World News
SpaceX delays ISS launch again
The US company SpaceX on Wednesday said it was unlikely to meet a planned May 7 launch to send its Dragon space capsule to the International Space Station, but did not set a new date for the attempt. "At this time, a May 7th launch…
Study finds warming speeding up rainfall
An Australian study of ocean salinity over the past 50 years has revealed a "fingerprint" showing that climate change has accelerated the rainfall cycle, a researcher said Friday. The study published in the journal Science and conducted by Australian and US scientists looked at ocean…
Scientists in quest to find white orca
A team of Russian scientists say they will embark on a quest next week to observe the only all-white, adult killer whale ever spotted - a majestic and elusive bull they have named Iceberg. The researchers from the universities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg first…
Pakistan successfully test-fires Hatf IV
Pakistan has successfully test-fired long-range Hatf IV (Shaheen 1A) ballistic missile, Geo News reported Wednesday. According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan successfully conducted the launch of the intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Hatf IV Shaheen-1A Weapon System. The missile is an improved version of…
SpaceX delays first private launch
WASHINGTON: SpaceX said Monday it is pushing back by a week a bid to become the first private company to attempt to launch a spacecraft to the International Space Station on an unmanned cargo mission. "After reviewing our recent progress, it was clear that we…
Philippine bomb wounds 22 soldiers
A powerful booby trap bomb wounded 22 Philippine soldiers, seven of them critically, as they patrolled a former stronghold of Al-Qaeda-linked militants Tuesday, the military said. The soldiers were patrolling the outskirts of a remote camp captured last month from Abu Sayyaf extremists when the…
Whale barf in perfumes to be replaced
A product from fir trees and yeast may soon replace ambergris, a kind of whale barf, to make expensive perfume, scientists said Thursday. For centuries, perfume makers have prized ambergris for its ability to prevent scent from dissipating. The wax-like substance is secreted by sperm…
Bomb attack near Nigeria church kills 40
A car bombing near a church in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna on Easter Sunday killed at least 40 people, while another blast later in a separate city caused a number of injuries. The deadly explosion in Kaduna, an important cultural and economic centre…
Greece shaken by retiree's suicide
An elderly man shot himself in the head Wednesday in a central Athens, drawing an emotional response from Greeks who flooded the area in a spontaneous anti-government protest. The 77-year-old retired pharmacist killed himself in busy Syntagma Square, just 100 metres (yards) from the Greek…
Two dead due to heavy rain in Brazil
At least two people were killed late Friday in Brazil's southeastern state of Rio de Janeiro due to a heavy downpour, which triggered mudslides and interrupted traffic, media reported. The newspaper Folha reported that one person had been found dead in the wreckage of his…