Airliner crashes in upstate New York, 49 killed
By DPA,
New York : A commercial airliner struck a house and burst into flames late Thursday outside Buffalo, New York, killing 49 people, officials said.
The dead included 48 people on the plane and one person on the ground.
The crash occurred at 10.17 p.m. (0417 Friday GMT) in the village of Clarence Center, about 10 km from the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane was carrying 44 passengers and four crew members on a Continental Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo.
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.
Court awards Indo-Canadian activist $11,360 for unlawful arrest
Toronto: A court has awarded an Indo-Canadian activist C$15,000 ($11,360) in damages for being unlawfully arrested by two police officers, a media report said.
Montreal-based...
NASA successfully tests first deep space Internet
By Xinhua,
Washington : US space agency NASA said it has successfully tested the first deep space communications network modelled on the Internet.
NASA engineers used a special software called Disruption-Tolerant Networking or DTN to transmit dozens of images to and from a NASA science spacecraft located about 30 million km from the Earth.
Russia bans Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
By DPA,
Moscow : Russia has joined the list of countries banning Adolf Hitler's autobiographical work "Mein Kampf", 65 years after the Nazi dictator's suicide.
The state prosecutor justified the decision in Moscow Friday by saying the "extremist" work contains ideas that preach murder and racial discrimination, the Interfax news agency reported.
Russian media outlets complained the move came 84 years too late, pointing out that Hitler had written "Mein Kampf" in the mid-1920s.
British firefighters to use motorbikes fitted with hoses
By IANS,
London : Fire chiefs in Britain have unveiled their latest weapon - a 30,000-pound ($13,600) "fire bike" fitted with a power hose, which will be sent out instead of fire engines if fires are not deemed a threat to people or buildings, a media report said Friday.
Currently, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is trialling two such motorbikes, The Telegraph reported on its website.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve Congo crisis under way
By DPA,
Nairobi : Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Congo, where a rebel offensive has forced tens of thousands to flee, were under way Friday as aid agencies warned of a looming humanitarian crisis.
A fragile peace is holding in the east of the country after rebel Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda Wednesday evening called a ceasefire as his troops were on the verge of taking the major city of Goma.
Fighting had raged for four days, with the Congolese army being driven into full retreat.
US consumer confidence improves
By IANS,
New York: US consumer confidence increased in April after an unexpected drop in March, said a report by the research institute Conference Board.
Ethnic police officers still disadvantaged, says new UK equality report
By IANS,
London : Asian and black officers in British police forces continue to feel disadvantaged by "old-fashioned working practices", according to the latest report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
The just-released report says ethnic officers feel entry into top squads of the force - robbery, anti-terrorist and firearms units -- are "closed shops" for them. It also finds that more ethnic officers than their white counterparts quit the force or are sacked from service.
Al-Qaeda planing terror attacks in UK: intelligence report
By NNN-PTI,
London : Al-Qaeda-linked extremists are planning attacks intended to cause mass casualties in the UK, a top British intelligence report has warned.
The report, which has been prepared by the intelligence branch of the British Ministry of Defence, MI5 and Special Branch, warned that secret cells of al-Qaeda extremists based in London, Birmingham and Luton are planning attacks in the UK.
Earthquake Shakes Indonesian Province
By Bernama
Jakarta : An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale shook southwest Ternate, North Maluku, on Saturday at 11.23 am local time, Indonesia's ANTARA news agency reported.
The quake's epicenter was located at 0.55 degrees northern latitude and 126.64 degrees eastern longitude, at a depth of 21 below sea level, around 85 km southwest of Ternate, according to information from the national meteorology and geophysics office here on Saturday.
Medvedev hopes new nuclear arms deal to be signed in December
By RIA Novosti,
Singapore : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed the hope on Sunday that Russia and the United States would be able to sign a new nuclear arms reduction deal in December.
"We, indeed, devoted most of the time to discussing a treaty on the reduction of offensive armaments and recognized the need to provide additional impetus to these negotiations," Medvedev said after his talks with U.S. President Barack Obama at the summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member states in Singapore.
Rice in Israel to advance Mideast peace process
By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Israel Monday to give another push for the sluggish peace process between the Jewish state and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Ha'aretz daily reported on its website.
Hours before Rice's arrival, Israel released 198 Palestinian prisoners at Beitunya checkpoint north of Jerusalem in the morning as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Sonal Shah denies ‘baseless and silly’ reports of rightwing links
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Eminent economist Sonal Shah, the only Indian-American member of president-elect Barack Obama's transition team, has dismissed "baseless and silly" reports of her alleged links with some Indian rightwing organisations saying she has always condemned any politics of division.
Get paid 24,000 pounds just to eat
By IANS,
London : TV character Homer Simpson would have loved this job. A company in Britain is looking for a worker who has to do nothing, except eat - and the pay will be nearly 24,000 pounds a year.
Daily Mail Monday reported that the firm Proactol Ltd wants the worker to have a hearty appetite; the candidate should be happy to eat 400 extra calories every day - to test the fat-binding properties of a weight loss product.
The candidate will have their calorific intake and weight closely monitored by medics.
The firm said their fat binder was clinically proven.
Sarkozy named assisted witness in campaign scandal
Paris : Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was named an assisted witness in a case over a campaign finance scandal dating back to his...
US sets deadline for BP on answers to capping oil well
By DPA,
Washington: The White House Thursday gave BP 24 hours to respond to questions on its plans to replace a containment cap with a tighter one on the gushing well in the Gulf of Mexico.
In a letter to BP, the White House demanded that the oil company provide a detailed plan outlining its efforts to skim and burn oil spewing from the well once the old cap is taken off, CNN reported.
The cap on the wellhead needs to be swapped to make the sunken Deepwater Horizon rig more resilient in the event of a hurricane. During the switch period, oil will flow unchecked into the Gulf.
