French Reporter Freed In Colombia

French journalist Romeo Langlois, abducted a month ago by left-wing Farc rebels in Colombia, has been released.He was handed over to a group of international mediators in the jungle in the south of the country.A smiling Mr Langlois spoke to reporters and said that he was fine and had been well-treated.The France 24 reporter was captured while filming the destruction of cocaine laboratories by army soldiers in the Caqueta region.Colombia suspended operations in the area for the handover.On Sunday,...

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Judge Shot Dead In Nepal Capital

A Nepalese Supreme Court judge under investigation for corruption has been shot dead in the capital, Kathmandu. Gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on Rana Bahadur Bam and his bodyguard while he was being driven to work during morning rush hour, police said. Mr Bam, 64, died in hospital. His bodyguard sustained serious injuries. Mr Bam had been under investigation for allegedly accepting bribes from criminals in return for giving them lighter sentences, reports say. The judge had just left...

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DR Congo Army Mutineers Sentenced To Death

A military court has sentenced two soldiers to death in absentia for taking part in a mutiny in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.Another eight officers, present in court, were handed life sentences, and three others prison terms between two to 20 years.The mutineers confessed to taking part in a meeting with Gen Bosco Ntaganda to plan the mutiny, a judge told the BBC.Gen Ntaganda, wanted for war crimes, denies masterminding the mutiny. Five officers were acquitted of multiple offences...

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Abducted German Engineer Killed In Nigeria

A German engineer abducted in January by gunmen in Kano in northern Nigeria has been killed, a security source in the city has told the BBC.It happened during a rescue bid, military officials told news agencies.Two expatriates, seized in the north-west of the country last year, died when Nigerian and British forces tried to free them in March.The latest developments came as the authorities said an Italian engineer had been kidnapped western Nigeria.Kidnappings are uncommon in the western state of Kwara. But oil workers are often targeted for ransom...

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Israel Returns The Remains Of Palestinian Bodies

Israel has handed over to the Palestinian Authority the remains of 91 Palestinians who died carrying out attacks against Israel.The remains include suicide bombers and militants who died in operations as far back as 1975.The repatriation of the bodies forms part of a deal to end a mass hunger strike by hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.Israeli officials say the transfer is a confidence-building gesture.Coffins containing the remains, which had been interred in numbered graves...

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SpaceX Cargo Ship Departs Station For Pacific Splashdown

Space station astronauts unbolted a commercial cargo ship early Thursday, used the lab's robot arm to pull it away and released it into open space to set the stage for re-entry and splashdown off the Baja California peninsula to close out a successful test flight and set the stage for the start of routine cargo delivery missions later this year.With the space station's Canadian-built robot arm locked onto the Dragon cargo craft, four gangs of motorized bolts holding the capsule in place were...

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Tibetan Woman Sets Herself On Fire

 A mother of three is the latest Tibetan to self-immolate to protest Chinese rule, reports said Thursday, while authorities have rounded up hundreds of people after two men set themselves alight in front of Tibet's main temple.The woman, identified as 33-year-old Rechok, set herself on fire outside a Buddhist monastery Wednesday afternoon in an ethnically Tibetan region of western Sichuan province, according to London-based Free Tibet and U.S. government-backed broadcaster Radio Free Asia.They said she died at the scene and her body was being...

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In Seattle A Gunman Kills 5 And Then Himself

A gunman killed five people in Seattle on Wednesday - four at a cafe and another in a carjacking - before he apparently shot himself as officers closed in following a citywide manhunt, authorities said.Both the suspect and one of his victims died after the incident at a local hospital. One man wounded in cafe shooting remains in the hospital. He is in critical but stable condition following surgery earlier in the day.Police searching for the suspect in the first shooting near the University of...

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Hollywood Release: Snow White And Huntsman [Watch Trailer]

Snow White and the Huntsman is a 2012 British/American action, fantasy film based on the fairy tale "Snow White" by the Brothers Grimm, directed by British director Rupert Sanders and written by Evan Daugherty. The ruthless Queen Ravenna has conquered several of kingdoms and plans to take over the entire continent. But she soon learns from her Magic Mirror that she will be overthrown by her stepdaughter Snow White, who will also surpass her as the "Fairest of Them All." The the only way for...

