Al-Qaida senior leader grants rare TV interview

In a rare move, one of al-Qaida's highest-ranking leaders has conducted an on-camera interview with a journalist and, in the process, called for the destruction of Pakistan's government. It was the first time since 2002 that any top al-Qaida official has taken the security risk of sitting down for an interview with a bonafide journalist.
Abu Mustafa al-Yazid, an Egyptian whom U.S. intelligence officials have identified as the al-Qaeda's third highest-ranking official, sat for an interview with Najeeb Ahmad, a reporter for Geo TV. Geo TV is a private Pakistani television channel. In the interview, Yazid, also known as Sheikh Saeed, called for the destruction of Pakistan's government which he said had "betrayed" the jihadis. Yazid swore that al-Qaida would recapture Afghanistan. And he reiterated al-Qaida's position that "all Americans, not just the American government" are the enemies of Islam.

The price of oil rises, closes above $131

Traders worry new Iran sanctions may escalate Middle East tensions

Oil prices rose Monday on a threat of new sanctions against Iran and as Tropical Storm Dolly headed into the Gulf of Mexico, prompting a hurricane watch for parts of Texas and Mexico.Light, sweet crude for August delivery added $2.16 to settle at $131.04 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was oil's first gain in a week.For drivers in the U.S., pump prices eased by a few pennies. A gallon of regular gasoline now sells for an average just shy of $4.07, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. Diesel prices also pulled back, to an average of $4.818 a gallon.

Retail prices may decline even more in the coming days as gas station operators catch up to last week's four-day oil sell-off, which left crude more than $18 below the trading record of $147.27 it hit on July 11.

Tropical storm forms off Southeast coast

Cristobal hits Carolinas with rain, surf but not likely to become hurricane.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Tropical Storm Cristobal formed off the Southeast coast Saturday — the first to threaten the United States this hurricane season. Gale-force winds and heavy rains were expected to lash the Carolinas as the storm grazed the shoreline on a northeasterly path.
At 5 p.m. ET, the center of the storm was about 125 miles east of Charleston, S.C., and about 225 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.
With maximum sustained winds at 45 mph, it was moving toward the northeast at about 7 mph and was expected to hug the Carolinas’ coast during the next two days.

Africa's women last and least in food crisis

Cultural expectations ensure women are hardest hit amid growing scarcity.

A pre-teen girl at the Goughin Market munches a piece of corn that she gets in return for helping man the family vegetable stand.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - After she woke in the dark to sweep city streets, after she walked an hour to buy less than $2 worth of food, after she cooked for two hours in the searing noon heat, Fanta Lingani served her family's only meal of the day.
First she set out a bowl of corn mush, seasoned with tree leaves, dried fish and wood ashes, for the 11 smallest children, who tore into it with bare hands.
Then she set out a bowl for her husband. Then two bowls for a dozen older children. Then finally, after everyone else had finished, a bowl for herself. She always eats last.

The Six Worst Foods For A Bikini Body

To avoid bloat and water retention at the beach, avoid these foods.

Eat This, Not That!Wouldn’t it be great if you could eat something before hitting the beach that would make you look and feel slimmer - instantly? Well, there’s no miracle food yet, but there are foods that can make you look and feel fatter in almost no time. And those are the foods you want to avoid right before you don your swimsuit. In fact, in a UCLA survey of 50,000 people, 64 percent of women and 50 percent of men said they were self-conscious about their weight. (There’s nothing more embarrassing than doing a cnnonball off the diving board and then having to refill the pool because you emptied it.

Why it matters Islamic Republic of Iran

Iran has been a subject of much debate since the United States entered Iraq in 2003. Now that the country isn’t showing any signs of stopping its uranium enrichment, it’s an even bigger concern.

You should care because...Iran has approximately one-tenth of the world’s known oil reserves and more than one-tenth of the world’s natural gas reserves. It may also be creating nuclear weapons. The U.S. and Iran haven’t had diplomatic relations since the Iranian revolution in the 1970s. But the next president will surely need to address the threat Iran poses to the Middle East and to rising U.S. gas prices.

Breakthrough For Baby Miracle To Enter USA

After weeks of attempts to get Baby Miracle Nanai to have treatment overseas, the USA has come to her rescue by granting today a visa for her to travel to Florida for treatment. Although the time for her departure has not yet been set the supporters of Baby Mircale Nanai have been elated by the decision today by the U.S. Embassy in Samoa to grant a visa for the her to go for treatment at the Miami Children's Hospital, where two top surgeons have offered their services for free.The breaking news on the visa for Baby Miracle Nanai has even made the headlines of the top US media like USA Today who have ran news items on the refusal by the New Zealand Immigration to grant a visa and how the US has made it now possible to Baby Miracle to have an opportunity to get treatment from top two surgeons in USA.

Malaria gene 'increases HIV risk'

A gene which apparently evolved to protect people from malaria increases their vulnerability to HIV infection by 40%, say US and UK scientists.
People of African descent have a variation of the "DARC" gene which may interfere with their ability to fight HIV in its early stages. The Microbe study says the gene accounts for millions of extra HIV cases in sub-Saharan Africa. However, people with the gene appear to live longer with HIV than others.

"There has always been this myth that people in sub-Saharan Africa were more likely to get HIV because of differences in their sexual behaviour, or that they are more promiscuous ."

Mysterious Insect Baffles Experts have been baffled by the presence of an unidentified insect in parts of London.
The tiny red and black bug first appeared in the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Garden in March 2007. Since then it has become the most common insect in the garden and has also been spotted in Regent's Park and Gray's Inn.

Water 'Widespread' on Early Mars Water was once widespread on Mars, data from a Nasa spacecraft shows, raising the prospect that the Red Planet could have supported life.

Researchers found evidence of vast lakes, flowing rivers and deltas on early Mars, all of which were potential habitats for microbes.They also discovered that wet conditions probably persisted for a long time on the Red Planet.

It wasn't this hot, boiling cauldron. It was a benign, water-rich environment for a long period of time.