Obama, the man with a taste for Indian food
By IANS,
Chicago : Barack Obama, who may become the next US president after Tuesday's election, learnt tales of the Mahabharata from his mother and has a soft corner for the Indian American community, says a former aide.
New Delhi-born Raja Krishnamoorthi, who was the policy director in Obama's campaign for the US Senate, said Obama had a soft corner for the Indian American community.
"His mother, who visited South Asia, has taught him tales from the Mahabharata," Krishnamoorthi, now the deputy treasurer in the Illinois State Treasurer's office, told IANS.
Maximum punishment for captains of vessels passing sinking ship:Russia
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Three-year-old survives fall from seventh floor
By RIA Novosti
Krasnoyarsk (Russia) : A three-year-old has miraculously survived a fall from a seventh floor window in this Siberian city in Russia, a police spokesman said Tuesday.
"According to the parents, the child fell from the kitchen window. When the parents woke up, they could not find the boy. Glancing out the window, the father saw him lying on the roof of an adjoining shop on the first floor," the spokesman said.
He said that although the child was seriously injured, he somehow remained alive and was hospitalised in intensive care.
US probes likely American connection to French bank fraud
By Xinhua
Washington : US Federal prosecutors in New York are trying to find out whether there is any "US element" to the Société Générale SA trading scandal, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
The report published Wednesday quoted a person close to the French bank as saying that prosecutors are trying to learn whether employee Jerome Kerviel, who has been blamed for the $7.27 billion trading scandal, traded on a US index or whether any transaction ran through a US broker. The bank has said it is cooperating with authorities.
Israel calls for boycott of Palestinian unity government
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the international community Sunday not to recognise the Palestinian unity government set to be announced Monday.
"I call...
Series of quakes rock eastern Indonesia, three killed
By Xinhua,
Jakarta : A series of powerful earthquakes rattled the eastern Indonesian province of West Papua Sunday morning, killing at least three people and collapsing a number of buildings, officials said.
A 7.2-magnitude quake hit the province at 4:43 a.m. with its epicentre lying at the sea bed about 135 km northwest of Manokwari, the provincial capital of West Papua, the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said.
The quake was followed by a series of aftershocks, sparking panic among residents and deterring them from returning to their homes.
Thousands throng India Day Parade in New York
By Parveen Chopra, IANS
New York : Thousands of people flocked to the annual India Day Parade held here that saw Bollywood beauty Priyanka Chopra as grand marshal and astronaut Sunita Williams as the guest of honour.
The event Sunday saw people fill up the sidewalks on the parade route along Madison Avenue from 41st Street to 24th Street in Manhattan. The atmosphere was charged with the hues and vibrancy of Indian culture, with many people waving the tricolour and quite a few dressed in the colours of the national flag.
UK freeze of terror suspect assets ruled unlawful
London, Jan 27, IRNA – The British government Wednesday suffered another blow to its counter-terrorism strategies after the Supreme Court ruled that special Treasury orders to freeze the assets of suspects are unlawful.
Judges at the UK's highest court said the government had exceeded its powers by controlling the finances of five suspects. They also lifted a ban on identifying the men who brought the challenge.
Skeletal remains found in Sri Lanka mass grave
By IANS,
Colombo : Over 80 human bones, including skeletal remains, have been found so far from a mass grave in northern Sri Lanka, police...
Obama: race not factor in presidential election
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Struggling to win over more white Democratic voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama denied on Sunday that race would be a factor in determining the outcome of the presidential election in November, as Democrats mulled whether racial bias makes Hillary Clinton the better Democratic candidate.
10,000 spectators at naked tobogganing race in Germany
By DPA,
Braunlage (Germany) : A naked tobogganing race attracted around 10,000 people to an eastern German town in the Harz mountains Saturday.
Car parks were overflowing ahead of the popular event in the town of Braunlage, one spokesman said, while police confirmed that roughly 10,000 spectators had gathered to watch the event.
Around 30 scantily clad male and female teams had registered to compete on the 100-metre-long track.
Earlier this month, a row erupted in another winter resort, in eastern Germany, over plans to hold a topless tobogganing event.
India expert at Cambridge knighted, several Asians honoured
By Prasun Sonwalkar
IANSLondon : Christopher Alan Bayly, an India expert at the University of Cambridge, has been knighted along with noted India-born writer Salman Rushdie and several Asians honoured in the Queen's birthday honours list.
Five policemen die in Thai bombing
By IANS,
Bangkok : Five policemen died in a bomb attack in Thailand Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
100,000 Chinese graduates become self-employed
By IANS,
Beijing : Over 100,000 college graduates in China started their own businesses in 2010 amid mounting unemployment in the country, an official said.
Chinese, Russia discuss ties
By IANS,
Beijing : President Hu Jintao and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met in Beijing Wednesday to exchange views on strategic ties between China and Russia.
Maoists warn of more protests as Nepal strike continues
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Defying the government's call to withdraw their three-day general strike, Nepal's Maoist party Monday closed down the country for the second day amidst warnings of more disruptions if its demands were not met.
Copenhagen gunman pledged allegiance to IS
Copenhagen: The gunman suspected of killing two people in the Danish capital Copenhagen over Saturday and Sunday had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State...
