Netanyahu and Abbas to Begin Direct Mideast Peace Talks

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

President Obama with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt at the White House. More Photos »

Despite war chest, Fenty trails in poll

Four years of incumbency and an overwhelming fundraising advantage have not translated to public support for D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in his bid to fend off a Democratic primary challenge, according to poll figures released Wednesday.
A Clarus Research Group survey shows D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray leading Mr. Fenty 41 percent to 36 percent among respondents who say they are "very likely to vote" in the city's Sept. 14 primary. Other candidates collected 2 percent support, and 21 percent of respondents said they remain undecided. Mr. Gray's lead is just outside the poll's margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

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Miss Mexico Is Crowned Miss Universe 2010

August 2010
Meet overnight sensation Jimena Navarrete.

Less than 24 hours after she was crowned Miss Universe, Mexico's Navarrete has become a top trending topic on Twitter and thousands of fans have flooded her Facebook fan page.

So who is the woman who ousted 82 other competitors for international beauty bragging rights? Here are five things to know about the 22-year-old from Guadalajara.

Yahoo News

• Police: Man holds hostages in Discovery building (AP)
• Island evacuations start as Earl nears East Coast (AP)
• Obama opens Mideast talks: Attacks 'won't stop us' (AP)
• US moves into final military phase in Iraq (AP)
• Official: 3 bombs kill 25 at Pakistan Shiite march (AP)
• Number of illegal immigrants in US now declining (AP)

» More News

Miss USA titleholders come out to support AFAN - Las Vegas beauty

Current and former Miss USA and Miss Teen USA titleholders came out to a fundraiser in support of local charity AFAN (Aid for aids of Nevada). The party coincides with the many events celebrating and supporting tonight's Miss Universe pageant on NBC. HIV/AIDS awareness is the official cause of each reigning Miss Universe.The girls lounged around at Liquid Pool Lounge at ARIA, signed autographs and took photos with fans. Proceeds from the event will go to ....

Miss Universe 2010 : Miss Mexico - Jimena Navarrete

Miss Universe 2010 was celebrated with much excitement. It was the 59th edition of the beauty pageant which was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada , United States. This special day was organised on August 23rd , 2010 which started in the early hours of Monday morning.

Yahoo News

•  
• Island evacuations start as Earl nears East Coast (AP)
  
• US moves into final military phase in Iraq (AP)
• Obama opens long-shot talks on Mideast peace (AP)
• Official: 3 bombs kill 6 at Pakistani Shiite march (AP)
• New York imam: Mosque fight about Muslim role (AP)
• Sen. Murkowski's defeat marks major tea party win (AP)

» More News

The end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq

President Barack Obama speaks after addressing the nation about the end of the US combat mission in Iraq from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, August 31.
Jim Young/Reuters

Beauty contest

A beauty contest, or beauty pageant, is a competition between people, based largely, though not always entirely, on the beauty of their physical appearance. Almost invariably, competitions for men and women are separate events, and those for men are not referred to as beauty contests except derogatorily. Those for women are more common; for an example of a male beauty contest, see Mr. Universe. There are also beauty contests for children; they are controversial, in particular if the term "sexy" is used and/or the children are dressed in no more than a swimsuit. [1]

Priest to hold nun beauty pageant

Internet users will be able to choose their favourite nun from photographs
An Italian priest says he is organising the world's first beauty pageant for nuns to erase a stereotype of them as being old and dour.
Antonio Rungi says The Miss Sister Italy online contest will start on his blog in September.
"Nuns are - above all - women, and beauty is a gift from God," he told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper.

How to Form a Beauty Pageant

After watching all the beauty pageants, ending with the Miss World, think how great it would be if you created your own Beauty Pageant, either in your school, or near your own house. Ask friends and family to help, notify the newspapers and ask them to place information about it in their newspapers. Spread the word, and see who shows up.

How to Win a Beauty Pageant

Have you ever wanted to be Miss America? Well, here's your chance! Now you can learn how to beat the competition and get in touch with your inner beauty queen (or king!).

