Over 60 percent of Germans say Koehler is not good president: poll
By IRNA,
Berlin : More than 60 percent of Germans voiced dissatisfaction with the performance of German President Horst Koehler amid earlier press reports that he was seeking a second presidential term, according to a survey released Tuesday by the private Sat.1 television news network.
Asked whether Koehler who holds a largely ceremonial post in German politics, was a good president, some 60.1 percent replied 'no', while 39.3 percent said 'yes' and 0.6 percent did not know how to assess his presidency.
UN secretary general hails landmark Arms Trade Treaty
United Nations: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the imminent entry into force of the landmark Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which seeks to...
Toronto Marathon runners support Boston bombing victims
By IANS,
Toronto : Besides testing their physical limits, thousands of runners took part in the Toronto Marathon to pay tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Sri Lankan parliament impeaches chief justice
By IANS,
Colombo: The Sri Lankan parliament Friday voted by a majority to impeach the country's Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, beginning the process to remove her from office.
New conspiracy theory after 10 years of Nepal palace massacre
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
30 militants killed in airstrikes in Syria
Damascus: The US-led anti-terror coalition on Sunday evening struck an oil refinery under the control of the Islamic State (IS) militants in a border...
France to inject $14 bn into six major banks
By DPA,
Paris : France will inject 10.5 billion euros ($14 billion) into the country's six biggest banks in an effort to provide capital for business and consumer lending, Finance Minister Christine Lagarde announced late Monday.
The government is to subscribe to subordinated debt issued by the six banks but will not gain voting rights.
In all, Paris could eventually inject 40 billion euros into the financial system by this method, as part of the 360-billion-euro rescue package forged earlier in October.
US stocks up on Boeing, Philip Morris earnings
By DPA,
New York : US stocks climbed Wednesday for the first time this week on positive earnings from Boeing, Philip Morris International and others.
Aerospace giant Boeing said profits rose 38 percent to $1.21 billion in the first quarter, while tobacco firm Philip Morris said earnings rose 29 percent from the year-earlier period.
Technology stocks were up more than one percent after EMC Corp, the world's largest maker of storage computers, said revenue increased 14 percent in North America despite fears of a US recession.
McCain, Obama neck and neck in polls
By DPA,
Denver (Colorado) : The scramble for the White House was dead even between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, according to two separate polls released late Sunday, the eve of the opening of the Democratic nominating convention.
The Gallup Poll showed each candidate with 45 cent support from registered voters, while a CNN/Opinion Research Corp poll showed a 47-percent stalemate.
California boy is Spelling Bee after Indian fails to be
By Arun Kumar
IANSWashington : Evan M. O'Dorney, 13, a California schoolboy won the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest after early elimination of this year's favourite, Samir Patel, an Indian American contesting for the fifth time in a row.
First South Asian bank opens in Long Island
By Parveen Chopra, IANS
New York : The first South Asian bank serving the ethnic community has opened in Long Island, an upscale suburb of New York.
Habib American Bank (HAB) opened its sixth branch Saturday in Hicksville , which has a sizeable South Asian community.
"The South Asian community - our special focus - in the area is palpably excited about the opening of our branch," Saleem Iqbal, chief operating officer of HAB, told IANS.
David Cameron moves into new home – 10 Downing Street
By IANS,
London : Promising a "proper and full coalition government", Conservative leader David Cameron moved into No. 10 Downing Street as Britain's new prime minister, shortly after Labour's Gordon Brown bid an emotional farewell, signalling an end to 13 years of his party rule.
Countries pledge billions to fight global hunger
By IANS,
Rome : Delegates at the Rome Food Security Summit have pledged billions of dollars to the fight against global hunger, WAM news agency reported Saturday.
"The money will benefit countries hard hit by the current world food crisis, allowing them to grow enough food for themselves in the coming planting seasons, and helping them to achieve continuing food security through investment in agriculture and research", the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
Islamic school teacher shot dead in Russia
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: A teacher who worked for an Islamic school in the southwestern Russian region of Dagestan was found shot dead, investigators said.
Two Dalit girls’ rape and murder in Badaun draws international flak
By A. Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: The alleged gang rape and murder of two dalit girls on 27 May 2014 in the Katra village of Budaun district, Uttar Pradesh has been condemned largely throughout the country by every section of the society. The condemnation did not stop within the borders of the country but international organizations have also expressed their dissatisfaction towards lack of adequate sanitation facilities and growing sexual violence of women resulting into the violations of human rights in India. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appalled by the brutal rape and killing of two dalit girls in UP whereas Amnesty International has criticized the police machinery of India who have time and again found to have derelict towards registering and investigating cases of rapes of low caste girls and their lackadaisical behavior in booking higher caste culprits in those cases.
Obama arrives in Gulf as top-kill effort continues
By DPA,
Washington : US President Barack Obama arrived in Louisiana Friday to tour what has become the worst-ever US oil disaster, as energy company BP's critical top-kill operation to cap the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico entered its third day.
Obama's visit - his second to the region since the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion - comes amid growing local anger and frustration over the government's response to the disaster and BP's inability to cap the oil well.
At least 30 dead as school building collapses in Haiti
By SPA,
Port-au-Prince, Haiti : Between 30 and 50 students died when a school building collapsed Friday in the Petion Ville suburb of Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, while more than 100 were injured, DPA reported.
The Evangelical Promise school in the area of Nerette collapsed at around 10 am (1500 GMT) Friday, with some 700 students inside, Haitian Radio Metropole reported.
The three-storey school educated students from kindergarten to high school.
