Chinese climbers with the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch flame of Mount Everest
China trains guides as tourists flock to mountains

As mountain climbing booms in China, the first group of guides trained by an expert Frenchman will soon graduate -- part of a government drive to boost safety standards. The scenic peaks in the north and west of the country, once home to Taoist mystics, were declared off-limits to the public in 1949 as the new communist government set up strategic military outposts across the rugged landscape.

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AFP

Agence France-Presse - 5/11/2008 7:30 PM GMT
Naked volunteers pose for US photographer Spencer Tunick at Vienna's Ernst Happel stadium. Over 1,800 men and women posed nude for Tunick Sunday in Vienna's Ernst Happel stadium, less than a month before it hosts the European football championship final.Over 1,800 men and women posed nude for US photographer Spencer Tunick Sunday in Vienna's Ernst Happel stadium, less than a month before it hosts the European football championship final. The photo-shoot, which lasted several hours amid warm weather, drew precisely 1,840 participants, although it fell short of the symbolic and "at least 2,008" Tunick had hoped to get, ahead of the Euro 2008 tournament.
Agence France-Presse - 5/11/2008 6:21 PM GMT
A man fills the gas tank of his car on May 3, 2008 at a Shell station in Manassas, Virginia. Americans are driving less for the first time in nearly 30 years as they face up to skyrocketing fuel prices, putting a dent in lifestyles in a country where the car has long reigned as king.Americans are driving less for the first time in nearly 30 years as they face up to skyrocketing fuel prices, putting a dent in lifestyles in a country where the car has long reigned as king. Figures released by the Federal Highway Administration show the first drop in almost three decades. Mileage covered by Americans in January fell 1.7 percent compared to the same period of 2007.
Agence France-Presse - 5/11/2008 11:53 PM GMT
Cuban psychologist Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro, offers a press conference in Havana on May 10, 2008. Mariela is organizing Cuba's second anti-homophobia festival this week to boost public awareness of the country's long-marginalized gay community, this time with the approval of her dad's government.President Raul Castro's daughter, Mariela, is organizing Cuba's second anti-homophobia festival this week to boost public awareness of the country's long-marginalized gay community, this time with the approval of her dad's government. "There's political support for this educational strategy. It's the best thing that's happened to us," Mariela Castro said about the backing the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) she heads is receiving from Cuba's Communist Party.
Agence France-Presse - 5/11/2008 8:58 PM GMT
Breathalyser tests for people leaving bars and cafes across France could be mandatory from this summer under a plan to be put Monday before President Nicolas Sarkozy's cabinet, Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said Sunday.Breathalyser tests for people leaving bars and cafes across France could be mandatory from this summer under a plan to be put Monday before President Nicolas Sarkozy's cabinet, Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said Sunday. The move -- revealed by Borloo on France 2 television -- follows a particularly deadly Pentacostal holiday weekend on French roads, with at least 17 fatalities in seven accidents reported, some of them alcohol-related.
Agence France-Presse - 5/11/2008 6:50 PM GMT
Zimbabwean children go to school on May 7, 2008 in Mbarae, Harare. With a trembling voice and seeking frequent reassurances her identity will be kept secret, the female Zimbabwean teacher recalls the moment she realised that her name was on a wanted list.With a trembling voice and seeking frequent reassurances her identity will be kept secret, the female Zimbabwean teacher recalls the moment she realised that her name was on a wanted list. "I was in class when I was told that an MP (from President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party) had come to the school, gone to the headmaster's office and asked for me by my married name," said the teacher who uses her maiden name at work.

