Kate Middleton: A boost for British fashion?

The royal wedding has been one of the most hotly discussed topics since Prince William announced his engagement to Kate Middleton.Photographs of the prince's bride-to-be - and fellow former University of St Andrews student - have adorned every British newspaper on a regular basis since the engagement was announced.Everything from her hairstyle to her weight has come under scrutiny. But like Diana,...

Indonesia needs 600 new pilots a year

With the increasing number of aircraft passengers every year, Indonesian airlines also plan to increase their fleets, but this is expected to create a shortage of human resources, particularly pilots, a Transportation Ministry senior official says.“Generally, with the current growth in passenger numbers for air transportation reaching 15 percent every year, there is a wide gap in the availability...

African Refugee Children at High Risk for Kala-azar, Malaria, Viral Infections

Some 300,000 children are receiving vaccinations against polio and measles at one of the largest refugee camps in Kenya. They also are receving vitamin A and de-worming tablets as health workers try to protect the children against deadly viral and parasitic infections.Severe malnutrition has blinded one child, but her mother still hopes she will survive."I pray so that she gets back on her feet here,...

US-North Korea Talks to Begin in New York

U.S. and North Korean negotiators will meet Thursday morning in New York for their first direct talks in more than 18 months. Crowd control officers were expected to put up barricades outside the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, where the talks are to start sometime after 9 a.m. local time (1300 UTC) The U.S. side will be led by special envoy Stephen Bosworth.Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan,...

Why we need rare earth minerals every day

China extracts and produces about 95% of the world's rare earth minerals, and since last year it has cut its exports. The World Trade Organization recently ruled China's export quotas on certain raw materials violate international trade laws. Japan, the EU and the United States have all contested that China's quotas drive up the price of products, while China argues that it's trying to protect the...