From Kamathipura to meet Clinton: A Nepali woman’s long march
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
China makes six-point proposal for cooperation with ASEAN
By IANS,
Hua Hin (Thailand): Chinese Prime Minster Wen Jiabao made a six-point proposal for strengthening cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during his address at the bloc's summit here Saturday.
Wen said the financial situation in China and ASEAN countries remained stable despite the global economic crisis, and trade between the two sides have entered "a stage of restorative growth", Xinhua reported.
Nepal’s conflict legacy: teens kill over secondhand mobile
By Sudeshna Sarkar,IANS,
Kathmandu : Though the 10-year savage Maoist uprising that killed over 14,000 people and rendered tens of thousands homeless ended in 2006, its fallout is coming to the surface now with appalling changes in the psyche of the young people who find themselves changing inexorably under pressure.
On Wednesday, Kathmandu police presented a 17-year-old school student, Rajendra Pandit, in an apparent breakthrough in a twin murder that shocked the nation last month.
Man commits suicide in front of Japanese parliament
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : A man shot himself in the head in front of Japan's parliament building early on Wednesday holding a letter of protest to the prime minister, Kyodo news agency reported.
The man, believed to be 58, was reportedly a right-wing activist from Osaka. He was carrying two envelopes, one containing a letter to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda asking him to toughen Japanese policy toward China.
Italy earmarks 123,000 euros to aid Myanamar
By KUNA,
Rome : Italy has earmarked 123,000 euros in emergency aid to help victims of the deadly cyclone that swept Myanamar.
The foreign ministry said in a statement released on Tuesday that Rome responded to appeals by international agencies to help the country cope with the fatal catastrophe.
The Italian aid will cover clothes, mattresses and other urgent aid to 2, 000 stricken families, in addition to drinking water. The cyclone has claimed 15,000 lives.
Russia to sue Swiss Noga for $1.6 mln over French asset seizure
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The Russian government will sue Swiss trader Noga for 1 million euros ($1.6 million) following the seizure of Russian assets in France, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.
The French accounts of Russian organizations including Russia's Central Bank and news agency RIA Novosti were frozen in January over a 49-million euro ($75 million) claim filed by Noga for outstanding debts under barter oil deals struck with Russia's government in the early 1990s.
Bodies of Prabhakaran’s son, six LTTE leaders found
By IANS,
Colombo : In a macabre end to one of the world's longest running insurgencies, the bodies of Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's son and six key rebel leaders have been found in a war-battered strip of Sri Lanka's northern coast, the government said Monday.
The defence ministry said soldiers combing the small area where the last of the fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had held on found the body of Charles Anthony, Prabhakaran's elder son who was being reportedly groomed to take over the leadership.
Israel demolishes Palestinian school in West Bank
By IANS:
Jerusalem, July 12:Scuffles broke out between Palestinians and Israeli troops in the southern West Bank on Wednesday during the demolition of a school.
Portable...
Christchurch attack: NZ begins to bury victims
Christchurch, March 20 (IANS) The first burials took place on Wednesday for some of the victims of last week's Christchurch terror attack in New...
Aaghaz-e-Dosti Aman Chaupal between Indian peace activists and Pak students via video conference
By TCN News,
The 15th Aman Chaupal of Aaghaz-e-Dosti was conducted via video conferencing for interaction between youth activists from India and Pakistani students...
Man dressed as ‘Snoopy’ arrested while breaking into prison
By IANS,
London : A man was arrested in Britain as he tried to break into a prison to free an inmate while dressed as Snoopy, a character from comic strip Peanuts.
Thesun.co.uk reported Monday that jail workers were stunned when confronted by the Peanuts character waving a gun. When the man dressed as Snoopy and an accomplice failed to break down a door, they pelted prison officers' cars with concrete "missiles", it said.
"It's not every day you see a giant cartoon dog going on the rampage after trying to break into a prison," the report quoted a prison service source as saying.
Thai ‘banquet bandit’ likes to eat and run
By DPA,
Bangkok : Police arrested a Thai man for allegedly conning luxury car salesmen out of $4,844 in expensive meals at posh Bangkok restaurants, the Bangkok Post reported Sunday.
Chatchawal Ngowkimseng, 28, was arrested June 13 when he attempted to flee the Sui Sian Chinese restaurant after consuming a 28,318 baht ($885) meal, including a $200 abalone steak, that he had no money to pay for.
According to police, on at least eight occasions he tricked luxury car salesmen into picking up the tab for 155,000 baht ($4,844) in expensive Chinese banquets over the past four months.
Tamil newspaper ransacked in Toronto
By IANS,
Toronto : The office of a prominent Tamil newspaper here was ransacked Saturday night for covering the talks of a local Tamil leader with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Kula Sellathurai, president of the United Tamil Council of Canada and the Canada-India Business Council, had recently met Rajapaksa in Colombo to discuss the Tamil issue and hand over funds raised for the orphans of the war. His talks with the Sri Lankan president were covered in the Uthayan newspaper edited by his friend Logan Logendralingam.
