Rio Tinto employee admits receiving bribes in China
By DPA,
Beijing: A court in Shanghai tried four executives from the Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto Ltd on charges of commercial bribery Monday with the highest-profile defendant reportedly pleading guilty to receiving illegal payments.
The Australian government said Australian citizen Stern Hu had "made some admissions" Monday about two large payments he was accused of accepting.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Hu was accused of receiving two payments of 1 million yuan ($146,000) and $790,000.
PM’s gift to South Korean president: Poem by Tagore
Seoul : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday presented South Korean President Park Geun-Hye with two finely woven pashmina stoles inscribed with a poem...
UN ends Ethiopia-Eritrea peacekeeping mission
By DPA,
New York : The UN Security Council voted unanimously Wednesday to terminate the mission of military observers at a disputed border between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The 15-nation council decided to entirely withdraw the mission, which since last year had begun relocating their personnel out of a temporary security zone after Eritrea increasingly limited the peacekeepers' movements with measures such as cutting off petroleum for their transportation.
Zimbabwe president, opposition leader to sign deal on power-sharing talks
By SPA,
Harare, Zimbabwe : Opposition officials say Zimbabwe's president and opposition leader are expected to sign an agreement to hold power-sharing talks.
The officials say mediator President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa is scheduled to arrive in the Zimbabwean capital later Monday for the signing, the Associated Press reported.
The agreement sets out conditions for talks to form a unity government to help resolve Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis.
Oil spill kills 2,000 penguins in southern Brazil
By DPA,
Rio de Janeiro : Some 2,000 penguins have been found dead since Sunday in the southern Brazilian states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, victims of an oil spill from an unidentified ship, Brazilian media have reported citing the authorities.
Hundreds of other animals survived the catastrophe and were being taken care of by experts in Santa Catarina state capital Florianopolis, after being found with their bodies covered in oil, the reports said Thursday.
Politics on agenda when Bush visits Beijing for Olympics
By DPA,
Washington : Although US President George W. Bush has called the Beijing Olympics a sporting, rather than a political event, he does plan to raise political issues when he meets Chinese leaders while he is in Beijing for the games, a White House official said.
"We are looking for the Chinese at these games to show that they are making progress," Dennis Wilder, senior director for Asian affairs in Bush's national security council, said Wednesday.
"...This is an opportunity for Beijing to show that it is widening the door of freedom of press, freedom of expression."
Over 110,000 firms shut down in Spain
By IANS,
Madrid : The economic recession forced a total of 110,058 Spanish companies to go out of business, the ministry of labour and immigration has said.
Businesses which employed between six to 50 people have been hit hardest by the slump, with 47,835 such firms shutting down. Another 39,708 enterprises having between two and five workers had to be closed.
The number of companies with workforce of over 500, however, increased by 96 between January 2008 and the end of July 2010.
A third of the Chinese population uses internet
By IANS,
Beijing : The number of Chinese people who use the internet has gone up to 420 million - about a third of the populaton - boosted by the rising number of cell phone connections.
This number recorded at the end of June 2010 shows an increase of 36 million from the number of internet users in December last year, a report by the China Internet Network Information Centre said.
The proportion of internet users to the total population in the country also rose to 31.8 percent at the end of June, compared to 28.9 percent at the end of 2009, Global Times reported.
U.S. presidential hopefuls make final push before first caucuses
By Xinhua
Washington : The leading U.S. presidential contenders are making the final push as the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses approach this Thursday.
In an interview published Monday in the USA Today, Republican Mike Huckabee, essentially tied with Mitt Romney in Iowa polls, questioned his rival's integrity and credibility.
Meanwhile, Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, also locked in a dead heat, each argued they are best able to deliver the change voters want.
UN wants broadband for half the world by 2015
By DPA,
New York : Half of the world's population should have access to high-speed internet within five years, the UN said Sunday.
US Air Force bomber with six aboard crashes
By Xinhua,
Washington : A B-52 bomber of the US Air Force (USAF) with six crew members aboard crashed off the island of Guam, US media reported Monday.
Two crewmen have been pulled out of the water but their condition was not immediately known, the Coast Guard said.
The crash took place about 40 km northwest of Apra harbour and is the second for the US Air Force this year over Guam, the report quoted unnamed officials as saying.
Rescue teams from the navy, Coast Guard and fire department were searching for the other crew members, the reports said.
Ancient tools show man sailed the seas 130,000 years ago
By IANS,
London : Archaeologists have discovered a set of tools that point to man sailing the seas tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
EU to promote research on clean energy
By Xinhua
Brussels : The European Commission has proposed a plan to promote research that will liberate the European Union's (EU's) potential for clean energy.
While presenting a strategic energy plan for the 27-member bloc, the commission Thursday proposed to align EU, national and industrial research activities so that value can be added.
Russian opposition MP expelled from parliament
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian opposition lawmaker Gennady Gudkov was Friday ousted from the lower house of parliament for engaging in commercial activity while serving as an MP.
Court blast kills Taiwanese woman
By IANS,
Beijing : A Taiwanese woman died, while seeking divorce in a court, when her husband detonated an explosive device in the premises in China's Guangdong province Friday, authorities said.
Merkel highlights Irish bailout programme
Dublin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday spoke highly of the Irish bailout programme, saying that it is a "tremendous success story".
"For me as I...
Israel deports controversial US academic
By DPA,
Tel Aviv : Israel deported a controversial Jewish-American academic who is a fierce critic of its polices and who has lauded the pro-Iranian Hezbollah organization, the Ha'aretz daily reported Sunday.
Norman Finkelstein was detained for several hours at Ben Gurion International Airport late Friday through Saturday before being put on an aircraft back to Amsterdam, his original point of departure.
President’s Report Says Economy Sound
By SPA
Washington : President George W. Bush released his annual economic report Monday, which described the U.S. economy as generally sound, while acknowledging weakness in areas and the need for economic stimulus.
