Romney says 2012 race was 'roller coaster'

WASHINGTON: In his first interview since losing his 2012 White House bid, Mitt Romney likened his experience as a presidential candidate to an unpredictable and bumpy roller coaster ride."We were on a roller coaster, exciting and thrilling, ups and downs. But the ride ends," Romney said, according to advance excerpts of the interview set to air on "Fox News Sunday.""And then you get off....

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Sick British queen cancels Wales visit

LONDON: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has cancelled a planned visit to Wales on Saturday due to a bout of gastroenteritis, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.The 86-year-old monarch had been due to attend a military celebration in the city of Swansea to mark St. David's Day, the national day of Wales."The queen will no longer go to Swansea tomorrow," a spokesman told AFP on Friday."She...

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White House backs gay marriage in Supreme Court brief

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama's administration threw its weight behind gay marriage on Thursday, urging the Supreme Court to strike down California's ban on same-sex unions.The court is set to examine the issue on March 26, when it will study the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, a measure approved by a 2008 referendum that outlawed gay marriage in the most populous...

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Japan says three Chinese ships in disputed waters

TOKYO: Japan's coastguard said three Chinese surveillance ships were in the territorial waters of disputed islands in the East China Sea on Thursday.The three marine surveillance ships entered the 12-nautical-mile territorial zone off Uotsuri, one of the islands, shortly after 7:00 am (2200 GMT Wednesday), the Japan Coast Guard said in a statement.Beijing claims the Japanese-controlled...

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Japan will never stop whaling: minister

TOKYO: Japan's fisheries minister said Tuesday his country will never stop hunting whales, despite fierce criticism from other nations and violent clashes at sea with militant conservationists."I don't think there will be any kind of an end for whaling by Japan," Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told AFP in an exclusive interview.Hayashi, who took the ministerial...

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Motor Racing: Ecclestone wants Melbourne race for '50 years'

SYDNEY: Formula One ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone said Tuesday he would happily sign a contract for Melbourne to host the Grand Prix for 50 years, declaring "everybody loves Australia".The sport has a contract with Melbourne until 2015 but beyond that it is up in the air, and other cities have expressed interest in snapping up the event which Ecclestone has previously said is the "least...

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Japan to nominate ADB president as BoJ chief

TOKYO: The Japanese government of Shinzo Abe is set to nominate Asian Development Bank president Haruhiko Kuroda as governor of the central bank, reports said on Monday, sending the dollar surging against the yen.The greenback surged past 94 yen in early Asian trade from 93.37 yen in New York on Friday, with investors confident that there will be fresh aggressive easing steps by Abe's...

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Woodlands Regional Centre to have two distinct precincts

SINGAPORE: The Woodlands Regional Centre, which aims to bring jobs closer to homes, will have two distinct precincts.National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed this as he unveiled preliminary plans for the regional centre at a community event in Woodlands on Sunday.One of the precincts will for now be called the Woodlands North Coast and will include the area between the Republic...

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US state sounds alarm over nuclear waste leaks

LOS ANGELES - At least six tanks containing radioactive waste in the US state of Washington are leaking, the state said Friday, urging more federal help to clean up a site used to make Cold War-era bombs.Washington governor Jay Inslee said that the extent of the leaks at the Hanford site -- which first produced fuel for nuclear bombs in World War II and closed down 25 years ago -- was...

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Uncertainty hangs heavy as Italy braces for elections

ROME: Italy was poised to hold its most important elections in a generation starting on Sunday, as financial markets warned an unclear outcome could plunge the eurozone's third economy back into crisis.Italians will cast their ballots as they grapple with the longest recession in two decades and several rounds of austerity cuts that have caused deep resentment and could favour a low turnout...

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CapitaLand 4Q net profit down 45%

SINGAPORE: CapitaLand has reported a 45 per cent fall in fourth-quarter net profit to US$212 million (S$262.7 million).The Singapore-listed property developer said earnings fell largely due to lower contributions from several projects that were completed a year earlier.Its revenue rose 5 per cent to US$887 million (S$1.1 billion).- CNA/ck !-- Zone Tag : Channel News Asia In Text innity_pub...

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Tennis: Defending champ Melzer ousted in first round

MEMPHIS: Defending champion Jurgen Melzer crashed out of the ATP and WTA US National Indoor Championships on Tuesday, losing his opening-round match in straight sets.The left-handed Austrian lost to Dutchman Igor Sijsling 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) at The Racquet Club of Memphis.Sijsling advanced to a second-round match against Croatian top seed Marin Cilic.Melzer, who was playing with a broken toe,...

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Pistorius to fight for bail as slain girlfriend cremated

PRETORIA: Oscar Pistorius's slain girlfriend is to be cremated Tuesday as the South African "Bladerunner" athlete appears in court for a bail hearing expected to reveal more about what happened the night she was shot dead.Model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was shot four times in the early hours of Thursday by a 9mm pistol owned by the sprinter, and she died of her wounds at the scene.Pistorius's...

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Could 9-year-old win youngest best actress Oscar?

LOS ANGELES: She landed the part by lying about her age: Quvenzhane Wallis was five, and the filmmakers were only auditioning girls at least six years old.But they believed her fib and tried her out -- and were blown away, giving her the starring role in the low-budget "Beasts of the Southern Wild" over 4,000 other hopefuls.And now she could become the youngest ever winner of the best...

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"Argo", "Lincoln" vie for Oscars crown in open race

LOS ANGELES - Steven Spielberg goes into next weekend's Oscars with the most nominations for his presidential "Lincoln" but the momentum is all with Ben Affleck's thriller "Argo" in the Academy Awards home straight.And while the Hollywood veteran and the young pretender vie for the Oscars best picture crown, several other frontrunners remain hard on their heels, in one of the least predictable...

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Meteor strike in Russia hurts almost 1,000

MOSCOW: A plunging meteor which exploded with a blinding flash above central Russia , set off a shockwave that shattered windows and hurt almost 1,000 people in an event unprecedented in modern times.Experts insisted the meteor's fiery entry into the atmosphere on Friday was not linked to the asteroid 2012 DA 14, which later passed about 17,200 miles (27,700 kilometres) above the Earth...

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US regulators approve bionic eye

WASHINGTON: US regulators approved a so-called bionic eye on Thursday, giving hope to people with a rare genetic disease.Developed by California-based Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System is the first retinal implant for adults with advanced retinitis pigmentosa that results in the gradual loss of vision and can lead to blindness."While the Argus...

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American, US Airways boards approve merger

NEW YORK: The boards of American Airlines and US Airways approved a merger Wednesday to create the largest US airline by revenue once American exits bankruptcy court, a source close to the negotiations said.The deal comes on the heels of a series of other recent airline mergers that have remade the US airline industry and better positioned the sector for profit.Antitrust regulators and...

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Clues that led to pope's resignation announcement

VATICAN CITY: With the benefit of hindsight, a series of clues leading up to Pope Benedict XVI's momentous resignation announcement this week suggest he had in fact been preparing the move for some time.Benedict first mentioned he supported the idea of a pope resigning due to old age in an unusually candid book of interviews published in 2010 -- comments that made many wonder what he would...

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Outgoing pope prepares for monk's life in Vatican

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI, who has announced he will resign on February 28, will retire to a monastery tucked away inside the historic walls of the Holy See: so once the new pope is elected, there will be a former pontiff and his successor living in the Vatican.Benedict, 85, who said he was standing down due to old age, will temporarily stay at the papal summer house at Castel Gandolfo...

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