Floods in Germany, disaster declared
By DPA
Hamburg : An 82-year-old woman drowned when her basement apartment suddenly filled with water as torrential rain caused flooding in parts of Germany early Sunday.
A state of disaster was declared in two regions of the southern state of Bavaria close to the city of Nuremberg.
Police said choked streams burst their banks and the waters, in many places a metre and a half deep, invaded homes and caused underground home-heating oil tanks in yards to float free of the soil.
Islamic Social Finance Report 2015 released
By Mohammed Obaidullah
The 2015 issue of the Islamic Social Finance Report has just been launched at an International Workshop on Zakat Management organized by...
हेडली और उज्जवल निकम का झूठ यानी ‘राष्ट्रद्रोह’!
By सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net
वाराणसी: बात को रखने से पहले हेडली और उज्जवल निकम की वह बातचीत पढ़ लेते हैं जिसे आप सभी लगभग कई...
IMRC’s health camp in Kozhikode kicks off, 1,000 people provided free treatment in two...
By TCN News
Kozhikode: The seventh annual India Health Initiative, a social outreach programme by the India Muslim Relief and Charities (IMRC) to provide free...
New statue of Suu Kyi’s father irks ethnic minorities in Myanmar
Naypyidaw, Feb 13 (IANS) The Myanmar police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas and water cannon to disperse minority rights activists protesting against...
EU-India People’s Summit to bring together leading thinkers, parliamentarians, policy makers
The Summit is being organized by a group of institutions led by the Foundation London Story, India Solidarity Finland, Liberal Indian Paris, in partnership...
Rahul reiterates corruption charge in Rafale purchase, questions PM’s silence
New Delhi (IANS): Continuing to attack the Narendra Modi government on the Rafale deal, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that there has...
Two Chinese hospital workers jailed for graft
By IANNS,
Beijing: Two hospital employees in China's Shanghai city have been awarded prison terms and fined for taking bribes from pharmaceutical companies for promoting their medicines.
Chinese climber dead, two missing during Dhaulagiri ascent
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Even as official celebrations were on to mark the golden jubilee of the first ascent of Mt Dhaulagiri, a Chinese climber was killed and two of his fellow climbers missing on the slopes of the seventh highest peak in the world, authorities said.
Liyang Zao, a 35-year-old climber who was part of a nine-member expedition to the peak, fell to his death Saturday due to bad weather, Nepal's tourism and civil aviation ministry said.
Violence, Sequel of US Invasion of Panama
By Prensa Latina,
Panama : The 1989 US military occupation of Panama is blamed for the emergence of a new form of violence in Panama: bank robbery.
El Siglo daily says that after the US invasion in 1989, Panama was devastated, giving birth to today"s criminal monsters who are improving their tactics.
The toppling of the military regime and low morale of the newly born National Police that replaced the Defense Forces, along the huge arsenal in the hands of the criminals, encouraged bank robbery.
$500,000 diamond ring stolen in Australia
Sydney : A diamond ring worth half-a-million dollars was stolen from an auction site in Australia, media reported Sunday.
The pink argyle and white diamond...
Modi-Obama striking a right chord
What diplomats were struggling to achieve over the years, Narendra Modi and Barack Obama did so by striking a common chord
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
The visit of US President Barack Obama during India’s 66th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi has injected a new vitality into the economy and foreign relationship of the two countries. Inspite of skeptics calling it a ‘sell out’, Obama’s visit has turned a new leaf in the otherwise sulking Indo-US relationship.
Pakistan said Muslim countries ‘must’ unite to help Rohingyas
Kuala Lumpur : Pakistan's top foreign policy advisor Sartaj Aaiz on Thursday urged the Muslim world to play an active role in helping the Rohingya...
India regrets Kashmir issue being raised at UNHRC
By Arul Louis
United Nations, Sep 12 (IANS) India has expressed regret that the Kashmir issue is being raised at the UN Human Rights Council...
Mother Teresa’s aide who worked with leprosy patients dies
By IANS
London : Eddie Askew, the philanthropist who worked with leprosy patients in Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata and donated 2.5 million pounds ($5 million) to the Leprosy Mission, has died in Nottinghamshire. He was 80.
The 2.5 million pounds profit came from his best-selling Christian books, artwork, calendars and cards. He was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000 for his dedication.
Osho rises from his ashes in Nepal
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Almost two decades after he died, leaving behind a legacy of controversies and disputes, Indian godman Osho aka Bhagwan Rajneesh has risen, phoenix-like, from his ashes in Nepal, a country he visited just once.
The charismatic preacher, whose gospel of free love became synonymous with free sex and whose ashrams in India and abroad became a byword for intrigues and orgies, has been resurrected on his 18th death anniversary by loyal followers in Nepal.
