South Korea has described its northern neighbour as a "serious threat", in the wake of its nuclear test in October. A defence white paper said North Korea's nuclear capability along with its land army and conventional weapons had raised the threat to the South. The assessment uses the strongest wording since Seoul began a policy of engaging with Pyongyang in 2000. Talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear programme ended in deadlock in Beijing earlier this month. In its biennial white paper, South Korea's ministry of defence said the threat from the North had risen, although the country was not yet a full-fledged nuclear power. "North Korea's conventional forces, its nuclear test, weapons of mass destruction and the forward deployment of troops are a serious threat to our security," the report said. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk censor News |
Editor - 09:41:00 12-29-06 |
Chinese portal loses suit over movie downloads Film industry has 35 lawsuits over film piracy pending in Chinese courts |
A court has ordered the popular Chinese Web portal Sohu.com to pay damages for distributing Hollywood movies online without permission, a U.S. film industry group said Friday.The Beijing court ordered a subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed Sohu.com Inc. to pay $140,000 in damages and publish an acknowledgment of its wrongdoing, the Motion Picture Association said.A Sohu spokeswoman, Zhang Xin, said the company was aware of the ruling but had no comment on it. China is regarded as the world's leading source of illegally copied movies, software and other goods, despite repeated government promises to stamp out the underground industry.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16392917/
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Editor - 09:37:00 12-29-06 |
Thousands of cheering residents greet Somalia's prime minister as he enters capital |
Somalia's prime minister entered the capital Friday, a day after an Islamic movement's fighters retreated ahead of his Ethiopian-backed troops, and was welcomed by thousands of cheering residents of the battle-scarred city.While the visit was meant to symbolize the government's victory, fighting was likely to continue. Clan divisions, hatred of Ethiopia and religious fundamentalism remain problems for the government to tackle.Ali Mohamed Gedi drove into the southern part of the city in a heavily armed convoy of 22 vehicles, then toured Mogadishu's seaport amid tight security.Trucks fitted with loudspeakers roamed the city, blaring patriotic music. Mogadishu for the last six months has been controlled by a group who tried to establish a government based on the Quran. Some of its leaders are accused of having links to al-Qaida.... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/29/ap/world/mainD8MAIQ5G0.shtml
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Editor - 09:31:00 12-29-06 |
India police find child skeletons |
Indian police say they have found bags containing the clothes and skeletons of a number of small children near Delhi. They were discovered in Noida, some 20 km (12 miles) from the capital. A search is on for more remains. Noida's police chief, RKS Rathore, told the BBC there were at least four skeletons, possibly many more. The discovery came after a man confessed to killing six children in Noida's Nithari district after sexually abusing them. Superintendent Rathor said six children below the age of 12 had gone missing from the Nithari area in the last year. Local people say far more children are missing. Police said they initially arrested the man in connection with the murder of a young girl. They say further questioning of the man led to the discovery of the skeletons. The skeletons were found in the house of a businessman where the suspect worked as a servant.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6216717.stm
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Editor - 09:21:00 12-29-06 |
'For better or for worse' takes a lot of work |
Murray and Trudy Grant, who were married Nov. 25, 1951, have had their share of disagreements, but never in a million years would they consider divorce. "That's never even entered my mind," said Dr. Grant, a semi-retired doctor in Silver Spring. "When you're married, you've made a commitment." Mrs. Grant, mother of five and grandmother of 11, joked that during disagreements in the early years, she would threaten to pack her suitcase and leave. "But I never did because that would have creased my clothes," she said with a laugh. In this series, The Washington Times examines the changing views of marriage and what institutions — such as religious groups, government and businesses — are doing to preserve it. What do the Grants think about young people's attitudes toward commitment? What is the current outlook for a resilient marriage, such as theirs? "Not good. Not good at all," said Dr. Grant, his words sprinkled with a British accent and intonation. He's originally from London... http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20061229-122641-5774r.htm
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Editor - 09:17:00 12-29-06 |
Poll: Bush is hero -- and villain -- of the year |
Bad guy of 2006: President Bush. Good guy of 2006: President Bush.When people were asked in an AP-AOL News poll to name the villains and heroes of the year, Bush topped both lists, in a sign of these polarized times.Among entertainment celebrities, Oprah Winfrey edged out Michael J. Fox as the best celebrity role model while Britney Spears outdistanced Paris Hilton as the worst.Bush won the villain sweepstakes by a landslide, with one in four respondents putting him at the top of that bad-guy list. When people were asked to name the candidate for villain that first came to mind, Bush far outdistanced even Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader in hiding; and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who is scheduled for execution.The president was picked as hero of the year by a much smaller margin. In the poll, 13 percent named him as their favorite while 6 percent cited the troops in Iraq.... http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/29/villainsandheroes.appoll.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us
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Editor - 09:12:00 12-29-06 |
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