International

By DPA, New York : The largest US aluminium maker, Alcoa, announced Tuesday that it would cut its global workforce by 13,500 jobs, or 13 percent, by the end of the year amid the widening recession. Alcoa will also slash an additional 1,700 contractor positions. The company will be cutting production, lowering its annual smelting capacity by 750,000 metric tons, or about 18 percent.

By IANS, London: Actor James Franco has been hit with a lawsuit by his former university lecturer in an ongoing legal dispute.

By SPA, Henderson, Kentucky : Police in the U.S. state of Kentucky say an employee shot and killed four people at a plastics plant before killing himself, reported ap. Henderson police Lieutenant David Piller says the shooting happened early Wednesday after an employee at Atlantis Plastics had an argument with a supervisor. In addition to the four deaths, Piller says two other people who were injured were flown to hospitals in Evansville, Indiana. Piller says the employee used a handgun he got from home during a break. The names of those involved have not been released.

By IANS, London : Gastrointestinal benefits of probiotic food supplements have been well documented. New research indicates it also benefits the whole body. Probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeasts. For example, lactobacillus (found in curd) is intended to assist the body's naturally occurring intestinal flora to re-establish themselves. They are recommended by doctors and nutritionists, after a course of antibiotics, or as part of the treatment for gut related candidiasis, a fungal infection.

By DPA, Athens : Violence escalated in Greece's two largest cities Sunday as protesters hurled petrol bombs and burning garbage bins at police to commemorate the first anniversary of the shooting death of a teenager by police. Athens turned into a war zone as riot police fired tear gas at hooded youths hurling chunks of marble and petrol bombs after breaking away from a march of more than 3,000 people to mark the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a policemen's bullet.

By IANS, Washington : An "alarming" 4,500-plus children subjected to abuse in the US ended up in hospitals and 300 of them died of injuries in a single year, a study reveals.

By DPA, New York : The UN Security Council has called for the quick formation of a unity government in Zimbabwe as negotiations in Harare remained deadlocked. Four days after President Robert Mugabe signed an historic agreement to give up some of his powers to his longtime political foe, Morgan Tsvangirai, negotiators met Friday to unstall the deadlock in the distribution of ministerial posts between the parties. The 15-member council was unanimous in calling for a quick resolution, council president Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso said Friday.

By Arun Kumar, IANS,

By IANS, Bogota : Colombian police have seized more than 7.7 tonnes of marijuana that allegedly belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), reports Xinhua.

By IANS, Washington : The US remains "deeply concerned" about the clashes between security forces along the Thailand-Cambodia border, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said.

By IANS Cordoba (Spain) : An international conference to promote inter-faith tolerance and understanding will be organized in this Spanish city from Tuesday. The conference, being held by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), will have Muslim academicians and thinkers from the OSCE countries, WAM news agency reported Sunday.

By DPA Madrid/Berlin : One trail of an Islamic terrorist cell, which was broken up in Barcelona, leads to the German city of Frankfurt, according to a report in the Spanish daily El Pais Sunday. One of the potential suicide attackers had even travelled to Frankfurt a day ahead of his colleagues' arrest, El Pais said, quoting an informer who had given the tip-off leading to the arrests. The group had planned attacks in Spain, Germany, France, Britain and Portugal, according to the report.

By IANS,

By DPA, Bangkok : Gunmen early Friday attacked Sondhi Limthongkul, one of the core leaders of last year's mass protests that shut down Bangkok's two main airports, riddling his car with more than 100 bullets but failed to kill him, police said. Unidentified gunmen in a Toyota pickup truck sprayed Sondhi's car with M-16 and AK-47 semi-automatic fire at 5.45 a.m. as the media tycoon was being driven to his ASTV television station, Police Colonel Khing Kwaengwhisetchaichang said. "Sondhi was only slightly injured in his shoulder and by a bullet that grazed his forehead," Khing said.

