Briton dies as metal door falls on him
By IANS,
London: A man died and another was seriously injured when a large metal door fell on them at a music venue in Britain, BBC reported Sunday.
Young female prisoners face greater risk of death
by IANS
Melbourne : A study by researchers in Australia has found that young female prisoners face greater risk of early death than male prisoners of their age.
A new study by Azar Kariminia of the University of New South Wales and her colleagues has made this observation.
They analysed deaths among 85,203 adults with a history of imprisonment in New South Wales between 1988 and 2002.
UN finds over 100 bodies in east Congo mass graves
By SPA,
Kinshasa : United Nations peacekeepers have found over 100 bodies in three mass graves in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo, the country's U.N. mission said on Saturday.
A patrol of South African soldiers discovered the graves on Friday near the village of Maboya in troubled North Kivu province. A U.N. spokesman told Reuters a preliminary excavation of the site indicated they had not been dug recently.
Toned-down commemorations on 9/11 anniversary
By DPA
New York/Washington : Six years after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, Americans are planning a series of toned-down ceremonies Tuesday to remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives.
For the first time since the attacks, there was to be no ceremony at the site where the World Trade Centre towers once stood, though family members would be allowed a brief visit to lay flowers and wreaths down to what is now a construction pit at Ground Zero.
AirAsia boss Fernandez eyes Singapore Airlines
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysian budget airline AirAsia's ethnic Indian boss Tony Fernandez has said his long-term goal is to one day "take over" Singapore Airlines (SIA), the national airline of the neighbouring city state.
The maverick entrepreneur revealed his company's ambitions at the end of a slide presentation at an event where he was conferred an award by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak Thursday.
Nirupama Rao begins talks with Dalai Lama
By IANS,
Dharamsala: Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao began talks with Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama here Saturday, an official said.
"The talks between the Dalai Lama and the officials of the external affairs ministry, including Rao, began at the official palace of the Dalai Lama at around 4.15 p.m. At the closed-door meeting, high-ranking officials of the government-in-exile including its prime minister Samdhong Rinpoche are also participating," the official said.
Former Russian envoy to U.S. moves to government
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Yury Ushakov has quit his post as Russian ambassador to the United States and will join the government staff under the new prime minister, Vladimir Putin.
The government's press service said on Monday that Putin had signed a resolution appointing the diplomat as deputy chief of government staff.
Ushakov has also quit as Russia's observer at the Washington-based Organization of American States.
Russian business daily Kommersant said last week that Ushakov could oversee international affairs in the government, and be charged with streamlining the area.
Russia to build up Northern Sea naval presence
By IANS,
Moscow : Russia would increase its submarine task force along its Northern Sea Route, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.
Russian opposition activist given suspended sentence
Moscow : Russian opposition activist Aleksey Navalny Tuesday received a suspended three-and-a-half-year sentence in an embezzlement case, a Moscow district court announced.
Navalny, an anti-corruption...
Strong quake jolts southwestern China
By Xinhua,
Sichuan (China) : A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale Saturday jolted the Panzhihua city in China's southwestern province of Sichuan, the National Seismograph Network Centre said.
The quake occurred at 4.30 p.m. The epicentre was located at about 50 km southeast of the city, it said.
No further details were immediately available.
Sichuan province had been hit by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake May 12, killing up to 70,000 people and devastating an area of 40,000 sq km. More than 42 million people have been affected by the quake.
US: Dems and GOP Fighting for Female Vote
By Prensa Latina,
Washington : The vote of women has become a crucial topic for the Republican (Grand Old) and Democrat Parties for the November 4 general elections in the US, said local newspaper The Washington Post Saturday.
As an example of this policy, Republican presidential candidate John McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a woman, as his electoral formula partner, The Washington Post said.
This proposal gave hope to Republican conservatives, who are expecting to attract the vote of women, traditionally Democrat followers.
Bush thanks Manmohan for briefing on South Asia
By Manish Chand,IANS,
Washington : In a sign of growing convergence of approach on countering growing terrorism in South Asia, US President George Bush Thursday thanked Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for "his briefing" on India's neighbourhood that will help him forge a balanced policy towards the region.
"I thank you for your advice on a range of matters. I appreciated very much your briefing on the neighbourhood in which you live," Bush told Manmohan Singh in the presence of media persons at the Oval Office in the White House.
Giant panda Ling Ling dies at 22
By DPA,
Tokyo : A giant panda that was the most popular resident of a Tokyo zoo died Wednesday of old age at 22 years and seven months.
Ling Ling, a male giant panda, came to the Ueno Zoo in 1992 from his birthplace at the Beijing Zoo to commemorate the 20th anniversary of normalised relations between Japan and China.
Japan gave China a Japan-born panda in exchange for Ling Ling, who had suffered recently from decreased heart and kidney functions because of his age. He was equivalent to 80 to 90 years old in human terms, according to the Jiji Press news agency.
Relief efforts in Myanmar a battle against time
Yangon, May 13 (DPA) The rain came down so forcefully that people's skin suffered bruises. Yet they survived and are among the lucky ones in the Irrawaddy river delta region in southern Myanmar, where tropical Cyclone Nargis wreaked the most havoc May 2-3.
The survivors are left with nothing. There is no electricity, no drinking water, no medicine. Many of the traumatised victims haven't eaten for several days.
The flood wave brought on by the cyclone has made drinking water sources non-potable. Corpses still litter the jungle. The situation is a nightmare.
Iowa carries traditional political weight to 2008 presidential race
By Xinhua
Washington : Over 300 million Americans and more around the world are closely watching a U.S. Midwestern state with a size of no more than 150,000 square meters and population of less than 3 million where the primaries of the 2008 presidential elections started.
A total of eight Democrats and seven Republicans who are vying for 2008 presidential candidacy gathered there to grasp the last minute to recruit more votes, while media and political observers are searching for clues that can show who is most likely to win.
Obama’s peace Nobel: Shocking, stunning, bold
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: The "stunning surprise" of US President Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize 2009, was greeted at home with expressions of disbelief to praise for a "bold choice".
