Medvedev, Putin harvest corn at farm
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin put on a show of unity ahead of the upcoming elections by harvesting corn together at a farm.
Five dead as quake hits Solomon Islands
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : At least five people were reported dead after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean Wednesday.
Putin says Russia will take countermeasures to defend its national security
By KUNA
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterd on Friday that his country would take counter-measures to defend the national security but will not be drawn into a new wave of arms race.
Putin said in a speech to the State Council here today that the wave of the arms race and military and political challenges as well as the lack of response by NATO to search for compromise solutions forces Russia to take defensive action to protect its national security.
Some still without help two weeks after Peru quake
By IANS
Guadalupe (Peru) : More than two weeks after a massive earthquake devastated Peru's southern Pacific coast, jittery residents continue to be frightened by frequent aftershocks while trying to get on with their lives amid the rubble of their demolished homes, the Spanish news agency EFE said.
The magnitude-8.0 temblor on Aug 15 left 519 people dead, 1,366 injured and more than 71,000 families homeless, especially in the cities of Ica, Pisco and Chincha but also in nearby small towns south of Lima.
South Korean rocket launch different from North Korea: Official
By Xinhua,
Seoul: The South Korean foreign ministry said Monday it is inappropriate to compare the country's rocket launch, scheduled Wednesday, with that of North Korea's missile tests.
Last week, Pyongyang said it will closely monitor South Korea's rocket launch to check whether the UN Security Council would take any action against Seoul for the tests.
Foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said his country respects the international law related to arms reduction, anti-proliferation, and peaceful use of the space.
Bush chides international community on Cuba
By DPA
Washington : US President George W. Bush urged the world to stop looking away from human rights abuses in Cuba and get tough with Fidel Castro's regime, but analysts doubt the speech will have much of an impact on how other countries deal with the communist island.
Bush predicted that change was soon coming to Cuba, citing recent, peaceful demonstrations as an example that the Cuban people now realise the regime was in its "dying gasps", and said countries need to start planning for a transition to democratic rule.
Nanocomposite material to help maintain bridges, aircraft
By IANS,
Sydney : A newly discovered nanocomposite could vastly simplify and boost the maintenance of bridges and aircraft.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) engineering lecturer Cheng Yan said a small piece of the polymer nanocomposite with carbon nanotube fillers could be placed on various surfaces to assist as an early warning system.
"It looks like a piece of thin black sheeting but it can act as a sensor to monitor the strength of infrastructure such as bridges, aircraft and ships," Yan said.
30 dead, one mn hit by Sri Lanka floods
Colombo : At least 30 people have died, six are missing and about a million more were affected by floods in Sri Lanka caused...
Colombians reject plans to enlist students as army informers
By IANS/EFE,
Bogota : Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's decision to turn college students into army informants to tackle crimes in northwestern Medellin city has been criticised by people from across the political spectrum.
The presidential candidate of the opposition Liberal Party, Rafael Pardo, told reporters Thursday Uribe's decision was an act of desperation and a sign the violence in Medellin, was out of control.
A former defence minister said it will put the students at risk and attract retaliation from banned groups.
China orders 48 websites to remove porn contents
By IANS,
BeijingChina orders 48 websites to remove porn contents Chinese officials Thursday revealed a list of 48 domestic websites having porn contents and warned the portals could be shut down if the contents are not removed, Xinhua reported.
The websites included www.pconline.com.cn, www.dospy.com and www.fengniao.com, among others, from where people download online computer and cell phone games.
Officials have asked the administrators of those websites to remove the porn contents.
12 die in Canada plane crash
By IANS,
Ottawa : At least 12 people were killed and three injured when a passenger jet crashed in Canada, a media report said.
US calls on North Korea to release journalists
By DPA,
Washington : The US called on North Korea to release the two American journalists who are facing criminal charges in the Stalinist state.
"We continue to call on the North Koreans to release the two Americans so they can be returned to their families," State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood said.
North Korea announced Friday the two journalists, Korean-American Euna Lee and Chinese-American Laura Ling, will face charges of "hostile acts", including illegally entering the country across the Chinese border.
Thailand joins China, India among worst copyright offenders
Washington, May 1 (DPA) Thailand has joined China, India and nine other countries that top the US list of worst offenders of international copyright rules, the US government said.
The other countries are Russia, Egypt, Argentina, Chile, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela.
The annual Special 301 report, issued by the US Trade Representative's office Monday, placed the countries on a special "priority watch list" that will be monitored to "encourage and maintain" effective intellectual property rights protections.
Russia’s carrier rocket blasts off with sixth space tourist
By RIA Novosti,
Baikonur : A Soyuz-FG carrier rocket lifted off Sunday from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan with a crew of three, one of them the sixth space tourist, to the International Space Station (ISS).
The three-stage carrier rocket was launched at 11.01 a.m. Moscow time (701 GMT) as planned, with the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft subsequently removing from the rocket.
Fortress Toronto awaits G-20 leaders
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : In the biggest security operation ever mounted in Canada, the venue of the G-20 summit here has been sealed to ward off threats and protests against top world leaders who are assembling here this week.
Dubbed Fortress Toronto, the venue - Metro Convention Centre - has been fortified with a six-km wire-fence stretching three metres high and encircling eight downtown roads leading to the venue in the heart of Canada's biggest city of 5.5 million people.
Nepal’s ex-queen mum yearning to leave palace museum: Report
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : With Nepal's formerly impregnable royal palace now open to the public as a national museum, the former queen mother, who is still living in her mansion inside the sprawling complex, is now yearning to depart from there, a report said.
Deposed king Gyanendra's stepmother Ratna Shah, who had been the most powerful woman in Nepal during the reign of three kings, beginning with her husband, late king Mahendra, now wants to leave the Narayanhity palace which has become an object of enormous public curiosity.
US envoy for Tibet to meet with Dalai Lama
By DPA,
Washington : The Dalai Lama and the US envoy for Tibet plan to meet later this month over the unrest in Tibet, the US State Department said Monday.