EU offers more funds to dismantle aging n-plants
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: The European Union (EU) has offered Bulgaria, Slovakia and Lithuania additional funding to dismantle their nuclear power facilities, reported the Sofia News Agency.
Hundreds evacuated after tropical storm hits Mexico
By IANS/EFE,
Cancun (Mexico) : Hundreds of people have been evacuated from Mexico's Quintana Roo state after tropical storm Karla hit the region with wind speeds of up to 95 kmph.
Four killed in Colombia helicopter crash
By IANS,
Bogota : A police helicopter crashed in South Colombia killing all four people on board, Spanish news agency EFE reported Wednesday.
The helicopter has been missing since early Tuesday and was by search and rescue teams in southern Colombian province of Putumayo, authorities said.
Officials with the anti-drug directorate of the police said that the wreckage of the Huey II was found 10 km from the town of Villa Garzon.
Sangay slams China’s remark on UN observation
By IANS,
Dharamsala : The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Thursday condemned China's dismissal of the recent UN statement on Tibet as interference in its internal affairs.
Confucius foundation promotes Chinese culture on Web site
By Xinhua
Jinan : The Chinese Confucius Foundation has established an official web site dedicated to disseminate the teachings of great sixth century Chinese thinker Confucius.
Museum displays rare red diamond, once part of Hitler’s collection
By Xinhua,
Los Angeles : A rare five-carat red diamond, once stolen by the Nazis, is on display at a downtown museum here, the Daily News reported Saturday.
The emerald-cut stone is one of only three such stones of that size known to exist in the world, the report said.
A local jeweler had bought the stone in 2007.
"Red is the rarest color in diamonds. This is one of the rarest diamonds in the world. And even if my company lasts for another 1,000 years, we would never find a diamond more rare than this," Douglas Kazanjian, head of a Beverly Hills jewelry firm, told the newspaper.
Chocolate’s grandfather would have sent you high
By IANS
New York : The ancients discovered cacao -- the source of cocoa and chocolate -- much earlier than believed. And they first used it to brew alcoholic beverages, a new study has found.
Recent chemical analyses of residues on pottery excavated at Puerto Escondido in Honduras suggests that the cacao seed was first used somewhere between 1400 and 1100 BC, Sciencedaily.com reported.
China to lay down stiff penalty for piracy
By Xinhua,
Beijing : China Monday tabled draft amendments to the patent law in the State Council or parliament, raising application standards and suggesting heavier fines for piracy in a bid to curb mounting violations.
The draft, into its second reading, raises the threshold for patent applications, accepting only those for inventions that are known to the public either in China or abroad.
Under the draft amendments, applicants could apply for foreign patents even before obtaining Chinese patents.
Clinton seeks economic cooperation, warns North Korea
By DPA,
Tokyo : US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Tuesday reaffirmed Japan's status as a key Pacific ally, particularly in efforts to pressure North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons programmes, and called for a coordinated response to the global economic downturn.
She also warned that North Korea's threat to test-fire a long-range missile would "be very unhelpful".
"The alliance between the US and Japan is a cornerstone of our foreign policy," Clinton said at a press conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone.
OAS Mission Travels to Ecuador amid Criticisms
By Prensa Latina
Washington : A commission from the Organization of American States (OAS) will travel to Ecuador on Sunday to investigate the conflict between this country and Colombia after the latter's army violated Ecuadorian territory.
The mission will arrive in Quito, where they will meet with President Rafael Correa, who has favored the creation of a new OAS without the United States to solve the region's problems in a fair and fast way.
Pakistan violates ceasefire again: Indian Army
Jammu: Pakistan on Wednesday evening again violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector, an army official...
All heavy weapons removed from separation line: Ukraine
Kiev : Ukrainian government forces have finished removing all their heavy weaponry from the line separating them and pro-Russian separatist militias in eastern Ukraine,...
All 29 kidnapped Chinese in Sudan freed
By IANS,
Beijing : All 29 Chinese nationals abducted by rebels in Sudan last month have been released after 11 days in captivity, Xinhua reported.
Wall Street falls as housing sector tumbles
By Xinhua,
New York: The Wall Street opened lower Tuesday as the record plunge of the housing sector in April overshadowed the better-than-expected earnings of the Home Depot.
The US Commerce Department said the construction of new homes and apartments fell 12.8 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 458,000 units. Economists had expected the construction sector to post a modest increase in April.
Thai Supreme Commander confident no border clash between Thai, Cambodia troops
By Xinhua,
Bangkok : Thailand's Supreme Commander of Royal Thai Armed Forces Boonsrang Niumpraditt Saturday expressed confidence that Thai and Cambodian troops would not clash although the troops have been built up along the disputed border line near Preah Vihear temple.
Speaking on a Bangkok radio station, Boonsrang said there will definitely be no violence.
Boonsrang said the Thai military will not employ violence to solve this problem. Instead, the military would use peaceful means in solving the border crisis.
Two missing, 21 hurt in building collapse
By Xinhua,
Washington : At least 21 people were injured and two others missing after the roof of a food plant collapsed in the US state of North Carolina, media reports said Tuesday.
According to TV reports, the roof of a food plant that belongs to ConAgra Foods Company partially collapsed Tuesday morning following an explosion inside the plant.
The cause of the blast was not immediately known.
Endeavour astronauts begin last spacewalk
By DPA,
Washington : Two space shuttle Endeavour astronauts on Monday began the last of four scheduled spacewalks at 1.24 p.m. (1824 GMT) to work on joints on the solar panels that power the International Space Station (ISS).
In the six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Steve Bowen were to complete the installation of trundle-bearing assemblies on the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), which has occupied much of the previous three spacewalks during the current Endeavour mission.
Most kids don’t require scans after head injury
By IANS,
Washington : Most kids who get CT (computed tomography) scans after seemingly minor head injuries do not need them. The scan only exposes them to heightened radiation risk and cancer, a new study says.
