19 August, 2009

German leader Angela Merkel and businesswomen dominate Forbes magazine's new list of powerful women, while First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn't break the top 30.Merkel headed the list, published Wednesday, for the fourth year running, with the magazine highlighting her role as leader of the ...

Switzerland is selling its nine-percent stake in UBS, the federal government said Wednesday, soon after the bank reached a deal with Washington over its tax fraud investigation."The Federal Council (government) has decided to immediately and completely end its commitment" to UBS, a finance ministry statement said.The government had instructed a ...

Twin truck bombs killed 95 people and wounded almost 600 in Baghdad's bloodiest day in 18 months on Wednesday, casting doubt on Iraq's ability to secure its cities after the withdrawal of US forces.The explosions came just minutes apart outside government ministries while a car bombing and spate of mortar ...

There's a squirrel popping up all over the Internet.The rodent first made its appearance in a holiday photo taken by an American couple in Canada and has gone on to become a Web sensation.Melissa Brandts and her husband, Jackson, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, were taking a time delay picture of themselves ...

Olympic 200m champion and world record holder Usain Bolt produced an effortless run here on Wednesday to coast into the event's final and remain on course to claim a world sprint double.The 22-year-old Jamaican, who set a new world record of 9.58sec in winning the 100m on Sunday, is seeking ...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked Hungary Wednesday for opening the Iron Curtain 20 years ago, allowing hundreds of East Germans to flee into democratic Europe.Merkel, who spent most of her childhood and studied in communist East Germany, spoke at a commemoration near the Austro-Hungarian border area where East German refugees ...

Both Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt and world champ Jeremy Wariner ensured a smooth passage into the 400m final when they breezed through Wednesday's semi-finals at the world athletics championships.Wariner of the United States looked very comfortable as he effortlessly won his semi-final in 44.69sec to book his spot in Friday's ...

Body parts, blood and the wreckage of cars littered downtown Baghdad on Wednesday after it was hit by massive attacks that shattered security and undermined the Iraqi people's fragile hopes for peace."I don't know what happened -- everything just exploded," said Adnan, 20, as he and his older brother held ...

Hurricane Bill, the first of the Atlantic season, strengthened to a powerful Category Four storm Wednesday as forecasters warned residents of the Caribbean, Bermuda, US East Coast and eastern Canada to be on watch.The storm surged overnight to a potentially deadly force packing winds near 135 miles per hour (215 ...

Ethiopian world medal hopes were dealt a further blow Wednesday when Olympic champion and world recorder holder Tirunesh Dibaba pulled out of the women's 5000m here.Cuba's Olympic champion and world record holder Dayron Robles was also left uncertain for the semi-finals of the 110m hurdles after battling through his heat ...