"The stunning surprise announcement coming extraordinarily early in Mr. Obama's presidency - less than nine months after he took office as the first African American president - shocked people from Norway to Washington," said The New York Times.
The White House had no idea it was coming.
Russia to test first combat drone in 2014
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia will test its first domestically-produced strike unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in 2014, First Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Sukhorukov said Friday.
Putin appoints ‘nationalist’ Rogozin as Russia’s NATO envoy
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : President Vladimir Putin signed a decree appointing Dmitry Rogozin, an outspoken nationalist ex-lawmaker, as Russia's permanent envoy to NATO, the Kremlin press service said on Thursday.
A source in Russia's mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said on Wednesday that the Western security alliance had agreed to the appointment.
Rogozin, 44, is due to arrive in Brussels to assume his new post by the end of January. NATO spokesman James Appathurai said in November that the alliance was ready to work with Rogozin.
NASA captures Earth flyby of ‘space peanut’
Washington : NASA scientists have captured a peanut-shaped asteroid that approached close to Earth last weekend. The next time an asteroid will approach...
Haiti banned from U-17 tournament due to cholera outbreak
By DPA,
Montego Bay/Port-au-Prince : Haiti's team has been banned from taking part in the CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Jamaica, due to the ongoing outbreak of cholera in Haiti.
U.S. says it regrets Russia decision to suspend CFE treaty
By Xinhua
Washington : The United States said Wednesday it "deeply regrets" the Russian decision to suspend the Soviet-era arms pact Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe(CFE) and said it is a "wrong decision."
The United States "deeply regrets" Russia's decision to suspend implementation of its obligations under the CFE, the State Department said in a statement.
"This 'suspension,' which is not provided for under the terms of the CFE Treaty, is the wrong decision," the statement said.
‘Gurkhas to get British residency rights’
By IANS,
London : All Gurkha ex-soldiers who have served in the British Army are to be given the right to settle down in Britain with a formal statement expected Thursday, a newspaper reported.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has been severely embarrassed by Gurkha residency rights campaign led by screen actress Joanna Lumley, is expected to signal the new policy in the British parliament, the Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.
Universal health coverage close to reality: Obama
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: As the Senate passed a historic $871 billion health care reform bill Thursday, President Barack Obama said the vote, seen as a Christmas Eve victory on his top domestic priority, had brought a goal that has eluded several presidents "incredibly close to reality."
The Senate passage of the health care bill means the nation is near the "end of a nearly century-long struggle to reform America's health care system," he said in nationally televised remarks from the White House shortly after the 7 a.m. vote.
Obama nominates Dunford to head NATO forces in Afghanistan
By IANS,
Washington: US President Barack Obama Wednesday nominated General Joseph Dunford as the new commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Britain to raise marriage-visa age from Nov 27
By IANS,
London : The age at which someone can apply for a marriage visa to join their spouse in Britain will increase from 18 to 21 from the end of November, the government announced.
From Nov 27 both parties in a marriage will have to be 21 before a marriage visa can be issued, the home ministry said Tuesday in what it described as part of efforts to crack down on forced marriage and on “those who attempt to abuse the marriage visa route”.
IMF voting reform gets go-ahead of ministers
By DPA
Washington : A long-awaited reform of the International Monetary Fund's voting procedures that gives developing countries a modest increase in influence has received broad support from the IMF members, Italy's finance minister said Saturday.
Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa said the new voting rules unveiled last month had been "fully endorsed" by the 24 finance ministers attending the IMF's traditional spring meetings in Washington.
Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony for Liu begins in Oslo
By IANS,
Oslo : The Nobel Peace Prize committee Friday began its award ceremony for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in the face of continuing anger from the Chinese government, a media report said.
Six Mexicans held for trying to swap child for property
By EFE,
Mexico City : Six Mexicans were arrested for allegedly trying to exchange a two-year-old child for a plot of land, authorities said.
Four months ago Alejandra Resendiz Ramos and husband Elias Vega Hernandez, who have four children, met Jose Guadalupe Rocha and his wife, America de Alba Bravo.
Rocha had promised his sister-in-law, Elba de Alba Bravo, married but childless, to get a youngster for her.
UK proposes concept of ‘permission’ for immigrants
By IANS,
London: Britain's Labour government Thursday proposed a new rule under which people seeking to migrate to Britain will either be given "permission" or not - a proposal that would do away with five existing approval categories if passed.
According to new draft legislation, the five current application categories available to migrants will be replaced by one clear concept - "permission" to be in the UK.
China boosts gas supply to battle cold
By IANS,
Beijing: China's largest natural gas supplier has pledged to boost its output to help people meet their fuel needs this winter.
PM satisfied with India-Israel ties
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday expressed satisfaction with the ongoing cooperation between India and Israel in various sectors, an official release reported.
During...
World’s highest cable-car system opens in Bolivia
La Paz : Bolivian President Evo Morales has inaugurated the world's highest cable-car system, which began carrying passengers between this capital and the adjacent...
Poland, U.S. agree on missile shield terms
By RIA Novosti,
Warsaw : Poland and the U.S. have reached a tentative agreement on the deployment of an American missile base in Poland, a leading Polish TV channel reported.
Poland and the United States have been engaged in protracted talks over a U.S. request to place 10 interceptor missiles in northern Poland as part of a U.S. missile shield for Europe and North America against possible attacks from "rogue states," including Iran.
French vote in large numbers to elect president
By DPA
Paris : The French were going to the polls in large numbers Sunday to elect a president to follow Jacques Chirac as head of state for the next five years.
9/11 suspects to be arraigned May 5: Pentagon
By IANS,
Washington : Five suspects in the 9/11 terror attack will be arraigned in court May 5, the US Defense Department said Tuesday.
Car tax in UK reclassified on carbon dioxide emissions
By IRNA
London : Motorists in Britain will have to pay a vehicle licencing charge for their cars based on carbon dioxide emissions from April, even though the tax is supposed to be for the cost of road maintenance.
