US House majority leader to step down
Washington: US House Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced Wednesday that he would resign his leadership post by July 31, after he was defeated Tuesday...
Japan, China join forces in hunt for missing plane
Sydney : Japanese search and rescue teams joined Chinese aircraft Sunday in the hunt for signs of missing Malaysian plane -- MH370 -- which...
Russia sends four MiG-29K fighters to India
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Russian aircraft maker MiG has delivered four MiG-29K/KUB ship-borne fighters to the Indian Navy under a contract concluded in 2010, the company said.
Britta Steffen will try to keep the German flag flying high
By Peter Auf der Heyde, DPA,
Rome : In 2004 German freestyle specialist Britta Steffen arrived at the Athens Olympics full of hope and expectations, but after slipping in the stands, Steffen never came close to reaching her goals.
Frustrated, she retired from active swimming soon after and concentrated on her studies.
After a break that lasted close to two years, Steffen returned to swimming and became the most successful swimmer at the 2006 European championships, picking up four gold medals and one silver.
Court overturns ruling over Janet Jackson wardobe malfunction
By DPA,
Washington : A US federal court Monday tossed out a government decision to fine broadcaster CBS $550,000 for indecency for the flashing of singer Janet Jackson's breast during the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2004.
The US Court of Appeals in Philadelphia found the fine levelled by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) "arbitrary and capricious" and not in keeping with past indecency rulings, in part because the incident was so brief and because the network had no knowledge that it would occur.
Three policemen killed by Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka
By DPA
Colombo : Three police officers were shot dead Monday evening by Tamil rebels in south-eastern Sri Lanka, days after the rebels killed at least 44 people in separate incidents.
The policemen were shot dead while on night-time checkpoint duty at Kithulkotte in the Thanamalwila area, 260 km southeast of the capital, officials said.
Tamil rebels last Wednesday set off a claymore mine killing 27 bus passengers and hours later killed six farmers. On the following day 11 more farmers were killed in the area.
Haiti cholera deaths top 1,500
By IANS,
Port-au-Prince : An estimated 1,523 people have died of cholera and the epidemic could last for years in Haiti, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has said.
Nine Thai provinces under bird flu watch
By Xinhua,
Bangkok : Thailand Thursday placed nine northern provinces under a special watch for the deadly bird flu after the disease was detected in two districts in the region recently.
Health minister Paichai Varachit said the decision to activate special monitoring was made at a meeting of ministry officials early Thursday.
As winter begins in most parts of Thailand, health officials Oct 28 detected the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in a dead fowl in Thung Salium district of Sukhothai province.
Landslide buries over 50 people in China
By Xinhua,
Chongqing (China) : Three people were rescued while 56 others remained buried under rocks Friday following a landslide in a mining area in southwest China.
The landslide occurred at about 3 p.m. in Jiwei Mountain in Wulong County. Millions of cubic meters of rock spilled a valley and buried an iron ore plant and six houses.
The three rescued people were unconscious and receiving emergency treatment at a hospital, officials said.
Pinkett-Smith fine with husband’s women fans
By IANS,
London : Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith is fine with the fact that other women lust after husband actor Will Smith.
Thesun.co.uk reports that she has been married to Smith for 11 years now and has never been jealous of his female fans. She says: "I wouldn't want him if they didn't! "That's the whole point - to be married to one of the most wanted men in the world. Absolutely!"
Pinkett-Smith more recently has played a hippo in an animated film and also the lesbian author Alex Fisher in "The Women". She loves the controversy and also wishes her love scenes were more explicit.
Youngest Lawmaker-Elect Under Probe Over Alleged Corruption
By Bernama,
Seoul : A South Korean woman set to become the country's youngest lawmaker is under investigation for allegedly paying a sizable amount of money to her party to get a seat under a proportional representation system, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Yang Jeong-rye, 30, won the Pro-Park United Party's top proportional seat in last week's parliamentary elections, but allegations have surfaced that she paid a "special membership fee."
Election laws ban the buying of party nominations, which is punishable by up to five years in prison or a 10 million won (US$10,000) fine.
Nepal PM defends leaked tape, says he has over 100,000 fighters
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : After a national outcry created by a leaked video tape, in which Nepal's caretaker Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda was heard saying he had inflated the strength of his guerrilla fighters almost five-fold during a UN verification, the Maoist supremo Wednesday defended himself, saying his People's Liberation Army (PLA) actually had over 100,000 fighters.