How a Messi fan in Kerala village became a football journalist in Spain
Jushna Shahin’s passion for the sport made her achieve the unthinkable.
Najiya O | TwoCircles.net
KERALA — Jushna Shahin’s earliest memories are of watching football matches on...
Show face to police, burqa-clad Australians told
By IANS,
Sydney: Women wearing the burqa or full-face veils will now be forced to show their faces when stopped by police, a senior official said.
British toll in Afghanistan reaches 300
By DPA,
London: The British death toll in Afghanistan reached 300 Monday, a milestone that prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to repeat his pledge that British forces would leave the country as soon as Afghans were able to guarantee its security.
An elite Royal Marine soldier, who was injured in a roadside bomb blast in the Sangin area of Helmand province June 12, died of his injuries in a hospital in Birmingham, England, the Ministry of Defence said.
UK admits 3,000 blank passports, visas stolen
By KUNA,
London : About 3,000 blank passports and visas have been stolen while being transported from Manchester, northern England, to London, it was announced here Tuesday.
The documents were in a van which was targeted yesterday morning.
The British Foreign Office admitted a serious breach of security over the loss of the passports and visa stickers, which were being sent to embassies overseas.
However, the passport service said the stolen documents could not be used by thieves because of their hi-tech embedded chip security features.
Slovenia takes over EU Presidency
BRUSSELS, Jan 1 (KUNA) -- Slovenia on Tuesday took over the six-month rotating European Union (EU) Presidency from Portugal.
As the only member of the former Yugoslavia in the EU club, a top priority of Slovenia's agenda is the Balkans, in particular Kosovo which is seeking independence from Serbian rule.
The European bloc's international agenda under Slovenia's Presidency comprises a summit with Latin America to be held in May, in addition to some other summit meetings with the US, Russia, Canada and Japan.
Slovenia will hand over the EU Presidency to France on July 1.
Wyclef Jean can’t be Haiti’s next president
By IANS,
New York : Haiti-born hip hop star Wyclef Jean, who had filed for candidacy in the presidential elections in that country, has not made it to the final list as he lives in New Jersey in the US and not in the Caribbean island.
The singer-songwriter did not satisfy legal requirements to contest in his native country's presidential election, people.com reported.
"He is not on the list as I speak," said an official, whose identity was not revealed.
Jean had left Haiti at the age of nine, to stay in Brooklyn, New York.
Australia polling under way, postal votes crucial
By IANS,
Sydney : The final result of the neck-and-neck electoral battle in Australia hinges on the two million postal votes that will be counted after 13 days of polling, which is under way Saturday.
About 85 percent of all voters are expected to cast "ordinary" ballots, the counting of which starts and is expected to be completed Saturday night.
But with 440,000 additional voters on the roll, the election commission says the counting of "ordinary" ballots may continue till Sunday. Counting starts at 6 p.m. Saturday in 7,700 polling places across the country.
Russia losing space race: Poll
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia is losing its position as the leader of the space race and needs to invest more in the space industry, a new poll has said.
Israeli opposition criticises Netanyahu’s speech on Gaza war
Jerusalem: Israeli opposition leader strongly criticised the speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the military operation in Gaza, saying it is a sad...
Pakistan to set up 1,400-MW coal-based power project
Islamabad: Pakistan has approved a coal-based 1,400-MW power project by the Shanghai Electric Group of China in Sindh province.
The project, in the Hindu-majority district...
Singapore launches orange ribbon celebrations to strengthen racial harmony
By Xinhua,
Singapore : Singapore on Sunday launched the national orange ribbon celebrations as part of its efforts to strengthen the city state's racial and religious harmony.
Speaking at the inaugural launch of the national orange ribbon celebrations, Singapore's Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan pledged the country's continued commitment to racial and religious harmony.
Nepal heading for local body elections
Kathmandu : Nepal is preparing to hold local body elections after a 16-year hiatus, a government minister said Sunday.
The elections for the leadership of...
US economy up 2.2 percent in third quarter
By DPA,
Washington: The US economy grew slower than expected 2.2 percent in the third quarter of 2009, revised government figures showed Tuesday.
The rise in gross domestic product (GDP) was weaker than earlier estimates had shown, but was still the first positive growth period after the year-long recession that has plagued the world's largest economy.
Tibetans plan large Canberra rally to push China for talks
By DPA
Beijing : A large protest planned by Tibetans and their supporters during the Olympic torch relay in Canberra is aimed at pushing China to talk to the exiled Dalai Lama and is not against China or the Olympics, the Australia Tibet Council said Friday.
Most of Australia's estimated 450 Tibetan citizens are expected to join a rally in the Australian city April 24, joined by a "large network of Tibet supporters," Simon Bradshaw, the council's campaign coordinator, told DPA in Beijing.
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.
Now, Shariah-compliant MasterCard for Muslims
By IANS,
London: A compass pointing the way to Mecca is embedded in a new MasterCard aimed at Muslims, the Daily Mail reported Saturday.
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.
EU urges Russia to keep moratorium on death penalty
By RIA Novosti,
Brussels : The European Union (EU) is hoping that Russia will not abolish the moratorium on the death penalty, an official of the 27-member block has said.
Russia undertook to scrap the death penalty when it signed Protocol 6 to the European Convention on Human Rights, but it has not yet ratified the document.