By IANS,

By IANS,

By IANS London : Edward Behr, the noted foreign correspondent who covered many conflicts from India to Vietnam and served as an intelligence officer in colonial India's Garhwal Regiment, has died at the age of 81. He was Newsweek magazine's bureau chief in Delhi, Paris and Hong Kong before becoming the first editor of the international edition for Europe.

By Xinhua, Michigan : Hundreds of Chinese Americans and Chinese nationals gathered in US' northeastern state of Michigan to voice their support for the Beijing Olympics and protest against the violence in Tibet which they say was incited by Dalai Lama supporters. The protest, organised by Chinese students studying at the University of Michigan and the State University of Michigan, was held Sunday outside the Ann Arbor stadium where the Dalai Lama was delivering a speech. They chanted "One World, One Dream" and "Olympics go".

By DPA, Washington : The US Congress agreed Thursday to restore jobless benefits after a long political fight that left more than two million out-of-work Americans without compensation. The House of Representatives voted 272-152 to extend benefits to Americans that have been without a job for six months or longer. The Senate passed the measure Wednesday, and it now goes to President Barack Obama's desk for signature.

By Arun Kumar, IANS,

By IANS, Kathmandu : The Nepalese government Tuesday ordered the evacuation of hundreds of squatters from the Bagmati riverside of capital Kathmandu.

By IRNA, New Delhi : Iceland's Eyjafjoell volcano is emitting between 150,000 and 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per day, a figure placing it in the same emissions league as a small-to-medium European economy. Assuming the composition of gas to be the same as in an earlier eruption on an adjacent volcano, "the CO2 flux of Eyjafjoell would be 150,000 tonnes per day," Colin Macpherson, an Earth scientist at Britain's University of Durham, said in an email.

Paris (ANTARA News) - France overtook Ireland as the fertility champion of Europe in 2007 but a majority of babies are now being born out of wedlock, according to new census figures released on Tuesday. With 1.98 children per woman, France's fertility rate is now ahead of Ireland on 1.90, according to the latest government figures, and well above the European Union average of 1.52.

By DPA, Washington : US president-elect Barack Obama said in a radio address Saturday that he would sign an economic recovery plan soon after taking office, to create 2.5 million jobs by January 2011.

By IANS/RIA Novosti,

By IANS/RIA Novosti,

By Xinhua, Jakarta : Five European divers missing for two days were found off remote islands off the West Nusa Tenggara archipelago, Indonesia, by local fishermen, police said on Saturday. A police official of the Manggarai Barat district said, fishermen who joined the search after the divers went missing late Thursday finally found them drifting in waters south off the tiny island of Rinca. It is said the divers were apparently swept away by strong current when diving, and at least one of them was dehydrated but they are all safe without life danger when rescued.

By Xinhua, Freetown (Sierra Leone) : At least 80 children were killed when the boat in which they were travelling capsised off the coast of Sierra Leone capital during a storm, media reports said. A total of 150 people, including children were on board the vessel at the time of the accident Wednesday. Officials said the engine of the boat stopped working before the accident. Meanwhile, rescue officials have saved 36 people and the search was continuing for other survivors. The vessel could not be traced. The boat was returning from the Waterloo town to Freetown.

By Arun Kumar, IANS, Washington : Amid continued media frenzy over the possibility of Hillary Clinton becoming the next secretary of state, Bill Clinton is reported to have made several concessions to help move his wife's vetting process along. Among other things the former president has agreed to make public all donors to his foundation and clearing all of his future speeches and charitable activities with Obama administration officials, media reports said citing Democratic sources.

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Moscow : Tougher laws are needed if Russia are to make progress in fighting match-fixing, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Friday.

By Prensa Latina, Washington : As US Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama remains silent about his ballot partner, local media speculates about several politicians for that position. According to The New York Times and the website Politico.com, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine seems to be the favorite candidate for the vice presidency of the United States. Both the newspaper and the website agree that Kaine, who worked as a missionary in Central America, might help Obama win the Latin and Catholic votes, although they admit he lacks experience on national security issues.

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Moscow : US, Russian and Norwegian naval forces are holding joint firing exercises in the Norwegian Sea, a Russian Navy official said Wednesday.

