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Suspected rebels kill 17, wound 24 in east India

NEW DELHI: Suspected Maoist rebels set off a land mine and opened fire on a convoy of cars carrying local leaders and supporters of India’s ruling Congress party in eastern India, killing at least 17 people and wounding 24 others, police said.

Spotlight grows on China's harsh labor camps

WASHINGTON: When she refused to sign a form renouncing her faith, Wang Chunying said she was handcuffed between two bunkbeds for 16 hours, deprived of food, water and sleep as she felt her wrists bleeding.

Football: ManCity down Chelsea 5-3 in friendly

NEW YORK: French midfielder Samir Nasri scored twice as Manchester City defeated Chelsea 5-3 on Saturday in a crowd-pleasing friendly at Major League Baseball’s Yankee Stadium.

Brazil’s Neymar to move to Barcelona: Soccer

RIO DE JANIERO: Brazil’s gifted World Cup hope Neymar is moving to Spanish champions Barcelona the striker said on Saturday and will sign a contract on Monday.

Evangelicals protest gay marriage in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO: Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians marched in Rio on Saturday defending marriage between a man and a woman, and protesting a recent legal ruling allowing gay marriage.

Venezuela top court rejects challenge to Maduro win

CARACAS" In a ruling out Saturday, Venezuela’s Supreme Court rejected one of six challenges to the April 14 presidential election which saw Hugo Chavez’s successor Nicolas Maduro win by a razor-thin margin.

Protesters across globe rally against Monsanto

LOS ANGELES: Protesters rallied in dozens of cities Saturday as part of a global protest against seed giant Monsanto and the genetically modified food it produces, organizers said.

NYPD investigating actress Bynes allegations

NEW YORK: Investigators on Saturday were looking into allegations made by actress Amanda Bynes that New York Police Department officers sexually assaulted her when she was arrested for heaving a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment Thursday night.

Huge crowd cheers Argentine leader's 10-year rule

BUENOS AIRES: Argentine President Cristina Fernandez has rallied a huge crowd celebrating 10 years in power by her government and that of her late husband.

Swedish capital returning to normal after week of violence

STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s capital was relatively calm on Saturday night with only isolated incidents of violence by youths after nearly a week of car-burnings and vandalism that have highlighted growing inequality in Swedish society.

Opposition proceeds with gathering despite not giving notice to police

PETALING JAYA: The opposition proceeded with their planned gathering at Dataran Petaling Jaya here today despite not giving police notice as required under the Peaceful Assemblies Act 2012.

US highway buckles after rail cars hit overpass

CHAFFEE, Missouri: A highway overpass in Missouri has collapsed after rail cars slammed into one of the bridge’s pillars following a cargo train collision. Seven people are injured, though none seriously.

Museum starts night tours of signs from Vegas past

LAS VEGAS: The junked signs that attracted throngs to old Las Vegas have for years gathered dust in a neon boneyard just a few miles from the sleek mega-casinos on the Strip.

Bill Clinton, other celebs at Vienna AIDS charity

VIENNA: Cross-dressers, half-naked revelers, a famed fashion designer, entertainment icons and a former U.S. president shared the spotlight in the Austrian capital for the Life Ball, a night of hedonistic revelry for a good cause — the funding of AIDS research.

San Antonio flooding kills 1; dozens rescued

SAN ANTONIO: Massive flooding from torrential rains in the San Antonio area left at least one person dead Saturday and sent emergency workers rushing in boats to rescue more than 100 residents stranded in cars and homes.

Reports: 27 indicted in Bari match-fixing inquiry

BARI, Italy: Twenty-seven people, all but three of them footballers, have been indicted on charges of committing sports fraud for fixing four matches involving the southern club Bari, Italian media reported Saturday.

Egypt court rules against religious slogans

CAIRO: Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court has ruled against parts of an election law approved by the Islamist-led legislature that had lifted a long-standing ban on the use of religious slogans during campaigning.

Fragments of biblical treasure are up for sale

JERUSALEM: Parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls are up for sale — in tiny pieces.

UK police question alleged soldier killer's friend

LONDON: Counterterrorism police on Saturday questioned a friend of alleged Islamic extremist Michael Adebolajo, one of two suspects in a savage killing of a British soldier on a London street that has horrified the country.

BN did not steal victory in GE13 - Najib

PUTRAJAYA: The Barisan Nasional (BN) did not steal victory from the opposition in the 13th general election (GE13), said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Suspected rebels injure India ruling party leaders

NEW DELHI: Police say suspected Maoist rebels have attacked a convoy of cars carrying leaders and supporters of India’s ruling Congress party in a Maoist-infested area in eastern India, injuring several people.

Obama sees terror threat reduced to pre-9/11 level

WASHINGTON: Some call it wishful thinking, but President Barack Obama has all but declared an end to the global war on terror.

