SYDNEY - A woman who performed a striptease on top of Australia`s giant red rock Uluru on Sunday prompted renewed calls for people to be banned from climbing the important indigenous site, a report said.Alizee Sery, 25, stripped down to a white bikini after climbing the central Australian

MEXICO CITY - Nine people have been killed and other nine have been wounded when gunmen attacked a drug rehabilitation center in Northern Mexico, authorities said.The officials said the attack occurred late Saturday in the city of Gomez Palacio, in Durango state.All the victims, which

TORONTO - In a display of unshakeable unity against nuclear-armed North Korea, US President Barack Obama agreed Saturday to wrap up a long delayed free trade deal with South Korea and extend Washington`s wartime command of South Korean forces.As tensions surged on the Korean peninsula

BRISBANE : Australia and Ireland showed they were both still very much works in progress during the Wallabies` scrappy 22-15 win in their one-off rugby union Test in Brisbane. But while Ireland can now take a well-earned break until the November internationals, the Wallabies have a far

OSH, June 27, 2010 (AFP) - Polling stations opened in Kyrgyzstan Sunday in a referendum on a new constitution amid fears the poll could spark a resurgence of deadly inter-ethnic violence. BDST: 0853 HRS , June 27, 2010 SIS

TORONTO : Leaders from the world`s eight foremost industrialized countries on Saturday abandoned a pledge to finish long-running trade negotiations by the end of the year. Leaders said they would push ahead with World Trade Organization talks -- which have been stalled over agricultural

WASHINGTON :  US President Barack Obama`s pick to fill a second US Supreme Court vacancy, Elena Kagan, faces her first confirmation hearing on Monday amid political tensions rubbed raw by looming elections. "It is a highly charged partisan environment. We are a few months from an

TORONTO: Toronto police used tear gas and arrested 75 when a violent mob tried to hijack a peaceful protest by some 10,000 people against the G20 summit here Saturday, the city`s police chief said. "We have never seen this level of wanton criminality on our streets," chief Bill Blair

CAMP VICTORY:  The withdrawal of American combat troops and equipment from Iraq is 60 percent complete two months ahead of a deadline that will serve as a precursor for a complete US military pullout. Camp Victory, a giant sprawling base on the edge of Baghdad airport, is one of eight

TAIPEI, :  Every Chinese leader since Mao Zedong has seen Taiwan as the ultimate prize. Now that prize may have moved a little closer, through the medium of trade and common economic interest. Senior envoys from Taiwan and China will sign a sweeping and eagerly awaited trade agreement

HUNTSVILLE: The leaders of the world`s richest nations warned Saturday the global recovery was still fragile and that the economic crisis had compromised development goals set by the United Nations. "Our annual summit takes place as the world begins a fragile recovery from the greatest

TORONTO: British Prime Minister David Cameron raised the highly controversial death of a former KGB spy in London in his first meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Downing Street said Saturday. "The prime minister made clear that there were still points of disagreement between

PATNA: At least 24 people were killed and 50 injured on Saturday when an overcrowded bus collided with a truck in eastern India, police said. The bus driver lost control of the vehicle on a sharp bend near a market in Dhanarua village, 35 kilometres (22 miles) from Bihar state capital

HUNTSVILLE: G8 leaders have so far failed to reach a deal on imposing a global banking tax on financial institutions to pay for future economic crises, a top Canadian official said Saturday. "There is no agreement for a global bank levy," Len Edwards, top Canadian negotiator at talks

KABUL: Afghanistan`s stunning untapped mineral wealth could prove to be a curse rather than a blessing for the war-ravaged country if it is not managed properly, the nation`s president said on Saturday. Afghan government officials recently said the country`s mineral deposits could be

POINTE DES GALETS: American teen sailor Abby Sunderland arrived Saturday on the French island of Reunion after being rescued from her stricken yacht while attempting a controversial solo round-the-world trip. As the 16-year-old was reunited with her brother Zac on the island, two weeks

NEW DELHI: Demonstrators protested across India on Saturday against a government move to reduce popular fuel subsidies which is expected to spur double-digit inflation. The decision, which raised prices of gasoline, diesel, kerosene and cooking fuel from midnight on Friday is part of a

BUCHAREST: Romania will raise the VAT tax levied on goods and services to 24 percent from 19 percent to curb the public deficit and obtain a crucial IMF loan disbursement, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Saturday. The move comes after a court on Friday blocked the government`s plan to cut

NEW ORLEANS: A potentially dangerous tropical storm named Alex that experts say could complicate the Gulf of Mexico oil spill clean-up formed Saturday in the Caribbean Sea. At 0900 GMT, the eye of the storm, which packed sustained winds of 40 miles (65 kilometers) an hour, was located

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama called on Congress Saturday to give final approval to Wall Street reform, arguing it will ensure the strongest consumer financial protections in US history. "I don`t have to tell you why these reforms are so important," Obama said in his weekly radio