Over 5,000 chemical barrels recovered from China river
By IANS,
Beijing: Over 5,000 of the 7,000 chemical barrels, that were swept into a major river in northeast China's Jilin province, have been recovered by Saturday evening.
But local authorities said it was still not immediately clear how many of the retrieved barrels contained chemicals, Xinhua reported.
Some 3,000 full barrels and 4,000 empty ones were swept into the Wende River and on to the Songhua River after floods hit warehouses of two chemical factories in Jilin City early Wednesday.
French woman says having six children by her father: Report
By DPA,
Paris : After the case of Elisabeth Fritzl in Austria, a French daily Wednesday reported the story of a French woman who said she was raped by her father for 28 years and bore him six children.
Lydia Gouardo, now 45, told the newspaper Le Parisien that her nightmare began when she was only nine years old, shortly after her stepmother plunged her in a tub filled with boiling water.
She said she was often raped three times a day. "My stepmother sometimes helped him," Gouardo told the newspaper.
100 Britons jailed in France for smuggling migrants
London: At least 100 Britons have been jailed in France in the last year for trying to smuggle migrants through the port town of...
South Korea warns nuclear talks close to breaking down
By DPA,
Seoul : North Korea's intentions to restart its nuclear programme are bringing negotiations to the brink of a breakdown, a top South Korean diplomat said Friday.
"We are at a difficult situation where we may be going back to square one," said South Korea's Foreign Minister Yu Myung Hwan Friday in a speech at Seoul National University.
Yu said North Korea was possibly making a strategic move ahead of the upcoming presidential election, in order to win a better negotiating position.
Sri Lanka formally proposes Jul-Aug for SAARC summit
By P.K. Balachandran, IANS
Colombo : Sri Lanka has formally proposed that the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) be held here from July 27 to Aug 3.
But independent political observers wonder if the political and security situation in the island will be conducive to holding the summit as proposed.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced in Kandy earlier this week that the meeting of the South Asian heads of government would be held between July 27 and Aug 3.
9,523 dead in Japan quake, 16,067 missing
By IANS,
Tokyo : The toll in the Japan earthquake and ensuing tsunami has risen to 9,523 while 16,067 people are still unaccounted for, Xinhua quoted the National Police Agency as saying.
Disaster relief funds open floodgates of corruption in US
By IANS,
Washington : The tonnes of money that flood disaster relief operations open the floodgates of corruption and self-aggrandisement.
Federal prosecutors have thus far charged 700 individuals with crimes related to the nearly $33 billion FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) allocated to deal with the disasters, according to the study.
Argentina criticises Britain over Falklands oil drilling
By IANS/EFE,
Buenos Aires : Argentina has criticised a plan by Britain to drill oil in the Falkland Islands.
Both countries have fought a brief war in 1982 for control of the islands that have been under British control since 1833.
The government "firmly rejects plans of the United Kingdom to authorise operations of exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons in the area of the Argentine continental shelf under illegitimate British occupation," the foreign ministry said in a letter to a British diplomat Tuesday.
Bangladesh shuts factories, 20,000 workers affected
Dhaka: Bangladesh has shut down 73 garment factories for safety reasons since the country's worst-ever industrial tragedy in 2013, affecting nearly 20,000 workers.
"A total...
Sri Lankan ruling party takes early lead in provincial poll
By Xinhua,
Colombo : Sri Lanka's ruling party led by President Mahinda Rajapakse had taken an early lead in the vote count in Saturday's Eastern Provincial Council election, the state radio said Sunday.
At 6 a.m. (0030 GMT) Sunday morning, the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) took a lead of over 28,000 votes over the main opposition United National Party (UNP) in the overall vote count, the island's state radio Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Georgian climbers erect 9/11 memorial plaque on Mt. Kazbek
Tbilisi : Eleven amateur and professional climbers from Georgia reached the summit of Mount Kazbek in northern Georgia as a memorial service for the...
Russia launches manned mission to ISS
By IANS,
Moscow : A Russian spacecraft blasted off Tuesday with a three-member crew to the International Space sation (ISS), Russia's Roscosmos space agency said.
Russian freighter disappears in Caspian Sea
By IRNA
Moscow : A sea rescue center in Astrakhan, in southern Russia, on November 17 launched a search-and-rescue operation to answer a distress call from a Russian freighter that had disappeared in the Caspian Sea, the transportation ministry said.
The Kamyust-1 freighter, sailing under the Russian flag and registered at the Taganrog port, was on its way from Astrakhan to the Iranian port of Anzali, but failed to arrive to its destination on schedule," a ministry spokesperson said.
Modi meets Bangladesh commerce-industry chambers chiefs
Dhaka: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met the presidents of leading chambers of commerce and industry of Bangladesh here.
"Strengthening business links. PM...
Obama Tells 175,000 Supporters: Change Is Coming
By AFP,
Kansas City, Missouri : Democrat Barack Obama said Saturday the winds of change were blowing across America as he roused monster crowds totalling more than 175,000 in the Republican "red" state of Missouri.
Republican John McCain, fighting a rearguard offensive before the November 4 presidential election, insisted that Obama's economic plan would "kill" job creation as the United States weathers its worst financial crisis in decades. "
At least in Europe, the Socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives," he said in his weekly radio address.
EU pushes Asian nations on climate change goals
By DPA
Hamburg : Amid discord on climate change policy, ministers from Asia - including India's - met European Union members in the German port of Hamburg for talks on world crises.