Thousands run final mile of Boston Marathon

BOSTO: Thousands of athletes have joined victims of the Boston Marathon bombings to run and walk the last mile (1.6 kilometers) of the race, reclaiming the triumph of crossing the finish line.

Vintage Apple computer auctioned off for $668,000

BERLIN: An auctioneer says one of Apple’s first computers — a functioning 1976 model — has been sold for a record 516,000 euros ($668,000).

FA Cup premier league results

KUALA LUMPUR: Following are results of the FA Cup semi-final first leg matches and a Premier League match played at various venues today:

Actor Tyler Perry donates $100K to Ohio school

COLUMBUS, Ohio: Filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry has surprised middle school students in Ohio by showing up at a musical concert and donating $100,000 to help student athletes in the city’s South-Western schools.

Two freight trains collide in Missouri, 7 injured

Two freight trains collided at a rail intersection in Missouri on Saturday, triggering the collapse of a highway overpass when several rail cars derailed and struck a support pillar, a county sheriff’s dispatcher said.

Yahoo may join growing list of bidders for Hulu

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK - Yahoo Inc has submitted a formal proposal to buy Hulu, joining a growing list of bidders for the video service owned by News Corp and Walt Disney Co, two sources with knowledge of the bid told Reuters on Friday.

King launches 'Colours of 1Malaysia' at Dataran Merdeka

KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah tonight launched the 'Colours of 1Malaysia 2013', an annual tourism promotion programme showcasing Malaysia's cultural cornucopia.

Malaysia targets 28 million foreign tourists next year - Nazri

KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz tonight called on Malaysians to play their role in making Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 a success.

Kelantan Umno to submit petitions over GE results

PASIR PUTEH: The Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee will submit general election petitionS for the Bachok parliamentary and three state seats soon.

Follow the law in demanding for changes, says Najib

PUTRAJAYA: Changes to the country can be brought about by building the mindset of youth, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak here tonight.

Google eyes Waze as Facebook targets hot Web maps property

SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc is in talks to buy Waze, an Israeli mapping start-up that has held discussions with several large technology companies, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.

Opposition proceeds with gathering despite not giving notice to police

PETALING JAYA: The opposition proceeded with their planned gathering at Dataran Petaling Jaya here today despite not giving police notice as required under the Peaceful Assemblies Act 2012.

UK zookeeper dies from tiger attack injuries

LONDON: British police say a zookeeper who was injured in a tiger attack at an animal park has died.

Kafa claims fans not well treated at Larkin Stadium

KOTA BARU: The Kelantan Football Association (Kafa) today claimed that their supporters did not get the hospitality they deserved during the Kelantan-Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) Super League match at the Larkin Stadium in Johor Baharu last Wednesday.

Pirates release German ship's 4 crew members

BERLIN: A German shipping company says four crew members from one of its vessels have been released a month after being kidnapped by pirates off Equatorial Guinea’s coast.

Saudi Arabia warns against Iran's nuclear program

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has warned against the danger of Iran’s nuclear program to the region’s security and said Iran should not threaten its neighbors since countries in the region harbor no ill-intentions to the Islamic Republic.

Bayern, Dortmund fans descend on Wembley for final

LONDON: Thousands of German football fans have started gathering at Wembley Stadium ahead of the Champions League final.

Anwar broke agreement to accept GE13 results - Jusuf Kalla

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla has accused Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of reneging on a secret deal to respect the outcome of Malaysia's 13th General Election which he brokered between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the opposition leader.

Barsi celebration for revered local Sikh saint in Malacca

MALACCA: More than 50,000 worshippers gathered at the Gurdwara Sahib Malacca here today to commemorate the 41st anniversary of Sant Baba Sohan Singh Ji’s death, which took place May 24-26.

People can decide if time for BN to be a single party: Tengku Adnan

PUTRAJAYA -- The people and members of the Barisan Nasional (BN) can decide whether the time is right to turn BN into a single party with a new name in line with the current political changes, said BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

BIMB donates RM20,000 to assist poor students of UiTM

DUNGUN: Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad donated RM20,000 to assist poor students of the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) district branch today.

Parents, volunteers patrol streets to deter Stockholm rioters

KISTA, Sweden - Parents and volunteers have been patrolling the streets of Stockholm’s immigrant-heavy suburbs to help quell riots that have raged for almost a week, serving as a successful deterrent to troublemakers and winning praise from police.

Ministry reviewing all aspects on social media abuses

PUTRAJAYA: The communication and multimedia ministry will review all aspects of the law, control and education, pertaining to abuse of the social media.

Beckham not in PSG squad for last game vs. Lorient

PARIS: David Beckham’s football career is now officially over.

