Presidential elections on April 14 in Venezuela

Thousands gathered in Caracas on Wednesday, as Hugo Chavez’s coffin made his way to the military academy (photo Reuters)

Following Venezuelan leader’s death on March 5 after a long battle with cancer, the country’s electoral commission has announced that the presidential election to name his successor will take place on April 14.

The campaigning period will go from April 2 to April 11, the electoral commission also said.

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Wisconsin anti-union law thrown out by judge

A controversial law that has been in effect for more than a year has been thrown out by a judge in the state of Wisconsin.

US Republican Governor Scott Walker supported this law which strips most public employees of their collective bargaining rights.

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Blair and Bush should face justice over Iraq war, says Desmond Tutu

Tony Blair and George Bush (photo) were branded war criminal by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who called for both men to be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, for their role in the Iraq war.

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Bonnie and Clyde guns could sell for $200,000 each

Nearly 80 years after the American outlaws Bonnie and Clyde’s deaths, the guns they had with them when they were killed will be up for auction in September in New Hampshire.

Two guns, a Colt .38-caliber revolver and a Colt .45-caliber pistol, could sell for between $100,000 and $200,000 each, according to Bobby Livingston, vice president of RR Auction in Amherst, New Hampshire.

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US health agency approves weight-loss pill

For the first time in 13 years a weight-loss pill has been approved by US health regulators.

Named Belviq (photo, from bbc.co.uk) this pill can be used by obese or overweight adults with at least one condition.

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World Bank cancels loan for Bangladesh bridge over corruption allegations

A $1.2bn loan for Bangladesh’s Padma bridge project has been cancelled by the World Bank on Friday, arguing that the government had not co-operated in investigating “high level” corruption in the project.

The bank said about the loan being cancelled immediately : “The World Bank cannot, should not, and will not turn a blind eye to evidence of corruption.”

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Advertisers desert Limbaugh’s radio show over ‘slut’ comment

After calling a 30-year-old law student “a slut” and “a prostitute” over her opinion on contraception, several advertisers have deserted US radio host Rush Limbaugh (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk).

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US singer and actress Whitney Houston dies at 48

Whitney Houston (photo, from aljazeera.com) has died on Saturday in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, where she had been staying as a guest.

She reigned as pop music’s queen until drug use and her tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown overshadowed her career.

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Sugar as damaging as alcohol or tobacco, say US experts

Sugar is as damaging and addictive as alcohol or tobacco, and should therefore be regulated, according to a team of health experts from the University of California, San Francisco. (photo from radio-canada.ca)

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US Republican candidate Mitt Romney pays 13.9% in tax

After his tax history has become a campaign issue, on Tuesday US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (photo, from aljazeera.com) has released two large sets of tax documents disclosing his multi-million-dollar income on his campaign website.

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