Eight killed in China road accident
By IANS,
Beijing : Eight people died in a tourist bus accident in northern China Thursday.
The accident took place in Hebei province. Twenty-four others were injured.
Terror attack foiled in Russia
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian security forces Wednesday prevented a terror attack by defusing nine bombs at an illegal laboratory in Nalchik city.
US marines arrive in Australia
By IANS,
Sydney : The first batch of about 200 US marines have arrived in Australia's Darwin city as part of a defence deal, Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith announced Wednesday.
Nepal flood toll reaches 26
By IANS,
Kathmandu : The toll in the Nepal's Seti river floods triggered by an avalanche in the Annapurna range has risen to 26 with police recovering more bodies Tuesday.
British chopper crashes at sea
By IANS,
London : A British helicopter Thursday crashed into the North Sea off Scotland but all 16 people on board are safe, an officer said.
Seven injured as US n-submarine catches fire
By IANS,
Washington : At least seven people were wounded after a fire broke out overnight on a US Navy's nuclear-powered submarine, the Navy said Thursday.
British MPs spend 27,000 pounds ruing dirty loos
By IANS,
London : An expensive study has found British parliamentarians complaining the most about their dirty marble-lined toilets in the Commons.
Two held in Italy for forcing 10-year-old to marry
By IANS/AKI,
Rome : Two gypsy men were Monday arrested in Italy for allegedly abducting a 10-year-old girl and forcing her to marry one of them.
Rihanna copies Brown’s gold grills
By IANS,
Los Angeles: Singer Rihanna was spotted leaving a restaurant in California wearing a set of gold grills - just like ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.
Russia calls U.S. missile shield proposals ‘vague, unacceptable’
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A top Russian general said on Tuesday that U.S. proposals intended to soothe Russian concerns over a proposed U.S. missile shield in Central Europe are vague and contain too many unacceptable conditions.
"These initiatives are formulated in a manner that allows the Americans to back down on their promises at any time," Lt. Gen. Yevgeny Buzhinsky, head of Russia's Defense Ministry international cooperation department, told the Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily.
Myanmar invites UN envoy for talks on democratic reforms
By DPA,
New York : Myanmar Tuesday invited UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari for a return visit to continue discussions on implementing the democratic process in the country.
Myanmar said Gambari's scheduled visit in May could not take place because of the widespread devastation inflicted by Cyclone Nargis, which killed an estimated 140,000 people.
Gambari was requested to visit in mid-August "to continue the good offices role of the (UN) secretary general mandated by the UN General Assembly," said the letter of invitation by Myanmar's UN Ambassador Kyaw Tint Swe.
Nepali Congress candidate likely to be elected new President as Maoists suffer setback
By KUNA,
New Delhi : The Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) Maoists suffered a major setback ahead of the Presidential polls as two other major parties decided to support Nepali Congress' (NC) candidate Ram Baran Yadav for the top post elections for which were underway Saturday.
UN approves new human rights chief
By RIA Novosti,
New York : The UN General Assembly has approved South African judge Navanethem Pillay as its new high commissioner for human rights.
Pillay, 67, who said she wants to be the "the champion of human rights in every part of the world," will take up her new post on September 1, replacing Louise Arbour, a former Canadian Supreme Court judge. Her term is for five years.
Born in the South African city of Durban, Harvard-educated Pillay, who is of Tamil descent, became the first woman to establish a legal practice in South Africa's Natal province.
Huge Fires Hit US National Park
By Prensa Latina,
Washington : US authorities could hardly control 10 percent of the fires hitting Californian Yosemite National Park, where at least 25 dwellings were burned and destroyed by the flames, a local television station reported on Tuesday.
Local channel KCRA 3 said high temperatures, winds and conditions of the soil have become serious obstacles to put out the fires, which are threatening thousands of homes and leading to evacuation of hundreds of people in the towns of Midpines, Mariposa , and Greeley Hill.
16 policemen killed in suspected terror attack in China
By Xinhua,
Urumqi (China) : At least 16 policemen were killed and an equal number injured Monday when two suspected terrorists attacked a group of security personnel jogging through the street in western China's Xinjiang province.
The two suspected terrorists drove a garbage lorry into the team of border patrol police jogging on the street in Kashi city and attacked them with knives killing 14 personnel and fatally wounding two.
They also threw crude explosives toward the barracks, causing explosion.
The police arrested the two attackers.
U.S. president leaves for Thailand to continue Asian tour
By Xinhua,
Seoul : U.S. President George W. Bush finished his two-day official visit to South Korea and left for Thailand Wednesday afternoon.
During Bush's two-day visit to Seoul, Bush held summit meeting with his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak. The two leaders issued a joint statement after the summit.
Bush also visited a U.S. military base in Seoul to encourage the U.S. military troops stationed in the Northeast Asian country.
Neonazis Sentenced in Germany
By Prensa Latina,
Berlin : German justice condemned two members of the neo-Nazi group Strum 34, illegalized by German authorities, in a judicial process finished Wednesday.
The penal sentence was up to three and a half years of prison by a court in Dresden, east of Germany, for physical aggression and material damage.
Another accused was condemned to 12 months on parole because of complicity.
This is the second time in less than a week in which members of the xenophobic group are sentenced.
8 killed, thousands flee as Philippine army steps up fight against Muslim rebels
By Xinhua,
Manila : At least eight people were killed, dozens injured, while 129,000 panic civilians fled homes in the southern Philippines as the government on Monday scaled up its combat operation against 500 radical Muslim rebels.
Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna told reporters that the military has reliable information that about seven guerrillas of the Moro Islam Liberation Front (MILF) have been killed while on the government side one soldier died and 12 others were injured.
Cuba for Georgia Withdrawal from S. Ossetia
By Prensa Latina,
Havana : The Cuban government issued an official statement supporting a request for Georgian military forces to withdraw from the Autonomous Republic of South Ossetia, while reiterating its peaceful policy.
Prensa Latina is posting below the full text of the Cuban Government's Official Declaration on the Situation in South Ossetia:
Cuba defends peace as an indispensable requisite for the development of all the nations of the world.
Leaders of former Soviet states show solidarity with Georgia
By RIA Novosti,
Tbilisi : Leaders of Poland and four other post-Soviet countries have appeared alongside Georgia's president at a mass rally here in a show of solidarity against Russian incursions in the Caucasus country.
Tuesday's rally took place hours before Russia and Georgia agreed in principle on a peace plan, and after Russia ended its military operation to prevent further Georgian incursions into breakaway South Ossetia.
"We came to fight because a northern neighbour wants to suppress a small country. We want to tell it 'No!" Polish President Lech Kaczynski said.
Prachanda poised to be Nepal’s 1st Maoist PM
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Four months after their stunning victory in a national election, Nepal's former Maoist guerrillas are now poised to rule the former Himalayan kingdom in place of the Shah kings with their supremo Prachanda poised to sweep Friday's prime ministerial poll.
The 54-year-old, who won the April election from two constituencies, is now expected to win the prime ministerial election overwhelmingly with two of the four largest parties in the interim parliament pledging to support him.