After analysing more than 42,000 children with head trauma, a team led by two University of California-Davis (UC-D) trauma physicians has developed guidelines to prevent children from exposure to such risks.
The study uses data collected at 25 hospitals from children who were evaluated for the possibility of serious brain injury following trauma to the head.
Kilinochchi’s fall a major setback to LTTE
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
Ten years after they captured the northern Sri Lankan town of Kilinochchi in a blitzkrieg that stunned the world, the Tamil Tigers have finally lost it to a military determined to crush the rebels. The fall of Kilinochchi after months of fighting is a huge blow to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
17 die in China coal mine blast
By IANS,
Beijing : Seventeen miners were killed and one was injured in an explosion at a coal mine in central China's Hunan Province, an official said Sunday.
Dynamite stored at the Shuguang Coal Mine in Rucheng county exploded at about 4 p.m. Saturday, generating huge amounts of toxic gas that killed the miners, said a spokesman with the provincial administration of coal mine safety.
Xinhua news agency said the mine began operations in 1971 and expanded its capacity in 2008.
Russian probe finds 5,315 harmed by Georgia attack on S.Ossetia
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian investigations into Georgia's attack on South Ossetia last August have found that the onslaught killed, injured or damaged the homes of a total of 5,315 people, Russia's chief investigator said on Friday.
"We have conclusively proved the nature of the crimes - genocide and mass killings of civilians. A total of 5,315 people have been found to have been harmed in this case," the head of the Investigation Committee at the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, Alexander Bastrykin, said.
North Korea to enhance nuclear deterrence
By DPA,
Seoul : North Korea announced Monday it would bolster its nuclear arsenal in a "newly developed way" in response to perceived US hostility, reports said.
Tensions have been rising on the Korean Peninsula since the sinking of a South Korean warship near the maritime border in March, which investigators blamed on a North Korean torpedo, a charge the Stalinist state denies.
Congo to help in Chad mediation
By Xinhua
Libreville (Gabon) : Congo will send mediators to try to put an end to the crisis in Chad Tuesday, a senior Congolese official said.
Congo's Foreign Minister Basile Ikouebe told a press conference Monday that a delegation of military and foreign officials would set off Tuesday to seek peaceful solutions to the fighting between the government and the rebels in Chad, according to reports reaching here from the Congolese capital of Brazzaville.
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...
Bopanna-Mergea enter third round at Wimbledon
Wimbledon : The Indian-Romanian tennis pair of Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea earned a straight sets victory against the Brazilian-Argentine pair of T. Bellucci...
China Launches Two Natural Disaster Monitoring Satellites
By Bernama,
Taiyuan : China launched two satellites for monitoring ecological environment and natural disasters at around 11:25 a.m. here on Saturday.
China's Xinhua news agency reported that the two satellites, launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province, were carried by a Long March 2C rocket.
They were expected to enhance the country's capacity to prevent and reduce natural disasters, according to Bai Zhaoguang, a leading scientist and designer of the satellites.
S Korea, US to hold more antisubmarine drills
By IANS,
Seoul : South Korea and the US will hold large-scale joint antisubmarine drills in waters off the west coast of the Korean peninsula early next month, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency reported.
According to Xinhua, the two allies will conduct joint drills in the Yellow Sea in September, Seoul's Ministry of National Defense said in a joint statement with the US.
China mulls scrapping death penalty for 9 crimes
Beijing: Chinese lawmakers are considering to remove the death penalty for nine crimes, including smuggling weapons and nuclear materials.
The draft amendment to the Criminal...
EU to send election observers to Nepal
By IANS
Brussels : The European Commission will deploy a 110-member election observer team for the constituent assembly elections in Nepal scheduled for April 10, EuAsiaNews reported Saturday.
The Election Observation Mission (EOM) will be led by Jan Mulder, member of the European Parliament. He will officially launch the EU EOM in Kathmandu March 18, the EU's executive body announced here Friday.
PTI’s New York correspondent dead
By IANS,
New York : Dharam Shourie, PTI correspondent in New York who covered the United Nations for two decades, died here following a brief illness. He was 72.
Shourie was editor of the Press Trust of India (PTI) before being posted to the United Nations as its correspondent in 1989.
Family members said Shourie was ill for the last two months and was in a hospital for over a fortnight. He died Wednesday evening due to multiple complications in the last few days.
Sri Lanka’s economic growth may drop to 3 percent
By IANS,
Colombo : Making a gloomy economic forecast, Sri Lanka's Central Bank said Monday that economic growth rate might drop to as low as 3 percent in 2009 from 6 percent in 2008 if adverse conditions persist.
Releasing the annual report for 2008, the bank said that despite unprecedented and unfavourable developments globally and domestically, the Sri Lankan economy has "demonstrated its resilience by recording a growth of 6 percent for 2008".
Japan carries out four death sentences
By DPA,
Tokyo : Japan Thursday executed four convicted murderers, the Justice Ministry said, a decision expected to draw renewed protests from groups opposed to the death penalty.
Japan is one of the few industrialized countries to carry out the death penalty. The world's second-largest economy faces regular international condemnation from human rights organizations like Amnesty International over prison conditions and its continued adherence to capital punishment.
Russian President Calls On Other Countries To Help N. Korea
By Bernama,
Moscow : President Dmitry Medvedev calls on other countries to help North Korea to solve their nuclear problem, Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reports Thursday.
"The situation is not simple with the North Korean nuclear problem, but the moves taken by the country's leadership including dismantling appropriate nuclear installations are in the right direction", he said at an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the G8 summit.
The 3-day summit will be held in Hokkaido, Japan.
Democrats may try to reach compromise between Clinton and Obama
By Parveen Chopra, IANS
New York : Worried that the prolonged, hard fought race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama may jeopardise the eventual Democratic nominee's chances in the presidential election, party leaders are likely to sit down in April to reach a compromise, according to an Indian American superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that declares the nominee.
