Climate change could cripple world’s transport systems
By IANS
New York : Climate change will practically cripple the world's transportation systems by flooding roads, railroads, transit systems and airport runways in coastal areas, according to a new report.
"Rising temperatures may trigger weather extremes and surprises, such as more rapid melting of the Arctic sea ice than projected," said Henry Schwartz Jr., chairman of the US National Research Council (NRC), and the report's author.
Reduction of refugees leads to decreased assistance
By NNN-ZANIS
Lusaka : The reduction in the refugee’s population in the country, has lead to a decrease in the assistance rendered to the refugees still living in the camps, Government has revealed.
Home Affairs Minister, Lt. Gen. Ronnie Shikapwasha, said the reduction has been drastic and has affected the quality of assistance rendered in the remaining camps.
South Africa to Raise Electricity Charges
By Prensa Latina
Pretoria : The South African government announced on Saturday it will increase electricity charges to improve the situation for the 2010 World Soccer Championship.
According to Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin, the executive considers the continuous power cuts should be seen as a national necessity.
Erwin explained the adoption of rationalization measures, and sanctions against violators are being studied.
Togolese women begin sex-strike for regime change
By IANS,
London: A group of Togolese women have commenced a week-long sex strike in an unusual attempt to oust the west African nation's president and end decades of family rule.
US plane makes emergency landing in Canada
By DPA,
Halifax (Canada) : An American Airlines plane with 206 people on board made an emergency landing in Canada because of a fire in a toilet, a television channel reported.
The Boeing 767-300 was flying from New York to Zurich Tuesday evening when smoke started to pour out of a toilet into the passenger cabin, CTV said.
The plane landed safely in Halifax, Nova Scotia. One person was checked over by paramedics but not taken to hospital.
A faulty air ventilator is thought to have caused the fire. One of the flight attendants reportedly used a fire extinguisher to put it out.
Denzel Washington to play Barack Obama in new movie
By IANS,
London: Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington has reportedly landed the role of US President Barack Obama in a new movie.
The 54-year-old has long voiced his interest in playing Obama, 47, in a film but feared he would be too old for the role by the time a picture of the politician's life was eventually produced, reports imdb.com.
Washington has now confirmed he's set to portray the president as the ultimate endorsement for his starring role.
"It was at the president's suggestion. The only problem is he has bigger ears than me," said Washington.
Britain’ debt reaches one trillion pounds
By IANS,
London: Britain's debt mountain has risen to one trillion pounds (over $1.5 trillion) for the first time, The Sun reported Wednesday.
South Korean serial killer admits to murder of seven women
By DPA,
Seoul : A South Korean man who was arrested for murdering a student admitted to killing six other women, police officials in the northern Kyonggi province said Friday.
The 38-year-old said he raped his victims and then strangled them with a nylon stocking. The women had been reported missing between December 2006 and November 2008.
According to the official Yonhap news agency, the man, who has several previous convictions for different crimes, told police that he witnessed the death of his wife four years ago and since then felt the urge to kill out of frustration.
Colombo, LTTE flayed over Sri Lanka war
By IANS,
Washington : Diaspora groups of Sri Lankan Tamils have condemned both Colombo and the Tamil Tigers for the civilian deaths caused by war in the island nation's north.
In a joint statement, the organisations accused the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of having "callous disregard for the safety and welfare of civilians trapped in the crossfire in Mullaitivu".
Where clocks have frozen in remembrance of Ataturk
By Ranjana Narayan, IANS,
Istanbul : That was the bed he spent his last moments on, the glass cabinet full of medicine bottles stands just as it did then, and the clocks have been frozen in time - 9.05 a.m. - the time when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first president, breathed his last at the grand Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.
US Army shooter shouted Allah-u-Akbar; 13 people killed
By DPA,
Washington : A top US Army official confirmed Friday that the suspect in the killing of at least 13 people at a Texas army base likely shouted "Allah-u-Akbar" (God is great) before opening fire.
Army Lieutenant General Robert Cone, commander of the Fort Hood, Texas, base where the shootings took place Thursday, made the comment in answer to a question from NBC news.
Cone said "there are first hand accounts" to the effect that the suspect, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, had yelled the Muslim religious chant.
Will shifting geomagnetic field be Earth’s nemesis?
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The recent trouble with the International Space Station (ISS), caused by simple computer virus capable of stealing logins and passwords for computer games only, was a minor incident compared to possible environmental changes that could make space flights impossible.
They could also cripple aviation and television, and even put terrestrial life at risk.
19 die in China lift crash
By IANS,
Beijing : As many as 19 people were killed Thursday when their lift crashed from the 30th floor of an apartment building being constructed in China's Hubei province, authorities said.
China starts driverless metro service for Asian Games
By IANS,
Beijing: China's Guangzhou city, venue for the Asian Games, has launched a metro train service that can be operated without a driver.
Kabir to inspire hearts in Nepal
By IANS,
Kathmandu : He was thought to have been born a Muslim and yet his songs are part of the Guru Granth sahib, the sacred text of Sikhs. A weaver by profession, yet he became one of the driving forces of the Bhakti movement in India that advocated love and tolerance.
Now the life and dohas - couplets - that 15th century Sufi poet Kabir wrote will touch hearts in Nepal when noted filmmaker Shabnam Virmani brings her Kabir Project to the Himalayan republic this week.
Riot erupts in Tibetan capital
By DPA
Beijing : Violence erupted Friday in the centre of Tibet's capital Lhasa as the government deployed paramilitary riot police to control protests initiated by Buddhist monks, witnesses said.
The protestors beat at least three firefighters and several police officers and tore down a Chinese national flag in the square outside Lhasa's Jokhang temple, the holiest site in the city for Tibetan Buddhists, a witness said.
