The commander of Canada’s largest air force base has been charged with the murder of two women and the sexual assault of two others, police said.Col Russell Williams, 46, appeared in court a day after his arrest. He was held in custody and will appear again by video on 18 February. One woman was found Read More…
Toyota has recalled thousands of its hybrid Prius cars sold in Japan last year due to a brake problem.It was unclear if the recall would be extended to Prius cars sold outside Japan. The company filed papers at Japan’s transport ministry about the recall of the 2010 model on sale since May. Company president Akio Read More…
A Chinese activist who had investigated whether shoddy construction contributed to deaths in the Sichuan quake in 2008 has been sentenced to five years’ jail.Tan Zuoren was formally charged for inciting subversion in connection with the bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. But human rights groups say the real reason for Read More…
Ukraine is waiting for Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to either contest results from Sunday’s presidential election, or accept defeat and quit.Pro-Moscow opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych appears to have narrowly won the poll, which monitors have praised. But she has stayed tight-lipped amid calls by international observers for a peaceful transition of power. Mrs Tymoshenko is Read More…
By Vaudine EnglandBBC News, BangkokOfficial campaigning has begun in the Philippines for the first presidential elections in six years.President Gloria Arroyo is not allowed to run again in the vote on 10 May. Competition is intense between two opposition figures, with Mrs Arroyo’s nominee and a former president lagging in the polls. Long proud of Read More…
The family of a Haitian man says he has survived four weeks under rubble since the devastating earthquake that struck on 12 January.Doctors said the 28-year-old man was dehydrated and wasted. His brother told the BBC someone had given him water during his 28-day ordeal. The BBC’s Matthew Price spoke to the man’s mother in Read More…
Michael Jackson’s former doctor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in Los Angeles, it has been confirmed.Dr Conrad Murray is expected to deny the charges in court later. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. Photographers and news cameras have begun to gather at the Los Angeles International Airport Courthouse Read More…
Handheld devices could soon have pressure-sensitive touch-screens and keys, thanks to a UK firm’s material that exploits a quantum physics trick.The technology allows, for example, scrolling down a long list or webpage faster as more pressure is applied. A division of Samsung that distributes mobile phone components to several handset manufacturers has now licensed the Read More…
Californian scientists think they may have discovered the part of the brain which makes people fear losing money.The study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at two patients who had damaged their amygdala, deep within the brain. These patients were less worried about financial losses than the normal volunteers they were Read More…
A US soldier has been charged with assault after allegedly waterboarding his four-year-old daughter, police in Washington state have said.Sgt Joshua Tabor is alleged to have dunked the girl’s head in a sink full of water for not reciting the alphabet, police in the town of Yelm said. Waterboarding is an interrogation technique that simulates Read More…