Priest who defied Mafia is beatified in Sicily

ROME: An Italian priest who stirred consciences with his anti-Mafia preaching and was gunned down by mobsters has been honored by the Vatican as a martyr.

Saiful Bukhari marries TV3 personality Nik Suryani Megat Deraman

KUALA TERENGGANU: In just one breath and a dowry of RM41,101, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan and TV3 personality Nik Suryani Megat Deraman today became husband and wife.

RM50mil GMBO scheme to help women have own business products

HULU TERENGGANU: The Ministry of Communications and Multimedia has allocated RM50 million for the entrepreneur development programme under the Get Malaysian Business Online (GMBO) scheme.

Army veterans back Ahmad Zahid's firm stance

MUAR: The Armed Forces' Veteran Affairs Department is fully behind the firm action of Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi towards parties which try to create unrest in the country.

British police arrest man after spy claim in soldier case

LONDON: British counter-terrorism police arrested a man at the BBC’s headquarters after an interviewee said that security services tried to recruit one of the two suspects in the murder of a soldier in London.

Rosberg puts Mercedes on pole position for Monaco GP

MONACO - Germany’s Nico Rosberg scorched to his third successive Formula One pole position with team mate Lewis Hamilton completing a front row lockout for Mercedes at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday.

Nobat music and floating market will be Kedah's latest tourism attraction

ALOR STAR: The Nobat or Royal Musical Ensemble and a 'floating market' Kedah-style will become new tourism attractions in the state.

Call for FAs to speed up setting integrity committee

PEKAN: Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah wants all state football associations (FAs) to set up integrity committees to check match-fixing.

Selangor BN must prepare for next GE from now: Noh

TANJUNG KARANG -- The Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) should devise a strategy to prepare for the next general election, including restructuring the party's state leadership, said deputy chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar.

Stone Temple Pilots sue ex-frontman Scott Weiland

LOS ANGELES: The Stone Temple Pilots accuse former frontman Scott Weiland of misusing the band’s name to further his solo career and want a judge to strip the rocker of his ability to use the group’s name or songs.

US court rules against Arizona sheriff over Latinos

LOS ANGELES: Rights activists welcomed a US court’s ruling Friday against an Arizona’s sheriff who calls himself America’s toughest lawmen, which said he improperly targeted Hispanics for routine traffic stops.

Healthy gorilla born to 1st time parents at US zoo

COLUMBUS, Ohio: A baby gorilla has been born to first-time parents at an Ohio zoo.

Friend' of suspect in UK slaying arrested

LONDON: Counter-terrorism police are questioning a friend of Michael Adebolajo, one of two men suspected of the savage killing of a British soldier.

Proposal for BN to be a single party must be carefully studied: Ahmad Zahid

BAGAN DATOH: Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the suggestion by Gerakan that Barisan Nasional (BN) turns into a single party must be studied very carefully before its implementation.

Study: exposure to suicide may increase risk among teens

VANCOUVER: Suicide contagion or exposure to suicide may increase risk of suicide and related outcomes among adolescents, Xinhua news agency quoted results from a recent study.

Residents in Sabak Bernam may face water disruption

KUALA LUMPUR: Residents in Sabak Bernam may experience water supply disruption due to the ongoing upgrading work on clean water supply distribution system from the Bernam River Headworks (BRH) water treatment plant.

Balloons bring smiles in war-weary Afghan capital

KABUL, Afghanistan:— Artists and activists have handed out 10,000 pink balloons to residents in Afghanistan’s war-weary capital, bringing smiles to surprised Kabul residents a day after a major Taliban siege on an international compound in the city.

Japan govt says unaware of ghosts at PM residence-paper

TOKYO: A delay in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife moving into their official residence, the site of past assasinations, has revived talk of ghosts in the corridors, prompting the government to deny any knowledge of hauntings.

Jordan king says extremism 'grown fat' on conflict

SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan: Jordan’s King Abdullah II says extremism has “grown fat” off of the longstanding conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Contents that violate social media law to be checked: Minister

BAGAN DATOH -- The Home Ministry, via the police, will work together with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as well as the Malaysian Cyber Security to check immediately the channeling of contents which violate social media law by certain cyber trooper groups.

Woman suicide bomber injured 11 in Russian region

MAKHACHKALA, Russia: Police in the southern Russian region of Dagestan say a female suicide bomber has injured at least 11 police officers and civilians.

Man detained for insulting Terengganu Sultan on Facebook

CYBERJAYA: The authorities have detained a man for allegedly insulting the Sultan of Terengganu on his Facebook page.

Toronto mayor denies he smokes crack cocaine

TORONTO: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denied that he smokes crack cocaine and said he is not an addict, breaking a week of silence over reports of a video purportedly showing him using the drug.

7 Filipino marines, 4 militants killed in clash

MANILA, Philippines: Philippine military officials say at least seven marines and four Abu Sayyaf militants have been killed in a clash amid an offensive against al-Qaida-linked gunmen accused of carrying out recent kidnappings in the country’s south.