The witness said she saw three fire trucks in flames and protestors overturn and set fire to a police car.
Nine killed in accident in China
By Xinhua
Guiyang (China) : All nine passengers of a minibus were killed Sunday morning when their vehicle veered off the road in southwestern China, the police said.
The accident occurred in Tongzi County of southwestern Guizhou province and most of the passengers were Chongqing natives.
The dead included seven men and two women, the police said adding that the cause of the accident was still under investigation.
The province, experiencing the worst winter in 100 years, was hit by overnight sleet Sunday, which made commuting worse on snow-covered roads.
Cyclone death toll rises to 34,273 in Myanmar
By Xinhua,
Yangon : The death toll from Cyclone Nargis has risen to 34,273 in Myanmar, the state radio reported Tuesday evening.
And 27,836 people still remained missing, and the number of injured stood at 1,403, said the report.
Tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Yangon, Bago, Ayeyawaddy, Kayin and Mon on May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon sustained the heaviest casualties and infrastructure damage.
Charles woos Indian billionaires for charity
By IANS,
London : Prince Charles is inviting an A-list of Indian billionaires for a series of working lunches and formal dinners in London in a bid to enlist their support for some of his favourite charitable causes.
Charles has invited Mukesh and Anil Ambani, Ratan Tata and K.P. Singh and others for meetings at Clarence House and Kensington Palace next month, the Sunday Times reported.
‘Corrupt politicians have hijacked democracy in Nigeria’
By DPA
Lagos/Nairobi : Crooked politicians have "hijacked" democratic institutions in Nigeria by recruiting thugs and "godfathers" to prop up their careers, all while stealing public funds away from a desperately poor population, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released Tuesday.
The report echoes condemnations by local and international observers following elections in April, which were largely deemed as fraudulent, mostly due to vote rigging and voter intimidation by politicians' hoodlums.
Representatives from 40 world states in central Iran
By IRNA,
Kashan, Isfahan Prov : Representatives from 40 different world countries arrived in the Iranian city of Kashan in central province of Isfahan on Thursday to visit tourism attractions in that city.
Representatives and ambassadors from Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Syria, Lebanon, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Oman, Kenya, Czech Republic, Senegal and Afghanistan are among the foreign delegates visiting the historical city of Kashan, a provincial tourism official announced on Thursday.
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."
Berlin “concerned” over North Korean missile test
By IRNA
Berlin : German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger here Friday expressed "concern" over the latest North Korean missile test.
Talking to the press in Berlin, Jaeger said his country was coordinating its assessment of the North Korean situation with other partner states.
He added that deliberations among partner countries may also focus possibly on a joint reaction to Pyongyang's missile test.
North Korea launched short-range missiles off its western coast Friday, according to South Korean media reports.
Nepal as Hindu nation proposal rejected
Kathmandu: Nepali lawmakers on Monday rejected a proposal to restore the Hindu character of the Himalayan nation with the Constituent Assembly (CA) firmly plumping...
Robots tread on thin ice when scientists fear
By IANS,
Washington : This is one machine that goes where humans fear to tread - on thin ice.
SnoMote - designed at Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) and Pennsylvania State University - is a robot capable of negotiating volatile ice sheets as they crack, shift and fill with water.
The robot goes where it is impossible for scientists to walk and gets accurate measurement and inputs of ice sheets, something that lies beyond the ken of satellites.
Japanese unemployment fell to 5.1 percent in December
By DPA,
Tokyo : The Japanese jobless rate fell to 5.1 percent in December from 5.2 percent in November, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said Friday.
The unemployment rate for 2009 averaged 5.1 percent, up 1 percent from that of 2008 and the highest for a calendar year since 2003's 5.3 percent.
The ranks of the unemployed rose to 3.17 million people in December, up 470,000 in the same month a year earlier, the ministry said.
Venezuela civil servants to work 5-hour days
By IANS/EFE,
Caracas : Venezuelan civil servants will work five-hour days beginning Monday - from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. - to help save electricity because of the country's serious energy deficit.
The measure was announced Friday night by President Hugo Chavez, and at first went unnoticed because at the same time he announced a major currency devaluation and complained of a new violation of national air space by US aircraft.
UN asked to deploy more police, troops to Haiti
By DPA,
New York: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday asked the UN Security Council to send 2,000 more military troops and 1,500 police to Haiti to provide security and assist in the massive relief operations following last week's earthquake.
The additional military and police personnel are expected to strengthen the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which currently has about 7,000 troops and 2,000 international police.
There are also about 3,000 other civilian personnel and Haitians working for MINUSTAH, which was hard hit by Tuesday's quake.
Flood may cost Thai economy nearly $2 bn
By IANS,
Bangkok : The Bank of Thailand (BOT) estimated that economic damages from nationwide flood could amount to 60 billion baht ($1.94 billion).
Obama repeats offer of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme
By DPA,
Washington: US President Barack Obama Saturday appealed directly to the Iranian people and repeated his offer of a dialogue with Tehran in a video message timed to coincide with Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
The president described the world's admiration for the Iranian people but criticised the government's refusal to cooperate with the international community on the country's nuclear programme.
"Faced with an extended hand, Iran's leaders have shown only a clenched fist," he said.
French PM congratulates Putin
By IANS,
Paris : French Prime Minister Francois Fillon Tuesday congratulated Vladimir Putin on his victory in the Russian presidential election.
One US hostage killed in Algeria
By IANS,
Washington: One American worker was killed at a natural gas complex in Algeria where Al Qaeda-linked militants held more than 130 foreign workers hostage, the US State Department said.
Two cruisers collide near Dubrovnik, no injuries
By ANTARA News/DPA,
Zagreb : Two cruise ships collided Friday in the Adriatic Sea near the Croatian tourist town of Dubrovnik, but no one was injured, media reported.