Guatemalan court issues arrest warrant for ex-president
By IANS/EFE,
Guatemala City : A Guatemalan court has issued an arrest warrant for former president Alfonso Portillo, who is being investigated for corruption and whose extradition has been requested by the US so that he can be brought to trial there for money laundering, judicial officials said.
The arrest warrant for Portillo, who was extradited from Mexico in 2008, was issued by a criminal court judge.
Fighter jet crashes in US
By DPA,
Washington : An F-22A fighter jet crashed in California while on a test flight Wednesday, the US Air Force confirmed. The status of the pilot was unclear.
Air force spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Karen Platt said the crash took place about 55 km northwest of Edwards Air Force Base, which lies in the desert north of Los Angeles.
The F-22 Raptor is one of the most sophisticated fighter jets in the world and comes with a hefty pricetag. The crash was the first for this model since it went into full production, Platt said.
Tibetans rally to mark uprising
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : About 300 Tibetan refugees held a rally here Tuesday to mark the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against the Chinese government in Tibet, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Himanshu Lal said that the Tibetans, carrying banners and shouting slogans like "Long Live the Dalai Lama" and "Free Tibet, Save Tibet", marched for about one kilometre.
After the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule was crushed by the People's Liberation Army in 1959, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans fled to India.
Kenya urges UN to tackle food crisis, Nigerian piracy
By Xinhua,
Nairobi : Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has asked the United Nations to mobilise resources to tackle global problems, including high food prices and rampant piracy along the coast of Somalia.
A statement from the presidential press service said Kibaki called on the UN to help in coordinating efforts to stabilise global food prices and ensure an efficient movement of food from surplus to deficit nations.
New UN General Assembly resolution seeks to curb road traffic injuries
By APP
United Nations : The UN General Assembly adopted on Monday a resolution that calls on member states to further increase cooperation in improving road safety.
Almost 1.2 million people are killed and millions more injured or disabled due to road crashes every year, with road traffic injuries being the leading cause of death worldwide for those between the ages of 10 and 24, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report prepared by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners.
Self-immolations won’t help Dalai Lama: Chinese daily
By IANS,
Beijing : The Dalai Lama and his supporters are doomed to fail in their attempt to attain Tibetan independence by stoking self-immolations, Chinese newspaper People's Daily said Tuesday.
Israeli forces kill Palestinian activist in Jenin
By KUNA,
RAMALLAH : Israeli special forces killed Thursday morning an activist affiliated with Islamic Jihad Movement in Jenin.
Israeli special forces, not in uniform, opened fire on Alaa' Abu Rab's house after surrounding it, witnesses told KUNA, adding that Israeli forces prevented Abu Rab's family from taking him to hospital as he bled to death.
They added that Israeli forces attacked the house with grenades, opened fire, and forced the family out.
Gas leaks kill 50 Britons a year
By IANS,
London : Carbon monoxide gas leak from faulty appliances killed 50 Britons in the past year, a government report said.
India watches fearfully as jihadist insurgency spreads to Pakistani Punjab: Stratfor
By Arun Kumar,IANS,
Washington : As India goes to the polls, it is "watching fearfully as the jihadist insurgency in neighbouring Pakistan has spread to India's doorstep in Pakistan's Punjab province," says a leading intelligence group that warns of another terror attack in India soon.
"These attacks have revealed a trend in which the Kashmiri Islamist militant proxies formerly controlled by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency are now moving into the jihadist orbit under Al Qaeda and the Taliban to carry out more complex and deadly attacks," US-based Stratfor said.
No eclipse watching in the Maldives
By Richa Sharma,IANS,
Male : Unlike in India, where thousands of people converged to watch the longest annular solar eclipse of the millennium Friday, most beaches and parks in this capital city of Maldives wore a deserted look as none of the residents came out to watch the eclipse, which was seen the best here.
For Friday being a public holiday in this Islamic nation, the city in fact was very quiet with the majority of shops, colleges and offices closed. Special prayers are being held in mosques every Friday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and everybody makes it a point to attend.
Israel indicts two journalists for violating censorship
By DPA,
Tel Aviv : Two east Jerusalem employees of a production company servicing various media outlets worldwide, including one based in Iran, were indicted in Israel Tuesday for breaking Israeli military censorship, the Ynet news site reported.
Kadir Shahin, a reporter with Iranian Arabic-speaking Alalam television station, and producer Muhammad Sarhan are accused of reporting that Israeli ground troops had entered the Gaza Strip Jan 3, before the information was cleared for publication.
British economic slowdown faster than expected in third quarter
By DPA,
London : The British economy slowed down faster in the third quarter of 2008 than previously estimated, official figures showed Tuesday.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy contracted by 0.6 percent between July and September - higher than the previous estimate of 0.5 percent.
The previous quarter was left unrevised, with a figure of zero growth.
The economic growth figures are closely watched because two consecutive negative figures are generally thought to indicate a recession.
Chinese man planned to kill 30 students
By IANS,
Beijing : The 42-year-old former community doctor in China's Nanping city, who stabbed 13 primary school students Tuesday morning, killing eight of them, has said he planned to kill 30 children on that day, police said.