OSCE green-lights military observers for Georgia
By DPA,
Vienna : Military observers of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will be deployed in Georgia starting this week, after Georgia and Russia reached a compromise and the organisation approved the mission Tuesday.
Twenty military monitoring officers "will be deployed immediately to the area adjacent to South Ossetia", the mandate green-lighted Tuesday by the 56 OSCE member countries said.
Protesters seize state TV station in Thailand
By Xinhua,
Bangkok : Anti-government protesters stormed into a state-run TV channel and forced it to halt broadcasting Tuesday, while a mass rally was assembling here to mount pressure on the Thai government to resign.
Hundreds of members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a coalition of opposition parties, broke into the National Broadcasting Services (NBT) office in Bangkok and forced it to shut down for a few hours, the broadcaster said.
Extra police personnel were called in and some 30 protesters were detained before the channel resumed broadcasting.
US Police Search After Prison Break
By Prensa Latina,
Washington : US authorities began a search operation in New Mexico to find seven of the eight convicts who escaped from the Curry County Detention Center for Adults.
According to local police, the participants in the raid have the additional incentive of tracking down violent criminals, one of whom was sentenced to life for murdering a 10-year old boy.
Prisoners used homemade tools to open a hole in the roof of the prison from which they escaped yesterday night, explained deputy sheriff Wesley Waller.
Toll in China chemical plant explosion rises to 18
By DPA,
Beijing : A series of explosions at a chemical plant left 18 people dead and two missing in southwest China's Guangxi region, the government and state media said Wednesday.
The explosions and a fire Tuesday at the Guangwei Chemical Company also injured 60 workers and local residents, the State Administration of Work Safety reported on its website.
The fire spread over 10,000 sq metres and forced the evacuation of 11,500 local residents in Guangxi's Yizhou city, Xinhua news agency reported.
Former London mayor is Venezuela’s town-planning adviser
By Xinhua,
London : Former London mayor Ken Livingstone will act as an adviser to the Venezuelan government in refurbishing the country's capital, Caracas.
Livingstone, who has long been a supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, will advise officials in Caracas on urban planning, the BBC reported Thursday.
Following a meeting with Chavez in Caracas Wednesday, Livingstone said he was "proud and honoured" to participate in the city's transformation.
Russia and Georgia – does Europe have aces to play?
By Ben Nimmo, DPA,
Brussels : Russia and the European Union (EU) have long been eyeing each other like poker players trying to work out who is bluffing. But come Monday, EU leaders will have few options but to play their hand and show whether they have any aces up their sleeves.
The emergency EU summit in Brussels - the first such crisis meeting since the 2003 Iraq war - was called by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in his capacity as current chairman of the EU to discuss the war between Russia and Georgia.
Russian planes in Venezuela a warning to US: Chavez
By ANTARA News,
Caracas : The presence of two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers in Venezuela is a "warning" to the US "empire," President Hugo Chavez said Thursday, as Washington said it was monitoring the deployment.
"It's a warning. Russia is with us ... we are strategic allies. It is a message to the empire. Venezuela is no longer poor and alone," Chavez was quoted by AFP as saying during a public event Thursday.
Russia, Allies for Security in Central Asia
By Prensa Latina,
Moscow : A powerful military group of CSTO (the Collective Security Treaty Organization) might accomplish political continence in Central Asia, CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordiuzha said.
At a press conference on Friday, Bordiuzha said members of the force would include Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Tadzhikistan and Uzbekistan.
We expect the consent of all these countries to create a powerful, large group gathering brigades, regiments and divisions, including a rapid reaction contingent, he added.
Russia to address militarization of space at UN General Assembly
By RIA Novosti,
United Nations : The demilitarization of space and preventing the glorification of Nazism will be top priorities for the Russian delegation at the UN General Assembly, Russia's envoy to the UN said.
"For us, our draft resolution against militarization of space will be of particular importance," Vitaly Churkin said Tuesday as the 63d session of the General Assembly opened Tuesday at the UN headquarters in New York.
Russia seals ties with Georgia rebels, igniting Western protests
By AFP,
Moscow : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday signed broad cooperation pacts with two rebel regions of Georgia, prompting charges of "annexation" by Tbilisi and fierce condemnation from Washington.
"We will give each other all necessary support, including military support," Medvedev said, after a pomp-filled Kremlin signing ceremony flanked by the separatist leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Grenade blast kills three, injures 19 in Venezuela
By IANS,
Caracas : Three people have been killed and at least 19 wounded when a man hurdled a grenade into a crowd before killing himself in a neighbourhood of Venezuelan capital Caracas, the EFE news agency reported Monday.
The incident occurred in the 23 de enero locality in western Caracas late Saturday when a man identified as Jeferson Jose Urbano, 23, threw the grenade into the crowd from the eighth floor of a building and then jumped to his death.
US market crisis: Lessons from Lehman’s collapse
By Li Bo, Xinhua,
Beijing : The US government's decision to take its hands off the country's fourth largest debt ridden bank Lehman Brothers and let it fall has sent a stark message to other financial institutions.
"Lehman's collapse was earth-shaking news for the world financial market. It blew away the myth that as long as they (the financial institutions) become large and reach far they can beg for government help when in emergency," said Jia Guowen, a financial analyst on a national TV programme.
France to help Brazil build nuclear submarine
By RIA Novosti,
Rio de Janeiro : France will help Brazil build a nuclear-powered submarine to protect vast oil reserves off its coast, the Brazilian defence minister said Tuesday.
Speaking during a large-scale military exercise involving the army, navy and air force, along the Brazilian coast, Nelson Jobim said France will transfer technology to Brazil for building a nuclear submarine.
"We will build the nuclear submarine together. Brazil will be responsible for the conventional part of the project," he said.
Indian trainee pilot killed in Sydney
By Neena Bhandari, IANS,
Sydney : An Indian trainee pilot was killed when his single engine aircraft crashed in Sydney's Luddenham suburb Wednesday evening.
The 20-year-old student from Mumbai, who has not been named, was undertaking pilot training at the Sydney Flight Training Centre in Bankstown, about 30 km from the Sydney Central Business District since January this year, according to the police.
On Aug 27, an Indian trainee pilot from Bangalore had been killed in Melbourne.
Financial crash could deepen food crisis: UN
By DPA,
Rome : Governments should avoid reducing aid to developing countries' agriculture and introducing protectionist trade measures in response to the global financial crisis, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Wednesday.
Such steps could increase the risk of another food crisis occurring next year, Director-General Jacques Diouf of the Rome-based FAO said in a statement.
Another food crisis "could happen despite the record 2008 cereal harvest which is now expected," the statement said.
`I`m not President Bush,` says McCain
By ANTARA News,
Hempstead : Republican White House hopeful John McCain angrily distanced himself Wednesday from the current administration saying he was not President George W. Bush.
"Senator Obama, I'm not President Bush. If you want to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago. I'm going to give a new direction to this economy and this country," McCain was quoted by AFP as telling his Democratic White House rival Barack Obama.
‘Media makes infectious diseases seem much worse’
By IANS,
Toronto : Popular media coverage of infectious diseases make them seem worse than they are, according to a new Canadian study.