26 Posco supporters held for clashes, murder
By IANS,
Jagatsinghpur (Orissa) : At least 26 supporters of the proposed project by South Korean steel major Posco in Orissa have been arrested for allegedly attacking several protesters and killing a man, police said Sunday.
One person was killed and two were injured after clashes broke out in Govindpur village in Jagatsinghpur district late Friday after a face-off between the supporters and critics of the proposed $12 billion steel plant.
Rejecting pact with Iran will lead to war: Obama
Washington : President Barack Obama warned Congress that rejecting the nuclear agreement with Iran would be the worst mistake since the invasion of...
Kenya launches fund to help victims of violence
By Xinhua
Nairobi : Kenya has launched an endowment fund to ameliorate the suffering of the victims of the post-election inter-ethnic violence which has killed more than 800 people and displaced 260,000.
President Mwai Kibaki who launched the endowment called the National Humanitarian Fund for Mitigation of Effects and Resettlement of Victims of Post- 2007 Election Violence, said it will have an initial capital allocation of one billion Kenya shillings ($14.3 million).
NATO Parliament Assembly chief urges members to live up to commitments
By KUNA
Bucharest : President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Jose Lello called on Thursday upon alliance leaders to live up to their common commitments to provide forces for the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.
The parliament president was addressing heads of state and government at the three-day NATO Summit that kicked off here on Wednesday.
Accidents kill 2,000 children worldwide every day
By Xinhua,
Manila : More than 2,000 children are killed in accidents or as a result of unintentional injury every day, while tens of millions are left with life-long disabilities every year, a report on accidental deaths of children by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has said.
Key political victims of terror attacks in Sri Lanka
By P.K. Balachandran, IANS
Colombo : Terrorism has claimed the lives of several prominent politicians in Sri Lanka. These include a head of state and government, cabinet ministers, MPs and mayors. Most victims have been Tamils.
It all began July 27, 1975 when the Mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappah, was shot dead in front of a Hindu temple.
Among the young men who carried out the killing was Velupillai Prabhakaran, who founded the Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) the next year.
Mercury is latest and deadlier threat to environment
By IANS,
Washington : As if global warming was not alarming in itself, add one more sinister threat to the list -- mercury pollution.
It has already spurred public health officials to advise eating less fish, but it could become a more pressing concern in a warmer world.
Sue Natali, postdoctoral associate in botany at the University of Florida in a paper she co-authored compared mercury levels in soils under trees growing in air enriched with carbon dioxide to soil beneath trees in ambient air.
Diarrhea kills 5 in mid-western Nepal
By Xinhua
Kathmandu : At least five people died Saturday in mid-western Nepali district Kalikot, local leading media group's website eKantipur reported on Sunday.
In Khim of Kalikot district in Mid-western Development Region, some 400 km west of capital Kathmandu, at least five died due to diarrhea.
The death toll in the village due to the outbreak of diarrhea has reached 76 in the last six months. The village is a three-day walk away from the district headquarters, Manma.
52 among the dead so far were children below eight.
To save themselves, New Zealand police can now bite attackers
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.
UK no longer Bush’s closest ally, says UK daily
By IRNA
London : A right-wing British daily suggested Wednesday that the Bush administration no longer views the UK as its most loyal ally in Europe since Prime Minister Gordon Brown took office.
The Daily Telegraph, quoting White House sources, said that the US was instead increasingly turning towards France and Germany following Tony Blair's departure.
Plagued by Terai trouble, Nepal sends SOS to India
By IANS
Kathmandu : Failing to control escalating violence in the Terai plains along the Indian border ahead of a critical election, Nepal government Wednesday sent an SOS to India that had in the past mediated between various parties and the Maoists with success.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala held consultations with the Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, about the continuing unrest in the Terai, security measures and the constituency election on Nov 22.
Earthquake shakes Britain, no report of injury
By DPA
London : An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter Scale woke up people across Britain Wednesday, but there have been no reports of injury or damage, officials said.
The earthquake struck at 1 a.m. with the US Geological Survey reporting its epicentre was around 48 km south of Hull, east Yorkshire, 205 km north of London.
John Jenkin, from Bourne in Lincolnshire, was woken by the tremors and said that objects had fallen from his shelves, according to the Press Association.
‘Britain under attack from 20 foreign spy agencies’
By IANS,
London : Russia and China lead a list of 20 foreign intelligence agencies targeting Britain for cutting edge technologies and other secrets, a British government document was quoted saying Sunday. While Russia and China have "the most active spy networks" operating in Britain, other countries, including European allies such as France and Germany, are also spying on Britain, the Sunday Telegraph reported quoting from the Jan 19 document that it said had been circulated to all government departments.
US hostages freed from FARC in good health
By DPA,
Bogota/Washington : The three Americans freed with Ingrid Bentacourt after the daring rescue from leftist rebels in Colombia were in good health Saturday after more than five years captivity.
They were among 15 hostages rescued Wednesday when the Colombian military using a team masquerading as rebels escorting aid workers and journalists eased their way into a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) camp.
A member of the rescue team acting as a journalist gathered video footage of the mock exchange of the hostages.
Bush proposes sweeping overhaul of financial regulation
By SPA
Washington : The Bush administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of the way the nation's financial industry is regulated.
In an effort to deal with the problems highlighted by the current severe credit crisis, the new plan would give major new powers to the Federal Reserve, according to a 26-page executive summary obtained Friday by The Associated Press.
The proposal would designate the Fed as the primary regulator of market stability, greatly expanding the central bank's ability to examine not just commercial banks but all segments of the financial services industry.