AP

The Associated Press - 4/10/2008 11:51 AM GMT
India's top court on Thursday upheld a government program reserving more than a quarter of seats at the country's top government-funded schools for members of the lower castes. The Supreme Court, however, ruled that lower-caste students belonging to financially well-off families should not be allowed to benefit from the program.
The Associated Press - 4/9/2008 10:13 AM GMT
China will ban smoking on school campuses as part of an effort to cut down on tobacco use before the Olympics, state media said Wednesday. The Health Ministry will ban smoking on all school premises _ kindergartens through high school _ beginning on World No Tobacco Day on May 31, the Beijing Evening News said.
The Associated Press - 4/7/2008 3:05 PM GMT
Japanese cell phone users will test a new service that allows them to download fragrances, major telecommunications company NTT Communications Corp. said Monday. Twenty participants using "Mobile Fragrance Communications" can download files of specific scents accompanied by music or video clips, the company said in a statement.
The Associated Press - 4/5/2008 2:40 PM GMT
China vowed Saturday to ramp up its controversial "patriotic education" campaign for monks even though the latest deadly protests in Tibetan areas were sparked by deep resentment over its enforcement. The Tibet Daily newspaper reported Saturday the government has pledged to "strengthen patriotic education," which requires monks to denounce their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and declare their loyalty to Beijing.
The Associated Press - 4/3/2008 6:49 AM GMT
Tibet will reopen to foreign tourist groups on May 1 following a six-week closure due to deadly riots in the capital, Lhasa, the regional tourism authority said Thursday. Tour operators, hotels and restaurant owners have complained of major losses due to the closure of the region's borders as part of a massive security clampdown.

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Latest Top Story News

Deadly clashes between Sunni supporters of Lebanon's government and mainly Shiite rivals from the Hezbollah-led opposition have forced many families from their homes in west Beirut. Portrayal of a broken family.
Lebanon army deploys but clashes rage on

The army deployed across much of Lebanon on Sunday after Hezbollah ceded control of west Beirut but clashes raged on in the north and in the Druze mountains as Arab foreign ministers held crisis talks. Heavy machine-gun fire and loud explosions echoed through a number of villages in the district of Aley as Druze majority leader Walid Jumblatt urged his rival Talal Arslan, who is allied with the Hezbollah-led opposition, to place the area under army control.

Agence France-Presse - 5/11/2008 6:02 PM GMT

Latest Entertainment News

US singer Madonna performs during a private show on the Olympia concert hall stage, on May 6, 2008 in Paris. Scooter knocked Madonna off the top of the British album charts on Sunday with their new album going straight in at number one.
Scooter knocks down Madonna at top of British charts

Scooter knocked Madonna off the top of the British album charts on Sunday with their new album going straight in at number one. The German techno band's first album since 2002, entitled "Jumping All Over The World", ended the US pop queen's reign atop both charts but she remained number one in the singles list with the track "4 Minutes" featuring Justin Timberlake.

Agence France-Presse - 5/11/2008 7:04 PM GMT

Latest Sports News

Kobe Bryant (front) of the Los Angeles Lakers goes up. The Lakers' 123-115 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association playoffs on Sunday left Bryant with an aching back
Bryant injures back in Lakers loss to Jazz in NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers' 123-115 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association playoffs left superstar Kobe Bryant with an aching back. The newly crowned league Most Valuable Player, Bryant is listed as day to day for game five in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Agence France-Presse - 5/12/2008 2:16 AM GMT

Latest Regional News

People place their donation in a box after a prayer for cyclone victims in Myanmar at the Burmese Buddhist Temple in Singapore. Aid groups said Sunday that supplies trickling into cyclone-hit Myanmar were far less than was needed, as the faltering relief effort suffered a new blow with the sinking of a Red Cross boat.
Aid falls far short of Myanmar's urgent needs: relief groups

Aid groups said Sunday that supplies trickling into cyclone-hit Myanmar were far less than was needed, as the faltering relief effort suffered a new blow with the sinking of a Red Cross boat. The boat, carrying vital supplies of drinking water, rice , and purification tablets, hit a submerged tree trunk as it travelled by river through the disaster zone. Much of the aid was lost, but no one was injured.

Agence France-Presse - 5/11/2008 7:53 PM GMT

Latest Sci-Tech News

File photo shows the view from the San Cristobal hill overlooking the Chilean capital, Santiago. A hacker broke into Chile's government sites mining data from six million people which he then posted on the Internet
Hacker splashes data from six million Chileans on Internet: report

A hacker broke into Chile's government sites mining data from six million people which he then posted on the Internet on two popular servers for several hours, the El Mercurio daily have said. The personal data included names, street and email addresses, telephone numbers, social and educational background, and was taken from Education Ministry, Electoral Service and state-run telephone companies' websites from late Saturday to early Sunday.

Agence France-Presse - 5/12/2008 1:29 AM GMT

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