Four killed in Colombia helicopter crash
By IANS,
Bogota : A police helicopter crashed in South Colombia killing all four people on board, Spanish news agency EFE reported Wednesday.
The helicopter has been missing since early Tuesday and was by search and rescue teams in southern Colombian province of Putumayo, authorities said.
Officials with the anti-drug directorate of the police said that the wreckage of the Huey II was found 10 km from the town of Villa Garzon.
39 global rights orgs’ condemn SLAPP suit filed by Hindu American Foundation against a...
The global rights organizations condemned the ‘aggressive lawsuit’ as an attempt to curtail free speech and free expression exercised by a reputed media house...
Communist leader sworn in as Nepal’s new premier
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : The one-year-old republic of Nepal got its second prime minister Monday with veteran communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal being sworn in by President Ram Baran Yadav, in a brief ceremony in Rastrapati Bhavan, the presidential office, at 11.10 a.m. local time.
Though a three-week impasse after the fall of the Maoist government finally ended, there were signs of continuing internal turmoil among Nepal's coalition partners with still no clear picture emerging about the new cabinet.
Probe anti-Muslim violence, Sri Lanka told
New York : The Sri Lankan authorities should urgently investigate deadly violence against Muslims by Buddhist hardliners, Human Rights Watch said Friday.
The violence, which...
N. Korea to discuss sale of unused nuclear rods to S. Korea
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : For the first time since South Korea's conservative government came to power, an official delegation will visit North Korea to discuss the sale of unspent nuclear fuel rods, Yonhap reported on Tuesday.
The visit is part of talks involving six countries - the two Koreas, the U.S., Russia, China and Japan - under a deal providing fuel and economic incentives to North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang giving details of its nuclear program and disabling its atomic facilities. The process recently came to a halt amid diplomatic wrangling.
Miscreants burn down classrooms in the Philippines
By IANS,
Manila : Unidentified miscreants burned down classrooms in three schools that were being used as polling centres for the presidential elections in the Philippines, the country's military said Thursday.
The schools, situated in Akbar town in the island province of Basilan, were burned down Monday evening.
"Two classrooms in Kaddayan village, one in the Mangalut elementary school and one classroom in Sinangkapan village were razed to the ground," Captain Steffani Cacho, spokesperson of the military's Western Mindanao Command, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Strong quake jolts Solomon Islands
By Xinhua,
Wellington : An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale Tuesday jolted the South Pacific nation of Solomon Islands, The US Geological Survey said.
The quake occurred at 9.40 a.m. (New Zealand time). There were no reports of damage or causality so far, it said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii did not issue an alert for the region.
In April last year, an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale jolted the western Solomons which triggered a tsunami, killing at least 50 people and displaced thousands in the aftermath.
Zimbabwe Rejects Mercenary’s Appeal
By Prensa Latina
Harare : Zimbabwe's Supreme Court rejected on Thursday British mercenary Simon Mann's appeal and at the same time approved his extradition to Ecuatorial Guinea.
Mann will have to face charges for planning and attempting a Coup d ó etat in 2004 against President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
The ex member of a government specialized force in the United Kingdom was captured on March 2004 in that capital when landing with a plane loaded with 61 mercenaries and military equipment.
French local elections to test Sarkozy
By IRNA
Paris : French people are set to vote in local elections, in which left-wing opponents of President Nicolas Sarkozy hope to benefit from his low popularity.
The Socialists and their allies are expected to hold on to municipal power in Paris and the second city, Lyon.
The left is also seeking to capture major cities, including Marseille in the south and Strasbourg in the east.
Sarkozy, who was elected last May, has seen his popularity drop in recent months.
Philippines raises alarm over dengue fever, 108 dead so far
By DPA,
Manila : The Philippines' health department Sunday raised an alarm over dengue fever in the country, where 108 people have died so far of the disease.
The number of fatalities recorded from Jan 1 to April 5 was 46 percent higher than 74 deaths in the corresponding period last year.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque said he has ordered all department personnel to step up the campaign to urge residents to clean up their homes and environment.
Submit US non-immigrant visa applications online
By IANS,
Mumbai : Applications for non-immigrant visas (NIV) for the United States will be submitted and accepted online from Feb 1 using a new electronic form, it was announced here Tuesday.
Under the new system, candidates have to submit their application for NIV through the internet, eliminating the need for paper work and streamlining the process.
The aspirants will continue to complete their visa application form online, as they did previously with the Electronic Visa Application Form.
Brazil donates $500,000 to quake-hit Japan
By IANS,
Rio de Janeiro : Brazil has said it would donate $500,000 to help in relief measures in Japan that has been hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.
In Britain, it is illegal to die in parliament
By Prasun Sonwalkar
London(IANS) : Did you know that there is a law in Britain that prohibits people from dying while in the houses of parliament? That law has topped the list of the most ludicrous pieces of legislation in a poll held by a television channel.
The law that won the dubious second place states that it amounts to treason if you use a postage stamp upside down. Nearly 4,000 people selected the ludicrous laws from a shortlist of bizarre rules in the poll conducted by UKTV Gold.
First criminal trial in England without jury in over 400 years
By IRNA,
London : England’s first criminal trial without a jury in more than 400 years is set to start on Tuesday in the fourth attempt to prosecute 62-year old John Twomey over a bungled robbery at Heathrow airport in 2004.
The historic trial, being held under provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 2003, comes after the court of appeal examined secret evidence and ruled last year that "the danger of jury tampering and the subversion of the process of trial by jury is very significant".
Spanish Cameraman Family for Court Battle
By Victor M. Carriba, Prensa Latina,
Madrid : The family of Jose Couso, the Spanish journalist who died five years ago in Iraq by the hands of US soldiers, stated it would keep on struggling for justice to the responsible people for his death.
In statements to Prensa Latina in Madrid Tuesday, Javier Couso, brother of the cameraman died in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 8, 2003, assured the lawyers still count on evidence and tests to present in the judicial process.
A hearing of the Penal Court of the Spanish National Supreme Court revoked a decision from Judge Santiago Pedraz Tuesday.
Food security, biofuels top G8 agriculture talks
By DPA,
Cison di Valmarino (Italy): Ensuring global food security, and the role played by biofuels in curbing harmful climate change dominated talks Saturday during the first-ever meeting of agriculture ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) countries.