The contradictions that dog Turkmenistan
By Vishnu Makhijani, IANS
Ashgabat : Prosperity without development and the inability to take off the shackles of the past - this just about sums up the contradictions that face the oil-rich Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan in the 17th year of its independence from the erstwhile Soviet Union.
Ashgabat, at first glance, is truly impressive and a showpiece city - particularly at night - with its wide and brightly-lit boulevards, illuminated high rise apartments and office blocks in pristine white marble, and a host of memorials, parks and stadiums built to Olympic standards.
Week-long felicitation to mark Sri Lankan military victories
By IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lanka Saturday announced a week-long felicitation to mark island-wide the victories of the security forces, who captured the last major naval bastion of Tamil Tiger rebels in the north after 15 long years.
Sri Lanka criticises international pressure on human rights
Colombo : Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris Tuesday said that international pressure to probe allegations of human rights violations is harmful for...
250,000 evacuated due to China floods
By IANS,
Beijing : Over 253,500 people have been safely evacuated in China's Liaoning province after torrential rains caused waters to rise to the danger level in a major river bordering China and North Korea, officials said Sunday.
The residents were relocated in less than 24 hours from late Saturday to Sunday, Xinhua reported citing provincial flood control authorities.
However, no new casualties were reported Sunday, after authorities said late Saturday that four people were killed in Dandong city.
US Chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee will not seek re-election
By KUNA
Washington : Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Lantos declared on Wednesday he will not seek re-election at the end of his term because he was diagnosed with cancer.
"Routine medical tests have revealed that I have cancer of the esophagus. In view of this development and the treatment it will require, I will not seek re-election," he said in a statement released by his office.
Ingrid Betancourt reunited with her two children
By DPA
Bogota : With tender strokes and tears, the liberated Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt was reunited Thursday with her two children, Melanie and Lorenzo, their first contact in more than eight years.
Her children - both adults who live in France with their father and who have lobbied intensively around the world for their mother's release - arrived at the Catam military base near Bogota Thursday morning, aboard an Airbus A319 belonging to the French presidency.
Betancourt greeted her children on the plane stairs, in a long-awaited scene full of hugs, kissing and tears.
Energy crisis could cost Argentina almost $3.9 bn this year
By IANS
Buenos Aires : Argentina will have to spend some $3.87 billion this year to confront the country's energy problems, which forced Buenos Aires to ration natural gas and electricity consumption, Spanish news agency EFE has said.
Stay with Kyoto protocol, urges UN climate chief
By Joydeep Gupta, IANS,
Bangkok : "When I have only one pair of shoes, it makes sense to stay with that pair." With these words, UN climate chief Yvo de Boer Wednesday came out clearly in favour of retaining the Kyoto Protocol to tackle global warming, despite strong efforts by many industrialised countries to dump it.
Naval ship sunk in eastern Sri Lanka
By Xinhua,
Colombo : A Naval logistics vessel was blasted and sunk by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka's eastern port of Trincomalee early Saturday, hours before the local elections, said the military.
Navy Spokesman D. K. P. Dassanayake said a cargo vessel named A520 was damaged and sank in an underwater explosion at Trincomaleeharbor, about 270 km northeast of the capital Colombo, around 2.15a.m. (2045 GMT Friday).
Hurricane Gustav plows through Cayman Islands
By SPA,
George Town, Cayman Islands : Gustav swelled to a Category 2 hurricane early Saturday with winds near 100 mph (161 kph) after plowing through the Cayman Islands toward Cuba, gathering strength on a journey that could take it to the U.S. Gulf Coast as a fearsome Category 3 storm three years after Hurricane Katrina, reported
ap.
Gustav, which killed 71 people in the Caribbean, hit the Caymans Friday with fierce winds that tore down trees and power lines. It was expected to cross Cuba's cigar country Saturday and head into the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday.
UN chief to attend Middle East peace meeting in U.S.
By Xinhua
United Nations : U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will attend the U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference to be held in Annapolis next week, a U.N. spokesperson said Wednesday.
The U.N. chief made the announcement as he briefed the members of the U.N. General Assembly in an informal session Wednesday, spokesperson Michele Montas said.
The secretary-general expressed his hope that the meeting, at which he will be present as an observer, will provide the impetus for final status negotiations, Montas said.
EU brings common visa code for Schengen zone travellers
By IANS,
Brussels : Majority of European Union countries have put in place a common visa rule for their citizens travelling across the Schengen zone.
The new visa code implemented since Monday will provide visa to the citizens of 22 countries through common easy procedure, EU's Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said.
The EU member states will now have the same verification and entry procedures to grant permit for those travelling within the region for a maximum period of ninety days, Prensa Latina reported.
British embassy wall collapse victims’ kin seek compensation
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Security Council authorizes 3,500 more UN peacekeepers for Haiti
By IRNA,
Tehran : The Security Council Tuesday backed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call to increase the overall force levels of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
According to a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC) here on Wednesday, such a move is to support the immediate recovery, reconstruction and stability efforts following last week’s devastating earthquake.
Nail removed from American’s brain
By IANS,
London: A nail has been removed from an American man's brain which he hadn't known was there, The Telegraph reported Saturday.
Illegal immigrants face growing backlash across US
By DPA
Nashua (New Hampshire) : Bustling around his tiny Mexican restaurant, Jesus Hernandez briefly pauses during his 10-hour workday to complain about Americans who say illegal immigrants steal US jobs.
North Korea refuses to rule out nuclear testing
Pyongyang : North Korea Sunday refused to rule out the possibility of conducting a new nuclear test if the US continued "its hostile policy"...
Republican candidate McCain wins Super Tuesday presidential nominee race
By Xinhua
Washington : U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain overwhelmingly won the Super Tuesday presidential nominee race, with victories in nine delegate-rich states out of the total 21.