"Two cruisers collided in the old town harbour. One of them had to make a full circle around the isle of Locrum before returning for the passengers waiting in boats, "an eye witness told the Croatian daily 24 Sata.
According to the first assessments, the damage was minimal and the accident occurred when cruiser Poesia`s anchor loosened and caused her to hit cruiser Costa Classica.
Cuban parliament to elect Castro”s successor
KUWAIT, Feb 24 (KUNA) -- Cuba's parliament will meet later on Sunday to elect a new president who will succeed Fidel Castro.
Thousands protest against Arizona immigration law
By DPA,
Washington : Thousands of demonstrators converged in the capital of Arizona state in the US on the weekend to protest a controversial state migration law they claim will institutionalise racial discrimination.
Protesters from around the nation began arriving in Phoenix early Friday to make a stand and urge the Obama administration to push for "integral" federal immigration law reform, media reports said.
China’s president calls for further cooperation with US
Beijing(Xinhua) : Chinese President Hu Jintao Thursday called for further cooperation between China and the US, as the two countries wound up their two days of economic talks here that culminated in a series of agreements.
"I hope the two sides can make efforts to perfect the dialogue so that it can better serve the overall development of the Sino-US constructive and cooperative relations," Hu told a delegation to the 3rd Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) headed by US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
Five Afghan militants killed in US drone attack
Kabul: A US drone strike has killed five Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, an official said on Sunday.
At least five Taliban militants were...
Differences over North Korea’s nuclear disablement
Beijing, Sep 28 (DPA) Negotiators from six nations continued talks aimed at agreeing on a road map for ending North Korea's nuclear programme Friday, as differences remained over how North Korea should disable its facilities before finally dismantling them.
US negotiator Christopher Hill said the six nations would begin considering a joint statement Friday, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted Hill's South Korean counterpart, Chun Yung Woo, as saying "considerable" differences remained.
Mexican airline to return to the skies under new owners
By IANS/EFE,
Mexico City : Mexican airline Mexicana de Aviacion, grounded since August 2010 while in bankruptcy proceedings, is set to return to the skies under new ownership.
‘Babyface’ catalyzes ascension of African-American CEOs
By IANS,
Washington : Even as Obama commemorates his 100th day as the country's first African-American president, a new study examines the intersection of race and power in corporate America.
African-American CEOs categorized as having a babyface tend to be at the helm of more prestigious corporations than black CEO's who have a more mature appearance.
Searching for traits common to African-American CEOs, researchers demonstrated that babyfaces and perceived warmer physical appearances can act as disarming mechanisms within the social hierarchy.
Arms cache found in Chechnya
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Federal troops discovered a cache full of arms and ammunition in the Republic of Chechnya in Russia's troubled North Caucasus region, a source in the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
The troops found the arms cache during a search operation on Saturday in a forest near the village of Dyshne-Vedeno in the Vedeno district in southern Chechnya. The cache contained a Kalashnikov automatic rifle, two hand grenades and about 1,200 cartridges of various calibers, the source said.
Obama wins White House; night to remember for US
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Smashing through the country's "colour line", Barack Hussein Obama was Wednesday elected 44th president of the United States, a position that will vest unparalleled global power in the son of a Kenyan father and a white American mother.
He will take office on Jan 20 with his vice president-elect Joe Biden at a White House ceremony.
US should explore Cuba’s prisoner swap offer: Lula
By IANS,
Brasilia : Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has called on Washington to consider Havana's offer to trade jailed dissidents for the five Cuban intelligence agents serving prison terms in the US, EFE news agency reported Saturday.
"I am confident that US President-elect Barack Obama understands the significance of the offer made by (Cuban President) Raul Castro," Lula told reporters here Friday.
Resentment brews among ticket seekers in Bhutan
By IANS
Thimphu : A large number of civil servants who resigned from their jobs in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to contest the historic parliamentary elections next year are now in a quandary after being sidelined by political parties.
No ‘amnesty’ for Bush
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : The president wasn't amused. For once George W. Bush looked much less like the "What, me worry?" kid on the cover of Mad magazine to borrow a phrase from a Princeton scholar.
Australia cancels buying 11 US Seasprite helicopters, cites safety concerns
By SPA
Canberra : Australia said Wednesday it canceled a contract to buy 11 navy Seasprite helicopters from U.S.-based Kaman Corp., claiming the aircraft are unsafe, AP reported.
The cancellation came amid a review of defense contracts ordered since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's new government came to power in elections last November. The contract was
due to be completed by 2002 but has been plagued by technical problems and only nine helicopters have been delivered.
U.S. Life Expectancy Rises Above 78 Years
By SPA,
Washington : U.S. average life expectancy has surpassed 78 years for the first time, the government reported Wednesday. The increase is largely due to falling mortality rates in most of the leading causes of death, federal health officials said.
Despite the improvement, the United States lags behind about 30 other countries in estimated life span, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data. Japan leads on the WHO list with a life expectancy of 83 for children born in 2006. Switzerland and Australia also are near the top of the list.
Russia to unveil documents on WW II massacre of Poles
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia's federal archive agency will provide access to digital copies of documents on the Katyn massacre, in which thousands of Poles were executed, to end speculations about their authenticity, the agency's chief said Wednesday.
This year will mark 20 years since Russian authorities first admitted that thousands of Poles were executed by the NKVD secret police in "one of the gravest crimes of Stalinism".
Andrei Artizov said that until now many people had doubted the authenticity of documents related to the crime.
US stocks drop on FedEx loss, financial warnings
By DPA,
New York : US stocks suffered significant declines Wednesday, after the second-largest US package company FedEx reported a loss and a financial analyst warned of more credit crisis writedowns.