During the first two sessions of talks, which are scheduled to run until April 20, ministers from the world's most powerful economies shared the view that "something must be done" to safeguard food supplies threatened by sudden price hikes and speculation, Italian Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia said.
Search for survivors ends as Haiti toll at 111,000
By DPA,
Port-au-Prince : The Haitian government declared the search-and-rescue phase over Saturday as the first official estimate put the toll from the devastating earthquake at more than 111,000 people.
Yet even as the search slowed and the emphasis turned to relief operations, television broadcaster CNN reported a young man was found alive under the rubble of Hotel Napoli in Port-au-Prince, 11 days after the earthquake left much of the Haitian capital in ruins.
French, Greek and US rescue teams were on the scene.
US immigration reform hits major bump
By DPA
Washington : A plan hailed last month as a historic immigration reform proposal hit a major road bump Thursday when the US Senate refused to close off debate, defying plans by the Democratic leadership.
India to NSG : voluntary moratorium stays, no arms race
By IANS,
New Delhi/Vienna : In a last ditch effort to win sceptics in the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) that is meeting in Vienna to discuss a clean waiver, India Friday said its deal with the US would strengthen the global non-proliferation regime and reiterated its commitment to voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing.
New Delhi also allayed fears of a nuclear arms race and underlined that India had "always tempered the exercise of our strategic autonomy with a sense of global responsibility".
China appoints special envoy on Asian affairs
By IANS,
Beijing : A foreign ministry spokeswoman Monday confirmed the appointment of a former senior diplomat as special representative on Asian affairs.
One in four US companies plan salary freeze
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : About a quarter of businesses in America have frozen workers' salaries for 2009 in the wake of a pessimistic economic outlook, according to a new survey.
Outsourcing and consulting firm Mercer in a survey released Monday said 25 percent of organizations surveyed said they have already decided not to raise their employees' pay, and another 20 percent are considering a salary freeze this year.
Does cosmic turbulence trigger birth of massive stars?
By IANS,
Washington : The constellation of Orion the Hunter swaddles a cluster of newborn stars called the Trapezium, each of them as dazzling as 100,000 suns and with 15 to 30 times the sun's mass.
Where did the Trapezium stars originate? New data from the Submillimeter Array (SMA), a joint project of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, is helping answer this question.
China’s People’s Congress increases military spending by 17.6 percent
By DPA
Beijing : China's nominal parliament Tuesday adopted a 17.6 percent increase in military spending as part of the annual budget presented by the government at the two-day session.
The 3,000 delegates of the National People's Congress adopted with a majority the report of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, which included a strategy to fight climbing inflation, the budget by the country's top judicial figure.
The two-day session, which came to an end Tuesday, was overshadowed by the strongest anti-China protests in Tibet in 20 years.
UK delayed renditions admission undermines US ties
By IRNA
London : The British government has come under stinging criticism over its delayed admission that UK territories have been used by the US in the rendition of terrorist suspects.
The opposition Conservative's shadow foreign secretary William Hague warned that the admission, made by Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Thursday, after more than two years of denials, could damage the perception of UK-US relations.
US Navy arrests nine pirates off African coast
By DPA,
Manama : The US Navy said Thursday it had arrested nine suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, a day after similar action netted seven pirates.
The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf apprehended the nine after responding to a distress call from a nearby merchant vessel, according to the Manama-based US Navy 5th Fleet Command.
Summit to boost tourism in North Korea
By DPA
Seoul : A planned summit between North Korea and South Korea later this month has breathed new life into an ambitious plan to turn North Korea into a tourist hotspot.
Few business analysts were impressed when South Korea's giant Hyundai Asan Corp announced in June its plans to spend $3 billion by 2025 to upgrade and expand its 1.98 billion sq metre concession along North Korea's coast into a more hospitable tourism destination.
Australia takes tough line on female circumcision
By DPA,
Sydney : Female circumcision is called female genital mutilation (FGM) in Australia and it's a crime.
Those performing it face a possible seven-year prison term and those who don't report it risk a stiff fine.
In Sydney's outer suburb of Auburn, there's a specialist FGM clinic that has been in operation for over 10 years and sees around 40 women a year.
The typical patient is in her 20s, is about to wed, and was operated on by a village midwife in an African or Middle Eastern country when she was young.
Anna Chapman becomes editor of Russian paper
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Former Russian spy Anna Chapman, who was detained for espionage and deported from the US, has been appointed editor-in-chief of a "small" newspaper in Russia.
Germany issues travel warning for Tibet as protests spread
By DPA
Berlin : Germany's foreign ministry issued a travel warning for Tibet Friday after protests triggered by Buddhist monks led to riots in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.
"The federal government is watching developments in Lhasa with concern and calls on all parties to avoid violence," a foreign ministry spokesman said.
Peaceful demonstrations are a legitimate manifestation of the right to freedom of expression, the spokesman said.
"In view of the unclear situation, the foreign ministry advises against travel to the autonomous region of Tibet," he added.
Tombstone used to smuggle drugs into Canada!
By IANS,
Vancouver : Canadians police have seized a record quantity of drugs hidden inside a tombstone that was imported from Iran.
Though drug smugglers have always been deploying newer methods of smuggling to beat police, this novel method has left many dumbfounded.
Police revealed Tuesday that they seized 56.8 kg of opium from the 550-kg tombstone when the shipment landed at Vancouver airport earlier this month. The contraband was seized when the officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) inspected the tombstone.
Liberated Indian women scavengers walk the ramp at UN
By IANS,
New York : It was a proud and unthinkable moment for about two score women scavengers from remote parts of India who staged a catwalk with prominent fashion models in front of the representatives of over 150 countries at the United Nations headquarters here Wednesday.
Indian father, son face lawsuit in US over hedge funds
By IANS,
Washington : An Indian father and son who ran two small hedge funds catering to Silicon Valley Indian professionals are facing a lawsuit by angry investors alleging the two hid big losses in 2008.
The lawsuit alleges Vishwas Godbole, 64, told investors in 2008 that the funds were withstanding the financial crisis, but a year later he told them the funds' value had actually dropped by a combined $18 million, according to mercurynews.com, a news site that focusses on Silicon Valley.
Sobhraj rakes up fresh controversy in Nepal
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : His effort to don a new role and spruce up his image has landed yesteryear's crime maestro "Serpent" Charles Sobhraj in a new controversy in Nepal with the lawyers fighting to keep him behind bars accusing him of violating prison regulations to influence the judges.
