Dalai Lama makes public appearance after almost a month
By IANS,
Dharamsala : The Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual head of the Tibetan community, made his first public appearance after nearly one month during a teaching ceremony at McLeodganj near here, his aide said Friday.
The Dalai Lama, 73, had been confined to his residence in this Himachal Pradesh hill town since Aug 28 when he returned from Delhi, where he spent a few days after undergoing a series of medical tests at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre.
President Patil leaves Britain after three-day visit
By IANS,
London : President Pratibha Patil left London Thursday after a three-day state visit to Britain, the first by an Indian president in nearly 20 years.
Patil left for Cyprus where she will be on a state visit.
Patil had earlier in the day joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II to launch the 2010 Commonwealth Games Baton Relay at a gala Indian ceremony in Buckingham Palace.
The Indian president also addressed a meeting of business leaders organised by the UK-India Business Council (UKIBC) in London.
Myanmar rejects UN proposal for international observers
By DPA
Yangon : Myanmar's junta has rejected a UN proposal that international observers be allowed to observe the upcoming referendum on the country's new constitution scheduled in May this year, state media reports said Sunday.
UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari proposed that international observers be allowed to assure the referendum is free and fair in talks held Friday with Thaung Nyunt, who heads the Commission for Holding Referendum, reported The New Light of Myanmar, a government mouthpiece.
US stocks fall slightly
By DPA,
New York: Major US stock indices fell slightly Wednesday amid reports that the Federal Reserve was planning a gradual monetary intervention to prop up the world's largest economy.
India, China need to work on post-Copenhagen strategy: Krishna
By IANS,
New Delhi: Asserting that India and China have protected the interests of the developing world at Copenhagen climate conference, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told his Chinese counterpart Tuesday that they now have to evolve a post-Copenhagen strategy.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called up Krishna and during the conversation they "discussed India-China cooperation on climate change, including possible follow-on measures flowing from the recent Copenhagen summit", the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
Jailed Hindraf leaders’ appeal posted for Feb 12
By IANS
Kuala Lumpur : The lawyer for the five detained leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf) whose appeals are to come up before an advisory board has sought adjournment till Feb 12.
Lawmaker Karpal Singh, who is leading the defence of the five jailed for two years under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA), did not give reasons for his move, reported the New Straits Times.
Sri Lanka plans severe punishment for child abuse
By IANS,
Colombo: With increasing cases of child abuse in Sri Lanka, the government plans to impose tough punishments on the offenders, an official said Monday.
Businessmen Confident Of Market Opportunities In Tibet After Violence
By Bernama
Lhasa : The Lhasa violence that erupted last month has not dampened businessmen's confidence in the potential of the market, a Tibet Autonomous Region industrial and commercial authority official has said.
China's Xinhua news agency reported Friday that after the March 14 violence, 15 new private companies were registered at the regional bureau of industry and commerce with registered capital totaling 59.4 million yuan (US$8.49 million), according to bureau of statistics.
Nepal parties preparing to form transitional justice mechanisms
Kathmandu: At a time when Nepal is all set to start drafting a constitution in right earnest, settlement of criminal cases of the Maoist...
WHO to convene experts discussion on experimental Ebola treatment
United Nations: The World Health Organisation said Thursday it will convene a panel of experts in medical ethics next week to explore the use...
Nawaz Sharif most corrupt in Pakistan: Imran
Islamabad: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is the most corrupt person in Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan said in remarks published on Friday.
“Nawaz Sharif is...
Playing computer games is beneficial: study
By DPA,
San Francisco : A national study in the US has concluded that computer games foster social interaction and civic engagement and that there was no evidence that they incited users to violence.
The study released Wednesday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that nearly all teens play video games and that their games' activity has become a major component of their overall social experience.
Huge piece of Berlin Wall helps Newseum tell media story
By DPA
Washington : Even removed from Berlin, the watchtower has a threatening mood to it. Along with the 11-metre wide section of the defunct Berlin Wall - said to be the largest outside Germany - it provides visitors of Washington's newest museum a formidable insight into what life behind the wall in Berlin might have been.
It may seem strange to find these relics of Cold War history in the Newseum, which is to open Friday on Washington's fabled Pennsylvania Avenue and is dedicated to the media and freedom of the press.
Sri Lanka’s poll-related violence toll rises to four
By DPA,
Colombo : A supporter of Sri Lanka's ruling party was killed in a hand grenade attack on a party office in the country's northwest Monday, bringing the toll in election-related violence ahead of the presidential poll to four, police said.
According to police, the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) supporter was killed in Kurunegala in the evening when the office located close to a deputy minister's residence came under attack by suspected opposition supporters.
Nepal ushers in new year ahead of world
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : The new republic of Nepal Tuesday ushered in the new year ahead of the rest of the world - among the five new year days observed in the country in a year.
The Gurungs, an ethnic community living in west Nepal who are known for their valour and form the backbone of the Gorkha regiments in the Indian and British armies, celebrate Dec 30 as the beginning of their new year.
Tamu Lhosar Tuesday was the beginning of the ethnic year 2065, marked as the year of the cow. Parties began in Nepal and abroad where the Gurung diaspora lives.
Computer virus targets Russian opposition
By IANS,
Washington : Opponents of Russian president-elect Vladimir Putin are being targeted through a computer virus sent by email, CNN reported.
Myanmar president stresses political stability
By IANS,
Yangon: Myanmar President U Thein Sein Tuesday stressed upon the importance of political stability and end of armed conflicts for democracy to flourish in the country.
IMF least effective with advanced, emerging economies
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: International Monetary Fund's (IMF) interactions are least effective with advanced and large emerging economies, which together account for about 90 percent of global GDP, according to an evaluation of interactions with member-countries.
Interactions were most effective with low-income countries -- those eligible for the Fund's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility -- and to a lesser extent with emerging economies, reflecting the broad effectiveness of interactions in a programme and technical assistance context.
Myanmar’s referendum ratifies new constitution
By DPA,
Yangon : Myanmar's controversial referendum - held May 10 in the wake of the destruction wrought by Cyclone Nargis - has ratified a constitution designed to cement the military's political power with a 92.4 percent "yes" vote, state media reported Thursday.