In a brief introduction to the report, Bush told reporters that a $168 billion economic rescue package passed by Congress last week will keep “our economy growing and our people working.”
Two killed in Indonesia quake
By DPA,
Jakarta : At least two people were killed Wednesday when an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck the easternmost province of Papua, police said.
The powerful quake triggered a tsunami warning but the alert was lifted an hour later.
A mother and her child were killed when their house collapsed in Serui district on Yapen island, said Andreas Suleyman, a local policeman.
The quake also sparked fires in six houses and damaged a church and a school, he said.
Myanmar liaison minister meets Suu Kyi
By Xinhua
Yangon : Newly-appointed Myanmar Liaison Minister U. Aung Kyi met Aung San Suu Kyi, the detained leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), at a state guest house here Thursday, state-run TV Myanmar reported.
The appointment of U. Aung Kyi as the Liaison Minister came after special envoy of the UN Ibrahim Gambari visited Myanmar from Sept 29 to Oct 4.
During his talks with Gambari, Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), offered to talk personally and conditionally to Aung San Suu Kyi.
PSOE Gains Ground for March Polls
By Prensa Latina
Madrid : The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) gained ground in the last week and increased almost eight points against its main adversary for the March 9 general elections.
A survey published by "El Pais" newspaper Sunday presents the PSOE first with 34.6 percent of vote intention, against the Popular Party (PP) with 26.8 percent, although there is a 16.6 percent of those surveyed still undecided.
Another investigation published by SER information chain on Tuesday granted the PSOE only three points faced with the PP (43 to 40 percent).
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...
Mugabe allocates main cabinet portfolios to Zanu-PF party
By DPA,
Harare : Attempts to settle Zimbabwe's political crisis appeared to be shattered Saturday after President Robert Mugabe allocated all the incoming power-sharing government's critical portfolios to his Zanu-PF party.
The move was immediately denounced as "unilateral" by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party with whom Mugabe has been deadlocked over cabinet posts for nearly a month.
Canadian Sikh body welcomes Air India crash interim report
By IANS
Toronto : The World Sikh Organisation (WSO), which claims to represent the Sikhs of Canada, has welcomed the interim report of the Air India public inquiry commission, saying it paid a fitting tribute to the devastating loss which has been experienced as a result of the Air India tragedy.
Titled 'The Families Remember', the report released Tuesday details the turmoil of the families of the victims after the bombing of the Air India Kanishka flight 182, allegedly by radical Sikhs, on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 people on board.
Nepal king’s 90-yr-old concubine in royal distress
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : A 90-year-old royal concubine, who is one of the few survivors of Nepal's omnipotent monarchist past, is in sore distress as the new Himalayan republic seeks to eradicate all vestiges of the crown.
Sarala Tamang, now 90, caught the eye of King Tribhuvan, deposed king Gyanendra's grandfather, more than seven decades ago and became the concubine of the king who already had two wives and other mistresses.
No reason for military intervention in Ukraine: UN envoy
Kiev : A UN envoy said here Friday that he has not seen any evidence of human rights violations in Ukraine that requires military...
Medvedev dismisses McCain’s call for Russia to be ousted from G8
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia's president has said that United States presidential candidate John McCain's pledge to seek Russia's expulsion from the G8 if elected was not a serious statement.
Russia joined the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations in 1997, resulting in the G8. Medvedev will represent Russia for the first time at the forum's summit in Hokkiado, Japan, on July 7-9.
Over 20 ministers at risk in UK elections
By IRNA,
London : More than 20 British ministers, including cabinet members, are at risk of losing their parliamentary seats in the country’s election on Thursday, an analysis by IRNA has found.
The composition of the 650-seat House of Commons is already set to be transforming with a record of 149 MPs, including 97 Labour and many former ministers, standing down.
Court slams Delhi Police over human trafficking
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Friday slammed the city police for not registering a case under the appropriate sections of law against placement agencies for illegal trafficking of youth on the pretext of providing them jobs abroad.
"Have you taken legal advice before registering a very serious case like this?" the division bench of Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Sanjeev Khanna asked the police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police North-west N.S. Bundela appeared for the police in the court.
1 month after Kenya’s election, death toll reaches 800
By SPA
Naivasha, Kenya : Hundreds of people from rival tribes confronted each other on a main road of Kenya's flower capital Monday, hefting machetes, clubs and rocks and retreating only when a handful of police between them fired live bullets into the air.
It was unclear whether the officers would be able to keep them apart.
Ethnic clashes are continuing to convulse western Kenya, as gangs fought with crude weapons and set homes ablaze in this tourist gateway, pushing the death toll from a month
Danes would give Obama landslide win, shows Gallup poll
By DPA,
Copenhagen : Were it up to Danish voters, US presidential candidate Barack Obama would win a landslide victory, a Danish newspaper reported Friday.
The Gallup poll commissioned by the Berlingske Tidende newspaper indicated that Democrat Barack Obama was supported by 80 percent of Danish voters, while Republican John McCain was backed by 5.8 percent. Almost seven percent said it did not matter who wins or not, while the rest were undecided.
China seeks 3.6 million quilts for quake survivors
By Reuters,
Beijing : Quake survivors living in prefabricated housing in China's mountainous Sichuan province need 3.6 million quilts and the same number of cotton-padded clothes to survive the winter, state media said on Monday.
More than 80,000 people were killed in the May 12 disaster, with millions now living in resettlement sites surrounded by the rubble of their old homes and facing a colder winter than normal.
Christchurch attack: NZ begins to bury victims
Christchurch, March 20 (IANS) The first burials took place on Wednesday for some of the victims of last week's Christchurch terror attack in New...
Gas leakage kills two in Ukraine
By IANS,
Kiev : At least two people were killed and three hospitalised at a Ukrainian steel plant Friday following a gas leakage, said authorities.
