Pompano Beach/New York, July 31 (DPA) An unflappable 20-year-old sales woman in Florida kept her cool during a robbery, turning away a robber by discussing Jesus, a broadcast report said Friday.
ABC broadcaster showed video from the security camera in a cell phone store in Pompano Beach, Florida. The robber tells her she doesn’t need to [...]

Washington, July 31 (DPA) US President Barack Obama called on Iran Friday to release three Americans hikers who have been held for a year, saying their continued detention is “unjust”.
Saturday marks one year since Iranian authorities arrested Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal, who were hiking in Iraq’s Kurdistan region when they allegedly [...]

Los Angeles, July 31 (IANS) Hundreds of firefighters have stepped up efforts to contain a wildfire that has destroyed more than 3,200 hectares near Los Angeles, Xinhua reported.
Since its outbreak Thursday, the Crown Fire has damaged several structures, including a family home, two garages, a building and a hay barn, the Los Angeles County Fire [...]

Beijing, July 31 (IANS) China has opposed the new sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) on Iran over its uranium enrichment programme, a media report said.
“We hope the relevant parties will adhere to diplomatic means on the issue,” China Daily reported on its website quoting foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu Friday.
China maintains that [...]

Los Angeles, July 31 (IANS) Actor Laurence Fishburne has a secret hideaway which he uses to relax and get away from hectic daily life.
“I have a man cave somewhere in California – a totally undisclosed location where manly things occur,” said the “Predators” star in a statement.
“There are motorcycles, there are secret doors and passageways. [...]

Obama arrived in Detroit Friday at noon to visit Chrysler and General Motors automotive plants in Motor City.

RIM, the maker of Blackberry smartphones, is planning the launch of a new tablet PC to compete with the iPad.

A leaked internal memo describing how the Chinese government can use the internet to “guide public opinion.”

Tehran, July 31 (IANS) More than 100 people were injured when a 5.7-magnitude quake struck northwestern Iran Friday, the state-run Press TV reported.
The quake jolted the Torbat-e-Heydarieh city in Khorasan Razavi province around 06.20 p.m.
The Iranian Seismology Centre said the epicentre was located seven kilometres outside the city.
City governor Mojtaba Sadeqian said 110 people [...]

Gaza, July 31 (DPA) Nine Palestinians were injured late Friday when Israeli warplanes struck three separate targets in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the Islamic Hamas movement, medics and witnesses said.
The witnesses said they heard three successive explosions in western Gaza City in a strike aimed at a training compound belonging to Hamas [...]