International

By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS, Kathmandu: It proved third time unlucky for Nepal as parliament Monday failed to elect a new prime minister for the third time in a row, with yet another run-off announced on Thursday. Ignoring warnings that the house was becoming an object of ridicule at home and abroad for its continued failure to elect a new premier, the major political parties refused to bury the hatchet, resulting in Monday's prime ministerial election ending in a fiasco yet again.

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By Prensa Latina, Washington : US air company Continental Airlines announced the firing of 3,000 employees and the reduction of its flights by 11 per cent Thursday, as a result of the hike in oil prices. The measures are indispensable to face the extremely high cost of fuels, said Continental Airlines officials Larry Kellner and Jeff Smisek Thursday. Both executives said the measures will be enforced as of September, though some people might lose their jobs even before. The layoffs will affect 6.5 per cent of the Continental Airlines payroll, which is estimated in 45,000 jobs.

By DPA, London : The British government Monday gave details of its bank recapitalization plan which foresees pumping 37 billion pounds ($65 billion) into three leading banks. The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will receive 20 billion pounds ($35 billion) of new capital, giving the government a 60-percent share in the Edinburgh-based bank. The chief executive of RBS, Fred Goodwin, has agreed to stand down as part of the deal, after the bank's share fell to 1.71 pence at the end of last week.

By Fakir Hassen, IANS Johannesburg : South Africans across the spectrum have been unanimous in their rejection of a racist video made by four white university students that shows elderly black cleaning staff being humiliated, including eating food in which one of the students had allegedly urinated. But two of the students have remained defiant in the face of criminal charges and internal disciplinary steps proposed by the University of Bloemfontein, claiming that they had merely made the video as a drama for a "cultural evening".

Berlin : German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière called for differentiation between extremists who exploit Islam in their terrorist acts and the innocent Muslims living in peace in Western societies and are involved in various peaceful activities, according to Germany's Deutsche Welle (DW) channel.

By DPA, Sydney : Member of Parliament Kevin Andrews Thursday called for a national debate on whether Muslim immigration to Australia should be curbed. Andrews, immigration minister in the conservative government defeated two years ago, said Muslims were the first migrant group not to assimilate and to congregate in certain suburbs of big cities.

By Xinhua, Moscow : An earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale hit the southern areas of Russia's Lake Baikal Wednesday morning, Russian news agencies reported. There was no immediate report of casualties. The earthquake occurred at 10.35 a.m. (0135 GMT) in Irkutsk, according to the Irkutsk seismic station. Immediately after the tremors, electricity, mobile connections and the Internet links were disrupted, said a spokesman for the emergency situations ministry said.

By IANS, Yangon : Myanmar's opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD), and 88 Generation Peace and Open Society Group, a former students group formed...

By Xinhua, Kathmandu : Nepali parties on Wednesday have agreed on the 26 seats distribution among the parties. According to the Nepali Interim Constitution, the 601-seat Constituent Assembly (CA) includes 575 elected seats and 26 appointed by the Interim Government cabinet. The 575 seats have been elected since April 10, in which the Communist Party of Nepal(Maoist) (CPN-M) emerged as the single largest party with 220 seats, followed by the Nepali Congress (NC) with 110 seats and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) with103 seats.

By DPA, Caracas : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Monday said the victories of opposition party leaders in local elections proved that he was not a "tyrant", news reports said. Around 17 million citizens voted Sunday, the first national poll since Chavez lost a constitutional referendum in 2007, in which he had attempted to remove all limits on the length of time a president may serve. More than 300 city mayors and 22 state governors were to be elected.

By D. Arul Rajoo, Bernama, Bangkok : Seven suspected insurgents were shot dead as Thai security forces' hunting for hiding militants combed a forest in Bannang Sata district of Yala. Army spokesman Col Akara Thiproj said the seven were killed during a shoot-out with soldiers and policemen near the Banglang Dam. "We hope to catch the remaining militants by today. They have been hiding there since last week after killing two policemen," he told Bernama.

By IANS, Toronto: A Canadian store in Montreal has claimed it is selling soap made from the fat of Holocaust victims. The shop has displayed the beige-coloured soap bar inscribed with a Swastika in a glass case with a card reading 'Poland 1940,' a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation says. The shop also sells a braid of hair which it claims originated from a Nazi 'extermination camp.' It is not illegal in Canada to sell products bearing a Swastika symbol of the Nazis.

By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS, Kathmandu : Hundreds of Maoist supporters waving red banners and the flag of their once-outlawed party encircled the seat of the government in the capital Sunday, continuing their protests against the ruling alliance even after calling off their general strike. "The prime minister must quit and a national government come in place," marchers cried as they surrounded Singha Durbar, a former palace that now houses the Prime Minister's Office and most ministries.