Mosque blast kills 12 in eastern Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan: Authorities in eastern Afghanistan say explosives transported by suspected Taliban fighters accidentally detonated while they were stopped at a mosque, killing 12 people.

Swedish capital again wracked by nightly rioting

STOCKHOLM: Police say that overnight violence in suburban districts of Stockholm was less intense than previous nights but as many as 25 cars had been burned.

221 receive Pahang medals and state awards

PEKAN: The Director of the Budget Management Division, Ministry of Finance, Datuk Rahim Abu Bakar today headed the list of 221 recipients of Pahang state awards and medals in conjunction with the 82nd birthday anniversary of the Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Farmers urged to use internet to market produce

HULU TERENGGANU -- Farmers should make use of Internet facilities like the 1Malaysia Internet Centres provided by the government to market their produce, said Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Jailani Johari.

20 ancient tombs unearthed near China's 3 Gorges reservoir

CHONGQING: Twenty ancient tombs have been discovered near the Three Gorges Reservoir in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Xinhua news agency reported.

16 children, 1 teacher dead in Pakistan bus fire

LAHORE, Pakistan: Police say that a teacher was among the 17 burned to death in eastern Pakistan when a minibus taking children to school suddenly caught fire.

2-child limit for Muslims in parts of Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar : Authorities in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state have introduced a two-child limit for Muslim Rohingya families in an effort to ease tensions with their Buddhist neighbors after deadly sectarian violence.

At least 4 exposed to radiation after Japan lab leak

TOKYO - At least four people, and possibly up to 55, were exposed to radiation when radioactive material leaked during a laboratory experiment in Japan, the facility’s operators said on Saturday, although authorities were not told of the leak for two days.

Election petitions should be disposed within 6 months of filing

KUANTAN -- Election petitions by candidates in the 13th general election must be disposed within six months of filing.

Four Indian navy ships dock in Port Klang

PORT KLANG : Four vessels from the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet, on operational deployment to the South China Sea and the Western Pacific, made a port call here today.

Keruak urges Pakatan Rakyat to respect people's decision

KOTA BELUD - Former Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak has urged the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat to respect the people's decision to give a comfortable majority to the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 13th General Election (GE13).

MCMC: Suspect who insulted Sultan Of Terengganu on facebook detained

CYBERJAYA -- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has managed to locate a suspect who insulted His Majesty the Sultan of Terengganu on his Facebook page.

Sydney player racially abused by fan at MCG

MELBOURNE : Adam Goodes of the Sydney Swans was left visibly upset after an apparent racial taunt from a fan marred his side’s victory over Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in an Australian Football League match.

Seven months after Sandy, New York beaches re-open

NEW YORK : Seven months after deadly superstorm Sandy devastated the coastline of New Jersey and parts of New York, all New York City beaches opened Friday at the start of the three-day Memorial Day weekend.

Kerry makes sub-Saharan Africa visit

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia : U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Nigeria must respect human rights as it cracks down on the Islamist extremists.

Judge orders Philadelphia faith-healing couple held in son’s death

PHILADELPHIA : A Philadelphia couple charged with murder after their baby died without medical care must be held in jail whether or not they make bail, a judge ruled on Friday.

Arizona jury foreman says believed Jodi Arias was abused

PHOENIX : The foreman of an Arizona jury that deadlocked over whether Jodi Arias should be put to death for murdering her ex-boyfriend believes she was mentally abused, but said on Friday that had not been enough to excuse her crime.

Weiner confuses skylines in NY mayoral campaign gaffe

NEW YORK : Anthony Weiner, running for New York mayor two years after he became notorious for sending women sexually explicit photos, raced to fix his campaign website Friday after another pictorial faux-pas.

Puerto Rico approves anti-discrimination bill

SAN JUAN : Legislators in Puerto Rico on Friday approved a heavily debated bill that outlaws employment discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation.

Tune to open first hotel in Australia

MELBOURNE : Malaysia's Tune hotel chain is set to open its first Australian property in Swanston Street here in November.

Planetary alignment peaks with celestial show this weekend

CAPE CANAVERAL : Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets in the sky this month, will be joined by tiny Mercury for a rare celestial show this weekend.

UK court: Lawmaker's wife's tweet was libelous

LONDON : Britain’s High Court has ruled that a tweet posted by the wife of the speaker of Parliament about a politician wrongly linked to child sex abuse was libelous.

7 Filipino marines, 4 militants killed in clash

MANILA : At least seven Filipino marines and four Abu Sayyaf militants were killed in a clash Saturday as the military launched an offensive against al-Qaida-linked gunmen who have been blamed for recent kidnappings and of trying to sabotage a road project in the southern Philippines.