Obama can cook keema and dal, but is a ‘terrible’ bat
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : President Barack Obama can cook keema and dal and read Urdu with absolute ease but his batting in cricket is another story.
The president learnt his culinary skills from the mothers of his Pakistani roommates in college, he revealed in an interview with Pakistan's Dawn group to be published Sunday.
"I would love to visit" Pakistan, Obama said. "As you know, I had Pakistani roommates in college who were very close friends of mine. I went to visit them when I was still in college; was in Karachi and went to Hyderabad.
Thai PM resents court injunction on Hindu heritage temple
By Xinhua,
Bangkok : Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Sunday the administrative court's order prohibiting his government from supporting the listing of ancient Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site had undermined his government's position.
The temple built in 1037 by King Suriyavaraman of what is now known as Cambodia along Thai-Cambodia border is one of the most brilliant examples of Hindu architecture and precedes by 100 years another Hindu landmark structure, the Angkor Wat.
Toll in fresh Nepal quake at 79; total over 8,200
Kathmandu : Eighteen more bodies were found on Wednesday, taking the toll from Tuesday's earthquake in Nepal to 79, the government said. The toll...
US Senate approves plan to train, arm Syrian rebels
Washington: The US Senate Thursday approved President Barack Obama's plan to train and arm Syrian rebels in the efforts to fight the Islamic State...
Kutcher hightest paid television star
By IANS,
Los Angeles: Actor Ashton Kutcher is the best paid television actor earning a whooping 15 million pounds.
Spain to vote in general election
By IRNA
Madrid : Polls are set to open in Spain to decide whether to return the ruling Socialists to power for another four years.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's party faces Mariano Rajoy's conservative Popular Party.
The faltering economy, rising inflation and unemployment, and immigration were all high-profile campaign issues.
The election has been marred by Friday's killing of a former Socialist councilor in the Basque Country.
Brazilian firm approves $225 bn investment plan through 2015
By IANS/EFE,
Rio de Janeiro : Brazilian state-controlled energy giant Petrobras has approved $224.7 billion in investment outlays for the 2011-15 period.
Israel to step up Gaza offensive: Netanyahu
Jerusalem: Israel will step up the offensive in the Gaza Strip until rocket firing from there into Israel stops, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said...
Myanmar hunts for bombers for two blasts in Yangon
By Xinhua,
Yangon : The Myanmar authorities are hunting for suspected bombers in two bomb blasts which occurred in the downtown areas of the country's biggest city of Yangon on Sunday night, according to state media Tuesday.
A man, supposed to be at the age of 30, is under suspicion for the responsibility of one of the two blasts in the city's Kyauktada and Pabedan townships.
Nepal PM survives health scare
By IANS
Kathmandu : Nepal's ailing Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala survived a health scare Sunday with doctors virtually ruling out active campaigning for the April election by the 84-year-old.
Physicians rushed to the residence of the five-time premier and controversial chief of Nepal's seven-party ruling alliance around 3 a.m. Sunday after the former chronic smoker complained of breathing difficulties.
Man Bahadur K.C., one of the doctors attending Koirala, said age, the spurt in cold and an old bronchitis had contributed to the trouble.
LTTE areas captured, 18 rebels killed: Sri Lanka
By IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lankan troops killed 18 Tamil Tigers and captured territories held by the separatist group in the north-western Mannar district, the defence ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
"Troops in the Mannar front captured three square kilometres of the area held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday," the statement said.
It said soldiers monitoring LTTE radio transmissions confirmed that at least 18 rebels were killed and six more injured during clashes between the two sides in Mullikandal, Minnaniranchan and Marattikannaddi areas of Mannar.
Ex-Tiger guerrilla turns a chief minister in Sri Lanka
By P. Karunakharan, IANS,
Colombo : A former hardened Tamil Tiger guerrilla who fought the Sri Lankan military for years was Friday sworn in as chief minister of the island's troubled eastern province.
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, known more widely by his nom de guerre Pillaiyan, took oath before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a function held at the Presidential Secretariat here amid tight security.
Pillaiyan heads the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP), which was formed by guerrillas who broke away from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2004.
