Efforts to Foster Peace Process in Darfur Begin
By Prensa Latina
United Nations : Special envoys from the United Nations and the African Union (AU) are meeting with representatives of the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels in a crucial effort to foster the peace process in that province.
UN officials in New York pointed out that the UN special envoy for Darfur, Jan Eliasson, and his AU counterpart, Salim Ahmed Salim, arrived in Khartoum on Sunday.
US embassy in Colombo closed on finding suspicious powder
By IANS,
Colombo : The US embassy in Colombo was Wednesday closed temporarily for public after a suspicious-looking powder was discovered at the mission.
"At approximately 11.00 a.m. on June 25, a suspicious powder was discovered at the US Embassy in Colombo. The suspicious substance will be sent to a laboratory for analysis," the US embassy said in a statement.
Police kill armed man in US
By DPA,
Washington : Police in the US state of Utah shot and killed an armed man
outside a Mormon temple on Christmas Day, the Salt Lake City Tribune reported.
Ukrainian police to learn English for Euro 2012
By IANS,
Kiev : Ukraine's ministry of internal affairs plans to teach English to about 27,000 police officers ahead of the of Euro 2012 football championship, the government said.
Nepali PM asks ministers not to quit cabinet till next govt.
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala asked the ministers not to quit the current Seven-Party Alliance interim government until the formation of a new government.
Koirala, in a statement, urged the Communist Party Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) ministers to roll back the decision to quit the government as the transitional phase is still continuing and the cabinet will remain vacant.
Serious security flaws riddle online banking: NRI scientist
By IANS,
Washington : More than 75 percent of bank websites were flawed and could expose customers to cyber thieves eyeing their money or their identity, according to a survey by University of Michigan.
Atul Prakash, an electrical engineering professor and doctoral students Laura Falk and Kevin Borders based their findings on an in-depth study of websites of 214 financial institutions in 2006.
Sri Lanka Army Captures Parappakandal City
By Prensa Latina
Colombo : Sri Lanka army announced capture of Parappakandal northern strategic city so far in the hands of Tamil rebels, killing 24 during the fights that took place in that region.
According to a military dispatch spread in Colombo, Parappakandal, one of the biggest cities in northern Uyilankulan, completely passed under the troops control joining another defeat for the Tigers Tamil separatists which have the area under siege.
G-77, China fight back against industrialised world at Bali
By Joydeep Gupta, IANS
Bali : The Group of 77 countries and China Wednesday expressed "extreme disappointment" that there had been no decision at the UN climate change conference that would allow the implementation of green technologies identified by developing countries.
Speaking on behalf of G-77 and China, Munir Akram, permanent representative of Pakistan at the UN, delivered this blunt statement at the plenary session of the Bali summit that started its high-level segment earlier in the day.
Islamic organ commends Saudi for improving haj conditions
Rabat : The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) on Thursday commend Saudi Arabia's efforts to improve haj conditions.
"The great efforts, huge projects...
Debate on Preah Vihear to go ahead despite of Thai opposition
By Xinhua,
Phnom Penh : The discussion of Preah Vihear temple's possible listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site will take place as planned, Cambodia's newspaper the Mekong Times Thursday quoted UNESCO officials as saying.
The paper neither named the sources nor elaborated on their remarks.
This week in Quebec, Canada, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama has personally opposed the Cambodian proposal to put the temple into the UNESCO World Heritage List.
North Korean navy official visits Russia
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Vladivostok : A senior North Korean navy official will start Thursday an official visit to Russia's Pacific Fleet.
Venezuela, Brazil seal accord on oil refinery
By EFE,
El Tigre (Venezuela) : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed more than a dozen accords here, including a significant pact on a joint venture for a oil refinery.
The two leaders met Friday at a soy plantation in eastern Venezuela for their seventh quarterly review of bilateral relations.
Topping the agenda was the agreement on operations for the Abreu e Lima refinery, which is under construction in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco.
African economies growing faster, steadier: World Bank
By IANS
Midrand, (South Africa) : Many African economies appear to be on the path of faster and steadier economic growth, according to the World Bank's Africa Development Indicators 2007.
Speaking on the occasion of the annual release of the continent's development indicators Wednesday, World Bank Country Director Ritva Reinikka said African economies' performance during 1995-2005 showed recovery from the stagnation over 1985-1995, South African news agency BuaNews reported Thursday.
ROK rival parties fail to reach compromise on beef import
By Xinhua,
Seoul : South Korea's rival parties failed to reach compromise over the controversial U.S. beef imports deal Thursday, indicating further paralysis of the new parliament, according to Yonhap news agency.
Thursday's meeting between the liberal opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and the ruling Grand National Party ended without progress, as the UDP held firm to its continuing boycott of the parliamentary session.
10 miners killed in Philippines landslides
By DPA,
Manila: Ten miners were killed and three remained trapped in landslides in the northern Philippines, a provincial police chief said Saturday.
The victims were at a gold mining camp in the outskirts of the northern resort city of Baguio, when the landslides struck Friday, according to Senior Superintendent Danilo Pelisco.
Two of the victims died in a hospital, while eight were already dead when retrieved from the site. Three more remained trapped in the landslide, he said.
Truecaller launches new messaging app from India
New Delhi : Truecaller, an app that helps identify unknown numbers and also block spam calls launched a new app on Tuesday that offers...
Bright prospect for Iran-Russia cooperation on gas exports
By IRNA,
Tehran : Visiting Energy Minister of Russia Sergei Shmatko said on Tuesday that Tehran and Moscow enjoyed a bright future for bilateral cooperation on gas exports.
Speaking to reporters at the end of a meeting with Iran’s Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari, the Russian minister said the two stressed the need for promotion of bilateral cooperation in the field of energy, particularly gas exports.
Shmatkov said that Moscow could play an effective role in marketing Iranian gas in Europe as “Russia enjoys a good and effective position in the European gas market.”
Reid to meet daughter only in Houghton’s presence
BY IANS,
London: Cage fighter Alex Reid says his ex-fiancee Chantelle Houghton has given him permission to meet their daughter Dolly, but only in her presence.