Undersecretary Paula Dobriansky will sit down with Tibet's spiritual leader April 21 in Michigan to discuss efforts to persuade China to open dialogue with the Dalai Lama aimed at ending the crisis, deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.
Beijing launched a crackdown last month against demonstrations protesting Chinese role of the province. The Bush administration has urged China to meet with the Dalai Lama.
Indian American president possible in 10 years: Jay Goyal
By Manish Chand, IANS
New Delhi : It may sound fantastic now, but Jay Goyal, a 27-year-old legislator from Ohio, is confident that an Indian American will be in the race for the US presidency in another 10 years or so .
"Within 10-12 years, you can expect an Indian American to be in the US presidential race. I won't be surprised when it happens," Goyal, who is in India to catch up with his friends and extended family, told IANS in an interview here.
Ban calls for greater awareness of value of oceans to humanity
By IRNA,
Tehran : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday urged governments and citizens across the globe to acknowledge the enormous value of the world’s oceans to humanity.
According to a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC) here on Wednesday, the UN chief also urged them to ensure that pollution of the bodies of water by human activity is brought under control.
Asian maids labour hard for little returns
By DPA
Hong Kong : Loretta works at least 15 hours a day, six days a week. She lives with her employer, sleeping on a sofa in the bedroom of his six-year-old son.
She has no privacy, eats the leftovers from the meals she cooks for her employer and has just one day off a week.
In the West, her working conditions would be deemed almost slave labour. But in Hong Kong and other Asian countries, they are not unusual for a maid.
"I have lots of friends who live like this," said the 38-year-old Filipino who has been working as a maid in Hong Kong for 12 years.
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.
NATO: Putin’s offer not alternative to U.S. missile defense plan in Europe
By Xinhua
Brussels : Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for a joint Russia-U.S. anti-missile radar site in Azerbaijan is not an alternative to the U.S. plan to deploy missile defense facilities in Eastern Europe, said NATO chief Jaapde Hoop Scheffer on Thursday.
Indonesian smoker loses six teeth to exploding cigarette
By DPA,
Jakarta : An Indonesian man has lost six teeth and received 51 stitches to his mouth after a cigarette he was smoking exploded, a media report said Tuesday.
Andi Susanto, a resident of Bekasi near Jakarta, was riding a motorcycle when the cigarette exploded in his mouth Thursday, The Jakarta Post newspaper reported.
Susanto, who admitted he had been a smoker since he was in elementary school, told the Post he was traumatised by the incident and would try to quit smoking.
Chinese influx eroding Tibetan culture: US report
By IANS,
Dharamsala : The migration of Han Chinese to Tibet in large numbers is having an adverse impact on the region's ethnic culture, social life and environment, according to a US report.
Gold for Iran oil report speculative: India
By IANS,
New Delhi: An Israeli website has suggested that India has agreed to pay Iran in gold for oil purchases, but Indian authorities have called the report "speculative".
Wall Street falls on weak economic data
By Xinhua,
New York : Stock prices on the Wall Street fell Thursday on disappointing US economic data and downbeat earnings.
The US Labor Department said the number of unemployed workers drawing benefits after claiming an initial week of aid jumped to 4. 087 million in the week ended Nov 22, the highest since December 1982, from 3.998 million the prior week.
The Commerce Department said factory orders plunged by 5.1 percent in October, the steepest decline in eight years.
Former Sri Lankan president Wijetunga dies
By Xinhua,
Colombo : Former Sri Lankan president Dingiri Banda Wijetunga, 91, died Sunday morning in a hospital in the central town of Kandy, hospital sources said. He is survived by his daughter.
Wijetunga, who belonged to the United National Party, was prime minister from 1989 to 1993. He was appointed the president after the assassination of incumbent Ranasinghe Premadasa by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber.
Wijetunga held the position till November 1994 when he resigned as party leader.
Road accident kills 15 in Kenya
By Xinhua
Nairobi : At least 15 people have been killed and several others injured when a van they were travelling in collided with a trailer near Eldoret town in western Kenya.
Police said the accident took place Monday afternoon at Moi's Bridge near the town, about 350 km from here. The death toll was likely to increase as several passengers were seriously hurt in the accident.
Indian, world newspaper circulation up, despite Internet
By DPA
Cape Town : Newspaper circulations worldwide rose 2.3 percent in 2006 with Indian sales increasing most with 12.93 percent, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) said here Monday.
Terror strikes mar Sri Lanka’s Independence Day celebrations
By IRNA
New Delhi : Two fresh terror strikes that killed at least 12 people marred Sri Lanka's 60th Independence Day celebrations today even as President Mahinda Rajapakse asserted that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was facing unprecedented defeat in the strife-torn island nation's over 25-year-long ethnic conflict.
The celebrations came despite threats from the LTTE and the two weekend bomb attacks that killed 34 civilians, PTI reported here.
European industrial production plunges as inflation drops
By DPA,
Berlin : European industrial production plunged by an annual 18.4 percent in February, according to data released Thursday, amid dwindling inflationary pressures and signs that the global recession has tightened its grip on the region's economy.
The European Union's (EU) statistics office, Eurostat, said the sharp fall in industrial production in the 16-member eurozone followed a 2.3 percent drop in February compared with January.
However, the month-on-month February fall was less than the 2.7 percent drop predicted by economists.
Olympic Torch Relay Starts In China’s “Capital Of Seven Dynasties”
By Bernama,
Zhengzhou : The Beijing Olympic torch continued its journey in China's most populous province Henan on Saturday, with the torch being relayed in Kaifeng, "capital of seven dynasties" in the nation's history.
According to a report by Xinhua news agency, the torch was lit at the local Kaifeng University around 8 a.m.
"The torch relay will connect Kaifeng with the world," said Liu
Changchun, Secretary of the Kaifeng Municipal Committee of the Communist Party, at a grand ceremony before the relay.
Sri Lanka vows to capture Prabhakaran, dead or alive
By IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lanka has vowed to capture cornered Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran "dead or alive" even as it turned down appeals for a ceasefire from Britain and France.
The military establishment, which is determined to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has also rejected calls that aid workers be given access to the war zone in the northeastern coast of Mullaitivu.