British trader tired of Facebook-obsessed employees
By IANS,
London : A high-profile British entrepreneur has stopped advertising for new jobs because the people who fill his vacancies spend more time checking Facebook than serving customers.
Three Indian students selected for International Astronomy Olympiad
Kolkata : Three students from the states of Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have been selected to represent India in the International Astronomy Olympiad...
55 Palestinians killed as US opens embassy in Jerusalem
Jerusalem (IANS): At least 55 Palestinians were killed and 2,771 were injured on Monday as Israeli troops fired on demonstrators along the Gaza-Israel boundary...
Estonians and Estonia’s Russians: still two worlds apart
By DPA,
Tallinn (Estonia) : When Russian youths smashed and looted stores in the Estonian capital Tallinn last April, Karmen Minenko found herself at the heart of Russia.
"Friends in Moscow seriously planned to look for a new citizenship for me after it happened," the Estonian businesswoman told DPA in accented Russian.
"My boss even considered buying Mexican citizenship because he didn't want to part with a good manager."
Minenko divides her time between a job in Moscow and family in the southern Estonian city of Tartu where her 17-year-old daughter and husband Artur live.
Has LTTE executed its military spokesman?
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
New Delhi : Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers may have killed their high-profile military spokesman on charges of being a "traitor" when they began suffering heavily early this year, Tamil sources say.
Speculation that Irasiah Ilanthirayan alias Marshall has been executed has been doing the rounds of Tamil circles for around a month. The sources now say that he could have been done away with in January.
Denzel Washington gorged on junk food for ‘Pelham 1 2 3’
By IANS,
London: Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington was delighted when movie bosses ordered him to fatten up for his latest movie role in "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" because he thoroughly enjoyed stuffing himself with junk food.
The actor who appears in the movie alongside John Travolta, plays an overweight character and the slim star had to gain a staggering 40 pounds (18 Kg), reports imdb.com.
"Getting there was such fun. Milkshakes, hamburgers... middle of the night a little Haagen Daz (ice cream). Anything I wanted...just eat, eat, eat," he said.
17 migrants dead, 217 rescued off Libyan coast by Italian Navy
Rome: The Italian Navy has found 17 dead migrants onboard a boat off the Libyan coast and rescued another 217 people from the same...
BSF court clears trooper of felani killing
Kolkata: While upholding its previous verdict, a special BSF court has acquitted a trooper who was accused of shooting dead a minor Bangladeshi girl...
Events planned in UK and USA to protest Modi, communal violence
By TwoCircles.net, Staff reporter
London: A demonstration have been planned at Downing Street in London to protest Narendra Modi when he...
Russian military intelligence chief resigns
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The chief of Russia's military intelligence GRU has resigned from his post, the Kommersant business daily reported.
China donates 90 vehicles to Ethiopia
By IANS,
Addis Ababa : China has donated 90 vehicles valued at 40 million yuan (about $6 million) to Ethiopia.
Visually challenged dancers to perform classical Indian dance in Boston
By TCN News,
Boston: The event promises to be a unique experience with a group of visually challenged dancers to perform Indian classical dance in Boston.
Travel ban imposed on Teesta Setalvad
Human rights defenders term it as an attempt to “intensify the harassment of the human rights defender, and to repress her legitimate work in...
25 ulemas to be banned in Pakistan at Muharram
Islamabad: Pakistan's Islamabad police have proposed that the entry of 25 ulemas into the city during Muharram should be banned by the local administration....
Basketball body green-lights players to wear hijabs at games
Moscow, (IANS): FIBA, the worlds governing body of basketball, ruled to allow players to wear hijabs, a head covering traditionally worn by many Muslim...
Two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar for 7 years
Yangon, Sep 3 (IANS) Two Reuters reporters were jailed on Monday for seven years for violating a state secrets act during their reporting of the Rohingya...
Through the haze, a better democracy
Patti Lynn
Although you wouldn’t know it from the rhetoric and actions of the Trump Administration, the U.S. is part of the global society. And...
An eyewitness account of the Women’s March in Boston
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
“This is the biggest march I have seen,” said an old timer who seemed to be someone who have participated in lots...
Naomi Campbell postpones Haiti trip
By IANS,
London: Naomi Campbell has reportedly postponed a planned trip to Haiti following an outbreak of malaria in the earthquake-ravaged country.
The British supermodel has been raising money to boost aid efforts in the Caribbean nation since the January tremor, which killed hundreds of thousands of people and left many more homeless.
German Catholic activists slam Pope’s silence on child abuse scandal
By IRNA,
Berlin : A leading German Catholic activist organization on Saturday lashed out at Pope Benedict XVI for his silence on the widening child abuse scandal in Germany.