Announcing the plan in the country's annual budget, Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling said that it was to encourage the use of less polluting cars in a bid to tackle climate change.
10 killed in Brazil shootout
By IANS,
Rio de Janeiro : At least 10 people have been killed and six injured in a shootout between the Brazilian police and drug traffickers on the outskirts of this city, the EFE news agency reported Tuesday.
The incident took place in Lagoinha slum on the western part of the city Monday. The police were investigating a case in the area when gunmen opened fire at them.
The victims belonged to a gang of drug traffickers, the police said. Six people, including a policeman, were injured in the shootout.
Now IBM axing jobs in Canada
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : IBM Canada, which has 19,600 employees on its rolls, announced Thursday that it is axing a number of jobs to contain costs.
The US software giant, which is reportedly in the process of laying off 5,000 staff in America and transferring a lot of them to India, said the Canadian cuts will affect the staff from customer care positions to executives.
Without specifying how many jobs will be cut, an IBM Canada spokesman told the Canadian Press that "there is no specific area being targeted and no specific region - it is across the country.''
UK suffers more wounded casualties in Afghanistan than Iraq
London, Jan 8, IRNA ,British troops are now suffering a higher wounded casualty rate in Afghanistan than in Iraq, according to new official figures.
The increase comes after Britain started to send troops to Afghanistan in a combat role in the southern province of Helmand from the beginning of 2007.
In a written parliamentary reply published Tuesday, Defence Minister Baroness Taylor revealed that in the 23 months up until November 2007, 307 British military personnel were admitted to medical facilities in Afghanistan having being wounded in action.
Coastlines remain intact, despite climate change: study
By IANS,
Sydney : Preliminary research from the windswept coast of southern France suggest that world's coastlines remain largely intact despite climate change.
The urgent question is whether even small changes in sea levels due to climate change will wreck this natural balance and trigger devastating coastal erosion.
Key parameters are being recorded on equipment constructed by a joint team from Universities of New South Wales (UNSW) and Plymouth (Britain), in what is believed to be the single largest array of scientific instruments ever deployed in experimental coastal research.
Sikh group slams Canada’s no-Singh no-Kaur rule
By IANS
Toronto : A Sikh group has slammed the long-standing Canadian immigration policy that forces Sikhs with the surname Singh or Kaur to change their last names if they want to migrate to the country.
The criticism came after an Indian Canadian Sikh woman, Tarvinder Kaur, who is pregnant, said her husband Jaspal Singh's application to become a permanent resident has been delayed because of his last name.
"He has no choice but to legally change his name in India so he can be with me before I give birth next month," she said.
30 people, including 13 terrorists, killed in attack on Pakistan airbase
Peshawar: An army officer was among the 30 people killed when heavily armed Taliban guerrillas stormed a sprawling Pakistan Air Force base and attacked...
Pope discusses Islam relations with Anglican Head
By IINA,
Rome : Pope Benedict and the Archbishop of Canterbury discussed Christian-Muslim relations yesterday in their first meeting since the Anglican leader caused a storm with comments on the role of Sharia law in Britain.
The Vatican said the Pope had received Rowan Williams in a private audience but gave no details. An Anglican spokesman said the two spoke privately for about 20 minutes and discussed Christian-Muslim relations, inter-faith dialogue and the Pope's impression of his visit to the United States last month.
‘White’ immigration into Britain makes many see red
By Prasun Sonwalkar
London,(IANS) The colour of concern in Britain over immigration has changed from 'brown' and 'black' to 'white' as several official and unofficial reports reveal that the entry of thousands of people from the expanded European Union has put unforeseen pressure on housing, education, health and safety.
Carter meets Nepal Maoist leaders
By Sudeshna Sarkar
IANSKathmandu : Former US president Jimmy Carter Friday met Nepal's top Maoist leaders, marking the first public interaction between the rebels, who are still outlawed in the US, and an American citizen of his status.
Calmer winds help firefighters battle wildfire near Los Angeles
By Xinhua,
Los Angeles : With winds calming down, firefighters were working hard to further control a wildfire that terrified thousands residents near Los Angeles, authorities said on Sunday.
Firefighters were creating a larger fire break, and expect to use significant air resources to battle the fire that had been raging in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys at the weekend.
The fire was 30 percent contained as of Sunday morning. Firefighters said they expected to get all available fixed-wing craft and helicopters up in the air later in the day.
Saudi Arabia appoints first Minister for Gulf Affairs
Riyadh : Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced the appointment of Thamer Al-Sabhan as the first Minister of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs at the...
Tropical Storm Krosa hits east China, forcing evacuation of one million
By Xinhua
Hangzhou : China has evacuated more than 1.41 million people from eastern provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang with no casualty reported after the powerful Typhoon Krosa landed the eastern coastal area on Sunday afternoon.
Amid aftershocks, Nepalese cry for food and water
By Anil Giri,
Kathmandu : Disaffection mounted in Nepal on Monday as people hit hard by the country's worst earthquake in 81 years alleged poor...
Flight ban over Europe leads to sporting chaos
By IANS,
Berlin : The flight ban over large parts of Europe due to a volcano in Iceland spewing clouds of ash and dust has lead to chaos in the sporting arena.
Several sporting competitions have been affected as fans, officials and athletes were stranded in airports and cities throughout the world.
The MotoGP race scheduled next weekend for Motegi in Japan has been called off by organizers as they could not guarantee that the drivers, teams and motorcycles would reach the Far East on time.
Ethiopian airliner makes emergency landing in Beirut
By DPA,
Beirut : An Ethiopian airliner made an emergency landing at Beirut international airport Thursday shortly after take-off due to a technical malfunction.
"The plane asked to return to Beirut Airport shortly after take-off due to a malfunction," an airport official said.
On Jan 25, 2010, an Ethiopian airliner crashed into the sea near Beirut airport shortly after take off, killing 90 passengers on board, most of whom were Lebanese.