Australia pick Bollinger for first Test against West Indies
By IANS,
Melbourne: Australia included left-arm fast bowler Doug Bollinger in the 12-man squad for the first Test against the West Indies at the Gabba, Brisbane, from Nov 26.
Bollinger replaced Stuart Clark and it was the only change the selectors made in the squad that played the last Ashes Test in England.
Father of dead British soldier criticises “insult” by minister
By KUNA,
London : The father of the first female British soldier to die in Afghanistan criticised a UK minister Monday for comments he made following an elite special forces officer's resignation over poor equipment claims.
Britains Defence Equipment Minister Quentin Davies said Major Sebastian Morley's accusation that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was guilty of "gross negligence" for failing to provide supply better kit was a "travesty".
He also said that casualties sometimes resulted after commanders chose the wrong kit for operations.
Four Arrested In Nepal For Illegal Wildlife Trade
By Bernama,
Kathmandu : The Nepali Police have arrested four people along with six sets of tiger skin from a forest in Kanchanpur district in far-western Nepal, some 500 km west of Kathmandu.
Quoting a media report, China's XINHUA news agency reported Monday that a police team seized six pieces of tiger skins from the six people Sunday.
Each piece could fetch up to 500,000 Nepali rupees (US$7,812) in the illegal market, the police said.
The arrested have been reportedly involved in illegal wildlife trade for the last 15 years.
Applied oestrogen may protect men from HIV
By IANS,
Sydney : Locally applied oestrogen could help protect men from an HIV infection by blocking the entry of the virus into their penises, a study has found.
Applying oestrogen to the male organ was found to increase the thickness of its natural keratin layer, which could prevent an HIV infection, the study by Australian researchers said.
Andrew Pask of the University of Melbourne discovered that the epithelium of the human penis is richly supplied with oestrogen receptors, which meant it could respond to topical oestrogen.
New York clones ancient trees in greening efforts
By DPA
New York : In an effort to change the image of a city of skyscrapers and concrete sidewalks, New York plans to clone one million trees from branches on a list of 25 "historical" trees - some of them more than 100 years old.
The city's Park Commissioner Adrian Benap York announced the project after sending high school students to work on hydraulic-powered buckets to begin taking the upper branches of some of the city's oldest trees for scientific study and cloning.
Myanmar Referendum A Sham, Says Human Rights Watch
By Bernama,
Bangkok : The May 10 Myanmar referendum on a new constitution is a sham process aimed at entrenching the military as conditions for free and fair voting do not exist, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a new report released Thursday.
Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, said the country's ruling generals were showing their true colours by continuing to arrest anyone opposed to the referendum and denying the population the right to a public discussion of the merits of the draft constitution.
Kiwi good samaritan resurrects Nepal monastery’s yeti legend
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Many European settlers came from Asia, not Africa
By DPA
Washington : Settlers from Asia played a much larger role in Europe's early population than previously thought, a new study has found.
According to a new investigation of human fossils millions of years old, Asian settlers may have even outnumbered Africans coming to Europe in that early period, says scientist Maria Martinon-Torres, who lead a team from the National Research Centre on Human Evolution in Burgos, Spain.
The conclusions of the report were published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.
China urges North Korea over its diplomats’ safety
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Beijing: Beijing has asked Pyongyang to ensure safety of its diplomats amid rising tension on the Korean peninsula, the Chinese foreign ministry said Sunday.
Iran doubles capacity at nuclear site : Report
By IANS,
Vienna : Iran has doubled its capacity in an underground uranium enrichment facility, according to a new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report.
Four killed, two missing in Chile shipwrecks
By IANS,
Santiago (Chile) : Four people have been killed and two reported missing in two shipwrecks caused by a storm in Chile's southern region of Los Lagos, the navy said.
Three security guards headed out in bad weather on a small boat Friday night from Puerto Montt, the capital of Los Rios, located 1,000 km south of Santiago, for a sports-fishing trip without permission from maritime officials.
The boat sank near Maillen Island due to bad weather, poor visibility and lack of precautions by the passengers, Spain's EFE news agency said Monday quoting officials.
Nepal Maoists unveil road map to disband guerrilla army
By IANS,
Kathmandu : Under tremendous public pressure and yet unable to bring down the government, Nepal's opposition Maoist party has unveiled a road map to disband its guerrilla army, a vital issue that has derailed the new constitution and paralysed the peace process.
Maoist chief and supreme commander of its People's Liberation Army, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has drawn up a four-month plan to empty the PLA camps, a process that was to have been started in 2006 and ended within six months.
The Janadisha daily, a Maoist mouthpiece, Thursday gave details of the plan.
Bush administration pledges rapid response to financial crisis
By Xinhua,
Washington : The Bush Administration pledged Monday to move rapidly to deal with the current financial crisis.
"Conditions in US and global financial markets remain extremely strained," said the President's Working Group on Financial Markets (PWG) in a statement.
The PWG "is working with market participants and regulators globally to address the current challenges and restore confidence and stability to financial markets around the world," it said.
Chinese Premier Thanks UN’s Support For Quake Relief
By Bernama,
Yingxiu : Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Saturday extended gratitude to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the United Nations' support and help for quake relief.
Wen briefed Ban on China's quake relief efforts, saying Chinawill carry out reconstruction as soon as possible.
Ban Ki-moon arrived in Chengdu, capital city of quake-stricken Sichuan Province, Saturday morning and then rushed to visit Yingxiu town in Wenchuan County, epicenter of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake on May 12, to express his sympathy for those who suffered from the devastating quake.
NASA scraps Discovery launch until end of month
By DPA,
Washington: Technical problems have forced NASA to delay the launch of the space shuttle Discovery until at least the end of this month, officials said.
Macedonia to stage election re-run due to irregularities
By Xinhua,
Tirana : The Macedonian Electoral commission announced on Saturday that partial voting would be repeated on June 15 after irregularities had been found in the country's general election.
The partial re-run would be staged at 186 polling stations where ballot stuffing, voter intimidation and violence had taken place during the June 1 election, commission spokesman Zoran Tanevski said.