FedEx reported a fiscal fourth-quarter loss of $241 million. The company had posted a $610-million profit in the year-earlier period.
Nepal cracks down on Dalai Lama’s birthday celebrations
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Mindful of China's displeasure, Nepal's caretaker government Tuesday cracked down on the birthday celebrations of exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, preventing mass prayers in monasteries and asking its own lawmakers to stay away.
Hundreds of riot police personnel were deployed in the Swayambhunath and Boudhanath areas of Kathmandu valley, where some of the world's best-known Buddhist shrines and monasteries are located and which is home to the Tibetan diaspora in Nepal.
20 killed in horrific Sri Lanka bus blast
By P.K. Balachandran, IANS
Colombo : A powerful bomb ripped through a passenger bus in central Sri Lanka killing at least 20 people and injuring 50 Saturday, two days before the country marks its 60 year of independence.
The blast took place in a bus parked at the main bus stand at Dambulla, nearly 150 km northeast of Colombo, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told IANS.
The bus was on its way from tea-growing Kandy in the central hills to the Buddhist pilgrimage town of Anuradhapura in the north.
Cuba to buy aircraft from Russia
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Havana : Cuba will buy aircraft worth $650 million from Russia, the Russian industry and trade minister said Friday.
Taiwan shaken by 12 earthquakes, no casualties
By DPA,
Taipei : Taiwan was struck by 12 undersea quakes, including a powerful one on the eastern part of the island, but no damage or casualties were reported so far, the earthquake centre said Thursday.
The first quake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale occurred at 2.28 a.m. (1828 GMT), shaking the eastern county of Taitung. The second tremor struck 24 minutes later with a magnitude of 4.3 near Chengkung in Taitung, the centre said.
Jackson retains judge’s seat on ‘American Idol’
By IANS,
Los Angeles: Singer Randy Jackson will continue to judge reality singing show "American Idol" after the show bosses' negotiations with singer Enrique Iglesias did not work out.
ASEAN members ‘tiny blips’ compared to India, China: Singapore PM
By IANS,
Singapore : Members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are only "tiny blips" on investors' radar screens compared to China and India, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Wednesday.
Opening the 29th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) session, Lee said the 10-member group has to struggle to get its share of investments, jobs and growth.
Restaurant fire kills 11 in China
By Xinhua
Hangzhou (China) : Eleven people were killed when a fire broke out in a restaurant in east China's Zhejiang province early Friday, the local authorities said.
The fire broke out at 1.50 a.m. Friday at the Chengshuai Restaurant in Yiting Town.
Fire fighters rescued 23 people. Fifteen of them were sent to hospitals, but 11 died despite doctors' efforts to save them.
The inferno was put out in an hour. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
US neo-con thinker points to likely war with China
By IRNA
Berlin : A leading American neo-conservative thinker does not rule out the likelihood of a war with the communist China, the weekly Die Zeit reported Thursday.
Pointing to China's ongoing political row with Taiwan, Robert Kagan said, "The Taiwan problem can explode at any moment. Let's talk about a mid-term danger. It's not guaranteed that a conflict can be avoided if China becomes more democratic but it will be easier to prevent it."
Abu Dhabi among world’s 100 busiest meeting destinations
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi has been named among the top 100 busiest global destinations for meetings, in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings.
China coalmine blast death toll rises to 14
By Xinhua, Taiyuan (China) : The death toll in a north China coalmine explosion rose to 14 Tuesday with the recovery of nine more bodies.
The accident occurred at about 3:40 a.m. Monday in an illegal mine at Liujiacun Village, of Yuxian County, Yangquan City, said a spokesman with the Shanxi Provincial Coal Mine Safety Administration.
Four miners were rescued Monday and rescuers found five bodies, according to previous reports.
The spokesman had earlier said the number of miners working underground at the time of the blast was 19, a figure he later corrected to 18.
Cyprus starts peace talk preparations April 18- UN
By SPA,
Nicosia : Greek and Turkish Cypriots will launch preparatory work for new Cyprus reunification talks on April 18, the United Nations mission on the divided island said on Wednesday.
Experts from both sides will hold their first ceremonial meeting on Friday, in the presence of the chief aides to Greek Cypriot Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot Mehmet Ali Talat, the leaders who are slated to start reunification talks by June.
Russia to sell 52 choppers to China
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia Thursday signed a contract with China for the delivery of a total of 52 Mi-171E (Hip) transport helicopters.
Russia ready to lift EU vegetable import ban
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia is ready to completely lift a ban on import of vegetables from Europe if there are no further cases of E.coli infections, a top official said.
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.
ISS partners, including Russia, agree to use orbiter until 2020
By RIA Novosti,
MOSCOW : Russia and its International Space Station partners have an oral agreement to continue using the orbiter until 2020, the president of leading Russian spacecraft maker RSC Energia said on Thursday.
"The ISS partners have not yet signed any documents, but verbally we have already settled the initiative [to extend the station's use]," Vitaly Lopota said at a news conference in Moscow.
Russia's partners in the International Space Station program are the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency.
Russia may destabilise other countries too: Kouchner
By DPA,
Paris : French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner voiced fears Wednesday that Russia might destabilise other countries after it recognised two Georgian breakaway regions.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev formally recognised Tuesday the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia after Russian lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution to that effect Monday.
Russia had "acted outside international law", Kouchner told French radio station Europe-1. "Other targets" for Russia now could be "the Crimea, Ukraine, Moldova."
Commander was bathing as British n-submarine hit sandbank
By IANS,
London : An inquiry has concluded that the commander of the Royal Navy's newest nuclear-powered submarine was taking a shower minutes before it ran aground in 2010.