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Bin Laden Doctor Jailed For Militant Link

A Pakistani doctor was jailed last week for alleged links to a banned militant group - not for helping the CIA to track down Osama Bin Laden, the text of the trial court's judgement shows.The BBC's Orla Guerin says the papers add a bizarre twist to the case.It was originally thought that Shakil Afridi had been imprisoned for running a fake vaccination programme to gather information for US intelligence.His family called the allegations "rubbish" and his lawyers will appeal.Shakil Afridi was jailed...

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Liberia's Taylor Jailed For 50 Years

Liberia's ex-President Charles Taylor has been sentenced to 50 years in jail by a UN-backed war crimes court.Last month Taylor was found guilty of aiding and abetting rebels in Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war.Special Court for Sierra Leone judges said the sentence reflected his status as head of state at the time and his betrayal of public trust.Taylor, 64, insists he is innocent and is likely to appeal against the sentence, correspondents say.The appeal process could last up to six...

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Russia Against Syria Intervention

Russia is "categorically against" foreign intervention in Syria and believes any new steps by the UN Security Council would be "premature", its deputy foreign minister has said.Russia wields a veto at the UN Security Council and the remarks are a blow to hopes of a fresh initiative there.International outrage has been expressed at the massacre of 108 people - mostly women and children - in Houla.Neighbouring Turkey is expelling all Syrian diplomatic staff in Ankara.The move goes further than...

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Al Qaeda’s No. 2 Leader In Afghanistan Killed In NATO Airstrike

The U.S.-led NATO force in Afghanistan killed Al Qaeda’s second-highest leader in the country in an airstrike in eastern Kunar province, the coalition said Tuesday. Sakhr al-Taifi, also known as Mushtaq and Nasim, was responsible for commanding foreign insurgents in Afghanistan and directing attacks against NATO and Afghan forces, the alliance said. He frequently travelled between Afghanistan and Pakistan, carrying out commands from senior Al Qaeda leadership and ferrying in weapons and fighters. The...

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Suu Kyi Takes First Trip Outside Myanmar In 24 Years

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi set off for Bangkok late Tuesday, her first overseas visit in 24 years and a fresh indication of how much Myanmar has changed after over a year of political reforms in what was once one of the world's most repressive countries.Ms. Suu Kyi spent a total of 15 years under house arrest in Yangon while the country's former military regime was ensconced in power. The last time she was in a foreign country was in 1988, when she left Britain to nurse her...

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Peru Declares Emergency After Mine Protest Violence

The government of Peru declared a 30-day state of emergency in the southern Andean province of Espinar after violent anti-mining protests left two civilians dead and at least 76 police officers injured since Sunday.The riots are between hundreds of police officers and people who support an indefinite strike against the Tintaya copper mine owned by Swiss-based Xstrata plc.The emergency measures, announced Monday, include the suspension of freedom of assembly and give special powers to the police...

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Emergency Plan To Eradicate Polio Launched

Tackling polio has entered "emergency mode" according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative after "explosive" outbreaks in countries previously free of the disease.It has launched a plan to boost vaccination in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the only countries where the disease is still endemic.Experts fear the disease could "come back with a vengeance".The World Health Organization says polio is "at a tipping point".There have been large outbreaks of the virus in Africa, Tajikistan...

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Nasa Team Find New Way To Spot Osteoporosis

Nasa scientists believe they have found a way to spot osteoporosis bone loss at the earliest disease stages.Currently, the condition can go undetected for years and may only be diagnosed with scans after weakening of the bones has led to a fracture.The new test - designed partly with astronauts in mind as they too can suffer bone loss due to the microgravity of space - looks for traces of bone calcium in the urine.The work is published in PNAS journal.The technique developed by scientists at...

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Major US Law Firm Files For Bankruptcy Protection

Dewey & LeBoeuf is set to become the biggest law firm to collapse in the US.The firm filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late on Monday and said it plans to liquidate its business after failing to find a merger partner.It was hit by the economic downturn, having promised large guaranteed payments to some of its lawyers.It ran out of cash earlier in the year, which led to the immediate resignation of the majority of its partners.Dewey & Leboeuf was formed in 2007 by the merger of...

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Denmark Arrests In Terror Plot

Two men suspected of planning a terrorist attack have been arrested in Denmark, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) says. The men, who are brothers with suspected links to a militant Islamist group in Somalia, were arrested late on Monday night. One was arrested in the city of Aarhus, the other was apprehended at Copenhagen airport as he returned to the country. PET says the arrests "have prevented a specific act of terrorism". The men are Danish citizens of Somali origin,...

