Divers and rescue workers pull bodies from remote reach of river in Assam state as search for survivors goes on
Army divers and rescue workers have pulled 103 bodies out of a river after a packed ferry capsized in heavy winds and rain in a remote part of north-eastern India.
At least 100 people were still missing after the boat, carrying about 350 passengers, broke into two pieces late on Monday, said Pritam Saikia, the district magistrate of Goalpara district.
Deep-sea divers and soldiers worked through the night to pull bodies from the …

Mining magnate Clive Palmer signs deal with Chinese to build Titanic II

Will make maiden voyage from England to New York, like original, in 2016
Mr Palmer: ‘Will have latest 21st-century technology and safety systems’
An Australian billionaire has announced plans to build a replica of the Titanic that will make its maiden voyage from England to New York in 2016, just like the original.
Weeks after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the cruise liner, Clive Palmer announced he had signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard …

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT – The picture in Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s office captures the “mission accomplished” moment.
It shows Panetta, then the head of the CIA, and a group of U.S. commandos and others in the CIA operations center on the night of May 2 with their arms around each other — a quiet celebration just after U.S. helicopters crossed back over the border into Afghanistan.
Not until then — 90 minutes after U.S. special operations forces had lifted off from the heavily fortified compound in Pakistan where they …

9,000 of the military contingent that is upsetting residents on the island of Okinawa will move to other parts of Asia Pacific region
Japan and the US have agreed to relocate thousands of US marines from Okinawa in a move aimed at reducing the island’s military burden amid lingering anger among residents over pollution, accidents and crime.
Under a deal reached in Washington late on Thursday, about 9,000 marines will move from the southern Japanese island to the US Pacific territory of Guam and other locations in the region, including Hawaii and …

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Supreme Court convicted Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of contempt in an apparently symbolic gesture on Thursday but left open the possibility that he could be removed from office later.
Culminating months of standoffs and skirmishes between the country’s highest court and the government, the court sentenced Mr. Gilani to detention but only until the court adjourned a few minutes later. It was the most lenient sentence possible.
While the verdict was seen as largely symbolic, Mr. Gilani could still face problems because he has been convicted, a …