnival street party dedicated to all things Beatles, brought out over 60,000 revellers on Monday.

Giant cyclone swirls beneath the sea off African coast

Alexander Besant — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:59:13 +0000

NASA photos released Tuesday show a huge storm, or "eddy", swirling beneath the sea off coast of South Africa.

Megaupload: Kim Dotcom granted bail, not a flight risk, judge rules

News Desk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:42:57 +0000

"The disposition that he is wealthy and must have more assets is not evidence.” — Judge Nevin Dawson.

Plastic surgery can give you back nine years, study says (VIDEO)

News Desk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:42:00 +0000

Plastic surgery can make you look nine years younger than your chronological age, a new study suggests.

Lobsang Sangay, Tibet's prime minister-in-exile, urges Tibetans not to celebrate the new year

Talia Ralph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:18:44 +0000

Tibetans will not be celebrating the usually joyful Tibetan new year of Losar on Wednesday, in protest of Chinese rule.

Greece bailout: what now?

Thomas Mucha — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:10:00 +0000

Today's Greek deal was a long time coming. Here's what you need to know.

Thomas Mucha

For months now, Greece has been at the center of Europe's exhausting debt and euro crisis.

Figuring out what to do about the mess in Athens has, of course, caused fits from Berlin, to Paris, to Rome, Madrid, Lisbon, London and beyond.

So today's bailout — while by no means a cure — is a welcome development for everyone involved. And due to Europe's central role in the global economy, that means just about everyone on earth.

But that happy note aside, it's important to keep Europe's challenges in perspective.

GlobalPost's Paul Ames put it best:

Now all (the EU) has to do is help the country pull out of a five-year recession, get the one-in-five unemployed Greeks back to work and make sure that Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy don't end up sharing a similar fate.

That will be no easy task.

As GlobalPost's Ken Maguire reported today from Athens, plenty of Greeks feel like sacrificial lambs — enduring economic pain so the EU can save the euro.

“Psychologically, I am close to collapse because I am concerned about my family,” Dimitris Paras, a 38-year-old investment banker who was laid off one month ago told Maguire. “Now, I either work for a coffee shop or go abroad.”

“There will be a point when people won’t take it anymore,” he added.

Even more troubling — for European unity, anyway — is a growing divide about where to go from here.

Anthony Shadid buried in Beirut; family, colleagues pay tribute to Pulitzer-winning reporter (VIDEO)

News Desk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:02:00 +0000

Anthony Shadid, the New York Times journalist who died in Syria last week while on a reporting assignment, has been laid to rest in Beirut, Lebanon.

Feds loan $638 million to health cooperatives

Samantha Stainburn — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:51:39 +0000

"Today's announcement marks an important step toward providing access to high quality, affordable health care and wellness benefits to all Americans," John Morrison, President of NASHCO and former Montana Insurance Commissioner, said in a statement today.

Prop 8: gay marriage ban backers seek reconsideration

News Desk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:50:45 +0000

"Generally speaking, we think the 9th Circuit as a whole deserves the chance to basically fix this because the decision is such an outlier," said a Project Marriage Coalition lawyer.

Convicted murderer on hunger strike in California dies

News Desk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:18:00 +0000

A convicted murderer on a hunger strike at California's Corcoran State Prison died Feb. 2 after refusing food for four days.

BlackBerry tablet gets needed upgrade after sales flop

Alexander Besant — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Blackberry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) has released a long awaited update to its PlayBook tablet, which flopped in sales when it was released last year.

Carnival 2012: PHOTOS

News Desk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:07:37 +0000

Once again, Carnival impresses.

Romney: Arizona now too close to call as Santorum rises

News Desk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:05:00 +0000

Meanwhile, Romney's former Arizona co-chair Sheriff Paul Babeu is facing calls for an investigation after rejecting allegations that he sought to silence his Mexican ex-boyfriend by threatening to deport him.