Indian diplomat’s car attacked as strike cripples Kathmandu
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Mobs pelted stones at an Indian diplomat's car close to the Indian embassy here Thursday as violent protests erupted on the capital's streets for the second consecutive day over the murder of two youths that is being blamed on the ruling Maoist party.
While S.K. Joshi, head of chancery at the Indian embassy, was unhurt, vandals broke the window screen of his Maruti car as he was driving to his office.
Obama will not reject European missile shield plans – expert
By RIA Novosti,
MOSCOW : Washington is unlikely to scrap the Bush administration's plans to deploy elements of a missile defense shield in Central Europe, a U.S. expert on Russia said on Friday.
The director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Andrew Kuchins, said at a press conference in Moscow that he "doubted Obama's administration would reject the project."
Australian aircraft detects possible signal in MH370 hunt
Canberra: A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion aircraft has detected a possible signal consistant with the missing jet in the vicinity of...
British lawyers’ body in race row, brings it in conflict with police
By IANS,
London : Charges of racial discrimination against Asians that sought to tarnish the image of London's police force have now brought into question actions of the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA), the body that regulates solicitors.
Equality groups have called for the Metropolitan Police's top legal officer to step down from his post as member of the ethics committee of the SRA so as not to taint his parent body through his association with the authority.
Former US envoy calls Serb leader Karadzic an ‘evil’
By DPA,
Washington : The US envoy and architect of the peace deal that ended the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina has called former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic an "evil" whose arrest was "historic".
"He was the most evil man I have ever met in my life," Richard Holbrooke, the US ambassador who brokered the 1995 Dayton Accords to end the 1992-1995 ethnic war, said in an interview with CNN Tuesday.
China to conduct manned space mission in 2012
By IANS,
Beijing: China will conduct a manned space mission in 2012, an official said Monday.
Moscow seeks US probe in adopted Russian girl’s rape case
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Moscow has sought a thorough investigation by the United States authorities in a case related to rape by a US national of his foster Russian daughter.
US varsity sets up chair in Sikh musicology
By IANS,
New York : An endowed chair to study and teach Sikh musical traditions has been established in the department of religion of Hofstra University here.
The chair will focus on how Sikh music and scripture are historically intertwined.
The Sardarni Harbans Kaur Chair in Sikh Musicology is a gift from Hakam Singh, a retired chemist with a lifelong interest in Sikh music.
The chair "will add to Hofstra's growing expertise on the rich traditions of Sikhism", university president Stuart Rabinowitz said.
Maximum internet child porns made in US, Russia: Official
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Russia is the second largest producer of internet child pornography in the world after the US, a children rights official said here Monday.
"We need to combat the wave of crime that is polluting our cyberspace on the internet today. We need to use advanced technology and international cooperation," said Pavel Astakhov, Russia's ombudsman for children's rights.
UK policies lack strategic thinking, MPs warn
By IRNA,
London : Britain’s foreign, defence and security policy is being undermined by a lack of strategic thinking at the heart of the government, an all-party group of MPs warned Monday.
Former Illinois governor guilty of lying
By DPA,
Washington : A federal jury in Chicago Tuesday found ousted Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich guilty of making false statements to FBI agents but was unable to reach a verdict on 23 other counts, according to media reports.
Prosecutors accused Blagojevich of trying to sell or trade the appointment of a successor to fill the US Senate seat vacated by the election of then-senator Barack Obama to the US presidency. The allegations were based on FBI wiretaps starting in a previous investigation.
China-Tibet talks to resume in October
By EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : Chinese authorities will resume talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama in Beijing in October, according to Kelsang Gyaltsen, envoy of the Tibetan spiritual leader.
"We agreed to meet in October this year with great expectations to bring about tangible results," Gyaltsen told a press conference in the European Parliament in Brussels Tuesday evening.
He noted that the seventh round of discussion held on 1-2 July between the two sides did not achieve any concrete results and the Chinese side even did not agree to issue a joint statement .
Keith Vaz becomes longest serving British MP of Asian origin
By Venkata Vemuri, IANS,
Leicester : Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz has completed 21 years as member of British parliament, the longest tenure by an Asian.
The India-born Labour MP from Leicester East celebrated the landmark Friday by cutting a cake in front of his constituents at a community centre popular with the Asian community.
"I will continue to raise issues of the ethnic minorities, particularly the Asian community, along with discharging my general duties," Vaz told IANS.
UAE, Britain discuss cooperation
By IANS,
London: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Britain discussed bilateral cooperation at a meeting between the British foreign minister and UAE vice president here, WAM news agency reported Monday.
UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum met British Foreign Minister David Miliband at his residence here.
The two leaders discussed cooperation between the UAE and Britain and various other issues in the Middle East and the world as well as instability in the region due to failure of the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis.
Economic rebound to come from US housing market: IMF head
By DPA,
Paris : The world will begin to emerge from the economic crisis in the first quarter of 2010, and the recovery will start in the US housing market, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was quoted Monday as saying.
"The crisis began in the United States, in the housing sector. The recovery will announce itself first in the United States. Therefore we must keep an eye on American real estate prices. The end of the fall in prices will be an important sign," Strauss-Kahn told the daily Le Figaro.
Attack in Ingushetia leaves 1 dead, 3 wounded
By SPA,
Moscow : Police say an overnight attack on a police vehicle in the southern province of Ingushetia has left one officer dead and three wounded.
Local police say three or four unknown assailants opened fire with automatic weapons on the police car traveling near the village of Stanitsa.
One Interior Ministry soldier is dead while three others are wounded. Police say the assailants escaped, according to a report of the Associated Press.
Mass grave found in Mexican city
By EFE,
Ciudad Juarez (Mexico) : Nine bodies were found in a mass grave in this Mexican city, officials said.
