Green walls: the growing success of ‘vegitecture’

Walk past the southern face of the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, and you will be greeted by a massive wall of brilliant green foliage — an 8,600 square feet plant installation by the designer Patrick Blanc, featuring more than 170 different species. The mass of leaves and flowers seems to be swallowing the building — and provides a proud symbol of resurgent nature in this busy, downtown district.

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China eases restrictions on flotations

One of the world’s hottest spots for raising capital is back in business. Ten months after halting initial public offerings, or flotations, on Chinese bourses, the government has cleared the way for Guilin Sanjin Pharmaceutical, a maker of traditional Chinese medicines, to list on the Shenzhen exchange. The company plans to raise $133 million with the IPO, which offered subscriptions to retail investors Monday

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Iranian minister blames Britain, U.S. for unrest

Iran’s intelligence minister Sunday blamed Western powers for stirring up protests over its disputed presidential election, singling out Britain and saying the British Embassy in Tehran "played a heavy role in the recent disturbances." “The fact that Iran is stable, calm and secure, they’re upset with this,” Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hosein Mohseni Ejei told Iran’s Press TV.

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3 killed in drive-by at motorcycle fundraiser

Three people were killed and at least seven wounded Saturday in a drive-by shooting at a motorcycle club fundraiser in California, authorities said. The president was arrested at his residence and transported aboard a military plane to an unknown destination, the newspaper La Prensa reported.

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Honduras president arrested, local media report

The military arrested Honduras President Jose Manuel Zelaya on Sunday morning, the same day he vowed to follow through with a referendum that the country’s Supreme Court had ruled illegal, local media reported. The president was arrested at his residence and transported aboard a military plane to an unknown destination, the newspaper La Prensa reported. Military soldiers were on the street around the capital, but there was no reported unrest, according to Radio America

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Ahmadinejad accuses Obama of interfering in election

Iran’s president slammed President Obama on Saturday, saying officials in the Islamic republic are astonished over what they see as his interference in Iran’s disputed elections. “Didn’t he say that he was after change” Ahmadinejad asked Iranian judiciary officials in a speech. “Why did he interfere Why did he utter remarks irrespective of norms and decorum” His remarks are countering Western criticism of the June 12 elections, which the government said Ahmadinejad won in a landslide.

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Argentina’s First Couple face election test

Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has held power since 2003, and Sunday’s midterm elections will prove pivotal to her hold on power. Much depends on how Fernandez’s husband — and predecessor — Nestor Kirchner fares in his race for a deputy’s seat in the nation’s lower house. Even though he has not been in office since December 2007, some analysts say he remains the most influential political figure in the nation and the person who still makes most important policy decisions for his wife’s government.

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Iranian cleric urges firm punishment for protesters

Two weeks into turmoil, Iran’s leaders turned up the heat Friday as a high-ranking cleric warned protesters that they would be punished "firmly" and shown no mercy. “Rioters and those who mastermind the unrest must know the Iranian nation will not give in to pressure and accept the nullification of the election results,” said Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami during Friday prayers in Tehran, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV.

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