World

A giant sheet of ice measuring 260 sq km (100 sq miles) has broken off a glacier in Greenland, according to researchers at a US university.

The block of ice separated from the Petermann Glacier, on the north-west coast of Greenland.

It is the largest Arctic iceberg to calve since 1962, said Prof Andreas Muenchow of the University of Delaware.

Coffeeshops, not to be confused with cafés, have been a part of Amsterdam since the 1970s, when the Dutch government made a clear distinction in the law between 'hard' and 'soft' drugs. Unlike Amsterdam's fully legal smart shops, coffeeshops have always existed in a legal grey area. Today, Amsterdam's City Council, through agreement with the coffeeshop union Bond van Cannabis Detaillisten (BCD), allows coffeeshops to operate with the provision of set, non-transferable licences shown by the display of an official, green and white sticker in the window.

Amsterdam coffeehopsOne of the major events for coffeeshops in Amsterdam is the High Times Cannabis Cup, which takes place towards the end of November, during the week of Thanksgiving. This major smoking event usually leads to coffeeshop crawls and cannabis clouds throughout the city.

The Swiss government's decision Monday, July 12, to decline a U.S. request to extradite Roman Polanski has ended a 10-month legal battle between the fugitive Franco-Polish filmmaker and American justice officials. But it's unlikely to end the war being waged by the U.S. justice system to force Polanski to honor the Los Angeles court date he skipped out on 32 years ago after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

The Swiss government's announcement Monday that it will not extradite Polanski to the U.S. took many observers by surprise.

Weve all got something we wish we knew more about. No one is perfect, after all; in fact, most of us are deeply flawed human beings who have no idea what were talking about.

Its fine to admit it. Ill even go first! I do not have a college degree and I do not know how to make pie crust. Cold butter?? Who does that?

Collapses this spring at a couple of ancient sites here caused weary archaeologists to warn, yet again, about other imminent calamities threatening Romes precarious architectural birthright.

Meanwhile, the smart set went gaga when an ostentatious national museum for contemporary art, Maxxi, opened recently, along with an expansion to the city-run new-art museum, Macro. That was just after Romes mayor, Gianni Alemanno, convened a conference for planners and architects to mull a bid for the 2020 Olympics as an incentive to update Italys capital. Contemporary architecture now promises to be the engine and symbol of a new creative identity for Rome that, if development is done right for a change, would complement the citys glorious past.

The effects of Hurricane Alex have halted part of BP's oil clean-up efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

Activities such as skimming, dispersant flights and controlled burning have all been suspended because of strong winds and high waves.

But the main methods of oil capture at the spill site is continuing despite the weather.

South Africas President Zuma welcomed a VIP delegation that included 25 presidents from across the world, as well as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, for the grand opening of World Football House, a ground-breaking exhibition taking place in Johannesburg during this summers World Cup.

The exhibition, which is being held at the Sandton Convention Centre, is for the first time in World Cup history, providing each of the 32 participating countries a dynamic platform to showcase their national brand identity.

(Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed five people in Pakistan's Swat Valley on Saturday, police said, fuelling fears of a Taliban comeback in the area a year after a major army offensive routed the group.

Pakistan says a series of security crackdowns that began in Swat hurt militants fighting to topple the government, which is under pressure from Washington to help stabilize Afghanistan.

Airline in Europe flew just 5,000 of their 24,000 scheduled flights on Sunday, Eurocontrol, the Euoprean air navigation and safety organizations, said.

The agency said Monday that through the night, air space over much of Europe remained closed. It said that by the end of Sunday more than 63,000 flights will have been canceled since April 15.

(Reuters) - Thai troops fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of demonstrators, who fought back with guns, grenades and petrol bombs in riots that killed 12 people, Bangkok's worst political violence in 18 years.

At least 521 people, including 64 soldiers and police, were wounded in the fighting near the Phan Fah bridge and Rajdumnoen Road in Bangkok's old quarter, a protest base near government buildings and the regional U.N. headquarters.

Twelve people died, including three soldiers, an emergency medical center said.