Police in Nanping in Fujian province Thursday ruled out the possibility of Zheng Minsheng's mental insanity after he confessed his intention of killing 30 people that day, China Daily reported.
18 killed in China mine blast
By IANS,
Beijing: A coal mine gas blast killed 18 people and injured 12 in northeast China, authorities said Sunday.
Tibet is inseparable part of China: Russia
By Xinhua
Moscow : Tibet is "an inseparable part of China" and the problems Beijing is facing due to protests by ethnic Tibetans in Lhasa is an "internal affair" of the country, Russia said Monday.
"Russia has said many times that it views Tibet as an inseparable part of China and believes that the settlement of relations with the Dalai Lama is an internal affair of the People's Republic of China," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Russia hopes the Chinese government will take the necessary steps to ensure normalisation in the Chinese autonomous region, it said.
Anti-Arab activists admit to Jerusalem school attack
Jerusalem: Israeli security agency Shin Bet has said that the three Jewish suspects arrested for setting fire to a Hebrew-Arabic bilingual school in Jerusalem...
Sri Lanka war was not against Tamils: Rajapaksa
Colombo : President Mahinda Rajapaksa Wednesday said the war in Sri Lanka was never against the Tamil community but against terrorism.
The president said this...
US targets key financiers of Al Qaeda, Al Nusra Front
Washington: The US Friday imposed sanctions on two alleged key financiers of al-Nusra Front and Al Qaeda, authorities said.
Abdul Mohsen Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Sharikh and...
Jamaican Arrested at FLA Airport with Bomb Parts
By SPA
Washington : A Jamaican man appeared before a U.S. court on Wednesday, after being arrested a day earlier for trying to board a plane with bomb components in his luggage.
Kevin Brown, who was arrested at Orlando International Airport on Tuesday, made an initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Karla Spaulding on Wednesday. A bond hearing was scheduled for Thursday, when further details about the case are likely to be made public.
Brown was stopped as he tried to board a flight to Jamaica when a “behavior detection officer” spotted him acting suspiciously.
14 dead in Peru floods
By IANS,
Lima : At least 14 people died in floods triggered by torrential rains in Peru, authorities said.
Heavy rains battered the country for the past two days.
Have a second child, government tells Shanghai couples
By IANS,
Beijing : Couples in China's glittering metropolis of Shanghai are being encouraged to have another child to overcome an ageing population due to the decades old strictly enforced one-child policy norm, an official said.
"We advocate eligible couples to have two kids because it can help reduce the proportion of the ageing people and alleviate a workforce shortage in the future," Xie Lingli, director of the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission, was quoted as saying by China Daily Friday.
US presidential candidates don’t inspire me: DiCaprio
By IANS
New York : Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has decided not to campaign for any of the US presidential candidates because none of them inspire him.
The 32-year-old was a staunch advocate of Democratic hopeful Senator John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election and travelled across 14 states to rally support and raise funds for him.
But DiCaprio says the frontrunners for the 2008 election have yet to catch his attention with their environmental policies, Imdb.com reports.
46 UN staff killed in Haiti quake
By IANS,
United Nations : At least 46 staff of the UN were killed in the devastating earthquake that rocked the Haitian capital of Port-au Prince last week, the global organisation said Monday.
"The death toll for the UN as a whole is 46," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said, adding that more than 500 others still missing.
The world body made it clear that the figure of "missing or unaccounted for" includes local staff who may have survived but have not been contacted, Xinhua reported.
Britons flock to polling booths to elect new government
By DPA,
London : Britons flocked to the polling stations in the general election Thursday that could end 13 years of Labour rule and thrust the small Liberal Democratic Party into a decisive role as kingmaker.
Opinion polls have consistently shown that the election could result in a hung parliament, a situation in which none of the two major parties gains an overall majority, requiring the support of the Liberals.
Obama scores victory with 7 million healthcare signups
By Arun Kumar ,
Washington: President Barack Obama claimed a major victory as over seven million people signed up for medical insurance under his signature...
Spanish Socialists Still in Lead
By Prensa Latina
Madrid : Ten days before the general elections, the Spanish socialists still have the lead over their main rival, and the possibility of obtaining absolute majority in parliament, according to several polls published on Wednesday.
A survey by the SER information company said the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Labor Party), to which government President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero belongs, has a five point lead with 44 percent of the voters' support.
Myanmar to host 36th Asean ministerial meeting
Yangon : Myanmar will host the 36th Association for Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry in September, officials said Saturday.
The...
Shakira rocks Bhutan, as Shangri-la embraces modernity
By Syed Zarir Hussain
IANSThimphu : Once a sequestered nation, shy of opening up to the outside world, Bhutan, the land of fluttering prayer flags, massive fortress monasteries and oracles, is today in transition.
South Korea warns of stern response to North’s n-threat
Seoul : South Korea Thursday warned North Korea, saying that it would face a stern response from the international community if it conducts another...
US focuses on next generation biofuel research
By Xinhua
Honolulu : The US Department of Energy (DoE) will invest up to $114 million in four years for the four next-generation cellulosic biorefineries, an official said.
This is in addition to the billion dollars that the department had committed last year in cellulosic biorefinery programming, Andy Karsner, assistant secretary of energy for Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of DoE, said Wednesday.
