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US Supreme Court eases visa rules

By IANS, Washington : In a development that could help green card seekers, the US Supreme Court has made it easier for some foreigners who overstay their visas to seek to remain in the country to seek legal status. The top court ruled 5-4 Monday that someone who is in the US illegally may under "some circumstances" withdraw his voluntarily agreement to depart and continue to try to get approval to remain in the US.

Hong Kong man jailed for molesting girl he met online

By DPA, Hong Kong : A 26-year-old man has been jailed in Hong Kong after being convicted of molesting a 13-year-old girl he met in an internet chatroom, a court report said Tuesday. Cheung Ho-pan was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault of the girl he met online in early 2007. He was sentenced to three years and 10 months. At the hearing Monday, the court heard the victim, now 15, agreed to meet Cheung in May 2007 after taking part in sex chats with him online.

NASA captures Earth flyby of ‘space peanut’

Washington : NASA scientists have captured a peanut-shaped asteroid that approached close to Earth last weekend. The next time an asteroid will approach...

OANA Executive Board Meeting kicks off in Baku

By ANTARA News/AzerTaj, Baku : The 30th OANA Executive Board Meeting "News for Everybody in the Globalizing World" organized by the AzerTAc has started Tuesday in Baku. The meeting is attended by OANA President, ANTARA CEO Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf, heads and top representatives of national news agencies from 21 countries. It also gathered Wolfgang Vyslozil, EANA President, CEO of the Austrian news agency APA, heads of national news agencies of Bulgaria, France and Jordan.

Two Hundred Seniors Escape Michigan Fire

By SPA Washington : Firefighters carried senior citizens out of a fire at a three-story independent-living complex in Michigan on Wednesday, and officials said all 200 residents made it to safety. Police and fire officials at the retirement apartments in West Bloomfield Township, about 30 kilometers northwest of Detroit, said a few residents suffering from smoke inhalation and chest pains were taken to the hospital but added that none suffered life-threatening injuries.

Tiger rebels say Sri Lankan jets kill civilians

By SPA Colombo : Tamil Tiger rebels said Sri Lankan government fighter jets killed five civilians in an air raid on their northern stronghold on Friday, Reuters reported. Fighting between the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has intensified since the government formally pulled out of a six-year-old ceasefire pact in January, though a renewed war has been raging since 2006.

‘Obama deeply committed to strengthening India ties’

By Arun Kumar, IANS, Washington: US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is embarking on a trip to India with an assurance that President Barack Obama is deeply committed to strengthening relations with India with a deep appreciation of common challenges posed by issues like terrorism.

My husband is not Secretary of State, I am: Hillary Clinton

By DPA, Nairobi/Kinshasa : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton showed her claws in the Congolese capital Kinshasa after a student asked her for her husband's opinion. Former US president Bill Clinton up-staged his wife last week when he secured the release of two US journalists from North Korea as she embarked on a seven-nation African tour. Secretary Clinton is normally adept at keeping her cool, but she lost her temper at a public forum Monday night when a student asked her what her husband thought about a big Chinese trade deal with the Congolese government.

Pope calls on US to resolve conflicts diplomatically

By DPA, Washington : Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday during his first visit to the White House called on the US to diplomatically resolve conflicts abroad, saying Americans have historically demonstrated a firm commitment to promoting freedom throughout the world. "I am confident that this concern for the greater human family will continue to find expression in support for the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and promote progress," said Benedict speaking in English.

US `war on terror` has failed to weaken Al-Qaeda: global poll

By ANTARA News, London : Most people across the world believe the US-led "war on terror" has failed to weaken Al-Qaeda and many think the group has actually grown stronger, a BBC World Service poll revealed Monday. Seven years after the United States launched its campaign following the September 11 attacks, even Americans appear unsure about its success. On average only 22 percent of people polled across 23 countries thought US action had weakened Osama bin Laden's network, while 29 percent thought it had no effect and 30 percent believed it had actually made Al-Qaeda stronger.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to resign

By DPA Tokyo : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Wednesday offered to step down as head of the government. Abe was scheduled to officially announce his resignation at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. The prime minister has apparently told senior officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) his intention to resign as premier, according to NHK television news. The LDP executives requested to postpone the extraordinary parliamentary session, which was to open at 1 p.m. (02.00 GMT), and instead held a meeting to discuss Abe's announcement.

Lithuanian, Polish presidents urge delay to new EU-Russia pact

By RIA Novosti, Warsaw : The presidents of Poland and Lithuania said the EU should delay resuming talks on a new EU partnership and cooperation pact with Moscow until all Russian troops had been withdrawn from Georgia, Polish media said. The 27-nation bloc announced on September 1 that it had suspended talks on the pact with Russia over Moscow's presence in Georgia following a brief conflict over breakaway South Ossetia. The EU said it would not resume the talks until Russia pulled all its troops in Georgia back to their pre-conflict positions.

Venezuela, Brazil seal accord on oil refinery

By EFE, El Tigre (Venezuela) : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed more than a dozen accords here, including a significant pact on a joint venture for a oil refinery. The two leaders met Friday at a soy plantation in eastern Venezuela for their seventh quarterly review of bilateral relations. Topping the agenda was the agreement on operations for the Abreu e Lima refinery, which is under construction in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco.

U.S. to cut diplomatic presence in Belarus amid growing tension

By RIA Novosti Minsk : The United States will cut its embassy staff in Belarus in line with the country's demands as bilateral relations plunge to a new low, the top U.S. diplomat in the ex-Soviet state said on Tuesday. Belarus demanded last week, citing the Vienna Convention, that the number of the U.S. diplomatic staff be decreased to ensure that both countries have equal numbers of diplomats.

Ugandan AIDS patients face uncertain future as drugs run out

By Henry Wasswa, DPA, Kampala : Rosemary Bagagga, a penniless AIDS sufferer, is five months pregnant, but what worries her most is that she may not be able to get the drugs she needs to keep her alive. Two months ago, nurses at a clinic just outside the Ugandan capital Kampala told the 32-year-old mother-of-three and dozens of others that antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) at the health facility had run out. "I lost hope and fainted," she told DPA. "We were warned that we have to be ready for the worst because there may be a total cut off of the drug supplies in the future."