इन बिंदुओं में समझिए लखीमपुर खीरी की पूरी कहानी
न्यूज़ डेस्क।Twocircles.net
उत्तर प्रदेश के लखीमपुर ज़िले में उप मुख्यमंत्री केशव प्रसाद मौर्य के कार्यक्रम के बाद हुई हिंसा में 8 लोगों की मृत्यु हुई...
Experts seek stability in Somalia to check piracy
By Aroonim Bhuyan,IANS,
Dubai : The spate of ship hijacks off Somalia not only calls for global naval efforts in the region but also underlines the need to bring stability to that country, say experts.
The present situation also offers a good opportunity for regional cooperation as well, diplomats and shipping industry officials said.
"Apart from joint efforts by different navies, the situation offers a golden opportunity for regional cooperation to help bring stability to Somalia," an Indian diplomat well versed with the region told IANS.
Kim Jong-il begins Russia visit
By IANS,
Moscow : North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is on his first trip to Russia since 2002, the Kremlin said.
Love in the age of intolerance: A story from Dubai that restores faith in...
In the age of intolerance where humanity seems to be divided by border and religion, a number Muslim professionals of India went out...
Obama arrives in Gulf as top-kill effort continues
By DPA,
Washington : US President Barack Obama arrived in Louisiana Friday to tour what has become the worst-ever US oil disaster, as energy company BP's critical top-kill operation to cap the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico entered its third day.
Obama's visit - his second to the region since the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion - comes amid growing local anger and frustration over the government's response to the disaster and BP's inability to cap the oil well.
N. Korea Exposed S. Korea Harm on Ties
By Prensa Latina,
Seoul : The PDR of Korea denounced the South Korean newly elected government has been rising pro-US support to the detriment of reunification with North Korea.
Communist party daily, Rodong Sinmun, calls President Lee Myung Bak and his group traitors for they talk cooperation to try and calm disgust in Pyongyang.
The PDR of Korea will not talk or negotiate with a group that does not respect our nation and refuses to observe the joint statements of Jun 15, 2000 and Oct 4, 2007.
World economy threatened by oil, food prices
By DPA,
Osaka (Japan) : Rising oil and commodity prices are posing a threat to the global economy, the finance ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) said Saturday.
"Elevated commodity prices, especially of oil and food, pose a serious challenge to stable growth worldwide, have serious implications for the most vulnerable, and may increase global inflationary pressure," the G8 finance minsters said in their final communique.
Olympics Begin in China
By Prensa Latina,
Beijing : China is hosting on Friday the most eagerly awaited day in years: the 29th Olympic Games opening ceremony.
The ceremony, attended by close to 160,000 people, includes a show directed by famous filmmaker Zhang Yimou, depicting rich Chinese history and culture.
Hosting the Games is a challenge to any country but it has been even worse for China because of the campaigns against the Asian nation, some prompting separatism in Tibet and Taiwan, others focused on alleged human rights and freedom of speech violations.
42 dead whales found in Argentina
By EFE,
Buenos Aires : Forty-two pilot whales beached themselves and died in a small bay in the southern Argentine province of Chubut, a marine expert has said.
"We counted 42 dead pilot whales in an area that's not much more than a small bay," Centro Nacional Patagonico researcher Enrique Crespo said.
The finding "dispelled our fears that the discovery of bodies could extend much farther south, something that luckily did not occur", Crespo told Argentine media.
One Russian officer wounded in attack in Kyrgyzstan
By RIA Novosti,
Bishkek : One Russian officer was wounded in an attack by unidentified assailants near the Russian airbase in Kyrgyzstan, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in the Central Asian country said on Sunday.
The incident occurred early on Sunday when several persons wearing the uniform of Kyrgyz police stopped a car with three Russian offices and tried to force them into their jeep. During the incident, one of the Russian officers was seriously wounded, the spokesman said.
The officer has been hospitalized, the spokesman said.
16 killed in Guatemala bus fire
By IANS,
Guatemala City : At least 16 people were burnt to death when the bus they were travelling in caught fire on a highway in the country side, EFE reported quoting the police.
The incident occurred Sunday morning 140 km east of the capital in a rural area, according to Gerardo Lorenti, an official of the nearest town of La Fragua.
Police spokesman Donald Gonzalez said 16 bodies have been sent to forensic laboratory, adding that the toll in Sunday's accident could be more as emergency operation teams were still on the job.
South African mining firm unveils black empowerment deal
By IANS
Kimberly (South Africa) : A South African-based manganese producing company has unveiled an empowerment deal which, it says, will allow black population in Northern Cape to participate in a significant way in the economic activity of the region.
British leaders meet Asma Jahangir’s sister
By IANS
London : British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his junior minister Lord Malloch-Brown have condemned the detention of political prisoners in Pakistan after a meeting here with a prominent United Nations human rights representative.
The British ministers Thursday met Hina Jilani, special representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, to discuss the recent state of emergency in Pakistan.
Sri Lankan gov’t says civilians held by rebels against their wishes
By Xinhua,
Colombo : Some 200,000 civilians were being held against their wishes in Tamil Tiger rebels held territory, the Sri Lankan government said on Saturday.
"We are aware that nearly 200,000 civilians are being held by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) without allowing them to come over to the government controlled areas," Rajiva Wijesinghe, the head of the government Peace Secretariat said on aprivate television channel.
"As a government we are sending all humanitarian assistance to the civilians," Wijesinghe stressed.
Four dead as plane crashes in Venezuela
By SPA,
Caracas : Four people died and at least four others were injured Monday when a small plane crashed into a house next to a school in Catia La Mar on the Caribbean coast, Venezuelan authorities were quoted as saying by DPA.
The cause of the fiery accident was unknown. The crash site is some 50 kilometers north of Caracas.
Hong Kong hospitals cook up first halal meals
By DPA,
Hong Kong : Halal meals, prepared according to strict Islamic guidelines, are being served to Hong Kong Muslims in some public hospitals for the first time, a media report said Saturday.
"Noting their (the Muslims) difference in dietary culture, we decided to introduce a halal meal set," Vivian Wong, coordinator for the Hospital Authority in New Territories West, was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post.