Three killed in US drone attack
By IANS,
Islamabad : Three people were killed Sunday in a US drone attack in northwest Pakistan's tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
The drone fired two missiles targeting a house, Geo TV reported.
Switzerland confirms first swine flu case
By DPA,
Geneva : A man who recently returned from Mexico has been confirmed as having Switzerland's first case of swine flu, medical officials said Thursday.
The announcement about the 19-year-old man's condition was made by a hospital in the canton of Baden overnight following a laboratory confirmation. His condition was deemed stable.
The case had initially been misdiagnosed earlier in the week, media reports said, and the man was sent home from hospital only to return.
He was being held in isolation and treated with the anti-viral Tamiflu.
21,545 Families Live At Disaster Prone Areas In West Nusa Tenggara
By Bernama
Mataram : At least 21,545 families in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province live at disaster-prone areas, chief of Social Service and Women Empowerment office Lalu Junaidi Najamudin said here on Friday.
"They reside along river banks, coastal areas, and mountain slopes in Tanung, Bayan, and Sembalun areas," Indonesia's ANTARA news agency quoted Lalu Junaidi as saying.
Braving China anger, Dalai Lama’s envoy on Nepal mission
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : For the first time since the government of Nepal closed down the office of the Dalai Lama's representative in Kathmandu, a top envoy of the exiled Tibetan leader is on a fact-finding mission in the new Himalayan republic, a move that is bound to anger Nepal's giant neighbour China.
German chancellor for dialogue with Beijing over Tibet
By DPA,
Berlin : German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose meeting with the Dalai Lama caused a chill in relations with China last year, called Thursday for continued dialogue with Beijing over Tibet's status.
"Dialogue is indicated," Merkel told national public television broadcaster ZDF.
The Dalai Lama's call for Tibetan cultural autonomy was legitimate, she added.
But she also stressed that Germany stood by its one-China policy and did not support independence for the Himalayan territory.
Myanmar parliament agrees to set up union supreme court
By IANS,
Yangon: Myanmar's parliament Wednesday agreed to form a new union supreme court with seven members, the state run radio and television reported.
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.
Spain will meet EU-mandated budget deficit target: Zapatero
By IANS/EFE,
Davos : Spain said it will adopt austerity measures to achieve its annual budget deficit target of 3 percent by 2013 as mandated by the European Union's pact on financial stability.
Spain is a "reliable" country which will reduce its budget deficit by 2013 in accord with the European Union's agreement, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said at the World Economic Forum here Thursday.
Sri Lanka asks aid workers to leave battle zones
By Xinhua,
Colombo : The Sri Lankan government Monday asked the international aid agencies to leave the country's Northern province as fighting between security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels has intensified, an official said.
A senior official of the defence ministry confirmed the order but did not elaborate when it would be implemented.
Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said as no development work was taking place in the area, there was no need for the agencies to continue.
France, Russia to Talk on S.Ossetia
By Prensa Latina,
Paris : French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, will travel to Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, Dmitri Medvedev, to find a way out of the conflict in South Ossetia, the capital press reported.
Sarkozy also called a meeting of foreign affairs ministers of the European Union (EU) for debates on the conflict, Le Figaro reported.
The French head of state may call an emergency summit of the EU while foreign minister Bernard Kouchner presents Moscow with a unilateral cease fire signed by Georgian president Saakashvili
Leaving East Germany – as easy as Alpha, Bravo, Charlie?
By Helen Maguire, DPA,
Berlin : In the winter of 1962, just months after the Berlin Wall was built, bus driver and war veteran Hans Weidner decided he was fed up with life in East Germany.
Weidner equipped his passenger bus with metal plates and, on a bitterly cold Christmas Day, charged through the Drewitz border crossing into West Berlin, with two families on board. This is just one of many Cold War experiences that Peter Boeger, head of the Checkpoint Bravo foundation, hopes to preserve.
Chilean glacial lake dries up in global warming
By IANS
Santiago : The Chilean government has sent a team of geologists to investigate the sudden disappearance of a glacial lake in the south of the country. raising a renewed debate over global warming.
Experts say glacial melting in the wake of rising global temperature had swelled the lake which then drained the excess water and eventually dried up, Spain's EFE news agency reported Friday.
Cachet 2, a five kilometre long glacial lake in the eastern sector of the Northern Ice Field in Aysen area disappeared apparently due to the relatively high temperatures.
Report: cases of school torture on rise in Nepal
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : The cases of punishment in the name of discipline in Nepali schools are on rise, said a report prepared by Save the Children Norway and Hatemalo Sanchar on Sunday.
Hatemalo Sanchar, a private organization working on the behalf of the Nepali children unveiled the study report on Sunday in the Nepali capital Kathmandu.
Chavez says he has ‘formula’ for receiving Colombian hostages
By IANS
Cienfuegos (Cuba) : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said he has already worked out a formula for receiving three hostages being freed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas.
"I've already come up with a formula to receive them," Chavez told reporters Friday after the conclusion of Caribbean oil summit here, Spain's EFE news agency reported.
Putin Criticizes Western Hypocrisy on Kosovo
By Prensa Latina
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin favored Serbia"s territorial integrity and described the US and European double standards on Kosovo"s independence as shameful.
"I don"t want say anything that would offend anyone, but for 40 years northern Cyprus has practically had independence," Putin told 1,364 reporters, including 200 foreign correspondents, on Wednesday.
"Why aren"t you recognizing that? Are you not ashamed, you Europeans, treating the same problems with double standards in different regions of the world?" Putin asked.
World’s mountains will not remain water towers forever
By Ivonne Marschall, DPA,
Vienna : The world's population and agriculture hotspots are particularly sensitive to changes in the capacity of mountains to store water, geological scientists say.
Both naturally occurring and man-made climate factors are affecting the capability of the world's mountain ranges to serve as sources for freshwater for adjacent lowlands. According to a recent study, about 7 percent of the world's mountains are essential for providing downstream supply, said Daniel Viviroli of the University of Berne.