Russian steals ambulance

By IANS, Moscow : A 24-year-old man in the Russian city of Izhevsk stole an ambulance and drove it around for two days before getting caught, police said.

NASA delays launch of space shuttle Discovery

By DPA, Cape Canaveral : The launch of the space shuttle Discovery was delayed for one day Tuesday due to bad weather conditions in the area of the launch site at Cape Canaveral, NASA said. Discovery had been scheduled to blast off at 1.36 a.m. (0536 GMT) from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to transport new equipment and experiments to the International Space Station. The safety risk for Discovery's seven astronauts and the shuttle was too high, NASA said. The space shuttle is now scheduled to lift off Wednesday at 0510 GMT.

Nepal stops 5,000 Tibetans from getting US asylum

By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS Kathmandu : Under pressure from China, Nepal's Girija Prasad Koirala government, which came to power last year pledging to protect democracy and human rights, has stopped 5,000 Tibetan refugees from getting asylum in the US. This was revealed by US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Ellen Sauerbrey, who arrived in Kathmandu this week on a visit to facilitate the resettlement in the US of Bhutanese refugees now living in Nepal.

Quake victims have survived for two weeks under rubble

By Vishal Gulati, New Delhi : Many people have survived beyond two days of entrapment under rubble after an earthquake, with a few successfully enduring...

Court questions whether US travel ban anti-Muslim

Washington, (IANS) : An US appeals court has questioned whether President Donald Trump's travel ban discriminates against Muslims, a media report said on Wednesday. Judge...

Prabhakaran, Karuna blacked out in east Sri Lankan elections

By P.K. Balachandran, IANS Colombo : Elections in the eastern Sri Lankan Tamil-speaking district of Batticaloa are being fought without any mention of two militant leaders who held sway over the area till the other day. In the campaign for the local bodies elections of March 10, no party has mentioned Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or Karuna, the local LTTE commander who had broken away and founded the now powerful Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP).

Pachauri wants Nobel team to be chosen by lottery

By Ranvir Nayar, IANS Paris : On Dec 10, when Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) steps on the stage at Oslo to share the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former US vice president Al Gore, there may be a few more Indians up there with him.

Myth: Video games sharpen brain

By IANS, Washington: That playing video games makes the brain smarter and improves concentration might be a myth fostered by a host of studies.

Clinical Establishment Bill to be passed in monsoon session

By IANS, New Delhi : The bill for regulating clinical establishments to ensure safer health practices will be passed by parliament in the coming monsoon session, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said. "The bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha. It will be passed in the Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session," Azad said Thursday at the inauguration of a three-day workshop of the national initiative for patient safety (NIPS) organised by All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Georgia quits Moscow 1994 ceasefire agreement

By RIA Novosti, Tbilisi : Georgia's reintegration minister said on Saturday that Tbilisi was formally pulling out of a 1994 UN-approved agreement signed in Moscow by Abkhazia and Georgia following a bloody conflict. "The Secretariat of Georgian Reintegration Minister Temur Yakobashvili has declared the Moscow agreement on a ceasefire and separation of forces of May 14, 1994 as void," a statement said on Saturday.

Lula travels to India with ambitious economic plans

By DPA

Brasilia : Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is scheduled to travel to India later this week, with the ambitious objectives of quadrupling bilateral trade and boosting the strategic association that both nations agreed on three years ago.

Troops capture fresh rebel-held territories in north: Sri Lanka

By IANS, Colombo : The Sri Lankan army has captured the forward defensive positions of the Tamil Tiger rebels in the island's north Thursday after fierce fighting, the defence ministry said. The soldiers, backed by artillery and mortars, advanced against the well-fortified LTTE bunker lines at Muhamalai and Kilaly areas in the northern Jaffna peninsula and captured them after a battle lasting several days, it said.

As Beijing parties, London gets a hangover

By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS, London : A day after Bejing hosted what was hailed as the greatest Olympic opening ever, the response in London - the next hosts - has been a slightly bemused, 'cripes, what are we going to do now?' If nothing else, said the Times newspaper, the jaw-dropping opening at the Bird's Nest Stadium "has raised the bar dauntingly high for the organisers of London 2012". But British Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said London can match Beijing in 2012.

US Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship seen as paradigm shift in Obama’s leadership

By an NNN-Bernama Special Report by Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah, Kuala Lumpur : The two-day Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship to be held in Washington from April 26 has been described as a paradigm shift in the United States President Barack Obama's leadership by one of the three Malaysians invited to attend the event. Dakhshinamoorthy Balakrishnan said here Monday that Obama had made the right move by giving presidential attention to a global force in democratising commerce and bringing Islamic and non-Islamic nations together under one roof.

702 dead, 1,042 missing in China mudslides

By IANS, Beijing : At least 702 people were killed and 1,042 went missing in rain-triggered mudslides in northwest China's Gansu province, authorities said Tuesday. The death toll due to mudslides has reached 702, with 1,042 others still missing. Some 1,243 people have been rescued and 42 of them were found seriously injured, said Tian Baozhong, head of the provincial civil affairs department. The mudslide hit Zhouqu County in Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gannan early Sunday, Xinhua reported.

Over a dozen killed in Mexico’s drug related violence

By IANS, Mexico City : The wave of violence blamed for nearly 7,000 deaths in Mexico since late 2006 has claimed over a dozen lives in the last couple of days, EFE news agency reported Saturday. Police have found two more severed heads from a cooler with a threatening message in Lazaro Cardenas, a port on the Pacific Ocean in western region of Michoacan. The contents of the message, believed to be from a drug cartel, have not been revealed, an official of the Michoacan state Attorney General's Office said.