Talking to IRNA in Berlin, Annegret Laakmann of the pro-reform Catholic group 'We Are The Church' said had been a "major loss of trust" in the German Catholic church which was partially due to the pontiff's refusal to address the case.
The Catholic activist added the church had "missed the opportunity" to use the Easter mass ceremonies as an opportunity for what it labeled a "new beginning."
SAARC to get first woman secretary general
By IANS,
Dhaka : The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is set to get its first woman secretary general - a 36-year-old Maldivian lawyer.
North Korea brings up sea border dispute at military talks
By DPA
Seoul : North Korea put the sensitive issue of the western sea border of the divided Korean peninsula on the agenda at high-profile military talks Tuesday to open a rail line between the two Koreas, local media reported.
Armless man steals TV in Germany
MOSCOW, November 11 (RIA Novosti) - German police are searching for a man with no arms who managed to steal a 24-inch TV at a store in Munich, the Ananova news portal said on Tuesday.
Police said two accomplices had fixed the TV to the man's body and helped him walk out of the store without being noticed.
After discovering the theft, staff watched CCTV recordings of the crime.
A police spokesperson said: "It's hard to believe that the sight of an armless man walking along with a giant TV clamped to his body did not get anyone's attention."
Karunanidhi on fast over Sri Lankan Tamils, PM concerned
By IANS,
Chennai/New Delhi : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi began an indefinite hunger strike in Chennai Monday to protest "cruel acts" against Tamils in Sri Lanka, prompting a concerned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to phone him to say India was trying to influence Colombo to end its hostilities.
"I have decided to offer my life to the increasing numbers of lives lost due to the Sinhalese regime's continuing cruel acts against the Tamil ethnic minority in the war in Sri Lanka," Karunanidhi told reporters in Chennai.
Two out of every three blind in India are women
By IANS,
New Delhi: Nearly two million people are blind in India but what is startling is that around 66 percent of them are women, government authorities and experts said Thursday, observed as the World Sight Day (WSD).
This year, the focus was on gender and eye care. G.V.S Murthy, a professor of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said that out of every three blind in the country, two are women and there is need to bring a gender equity while providing eye care.
Outcry in Nepal over parading of naked boys in Terai
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Over 30 domestic and international rights organisations, including Unicef and Save the Children alliance, have flayed an ongoing protest in Nepal's southern Terai plains during which the organisers reportedly paraded a group of naked young boys.
"In the name of protests, the Samyukta Sangharsh Samiti (SSS) that has been active in the Terai made 25 boys under the age of 14 parade through Jaleshwor town naked," Children are Zones of Peace (CZOP), a network of organisations working to protect child rights, said in a statement issued here.
Racehorse killed for meat in Peru
By EFE,
Lima : A racehorse valued at $100,000 was killed for meat near the Peruvian capital of Lima, media reports said.
The animal was stolen from its owner a few days back. The horse was imported from the US.
The remains of the animal were found three kilometres from its stable with signs of having been butchered.
Owner of the horse, Hiad Hamide, said the thieves stole the horse Tuesday when they found the animal alone in the corral.
He said this was not the first time that criminals stole a horse for meat.
China regrets military strike against Libya
By IANS,
Beijing: China Sunday expressed regret over the military strike against Libya, saying Tripoli's territorial integrity should be respected.
‘US cop tackled Indian grandfather in an improper manner’
By Arun Kumar
Washington : An Alabama police officer accused of using excessive force against an Indian grandfather walking in his son's neighbourhood used...
Criminal involved in 200 burglaries across India held
New Delhi : A most wanted criminal involved in over 200 burglaries across India has been arrested here, police said on Friday.
Nadeem Qureshi, a...
Russia’s FBI-equivalent to get 175 percent wage hike
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia's ruling party has proposed a 175 percent hike in wages for staff at the Investigative Committee, a law enforcement organisation that resembles America's FBI.
Scotland’s ‘granite city’ imports stone from India
By Prasun Sonwalkar
IANS
Aberdeen (Scotland) : This heritage town has been synonymous with granite for over two centuries. But winds of economic change in recent years have forced it to import granite from India to feed the booming local construction industry.
The durable stone hewn from the once great quarries at Rublislaw, Kemnay, Alford, Dunecht, Peterhead and numerous other locations was used by skilled craftsmen and architects to shape the form and character of the city over a period of two centuries.
Russia, Serbia sign gas pipeline deal
By RIA Novosti
Belgrade : Russia and Serbia signed Monday an agreement on a project to construct a pipeline for transit of Russian natural gas through Serbia to the Balkans and other European countries.
The agreement was signed in Belgrade in the presence of Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.
"This agreement serves interests of both Russia and Serbia, and lays the foundation for the regime of energy security in the unified Europe," said Medvedev, who is the Kremlin's front-runner in the upcoming presidential elections.