The Commission for Holding Nationwide Referendum announced that 92.4 percent of some 20.7 million people who voted in the referendum last Saturday voted in favour of the constitution, according to state radio reports.
‘North Korea wants better relations with US’
By Xinhua,
Washington: North Korea has indicated its desire to improve relations with Washington, US National Security Adviser James Jones said Sunday.
Pyongyang expressed its desire to improve relations with Washington during a meeting between former US president Bill Clinton and North Korea's top leader Kim Jong-Il last Tuesday, Jones told the Fox News Sunday.
North Korea has been eager to hold talks with the US. The Obama administration will be happy to do that if Pyongyang rejoins the six-party talks, he said.
US stocks rise led by oil, metal prices
By DPA
New York : Stocks rose on Wall Street Thursday pushed by commodity producers as oil and metals prices continued to rise.
"Capital is going to go where the opportunity is and the opportunity right now is in the energy and material sector," Gary Wolfer of Univest Wealth Management & Trust told Bloomberg financial news.
Crude oil broke $124 a barrel Thursday, pushing up energy shares but limiting gains in other sectors.
Discount retailer Wal-Mart also gained after it said sales increased at its existing stores.
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.
Colombo AIDS event reveals a ‘safe pearl in ocean’
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS
Colombo : Every morning, A.H. Sheriffdeen, one of the chief organisers of a large regional AIDS meeting being held in the capital of war-ravaged Sri Lanka, says a little prayer.
"My first prayer of the day is that things shouldn't flare up," said Sheriffdeen, co-chair of the International Conference on AIDS in the Asia Pacific.
Over 100 dead as flu epidemic grips US
By IANS, Arun Kumar,
Washington: The United States is in the grip of a flu epidemic.
Belgium to resume aid to Muslim Council
By IINA,
Brussels : After several months of suspending financial allocations to the Executive Council of Muslims in Belgium, the Belgian authorities have decided to resume pumping money, but under regulatory conditions. The government decision published in the Official Gazette on Friday, on the eve of the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, to enable the Council, which is the representative body of Belgian Muslims, to receive 150,000 euros from the federal government's budget.
Russia to expand private sector role in defence, n-sector
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia has plans to expand the role of private contractors in its defence sector, including in the production of strategic nuclear missiles.
Over 6,000 people arrested in Shanghai
By IANS,
Beijing : Over 6,000 people, including 31 foreigners, have been arrested in Shanghai ahead of an international expo for their alleged involvement in theft, pornography and prostitution.
Police launched a 12-day crackdown in an effort to make Shanghai city safer during the upcoming international expo to be held from May 1.
More than 30,000 police officers conducted around 900 raids and arrested 6,402 people on various charges, China Daily said Tuesday quoting the Shanghai public security bureau.
Malaysian flood toll rises to 12
By DPA
Kuala Lumpur : More than 20,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes due to rising water in several Malaysian states as the nationwide death toll climbed to 12, media reports said Thursday.
The southern Johor state was worst-hit with some 13,000 evacuees, while the central state of Pahang recorded more than 10,000 people who have been forced to flee their homes for temporary relief shelters, the New Straits Times daily said.
Other states affected by the yearly floods include the eastern states of Terengganu and Kelantan.
Man’s death goes unnoticed for a year in Sydney
By SPA
Sydney, Australia : An elderly pensioner lay dead in his apartment in Australia's largest city for a year before anyone noticed, AP quoted officials and news reports as saying today.
The body of Jorge Chambe, 64, was found on Tuesday in his single bedroom, government-owned flat in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona when police and firefighters broke in, after concerns about his welfare were finally raised.
Decomposition of the body was advanced and bank records indicated Chambe died about a year earlier, officials said.
China stocks open higher on Thursday
Beijing:Chinese stocks opened higher on Thursday with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.46 percent to open at 4,711.76 points.
The Shenzhen Component Index opened...
Brazil disappointed with US-China stance on climate change
By EFE,
Rome : Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said here Monday that he was "disappointed" after US President Barack Obama and China's Hu Jintao agreed to not set targets for emissions reduction.
"I'm disappointed, but not surprised" at the agreement reached in Singapore between Obama and Hu, but "the US and China must sooner or later propose their targets also, although it won't be at the Copenhagen Conference," Lula told reporters after meeting in Rome with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
US ambassador accused of meddling in Sri Lanka’s affairs
By P. Karunakharan,IANS,
Colombo : The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party Monday accused US ambassador Robert Blake of meddling in Sri Lanka's affairs and warned that no country had the right to tell Colombo how to resolve its ethnic problem.
Referring to the remarks by Robert Blake at the University of Madras Friday that the tactical relationship between the US and India could be used to Sri Lanka's advantage, the JVP said that such a statement is "not only subversive to Sri Lanka but to other countries in the region".
17 rebels killed in northern Sri Lanka
By Xinhua
Colombo : At least 17 Tamil tiger rebels were killed and over 18 injured in the latest pre-emptive strikes launched by the Sri Lankan army in northern Mannar district, the army said Saturday.
In a statement released by the Media Center for National Security said: "The confrontation between the troops and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) erupted around 0620 GMT Friday morning in Narrikkulam area."
German parliament observes 75th anniversary of Hitler’s law
By DPA
Berlin : The German parliament Thursday marked 75 years since the law was passed that enabled Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler to rule by decree for his 12 years in power.
Hans-Jochen Vogel, a former justice minister for the Social Democrats (SPD), called for democracy to be energetically defended in modern Germany.
Pointing to the persistent phenomenon of neo-Nazi groups, Vogel said: "Those who look the other way or shrug their shoulders are weakening democracy."
Kosovo closer to independence as talks fail
By DPA
Baden(Austria) : The last round of negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo on the future status of Kosovo failed Wednesday, setting the stage for the province's independence.
"We regret that Serbia did not find it possible to agree to the independent final state of Kosovo," the province's likely new prime minister, Hashim Thaci, said at the conclusion of three-day talks held in the Austrian town Baden.
