By DPA,

Colombo : Polling in Sri Lanka's presidential election ended Tuesday with a turnout of more than 70 per cent as heavy security was deployed to prevent violence.

Election observers reported sporadic incidents of violence and intimidation but said they did not disrupt overall polling.

The election was a face-off between the two main candidates, who both take credit for the defeat in May of the Tamil separatist rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). President Mahinda Rajapaksa, 64, representing the ruling United People's Freedom

By IANS,

London : Robbie Williams has re-united with his band Take That to record a song to raise fund for the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Confirming his participation for the The Sun's Helping Haiti charity single, Williams said: "I'm very honoured to be asked to contribute to the single. We can all do something to help the people of Haiti - and I urge everyone to do what they can."

By IANS,

Beijing : The Dalai Lama should "cherish the opportunity" of fresh talks, China said Tuesday as the communist government resumes dialogue with the exiled Buddhist leader over the political status of Tibet after a haitus of 15 months.

"We hope the Dalai Lama will cherish the opportunity of fresh contacts and respond positively to the request of the central government," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said here.

By IRNA,

London : The chief executive of Islam Channel, Britain’s most popular Muslim television station, has been arrested in South Africa and faces deportation to Tunisia over terrorism allegations.

Mohamed Ali Harrath, who is also an adviser to Scotland Yard’s Muslim Contact Unit, was detained after arriving at Tambo Airport in Johannesburg at the request of Tunisia under an Interpol Red Notice because of alleged activities in his homeland.

By IRNA,

Tehran : No change has been observed yet in the US administration’s approach towards Iran one year after President Barack Obama has come to power, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mihman-Parast said Tuesday.

“One year after Barack Obama’s presidency, the new US government’s approach towards Iran was not different from that of the George W. Bush and the US government is now pursuing the same policy which was already used by the Republicans,” the spokesman said.

By IRNA,

New Delhi : The polling for the sixth Presidential election in Sri Lanka has been more or less peaceful so far. Election monitors say minor election related incidents have been reported in some areas including Jaffna and Gampaha.

The Centre for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) said that there were more than 6 minor incidents reported early Tuesday morning, All India Radio (AIR) reported.

A grenade exploded near the Jaffna mayor’s office in Nallur although no injuries were reported. Some of the party functionaries were also attacked and fired at.

By IRNA,

Tehran : The top United Nations envoy to Haiti, which was devastated by a massive earthquake nearly two weeks ago, proposed a new way to coordinate relief efforts in the Caribbean nation to ensure that aid reaches those who need it.

Edmond Mulet, the Secretary-General’s acting Special Representative, on Monday unveiled a plan at a “Friends of Haiti” meeting in Montreal today which drew senior UN officials and foreign ministers from more than a dozen countries to discuss Haiti’s future in the wake of the 7.0-magnitude quake, which struck the country on 12 January.

By DPA,

Colombo : Polling in Sri Lanka's presidential election ended Tuesday with a turnout of more than 70 percent despite incidents of violence, explosions in the north and intimidation of voters, officials and poll observers said.

A series of explosions in northern Sri Lanka ahead of voting lowered turnout in the region to less than 20 percent, but the rest of the country reported brisk polling in the first national election since the defeat in May of separatist rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), election officials said.

By DPA,

Beijing/Washington : Envoys of the Dalai Lama travelled to Beijing Tuesday for a meeting with Chinese government officials, the first since a November 2008 round of talks ended in mutual recrimination.

The precise venue for the talks, scheduled to last several days, was still undecided Tuesday. The arrival of the Tibetan spiritual leader's representatives was picked up by international news agencies but not mentioned in Chinese state media.

By DPA,

Colombo : A series of explosions in northern Sri Lanka ahead of voting in the presidential election lowered turnout in the region, but the rest of the country reported brisk voting, election officials said Tuesday.

Voting in the first national election since the defeat in May of Tamil separatist rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was in progress with no serious incidents in the first five hours of polling.