By IANS Kuala Lumpur : The wives of four detained Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders in Malaysia have urged their supporters and well-wishers to stop public protests against the government as it may jeopardise chances of the four leaders' release. The wives of the four leaders were reacting to an SMS campaign asking ethnic Indians to gather outside the home affairs ministry Monday as a sign of protest against the Hindraf leaders' detention.

By DPA, Washington : For the first time in a large US city, newspaper readers in Detroit will no longer be able to step outside their door to grab a delivered paper every day. The publisher of the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News said Tuesday it would eliminate home delivery on most days. The move comes as newspapers across the country have been hit by declining readership and advertising revenues resulting in layoffs at major dailies as more people get their news on the internet.

By IANS/EFE, Mexico City : Ten people were killed and several wounded in separate incidents in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, officials said.

By DPA, Belgrade : Serbia's caretaker Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica Wednesday dismissed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union (EU) as a "false document" which legalises the secession of Serbia's province of Kosovo. "With that document, Serbia agrees to the partition of its territory... Those who signed the SAA are fully responsible for it and they signed it in their own names and never in the name of Serbia," Kostunica said in an interview with the daily Vecernje Novosti.

By IANS, New York : Taking up cudgels on behalf of his former boss, a former top aide for George W. Bush has slammed President Barack Obama for his "borderline" obsession in blaming the former president for the current mess. Karl Rove, who is credited with scripting Bush's two victories in 2000 and 2004, says Obama is increasingly becoming a polarizing figure because of his actions and rhetoric.

Islamabad : The meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif will definitely augur well for the foreign secretaries' level talks...

By Xinhua, Washington : World leaders have called for a new global financial architecture to tackle the current financial crisis, the most serious since the Great Depression of the 1930s. "The G7 (the Group of Seven industrialized nations) is not working. We need a better group for a different time," said World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick in a recent speech. He said that the way the world tries to solve its economic problems needs to be rethought amid today's global crisis, including turning the Group of Seven into a steering group that empowers rising economic states.

By DPA, Washington : The governor of US state Illinois Rob Blagojevich was thrown out of office Thursday by the state legislators based on criminal corruption charges that included a plot to sell US President Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder. The Illinois Senate voted 59-0 to convict and remove Blagojevich from the post. Blagojevich, who was immediately stripped of his power, became the eighth governor in US history to be impeached and removed from office.

By DPA, Washington : Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he regretted having put his two young children through an extensive interview on a US entertainment show - an extremely rare occurrence for politicians. Obama, who has typically been very protective of his children's public profile, appeared Tuesday night on NBC's "Access Hollywood" with his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha. The interview had been taped during Malia's 10th birthday party in Montana July 4, US Independence Day.

By Francis Kokutse,IANS,

By IRNA United Nations : US is not in a position to act against wishes of its tax-payers, said Foreign Minister of Iran Manouchehr Mottaki on Wednesday prior to leaving here for Tehran. Mottaki made the remarks during a press conference held at the end of his two-week visit to New York where he attended the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly and conferred with his counterparts from many other countries at the margins of the UN annual meeting.

By IANS/EFE, Madrid : The Spanish government plans to launch transportation projects valued at 17 billion euros ($22.7 billion) over the course of this year and 2011, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Wednesday in introducing the Special Infrastructure Plan, or PEI. He touted the PEI's "innovative focus" on public-private partnerships and said the plan includes mechanisms to ensure against cost overruns.

By IRNA,

By IANS Santiago : Two people were killed and about 140 injured when an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale rocked northern Chile, the Spanish news agency EFE reported Thursday. Officials said the town of Tocopilla, the epicentre of the quake, bore the brunt. Both two deaths occurred there. Of the injured, 110 were from that city. According to Carmen Fernandez, head of the National Office of Emergencies, doctors have set up makeshift clinics to attend to the injured as the town's hospital was heavily damaged.