Russian frigate escorting nine ships from Somali pirates
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia's Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate was escorting an international convoy of nine vessels past the Horn of Africa to protect them from Somali pirate attacks, a Russian Navy spokesman said Friday.
Captain Igor Dygalo of the Russian Navy, said the Neustrashimy is escorting one vessel each from Russia, the Marshall Islands and the Cayman Islands, and six Liberian ships.
"The Russian Navy will continue its presence in the Horn of Africa region with the aim of providing safe shipping," Dygalo said.
US, Russia agree to reduce nuclear arsenal
By DPA,
London : US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev agreed Wednesday to draw up a new deal on nuclear disarmament, when they met in London ahead of Thursday's summit of Group of 20 (G20) leading world economies.
Both presidents pledged to "move further along the path of reducing and limiting strategic offensive arms," in a joint statement issued after their first meeting since Obama's inauguration.
2,700-year-old human skeletons found in Mexico
By IANS,
Mexico City : Archaeologists claimed to have discovered a tomb with four skeletal remains dating back some 2,700 years in the ruins of a Mexican pyramid.
The tomb at the ancestral site of Zoque ethnicity in southeastern state of Chiapas, "consists of the skeletons of four individuals, two of them wearing jade, along with ceramics and other objects prized by the culture of the period", the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said.
At least 4 killed, 60 injured in stampede in S Korea
By Xinhua,
SEOUL : At least four people have been killed, with 60 others injured, so far in a mountaintop stampede accident in southeastern South Korea, South Korean Police said Tuesday morning.
According to local police, the accident took place on a pampas grass field on Mount Hwangwang in Changyeong, about 320 km southeast of Seoul, at about 18:20 p.m. local time (0920 GMT) on Monday when blaze was blown to about a 15,000-people gathering on the mountaintop to watch a traditional event of burning the pampas grass.
China’s state council to use internet for public opinion
By NNN-Xinhua
Beijing : China's State Council, the country's Cabinet, will make use of the Internet as a standard method of inviting public opinion on draft laws and regulations.
In the second half of 2007, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council established an information management system on its official website to collect opinions on draft laws and regulations on a trial basis.
The system passed the evaluation of relevant legal departments and experts and scholars from the law circle on last Friday.
Russia rejects US criticism over Georgian ‘invasion’
By DPA,
Moscow : Rejecting US criticism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Wednesday that Russia's attacks in Georgia had been a "peace mission," the Russian news agency Interfax reported.
Even French President Nicolas Sarkozy, representing the European Union as the current holder of the bloc's presidency, had said this, Lavrov said.
Lavrov also commented in an article in Wednesday's Financial Times that Russia had no intention of toppling the government of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
China-Tibet talks to resume in October
By EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : Chinese authorities will resume talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama in Beijing in October, according to Kelsang Gyaltsen, envoy of the Tibetan spiritual leader.
"We agreed to meet in October this year with great expectations to bring about tangible results," Gyaltsen told a press conference in the European Parliament in Brussels Tuesday evening.
He noted that the seventh round of discussion held on 1-2 July between the two sides did not achieve any concrete results and the Chinese side even did not agree to issue a joint statement .
India beat Afghanistan to win SAFF title
Thiruvananthapuram: Skipper Sunil Chhetri struck in extra-time to enable India claim their seventh SAFF Championship title by defeating a spirited Afghanistan 2-1 in a...
North Korea threatens South with ‘military countermeasures’
By Xinhua
Pyongyang : North Korea Thursday said it would take "military countermeasures" against the South if the latter threatens its security, official news agency KCNA reported.
The notice, sent by the head of the North Korea's delegation to the military level talks to his South Korean counterpart, was in response to Seoul's statement Wednesday asking Pyongyang to stop provocative tactics.
Aler Encounter: Mohammed Viqaruddin was made to pay with his life for being a...
On April 7 2015, five people accused in the murder of two policemen were killed in an encounter in Aler, Nalgonda after the police...
Indian origin MPs conspicuous by their absence at Kashmir debate
London : Out of the 10 odd MPs of Indian-origin in Britain's House of Commons, eight were missing from action in India's hour of...
Time to step on the gas to bolster US economy: Obama
By IANS,
Washington : The US should step up efforts to revive its economy even after the private sector has been creating jobs over the past 21 months in a row, President Barack Obama has said.
Over a third of babies born in England, Wales are non-white
By Venkata Vemuri, IANS,
London : The number of babies born to immigrants has for the first time crossed the one-third mark of all births in England and Wales, eliciting mixed reactions to questions related to the government's immigration policy and race integration.
Fewer than two-thirds of babies born in England and Wales are now registered as White British. Of 649,371 babies born in 2005, 64.4 per cent were recorded as White British, according to the Office of National Statistics.
German reporter’s camera captures China’s changes in 30 years
By Wu Liming, Xinhua,
Hamburg : In April 1976, Martin Kummer, a journalist with The Hamburg Morning Post, paid a three-week visit to China and shot hundreds of photos across the country, then a mysterious land largely closed to the Western world.
Exactly 30 years later in April 2006, Kummer, already in his 60s, made another China tour. He spent five weeks re-visiting the same places he toured 30 years ago, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, taking another batch of pictures.
Mob lynches three in Bolivia
By IANS
La Paz : Two police officers, mistaken for criminals, and a civilian who came to their rescue have been killed by a mob in a rural area of the central Bolivian province of Cochabamba, EFE new agency reported Wednesday.
A preliminary police report said the two officers, both members of the auto-theft squad in Cochabamba, were conducting Tuesday an operation near the town of Epizana.
US urges Russia to drop support for Abkhazia, South Ossetia
By RIA Novosti,
Washington : US has urged Russia to abandon its plans to strengthen ties with Georgia's breakaway regions, the State Department has said.
Georgia reacted furiously to Russia's announcement Wednesday that it plans to strengthen relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which border on Russia and broke away from Georgia in wars after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Tbilisi accused Moscow of trying to annex the two provinces.
Blogger posts price list of women wanting to be mistresses
By IANS,
Beijing: A blogger in China's Shanghai city has been warned by the police after she posted a photograph of a price list of college girls who wanted to be mistresses.