160,000 Britons lost jobs to migrants in five years
By IANS,
London : Over 160,000 Britons have lost out on jobs to migrants in the past five years, an official report has revealed.
China seizes 1.97 bn fake cigarettes in 2011
By IANS,
Beijing : China seized 1.97 billion counterfeit cigarettes nationwide in the first half of this year, authorities said.
Mumbai attacks may sharpen Obama’s Kashmir focus
By Mayank Chhaya,IANS,
Chicag : The multiple terror attacks on Mumbai could push the incoming Barack Obama administration to sharpen its focus on the Kashmir issue.
The attacks are being viewed by some in the transition team here as President-elect Obama's first major national security challenge that could draw him into the Kashmir dispute sooner than he might like.
Deadly cyclone devastates Mayanmar biggest city
By Xinhua,
Yangon, Myanmar : A deadly cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, has almost totally devastated Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, with lots of trees on streets and roofs of many buildings being torn down Saturday.
Having hit Yangon for over 10 hours since Friday midnight until Saturday noon, the unprecedented violent cyclone has resulted in an inestimable loss of the properties, eyewitnesses said.
Merkel, Sarkozy and Medvedev to meet in France next month
By IRNA,
Berlin : Leaders of Germany, France and Russia will meet in northern France on October 18-19, German government spokesman Christoph Steegmans told the press here Monday.
Ukraine stops all gas supplies to Europe: Gazprom
By RIA Novosti,
Berlin/Kiev : Ukraine has closed down the fourth and final pipeline pumping Russian gas to Europe, Russia's energy giant Gazprom said Wednesday.
Ukraine's national energy company Naftogaz said Gazprom had stopped feeding gas to Ukrainian pipes, hence it closed down its network.
"Deliveries through the Sudzha station were reduced to zero at 7.44 a.m. (05:44 GMT)." Naftogaz's press secretary Valentin Zemlyansky said Wednesday.
The latest closure added Austria, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia to the growing list of countries not receiving Russian gas.
Czechs continue hunger strike against U.S. missile shield
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Two Czech protesters who have been on a hunger strike for 16 days in protest against U.S. plans to build a radar base in the country say they will continue their protest until their demands are met.
The base to be built in Brdy, 55 miles southwest of the capital, Prague, is part of a U.S. missile defense system that Washington wants to install, with 10 missile interceptors in Poland, purportedly to counter a threat from Iran and other "rogue" states.
A program on Indian Muslims in the Massachusetts State House
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
Boston: For the last few years, India and the US are coming closer but still not much is known in the US about Indian minorities and their status. Dr. Omar Khalidi, author of “Muslims in Indian Economy” talked about the condition of Indian Muslims in a program organized by the Indian Muslim Council-USA (IMC-USA) in Boston, Massachusetts.
Obama may address parliament Nov 9
By IANS,
New Delhi : US President Barack Obama is expected to address a joint sitting of both houses of parliament Nov 9, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said Wednesday.
Bansal told reporters here that the winter session of parliament is "likely to be advanced by a week" to Nov 8 and the US president would "most probably" address the joint session Nov 9.
Answering queries, Bansal said a decision on the dates of the winter session will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and the date for the joint sitting would be fixed by the Speaker.
Russia urges for aid delivery to eastern Ukraine
Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday that his country hopes that the issue of humanitarian aid corridors in eastern Ukraine would be...
UK museums urged to cancel so-called Israel Days of Science
London, Feb 16, IRNA – Two British museums are being urged to cancel plans to hold so-called ‘Israel Days of Science’ events next month which are seen as a public relations exercise by the Zionist regime following its latest slaughter of over 1,300 Palestinians in Gaza.
The calls are being led by many academics, including Labour MP, Professor Ian Gibson (pictured), who said the events at the Science Museum in London and Manchester Museum of Science and Industry in north-west England were “an attempted celebration of Israel.”
Clashes break out during protest against APEC forum
By Xinhua
Sydney : Police presence in and around Hyde Park in the city centre of Sydney, Australia's largest city, remained high after clashes broke out Friday between supporters of US President George W. Bush and protesters against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings.
Sydney is hosting a series of APEC meetings, which will culminate in the leaders meeting on Saturday and Sunday.
Bush arrived here Tuesday for the leaders meeting.
Voting begins in Indonesia’s presidential election
By DPA,
Jayapura (Indonesia) : Indonesians begin voting Wednesday in only the second direct presidential elections in the country's history, with incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is widely expected to win a second five-year term.
Voting commenced at 7 a.m. in Indonesia's easternmost Papua province, in the sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands spanning three different time zones.
More than 176 million of the country's population of more than 230 million are eligible to vote at 450,000 polling stations.
Putin wants to buy GPS location device for his dog
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his desire to buy for his pet dog a device linked to the Russian navigation satellite device Glonass.
Glonass, the Russian equivalent of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system, was launched in 1993 but it suffered technical snags and failed to serve the purpose. In 2001, India helped in updating the system.
Rajapaksa challenges Prabhakaran to direct clash
By P. Karunakharan, IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Tuesday challenged the elusive leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Velupillai Prabhakaran to "clash with him directly" and declared that his government would continue in its bid to flush rebels out of their stronghold in the north.
"I will challenge Prabhakaran to clash with me directly if possible without engaging in a killing spree of targeting innocent civilians, parliamentarians and ministers," Rajapaksa said after inaugurating the Oluvil port project in eastern Amparai district Tuesday.
