Machine gun and mortar battle in Yemen kills 19

July 22 (Reuters) – A mortar and machine gun battle between Shi’ite rebels and pro-government tribesmen in north Yemen drew in government forces overnight, killing at least 19 people and complicating efforts to cement a truce, local officials said.

“Yesterday night there were very violent confrontations. Nine soldiers and pro-government tribesmen were killed as well as about 10 Houthis (rebels),” a local official in the flashpoint Harf Sufyan region told Reuters on Thursday.

“It remains very tense after the failure of efforts to stop the fighting between the two sides,” he added. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Andrew Callus)

I was expecting to be included in Pakistan team: Naved

Karachi, May 26 (IANS) Banned all-rounder Rana Naved is ‘deeply disappointed’ after being ignored in Pakistan’s 35-man preliminary squad for the upcoming Asian Cup and England tour.

The all-rounder said he was a expecting a place in the team after reports that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will include all the banned players in the team.

‘I am deeply disappointed at not being picked in the team, it’s a huge shock for me’, Rana told IANS.

The all-rounder who was one of the seven Pakistan players to face action by the PCB following the team’s failure on the Australia tour said the inclusion of other banned players in the team hurts even more.

‘Other banned players like Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan were selected, why I am not there? I was also hoping for a berth in national team,’ he said.

Rana, a former Indian Cricket League (ICL) player, said he would continue to strive to win his place back in the national team.

‘It’s a decision of the selectors and I have to accept their decision in any way but I will continue the hard work to retain my place in team,’ he said.

The all-rounder who is fighting a case against his one-year ban also expressed dissatisfaction on the hearings and called for open proceedings of the case.

‘I am not satisfied with the hearings in which we are not allowed to give our version… the hearings should be made public,’ he said.

BP exploring new option to siphon off spill oil

Oil major BP is exploring a new way to siphon off oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico should current plans to plug the leak this week fail.

The London-based company said on Tuesday it had plans to remove a damaged part from the ruptured well and put in place a tube which would capture most of the oil and gas flowing into the sea, calling it the LMRP cap containment option.

BP already has one tube in place which is siphoning off an average 40 percent of the 5,000 barrels of oil the company estimates is leaking out of the well each day.

The company said it would be ready to try to fit the new tube by the end of the month, but in the meantime it would attempt in the next few days to plug the leak using heavy fluids — the so-called “top kill” option that BP has given a 60 to 70 percent chance of success.

Oil has been gushing into the Gulf of Mexico from the ruptured well since April 20 when an explosion sank the Deepwater Horizon rig.

BP said in a separate statement on Tuesday its internal investigation team had begun sharing its review of the causes of the oil spill with the U.S. government.

The company said the investigation was focused on the failure of the control mechanisms which were in place.

Radiation from full-body airport scanners may increase cancer risk

Melbourne, May 19 (ANI): Scientists in the U.S. have issued a warning that radiation from controversial full-body airport scanners could lead to an increased risk of skin cancer – particularly in kids.

David Agard, University of California biochemist, said that unlike other scanners, the radiation from these devices is delivered at low energy beam levels, with most of the dose concentrated in the skin and underlying tissue.

“While the dose would be safe if it were distributed throughout the volume of the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high,” News.com.au quoted Agard as saying.

“Ionizing radiation such as the X-rays used in these scanners have the potential to induce chromosome damage, and that can lead to cancer,” Agard added.

Another major concern is that a failure in the device – like a power or software glitch – can lead to an intense radiation dose to a single spot on the skin. (ANI)

Driver with biggest balls will win in Monaco: Hamilton

London, May 15 (ANI): Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton, who is hoping to win his second Monaco Grand Prix, has said that the driver with the biggest balls should come out on top in Monaco.

The Briton triumphed in Monaco in 2008.

“Here you are always on the edge and think if you brake a little bit too late, you’ll be in the barrier. This is a track where you really have to have serious confidence in your car.

“When you say people outside of F1 could never understand what it feels like to drive around a track, this is the place where you really could never get anywhere near to understanding,” The Sun quoted Hamilton, as saying.

“There is nowhere else you could experience anything close to what we experience here. And even when you are away for a year you seem to forget how crazy this race is.

“There is a certain buzz and special atmosphere here. When you have a good car here it just feels phenomenal – and this car feels light years ahead of last year’s car,” he said.

