Iran nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri 'defects to US'

An Iranian nuclear scientist who has been missing since June has defected to the US, according to a US media report.ABC News said Shahram Amiri had been resettled in the US and was helping the CIA in its efforts to block Iran's nuclear programme....

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Kapoor designs 2012 Orbit tower

A spiralling sculpture designed by Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor has been chosen as the monument to mark the London 2012 Olympic Games.The 115m tall piece, named the ArcelorMittal Orbit, will be placed in the Olympic Park and will be 22m higher than New York's Statue of Liberty. The £19.1m design incorporates the five Olympic rings...

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BT flood knocks out broadband and phone services

A major flood at a BT exchange in Paddington, London has affected broadband and telephone services across the UK.In a statement BT said it could not predict when either service would be restored. "Tens of thousands" of customers have been affected,...

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Meningitis vaccine gives travellers immunity

A new meningitis vaccine which protects against four major strains of the disease is available in Europe for the first time.The vaccine, called Menveo, is likely to be used as a travel vaccine to protect people from contracting meningitis in sub-Saharan...

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Breast cancer screening does 'more good than harm'

Breast cancer screening does more good than harm, with any over-treatment justified by the number of lives saved, a study of 80,000 women has concluded.Mammograms can spot dangerous tumours, but might also detect lumps that are essentially harmless,...

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Eurozone unemployment rate rises to 10%

The unemployment rate across the 16-nation eurozone hit 10% in February, the first time it has reached double figures since the euro was introduced.The jobless figures, from the Eurostat agency, showed large variations between nations in the eurozone....

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Pakistan to ask Switzerland to reopen Zardari cases

Pakistan's anti-corruption agency is to ask Switzerland to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Zardari.The move came after Pakistan's Supreme Court said it would jail the head of the agency if he did not take action. Mr Zardari and his...

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Afghanistan bombing kills 13 in busy Helmand market

A bomb explosion in a crowded village market in the south Afghan province of Helmand has killed at least 13 people and injured 45.The attack in Babaji, near Lashkar Gah, apparently targeted farmers collecting free seeds under an anti-opium drive....

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Call to bar Iraq election winners 'connected to Saddam'

Six of the winning candidates in Iraq's elections should be disqualified because of alleged ties to the former Baath government, a vetting panel says.If upheld, the move could alter the election result, to which State of Law coalition leader, Nouri...

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Twelve killed by twin bombings in Russia's Dagestan

At least 12 people, including a top local police official, have been killed by two suicide bombings in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan.A car bomb was detonated at about 0830 (0430 GMT) outside the offices of the local interior ministry...

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Poor weather halts search of South Korea sunken warship

South Korean search teams have suspended their efforts to reach missing sailors on a sunken warship because of poor weather conditions.The move comes a day after a diver died searching the wreckage of the Cheonan, which is lying near Baengnyeong ...

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ICC to investigate Kenya 2007 election violence

The International Criminal Court has authorised its prosecutor to investigate the violence that followed Kenya's 2007 election.Some 1,300 people died and tens of thousands were displaced as political differences snowballed into weeks of ethnic score-settling...

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UN chief Ban Ki-moon urges support for $4bn Haiti plan

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has opened a fundraising conference on Haiti by calling for a "wholesale national renewal" of the earthquake-hit country.Mr Ban gave his support to a plan to rebuild Haiti which will require almost $4bn (£2.65bn) in initial aid...

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Citigroup: US to sell its stake in bailed-out bank

The US government is preparing to sell its 27% stake in Citigroup, in what would be one of the largest share sales in history.Some 7.7 billion shares in the bailed-out bank will be sold in tranches throughout 2010, the US Treasury said. It will...

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Gaddafi says Nigeria should split into several states

Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi says Nigeria should become several states, despite Nigerian fury after he earlier said it should become two countries.He said he was wrong to have said earlier this month that Nigeria should be divided into Muslim and...

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Moscow Metro hit by deadly suicide bombings

At least 38 people have been killed after two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Moscow Metro trains in the morning rush hour, officials say.Twenty-four died in the first blast at 0756 (0356 GMT) as a train stood at the central Lubyanka...

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Research shows party leaders' 'social media reputation'

Even before official campaigning begins, one thing seems clear - this election is going to be fought in cyberspace as well as on the doorsteps. Social media websites, like Twitter and Facebook, are now seen as crucial battlegrounds, as well as potential...