Britain to probe identity leak of Indian visa seekers
By Prasun Sonwalkar
IANS
London : A Channel 4 report that personal data of Indian citizens applying for British visa in India may have been compromised due to flaws in the online application system there has prompted an investigation here.
New surgical procedure lowers blood pressure
By IANS,
Toronto: A minimally invasive surgical procedure called renal denervation can significantly lower blood pressure (BP) in patients who are unable to control it with drugs.
Suicide bomber kills over 50 in crowded Lahore park
Lahore : More than 50 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up on Sunday evening near the main gate of the...
Dalai Lama congratulates China on New Year
By IANS,
Dharamsala : Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Sunday congratulated the Chinese people on their New Year but asked their leadership to allow more freedom, rule of law and transparency in the country.
"On the occasion of Chinese New Year, or the spring festival, I extend my affectionate greetings to all our Chinese brothers and sisters across the globe, including those living in mainland China," the Dalai Lama said in a statement here.
US jobless claims surge to highest in 26 years
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits last week topped 600,000, a level not seen since October 1982, according to a government report released Thursday.
The number of initial jobless claims jumped to a much-higher-than-expected 626,000 in the week ended Jan 31, according to the US Labour Department. That's up from a revised 591,000 in the previous week and the highest level since the last week of October 1982, when jobless claims reached 637,000.
Chinese jet successfully lands on aircraft carrier
By IANS,
Beijing : China has successfully conducted the landing of a fighter jet on its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, naval sources said.
Wipro to hire more locals in US for Atlanta operations
By IANS,
Bangalore: Global software major Wipro Technologies is expanding its US operations and will hire about 1,000 people, including more locals, at its Atlanta development facility, the IT bellwether said Monday.
"We are expanding our US operations to scale up our headcount to about 1,000 from 350 presently at our Atlanta centre," the company said in a statement here.
"About 80 percent of them are locals and includes graduates from leading academic institutions in Atlanta," it added.
Bush warms up to global warming with India
By Arun KumarIANS Washington : India and well may be China too were at the top of his mind as President George Bush packed...
300 kg Thai woman takes crane to hospital
By DPA,
Bangkok : Bangkok city officials Thursday deployed a heavy-lift crane to move a woman weighing 300 kg down from her apartment, two storeys up, to get to hospital.
Amnuayporn Thongprapai, 40, agreed to the dramatic departure in order to receive treatment for sores that covered her legs, believed to be a symptom of diabetes, Thai television reported.
She had not budged from her Bangkok apartment for the past three years, the report said.
Frequent mobile phone use may trigger mouth cancer
By IANS
London : The use of mobile phones for long periods may trigger mouth cancer, shows a study by researchers in Israel.
Previous studies had generated conflicting results. While some researchers had said they found a link between cancer and excess mobile phone use, a few scientists had rejected the claim.
In the new study, scientists looked at the lifestyles of 402 people with benign mouth tumours and 56 with malignant ones. They were compared to a control group of 1,266 people.
Nepal Parties Discuss Future Government
By Prensa Latina,
Katmandu : Nepal's seven main parties Friday prepare the agenda and procedures of the Constituent Assembly first session, which will be probably summoned on May 20.
The 601-member assembly should abolish the monarchy and decree a democratic federal republic to this State of Himalaya.
The so-called Alliance of the Seven Parties also analyses the formation of the future coalition government and the appointment of the candidates to the 26 seats still to define at the Constituent Assembly, and which should also name the interim prime minister.
US sends humanitarian aid to Georgia
By DPA,
Tbilisi : A US Air Force cargo plane loaded with humanitarian supplies has touched down in Georgia, hours after President George W. Bush promised the embattled country support.
The C-17 Galaxy landed in Georgia Wednesday, the first in a series of assistance deliveries by US military forces in a humanitarian effort designed to show "solidarity" with the Georgian people, Bush said earlier.
Iran must participate in Syria Talks: Russia
By IANS,
Moscow: Dismissing the US and British objections to Iran's participation in an international conference on Syria, Russia has said it should take part in it.
Venezuela pays Exxon $250 mn for nationalized assets
By IANS/EFE,
Caracas : Venezuela has paid US oil giant ExxonMobil $250 million in compensation for the 2007 nationalization of crude assets.
Putin may visit London for Olympics
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Los Cabos (Mexico) : Russian President Vladimir Putin did not rule out he would pay a visit to London when the city hosts the 2012 Olympics.
Somali pirates demand $7 mn ransom for British couple
By DPA,
London/Nairobi : Somali pirates issued a $7 million ransom demand Saturday for a British couple, kidnapped over a week ago in the Indian Ocean from their yacht.
Paul and Rachel Chandler, aged 59 and 55, were seized from the boat, the Lynn Rival, Oct 23 by armed men, and the yacht was later found abandoned in international waters.
In a call to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a pirate said: "We only need a little amount of $7 million.
"If they do not harm us, we will not harm them."
Spring Festival begins with millions in cold and dark
By Xinhua
Beijing : China began its weeklong Lunar New Year festival Wednesday, but millions will spend the nation's biggest celebrations in the cold and dark in the wake of the worst winter in 100 years.
Citizens in Chenzhou, a city of about four million in central China, have already prepared torches and candles as necessities for doing new year shopping, in addition to meat, beef, edible oil, vegetable, new garments, wine and tobacco.
Pressure mine kills two Sri Lankan soldiers
By P.K. Balachandran, IANS
Colombo : Within hours of the Sri Lankan government's announcement that it had decided to abrogate the ceasefire agreement with the Tamil Tigers, two soldiers were killed Thursday when their vehicle ran over a pressure mine.