Moderate quake hits eastern Indonesia
By Xinhua,
Jakarta : An earthquake with magnitude of 5.4rocked eastern parts of Indonesia on Wednesday with no report of damage or casualties, meteorology agency said.
The quake jolted at 10:54 Jakarta time (0354GMT) with epicenter at 107 kilometers southwest Ternate town of North Maluku province and at 20 kilometers in depth, an official of the agency said.
Indonesia sits on a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called "the Pacific Ring of Fire", where two continental pleats meet that cause frequent seismic and volcanic movements.
New line-up of European Commission announced
Brussels : European Commission president-elect Jean Claude Juncker announced a new line-up of the European Commission Wednesday, with politicians from Britain, Germany, France, Sweden...
Georgian presidential poll on Jan 5
By RIA Novosti
Tbilisi : Georgian parliament Sunday announced the snap presidential elections Jan 5 after incumbent Mikeheil Saakasshvilli resigned.
Saakashvili stepped down Saturday handing over charge of the interim government to Parliament Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze as he braced himself for elections.
"From tomorrow (Nov 25), I am beginning an election campaign. During 40 days, Parliament Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze will be acting president," Saakashvili told reporters.
Ex-US president Bush senior remains hospitalised
By IANS,
Washington: Former US president George H.W. Bush remained hospitalised Wednesday, but the fever which kept him in the hospital over Christmas was gone, an official said.
Spain to overhaul savings banks
By IANS/EFE,
Madrid : Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and opposition leader Mariano Rajoy have agreed to overhaul the law regulating savings banks and to promote mergers aimed at consolidating the sector.
Rajoy, head of the conservative Popular Party, announced the pact Wednesday after more than two hours of talks with the premier at Madrid's Moncloa Palace.
The accord sets a three-month deadline for reforming regulation to "guarantee the independence" of savings banks directors and to expedite mergers, the PP leader said.
Tropical Storm Kammuri Poises For Another Landfall In South China
By Bernama,
Nanning : Kammuri, the ninth tropical storm of the year, was poised for another landfall in southwest China's Guangxi on Thursday evening, after lashing across neighbouring Guangdong Province and the Beibu Gulf, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the local observatory as saying.
The observatory in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region forecast the storm would make a landfall in the western part of the region or the northern part of Vietnam, which shares a border with Guangxi, at around 7:00 p.m.
Of Beautiful vistas, perfect past and future tense
All this wealth produced by them goes out of their hands and reduces them into welfare recipients from the government. All this great wealth...
Seven killed in UN chopper crash in Nepal
By IANS
Kathmandu : At least seven people, mostly UN personnel, were killed as the helicopter ferrying them from a Maoist guerrilla camp crashed in a remote area in eastern Nepal Monday afternoon, Nepal's official media said.
Kieran Dwyer, spokesman at the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) that is assisting in the managing the Maoists People's Liberation Army's arms and combatants told IANS that an UNMIN chopper was involved in the crash.
"The heliocopter was returning to Kathmandu from the Maoist cantonment in Sindhuli in the east," Dwyer said.
PM calls Cameron, calls for strengthening of ties
By IANS,
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday telephoned his new British counterpart David Cameron to congratulate him and hoped that he would further strengthen relations between the two countries.
A British High Commission statement said Singh in a "very warm and friendly call" congratulated Cameron.
"In a 10-minute call, both leaders discussed a number of bilateral issues but foremost was a discussion on the world economy," said the statement.
LTTE ammunition dump bombed, troops near rebel bastion
By IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lankan jets bombed suspected Tamil Tiger targets, including an ammunition dump, as troops closed in on another key rebel stronghold in the north, the military said Monday.
Air Force spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said the jets undertook two bombing raids between 7.30 p.m. and 11.00 p.m. Sunday around one kilometre southeast of Palai in support of the ground troops.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) took the hits, the military said.
Al Gore’s son faces drug charges
By DPA
Washington : Al Gore III, the 24-year-old son of former US vice president Al Gore, faces drug and traffic charges in California after being stopped for speeding.
Bosnians push for EU candidacy by spring 2009
By SPA
Brussels : Bosnia-Herzegovina should sign a key deal with the European Union within weeks and become a candidate for full membership by spring 2009, the country's leaders said on a visit to Brussels on Thursday, DPA reported.
"I think that full candidate status could happen within a year of signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), but it is important to see the will in the EU and Brussels," Haris Silajdzic, the Bosnian member of the country's presidency, said.
Swiss envoy summoned over US ‘abduction’ of Iranian scientist
By IANS,
Tehran : Iran has summoned the Swiss ambassador to express objection to the abduction of an Iranian scientist allegedly by US intelligence agencies and called for his immediate release, a media report said.
The documents proving abduction of Shahram Amiri, a university researcher working for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, were also shown to the Swiss ambassador Tuesday, Mehrnews agency reported.
Iran has no diplomatic relations with the United States and the Swiss embassy protects American interests in Tehran.
World largest ice embedded telescope coming up at Antarctica
By IANS,
Washington : An international team is building the world's largest neutrino telescope in the Antarctic, deep beneath the continent's snow-covered surface.
Dubbed "IceCube", the telescope will occupy a cubic kilometre of Antarctica when it is completed in 2011, opening super-sensitive new eyes into the heavens.
"IceCube will provide new information about some of the most violent and far-away astrophysical events in the cosmos," said Thomas Gaisser, professor of Physics and Astronomy University of Delaware (U-D), and one of the project's lead scientists.
Strong quake hits Japan
By IANS,
Tokyo : An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale jolted the sea off Japan's Iwate prefecture Tuesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
Georgian opposition leader Patarkatsishvili dies in London
By RIA Novosti
Tbilisi : Georgian opposition leader Badri Patarkatsishvili, accused by Georgian authorities of instigating a coup, has died in London, his party activist said on Wednesday.
