Baghdad’s Shiite heart beats freely as war ebbs

Baghdad’s Shiite heart beats freely as war ebbs
Why Americans are bathing less-and-less?
McDonald's workers are told whom to vote for
China's fast rise leads neighbors to join forces
Haiti Cholera epidemic averted?
US rally aims to restore 'peace & sanity'
Lebanon unveils world's largest wine glass
Bomb plot: Yemen arrests woman suspect
Explosives could have downed plane, says Britain
Prime Ministers of China, Japan meet over island row
Indonesian volcano Mount Merapi unleashes biggest blast yet
Two Koreas start family reunions
Bomb plot is said to contain 'hallmarks of Al Qaida'
Mail bombs: Britain probes whether package was 'viable' bomb
Saudi Prince opposed to Ground Zero mosque
Longest snake living in captivity dies in US zoo
Unearthing of terror plot won't affect Obama's India trip, says White House
No survivors from French helicopter crash in Antarctica
An alarm clock to beat blues with a fake dawn!

Posted:

As Iraq's government remains frozen in a seven-month standstill, the vibrant transformation of Sadr City may offer a prophetic glimpse of the country's next chapter: repressed by Saddam Hussein, fearsome in its resistance to the American-led invasion and then brutal in its religious crackdown, the neighborhood is now fomenting a mix of secular and religious life that is both ad hoc and infectious.

Why Americans are bathing less-and-less?

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A daily shower is a deeply ingrained American habit. Most people would no sooner disclose they had not showered in days than admit infidelity. But Jenefer Palmer, 55, of Malibu, Calif., cheerfully acknowledged recently that she doesn't shower or shampoo daily and doesn't use deodorant. Ever.

McDonald's workers are told whom to vote for

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When workers in a McDonald's restaurant in Canton, Ohio, opened their paychecks this month, they found a pamphlet urging them to vote for the Republican candidates for governor, Senate and Congress, or possibly face financial repercussions.

China's fast rise leads neighbors to join forces

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China's military expansion and assertive trade policies have set off jitters across Asia, prompting many of its neighbors to rekindle old alliances and cultivate new ones to better defend their interests against the rising superpower.

Haiti Cholera epidemic averted?

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More than 4,700 people have been hospitalised and at least 330 people have died in Haiti due to Cholera. So far few cases have been reported in the sprawling camps around the capital Port au Prince, where an estimated million people have been living since an earthquake levelled their homes in January this year.

US rally aims to restore 'peace & sanity'

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In the shadow of the US Capitol, comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert entertained a huge throng of thousands on Saturday at a "sanity" rally poking fun at the nation's ill-tempered politics, its fear-mongers and doomsayers, just three days before the congressional election.

Lebanon unveils world's largest wine glass

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Lebanon on Friday unveiled the world's largest wine glass, smashing the previous record set in Portugal in 1998. An adjudicator of the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that the plexiglass vessel measured 94.48 inches (2.40 metres) in height and 65 inches (1.65 metres) in diameter.

Bomb plot: Yemen arrests woman suspect

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Yemeni authorities on Saturday arrested a woman suspected of sending two mail bombs found on cargo planes and are searching for more suspects believed linked to Al-Qaida, Yemeni security officials said.

Explosives could have downed plane, says Britain

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A package shipped from Yemen and bound for the United States on a cargo jet that was intercepted in Britain on Friday contained an explosive device powerful enough to bring down the plane, British authorities said on Saturday.

Prime Ministers of China, Japan meet over island row

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The prime ministers of Japan and China met informally at a regional summit on Saturday amid a diplomatic row that has plunged the two countries' relations to a five-year low. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he was able to talk briefly with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit, but noted that a full bilateral meeting "unfortunately did not materialise this time."

Indonesian volcano Mount Merapi unleashes biggest blast yet

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Indonesia's military forced villagers off the slopes of the country's most volatile volcano Mount Merapi on Saturday, as the mountain sent clouds of gray ash cascading down its slopes in its most powerful explosion yet.

Two Koreas start family reunions

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The reunions, which give divided families their first chance to see one another in six decades, started mid-afternoon at the Mount Kumgang resort on the North's southeastern coast, near the border, Yonhap news agency said.

Bomb plot is said to contain 'hallmarks of Al Qaida'

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A day after two packages containing explosives, shipped from Yemen and addressed to synagogues in Chicago, were intercepted in Britain and Dubai, setting off a broad terrorism scare, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of Homeland Security, said that the plot "has the hallmarks of Al Qaeda."

Mail bombs: Britain probes whether package was 'viable' bomb

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British Home Secretary Theresa May has said that authorities are probing whether a US-bound package from Yemen containing explosives was a "viable" bomb.

Saudi Prince opposed to Ground Zero mosque

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Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has said he is against the construction of a mosque close to the 9/11 site in New York and also he had no part in financing the controversial project.

Longest snake living in captivity dies in US zoo

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An Ohio zoo says the longest snake living in captivity has died. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says workers found the 24-foot (7.3-meter) python Wednesday morning dead from an apparent tumor.

Unearthing of terror plot won't affect Obama's India trip, says White House

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President Barack Obama on Saturday warned of a "credible terrorist threat" against America after the overseas discovery of two US-bound packages containing explosives aboard cargo jets, even as the White House said the development would have no impact on his upcoming India visit.

No survivors from French helicopter crash in Antarctica

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Australian rescuers confirmed on Friday, there were no survivors from a helicopter crash, involving four Frenchmen in Antarctica. "They have confirmed that all four on board didn't survive the impact of the crash and the French team are currently conducting recovery operations," an Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spokeswoman told AFP.