Moldova arrests six people in uranium smuggling case

The suspects were allegedly trying to sell more than 1kg of weapons-grade uranium for 20m euros.

(ABC News - 30/06/11; PROtv Chisinau, Telegraph, The New York Times, AP, AFP, RFE/RL, BBC - 29/06/11; The Washington Times - 03/06/11; Nuclear Threat Initiative)

Moldovan police arrested six people suspected of trying to sell uranium-235. [Reuters]

Moldovan authorities said on Wednesday (June 29th) that they have detained six people suspected of trying to sell more than 1kg of uranium-235, believed to have been brought into the country from Russia.

Four of the unidentified suspects are Moldovan citizens, one is from the country's breakaway Trans-Dniester region and one is Russian, Vitalie Briceag, an official of the Moldovan interior ministry, told reporters.

Federer excited by tussle at the top

Roger Federer admits he may have to eat humble pie if Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic reach Sunday's Wimbledon final.

The 16-time grand slam champion believes the rivalry at the top of the men's game between himself and Rafael Nadal still has plenty of distance left to run.

However, this year has seen Djokovic win the Australian Open and rise to world number two, while losing just one match, and Murray remains a threat to the established big three.

Get up-to-the-minute scores at Wimbledon via our LIVE Scoreboard.

Check local listings for STAR Sports' coverage of Wimbledon.

Download our Tennis widget and never be left out of the loop again!

Got some time on your hands? Check out our Tennis Fantasy game!

It was at Melbourne Park in January, after losing to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, that Federer heard it suggested that he and Nadal were coming under serious threat from Djokovic and Murray.

"Let's talk in six months," was his reply at the time,

Growing demands for information on President Chavez health condition

The Venezuelan leader is in Cuba where allegedly he underwent surgery Zoom Image

The firebrand former soldier has not been seen in public since an operation in Cuba to remove an abscess from his pelvis on June 10, fuelling a torrent of rumours and uncertainty roiling South America's biggest oil exporter.

The government says he is fine, some rivals believe he has prostate cancer, and others suspect it is all a strategy for him to return triumphant to Venezuela

Serena Williams knocked out of Wimbledon by Bartoli

Defending champion Serena Williams saved four match points before losing 6-3 7-6 to Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Monday.

The American, seeded seventh after serious health problems, struggled throughout against the ninth-seeded Frenchwoman, making a succession of unforced errors on Court One.

Bartoli took the first set on her sixth set point and she continued to move the 13-times grand slam champion ruthlessly around the court to move to the brink of victory.

She had three match-points in the 12th game of the second set but Williams showed all her battling qualities and great composure

France beats Nigeria 1-0 in women’s World Cup opener

Striker Marie-Laure Delie scored the first goal of the women's World Cup Sunday, leading France to a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the tournament opener.

In Sunday's other Group A game, host Germany plays Canada at Berlin's Olympic Stadium. With Germany the overwhelming favourite to advance, the 56th minute strike from Delie gave France the best possible start to join them.

“We have three points in our pocket and no one can take them away from us,” said coach Bruno Bini.

More than 25,000 boisterous fans watched the match at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, giving the three-week tournament the spectacular kickoff organizers

Turkey and Iran: a delicate balance

While the West adopts a more punitive policy, Turkey has sought to address the Iranian nuclear crisis through political and economic engagement. Are its efforts paying off?

By Aaron Stein for Southeast European Times in Istanbul – 20/06/11

As Iran advances its nuclear programme, questions remain over Turkey's continuing engagement with the Islamic Republic. [Reuters]

With the latest signals from Tehran causing renewed alarm, officials in Turkey agree with their Western counterparts that a nuclear Iran would adversely affect regional security. But differences remain over how best to resolve the problem.

A nuclear Iran "would change the balance of power in the region. Turkey would not like to see this happen because that will mean there will be a categorical difference between Iran and Turkey," said Nuh Yilmaz, director of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) in Washington.

