International News

Hamas threatens to boycott Palestinian talks
Afp, Jabaliya/ Jerusalem
Hamas threatened on Friday to boycott next week's Palestinian reconciliation talks, accusing president Mahmud Abbas of arresting hundreds of members of the Islamist movement.


New king vows to shield Bhutan in globalised world
Afp, Thimphu
Bhutan's new king vowed yesterday to shield his remote, staunchly traditional and insular Himalayan nation from the negative forces of globalisation.


Brown gets good sign in Scottish election win
Ap, Glenrothes, Scotland
An election victory in Scotland is a sign that Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party is regaining its popularity after Brown launched an unprecedented and widely praised bailout of some of Britain's leading banks.


Rich nations should ditch 'unsustainable' lifestyles: Wen
Afp, Beijing
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and a top UN official urged industrialised nations yesterday to alter their lifestyles and not let the global financial crisis hamper climate change efforts.


Storm sinks Philippine ferry: 11 killed
Ap, Manila
A passenger boat that capsized during a storm, drowning 11 people just 200 yards offshore, left a port in the central Philippines without clearance, the coast guard said yesterday.


Japanese researchers make brain tissues from stem cells
Afp, Tokyo
Japanese researchers said Thursday they had created functioning human brain tissues from stem cells, a world first that has raised new hopes for the treatment of disease.


Ancient cave yields clues to Chinese history
Ap, Washington
A stalagmite rising from the floor of a cave in China is providing clues to the end of several dynasties in Chinese history. Slowly built from the minerals in dripping water over 1,810 years, chemicals in the stone tell a tale of strong and weak cycles of the monsoon, the life-giving rains that water crops to feed millions of people.