In this May 5, 2011 photo, Justin Van Fleet stands at the site of where his home once stood before the flood of 2008, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Van Fleet is among thousands who have received letters in recent weeks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency notifying them they received too much money from the agency dating back to 2005 and now must pay it back. After the raging Cedar River filled his... 

Detainees at an immigration detention centre in Sydney stage a rooftop protest about their living conditions. Australia’s latest initiative to deter asylum-seekers by sending them to Malaysia was roundly condemned yesterday, with critics noting that Kuala Lumpur has refused to sign the United Nations Refugee Convention and has a record of mistreating refugees. Under pressure to act tough on “boat... 

Russian scientists are reported in shock today after reviewing the report prepared by the Federal Space Agency (FKA/RKA) that says the “fabric” of our Earth’s “space-time vortex” was “ripped apart” [photo top] this past week over Yekaterinburg (also known as Ekaterinburg) , the biggest city in Russia’s Ural Mountains, and the fourth largest in all the Motherland. The existence... 

Typhoon Aere killed 15 people as it pounded eastern provinces of the Philippines and brought flooding to the capital, leaving thousands stranded in ports. The storm, with maximum winds of 85 kilometers per hour (53 miles an hour), made landfall in Catanduanes yesterday and was forecast to move to the northern portion of Luzon island in the next two days, according to the 5 p.m. bulletin of the Philippine... 

Surely not: A baby being searched by TSA Agents at Kansas City airport. A disturbing photograph which shows a baby being subjected to a full body search by airport security has caused outrage after it was posted online. The picture, which was uploaded to a social networking site, appears to show two TSA agents at Kansas City International Airport laughing as they pat down the child, who is being held... 

Activists rescued 500 dogs that would become food in China. A truck intercepted carrying the dogs shows the strength of the movement for animals in the country…dogs rescued were treated at the headquarters of the animal protection association Activists rescued about 500 dogs destined to become food in China, in a case that shows the growth of the animal rights movement in the country. Volunteers... 

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said Monday she is “confident” the U.S. Supreme Court will lift the injunction on the state’s controversial immigration law, known as SB 1070. Brewer has asked the justices to lift the court order that is blocking enforcement of parts of the law, which the Obama administration opposes. “For decades, the federal government has neglected its constitutional... 

Open mode: The Safe House, on the outskirts of Warsaw, Poland, is the ultimate in secure design. At the touch of a number of buttons, the whole building shuts into a concrete cube. Worried about an apocalypse, zombies or merely unwanted summer guests? The ‘Safe House’ may be right up your street. We all know about a panic room, but a team of architects literally thought inside the box to... 

Ablaze: Firemen fight a fire at a church surrounded by angry Muslims in the Imbaba neighborhood in Cairo last night. Mobs set fire to two churches in sectarian clashes that kill 12 in Cairo – after rumours that a Christian woman married a Muslim. Muslim mobs set two churches on fire in Cairo during sectarian clashes that left 12 dead and more than 200 injured last night. The deepening religious... 

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak Israeli officials have criticized ex-Mossad chief Meir Dagan for calling a possible attack on Iran “a stupid idea,” saying he should not share his personal views with others. In his first public appearance since leaving office in early January, Dagan publicly argued against an airstrike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Addressing the Hebrew University... 

The Obama administration has decided to provide about $1 billion in debt relief for Egypt, a senior official said Saturday, in the boldest U.S. effort yet to shore up a key Middle East ally as it attempts a democratic transition. The aid would be part of a major economic aid package that also includes trade and investment incentives, officials said. It is intended to help stabilize Egypt after demonstrations... 

Classified U.S. intelligence documents reveal the close relations that the United States military institution with the family of Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda killed about a week ago The documents reveal these relationships through the importance of business contracts with the bin Laden group, located in Saudi Arabia and led by the brother of Al Qaeda leader. The Saudi group has captured... 

Five years and one financial crisis since the United States and China commenced regular high-level economic talks, fast-growing Beijing might have the upper hand this week in the latest round of discussions between the world’s two biggest economies. China faces threats of penalties against goods shipped to its largest foreign market unless it does more to end what U.S. manufacturers say are... 

Thousands of Mexicans attend the march against gang violence in Mexico City. An anti-violence march that began in a central state with a few hundred people and gathered thousands over a four-day trek reached Mexico’s capital on Sunday, led by a poet whose son was killed by suspected drug traffickers. An estimated 20,000 people poured into the main Zocalo square in Mexico City, wearing white T-shirts... 

Africa Day will be celebrated in Limerick on May 25. Sounds, tastes and visions of Africa will be prominent in Limerick at the end of this month as the city celebrates Africa Day. Minister of State for Trade and Development Jan O’Sullivan, has launched a programme of cultural and community events to mark Africa Day, with events taking place in Limerick, Dublin, and Galway. There are some 1,200 people...