Struggle against caste-based discrimination comes to the US
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Washington, DC: The struggle against caste-based discrimination practiced in South Asia has come to the shores of the United States with...
Pakistan’s first Sikh police officer ‘thrashed, evicted’ from his house
By IANS:
Lahore, July 11: Pakistan's first Sikh police officer Gulab Singh Shaheen has claimed that he was thrashed and evicted from his house in...
World Press Freedom Day: India’s Falling Image of Press Freedom Noticed
While the world is celebrating World Press Freedom Day, in India press freedom has only dwindled. The author argues that the occasion should raise...
Fire in Russian drug centre kills eight
Moscow: At least eight people were killed when a fire broke out at a drug addiction rehabilitation centre in Russia.
The tragedy occurred in Altai...
Al Jazeera urges Germany to release its journalist
Doha: Al Jazeera has urged Germany to immediately release its journalist Ahmed Mansour, detained at a Berlin airport on the request of the Egyptian...
Ten-Year action plan for Islamic world: Muslim states agree on creation of Anti-terror Islamic...
Islamic heads of more than 30 states have agreed a Ten-year plan of action in a bid to tackle extremism and security issues threatening...
156 arrive from South Sudan in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram : One hundred and fifty six persons who were evacuated from South Sudan arrived on a special Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft at...
My stories are about class and immigration: African novelist
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who won the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction in 2007 for her book "Half of a Yellow Sun", paints snapshots of the roller-coaster called America in her new book, "The Thing Around Your Neck".
The collection of 12 short stories has been published by HarperCollins.
Hindutva and Zionism hurdles to peace and democracy: Scholars
By TCN Special Correspondent,
China to launch Earth-observation satellite
By IANS,
Beijing: China will launch its first satellite for a high-resolution system for Earth observation in April, a government agency said Thursday.
India will support Palestine cause, engage with Israel: Mukherjee
By Arvind Padmanabhan
Amman : India will continue to support separate statehood for Palestine while also engaging with Israel to forge an independent...
Former Nepali president Sushil Koirala dies
Kathmandu : Former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala died late Monday. He succumbed to Pneumonia at 12.50 a.m, Koirala 's private...
Indian American-led foundation to fund fellowship for Indian journalists
By Arun Kumar
Washington : A foundation started by prominent Indian-American IT entrepreneur Frank Islam and his wife Debbie Driesman will fund a fellowship...
Israel will increase strength of attacks as necessary: Netanyahu
By IANS:
Jerusalem, July 15 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel will increase the strength of attacks as necessary.
Netanyahu said...
Trinidad & Tobago Hindus celebrate Shivaratri with fervour
By Paras Ramoutar, IANS
Port-of-Spain : Spirituality, meditation, chanting of mantras, singing of devotional songs and benediction formed the tenor of Shivaratri ibn Trinidad and Tobago. The Hindu festival is celebrated to mark the wedding of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati.
T&T's nearly 500,000-devout Hindus, like those in India and in over 80 countries where the Indian diaspora resides, marked this auspicious and religious day of Shivaratri Thursday.
Maharashtrians in France launch community forum
By Ranvir Nayar
IANSParis : A Maharashtra Mandal France (MMF) has been set up here to look after the cultural and business interests of the small but growing community.
Saturday to be observed as Sanskrit Day in US county
By IANS
New York : A US county in the western state of Nevada has proclaimed Jan 12 will be observed as Sanskrit Day.
A proclamation signed by the chairman of the Washoe County Commission says: "Proclaimed: That Washoe County recognises the importance of the Sanskrit language and Jan 12, 2008 as Sanskrit Day."
The proclamation by the county with a population of about 400,000 is to coincide with a Sanskrit language seminar-cum-class organised by prominent Hindu chaplain Rajan Zed in Reno, the seat of the county, Jan 12-13.
No knighthood for Blair
By IRNA,
London : Politicians, including former prime minister Tony Blair, were notably absent in the New Year Honour List approved by the Britain’s monarch.
The annual awards, nominated by government departments and the general public, also largely excluded names of top bankers for the second successive year after being blamed for the credit crunch crisis and subsequent economic recession.
Timex appoints dealer in Nepal
By IANS,
Kathmandu: Timex India, the official licensor of the ICC Cricket World Cup in India in 2011, entered Nepal Wednesday with a tie-up with a local business house.
The Golchha Group, one of the oldest business houses in Nepal with interests in trading, manufacturing and agriculture, becomes the official dealers of Timex watches in Nepal through its Him Electronics company.
Him Electronics is also the authorised dealer for Samsung, Nokia, Dell and Bajaj products.
Pushy techies try to cash in on Nihita-Sobhraj romance
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Though their romance landed criminal mastermind Charles Sobhraj, 64, and his 20-year-old fiancée Nihita Biswa in a raging controversy, it has proved to be a golden goose for a bunch of enterprising techies.