US stocks tumble over concern for global recovery
By DPA,
New York : US stocks tumbled across the board Thursday over concern about global recovery as the US dollar rose.
Standard & Poors' decision Wednesday to reduce Greece's credit rating for the second time this year raised concern about the lingering global recession, making investors across Asia, Europe and the US jittery.
Another factor was the Federal Reserve's announcement after its two-day meeting that most of its lending programmes will expire as scheduled Feb 1, Bloomberg financial news service reported.
NC, CPN-UML reach understanding on appointment of Nepali president
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : Nepali Congress and the Communist Party Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Saturday reached an understanding regarding the formation of new government and election of the first president, local media reported.
According to a leading website, nepalnews.com report, in a discussion between the two parties held at Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's residence in Kathmandu Saturday, they agreed for two-third majority to unseat the president. However, the two parties agreed that a simple majority can change the prime minister.
Syrian opposition members in Moscow for talks
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition forces could begin within the next several months, a Syrian opposition leader said here.
Rights situation remains poor in Cuba, say dissidents
By IANS/EFE,
Havana : The state of human rights in Cuba did not improve last year and is unlikely to get better in 2010, a dissident organisation said, though noting that the number of political prisoners declined from 205 to 201.
"Unless a miracle happens, the situation of civil, political and economic rights in Cuba will remain the same or worse in the course of 2010," the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation said Tuesday in a statement distributed to the press by its chairman, Elizardo Sanchez.
Canada set for a snap poll
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : Canada seems set for a snap poll. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is heading a minority Conservative Party government, has hinted at the possibility of dissolving parliament next week and seeking a fresh mandate.
Harper made the announcement Tuesday despite the fact that he was instrumental in getting a fixed-election date law passed to stop the ruling party from deciding poll dates to its advantage.
Under that law, the next parliamentary election in Canada is due Oct 19, 2009.
Orbiting space junk passes International Space Station
By DPA,
Washington : A large piece of space junk flew past the International Space Station (ISS) Friday without posing any threat, US space agency NASA said.
A piece of a European Ariane-5 rocket passed within 1.3 km of the ISS, but not close enough to pose a risk to the station or its crew.
"The flight control team is continuing to monitor that debris, but again it did pass as expected and is no concern to the orbiting complex," said a NASA spokesperson.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago
By Paras Ramoutar, IANS,
Port-of-Spain : Thousands of Hindus thronged temples across Trinidad and Tobago to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with devotees observing fast and chanting Vedic hymns.
Earthen idols are prepared and devotees here pay obeisance to Lord Ganesha. After Ganesh Chaturthi ends, the idols are immersed in the river or the sea.
Ganesh Utsav, which began Aug 23 and ends Sep 3, is also being observed by the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS).
‘Muslims Get Out’ sign owner invited to mosque
Washington : The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) said they were reaching out to a business owner who put up...
Tokyo’s `oldest’ man dead for 30 years
By DPA,
Tokyo : Police are investigating whether the family of Tokyo's "oldest man" - who appears to have been dead at home for decades - fraudulently received pension money paid to him, news reports said Friday.
City officials went to see Sogen Kato, listed as Tokyo's oldest man, to congratulate him on his 111th birthday, but discovered he had been dead for 30 years.
Officials had long tried to meet Kato, born July 22, 1899, but his family members would not let them in, saying Kato did not want to see anyone or that he was in Gifu Prefecture, news reports said.
Oil could make Cambodia Asia’s Norway: diplomat
By DPA
Phnom Penh : Oil could turn Cambodia into Asia's Norway, a UN-sponsored conference to discuss strategies to deal with the country's expected offshore petroleum reserves heard Wednesday.
Bangkok-based Norwegian ambassador extraordinary Merete Fjeld Brattested told the international conference, which is aimed at discussing how to use the yet untapped reserves to fuel poverty reduction, said Norway had once been the poor cousin of Europe.
Colombian president’s son ties the knot
By IANS,
Bogota : Tomas Uribe, the eldest son of Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe, has tied the knot with former beauty queen Isabel Sofia Cabrales in the country's Cartagena city, Spain's EFE news agency reported.
Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jimenez conducted the wedding ceremony at the Santa Catalina de Alejandria Cathedral Sunday.
Sofia arrived at the cathedral in a Victorian-style carriage adorned with white roses, the report said.
