BEIJING (AFP) ― A sensational political scandal unfolding in China has exposed the high level of impunity enjoyed by elites at a time when social tensions are rising, highlighting the need for change, observers say.The affair ― which toppled Bo Xilai, one of the Communist Party’s stars, and prompted authorities to probe his wife for murder ― has played out in an unusually public manner despite the best efforts of China’s censors.There have been scant official announcements about the case, but al

China and Russia on Sunday launched their first joint naval exercises amid tensions between China and its Asian neighbors over regional territorial claims.The six days of drills are talking place in the Yellow Sea off China's east coast, the official China News Service said, adding these were the first dedicated exercises involving the two navies.Taking place near Qingdao city off the coast of Sha

French voters headed to the polls on Sunday for the first round of a presidential election that is expected to mark the end of Nicolas Sarkozy's turbulent term in office.Predictions of a high abstention rate and strong protest vote left the outcome uncertain, but recent opinion polls pointed to the right-wing incumbent coming second to his Socialist challenger Francois Hollande.The two 57-year-old

A spell of cold weather may have sparked the infamous Salem witch trials in 1692, as witches were thought capable of controlling weather, U.S. researchers say.Witch hunts have coincided with cold periods throughout history, possibly because people sought out scapegoats to blame for crop failures and general economic hardship during such times, LiveScience.com reported.The most active period of wit

The continent of Africa is sitting on a vast reservoir of groundwater in underground aquifers holding 100 times the amount found on the surface, scientists say.Researchers from the British Geological Survey and University College London have mapped the amount and potential yield of groundwater resources for the entire continent.While rivers and lakes are subject to seasonal changes that can limit

  (AP) -- Pakistan blocked the head of an airline whose jet crashed near the capital from leaving the country as it began an investigation Saturday into the country's second major air disaster in less then two years.   The Bhoja Air passenger jet crashed Friday as it tried to land in a thunderstorm at Islamabad's main airport, killing all 127 people on board. The small domestic airline, which resu

A controversial deal enabling transfer of EU air passenger data to US authorities as part of the global fight against terrorism was finally approved Thursday in the European Parliament.After two years of wrangling due to privacy concerns, a majority of MEPs gave the deal their green light, with 409 voting in favor, 226 against and 33 abstentions.The agreement, intended to replace a provisional accord from 2007, sets the legal conditions to transfer air passengers’ personal data to the U.S. Depar

IMF head Christine Lagarde said Thursday that the crisis lender would get a significant boost to its intervention capacity this week as worries mounted that Spain might be the next eurozone country to seek a rescue.Warning that “dark clouds” still hover over the global economy, she expressed confidence that International Monetary Fund members meeting in Washington would put up the funds needed for a “global firewall.”But with the United States not taking part, all eyes were on China and the othe

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Vietnam has asked international health experts to help investigate a mystery illness that has killed 19 people and sickened 171 others in an impoverished district in central Vietnam, an official said Friday.The infection has mostly affected children and young people. It begins with a high fever, loss of appetite and a rash that covers the hands and feet. Patients who are not

A Southern California science teacher has been fired for performing in a pornographic video.Oxnard School District trustees voted in closed session Wednesday night to fire Stacie Halas, who taught seventh- and eighth-graders at Richard B. Haydock Intermediate School.She had been on paid administrative leave since her appearance on the video surfaced last month. No students are in the video.The vid