Terrestrial Holdings, a Florida-based company that specialises in providing domains, has put up the first website on Nihita.
www.nihitabiswas.com is a one-page site carrying a photograph of Nihita, wearing a brown dress with spaghetti straps shot in a cafe in Kathmandu.
Obama picks India friend Biden as running mate
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has chosen veteran Delaware senator Joe Biden, a friend of India, as his running mate, in a decision intended to balance his perceived lack of experience in foreign policy.
The announcement in a text message sent to supporters early Saturday ended weeks of speculation over which of a handful of politicians would get the nod and finally dashed any lingering hopes of his onetime rival, Hillary Clinton.
Man dies in morgue freezer due to doctors’ mistake
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: An unconscious Russian man froze to death after he was put in a morgue freezer alive due to negligence of doctors, an expert said.
US appeals court to hear 1984 case against Sonia Gandhi
New York: A US federal appeals court in Manhattan has set Aug 18 for oral arguments in a case filed by a Sikh rights...
Now visa row heats up between India and Pakistan
New Delhi : After ceasefire violations escalated tension between India and Pakistan, a row also erupted over denial of visas to diplomats from...
Explosion kills three Palestinians in Gaza
Gaza : At least three Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured in an explosion in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, a security official...
Man carrying sleeping daughter sparks online fundraising campaign
Beirut : An online fundraiser has raised more than $100,000 for a refugee from Syria and his daughter after sharing moving pictures of the...
Amnesty International calls for action against solitary confinement of 26/11 accused
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Amnesty International, a global Human Rights Watchdog has criticized solitary confinement of Zabiuddin Ansari,...
Madonna’s ‘MDNA’ named best selling album in Russia
By IANS,
London: Pop star Madonna's album "MDNA" has been named Russia's best-selling album of 2012.
Prison escape attempt in chopper foiled in Ukraine
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: A daring Hollywood-style attempt to spring two inmates from a penal colony in Ukraine was foiled by prison guards, the country's penitentiary service said.
Mexico slaughters 55,000 chickens to contain bird flu
By IANS/EFE,
Mexico City : Authorities slaughtered 55,000 chickens at a farm in the central state of Puebla where avian flu was detected, Mexico's agriculture department said.
Pakistani Mohajirs’ plight highlighted at UN
Geneva: The European Mohajir Network has highlighted the sorry human rights status of Pakistan's Mohajirs -- the Muslims who migrated from India following Partition...
Netanyahu was smuggled into hospital during polls
London : Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was smuggled into hospital twice during the country's elections earlier this year for secret cancer checks,...
Indian-Americans condemn action against JNU students
By TCN News
New York (USA): Leading Indian American advocacy organisations have condemned the recent suppression of student protests...
Indian Social Forum Kuwait demands the withdrawal of Citizenship Amendment Bill
By NewsDesk, TwoCircles.net
Indian Social Forum (ISF) Kuwait has urged the Indian government to withdraw the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019.
The Bill seeks to amend the...
IAF’s C-130 leaves for Nepal with NDRF team
New Delhi: An IAF C-130 aircraft left for Nepal on Saturday with a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and relief material...
Tibetan exiles send greeting cards to Obama
By IANS,
Dharamsala : Just two days ahead of the crucial meeting between the Dalai Lama and US President Barack Obama in the White House, Tibetan exiles settled in this hill station have sent Losar (Tibetan New Year) greetings to Obama.
"As many as 700 postcards were despatched to the White House today (Tuesday) from here as a welcome gesture for Obama's decision to meet His Holiness (the Dalai Lama)," Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) president Kirti Dolkar Lhamo told IANS.
Five die in Brazil when elevator crashes
By IANS/EFE,
Rio de Janeiro : Five miners died in a elevator accident at an emerald mine in northeastern Brazil, officials said.
Short film contest winners to be honoured in Singapore
By IANS,
Singapore: The five winners of a short film contest that saw participation of over 100 young filmmakers from about 30 countries will be honoured here May 17.
Fanning meets cancer survivors
By IANS,
London: Actress Dakota Fanning, who plays the role of a leukemia patient in "Now Is Good", got a chance to meet cancer survivors during the promotional trip for the movie.
China’s Dalian Wanda to set up industrial townships in India
New Delhi: The $100-billion Dalian Wanda Group of China is planning to develop industrial townships in India with built-in facilities such as schools, hospitals,...
Greek subway workers discover ancient tombs
By RIA Novosti
Athens : Workers digging a subway in the historic city of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, have unearthed a massive tomb, filled with ancient treasures, the state archaeological service said.
Around 1,000 graves, some of them containing jewels, coins and artworks, were discovered to the east of the city center at the site of a former cemetery.
Cambodia to host Miss Landmine amputee beauty pageant
By DPA,
Phnom Penh : Cambodia will play host to Miss Landmine 2009, the controversial beauty pageant's Norwegian organiser said Sunday.