Diseases that surface frequently in the print media -like bird flu - are considered more serious than similar diseases that do not receive the same kind of coverage, such as yellow fever, according to the research.
"The media tend to focus on rare and dramatic events," said Meredith Young, co-author and graduate in the department of psychology, neuroscience & behaviour, McMaster University.
Tally of votes in the US Electoral College
By DPA,
Washington : As election results come in, the major US news networks have begun projecting the winners in the presidential election in each state.
The complex electoral college system awards each of the 50 states' and the District of Columbia's electoral votes to the candidate who prevails in the state's popular vote. A candidate needs 270 votes to clinch the White House.
At least two television networks have projected the winner of the following states:
Obama: Votes
Vermont 3
Illinois 21
Maine 4
Connecticut 7
New Jersey 15
Delaware 3
Maryland 10
Washington DC 3
New York to cut 3,000 government jobs: reports
By DPA,
New York : Hard economic realities are hitting New York City, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg deciding Thursday to cut City Hall's workforce by 3,000 and end contracts of 1,000 police officers, news reports said.
Bloomberg also plans to raise income tax for residents by either 7.5 percent or 15 percent, depending on their incomes.
IEA urges huge investment in oil industry
By Xinhua,
Paris : The oil industry needs "massive investment" to ward off a possible energy crisis in the next 20 years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned.
"The immediate risk to supply is not one of a lack of global resources, but rather a lack of investment where it is needed," the agency Thursday said in a summary of its annual World Energy Outlook report to be published next week.
"Massive investment in energy infrastructure will be needed" to raise production capacity to meet increasing demands, the report said.
US automakers plead for bail-out with skeptical Congress
By DPA,
Washington : Chiefs of the three US automakers went before Congress Tuesday seeking an emergency injection of government money to stave off bankruptcies that could cost the US economy millions of jobs.
The so-called Big Three - General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler LLC - are asking for $25 billion from the $700-billion financial rescue package passed in October, arguing that the ongoing credit crisis has pushed their already struggling industry to the brink of collapse.
Brazil rejects US interference in South American Defence Council
By Xinhua,
Rio De Janerio : Brazil has rejected possible US interference in the South American Defence Council which will be formed next year.
"It is not necessary for South America to import the US model and the region is capable of creating its own defence system," Brazil's Defence Minister Nelson Jobim told reporters Thursday after the 5th International Security Conference in Rio de Janeiro.
The South American Defence Council will be formed among the member countries of the South American Union of Nations (Unasur) in early 2009 following the ratification of the Unasur members.
Economic situation is ‘very grim’: Chinese president
By DPA,
Lima : Chinese President Hu Jintao, addressing business leaders Friday in Lima ahead of the annual APEC Leaders' Meeting, said that the current economic crisis presents the world with a major challenge.
"The situation is very grim," Hu said.
The crisis has spread "from some areas of the world to the entire globe, from developed countries to emerging countries and from the financial sector to the real economy," he said.
Hu addressed the APEC CEO summit in Lima, ahead of the weekend's Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
China hails Obama’s economic team, pledges cooperation
By Xinhua,
Beijing : China Tuesday congratulated Obama's economic team, saying the country would like to work with the new administration to promote bilateral ties.
"We noticed that US President-elect Barack Obama had nominated some members of his government, and we express congratulations to them," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular press briefing here.
"We would like to strengthen cooperation with them so as to further promote the Sino-US friendly and constructive cooperation in a wide range of fields," he said.
Obama names fifth player to lead ‘imperative’ budget reform
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Describing the budget reform as an imperative and not an option, US president-elect Barack Obama Tuesday nominated Congressional Budget Office chief Peter Orszag to be the director of the White House budget office.
"In these challenging times, when we are facing both rising deficits and a sinking economy, budget reform is not an option. It is an imperative," Obama said introducing the fifth major player of his economic team to deal with America's worst economic crisis in decades.
Bodies of Israeli rabbi, wife among five found in Nariman House
By IANS,
Mumbai : The bodies of an Israeli rabbi and his wife were among the five bodies found by Indian commandos at the Jewish centre of Nariman House here Friday evening after a fierce gunbattle with terrorists.
The bodies were found by the National Security Guards (NSG) in the five-storeyed Nariman House or Chabad House Friday evening.
"Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, the directors of Chabad-Lubavitch of Mumbai, were killed during one of the worst terrorist attacks to strike India in recent memory," the Jewish site chabad.org news said.
US withdraws support for power-sharing deal in Zimbabwe
By DPA,
Pretoria : The US Sunday said it could no longer support the planned power-sharing deal for Zimbabwe that would see Robert Mugabe retain the presidency. It also pledged to continue sanctions on Mugabe and those close to him.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer, speaking in neighbouring South Africa Sunday, said the US has lost confidence in Mugabe. She added he was "completely out of touch" and responsible for having turned Zimbabwe into a "failed state".
Cheney defends policies during “war on terror”
By KUNA,
Washington : Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday defended the Bush administration's controversial policies on detainees, terrorist surveillance and intelligence gathering as justified during the "war on terror.
" In an interview on Fox News, Cheney said the Bush administration's policies were the main reason the country has not had a terrorist attack in seven years. He said he believed President George W. Bush exercised legitimate constitutional authority to help defend the nation and disagreed with calls to limit presidential authority.
Clinton wins Ohio, McCain clinches Republican nod
By DPA
Washington : Hillary Clinton won Ohio in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, ending rival Barack Obama's 11-state string of victories, while John McCain captured the Republican nomination with wins in all four states voting.
Clinton, 60, held a commanding lead over Obama of 56 percent to 42 percent in Ohio with more than 80 percent of the votes counted while the two remained neck-and-neck in the other key contest in Texas.
The two rivals split Tuesday's small-state primaries with Obama winning Vermont and Clinton taking Rhode Island.
Crunch EU referendum vote tonight
By KUNA
London : The long-awaited House of Commons debate and vote on whether to hold a referendum on the EU treaty takes place this evening, it was announced Wednesday.
The main opposition Conservatives' call for a referendum is backed by some nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales in the House of Commons along with some opposition Liberal Democrats and Labour MPs.
Labour MPs have been told to oppose it; Liberal Democrats have been told to abstain.
Politician shot ahead of Spanish poll
By DPA
San Sebastian (Spain) : A former Socialist councillor was shot dead Friday in the Basque town of Arrasate two days before Spain's general elections, officials said.
Isaias Carrasco, 42, was shot at least three times in the neck and elsewhere on leaving his house.
The Spanish government had raised terrorism alert in view of a possible attack by the militant Basque separatist group ETA.
The attack occurred on the last day of the electoral campaign, during which ETA has staged two bomb blasts that caused no injuries.
Thatcher taken to London hospital for tests: official
By AFP
London : Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has been admitted to a London hospital where she is in a "stable" condition, its spokeswoman said Saturday.
Thatcher, 82, is expected to spend the night at Saint Thomas' Hospital in central London, to which she was reportedly driven from her home in the capital late Friday for precautionary tests.
Inflation in China at 12-year high
By Xinhua
Beijing : China's consumer price index (CPI), the main inflation indicator, rose 8.7 percent in February over the same time last year, the highest in nearly 12 years.