His death is thought to have been as result of a heart attack.
Patarkatsishvili, 52, was one of the most influential opposition leaders in the South Caucasus state and Georgia's richest man. He came third in the January 5 presidential polls garnering 7.1% of votes.
Nigerian troops rescue 234 women, children
Abuja : A group of 234 women and children were rescued by the Nigerian troops from the northeast Sambisa forest on Thursday, the military...
Russia not to let foreigners set up media outlets
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia will not change legislation forbidding foreigners to set up media outlets in the country when the country joins the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Saudi-led air strikes kill 21 in Yemen
Sanaa: At least 21 civilians were killed and 45 others injured on Monday when Saudi-led airstrikes struck a residential neighbourhood in Yemen's capital city...
Georgian ex-PM sentenced to three years in jail for power abuse
Tbilisi : A Georgian court Monday sentenced former prime minister Vano Merabishvili to three years in prison for abuse of power in connection with...
Unregulated arms trade diverts development resources: Oxfam
By DPA,
New York : Many poor countries are saddled with defence debts that obstruct efforts to develop their economies and end poverty, Britain's largest aid charity Oxfam International has said.
In a report released at United Nations headquarters in New York, the group cited South Africa as a typical case, as it has to pay $530 million a year until 2011 on defence expenditures related to weapon purchases.
At the same time, South Africa would need $425 million a year to pay for free water for its population.
Earthquake hits Aleutian Islands in US
By IANS,
San Francisco : The US Geological Survey (USGS) has said that an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit the Aleutian Islands of the US state of Alaska late Tuesday, Xinhua reported.
The quake struck the Fox Islands region at 12.21 pm local time. Its epicentre was located at a depth of about 13.7 km and about 120 km away from Nikolski of Alaska, the report quoted USGS as saying.
"No reports of this event being felt or causing damage have been received at this time," the report quoted Alaska Earthquake Information Center as saying.
Russia, US to cooperate despite disagreements
By RIA Novosti,
Lima : The Russia and US have agreed to continue cooperation despite existing disagreements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart George W. Bush met in the Peruvian capital Saturday as part of a two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum.
Fighting leads to displacement of more than 30,000 people
By KUNA,
Geneva : The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Tuesday that its staff in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), are struggling to prepare for the arrival of an estimated 30,000 displaced people forced to flee camps and villages to the north of city amid fighting between rebel and government forces.
UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters that two sites for internally displaced people at Kibati already hold some 15,000 IDPs.
China, Japan to work on overall relations
By DPA,
Tokyo : Chinese President Hu Jintao will arrive in Tokyo this week to usher in a ''warm spring'' in ties between the two Asian powers, media reported Monday.
Hu's trip from Tuesday to Saturday, the first by a Chinese president to Japan in a decade, will focus on improving overall relations and divisive issues such as interpretation of Japan's wartime militarism and gas exploration rights in the East China Sea are likely to take a back seat.
Muslims in the US – assimilated but apprehensive
By DPA
Washington : Muslims living in the US are better integrated and have higher living standards than their counterparts in Europe, yet most have doubts about American intentions in the war on terrorism and have become more fearful since Sep 11, pollsters have found.
US concerned about impeachment of Sri Lankan chief justice
By IANS,
Colombo : The US said Friday that it was "very concerned" about the state of Sri Lanka's judiciary and the impeachment process of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.
Ruling party edges ahead as Ghana election results trickle in
By DPA,
Nairobi/Accra : Ghana's ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) edged ahead in presidential elections Monday morning as results from across the West African nation trickled in.
Early results from 18 constituencies showed that Nana Akufo-Addo had around 53 percent of the vote, compared to 44 percent for his main opponent, John Evans Atta Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The other six candidates were, as expected, out of the race.
However, only a small percentage of the votes have been counted. Full results were expected within the next 60 hours.
Ash spreads south as Europe air shutdown causes havoc
By DPA,
Reykjavik/London/Warsaw : The closures of European airspace were moving southward with the rolling cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano, which continued to wreak havoc Sunday with tens of thousands of stranded airline passengers.
Flight bans were imposed in Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and northern Italy and northern Serbia, after similar action across the British Isles and northern and central Europe, the European air traffic safety body Eurocontrol said.
Court upholds sentences to Xinjiang riot convicts
By IANS,
Urumqi : The Higher People's Court of Xinjiang upheld Friday sentences for 21 people convicted of murder and other crimes in the deadly July 5 riot here, a Xinhua report said.
It also upheld the death penalty for nine of these convicts.
The death sentences will take effect after the approval by the Supreme People's Court, the higher people's court said.
Over 300 Australians missing in Nepal quake
Canberra : Over 300 Australians are still missing following the tremors that devastated Nepal, authorities said on Monday.
The department of foreign affairs and trade...
Hydrocarbons – the prize in modern wars
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Many analysts tend to view most 20th century wars as wars for energy. The role and significance of energy resources and the part energy plays in wars is worth examining.
As industrial society forges ahead, energy and energy resources play an increasingly significant role in the affairs of nations. Eventually, a nation reaches a point where accessible energy resources become vital to its existence, and any shortage in these resources may result in serious consequences for its economy.
Iran to set new conditions for nuclear talks
By DPA,
Hamburg : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Tehran would announce its new conditions for talks with world powers over the nuclear dispute.
"Iran is in favour of negotiations but on the basis of respect and not threats," Ahmadinejad said in a broadcast from the south-western city of Chahar-Mahal Bakhtiari.
"We will not make any concessions over our (nuclear) rights and will not be intimidated by new resolutions and sanctions," he said.
Only India can involve in Sri Lanka, says Rajapakse
By IANS
Colombo : No country but India can involve in Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict, President Mahinda Rajapakse said in an interview published Friday, adding that there was a need to weaken the Tamil Tigers.