Haiti cholera outbreak toll rises to 2,071
By IANS,
Port-au-Prince (Haiti): The toll in the cholera epidemic which began in Haiti at the end of October has killed 2,071 people till date, officials have said.
Cricket journalist Martin-Jenkins new MCC president
By IANS,
London : British journalist Christopher Martin-Jenkins has been appointed the new president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Martin-Jenkins will begin his one-year term October 1 when he takes over from former Sussex captain and Old Etonian John Barclay.
"Christopher has a wealth of cricket knowledge and a very strong connection to the sport; quite simply, he loves the game," Barclay was quoted as saying here.
Xenophobia could return South Africa to violent past: Mbeki
By DPA,
Johannesburg : South African President Thabo Mbeki has condemned two weeks of xenophobic violence that has claimed over 50 lives, mostly in the Johannesburg area, as an "absolute disgrace" that could plunge the country back into a "past of violent conflict".
"The events of the past two weeks are an absolute disgrace," Mbeki said in his first address to the nation on the crisis, which was carried on national radio and television Sunday.
Presidential voting begins in French overseas territories
By Xinhua
Paris : Voting in the French presidential elections began in the country's overseas territories Saturday, a day before polls open in mainland France, French news media reported.
BRIC foreign ministers to meet in Moscow in spring
New York, Sep 27 (RIA Novosti) The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China, also called BRIC countries, will hold a meeting in Moscow next spring to strengthen cooperation, Russia's foreign minister said.
"We gave an invitation and it was accepted," Sergei Lavrov said on the sidelines of the ongoing 62nd Session of UN General Assembly.
Lavrov said that UN representatives from the BRIC countries in New York, Vienna, Geneva, and Nairobi would meet at least once every two months to consider cooperation in various international organisations and at multilateral forums.
Rehabilitated Tamil rebels gain university admission in Sri Lanka
By DPA,
Colombo : At least 40 former Tamil rebels have gained entry to universities after completing their schooling while undergoing rehabilitation, a local newspaper said Monday.
Myanmar warns against more mine attacks by rebel groups
By Xinhua
Yangon : The military government of Myanmar Monday warned people against more mine attacks by the Kayin National Union (KNU), the largest ethnic armed group, and called on them to remain vigilant against any such incidents.
The authorities also accused the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB), an anti-government group in exile, of financing the KNU, to purchase arms and ammunition, official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported.
Republicans to keep majority in House of Representatives: Reports
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Colombian government, FARC to resume peace talks Jan 26
Bogota : Colombian government representatives and members of the lefist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla rebels will begin their next round of...
UK post workers resume strike action
LONDON, Oct 8 (KUNA) -- Postal workers in the UK have started a second 48-hour strike over pay, pensions and job cuts in a repeat of last week's stoppages which crippled services, their union, the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) announced Monday.
It comes as reports said that the strikes could cost Royal Mail (management) far more than had been expected.
The industrial action could end up costing as much as 260 million pounds, according to sources quoted in the British media.
Two killed in a bomb attack on mosque in Nepal
By KUNA
New Delhi : As many as two persons have been killed in a bomb attack on a mosque in eastern Nepal, merely 11 days ahead of the election.
The attack took place in Biratnagar, native place of Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, late on Saturday, news agency Indo Asian News Service reported Sunday from capital Katmandu.
Four people were injured in the attack. Two of them succumbed to their injuries while being taken to a local hospital, the news agency said.
19 killed in Iran traffic accident
By IANS,
Moscow : At least 19 people were killed and 25 injured in Iran Sunday when their bus hit a rock and turned turtle, RIA Novosti reported.
Washington paralysed as massive winter storm hits America
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Life in the American capital was virtually paralysed Thursday as a massive winter storm moving north walloped the Washington...
Eight killed in Albania munitions blast
By DPA
Tirana (Albania) : The Albanian authorities have confirmed eight casualties from a military munitions depot explosion, but feared that many more may have been killed in a series of explosions.
Some 250 people were wounded in Saturday's blast with the worst injured airlifted to hospitals in Italy and Greece. Hundreds in Albania and in neighbouring Kosovo responded to appeals for blood donations to help the injured.
The fate of hundreds of civilians and depot employees within the four-km perimeter of the base remained unaccounted for.
US stocks end six-week losing streak despite gloomy predictions
By DPA,
New York : US stocks defied a week of gloomy predictions and controversial financial decisions by US officials, bouncing back by Friday after a slump Monday and Tuesday.
For Friday, better-than-estimated results from Citigroup Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Co relieved worries that they would extend their yearlong slump, Bloomberg financial news reported.
US banking giant Citigroup Inc reported a loss of $2.5 billion in the second quarter amid credit losses and write downs in the troubled financial market.
France, Saudi Arabia vow stronger defence ties
Paris: France and Saudi Arabia vowed stronger defence ties to fight terrorism and to tackle the threat posed by the militants of Islamic State...
Hu Jintao reaffirms importance of China-US ties
By IANS,
Beijing : Chinese President Hu Jintao Monday reaffirmed the importance of developing China-US ties, saying that sound bilateral ties contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia Pacific region and the world.
Asia-Pacific nations on track to achieve development goals
By DPA
Manila : The Asia-Pacific region is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which include reducing poverty by half by 2015, according to a progress report the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations released Monday.
But the report noted that there is uneven progress within countries and many of the less developed economies in the region have been slow in achieving the UN-set targets, with some not making any progress at all.
Car bomb kills soldier in Spain
By DPA,
Santona (Spain) : A car bomb attributed to Spain's Basque separatist group ETA - its third in the past 24 hours - killed a soldier and seriously injured another overnight in Santona in the northern region of Cantabria, officials said Monday.
A road assistance service received a phone call in the name of ETA, warning that a bomb was about to explode at a military academy and residence within half an hour.
As the building was being evacuated, the bomb exploded, killing staff-sergeant Luis Conde de la Cruz, 46, who had been spending his holidays at the military residence.
China Earthquake Deaths at 29,000
By Prensa Latina,
Beijing : Nearly 29,000 people have been reported dead so far in the earthquake tragedy Monday of the Chinese province of Sichuan, the State Council Information Department said.