The incident took place in Kebetigollewa in north central Sri Lanka, an army spokesperson told IANS.
Kebetigollewa had been the site of two claymore mine attacks earlier. The blast in 2006 claimed the lives of 64 civilian bus passengers and the one in 2007 took the lives of 15 bus passengers, again all civilians.
Nepal swears in a new assembly
By SPA,
Kathmandu, Nepal : Nepal has sworn in an assembly, which is charged with reshaping the country.
The 601 lawmakers sworn in Tuesday are expected to hold their first meeting Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
The new assembly is to govern Nepal as it rewrites the constitution.
Poll: Support erodes for Clinton, Giuliani
By Xinhua
Washington : National support for front-runners of both Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls significantly eroded over the past month, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll has found.
According to the poll released here Monday, Sen. Clinton Rodham Clinton of New York, the Democratic front-runner, finished with 39 percent of support among Democratic interviewees, down from 48 percent in the previous survey.
Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois grabbed 24 percent of support, up from 21 percent in the previous survey.
Major competitors of Lee Myung-bak admit failure in S.Korean presidential elections
By Xinhua
Seoul : Major competitors of Lee Myung-bak of the conservative Grand National Party admitted on Wednesday their failures in South Korean presidential elections.
Presidential candidate Chung Dong-young of the pro-government United New Democratic Party (UNDP) said he accepted the failure in the presidential race and will abide by the people's choice of president-elect Lee Myung-bak.
Stress killed Shanghai’s bus drivers
By IANS,
Beijing : Old age and stress are the major reasons behind the sudden death of eight bus drivers while on duty in Shanghai, a study said.
Libya, US, begin talks on terror cases
By DPA,
Washington : Libyan and US officials held two days of talks in London this week to begin negotiations on terrorism-related issues, a joint statement issued by US state department said.
"Both parties affirmed their desire to work together to resolve all outstanding claims in good faith and expeditiously through the establishment of a fair compensation mechanism," the joint statement said Friday .
Fugitive mafia boss held after using Facebook
By IANS/AKI,
Isola Capo Rizzuto (Italy) : One of the Italian mafia's most wanted members has been arrested thanks to his use of the social networking website Facebook.
Police arrested Pasquale Manfredi, an alleged mafia killer, in the southern Calabrian town of Isola Capo Rizzuto, after they pinpointed his location via his frequent visits to Facebook using a prepaid pen drive.
Thirty-three-year-old Manfredi, knicknamed 'Scarface', had been on the run since last November and was among the country's 100 'most dangerous' fugitives.
Google distorts reality, Austrian study says
By DPA
Vienna : Google, the world's largest Internet search engine, is on several fronts a danger that has to be stopped, a study released by Austria's Graz University claims.
A research team led by Prof. Hermann Maurer, chairman of Graz University's Institute for Information Systems and Computer Media, argues that Google is turning into a new version of George Orwell's "Big Brother" - creating unacceptable monopolies in many areas of the worldwide web.
Zimbabwe opposition office raided, 60 arrested
By DPA,
Harare/Johannesburg : Riot police in Zimbabwe raided the headquarters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Monday, arresting about 60 people, all of them victims of political violence who had fled their homes, the party said.
Most of those arrested were women and children, said party spokesman Nelson Chamisa, adding that the police also took away computers and furniture.
Brown offers to go if government is formed with Liberals
By DPA,
London : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Monday offered to step down as Labour Party leader if current efforts to build a new government with the Liberal Democrats were to succeed.
In a dramatic twist to the ongoing saga of coalition-building following last Thursday's inconclusive general election, Brown confirmed that Liberal leader Nick Clegg had offered Labour "formal discussions" about a possible Labour-Liberal government.
Mystery dinosaur may be a new species
By IANS,
Toronto : A 70 million-year-old dinosaur, whose fossil was discovered in British Columbia more than 37 years ago, may have been a
hitherto unknown plant-eating species, says an expert.
The fossil - the most complete set of bones ever found globally and the first dinosaur discovery in Canada - had been discovered in the Sustut Basin way back in 1971.
The bones were recently re-examined by a University of Alberta researcher.
NATO chief on visit to Kosovo
By KUNA,
Brussels : The North Atlantic Council (NAC) led by NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is visiting Kosovo Tuesday.
The NAC is the senior decision-making body of NATO, comprising the 26 NATO ambassadors.
NATO has around 16,000 peacekeepers under its KFOR mission in Kosovo which declared independence from Serbia last February.
During the visit, NAC will meet with the head of KFOR, Lt. Gen. Giuseppe Emilio Gay, and with the Kosovo authorities. They will also meet with leaders of the Serb community in Kosovo, according to an NATO statement here today.
Bandits killed in eastern borders
By IRNA,
Zahedan, Sistan-Baluchestan province : An informed source in the province said in an armed conflict on Saturday afternoon in eastern borders of the country six bandits were killed.
The source, who asked not to be named, said that police forces, who had controled parts of eastern borders during 72 past hours, in a conflict with bandits killed and wounded a number of them and discovered five tons of drug.
He added operation against bandits is in progress in the area.
The source said since the conflicts continue, more details would not be revealed now.
Obama beats Clinton in Mississippi primary as expected
·Obama had been expected to win in the state, given the demographic factors favorable to him.
·Obama has been leading by between 6 and 24 percentage points in polls since last week.
·Obama has swept states with large African-American electorates so far.
By Xinhua
Washington : U.S. Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois beat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York in Tuesday's Mississippi primary, which is racially polarized.