Thai student burns school to get out of class
By DPA,
Bangkok : A Thai teenager who torched the library at his boarding school to avoid having to attend class said he got the idea from protesters who burned buildings in Bangkok last month, media reports said Monday.
The 16-year-old, whose grades had been slipping, reportedly confessed to having set alight the facility at the Mahidol Witthayanusron School, some 60 km northwest of the capital, in the early hours Sunday.
No one was injured in the blaze, but the co-ed school which has around 720 students was closed for the week.
Nepal minister with Indian passport, Tibetan ID, forced to quit
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Dalai Lama to attend prayers for peace in Tibet
By IANS,
Dharamsala : Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will participate in prayers here to express solidarity with the people of Tibet and for peace there, an official said Monday.
Google Ocean makes waves around the world
By DPA,
Brussels/San Francisco : Academics and armchair explorers were as of Monday offered a unique insight into the world's seas through a new release of Google Earth, which now also features satellite imagery, photos and videos of the planet's oceans.
The 5.0 version of the popular downloadable software was launched in San Francisco. The project was also presented in a number of European cities, including Brussels, where the European Commission is contributing by providing its own marine data.
Rescue efforts continue in Japan’s quake-hit areas
By Xinhua,
Tokyo : Rescue and relief efforts continued Sunday as some 1,200 rescue workers are still searching for 16 people who have been reported missing in Japan's earthquake-jolting northeastern areas.
Rescue workers, consisting of members of the Self-Defense Forces, firefighters and police officers, have been carrying out their rescue operations in the worst-hit Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture and other areas locations since the 7.2-magnitude quake occurred at 8:43 a.m. Saturday (2343 GMT Friday).
Military drills with US as scheduled: South Korea
By IANS,
Seoul : South Korean military confirmed Thursday that it will stage its joint military drills with the US as scheduled because they are...
Canine footwear for police dogs entering Muslim homes?
By Venkata Vemuri, IANS,
London : Police sniffer dogs may have to cover their feet when entering Muslim homes in order not to cause offence.
Efforts by security agencies to respect Muslim sensibilities in crime probes has come down to this - canine footwear. Guidelines being drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) urge awareness of religious sensitivities when using dogs to search for drugs and explosives, reports The Sunday Times.
The guidelines, to be published this year, originally designed to cover mosques will now apply to other buildings, including homes.
Bush renews call for offshore drilling
By DPA,
Washington : US President George W. Bush Wednesday renewed his call for lifting of a federal ban on oil drilling off the US coast and placed the blame for high petrol prices squarely at the feet of the Democratic-controlled Congress.
Bush acknowledged the economic struggles plaguing the US population and said lifting the offshore drilling ban would help lower surging petrol prices.
Exit poll shows Saakashvili wins Georgia’s presidential election
By Xinhua
Tbilisi : Georgian former president Mikhail Saakashvili won the country's presidential election Saturday, an exit poll showed.
The exit poll, which gave Saakashvili 53.8 percent of the vote, was based on statistics till 8:00 p.m. (1600 GMT), before the official end of the 12-hour voting.
Previous exit polls, based on statistics at 4:00 p.m. (1200 GMT), also showed him winning more than half of the vote.
India values its relationship with Mongolia: President
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday greeted the people of Mongolia and its government on the eve of their National Day, saying India...
Obama victory would be a dream come true for French blacks
By Siegfried Mortkowitz, IANS,
Paris : When French historian Pap Ndiaye was asked recently what Barack Obama's election as US president would mean to him personally, his voice grew soft: "I will be very moved. The most powerful man in the world will be a black man. This is incredible."
But Ndiaye - the author most recently of "The Black Condition: An Essay on a French Minority" - was quick to add that he also expected Obama's election to bring about certain changes in French society.
Doomsday predicted for British entrepreneurs
By IANS,
London : The end of the era of entrepreneurs in England and Wales is near, a new business study by Barclays has warned.
The stock of small businesses could drop by as much as 150,000 by early 2010, according to Barclays, blowing the froth off Britain's enterprise culture.
As it is, the enthusiasm of would-be entrepreneurs has already been damped by tighter credit and tougher trading conditions, the bank reports.
Stop supporting Dalai Lama, Beijing tells US
By RIA Novosti,
Beijing : China has urged the US to stop supporting the Dalai Lama and to show support for its territorial integrity, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday.
"We have repeatedly said that China vigorously opposes the Dalai Lama meeting with any foreign heads of states," Qin Gang said, commenting on a possible meeting between US President Barack Obama and the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
The White House has said that Obama may meet the Dalai Lama after the president's Nov 15-18 visit to China.
German magazine mistakenly announces Bush’s death
By IANS,
Moscow: Germany's Der Spiegel newsweekly published by mistake Sunday an obituary for former US president George H.W. Bush, describing him as a "colorless politician".
Israel holds general election
By Xinhua,
JERUSALEM : Israel on Tuesday morning started a day-long general election to choose its next parliament and premiership.
Some 5.3 million Israelis, out of a total of about 7.2 million, are eligible for the vote, which began at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and lasts till 10 p.m. (2000 GMT) at over 9,200 polling stations across the Jewish state.
Voters were seen heading to and waiting at polling stations in strong wind and cold rain, as supporters of different parties put up their banners outside in last-ditch efforts to woo undecided voters.
62 detained in China in social networking porn crackdown
Beijing : Police in Beijing and Guangzhou have detained 62 suspects for using social networking services to organise prostitution or spread pornographic content, according...
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.
Muslim organisation in Australia to start hotline
Canberra : Following the attack on a mosque in Sydney last week, the Islamic Council of Western Australia (ICWA) is planning to set up...
Maoists ask Prachanda to raise thorny issues during India trip
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Nepal's ruling Maoist party has asked Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" not to waste time on touristy things during his India visit from Sunday but to plunge headfast into thorny issues between the two neighbours, including the damage wreaked by the Kosi river and their contentious Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950.
