Iran has executed 20 people for drug trafficking, official media says. The group - all convicted of… Continue Reading

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown says new sanctions may be imposed on Burma’s regime after it snubbed visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Mr Ban expressed "deep disappointment" after Burma’s top general rejected his request to meet with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In London, Mr Brown attacked the "obstinacy" of the regime and raised "the possibility of further sanctions". He reacted after Mr Ban’s two-day visit to Burma ended with little progress…. Continue Reading

North Korea has fired several ballistic missiles in an ‘act of provocation’ on American Independence Day. The communist state defied a United Nations ban to fire at least seven scud-type missiles into the Sea of Japan this morning. Reports from South Korea claim the ballistic missiles have a range of about 500km. Today’s test-firing, which coincides with America’s Independence Day celebrations, is likely to heighten tensions… Continue Reading

Foreign Secretary David Miliband is seeking urgent talks with Iran over a possible ’show trial’ of British embassy employees. Iran arrested nine local members of the British embassy last month and has charged one with “acting against national security”. The 44-year-old-political analyst, named by his lawyer as… Continue Reading

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - When he hired Itzhak Perlman as artistic director of the Westchester Philharmonic in 2007, Joshua Worby thought he’d hit a grand slam. He figured that Perlman, a popular, world-famous violinist, would attract new subscribers, raise the reputation of a suburban orchestra just outside New York City and spur fundraising by 40 percent. “That’s the way we projected it,” said Worby, the Philharmonic’s executive director, “and most of it came true.” Sure enough, attendance doubled. Perlman said he was “extremely happy.” Even one category of fundraising, donations from individuals, went up 25 percent. Then the economy tanked, corporate giving dried up and the orchestra ended the… Continue Reading

No matter how unusual their lives may have been so far, Michael Jackson’s children now face a universal trauma felt by all kids who suddenly lose a parent. How the three young Jacksons fare is up to the remaining adults in their lives and whether they can create a sense of stability and security for the grieving youngsters, mental health experts say. The challenges are particularly daunting for the Jackson kids, with no mother in the picture,… Continue Reading

GRITTY social realist urban dramas may get the respect and the awards at international film festivals, but it’s that other Philippine cinema that wins the true fanboy (and fangirl) love: the one peopled by midget superspies, wooden Indians come to life, mestiza vampires, anorexic Rambos, blind karate masters, fake cowboys, gay superheroes, and a host of underfed and underpaid stunt extras. Yes, we’re talking about the world of Pinoy exploitation films. Made on shoestring budgets for a fast buck, mostly (but not always) by hacks, these Z-grade flicks nevertheless captured something – perhaps the raw, chaotic energy of contemporary Pinoy culture – so much so that they’ve built up a devoted… Continue Reading

4:00AM Sunday Jul 05, 2009 By Alice Neville and Nicola Shepheard Chief coroner Neil MacLean says swine flu was the probable cause of the death of a 42-year-old Christchurch man. Photo / Herald on Sunday Your Views Have you had swine flu? What was the experience like? Related links: 19-year-old Zachary Wilson was the first New Zealander to die from swine flu. The Hamilton teenager was one of three Kiwi patients whose deaths from the illness were revealed by health officials yesterday…. Continue Reading

4:00AM Sunday Jul 05, 2009 By They’re green and supposedly lean, but pre-packaged salads might not be as healthy as you think. A British consumer watchdog found some supermarket salads in the UK had the same amount of fat as six… Continue Reading

4:00AM Sunday Jul 05, 2009 Margaret Chan. Photo / AP As swine flu runs rampant in the Southern Hemisphere winter, world health experts are concerned that some hard-hit countries have been reluctant to take forceful measures to protect public health. Only yesterday did Argentina’s new Health Minister, Juan Manzur, raise the country’s official death toll to 44. He now estimates that as many as 320,000 people have been stricken with influenza, including about 100,000 with swine flu - a huge… Continue Reading