‘Security threat’ shuts down US facilities in South Africa
Johannesburg, Sep 22 (DPA) In a surprise move prompted by an "undisclosed security threat", the US government shut down all its facilities in South Africa Tuesday.
In the statement posted on its website, the US embassy in Pretoria said: "Based on information recently received by the Regional Security Office, all US government facilities in South Africa will be closed on Tuesday, September 22, 2009."
"Our current assumption is that all US government facilities will be open on Wednesday, September 23, 2009," it added.
UN unable to agree response to North Korean rocket
By ANTARA,
United Nations : The Security Council adjourned after three hours of closed-door talks on North Korea's long-range rocket launch with no agreement on how to respond to what Western members called a clear violation of UN resolutions.
"Members of the Security Council agreed to continue consultations on an appropriate action by the council in accordance with its responsibilities given the urgency of the matter," Mexico's UN Ambassador Claude Heller, the council chair this month, was quoted by AFP as telling reporters after the meeting.
Wall Street drops on economic recovery concern
By Xinhua,
New York : The Wall Street closed lower Thursday as investors worried that the economy might not recover as quickly as expected.
Investors grew nervous after the credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) warned that Britain may have its rating cut because of the nation's increasing debt. S&P lowered the country's credit outlook from "stable" to "negative".
Worry over AAA rating of Britain and the US weighed on the big board.
EU approves Germany’s banking rescue plan
By DPA,
Brussels :The European Commission Tuesday approved Germany's 470 billion euro ($588 billion) financial rescue package after finding that it does not violate European Union (EU) treaty rules.
"The package constitutes an adequate means to remedy a serious disturbance in the German economy while avoiding undue distortions of competition," the bloc's executive arm said in a statement.
Green economy can create millions of new jobs: UN report
New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) The global market for environmental products and services is projected to double from $1.37 trillion per year at present to $2.74 trillion by 2020, creating millions of new "green jobs", says a recent report commissioned by a number of UN organisations.
India can generate 900,000 jobs by 2025 in the area of biogas alone. Of these, 300,000 would be in the manufacturing of stoves and 600,000 in areas such as processing into briquettes and pellets and the fuel supply chain, says the report.
15 dead in Nigeria attack
By IANS,
London : At least 15 people were killed Sunday in a gun and bomb attack at a university in Nigeria's northern city of Kano, BBC reported.
Israel conducts anti-missile test
By DPA,
Tel Aviv : The Israeli navy has successfully tested its Barak anti-missile system, the military announced Sunday.
The test included a version of the missile system with improved rocket-interception capabilities, the military said.
An interceptor missile was fired from the Israel Navy Ship Lahav, a Sa'ar 5-type corvette, successfully intercepting a target described as simulating an incoming enemy missile.
Revolutionary fuel cell design to make cheaper vehicles feasible
By IANS,
Sydney : A reworked design of fuel cells used in the latest hybrid cars will help make vehicles more reliable and cheaper to build in the future.
The breakthrough is based on the inclusion of a specially-coated form of popular outdoor and sporting clothing material Goretex in the fuel cell.
Monash University scientists have designed and tested an air-electrode, where a fine layer 100 times thinner than human hair of highly conductive plastic is deposited on the breathable fabric. The conductive plastic acts as both the fuel cell electrode and catalyst.
Nepal rules out swine flu as mystery virus kills 13
By IANS,
Kathmandu : A medical team that rushed to a remote village in western Nepal after a mystery disease killed 13 people in less than a fortnight Wednesday ruled out an outbreak of swine flu and attributed the deaths to a viral attack.
Over 40 more people in Gumla village in Gorkha district, the place from where deposed king Gyanendra's ancestors had hailed, were being treated after they complained of headache, cough, sore throat and fever.
On Wednesday alone, three villagers had died, creating panic in the area.
1st Nepali party publicly campaigns for monarchy in CA poll
By Xinhua
Kathmandu : The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP-Nepal) has become the first party to have publicly declared to vote for constitutional monarchy in the upcoming Constituent Assembly (CA) poll, local leading media group's website nepalnews.com reported on Saturday.
Addressing a zonal level training program of its workers in Kathmandu on Friday, RPP-Nepal leader Rabindra Nath Sharma instructed his party workers to ask votes in favor of constitutional monarchy in the CA elections.
BRICS but not yet a Building
By Amit Kapoor,
The recently concluded BRICS annual summit held in Brazil resulted in the important Fortaleza Declaration and Action Plan from the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The joint declaration has some important points that highlight the importance of this year’s summit.
Obama, Hillary hold ‘positive’ unity talks
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and his vanquished party rival Hillary Clinton held "positive" "unity talks" hours after she disavowed a campaign by supporters to make her Obama's vice-presidential running mate.
"Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama met tonight and had a productive discussion about the important work that needs to be done to succeed in November," a joint statement from the two sides said after their first meeting since he clinched the nomination.
Pakistan I-Day: No sweets exchanged by BSF, Rangers
Attari (Punjab): There was no exchange of sweets between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers at the international border here on the...
Former Argentine governor gets 25 years in jail
By EFE,
Buenos Aires : A former governor in Argentina was sentenced to 25 years in prison for human rights abuses during the military regime between 1976 and 1983, officials said Thursday.
Some 18,000 people had disappeared in Argentina during the military regime, according to an official estimate. Human rights organisations put the figure at 30,000.
Juan Carlos Colombo was the governor of Formosa province from 1976-1981 under the military regime. He was promoted to general in 1977.
Uproar in Britain over 19mn pounds bill for Euro history museum
By IANS,
London : Taxpayers in Britain will have to share the burden of a spiralling bill for a European history museum that will see them shelling out a whopping 19 million pounds.
Toll in Nigerian clashes now put at over 600
By DPA,
Nairobi/Abuja: The death toll in recent bloody clashes in the town of Maiduguri and other northern Nigerian districts was stated by police and military sources Sunday to have been more than 600, well above earlier estimates of between 300 and 400.
A spokeswoman for the Red Cross in Maiduguri was quoted as saying there was a real danger of disease breaking out on a large scale as hundreds of bodies had been left out on the open streets for days.