By DPA Washington : The US Senate, disturbed over a flurry of reports this week about an upsurge in terrorism, Friday doubled the price on the head of Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the worst attack ever on US soil. The Senate called for a reward of 50 million dollars for the "capture, or information leading to the capture", of the Al Qaeda leader.

By Xinhua, Beijing : China said Thursday it was willing to talk to the Dalai Lama if he takes concrete steps to prove his sincerity in negotiations. "The door is open for dialogue between the Central Government and Dalai on condition that he shows sincerity for talks through concrete action," foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said. Jiang told reporters the government has shown great sincerity and patience for establishing contacts and open talks with the Dalai Lama, who has never given positive and comprehensive response.

By SPA Washington : U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to attend next month’s inauguration of the next South Korean President-elect, a U.S. official said on Thursday. Rice, who will attend the ceremony for Lee Myung-bak in Seoul, would also make other stops in the region during her trip, according to the official. The inauguration is scheduled to take place on February 25, 2008. Rice’s trip comes amid an effort by the United States to revive the deal under which North Korea agreed to give up nuclear arms in exchange for economic and diplomatic aid.

By IANS, Kathmandu : For the first time in Nepal's history, its minority Christian community Tuesday joined the socio-political process, beginning a "vigil" to ensure that the new constitution would be enacted in time and guarantee religious freedom to all.

By IANS, London: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has reportedly ended her decade-long friendship with pop star Madonna.

By IANS, London : The UK's Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has spent more than £100,000 over the last five years on trips to India as part of its ongoing efforts to liberalise the country's legal market. The government department has spent more than £75,000 sending representations to India over the period, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act request to UK's top commercial lawyers' magazine, Legal Week. The figures also show that the MoJ has spent £25,350 entertaining Indian ministers and hosting meetings on governmental budgets.

By IANS, Auckland : Police in New Zealand have been allowed to do anything to protect themselves from attackers - including bite, gouge out eyes or even growl at offenders. Policemen are being told "anything goes", and whatever action they choose to take - as long as it saves their lives - they will be backed by police bosses, the New Zealand Herald reported. The move came after a senior constable, Bruce Lamb, and a constable, Mitchel Alatalo, were shot at by a gunman while on a routine check in Christchurch.

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By DPA, Washington : Dozens of passengers were injured when a plane with more than 100 people on board skidded off the runway and caught fire in Denver, Colorado Saturday evening, officials said. The accident occurred at around 6:18 p.m. when the Boeing 737 aircraft was preparing for take off, an airport spokeswoman said in a broadcast news conference. At least 38 people have been taken to hospital, she said, adding that none of the injured were critical. The plane operated by Continental Airlines was carrying 107 passengers and five crew members and was heading for Houston.

By DPA New York : Police and firefighters cordoned off an area in New York City's landmark Times Square area to investigate an early morning explosion, reports said. The New York Times in a news alert said the blast apparently took place in front of a US military recruitment station, located on the traffic island between 43rd and 44th Streets and Seventh Avenue and Broadway. The paper said the explosion took place around 4 am (0900 GMT). No injuries were reported, according to the television news network CNN.

By Venkata Vemuri, IANS, London : Winston Churchill once called Mahatma Gandhi "a bad man and an enemy of the Empire" who should have been done away with. The war-time prime minister of Britain told Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts of South Africa at a meeting of the war cabinet in London in the 1940s: "You are responsible for all our troubles in India - you had Gandhi for years and did not do away with him." To which, Smuts replied: "When I put him in prison - three times - all Gandhi did was to make me a pair of bedroom slippers."

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By DPA, Palma de Majorca (Spain): Suspected militants of the armed Basque separatist group ETA Thursday targeted the Spanish tourist island of Majorca during the high holiday season, killing two police officers in a bomb blast. Police sources confirmed that two officers of the paramilitary Civil Guard were killed and several people were injured in the blast. The two victims were believed to have been inside a car which exploded in Palmanova on the western coast, one of the most popular tourism sites on Majorca, where hotels were full at the time.

By Arun Kumar, IANS,

By DPA, New York : US stocks defied a week of gloomy predictions and controversial financial decisions by US officials, bouncing back by Friday after a slump Monday and Tuesday. For Friday, better-than-estimated results from Citigroup Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Co relieved worries that they would extend their yearlong slump, Bloomberg financial news reported. US banking giant Citigroup Inc reported a loss of $2.5 billion in the second quarter amid credit losses and write downs in the troubled financial market.

By IANS, Colombo : A huge blast Monday rocked the crowded Fort area in the heart of the Sri Lankan capital. Casualties are feared. window.onload =...

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Nicosia : Cypriot police said Monday they had found no trace of a US embassy staff member who had been missing for four days but added that their extensive hunt would continue.