‘Zoellick to be new World Bank chief’
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Russia, neighbours to hold air defence drills
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Bishkek : Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan will conduct joint air defence drills in October, the Kyrgyz defence ministry said Thursday.
Previous government ‘gave away’ coal mines like it was a handkerchief: Modi
Paris : Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the previous government of "giving away" coal mines as easily as one would give a pen, a...
US stocks edge higher on energy share jump
By DPA,
Washington : US stocks rose slightly Thursday on the back of energy company gains, as financial shares continued their steady fall on the week.
Chevron Corp and Exxon Mobil Corp led the rise after crude oil prices for October delivery surged 4.9 percent to $121.23 per barrel in New York trading.
Belarus seeks IMF loan of up to $7 bn
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Minsk : The Belarusian government hopes to get a loan of $3-7 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Indefinite closure, transport strike hits Terai
By IANS
Kathmandu : Though Nepal's ruling parties kicked off their joint campaign for the crucial April election in the volatile Terai Saturday despite violent protests by ethnic groups, dissidents paralysed central and eastern parts of the plain Sunday, embarking on a movement to thwart the polls.
The United Madhesi Front, a new regional alliance of two Terai organisations, enforced an indefinite shutdown in Dhanusha and Mahottari districts.
Chinese foreign minister meets Japanese leader
By IANS,
Beijing : Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has expressed hope that Japan's New Komeito party could play a role in improving relations between the two nations.
US hit by worst drought since 1950s
By IANS,
Washington : The US has been hit by the worst drought since 1950s, with almost two thirds of the country toiling it out, a report said.
UN climate talks building on Bali decisions begin in Germany
By DPA,
Bonn : A fresh round of UN climate talks began in the German city Monday, aimed at building on the climate conference held in Bali in December last year.
Some 2,000 delegates from more than 150 countries have registered for the two-week event, which is part of the process to hammer out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions.
The new agreement is intended to be passed in Copenhagen in December 2009, well before the Kyoto agreement expires in 2012.
5.7-magnitude quake rattles southern Mexico
By SPA
Mexico : A moderate earthquake shook southern Mexico on Thursday, without immediate
reports of significant damage or injuries, AP reported.
The 5.7-magnitude quake struck at 5:01 p.m. local time (2301 GMT) and was centered offshore, 48 miles (78 kilometers) southwest of the city of Mapastepec in Chiapas state, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A second quake with a magnitude of 4.7 hit the same area about 14 minutes later, the survey said.
Some 2,000 people protest against U.S. radar base in Czech Misov
By Xinhua,
Prague : Around 2,000 people took part in the protest against the planned stationing of a U.S. radar base on Czech soil in Misov near the Brdy military grounds where the base is to be built, local media reported on Saturday.
People arrived in Misov in some 20 buses and hundreds of cars in the rainy day. The protesters, carrying banners and flags, then marched about one kilometer to the border of the military grounds in a forest.
Modi a threat to democracy, say Indian-origin academics
London: A group of Indian-origin academics in Britain has slammed the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for his authoritarian nature which they said...
UK Independence Party leader resigns
London : Nigel Farage on Friday resigned as leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) after having failed to gain the seat of Thanet...
France Bans Transgenic Corn
By Prensa Latina
Paris : The legal battle in France to ban the transgenic corn strain OGM MON810 produced by the US company Monsanto has had a successful end with the official ban released Saturday.
French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier announced a decree that bans trading with corn seeds developed from the genetically altered MON810 strain. The ban will be in force until a new trading license is arranged.
Ex presidential candidate Jose Bove, who carried out a hunger strike in Paris last January to protest transgenic products, considers it a success.
Seven killed in China truck crash
Beijing: Seven people were killed and five others injured when the pickup truck they were travelling in plunged off a cliff early Friday in...
Eight Singapore preschools urged to close due to virus
By ANTARA News,
Singapore : Eight more preschools have been urged to temporarily close after another 540 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease were reported in a four-day period, health officials said on Tuesday.
So far, 11 childcare centres and preschools have been forced to shut down for 10 days while teachers, administrative staff and cleaners scrub the facilities to stem the outbreak.
Others were asked to voluntarily do so. The latest recommendations for closure bring the total to 34.
So far 9,262 people, primarily children, have been affected.
Porsche approves $7.1 billion cash infusion
By DPA,
Berlin : The supervisory board of German carmaker Porsche early Thursday approved a 5 billion euro ($7.1 billion) capital increase that could clear the way for a takeover by Volkswagen.
The announcement came after a several-hour closed-door meeting to reach an agreement on the future of the iconic sports car maker.
Porsche chief Wendelin Wiedeking had turned to the carmaker's family owners for help in refinancing Porsche's 10 billion euro debt through the capital injection of up to 5 billion euros. The infusion is a precondition for an anticipated merger with Volkswagen.
Asiatic turtle migrated to America over a tropical Arctic
By IANS,
Toronto : Fossils of a tropical fresh water Asian turtle that surfaced in Arctic Canada suggest they migrated to North America not around Alaska but directly across a freshwater sea floating atop the warm, salty Arctic Ocean.
The finding also suggests that a rapid influx of carbon dioxide some 90 million years ago was the likely cause of a super-greenhouse effect that created extraordinary polar heat.
Four Chinese protesters chop off, swallow finger tips
By IANS,
Beijing: In a bizarre protest, four Chinese men in Beijing chopped off the tip of the little finger of their hand and swallowed it to protest their sacking from a power utility company.
