TOKYO, July 23, 2011 (AFP) - A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan Saturday, but there was no danger of a tsunami, the weather agency said.The quake happened at 1:34 pm (0434 GMT) off the Pacific coast of Miyagi prefecture, around the same area as the giant March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.The depth of the quake was 40 kilometres (25 miles), it s

LONDON (AP) _ Police investigating the suspicious deaths of five patients at a hospital in northern England said Friday that they had charged a 27-year-old nurse in the case.Police and prosecutors say that Rebecca Leighton endangered the lives of patients at the Stepping Hill Hospital in the town of Stockport, near Manchester, by damaging saline bags, saline ampoules, and unspecified medical produ

NUSA DUA, Indonesia, July 23, 2011 (AFP) - The United States said Saturday it was "encouraged" by unexpected and rare talks between North and South Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear programme.But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told regional foreign ministers at an Asian security forum in Indonesia that the onus remained squarely on the North to prove its sincerity before six-party talks could

LONDON (AP) ― Scotland Yard, still reeling from the alleged police role in Britain’s phone hacking scandal, was asked Thursday to investigate another explosive claim: that journalists bribed officers to locate people by tracking their cell phone signals.The practice is known as “pinging” because of the way cell phone signals bounce off relay towers as they try to find reception.Jenny Jones, a memb

 

 

 

BEIJING (AFP) -- At least 41 people died on Friday when an overcrowded bus that was carrying hazardous goods caught fire in central China, state television reported.The fire happened early on Friday morning on a highway in Henan province, China Central Television (CCTV) said.Five passengers and the driver were pulled out alive from the overnight bus-- made up of 35 berths allowing passengers to sl

A video of a dog attacking a shark posted on YouTube by an Australian man is grabbing global attention. The footage shows two big dogs swimming in the ocean near the West Australian town of Broom, about 1,650 kilometers north of Perth. The dogs appear to be headed into the path of the sharks without realizing, but one suddenly attacks a shark. "The dog is biting the shark,” said Russe

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- Eurozone leaders agreed Thursday, alongside the private sector, to pour another 159 billion euros into Greece to stop debt contagion across Europe, even at the risk of triggering a dramatic default.The private finance sector agreed to provide 50 billion euros of funding which will be added to 109 billion euros from European governments and the International Monetary Fund, in a de