Hamilton heads into the race 21 points behind title pacesetter Button after his cruel tyre failure in Barcelona last week.

But Hamilton is confident he can still regain his drivers’ crown this year, despite lying sixth in the standings going into the sixth round of the 19-race season.

“I don’t feel I’m at the point where I need to turn it around as such because what needs turning around is just my fortunes. We’ve got the pace and the speed to get better results than we have been getting. We have the power in our hands,” he said.

Hamilton’s biggest threat could come from former teammate Fernando Alonso, who dominated Friday’s practice sessions for Ferrari. (ANI)

Mancini to get 150-mn pounds to boost Man City

London, May 14 (ANI): Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour has given manager Roberto Mancini a mandate for change at the club.

Sheikh Mansour told Mancini to set up a team that can bring City out of failure and win silverware.

Mancini will have anything up to 150 million pounds to achieve the dream of a Premier League title, The Sun reports.

The fact City has failed to win anything since the 1976 League Cup makes the challenge tough for Mancini.

He believes City has already shown they can match the top three of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Mancini said: “We were very strong against all of them this season. It shows we have a good mentality – and this is important.” (ANI)

Working mom Naomi Watts feels like a failure

London, May 7 (ANI): Juggling career with two kids- Samuel and Sasha- is making actress Naomi Watts feel like a failure.

The King Kong recently shot new drama ‘Mother and Child’ after returning to work in December 2008, when she gave birth to her second child, Samuel.

“Every single day, I second-guess myself as a mother. I chose to be a mum. It”s something I”ve always wanted, but I feel torn between two worlds.

“I am not reaching the same depths and heights that I used to reach in movies because I”m a parent of two small children, who desperately need me. It”s frustrating because I feel like I”m failing a bit on both ends,” The Daily Express quoted her as telling BlackBook magazine.

Her worries, however, haven’t discouraged her from thinking of extending her family in future, even if it means adopting a child.

She says, “I would love to have an endless brood of children. I grew up in chaos. I feel comfortable in chaos.

“Whether or not I”ll ever adopt remains to be seen, but I totally believe in adoption.” (ANI)

I won’t torture myself over Man U’s failure: Ferguson

London, May 5 (ANI): Manchester United’s failure to lift the Premier League title will not agonise boss Alex Ferguson over where he went wrong.

Speaking at the club’s annual awards last night, Ferguson said: “I used to look at every game but you can torture yourself with that.”

“We lost at Burnley at the start of the season. That was three points and we also missed a penalty,” The Sun quoted him, as saying.

“If we had scored that we might have won or at least got a draw that might have made a difference,” Ferguson said.

“We had a couple of refereeing decisions against Chelsea. You could look at all things.

“You can twist and torture yourself but it happens. We get breaks ourselves sometimes,” he added. (ANI)

‘In the dark’ Benitez fears the worst for his Liverpool future

London, Apr 29(ANI): Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has increased the uncertainty over his position in the club, saying that he has received no reassurances from the club’s hierarchy.

“No one has spoken to me. For one year I have been listening to stories about Martin O’Neill taking my job or Klinsmann, Mourinho, Rijkaard or Hiddink,” The Daily Express quoted Benitez, as saying.

“I have to keep doing my job. All I can do is focus on the next game,” he added.

There has been speculation about the future of Benitez after his failure to challenge for the title, but Liverpool Chairman Martin Broughton had said that Benitez was still the ideal man to be manager.

“Rafa is a good manager. We want him to stay, he”s contracted to stay, so I’m assuming he’s staying,” Broughton had said. (ANI)

Ronaldo hints at Real Madrid exit

Madrid, Apr 29(ANI): Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that he is planning a future away from the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo, who moved to Madrid from Manchester United for a world-record transfer fee of 80 million pounds last summer, insists he will not spend the rest of his career with the club.

“Football is all about cycles. I believe that you are in teams for cycles. I spent several years wanting to play in Madrid, but I don’t see myself here at 40,” The Daily Express quoted Ronaldo, as saying.

His comment surprisingly comes weeks after Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said that Ronaldo could make a sensational return to Old Trafford.

Talking about his decision to leave United, Ronaldo said: “Alex Ferguson understood my decision. I continue to talk to him.”

The 25-year-old also expressed disappointment over the prospect of ending the season without any silverware.