At the same time, however, Ankara is eager to maintain regional stability, and hesitant to pursue coercive diplomacy. Turkish officials argue that sanctions will disproportionately impact the Turkish economy, while doing little to prevent Tehran from moving ahead with its nuclear

Teen suicides a growing problem in BiH

Experts say the economic woes, the education system and country's troubled past may be contributing factors.

By Ljiljana Kovacevic for Southeast European Times in Banja Luka – 24/06/11

According to Republika Srpska police, during the first five months of this year, there were 121 suicides in the entity. [Reuters]

Igor M, a 13-year-old from Banja Luka, did not go to school on May 17th. He waited for his parents and sister to go to work before hanging himself in the attic of the family home. It was late afternoon before his father found him. The case is one in a disturbing series of suicides by minors in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)

GOP Finds Itself At A 'Pivot Point' Over Afghanistan

Not so long ago, when the question was war, the response on Capitol Hill was an automatic blank check.

A largely compliant Congress, and presidents and politicians who were fearful of looking "weak on defense" or "unpatriotic," rubber-stamped massive military spending.

Funny how 10 years, two wars that have cost a combined $1 trillion, a budding military engagement in Libya, and a nation mired in unsustainable spending and debt can change what was once a military imperative.

Americans' growing alarm over the $100 billion annual cost of the Afghanistan conflict while the economy struggles at home has kept President Obama in hot water with his base as he launches his 2012 re-election effort.

More strikingly, it has increasingly tied Republicans in knots over how or whether to recast their traditionally hawkish stance in the face of overwhelming public sentiment against continued involvement in Afghanistan.

More NPR Coverage

Troops Hope Most 'Trigger-Pullers' Stay As Withdrawal Begins June 23, 2011

Obama Sounds Domestic Theme In Afghanistan Speech June 22, 2011

Obama: Troop Pullout To Begin June 22, 2011

TRANSCRIPT: President Obama's Remarks

Gannett Laying Off 700 More Workers Amid Ad Slump

Newspaper publisher Gannett Co. is laying off 700 workers, or 2 percent of its workforce, in the latest cutback triggered by a relentless advertising slump.

The layoffs Tuesday affected most of Gannett's 82 daily newspapers in the U.S., including The Indianapolis Star and The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., but not USA Today, Gannett's largest. Gannett would not say how many of the cuts were in the newsroom.

The cuts marked the company's largest round of layoffs in two years and the latest in a string of austerity measures imposed since print advertising, its main source of revenue, began to fall in 2006.

Like most newspaper publishers, Gannett has been hurt by technological and cultural shifts, which have driven readers and advertisers to the Internet. Newspapers have been attracting more online advertisers, but not enough to offset erosion in their print editions, where

Unemployed men more likely to divorce, but wives’ employment has no effect

A woman’s employment status has no bearing on whether or not her husband will initiate a divorce, but interesting things happen when a man is out of work, according to a new study.

Liana Sayer of Ohio State University looked at data on more than 3, 600 couples from the U.S. National Survey of Families and Households to see how employment status influences men’s and women’s decisions to end a marriage.

A wife’s employment has no effect on the likelihood that her husband will choose to leave the marriage, according to the study, soon to be published in the American

Many Serbs below poverty line

Serbs know how difficult it can be to make ends meet. Results from a new database show just how serious the problem is.

By Bojana Milovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade - 20/06/11

Many of Serbia's elderly are hit hard by poverty. [Reuters]

About 700,000 people in Serbia are living below the poverty line, with a monthly income of less than 80 euros, according to a new database on the socially vulnerable. Results of the project were released in April.

Ljubomir Pejakovic, the assistant minister for Labour and Social Policy, says the findings "are cause for great concern".

Focus announces store closure dates

The latest email from Focus liquidators hammers home the point that the first Focus stores will close this Sunday.

The email shot, encouraging shoppers to "Hurry, time is running out" is headlined "Closing Down Forever" and lists closure dates for the majority of stores.

The first ten will close this Sunday, June 19th, with more closures planned for June 2oth, 21st, 22nd, 26th and 29th.