The mass grave was discovered Friday night in the city's southwest section, said prosecutors in Chihuahua state, where Juarez is located.
Chihuahua Attorney General's Office personnel, federal agents and coroner's office employees went to a field in the city after residents told authorities half-buried bodies were on the property.
The search of the lot will continue and more bodies may be found, officials said.
Blast outside imperilled Nepal parliament as crisis looms
By IANS,
Kathmandu : A blast took place outside Nepal's endangered parliament late Friday, just hours before the term of the house ends and a constitutional crisis threatens the nascent Himalayan republic. There were no casualties.
Police said they were investigating the explosion near the main gate of the International Convention Centre where most of Nepal's 601 MPs, including ministers, have gathered for a late-night parliamentary session that will either bail out the house or see it dissolved at midnight.
China to use drones for marine surveillance
By IANS,
Beijing : China will promote the use of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to strengthen the nation's marine surveillance, the government said.
Missile shield set to counter Iran, not Russia: Obama
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : US President Barack Obama has said that the proposed deployment of a missile shield in Europe was intended to counter Iran and Russia should not worry about it.
In an interview with Novaya Gazeta newspaper Monday, Obama said that Washington was seeking to create a missile shield in Europe to protect the US and Europe from Iranian ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
HIV infection dropped 20 percent from 2001 to 2009: UN
By IANS,
Geneva : The number of new HIV infections in the Asia-Pacific region dropped by 20 percent between 2001 and 2009, a UN report said Friday.
Rajapaksa renews call for rebels to surrender
By Xinhua,
Colombo : Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Sunday renewed his call for Tamil Tiger rebels to surrender, the state radio announced here.
The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation said Rajapaksa told a political rally Sunday at the central town of Hanguranketha that all facilities would be made available for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres who want to surrender to the government.
"The whole country has united against terrorism and no one will be able to stop the forward march of the troops," the radio quoted the president as saying.
Five dismembered bodies found in Mexico
By IANS/EFE,
Mexico City : Five dismembered bodies were found on a highway near Tanhuato, a city in the western Mexican state of Michoacan, police said.
UN chief concerned over tensions on Korean Peninsula
United Nations : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was deeply concerned by rising tensions on Korean Peninsula after the two sides traded artillery fire, an...
Iran, US negotiators hold fresh n-talks in Austria
Vienna : Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday held another meeting with his US counterpart John Kerry in the Austrian capital, as...
Banking lobby calls for more measures to avert recession
By DPA,
Washington : The world's largest banking lobby has called for additional government intervention to help avoid a global recession, but warned that any state takeover of the private sector must be temporary.
In an open letter to US President George W. Bush, who will host a summit of the world's 20 leading economies in Washington on Saturday, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) Monday called on world leaders to better coordinate their efforts to stabilise the financial system.
North Korea warns UN council, tests new missile
By DPA,
Seoul : North Korea warned the UN Security Council Friday that it would take "further self-defence measures" if the council imposed more sanctions on it for this week's nuclear test as media reports said it fired another short-range missile.
North Korea denounced the Security Council, which includes Pyongyang's traditional allies China and Russia, for its unanimous condemnation of Monday's atomic test, North Korea's second after an initial test in 2006.
U.S. Defense Chief Heads for Asia for Annual Security Talks
By SPA,
Washington : U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates departed for Asia on Wednesday for an annual security conference.
The Shangri-la Dialogue, in which top officials and experts from the Asia-Pacific region will gather in Singapore May 30 to June 1, has been dominated in past years by U.S. concerns about China’s military buildup.
But the death of tens of thousands of people in an earthquake in China and a cyclone in Myanmar is likely to highlight the need for greater regional cooperation.
UN slams attack on African Union base in Somalia
United Nations: The United Nations Friday condemned an attack on the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which led to the deaths of a...
UN Report : In Asia, a huge drop in poverty comes with rising inequality
By NNN-UNESCAP
Bangkok : Buoyed by rapid economic growth, Asia has made dramatic
progress in the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, halving the proportion of people living on the equivalent of a dollar a day, according to a United Nations report released here Monday.
The UN report comes at the midpoint of a 15-year effort to implement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight key development objectives that world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015.
Storm kills 4, injures 5 in western Ukraine
By SPA,
Kiev, Ukraine : A powerful storm has swept through western Ukraine, killing four people and injuring five others.
Local emergency officials say the storm hit the western Lviv region Monday afternoon.
Dozens of buildings were damaged by fallen trees, set on fire by lightning and several towns were left without power, the Associated Press reported.
Two Iranian suspects in Bangkok blast released
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Bangkok : Police in Thailand have released a married Iranian couple detained for suspected involvement in bombings in Bangkok earlier this month.
88 Afghan militants killed in a day
Kabul,: At least 88 militants were killed by units of the Afghan national police backed by the army during series of operations across the...
Church sorry to Darwin, 126 years after belittling evolution theory
By Venkata Vemuri, IANS,
London : Charles Darwin will receive an apology from the Church of England 126 years after vilifying his theory that man descended from the apes. His descendents say the apology is meaningless now.
The move comes after Rev Professor Michael Reiss, a biologist director of education at the Royal Society, provoked a furore last week when he called for creationism - the Biblical theory of evolution - to be treated in school science lessons as a legitimate world view.
Mongolian PM to discuss bilateral ties in Moscow
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Mongolian Prime Minister Sanjaa Bayar arrives in Moscow on Thursday for a three-day visit to hold talks with the country's leadership and sign a number of bilateral documents.
Bayar is expected to meet with his Russian counterpart Viktor Zubkov and Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev, who chairs the Russian-Mongolian intergovernmental commission.
Bilateral talks are expected to focus on cooperation in trade and military modernization.