Lithuania presidential poll runoff kicks off

Vilnius : The Presidential poll runoff kicked off in Lithuania Sunday. The country's incumbent President Dalia Grybauskaite and her rival Zigmantas Balcytis were competing for...

Taking mangoes to US? Make sure they’re certified

By IANS, New Delhi: Travelling to the US, but still need your daily dose of mangoes? If you're planning to pack the king of fruits in your luggage, just make sure that the mangoes you carry are certified, says a notice issued by the government of India. The appeal has been issued following reports that in violation of agreed protocol between India and the US, "some passengers are carrying uncertified/untreated mangoes in their luggage to the US" and "some of the firms are exporting parcels of uncertified and un-irradiated mangoes to US through courier services".

Ousted Thai premier arrives in Cambodia

By DPA, Phnom Penh/Bangkok : Former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra landed in Cambodia Tuesday, the Cambodian government said, amid an escalating diplomatic spat over the fugitive politician. Government spokesman Phay Siphan told reporters in Phnom Penh that Thaksin, who last week was appointed as an adviser to the Cambodian government and Prime Minister Hun Sen, was in the country. "It is a great honour for Cambodia," Phay Siphan said. "We hope Cambodia as a whole will greet him warmly."

Australian who won landmark right-to-die case passes away

By DPA Sydney: A paralyzed Australian who five weeks ago won a landmark court case for the right to starve himself to death has died, his lawyer said Monday. Former stockbroker Christian Rossiter, 49, became a paraplegic last year and had described his life in a Perth nursing home as a "living hell". The court ruled that his nursing home carers had a legal duty to obey his demand that they stop feeding him.

Not much compromise on healthcare reform legislation: Obama

By IANS, Washington : President Barack Obama has rejected criticism that he has compromised too much in order to secure healthcare reform legislation, his top domestic priority, due for a Senate vote Thursday. Challenging his critics to identify any "gap" between what he campaigned on last year and what Congress is on the verge of passing, he said in interview with The Washington Post: "Every single criteria for reform I put forward is in this bill."

China to resume building nuclear plants

By IANS, Beijing : China is to resume construction of new nuclear power stations, suspended since the Fukushima disaster in Japan in March 2011, China Daily reported Thursday.

British job market bleak for fresh graduates

By IANS, London : An estimated 500,000 British graduates are about to join the queue for jobs this year, but the market has become tougher with employers raising the bar for minimum education qualifications. Most employers in Britain will not be recruiting graduates with lower than a 2:1 pass degree, equivalent to a second class honours degree with 60 percent marks or above. Latest research by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) reveals that eight out of 10 British employers have slapped a ban on recruiting anyone without a 2:1 degree because of the current job squeeze.

Argentinean survives fall from eighth floor

By IANS/EFE, Buenos Aires : An Argentinean plumber fell from the eighth floor of an under-construction building but survived with only a broken arm, a media report said. Raul Lopez, 37, who has been dubbed "the miracle man", suffered the fall Wednesday while he was working on an air conditioning duct in a building in Cordoba city, the Clarin daily reported.

Big business spending millions to stop Democrats: WSJ

By Arun Kumar, IANS, Washington : America's largest business lobby is pouring millions of dollars into an advertising push to prevent Democrats from winning dominance in the Senate, the Wall Street Journal says. The US Chamber of Commerce says it has raised enough money this year from corporations to spend about $35 million on the election, double its budget for House and Senate races in the 2006 election.

3 dead, 6 missing after ferry sinks in Brazil

By SPA Rio de Janeiro : At least three people drowned and six others are missing when a ferry sank on the Cuiaba river, in western Mato Grosso state, DPA quoted local fire officials as saying Monday. Hope for finding the missing from Sunday's accident are slim. "We pray for a miracle, but there is hardly any chance," said a fire official. The bodies of three men were recovered on Sunday.

North Korea replaces prime minister

By DPA, Seoul : North Korea Monday replaced its Prime Minister Kim Yong Il with Choe Yong Rim, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said, quoting North Korean state radio. Choe is chief secretary of the Pyongyang branch of the Workers Party, the ruling communist party, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, confirming the report. No reason was given for the change.

Canadian soldier killed in Afghan bomb blast

By DPA, Kabul : A female Canadian soldier serving with NATO forces was killed and four others were wounded by a roadside bomb in the volatile southern region, officials said Tuesday. Trooper Karine Blais was killed and four of her comrades were wounded when their armoured vehicle was blown up in Shah Walikot district of southern Kandahar province Monday afternoon, the Canadian defence ministry said in a statement.

China may send women to space in 2012

By IANS, Beijing: Chinese women may fly to space as soon as next year, one of the country's first astronauts and now in charge of the manned space programme has said.

Pakistan to get 160 IED-resistant vehicles from US

Islamabad: The US government will give 160 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, and spare and repair parts worth 198 million dollars to Pakistan,...

Date set for court battle over fortune of Asia`s richest woman

By ANTARA News/DPA, Hong Kong : A court date was set Wednesday for what is expected to be a spectacular and scandal-packed battle over the fortune of Asia's richest woman. The hearing into the 4.2 billion US dollar fortune of Nina Wang, who died aged 69 last year, leaving her money to an unknown feng shui master, is due to begin on February 16, 2008. At a hearing Wednesday, a High Court judge ruled that a further assessment could be made in October to decide if the case can proceed in February. It is expected to last eight weeks.

Zimbabwe opposition claims victory in presidential poll

By DPA Harare : Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Wednesday claimed victory and rejected the need for a second round of voting in the tense presidential contest between MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and long-time President Robert Mugabe. But a second round of voting, which the constitution calls for in the event neither candidate takes more than 50 percent, appeared likely after state media declared the two men were headed for a tie. The MDC said it would participate in a runoff if needed, albeit "under protest".

Russian troops prevent arms smuggling to South Ossetia

By RIA Novosti, Moscow : Russian troops detained two cars carrying ammunition via a humanitarian channel into the Georgian breakaway republic of South Ossetia, a senior Russian military official said Saturday. Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, said that on Friday afternoon Russian troops stopped two cars with civilian and military people. "A gun shot erupted during the inspection as a result of which one car was damaged and the other managed to flee the scene of the incident," he said.