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Sensors turn skin into gadget control pad

Tapping your forearm or hand with a finger could soon be the way you interact with gadgets.US researchers have found a way to work out where the tap touches and use that to control phones and music players. Coupled with a tiny projector the system...

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Tiny cube to tackle space debris

UK researchers have developed a device to drag space debris out of orbit.They plan to launch a demonstration of their "CubeSail" next year. It is a small satellite cube that deploys a thin, 25-sq-m plastic sheet. Residual...

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Beta-blockers 'cut cancer spread'

Blood pressure drugs may be able to reduce the ability of breast cancer to spread around the body, researchers have told a European conference.A joint UK and German study found that cancer patients taking beta-blockers had a lower risk of dying. The...

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BA strike: Second walk-out by cabin crew begins

More British Airways flights have been cancelled as a second strike by the firm's cabin crew gets under way.According to live departure boards, 29 scheduled flights due to depart London airports on Saturday morning have already been cancelled. However...

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Clash in Pakistan's Orakzai kills militants and troops

Five Pakistani soldiers and at least 21 suspected militants have been killed in clashes near the Afghan border, Pakistan's military has said.The fighting occurred in the tribal district of Orakzai. It came a day after military aircraft bombed areas...

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Iraq election: Iyad Allawi's bloc wins most seats

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's bloc has achieved a surprise win in Iraq's parliamentary elections.His coalition has two seats more than that of incumbent PM Nouri Maliki, who has vowed to challenge the results and said they were "not final"....

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Uganda mourners at Buganda tombs in deadly crush

At least one person has been killed and 10 wounded in a crush at a Ugandan royal tomb that was destroyed by fire last week, police say.The incident came at the end of a week of official mourning for the mausoleum of the Buganda kingdom, which has...

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US and Russia announce deal to cut nuclear weapons

US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have agreed a new nuclear arms reduction treaty after months of negotiations.The treaty limits both sides to 1,550 warheads, about 30% less than currently allowed, the White House said....

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Pakistan army primo begins US strategic dialogue

Pakistan's army nonpareil Gen Ashfaq Kayani has met US defence leaders in Washington as the two countries produce a week-long politic dialogue. He exposed talks with defence Secretary Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike...

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Firefox releases reverie patch

Mozilla has released Firefox 3.6.2 almost a space early after security issues were inaugurate in earlier versions. Firefox 3.6.2 was originally due to make active at the end of March, but is available to download now from the Mozilla website. The security...

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China condemns decision by Google to lift censorship

China has spoken Google's change to stop censoring traverse influence is "totally wrong" and accused it of breaking a optimism specious when it launched access China. The US giant is redirecting users moment mainland China to its unrestricted Hong Kong...

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'Good fat' cuts spotlight risk by a fifth, examine shows

Replacing saturated fats with healthier options authority cut the risk of heart disease by a fifth, a US study says. The Harvard Medical initiate reports adds weight to the progression evidence about polyunsaturated fats, found supremacy some fish and...

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web traverse against Ethiopia Gibe III dam

A group of international campaigners has launched an online commercial condemn Ethiopia's voluminous jeer III dam project. The group wants to ring in pressure on Western donors and banks not to fund the dam, saying valid would destroy the livelihoods...

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China denounces Google 'US ties'

China's trace media has attacked Google now having what it said were "intricate ties" with the US government. Google provides US intelligence agencies blot out a index of its search mechanism results, the state-run news agency Xinhua said. It also...

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The break through of the app entrepreneur

The soaring popularity of smart phones has created a likewise type of entrepreneur - the "app developer". Whether it is finding ladies' toilets on the London underground, identifying bobby-soxer songs, forecasting snow conditions at ski resorts or...

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Pakistan drone incursion 'kills five'

Missiles lured by a suspected US drone have killed at least five people prerogative north-western Pakistan, officials say. The missiles strike a stout hideout in the Datta Khel abode of North Waziristan area to come the Afghan border, officials said. They...

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Indian illuminate asks Coca-Cola to silver $47m compensation

Coca-Cola has been asked to pay $47m (£31.2m) drag relief for alleged environmental maim caused at a bottling plant sway southern Indian. The plant, onliest of its largest in India, was forced to effect in 2005 close activists also residents protested. The...

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