Scientists spot tectonic activity on the far side of the moon (VIDEO)

Samantha Stainburn — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:44:00 +0000

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera has snapped pictures of long troughs on the moon, called graben, that indicate that there has been tectonic activity on the moon relatively recently.

Samantha Stainburn

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) has snapped pictures of long troughs on the moon, called graben, that indicate that there has been tectonic activity on the moon relatively recently, Space.com reported.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn's history of sexual allegations (PHOTOS)

Josh Berlinger — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, is being detained for questioning today in order to investigate if he had a role in a prostitution ring that took place at the Carlton.

Syria: Over 100 dead in clashes today, activists say

Tim Fitzsimons — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:28:00 +0000

BEIRUT — Syrian activists reported a barrage of shelling on Tuesday, resulting 106 deaths, according to the Local Coordination Committees. Outside news organizations said over 60 are confirmed dead, in what appears to be one of the bloodiest days since the siege of Homs began 18 days ago.

Exoplanet GJ 1214b is the first 'waterworld' discovered in space

Talia Ralph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:19:39 +0000

A new exoplanet, called GJ 1214b, is the first planet made up largely of water to be discovered in space.

It's Lupo! Will and Kate name their puppy

News Desk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:15:16 +0000

The secret's out at last.

News Desk

We -- finally -- know the name of Will and Kate's puppy. The young, black cocker spaniel has been given the name Lupo, according to the Associated Press.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, who got the puppy several months ago, came up with the name because it is derived from the Latin word for wolf, the AP stated.

The couple apparently tried to keep the puppy's name a secret in the hopes of having a small bit of privacy. But inquiring minds had to know. On Tuesday the public learned the puppy's name when Kate was visiting with children who have behavioral problems in Oxford, southern England.

Little Lupo is reportedly entertaining Kate while Will is on military assignment in the Falkland Islands.

ABC News reported that the puppy was first seen playing with the Royal couple in January.

Lawmaker says Girl Scouts are destroying 'American family values'

Sarah Wolfe — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:02:08 +0000

A state representative from Indiana says he can't support a proclamation honoring the Girl Scouts' 100th anniversary because the "radicalized group" is destroying "American family values."

New oil discovered off Liberia and Sierra Leone coasts

Luke Browne — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:57:08 +0000

Drillers converged on West African shores five years ago after one of the continent’s biggest oil fields was discovered off Ghana.

Hugo Chavez will need surgery to remove lesion

Priyanka Boghani — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:43:00 +0000

A prominent journalist wrote that Hugo Chavez had gone to Cuba for emergency medical treatment, fueling speculation of the Venezuelan leader's health.

Rising gas prices may harm Obama's re-election chances

News Desk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:37:33 +0000

In some parts of the country, gas prices have crossed the $4-a-gallon threshold, and the national average has jumped 29 cents per gallon since December.

Faking orgasms common among Czechs

Iva Roze Skoch — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:35:00 +0000

And we are not talking just about women here.

Iva Roze Skoch

That most women have faked an orgasm at one point or another — either out of laziness or because of (how does one put this?) an overly considerate partner’s persistence — is old news.

Remember Meg Ryan in her famous orgasm-faking scene from the movie When Harry Met Sally. But that was back in 1989, before online pornography went mainstream.

Nowadays it’s much easier for ladies to learn proper orgasm-faking techniques from those who do it for a living: female porn stars.

Surprisingly enough, men must have learned a few tricks in this arena over the years, too.

According to a study conducted in the Czech Republic— which is, consequently, one of the world’s most prominent porn production hubs — women aren’t the only ones who resort to the practice.

Based on the nationwide study of sexual behavior conducted by the research agency STEM/MARK, 64 percent of Czech women say they have faked an orgasm at least once, with 15 percent admitting they do it regularly.

What’s perhaps more interesting is that 20 percent of Czech men also claim they have faked an orgasm.

I have so many questions about that, I don’t even know where to start.