The initiative was launched at four hospitals in Hong Kong's New Territories and the scheme could be launched territory-wide, according to the paper.
US sanctions A.Q. Khan network; lawmaker seeks more action
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : An influential US lawmaker has demanded action to prevent a new nuclear blackmarket as Washington announced sanctions on notorious Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan and 12 others involved in his busted proliferation network.
"These sanctions, though belated, are welcome," said Howard Berman, Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, noting: "Those involved in the A.Q. Khan nuclear black market are party to the worst proliferation of nuclear equipment and technology in history."
More would-be immigrants rescued off Malta
By SPA,
Valletta, Malta : Maltese military vessels on Thursday brought to shore over 30 would-be immigrants, either rescued or intercepted in the Mediterranean island-nation's waters, according to DPA.
Among them were 27 Somali nationals intercepted in a boat near the fishing village of Marsaxlokk.
Others belonged to a group whose boat capsized on Wednesday night - an accident spotted by the crew of a Maltese tug-boat which raised the alarm.
Obamamania is a $100 mn market
By IANS,
Chicago : If Barack Obama were a stock, that might be the only thing going up in the market. As he prepares for his historical inauguration next week, people are buying all sorts of merchandise in his name or image - creating an unprecedented market estimated to be worth $100 million.
No US president has seen so many people sell so many things encashing on their popularity: collectors' coins and plates, bath towels, bobbleheads and buttons - just about anything that can have an image applied to it, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Algeria plane crash death toll put at 77
By IANS,
Algiers : An Algerian military plane that crashed into a mountain in the country's eastern region had 78 passengers on board and only...
Muslim girl banned in British school over Islamic veil
London : One of Britain's top state schools has courted controversy after banning a student because she wears an Islamic veil to cover her...
Exiled Tibetans hopeful of Obama-Dalai meeting
By IANS,
Dharamsala: Elated that President Barack Obama still plans to meet the Dalai Lama despite warnings from Beijing, Tibetan exiles here are looking for an early meeting.
"We are hopeful that the meeting will soon take place," Tenzin Taklha, the joint secretary at the Dalai Lama's office, told IANS.
The Dalai Lama is visiting Washington for 10 days starting Feb 16.
"US authorities are keen to finalise a meeting between them. Last year the meeting was put off as Obama was proposed to visit China," a senior official in the Dalai Lama's office said.
Kouchner ‘not optimistic’ about Betancourt release
By DPA,
Paris : French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Friday he was not optimistic that Franco-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, kidnapped by Colombia's leftist insurgents, would be released soon.
Asked about the chances that the rebels holding the former Colombian presidential candidate would release her in the near future, Kouchner told RTL radio: "I am not very optimistic."
G20 talks resume in Seoul
By DPA,
Seoul : Group of 20 (G20) leaders faced calls to place cooperation above competition as they resumed their talks in Seoul Friday.
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.
China pledges reconciliation with Taiwan
By SPA,
Beijing : China vowed on Thursday to seize a chance for reconciliation with Taiwan and respect the desire of Taiwan's people to be their own masters, a sign it is in no hurry to bring the island it claims as its own back to the fold, according to Reuters.
Chinese Minister of Taiwan Affairs Chen Yunlin, speaking two days after Ma Ying-jeou became Taiwan's new president, ending the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party's troubled eight-year rule, said both sides were making "positive" efforts to resume negotiations. There is no timetable for talks.
American Muslims express shock, fear over Trump’s victory
Washington : Fear and shock were expressed by the American Muslims after Republican Donald Trump was confirmed as President of the US after months...
Singapore plans 150-km leisure tour
By IANS,
Singapore : Singapore will develop a 150-km leisure tour around the island, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean announced Saturday.
Ukrainian troops regain control of key city, rebels flee
Kiev: Ukrainian troops regained control of the key eastern city of Sloviansk from pro-Russian rebels in what could mark a turning point in the...
Australian billionaire donates to China’s quake victims
By DPA,
Sydney : Australian iron ore mogul Andrew Forrest Thursday donated part of the proceeds of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd's first shipment to China to quake victims there.
Fortescue's maiden commercial shipment of 170,000 tonnes of iron ore left from the Pilbara region on Australia's west coast for China and customer Baoshan Iron and Steel Co.
Forrest, the chief executive of Fortescue, said the company had broken the iron pre-export duopoly enjoyed by BHP Billiton and rival Rio Tinto.
US envoy favours India-Pakistan trade enhancement
Amritsar: US Ambassador to India Richard R. Verma on Wednesday favoured enhancement of trade between India and Pakistan, and said he would certainly do...
Men, women approach charity differently
By IANS,
Sydney : Would you prefer to give money to someone needy in your neighbourhood or a needy person in a foreign country?
If you're a man, you're more likely to give to the person closest to you, that is, the one in your neighbourhood, if you give at all.
If you're a woman, you're more likely to give, and to give equal amounts to both groups, according to research by Texas A&M University marketing professor Karen Winterich and colleagues.
Tsvangirai returns to Dutch embassy after short leave
By DPA,
Amsterdam : Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who Wednesday morning left the Dutch embassy in Harare where he has taken refuge, returned to the mission in the afternoon, Dutch news agency ANP reported.
ANP quoted a short interview Tsvangirai gave to American news broadcaster CNN, in which the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said he was "back in the embassy".
"I will stay here for as long as necessary," he added.
Russia for further development of trade with Jordan – Medvedev
By RIA Novosti,
Sochi : Russia is interested in the further development of trade and economic ties with Jordan, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday after talks with King Abdullah II.
Opening the talks with the Jordanian monarch, Medvedev noted that this was already their third meeting in six months, adding that the fact was evidence of good relations between the countries.
Election violence in Sri Lanka in check
Colombo : Police said Monday said that the situation in Sri Lanka, where violence erupted during provincial polls, was now under control.
The ruling United...
At least 10 dead, 27 injured in Nepal bus inferno
By Xinhua
Kathmandu : At least ten people were killed and 27 others were injured when a passenger bus caught fire in southern Nepal Friday, local media reported.