By IANS, Los Angeles : Three people were killed when two small planes collided in the sky over Colorado, authorities said. The victims were from both of the planes that crashed, Boulder County sheriff's office spokesman Rick Brough said. One of the aircraft clipped the towline of the other plane that was pulling a glider, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokeswoman Laura Brown said. The glider or sailplane apparently disconnected after the collision and landed safely a short time later, Xinhua reported.

By IANS, Manila : The toll from tropical storm Nock-ten that hit the Philippines earlier this week has risen to 52, an official said Sunday.

Madrid : Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that he would visit Catalonia in an attempt to deal with the problems caused by the...

By IANS/EFE,

By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS, London : Foreign students from outside Europe will be deported from Britain if they are found to be working illegally, the British government said Wednesday. The British home ministry issued the warning while giving out details of new rules for foreign students, effective immediately, that it said are aimed at stopping 'bogus students' from coming into the country. The new regulations will ensure that students studying below degree level have a limited ability to work in Britain and that their dependants cannot work here at all.

By AFP Harare : Zimbabwe's opposition claimed a clear lead over President Robert Mugabe and his party, as pressure mounted Monday for the swift announcement of full results from presidential and parliamentary polls.

By IANS,

By IANS,

By Arun Kumar,IANS, Washington : Making clear that to keep its word on fighting terror Pakistan needs to act with resolve and urgency and keep communication lines open with India, the US has said it will try to "to make that happen." Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has been phoning in updates for President George W. Bush about her conversations with Pakistani leaders about last week's Mumbai terror attacks, White House spokesperson Dana Perino said Thursday.

BY IANS, Vienna : President Barack Obama said Sunday the US will pursue Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) to bring it into force, IRNA reported. The international treaty has been ratified by 148 countries, and it will enter into force once it is ratified by the other signatory states, including the US. "As the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the US has a moral responsibility to act," Obama told a crowd of about 20,000 in Prague's Hradcany Square. "We cannot succeed in this endeavour alone, but we can lead it."

By ANTARA, Baghdad : Four American soldiers and an interpreter were killed in a suicide car bombing in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Monday, in the deadliest attack since last May, the US military said. It said three soldiers were killed on the spot while a fourth and the interpreter died later of their wounds when the suicide bomber's car exploded near their vehicle.

Colombo : As Sri Lanka celebrated its national New Year on Tuesday, President Maithripala Sirisena said important strides were being taken to realise the...

By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,

Jerusalem : Israel's top court held a hearing on Wednesday to decide whether to release a high-profile Palestinian prisoner who has been on...

Bejing : At least four people died after an earthquake measuring 6.3 magnitude on the Richter scale hit China. The earthquake hit south-west China's Sichuan...

By RIA Novosti, Moscow : Russian Muslims hope that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will be able to improve relations between Washington and Moscow, a deputy head of the Council of Muftis of Russia said on Saturday. "First of all, we congratulate Obama with the victory. We hope that relations between our countries will improve," Damir Gizatullin said.

By DPA, Sydney : Australians were warned of higher taxes to pay for the cash hand-outs they began receiving Thursday from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 42-billion-Australian-dollar ($26-billion) stimulus package. "They've got to understand that the cheques that are going out now are borrowed money," former treasurer Peter Costello said. "No one's going to turn back a cheque are they? But remember this: it's borrowed money."

By IANS, Kathmandu : Eight years after Nepal's King Birendra and nine more members of the royal family were killed in the tightly guarded pagoda palace in Kathmandu, marking the point that began to see the unravelling of monarchy in the world's only Hindu kingdom, a stranger walked into the best-known media club in the capital and claimed to have plotted the massacre.

By IANS, Bogota : Heavy rains in Colombia have left at least 18 people dead and some 84,200 affected in the past weekend, the National Emergency System said. The downpour caused floodings, landslides and storms in 134 municipalities, Xinhua reported. According to the emergency department, 87 people were injured, five missing and more than 15,000 house were damaged. More heavy rains are expected to hit the central and south of the country, accompanied by thunder storms.

By IANS

Kathmandu : Three Kashmiris were arrested in Nepal for selling shawls made from shahtoosh, the wool of an endangered Tibetan chiru antelope, trading in which is banned world over.