A closure date for 46 of the stores is yet to be confirmed.

A full list is available here

All items are now up to 70% off marked price.

Source: DIYWEEK.net – essential reading for the DIY trade

Private sector boosts employment figures

The unemployment rate for the three months to April 2011 fell to 7.7%, down 0.3% on the previous quarter and the largest quarterly drop since August 2000.

According to the latest report from the Office of National Statistics, the total number of unemployed people fell by 88,000 over the period to reach 2.43m.

The quarterly drop in unemployment occurred mainly among those aged 16-24, with youth unemployment falling by 79,000 to reach 895,000 - the lowest figure since the same period in 2009.

The number of public sector jobs fell by 24,000 over the quarter to reach 6.16m, while the

MIND Reviews: Neuroscience of Bullying

Three new books reveal how we deal with suffering and trauma.

A child who is bullied by her playmates may kick her kitten in retaliation. Passing pain to others is not just a human trait—payback can also be seen in many animals. In Payback: Why We Retaliate, Redirect Aggression, and Take Revenge (Oxford University Press, 2011), husband-and-wife team evolutionary biologist David Barash and psychiatrist Judith Lipton explain how we evolved such vengeful behavior, why it occurs (it turns out our brains are hardwired to redirect hostility), and how we can prevent it.

At age five Boris Cyrulnik was orphaned after his parents were deported to a concentration

Resurrecting Moleskine Notebooks

Courtesy of Moleskine

Moleskines were favored by 20th-century greats.

One evening in 1995, an Italian named Maria Sebregondi was reading The Songlines, by travel writer Bruce Chatwin. In the book, Chatwin laments the disappearance of a hardcover notebook, bound in oilcloth, called a moleskine. Each time Chatwin returned to Paris, he would pick up a fresh supply from his favorite stationers. "The pages were squared and the end-papers held in places with an elastic band," he writes. "I wrote my name and address on the front page, offering a reward to the finder. To lose a passport was the least of one's worries; to lose a notebook was a catastrophe."

But the moleskines were becoming scarce. "I'd

Aquaculture more efficient than livestock production, says WorldFish Centre

Salmon farms in the south of Chile Zoom Image

The report, “Blue Frontiers: Managing the environmental costs of aquaculture,” was released with a companion policy recommendations paper at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre (ASEAN SEAFDEC) Conference on “Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security Towards 2020” in Bangkok, Thailand.

The report's major findings include that the environmental impact of aquaculture varies dramatically by country, region, production system and species, and that aquaculture is more

Turkey's economy takes centre stage after the elections

Despite impressive growth, Turkey faces serious economic issues.

By Alina Lehtinen for Southeast European Times in Istanbul -- 14/06/11

Experts say the brakes need to be put on an overheating economy. [Reuters]

Now that the vote is over, the government faces a host of challenges in Turkey's overheated economy, including a burgeoning current account deficit, rising inflation, and high unemployment rates.

Okan Konan, 24, a college graduate, has spent a year searching for a job. He is one of the many under and unemployed youth in Turkey. With an unemployment rate of 11.5% and a youth unemployment rate over 20%, the next government faces the challenge of providing the tens of thousands of youth who

Confiscated tools are a real steal

Police forces are auctioning off tools confiscated from burglars and robbers in a bid to clear their store rooms and raise some cash.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, eBay-style website bumblebeeauctions.co.uk allows anonymous bidders to buy confiscated items, with several categories of seized goods available for purchase, from wallets and purses to heavy machinery.

Tools such as bolt cutters, window pane removers and even an Arc slicer, which can cut, burn or pierce virtually any material, can all be bought at bargain prices.

A spokesperson for the Association of Chief Police Officers told the Daily Mail: "The

Kardashians didn't believe Kim engagement

© WENN / HRC

Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian have said they originally thought Kim was joking when she announced her engagement to New Jersey Nets player Kris Humphries last month.