"We have asked him not to waste time visiting Shantivan, garlanding Mahatma Gandhi's statue or visiting the Red Fort," senior Maoist leader and the party's foreign affairs chief C.P. Gajurel said Monday.
Former Norwegian diplomat concerned over delay in cyclone aid
By SPA,
Oslo : Former Norwegian diplomat Jan Egeland Thursday questioned the delay in channelling relief aid to the cyclone victims in Myanmar, DPA reported.
Egeland, who from 2003 to 2006 was head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said he feared "many more would perish" in Myanmar over the delay, he told public broadcaster NRK.
The UN and others should analyse the chain of events to see if the UN could possibly have "earlier put more pressure" on the military rulers to allow relief shipments, Egeland said.
India rejects blame as Nepal floods affect 50,000
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : As a breach in a river barrage turned over 50,000 people homeless in southern Nepal and threatened thousands more in neighbouring India, the Indian government rejected allegations that its negligence had caused the disaster, putting the blame squarely back on Nepal.
Natural gas blast kills at least 2 in Russia
By SPA
Moscow : A natural gas blast ripped through an apartment building in Russia's Tatarstan region early Wednesday, killing at least two people and leaving others feared trapped beneath the rubble, officials said.
The explosion brought down an entire section of the three-storey brick building in Tatarstan's capital, Kazan.
Russian television showed footage of the ruins _ a jagged remnant of a wall and a pile of rubble with smoke or steam wafting into the frigid air.
US warns of attack in Indonesia’s Bali
By DPA,
Jakarta : The US embassy in Jakarta Thursday warned of a possible attack on New Year's Eve on Indonesia's resort island of Bali.
The embassy said in a circular posted on its website that the information was received from Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika.
"There is an indication of an attack to Bali tonight," the warning said, quoting the governor's message.
"Please don't panic, but put your security system to full alert," the warning said.
Australian officials said Thursday, however, that the warning of a possible attack was just that.
Over 2,300 now dead from cholera in Haiti
By IANS/EFE,
Port-au-Prince : A total of 2,323 people have died and 104,614 have been sickened so far in the cholera epidemic besieging Haiti since mid-October, authorities said Monday.
Moscow proposes Western security pact
By DPA,
Moscow : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has presented NATO and the EU with a draft of a new global security pact, the Kremlin announced.
The Kremlin released Sunday the details of the 14-point European security pact, which it said was aimed at finally breaking with the legacy of the Cold War, via its website.
Medvedev first proposed a Euro-Atlantic security pact during the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Japan last year. Western nations then agreed to consider Russia's proposals.
Belgian firm withdraws garment offensive to Hindus
By IANS
Brussels : A Belgian garment company has apologized and withdrawn from circulation an undergarment with the picture of a Hindu goddess, following strong protests from the Indian community here.
US missile deal was a mistake: Poland
By IANS,
Warsaw : The agreement with the US on the deployment of a missile defence system on its territory was "a mistake", Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said.
Maoists unveil new road map for rescuing peace talks
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : With peace negotiations floundering for nearly two months, Nepal's Maoist guerrillas have unveiled a new road map that seeks the sacking of King Gyanendra and reshuffling of the interim government of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
Maoist chief Prachanda's initiative comes on the eve of a new session of parliament starting Monday, and is being regarded as part of the rebel campaign to increase pressure on Koirala.
British troops arrive in Kosovo
By SPA,
Pristina, Kosovo : NATO says some 200 British peacekeepers have arrived in Kosovo to help improve security as the government prepares to take control of the country.
The troops are the first of 600 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles that will be sent to Kosovo's ethnically tense north, the Associated Press reported.
Kosovo's authorities will take over from the United Nations on June 15, almost four months after declaring independence from Serbia.
Nomura Holdings incurs record net loss in April-December period
By DPA,
Tokyo : Nomura Holdings Inc Tuesday reported a record net loss of 492.36 billion yen ($5.53 billion) for the first nine months of the fiscal year 2008, which ends in March.
It was the largest loss Nomura incurred since 2001, when Japan's top brokerage house began using the US accounting standard.
It was also the first time Nomura reported losses in four quarters in a row, according to the Jiji Press news agency.
Nomura's net loss in the April-December period compared to a net profit of 86.01 billion yen a year before.
Clinton loaned $5 million of her own money to campaign
By DPA
Washington : Senator Hillary Clinton has loaned $5 million of her own money to her presidential nomination campaign to keep up with her rival Barack Obama, the Democratic contender has said.
"We had a great month fund-raising in January, broke all records," Clinton told reporters.
"But my opponent was able to raise more money. And we intended to be competitive and we were."
Georgia pardons nearly 200 prisoners
By RIA Novasti
Tbilisi : Georgia's acting president, Nino Burdzhanadze, has pardoned a total of 195 prisoners, the country's Ministry of Justice said on Monday.
"The pardoned prisoners were all released on the same day [January 13] and marked the Old-Style New Year [according to the Julian calendar, in use in Russia before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution] at home with their families," the ministry said.
10 die in Indonesian chopper crash
By IANS,
Jakarta : Ten gold mine workers were killed when their helicopter crashed in Indonesia's North Sulawesi province, an official said Thursday.
UNSC to stop illicit oil export from Libya
United Nations: The UN Security Council (UNSC) decided Wednesday to take measures to stop illicit crude oil export from Libya, requesting countries to prohibit...
Beijing Olympics off to spectacular start
By IANS,
Beijing : The Beijing Olympic Games began Friday with a spectacular opening ceremony showcasing Chinese national pride as more than 80 world leaders watched at the National Stadium swathed in a soft blue light.
The atmosphere was electric with tens of thousands of Chinese chanting and shouting slogans, waving torches and singing on a hot humid evening.
Suicide attack in Russia’s Dagestan kills six
By RIA Novosti,
Makhachkala: The number of police killed in a suicide bomb attack in Dagestan, Russia's north Caucasus republic, has risen to six, the regional emergency medicine centre said Wednesday.