Haiti’s underbelly seethes after earthquake
By Anindita Ramaswamy, DPA,
Port-au-Prince : To comprehend the deathly power of a machete you only need to see it raised in the air, attached to an arm, and then in fierce, rapid movements designed to kill, watch as it unflinchingly comes down on a human body.
FBI agents find Blackwater shootings unjustified
By DPA
Washington : Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believe most of the 17 fatal shootings of Iraqis in September by private security guards in Baghdad were unjustified, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The Sep 16 shootings at a major Baghdad intersection by employees of the Blackwater security firm protecting US State Department officials sparked uproar about the use of private guards in Iraq.
US birth rates down for 4th straight year
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Washington: Birth rates in the US fell for the fourth straight year, the government said Wednesday.
Experts blamed the bad economy for low birth rates.
Toll in China chemical plant explosion rises to 18
By DPA,
Beijing : A series of explosions at a chemical plant left 18 people dead and two missing in southwest China's Guangxi region, the government and state media said Wednesday.
The explosions and a fire Tuesday at the Guangwei Chemical Company also injured 60 workers and local residents, the State Administration of Work Safety reported on its website.
The fire spread over 10,000 sq metres and forced the evacuation of 11,500 local residents in Guangxi's Yizhou city, Xinhua news agency reported.
Old letters show Anglican leader’s ‘liberal stance’ on homosexuality
By DPA,
London : Liberals in the worldwide Anglican Church can take comfort from views expressed eight years ago on the vexed issue of homosexuality by Rowan Williams, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, the London Times said Thursday.
In correspondence seen by the Times, Williams expressed the belief that gay sexual relationships can "reflect the love of God" in a way that is comparable to marriage, the report said.
Ajman, Tajikistan hold talks
By IANS/WAM,
Ajman: Ajman, a UAE emirate, has held talks with Tajikistan over the existing bilateral relations and ways to enhance them between the two friendly countries.
Myanmar insurgent groups to support monk-led rebellion
By DPA
Bangkok : Myanmar's major insurgent and dissident groups are planning to meet Sunday to discuss supporting the monk-led rebellion in Yangon.
"We will meet on Sep 30 to discuss our common strategy," Shan State Army leader Yaw Serk said Wednesday.
The meeting, at an undisclosed place, is to include various groups opposed to Myanmar's regime, including former Myanmar student activists on the Thai-Myanmar border, the National League for Democracy politicians in exiles and other insurgencies.
US considering more sanctions against Zimbabwe
By DPA,
Washington : The US would "take a very strong look" at the possibility of extending sanctions on Zimbabwe government following the "sham" elections that took place Friday, the US State Department said.
The US already has sanctions on Zimbabwe, some members of Mugabe's family and other "cronies" in his government and more steps may be on the way, deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.
"You will see us take a very strong look at additional measures that we might be able to take in a bilateral capacity against Zimbabwe," Casey told reporters.
Ecuador Picking New Foreign Minister
By Prensa Latina
Quito : Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa presides Friday over a meeting of the ministers' cabinet, to appoint the country's new foreign minister, after Maria Fernanda Espinoza resigned from that post.
The Presidence' media secretary Julia Ortega stated Thursday that there are several candidates with conditions to occupy that important post.
The press chief pointed out that current Tourism Minister Isabel Salvador is included in the list of aspirants, on which Correa has the last word.
Mian Biwi aur Wagah, Dubai’s famous original Urdu play on tradition of letter-writing, to...
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Dubai: Following a successful run at its home base in Dubai, “Mian, Biwi aur Wagah”- an original Urdu play based on...
Fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent dies at 71
By DPA,
Paris : France's legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, considered one of the most important figures in fashion history, died Sunday in Paris, friend and partner Pierre Berge said. He was 71.
Saint Laurent was born on August 1, 1936, in the port city of Oran, Algeria. In the 1960s he became famous for his women's tuxedo. In 2002, Saint Laurent withdrew from the public eye, and his brand now belongs to the French luxury company PPR.
China’s moon rover to run on nuclear power
By IANS,
Beijing : China's first moon rover will run on a nuclear-powered battery, a scientist said.
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.
NASA’s Cassini clicks Saturn’s moon in best-ever resolution
Washington : A pockmarked, icy landscape looms beneath NASA's Cassini spacecraft in new images of Saturn's moon Dione taken during the mission's last close...
Australian PM vows to continue lost jet search
Perth/Canberra : Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Monday that there is no time limit on the search for the lost Malaysia Airlines flight...
Sri Lanka to introduce biometric system to combat illegal immigrants
By NNN-LK News
Colombo : A new biometric system will be introduced by the Government as a mean of combating illegal migration and the amendments would be made to the Foreign Employment Act to facilitate this move.
The Ministry of Child Development and Women's Empowerment in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) launched a consultation on December 13, to bring together stakeholders to share information and collaborate more closely on interventions of human trafficking, smuggling, transnational crime and exploitation.
Dalai Lama congratulates Obama on Nobel prize
By DPA,
Washington : The Dalai Lama congratulated US President Barack Obama on his award of the Nobel Peace Prize, ignoring criticism over Obama's refusal to meet with him before he travels to China.