The sisters claim they were caught completely caught off guard by the news, especially as the couple had only been together since late 2010.

"Mine was insanity in the best way ever," Khloe told MTV News, regarding her own shock marriage to Lamar Odom back in 2009. "But Kim's, we were totally surprised.

"I mean, because I had been working so much, and Kris lives in New Jersey,

Chile ash cloud causes flight chaos

An image provided by the Chilean Air Force shows the cloud of ash billowing from Puyehue volcano near Osorno in southern Chile. Source: AFP

A CLOUD of ash from a volcano in southern Chile has forced Qantas to cancel flights to Tasmania and New Zealand.

The Puyehue volcano began erupting on June 4, with the initial ash plume reaching above 15,240m.

Tonight , strong winds had carried the main part of the cloud towards New Zealand, Andrew Tupper, head of the Bureau of Meteorology's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin said.

"We are expecting all of New Zealand to be covered by that cloud," he said.

"The cloud should progress along

Jenkinson aims to emulate Adams

Carl Jenkinson hopes to become Arsenal's new Tony Adams after the young defender completed a dream move to his boyhood club.

The Harlow-born Finland Under-19 international became Arsene Wenger's first summer signing following a £1million move from Charlton.

Jenkinson, who qualifies for dual nationality through his mother, can play anywhere along the backline and although he may not be the big transfer many Gunners fans crave, the youngster has every intention to write his own name into the club's folklore.

"My dad brought me up as an Arsenal fan and I have been going since I was young. I even went to a few games last season. It is all a bit

Serbia to revamp education

Education Minister Zarko Obradovic says a strategy will be in place by year's end.

By Bojana Milovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade – 05/06/11

Zarko Obradovic has been education minister for nearly three years. [Nikola Barbutov/SETimes]

With Serbia engrossed in political and economic problems, its educational system has languished over the past two decades. Fewer than 7% of residents are highly educated, while more than 1.3 million, out of the 7.5 million total population, lack basic elementary education.

Given the circumstances, educational reform is no small task. Education Minister Zarko Obradovic talked about it with SETimes correspondent Bojana Milovanovic.

SETimes: What do you see as the biggest problem with the educational system?

Obradovic: The biggest problem is that many still do not perceive education as the greatest resource of our future development and there is no desire for improvement and full commitment to the task among all participants in the educational process.

A number of unresolved issues were inherited. Education requires constant work and reform. When someone asks if I have completed educational reform, I just laugh, as reforms are an ongoing process.

Science and technology are on the cutting edge of innovations which are quickly implemented, which shows us that we must learn from others

Novelist Today: Massoud Kermani

Massoud Kermani’s debut novel Visa highlights the highly-charged, politically controversial and deeply emotional subject of asylum seekers entering Britain today.

The author himself left Iran as a youth, subsequently moving to the United Kingdom where he soon settled and married. He returned to Iran just before the recent elections, an event which renewed his interest in asylum seekers and politics. Much of his writing has been influenced by his own experiences in his homeland.

Zeenat Moosa speaks to the author.

 

For those of us who haven't heard about you - tell us about Massoud Kermani

I left Iran before the Islamic Revolution and came to England to continue my education. I currently live in the South of England.

 

Tell us about your debut novel Visa, what is about?

VISA is a book about an Iranian/British translator called ‘Arash’ who works at the Courts of Appeal, and who translates

'MasterChef' premiere recap: 100 cooks compete

© Fox

MasterChef returned to our screens tonight as another batch of home cooks attempted to follow in the footsteps of inaugural winner Whitney Miller (who won a cookbook publishing deal and $250,000 last year) and impress Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot.

Thousands applied for the second season but just 100 amateur cooks were invited to present their signature dishes to the judges. They had one hour to prepare the dish and then five minutes to plate it for the panel. They needed to receive two yeses from the three judges to advance to the next round.

Among those who received an apron was former beauty queen Jennifer who got two out of

'Southland' star reveals season four hopes

© TNT

Southland star Regina King has revealed that she is keen to explore the consequences of her character's new relationship.