Ironically, the new controversy was fuelled after the 64-year-old, serving a life term in Kathmandu's central jail for the murder of an American tourist in 1975, tried to play Good Samaritan and wrote to a local daily, volunteering to help out a young Nepali woman in distress.
Russia, US to resume arms control talks in September
By RIA Novosti
Tokyo : Russian-US talks on a replacement for the START-I arms reduction treaty will be held in early September in Rome, a high-ranking Russian Foreign Ministry disarmament official said Thursday.
Europe determined to overcome crisis: Italian president
By IANS,
Rome : Europe is determined to overcome its current crisis, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said after meeting his German and Polish counterparts in Italy.
Indo-Canadian doctors reveal new device to save brain stroke victims
By IANS,
Toronto : Canadian researchers are on the verge of perfecting a vaccum-like device to clear brain clots much faster than current clot-dissolving drugs, according to Indo-Canadian researcher Mayank Goyal.
Goyal, who is director of the Seaman Family M.R. Research Centre at the University of Calgary and a professor of radiology and clinical neurosciences, revealed at the on-going Canadian Stroke Congress on Quebec City Tuesday that the new device poses less risk of bleeding and works more effectively to save lives.
Obamas celebrate Valentine’s Day at restaurant
By IANS/EFE,
Washington : US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, celebrated Valentine's Day here in style with a dinner at acclaimed Spanish chef Jose Andres' MiniBar restaurant.
French Left Boos Sarkozy Troop Offer
By Prensa Latina
Paris : President Nicolas Sarkozy is being fiercely criticized by leaders of France's opposition Socialist Party for offering to send more troops to Afghanistan and making the controversial announcement in the British parliament.
Sarkozy made a rare address for a foreign head of state to Britain's parliament during an official visit to London this week and promised to send additional soldiers to fight the Taliban, which sparked off a wave of criticism in France, where several politicians considered disrespectful to have tackled the issue abroad and not at home.
Thai government rules out negotiations with ex-premier
By DPA,
Pattaya (Thailand) : There will be no reconciliation talks with fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after a sharp escalation of anti-government protests in Bangkok and the nearby resort city of Pattaya aimed at disrupting a regional summit, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Friday.
A group of pro-Thaksin demonstrators, known as Red Shirts, broke through police and military barricades Friday to rally at the site of the meeting of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) with its dialogue partners, which include India, China and Japan.
Nuclear talks to end Friday without disarmament deadline
By Xinhua
Beijing : The two days of Six Party talks to set a timeframe for disabling the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear programs, are expected to end Friday without a disarmament deadline, US chief envoy Christopher Hill said late Thursday amid uncertainties over the talks.
Hill believed the consensus given was "kind of not very successful", although negotiators had a great deal of discussion on an overall deadline.
Schoolgirls suffer more overuse injuries: Study
Washington: When it comes to overuse injuries in high school sports, girls are at a much higher risk than boys, a new study says.
Overuse...
China index sinks 5.6 percent on Wall Street sell-off
By Xinhua,
Beijing : China's benchmark stock index plunged 5.62 percent Monday, the biggest one-day loss since late January, as sell-offs on Wall Street and regional markets further undermined investor confidence.
As virtually every share declined, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 196.22 points to 3,296.67.
The Shenzhen Component Index plummeted 984.50 points, or 7.39 percent, to 12,343.61, the biggest percentage loss since June 4 last year.
Thai village votes out 48 HIV patients
Bangkok : A village in Thailand has voted to kick out a charity that was housing 48 HIV-positive patients, NGO officials said Monday.
Officials at...
Hostages in Philippines plead for their lives
Manila:Two German hostages held by the Philippine Islamic group Abu Sayyaf appealed for their lives Monday, urging authorities in Berlin to pay a ransom...
5.1 magnitude quake hits southwest China
By Xinhua,
Beijing : An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale jolted southwest China early Sunday but initial reports spoke of minor damage but no casualty.
The quake hit Pingwu county of Mianyang city of Sichuan province at 6.59 a.m. with its epicentre about 170 km from the provincial capital Chengdu. The aftershock occurred at a depth of 22 km.
County official Wang Jihui said first reports spoke of minor damage to some houses in the rural areas, no death or injuries to people.
Nepal`s new Maoist PM sworn in
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Nepal's newly-elected Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai, was sworn in Monday by President Ram Baran Yadav.
China Quake Deaths Keep Rising
By Prensa Latina,
Beijing : Another 400 people were reported dead in the Chinese province of Sichuan, bringing the official death toll caused by the strong quake in the zone to 68,516, it was informed Thursday.
The Council of State's Information Office also revealed there are 19,350 people missing, with which the final death toll could reach nearly 88,000.
In the meantime, of the 365,399 wounded people who have received medical aid, 87,391 were taken to hospitals, and 15,388 are still hospitalized, while 7,659 were taken to other parts of the country to be given medical care.
Uruguay president-elect will farm too
By EFE,
Montevideo : Jose "Pepe" Mujica, winner of the presidential runoff in Uruguay, said he will alternate his duties as head of state with working the land on his small farm on the outskirts of Montevideo.
"Everybody has his own interests and you have to respect them," the 74-year-old former guerrilla leader and political prisoner told reporters.
Mujica, candidate of the governing leftist Broad Front, lives in a house with a dirt road in front in the Rincon del Cerro area.
Israeli inquiry panel blasts Olmert over Lebanon war
Jerusalem, May 1 (DPA) An Israeli commission of inquiry has slammed Ehud Olmert's "severe failure" in the opening days of last summer's indecisive offensive against the Hezbollah, casting a shadow over his future as prime minister and prompting opposition leaders to call for early elections.
But the premier said he had no intention of resigning and would remain in office to implement the recommendations of the report, which he acknowledged were "severe" and "tough" in a brief statement on Israeli television Monday evening.
UN observer group looking into Pakistan ceasefire complaint
United Nations : The UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) is looking into Pakistan's complaints about ceasefire violations by India,...
Nepal’s community schools short of 50,000 teachers
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : Lack of adequate number of teachers has hit education quality in community schools in Nepal, The Kathmandu Post reported on Saturday.
According to latest statistics, over 50,000 teachers are needed in 36,110 community schools across the country.