The number of wounded has reached 198,347, the source confirmed.
The provincial government has placed the number of people killed at 28,300, and another 10,600 are still trapped under destroyed buildings.
The confirmed death toll in all affected areas rose Saturday to 28,881, according to official figures.
Chavez hails Raul Castro
By Prensa Latina
Caracas : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has hailed the election of Raul Castro as president of Cuba and described him as one of the authors of the Cuban Revolution of 1959.
Chavez was speaking Sunday during his weekly "Alo Presidente" television programme.
The leftist president of Venezuela said his new Cuban counterpart has been an inseparable partner of his brother Fidel Castro since the days of Moncada and the Sierra Maestra, the two most important name in the history of the country's socialist revolution.
China greets Cuba’s new leader Raul Castro
By Xinhua
Beijing : China Tuesday congratulated Cuba's new leader Raul Castro, the younger brother of Fidel Castro who stepped down last week after 49 years in power.
"China and Cuba are friendly nations, and China will continue to work with Cuba to push forward reciprocal and friendly relations," said Liu Jianchao, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.
"We believe, and wish, Cuba would maintain stability and development under the new leadership, and this conforms to the interest of the people and is conducive to regional peace and stability," Liu said.
Phone notifications kill concentration: Study
New York, July 13 (IANS) Mobile phone notifications can ruin your focus even if you do not actually pick up the phone to respond...
Ban Ki-moon announces new UN special representatives in Africa
By NNN-UNNS
United Nations : un Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday announced the appointment of three Special Representatives and two Deputy Special Representatives to act for him in four African countries trying to recover from prolonged war or insecurity – Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Liberia.
UN spokesperson Michele Montas said that Mr. Ban had informed the Security Council of his intention to make the appointments and expected a response from the 15-member body shortly.
China willing to resume human rights dialogue
By Xinhua
Beijing : China is willing to increase imports from the United States and resume human rights dialogue with Washington, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here Wednesday.
"China is ready to hold human rights dialogue with the US side on the basis of equality and mutual respect," Yang said at a press conference on the sidelines of the country's parliamentary session.
Yang's remark came in the wake of a US government annual report on human rights across the world, which is critical of China.
Nepali gov’t formally to take over Narayanhiti Palace
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : The Narayanhiti palace in the central area of the capital Kathmandu will be formally taken over on Sunday by the Nepali government, The Himalayan Times reported.
According to the daily, at a ceremony to which the heads of Nepal's diplomatic missions, chiefs of the political parties, ministers have been invited, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who now holds deposed King Gyanendra's position as head of the state, will formally hoist Nepal's national flag at the palace.
Sri Lanka Destroys Tamil Rebel Base
By Prensa Latina
Colombo : Warplanes bombed a command base of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the northern Sri Lankan city of Kilinochchi, said sources from the Ministry of Defense.
The air raid was staged shortly after the government ended the cease-fire agreed with the LTTE on February 23, 2002, frequently violated by both parties for the last five years.
According to the Defense ministry report, the Sri Lankan air force jets attacked a meeting of Tamil rebel leaders near the city of Killinochchi.
South Korea names new prime minister
Seoul : South Korean President Park Geun-hye Tuesday nominated a new prime minister, an official said.
Moon Chang-keuk, a former journalist at a daily newspaper,...
Bolivian president sets date for constitution referendum
By DPA,
La Paz (Bolivia) : Bolivian President Evo Morales has set Dec 7 for a national referendum on a controversial new constitution, which threatens to further split the country.
The draft constitution, which Morales says is to improve the lot of the impoverished indigenous majority in the east of the country, was approved last year in an elected assembly boycotted by the opposition.
However, five prosperous western regions, populated by descendants of immigrants, are fiercely opposed to the new constitution, and strive for far-reaching autonomy.
Zimbabwe parliament sworn in with reduced MDC numbers
By DPA,
Harare : Zimbabwe's parliament was sworn in Monday five months after it was elected, in a ceremony marred by a police crackdown on the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Police detained two MDC members of parliament when they arrived at parliament to be sworn in, the party said in a statement.
Shua Mudiwa, MP from Mutare West, was later released and returned to parliament ahead of a tense vote for speaker, but Eliah Jembere, MP from Epworth, who was apparently one of seven MDC MPs on a police "wanted" list was still in detention.
Russia’s plane with humanitarian aid lands in Myanmar
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A Russian Il-76 airplane from the Emergencies Ministry's fleet delivered Saturday humanitarian aid to Myanmar, a spokesperson for the ministry said.
The Southeast Asian country attempts to recover from a cyclone that, according to official data, has left over 20,000 people dead and dozens of thousands homeless.
"The plane with humanitarian cargo landed in the capital of Myanmar, Yangon, at 5:30 a.m. Moscow time [1:30 GMT]," the spokesperson said.
Shocking gang rape at California school dance
By DPA,
San Francisco : Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy on charges that he participated in a shocking gang rape outside a school dance in northern California, amid reports that over a dozen students witnessed the brutal assault but did nothing to stop it.
The incident occurred Saturday night at Richmond High School, just outside San Francisco. Police arrested a 19-year-old as he ran from the scene where a student who had attended the dance had been brutally raped by as many as six people.
EU ministers to meet Tuesday on Myanmar crisis
By DPA,
Brussels : The European Commission is due to meet Tuesday in Brussels to discuss the ongoing crisis in Myanmar following Cyclone Nargis.
The scale of destruction and need caused by the cyclone was "massive", European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel said Monday ahead of the extraordinary meeting.
"The purpose of the meeting will be to review the situation and to beef up the response of the European Union (EU) member states and the European Commission to this emergency situation," a statement from the commission said.
Nepali PM presents concept paper on future constitution
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : Nepali Prime Minister Prachanda Wednesday presented a concept paper on the future constitution of the country.
The ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M), which has prepared it, has proposed an executive president at the centre and governors and chief ministers in the states, the National News Agency RSS reported. The paper was given to the Constitution Committee of the Constituent Assembly.