In May 1996, the CPI touched a record 8.9 percent. The index rose by an annual rate of 14.11 percent from 1992 to 1996, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Tuesday.
The February figure was much higher than market estimate. The Bank of China, one of the country's major lenders, predicted a rise of 8.3 percent in February.
UNESCO Ditches Reporters Without Borders
By Prensa Latina
Paris : The United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) withdrew its patronage for today´s Online Free Expression Day, sponsored by the French non-government organization Reporters Without Border (RSF).
A UNESCO diplomatic source told Prensa Latina on Wednesday that the UN body had made the decision based on RSF´s "reiterated lack of ethics" and its attempts to discredit a given number of countries.
World Kidney Day promotes awareness
By Xinhua
Beijing : World Kidney Day is observed Thursday to bring to the public's awareness the growing threat kidney diseases pose to peoples all over the world.
It was launched in 2006 through the joint initiative of the International Federation of Kidney Foundations and the International Society of Nephrology.
Bush asks China to have a dialogue with Dalai Lama
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : As protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in Tibet turned violent, US President George Bush reiterated his call to Beijing to have a dialogue with the Dalai Lama.
Regretting "the tensions between ethnic groups and Beijing," White Hose spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters Friday: "We believe Beijing needs to respect Tibetan culture, they need to respect multi-ethnicity in their society."
Aid agencies highlight deteriorating situation in Somalia
By DPA
Geneva : Aid agencies worldwide appealed Wednesday to the international community to focus on Somalia, where they said the humanitarian situation in Somalia was rapidly deteriorating.
Growing numbers of people were in need, but aid agencies were less and less able to respond adequately, 39 international organisations warned in a joint letter published Wednesday.
"There is a growing climate of fear and uncertainty in most of Somalia," the letter said. "Previously safe areas are now becoming inaccessible due to spreading insecurity."
Oil major BP recalls 148 employees from Russia
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : A total of 148 employees of Britain's BP working in Russia for TNK-BP have been recalled from Russia due to problems with registration, the Russian-British venture has said.
"We confirm that 148 employees of BP have been recalled from TNK-BP. The reason for their recall is that the status of their stay in Russia has not been fully regulated in line with Russian migration laws," a TNK-BP spokesperson said.
Sri Lankan military says 2 police officers killed in blast
By SPA
Colombo, Sri Lanka : A roadside bomb attack blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels killed two police officers and injured Four others as they carried out a patrol Wednesday in Eastern Sri Lanka, the military said.
About 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, suspected rebels detonated a mine planted alongside a road in the Batticaloa district as a police patrol passed, the military said in a statement.
The blast instantly killed two of the officers, the military was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
No missile shield talks with Poles, Czechs: Russian envoy
By RIA Novosti
Brussels : Russia will discuss contentious US plans to deploy a missile shield in central Europe only with Washington, not with host countries Poland and the Czech Republic, Moscow's NATO envoy has said.
The US intends to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic, which it says will provide defence against 'rogue states' such as Iran, plans that Moscow views as a direct threat to its own security.
Answering a reporter's question in Brussels Friday, Dmitry Rogozin said: "We will talk with the US, but not with the Poles and the Czechs."
Gambling makes Macau richest place in Asia
By DPA
Hong Kong : Surging gambling revenue and investments in luxury hotels and the entertainment industry has made the former Portuguese enclave of Macau Asia's richest territory, a media report said Saturday.
Macau has overtaken other locations such as Singapore, Brunei and Japan to take the top spot after gross domestic product (GDP) per capita surged 27 percent to $36,357 last year, according to Macau government figures.
Outspoken Kremlin dissident reported missing in Berlin
By IRNA
Berlin : A Russian artist and Kremlin critic has been reported missing in Berlin for more than a week, the press said.
Police halted the search for Anna Mikhalchuk on Friday without any clear lead.
However, the investigation on the whereabouts of the 52-year-old dissident who is married to Russian philosopher Michail Ryklin, will continue, Berlin police spokesman Bernhard Schodrowski was quoted saying.
There are no signs for a politically motivated crime, added Schodrowski.
Climate change talks convene in Bangkok
By DPA
Bangkok : UN-sponsored climate change talks designed to take the Bali Road Map for cutting carbon emissions a step further began here Monday.
The meeting comes three months after a landmark agreement reached in Bali to set a road map for strengthening international action on climate change.
It is tasked with setting the work programme for negotiations to be concluded by the end of 2009 on concrete plans to halt the increase in global carbon emissions by 2015 and dramatically cut them by 2050.
Lhasa violence part of Dalai clique’s plot: China
By Xinhua
Beijing : China said Tuesday there are proofs that the March 14 Lhasa violence was part of the "Tibetan people's uprising movement" staged by the Dalai Lama clique.
The "movement" aimed at creating a crisis in China by coordinated sabotage in Tibet, interior ministry spokesman Wu Heping told a press conference.
He said that police have captured the primary suspects who allegedly organized, planned and participated in the March 14 violence in Tibet's capital city.
"The suspects are closely connected with the Dalai clique," he said.
Ugandan rebels delay peace deal signing to end 20-year war
By DPA
Kampala (Uganda) : The leader of Uganda's notorious Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has set April 10 as the new date to sign a peace treaty that would bring an end to a two-decade-long civil conflict in the north, government officials said Tuesday.
The Ugandan government and the LRA have been involved in the peace negotiations since mid-2006 under the mediation of southern Sudan's leaders and the two sides were to sign a final deal this week to end the 22-year rebellion.
Australian police search for 18 stolen baby crocs
By RIA Novosti
Auckland : Police are searching for thieves who stole a total of 18 baby crocodiles from a farm in northern Australia, local media said on Friday.
A group of thieves entered the farm in the Darwin region earlier this week and took the saltwater crocodiles, measuring about 37 centimeters (14 inches) in length, the national newspaper The Australian reported.
Each of the reptiles is worth about $1,000 on the black market, police said.
Court to rule on Zimbabwe result
By IRNA
Pretoria : A Zimbabwean High Court judge is set to rule on a petition by the opposition demanding the immediate release of the country's recent election results.
The judge said he would first consider the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's (ZEC) argument that his court did not have jurisdiction in the case.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said he defeated President Robert Mugabe in the presidential election.
No results have yet emerged from the March 29 presidential voting.
Boeing’s Dreamliner delayed to autumn 2009
By DPA
Washington/Seattle : The US plane maker Boeing Wednesday announced another delay in the launch of its long-range, fuel-efficient Dreamliner 787 jet, with the first now expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2009.
The Dreamliner 787 was originally supposed to be ready for its commercial launch this May. The postponement is the third delay in the launch.
Delays for Chicago-based Boeing could come close to those experienced by European rival Airbus, which saw delays of 18 months for its A380 super-jumbo.
Eu Parliament calls on EU to adopt common stance to attend Olympic games or...
By KUNA
Brussels : The European Parliament condemned here today the repression by the Chinese security forces in Tibet and demanded an independent inquiry.
Kosovo plans to open 20 embassies abroad this year
By RIA Novosti
Belgrade : Kosovo authorities plan to open 20 embassies abroad, the deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed state, Hajredin Kuci, said.
Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence Feb 17, adopting a new national flag and national emblem.
The province's sovereignty has so far been formally recognised by 36 countries, including the US and most European Union (EU) members. Russia and China have consistently backed Belgrade's position that Kosovo must remain a part of Serbia.
S. Korean Firm to Buy Mexican Copper Mine
By Prensa Latina,
Seoul : Thirty percent of the biggest copper mine in Mexico will be purchased Friday by a consortium led by South Korean state agency Korea Resources (KORES), reported news agency Yonhap here Thursday.
KORES assured the purchase agreement would be signed with Canadian enterprise Baja Mining Corporation in Washington.
The Baja Mining Corporation will invest 246 million dollars for a deposit in El Boleo, South Baja California.
Half of Britons want immigrants to leave: BBC poll
By IANS,
London : Half of all Britons think immigrants should be encouraged to leave Britain, a BBC poll said Friday.
And almost two-thirds of people in Britain fear race relations are so poor that tensions are likely to spill over into violence.
Of the 1,000 people polled, 60 percent said Britain had too many immigrants.
In addition, 49 percent said that the government should encourage immigrants to leave Britain, compared to 43 percent who said they should not and eight percent who did not know or declined to answer.
Tibetan exiles to celebrate Panchen Lama’s birthday
By IANS,
Dharamsala : Tibetan refugees here will celebrate the 19th birthday of the Panchen Lama April 25, a spokesman of the Tibetan government-in-exile said here Wednesday.
"There will be an early morning prayer congregation in Dharamsala to be led by monks and then they will perform Sangsol (incense offering)," the official said.
Association of Cuban Residents in Russia Created
By Prensa Latina,
Moscow : The fight against the US blockade and for the release of five Cuban anti-terrorists imprisoned in that country are permanent tasks of the Association of Cuban Residents established in Russia.
Addressing about one hundred people at the Cuban embassy in Moscow, Ambassador Jorge Marti highlighted that the defense of the country is the first duty of those morally and spiritually committed to the homeland.
He denounced the aggressive police unsuccessfully maintained by US governments for nearly 50 years, and reinforced by the Bush administration.
At least 29 dead as bus plunges into river in Peru
By RIA Novosti,
Buenos-Aires : At least 29 people were killed when a coach skidded off a mountain road in the Andes, plunging some 100-meters (300-feet) into the river below, the ANDINA news agency reported on Thursday.
There were around 50 people onboard the coach at the time of the accident, which happened a short distance from the country's capital, Peru. Initial reports say that thick fog may have been to blame.
"A total of 29 bodies have been found, and 15 people injured in the accident have been taken to hospital," a police spokesman told the agency.
LatAm Protests US Immigration Raids
By Prensa Latina,
San Salvador : Latin Americans living in the US will protest today the detention of several immigrants in the City of Richmond, Virginia, Salvadorian members of the Virginia Immigrant People"s Coalition announced.
They will march against a raid carried out by federal agents yesterday, ending up in the arrest of 33 people from Central American countries, including several Salvadorians, who worked in a construction business, according to La Prensa Grafica daily.
No foreign casualties reported in earthquake: China
By Xinhua,
Beijing : No foreign casualties have been reported after the strongest quake in China in three decades jolted the southwestern province of Sichuan Monday, a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
"We have received no report of foreign casualties so far," spokesman Qin Gang told a regular press conference here.
He said the ministry would promptly release such information to related embassies and consulates in China as soon as it gets any such news.
Zambian opposition says not to U-turn on reconciliation with gov’t
By Xinhua,
Lusaka : Leader of Zambia's opposition Patriotic Front (PF) Michael Sata said Friday that he will not U-turn on his reconciliation deal with Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, according to local media Saturday.
PF secretary general Edward Mumbi said the shift in Sata's policy regarding his reconciliation with President Mwanawasa represented the party position. Sata met President Mwanawasa at State House Wednesday to thank him for facilitating his evacuation to South Africa for treatment following his severe heart attack two weeks ago.
Nepali PM for coalition gov’t
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Saturday called for the political parties to work united and to form a coalition government, local newspaper The Rising Nepal reported on Sunday.
Inaugurating Srimati Ganga Devi Chaudhari Cathlabs at Norvic International Hospital in Nepali capital Kathmandu, Prime Minister Koirala said the Constituent Assembly (CA) election results had given a message to the parties that they should work united.
Bus falls off Nepal road third day in a row
By IANS,
Kathmandu : Another bus skidded off the road and fell into a river in Nepal Wednesday, the third such accident in as many days.
While the toll in the accidents Monday and Tuesday soared to 50, a passenger bus starting out from Gulariya, the main town in remote Bardiya district in farwestern Nepal, plunged into the swirling Karnali river.
Police and local residents rescued 25 passengers while some were still missing, private television station Sagarmatha Television said.
Obama Moving into Clear Lead
By Prensa Latina,
Washington : Senator Barack Obama (D.-Ill.) heads towards winning the Democratic candidature after his split win with Hillary Clinton in Oregon and Kentucky primaries.
Obama scored 16 points in Oregon and the ex first lady 32 in Kentucky yet Real Clear Politics on-line says Obama won at least 42 of the 103 delegates matching majority popular vote.
Obama, 46, regards his 182 lead on Clinton with 1957 commissioners a clear popular message, which he defined in Iowa as a sign to get 200 undecided superdelegates.
More than 30 killed in Tuareg rebel attack in Mali
By SPA,
Bamako : Tuareg rebels attacked an army camp in northeastern Mali and 17 rebels and 15 government soldiers were killed in one of the bloodiest clashes to date in a revolt by the desert insurgents, the government said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
A Defence Ministry statement said an "armed band" assaulted the camp at Abebara, 150 km (90 miles) from Kidal during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday in Mali's remote northeast, where
Tuareg fighters have carried out a series of raids and ambushes.
8 missing after small ship sunk in Indonesia
By Xinhua,
Jakarta : Eight people on board have gone missing after a small fishing ship sunk in the waters off Brebes town of Central Java province in Indonesia since Monday, rescue team said on Tuesday.
A rescuer from the town Ade Daniraharjo said that searching for those missing was underway on Tuesday.
"Eight people went missing on Monday, we keep searching them," he told Xinhua in a telephone interview.
The rescuer said that the cause of the accident was the ages of the wooden ship, in which the woods have been decomposed.
4 police wounded in car explosion in breakaway Georgian region
By SPA,
Tbilisi, Georgia : An official says four police officers have been wounded by an explosion in the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, AP reported.
Spokeswoman Irina Gagloyeva of the region's unrecognized government says the Thursday morning blast hit a car that one of the wounded officers had received from a Georgian person.
She alleges the blast was a terrorist attack staged by Georgian security agents.
Also Thursday, a grenade hit a car carrying law enforcement officers in another part of South Ossetia, critically wounding one.
Sri Lanka: UN condemns attacks on civilians
By NNN-UNNS,
Colombo : The United Nations’ top humanitarian official Thursday condemned the continuing targeting of civilians during fighting in Sri Lanka, saying that more than 200 civilian lives have been lost in the country since the beginning of the year.