Israel jails Arab citizen for joining IS
Jerusalem: An Israeli court Monday sentenced an Israeli-Arab citizen to 22 months in prison for joining the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
Ahmed Shurbaji, a...
Bush transfers Presidential power to Cheney before colonoscopy
By NNN-PTI
Washington : US President George W Bush Saturday transferred the powers of the presidency to Vice President Dick Cheney prior to be sedated for a routine medical procedure to detect colon cancer.
Bush signed a letter as per the requirements of the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution to the leaders of the House and Senate. Cheney is not in Washington DC but at his home in St Michaels, Maryland, about 30 miles from here.
Fuming Maoist guerrillas desert barracks: report
By IANS
Kathmandu : Hundreds of fuming Maoist guerrillas are stomping out a remote Nepali camp - angered by the alleged misuse of money meant for their upkeep and lack of medical treatment for injuries sustained during their 10-year insurgency, a report said Tuesday.
About 1,000 disgruntled combatants had deserted the Nawalparasi camp in southwestern Nepal, the private television channel Kantipur reported.
Kathmandu : Hundreds of fuming Maoist guerrillas are stomping out a remote Nepali camp - angered by the alleged misuse of money meant for their upkeep and lack of medical treatment for injuries sustained during their 10-year insurgency, a report said Tuesday.
About 1,000 disgruntled combatants had deserted the Nawalparasi camp in southwestern Nepal, the private television channel Kantipur reported.
Bobby Jindal among ’10 people who could change world’
By IANS,
London : Bobby Jindal, Indian American governor of Louisiana, has been named by a British publication among "10 people who could change the world". The list also includes Regina Papa, a social activist from India. "Ten people who could change the world: it sounds like a bold claim", says the New Statesman and Society, introducing the list that it plans to make an annual feature.
Brazil to build five submarines with France help
By EFE,
Sao Paulo : Brazil will build five submarines in collaboration with France to protect its vast off shore oil reserves in the Amazon region, a media report said Sunday.
The Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has already approved the submarine project prepared by the defence ministry.
Brazil will also build a nuclear submarine as part of the project, it said.
Russia seeks meeting with NATO over South Ossetia
By Xinhua,
Brussels : Russia is going to call for an extraordinary meeting with NATO so that the alliance can be informed of Moscow's activities in South Ossetia, says Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin.
"We insist it happen tomorrow (Tuesday) when NATO ambassadors are going to meet Georgian minister of foreign affairs," Rogozin said late Monday.
Russia wants NATO to take into account the information given by Moscow before the alliance makes any decisions or statements, he said, adding that the meeting should be at the level of ambassadors.
McCain trails Clinton, Obama in new poll
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : As Vietnam war veteran John McCain clinched the Republican presidential nomination, a new poll saw him trailing both potential Democratic nominees, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, in hypothetical match-ups.
Democratic frontrunner Obama, vying to be the first black American president, leads McCain by 12 percentage points among all adults in the Washington Post-ABC News poll published Thursday.
Protesters blocks Thailand’s police headquarters
By Xinhua,
Bangkok : Thousands of demonstrators from the civil group People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) on Monday rallied at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters in Bangkok denouncing some senior police officers and the current government for doing in favor of the ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Some leaders of the PAD led a number of demonstrators packed the road in front of the Royal Thai Police Headquarters compound since Monday morning, blocking traffic of the district into standstill.
Brazil, Iran seek more joint economic cooperation
By EFE,
Tehran : Iran and Brazil can play an important role in "the new world order through their cooperation on the international scene" and increase their bilateral collaboration, Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki has said.
On Wednesday night, Mottaki met Brazil's deputy foreign minister, Roberto Jaguaribe Gomes de Mattos who is on an official trip to Iran.
During the meeting, both men reviewed the international and regional situations, as well as the development of bilateral relations.
Indian-origin doctor in Britain cleared of genital mutilation charge
London: A medical tribunal in Britain has cleared an Indian-origin doctor of allegedly performing female genital mutilation on a woman during a routine plastic...
Andhra student shot in US
By IANS,
Hyderabad : In yet another attack on Indian students in the United States, a student from Andhra Pradesh was shot by some unidentified people in Tennessee.
Shashank Pulluru, who was admitted to a hospital, hails from Hanamkonda town in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh.
He was studying MS at the Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro in Tennessee.
According to information received by the family, he was shot by some African Americans when he, along with two of his friends, returned to their apartment after the classes Saturday.
Crisis stalks global air carriers
By Maxim Krans, RIA NOVOSTI,
Moscow : A series of bankruptcies that have hit some leading air carriers and tour operators in the past month suggest that a serious crisis is brewing in global civilian aviation. Over the last six months about three dozen strong players have stopped or suspended operations. Among them are Russia's AiRUnion, Britain's XL Airways UK and Italy's Alitalia.
Which comes next?
Brazil launches programme to boost innovation
By IANS,
Rio de Janeiro : Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has unveiled a $16 billion plan to encourage companies to invest in technological innovation.
‘Brazil’s economic prospects positive despite crisis’
By Xinhua,
Rio de Janeiro : Brazil's economic prospects in 2009 remain positive despite the ongoing global financial crisis, says a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
According to the OECD study released Monday, Brazil is among the few nations in the world that will not register a economic slump in the next six months.
Brazil is the only nation among 34 analyzed by the study whose Advanced Composed Index, a measurement of a country's economic activity levels, remains higher than 100 points.
Nuclear liabity: Russians seek risk reinsurance for Kudankulam 3 and 4
Moscow : The final resolution of the vexed issue of India's nuclear liability law applying on the Kudankulam units 3 and 4 in Tamil...
EU hailed as an ‘inspiring model’ for ASEAN
By DPA
Singapore : Southeast Asian countries were urged Tuesday to look to the European Union's "inspiring model" and integrate further in response to the growing strength of China and India.
Hugo Chavez seeks unlimited presidential terms
By RIA Novosti
Buenos Aires : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will soon submit a draft law abolishing presidential term limits to the parliament.
"The bill will help make amendments to the country's constitution to lift restrictions on the number of presidential terms," said Cilia Flores, the speaker of the Venezuelan parliament.
