LONDON (AFP) ― When Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease aged just 21, he was given only a few years to live. But the British scientist marks his 70th birthday on Sunday, as questioning as ever.Despite spending most of his life crippled in a wheelchair and able to speak only through a computer, the theoretical physicist’s quest for the secrets of the universe has made him arguably the most famous scientist in the world.“I’m sure my disability has a bearing on why I’m well kno

DAMASCUS (AFP) ― Syria held funerals on Saturday for 26 victims of a suicide bombing Damascus called a “terrorist attack,” promising an “iron fist” response, as activists reported another 21 civilians killed nationwide.The opposition pointed the finger of blame for Friday’s bomb in the capital at the regime itself, as it did after similar attacks in the city on Dec. 23 killed 44 people.Among the dead on Saturday were four people killed by a rocket that targeted a pro-regime demonstration in the

WELLINGTON (AP) ― A cargo ship grounded off the New Zealand coast since October has split into two pieces after being lashed by pounding seas, spilling sea containers and debris and sparking fears a fresh oil spill could wash ashore, maritime officials said Sunday.The officials said that the front section of the wreck remains stuck in its original position, but the stern section has broken off, slipped at least 30 meters away from the bow and is “moving significantly,” pounded by six meter swell

DALLAS (AP) ― A Texas teenager who was deported to Colombia after claiming to be an illegal immigrant was returned to the United States and remains at the center of an international mystery over how a minor could be sent to a country where she is not a citizen.Jakadrien Lorece Turner’s family has questioned why U.S. officials didn’t do more to verify her identity and say the 15-year-old is not fluent in Spanish and had no ties to Colombia. While many facts of the case remain unclear, U.S. and Co

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran has begun uranium enrichment at a new underground site built to withstand possible airstrikes, a leading hard-line newspaper reported Sunday in another show of defiance against Western pressure to rein in Tehran's nuclear program.The operations at the bunker-like facility s

Deep concerns over the eurozone debt crisis resurfaced with a vengeance Thursday, driving the euro to 16-month dollar lows as Italy and Spain came under intense pressure on the markets.The euro sank below $1.28 to levels last seen in September 2010 as Spain said it banks would need 50 billion euros, more than first expected, to cover bad loan losses while Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti rattled nerves with an unannounced visit to Brussels.Monti, who meets French President Nicolas Sarkozy on F