Her uncle, fashion designer Hernan Zajar, crafted the bride's outfit.
Chinese scientists predict more powerful quakes in next 15 years
By RIA Novosti,
Beijing : China is likely to experience earthquakes measuring 7 or higher on the Richter scale over the next 15 years, a national newspaper said on Tuesday, citing Chinese experts.
The devastating earthquake that hit the Sichuan province in the country's southwest on May 12 with a magnitude of 8.0 was the country's worst in more than three decades, and has claimed the lives of at least 69,000 people.
Short-staffed Argentine jail dresses up doll as guard
By IANS/EFE,
Buenos Aires : Two men serving time for armed robbery escaped from a jail in the southern Argentine province of Neuquen where a personnel shortage prompted administrators to dress up a doll as a guard and put it in a watchtower.
The convicts escaped last Saturday night from UP 12 prison after climbing one of its barbed-wire-clad walls under the impassive gaze of "Wilson", a doll holding down the post of a watchman, guards told Rio Negro newspaper.
Police chief warns of disorder on UK streets
By IRNA,
London : Britain’s most senior policeman on Thursday predicted that the country was facing a new era of violent street protests over government cuts to public services.
Three Greeks injured in racial mob attack in Berlin
By IRNA
Berlin : A mob of 10-15 teenagers attacked and injured three Greeks early Saturday morning at a gas station in Berlin's Pankow district, news reports said.
According to police, the assailants chanted anti-foreigner slogans.
The victims, two men ages 27 and 28 as well as a 25-year-old woman received outpatient treatment at a local hospital following the attack.
Police was not able yet to provide further details on the xenophobic incident.
ASEAN not to set deadlines for creation of new institution
By Xinhua,
Singapore : The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must not set artificial deadlines for the creation of a new institution simply in order to establish one, said Singapore's Second Foreign Minister Raymond Lim on Thursday.
Any new ASEAN institution must have the support of all the 10 member states to reflect the region's complexity, diversity and realities in all fields, he said.
He also said advancing the human rights agenda within the regional grouping should be achieved through an evolutionary approach.
China challenging US as scientific powerhouse
By IANS,
Washington : China is finding its place as one of the world's top scientific powerhouses, going by the sheer quantity of papers being churned out by its scientists, according to a study.
China has already overtaken Britain and Germany in the number of physics papers published and is beginning to nip at the heels of the United States.
If China's output continues to increase at its current pace, the country will be publishing more articles in physics - and indeed all of science - than the US by 2012.
Hiking oil supplies to the international market ruled out — leading expert
By Abdelwaheb Al-Gueyed, KUNA
Vienna : Member states of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will unlikely alter the ceiling of the crude output during their scheduled meeting here on Friday, according to a ranking expert.
US aluminum giant Alcoa to cut 13,500 jobs
By DPA,
New York : The largest US aluminium maker, Alcoa, announced Tuesday that it would cut its global workforce by 13,500 jobs, or 13 percent, by the end of the year amid the widening recession.
Alcoa will also slash an additional 1,700 contractor positions. The company will be cutting production, lowering its annual smelting capacity by 750,000 metric tons, or about 18 percent.
Chrysler cuts 1,200 more jobs at its main Canadian plant
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : Auto giant Chrysler cut 1,200 more Canadian jobs Wednesday at its Windsor plant near Detroit amid plunging sales.
The auto maker, which is surviving on government loans, said it plans to axe an entire shift of 1,200 workers at the plant from June as demand for its minivans, including Dodge Caravan, shrinks.
Most of the vehicles assembled in Canada are shipped back to the US market by Chrysler, as well as GM and Ford.
More than 2.5 mn displaced in Colombian civil strife: Report
By IANS,
Bogota : More than 2.5 million people have been displaced in Colombia's decade-old civil war involving the government forces, right-wing militias and the leftist guerrillas, the National Planning Department (DNP) has said.
"In 2002, displacement reached its peak in the number of persons forced to leave their homes," EFE news agency quoted DNP chief Carolina Renteria as telling a convention Saturday.
Norway, Denmark open embassies in Myanmar
By IANS,
Yangon : Norway and Denmark have opened their embassies in Yangon, official media reported Monday.
Security tightened as BBC hosts anti-immigrant leader
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London: Security at the television studios of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was ramped up Thursday as anti-fascist campaigners protested a current affairs show featuring the leader of a political party that wants to oust non-White immigrants from Britain.