"The president should have the right to nominate himself an unlimited number of times, since the nation has the last say anyway," she said.
UNHCR to verify Tibetans in Nepal
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nepal is set to verify the identity of the Tibetans arrested in course of demonstrations before Nepal-based Chinese embassy, consular section and other places, state-run newspaper The Rising Nepal reported on Friday.
Seven kiilled in El Salvador bus crash
By IANS
San Salvador : Seven people have been killed and 82 others injured when a bus overturned on a highway in western El Salvador, authorities said.
Fire chief Abner Hurtado told YSKL radio Wednesday that the vehicle flipped over on a highway over bridge while transporting some 90 workers to an assembly plant, Spanish news agency EFE reported Thursday.
One person was killed on the spot while six others died at hospitals in Santa Ana, where 82 injured passengers were being treated.
Al Qaeda operative in video our son: Kashmir family
Srinagar : A family in south Kashmir has confirmed that the Al Qaeda operative killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan's north...
Nepal flood toll reaches 26
By IANS,
Kathmandu : The toll in the Nepal's Seti river floods triggered by an avalanche in the Annapurna range has risen to 26 with police recovering more bodies Tuesday.
Syrian army kills 111 rebels
By IANS,
Damascus: At least 111 armed men were killed Saturday during clashes with the Syrian troops in Aleppo and the coastal Latakia cities, Xinhua reported.
Marilyn Monroe’s photographs sold for 97,000 pounds
By IANS,
London : A collection of 36 photographs of the late Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe, which were taken in 1962, was sold at auction house Christie's here for 97,000 pounds.
The images, shot by Bert Stern for American Vogue magazine, are believed to have been the last professional photographs of the star and, following her death later that year, ran in the magazine as a memorial as opposed to the original feature planned, reports vogue.co.uk.
Pope says he’s not a rock star
By DPA,
Vatican City : Pope Benedict XVI Monday fondly recalled his participation in July at the massively attended Catholic World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, but warned such events should not be mistaken for "rock festivals".
Benedict's remarks came during Christmas greetings to the Vatican Curia in which he reflected on his highlights for 2008, including the "radiant days" of the papal visits to the US and France.
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...
‘Soft skills’ predict financial, social success later in life
By IANS,
Washington : High school students who had good social skills and work habits and took part in extracurricular activities made more money and completed higher levels of education than their classmates.
Christy Lleras, professor of human and community development, University of Illinois, said that "soft skills" like sociability, punctuality, conscientiousness, along with participation in extracurricular activities, are better predictors of earnings and higher educational achievement later in life than having good grades and high standardised test scores.
Thailand restores democracy and perhaps an ousted premier
By DPA
Bangkok : Millions of Thais voted Sunday in a general election restoring democracy to the country after last year's coup that ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra whose shadow looms large over the polls.
Voting at 85,000 polling stations nationwide opened at 8 a.m. and closed at 3 p.m. Unofficial results were expected to be announced before midnight.
Thousands flee Koshi River floods in Nepal
By DPA,
Kathmandu : Thousands of people fled their homes in southeastern Nepal after the Koshi River breached its banks and flooded two dozen villages, media reports said Monday.
At least 25,000 people sought refuge in Saprtari district, about 380 km southeast of the capital here, Kantipur Radio reported quoting government officials.
"The embankment collapsed after heavy overnight monsoon rain in the area and water from the flooded river submerged large portions of land near the India border," said Guru Prasad Subedi, a government officer in the district.
Russian centre in Nepal stops screening gay film
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Nepal's sexual minorities are stung by the refusal of the Russian Cultural Centre in Kathmandu, run by the Russian government, to screen a documentary on gay rights even though the auditorium at the centre had been booked in advance by Nepal's pioneering gay rights organisation Blue Diamond Society (BDS).
BDS had planned a premiere of "The Struggle Within", a documentary featuring five people who were discriminated against by the state and public due to their sexual orientations, at the Russian Cultural Centre Monday.
Pope Benedict celebrates mass at Yankee Stadium
By DPA,
New York : After offering prayers for the victims of the Sep 11 terror attacks at Ground Zero, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass for a crowd of about 57,000 people at Yankee Stadium Sunday.
The Mass at the stadium was his last official public appearance in of a six-day visit to the US on what he described as a pilgrimage of peace and justice.
A special throne with the papal seal was erected for Benedict above second base of the packed baseball stadium while nearly 600 priests and deacons occupied rows of seats along the sides of the diamond-shaped field.
CIA admits destroying interrogation tapes
By NNN-BuaNews
New York : The CIA has confirmed that it destroyed at least two video tapes showing the interrogation of terror suspects.
According to the intelligence agency, the tapes were destroyed to protect the identity of CIA agents and because they no longer had intelligence value.
But civil liberties lawyers have refused to accept this, saying the CIA previously denied such tapes existed.
They say the move appears to be an attempt to destroy evidence that could have brought CIA agents to account.
Mexico increases confirmed swine flu count to 49
By DPA,
Mexico City : The number of confirmed swine flu infections in Mexico rose from 26 to 49, although the number of deaths was still at seven from the new strain of flu, according to laboratory results that Mexico's health authorities made public Wednesday.
In total, there have been 159 deaths and 2,498 infections in Mexico's flu epidemic. Of these, 1,311 remained in hospital. But most have not yet been identified as swine flu.
Castro wants Bush to lift embargo
By IANS
Havana : Convalescing Cuban leader Fidel Castro has called on US President George W. Bush to lift the trade embargo on the island, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
A brief statement from Castro released here Sunday also quoted the Cuban leader asking US "not to threaten the world with nuclear war".
Russian military to get new pistol
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The Russian Armed Forces will take delivery of a new 9-mm handgun to replace the aging Makarov pistol, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said.
Maldives signs torture treaty, to host UN visit
By IANS
Male : The Maldives, after being named as one of the first signatories of the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), will host a visit by the international Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture later this year.
US denies Russia request for convicted arms dealer
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Washington: The US Department of Justice has refused to transfer convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to Russia to let him serve his prison term at home.
