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BANGKOK'S TOP COP OUSTED BANGKOK: Bangkok's police commissioner was dismissed yesterday, along with 56 other senior officers in the second recent shake-up in the department triggered by its failure to solve a series of deadly New Year's Eve bombings. Acting national... [Read more]

Israeli President's impeachment hearing begins
JERUSALEM - ISRAELI lawmakers yesterday began impeachment proceedings against President Moshe Katsav, who faces indictment for rape and sexual harassment.Parliament's House committee launched its debate on the future of the embattled head of state yesterday, but no immediate decision was expected,... [Read more]

Grit in air harmful to older women's hearts
BOSTON - THE fine grit in polluted air raises the risk of heart disease in older women much more powerfully than scientists realised, a big US-funded study has found.The study results have, in turn, raised questions of whether US environmental standards... [Read more]

US woman sets spacewalk record
AMERICAN astronaut Sunita Williams has now spent more time walking in space than any other woman, with a record of 22 hours and 27 minutes.Ms Williams, 41, broke the previous record of more than 21 hours on Sunday when she and... [Read more]

Minister doubts eavesdropping claims
THAI Minister of Information and Communication Technology Sittichai Pokai-udom has cast doubts on the junta's claims that Singapore was eavesdropping on Thai military conversations.In an interview on a Thai-language TV talk show, Siam This Morning, on Tuesday, Mr Sittichai said eavesdropping... [Read more]

Lille blame United for crowd trouble and accuse ref of bias
LONDON - LILLE want Manchester United thrown out of the Champions League, after crowd trouble marred the English club's 1-0 win on Tuesday.The French side have also accused the referee of bias against them.With seven minutes left in Tuesday's game, United... [Read more]

Wear chastity belts to prevent rape, says cleric
KUALA LUMPUR - WOMEN should wear chastity belts to prevent rape, incest and other sex crimes, a prominent Islamic cleric in northern Malaysia has been quoted as saying.Datuk Abu Hassan Din Al-Hafiz, speaking in the northern state of Terengganu on Thursday,... [Read more]

Over 30 ideas to improve help schemes
A PANEL that has made a slew of recommendations to improve programmes for the disabled has homed in on two planks of action: early intervention and assessment of both children and adults with disabilities. The steering committee for the Enabling Masterplan... [Read more]