Sri Lanka troops, LTTE rebels clash in Jaffna peninsula
By IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lankan troops battled Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern Jaffna peninsula and continued to mount pressure on the rebels fighting to prevent the fall of their "political capital" of Kilinochchi, defence sources said Saturday.
The ministry of defence said the troops deployed in the Kilaly area in Jaffna had confronted cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on three occasions Friday. The deep lagoon in Kilaly, lying on the west of the Jaffna-Kandy main highway, divides the Wanni mainland from the northern peninsula.
Nicaragua”s D”Escoto for UN Unity
By Luis Beaton Fonseca, Prensa Latina,
Managua : Former Nicaraguan Foreign Minister and candidate to the chairmanship of the upcoming 63rd UN General Assembly Session Miguel D"Escoto said that people"s unity is a key to face current challenges worldwide.
The 72 year-old man seasoned diplomat and priest with the Maryknoll religious order pledged for real "united nations, not dispersed nations."
Truck explodes in China, kills three
By IANS,
Beijing : A truck exploded Friday on an expressway in China's Hubei province, killing three people and injuring four, police said.
Lakshmi Mittal’s US steel plant to lay off 400 workers
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington, April 15 (IANS) ArcelorMittal SA, the world's largest steel maker led by India-born steel czar Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, plans to idle a plant in East Chicago and lay off about 400 workers due to global economic crisis that has dampened demand for the metal.
The Luxembourg-based company that produces 10 percent of the world's steel will suspend operations indefinitely at the Indiana Harbour Long Carbon facility, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday citing a company statement.
Chavez celebrates 11 years in power
By IANS/EFE,
Caracas : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez celebrated 11 years in power on his 55th birthday and hopes to continue as head of state for another similar term.
"I like that number 11. And the next 11 (years) I promise to take care of myself a little more, and if you want, I'll be 66 (years old then) and god willing 22 (years) as president," he said on the occasion of his 55th birthday Tuesday.
Prabhakaran is safe and alive, insist loyal fans
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
New Delhi : A week after he became history, his diehard followers still believe that Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is very much alive.
Although the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that Prabhakaran founded has been virtually destroyed, its overseas adherents refuse to believe that the legendary rebel leader was killed in Sri Lanka May 18.
Canadian terror plot ringleader pleads guilty
By IANS,
Toronto : The ringleader of an Al Qaeda linked group that plotted attacks on Canada has pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy.
Zakaria Amara, 24, who had planned to flee to Pakistan after carrying out the bombings, is the fourth member of the so-called Toronto-18 group to plead guilty to the plot.
The plot was unearthed in June 2006 with the arrest of 18 Canadian Muslims linked to the Al Qaeda.
170 killed in Kyrgyzstan ethnic violence
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : At least 170 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan, forcing authorities to evacuate more than 2,000 people from the country, media reports said Tuesday.
During the last two days 1,550 adults and 700 children were evacuated from the country, Kyrgyz 24.kg private news agency reported citing head of the civil aviation agency, Alexander Nastaev.
"Yesterday we sent home 580 foreign residents - to Turkey, Pakistan, Turkmenistan," Nastaev said.
Blair to be named Mideast Quartet envoy
By Xinhua
Washington : Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be named on Wednesday as Middle East peace envoy of the Quartet, or the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia, local mass media reported Tuesday.
   Members of the Quartet will announce the appointment insimultaneous statements from Washington, New York, Brussels and Moscow, the Associated Press quoted an unidentified official as reporting.
Japanese fishing boat capsizes, 13 missing
By Xinhua,
Tokyo : A fishing boat capsized in Pacific waters about 330 km off central Japan's Chiba Prefecture on Monday, Kyodo News reported.
Among the 20 crew members onboard, seven have been rescued while the Japan Coast Guard was still searching for the other 13 missing.
Maldivian former president held
By IANS,
Male : Maldivian opposition leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed was arrested Monday following a court order, a party official said.
US military role in Pakistan no secret: Pentagon
By IANS,
Washington : The US Defence Department confirmed that it has a team of military advisers training the Pakistani army in counter-insurgency operations but said the programme has been openly discussed for months, rejecting a newspaper report suggesting it was a "secret" project.
"The training effort with the (Pakistan) Frontier Corps is not a secret," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman Monday, referring to a New York Times report.
"We've talked about it on the record for several months," he told reporters.
Vice president ends Africa tour
By IANS,
Gaborone (Botswana) : Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari left for home after wrapping up his three-day visit to Botswana Monday night.
Ansari reached Gaborone Saturday and held delegation level talks with his host, Botswana Vice President Momfati Merafhe, a former army officer who got military training in India.
They signed two agreements in agriculture and education.
Ansari's engagements on the last day of his seven-day African trip was a tour of the facilities of the Diamond Trading Co and addressing the Indian community.
Germany, Mexico to promote joint initiative on food prices
By DPA,
Mexico City : Germany and Mexico have agreed to present a joint initiative to stabilize the global prices of foodstuffs, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday in Mexico City.
In the last leg of a Latin American tour that also took her to Brazil, Peru and Colombia, Merkel said she reached an agreement with Mexican President Felipe Calderon to deal jointly with an issue that has become "a central question" for international politics.
EU conditionally approves GE-Alstom deal
Brussels : Competition regulators of the European Union (EU) have approved the acquisition of the energy businesses of French company Alstom by US-based...
Zimbabwean VP pays tribute to Cuban martyrs
By NNN-ACN
Havana : Zimbabwean vice-President, Joyce Teurai Ropa Mujuru, paid tribute on Tuesday in this capital to the Cuban combatants who fell in action in the struggles for liberation in the island and abroad.
Teurai Ropa Mujuru visited Havana’s Colon cemetery to lay a wreath on the monument to the fallen, and paid special honor to the Cuban fighters who died fighting for the independence of the African people.
Bomb blast kills five policemen in Chechnya
By DPA,
Moscow : Five policemen were killed and two injured in a bomb explosion in Chechnya, Interfax news agency reported Monday.
No has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack in the suburb of the Chechen capital Grozny.
