World NewsWorld News continually updated from thousands of sources on the web.Freed hostage gets hero's welcome in France- July 4, 2008 Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt arrived in France to a hero's welcome Friday after six years being held by leftist rebels in the Colombian jungle.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/freed-hostage-gets-heros-welcome-in-france?fromrss=1 Israel closes Gaza crossings in response to rocket- July 4, 2008 Israel says it is keeping Gaza's border crossings closed in retaliation for a rocket attack.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/israel-closes-gaza-crossings-in-response-to-rocket?from... Japan sees a chance to promote its energy-frugal ways- July 4, 2008 KUMAGAYA, Japan : With its towering furnaces and clanging conveyer belts carrying crushed rock, Taiheiyo Cement's factory looks like an Industrial Revolution relic. But it is actually a model of modern energy efficiency, harnessing its waste heat to generate much of its own electricity. The plant is just one example of Japan's single-minded dedication to reducing energy use, a commitment that dates back to the oil shocks of the 1970s that shook this resource-poor nation.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/japan-sees-a-chance-to-promote-its-energy-frugal-ways?f... Direct China-Taiwan Flights Start- July 4, 2008 Regular flights between China and Taiwan have resumed for the first time in nearly 60 years, as relations improve between the two rivals.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/direct-china-taiwan-flights-start?fromrss=1 China to use unmanned security drones at Olympics- July 4, 2008 China plans to use unmanned security drones to patrol the skies over the Olympic sailing venue of Qingdao, state media reported Friday. The drones were tested for the first time during a drill Wednesday in Jinan, the capital of eastern Shandong province, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. They are intended to scout out suspicious activity and transmit photos and videos back to a command station.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/china-to-use-unmanned-security-drones-at-olympics?fromr... EU halts tuna fishing- July 3, 2008 Mediterranean tuna ranches are feeling the pinch after the European Union moved to prevent the depletion of fish stocks.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/eu-halts-tuna-fishing?fromrss=1 Four men found decapitated as Mexico drug war rages- July 3, 2008 The severed heads of four men were found dumped on a Mexican street on Wednesday with a message accusing a drug gang kingpin of treachery, police said. Neighbors in the northern city of Culiacan found the men's bodies wrapped in plastic sheets and a blanket, with their heads stuffed into white plastic bags.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/four-men-found-decapitated-as-mexico-drug-war-rages?fro... Betancourt: Rescue in Colombia was impeccable- July 3, 2008 Colombian spies tricked leftist rebels into handing over kidnapped presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors Wednesday in a daring helicopter rescue so successful that not a single shot was fired.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/betancourt-rescue-in-colombia-was-impeccable?fromrss=1 4 die in Israel earth-mover rampage- July 2, 2008 A Palestinian man plowed an enormous construction vehicle into cars, buses and pedestrians on a busy street Wednesday, killing at least three people and wounding at least 45 before he was shot dead by an off-duty soldier.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/4-die-in-israel-earth-mover-rampage?fromrss=1 18 dead in northwest China mine collapse- July 2, 2008 State media reports that 18 miners have been killed in a mine-shaft collapse in northwest China. Twenty-eight miners were working underground when the accident happened Tuesday at the state-owned Huisen Liangshuijing Coal Mine in Shaanxi province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.http://www.topix.net/world/2008/07/18-dead-in-northwest-china-mine-collapse?fromrss=1 |