The letter from the 1989 peace prize winner late Friday said it was important for American leaders to adopt "principled" leadership based on the country's founding ideals of "freedom and liberty".
"Such an approach will not only enhance the reputation of the US, but also contribute tremendously to reducing tension in the world," he wrote.
Cage denies Turner’s claim he was jailed
By IANS
London : Oscar winning actor Nicolas Cage has rubbished claims by actress Kathleen Turner that he was arrested for drunk driving and that he once even stole a dog.
Thesun.co.uk reports that
Cage starred with Turner in "Peggy Sue Got Married", Thesun.co.uk reports. In her memoir, Turner has claimed he was difficult to work with and was constantly in trouble with the police.
A cold, dreary night out in the open in Kathmandu
By Gaurav Sharma,
Kathmandu : Kathmandu's quake survivors are spending miserable nights under leaking plastic sheets and small tents in the open, fearful of aftershocks...
Indonesian Vessel with 27 passengers reported missing
By SPA
Sumenep, Madura, Indonesia : As many as 27 passengers of "Salju Emas" vessel which left Masalembu port at about 14:00 local time on Monday for Gresik port, Kalianget, Sumenep district, Madura, were reported missing in Masalembu waters, ANTARA reported.
EU leaders concede new treaty will be delayed
By DPA,
Brussels : The European Union (EU) leaders agreed Friday to go ahead with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, but wrote off any chance of the bloc's new rules coming into force Jan 1, as they had hoped.
"The European Council (of ministers) noted that the parliaments of 19 member states have ratified the treaty and that the ratification process continues in other countries," a draft text of the summit's conclusions seen by DPA said.
Agreement on the exact wording of the conclusions followed intense discussions that only ended late into the night Thursday.
Suspicious vehicle spotted in New York
By IANS,
New York : A vehicle with two gas canisters inside it has been spotted near Union Square here, a media report said.
Police and bomb squad agents were investigating the vehicle.
A pedestrian saw two gas canisters inside the parked car and called the police.
Xinhua news agency reported that streets and buildings nearby have been evacuated as a precaution, and bomb squad experts with a robot were working at the scene.
Nearly 2,000 Tibetans protest in Nepal
By DPA,
Kathmandu : An estimated 2,000 Tibetan exiles demonstrated in the Nepali capital Kathmandu Thursday, a day ahead of the official start of the Olympic Games in Beijing.
The demonstration was the biggest by Tibetan exiles in Nepal since their protests started in March.
The demonstrators, including monks, nuns and schoolchildren, gathered near a Buddhist temple on the eastern outskirts of the capital and expressed anger over the Chinese crackdown on Tibetan protestors in Lhasa earlier this year.
Many protests wore headbands and T-shirts calling for "Free Tibet."
Lanka says 147 killed as battle rages for key LTTE-held town
By IANS,
Colombo : At least 120 Tamil Tiger rebels and 27 government soldiers were killed and several more wounded on both sides as a fierce battle continued to rage on the outskirts of a key rebel-held town in the north of the country, the Sri Lankan defence ministry said Monday.
Troops were "steadily advancing" from three directions towards the rebels' 'political capital' Kilinochchi, located about 350 kilometres north of here, since the past few days and have "laid siege to the symbolic LTTE stronghold" despite heavy resistance, the ministry said.
Sri Lanka launches online visa approval system
By IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lanka Friday launched an online visa approval system for people on a short stay, Xinhua reported.
Over 960 inmates freed in DR Congo prison attack
By IANS,
Kinshasa : Over 960 inmates were freed by unidentified gunmen in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) by attacking a prison Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
Nearly 1,400 criminals arrested in China
By IANS,
Beijing : A total of 1,395 people allegedly involved in criminal gangs have been captured in a massive nationwide campaign in China, the government said.
Asian police officer faces sack for racism charge against boss
By IANS,
London : The racism row between London police chief Ian Blair and his seniormost deputy of Asian origin Tarique Ghaffur has taken another turn with the former threatening to strip the officer of his command if he went ahead with his libel suit against the force.
Blair of the Metropolitan Police (Met) is learnt to have warned Ghaffur to postpone his legal action or be removed from his post and the force. The two officers met on Thursday as part of the force's plans to quell the race row.
British charity to sue police, prosecutors in murder case
By IANS,
London : A British charity is to sue the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after they failed to protect an Asian woman who was murdered by her husband, a known domestic violence offender.
In what could become a test case in Britain, the domestic violence charity Refuge said Greater Manchester Police in northern England and the CPS had violated human rights legislation over the 2008 murder of Sabina Akhtar.
15 killed in Mexico shootouts
By IANS,
Tijuana (Mexico) : At least 15 people - most of them suspected drug-cartel enforcers - have been killed in clashes here, officials said.
The head of public safety in Tijuana, Jesus Alberto Capella, said three gunfights involved cartel gunmen fighting each other while another was between the drug mob hit men and the police, Spanish news agency EFE reported.
He attributed the incidents to an internal battle within one of the gangs that control drug trafficking in Tijuana, located across the border from the US city of San Diego, California.
UN Security Council extends observer mission in Georgia
By RIA Novosti,
United Nations : The United Nations Security Council approved a resolution to extend the mandate of UN observers in Georgia, and called for talks to be resumed between the country and its breakaway region of Abkhazia.
The UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), established in 1993 to verify compliance with a ceasefire agreement between Tbilisi and Abkhazia following an armed conflict, has been extended for another six months until October 15.
Rice to make historic trip to Libya
By DPA,
Washington : US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to Libya this week in a further step of renewing relations between the two countries after decades of tension.
Rice will be the first secretary of state to visit Libya since 1953 and will meet Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi after arriving from Portugal on the Sep 4-7 trip.
Rice's visit comes after the two countries agreed to establish a fund to compensate the families of the US victims of terrorist attacks involving the Libyan government, and after Tripoli abandoned weapons of mass destruction programmes in 2003.
France to water down its plans for capitalism reform
By DPA,
Brussels : The French presidency of the European Union (EU) has agreed to water down its proposals on how to reform the global financial system, diplomats said Tuesday.
The decision followed two hours of talks among EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels.
Sources familiar with the negotiations said France agreed to make changes to the wish list that the EU intends to present at a Nov 15 global summit in Washington amid complaints from some member states that it was "too detailed".
Thousands in Haiti capital’s streets amid death, destruction
By IANS/EFE,
Santo Domingo : Thousands of people awoke in the streets of Port-au-Prince, where they spent the night amid the death and destruction wrought by the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti, shattering buildings and leaving untold numbers of people dead or trapped in the rubble.
"The night of Jan 12-13 was undoubtedly the longest night for Haitians battered by a terrible earthquake that has left huge numbers of victims and extensive damage," the Haiti Press Network website reported Wednesday.
Holmes to receive $400,000 from Cruise
By IANS,
Los Angeles: As per the online leaked divorce papers of actor Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, the latter will reportedly get a sum of $400,000 annually, from ex-husband.
Shooting at US army base leaves four dead, 11 wounded
Washington : A soldier opened fire at Fort Hood, an army base in Texas and scene of a massacre in 2009, killing three people...
Malaysia Airlines plane makes emergency landing
Melbourne: A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet on Friday made an emergency landing at an airport in Australia's Melbourne city after a false alert about...
EU approves ambitious energy and climate change package
By DPA
Brussels : The European Commission approved Wednesday ambitious plans to turn the European Union into the most environmentally friendly economy in the world.
"Now we will show how a modern economy can be designed to meet the challenge (of climate change). This is sustainable development in action," Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EU's Brussels-based executive, told the European Parliament.
"The package of measures proposed today is the most far-reaching legislative proposals to be made by the European Commission for many years," he said.
Sri Lanka plans severe punishment for child abuse
By IANS,
Colombo: With increasing cases of child abuse in Sri Lanka, the government plans to impose tough punishments on the offenders, an official said Monday.
9/11 case pilot can claim damages
By KUNA
London : A pilot wrongly accused of training the 9/11 hijackers is entitled to claim damages, the Court of Appeal, in central London, ruled Thursday.
Algerian Lotfi Raissi, of west London, was detained for nearly five months after being arrested following the 2001 attacks in the United States.
The court's ruling means the British Government has to reconsider Raissi's claim for compensation which had been refused.
Bombers target Nepal’s vice-president again
By IANS,
Kathmandu : Nepal's embattled Vice-President Paramananda Jha, who had survived unscathed a bomb attack near his residence Friday, had a second narrow escape Saturday after police unearthed another bomb and defused it.
Kathmandu police said the second bomb had been found hidden in shrubs near the vice-president's residence in Gaurighat here and was defused without any casualty.
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.
Resist Chinese pressure on Tibet, Nepal told
Kathmandu: Nepal has imposed increasing restrictions on Tibetans living in the country as a result of strong pressure from China, Human Rights Watch said...
Three soldiers killed in Philippines ambush
Manila: Three soldiers were killed when suspected New People's Army militants ambushed government troops at Sitio Daing village in Ilocos Sur province in northern...
Two fires still raging in N California
By Xinhua,
Los Angeles : Driven overnight by "sundowner" winds that gusted to 50 mph, two major wildfires were still raging in Northern California on Saturday, charring more land and threatening nearby residents, authorities said.
In the city of Goleta, one fire grew to more than 8,300 acres (about 3,361 hectares), but by Saturday morning was 24 percent contained, fire officials said.
The blaze has destroyed four outbuildings and led to the evacuations of at least 2,663 homes. About 850 other homes remain on standby for evacuation, according to fire officials.
World-weary Lonely Planet founders take a hike
By DPA
Sydney : Lonely Planet guidebook tycoons Tony and Maureen Wheeler met on a park bench in London 35 years ago. They were soon gallivanting across Europe and Asia and into the business folklore of Australia. This month, ostensibly to spend more time travelling, the publishers of a quarter of the world's English-language guidebooks sold to BBC Worldwide a majority stake in their $86 million Melbourne publishing company.
Chinese man fined for importing coral into New Zealand
By DPA
Wellington : A 55-year-old man has been convicted for trying to import 700 kg of coral into New Zealand. He claimed he wanted the coral to build a fishpond in his back garden, customs officials announced Friday.
They said the stony reef building coral, a living organism obtained from the central to western Pacific Ocean, was New Zealand's biggest single seizure of illegally imported coral.