Shah Rukh may have been victim of random selection parameter
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
Chicago: Actor Shah Rukh Khan's two-hour detention and questioning at the Newark International Airport could well be a result of the random selection parameter built into the US immigration's security system rather than racial profiling.
Terrorism obsessed Bush ignored emergence of India, China: Biden
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : A senior US lawmaker has accused President George Bush of ignoring larger forces shaping the world "like the emergence of China, India, Russia and a united Europe" due to an obsession with the "war on terrorism".
History will judge eight years of Bush presidency "less for the mistakes he made than for the opportunities he squandered", Joseph Biden, Democratic chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, said Tuesday.
World heaps praise on Kenya’s reconciled leaders
By DPA
Nairobi : Congratulations to Kenya's reconciled leaders poured in from across the world Friday, mere days after the international community threatened to push the politicians into a deal if they did not strike one soon.
President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga signed a much-awaited power-sharing deal Thursday that is likely to see Odinga take what will be a newly created post of prime minister once parliament amends the constitution.
Obama condoles Manekshaw’s death
By IANS,
Washington : US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is the only American public figure of note to have condoled the death of Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, prime architect of India's 1971 victory over Pakistan to liberate Bangladesh.
"I offer my deep condolences to the people of India on the passing of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw," Obama said, describing the former Indian Army chief of staff as "a legendary soldier, a patriot and an inspiration to his fellow citizens".
Suspected US airstrike in Pakistan kills three
By DPA,
Islamabad : A suspected US missile strike in Pakistan's troubled South Waziristan tribal district near Afghan border Sunday killed at least three people, officials said.
Two missiles, believed to have been fired from a US-operated Predator drone, hit a house in Gangikhel village, just outside the district's main town of Wana.
"Three suspected militants were killed and five more were wounded in successive explosions," an intelligence official said on condition of anonymity.
7.2-magnitude quake hits Guam
By IANS,
Washington : A major 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck southwest of US territory Guam Saturday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported on its website.
The quake occurred at 7:19 a.m. Saturday (local time), 375 km southwest of Hagatna (formerly Agana), capital of Guam, at a depth of 4.7 km, the USGS said.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that, based on historical earthquake and tsunami data, no destructive widespread tsunami threat exists, Xinhua reported.
Amnesty asks Obama to set date for closing Guantanamo
By DPA,
London : Human rights group Amnesty International has called on US president-elect Barack Obama to name a date for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre "promptly after taking office" later this month.
Amnesty, marking the 7th anniversary of the first transfers of terrorist suspect to the notorious detention centre at a US naval base in Cuba, said Obama should "make a reality" of his commitment to end the human rights violations.
‘Pri**’ less offensive than other words: Australian court
By IANS,
Sydney : The word pri** is "less derogatory" in nature than other words, ruled an Australian court while dismissing an offensive language charge against a university student.
Robbie Williams, Waverley Local Court magistrate, made the comment during a hearing for Henry Grech, 22, who was charged following an argument with Senior Constable Adam Royds at Sydney's Bondi Junction train station.
Williams said he wasn't satisfied that a "reasonable person" would take offence by the word pri**, Herald Sun reported Tuesday.
Rare pigeons worth $19,000 stolen in Siberia
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Forty rare Uzbek pigeons worth 600,000 rubles (over $19,000) have been stolen in the Siberian city of Omsk, police said on its website.
Continental and United to form world’s largest airline
By DPA,
Houston/Chicago : US airlines United and Continental Monday announced a "merger of equals", which is set to create the world's largest airline.
Falling passenger numbers, high fuel prices and intense competition in the economic crisis have spurred on the move.
Continental boss Glenn Tilton, who will become non-executive chair of the new company's board, said the merger would "create a world-class and truly global airline ... better positioned to succeed in a dynamic and highly competitive global aviation industry."
Barack Obama condemns ‘outrageous’ attacks in Canada
Washington : US President Barack Obama condemned the "outrageous" attacks that occurred in Canada in last three days and offered assistance to the US...
Sri Lanka assures India about Tamils’ safety, ready for Indian relief
By IANS,
New Delhi : Sri Lanka Thursday said it was ready to receive a consignment of relief material from India to help civilians caught in the military conflict in the island nation, but underlined that there will be no let-up in military offensive against the Tamil Tigers.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Thursday that his government was committed to ensure the safety and well-being of Tamil civilians caught in the crossfire between Lankan forces and the LTTE in the northeast areas.
At least two dead in B-52 bomber crash near Guam
By ANTARA News,
Washington : A US B-52 bomber crashed Monday near Guam, killing two members of a crew who were about to participate in a ceremony celebrating the island's independence, the Air Force said.
The Stratofortress bomber was operating out of Andersen Air Force and went missing about 50 kilometres off Guam's north-west coast, a statement issued by the base was quoted by DPA as saying. Search efforts were continuing for the other four crew members.
The plane was not carrying weapons.
B-52s have been in service since 1955.
Lake Toba, Komodo, Krakatau Isles Nominated For New7wonders Of Nature
By Bernama,
Jakarta : The New7Wonders Foundation has nominated three locations in Indonesia, namely Komodo Isle National Park (East Nusa Tenggara), Lake Toba (North Sumatra), and Krakatau Isle (off sothern Sumatra) for world recognition as part of New7Wonders of Nature for the period 2008-2010, a tourism official said.
The campaign of selection New7Wonders of Nature candidates is being done through a live-vote method on www.new7wonders.com, Antara news agency reported.
US reveals six-month-old probe into price manipulation
By DPA,
Washington : With US petrol prices at all time highs, US regulators Thursday revealed a six-month-old investigation into possible price manipulation by oil companies that have incurred record profits over the past year.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission in a brief statement said it was disclosing its investigation due to "today's unprecedented market conditions."
The CTFC said it was examining the purchase, transportation, storage and trading of crude oil, which has reached record highs of more than $130 per barrel in the past week.
‘Russia will respond pragmatically to NATO expansion’
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia will respond pragmatically to NATO's possible eastward expansion, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.
Lavrov's comment came after US President George W. Bush earlier Wednesday urged his European allies in the Romanian capital Bucharest to meet the request of Ukraine and Georgia to initiate procedure to admit them as members of the alliance.