Miss Landmine parades beautiful female landmine victim amputees on the catwalk as they compete to win prosthetic limbs.
Miss Landmine Angola 2008 was crowned the event's inaugural winner this month, and the pageant's founder, artist Morten Traavik, says he has his heart set on Cambodia as Miss Landmine's next stop.
"We are in principle all set up and ready to go, we already have candidates in place," he said by email.
Kojiro Shiojiri named new Japanese ambassador to Indonesia
By ANTARA News
Tokyo : The Japanese government on Wednesday announced it has named one of its senior diplomats, Kojiro Shiojiri (59), as its new ambassador to Indonesia.
Shiojiri will take over the post of outgoing Shin Ebihara who will assume his new post as Japanese ambassador to Britain.
"Shiojiro is one of Japan`s experienced diplomats. He will soon take up his post in Jakarta as Japan`s new ambassador," Japan`s Foreign Ministry`s Press Secretary Tomohiko taniguchi said here on Wednesday.
230 turtles from Indian seized at Bangkok airport
Bangkok: Customs officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport here have seized 230 Hamilton turtles packed in four unattended suitcases that arrived on a flight from India,...
#TCN10: Some thoughts about the eventful journey
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step: Chinese Philosopher Laozi
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
This month, TwoCircles.net – or TCN...
#TCN10: Looking back at TwoCircles.net
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
“Are there enough news stories on Indian Muslims to do a daily news portal?” This was one of the first question that...
Kuwaiti parliament dissolved over fuel price row
Kuwait City : Kuwait's cabinet has resigned and parliament has been dissolved, triggering early elections following disputes between MPs and the government over fuel...
Wanted in Taiwan: Crab escorts
By DPA,
Taipei: A Taiwan park is seeking 30 volunteers to help escort land crabs on their journey to the sea during the breeding season, a newspaper said Saturday.
Land crabs in the Kenting National Park, at the southern tip of Taiwan, live away from shore for most of the year. But during the breeding season, female crabs carry their fertilised eggs and migrate to the sea to release them.
The park administration is inviting volunteers to help the crabs safely cross roads and to remove any discarded fishing nets blocking the crabs' access to the sea, the Taipei Times reported.
Seven held for kidnapping Nepali man
By IANS,
New Delhi: Seven people have been arrested on charges of abducting a Nepali man in a bizarre case involving a former Indian soldier who recruited people to be sent to Iraq, police said Thursday.
Former soldier Mohammad Aslam Khan, 39, Sanjeev Kumar, 30, Jabar Mal Simar, 22, Kamaljeet Singh, 33, Sultan Singh, 25, Kedar Nath, 30, and Desh Raj, 31, were arrested Wednesday from Himachal Pradesh.
Their victim, Harichand Rawal, who belonged to Tilak Nagar in west Delhi and was kidnapped Dec 8, was also rescued from the hill state.
Canadian Muslim seeks millions for racial abuse
By IANS,
Toronto : Another Canadian Muslim is suing authorities for millions on alleged racial harassment.
Twenty-six-year-old Mohamad Jouduh, who is a resident of the auto town of Windsor, is seeking $1.75 millions in damages for what he calls racially motivated intimidation and harassment by police officers. He joins many other Canadian Muslims who have slapped - and won - multi-million suits against authorities for alleged violations of their rights.
Woman stabs husband in eye over refusal to peel potatoes
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A woman in Russia's Penza region has been sentenced to 15 months behind bars after stabbing her husband in the eye when he refused to peel potatoes, the pnz.ru news website said Wednesday.
The woman, from the outskirts of the city of Penza, stabbed her husband in the left eye with a kitchen knife.
She had earlier served time for murder, and had met her future partner immediately after her release from jail, according to assistant to the regional prosecutor Irina Alekseyenko.
Embrace freedom of speech, Michelle Obama tells Chinese youth
Beijing: US First Lady Michelle Obama Saturday called on China's youth to embrace freedom of speech and keep an open mind learning values and...
Uber driver arrested for raping, robbing passenger in Mexico
Mexico City : A driver for the ride-hailing service Uber was arrested for raping and robbing a female passenger in Mexico City.
The driver was...
Foreign minister’s US visit successful: Sri Lanka
Colombo : The Sri Lankan government Sunday said its foreign minister's just-concluded visit to the US was successful.
Minister Mangala Samaraweera briefed US Secretary of...
Modi plays Mongolian fiddle, strikes new chord in ties
Ulan Bator : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday tried his hand at the morin khuur, a traditional two-stringed fiddle, that was gifted to...
Pakistani qawwal plans India visit over ‘Bhar do jholi’ row
Karachi : Pakistani qawwal Amjad Sabri has decided to approach an Indian court over the inclusion of his father's qawwali in Salman Khan...