London conference marks beginning of Afghan transition, says Brown

London, Jan 28, IRNA – The London conference on Afghanistan marks the beginning of the process of transition from international to Afghan control after a “difficult year,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday. Addressing delegates from some 68 countries and international organisations at the opening of the one-day international conference, Brown said it was a "decisive time" for the future of Afghanistan.

Hillary keeps running as Obama surges ahead

By Arun Kumar, IANS, Washington : Hillary Clinton gamely continued her quest for Democratic presidential nomination even as she lost her last advantage with rival Barack Obama surging ahead of her in the support of key party officials too. With odds heavily stacked against her after her massive defeat in North Carolina and a narrow win in Indiana primaries last Tuesday, Obama Friday racked up seven endorsements from super delegates who hold the balance of power in picking up the party nominee.

114-year-old Syrian man dead

By RIA Novosti, Damascus : A man who had six sons and 175 grandchildren and great grandchildren died in Syria at age 114, the SANA news agency said. Isa Ali an-Nadir was born in 1895, when Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire (1299-1923). He died in his home town of Quneitra in southwest Syria. Isa Ali had said his meals everyday included milk, homemade butter and ground wheat, as well as strong coffee, were reasons for his longevity.

China to become world’s leading gold producer

By Xinhua, Shanghai : China is poised to become the world's leading gold producer in 2008, with output reaching 300 tonnes, the China Gold Association (CGA) said Tuesday. "Recent years have seen a continuous drop in gold output in South Africa and the United States, traditionally big gold producers, while China maintains an annual growth rate of five percent," said Hou Huimin, vice president of the association.

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.

Russia wants presence at Czech missile defence sites

By RIA Novosti, Moscow : Russia has said it will stop opposing the US-sponsored anti-missile radar system in the Czech Republic if Russian observers are permanently posted at the facilities. Only this (the permanent deployment of Russian observers) could end Russia's objection to the project, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists Monday. "A one-off visit would not change anything, but only increase our suspicions," he stressed.

North Korea Ready for US N-Promises

By Prensa Latina Pyongyang : The People ó s Democratic Republic of Korea Friday denounced the US delays in the fulfilment of the agreements signed in the six-party talks on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. According to a report by the government Minju Joson newspaper, though the PDRK has fulfilled its commitments, it has been forced to reduce the pace in the closure of the nuclear facilities.

Russia’s Navy urges international fight against pirates

By RIA Novosti, Moscow : The Russian Navy has called on international navies to launch joint operations against pirates that have recently stepped up attacks on ships off Africa's coasts. Pirate attacks have risen across the world, with most attacks occurring along the Somali coast, where more than 25 ships were seized last year. "Coordinating operations by naval forces in the zones of pirate attacks could help partly resolve the problem," Captain 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said.

U.S. military policeman convicted over Okinawa taxi holdup conspiracy

By ANTARA News/Kyodo, Naha : The Naha District Court sentenced a U.S. military policeman Monday to three years in prison, suspended for five years, for conspiring with four minors to assault a taxi driver in the city of Okinawa and steal 6,000 yen in March. Senior Airman Darius Brunson, 22, assigned to the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture, admitted to the charges at the first hearing of his trial on June 2. His defense counsel had asked for leniency, saying he has repented of his act. Public prosecutors had demanded three years in prison.

British Muslim group to tackle forced marriages

By IANS, London : More than 70 percent of marriages in the British Muslim community involving a foreign spouse have some element of coercion or force, a leading Islamic group has admitted. While police and government authorities deal with some 300 reported cases of forced marriages every year, the true figure of such abuse is in its thousands, the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (MAT) said in a report that backed up government's fears about the scale of the problem.

Medvedev meets Obama

By IANS, Washington : Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met US President Barack Obama for an informal chat on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Camp David.

Winning peace will be real victory in Sri Lanka: EU

By IANS, Brussels : The European Union (EU) Wednesday expressed concern over the growing humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka and stressed that reaching a sustainable political settlement in the country would be a real victory. "The EU agrees that reaching a sustainable political settlement that meets the aspirations of all communities in Sri Lanka is essential for the future prosperity and long term development of the Island," the 27-member bloc said in a statement here.

Google encrypts all emails for a spy-free Gmail

Washington: In a bid to stop snooping on its users, Google has overhauled its Gmail service in a big way - encrypting every single...

Obama leads; polls show it’s uphill for McCain

By Arun Kumar, IANS, Washington : Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is hanging onto leads in several battleground states as well as a handful of traditionally Republican states won by President George Bush in 2004, according to several new polls. Obama holds narrow leads in Ohio, Missouri, Florida, Nevada and Virginia, while rival Republican John McCain is hanging onto his lead in Indiana and West Virginia, according to CNN's average of a string of polls in these states.

Queen’s mother was a ‘ghastly old bigot’: British journalist

By IANS, London : A well-known British journalist has admitted in a book extracted Sunday that he thought the late mother of Britain's reigning monarch was a “ghastly old bigot”. Edward Stourton, long-standing presenter of the BBC's flagship radio news and current affairs programme Today, has made the comments in a book on political correctness extracted in The Sunday Times. In his book, Stourton said the Queen Mother told him about a European summit in the 1990s: “It will never work, you know.”

Sri Lanka arrests two human rights activists

Colombo : The Sri Lankan police have arrested two human rights activists on terrorism-related charges. Police spokesman Ajith Rohana told Xinhua Monday that the two...

US Dems for Joint Obama-Clinton Ticket

By Prensa Latina Washington : At least 75 percent of Democratic electors in the US are considering the possibility of a joint Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton candidacy, or viceversa, for the presidential elections in November, according to a Gallup survey. At least 30 percent of people consulted considered the best option for Obama to be the presidential candidate and Clinton his vice-president running mate, while 45 percent deemed it acceptable, the poll indicated.