So far, McCain has been projected to hold 487 delegates who are supposed to vote for him on the party's nomination convention, followed by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney with 176 and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee with 122.
South African election a sign of mature democracy, says president
By IANS
Pretoria : South African President Kgalema Motlanthe said Tuesday that the enthusiasm showed by people ahead of the country's general election is a sign of a mature democracy.
Over 23 million South Africans have registered to vote in Wednesday's elections, BuaNews reported.
"We are of the view that the level of enthusiasm displayed during the campaigning and level of participation by young and old people indicates that our democracy is vibrant," President Motlanthe said.
Russian CCE Denied Candidates Appeal
By Prensa Latina
Moscow : Russian Supreme Court ratified the decision of the Central Election Commission to refuse the application of four independent aspirants to candidates to the presidency.
Maximum court authorities rejected the actions of Oleg Shenin, Valeri Bespalov, Nikolai Zubkov and Yuri Gudzhabidze, whose candidacies were turned down by CCE due to incongruities in the documentation, the official entity says.
Salma Hayek weds on-off billionaire fiance in Paris
By IANS,
London : Mexican actress Salma Hayek has married on-off fiance Francois-Henri Pinaul in a surprise ceremony in Paris on Valentine's Day.
The Mexican actress, 42, and the French billionaire, 46, married in the City Hall in the St. Germain area of the French capital Saturday, reports dailymail.co.uk.
The decision to wed on Valentine's Day also has a special meaning for the couple, as their 17-month-old daughter is named Valentina.
News of their marriage comes as a surprise after they publicly announced the end of their engagement last July.
Somali forces storm hijacked ship, free crew
By DPA,
Mogadishu : Security forces in the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia have stormed a hijacked Panama-flagged cargo ship and rescued the crew with no fatalities, officials said Tuesday.
The ship, which was carrying cement from Oman to the Somali port Bosasso, was seized last Thursday along with its crew of nine Syrians and two Somalis.
Soldiers seized the ship after the ten pirates ran out of ammunition.
"The ship is now in our hands," Mogadishu-based Radio Garowe quoted Ahmed Said O'Nur, Puntland's minister for fisheries and ports, as saying.
PNA, Hamas hail Irish parliament’s recognition of Palestinian state
Ramallah/Gaza: The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Hamas movement Thursday welcomed the Irish parliament's recognition of a Palestinian state.
The PNA foreign affairs ministry said...
Follow laws or face consequences, China tells Google
By IANS,
Beijing : China warned Friday that internet search software giant Google will have to face consequence if it violates laws in the communist country.
"It is irresponsible and unfriendly if Google insists on doing something that goes against China's laws and regulations and it will have to bear the consequence for doing so," said Li Yizhong, minister of industry and information technology.
Japanese parents, schools warned over kids’ cell phone use
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Japanese government is starting a program warning parents and schools to limit youngsters' use of internet-linking cell phones because they are getting so addicted to it, media reported on Tuesday.
The government is worried about how elementary and junior high school students are getting sucked into cyberspace crimes, spending long hours exchanging mobile e-mail and suffering other negative effects of cell phone overuse, Masaharu Kuba, a government official overseeing the initiative, said.
Chavez announces creation of new state bank
By EFE,
Caracas : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced the creation of a new state bank from the merger of four of the seven small private financial institutions closed this week for irregularities.
Chavez also said he was dismissing long-time ally Jesse Chacon from his post as science and technology minister because his brother is the president of one of the banks affected and had been under arrest since Saturday.
New railways to link China’s Xinjiang with central Asia
By Xinhua
Urumqi (China) : China will construct two railways linking the western Xinjiang region with the central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, sources with the regional government of Xinjiang said.
The 6.2 billion yuan ($861 million) railway, linking Korgas on the China-Kazakhstan border with China's inland railways, would be completed this year. It will further extend westward to join the Sary-Ozek railway of Kazakhstan, making it the second cross-border rail link between the two countries.
British village blacklisted after postman bitten by fleas
By IANS,
London: Britain's Royal Mail has blacklisted a village after a postman was badly bitten by fleas.
Two kidnapped Chinese engineers set free in Sudan
Khartoum: Two Chinese engineers, who were abducted by unidentified men in Sudan's West Kordofan state in April, have been released, Chinese embassy source Friday...
Court focuses on man who had brawl with Nepal’ ex-crown prince
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
British government sets out deficit-tackling savings plan
By DPA,
London : The British government is to cut some 6.2 billion pounds ($9 billion) from its budget this year, in an effort to tackle its national deficit, British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced Monday.
Osborne said there would be a civil service recruitment freeze, as well as cuts to IT programmes and non-governmental organisations, the BBC reported.
Funding for schools and 16-19 year olds' education would be protected, Osborne said.
Colombia seizes 2.6 tonnes of cocaine
By IANS,
Bogota : The Colombian Navy has seized more than 2.6 tonnes of cocaine that was being shipped by a barge to Central America.
Obama welcomes India’s initiative on nuclear safety
By IANS,
Washington: US President Barack Obama Tuesday lauded Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision to set up a global centre for nuclear energy partnership in India.
"We welcome the announcement of the setting up of the Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership by India. This will be one more tool to establish best practices" in the quest for nuclear safety, Obama said in response to the Prime Minister's announcement at the 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit here.
Venezuela announces arms deal with Russia
By DPA,
Moscow : Venezuela President Hugo Chavez announced new arms purchases from Russia and agreed on an energy partnership with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday.
"We want peace, but we have to strengthen our defences," the president of the South American nation said at the start of a two-day visit to Moscow, Interfax news agency reported.
Russian media reports said Chavez, who is known for his anti-US rhetoric, planned to negotiate the purchase of diesel-powered submarines, combat helicopters, tanks and Tor-M1 surface-to-air missiles.