In the third season finale, Detective Josie Ochoa (Jenny Gago) discovered that her partner Lydia (King) was sleeping with her son Rodrigo (Maurice Compte).

King told TheWrap: "I hope that you get to see the two women on [either] side of [this crisis], and get to see how certain circumstances in relationships... change the way you live, or the way you relate to each other."

The actress added that she is hoping to explore the aftermath of

The tourism slogans you'll never see

Australia's own taglines have come under the hammer in recent years. Picture: Supplied

YOU'VE gotta love the tourism tagline - the pithy, humorous slogan designed to entice you to visit a destination in just a couple of sentences.

The best ones stay etched in your memory, while a bad one can turn you off a destination before you’ve even Googled it. 

When they’re good they’re very good. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t know the iconic "I heart New York", enticing millions to the city that never sleeps and keeping hundreds of NYC T-shirt vendors in business for the past 30 years.

Others are not so effective. Andalucia had "There’s Only One", while New South Wales used "There’s No Place Like It", which could both be as easily applied to Changi Prison or a toxic rubbish dump in Nigeria.

Shockers: Worst tourism ads

A few years back Tourism Australia has the infamous "Where the bloody hell are ya?" campaign, which garnered a lot of publicity. It was initially banned in England for the use of the word "bloody".

The problem with many of the slogans is that regardless of whether they strike a chord or not, they’re not always accurate when describing

DePuy ASR Hip Recall

DePuy ASR Hip Recall Share

 

(May 21, 2011)

(courtesy photo)

In 1998, Johnson & Johnson acquired The DePuy Companies, which is a franchise of neuroscience and orthopedic companies that make up a portion of the Johnson & Johnson medical devices & diagnostics group. DePuy markets and develops various products under the Mitek, Codman, DePuy spine and orthopedic brands. DePuy Mitek distributes products used for the treatment of soft tissue injuries in sports medicine. Codman manufactures products for surgical treatment of the central nervous system and neurological disorders. DePuy spine products are dedicated to the correction of spinal deformities

Donnie Walsh out as Knicks president

Donnie Walsh will not return as president of the New York Knicks, who must find someone else to continue the building job he started.

The Knicks say in a statement Friday that Walsh and Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan have mutually agreed that Walsh will not return when his contract expires at the end of June.

Walsh spent three seasons in New York, leading a massive rebuilding job that got the team back into the playoffs this season following the acquisitions of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.

The Knicks say Walsh will be a consultant next season. Senior vice-president

The Upside of GOP Despair

Photo Ilustration by Newsweek (source); Digital Zoo / Getty Images; Erik Snyder / Getty Images; Digital Zoo / Getty Images; Fuse / Getty Images

Mitt Romney is damaged goods. Tim Pawlenty is a snooze. Newt Gingrich is a mess. And Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, and Ron Paul are unelectable. It's no surprise that Republicans are responding to their 2012 choices with "a range of emotions running from disappointment to panic," as National Review editor Rich Lowry quipped in a recent column.

But the GOP's short-term dismay should be tempered with something like long-term relief. Why? Because the very conundrum that's currently vexing conservatives—an unsatisfying crop of 2012 contenders—is setting them up to reap a far more important reward four years from now: a standard-bearer they can actually be proud of, running in a race that he or she stands a better chance of winning.

Consider the party's 2016

Mongolian Mining Corp. in Nation’s Biggest Ever Acquisition

Jun. 1 – In yet another sign of the increasing value and strength of Mongolian companies, Mongolian Mining Corp (MMC) has agreed to pay US$464 million for a coking project owned by Hong Kong's Kerry Group. MMC, which is Mongolia's biggest coking coal exporter, signed the deal on Tuesday to buy QGX Coal from Kerry Mining and could end up paying as much as US$950 million if the mine hits certain targets. The deal is the biggest acquisition by a Mongolian mining company to date.

QGX Coal owns the Baruun Naran project within the Tavan Tolgoi coal fields in the