Britain rejects Abu Hamza’s bid to avoid extradition

By DPA, London : An Egyptian-born radical preacher wanted for trial by the US lost the latest stage in his fight against extradition from Britain Friday. The High Court in London ruled that the US extradition request for Abu Hamza did not carry "the smell of the torture chamber", as had been alleged by his lawyers. Hamza, 50, is currently serving a seven-year-jail term in Britain for inciting murder and race hate during sermons at London's Regent's Park mosque.

Russian Proton-M carrier rocket orbits U.S. telecoms satellite

By RIA Novosti, Moscow : A Proton-M carrier rocket put into orbit on Wednesday a U.S. telecommunications satellite, the Russian Federal Space Agency said. "The foreign satellite has successfully separated from the Breeze-M booster, and control over the satellite has been transferred to the client," the agency said. Russian-American joint venture International Launch Services (ILS) signed a contract in March to launch two Sirius satellites to expand the existing SIRIUS Satellite Radio constellation.

Myanmar quietly releases 96 monks

By DPA Yangon : Myanmar's military regime has released from detention 96 monks who participated in September's marches, permitting half of them to return to the Ngwekyaryan monastery in Yangon, sources said Monday. Authorities released the 96 monks, including Abbot Sayadaw U. Yevada, last Friday from the Kaba Aye detention centre, where they had been kept since the government crackdown on monk-led protests Sep 26-27.

China hotel fire toll rises to 11

By IANS, Beijing : At least 11 people were confirmed as dead and 50 injured in a hotel fire which occurred in China's Hubei province Sunday.

Sri Lanka keen to implement war commission report

By IANS, Colombo : The Sri Lankan government has told parliament that it has no objection in implementing recommendations of a war commission appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

China starts work on manned space laboratory

By IANS, Beijing: China has begun work of its manned space laboratory to be completed by 2020, a media report said Wednesday.

Heart disease leading cause of deaths in Cuba

By IANS, Havana: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of deaths in Cuba, claiming over 20,000 lives each year, an expert said here.

Obama hopes to finally put pastor scandal behind him

By Chris Cermak, DPA, Raleigh (US) : In a very personal and emotional appearance in North Carolina this week, Barack Obama for the first time completely dissociated himself from his former pastor, hoping to finally put an end to a controversy that nearly derailed his US presidential campaign. Less than two months ago in a broad speech on race relations in Philadelphia, Obama said that despite Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr's offensive remarks, he was "like family", and a man Obama could no more disown than he could the African-American community to which he belongs.

China landslide toll reaches nine

By Xinhua, Chongqing (China) : The toll in a landslide in southwest China last week has risen to nine after rescuers recovered two more bodies as search for 63 other missing people continues. Nine people were killed and eight others injured following the landslide last Friday. Officials with drilling machines and excavators continued their search for the missing people Monday. The landslide buried an iron ore plant and 12 houses in Tiekuang Township in Wulong County.

Senior UN, EU officials arrive in Nepal

Kathmandu : Two senior United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) officials have arrived in Kathmandu to assess the aftermath of the devastating earthquake...

More Than 20 Million Chinese Rely On Internet For News

By Xinhua, Beijing : More than 20 million Chinese or 68.6 percent of the country's Internet users, are using the web to get their main source of news, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)reported. CASS, a top academic institution, released the figure in the Blue Book of China's Economy (2009) report, Xinhua news agency reported Monday.

China makes world’s fastest supercomputer

By IANS, Washington: A Chinese scientific research centre has built the fastest supercomputer ever made, replacing the US as maker of the swiftest machine, a media report said Thursday.

Tsunami signs to be placed in New Zealand

By Xinhua, Wellington : Tsunami signs will soon be going up as the New Zealand government has released a national design standard, Civil Defence Minister Rick Barker said on Monday Barker said on Monday that the signs would indicate tsunami evacuation zones, evacuation routes for vehicles and pedestrians, tsunami safe locations and information boards. "The national standard will mean that wherever people travel in the country the signs will look the same and mean the same things," the New Zealand Press Association quoted him as saying.

Australian Green Party calls on gov’t to take strong position on whaling

By Xinhua, Canberra : The Australian Green Party on Monday called on the government to put free trade negotiations with Japan on hold until the slaughter of whales in Antarctic waters is stopped. Green Party Senator Rachael Siewert urged the government to take stronger action, saying it was clear that diplomatic efforts had done nothing to prevent the slaughter of whales. Senator Siewert said the government must take stronger action and should refuse to progress a free trade agreement with Japan until it stops killing whales.

South Korea to open gold trading market

Seoul: South Korea's financial regulator said Sunday that market will start trading gold on spot next week to disclose gold transactions, which were blamed...

Obama looks forward to working with new Indian government

By Arun Kumar, Washington: As exit polls suggested that the Narendra Mod- led Bharatiya Janata Party was set to win the Indian election, President Barack...

Boston marathon bombings a ‘heinous crime’: Putin

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has termed the bombings at the Boston marathon a "heinous crime".

Sikhs in New Zealand plead for air security tolerance

By IANS

Auckland : A New Zealand Sikh association has told a parliamentary select committee it fears its community members could be targeted if changes are made to the country's aviation security legislation.

Kenya crisis remains as Annan deadline expires

By DPA Nairobi : A 72-hour deadline to find a political settlement to the crisis in Kenya expired Friday without any concrete solution to the conflict over disputed polls in sight. Mediator and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan set the deadline earlier this week, confidently saying he expected a resolution to the impasse after negotiating teams were ferried off to a secluded safari resort to thrash out details.

Tibetan spiritual leader not allowed to go near China border

By IANS, Dharamsala : The Indian government has refused to allow Tibetan spiritual leader the Karmapa Lama, the only major monk reincarnate recognised by both the Dalai Lama and China, to visit areas close to the China border ahead of the Beijing Olympics, his aides said here Thursday. The 17th Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorjee, had sought permission to visit various monasteries in Lahaul and Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh as well as Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir.

