Rolf Harris Loses Hero Status In Australia

By Jonathan Samuels He may have left in the 1950s but Australians were fiercely proud of Rolf Harris. Now they are having to get to grips with the fact that the multi-talented family entertainer is also a sexual predator of young women and girls. He is known as “the boy from Bassendean” by locals from the Perth suburb […]

ISIs seizes Syrian border town near Iraq

Damascus, July 1 (IANS) The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), now calling itself Islamic State, Tuesday captured an eastern Syrian town bordering Iraq after days of intense clashes with rival jihadist groups. The ISIS, an Al Qaeda splinter group, Tuesday captured the Bukamal town in Syria’s eastern province of Deir al-Zour after “intense” battles […]

Israel strikes Gaza after increased rocket attacks

Jerusalem, July 1 (IANS) Israeli forces launched massive airstrikes in the Gaza Strip overnight Monday, hitting dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in retaliation to the increased rocket attacks from the Palestinian enclave. Among the 34 targets were a Hamas complex in Rafah that hosted a weapons storage facility along with residents, Xinhua quoted an […]

Inquest into death of India-born woman begins

London, July 1 (IANS) The inquest into the death of an India-born woman in Ireland after childbirth has begun, media reported Tuesday. Indian-born Dhara Kivlehan (29) died in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast Sept 28, 2010, four days after she was airlifted from Sligo where her son had been born, The Irish Times reported. As […]

Five killed in China road crash

Beijing, June 29 (IANS) At least five people were killed and six suffered injuries Saturday in a road accident in China’s Qinghai province, police said. The accident occurred in evening in Huangyuan County, when a tractor crashed into a jeep and two cars, Xinhua reported. Initial probe suggested the tractor’s brakes failed on a long slope.

Hostage-taker shot dead in China

Beijing, June 29 (IANS) A man who took a woman hostage in China’s Guangdong province Saturday was shot dead by police. The incident occurred in the afternoon when the 30-year-old man, armed with a knife, allegedly took a woman hostage at a bus station, Xinhua quoted authorities as saying. Police said they shot at the man […]

Four Egyptian soldiers killed in ambush

Cairo, June 29 (IANS) Four Egyptian recruits were killed Saturday in an ambush set by anti-government extremists in the country’s North Sinai governorate, a security source said. “The four recruits were coming back to the peninsula after a holiday and were not in security uniform,” the source said while speaking about the attack which occurred in […]

Michael Jackson footage triggers lawsuit

New York, June 29 (IANS) Footage of the late pop legend Michael Jackson at a museum, here become the subject of a lawsuit between film director Craig Williams and the Jackson estate. The production company behind the upcoming film “Michael Jackson: The Last Photo shoot” is taking legal action against the late singer’s estate over a […]

China wants greater democracy in global relations

Beijing, June 29 (IANS) Chinese President Xi Jinping Saturday called for greater democracy in international relations. “We should uphold fairness and justice to build a new type of international relations,” Xinhua quoted the president as saying while delivering a speech at a commemoration marking the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence held in […]

25 securitymen killed near Baghdad in clashes

Baghdad, June 29 (IANS) A total of 25 security members were killed and some 22 wounded in clashes between Iraqi forces and militants here Saturday, a police source said. Fierce clashes took place during the day near the towns of Jurf al-Sakhar, some 50 km from Baghdad, and Mahmoudiyah, 30 km from Baghdad, as well as […]