On Saturday, a group of 25 suspected Islamic militants clashed with police in Chechnya's southern district of Urus-Martan, killing two police officers.
Chechnya saw two separatist wars, in 1994 and 1999, and though major fighting has ended, the region is still plagued by violence, including hit-and-run raids on federal forces and local authorities.
Progress too slow to meet 2015 development goals: UN
By DPA,
Geneva : The global economic crisis will likely hamper efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, which, in part, were already lagging behind the targets, the UN warned in a report released Monday.
Aid to the world's poorest countries was falling short of pledges made by richer states, and the recession would probably cut into assistance budgets further.
The development goals, adopted by the UN in 2000, aim to dramatically reduce poverty and increase food security and access to health care by 2015.
Zimbabwe’s vice president blames food shortages on ‘lazy farmers’
By DPA,
Johannesburg/Harare : Zimbabwean Vice President Joyce Mujuru has accused "lazy" farmers of leasing their land instead of cultivating it, causing food shortages in the country, the state-controlled Herald newspaper reported Tuesday.
"Do you think there would be another government that would come and do the farming on your behalf while you sleep?" she asked at a rally attended by 20,000 people Monday.
"What do you get when you lease your pieces of land? How do you expect to survive with your families?" asked Mujuru.
200 houses damaged in Thai storm
By IANS,
Bangkok : Thailand's eastern coast was pounded by a storm Saturday night that damaged around 200 houses, officials said Sunday.
French December industrial production drops 2.8 percent
By KUNA,
PARIS : Industrial production in France last December declined a provisional 2.8 percent on an adjusted basis, following a finalized 3.6 percent fall in November, the National Statistics Institute (INSEE) said Tuesday.
The confirmed figure for November was higher than an original estimate of a 3.1 percent fall off in industrial production, INSEE noted.
In energy, automobiles and aviation products are excluded from December's calculations; as INSEE remarked that the drop in industrial production is gauged at around 1.8 percent for that month.
Driver killed in shooting at U.S. embassy vehicle in Sudan
By Xinhua
Khartoum : A driver was killed and an American wounded in a shooting at U.S. Embassy vehicle in Sudan on Tuesday morning, al-Arabiya TV channel earlier reported.
The report said that the driver, probably a Sudanese, was killed in the shooting at the sports utility vehicle that belongs to the U.S. Embassy in Sudan.
The incident was happened in a main street in Sudan's capital city of Khartoum early Tuesday morning, and an American was wounded in the chest in the same shooting.
Over 2000 children die every day due to unintentional injury
By IRNA,
Tehran : More than 2,000 children die every day as a result of an unintentional, or accidental injury and every year tens of millions more worldwide are taken to hospitals with injuries that often leave them with lifelong disabilities, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
Passengers stuck as volcanic ash spreads across Europe
By DPA,
Reykjavik/Berlin/London : Tens of thousands of passengers remain stuck at European airports as ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland causes flight disruptions and airport closures across the continent.
Airport authorities in Germany predicted the ash from the volcano under the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier, which is spreading to the east and south-east, would affect air traffic for days.
British air traffic control said Friday morning that aircraft would have to remain grounded until 1800 GMT. The situation has not improved, they said.
China protests PM visit to Arunachal, India disappointed
By IANS,
New Delhi/Beijing: India expressed disappointment over China's protest against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, whose ownership is disputed by Beijing.
"We express our disappointment and concern over the statement made by the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs since this does not help the process of ongoing negotiations on the boundary question," external affairs ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said.
China deports 10 pro-Tibet activists
By DPA,
Beijing : China has deported all 10 pro-Tibet activists it arrested for protesting or helping to organise protests during the Beijing Olympics, releasing them before the end of their 10-day detention following pressure from the US embassy, a US-based Tibet rights group said Monday.
"All 10 have been deported. They were deported (Sunday evening in Beijing) before the end of the closing ceremony," said Heather Reddick, an international operations director for the New York-based Students for a Free Tibet.
Modi makes a ‘hugely successful journey’ to America
By Arun Kumar,
Washington : Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up what he himself called a "hugely successful journey" to the US, winning over everyone,...
Six killed as troops clash with rebels in Colombia
By Xinhua
Bogota : At least five rebels and one soldier have been killed and three more soldiers injured in a clash between Colombian troops and rebel guerrillas.
The gun battle between government troops and the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN) fighters occurred Sunday in Santa Rosa del Sur, a small town in Bolivar in northern Colombia, commander Gen. Ricardo Vargas said Sunday.
The rebels were from the Ramiro Jesus Ramirez Castro front of the ELN, he said.
India conveys concern, Sri Lanka assures safety of Tamils
New Delhi/Chennai, Oct 26 (IANS) India Sunday told Sri Lanka that it needs to take utmost care to protect civilians caught in the dragging ethnic conflict but made it clear that it had no intention of forcing a truce in the campaign against the Tamil Tigers.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee conveyed the message to Basil Rajapaksa, a senior advisor to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in New Delhi.
The president's special envoy also held talks with National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.
Pakistan observes golden jubilee of 1965 war with India
Islamabad : Pakistan on Sunday observed the golden jubilee of its 1965 war with India.
Processions were held in major cities, including capital Islamabad, and...
Meghalaya CM bats for more sea routes with Bangladesh
Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Sunday favoured more sea routes via Bangladesh to promote trade and business in India's north-eastern states.
"With increased...
17 killed in Mexico violence
Mexico:At least 17 people have been killed in a series of shootouts that started over the weekend in Tampico, a city in Mexican state...
More Americans have unfavourable views on Islam
By IANS,
Washington : The number of Americans viewing Islam favourably has declined since 2005, but there is little change in those saying that Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, according to a new poll.
As was the case a year ago, slightly more people say the Islamic religion does not encourage violence more than other religions (42 percent) than say that it does (35 percent), the poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research Centre found.
New Rail Service To China To Launch On New Year’s Day
By Bernama,
Hanoi : A railway service from Hanoi to Nanning province of China will be launched on January 1, 2009, according to an announcement by the Vietnam Railway Corporation.