Supporters want visa for Modi, US non-committal
By IANS,
New York/New Delhi : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's supporters want the US to grant him a visa to enable his participation in a world Gujarati meet even though he was denied a visa three years ago because of his alleged role in condoning the anti-Muslim violence in the state 2002. But the US remained non-committal about it.
Germany detains Russian couple on spying charge
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : German Special Forces have detained a Russian husband-wife duo on charges of spying, reported Deutsche Welle, the country's international broadcaster, Saturday.
China’s growth powers world economy: vice premier
By IANS,
Beijing : Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said Sunday that China's development will provide more opportunities and stronger impetus for the world economy.
Philippines tightens security before anti-government protest
By DPA
Manila : Additional troops were dispatched to the Philippine capital Friday ahead of an anti-government protest to demand President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's resignation amid persistent allegations of corruption.
A group of 100 soldiers arrived at the military's headquarters in Manila from the northern province of Tarlac to augment security operations for the demonstration later in the day.
UN Security Council urges Iraqis to form new government
By DPA,
New York : The UN Security Council Thursday urged "all political entities" in Iraq to form a new government now that the country's constitutional court has certified results of the March 7 parliamentary elections.
The council issued a statement read by its president, Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller, which called the elections an important step in Iraq's political process to reaffirm its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Florida Democrats say no to fresh presidential primary
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : Florida Democrats abandoned plans to hold a new presidential primary, leaving it to the national party to decide how to give representation to the state at the party convention to pick its nominee.
The state party's decision not to hold a new vote, regardless of whether the costs for the new primary were covered by the national party or not, left hanging the fate of state's 210 delegates to the convention in August.
Indonesia quake toll rises to 57
By DPA,
Jakarta : UN agencies and the Indonesian government were dispatching relief teams Thursday as the toll from a magnitude-7.3 earthquake that struck Java island rose to 57, officials said.
Workers used bare hands and manual tools to search for 42 people buried after the quake sent a torrent of rocks sliding off the hills Wednesday, burying 13 houses in Cianjur district in West Java.
Rescuers recovered four bodies, including those of two children. Heavy equipment could not enter the area.
Death toll reaches 38 in China landslides
By IANS,
Beijing : The death toll in rain-triggered landslides in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region climbed to 38 Thursday even as search operations continued for missing villagers, authorities said.
In Rongxian County, the death toll reached 23 after eight more bodies were recovered Wednesday night, the county's emergency rescue office said Thursday. It said rescuers were still searching for 14 villagers.
At least 2,800 people were evacuated after their homes were destroyed by landslides, Xinhua reported.
Rongxian was one of the worst-hit counties.
Sarah Palin’s debut was a ratings hit for Fox News
By IANS,
Washington : Former Alaska governor and Republican party's 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's debut as a commentator on the right-wing Fox News was a ratings hit for the TV channel.
Palin's first appearance as an on-air analyst with the network, on Tuesday night's "O'Reilly Factor," drew 3.954 million total viewers - more than everything else on cable news in the 8PM hour combined, Huffington Post reported.
Honduras’ Micheletti’s temporary step down a ‘positive step’: US
By DPA,
Washington: The US sees the decision by Honduras' disputed de-facto leader Roberto Micheletti to step down during elections as a "positive step," a senior US State Department official said.
The official, who spoke to reporters Friday on condition of anonymity, also reaffirmed Washington's intention to support the Nov 29 elections, even if many of the countries in the hemisphere have declared they will not recognise the results.
On Thursday, Micheletti said he would give up power temporarily, from Wednesday to Dec 2.
Skeletal remains found in Sri Lanka mass grave
By IANS,
Colombo : Over 80 human bones, including skeletal remains, have been found so far from a mass grave in northern Sri Lanka, police...
Pope was told pedophile priest would get transfer
By IANS,
Munich : The future Pope Benedict XVI was kept more closely apprised of a sexual abuse case in Germany than previous church statements have suggested, raising fresh questions about his handling of a scandal unfolding under his direct supervision before he rose to the top of the church's hierarchy, a media report said.
CIA triples estimate of Islamic State strength
By Arun Kumar,
Washington: A day after President Barack Obama vowed to strike the Islamic State (IS) terrorists "wherever they exist" to "degrade and ultimately...
G8 Labour Ministries To Discuss Labour Problems In Japan
By Bernama,
Niigata : Top officials of the G8 labour ministries and agencies will meet in Japan on Monday to discuss the measures on creating an effective recruitment system in conditions of ageing society and the ways of combating the inequity, which the globalisation process brought about.
The ministerial meeting on labour problems involving G8 officials from Great Britain, Italy, Canada, Russia, the United States, France, Germany and Japan will begin in Niigata, Japan on Monday.
Media becomes new platform in Nepal electioneering
By DPA
Kathmandu : On the last day of campaigning, Nepal's political parties have gone all out in a new tactic - advertising in newspapers, on radio and television and on the Internet.
A sharp departure from traditional door-to-door campaigning and political gatherings, Monday's newspapers were inundated with political party ads trying to sway voters ahead of Thursday's polls for a constitutional assembly.
One major broadsheet daily carried only political messages on its front page.
China, US agree to cooperate on energy security
By IANS,
Beijing : China and the United States agreed to work together in order to ensure energy security and stabilise the international energy market.
As the world's two largest producers and consumers of energy, China and the US have the responsibility to ensure energy security, said a joint statement after the two-day bilateral Strategic and Economic Dialogue Tuesday.
27,000 evacuated as Nock-Ten storm hits China
By IANS,
Beijing : Over 27,000 people were Friday evacuated from a south China province as tropical storm Nock-Ten hit the coastal region, officials said.
Nigeria assures India on its abducted workers
By Arvind Padmanabhan
IANSBerlin : Nigeria has assured India that it will take all steps to ensure the safe return of 12 Indian workers abducted in the African country and said economic ties between the two countries, especially in energy, will be strengthened.