"One person brought from the blast scene died in the hospital. The number of victims has risen to six. The number of those wounded in the blast ranges from ten to fourteen people," the emergency medicine centre said.
The suicide bomber drove a car into a traffic police depot in Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala, early Wednesday but was blocked by a police vehicle before exploding.
Georgia warns Russia against sending more troops to South Ossetia
By RIA Novosti,
Tbilisi : Georgia's foreign minister has said that the country would regard any increase in Russian peacekeepers in the breakaway republic of South Ossetia as encroachment on national sovereignty.
Last month, Russia increased its peacekeeping contingent in another Georgian rebel region, Abkhazia, from 2,000 to 3,000. Tbilisi has accused Russia of trying to annex Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
UN chief in Kenya for mediation
By Xinhua
Nairobi : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived here Friday to help in bolstering the 53-member African Union (AU) mediated talks between Kenya's feuding parties.
Ban, who reached Nairobi from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa after attending the AU summit Thursday, has called on the Kenyan people to "stop the killings and end the violence now, before it is too late".
He said his visit was to give full support to the Panel of Eminent African Persons, led by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, who is trying to resolve the Kenyan crisis.
SAARC calls for ‘strongest cooperation’ to wage war on terror
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
Colombo : The 15th SAARC summit ended here Sunday with calls by its eight member states to step up “strongest possible cooperation” against terrorism as well as to urgently develop regional hydro potential, grid connectivity and gas pipelines for energy security.
A declaration adopted by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) at the end of a two-day summit also warned that rising oil prices were threatening the hugely populous region's energy security as well as economic growth.
Myanmar army raids monasteries, people’s protests continue
By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS
Moreh (India-Myanmar border) : Angry anti-government protests continued in Myanmar's capital Thursday as thousands of people, defying the military crackdown, again gathered in Yangon after forces raided two Buddhist monasteries, beating and arresting dozens of monks.
Military fired warning shots at a huge crowd of anti-government demonstrators in a crackdown that has drawn international attention, with world leaders appealing for restraint by Myanmar's ruling Junta.
World’s tallest woman dies in US
By DPA,
Washington : Sandy Allen, the tallest woman in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records, died in the US state of Indiana.
The 2.31-metre tall woman died at the age of 53 at a nursing home in Shelbyville, Indiana, said a publication Wednesday.
Allen had been ill for a few months, a friend was quoted as saying in the Indianapolis Star.
The cause of death was not known, but she suffered from blood infections, respiratory problems and diabetes.
Nepali police shoot dead armed group chief
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : Nepali police have shot dead Kaushal Sahani, known as "Mr. John", the chief of an underground armed outfit Terai Army.
Sahani along with his bodyguard were shot dead by police in Raghunathpur area of Rautahat district on Friday night, local leading news website Nepalnews.com reported on Saturday.
Sahani has been accused of masterminding several explosions in the capital and elsewhere in the country in the past.
Assailants attack home of Kosovo’s Prime Minister
By SPA,
Pristina, Kosovo : Police say armed assailants have attacked the home of Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.
They say Thaci's security guards exchanged fire with the assailants, injuring at least one.
The guards spotted one person trying to break into the two-storey house from the balcony of the top floor. Thaci was away on a private visit at the time of the attack late Friday, but his wife and son were in the house, the Associated Press reported.
Roman barge in Cologne to reveal shipping history
By DPA
Cologne : Excited archaeologists are raising part of a Roman barge that sank near the wharf nearly 2,000 years ago in the German riverside city of Cologne.
Cologne, which derives its modern name from the town's Latin name, Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, is full of Roman remains, including a largely intact aqueduct.
But the oaken boat, found 12 metres below the surface during excavations a few days ago for an underground mass-transit line, is something special, offering scientists a new window into life in this cold northern Roman province.
Su-30 fighter crashes in Russia, crew safe
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A Su-30 fighter jet crashed during a test flight in Russia Tuesday, but both the crew members ejected safely, officials said.
US open to restoring diplomatic ties with Venezuela, says official
By EFE,
Washington : The US government has said that it views as positive Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's proposal to discuss the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"Dialogue is what we believe is important. And we will see where and how things go with regard to President Chavez's suggestion that we exchange ambassadors. We're looking at it. We think it's a positive idea, and we'll go from there," State Department's spokesman Robert Wood said Monday.
South African xenophobia under control: minister
By Fakir Hassen, IANS,
Johannesburg : The xenophobic violence that has wracked South Africa for the past fortnight is now under control, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said here Monday evening following a briefing with President Thabo Mbeki, even as the president came under increasing pressure for what many see as a late response to the situation.
India to build cultural centre in Sri Lanka
New Delhi: India Monday signed an MoU with Sri Lanka for building a cultural centre in Jaffna, in northern Sri Lanka, according to ministry...
Russia, Bolivia pledge stronger ties, focus on energy
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia and Bolivia have pledged to strengthen their ties with a focus on cooperation in natural gas production and transportation.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who held discussion with his visiting Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales in the Kremlin Monday, announced that Russia wants a "strategic" energy project with Bolivia, which holds Latin America's second largest gas reserves, until 2030.
17 killed in Peru bus accident
By IANS/EFE,
Lima : At least 17 people were killed and 30 injured in a bus accident in Peru, officials said.
The bus carrying officials of the Pampino company plunged into a ravine near Tarica town Monday evening, a police spokesmen was quoted as saying Tuesday by Radio Programas del Peru.
The injured were taken to hospitals, but some of the bodies are still in the wreckage, the spokesmen said.
Over 3,500 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2009. The accidents also left 46,000 others injured and caused $1 billion in losses.
US court sentences Mexican drug lord to 25 years
By IANS/EFE,
San Diego : Mexican drug kingpin Benjamin Arellano Felix was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison by a federal court in San Diego after reaching a plea bargain with prosecutors.