First woman appointed to top Muslim council in Singapore

First woman appointed to top Muslim council in Singapore DPA Singapore, Aug 2 (DPA) The national organisation overseeing Muslim religious affairs in Singapore has appointed a women to its governing council for the first time in its 40-year-history, the body said Thursday. Zuraidah Abdullah, 45, was appointed for a three-year term starting next week. The naming of Zuraidah, chief executive of a self-help group, as one of the council's 15 members was announced online.

UN, ASEAN for Myanmar Assistance

By Prensa Latina, Yangon : The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was aware, by first hand, of the plan drawn up by the Association of South Eastern Asian Nations (ASEAN) to organize Myanmar international assistance. Previous to his visit to Myanmar capital, to meet General Tanh Shwe and other members of the military government, Ban received detailed information of the project explained by Asean chief, Thailand ex foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan.

Many hurt in Peru chopper crash

By EFE, Lima : An unknown number of people were injured in an army helicopter crash in a remote area of the southeastern Peruvian province of Huancavelica due to heavy winds, a media report said. "When it was already near the ground and was going to land, a very heavy wind came up and knocked the helicopter down," Defence Minister Rafael Rey said Tuesday. He said the chopper was en route to the valley of the Apurimac and Ene Rivers, or VRAE, Peru's principal cocaine-producing region. The crew members suffered bruises but are in good health, Rey added.

Respect is better motivator than pay in Asia: poll

By DPA Singapore : Respect from the boss outranks basic pay as a motivator for getting employees in major Asian economies to do their best, a poll said Monday. The findings of the survey carried out by consulting firm Mercer showed that employees in India and China viewed respect over their pay. The type of work emerged as the top factor in India, with employees putting opportunities for personal growth, promotion prospects and long-term career potential before reimbursement.

German soldier accused of illegally training Libyan security forces

By IRNA Berlin : A German soldier has been under investigation and suspended from duty for his alleged role in the illegal secret training of Libyan security forces. The remark was made by deputy defense ministry spokesman Christian Dienst during a regular news conference here on Friday. The unidentified trooper is charged with tarnishing the image of the German army and being involved in an unauthorized sideline job during his spare time, according to Dienst. The German army became aware of the illegal activity during the "first half of 2006," he added.

Alcoholic workers costing Australia $400 mn

By IANS, Melbourne : Colleagues of heavy drinkers in Australia are being forced to do extra work to cover up for their alcoholic co-workers, and this extra labour is costing the economy over $400 million per year, new research has found. About one third of workers have experienced negative effects from their co-workers' drinking habits. "Our findings show that the experience of having a heavily drinking co-worker is common in the Australian workplace," Michael Livingston, from the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, was quoted as saying by Perth Now.

Communist leader’s murder hits Nepal’s peace process

By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS, Kathmandu: The murder of a communist leader hit Nepal's peace process with a key meeting Saturday among the three top parties, that could have paved the way for a new government, being put off. Chhabi Karki, a leader of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) in Okhaldhunga, a remote district in eastern Nepal, was stabbed to death by an unidentified gang in his home district Thursday, triggering protests by his party.

‘Third crasher’ admits he attended Obama dinner, denies he crashed

By Arun Kumar, IANS, Washington: A lawyer for the alleged "third crasher" has admitted that his client attended President Barack Obama's state dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but like the first two crashers the Salahis, he claimed he was an invited guest. The Washington Post, which first identified the "third crasher" as Carlos Allen, Tuesday said his attorney did not provide many details about how his client came to attend the dinner, despite not being on the White House guest list, nor did he provide evidence of an invitation.

Cuba has carried out 5,000 kidney transplants

By IANS, Havana : Cuba has carried out nearly 5,000 kidney transplants since the beginning of the programme in the 1970s, Prensa Latina news agency reported.

Obama’s South Asia policy: Pakistan will be the acid test

By IANS, Washington : As President Barack Obama completes 100 days in office next week, experts have sat down to grade his foreign policy initiatives so far - and the report card is not too impressive, at least from the South Asian perspective. The web edition of the renowned Foreign Policy journal asked some of the "best foreign-policy minds in Washington and beyond" to rate Obama's performance so far. The result? 11 As, 16 Bs, 7 Cs, and a D.

Russia-EU cooperation pact talks likely in November

By RIA Novosti, Moscow : The European Union (EU) could resume in November talks with Russia on a new cooperation pact, put on hold last month over Russia's military operation in Georgia, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has said. The 27-nation bloc announced Sep 1 that it had suspended talks on a partnership and cooperation agreement with Russia over Moscow's presence in Georgia and would not resume the negotiation process until the country pulled all its troops in Georgia back to their pre-conflict positions.

Vietnam to launch first telecom satellite next month

By RIA Novosti Hanoi : Vietnam's first communications satellite, the Vinasat-1, is to be launched on April 12, a Vietnamese government official said on Wednesday. Nguyen Ba Thuoc, deputy director of the Vietnamese Post and Telecommunications Corporation, the satellite project's investor, said the satellite would be launched by an Ariane carrier rocket by the French company Ariane Space from the Kourou space center in French Guiana.

Tibetans jailed, tortured for displaying banned flag

By Indo-Asian News Service Kathmandu: As China beautifies its capital Beijing for the Olympic Games next year, its prisons still abound with terrible tales, including severe torture and long sentences for trivial "offences", says a Tibetan prisoner who escaped into exile after spending 11 years behind bars. Sonam Dorjee, a 38-year-old Tibetan who managed to escape from China-controlled Tibet Autonomous Region recently, is trying to highlight the appalling condition in the Drapchi and Chushur prisons, where prisoners, mostly Tibetans, are systematically tortured.

