Headlines News

Three teenagers, including twin brothers, have been killed in a car crash in east Belfast. The accident, which involved one vehicle, took place on the Ballygowan Road at about 0100 BST on Saturday. Two of the victims, who were aged 18 and 19, died at the scene. The third teenager died later in hospital. It is believed all three were from the east Belfast area. The road between the Upper Braniel Road and School Road has been closed. Shock A number of funerals are due to take place at Rosewla ...

Gambling could become one of the most lucrative industries in the British economy, researchers have claimed. By relaxing regulations surrounding betting and gaming and by abolishing tax on punters, the government has ensured an economic boost, they said. That could eventually see more money generated by the gambling sector than any other, said the Betting Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University. It could "only be good news for the economy", said researchers. Las Vegas-style casinos Pro ...

NEW YORK (AP) -- After 14 days trapped in the innards of a Greenwich Village building, Molly the cat finally emerged wearing a look on her face that said, "What's all the fuss about?" As a crowd of reporters and onlookers jostled for a glance, the 11-month-old black cat appeared docile and unscathed despite her ordeal, which came to a happy end on Friday after a volunteer pulled her to safety from a crawl space. "I think you'll all agree that she is in great shape," said a ...

Ministers have been urged to clarify new regulations governing tattoo parlours and acupuncture services. From 1 April, operators require a licence and also written consent from parents of under-16s before carrying out skin and body piercing. Acupuncturists said they have not been properly consulted on the move and are worried about their businesses. The Scottish Executive said it had provided guidance on the matter and would clarify the law where necessary. Mairi Menzies, spokeswoman for Phy ...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush reported adjusted gross income of $735,180 for last year, on which he paid $187,768 in federal taxes, according to the president's return released Friday by the White House. The White House also released the 2005 tax return filed by Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne. According to the return, the Cheneys have overpaid their taxes this year and are entitled to a refund of about $1.9 million. Their adjusted gross income was about $8.82 million. In 20 ...

(CNN) -- Two decomposed bodies were found Friday night in a lagoon where searchers have looked for two Milwaukee, Wisconsin, boys who disappeared nearly a month ago, police said. Milwaukee Police Chief Nan Hegerty said the bodies had not been identified. Quadrevion Henning, 12, and Purvis Parker, 11, were last seen March 19 as they headed off to play ball at a park near their homes in north-cent ...

By Radu Marinas BUCHAREST (Reuters) - The Danube rose to its highest level in over a century on Saturday, but a breached dam in Romania eased pressure downstream on towns and villages struggling to hold back the floods, officials said. Rivers fed by heavy rain and melting snow crept higher across the Balkans for the fourth straight day, driving people from their homes and swamping low-lying farmland and ports. Waters rose to an 111-year high in the Romanian town of Bazias, near its border wit ...

(CNN) -- In some of the fiercest fighting in months, Afghan forces backed by U.S.-led coalition troops killed 41 Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, the governor of Kandahar province has said. At least six Afghan policemen also died in the attacks, which targeted suspected Taliban hideouts in the area where Taliban leader Mullah Omar was born and raised -- about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Kandahar. Coalition helicopters were used in the operation. He remains at large. "In yester ...

ROME (Reuters) - British novelist Muriel Spark has died in Italy at the age of 88 and will be buried in Tuscany later on Saturday, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Spark had lived in the Tuscan town of Civitella della Chiana for the past 26 years and was made an honorary citizen of the town in September, ANSA said. Her funeral will be held there later on Saturday. ANSA did not give details of the cause of death, saying only that Spark died on Friday in a hospital in Florence. She wrote ...

Two prominent politicians at Holyrood and Westminster have urged both chambers to debate the future of the Borderline theatre company. Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson and Des Browne, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, want to reverse the decision to cut the theatre's £215,000 funding. The Scottish Arts Council withdrew funding amid concerns over the quality of work by the Ayrshire-based group. A cross-party group of MSPs and MPs has been fighting to save it from closure. Borderline, which ...