Nguyen Huu Tuyen, Head of the corporation's Transport Business Department, said the train used for the route will have six air-conditioned carriages, each with 40 hard beds and 30 soft beds.
All of these first-class carriages have been provided by China, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) quoted Nguyen as saying.
Cruise to recruit for Scientology church in Australia
By IANS,
London : Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise will launch a recruitment drive for Scientology church in Australia.
Dailymail.co.uk reports that his employment drive will begin when he relocates to Melbourne for four months with his actress wife, Katie Holmes who will begin work on her latest film "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" in August.
"Tom knows that he will have his work cut out as the church attracts protesters. But he hopes his presence will help change minds and dispel the myths that Scientology is a cult," said a source.
At least 87,000 feared dead in China’s May 12 quake
By Xinhua,
Beijing : At least 87,000 people are feared to have perished in the deadly May 12 earthquake in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, an expert said Thursday in a revised estimate.
"The toll in the quake had topped 69,000 by mid July, with another 18,000 missing," Shi Peijun with the National Wenchuan Earthquake Expert Committee told a press conference here.
"Given that it has been three months since the deadly earthquake struck, the hope of survival for the missing is very slim," Shi said.
Bill Clinton calls for support to Greek economy
By IANS,
Athens : Former US president Bill Clinton has called for support to the ailing Greek economy.
Unattached MPs hold key in Australia’s new parliament
By IANS,
Melbourne : The ruling Labor Party and the opposition coalition Monday rushed to win the support of three independents and a Greens MP crucial to form Australia's new government after the electorate threw up a hung parliament.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott reached Canberra to join battle over who will form a minority government with independent MPs.
Three seats -- Hasluck in Western Australia, Dunkley in Victoria and Boothby in South Australia -- were Monday deemed by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) as "close".
Thatcher taken to London hospital for tests: official
By AFP
London : Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has been admitted to a London hospital where she is in a "stable" condition, its spokeswoman said Saturday.
Thatcher, 82, is expected to spend the night at Saint Thomas' Hospital in central London, to which she was reportedly driven from her home in the capital late Friday for precautionary tests.
Over 100,000 evacuated after heavy rains in China
By IANS,
Changsha (China) : Heavy rains lashed the Hunan province in central China, prompting officials to evacuate over 100,000 people amid threats of flash floods, Xinhua reported Saturday.
Thirty-six counties and cities were affected, and 120,000 people have been evacuated since heavy rains lashed the province Friday, officials said.
Over 2,000 buildings were destroyed and 10,000 homes damaged. There was no report of casualties so far, said a spokesman of the provincial Civil Affairs Department.
US withdraws ‘lexicon of domestic extremism’
By IANS,
Washington : The US administration has withdrawn in no time a 'Domestic Extremism Lexicon', defining a range of extremist activities.
The Homeland Security Department office nixed the 'reference aid' within hours it came out of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) in late March, the Washington Times reported this week.
"The lexicon was not an authorised I&A product, and it was recalled as soon as management discovered it had been released without authorization," Amy Kudwa, Homeland Security spokeswoman, was quoted as saying.
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...
Sydney’s APEC meeting struggles for agenda, fashion
By DPA
Sydney : The big talking point as Sydney prepares to host 21 Asia-Pacific leaders is what outfit Australia will embarrass them with for the obligatory group photograph.
Will the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summiteers appear on the steps of the Opera House as aging Wiggles in the red, blue, purple and yellow costumes made famous by the local lads who have become global children's entertainers?
Or will host Prime Minister John Howard play safe and have them done up by a fashionable outfitter in beige bush gear and a wide-brimmed hat?
11 die in Siberia plane crash
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A passenger jet crashed in East Siberia Monday, killing 11 of the 15 passengers on board, a Russian emergencies ministry spokeswoman said.
The plane was flying from the city of Krasnoyarsk to the town of Igarka, when it crashed during landing at 17:40 GMT. There were four crewmembers and 11 passengers, including a child, on board.
The four survivors have been hospitalized and one is in intensive care with serious burns, Olesya Kukuyeva said.
Sri Lankan police arrest 33 people over train blast
By NNN-Xinhua,
Colombo : The police in Sri Lanka said 33 people have been held on suspicion over the bomb blast which killed nine people and injured 86 more on Monday.
The blast on board a crowded train along the western coastal line hit the Colombo suburb of Dehiwala late Monday afternoon.
Officials said on Tuesday that 72 of the 86 injured are still being treated in two hospitals.
A senior police officer said 15 people out of the 33 arrested on suspicion were released after questioning.
Blair’s decade in office: a legacy of war and waste?
By Prasun Sonwalkar, London: As British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the ruling Labour party celebrate the 10th anniversary of coming to power Tuesday, critics are beginning to call his decade in office as one of "war and waste".
Blair last week outlined his 10-year legacy in a dossier to his Labour MPs, but not a few have begun to recall Enoch Powell's prophecy that all political careers end in failure.
23 killed in China thunderstorm
By IANS,
Beijing : At least 23 people were killed and 161 injured after strong gale and heavy rain swept China's Chongqing region Thursday morning, officials said.
The disastrous weather started at around 2.00 a.m. local time in Dianjiang and Liangping counties, toppling houses and damaging crops, Xinhua quoted government officials as saying.
Six people were killed and 34 injured in Liangping county while 17 people died and 127 were injured in Dianjiang county, they said.
The government has started relief work in the region.
US bailout fuels protests in streets, online
By Parveen Chopra, IANS,
New York : Even as lawmakers laboured to break the impasse on Bush administration's $700 billion plan to rescue giant Wall Street firms to solve the financial crisis, the bailout has spontaneously inspired street protests in the US and outrage gone viral across the web.
China to raise water level of Three Gorges Dam
By Xinhua,
Yichang (China) : China is to raise the water level of the Three Gorges Dam, one of the world's biggest hydropower projects, the developer announced Saturday.
The trial operation is set to begin at midnight Sunday.
The water behind the dam would be raised to an unspecified higher level subject to conditions of the Yangtze river, where the project was built, the China Three Gorges Project Corporation (CTGPC) announced.