“The targeting of non-combatants is a contravention of international humanitarian law, for which those responsible must be held accountable,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said. “This despicable behaviour must stop,” he added.
Indigenous people in Colombia release military hostages
By DPA,
Bogota : A group of indigenous people in Colombia released four military officers and six secret service agents they were holding hostage, after security forces killed two members of the indigenous community.
Columbia's Cauca province Governor Guillermo Gonzalez confirmed the releases Friday.
The 10 members of the security forces were detained Thursday, after two siblings were killed near the south-western town of Corinto by security forces fighting leftist rebels.
Japan, S korea call for int’l efforts to tackle terrorism, Korea nukes
By Xinhua,
Singapore : Japanese Defense Minister ShigeruIshiba told an Asian security conference here Saturday that his country will work harder for the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by exerting further efforts for continuing the Six-Party Talks.
He made the remarks at the 7th Asian Security Summit hosted by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
He said, "Japan does not have any plan whatsoever to become a nuclear power today or in the future," adding that "It is not nuclear armament that Japan should pursue."
Fujimori recovering from tongue lesion removal
By Xinhua,
Lima : Peruvian former President Alberto Fujimori is "satisfactorily" recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous lesion from his tongue, oncologist Doctor Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.
"Fujimori's health is satisfactory, his post-operation evolution is very good and he will leave the Lima cancer hospital in the next hours", Sanchez said. Fujimori, 69, underwent the operation Thursday.
Sanchez said Fujimori needs periodic checkups to make sure the lesion does not return.
Colombians arrested over plans to kill Ecuadorian President Correa
By DPA,
Quito/Bogota : Ecuadorian police arrested three Colombians and one Ecuadorian citizen in connection with alleged plans to kill Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa, Ecuadorian Attorney General Washington Pesantez said Friday.
Initial reports said the Colombians had links to extreme-right paramilitary groups in their own country. However, Colombian authorities said they are drug traffickers with ties to the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Jindal again downplays VP talk, says he is happy where he is
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Louisiana's Indian American Governor Bobby Jindal has once again discounted speculation that John McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee, may pick him as his running mate, saying he's currently focused on his current job.
"The speculation is flattering. I've talked to the senator several times. We've never talked about the topic," Jindal said Sunday on "Face the Nation" on CBS. He was one of a handful of potential candidates who spent Memorial Day weekend at the Sedona, Arizona home of McCain.
Protesters release police hostages in Peru
By IANS,
Lima : Some 50 police officers being held hostage inside a Catholic church in the southern Peruvian city of Moquegua by protesting residents have been released, EFE news reported Wednesday.
The residents, who have been protesting for the last eight days demanding a bigger share of mining revenue, released the police personnel late Tuesday following an appeal by a group of mayors from Moquegua province.
The policemen led by General Alberto Jordan were transferred to the Moquegua airport soon after their release.
Zimbabwe opposition leader charged with treason
By DPA,
Johannesburg/Harare : Tendai Biti, an outspoken leader of Zimbabwe's opposition, has been officially charged with treason in a Harare court.
Arrested June 12 at Harare International Airport on arrival from South Africa, Biti was also charged with disseminating false information, slandering the country's president and undermining morale within the armed forces. He was charged after a week in detention.
If found guilty, he faces the death penalty.
Qantas Cancels Flights Over Engineers Pay Dispute
By Bernama,
Melbourne : Six Qantas flights from Sydney and Melbourne have been cancelled today (Monday) as engineers prepare to walk off the job in three states.
The airline has been forced to cancel another 18 flights tomorrow as engineers step up industrial action that threatens to continue for weeks.
Tomorrow's cancelled flights affect Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airports.
Engineers will walk off the job for up to four hours at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns airports today and tomorrow over a pay dispute.
World needs $30 bn to feed itself evey year: FAO chief
By DPA,
Innsbruck (Austria) : Up to $30 billion are needed annually to guarantee that the world population will be sufficiently fed up to 2050, the head of the UN food organization has said ahead of an international conference.
European countries, development banks and the World Bank had pledged 7 billion euros (about $10.88 billion) at a summit meeting on food security in Rome in early June, Austrian news agency APA reported Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director General Jacques Diouf as saying here Wednesday.
Niger Guerrillas Free French Uranium Company Hostages
By Abdoulaye Massaslatchi, ANTARA News/Reuters,
Niamey : Tuareg-led guerrillas in Niger handed over four French hostages to the Red Cross on Wednesday, three days after they seized them in the north of the country, the group and the Red Cross said.
"We have just handed over, in a safe location ... the four French nationals to the Red Cross," the rebel Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) said in a statement posted on its website http://m-n-j.blogspot.com.
Many New York teenagers victims of sexual violence: survey
By IANS,
New York : A survey of 1,300 high school students here has revealed that 16.2 percent of them have been subjected to sexual violence, and in most cases the victims knew the perpetrators.
The three-year, comprehensive survey of students aged between 13 and 21 years, with 15 or 16-year-olds being in the majority, found that 16.2 percent of the teenagers had suffered sexual violence - a much higher figure than the national average of 7 to 10.2 percent.
Visitor tears head off Hitler wax statue
By DPA,
Berlin : A man tore the head off a wax statue of Adolf Hitler in Berlin Saturday, minutes after the new branch of the Madame Tussauds wax-work museum chain opened for the first time to the public.
German police said the man, 41, was detained.
The decision by London-based Madame Tussauds, part of the Merlin Entertainments company, to include Hitler in the 75-figure museum has roused fierce passions in the German capital.
Colombian rebels set to release four hostages
By DPA
Caracas : Two helicopters identified with Red Cross symbols left Venezuela Wednesday and were heading for Colombia, to pick up four hostages set to be released by the Colombian guerrilla group.
Venezuelan television reported that the helicopters took off from Santo Domingo, in the Venezuelan state of Tachira - bordering Colombia. Venezuelan Interior Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin and Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba were part of the delegation, the TV channel Globovision said.
Nepal’s Terai leaders optimistic of deal with government
By Xinhua
Kathmandu : United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), an umbrella organization of parties of Nepal's Terai region agitating for autonomy, Thursday expressed optimism of reaching an agreement with the government.
Talking to reporters as they prepared to hold talks with government representatives, leader of Terai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) Hridayesh Tripathy said: "We hope not to return empty handed today but bring the package (of agreement) with us."
China forms top-level leading group for Olympics preparations
By APP
Beijing : China has formed a top-level leading group for the preparations of the Beijing Olympic Games headed by Xi Jinping, a senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said an official with the Games’ organizing committee on Wednesday.
Xi is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
‘Sabotage in Lhasa masterminded by Dalai clique’
By Xinhua
Lhasa : The government of the Tibet Autonomous Region has said that there had been enough evidence to prove that the recent sabotage in Lhasa was "organized, premeditated and masterminded" by the Dalai clique.
The violence, involving beating, smashing, looting and burning, has disrupted the public order and jeopardized people's lives and property, an official with the regional government said.
The sabotage has been strongly condemned by people of all ethnic groups in Tibet, he said in an interview with Xinhua.