Russia Wins Miss World

Miss Venezuela

The Miss Venezuela contest is the national beauty pageant of Venezuela and has been held since 1952 ^[1]. It is responsible for selecting the country's representatives to the Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International and Miss Earth (beginning 2010) pageants (amongst others).
Under the direction of Osmel Sousa, Venezuela has accumulated more international titles than any other country, including six Miss Universe winners, five Miss World winners, and five Miss International winners. Alexandra Braun Waldeck, who won Venezuela's first Miss Earth title in 2005 was first runner-up at the Miss Venezuela pageant, and received training from the organization, although she was not one of their official titleholders.

New Miss Tahiti pledges to stay in French Polynesia for good

The new Miss Tahiti, Poehere Hutihuti Wilson, was born in Hawaii and grew up in Hawaii as well. But she now pledges to stay in French Polynesia and to be ready for Miss France.
"I am going to stay in Tahiti for good", Ms Hutihuti Wilson told reporters a few hours after the election.

Miss Universe Australia

Miss Hawaii : Miss Hawaii 2010!

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Libyan leader's visit to Italy stumbles into controversy

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (L) gestures next to Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini at the Ciampino airport in Rome last Sunday.Picture: Reuters

ROME

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

LIBYAN leader Muammar Gaddafi's attempt to convert dozens of young women to Islam during a visit to Italy led to an angry reaction from Italian media yesterday.

French foreign minister considers resigning over Roma round-up

French Minister for Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner.Picture: AFP

PARIS
Tuesday, August 31, 2010

FRENCH Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner admitted yesterday that he had considered resigning over President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to deport thousands of Roma Gypsies.
Kouchner, a former Socialist and renowned humanitarian who was recruited into Sarkozy's right-wing government in....

Rescuers start to drill escape shaft in Chile

 

Rescuers begin drilling a new hole at the San Jose mine, Copiapo, Chile, on August 30, 2010 overnight.Picture: AFP
COPIAPO, CHILE
Wednesday, September 1, 2010RESIGNED to watching his child's imminent birth on video, trapped miner Ariel Ticona waited as rescuers started drilling an escape shaft on Monday to save him and 32 companions 25 days after a cave-in. The bid to rescue the miners, stuck in a hot and....

Russian air crew freed in Darfur

KHARTOUM

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

THREE Russian helicopter crew members kidnapped in Sudan's restive Darfur region have been freed, officials said Tuesday, with one report indicating force was used to secure their release.

Iran paper condemns Bruni over stoning comments

TEHRAN

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

AN IRANIAN newspaper said on Tuesday that Carla Bruni, the wife of France's president, deserved to die after she expressed solidarity with a woman sentenced to be stoned for adultery. The hardline daily Kayhan called Bruni a "prostitute" whose lifestyle meant she deserved a similar fate as the Iranian woman who was sentenced to death for adultery.

Terror threat: Dutch hold two on US flight

AMSTERDAM

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

DUTCH police questioned yesterday two US residents of Yemeni descent arrested after flying into the Netherlands from Chicago in what officials fear may have been a dry run for a terror attack.

Netanyahu heads to US for key peace summit

TEL AVIV

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington on Tuesday for peace talks with the Palestinians, leaving up in the air the question of future Jewish settlement construction once a partial freeze ends. The Palestinians have threatened to pull out of the face-to-face peace negotiations, due to begin on Thursday, unless Israel extends the moratorium on new housing starts past its expiration date of September 26.

Libyan leader stirs anger in Italy visit

 

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (L) applauds as Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gestures in the north of Rome on August 30, 2010.Picture: AFP Wednesday, September 1, 2010LIBYAN leader Muammar Gaddafi caused anger yesterday after calling in Italy for Europeans to convert to Islam, and demanding billions of euros to stop migration leading to a "black Europe". The controversial leader ...

US combat mission ends in Iraq

 

(Top) US soldiers listen to instructions as they wait for their flight back to the US at Camp Virginia in Kuwait yesterday. (Above) US Vice President Joe Biden (R) shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during his visit to Baghdad yesterday. Pictures: Reuters
Wednesday, September 1, 2010PRIME Minister Nuri al-Maliki said yesterday that Iraq's own soldiers and police were capable of defending a "sovereign and independent" country as American forces ended seven years of combat operations.