Keep animals out of conflict, PETA tells Nepal PM
By IANS,
Kathmandu : Under pressure from the former Maoist guerrillas to resign and pipped in the race for presidency by the communists, Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is now facing fresh demands - from an animal rights group that wants him to "keep animals out of conflict".
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a Mumbai-based group that works to prevent animal abuse, Friday sent a letter to Koirala, urging him to sensitise Nepal's border security forces to the plight of migrating animal herds.
17 Amur tigers died in Russia in 2012
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : At least 17 Amur tigers died in Russia's far eastern territories over the past year, most of them due to human action, wildlife experts said.
UN chief welcomes report on post-cyclone needs in Myanmar
By Xinhua,
United Nations : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed Monday's release of the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment Final Report on the margins of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Singapore, the UN said.
"The report offers a comprehensive, credible assessment of the humanitarian and medium-term recovery needs in the affected areas," said Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas.
Russian volcano eruption to continue for two weeks
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: The eruption of the Plosky Tolbachik volcano in Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula will continue for at least two more weeks, a leading scientist said.
France says some NGOs still in Gaza despite withdrawal
By KUNA,
PARIS : France said on Thursday that a certain number of French NGOs and humanitarian personnel were remaining in Gaza despite an Egyptian decision to close the Rafah crossing point, the only place where humanitarian workers and journalists can freely access the Palestinian Territory.
About 100 NGOs and international observers, as well as journalists, are reported to have left Gaza rapidly before the closing of Rafah.
Magnitude of human tragedy in Myanmar
By IRNA,
Kuala Lumpur : The Myanmar government put its tally of deaths since Cyclone Nargis struck early Saturday at 22,500 and said 41,000 people were missing.
Such early estimates often prove inaccurate, and the wide path of this cyclone, which destroyed homes across the fertile Irrawaddy Delta and into Yangon, the nation's main city, left a large area of destruction, complicating rescue efforts and damage assessments for days or weeks to come.
Gay marriage may come to the fore in US presidential poll
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Gay marriage may emerge as a tricky issue in the US presidential elections with a top California court striking down a state ban on union between two persons of the same sex.
While bread and butter issues are likely to dominate the November elections, the politically volatile issue may be pushed into centre stage with opponents collecting signatures to put a proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage to vote.
Heathrow airport may open to flights for a while Tuesday
By IANS,
New Delhi : London's Heathrow Airport is expected to operate for some hours from Tuesday night, five days after an ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano spread to Europe and disrupted flights, the government said Tuesday.
"Indications have been received that Heathrow Airport may get operational for limited hours from tonight (Tuesday), in which case, Air India will start Europe operations depending upon the availability of slots there," the civil aviation ministry said in a statement.
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.
Firing at Nepal casino ahead of legal battle
By IANS
Kathmandu : Nepal's casino industry, embroiled in an ownership tussle, has hit the headlines again with gunmen opening fire at one of them, ahead of a crucial court hearing.
Two gunmen fired three rounds of blank cartridges on the premises of Casino Royale in Kathmandu Saturday night, adding one more incident to a string of disturbances that have rocked the popular casino since this year after two of its partners became involved in an ownership dispute.
Two foreigners among six dead in Myanmar protests
By DPA
Yangon/Oslo : At least six persons, including two foreign nationals, were feared dead Thursday in more confrontations in Myanmar between the heavily armed military and thousands of civilian demonstrators, reports in Yangon said.
The Oslo-based opposition radio Democratic Voice of Burma corroborated the reports and said thousands of people carried forward their anti-military protest initiated by Buddhist monkhood in defiance against the hated junta.
NRI Ambedkarites demand immediate prosecution of Hathras rape accused
TCN News
Scores of NRI Ambedkarites from the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Nederland, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, Belgium, Hungary, Australia,...
5.1 earthquake near New Zealand’s Christchurch city
By IANS,
Wellington : An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale hit New Zealand's Christchurch city Friday morning, Xinhua reported.
There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Lugovoi episode may hit ties with Russia: Britain
By RIA Novosti
London : Britain may cease cooperating with Russia in some areas after the latter's refusal to extradite the prime suspect in the poisoning of Russian defector and UK national Alexander Litvinenko, British media said Wednesday.
‘Encouraging’ changes under way in Persian Gulf states: UN official
By IRNA,
Tehran : A top United Nations official Monday pointed to “encouraging” efforts to improve human rights by the six nations that make up the (Persian ) Gulf Cooperation Council.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also noted ongoing concerns in areas such as women’s rights and freedom of expression, association and assembly, a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC) here on Tuesday said.
Spain asks Cuba for better treatment of political prisoners
By IANS/EFE,
Madrid : Spain has asked the Cuban government to provide better humanitarian treatment for ailing dissidents during a meeting in Madrid to discuss the state of human rights on the communist-ruled island.
As in the three previous meetings to discuss human rights, the Spanish government expressed its humanitarian interest in several "specific cases" of opposition figures, officials within Spain's foreign ministry told EFE.
Summit to boost tourism in North Korea
By DPA
Seoul : A planned summit between North Korea and South Korea later this month has breathed new life into an ambitious plan to turn North Korea into a tourist hotspot.
Few business analysts were impressed when South Korea's giant Hyundai Asan Corp announced in June its plans to spend $3 billion by 2025 to upgrade and expand its 1.98 billion sq metre concession along North Korea's coast into a more hospitable tourism destination.
Mexico day care fire toll reaches 38
By DPA,
Mexico City : The death toll in a fire that swept a public day care centre in northwestern Mexico has risen to 38, with fears that the number could rise further as some of the injured children are in critical condition, authorities said Saturday.
Twenty-three children and six adults remained in hospital with burn and smoke poisoning injuries in the incident in Hermosillo city, 1,900 km north of Mexico City. Fifteen of the children between the ages of three months and four years are in life-threatening condition.
Under fire, Bush offers talks on Iraq ‘benchmarks’
By DPA
Washington : US President George W. Bush has said he will consider setting benchmarks for progress in Iraq to help end a tense deadlock with Congress that is delaying money for US troops.