At around 5:20 p.m. (GMT 1135), the bus caught fire when crossing over Pasaha river on the border of Bara and Rautahat districts, some 60 km south of capital Kathmandu, THT Online website reported.
According to eyewitnesses, a loud explosion was heard before the bus caught fire. The police did not confirm the blast.
Eurozone ministers agree to expand rescue fund
By IANS,
Brussels : Eurozone finance ministers agreed Tuesday to expand a rescue fund and to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help to contain the spreading debt crisis.
New Nepal PM to be sworn in Tuesday
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Nepal's new Prime Minister-elect veteran Communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal will be administered oath of office Tuesday, heralding an end to a three-week-long political vacuum that had engulfed the Himalayan republic after its Maoist government fell due to a row with the army.
The new premier's party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), told IANS that Nepal would be sworn in Tuesday by President Ram Baran Yadav.
Canadian PM fights back to save government
By IANS,
Toronto : Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has accused the three opposition parties set to topple his minority Conservative Party government of "betraying" Canadians.
Harper said at the House of Commons Tuesday that opposition parties were throwing all parliamentary "niceties" to the wind to grab power and accused them of "betraying" the people's mandate.
Fiji deports another newspaper publisher
By DPA,
Wellington : Fiji's military regime deported a third Australian newspaper publisher Tuesday as Pacific island leaders met to decide whether to expel the country from the region's main political and economic policy organisation.
Rex Gardner, publisher of the Fiji Times, owned by News Limited and the island nation's oldest daily paper, was ordered to leave the country Monday.
Dalai Lama appeals for end to Tibet ‘crackdown’
By AFP
New Delhi : Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday appealed for international pressure on Beijing to halt what he charged was a mounting Chinese military crackdown in his homeland.
"Chinese authorities have deployed large contingents of troops in these traditional Tibetan regions and have not only started to crack down heavily on the Tibetans allegedly involved in the unrest, but also sealed off the areas where protests have taken place," the Dalai Lama said in a statement.
Indian American community welcomes Obama’s nomination
By IANS,
New York : Welcoming Barack Obama' nomination as Democratic party's presidential candidate, Indian Americans feel it is good news for the community as well as for India.
Inder Singh, president of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), told IANS: "It is the first time that the country has chosen a candidate beyond colour, and it is a sign of growing multiculturalism."
Most Indian Americans traditionally support Democrats and had sided more with Hillary Clinton than Obama, but they will support him, said Singh who is himself a Republican.
Michael Jackson delays Britain trip amid swine flu
By IANS,
London : Pop star Michael Jackson has reportedly scrapped a house-hunting trip to Britain in the wake of the swine flu outbreak.
The "Thriller" hit maker was set to visit Britain later this month to find a place to stay as he takes up residency at London's O2 arena from July for a string of comeback shows.
But he has delayed the trip amid health fears, reported femalefirst.co.uk.
Ahead of UN vote, Colombo justifies arrest of Tamil activists
Colombo : Ahead of a crucial UN human rights council vote in Geneva, Sri Lanka Wednesday clarified it had arrested three Tamil activists, including...
Singapore, U.S. conduct annual maritime exercise
By Xinhua,
Singapore : The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the United States Navy (USN) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) began their annual readiness and training exercise here on Monday.
The 11-day exercise, which will end on July 3, will focus on conventional maritime competencies in anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare, maritime air operations, and maritime security operations, said a statement from the Singapore's Defense Ministry.
Chinese cemetery fined for selling oversized graves
By IANS,
Beijing: A cemetery in China will be fined for illegally building and selling "oversized, luxurious and spacious" graves, with some priced as high as three million yuan ($476 million).
Six gunmen die in fighting with police in Brazil
By IANS
Rio de Janeiro : At least six suspected criminals have been killed in a shootout with police in a suburb in Brazil's former capital Rio de Jeneiro, a police official has said.
The shootout occurred Friday in the city suburb of Todos los Santos, when the suspected criminals tried to escape from the police who had surrounded them, quoting a military police spokesperson Spain's EFE news agency reported Saturday.
They were a gang of eight people, and according to police, six of them were killed in the gun battle while two managed to escape.
Pirates set to release German ship after ransom paid
By DPA,
Nairobi: Somali pirates are preparing to release a German ship held off the Somali coast for four months after receiving a multi-million-dollar ransom, a maritime official said Monday.
The Hansa Stavanger was seized April 4, around 400 nautical miles off the Somali coast, between Kenya and the Seychelles.
"We hope that it will be released any time soon," Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Association told DPA. "The ransom was probably just under $3 million."
Canada urged to admit more immigrants, refugees
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : Even as the Canadian government implements the new tighter immigration law, the independent Conference Board of Canada says more immigrants are needed to meet looming labour shortage. Canada lets in about 250,000 immigrants each year, with India and China being the two top sources.
But in a report released at the weekend, the Conference Board of Canada, which is an independent research organization, said that the country will actually need about 360,000 immigrants annually by 2025 to meet labour shortage.
Sri Lankan troops enter LTTE’s last stronghold: military
By IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lankan troops, launching fierce ground attacks from various directions, have fought their way into Puthukkudiyiruppu, the last major stronghold of the Tamil Tiger rebels, defence authorities here said Saturday.
"The troops have entered Puthukkudiyiruppu (in the Mullaitivu district) and are now conducting an offensive operation there," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told IANS.
Thai PM Heads To Myanmar On UN, International Mission
By Bernama,
Bangkok : Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej left Bangkok to negotiate with the Myanmar military government, to allow international relief workers to enter the cyclone-stricken country in order to help the storm's victims.
The prime minister left Bangkok to Yangon bringing 100 satellite phones to give to the State Peace and Development Council as requested.
Thai officials will also install a satellite station there to restore communication in Myanmar, the Thailand news agency (TNA) reported Wednesday.
US Congress moving towards agreement on $700 bn bailout plan
By DPA,
Washington : The US Congress was moving closer to an agreement on the $700 billion financial rescue plan, lawmakers said Thursday, a day after a sombre US President George W. Bush laid out the spectre of a "long and painful recession".