Review ordered into British police probe of race attack
By IANS,
London : An urgent review has been ordered into why the British police took a month to launch an investigation into a racist attack on an Asian caterer who had a glass smashed into his face at a birthday party.
The attack on Sanjeev Subramanian occurred after a millionaire's racist taunts at his daughter's 18th birthday turned the lavish party into a “football riot” that spilled out to the front drive, Guildford Crown Court was told Monday.
German UNICEF chief quits over financial mismanagement crisis
By IRNA
Berlin : The head of the German section of the UN children's agency (UNICEF), Dietrich Garlichs stepped down from his post in the wake of a widening financial mismanagement crisis, a UNICEF spokeswoman said on Friday in the western German city of Cologne.
Garlichs had faced intense public criticism in recent days for squandering financial donations.
The scandal has deeply tainted the image of UNICEF in Germany, sparking a drastic decline in nation-wide donations.
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.
India n-deal may support 250,000 American jobs: US chamber
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : The powerful US Chamber of Commerce has come out in strong support of the India-US civil nuclear deal, saying a modest share of the potential $150 billion business could support 250,000 high-tech American jobs.
Asking the US Congress to approve the implementing 123 Agreement before its term expires by the end of this year, the "world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses of every size, sector and region" said the deal offered US companies a "tremendous opportunity".
US varsity announces $5,000 scholarship for Indian students
New Delhi, (IANS): The Missouri State University (MSU) in the US on Thursday announced $5,000 scholarship for Indian students.
The university will grant the scholarship...
Erupting Indonesian volcano spewing hot lava
By DPA
Jakarta : An erupting volcano on Indonesia's Sulawesi island began spewing hot lava Friday, a day after shooting ash some 1,500 metres into the air, an official said, although nearby villages were still not being ordered to evacuate.
Mount Soputan volcano, which lies in North Sulawesi province, was producing a small lava flow, but authorities were unable to spot it because the crater remained covered by clouds, said Agus Budianto, chief of volcano monitoring for Indonesia's state-run volcanology centre.
Man sentenced to death for beheading three kids
By IANS,
New York : An American man was sentenced to death for beheading three children, including his daughter, as he believed they were possessed and he was the "chosen one" who must kill them to save the world.
John Allen Rubio, 29, of Brownsville, Texas, was found guilty in 2003 of killing the three children - all under the age of four - but an appeals court overturned the conviction in 2007. He was again sentenced to death Thursday for the beheading of the three - including his own daughter, the Herald Sun reported.
South Korea declares red alert against swine flu
By DPA,
Seoul : South Korea Tuesday raised the swine flu alert level to its highest status due to the rapid spread of the viral disease in the country, officials said.
The red alert level, the highest on South Korea's four-level scale, means that government authorities would be mobilised to fight the virus and restrictions on travel and public events could be put in place more quickly.
The red alert was put in place primarily to control the spread of the H1N1 strain of the flu, said Park Ha Jeong, a deputy minister for public health.
More like Che needed to fight injustice: Aleida Guevara
By EFE,
Algiers : Aleida Guevara, the eldest daughter of legendary Cuban-Argentine guerrilla Ernesto "Che" Guevara, said that the world needs "many (like) Che" to fight the injustices against which her father fought and from which human beings still suffer "to an even greater extent".
Aleida, who is on a visit to Algeria, said that if her father "is (still) alive in the hearts and spirits of many people" it is because the problems against which he fought continue to exist and "the differences between rich and poor are even more marked".
UN special envoy Gambari meets Suu Kyi in Myanmar
By Xinhua
Yangon : Visiting United Nations Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari met Aung San Suu Kyi, detained leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), here Thursday, the sixth day of the envoy's visit to Myanmar, according to diplomatic sources.
Gambari, who is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on Myanmar, met the NLD general secretary after travelling back from the new capital of Naypyidaw.
No details about their meeting were immediately available.
12 killed by drug gang members in Mexico
By IANS,
Mexico City : Members of Mexico's warring drug cartels have shot dead 12 people, including three police officers, in the Culiacan city in the latest incidents of what authorities call an "exponentially" rising crime graph, EFE news agency reported Friday.
The police in Sinaloa state Thursday said they recovered nine bodies in and around a car repair shop in Culiacan, the state capital.
"All of them were murdered with high-calibre weapons fired by an armed squad," the Attorney General's Office (AGO) said in a statement.
Indian firms, Clinton Foundation sign deal on malaria drugs
By IANS,
New York : Four Indian and two Chinese companies will cut the price of a key malaria drug and control rates of a vital ingredient following a pact signed Thursday with the US-based Clinton Foundation, which works towards finding solutions to issues such as poverty and healthcare.
The Indian companies are generic drug firms Cipla and IPCA Laboratories, which manufacture malaria drugs called Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT), and Calyx and Mangalam Drugs, which turn the artemisinin plant extract into an active pharmaceutical ingredient.
Peru suspends flights to and from Mexico
By DPA,
Lima : Peru suspended from Thursday all flights to and from Mexico over the ongoing flu epidemic, in a decision that Prime Minister Yehude Simon described as "painful but necessary".
"We have the right to protect the country," Simon noted. The suspension also applied to passengers travelling from Mexico to Peru via third countries.
Peruvian President Alan Garcia, in turn, called upon the Peruvian population to be cautious in their displays of affection while the epidemic lasts.
US to boycott UN conference on racism
By DPA,
Washington : The US will boycott a UN conference on racism over concerns about a document being prepared for the event that singles out Israel.
US representatives had travelled to Geneva to provide input on the document to replace an earlier controversial draft written in 2001 at a conference in Durban, South Africa.
But the US representatives had not been able to overcome objections about Israel being targeted, as well as efforts to restrict freedom of speech by banning "defamation of religion".