Putin, Bush differ in farewell talks
By Xinhua
Sochi, Russia : Russia's outgoing President Vladimir Putin hosted his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush on Sunday in his presidential residence in this Black Sea resort.
However, the two leaders failed to reach substantial agreements on vital issues ranging from missile shield plans to NATO expansion, but they did agree to continue dialogue to settle disputes and improve ties in a joint declaration issued after the one-day summit.
MISSILE SHIELD DILEMMA
13-year-old girl found in Russian brothel
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Investigators in Russia's western region of Tatarstan have opened a criminal case after a 13-year-old schoolgirl was found to be engaging in prostitution.
North Korean ships cross sea border, South fires shots
By DPA,
Seoul : Two North Korean naval boats crossed into South Korean waters Saturday, but retreated after warning shots by the South Korean navy, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday.
Military officials said a North Korean boat crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea at 10:13 pm and ventured 2.2 km South Korean waters, Yonhap news agency reported.
It said the North Korean boat retreated back across the maritime border about 30 minutes later, the South navy had sent a warning communication.
Somali pirates seize tanker with 28 North Korean crew
By DPA,
London/Nairobi: Somali pirates have captured a tanker with 28 North Koreans aboard - but failed in an attack to seize a Ukrainian vessel following a firefight, the European Union's anti-piracy mission off Somalia NAVFOR said Tuesday.
NAVFOR said that Virgin Islands-owned chemical tanker MV Theresa VIII was attacked 180 nautical miles northwest of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean Monday.
The ship was heading for the Kenyan port of Mombasa, but has been turned north and is presumably heading for the Somali coast.
Sikh student barred from school for wearing kara
London(IANS) : A Sikh teenager in South Wales has been temporarily barred from attending school after she refused to remove her kara -- a bracelet worn for religious reasons.
Sarika Singh, 14, was first excluded Monday and then asked to leave classes for a fixed period Tuesday.
Aberdare Girls School has a strict uniform policy, which prevents students from wearing any kind of religious symbols, the Daily Mail reported.
Sarika's mother Sinita met the school authorities and argued her daughter's case with the board of governors but they refused to allow her to wear the kara.
Sri Lankan troops launch counter-attack in the north
By DPA,
Colombo : Government troops launched a counter-attack on Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka, killing at least 12 rebels and losing three soldiers, military officials said Tuesday.
The fighting was reported around the Palampiddi area, 330 km north of the capital, Monday. The military said the counter-attack came after an assault by the rebels on a newly established army defence line in the area.
On Sunday, at least 15 soldiers and more than 50 rebels were killed as troops advanced to capture the Palampiddi area.
Canada hints LTTE behind human-smuggling ship
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Vancouver : As a ship carrying nearly 500 Sri Lankan Tamils landed here Thursday, the Canadian public safety minister hinted that the Tamil Tigers were behind smuggling these people into Canada.
After a three-month voyage, the Thai ship 'MV Sun Sea' with 490 Tamils on board was escorted by naval vessels into Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt on Vancouver Island Thursday morning. The asylum seekers would be given medical treatment, photographed and fingerprinted before being sent to detention facilities, officials of the Canadian Border Security Agency said.
We have “obligation” to fight “rising” anti-Semitism: Obama
Washington: US President Barack Obama noted humanity's "obligation" to condemn and fight against "rising" anti-Semitism, including the denial of the Holocaust, on the 70th...
Bush, Lee call on North Korea to submit honest nuclear declaration
By SPA,
Washington : US President George W Bush and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Myung-bak, on Saturday pledged to ensure that whatever declaration North Korea makes about it's nuclear activities is complete and not misleading.
The North Koreans have "made some promises and we'll make a judgement as to whether they have met those promises," Bush said as he and Lee wrapped up a two-day summit at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington.
Philippines for Food Crisis Meeting
By Prensa Latina,
Manila : Philippine Minister of Agriculture Arthur Yap said that his country is in favor of an Asian meeting on the rice crisis and rising food prices.
A declaration of the International Rice Research Institute includes the call of the Philippine minister for a ministerial meeting to discuss the issue.
The forum would also study provisional assistance to the most affected populations due to the lack of rice and the increase in prices, said IRRI as backing the proposal.
Canadian PM urges G20 Summit to restore market confidence
By IANS,
Ottawa : Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called on G20 leaders to restore market confidence with concrete policy commitments at their upcoming summit in Cannes, France.
Kenyan poll irregularities ‘unacceptable’: Britain
London, Jan 2 (DPA) Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband Wednesday said that the level of irregularities on "both sides" in the recent presidential elections in Kenya is "unacceptable".
"It is clear that there are major responsibilities on Kenya's political leaders both in respect of the violence being perpetrated by some of their followers and in respect of the need to reach out and find common ground," Miliband said in a BBC interview.
Bolivian president asks UN to support coca farming
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Mexico : Bolivian President Evo Morales has once again asked the UN to recognize the right of people living in the Andes for chewing coca leaves.
Israel asks Himachal to help trace its missing nationals
By IANS,
Shimla: Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was Wednesday asked by the Israeli government to help in tracing its nationals who have gone missing in the hill state, an official statement said.
A delegation of the Himachal Pradesh government headed by Dhumal is in Israel these days on an official visit to explore possibilities of cooperation with Israel in various fields.
Dhumal met Israel's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Daniel Ayalon in Tel Aviv.
Bush at His Last EU Meeting
By Prensa Latina,
Ljubljana : US President George W. Bush is attending a summit with the European Union for the last time, aimed at analyzing the Iranian nuclear program, the sending of more troops to Afghanistan and bilateral economic issues.
Bush is meeting with the EU Top Representative for Foreign Policy and Common Security, Javier Solana, European Commission Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, host of the forum.
Beckham, Pattinson among most stylish men of 2012
By IANS,
Los Angeles: The GQ magazine has revealed a list of "most stylish men of 2012" with actor Daniel Craig topping the list which also features footballer David Beckham.