Republican presidential nominee John McCain, a senator from Arizona, said in broadcast remarks that he was confident there would be an agreement "before markets open Monday morning".
Representative Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania told CNBC broadcaster that the package was "basically done".
France Spurns Ukraine-Georgia in NATO
By Prensa Latina
Paris : French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Tuesday his country rejects Ukraine and Georgia's entry to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
In statements to France Inter raido station, a few hours before the NATO summit in Bucharest begins, Fillon held that the Paris position in this respect favors power balance in Europe.
"We oppose Georgia and Ukraine's entry into NATO, because we think it is not the best answer to the balance of power relations in Europe and between Europe and Russia," the French conservative head of government explained.
16 civilians killed in Sri Lanka blast
By Xinhua,
Colombo : At least 16 people were killed in an explosion in northern Sri Lanka Friday, rebel sources and local media reported.
A website close to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said 16 civilians were killed in a claymore mine attack that targeted a van in the rebel-held Kilinochchi district around 2.15 p.m.
The rebels claimed that the attack was carried out by Sri Lankan Army's Deep Penetration Unit (DPU), adding that four men, six women and six children were killed in the attack.
EU invites Belarus foreign minister to Paris talks
By RIA Novosti,
Brussels : The EU said Tuesday the Belarus foreign minister has been invited to attend a meeting in Paris on September 15 in a sign that the 27-nation bloc is shifting away from its hard line stance towards Minsk.
During the meeting, Sergei Martynov is scheduled to meet with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU commissioner, foreign policy chief Javier Solana and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. The talks are viewed as the first step by the EU in lifting sanctions, imposed four years ago, on Belarus.
India promises level playing field to US varsities
By Arun Kumar,IANS,
Washington : India has promised a level playing field to top US institutions in a bid to encourage foreign investment in the education sector as New Delhi seeks partnerships with global institutions to provide quality education at home.
"With the expansion of the higher education sector and the needs of Indian students, we need not just to allow education providers in India to grow, but we also need to provide for foreign investment in the education sector," India's Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said at a press conference here Friday.
25 militants killed in Pakistan
Islamabad: At least 25 militants, including three key commanders, were killed in clashes with security forces in North Waziristan region of Pakistan on Wednesday.
According...
Russia says U.S. missile shield will harm European security
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that the placement of a U.S. missile shield in Europe will harm regional security.
"The placement of elements of a U.S. global missile shield in Eastern Europe will only aggravate the situation," Medvedev said at a meeting with senior Russian diplomats in Moscow.
Brazilian judge assassinated
By IANS/EFE,
Rio de Janeiro : A Brazilian judge who received death threats after imposing harsh sentences on vigilantes was slain Friday in suburban Rio de Janeiro, police said.
Centenarians to tie knot in Italy
By RIA Novosti
Paris : A French woman aged 97 and her 101-year-old Italian partner have decided to marry in Italy after 50 years of romance, French media reported.
Sylvie Basin and Giuseppe Rebaudi submitted their documents at an Italian registry office Monday.
They have not yet set a date for their wedding, but the bride said she hoped to marry before summer.
"We cannot wait no longer to be called Mr and Mrs," Basin said.
The couple first met in the Italian border town of Ventimiglia when Rebaudi was single and Basin was already a widow.
Nikkei down four percent on Wall Street’s fall
By DPA,
Tokyo : Japan's benchmark Nikkei index lost four percent by the close of morning trading Thursday after Wall Street plummeted overnight and the Japanese government's machinery orders for November showed the largest decline on record.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average dropped 335.68 points to 8,102.77, and the broader Topix index of all First Section issues was also down 20.15 points, or 2.46 percent, to 799.24.
Japan's core machinery orders posted a record monthly decline in November, the Cabinet Office said Thursday.
Thai troops block opposition convoy, shoot rubber bullets
By DPA,
Bangkok : Thai troops Wednesday stopped a caravan of protesters heading from Bangkok to a neighbouring province by erecting road barriers and shooting rubber bullets. About a dozen people were injured, including one soldier.
Hundreds of troops and police blocked the protest convoy in Anusornsathan district, near Bangkok's old Don Mueang Airport.
Soldiers shot rubber bullets, injuring between 10 and 20 people, according to television reports. One soldier was also shot in the head but his condition was not immediately known, media reports said.
I am ready to meet even our enemies: Barack Obama
By DPA
Alexandria (US) : American presidential candidate Barack Obama has said his election would change perceptions of the US overseas and argued that his own international background gave him an understanding and credibility with foreign leaders and people.
In a rare and lengthy discussion on foreign policy - other than Iraq or terrorism - at a high school rally in northern Virginia, Obama reiterated Sunday that he would meet foreign adversaries, including Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.
UN chief calls for decisive action on Zimbabwe crisis
By DPA,
Manila : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday urged African leaders to take "very decisive" steps to end a standoff between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
The 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) has called for an urgent summit to end the deadlock between Mugabe and Tsvangirai over a unity government aimed at ending Zimbabwe's political crisis.
Expert: All countries should have access to peaceful nuclear energy
By IRNA,
United Nations, New York : Ways should be open for all world countries to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes free from any monopoly, chairman of the third preparatory meeting of the Review Conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation said Friday.
In an exclusive interview with IRNA, Boniface Chidyausiku said Non-Proliferation Treaty stressed the right of all world countries to make peaceful use of nuclear energy so the nuclear-capable countries should aide other world states to develop their own nuclear programs.
Russia rejects US claims of ‘stolen’ nuclear weapons
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia Friday insisted its nuclear weapons are secure and rejected the allegations by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that large amounts of Russian nuclear weapons had been stolen or misplaced.
"Such allegations are entirely groundless," Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, stressing that all nuclear weapons in the country have been under reliable protection since the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991.
French parliament opens debate on veil ban
By DPA,
Paris : The French parliament late Tuesday began debating a proposed law to ban veiling of faces in public, a controversial move aimed mainly at traditional dress worn by some Muslim women.
If the bill becomes law, any woman wearing the face veil in public would be liable to a fine of 150 euros ($184), or be obliged to take a class in citizenship, or both.
