Today

Nov 6, 2010

Merapi volcano forces cancellation of Jakarta flights

Volcanic ash can be dangerous to airline engines
Several airlines have temporarily suspended flights between Singapore and Jakarta because of volcanic ash spewing from Mount Merapi in central Java. Among those affected were Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific. Merapi, one of the world's..

Somali pirates receive record ransom for ships' release

The Samho Dream's 24 crew members are said to be in good condition
Somali pirates are reported to have received a total of $12.3m (£7.6m) in ransom money to release two ships.
They are believed to have been paid a record $9.5m (£5.8m) for Samho Dream, a South Korean oil tanker, and nearly $2.8m (£1.7m) for the Golden Blessing, a Singaporean..

Papandreou Braces for Austerity Backlash as Greece Holds Local Elections

Greeks head to the polls today for local elections that Prime Minister George Papandreou has called a key test of support for his government as it grapples with a crippling budget deficit and debt burden.

Satellite launched from US base

A rocket carrying an Earth-observation satellite for civilian and military use has launched from California's Central Coast.

Obama calls India creator, not poacher, of US jobs

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks as first lady Michelle Obama listens after paying tribute at the memorial for the November 26, 2008 terror attack victims at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel in Mumbai, India. Photo / AP

Inside Yemen's al Qaeda heartland

For someone who lives close to some of the world's most wanted men, Abu Mudrik Bin Fahir takes a suprisingly neighbourly attitude. A tribal sheikh in the eastern Yemeni province of Shabwah, his fiefdom is wedged amid the mountains that serve as the main base for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group that claims to have masterminded last month's parcel bomb plot.

Why Silvio Berlusconi is still standing

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Photo: EPA
Not for the first time, all of Italy and half the world is agog at Silvio Berlusconi's sex life and at what appears to be his abuse of power.

Swedes in shock at King Carl Gustaf sex scandal

The book has caused uproar and dominated the country's media Photo: AFP/GETTY

Five months ago, the Swedish royal family was the toast of Europe. All eyes were trained on Stockholm as the glamorous Crown Princess Victoria wed her long-time boyfriend in a fairy-tale ceremony, and the world's press clamoured for a glimpse of the elegant Swedish royals and their regal guests.