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Barry Bonds Sentenced To 30 Days of House Arrest

Former Major League Baseball star Barry Bonds was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest and 2 years probation on Friday for his federal conviction of obstruction of justice. Bonds arrived at the federal courthouse in San Francisco in an SUV with tinted windows and emerged from the back seat wearing a dark suit and tie. He was met by a phalanx of cameras, though the crowd was much smaller than when he was charged about four years ago. In 2007, Major League Baseball's all-time home runs leader was...

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Boxer Paul Williams Paralyzed In Motorcycle Crash

Paul Williams, the always exciting, ever-smiling boxer known as "The Punisher," and long considered one of the most avoided fighters in the sport, faces the toughest battle of his life after being paralyzed from the waist down during a motorcycle crash in suburban Atlanta on Sunday morning.Williams, 30, was involved in the crash in Marietta, Ga., where he was supposed to attend his brother's wedding that afternoon.He severed his spinal cord after falling on his back and head when he was thrown...

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Another Earthquake Shakes Northern Italy [Watch Video]

A new earthquake has struck the Emilia region in northern Italy, killing at least 10 people and burying several others under rubble, local media say. All the deaths were in the Modena area. Three were killed when an industrial shed collapsed in Medolla. Three also died in San Felice, two in Mirandola and one in Cavezzo. Tuesday's tremor, estimated at magnitude 5.8, hit the same region where a quake 10 days ago killed seven people and destroyed many buildings. Milan and Bologna were shaken...

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Syria: Most Houla Victims Were Executed

Most of the 108 people killed in Syria's Houla region on Friday were summarily executed, the UN says.A spokesman for the UN's human rights office says witnesses told investigators that pro-regime militias carried out most of the killings.Survivors have described gunmen entering homes, firing indiscriminately and slitting the throats of children.The UN statement came as UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan met President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner...

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Calcium Pills Pose Heart Risk

People who take calcium supplements could be increasing their risk of having a heart attack, according to researchers in Germany.Calcium is often taken by older people to strengthen bones and prevent fractures.But the study, published in the journal Heart, said the supplements "should be taken with caution".Experts say promoting a balanced diet including calcium would be a better strategy.The researchers at the German Cancer Research Centre, in Heidelberg, followed 23,980 people for more than...

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Fire At Egypt Presidential Candidate Ahmed Shafiq's HQ

A fire has broken out at the campaign headquarters of Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq, according to local media reports. Egyptian television stations broadcast footage of the fire in the district of Dokki in the capital Cairo. There are currently no reports of injuries. The fire comes hours after it was announced that Mr Shafiq and Islamist candidate Mohammed Morsi would compete in a run-off election next mon...

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Male Pill: Gene Discovery May Lead To Contraceptive

It may be possible to develop a new male contraceptive pill after researchers in Edinburgh identified a gene critical for the production of healthy sperm. Experiments in mice found that the gene, Katnal1, was vital for the final stages of making sperm. The authors of a study in PLos Genetics said a drug which interrupts Katnal1 could be a reversible contraceptive. A fertility expert said there was "certainly a need" for such a drug. Contraception in men is largely down to condoms or a vasectomy. Researchers...

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Facebook Smartphone To Be Released Next Year

Social networking giant Facebook is to launch its own smartphone by next year, reports have suggested.The New York Times cited unnamed sources, including Facebook employees, suggesting that the network had been hiring several smartphone engineers.Facebook recently admitted it was struggling to make money out of its growing mobile audience.The company, which recently floated on the stock market, has also just launched its own mobile app store.The App Center currently offers links to Facebook-enabled...

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Quebec Talks To Student Protesters

The provincial government of Quebec, Canada, has resumed talks with student groups in Quebec City in an effort to end a standoff over tuition fee hikes.Students say the hikes and an emergency law aimed at curbing the protests must be up for discussion.The Quebec government insists it will not change its mind on the fee hike.Quebec has the lowest tuition rates in Canada, but the government aims to raise the fees by 80%, in increments of $254 (£160) per year for seven years.More than 2,500 arrests...

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Two Men Held Over Death Of Irish Student

 Two American men are being held in Japan over the death of an Irish student. Nicola Furlong, 21, from Curracloe, Co Wexford, was killed after she and a friend went to see a concert by the rapper Nicki Minaj in Tokyo on Wednesday night. It is believed she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Diplomatic staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin are providing consular assistance to her family. In a statement, the family said they were devastated by the loss of their...

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