AFP - News

SRIHARIKOTA, India (AFP) - India successfully launched its first lunar mission Wednesday, marking a major boost for the country's space programme and a new step in the fast-developing Asian space race.

COLOMBO (AFP) - Tamil Tiger rebels struck back against a major Sri Lankan government offensive Wednesday with suicide attacks against merchant ships off the island's northern coast, defence officials said.

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warned of "pretty dramatic" consequences of not having an accord governing the presence of US troops in Iraq.

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (AFP) - John McCain told voters his White House rival Barack Obama was unprepared to handle a national security crisis, citing the US-Russia standoff in 1962 that put the world on the brink of nuclear war.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Google on Tuesday released the open-source code which powers its Android mobile operating system and invited outside programmers to tinker with the software to develop their own features.

NEW YORK (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve has offered help to troubled money market mutual funds, as governments announced fresh aid to struggling banks amid signs of thawing credit in the money markets.

TOKYO (AFP) - Profits at Toyota Motor Corp. are expected to plunge by half in the year to March, while annual sales are set to drop for the first time in a decade, reports said Wednesday.