Li Bo, Zhang Yongsheng, Huang Qunyue and Zhang Shen are former employees of the Ningyuan county electric power bureau in Hunan province's Yongzhou city.
The four men went to the Tsinghua University in Beijing at about 3.30 p.m. Sunday and placed their hands on books, Global Times reported.
100 snakes, 70 tortoises found in German hotel
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Police found 100 snakes, 70 tortoises and 20 frogs in a hotel room in the western German city of Cologne, local media said Sunday.
Larousse: Persian Gulf is correct
By IRNA,
Paris: Prestigious French publication Larousse reaffirmed on Friday the proper use of the historic term Persian Gulf after conducting research on the issue.
Myanmar Emphasises On Development Of Hydropower
By Bernama,
Yangon : Myanmar has made emphasis on development of hydroelectric power, saying that 15 more hydropower projects are being planned in addition to the six completed and 22 ongoing projects since the country laid down a series of state- level special projects which also include hydropower for the development of the sector.
15 killed, 66 wounded in fresh Sri Lanka clashes
By P. Karunakharan, IANS,
Colombo : At least 10 Tamil Tiger rebels and five soldiers were killed and over 60 wounded in fierce clashes between the two sides in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula Monday, defence sources said.
According to a defence ministry report, fresh clashes erupted when a large group of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres backed by heavy mortar fire launched an attack at the forward bunker defences manned by 55 and 53 divisions at Muhamalai in Jaffna.
1,000-year-old coins unearthed in China
By IANS,
Beijing : More than 200 coins that were used 1,000-years ago were excavated in China, archaeologists said Tuesday.
Obama not always best with his decisions: Sarkozy
By DPA,
Paris : While US President Barack Obama is very intelligent and charismatic, he is "not always at his best when it comes to decisions and efficiency", French President Nicolas Sarkozy was quoted Thursday as saying.
"He has only been elected for two months and has never managed a ministry in his life," Sarkozy was quoted as saying by Liberation newspaper. There were things on which Obama had no opinion, he added.
GM in last-ditch talks to avoid bankruptcy as deadline looms
By Xinhua,
Chicago : General Motors (GM) has reached a tentative labour agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union in a bid to remove one of the major obstacles in its restructuring.
According to Detroit News, GM autoworkers are to vote soon on the deal, as the company moves toward a government-imposed June 1 deadline to restructure or file for bankruptcy.
The US automaker still has much ground to cover to avoid bankruptcy and dispel fears shared by the investors, suppliers and dealers, the report said.
Cocaine-transporting submarine seized
By IANS,
Washington : A fully functional 30-metre-long submarine, built exclusively for transporting massive amounts of cocaine was seized by Ecuadorean and US drug enforcement officials, a media report said.
A drug-trafficking organisation built the vessel that was near the Ecuador-Colombia border, and one man was taken into custody, the authorities said.
The diesel and electric-powered vessel was about 30 metres long and nearly three meters high from the deck plates to the ceiling, the CNN reported.
Merkel summons leaders for economic crisis talks
By DPA,
Berlin : Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is under attack for her refusal to stimulate the German economy with massive government spending, said Sunday she would summon senior German leaders for crisis talks Dec 14.
The move, which she announced in an interview to appear Monday in the mass-circulation newspaper Bild, is a change of speed for Merkel, who previously said there would be no further talks on the topic until Jan 5.
Death toll rises to 15 in Brazilian boat accident
By Xinhua,
Brasilia : A total of 15 bodies have been recovered from the boat which, with at least 80 people on board, sunk Sunday in the Solimoes River in Brazil's northern Amazonas state, said the Brazilian navy.
According to the Department of Fire-Fighters in the city of Manacapuru, some people on board the boat managed to reach the river bank following the sinking. So far, there has been no information about the number of survivors from the accident.
Typhoon Rammasun toll 11 in Vietnam
Hanoi : The number of people killed by typhoon Rammasun in Vietnam has risen to 17, officials said Monday.
According to flood control officials, of...
Amsterdam steps up security after airline incident
By DPA,
Amsterdam/Washington: Security measures at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport were stepped up Saturday morning after a Nigerian passenger allegedly tried to set off an explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit the day before.
All passengers to the US are now being body-searched individually, a spokesperson for the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism (NCT) said.
Pavan Kapoor is India’s new ambassador to Israel
New Delhi : Pavan Kapoor, a 1990 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, was on Thursday named as India's new ambassador to Israel.
"Pavan Kapoor (lFS:...
Iran-West nuclear swap still possible, says Brazil
By IRNA,
Tehran : Brazil's foreign minister says a US-drafted UN-proposed nuclear swap deal to solve Iran's nuclear issue still has the chance to be agreed upon.
Celso Amorim said Tuesday that there was a lack of confidence between Iran and some countries engaged in nuclear talks, adding that a third “faithful depository” country could solve the problem.
Our ancestors sounded death knell of prehistoric animals
By IANS,
Sydney : Human hunting sounded the death knell of large prehistoric animals like giant kangaroos, marsupial rhinos and leopards, rather than climate change as previously believed.
People who arrived in Tasmania around 41,000 years ago, when a land bridge connected the island to mainland Australia, accounted for the mass extinction of the these giant animals, known as megafauna.
Richard "Bert' Roberts, co-leader of a study from University of Wollongong (UOW) said that scientists seem to absolve humans of any involvement in their disappearance.
Two Indian warships dock in Mozambique
By IANS,
Maputo: Two Indian warships have docked in the Mozambican capital as part of a goodwill visit.
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