Hundreds evacuated after mudslide in Guatemala
By IANS,
Guatemala City : Some 1,300 families have been evacuated from their homes in northern Guatemala following Sunday's mudslide in which 38 people were killed and 30 still missing, EFE news agency reported Friday.
Emergency management officials in San Cristobal Verapaz province said that the evacuation to a safer zone had been carried out in the last few hours.
"We're working hard to protect the people who live in the nearby areas," emergency management secretary Alejandro Maldonado told reporters.
LTTE: A Chronology
By IANS,
Colombo: The following is the chronology of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which Sunday announced an end to its armed struggle for an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka.
1972: Velupillai Prabhakaran forms Tamil New Tigers (TNT)
1976: Prabhakaran sets up LTTE
1978: Issues its first press statement
1983: Kills 13 soldiers in Jaffna; anti-Tamil violence leads to Tamil insurgency
1986: Wipes out biggest rival Tamil militant group
Kenyan president wants Burundi election to be postponed
Nairobi : President of Kenya and of the East African Community (EAC), Uhuru Kenyatta, on Monday asked Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza to postpone June's...
‘War on terror’ has been a ‘disaster’: British think tank
LONDON (AFP) - The US-led "war on terror" has been a "disaster" and Washington and its allies must change their policy in Iraq and Afghanistan to defeat Al-Qaeda, an independent global security think tank said Monday.
Indian-origin British MP defends non-participation in Kashmir debate
London: Priti Patel, a British MP of Indian-origin who has been appointed "Indian Diaspora Champion" by British Prime Minister David Cameron, Tuesday defended her...
Prachanda to miss Saarc summit?
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : The Saarc Summit in Sri Lanka next month, a golden opportunity for Nepal's Maoists to present their new image as a mainstream party committed to multiparty democracy, could elude the former guerrillas with the protracted political deadlock gripping the Himalayan nation showing no signs of a resolution.
World cities join hands to combat climate change
New York, May 18 (DPA) Fifteen of the world's largest cities have agreed on a $5-billion initiative with major banks to retrofit buildings in their cities to save energy, in the first such enterprise to combat climate change.
Former US president Bill Clinton launched the initiative to coincide this week with a summit in New York attended by mayors and governors from 40 of the world's largest cities to discuss climate change.
Sarkozy promises bail-out for French press
By DPA,
Paris : French President Nicolas Sarkozy Friday proposed a series of measures intended to bring the country's newspapers out of their economic crisis.
According to an estimate by the daily Le Figaro, the measures will cost the government some 600 million euros ($770 million).
"The press was already in a crisis before the (economic) crisis, Sarkozy told representatives of the sector in his annual post-New Year's address to the press. "For 2009, the economic situation for the press has collapsed."
China bans plastic bags in ecologically fragile Tibet
By IANS,
Lhasa : China has banned ultra-thin plastic bags in ecologically fragile southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region.
In a circular Friday, the government ordered all prefectures and counties to replace these bags with the cloth ones.
The move is mainly aimed at tackling pollution at tourist sites, Xinhua reported.
The government has banned the manufacture, sale and use of plastic bags that are under 0.025 mm thick by the end of this year to curb "white pollution" in the region.
Colombians demand hostages’ release on Independence Day
By IANS,
Leticia (Colombia) : With marches and concerts, more than a million Colombians have celebrated their country's 198th Independence Day and demanded the leftist rebels free everyone they have been holding hostage, EFE news agency reported Monday.
In Leticia, the capital city of southernmost province of Amazonas, a military parade was organised to mark the day Sunday that was witnessed by President Alvaro Uribe and his Brazilian and Peruvian counterparts Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Alan Garcia, respectively.
Two students arrested a month after video-recorded gang rape on crowded US beach
Phoenix (Arizona): No one intervened while a woman was being gang raped in daylight on a crowded public beach in Florida in March, or...
Jordan in meeting of NATO
By NNN-Petra
Brussels : Jordan has taken part in the meeting of NATO foreign ministers which started on Dec 7 2007 in Brussels.
Foreign Minister Salahiddin Al Bashir headed the Jordanian delegation to the Mediterranean Dialogue Ministerial.
The delegation comprises Jordanian Ambassador to European Union (EU) and the Kingdom of Belgium Ahmad Massa’deh and diplomat at Jordanian Embassy Ali Al Bsoul.
Al Basher is expected to meet with a number of his European and Arab counterparts for talks on bilateral ties between Jordan and their respected countries.
Quake Victims Riot in Algeria
By Prensa Latina,t
Algiers : Chlef, one of the most important cities in Algeria, was the stage of new clashes between residents and riot police continued on Monday, with dozens wounded and considerable damage so far reported.
At least 60 have been arrested in the disturbances that broke out Sunday when a group of young people took to the streets to protest the annulment of compensation for the 1980 earthquake victims.
Witnesses reported that this morning's clashes began when security forces tried to stop protestors from looting public buildings and setting fire to vehicles.
In Neruda’s Chile, good education eludes masses
By Liz Mathew, IANS,
Santiago : In Chile - the land of literary giants like Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral - its young citizens strangely do not have a great affinity for books. The government's attempts to reintroduce the writers have not had many takers.
Concerned about diminishing reading habits among youngsters, the government in this South American nation has proposed a scheme to distribute books to 400,000 poor families. But people here are pessimistic about the programme. They say the government should first give priority to improving educational facilities.
LTTE cannot be crushed, say Sri Lanka Tamil MPs
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Tamil Tigers cannot be crushed, two Sri Lankan Tamil MPs said Thursday, reacting to claims that the rebels were on the verge of losing the dragging war in the island nation.
“We have been hearing from various (Sri Lankan) presidents that the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) will perish. There is nothing new in it,” N. Sri Kantha of the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) told the media here.
Sri Kantha and his colleague M.K. Shivaji Lingam spoke even as Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Indian leaders here.
4 S Korean soldiers injured in Army truck accident
By Xinhua,
Seoul : Four South Korean soldiers were injured Thursday when an Army truck overturned in Cheorwon, local police said.