Moreover, this does not include the number of teachers required for 168,000 children enrolled in primary level this academic year.
Britain to expel Israeli diplomat over Hamas killing
By DPA,
London : Britain is to expel an Israeli diplomat over the use of fake British passports by the killers of a Hammas official in Dubai, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Tuesday.
Miliband told parliament there were "compelling reasons" to believe Israel was behind the passports used in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh Jan 19.
The foreign secretary said it was "intolerable" for a foreign country to behave in such a way, and the fact that Israel was a close ally added "insult to injury".
"No country or government could stand by in such a situation," he said.
Robbie Williams nervous about parenthood
By IANS,
London: Actor Robbie Williams is scared about becoming a father.
The 38-year-old's wife Ayda Field is due to give birth to their first child, a girl, next month.
Obama seeks positive signals from Cuba
By EFE,
Washington : President Barack Obama Thursday said Washington was hoping to see gestures from the Cuban government opening the way to better relations between the US and the communist-ruled island.
In an interview with the CNN Espanol TV before his trip to Mexico and the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, Obama recalled that his government this week lifted restrictions on Cuban Americans' travel and remittances to the island.
He then pointed out that the Cuban government continues to require citizens to obtain an exit visa before traveling abroad.
Fire burns down Brazilian national park
By IANS/EFE,
Brasilia : An area equivalent to 10,000 soccer fields has been wiped out in a massive wildfire in a national park here in the Brazilian capital.
Gemma Arterton admires Rachel Weisz
By IANS,
London: Actress Gemma Arterton says she's completely in awe of actress Rachel Weisz for effectively balancing working commitments with family life.
The 24-year-old Bond girl says she would love to be able to balance a film career and family life like her, reports contactmusic.com.
"I'd really like the type of career Rachel Weisz has. I have a lot of respect for her - brilliant, talented, intelligent, a witty sort of woman," she said.
Rice calls for creative solutions, US hints no UN resolution on Gaza
By Joe Macaron WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Tuesday for creative solution in dealing with the crisis in Gaza while blaming Hamas for the strips isolation.
"Ultimately, Hamas is to blame for this circumstance because if they were more responsible toward the international community, then Gaza would be connected to the outside world rather than cut off", said Rice in a briefing en route to Berlin.
Political Muscle-flexing Starts in Thailand
By Prensa Latina
Bangkok : Thailand s political stage shows already signs of struggle before the imminent government of Samak Sundarajev after two years of military rule.
The new Prime Minister, majority leader of the People s Popular Party (PPP), will face as of this week the challenge of a healthy economy in contrast with the winds of recession blowing in the United States.
The topic has number one priority in the national scene.
Cuba Remembers Russian Musician
By Prensa Latina
Moscow : The Cuban Friendship medal was given post mortem to the eminent Russian musician, Serguei Vladimirski, for "his solidarity and unconditional support" of the island.
Under his direction the Grenada group made many performances in support of Cuba in the fight against the United States blockade and called for the liberation of the five anti-terrorists jailed in that country, the Council of State resolution stated.
China passes law to make Islam ‘compatible with socialism’
Beijing, Jan 6 (IANS) China has passed a new law that seeks to "Sinicize" Islam within the next five years, the latest move by...
NASA declares Phoenix Mars lander dead
By DPA,
Washington : After months of dust storms and severe cold, NASA's Phoenix Mars lander has been declared dead by mission scientists, who celebrated the probe's success as the first to touch ice on the red planet.
Mission managers said Monday that Phoenix had lasted long after its planned 90 days, and they celebrated the success of the spacecraft.
"It's really an Irish wake and not a funeral," said Peter Smith, Phoenix mission principal investigator at the University of Arizona in Tucson, in a teleconference call with reporters.
Denmark invites 192 state, government heads to UN climate talks
By DPA,
Copenhagen : Denmark has invited 192 heads of state and government to the UN climate-change talks it will host next month in Copenhagen, reports said Thursday.
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen had instructed Danish embassies to issue the invitations, Danish news agency Ritzau reported.
The UN summit runs Dec 7-18, and according to Ritzau the heads of state and government were invited for the concluding days of Dec 17-18.
Is Australian coal-lobby blocking uranium deal with India?
By Rekha Bhattacharjee,
Sydney : After India signed a deal with Canada on uranium imports during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ottawa, questions are...
Kenyan President proposes a unity government
By KUNA
Kuwait : Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said on Saturday that he was willing to form a government of national unity, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said on its website on Saturday.
Kibaki said in a statement that he was "ready to form a government of national unity that would not only unite Kenyans." The Kenyan President who earlier had a meeting with US diplomat Jendayi Frazer said he wanted to "help in the healing" process in Kenya.
Coal mine blast kills 7 in Vietnam
By SPA,
Hanoi, Vietnam : A blast Monday at a coal mine in northern Vietnam killed at least seven workers and injured 15, a company executive was quoted as saying by Associated Press.
Rescue workers pulled their bodies from a 750-foot-deep (230-meter-deep) tunnel in Quang Ninh province and were still searching for another victim following the methane
explosion early Monday morning, said Nguyen Van Thuan of the Khe Cham Coal company.
Fifteen miners were being treated for burns, while 103 others escaped unhurt, he said.
Authorities believe the miners died from severe burns.
Separation from parents impairs learning in kids
By IANS,
Washington : Infants who experience temporary separation from one or both parents during divorce, illness or violence are likely to face difficulties in learning at school.
Previous research on such separation has concentrated on children in foster or kinship care, who are known to often experience considerable emotional, behavioural and developmental problems.
Yet little is known about the impact of separation more generally, especially in less formalised situations in which one or more parents leave temporarily.
Kyrgyzstan violence mounts refugee crisis
By DPA,
Osh (Kyrgyzstan)/Moscow : Ethnic Kyrgyzs and Uzbeks clashed again overnight in fighting which included the use of grenades, the interim government said Wednesday, as the estimated refugee crisis in the strife-torn central Asian republic escalated rapidly.
With an official death toll of 179 from nearly a week of intercommunal violence, but suspected to be far higher, the number of civilians fleeing the violence is now put at 275,000.
Venezuela begins voting on statute changes
By DPA
Caracas : Venezuelans went to the polls Sunday to vote in a referendum on changes to the country's constitution, which if approved would allow a socialist form of government and the re-election of President Hugo Chavez for an unlimited number of times.
Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. local time and were scheduled to close 10 hours later.
Indian men apologise to British tourist for harassment
London: British tourist Lucy Hemmings received numerous apologies among 600 replies to her viral blog post describing sexual harassment she faced during a trip...
Sri Lankans protest against Geneva resolution
By IANS,
Colombo : Some 2,000 Sri Lankans marched to the British High Commission here Tuesday to condemn Western countries for a resolution that accuses Colombo of committing "war crimes".
US consumer prices up, but inflation lowest since 1955
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Consumer prices in the US rose in January, for the first time since July, even as the year-on-year inflation rate hit its lowest level in more than a half a century, according to official figures.
Products such as clothing, hotels, video and audio entertainment, and cars and trucks were all cheaper than they were in January 2008.
The Consumer Price Index, the key measure of prices at the retail level, was up 0.3 percent in January, in line with the consensus forecast of economists surveyed by Briefing.com.
Google revenues and income rise
By DPA,
San Francisco: Web search leader Google saw profits rise 27 percent in the third quarter to $1.64 billion, the company said Thursday.
Revenue rose 7.3 percent to $5.94 billion.
Google's results gave further evidence that the worst of the recession may be over, coming just days after another tech bellwether Intel also reported positive earnings and revenue growth.
In a statement, Google's chief executive, Eric E Schmidt, said the company had a strong quarter.
Cancer-stricken Dennis Hopper gets star on walk of fame
By DPA,
Los Angeles: Cancer-stricken actor Dennis Hopper was honoured Friday with a star on Hollywood's walk of fame.
The actor, 73, is reportedly too weak to continue chemotherapy for his advanced prostate cancer. But he received permission from his doctor to attend the short ceremony recognising his contribution to more than 150 movies.
Hopper began his career in the 1955 classic Rebel Without a Cause and is most famous for his role in the 1969 counter-culture movie, Easy Rider.
Lawyers for ‘Merchant of Death’ to seek his extradition to Russia
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Lawyers for a Russian businessman who is being held in Thailand on charges of illegal arms trading are to demand his extradition to Russia, his lawyer told a Moscow-based radio station on Friday.
Viktor Bout, 41, is a former lieutenant in the Russian military who quit the armed forces in 1991. He then allegedly transformed himself into an international arms dealer.
Clinton goes national, Obama looks to lock in South Carolina
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Hillary Clinton, bristling from a debate brawl with Democratic foe Barack Obama, took her 2008 campaign onto the national stage Tuesday, targeting delegate-rich states which may decide the nomination.
Senator Obama meanwhile was anchoring himself in South Carolina, hoping to lock in victory in Saturday's next White House nominating clash, where most polls give him a double digit lead by dominating the African-American vote.
Toll in China coalmine blast rises to 35
By Xinhua,
Zhengzhou (China) : The toll in a coal mine explosion in central China's Henan province Tuesday has climbed to 35 with 44 miners still trapped underground, authorities said.
The blast took place around 1 a.m. Tuesday in Pingdingshan city, said a spokesman of the Henan Provincial Bureau of Work Safety.
A total of 93 people were working in the pit when the accident happened. Fourteen miners managed to escape.
Authorities have sent five teams of 70 rescuers to take part in the search and rescue operation.
US helps to improve Sri Lankan military’s rights record
By IANS
Colombo : Military law professionals from the US Pacific Command have hosted a programme to improve the human rights record of the Sri Lankan military.
Officially, the Military Law Exchange Programme is being described as one aimed at exchanging "ideas on ways to improve transparency, accountability and human rights in military justice".
US college to start Hinduism classes
By IANS
New York : A prominent college in Nevada is all set to offer classes on Hinduism from next year with an increasing number of Indian Americans showing a growing interest in the ancient religion.
Rajan Zed, director of public affairs of a Hindu temple of northern Nevada and a Hindu priest, will teach students of Truckee Meadows Community College about different aspects of Hinduism.
China celebrates 115th birth anniversary of Mao
Shaoshan (China), Dec 26 (Xinhua) China Friday marked the 115th birth anniversary of its revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
Thousands of people gathered at the square near Mao's birth place Shaoshan village after midnight to cherish the memory of the "Great Helmsman" who led the nation to found New China in 1949 and served as top leader until he died in 1976.
People paid tribute in front of Mao's 10.1-meter-tall bronze statue -- many presented bouquets and some brought birthday cakes. Most people hummed along as "The East is Red", a song in tribute of Mao, was being played.
Former gymnastics champ lives in poverty in China
By IANS,
Beijing: A former gymnastics world champion is attempting to make a living by being a street performer here, a media report said.
US ties with emerging world power India essential: Clinton
By Arun Kumar,
Washington : Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the US relationship with New Delhi is "essential" as it builds constructive ties with India, China and Russia, major nations that would have a lot to say in an emerging world.
The US is advancing its relationship with India as part of a wide-ranging diplomatic agenda to meet today's daunting challenges topped by the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan," she said in an appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Wednesday.
Human trafficking: 50 held, 18 women rescued in China
By IANS,
Beijing : A human-trafficking ring led by a Vietnamese citizen has been busted in China. Police arrested 50 suspects and rescued 17 Vietnamese women and a Chinese woman.
Nepal Govt offices halt services as employees go on protest
By NNN-Nepal News
Kathmandu : Demanding security in their workplaces and promulgation of the Civil Service Act, government employees stopped all the works for a day throughout the country Tuesday.
Three major unions of civil servants are on strike, pressurising the government to fulfill their demands. They had staged 'pen-down' on Monday.
The agitation by the employees of the additional post offices and VDC secretaries also continue, demanding increase in facilities and security.
Serbia Defines Positions over Kosovo Autonomy
By Prensa Latina
Belgrade : The Serbian government must confirm Tuesday an agreement among President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, and Parliament President Oliver Dulic to cope with Kosovo autonomy.
The cabinet is analyzing a deal reached by the three leaders of the ruling coalition, which has lately been splitted over the way to deal with a unilateral declaration of independence in Kosovo.
According to local press, the arrangement includes a unified state position, and measures to guarantee the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Mexican lawmakers worry about obesity
Mexico City, Aug 19 (IANS) Mexican lawmakers worried about rising rates of obesity and diabetes are threatening to do battle with the makers and peddlers of junk food.`
According to the Spanish news agency EFE, the challenge to legislators is enormous as Mexico faces a ballooning fatness epidemic. Government's recent national nutrition survey found that 69 percent of the country's 103 million people to be overweight.