Mexico oil slick cap holds 2.4 mn litre daily

By DPA, Washington : The containment operation in the Gulf of Mexico was capturing up to 2.4 million litres of oil daily, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is leading the US government's response to the disaster, said Wednesday. "We're only at 15 (15,000 barrels) now and we'll be at 28 (28,000 barrels) next week. We're building capacity," Allen said at a press conference, and hoped that the existing dome-like containment cap put in place last week by BP Plc would soon be able to hold 1.17 million gallons daily.

UN to hold moment of silence at time of quake

By DPA, New York : A minute of silence was planned for Tuesday at 4:53 pm (0323 IST) at UN headquarters in New York to mark the time the magnitude-7 earthquake struck Haiti a week ago. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was scheduled to lay a wreath in honour of the quake victims, and a minute of silence was to be held throughout the UN system, the UN said.

Russia sends 50,000 tonnes of food to North Korea

By IANS, Moscow : Russia has sent 50,000 tonnes of food aid to North Korea, which is facing a shortage of food this year.

Safina stranded again as Kuznetsova wins French Open

By DPA, Paris: Svetlana Kuznetsova Saturday defeated Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-2 to win the French Open tennis, leaving the world number one still without a Grand Slam title. Kusnetsova, seeded seventh, added the Roland Garros honour to her US Open crown from 2004. She also lost Grand Slam title matches to now-retired Justine Henin in Paris in 2006 and New York a year later. "It's been so many years since I won my first major," said Kuznetsova, who was presented the trophy by former tennis great Steffi Graf. "I didn't think I could do it again but today it happened.

Bhutan to sack corrupt parliamentarians, says PM

By IANS, Thimphu : Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley has said the newly elected government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against corruption and warned to sack officials, including parliamentarians, if they were found to be dishonest.

Door edges open at Myanmar pledging conference

By DPA, Yangon : Most donor nations Sunday stopped short of making new pledges for relief for victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar as they were awaiting more details on access and accountability, but observers described the meeting as a step forward. "It was a reasonable success," Frederich Hamburger, European Union (EU) envoy to Myanmar and Thailand, said of a United Nations-ASEAN sponsored pledging conference held in Yangon Sunday, almost three weeks after Cyclone Nargis smacked into the country's central coast leaving at least 133,000 people dead or missing.

US takes China to WTO over subsidies

By DPA, Washington : The US is taking China before the World Trade Organization (WTO) to stop a series of subsidies that give Chinese exporters an unfair advantage, the government said Friday. In a complaint filed with the Geneva-based WTO, the world's official arbiter of trade disputes, the US said China has been providing subsidies across its export industries under its "Famous Brands" programme that are illegal under world trade rules. The subsidies include cash grants, preferential loans and research funding for companies that export goods abroad, the US said.

Middle East will be an ally of US one day: Bush

By IANS, New Delhi : Recalling how one-time enemy Japan became an ally of the US, former US president George W. Bush Saturday expressed confidence that the Middle East would also go the same way one day. Speaking at a leadership conclave organised here by the Hindustan Times, Bush recalled his conversation with then Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi immediately after 9/11 when the latter said that Japan and the US will work together to fight the ideology of hatred and advance the cause of freedom.

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.

First trial International Criminal Court in June

By DPA Amsterdam : The first trial of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is due to begin on June 23. An earlier date of March 31 was previously cancelled after the court said it was insufficiently prepared. The ICC is the first permanent court that will prosecute suspects of war crimes and other serious violations of human rights. It was established in 2002 but no trials have been conducted so far.

Five killed in South Africa truck explosion

Cape Town : Four police officers were among five people killed in a truck explosion in Mokopane in northern South Africa early Thursday morning,...

Charles blames consumerism and Galileo for environment problems

By Venkata Vemuri, IANS, London : Prince Charles has blamed "de-souled" consumerism for the world's population and environmental problems and apportioned part of the blame to 17th century astronomer Galileo. Addressing a gathering at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies to mark its 25th anniversary Wednesday, the prince said it was "baffling" that so many scientists professed a faith in god and yet this had little bearing on the "damaging" way science was used to exploit the natural world.

Post-Kyoto agreement to be signed in Copenhagen in 2009

MOSCOW, December 11 (RIA Novosti) - An agreement replacing the Kyoto Protocol in 2012 will probably be signed in late 2009 in Copenhagen, a participant at a UN conference on climate change in Indonesia said Tuesday. "Judging by all developments, the new international protocol could be signed in December 2009 in Copenhagen," environmentalist Alexei Kokorin, a World Wildlife Fund observer at the conference, told RIA Novosti on the phone.

Japan urges end of nuclear industry

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Tokyo : The first meeting of the Japan Congress Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs began in Fukushima city with a plea for an end to the nuclear energy industry.

CPN-UML challenges NC’s claim for first president of Nepal

By Xinhua,  Kathmandu : The Communist Party Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Saturday challenged the Nepali Congress(NC) to claim for the presidential post by showing a majority in the Constituent Assembly. General Secretary Jhalanath Khanal suggested the political parties, who are claiming for the post of first President of Nepal, not to indulge themselves for the post. Khanal said that the NC started to claim for the post of the president after the largest party the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) gave up its claim over presidency.

NATO reassures Ukraine over its membership aspirations

By DPA, Brussels : NATO has reassured Ukraine about its prospects of joining the transatlantic alliance, with both sides condemning Russia's decision to recognise Georgia's breakaway regions. At a meeting in Brussels Wednesday between ambassadors from NATO and Ukraine - the first such meeting since the outbreak of the conflict in Georgia - the sides expressed "deep concern over the current situation in Georgia, and its implications on the security in the Caucasus and the Euro-Atlantic area".

Brown challenged on leadership ahead of general election

By IRNA, London : Two former British cabinet ministers Wednesday launched a last-ditch attempt to oust Prime Minister Gordon Brown by calling for a secret ballot by Labour MPs over his leadership. Former defence secretary Geoff Hoon and former trade secretary Patricia Hewitt wrote to all Labour MPs calling for the leadership issue to be sorted out “once and for all” ahead of the forthcoming general election, which is due to be held by June at the latest.