Zimbabwe court quashes hope for speedy end to poll wait
By DPA,
Johannesburg/Harare : Zimbabwe's high court Monday dismissed an application by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) for an order forcing the state-controlled Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to release the results of March 29 elections.
Zimbabweans have been waiting for 16 days to know the outcome of the presidential election, in which MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai claims to have defeated longtime President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe's party claims neither Mugabe nor Tsvangirai won outright and that a runoff will be needed to decide the winner.
Sarkozy to Keep 35-hour Work Week
By Prensa Latina,
Paris : French President Nicolas Sarkozy cleared persistent doubts on eventual changes to the 35 work-hour week, one of the most popular social gain among salary workers.
The head of states told the French radio station RTL that he will keep the working hours the government of socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin (1997-2002) approved.
The conservative party Union for a Popular Movement (UPM) proposed last week to dismantle the reform yet union leaders warned that any such attempt will put social relations and public authorities on the opposite side of the fence.
Shortage of isotopes to hit medical scans
By IANS,
London : A global shortage of medical isotopes, used in more than 80 percent of heart and bone scans and in detection of cancer, will hamper diagnostic examinations over the coming weeks.
Medical isotopes are small quantities of radioactive substances used in the imaging and treatment of disease. They are delivered directly to the site of diseased cells and can be tracked by imaging equipment.
China opens museum on sex slaves
By IANS,
Beijing : China has opened a museum to remember the women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers in World War II.
US missile strikes kill 15 in Pakistan
By DPA,
Islamabad: At least 15 people were killed and several more injured in two suspected attacks by US drones in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal district Wednesday, a security official said.
Separately, a bomb ripped through an army barracks in the Pakistan-controlled part of the disputed Kashmir region, killing at least three soldiers.
A US pilotless aircraft fired two missiles at a mud compound in the Datta Khel area near Afghan border, said a local intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Sri Lankan president renews call for rebels to surrender
By XINHUA,
COLOMBO : Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Sunday renewed his call for Tamil Tiger rebels to surrender, the state radio announced here on Sunday.
The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation said Rajapakse told a political rally on Sunday at the central town of Hanguranketha that all facilities would be made available for Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres who want to surrender to government troops.
"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.
Obama bounces back into US presidential race
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : Barack Obama cruised to a crucial victory over former first lady Hillary Clinton in a bitterly contested Democratic primary in South Carolina, giving a boost to his campaign to become America's first black president.
Obama's return to the front after two consecutive losses, in New Hampshire and Nevada, brought him back into reckoning ahead of the coast-to-coast Feb 5 "Super Tuesday" battle when both Democratic and Republican parties hold nomination contests in 22 of 50 US states.
Putin invites Obama to visit Russia
By IANS,
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited re-elected US President Barack Obama to visit Russia in 2013, the Kremlin said.
Violence in Lhasa’s ‘Beijing’ exposes deep divisions
By Bill Smith, DPA
Beijing : Many Tibetans scathingly call the sprawling modern sections of the capital Lhasa "Beijing", where Chinese migrants try to make new lives in the harsh physical and social climate of Tibet.
As the People's Liberation Army reportedly took control of the city with tanks Saturday, following the worst rioting for at least 20 years Friday, ethnically Chinese residents locked themselves indoors away from troops and Tibetan protesters.
India for strategic partnership with US business for energy security
By Arun Kumar,IANS,
Washington : India has suggested a strategic partnership between Indian and US business focusing on three Rs - renewables, reusables and recyclables - to meet the twin challenges of climate change action and energy security.
"If energy is not to become a constraint on our growth - the growth of India and the US and the global economy as a whole, then a relatively rapid and significant shift to renewable and non-conventional energy sources becomes inevitable," Shyam Saran, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Special Envoy for Climate Change, said here Tuesday.
China wants openness in government affairs
By IANS,
Beijing : China's cabinet has called for increased openness in government affairs in order to ensure that officials work in a lawful and efficient manner.
One killed, three hurt in Kazakhstan plane accident
By Xinhua
Almaty : A private plane exploded during take-off at the Almaty airport Wednesday, killing one passenger and injuring three members of the crew, Kazakhstan's emergency ministry said.
The CL-60 private jet owned by the German company Jet Connection Business Flight skidded off the runway while taking off before dawn. The plane went on to hit a wall and exploded, it said.
The only passenger on board was killed, and the three crew members were taken to hospital with injuries.
Better healthcare through your cell phone posssible
By IANS,
Washington : University of California researchers have developed a lens-free imaging technique small enough to fit in a mobile phone, which can be a boon in developing countries where healthcare is non existent.
The study outlines improvements in a technique known as LUCAS, or 'lensless ultra-wide-field cell monitoring array,' platform based on shadow imaging.
Nepal celebrates Democracy Day amid deepening gloom
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Nepal Friday celebrated the 59th anniversary of the attaining of democracy after more than a century of oppressive rule by the Rana dynasty of hereditary prime ministers, but there appeared to be little cheer among the people due to the continued political stalemate.
On this day in 1951, following a long struggle against the Rana rule that also saw Nepal's then king Tribhuban flee to India to seek asylum with his son and heir Mahendra and grandson Birendra, the last Rana ruler stepped down and the Shah dynasty of kings took over.
China’s Valentine’s Day: Over 4,200 couples get married
By IANS,
Beijing : As many as 4,251 couples registered their marriage here Saturday on China's Valentine's Day, authorities said.
British paper traces grandmother of lost Sikh boy
By IANS
London : A British newspaper said Sunday it has established the parentage of a nine-year-old Sikh boy found abandoned in London recently.
The Mail on Sunday said its investigations showed the child, Gurinderjit Singh, comes from a family in Jalalpur in the state of Punjab.
The child, who does not speak English, turned up at a health clinic in the London suburb of Southall last month saying he had been dumped at a bus stop by a "white uncle" with whom he had lived for three years.