And of that percentage of overweight people, according to the study, some 30 percent - or about 21 million people - are clinically obese.
Pacific leaders give Fiji election ultimatum
By DPA,
Wellington : Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum gave Fiji military strongman Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama an ultimatum Thursday to hold democratic elections by next March or face suspension from the 16-member regional body.
The leaders laid down their challenge in a communique at their annual summit, in Niue, boycotted by Bainimarama, who ousted Fiji's elected government with a bloodless military coup in December 2006.
He announced this month that he would not hold new elections early next year, as he had promised forum leaders at last year's summit in Tonga.
Two held in US on Cuba espionage charges
By DPA,
Washington : US authorities have arrested a retired State Department employee and his wife on charges of spying for the Cuban government, a spokesman said Friday.
Authorities allege that Walter Kendall Myers served as an illegal agent for the Cuban government for nearly 30 years, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said.
His wife, Gwendolyn, was arrested on similar charges. The couple was taken into custody Thursday, Crowley said.
Let pandas die out: conservationist
By IANS,
London : A British conservationist says pandas should be allowed to go extinct because they are "extraordinarily expensive to keep going" and may be surviving at the cost of other species and rainforests.
"Extinction is very much a part of life on earth. And we are going to have to get used to it in the next few years because climate change is going to result in all sorts of disappearances," TV naturalist Chris Peckham said.
Hungary train crash kills one, injures 30
By SPA,
Budapest : An express train slammed into the back of a local train outside Budapest on Monday, killing a man and injuring 30 people, DPA quoted a news agency as reporting.
Rescuers were sifting through the wreckage and did not rule out further fatalities, Hungary's MTI agency said.
The intercity train was heading toward the Hugarian capital when it collided with the other train at the Monorierdo station, MTI said.
Explosion destroys Russian store, killing at least 4
By SPA,
Nazran, Ingushetia : An explosion destroyed a grocery store in the southern Russian region of Ingushetia on Friday, leaving at least four people dead, officials said, according to AP.
Six people who were pulled from the rubble have been hospitalized, three of them in serious condition, emergency officials said.
The cause of the blast at the Enigma store in the city of Nazran was not immediately certain, but officials said a gas leak appeared likely.
The wholesale grocery store and an adjacent liquor store were destroyed in the explosion.
250,000 evacuated due to China floods
By IANS,
Beijing : Over 253,500 people have been safely evacuated in China's Liaoning province after torrential rains caused waters to rise to the danger level in a major river bordering China and North Korea, officials said Sunday.
The residents were relocated in less than 24 hours from late Saturday to Sunday, Xinhua reported citing provincial flood control authorities.
However, no new casualties were reported Sunday, after authorities said late Saturday that four people were killed in Dandong city.
Guatemalan lawmakers revive death penalty
By IANS
Guatemala City : Guatemala's congress has restored the death penalty nearly six years after the country's constitutional court declared a moratorium on execution, EFE news agency reported Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by the main opposition right-wing Patriot Party, won by an overwhelming majority Tuesday.
President Alvaro Colom, an opponent of capital punishment, will now have to decide whether or not to grant clemency to the 34 convicts on death row.
Myanmar urges tightened security measures following bomb blasts
By Xinhua
Yagon : The Myanmar authorities have called on all business circles in the city of Yangon to cooperate with the authorities to step up their security measures following a series of bomb blasts here in the past 10 days.
According to Sunday's local weekly Voice, operators of shops, restaurants, roadside vendors and supermarkets have been asked to report to the authorities any suspicious event to prevent any probability that may affect the security.
‘China may build up N-capability to counter US missile shield’
By IANS,
Moscow : China may strengthen its nuclear capability in response to the US global missile defence plans, said a Russian military expert.
"At present, China has a very limited nuclear potential, but my recent contacts with Chinese military representatives indicate that if the United States deploys a global missile defence system, in particular in the Far East, China will build up its offensive capability," said Lt. Gen. Yevgeny Buzhinsky, former department deputy head in the Russian Defence Ministry.
‘This is good time for US investors to return to India’
By IANS,
New Delhi : Urging for "greater US investment flow" into India, a top diplomat said here Thursday that this was a good time for foreign institutional investors (FIIs) to return to the country as the economic situation was improving.
Speaking at an interactive meeting with members of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) here, Meera Shankar, India's ambassador designate to the US, underlined the need to take appropriate steps to further enrich the economic engagement.
Gates’ new future will be people, not bytes
By Andy Goldberg, DPA,
San Francisco : The announcement by one of the world's richest men two years ago that he intended to switch from the corporate arena to the world of charity sounded like a cliche. Now, Bill Gates faces the challenge of making it real.
"With success, I have been given great wealth," Gates said in June 2006. "And with great wealth comes great responsibility to give back to society, to see that those resources are put to work in the best possible way to help those in need."
Argentina to import gasoline for first time in 30 years
By IANS/EFE,
Buenos Aires : Argentine oil company YPF has said that it plans to import 50 million litres of gasoline as demand outstrips supply in the South American nation.
Argentina, an oil-producing country where fuel is subject to government price controls, has not imported gasoline in 30 years.
"Everyone is putting less fuel on the market, except YPF," Corporate Communications Director Sergio Resumil said Tuesday, blaming his firm's domestic competitors for the shortage.
Court upholds sentences to Xinjiang riot convicts
By IANS,
Urumqi : The Higher People's Court of Xinjiang upheld Friday sentences for 21 people convicted of murder and other crimes in the deadly July 5 riot here, a Xinhua report said.
It also upheld the death penalty for nine of these convicts.
The death sentences will take effect after the approval by the Supreme People's Court, the higher people's court said.
31 killed in fighting in northern Sri Lanka
By DPA
Colombo : At least 28 Tamil rebels and three soldiers were killed in sporadic fighting in northern Sri Lanka as government troops continued their operations to recapture rebel-held territory, an army spokesman said Thursday.
Fighting was reported Wednesday in Vavuniya, 240 km north of the capital, in Welioya, 360 km north east of the capital, and in Mannar 320 km north of the capital, he said.
