570News - Breaking World News Headlines

Somali official tells residents to flee battle zones as fighting flares for a third day

Mohamed Olad Hassan, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 12 Mar, 2010 1 0

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Fighting erupted in Somalia's capital for the third straight day Friday in some of the worst violence in nearly a year, as government-backed troops shelled the front lines of rebels trying to advance into government-held territory. Mogadishu's mayor warned residents to flee

UK report says asylum seekers abuse allegations were not properly investigated

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 12 Mar, 2010 0 0

LONDON - A new report condemns the way U.K. authorities investigated claims of abuse made by asylum seekers. The Northern Ireland police ombudsman studied the claims after complaints that security contractors did not properly use restraint techniques when carrying out deportations. The invest

Chinese education official plan revamp for college exams, fostering creativity in schools

Chi-Chi Zhang, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 12 Mar, 2010 0 0

BEIJING - China plans to revamp its university admissions system, allowing students to take subject-specific tests and introducing other measures besides the exam to ease the stress millions of students undergo as they compete for a coveted few spots in colleges. Currently access to university i

Monsoon season landslide leaves 7 dead, 3 missing in village in Indonesia's West Java province

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 12 Mar, 2010 0 0

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A Red Cross official says a rain-triggered landslide has killed at least seven villagers and left three missing on Indonesia's main Java island. Rudi Syahriar says at least 10 people were buried under tons of mud from Thursday's landslide in a village in West Java province.

Diplomat: North Korea demands 20 per cent hike in rent for foreign embassies

Kwang-Tae Kim, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 12 Mar, 2010 0 0

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea has demanded a hike in rental fees for foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations in Pyongyang, a diplomat said Friday, in what could be a move to raise foreign currency amid tightened international sanctions. The United Nations slapped new restr

Hans van Mierlo, Dutch foreign minister at time of fall of Srebrenica, dies at age 78

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 12 Mar, 2010 0 0

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Former Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo has died of liver disease, the social democratic party he helped establish announced. He was 78 Van Mierlo, who died late Thursday, was foreign minister in 1995 when outnumbered and outgunned Dutch peacekeepers looked on help

PM ahead in early Iraq election results, but secular challenger alleges fraud

Ben Hubbard,Qassim Abdul-Zahra, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 12 Mar, 2010 0 0

BAGHDAD - First results from Iraq's parliamentary election showed the prime minister and his secular rival locked in an extremely tight contest amid fraud allegations by rival parties and a chaotic, unpredictable vote count. The partial tallies released Thursday came from only five of Iraq's 18

US official indicates new policy of engaging with Myanmar to push reform is failing

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 12 Mar, 2010 0 0

YANGON, Myanmar - Washington's new policy of engagement with Myanmar's military government appears to be failing, a senior U.S. official indicated Friday, noting the junta's decision to bar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from upcoming elections. This week the government unveiled election laws

Nearly 100 Australian authors condemn China for denying visa to HIV-positive writer

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 12 Mar, 2010 1 0

ADELAIDE, Australia - A group of nearly 100 prominent Australian authors have signed a petition condemning China for denying a visa to an HIV-positive writer. The Australian Society of Authors also demanded that Chinese authorities apologize to Robert Dessaix, an Australian novelist and essayist

Thai anti-government protesters begin to mass around the country ahead of march in Bangkok

Thanyarat Doksone, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 0 0

BANGKOK, Thailand - A day of anti-government protests around Thailand passed peacefully Friday, though concerns remained about possible violence when demonstrators converge in the country's capital for a 'million man march' on Sunday. There had been fears of gridlock on the roads in Bangkok, but