3News

Drinking binge at banquet kills Chinese official

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:54:00 +1200

One Chinese official is dead and another is in a coma after bouts of excessive drinking, state media said Monday in a report highlighting the dangers of a drinking culture connected with government and business work.

Indonesian police: Explosives 'identical' to Bali

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:06:00 +1200

Explosive material recovered from the scene of two suicide bombings at hotels in the Indonesian capital is "identical" to that used by the Southeast Asian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah in earlier attacks, police said.

High-flying duo ride the 'Rocket Experience' on 40th anniversary

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:36:00 +1200

It is 40 years tomorrow since man landed on the moon, and all eyes will be on Neil Armstrong and his pilot Buzz Aldrin, lost in the celebrations - but the commemorations could be eclipsed by a rap song.

Crowded space station suffers from broken toilet

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:09:00 +1200

The bathroom lines at the already crowded space shuttle and space station complex got a lot longer Sunday because of a flooded toilet.

Car runs into street parade in Germany, killing 3

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:07:00 +1200

A car has driven into a street parade, killing three people in the western German town of Menden, according to police.

West Bank plan bears fruit, but much more needed

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:05:00 +1200

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to make "economic peace" with the Palestinians, and the first fruits are already being seen in eased Israeli restrictions that are stoking a retail and entertainment boom in the West Bank.

South Africa tests AIDS vaccine

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:00:00 +1200

South Africa is launching clinical trials of the first AIDS vaccines created by a developing country, a feat by scientists who forged ahead even when some of their political leaders shocked the world with unscientific pronouncements about the disease.

Carla Bruni, others perform at NYC Mandela concert

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:47:00 +1200

A flock of global entertainment notables and politicos, including France's first lady Carla Bruni, toasted Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday with an all-star concert at Radio City Music Hall.

US train operator's actions come under scrutiny after collision

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:14:00 +1200

The operator of a light-rail train that crashed and injured dozens of passengers in San Francisco has come under scrutiny as federal investigators try to figure out why he inexplicably turned off the automatic controls moments before the collision.

Funeral this week for NZ victim of Indonesian bombing

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:24:00 +1200

A funeral for the New Zealander killed in an Indonesian suicide bombing will take place in Wellington on Thursday.

Ban on Al-Jazeera operations in West Bank lifted

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:55:00 +1200

Palestinian authorities have allowed Al-Jazeera to resume operations in the West Bank, four days after banning the Arab satellite station over the airing of a claim linking President Mahmoud Abbas to the death of his legendary predecessor, Yasser Arafat.

Myanmar detains dozens of opposition members

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:49:00 +1200

Authorities in military-run Myanmar detained dozens of opposition party members as they returned from ceremonies marking the death of the father of jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, witnesses said.

Rains kill 26 in Pakistan's biggest city

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:44:00 +1200

The rainfall in Karachi since Saturday evening also cut off electricity and inundated all major roads, suspending life in the country's commercial capital, Mayor Mustafa Kamal said.

Kazakh Uighurs hold mass protest

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:42:00 +1200

More than 5,000 ethnic Uighurs rallied in Kazakhstan's largest city to protest China's use of deadly force to quash Uighur protests this month.

Philippine troops deployed to crush Abu Sayyaf

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:38:00 +1200

Hundreds of marines and army troops have been deployed to two islands in the southern Philippines for a new offensive aimed at eradicating al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants by the end of this year, officials said.

Heavy rains hit North Korea, raising fears of floods

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:33:00 +1200

Heavy downpours have hit the capital and other parts of North Korea, the country's state news agency reported, raising the spectre of a repeat of massive floods two years ago that left hundreds of people dead and devastated farmlands.

Mauritania coup chief wins vote amid fraud claims

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:19:00 +1200

Nearly a year after seizing power in a military putsch that ousted Mauritania's first freely elected leader, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has won the presidency in a landslide vote his opponents decried as a fraudulent "electoral coup".

Bombings: Investigation continues while Indonesia mourns

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:00:00 +1200

Mourners in Indonesia laid flowers at the scene of the deadly bombings of two luxury American hotels in the capital Jakarta, as investigators continued to search for clues.

Palin: Alaska tour is thanks, not goodbye

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:51:00 +1200

She was greeted like a rock star in Unalakleet, a fishing village on the Bering Sea. She danced with Eskimos in Kotzebue. And she watched grizzlies at a wildlife sanctuary on the Kenai Peninsula.

Chances of OJ winning release? Depends who you ask

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:44:00 +1200

Few in Nevada legal circles believe OJ Simpson has any real chance at freedom.

Tennessee man accused of killing wife, her kin

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:40:00 +1200

A southern Tennessee man faces homicide charges in the slayings of his wife, her father, brother and teenage son, along with two other people in two states, authorities said.

Cheating US gov says God will make him better

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:28:00 +1200

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, still clinging to office after admitting to an extramarital affair, wrote in an opinion piece that God will change him so he can emerge from the scandal a more humble and effective leader.

Hearings fail to sway Sessions to Sotomayor's side

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:06:00 +1200

The top Republican on the Senate committee reviewing Sonia Sotomayor's nomination said her testimony did not settle his concerns about elevating her to the Supreme Court.

US slain couple's daughter to care for 13 children

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:59:00 +1200

The adult daughter of a slain Florida couple known for adopting 13 special needs children said she is planning to move into her parents' home and raise the children as her own.

Officials: Health care proposal a work in progress

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:52:00 +1200

Administration officials have defended President Barack Obama's broad health care proposals and urged a sceptical public not to judge the Democrats' overhaul until Congress writes a final version.

US Soldier held in Afghanistan is 23-year-old Idahoan

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:48:00 +1200

A soldier from Idaho who disappeared from his base in Afghanistan has been captured, the Pentagon has confirmed, a day after he was seen in a Taliban video posted online.

Biden to greet eager allies in Ukraine and Georgia

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:27:00 +1200

Vice President Joe Biden is visiting Georgia and Ukraine, meeting leaders eager for further reassurance that Washington still supports their joining NATO and that its effort to warm relations with Russia won't come at their expense.

Gays live and die in fear in Jamaica

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:24:00 +1200

Despite the easygoing image propagated by tourist boards, gays and their advocates agree that Jamaica is by far the most hostile island toward homosexuals in the already conservative Caribbean.

Ahmadinejad criticised over vice president choice

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:08:00 +1200

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, already at the centre of a post-election crisis, came under criticism from his own hard-line supporters for appointing a first vice president who once caused an outcry by saying Iranians were friends of Israelis.

India stands firm against binding emissions limits

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:59:00 +1200

India stood firm against Western demands to accept binding limits on carbon emissions even as US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed optimism about an eventual climate change deal to India's benefit.