Fast food making Latin American teenagers fatter
By IANS/EFE,
Santiago: Chilean teenagers are becoming obese due to increasing fast food consumption while those from Mexico, Venezuela and Guatemala are not far behind.
Chile, where 44.7 percent of people over 15 were overweight in 2009, was the worst in Latin America and second in the world, said Euromonitor, which released a study on the subject Thursday.
Mexico, Venezuela and Guatemala have been listed among the 10 countries with the highest obesity rates among teenagers due to increasing fast food consumption.
Indian origin man admits indecent assault on teenagers
Wellington: An Indian-origin dental worker in New Zealand has admitted to indecently assaulting three teenaged school girls.
Jitendra Prasad Tahal pleaded guilty in the Manukau...
US stocks rise on oil-price fall
By DPA,
New York : A drop in oil prices and a tech share rally lifted US stocks across the board Tuesday, after last week's worst performance since February.
The 2.5-percent drop in oil prices was the steepest decrease this month, and gave counterbalance to a huge drop in US consumer confidence reported Tuesday.
The consumer index maintained by the New York-based Conference Board dropped to its lowest level since 1992 in April, increasing the likelihood of a further slowdown in the world's largest economy.
EU policing could fuel tensions in Kosovo: Russia
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Efforts by the European Union (EU) to take over from the UN policing in Kosovo in June are only fanning tensions in the region, Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Yakovenko said Thursday.
The EU plans to deploy a 2,000-strong police and justice mission in Kosovo to eventually replace the UN mission.
The UN mission in Kosovo, stationed in the area since the end of an inter-ethnic conflict in 1999, plans to 're-configure' itself in the region after June 15, when Kosovo's government is due to take over from the UN.
Nepal expresses gratitude for China’s quake relief work
ArrayKathmandu : Nepali President Ram Baran Yadav on Friday expressed gratitude to the Chinese government and people for supporting his country in the wake...
Beijing to spend $1.6 bn on subsidising public transport
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Eleven billion yuan ($1.6 billion) would be spent on public transport subsidies this year in Beijing to ensure continued low prices for commuters, an official said.
Yang Xiaochao, director of the municipal finance bureau, said the figure was up 14 percent from last year.
The funds would be primarily used to reduce subway and bus fares, he was quoted Tuesday by the Beijing Morning Post as saying.
Yang promised the low pricing policy for mass transit would remain unchanged this year.
Australia to raise aid to Myanmar to $23.5 mln
By Xinhua,
Canberra : Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said on Sunday Australia will raise its aid commitment to Myanmar to 25 million Australian dollars (23.5 U.S. dollars) in the wake of cyclone Nargis.
Smith told reporters in Perth, state capital of Western Australia, that this would include the initial 3 million dollars (2.8 million U.S. dollars) that the Australian government pledged on May 7.
The 25 million dollars would be evenly split between the UN flash appeal and Australian non-government organizations.
Hong Kong Peeping Tom survives 10 storey fall after spying
By ANTARA News/DPA,
Hong Kong : A suspected Peeping Tom was critically injured Saturday after falling 10 floors while allegedly spying on a woman taking a bath in her high-rise Hong Kong flat.
The man was a neighbour of the 28-year-old woman and had apparently scaled the outside of the apartment block to shoot film of her with his mobile phone camera, police said.
The woman screamed for her husband when she spotted the suspect, aged 44, who then slipped and fell, falling 10 storeys to the ground, according to police.
Despite gain of 162,000 jobs, US unemployment rate steady
By DPA,
Washington : The US economy added 162,000 jobs in March, the most since the start of a recession more than two years ago, but the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent, the Labour Department said Friday.
The improvement included gains in manufacturing and construction sectors that have been hardest hit by the economic crisis. Temporary government hiring for the 2010 population census also helped push up the figures.
Zimbabwe’s opposition to withdraw from election
By DPA,
Harare : Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has decided to withdraw from the presidential run-off elections June 27, party sources said Sunday.
The decision was made Sunday morning at a meeting of the pro-democracy party's national executive in Harare, said the source, asking not to be named.
He said the decision would be announced by Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC's leader and its candidate in the elections, early Sunday afternoon
Australia’s Aborigines become first-time homeowners
By DPA
Sydney : Residents of the Northern Territory town of Nguiu will become the first Aborigines to own their own homes under a ground-breaking agreement reached between the Australian government and traditional landowners.
Russia, US may jointly develop spacecraft engines
By RIA Novosti,
Washington : Russia and the US may soon reach an agreement on the joint development of new engines for spacecraft designed for exploration of deep space, a Russian deputy prime minister said.
Sergei Ivanov said Monday during a US visit that future exploration of outer space will require nuclear-powered engines for carrier rockets and spacecraft, and work on these costly development projects should start as soon as possible.
UN envoy calls for credible referendum, polls in Myanmar
By DPA
Singapore : UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari and Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said Myanmar's plan for a referendum on a new constitution followed by elections has to be "credible and inclusive" for national reconciliation, Singapore's foreign affairs ministry said Monday.
During their meeting in the city-state, both "noted positively" Myanmar's announcement for a referendum on the constitution in May and elections in 2010, the ministry's statement said.
Gambari arrived in Singapore on Feb 23 and departs Tuesday as part of a regional tour.
We respect process and outcome of Arunachal elections: US envoy
By IANS,
Kolkata: A day after China renewed its claim on Arunachal Pradesh, the US envoy to India Timothy J. Roemer Wednesday said it respected the process and outcome of the elections in the northeastern state.
Arunachal went to polls Tuesday along with Maharashtra and Haryana.
"The US respects the process of elections that has taken place and the outcome of the elections. I think it is very positive to see people turning out in the polling places in thousands in three different states," Roemer told reporters here.