It said the State Council (cabinet) has given its approval. As of Saturday afternoon, the water level was 145.39 metres.
Obama fourth US president to win Nobel
By IANS,
Washington : Barack Obama Wednesday became the fourth US president to win the Nobel Prize for Peace.
The other three are:
-- Theodore Roosevelt (1906) "for his successful mediation to end the Russo-Japanese war and for his interest in arbitration, having provided the Hague arbitration court with its very first case"
-- Woodrow Wilson (1919) as "founder of the League of Nations"
Minutes of silence mark annual commemoration of 9/11
By DPA,
Washington/New York : The seventh commemoration of the 2001 terrorist attacks on Washington and New York began Thursday morning with a nationwide solemn moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time that one of four hijacked passenger planes smashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York.
Family members of the more than 2,500 who died in New York gathered outside the site of Ground Zero, and prepared to descend into what is now a construction site.
Sri Lanka police detain French TV crew
By IANS
Colombo : It wasn't a merry Christmas for French TV journalists Capucine Henri and C. Siomon doing a documentary on the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka.
The duo, representing France 24 news channel, had to spend Christmas in a police station in Rathgama in south Sri Lanka, having been detained for filming an army checkpoint and trying to take shots of a Tamil family visiting a relative in a detention camp for terror suspects on Christmas eve.
Five dead in Guatemala landslide
By IANS/EFE,
Guatemala City : At least five people including three minors were killed in a landslide in Guatemala.
The accident occurred on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital in an area of loose ground which shifted when the people walked over it, causing the landslide that trapped the victims, an official spokesman said Thursday.
Indonesia: 11 missing after boat capsizes as strong waves batters coastal areas
By NNN-Antara
Jakarta : Rescue teams searched Friday for 11 missing people after a wooden fishing boat capsized in rough seas off Indonesia's Central Java province earlier this week, an official said.
Brebes district search and rescue team leader Ade Raharjo said rescuers, including navy divers and police, were still searching for survivors after the accident on Wednesday.
"We hope that the weather will be more calm today (Friday) to enable us to keep searching for the missing," he said, adding that bad weather hindered rescue efforts on Thursday.
Three dead, 16 injured in Nigerian suicide attacks
Abuja : At least three people were killed and 16 others injured in two suicide bombings Monday in northern Nigeria's Kano state, officials said.
In...
Sri Lankan military leaders visit Jaffna
Colombo, Aug 19 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's military top brass have visited the island's northern town of Jaffna to assess first-hand the security situation prevailing there, officials said Sunday.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, Chief Defence Staff Donald Perera and Army Commander Sarath Fonseka visited the cultural capital of Tamil community Saturday.
Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the brother of Sri Lanka President Mahindra Rajapakse, is an ex-army officer and currently spearheads the government's military offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
26 killed in China mine blast
By IANS,
Beijing : Twenty-six people were killed in an explosion in a coal mine in central China's Henan province, authorities said Wednesday.
French Sikhs bringing turban ban issue to Delhi
By Christine Nayagam, IANS,
Paris: A delegation of Sikhs from France will land in New Delhi Thursday for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the annual gathering of the Indian diaspora, to highlight the continuing problem of the ban of Sikh turbans in France.
As all their attempts to resolve the issue with the French and European authorities have failed, the Sikhs are now turning to not only the Indian government but also the entire Indian diaspora to help them resolve a problem that threatens their religious identity.
High-level ADB official visits Nepal
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : Kunio Senga, Director General of Asian Development Bank's (ADB) South Asia Department, arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday for a four-day official visit to Nepal, a ADB news release said.
During his visit, Senga will meet with the Prime Minister, Ministers of Finance, Physical Planning and Works, Local Development, Water Resources and other senior government officials. He is also scheduled to meet with senior leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).
Tenzing’s tribe angered by polygamy, polyandry slur in Nepal
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : The Sherpas of Nepal, the hardy mountaineering people made famous by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first man to summit Mt Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, are demanding that the Nepal government stop their vilification as a people given to many, and even incestuous, marriages.
"(Then) Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru honoured Tenzing," says Ang Tsering Sherpa, former minister and a prominent member of the Sherpa community in Nepal. "But Nepal doesn't have a single statue of Tenzing.
Myanmar assures fair by-elections
By IANS,
Yangon : The Myanmar election commission has urged its officers to ensure free and fair by-elections set for April 1.
Bobby Jindal would not rule out White House run in 2012
By Arun Kumar,IANS,
Washington : Louisiana's Indian American Governor Bobby Jindal and two other potential Republican White House hopefuls have not ruled out running for president in 2012.
"What I'm saying is I'm running for re-election. I have no, no plans beyond that," said Jindal on NBC's on Meet the Press Sunday after facing repeated questions about his political future.
Bangladesh orders diplomat caught with gold bars to leave
Dhaka: The North Korean diplomat, who was caught with 27 kg of gold at Bangladesh's Shahjalal International Airport, was on Monday asked to leave...
Cuba has lowest AIDS rate in Caribbean
By Prensa Latina,
Havana : Cuba has the lowest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate at 0.1 percent of the population in the Caribbean, the National AIDS Prevention Center (NAPC) said.
While AIDS-related mortality is low in the island, and mother-to-child transmission is negligible, the epidemic shows a sustained growth, mainly among the male population, NAPC chief Rosaida Ochoa told journalists on Thursday.
The Cuban capital has the largest number of AIDS/HIV patients, she added.
Moderate earthquake rocks Pakistan
Islamabad : An earthquake of moderate intensity rocked parts of Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Friday afternoon, the Met office said.
The earthquake, measuring 5.0...
Spanish PSOE Ahead in Electoral Polls
By Prensa Latina
Madrid : Spain´s Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) will win the elections of March 9 by a difference of between 4 and 6 points over the Popular Party (PP) according to two surveys published in Madrid Sunday.
Spanish radio and TV network SER said PSOE increased their edge in electoral polls to six points, and should be the winners with 44 percent of the votes, by 38 percent obtained by PP.
SER said PSOE had a margin of 5.5 points (44 against 38.5) over PP in a sample published Saturday.