UN Human Rights Council affirms improvement of human rights situation in Sudan
By NNN-SUNA
Geneva : The UN Human Rights Council has unanimously approved an draft resolution on the human rights situation in Sudan, which referred to the improvement in the human rights situation in the country on the light of the positive developments in Darfur.
The resolution was considered objective and came far away from politicization and selectivity.
The draft resolution was sponsored by the African Group through consultation and contacts with the European Group and the backing of Russia, China and Cuba.
French premier visits Japanese nuclear plant
By SPA
Tokyo : France's prime minister toured a nuclear reprocessing plant in northern Japan on Saturday, hailing the facility as a symbol of friendship between the two countries and vowing to take global leadership in promoting nuclear power as a solution to climate change.
Francois Fillon made a day trip to a nuclear reprocessing plant that uses technology from France's state-run nuclear giant Areva. The plant, located in the village of Rokkasho, is in the final phase of testing and is to begin full operations next month.
UN Demands Immediate Food Actions
By Prensa Latina,
Vienna : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon demanded on Friday that the international community take immediate action to face the food crisis unleashed by the rise in prices.
He said 100 million people suffer hunger, and recalled the call by the World Food Program to release additional $775 million to finance current humanitarian missions.
The UN secretary general will preside over a closed-door meeting in Berne on Monday and Tuesday, among the director councils of 27 UN agencies and organizations to analyze that issue.
Sri Lanka bus blast kills at least 26
By RIA Novosti,
New Delhi : At least 26 people have died following a parcel bomb explosion on a commuter bus during the Friday afternoon rush hour on the outskirts of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, and dozens are injured.
Two of passengers died in hospital on Saturday morning from injuries sustained in the explosion, which has been blamed by the Sri Lankan government and military on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) separatist group.
Russia to launch latest ballistic missiles
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia will conduct nine test launches of the latest version of its ballistic missile in the current year.
"One of the main tasks for us in 2008 is to test new (ballistic) missile systems and to extend the service life of the existing arsenals," Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) commander General Nikolai Solovtsov said Monday.
Red cross shipment sinks on Way to myanmar disaster zone
By ANTARA News,
Geneva : The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) said its first aid shipment to cyclone-hit Myanmar sank Sunday after hitting a submerged tree while travelling by river.
The crew and four Myanmar Red Cross workers managed to reach safety but relief supplies intended to help around 1,000 people were lost, Geneva-based IFRC said in a statement.
Efforts were under way to salvage some of the supplies.
12 killed in violent clashes in Mexico
By DPA,
Mexico City : Violent clashes left 12 people - seven police officers and five civilians - dead in the Mexican state of Sinaloa early Tuesday, police said.
The police officers were killed as they chased a group of armed men who had killed three young men on a street corner in the city of Culiacan, the authorities said.
On Monday, four police officers were found dead near Culiacan. They had been kidnapped on May 1, and their bodies showed signs of having been tortured.
Macedonia’s ruling coalition leads elections
By Xinhua,
Skopje : Macedonia's ruling alliance led the country's elections with ballots from 736 of the total of 2,976 polling stations counted, initial results showed on Sunday.
The coalition of For Better Macedonia led by Nikola Gruevksi's VMRO-DPMNE has won 56,507 votes, while the opposition coalition Sun-coalition for Europe led by the Social Democrats won 26,510 votes.
The main ethnic Albanian opposition party, the Democratic Union for Integration, got 16,925 votes, while the ruling Democratic Party of Albanians harvested 22,538 votes.
UK MPs voice concern at speculators driving up energy prices
By IRNA,
London : MPs are calling on the British government to examine the scale and impact of speculative commodity trading in driving up energy prices.
An Early Day Motion in the British parliament, raised by leader of the Irish nationalist SDLP Party, Mark Durkam, expressed concern that "speculation for profit could be a significant factor driving energy price rises."
New Italian Government A ‘Boost’ for EU: Minister
By AFP,
Rome : The return to power of Italian media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi is a boon for the European Union, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Saturday.
Italy and France "can work together to reinforce the political thrust of the European Union," he told AFP nearly two months after elections returned the right-wing Berlusconi, 71, to power for a third time since 1994.
Former envoy of Indonesia to Malaysia jailed for corruption
By Xinhua,
Jakarta : Former Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Roesdihardjo was sentenced to two years in jail here on Wednesday for having collected illegal levies on immigration documents at the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
The sentence was handed down to Roesdihardjo, the former police chief, by a panel of judges at the Corruption Criminal Court.
Presiding judge Moerdiono said Roesihardjo had been proven guilty of committing corruption by Law 20 / 2001 on Eradication of Corruption in conjunction with Article 55 point (1) and Article 64of the Criminal Code.
Africans Urged to Create Bank of South
By Prensa Latina,
Yamoussoukro : President of Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo proposed on Wednesday to create a Bank of the South in the continent, similar to that in Latin America, to fight world poverty.
According to Gbagbo, the body must be funded from a special tax on raw material exports by developing nations, to be created by his country.
During the summit of the G-77, the president and host said his plan would help finance the international expansion of a bank baring the same name as that launched last year by his Venezuelan peer Hugo Chavez.
Junta’s aid rules delay Myanmar cyclone relief: HRW
By AFP,
Bangkok : New guidelines adopted by Myanmar's ruling generals are further delaying emergency efforts to deliver aid to regions ravaged by the cyclone, human rights experts said.
The rules, issued on Monday, require UN and other aid groups to receive formal permission from Myanmar authorities to travel and to distribute aid.
Bush team vows to work for n-deal till the last day
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : The Bush administration has vowed to work till the last day to get the stalled India-US civil nuclear deal approved by the US Congress, while hoping the next administration too would want to move forward with it.
"The bottom line is, from now until Jan 20, we'll continue to work to support this agreement," said State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey Tuesday, noting that each passing day leaves less time to complete the voting process.
Zimbabwe president says he is ‘open’ to talks
By DPA,
Harare : Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has said he is "open" to negotiations, but only after Friday's presidential run-off election, according to state media in Zimbabwe.
The state-controlled daily Herald Wednesday quoted Mugabe as saying that he was "open to negotiations with anyone, but the logical process has to be followed to its logical conclusion."
Yahoo to name Carol Bartz as CEO: Report
By Xinhua,
San Francisco : Yahoo Inc. is expected to name Carol Bartz, former head of software company Autodesk, as its next chief executive officer (CEO), Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Bartz, 60, has accepted Yahoo's offer, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the situation.
The offer caps Yahoo's two-month search for a leader to succeed Jerry Yang, its co-founder and former CEO, who oversaw the company through an acquisition offer from Microsoft and activist investor Carl Icahn's failed attempt to replace the Yahoo board.
Sudan peace agreement in peril, UN warns
By DPA,
New York : The comprehensive peace agreement between the Sudanese government and southern Sudan would unravel unless the two sides take steps to implement it, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday in an progress report.
The 2005 agreement ended a decades-long civil war between the Muslim-led Khartoum government and Christian groups in the south, with the inclusion of southern leaders in the Khartoum government. But key benchmarks in the deal remain unfulfilled, including north-south border demarcation, disarmament and census.
