Washington: An armed man shot and killed by police after a tense four-hour standoff at the Discovery Channel`s headquarters told a TV channel he had several bombs strapped to his body "ready to go off."The gunman who had taken three hostages Wednesday in the Discovery building in the

ISLAMABAD: Relief efforts in flood-ravaged Pakistan are being stretched by the "unprecedented scale" of the disaster, while funding has almost stalled, the UN said Thursday."Given the number of those in need, this is a humanitarian operation of unprecedented scale," said Manuel Bessler,

Sydney: Independent MP from Tasmania, Andrew Wilkie decided Thursday to support the Labor Party, giving incumbent Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard 74 seats in her bid to form a minority government.Wilkie, who won the Denison seat, however, said his support to a returned Gillard

Chile: Chilean miners trapped underground after a rock collapse have received their first hot meal in 26 days.Meatballs, chicken and rice were piped through a tube to the 33 miners, who are stuck 700m (2,300ft) below the surface.Previously the miners have been only been nourished with

LONDON: Ex-premier Tony Blair`s memoirs are a good read but they risk re-opening old wounds in his Labour party just as it struggles to fight back from electoral defeat, British newspapers said Thursday.The personal details and indiscreet remarks contained in "A Journey" -- including

LAHORE: The death toll from three suicide bombings in Pakistan`s eastern city of Lahore rose to 31 on Thursday as six people succumbed to their injuries, a rescue official said.Three suicide bombers targeted a Shiite mourning procession made up of thousands of people on Wednesday at the

BEIJING: At least three people died and 57 were missing after rain-triggered landslides struck a village in southwestern China, state media reported on Thursday.The landslides swept through the village of Wama in mountainous Yunnan province, Xinhua news agency said.State television said

WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called Mahmud Abbas his "partner in peace," urging the Palestinian leader to join him in forging a "historic compromise" to end decades of conflict between their peoples."Our goal is to forge a secure and durable peace

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday pleaded with Israelis and Palestinians not to let slip a fleeting opportunity for peace, as he launched a landmark Middle East diplomatic initiative."This moment of opportunity may not soon come again," Obama warned after holding separate

TIJUANA: At least 17 migrants have been kidnapped near the US border in northern Mexico by human traffickers, Tijuana police said Wednesday.Two freed kinap victims reported the incident to authorities, saying "another 17 kidnapped people were inside a safe house," Tijuana Police Chief

COPIAPO: The morale of 33 miners trapped in Chile soared Wednesday after music and hot meals were supplied, while NASA advisers praised their "courage" and provided advice on daylight deprivation, as a rescue drill inched closer. A new video shot by the miners and broadcast on state

RIYADH: Three men including an imam were injured in a shooting at a Riyadh mosque Wednesday following late night Ramadan prayers, the Sabq.org news website reported.Unknown attackers opened fire outside the Prince Sultan mosque following the taraweeh prayers observed during the fasting

RALEIGH: Thousands of people evacuated North Carolina`s barrier islands on Wednesday as a strengthened Hurricane Earl threatened to pound large areas of the US east coast with heavy winds and rough seas. The strongest Atlantic storm of 2010 was on a path to lash the North Carolina coast

LIMA: The Amazon, the world`s biggest river, is at its lowest level in over 40 years near its source in northeastern Peru, causing havoc in a region where it is used as the only form of travel, authorities said.According to officials in Loreto province, the Amazon on Tuesday in the

MEXICO CITY: Mexican and US officials on Tuesday opened a first joint office to manage the distribution of more than 1.3 billion dollars in US security aid to help fight Mexico`s brutal drug gangs.The office will oversee transfers of equipment and training under the so-called Merida

BEIJING: Chinese schools opened nationwide for a new term Wednesday with thousands of police and safety officers deployed to ensure security following a string of deadly attacks on young students.The central government has instructed kindergartens and schools to beef up security and put

THATTA: Jannan Soorjo summoned the energy to give birth in the filthy Pakistan graveyard that has become her refuge from the floods -- but she cannot produce the milk to feed her sickly newborn.The 26-year-old looks down helplessly at her crying son, who was brought rudely into the world

Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Wednesday that his country has suffered losses of around $43 billion due to the floods that have displaced over 17 million people and killed over 1,600.The floods, which started with heavy monsoon rains in July, have affected 30

CAMP RAMADI: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said during a surprise visit to Iraq on Wednesday that the American military`s war in the country is over.Asked by reporters at Camp Ramadi, an American base about 100 kilometres (80 miles) west of Baghdad, whether the United States was still

BEIJING: North Korea vowed to strengthen military ties with China on Wednesday, days after the North`s leader Kim Jong-il finished a visit aimed at bolstering the bond with his isolated country`s sole major supporter.Comments from Kim Yong-nam, the second-ranked official in North Korea,