Campaigners, who include anti-fascist groups, trade unions, a cabinet minister and Jewish holocaust survivors, accuse the BBC of pandering to racism by inviting British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin on the panel of a popular current affairs show, Question Time.
U.N. Airlifts Food to Georgia Conflict Victims
By SPA,
United Nations : Two cargo airplanes chartered by the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) departed early Wednesday for Tbilisi, Georgia with 34 tons of high-energy food to assist thousands of people displaced by the recent conflict.
U.N. officials say about 100,000 people have been displaced since heavy fighting began last Thursday between Georgian and South Ossetian forces, with some having fled to different parts of the country and others going to North Ossetia in Russia.
11 officials held responsible for China blasts
Beijing : Eleven officials and port executives were accused by Chinese authorities of neglecting management of dangerous chemicals, their storage and transportation at...
UN officials on missing plane found alive in Bolivia
By IANS,
La Paz : Four UN officials and two crew members on board a Bolivian Air Force plane that was reported missing Thursday have been found alive and in good condition, officials said.
Israeli field hospital in quake-hit Kathmandu conducts delivery
New Delhi : As part of its quake-relief efforts, Israel has set up its biggest field hospital with 125 personnel and a range of...
Lankan Navy destroys three suspected LTTE ships, 45 killed
By NNN-PTI
Colombo : Sri Lanka's navy Tuesday claimed its biggest success against the LTTE saying it had virtually wiped out the group's ability to smuggle arms into the country after sinking three gun-running vessels and killing up to 45 rebels.
Navy Chief Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda said he believed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were bringing three light aircraft, artillery and a bullet proof vehicle in the ships sunk some 600 kilomtres off the island's south-eastern coast.
‘Immigrants to fund British schools and hospitals’
By IANS
London : Opposition groups Wednesday slammed reported British government proposals to hike immigration application fees in order to raise 15 million pounds that would help fund schools in Britain.
Proposals set to be announced by government ministers also include stiff new rules for granting British citizenship, including an English test, as part of a paper outlining the rights and responsibilities of new citizens, media reports said.
Russia reopens investigation into last tsar’s death
By RIA Novosti
Yekaternburg (Russia) : Russia's prosecutors have reopened investigations into the execution of the Romanov family following the alleged discovery of the remains of Tsar Nicholas's II son and daughter in the Urals region in late July.
The remains of a boy and a young woman were exhumed near the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, where Russia's last tsar, his wife, their four daughters and son, and several servants were shot by Bolsheviks in 1918. Archaeologists said the site had been spotted after declassifying archival documents recently.
Japan mourns on quake anniversary
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Tokyo : Japan Sunday marked the first anniversary of the devastating 9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami which killed almost 15,000 people.
UN helping Sri Lanka in genocide: Canadian Tamils
By IANS,
Toronto : Refuting a United Nations report from Colombo accusing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of stopping civilians from leaving the conflict zone and killing those who tried to flee, the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) said Monday such statements only helped Sri Lanka in its genocide against Tamils.
``In the past, the UN has denied such statements. We will wait and watch for their official reaction in New York. But if it is true, such statements only help Sri Lanka,'' Canadian Tamil Congress spokesman David Poopalapillai told IANS.
Randy Jackson quits ‘American Idol’ judges panel
By IANS,
Los Angeles: Singer Randy Jackson has quit the judges' panel on "American Idol" to being a mentor on the next series.
Mine gas blast kills 10 in southwest China
By Xinhua,
Chengdu : At least 10 people have been killed and eight are still missing in a coal mine gas blast in southwest China's Sichuan province early Friday, rescue operators said.
The gas blast occurred at 2.52 a.m. in the mine of Jinhe Coal Mining Co. in Jiuqing town, Xingwen county, when 44 miners were working underground, the Sichuan Provincial Work Safety Administration said.
Only 26 emerged from the pit after the accident, and rescue operators are still searching for the missing.
Sichuan's vice governor Li Chenyun has rushed to the site to direct rescue operations.
Re-vote in two Sri Lanka parliamentary districts opens
By DPA,
Colombo : Voting began Tuesday in two districts of Sri Lanka where polls were cancelled due to irregularities during parliamentary elections held on April 8, officials said.