“It would be a bad year if we don’t win the league because a club like this has to always win something every year,” Ronaldo said.

“Not winning this year wouldn’t be a failure, but it would be a lost year. But I am confident we can win the league,” he added. (ANI)

‘Unseeded’ Oz team can win T20 World Cup ‘silverware’: Hussey

St. Lucia, Apr 27(ANI): Australian batsman David Hussey reckons that despite being unseeded for the Twenty20 World Cup, they have the squad to win the “silverware”.

“I think last year was a failure. We didn’t even make the Super Eights. This year if we all do our job, we can make the Super Eights and hopefully do some damage,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Hussey, as saying.

“I truly believe we’ve got the squad to go a long way and hopefully make the final and come away with the silverware,” he added.

The 32-year-old, who was dropped from Australia’s one-day side in August 2009, further said he is determined to make the most of his opportunities during the tournament.

“I thought I did reasonably well in domestic cricket and to not get selected in the first 25 was very disappointing,” Hussey said.

“But I’m here now. I’ve got an opportunity to represent Australia in a (Twenty20) World Cup in the West Indies so things can’t be too bad,” he added. (ANI)

New Bond movie filming cancelled indefinitely

Melbourne, April 20 (ANI): Shooting of James Bond’s latest sequel ‘License To Thrill’ has been suspended indefinitely.

Producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said that the shooting of the movie has been stopped because the future of MGM studios is uncertain, reports News.com.au.

Bond star Daniel Craig said, “I have every confidence in Barbara and Michael”s decision and look forward to production resuming as quickly as possible.”

Producers of EON Productions, Mr. Wilson and Ms. Broccoli said: “Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on Bond 23 indefinitely.”

The movie was slated for a release in 2011 or 2012. (ANI)

Beleaguered Benitez gets backing of new Liverpool chairman

London, Apr 17 (ANI): Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has been given a lifeline to stay at the club by new chairman Martin Broughton.

Broughton insists Benitez is still the ideal man to be manager, even though Liverpool is 21 points behind leaders Chelsea in the Premier League.

Owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett finally put the club up for sale on Friday and appointed British Airways chairman Broughton to find a buyer.

There has been speculation about the future of Benitez, after his failure to challenge for the title, The Sun reports.

“Rafa is a good manager. We want him to stay, he”s contracted to stay, so I”m assuming he”s staying,” Broughton said.

Benitez refused to commit himself. “I haven”t spoken to the new chairman. I will do so sooner rather than later. It is clear we have to talk.”

“I will not speak too much about my future or the future of the club because we have a new chairman. I have to do my job, which is to prepare us for the games to come,” Benitez said. ANI)

Taiwan’s Susan Boyle voted off talent show

A Taiwanese man who became an overnight celebrity for his high-pitched version of Whitney Houston’s hit song I Will Always Love You has been voted off the talent show that made him famous.

Lin Yu Chun, dubbed Taiwan’s Susan Boyle after his unlikely rendition of the ballad went viral on the internet, failed to impress the judges when performing a Mandarin song on the show.

“Despite the failure, he still keeps a positive attitude,” Lin’s agent Stella Teng said.

“He feels that success cannot possibly come without failure.”

Judges said the 24-year-old, better known as Little Fatty to his friends, left them underwhelmed.

“You rarely hit a wrong note. But you did today. What’s wrong with you?” one of the judges asked Lin.

Teng says while Lin is no longer in the contest, his sudden fame means he will be invited back to the show for a guest performance next weekend.

Video of his original performance has had more than 4 million views on video-sharing website YouTube.

Teng also says Lin will also go on an overseas trip later this month for interviews and possibly for further performances.

She says the United States is one destination under consideration.

Nurses campaign for more staff

Nurses in Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales mid north coast have today started a campaign for more staff at the Base hospital’s Emergency Department (ED).

The Nurses Association says its members are reaching breaking point because of the heavy workloads and low staffing levels.

The union says a key concern is management’s failure to meet a mandated nurse-to-patient ratio in the ED.

One senior nurse who does not want to be named says it is hard to believe conditions in the Emergency Department

“Waiting times in the waiting room are getting longer and longer and the mental health problems that should be on the wards are actually being locked in little consult rooms with a security guard,” she said.