In addition, anyone forcing someone to conceal her face because of her gender would face a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of up to 30,000 euros.
Nepal child soldiers embrace freedom with heavy heart
By IANS,
Kathmandu : Hundreds of child soldiers recruited by the Maoists in the course of their decade-old "People's War" Thursday finally bid adieu to combatant life to begin afresh as civilians in what the UN hailed as a historic step in Nepal's peace process.
Soltanieh gives stern warning to IAEA
By IRNA,
Vienna : Iran's Ambassador to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh gave stern warning to the agency against violating its own constitution.
Flip side of job loss: pack things and enjoy your freedom
By Simon Parry and Hazel Parry, DPA,
Hong Kong : A black joke doing the rounds in Asian financial circles goes like this. Question: "What's the definition of an optimist?" Answer: "A banker who has five shirts ironed on a Sunday."
It is a joke Barry Emmerton - who lost his $15,500-a month job as an interest rates derivatives specialist - can afford to smile at, even though the shirt question is already irrelevant for him.
Austria links recognition of Kosovo”s independence to protection of
By KUNA
Vienna : Austria's Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer said the European Union (EU) will recognize Kosovo's independence only if the ethnic Muslim Albanian minority there is protected.
"Any unilateral declaration of independence on the part of Kosovo will be carefully studied by the EU to make sure that UN Special Envoy to Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari's plan is taken into consideration," the Austrian Radio and Television Authority said in an official statement.
Arms cuts treaty could be submitted to Russian, US parliaments in early May
By RIA Novosti,
Washington : The new strategic arms reduction pact signed by Russia and the United States in Prague is to be submitted to the countries' parliaments in May, a top Russian senator said Tuesday.
"We received signals from the White House and Kremlin that the treaty will be submitted to national parliaments in the first half of May," Mikhail Margelov, who heads the Russian upper house's international committee, told Russian journalists in Washington during a break in a bilateral parliamentary commission session.
70 ill after eating in restaurant near Beijing
By IANS,
Beijing: At least 70 people have fallen ill after eating at a restaurant in a resort near here, police and health officials said Saturday.
The people showed symptoms of nausea and vomiting after having lunch Friday at the restaurant in Shuian Shanba, a holiday resort in the outskirts of Beijing.
Most of the sick people were treated in local hospitals and nine of them, including a two-year-old boy, were sent to a hospital in Beijing.
All nine people had clonidine, a drug for high blood pressure, in their blood, a doctor at the hospital was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
LeT wanted Usman dead not caught alive, his ‘father’ tells daily
New Delhi: A Pakistan-based man who identified himself as the "unfortunate father" of the Pakistani terrorist nabbed in Udhampur has said that the Lashkar-e-Taiba...
Spain deplores death of Cuban political prisoner
By IANS/EFE,
Toledo (Spain) : The Spanish government has said that it "deeply deplores" the death of Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo and regrets that the human rights situation on the communist-ruled island has led to "this very terrible outcome".
Zapata, 42, died Tuesday at a Havana hospital after an 85-day hunger strike.
This fact "truly demonstrates that there is a deficit in (Havana's) human rights policy," third Deputy Prime Minister Manuel Chaves said Wednesday during a press conference here.
Wildfire death toll rises as Bush visits California
By DPA
Los Angeles : The death toll rose to 12 from California fires as President George W. Bush visited the devastated area and authorities confirmed that one of the worst fires was the result of deliberate arson.
The deadly Santa Ana winds that had fuelled the fires died down to be replaced by ocean breezes that carried moisture to the parched landscape.
DPRK senior official calls for opening up new phase of inter-Korean relations
By Xinhua,
Pyongyang : A senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea called Monday for an anti-U.S. and anti-war struggle to fulfill the national unity, the official news agency KCNA reported.
US golf magazine apologises to Sikhs for doctoring picture
By IANS,
New York : A leading US golf magazine has tendered an apology to the Sikh community for using a doctored image of Guru Arjan Dev in its May 2008 issue. Hundreds of Sikhs who considered the image blasphemous sent their protests to the magazine.
Golf Digest magazine has also agreed to publish a public apology in its August issue for an item which showed the Sikhs' fifth guru as a "golfing guru", holding a golf club and offering advice to the readers, something considered blasphemous.
Hindu scholars ask for ‘kirtan’ award at Grammys
By IANS,
London : Hindu scholars are calling on Grammy Awards bosses to add a new category for traditional Indian music at the annual awards ceremony.
Officials at the Universal Society of Hinduism are urging Grammy bosses to include "Kirtan" as a field for future awards shows, beginning in 2010, reports contactmusic.com.
Racist crime on the rise across Europe: EU agency
By DPA,
Brussels : Racist crime is on the rise across Europe, the head of the European Union's Agency for Fundamental Rights announced in Brussels Tuesday.
There was a worrying trend of an increase in racist crimes between 2000 and 2006, and 2007 showed a similar picture, Anastasia Crickley, the agency's chairperson, said as she presented her organization's annual report.
China’s octogenarian population to grow by 1 mn annually
By IANS,
Beijing : The number of Chinese in their 80s or older neared 19 million last year and would grow by an additional one million annually, a government report said.
The number of people aged 60 years and above, increased by 7.25 million to 167.14 million last year, or 12.5 percent of the Chinese population, the Office of China National Committee on Aging said Tuesday.
Further, the proportion of aged people in the population rose by half a percentage point to 12.5 percent, the largest annual increase in history, said Wu Yushao, deputy director of the office.
Kidnapped reporter in Syria asks for help in online message
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A Ukrainian freelance reporter, who was abducted in Syria last month, has asked diplomats and the Syrian government to agree on the terms of her release.
Royalists begin to regroup in Nepal
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Dismissing the move by Nepal's parliament to proclaim the former Hindu kingdom a secular republic, diehard followers of ousted King Gyanendra have renewed their efforts to forge an alliance that would fight the April election to save the beleaguered royal family.
"We have invited like-minded people to form a coalition that would fight to save constitutional monarchy," said Padma Sundar Lawoti, a former minister who is also acting president of the pro-monarchy party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Nepal).