India knows religious tolerance, government tells Obama
New Delhi : India has a history of tolerance, and aberrations can't alter it, the government said Friday after US President Barack Obama said...
Americans rethink convenience of plastic grocery bags
By DPA
Washington : US supermarkets have a way of confirming preconceptions about Americans and their environmental sins.
Cashiers at US supermarket chains seem to see no limit to the number of plastic bags they use to pack groceries, a job the cashiers themselves perform for customers.
Washington : US supermarkets have a way of confirming preconceptions about Americans and their environmental sins.
Cashiers at US supermarket chains seem to see no limit to the number of plastic bags they use to pack groceries, a job the cashiers themselves perform for customers.
Dalai Lama justifies staying away from Tibetan meet
By Jaideep Sarin, IANS,
Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh) : Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, Thursday said that he was deliberately keeping away from the biggest meeting of Tibetan leaders here as he did not want to influence their discussions.
"I have made it very clear that it is now up to the Tibetans. If I mention something then that may have hampered their free expression. Therefore, for the time being, I decided to remain complete silent," the 1989 Nobel Peace prize winner told reporters here on the sidelines of a function.
Uma Thurman’s stalker held guilty
By IANS,
New York : A court here has found a 37-year-old man guilty of stalking Hollywood star Uma Thurman for a period of two years.
Jack Jordan, a University of Chicago graduate turned drifter, was Tuesday convicted of stalking Thurman, known for films like "Kill Bill" and "Pulp Fiction", between 2005 and 2007. He was also found guilty of aggravated harassment for stuffing a love letter into the mailbox of the actress's New York townhouse in 2007.
Clinton grateful Burns accepted to serve as her deputy
By KUNA,
Washington : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said late on Thursday that she was grateful that the seasoned diplomat Bill Burns accepted to serve as her new deputy secretary.
World Buddhist forum to be held next year
By Xinhua,
Nanjing : Buddhist monks and scholars from around the world will gather at a forum in China in March next year to discuss how Buddhism can contribute to the building of a harmonious world, organizers said Sunday.
The second World Buddhist Forum is to be held in Wuxi city in east China's Jiangsu province March 28, 2009.
The meeting will then move to Taipei in Taiwan, and close there April 1, Buddhist Master Xuecheng said at a press conference in Wuxi.
10,000 militants to get amnesty in Nigeria
By Xinhua,
Lagos: The Nigerian government has offered amnesty to around 10,000 militants in the country's oil rich Niger Delta, a media report said Saturday.
The move is aimed at reducing tensions in the restive region, Lagos-based daily This Day reported.
Lucky Ararile of the Amnesty, a human rights group, said Friday in Abuja that the Nigerian government has allocated 200 million naira (about $1 million) to feed the militants who are expected to lay down arms at the 50-60 camps set up by the government in Niger Delta.
Usmanov re-elected world fencing president
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov has been re-elected president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
Obama opens 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York
Washington : US President Barack Obama Thursday dedicated a Ground Zero museum commemorating the Sep 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the site of the...
US poised to end tomato accord with Mexico
By IANS/EFE,
Washington: The US is leaning toward scrapping a 1996 tomato accord with Mexico that has provoked complaints from growers in Florida, the Commerce Department said.
Philippine mall bombing toll rises to 11
By DPA
Manila : The death toll in the bombing of an upscale shopping mall in the Philippine capital rose to 11 Sunday as authorities checked reports that an Al Qaeda-linked group was behind the attack, officials said.
A 24-year-old man died in hospital early Sunday from severe injuries from Friday's bomb attack at the Glorietta shopping centre in the financial district of Makati City, while rescuers recovered the body of a 23-year-old female computer programmer late Saturday.
Plane makes emergency landing as drunk women cause trouble
By IANS,
London : A British Airways flight on way to Tunisia had to make an emergency landing in France after two drunken middle-aged women on board tried to force their way into the cockpit.
ICRC expresses deep concerns about violence in Kenya
By Xinhua
Geneva : The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday it was deeply concerned about the escalation of violence that had rocked Kenya over the past week.
"The violence has entered a new phase," said Pascal Cuttat, the ICRC's head of operations in Kenya, in a statement. "It broke out in the wake of elections but is now being driven by ethnic divisions, and there is a great risk of further deterioration."
UN warns of rising terrorism in Central Asia
By DPA,
New York: Governments in Central Asia and the Sahel-Maghreb region should build up capacity to fight growing Al Qaeda-led terrorism, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday.
IAEA inspectors leave North Korea
By DPA,
Vienna : The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced its inspectors left North Korea Thursday, after Pyongyang reacted to a UN Security Council condemnation by telling them to return to Vienna.
The arrival of the four nuclear experts in Beijing marked the end of a 19-month period in which the IAEA observed that North Korea's nuclear facilities remain turned off, as agreed in a six-party deal that includes the US.
Security concerns make Sri Lanka suspend SMS services
By P.K. Balachandran, IANS
Colombo : Security concerns made Sri Lankan mobile operators suspend their SMS services during the country's 60th Independence Day celebrations Monday.
"We regret to inform subscribers that SMS services of all mobile operators will not be available from 6 a.m. to 12 noon on Feb 4," said a message on all mobile phones here.
Sri Lankan military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said that he was not aware of the reasons for the suspension, but added that the mobile operators could have done it for security reasons.
Clean fuel campaign prompts backlash from developing nations
By Chris Cermak, DPA,
Washington : Efforts by industrialised countries to reduce their dependence on foreign energy sources and cut climate-changing emissions has prompted a strong backlash from some developing nations dealing with a worsening food crisis.
The problem lies in bio-fuels, an alternative source of energy that is often made from food crops. The World Bank last week said that a boost in bio-fuels production was largely to blame for an 83-percent increase in food prices over the last three years.
UN Secretary-General: Migrants affected by financial turmoil
By Xinhua,
Manila : The current financial crisis is increasingly affecting migrants all over the world and immigration has become a political issue in many countries, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said here on Wednesday.
The world today is facing a financial crisis from which no country can be insulated, Ban said at the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development held in Manila.