What you should know about your heart and heart valve diseases

This section offers important information for people with heart valve disease. You’ll find an overview of the anatomy of the heart and its functions, as well as information about heart valve disease and possible treatment options.

Drop Your Cholesterol to a Healthy Level in 30 Days

Learn to maximize your cholesterol drop with minimal life style changes.You don't have to make drastic changes like taking out all meat and diary product or exercises for hours per day.Paying special attention to a few minor things in your diet and life style and taking the right supplements is enough to drop your cholesterol down to normal in less than a month.

Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease is a type of defect or malformation in one or more structures of the heart or blood vessels that occurs before birth.These defects occur while the fetus is developing in the uterus and affect 8-10 out of every 1,000 children.Congenital heart defects may produce symptoms at birth, during childhood, and sometimes not until adulthood.About 500,000 adults in the U.S. have congenital heart disease ......

Tonga orders Supreme Court judge involved in Ashika enquiry to stop hearing cases

The Supreme Court judge who presided over the Ashika enquiry in Tonga has been told to stop sitting as a judge and to hand all his files to the acting Chief Justice.

Mafi joins Leicester

Leicester have added Tonga lock Steve Mafi to their squad as an injury dispensation signing.

Geoff Parling is expected to miss the opening three months of the season due to a neck injury and fellow second-row forward Richard Blaze has a foot problem, so Mafi comes in to strengthen Richard Cockerill's squad ahead of the Aviva Premiership season, which begins this weekend.

Raiders release four, one more due

Written by Patrick A. Patterson

Monday, 30 August 2010 18:25

The Oakland Raiders announced the release of four of the five players they need to jettison in order to get down to the league mandated 75 players by tomorrow.

2009 Samoa-Tonga tsunami disaster occurred due to 2 earthquakes, not 1

Scientists have found that the massive earthquake that struck the South Pacific on September 29, 2009 was a combination of two earthquakes - one with magnitude 8.1, which then trig

HMAS Tobruk leads aid mission to PNG

AAP

The Australian navy is for first time leading a joint aid mission to the Pacific that sets to win hearts, minds and fix other body parts.

Tonga leader says judge’s claims false and he left them in the lurch

The Tonga Government says claims by a Supreme Court Judge that it demanded he stop working as a judge are false.

The judge, Warwick Andrew, who had headed the Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the Princess Ashika, had resigned and he says his finish date was October the 5th.

Rini Sworn in as Minister, Solomon Islands

Mr. Rini was sworn in yesterday as the Minister for National Planning and Aid Coordination.

Tonga Declines Government's Request

Tongan authorities will conduct their own investigations into the recent shooting and death of a former police officer from Guadalcanal Province, according to laws of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Auckland: A new wave

At the beginning of the 21st century, immigration is an important
issue in New Zealand and Auckland, and much of the public and media focus relates to the increasing ethnic diversification of the population.

Old timer's jamboree

Ian Tyson, at a folk fest press conference Sunday, said something about not being too happy about the world we’re “going into.”
Typical. Old people are forever complaining that the world is going to hell, when it’s just a natural reaction to their own bodies falling apart. No offence to Alberta’s country legend, but shut up. The kids don’t need to hear this. The next generation, the future, is going to be just fine.

Te Vaka's Sounds of Polynesia Coming to Harlow's

Ship not airstrip says Tokelau Faipule

Tokelau’s Minister of Transport says an airstrip is not a priority for the atolls.
The New Zealand Government has asked interested businesses to look at whether or not an airstrip for Tokelau is feasible.
Tokelauans currently rely on a 20-year-old boat for all transport to and from the atolls.

Some backing for Tokelau airstrip idea

The leader of one of Tokelau’s atolls says there is a lot of support for a proposed airstrip.
The New Zealand Government has asked interested businesses to look at whether or not an airstrip is feasible.

Tiny Tokelau's smart strategies of waste disposal

Tokelau has just ten square kilometres of land with about 1,500 people living there, making waste disposal by landfill a big challenge.

Mara goes it alone in first grade debut

Alehana Mara didn't tell his family he was making his first grade debut; he didn't tell his friends. He only told his partner because he figured she would wonder why he was flying to Australia. He didn't need any extra pressure.