Racist word sprayed on Indo-Canadian’s poll sign
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS
Toronto : The word "Paki", once used against South Asian immigrants in Britain, has made its first appearance in Canada's election fray.
Thirty-three-year-old Aman Gill, an Indian-origin candidate who is contesting an Edmonton seat in Alberta province for the March 3 polls, had her campaign signboard at her office sprayed with racial graffiti.
Gill, who is contesting for the Liberal Party - which has not ruled the province since 1921 - said the miscreants painted her campaign sign with the word "Paki" in black some time Friday night.
UN official visits Sri Lanka amid human rights concern
By DPA,
Colombo : UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe met with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Wednesday, as concerns persisted over human rights in the final stages of the battle between government forces and Tamil rebels.
Pascoe had earlier visited former Tamil-held areas in the Mullatitivu district, 360 km north of the capital Colombo, where the government is making arrangements to resettle thousands displaced by the fighting.
Russia denies violating Georgian airspace
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia denied Tuesday that its two military aircraft had violated airspace and dropped a bomb in a Georgian village.
"Russian aircraft did not fly over Georgian territory either Monday evening or Tuesday morning," said Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky, a spokesman for the Russian Air Force. "They (the aircraft) did not violate Georgian airspace."
Abducted Italian journalists freed in Syria
By IANS,
Rome: The Italian foreign ministry said four journalists from the country who were kidnapped and taken hostage in Syria earlier this month have been released, Xinhua reported Saturday.
CPN-M youth wing to split into 2 units
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) plans to separate its Young Communist League (YCL) into two separate units, namely production force and construction force, local newspaper The Kathmandu Post reported on Monday.
The two separate forces are to help bring about prosperity and sustainable peace in the country, a CPN-M leader said on Sunday.
OPEC oil price drops to $42.56
By DPA,
Vienna : The price for crude oil produced by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) continued falling last Friday, when it dropped to $42.56, the cartel reported Monday.
That was a drop of $1.50 per barrel (159 litres) of OPEC crude at the end of the week, versus $44.06 on Thursday.
OPEC calculates an average price based on 13 important brands produced by its members.
U.S. has no plans to render military assistance to Georgia in 2009
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The United States has no plans to provide Georgia with military assistance in 2009, Congressman Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told journalists in Moscow on Tuesday.
He said Washington would only supply humanitarian aid to Tbilisi next year.
Howard told Russian reporters he had discussed the issue with his counterpart from the lower house of Russia's parliament, Konstantin Kosachyov.
Climate change threatens Asia’s farming, energy security
By IANS,
New Delhi : Climate change poses fundamental threats to Asia's food and energy security which, if left unchecked, will result in an upsurge of migration into already overburdened mega cities, according to three major new studies funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
"The food and energy security of every Asian is threatened by climate change, but it's the poor -- and especially poor women -- who are most vulnerable and most likely to migrate as a consequence," said ADB Vice-President Ursula Schaefer-Preuss as the studies were released Friday.
Over 100 Mexican immigration agency employees sacked
By IANS/EFE,
Mexico City : Mexico's migration agency said it has fired 121 officials for failing to adhere to the principles of "legality, honour, fairness, impartiality and efficiency".
India to discuss Pakistan’s misuse of US aid with Clinton
By IANS,
New Delhi : India will take up the issue of Pakistan's diversion of US aid for building anti-India infrastructure when External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna meets US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sep 25 in New York.
"S.M. Krishna will meet Hillary Clinton in New York," reliable sources told IANS here Tuesday evening, adding "It's a serious issue, and the US is also equally concerned."
The move comes in the wake of concerns expressed over former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf's confession about US aid being diverted against India.
Indo-Canadian taxi driver shoots dead his wife
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Vancouver : Yet another Indo-Canadian man has killed his wife in the city of Surrey near here.
Fifty-three-year-old Harpaljit Singh Sandhu reportedly shot dead his 45-year-old wife Manjit Tuesday after a family dispute in their rented apartment in the Newton neighbourhood of Surrey which has a huge concentration of Indian immigrants. The couple's 23-year-old daughter Sabrina Sandhu was also injured in the attack.
North and South Korea discuss family reunions
By DPA,
Seoul : North and South Korea Wednesday began discussing reunions between divided families after an almost two-year break.
The talks, scheduled to last three days, between representatives of the Red Cross from each country took place at a holiday resort on North Korea's east coast where family reunions have previously taken place.
"I have great expectations for family reunions this coming Chusok (harvest festival in early October)," said Choe Song Ik, the head of the North Korean delegation, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Egypt’s Mubarak, African leaders invited to G8 summit
By DPA
Berlin : Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as well as top African leaders have been invited to attend next month's summit of the Group of Eight leading industrial nations in Germany, a government spokesman said Monday.
27,000 evacuated as Nock-Ten storm hits China
By IANS,
Beijing : Over 27,000 people were Friday evacuated from a south China province as tropical storm Nock-Ten hit the coastal region, officials said.
Cartoon king aims to conquer Everest with art
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Described as the "Caesar of cartoons" and the "king of American political cartoons" by newspapers across the world, 75-year-old Ranan Lurie now plans to make his biggest conquest - Mt Everest.
The American cartoonist-painter-inventor, who is the most widely syndicated political cartoonist in the world with over 100 million people looking at his cartoons daily, starts his campaign in Nepal Tuesday to take an astounding project, begun 40 years ago, to the summit of the world's highest peak.
Explosion jolts Philippine market
By Xinhua,
Manila : An explosion rocked a public market in a southern Philippine town in Sarangani province on Sunday noon, local media reported.
No casualties have been reported so far as market vendors in Kiamba town were off around noon time, local news network GMA Newssaid.
The report quoted the town mayor as saying that the blast was likely caused by an improvised explosive device.
Four men charged with terror plots against police in London
London: Four men have been charged with intending to commit terrorist attacks on British police and army barracks in London, the Metropolitan Police said...
Most high school students in US cheat during tests
By IANS,
Washington : Cheating during tests is widespread among high-school students in the US, says a study.
The study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) gauged both the prevalence and perceptions of cheating among high-school students.
It found that the practice is widespread and many students carry misperceptions about academic dishonesty, and also identified patterns among students that may help teachers stop it.
Fate deals Sobhraj another blow in Nepal
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Nepal's Supreme Court Sunday put off its hearing on a 30-year-old murder case involving Charles Sobhraj, dealing a fresh blow to the hopes of the 63-year-old international criminal who is lodged in a prison here.