Michael Jackson’s death to be treated as murder, says police
By IANS,
London: Michael Jackson's death is to be treated as a murder and would be investigated as such after an autopsy has shown that the King of Pop died from an overdose of heavy-duty painkiller Diprivan, police said.
Police have told Jackson's family that they will press charges against one or more people within a few days and that there will be a criminal trial. According to thesun.co.uk, the astonishing development was revealed in an interview by Terry Harvey, a long-time friend of the Jackson family.
Powerful earthquake strikes Indonesia
By Xinhua
Jakarta : A powerful earthquake struck the western coast off Indonesia's Sumatra island early Sunday morning, but there were immediate report of casualties and structural damages.
According to the country's Meteorological agency, the quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale rocked Mukomuko district in Bengkulu province on Sumatra island at 09:52 a.m. local time.
African development conference concludes with food action plan
By IANS,
Yokohama (Japan) : Threatened by soaring global food prices, African leaders and their development partners Friday agreed to address hunger as well as increase food supplies over the long term at the conclusion of a the three-day conference here.
The attendees of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) agreed for the continent to aim to double rice production in a decade and to expand irrigated land by 20 percent in five years with assistance from Japan.
Putin accuses US of plotting war in Georgia
By DPA,
Moscow : Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Thursday accused the United States of plotting this month's war in Georgia.
Putin told CNN the fighting was triggered by politicians in Washington in an attempt to give an advantage to one of the competing US presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.
The former president gave no evidence to support his statements, which he called "conjecture", but said the US action forced Russia's hand.
Plane makes emergency landing in Russia
By IANS,
Moscow : A passenger plane with 81 people on board was forced to make an emergency landing after all of its systems failed, a media report said Tuesday.
The TU-154 Alrosa airlines plane, carrying 72 passengers and nine crew members, was on its way from the Siberian city of Polyarny to Moscow when its power supply, fuel pumps, radio link and navigation equipment failed, Xinhua reported citing Prime-Tass news agency.
Britain’s killer track claims more Asian women
By IANS
London : There has been a dramatic rise in the number of Asian women, including Indians, committing suicide on just one stretch of a railway track in west London, a train company's internal report has revealed.
The First Great Western manager's report said one third of the total such suicides in England and Wales now happen on the line passing through Southall, which has a very large Asian community and a "disproportionately high number" of the total fatalities in the area were women of Asian origin.
Short film contest winners to be honoured in Singapore
By IANS,
Singapore: The five winners of a short film contest that saw participation of over 100 young filmmakers from about 30 countries will be honoured here May 17.
Berlusconi firm loses appeal over digital-TV aid
By DPA,
Luxembourg : The European Union's court Tuesday threw out an appeal from a digital-TV company owned by the family of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, ordering it and other broadcasters to pay back possibly millions of euros in illegal state aid.
Berlusconi, a media baron turned politician, has regularly been accused of abusing his position to support his business interests. The ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) orders his government to claim money back from his family's company, Mediaset.
China puts final death toll from 7.1-magnitude quake at 2,698
By IANS,
Beijing : The final death toll in the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Yushu region of China's northwestern Qinghai province April 14 was 2,698, a top official said Monday.
At least 270 people were still missing, Xinhua quoted provincial vice governor Zhang Guangrong as saying.
Among the victims, 2,687 have been identified. Eleven bodies still remain unknown, Zhang said, adding that the deceased also include 199 students and a resident of Hong Kong.
Singapore PM says home affairs minister not responsible for terror escape
By Xinhua,
Singapore : Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday that top home affairs officials should not be automatically removed or punished just because security lapses allowed a top terror to escape a prison.
He made this point in a ministerial statement in Parliament on the escape of Muslim terror suspect Mas Selamat Kastari.
He said that while the government must admit its mistakes openly and honestly, Singapore should not encourage a culture where officials resign whenever something goes wrong on their watch, or encourage witch-hunts.
New Zealand women told to behave like ladies not men
By DPA
Wellington : In their drive for equality with men, New Zealand women have forgotten how to be ladies, the National Council of Women said Saturday.
In a statement marking International Women's Day, the council said they act more like men behaving badly and are particularly drinking too much alcohol.
"Politically and economically, New Zealand women are blazing across the barriers," said council president Christine Low, in a reference to the fact that the prime minister, chief justice, and Speaker of parliament are female.
British national robbed in Goa
By IANS,
Panaji: A British national was Thursday robbed of Rs.one lakh at knife-point outside a foreign exchange outlet near here, police said.
US House majority leader to step down
Washington: US House Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced Wednesday that he would resign his leadership post by July 31, after he was defeated Tuesday...
UN sweeps Cyprus roadblock for mines
By SPA
Nicosia : U.N. minesweepers started checking a roadblock in Cyprus's ethnically-partitioned capital for booby traps on Wednesday in preparation for opening the crossing to pedestrian traffic for the first time in decades.
An 80 meter (yard) gap buttressed by decaying buildings separating Greek and Turkish Cypriots at the core of medieval Nicosia is to be opened by early April, after a deal between leaders of the estranged communities to resume peace talks.
America votes: It’ll be historic whosoever wins
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : America chooses its 44th president Tuesday in an election that's bound to be historic whosoever wins - Democrat Barack Obama as widely predicted or his feisty Republican rival John McCain.
Heading into the election with a double-digit lead in national polls Obama, 47, is vying to become the first African American US president.
UN secretary general convenes world leaders to build momentum for climate change talks in...
By IRNA
Tehran : United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will seek to advance the global agenda on climate change when he meets with heads of state and other top officials from more than 150 countries at United Nations Headquarters on 24 September.
More than 70 heads of state or government will attend the one-day event, making it the largest meeting ever of world leaders on climate change, the United Nations Information Center in Tehran said in a press release.