US still open to diplomacy with Iran: Obama

By DPA, Washington: The US remains open to diplomatic negotiations with Iran to resolve the dispute over the Islamic state's nuclear activities, US President Barack Obama said Thursday.

Russian opposition plans two mass rallies

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Moscow: Members of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council have announced their decision to hold two mass rallies in April and May.

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.

Social democrat Colom Guatemala’s next president

Guatemala City, Nov 5 (DPA) Social democrat Alvaro Colom has won the presidential runoff election in Guatemala, beating centre-right General Otto Perez Molina. Colom, 56, is set to be inaugurated on Jan 14 for a four-year term as the president. With votes in over 96 percent of the polling stations counted, Colom - who had not appeared in public Sunday night - had 52.7 percent of the ballots, to Perez Molina's 47.3 percent, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said.

More women joined politics in 2008, says a global report

By Prensa Latina, United Nations : The 143-member Inter-Parliamentarian Union Thursday said the number of women occupying seats in the legislative institutions worldwide reached record levels in 2008, with one out of every five elected members was woman. The Women in Parliament 2008 report released by the union said of the 12,879 seats in 66 parliaments in 54 countries last year, women occupied 2,656 seats, or 20.6 percent. In the past five years, 60 percent of the women legislators were re-elected, the report said.

‘Brown readying Iraq troops for withdrawal’

By DPA

London : British prime minister-designate Gordon Brown is planning an about turn in the country's Iraq policy by bringing the troops home as soon as possible, British press reports said Sunday.

Democrats rally around Obama amid furore over Netanyahu Congress visit

Washington : The White House is growing more confident it can withstand efforts to frustrate its policy of nuclear talks with Iran, as a...

Obama vows to go after Al Qaeda’s safe havens

By DPA, Washington : US president-elect Barack Obama vowed Wednesday to go after Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and prevent the terrorist organization from using safe havens along the Afghan-Pakistani border to carry out attacks. "Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are our number one threat when it comes to American security," Obama said. "We're going to do everything in our power to make sure that they cannot create safe havens they can (use to) attack America."

India, Kazakhstan launch first drilling at Satpayev oil block

Astana : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kazakhstan premier Karim Massimov on Tuesday launched the first exploratory drilling of the Satpayev oil block by...

Planes with nine bodies, hundreds of activists leave Israel

By DPA, Tel Aviv : Israel early Thursday completed the deportation of hundreds of foreign nationals from its Ben-Gurion International Airport, the country's foreign ministry announced. The bodies of the nine people who were killed in early Monday's forceful interception in mid-sea of six ships bound for Gaza were also on board the planes that took off from Tel Aviv, a spokesman told DPA.

Thousands march in London against Afghan war

London, Nov 20, IRNA -- Thousands of peace campaigners gathered in central London Saturday to call for the end of the 9-year war in Afghanistan, saying it was “time to go.”

Putin orders new commission to regulate foreign investment

By DPA, Moscow : Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Monday called for the creation of a government commission to decide on foreign requests to buy into key sectors such as oil and gas, media and telecoms. Under a law passed in April, the prime minister would head the commission, giving Putin final say on foreign investments into one of 42 sectors defined as "strategic" by the bill.

End hatemongering is Bihar’s message to Modi, says NYT

Washington: Bihar's electorate has sent Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a message: "Put an end to hatemongering", said the influential New York Times on...

South Korean leader advises no fear, heavy hand with North

By DPA, Seoul : South Korean President Lee Myung Bak urged national unity as he called for a tough stance against future provocations from North Korea.

Talks down to the wire at Copenhagen: Swedish minister

By DPA, Copenhagen : Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren Monday predicted "tough talks down to the wire" at the UN climate change summit, saying China and the US need to offer more on emission cuts. The talks in Copenhagen, scheduled to end Friday, aim at preventing global average temperatures from rising more than the potentially dangerous two-degree Centigrade limit. "It is impossible to solve the climate problem unless China makes more emission reductions above the scope they have offered," Carlgren told Swedish radio.

Chernobyl lurking in Himalaya’s main rivers?

By Sudeshna Sarkar

IANS

Kathmandu : If concerted efforts are not made to recover two missing radiation detectors in the Himalayan ranges, another Chernobyl could erupt, poisoning two of Asia's biggest rivers, a Japanese filmmaker has warned.

No more winters in Hong Kong by 2050

By DPA Hong Kong : Global climate change may mean Hong Kong will no longer have winters by the middle of this century, the head of the territory's weather service has predicted. The director of the Hong Kong observatory, Lam Chiu-ying, said that there were more mornings now that had temperatures higher than 28 degrees Celsius than 30 years ago. He thought temperatures in the urban area would rise by at least one degree Celsius in the next 20 years.

Personal ties key to teams’ overall creativity

By IANS, Washington : Insights and creative ideas generated by an individual in a team, when combined with that of the other members, increase the team's ability to tackle problems innovatively, according to a new report. Christina E. Shalley, professor of organisational behaviour at the Georgia Tech College of Management and Jill Perry-Smith, assistant professor of Organisation and Management at Emory University, developed the concept of "team creative cognition", that provides a framework for how the team approaches solving problems creatively.

Shields angry after journos took her mother out of nursing home

By IANS, London : Brooke Shields claims that her mother, who suffers from dementia, was checked out of a New Jersey nursing home by a journalist seeking a "tabloid story". The angry actress says she will take lawful action against those who are involved. People.com reports that the actress claims her mother was targeted by the National Enquirer.

Washington gears up for Obama’s date with destiny

By Arun Kumar, IANS, Washington : With Barack Obama set to make history as the first black president of America, Washington DC is agog with preparations that involve more than 13,000 participants in 90 military, musical, cultural and community groups from all over the US who will participate in the inaugural parade Jan 20. To ensure that things go like clockwork on Obama's date with destiny, planners held a full-scale dress rehearsal here for the festivities complete with a mock inaugural address by an Obama's stand-in on a cold and damp Sunday morning.
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