A 2.5-ton vehicle carrying about 20 rank-and-filers veered off a wet road and tipped over at around 9:50 a.m. (0050 GMT) in Cheorwon, less than 30 km south of the heavily armed inter-Korean border, police said.
One Army soldier was immediately sent to a nearby hospital while the other three were being treated at a military clinic, police said, adding that the four remained in stable condition.
Nepal’s ex-queen mum yearning to leave palace museum: Report
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : With Nepal's formerly impregnable royal palace now open to the public as a national museum, the former queen mother, who is still living in her mansion inside the sprawling complex, is now yearning to depart from there, a report said.
Deposed king Gyanendra's stepmother Ratna Shah, who had been the most powerful woman in Nepal during the reign of three kings, beginning with her husband, late king Mahendra, now wants to leave the Narayanhity palace which has become an object of enormous public curiosity.
Drop in US jobs rattles Wall Street
By DPA
Washington : US firms shed jobs in August for the first time in four years, the government said, sending the stock market into a tumble as concern about US economic growth soared.
Coupled with the crisis in the US mortgage market, the loss of 4,000 jobs last month - unexpected by most economists - showed that the US expansion may be more threatened than previously believed.
In more bad news, the US Labour Department revised July's jobs gain to 68,000, smaller than initially reported. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.6 percent in August.
Fact sheet for London’s ‘Little India’ by-poll
By IANSLondon : Following is a fact-file on the Ealing Southall by-election:Candidates:* Virendra Kumar Sharma, Labour Party* Nigel Bakhai, Liberal Democrats* Tony Lit, Conservative...
Italian Cardinal: End Bigotry on Immigrants
By Prensa Latina,
Rome : The president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, called for local authorities to put an end to extremisms against immigrants.
Bagnasco's declarations for Repubblica daily take place amid a serious crisis resulting from the recent burning of gypsy settlements, mainly Rumanian, in Italy.
The religious leader advocated the creation of better conditions to welcome immigrants, who respect cohabitation laws, and favour a real integration.
US vows to go ahead with missile shield
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Washington : The US and NATO will proceed with its European missile defence programme despite Russia's concerns while continuing to seek Moscow's cooperation on the issue.
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.
Kidnapped Mexican reporter found dead
By EFE,
Mexico City : A crime reporter kidnapped outside his home in the northwestern Mexican city of Durango was found dead 10 hours later, authorities said.
The body of Vladimir Antuna, 39, who worked for El Tiempo de Durango newspaper, was found behind a diabetes clinic and a sports centre, sources at the Durango state Attorney General's Office said Tuesday.
The reporter showed signs of having died "by strangulation" and no bullet wounds were noticed on his body, the sources said.
Antuna was kidnapped Monday morning while driving to work, when his SUV was intercepted.
Shutdown in Jaffna to protest LTTE attack on merchant ships
By IANS,
Colombo : A shutdown to protest a suicide boat-attack by Tamil Tiger rebels on two cargo vessels brought normal life to a standstill Thursday in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula.
A Sri Lankan cargo vessel was damaged when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealem (LTTE) Wednesday carried a pre-dawn suicide attack targeting two government merchant vessels off the Kankesanthurai harbour in the north.
Russian held for burning parents alive
By IANS,
Moscow: 31-year-old Russian man has been accused of setting fire to his parents after they complained about his laziness, officials said Monday.
Russian official dismisses NATO call to tone down rhetoric
By Xinhua
Brussels : Russia's ambassador to NATO dismissed on Friday NATO's call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to avoid "unhelpful rhetoric" at next week's NATO summit.
In an interview with the Financial Times published on Friday, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he hoped the Russian leader would refrain from making anti-West comments.
Hannover gears up for Narendra Modi visit
Hannover : German city Hannover is gearing up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on Sunday, where he along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel...
Republican party elects first African American chairman
By Xinhua,
Washington : The US Republican National Committee (RNC) Friday elected Michael Steele as the first African American to lead the national organization of the party.
Steele beat Katon Dawson, the South Carolina Republican committee chairman, to claim the title in the sixth round of balloting, US TV networks reported.
He won with 91 votes, passing the threshold of the simple majority of 85 votes from the 168-member committee to secure his victory.
Bhutan refugees bid tearful farewell to Nepal
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Twenty Bhutanese refugees, including a one-year-old child, Monday bid a tearful farewell to Nepal and the hope of ever being able to return home, as they headed for the US to start a new life after languishing for 17 years in closed camps.
Three refugee families with 20 members, who had flown along with 43 more peers from their shanties in Sanischare camp in eastern Nepal, sobbed and looked glum as they went inside Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport to fly out to start life afresh in the US.
India asks Sri Lanka to ensure safety of Tamil civilians
By IANS,
New Delhi/Patna : With the Sri Lankan Army stepping up offensive against the LTTE that has vowed never to surrender, India Tuesday conveyed its concerns and appealed to Colombo to ensure the safe exit of thousands of civilians trapped in the war zone.
"I have appealed to the Sri Lankan authorities to facilitate the return of civilians to a secure zone," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in Patna.
10 hurt in LTTE air attack on key naval base in Trincomalee
By IANS,
Colombo : At least 10 Sri Lankan Navy sailors were wounded when Tamil Tiger rebels air-dropped two bombs on a key naval base in Sri Lanka's eastern port city of Trincomalee, defence authorities said Wednesday.
The attack, from a lightwing aircraft, took place late Tuesday.
Military spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had used a lightwing aircraft to drop two bombs between 9 p.m. and 9.15 p.m. on the Trincomalee dockyard area.
Quake-tsunami may cost Japan $235 bn, says World Bank
By IANS,
Tokyo : The devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan March 11 may cost the country's economy $235 billion, the World Bank said Monday.
Pro-European high-flier to lead Liberal Democrats
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS
London : A pro-European former journalist who has proposed an amnesty for some of Britain's hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants has been picked to lead the Liberal Democrats, Britain's third largest political party.
Nick Clegg, a 40-year-old high-flier and former member of the European Parliament, polled 20,988 to rival Chris Huhn's 20,477 votes to become the head of a party whose role could become crucial at the next general elections in Britain.