Ever since Nepal's Supreme Court sent him a missive, indicating his fate would be sealed Sunday, Sobhraj, yesteryear's "serpent", serving life imprisonment, had been living for the day, wavering between hope and alarm.
Snow-hit Chinese travellers spend another night stranded
By DPA
Beijing : Hundreds of thousands of snow-affected travellers were facing another night sleeping in streets, railway stations, vehicles and public buildings Thursday as the government tried to restore transport and power services.
Some 200,000 passengers were expected to board the 98 trains scheduled to leave Thursday from the southern transport hub of Guangzhou, where 800,000 people were reportedly stranded Wednesday.
US hostage taker said he had bombs strapped to body
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : An armed man shot and killed by police after a tense four-hour standoff at the Discovery Channel's headquarters told a TV channel he had several bombs strapped to his body "ready to go off."
The gunman who had taken three hostages Wednesday in the Discovery building in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring in neighbouring Maryland spoke to an NBC producer for about 10 minutes during the siege.
Obama denies G20 split, sets new foreign policy aims
By DPA,
London : US President Barack Obama rejected Wednesday talk of deep divisions between the world's big economic powers gathering in London for a summit on the global economic crisis, while he also laid out new foreign policy directions for his administration.
The differences between world leaders attending the Group of 20 (G20) meeting of the leading industrialised nations and emerging economies had been "vastly overstated", Obama said at a joint press conference with G20 host, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Bad boy Tomic gets ‘rehabilitation’ chance in Brisbane
By IANS,
Brisbane : Controversial Australian teenager Bernard Tomic has been handed a holiday gift by officials at the new Brisbane International event.
The tournament has assured the Australian Open junior champion of a place in the main draw of the joint ATP-WTA affair starting next weekend.
The opportunity comes with the 16-year-old under probe by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for quitting a minor match in protest this month over foot faults.
But Tomic gets the benefit of the doubt from sympathetic Aussie organisers in Queensland.
Two arrested in crackdown on `electronic cigarettes’
By DPA,
Hong Kong : Two men have been arrested in Hong Kong for selling unregistered "electronic cigarettes" that promoters claim can help smokers quit the habit, health officials said Thursday.
The arrests came after Hong Kong's Department of Health found the devices which atomise nicotine into an aerosol with no burning involved on sale in a shop in the city's Sham Shui Po district.
The men, aged 52 and 60, were arrested in a raid Wednesday and were later released on bail and ordered to report back to police in May, a department spokesman said.
Somali pirates holding 300 sailors captive: Russian report
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : More than 300 sailors are being kept hostage by Somali pirates, who have dealt a severe blow to busy shipping routes off the country, a Russian maritime news website said Wednesday.
The editor of Sovfracht Maritime Bulletin said the pirates have seized some 50 vessels this year, including two yachts, and more than 25 Russian sailors, though some have been released.
"More than 300 sailors are being held captive, to be precise 287 plus an indefinite number of crew members from fishing boats of Yemen and Kenya," Mikhail Voitenko said.
US offers $70 mn new aid to Syrian opposition
Washington: The US announced on Friday that it will provide nearly $70 million in new non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, as the conflict...
China readies world’s highest-altitude airport
By IANS,
Beijing : The world's highest-altitude civilian airport in China will start operations in May after a successful landing test Friday, authorities said.
Venezuela president threatens US with oil embargo
By IANS
Caracas : President Hugo Chavez has warned he will cut off Venezuela's oil flow to the US if the latter launches an economic war against his country via firms like Exxon Mobil.
Chavez delivered the warning on his weekly radio and television show "Alo Presidente" Sunday after Exxon Mobil Corp won court rulings to freeze $12 billion worth assets of state-run oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), EFE news agency reported Monday.
About 750 women personnel to guard Indo-Nepal border
By IANS,
Patna : India's paramilitary Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) will deploy about 750 women constables at the Indo-Nepal border soon to check human trafficking, smuggling and other illegal activities, an official said Friday.
"In a bid to strengthen security, about 750 women personnel of the SSB will guard the porous Indo-Nepal border from West Bengal to Bihar," SSB Inspector General Dilip Tandon said.
Uncertainty over North Korea nuclear talks
By DPA
Tokyo : Japanese government officials said Friday that they were uncertain whether North Korea would unconditionally return to six-nation talks to end its nuclear programme even after frozen North Korean funds were transferred from a Macau bank and South Korea warned that progress would only get tougher from here.
Nine killed in helicopter crash in Russia
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : At least nine people were killed Wednesday when an Mi-8 helicopter carrying oil workers crashed in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous area in Russia's west Siberia, the emergencies ministry said.
A total of 16 people, including 13 oil workers and three crewmembers, were on board when the helicopter crashed, killing nine of them and injuring the rest of people.
"The helicopter went down 70 km from border between the Khanty Mansi and Yamal," a ministry spokesman said.
Nepal quake toll hits 7,250
Kathmandu : The toll in the massive temblor that devastated Nepal on April 25 climbed to 7,250 on Sunday, the government said.
The number of...
Obama’s Indian American info czar back at job
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : President Barack Obama's Indian-American info czar Vivek Kundra, who had taken leave after an FBI raid on his former office, has returned to work after being informed that he is not a "target of investigation."
"Mr. Kundra has been informed that he is neither a subject nor a target of the investigation, and has been reinstated," Assistant White House Press Secretary Nick Shapiro told CNN in an e-mail Tuesday.
Medvedev calls for tightened security after Moscow blasts
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
demanded tightened security across the country after the Monday morning bomb blasts in the Moscow subway.
"It is difficult to prevent such terrorist attacks and to provide security on transport," the president said. "It is necessary to tighten what we do, to look at the problem on a national scale, not only relating to a certain populated area but on a national scale. Obviously, what we have done before is not enough."
Diehard royalists want grand birthday for crown prince
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Ignoring the move to abolish the country's two-century-old monarchy and turn the Himalayan kingdom into a federal republic, diehard royalists have sworn to celebrate the crown prince's birthday with pomp, even if it means a confrontation with the Maoist guerrillas.
The year 2007 could easily be the annus horribilis for Nepal's Crown Prince Paras who faced major trouble, including the possible loss of his inheritance and a severe health scare.
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