US rocket crashes into moon in search of water
By DPA,
Washington: A NASA rocket crashed into the moon Friday, sending a huge plume of dust above the surface in an experiment scientists hope will provide data about ice hidden in the perpetually dark lunar craters.
Major telescopes around the world were aimed at the Caebus crater on the moon's south pole for the 1130 GMT impact of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS).
Australian Islamic leaders condemn Sydney hostage drama
Sydney : Australia's top Muslim cleric has condemned the Sydney cafe hostage taking, saying it is "denounced in Islam".
Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, the country's grand...
Carbon dioxide levels already in danger zone
By IANS,
Washington : Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have entered the danger zone and must be reduced if climate disasters are to be averted, according to researchers.
US, British and French scientists, including two from Yale, said in a study that optimum CO2 level should be less than 350 parts per million (ppm) - a dramatic change from most studies that have pegged the danger level for CO2 at 450 ppm or higher.
Atmospheric CO2 is currently 385 ppm and is increasing by about two ppm every year from the burning of coal, oil, gas and forests.
Brown calls Jade Goody ‘courageous’ as tributes pour in
By IANS,
London : British politicians led by Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined celebrities and cancer charities in paying rich tributes to reality TV star Jade Goody who died Sunday of cervical cancer.
"She was a courageous woman both in life and death, and the whole country has admired her determination to provide a bright future for her children," Brown said.
"She will be remembered fondly by all who knew her and her family can be extremely proud of the work she has done to raise awareness of cervical cancer which will benefit thousands of women across the UK."
Key senators nearing compromise on US climate legislation
By DPA,
Washington : Three key US senators has said they had the outlines of a compromise on far-reaching climate legislation that has been stalled for weeks in the Senate.
Senators John Kerry, a Democrat, Joe Lieberman, an Independent, and Lindsey Graham, a Republican, released a four-page "framework" that they said would help wean the US off its dependence on foreign energy sources and protect the economy.
Austrian police release details of arrest in incest case
By DPA,
Vienna : Austrian police Wednesday said investigations confirmed their theory that Josef Fritzl had acted alone when he imprisoned and raped his daughter for 24 years. They also released further details on how the incest case unravelled.
Tipped off by an anonymous caller, police detained Elisabeth Fritzl, 42, and her 73-year-old father at a hospital in Amstetten, eastern Austria, Saturday.
No charges against white officer for killing unarmed black man
By Arun Kumar,
Washington : Yet another white police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in March in one of a spate...
Economic divisions emerge across Europe as recession bites
By Andrew McCathie, DPA,
Berlin : European leaders travel to London next week for the Group of 20 (G20) summit as signs emerge that the global recession has caused new economic dividing lines to form across Europe.
Indeed, the summit of the world's major economies in the British capital's new trade centre comes amid a continuing stream of disastrous data and plunging economic indicators.
Russia ready to use Gabala radar with U.S.
By Xinhua
Moscow : Russia is ready to use the Gabala radar station together with the United States or with both the United States and Azerbaijan, the Russian defense minister's adviser Ilshat Baichurin said on Wednesday.
"Defense Minister of Russia Anatoly Serdyukov said during today's meeting with Defense Minister of Azerbaijan Safar Abiyev that his country's defense ministry is ready to operate the Gabala radar station both in bilateral and trilateral formats," Baichurin was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
Death toll in Kyrgyzstan earthquake rises to 65
By DPA,
Bishkek/Moscow : The death toll in the 6.6-magnitude earthquake that hit southern Kyrgyzstan last night rose to 65, the emergency ministry said Monday.
More than 50 people were also injured in the devastating quake that wrecked dozens of homes in the rural and mountainous southern province of Osh of the Central Asian state, the ministry said, adding that rescue workers were still searching for survivors under the rubble.
Slovakian lawmakers reject eurozone bailout fund’s expansion
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Warsaw : Slovakia's parliament rejected expansion of powers of the eurozone rescue fund, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), a media report said.
Five killed in China road crash
By IANS,
Beijing: At least five people were killed and three injured when a minivan fell off a cliff in China's Guizhou province.
Eurasian leaders meet Friday to discuss market crisis
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The leaders of the Eurasian Economic Community (Eurasec) will gather in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek Friday to discuss joint measures to tackle the global financial crisis.
"We will try to make progress at Eurasec on the economic environment. What is happening in the world is pushing us," Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said, adding that the summit will focus on the slowdown in WTO membership talks and the global credit crunch.
World doesn’t end, Russian doomsday sect members to head home
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The members of a doomsday sect who quit on Friday the dugout in central Russia where they had been waiting for the end of the world for around six months are to pack their bags and leave for home with the planet still intact.
"Documents are being prepared by immigration officials to allow those [three] sect members who are from Belarus to return to their homeland," said Alexander Provotorov, the head of the Bekov District in the Penza Region.
Unfazed Nepal king goes ahead with own party
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Unfazed by the victorious Maoists' growing pressure on him to quit the royal palace ahead of the critical session of the newly elected constituent assembly, Nepal's King Gyanendra is leading his own party, a report said.
The king, who could be the last ruler of his two-century old dynasty, spent May Day celebrating his 37th wedding anniversary by throwing a lavish feast, Nepali tabloid Naya Patrika reported Friday.
19 killed in Nigerian building collapse
By IANS,
Abuja : At least 19 people were killed when a three-storey building collapsed in Nigeria's capital Abuja, police said Thursday.
Nineteen bodies had been recovered and 12 others were rescued, said Abass Jimoh, the Federal Capital Territory police spokesman, Xinhua reported.
The collapse occurred at about 4 a.m. (local time) Wednesday on the city's Ikole Street, Area 11.
The rescue efforts carried out by the authorities ended Thursday evening, the report said.
New York Times Slams US Vote Buying
By Prensa Latina,
Washington : The power of money in US policy has never been stronger and more troublesome than in the current presidential campaign, the most expensive in the country's history, The New York Times daily denounced on Tuesday.