The re-vote is being held in the Central Nawalapitiya electorate and in the northeastern Trincomalee district.
In Nawalapitiya, a minister of the ruling party was allegedly involved in driving away election monitors of opposition parties in April, while in Trincomalee ruling party supporters had grabbed ballot papers.
Summer floods rekindle British wartime spirit
By DPA
London : "Open for business - come hell or high water" read the notice outside the severely-flooded George Inn pub in Quedgeley, south-west Britain, summing up the mood of defiance, sarcasm and resilience that has marked the summer flood crisis in Britain.
The army and police stepped in discreetly, but firmly and effectively, to hand out rations of bottled water to the 350,000 people whose supplies have been cut off.
London : "Open for business - come hell or high water" read the notice outside the severely-flooded George Inn pub in Quedgeley, south-west Britain, summing up the mood of defiance, sarcasm and resilience that has marked the summer flood crisis in Britain.
The army and police stepped in discreetly, but firmly and effectively, to hand out rations of bottled water to the 350,000 people whose supplies have been cut off.
UN chief to set up panel to probe Israel’s bombing in Gaza
By Xinhua,
UNITED NATIONS : UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has informed the Security Council of his intention to establish a commission to look into Israel's bombing of UN facilities in Gaza, the Council's president said on Monday.
The UN chief made the announcement in a closed-door briefing to the Security Council about his recent overseas visit to Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Japanese UN Ambassador Yukio Takasu told reporters.
Italian tanker with 17 Indians hijacked
By IANS,
Rome : An Italian oil tanker with 17 Indians on board was hijacked Tuesday by pirates in the Indian Ocean, authorities said.
US stocks jump as oil price falls
By DPA,
New York : US stock indices recorded their biggest jump in a month as oil prices fell sharply Tuesday and the Federal Reserve opened the door to extending emergency lending into 2009.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the central bank's unprecedented lending to investment banks, set up in March at the height of the credit crisis for a six-month period, could be extended into 2009 if the financial sector's "unusual and exigent circumstances continue to prevail."
Taiwan raises death toll from Typhoon Megi to 36
By DPA,
Taipei: Taiwan Wednesday raised the number of people killed by Typhoon Megi to 36 after declaring dead 21 people missing since last month.
Canadian PM buys time to save his government
By Gurmukh Singh,IANS,
Toronto : Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Thursday managed to buy time for his government which faces ouster by a combined opposition in a vote of confidence.
Harper managed to convince Governor-General Michaelle Jean to prorogue parliament till Jan 26, enabling his Conservative Party government to avoid a defeat in a vote of confidence next week.
‘US has paid Pakistan $5.6 bn to counter terrorism’
By IANS
Washington : The United States is paying Pakistan roughly $1 billion a year for what it calls reimbursements to the country's military for conducting counter-terrorism efforts along the border with Afghanistan, the New York Times reported.
Venezuela to send more aid to storm hit Haiti
By Xinhua,
Caracas : Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has said that his country would send more humanitarian aid to Haiti devastated by hurricane Ike that killed at least 39 people.
The country was hit by three other hurricanes Fay, Gustav and Hanna recently.
Chavez Sunday said a plane carrying food and water bottles has already left for the Haitian city of Gonaives.
Earlier on Saturday, a ship carrying 18 tonnes of food and other items was sent to the island nation.
Eight-year jail term sought for bomb-maker in Indonesia
By IANS/AKI,
Jakarta: Prosecutors in Indonesia have asked a court for an eight-year prison sentence for alleged bomb-maker Muhammad Thoriq.
US, Russia complete massive spy swap
By DPA,
New York/Washington/Moscow : The US and Russia have completed arrangements for one of the largest spy swaps in history as 10 Russian spy suspects and four prisoners in Russian custody pleaded guilty to charges against them.
In New York, the 10 Russian spies, who included a Peruvian-born US citizen, pleaded guilty in federal court to lesser charges of acting as illegal agents of a foreign government, US justice officials confirmed Thursday. They were to be deported quickly.
Ex-Japanese national in Nepal polls supporting monarchy
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : He came to Nepal in the 1960s to climb its mountains and decided to stay on. Now Takashi Miyahara, a Japanese national who has taken Nepali citizenship, is fighting the constituent assembly elections in support of the monarchy.