Baseball, Football, Golf, Hockey, Ice Hockey, Soccer, Rugby, Basketball, Tennis, Table-Tennis/Ping-Pong, College Sports

New Zealand Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Lebanon Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Spain Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Lithuania Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

France Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Puerto Rico Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Russia Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

China Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Greece Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Turkey Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Iran Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Croatia Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Slovenia Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Brazil Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

USA Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship

Tunisia Team, 2010 FIBA World Championship Turkey

Prosecutors question Egyptian culture minister over van Gogh theft, FOX NEWS

CAIRO – CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's culture minister says he was questioned by prosecutors for three hours over last week's theft of a Vincent van Gogh painting.

Farouk Hosni told reporters Monday he volunteered for the interrogation to dispel accusations of negligence in the robbery.

Pro-Vatican politicians protest Gadhafi's effort to convert Christians during Italy visit

ROME – ROME (AP) — Pro-Vatican politicians are complaining about Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's effort to convert Christians to Islam during his visit to Italy.

Gadhafi gave a lecture on Islam to a few hundred Italian women on Sunday upon his arrival in Rome, urged them to convert, and handed out copies of the Quran.

Ex-Congo VP tells war crimes court he has no funds for defense because his assets are frozen

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Lawyers for former Congo Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba complained to the International Criminal Court on Monday they cannot conduct a fair defense because prosecutors have seized his assets.

Iran hardline media call French first lady 'prostitute' for supporting woman facing stoning

TEHRAN, Iran – TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's hardline media have called French first lady Carla Bruni a "prostitute" after she expressed strong support for an Iranian woman facing death by stoning for adultery.

The Monday report by the state news website comes two days after the hardline Kayhan newspaper also described the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy as a "prostitute."

Mexico Says Drug Lord 'the Barbie' Captured

MEXICO CITY -- Federal police on Monday captured a long-sought, alleged Texas-born gang kingpin who faces drug trafficking charges in the U.S. and has been blamed for a vicious turf war that has included bodies hung from bridges and shootouts in central Mexico.

Mayor of Violent Mexican Border State Assassinated

Reuters

Mayor Marco Antonio Leal from the opposition Institutional Revolutionary party (PRI) is seen in Hidalgo in this October 2009 file photo.

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico -- Gunmen killed the mayor of a town in the drug-plagued Mexican border state of Tamaulipas on Sunday in a region where suspected cartel hitmen recently massacred 72 migrants, the ....

Gunman Kills 7, Himself in Rampage in Slovakia

AP

Aug. 30: Police are seen at the site where an unknown man opened fire killing a number of people and wounding more than a dozen in Devinska Nova Ves an outskirt of Bratislava, Slovakia.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- A gunman went on a rampage in Slovakia's capital on Monday, killing seven people and wounding 15, then committed suicide, officials said.

China, North Korea Confirm Kim Jong Il's Secretive Visit

August 27: In this photo released by China's official Xinhua news agency, Chinese President Hu Jintao, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Changchun, in northeast China's Jilin province. China on Monday confirmed North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's visit. (AP)

SEOUL, South Korea -- After Kim Jong Il's safe return Monday, North Korea confirmed .....

NATO: 8 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Bomb Attacks in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Roadside bombs killed eight members of the international force in Afghanistan -- including seven U.S. troops -- raising to more than a dozen the number who have died in the previous three days, NATO said Tuesday .....

Two Men Arrested on Terror Suspicion on Flight From Chicago to Amsterdam

Reuters

Two men from the Detroit area suspected of terrorist activity were arrested at Amsterdam's airport, showin in this April 2010 file photo.

Two men from the Detroit area were arrested in Amsterdam on a flight arriving from Chicago, reportedly suspected of assessing the aviation system for a potential future terror attack.

Earl Batters Caribbean, Threatens East Coast

Aug. 30: A boy takes cover from a wave caused by the approaching of the Hurricane Earl in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Earl battered some islands across the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and roof-ripping winds Monday, rapidly intensifying into a major storm on a path projected to menace the United States.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Hurricane Earl battered tiny islands across the northeastern ....