Republican candidate John McCain, who defended in the past limiting the funds for elections, had to dismiss five of his assistants, because they were linked to lobbying firms, said an editorial published by the newspaper.
Democratic candidate Barack Obama is also receiving hefty donations from private sectors, the article said.
Modi treated to special veggie banquet by President Park
Seoul : Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Monday treated to a special vegetarian dinner at the banquet hosted by President Park Geun-hye at...
Germany, Abu Dhabi to enhance media cooperation
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi: Germany and Abu Dhabi Saturday agreed to enhance their cooperation to improve the standards of the electronic media in the UAE.
A German delegation headed by Chief of the State Chancellery and State Minister Johannes Beermann met Abu Dhabi's National Media Council (NMC) Director General Ibrahim Al Abed and discussed ways to boost media cooperation between the two sides.
Russian spy wants $250,000 to sell her story
By IANS,
New York : Russian spy Anna Chapman, who was sent back home after being arrested in the US, is in a secret $250,000-deal to reveal her espionage adventure and wants the money to be paid into the Swiss bank account of one of her associates.
The spy is hoping to net a fortune from the story of how she infiltrated American society and has asked a London-based friend to discreetly reach out to Crimethe media for a deal.
Swraj Paul stays loyal as donors talk of ditching Labour: report
By IANS,
London : Major donors of Britain's ruling Labour Party say they will withdraw their financial support over a deepening parliamentary expenses scandal, a newspaper reported.
Only Indian-born industrialist Lord Swraj Paul pledged to continue donating, the Observer newspaper said.
A number of MPs from all major British political parties have, over the past 10 days, been disciplined for claiming dubious expenses, following leaks published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Indian-origin doctor cleared of sexual assault in Britain
London: An Indian-origin doctor in Britain, accused of sexual assault by a male patient, was Tuesday cleared of the charge by a tribunal in...
Sri Lanka conducts air raid on LTTE training camp
By IANS,
Colombo : The Sri Lankan Air Force carried out an air raid on a suspected training facility of the Tamil Tiger guerrillas in the rebel-held Wanni region early Wednesday, the defence ministry said in a statement issued here.
The suspected training base of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide cadre, known as the Black Tigers, at Iranaimadu Thiruvaiaru was destroyed in the air raid carried out at 6.35 a.m., the ministry said.
UN chief calls for global push to combat climate change
By DPA,
Seoul : United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for international action to tackle the threats of climate change and nuclear weapons Monday.
The former South Korean foreign minister, who arrived Sunday on a 10-day private visit to his home country, addressed the annual meeting of the World Federation of UN Associations in Seoul to press for a safer and nuclear-free world.
Hu meets Fidel Castro, promises better China-Cuba ties
By IANS,
Havana : Chinese President Hu Jintao met former Cuban president Fidel Castro and discussed ways to further strengthen ties with the island nation struggling to recover from three hurricanes and the effects of the ongoing global financial crisis, the EFE news agency reported Wednesday.
The Cuban leader and Hu had "a fraternal meeting" Tuesday morning, a sign of the "friendly ties" between the two countries, governments and communist parties, a Cuban government statement said.
Sri Lankan opposition demands release of ex-army chief
By DPA,
Colombo : Sri Lanka's main opposition party Wednesday staged a protest in the capital demanding the release of former army commander General Sarath Fonseka.
Ukraine minister resigns over drunken fight
By RIA Novosti,
Kiev : Ukraine's Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko has tendered his resignation over his detention in Germay last week following a drunken brawl at Frankfurt airport.
Lutsenko asked the parliament to approve his resignation and discuss the issue while he was not present in the house.
According to German media reports, Lutsenko and his 19-year-old son were not allowed at Frankfurt airport to board a flight to Seoul May 4, as they were both extremely drunk and behaving inappropriately.
Seoul preparing for inter-Korea summit: former premier
By Xinhua
Seoul : Seoul had begun preparations for a new round of inter-Korea summit this year amid progress on nuclear issues with Pyongyang, former South Korean prime minister Lee Hae-chan said Monday.
Two pilots killed in Iranian jet crash
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Two pilots were killed when a fight jet crashed in western Iran.
Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers launch air raids in northeast
By Xinhua,
Colombo : Two aircraft of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels bombed government troops' positions in the northeastern Welioya area early Sunday morning but failed to causeany casualty, said the military.
Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said two light aircraft of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) dropped three bombs at the Forward Defense Line of the troops in Welioya, about 280 km northeast of the capital Colombo, around 1:43 a.m. (2013 GMT Saturday).
McCain, Obama spar in final faceoff before poll
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : In their final faceoff before the Nov 4 US presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain sparred in their debate televised live over issues ranging from the economic crisis to who has run the more negative campaign.
Seeking to separate himself from the unpopular policies of President George Bush in the midst of America's worst economic crisis in decades, a trailing-in-the-polls McCain declared he was his own man and would go in a "new direction".
Kenya bars students from foreign competition
By IANS,
Nairobi : Athletics Kenya (AK) wants to bar school athletes from taking part in international competitions this year -- because they are scoring poorly academically.
Quake in Peru kills eight
Lima: At least eight people were killed and six injured following a 5.1-magnitude earthquake which jolted southern parts of Peru, authorities said Sunday.
The temblor...
AIDS is still one of the top ten causes of death worldwide
By IRNA,
Tehran : UN secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message on World AIDS Day 2008 while saying that AIDS is still one of the top ten causes of death worldwide called on all people to take action to create a future without AIDS.
"On this, twentieth World AIDS Day, we are at the dawn of a new era," Ban said according to UN Information Center.
"Fewer people are being infected with HIV. Fewer people are dying of AIDS.
Flooding leaves 180,000 homeless in Brazil
By EFE,
Brasilia : Severe flooding in Brazil has left about 180,000 people homeless and caused at least 15 deaths.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva flew over the flood affected areas in northeast Brazil Tuesday and told people not to despair.
"This is not the time to despair," he told mayors of several cities affected by the flooding during a meeting in Teresina, the capital of the state of Piaui.