Ask Takashi what made him leave his homeland and set roots in the Himalayan Kingdom, and he has a ready answer.
"I love its natural beauty and the Nepali people," the 74-year-old mechanical engineer from Kawasaki says. "Except politicians."
North Korea conducts missile engine test – report
By RIA Novosti,
Tokyo : North Korea has conducted an engine ignition test for a long-range missile at a new launch site near its west coast, Japan's Kyodo agency said on Tuesday citing a South Korean intelligence source.
The test at the Tongchang-ri site was detected by the U.S. KH-12 spy satellite, Kyodo quoted the intelligence source as saying. The base, located 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the North Korean border with China, has been under construction for several years, but the engine test site is already in operation, the source said.
Suspected US airstrike kills three in Pakistan
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, an intelligence official said.
Missiles believed to have been fired from a US-operated Predator drone hit a suspected militant hideout in Gangikhel village, just outside the district's main town of Wana.
"Information reaching us is sketchy, but three people have been confirmed dead," the official said on condition of anonymity. Several more people were also wounded in the attack, he added.
‘Bush gave secret orders allowing raids in Pakistan’
By IANS,
New York : President George W. Bush has secretly approved orders that allowed US military special forces, for the first time, to mount ground assaults inside Pakistan territory against terrorists and Afghan insurgents, without the prior approval of the Pakistani government, The New York Times reported Thursday.
The orders were given in July, the newspaper said, citing senior US officials speaking on condition of anonymity.
Tibet adopts statute to protect Potala Palace
Lhasa : A regulation for protecting the 1,300-year-old Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was adopted by the legislature of southwest China's Tibet...
US Undersecretary of State Burns resigning
By Xinhua
Washington : US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, the third highest diplomat in the State Department, is resigning, a senior US official said Friday.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will announce Burns' resignation at 9.45 a.m. (1445 GMT), said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Taiwan expands travel links with China
By DPA,
Taipei : Taiwan expanded travel links with China Thursday to allow all its citizens to reach the mainland China via two offshore islands.
Taiwanese will be able to travel via Kinmen and Matsu off China's southeast coast, to cut the time and cost of going via Hong Kong, the Mainland Affairs Council said.
Taiwan banned direct travel to China since 1949, but in 2004 allowed Kinmen and Matsu residents to travel to China's Fujian province and vice verse, and allowed Kinmen/Matsu-Fujian trade.
Taiwan also allowed investors to go to China and return home via Kinmen and Matsu.
Tibet problem entirely internal issue of China: President Hu
By APP
Beijing : Chinese President Hu Jintao said Saturday that the Tibet problem is entirely an internal issue of China, and national unification features the conflict between the central government and the Dalai group, the state media reported.
“Our conflict with the Dalai clique is not an ethnic problem, not a religious problem, nor a human rights problem. It is a problem either to safeguard national unification or to split the motherland,” the Xinhua news agency quoted President Hu as saying.
Koirala’s daughter becomes Nepal’s deputy PM
By IANS,
Kathmandu : The political complexities in Nepal are set to take a new turn with the new government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Monday deciding to appoint the daughter of former premier Girija Prasad Koirala as its second deputy prime minister.
India, Bangladesh to swap enclaves from midnight
New Delhi: With effect from midnight on Friday, India and Bangladesh would swap small enclaves of land in each other's possession - bringing in...
Brazilian pilot reports possible sighting of disappeared French plane’s wreckage
By DPA,
Rio de Janeiro : A pilot from Brazil's airline TAM possibly spotted a burning piece of wreckage on the Atlantic Ocean while he was crossing the Atlantic early Monday morning.
The Brazilian Air Force confirmed late Monday that the pilot saw "orange-coloured spots" in the middle of the Atlantic. The observation could have approximately corresponded to the time Air France 447 disappeared from radar.
AF447, with 228 people on board, went missing at about 0215 GMT Monday. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in Paris the chances of finding any survivors are "very slim".
American people back Iran’s right to enrich uranium: Chomsky
By IRNA,
Berlin : The American people support Iran's right to enrich uranium and are "strongly opposed" to issuing any military threats against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, said a leading US foreign policy expert in an exclusive phone interview with IRNA in Berlin on Saturday.
Noam Chomsky lashed out at western media reports saying Tehran was "defying the world" over its nuclear program.