Imports are banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Italian woman minister quits after gay remarks
By IANS,
London : A woman junior equal opportunities minister in Italy has resigned after allegedly saying that gay people invited discrimination by "ghettoising" themselves, BBC reported.
Mystery, hope and prayer mark Madeleine anniversary
By Anna Tomforde, DPA,
London : The Madeleine posters in Britain's pub windows may have faded but suddenly, one year on from her disappearance from a holiday apartment in Portugal, the pretty girl's smile is everywhere again.
"They didn't find Maddie yet, did they, Mummy?" is reported to be a frequently-asked question by British youngsters whose media acquaintance with the fair-haired toddler has turned Madeleine into something of a friend.
Declare family employees now, Brown tells Labour MPs
By KUNA
London : Labour MPs were preparing Wednesday to declare "as soon as possible'' details of any family members employed from public funds, parliamentary sources said.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday that he did not want them to wait for the April 1 deadline proposed by the House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee for details of relatives' employment to be registered.
His move came after the main opposition Conservative leader David Cameron told his 96-strong frontbench team to declare more details of their expenses claims.
NATO, New Zealand sign cooperation deal
By IANS,
Wellington : New Zealand and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation.
Clockwork precision and how India entered Mars orbit
Bangalore : An Indian spacecraft Wednesday entered into Mars orbit in its maiden attempt by executing the crucial operation precisely to create history.
The final...
Populous China to be turned into country “rich in human resources”: official
BEIJING, Dec 24 (APP) - A senior official has called for improvements in the quality of higher education to turn the most populous country into one that is not just big in number but rich in human resources.
The State Councilor Chen Zhili said here on Sunday that China’s universities and colleges should focus more on the cultivation of talents and professional personnel, to help upgrade the country’s innovation capability.
Man in wheelchair robs California bank, escapes
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Police in the U.S. state of California are searching for a man who robbed a bank in an electric wheelchair, local media said.
The suspect, in his late 60s with gray hair and a beard, entered the Wachovia Bank in Palo Alto and pointed a black handgun at a teller, demanding money.
"It sounds unusual because it's certainly not the fastest getaway in town," the insidebayarea.com portal quoted Dan Ryan of the Palo Alto Police Department as saying.
Penelope, Javier to rebuild schools in Haiti
By IANS,
London : Hollywood couple Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are digging deep to help the victims of earthquake-ravaged Haiti. They've each promised to donate $50,000-a-year until 2015 to rebuild the country's schools.
The Spanish stars joined British writer-director Paul Haggis at his Los Angeles home, Sunday, when he hosted a celebrity brunch for his charitable organisation Artists for Peace and Justice to raise funds for Haiti, reported hollywood.com.
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.
Beatification of war martyrs sparks controversy in Spain
By DPA
Madrid : Spanish bishops are preparing what is being described as the largest-scale one-day beatification ceremony in the history of the Catholic Church.
The ceremony, scheduled for Oct 28 in the Vatican, will beatify 498 Catholics who were killed by anti-clerical leftists before and during Spain's 1936-39 Civil War.
Leftist media claim it is not a coincidence that the beatifications will follow the preliminary approbation of a law condemning the repressive policies of General Francisco Franco, whose uprising sparked the war.
400,000 students back to school in Chile
By IANS/EFE,
Santiago : More than 400,000 students will resume classes Monday in schools across Chile after a devastating earthquake destroyed large areas of the central and southern regions of the country, a minister said.
President Sebastian Pinera had set a deadline of two months within which to re-establish normalcy in healthcare, education and road transport in the most affected zones after the Feb 27 earthquake, Education Minister Joaquin Lavin said.
Spears classified as disabled at UCLA Medical Center
By IANS
New York : Troubled pop star Britney Spears has been labelled greatly disabled by the UCLA Medical Center. Healthcare professionals say she is in a "manic state" cause of her bipolar disorder.
Spears, who was admitted to a hospital Thursday, is not able to take care of her basic needs like food, clothing or shelter and being greatly disabled is also the criteria for involuntary commitment, tmz.com reports.
She has arrived at the hospital and officials had to spend close to two hours because she was being difficult at the hospital.
Auto convoy against Tibetan independence
By DPA,
Beijing : A convoy of cars drove through two diplomatic neighbourhoods here Saturday opposing independence for Tibet.
The unusual protest parade featured signs in several languages reading, "Tibet belongs to China", eyewitnesses said.
Protestors presented themselves as members of an automobile club, driving 15 small cars made by the Chinese brand Chang'an "Ben Ben". The drivers played the national anthem and flew red flags.
Before the protest, police secured the streets in the Sanlitun district, especially in front of the French embassy.
Chinese leaders watch Peking Opera for New Year
By IANS,
Beijing: Top leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Sunday watched the Peking Opera at a gala here to celebrate the New Year.
Japanese man runs library on a bicycle
By DPA
Tokyo : Kazuhiro Doi is on a one-man mission to change the world by pulling a mobile library on a bicycle around Japan.
For more than two years, the 28-year-old has been distributing books on the environment, civil disputes and other social issues on a custom-made bicycle with a waterwheel-shaped bookshelf across his native Japan.
Doi left his home in the central prefecture of Aichi in January 2005, initially to ask libraries around the country to carry a book published by a non-profit organization 'Think the Earth'.