Panama Canal forecasts drop in tonnage due to recession
By IANS,
Panama City : The Panama Canal Authority has forecast a five-percent drop in cargo tonnage going through the waterway in the 2008-09 fiscal year as cargo transit has been badly hit by the ongoing economic crisis, EFE reported Tuesday.
The authority, known as the ACP, said Monday it was expecting a five-percent fall in transit volume this year to 294.1 million tonnes, nearly 19.9 million tonnes less than that of the previous year.
14 killed in Chile helicopter crash
By IANS,
Santiago : Fourteen firefighters and other emergency personnel died when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed in Chile's Chanco area, the local media reported Monday.
The accident occurred about 5 p.m. (2000 GMT) Sunday in Chanco, 440 km south of the Chilean capital, when employees of Celco firm were being transported to the La Vega sector of the Maule region to fight a forest fire there, EFE reported.
The acting governor of the Maule region, Maria del Carmen Perez, and the Cauquenes attorney general, Hector de la Fuente, confirmed the incident.
Indo-Canadian MP in steamy controversy
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : Young Indian Canadian MP Ruby Dhalla, listed third on the list of sexiest women politicians in the world by Maxim magazine, is in the centre of a steamy controversy.
Dhalla, who is the MP from the Brampton-Springdale constituency on the outskirts of Toronto, is in a legal battle to stop distribution of DVDs of a Bollywood movie she acted in in 2003 before her election to parliament.
In the film "Kyon Kis Liye", Dhalla is shown in some steamy scenes with the film's producer and co-star Charanjit Sihra.
Israeli forces open fire at farmers, journalists
By KUNA,
GAZA : Israeli Army forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers and foreign journalists and supporters in the southern parts of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The attack, which took place in the small town of Absan near Khan Younis, did not cause casualties, head of the Ambulance and Emergency Department in the Palestinian Health Ministry Moawiya Hasanain told KUNA.
Foreign supporters had accompanied Palestinian farmers to their farms to harvest their crops.
World powers agree UN draft statement on North Korea
By RIA Novosti,
New York : The world powers have agreed on a UN Security Council draft statement condemning North Korea's rocket launch, diplomats said Sunday.
The five permanent members of the council and Japan agreed Saturday to the draft statement seen as a compromise between the supporters of tough measures against North Korea and restrained response to the communist regime's rocket launch.
According to the draft, the UN Security Council condemns the rocket launch by North Korea, which is in contravention of Security Council Resolution 1718.
Tamils protest outside Australian PM’s home
By Xinhua,
Canberra : Over 100 Tamil protesters converged outside the Australian prime minister's Canberra residence Tuesday and demanded that Australia play a greater role in efforts to end violence in Sri Lanka.
The protesters wanted Australia to use diplomatic channels to push for a permanent cease-fire in the conflict between Sri Lankan government forces and Tamil rebels.
"We have the right to ask the (prime minister) to stop the genocide," said the group's spokesman, Mahendran Ratmam.
Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said the situation in Sri Lanka was terrible.
ANC celebrates victory in South Africa polls
BY DPA,
Johannesburg : Champagne flowed on the streets of Johannesburg Thursday evening as South Africa's ruling African National Congress celebrated its expected victory in Wednesday's general elections with a mass street party, even as votes were still being counted.
Swine flu outbreak a ‘concern’ not alarm: Obama
By DPA,
Washington : President Barack Obama said he was closely watching an outbreak of swine flu in the US, where 20 cases have so far been identified, but urged people to remain calm.
"This is obviously a cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert, but it's not a cause for alarm," Obama said in a speech at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington.
Obama said he was getting "regular updates" from US authorities about the disease, which is believed to have killed more than 100 people in Mexico and prompted health alerts across the globe.
Bush’s 100 days: $100 mn raised for library
By IANS,
Washington : President Barack Obama has achieved a lot in 100 days but his predecessor is not sitting idle either. Former president George W. Bush's supporters have raised more than $100 million for a library that will house his official papers.
His longtime financial backers have raised the money for a presidential library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas that will house his official papers, the web edition of the Time newsmagazine said, quoting sources close to the 43rd president.
Handwriting can unravel real you with help of computerised tool
By IANS,
Washington : Down the ages, experts and laymen have been trying to crack the handwriting code in a bid to detect one's personality traits or gauge their innocence in criminal cases.
Although once dismissed as a pseudo-science, now researchers are discovering that a computerised tool can help them gauge handwriting characteristics more effectively.
Researchers led by Gil Luria and Sara Rosenblum of University of Haifa utilised a computerised tablet that measured the physical properties of the subject's handwriting, which are difficult to consciously control.
No new Unesco head after first round of voting
By DPA,
Paris : Controversial Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosny failed to get the necessary majority late Thursday in the first round of voting to find a successor to outgoing Unesco director general Koichiro Matsuura.
According to diplomats close to Unesco, the 71-year-old Hosny received 22 votes from the 58 members of the organisation's executive council, well short of a majority.
In the run-up to the vote, Hosny and many observers had credited him with as many as 32 votes, enough to be elected to the post.
IOC, Brazil to draw up plan of action for Rio 2016
By DPA,
Rio de Janeiro : Less than a month after Rio de Janeiro was chosen to host the 2016 Olympics, International Olympic Committee (IOC) representatives are meeting with Brazilian authorities to draw up a plan of action to prepare the Games.
The two-day meeting started Friday at the traditional Copacabana Palace hotel here.
Before getting started, those in attendance watched a video message from IOC president Jacques Rogge, who congratulated Brazilians for having been chosen as Olympic hosts and reminded them of future challenges.
Bloomberg wins third term as New York mayor
By DPA,
New York : New York has elected billionaire Michael Bloomberg to a third four-year term as mayor.
Bloomberg, who spent more than $100 million of his own money on the campaign, took 51 percent of the vote to 46 percent for Democratic challenger William Thompson.
Bloomberg, a former Republican who ran as an independent candidate, has been a popular manager of New York's economy and was credited with reducing crime for the last eight years.
Obama condemns Iran for crackdown on demonstrations
By DPA,
Washington : US President Barack Obama Monday condemned Iran for violently cracking down on demonstrations, warning the Islamic state it will not succeed in denying people their universal rights.
"The United States joins with the international community in strongly condemning the violent and unjust suppression of innocent Iranian citizens," Obama said while on winter vacation in Hawaii.
Two die of carbon monoxide poisoning in Greece
By IANS,
Athens : Two students of a Greek university have died of carbon monoxide poisoning and three of their classmates went into coma in the central city of Larissa, officials said Friday.
Syrian refugees could double or triple in 2013: UNHCR
By IANS,
Geneva: The number of Syrian refugees is expected to witness a major rise by the end of this year, following shortage of fund for aid, the UN's refugee agency has warned.
North Korea ready to launch missiles: South Korea
By IANS,
Seoul : North Korea was "seen ready" to launch missiles but there are no signs of a full-scale war, South Korea's defence chief said Monday
Russia sends aid to Syrian refugees in Jordan
By IANS,
Amman: Russia has sent 38 tonnes of humanitarian aid for over half a million Syrian refugees staying in Jordon.