“That’s not appropriate safe care for anybody, it’s not safe on the staff [and] it’s not safe on the patients.”

O’Farrell says $10m highway funding not enough

The New South Wales Opposition Leader says the death of a 69-year-old man on the Pacific Highway highlights the danger of parts of the road.

Barry O’Farrell is on a ‘tour of inspection’ of the highway and yesterday drove from Ballina to Grafton.

Today he is travelling between Grafton and Coffs Harbour.

He says a State Government’s commitment of $10 million for highway upgrade planning between Coffs Harbour and Ballina is a good start but it is not enough.

“For a State Government that removed $300 million from the Pacific Highway in a mini-budget two years ago, it’s clearly not enough,” he said.

“Whether it was last night on the Grafton section or this morning on the Coffs Harbour section, the fact is that there was a promise made, a promise not delivered.

“In this instance the failure to deliver that promise has cost too many lives and caused too much grief and anguish.”

Meanwhile, police have released more details of yesterday morning’s deadly Pacific Highway crash.

The man died of injuries suffered in the accident which happened about 5:30am (AEST) near the Iluka turn-off.

Police say the man’s car slammed head-on into a prime mover.

The truck’s fuel tank ruptured, it lost a wheel and veered into a truck-stop, hitting a prime mover parked in the area.

The driver of the northbound truck, a 63-year-old Tamworth man, and the man sleeping in the parked truck, were not injured.

The police crash investigation unit is preparing a report for the coroner.

Water study funding worries farm group

The New South Wales Farmers Association is warning that the Namoi Water Study could be compromised due to a lack of funding.

The Federal Government has not paid the $1.5 million it has committed, even though the tender for an expert is ready to be released.

Farmers’ association president Charlie Armstrong says the Federal Government’s failure to pay could slow the study’s progress.

“It seems to have taken an inordinate amount of time to get to the stage of employing or seeking the independent expert,” he said.

“But the study ultimately of course is into the impacts of mining and gas explorations on the valuable water resources in the Namoi catchment, so it’s extremely important that is done without restricting the resources needed to do it.

“We don’t want to see it cut short because funding is not available to do it properly.”

WorkSafe prosecutes Education Dept in WA first

WorkSafe is prosecuting the Department of Education over an accident at the Western Australian College of Agriculture’s Morawa campus in the state’s mid-west.

Three years ago, a year 12 student almost lost her leg when it was caught in farm machinery at the college. The 16 year old was connecting a rotary hoe to a tractor when she was caught in the machinery, suffering serious foot and leg injuries.

The Education Department is facing two charges over its alleged failure to provide a hazard-free workplace.

It is the first time the state’s workplace safety watchdog has prosecuted another government department.

Yesterday, a solicitor for the Government requested an eight week adjournment to allow more time to clarify details of the prosecution.

Territory population grows by 5000

The Northern Territory’s population has increased by more than 5000 people in the year to the end of September.

The population is now just over 227,000.

The Chief Minister Paul Henderson says the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released today show a record sixth consecutive quarter of population growth driven by interstate migrants who have moved to the Territory.

“This is the longest period of sustained population growth the Territory has ever seen,” Mr Henderson said.

“It certainly means that people around Australia are backing the Territory and backing the economic growth that is occurring here.”

The Opposition Leader, Terry Mills said a population increase was nothing to “crow about”, when housing in major centres was unaffordable and progress building remote indigenous houses was slow.

“It is not a good mix when you have a population increase against a failure to release land,” Mr Mills said.

“The Housing Institute of Australia is saying that we should have an extra 4200 houses built right now and a good part of the population increase are indigenous births.”

Another asylum boat intercepted

A boat carrying asylum seekers has been intercepted in waters north-west of Australia.

The boat was stopped west of the Ashmore Islands last night.

The Federal Government says 94 passengers and three crew members are on board.

The group will be taken to Christmas Island for health and security checks.

Three other boats that have been detected in recent days are also on their way to the island’s detention centre.

The Government says the centre has space for just over 80 more people.

Opposition border protection spokesman Michael Keenan says Christmas Island cannot cope with any more arrivals.

“This heralds the end of Australia’s border protection system that relied on off-shore processing as a deterrent,” he said.

“This is the final and complete failure of Rudd Labor’s policies on border protection.”

The Federal Government says it is continuing to move people off the island once their claims for asylum are processed.