Houston plans direct flights to China
2011-04-16 16:23:39
Houston, the fourth largest US city, is looking at moving its 2 million residents faster and farther, including high-speed rail, keeping NASA in town and providing direct flights to and from China, the city's Mayor Annise Parker said Friday.
US space shuttle major contractor cuts half jobs
2011-04-16 11:36:31
A major contractor for the US space shuttle on Friday announced plans to lay off about 50 percent of its employees this summer after NASA retires the orbiter fleet.
US stages 'most challenging' missile-defense test
2011-04-16 10:52:15
The US Department of Defense on Friday announced the military has successfully conducted the " most challenging test to date" of its ballistic missile defense system, firing an interceptor from an Aegis destroyer to blast an intermediate-range missile over the Pacific Ocean.
Italian activist hanged in Gaza: Hamas
2011-04-16 09:32:24
A radical Islamist group hanged an Italian activist on Friday hours after kidnapping him in Gaza, Hamas said, as Rome denounced the "barbaric murder".
Experts: BRICS must show it can lead
2011-04-16 09:24:47
While leaders of the world's five largest emerging economies concluded their meeting looking for bigger roles in international affairs, experts have predicted an optimistic but uneven road ahead.
Pakistan to keep fighting Taliban
2011-04-16 09:15:59
A top Pakistani military think tank scholar said that the country would keep fighting the Taliban in Pakistan "to keep them contained", despite mounting criticism from Western countries.
High bacteria levels in meat at US stores: report
2011-04-16 09:10:59
Researchers have found high levels of bacteria in meat commonly found on US grocery store shelves, with more than half of the bacteria resistant to multiple types of antibiotics.
Japan orders compensation for evacuees
2011-04-16 08:18:01
The government ordered the operator of Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear plant on Friday to pay an initial $12,000 for each household forced to evacuate.
Tokyo Disneyland reopens after quake
2011-04-16 07:27:56
Tokyo Disneyland reopened its popular theme park on Friday after a closure of about one month since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The prolonged shutdown was in part due to an unstable supply of power to the region.
China trims its holdings of US Treasury secuities
2011-04-15 21:52:29
China, the biggest buyer of US Treasury securities, trimmed its holdings for a fourth straight month in February and Japan boosted its holdings one month before a devastating earthquake hit the country.
Suicide bomber kills Kandahar police chief
2011-04-15 21:36:28
A suicide bomber killed the police chief of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province on Friday after penetrating tight defences at the police headquarters, a spokesman for the provincial governor said.
Calls grow for Japan PM to quit in wake of quake
2011-04-15 10:14:06
Japan's fragile post-disaster political truce unravelled on Thursday as the head of the main opposition party called on Prime Minister Naoto Kan to quit.