Pakistan coal mine blast kills three, 45 missing

   QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) - At least three miners were killed and 45 others trapped underground when explosions triggered a collapse in a coal mine in Pakistan's Baluchistan province on Sunday, officials said.   A total of 48 miners were working around 1,200 metres (1,300 yards) underground in the mine and the officials said hopes for the survival of the missing were slim.   The mine in the far-fl

March 20, 2011

Japan toll tops 20,000 amid atom plant crisis

KITAKAMI, Japan, March 20, 2011 (AFP) - Crews fighting to cool reactors at Japan's stricken nuclear plant struggled Sunday to switch partial power back on after a natural disaster that has left more than 20,000 people dead or missing.The discovery of radiation in foodstuffs in regions around the plant, and of traces of radioactive iodine in Tokyo tap water well to the southwest, compounded public

March 20, 2011

Egyptians vote on constitutional changes

   CAIRO (AP) _ Eager for their first taste of a free vote in decades, Egyptians formed long lines outside polling centers on Saturday to cast their ballots on a package of constitutional amendments sponsored by the ruling military.   The nationwide referendum is the first major test of the country's transition to democracy after a popular uprising overthrew President Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian

March 19, 2011

Student in anti-Asian rant says she'll leave UCLA

   LOS ANGELES (AP) _ A student who posted an Internet video of her tirade against the Asian population at the University of California, Los Angeles, said Friday night that she is leaving the school, despite the university's decision not to discipline her.   In a statement to the Daily Bruin campus newspaper, Alexandra Wallace said she has chosen to no longer attend classes at UCLA because of what

March 19, 2011

Taiwan reports 4.5-magnitude quake in morning

   HONG KONG (Yonhap) -- Taiwan was struck by a 4.5-magnitude earthquake early Saturday, but no casualties or damage have reported, according to the Taiwanese government.    The quake shook the northeastern county of Yilan at 5:56 a.m. with the epicenter located in coastal waters about 26 kilometers south of Yilan, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said.    The tremor only lasted for 0.02 second, it

March 19, 2011

Temperatures in fuel pool of No. 5 reactor falling: Kyodo

 The temperatures in the spent fuel pool of the No. 5 reactor at the Dai-Ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northern Japan, are falling, Kyodo News reported, citing Tokyo Electric Power Co.    As of 9 a.m. today, the temperature had fallen to 67.6 degrees Celsius from 68.8 degrees four hours earlier, Kyodo said. (Bloomberg)

March 19, 2011

Japan to restore power at four reactors on Saturday: agency

   OSAKA, Japan (AFP) - Electricity is expected to be restored to four reactors at a stricken Japanese atomic plant on Saturday to power cooling systems, the nuclear and safety agency said.

March 19, 2011

Libyan forces attack last rebel-held western city

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) -- Moammar Gadhafi's forces are bombarding the last rebel-held western city as the international community discusses how to enforce a no-fly zone and protect the Libyan people.   A doctor says at least six people were killed Friday when tanks moved into Misrata and opened fire. He says a hospital and a mosque were shelled.   The doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity beca

March 18, 2011

Asylum seeker riots escalate in Australia

SYDNEY (AFP) ― Protests by angry asylum seekers escalated at an Australian detention centre with rioters setting fire to buildings and police responding with tear gas and bean-bag bullets, officials said Friday.A group of around 250-300 detainees on Christmas Island ran amok, hurling bricks and lighting fires late Thursday, forcing the Australian Federal Police to intervene, the Department of Immi

March 18, 2011

Japan disaster dead, missing toll tops 16,600

TOKYO (AFP) ― The official number of dead and missing after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that flattened Japan’s northeast coast a week ago has topped 16,600, with 6,405 confirmed dead, police said Friday.The number of people unaccounted for following the March 11 twin disasters increased to 10,259, the National Police Agency said in its latest update.A total of 2,409 people were injured.

March 18, 2011

Hope and defiance among tsunami victims

KESENNUMA, Japan (AFP) ― Less than a week after watching his home get swept away by the tsunami that tore into Japan’s northeast coast, Shiroyuchi Kumagai is ready to reclaim his plot of earth from the sea.“It’s my land. I’ve been here all my life,” the 83-year-old said as he surveyed the rubble of Kesennuma. “I want to rebuild.”Kumagai was born and raised in the village of Katahama, one of a seri

March 18, 2011

No drop in Chernobyl cancer risk: US study

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - The risk of thyroid cancer among people who were exposed as children to the nuclear fallout at Chernobyl has not declined nearly 25 years after the disaster, said a study released Thursday in the United States.The National Institutes of Health-led study examined more than 12,500 people who were under 18 at the time of the Chernobyl accident on April 26, 1986, and who lived near

March 18, 2011

Yen falls after G7 agrees on joint currency action

TOKYO (AFP) - The yen fell sharply in Tokyo trade on Friday after the Group of Seven major economies agreed on joint market intervention to stabilize currencies following a huge earthquake in Japan.

March 18, 2011