Palestine blames Israel for deadlock in peace talks
Ramallah: Israel brought the peace talks to a deadlock by not halting settlements cosntruction, a Palestinian official has said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address...
US attitude during denuclearization talks ‘regrettable’, says N. Korea
By IANS
Seoul: North Korea expressed regret on Saturday over the attitude of US negotiators during talks to work out details on how to denuclearise...
What is the secret of charismatic leadership?
By IANS,
Washington: The secret of charismatic leadership may lie in what seemingly looks like magical thinking, a process requiring hours of effort and polishing.
Toll in Ukrainian mine accidents climbs to 37
By IANS,
Kiev : The toll in two mine accidents in Ukraine has risen to 37, the Ukrainian emergencies ministry Sunday said.
Powerful quake rocks southern New Zealand
By DPA,
Wellington : A powerful earthquake estimated between 6.6 and 8.2 on the Richter scale rocked southern New Zealand Wednesday, forcing authorities to issue a tsunami warning.
New Zealand seismologists said the temblor measured 6.6 but reports from the US Geological Survey said it was 7.8 and another measurement put it at 8.2, according to a local civil defence official.
Obama envoy to visit India to engage with Muslims
By IANS,
Washington: Rashad Hussain, son of an Indian migrant couple from Bihar who is US Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, will travel to India Aug 1-9 to discuss Obama Administration's initiatives on education, global health, entrepreneurship and countering violent extremism with Muslim leaders and academics.
Mexican revolutionaries’ great-granddaughters pose for Playboy
By IANS/EFE,
Mexico City : A pair of twenty-something sisters, great-granddaughters of revolutionary leaders, are marking the bicentennial of Mexican Independence and the 100-year anniversary of the start of the Mexican Revolution with a nude photo shoot for the adult publication Playboy Mexico, the magazine said.
Fernanda and Isabel Calles Carranza "will show off their beauty in a lovely pictorial to kick off the 2010 festivities", Playboy Mexico said.
US journalist admits faking story about Iraq attack
Washington: Veteran journalist Brian Williams, the popular host of NBC's nightly prime time newscast, has apologised after admitting that he made up the story...
Man beheaded in suspected ‘Islamist attack’ in France
Paris: A man was beheaded and at least one other person injured on Friday in a suspected Islamist attack on a gas factory near...
Islamic Relief Worldwide leads the way for ‘Islamic Declaration on Climate Change’
By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Istanbul/New Delhi: Islamic Relief Worldwide, an international humanitarian organisation and a member of the United Nation's Economic and Social Council has...
Review ordered into British police probe of race attack
By IANS,
London : An urgent review has been ordered into why the British police took a month to launch an investigation into a racist attack on an Asian caterer who had a glass smashed into his face at a birthday party.
The attack on Sanjeev Subramanian occurred after a millionaire's racist taunts at his daughter's 18th birthday turned the lavish party into a “football riot” that spilled out to the front drive, Guildford Crown Court was told Monday.
Permanent account number now mandatory in Nepal
By IANS,
Kathmandu : Taking a cue from its southern neighbour India, the new government of Nepal has begun a campaign to increase tax collections by making it mandatory for individual earners as well as institutions to have a permanent account number (PAN).
Nepal's first President Ram Baran Yadav Monday became its first head of state to have a PAN, followed by Vice President Paramananda Jha and Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.
The finance ministry allocated Yadav the PAN 100000001 while in Jha's case, it is 100000002 and 100000003 for the prime minister.
Nepal’s coup architect loses fight with cancer
By IANS
Kathmandu : A former general of Nepal, regarded as King Gyanendra's main advisor during the royal coup two years ago, succumbed to cancer here Friday, carrying to the grave untold state secrets.
General Sachit Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana died in the Birendra Military Hospital after a long and futile treatment in neighbouring India.
Mexican women’s rights activist shot at
By IANS/EFE,
Ciudad Juarez (Mexico) : A group of gunmen shot at a women's rights activist in this northern Mexican border city, civil society groups said.
UN to provide $144 mn aid to Myanmar
By IANS,
Yangon : The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has offered to provide $144 million aid to Myanmar to implement a three-year project starting 2013, official media reported Friday.
Man refused job because he’s too clever
By IANS,
London: An unemployed man in Britain has been refused work because he is too clever for the job, a media report said Saturday.
Taiwan tomb raider steals jewellery worth $500,000
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A suspected robber has been arrested in Taiwan for stealing gold jewellery worth more than $500,000 by cutting holes in coffins.
Four murder victims dumped on road in Mexico
By IANS/EFE,
Ciudad Juarez (Mexico): Four people, one of them a 13-year-old boy, were found fatally shot on a road in the northern border state of Chihuahua, Mexican authorities said.
Sri Lanka to act against soldiers in leaked video
Colombo: The Sri Lanka army Saturday ordered strict action against soldiers found harassing female recruits in a video circulating on the Internet.
The video shows...