Latest

A collision between a tourist coach and a train at a level-crossing near Brezno, central Slovakia, has left at least 12 people dead and 20 injured. The accident happened at about 09:00 local time (08:00 UTC) on Saturday morning, when a coach from the western Slovakian town of Bánovce nad Bebravou carrying 36 people to the ski resort of Polomka Bucnik, was struck by a train traveling at full speed at a crossing. The train, only two cars long, was reported to have derailed, but passengers on it suffered only minor injuries. BBC News reports that

Israel has seized 425 acres of Palestinian land in the West Bank in order to build 2,500 new settlement homes according to Israeli officials. This comes after United States Special Envoy George Mitchell asked for a freeze on settlement expansion which is deemed illegal under international law. The seized land will be integrated into the Israeli city of Efrat, a city which is to house 30,000 people according to the mayor of Efrat. Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni has stated that in order to make peace, settlement expansion must stop and fu

The Australian Electoral Commission has announced that electorates for the federal election will be redrawn in the states of New South Wales and Queensland. The Australian House of Representatives has 150 members elected from single representative electorates. New South Wales will lose an electorate while Queensland gains one. "The figures show the population for Queensland has increased sufficiently to result in that State increasing its entitlement from 29 to 30 seats,” said Electoral Commissioner Ed Killesteyn. “At the same time, the entit

Robert E. "Bob" Robideau, an Ashinaabe activist who was acquitted of killing two FBI agents and who was involved in the Leonard Peltier case, died on Tuesday February 16 after suffering seizures at his home in Barcelona, Spain, Robideau's family and Spanish authorities say. He was 61-years-old. Robideau had shrapnel in his head, UPI reports, from a 1975 incident in which ammunition in his car exploded. Robideau had been living and working in Barcelona as director of the American Indian Movement museum, after two stints as National-Internationa

The European Court of Human Rights has awarded €2500 to Abu Qatada, an Islamic militant and cleric, in a lawsuit he filed against the United Kingdom which detained him without trial in 2002. Qatada, who is facing extradition to Jordan to serve a life sentence for terrorism charges, and 10 others were detained under Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. This act allowed foreign nationals suspected of terrorism to be detained, before being repealed in 2004 due to its discriminatory nature. The ECHR's ruling determined the decision to deta

On Thursday three individuals accused of involvement in the October 2006 killing of journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya were acquitted by a 12-person Russian jury. Not present for the trial nor among the defendants was Rustam Makhmudov, the accused trigger man, suspected to be hiding out abroad. Makhmudov's two brothers, Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, were accused of acting as accomplices in the murder. Former police officer with the Moscow Directorate for Combating Organized Crime Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was the final d

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at its lowest level in over six years on Thursday, having lost 1.16%, or 89.68 points, bringing it to a level of 7,465.95. It had, at one point, set an intraday bear market low of 7,447.55. It was the lowest ending for the index since October 9, 2002. The Dow has fallen almost fifteen percent since the start of this year. Two other US indexes also fell today: the Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P) fell by 9.48 points, or 1.20 percent, to 778.94 points. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.71% or 25.15 points, closing a

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 5.4 earthquake has struck Pakistan, approximately 95 kilometers (60 miles) north east of the nation's capital, Islamabad. Pakistan's weather service put the magnitude at 5.5, but A Pakistan News reports the magnitude to be 5.8. There are reports of several injuries in Bagh, Kashmir, but the extent of those injuries are not known. No deaths have yet been reported. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 devastated the same town and area in 2005, killing nearly 80,000 people. Au

A Yorkshire pub affected by flooding in 2007 has been named CAMRA's National Pub of the Year for 2008. The Kelham Island Tavern in Sheffield's Kelham Island Quarter was in a "semi derelict" state when it was purchased in 2001. After it was re-opened in 2002 by licensee Trevor Wraith and manager Lewis Gonda, business quickly picked up and the pub has been awarded Sheffield CAMRA's local Pub of the Year award for the past four years. The pub won the award despite six weeks of closure a year and a half ago when the pub's cellar and floor were aff

Today, Israel President Shimon Peres has selected Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu to form the government of the 18th Knesset. 65 Members of Knesset informed the President of their preference of Netanyahu to head the government. President Peres was persuaded by two factors to choose Likud over Kadima. The Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) supports Likud in its attempt to form a government. Kadima Leader Tzipi Livni would not join in a unity government with Likud that the Israel President was attempting to broker between the three largest p

Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza has today rejected a motion by lawyers for French film director Roman Polanski to have charges of unlawful sex with a child dismissed. In 1977, Polanski was arrested charged with sodomy, sexual assault and rape of a 13-year-old girl at Jack Nicholson's house in California, United States. Polanski agreed to plead guilty to unlawful sex with a child, often called statutory rape, in exchange for having the more serious charges dropped. However, in 1978, before his sentencing, Polanski fled the United States.

Violence has erupted in Guadeloupe after a month-long general strike protesting the high costs of food and fuel. A union official, Jacques Bino, has been reported killed by armed youths at a barricade in Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest city. Three police officers were injured when they tried to reach the scene. "He was killed at a roadblock held by rioters, a group of youth who were mostly wearing masks," Prefect Nicolas Desforges told France Info. "He wasn’t killed in a confrontation with police." Guadeloupe is an overseas department of France.