"That's a funny definition of the 'world'. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), for example which is the majority of countries, endorses Iran's right to enrich uranium," said Chomsky.
Private money pours to rescue Haiti
By DPA,
Washington : From Wall Street to Main Street, Americans opened their pocketbooks Thursday to rescue Haiti, where the toll could rise to tens of thousands after a powerful earthquake crushed the capital city.
The US Chamber of Commerce reported that US corporate aid pledges had exceeded $16 million.
French tourist raped at gunpoint
By DPA,
Wellington : A 24-year-old French tourist who wanted to experience "the real New Zealand" was abducted and raped after he accepted an offer of accommodation in a derelict house bus near Opotoki, in the far East Coast of the North Island.
His rapist, Teiro Ngaa Kitai, 32, a scrap metal trader, pleaded guilty Monday in Tauranga District Court to three charges of sexually violating the tourist, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported Thursday.
Crown prosecutor Rob Ronayne told the Herald that the victim was an experienced traveller who wanted to get off the beaten track.
Bill Clinton arrives in North Korea
By DPA,
Seoul : Former US president Bill Clinton arrived Tuesday in Pyongyang, state media reported, as South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said the focus of the trip would be to negotiate the release of two American journalists held since March in the reclusive communist state.
Clinton landed in Pyongyang and was met by high-ranking officials, including Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's top nuclear negotiator, North Korea's Central Television said in its midday broadcast.
G8 business groups urge innovation to fight global warming
By DPA,
Tokyo : Business groups from the Group of Eight (G8) countries Thursday called on their governments to push for innovation to fuel the fight against climate change.
It is essential that the governments of the seven leading industrialized countries and Russia cooperate with business to promote research, development and investment in technologies that produce lower emissions of carbon dioxide, said a joint declaration issued at the end of a meeting of the G8 business groups in Tokyo.
Obama congratulates Ukrainians for ‘successful’ elections
Washington : US President Barack Obama congratulated the people of Ukraine on holding "successful" parliamentary elections, the White House said Monday.
"Despite a challenging security...
US Congress endorses extension of surveillance law
By Xinhua
Washington : The US Congress has passed a two-week extension of an anti-terror surveillance law set to expire later this week.
The Senate is also expected to consider extending the surveillance law by two weeks, although Senators voted down a 30-day extension Monday.
China, Pakistan pledge to improve military cooperation
By IANS,
Beijing: China and Pakistan Wednesday pledged to enhance strategic communication and cooperation between their militaries, Xinhua reported.
Russia needs leaner space industry : Roscosmos
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Russia needs a leaner space industry, and that means significant job cuts, according to Vladimir Popovkin, head of Russia's Space Agency Roscosmos.
Putin’s timepieces
By IANS,
London : Russian President Vladimir Putin has a collection of watches worth almost six times his official annual salary of 72,000 pounds, it was reported here.
Wall Street Journal to launch monthly magazine
Washington, Sep 18 (Xinhua) The Wall Street Journal has announced that it will launch Pursuits, a glossy monthly magazine about the lifestyles of the rich next year.
"Pursuits will offer compelling journalism, vivid imagery and an unmatched guide to wealth, fashion, collecting and travel," said Marcus W. Brauchli, the journal's managing editor.
The first issue will appear next September as an insert in the journal's Saturday edition. It will go to about 800,000 selected journal subscribers, while the content of Pursuits will also be available on The Wall Street Journal's web site.
World’s oldest living person dies at 116 in Ukraine
LVOV, December 16 (RIA Novosti) - The planet's oldest living person, Grigoriy Nestor, died at the age of 116 in the Lvov Region in western Ukraine on Sunday.
According to church documents and his passport, Nestor was born on March 15, 1891.
Nestor, who worked as a shepherd in the village, used to say that he had lived to an old age because he had never been married and had not had his nervous system "undermined on the marital front."
Scientist uncovers secret of nerve cell regeneration
By IANS,
Washington: Brain researcher Hiroshi Kawabe has uncovered the secret of nerve (brain) cell regeneration.
It is the working of a process that permits nerve cells to grow and form complex networks---something had been completely overlooked until now.
The study shows that an enzyme controls the structure of the cytoskeleton (cellular skeleton) and ensures that nerve cells can form the tree-like extensions that are necessary for signal transmission in the brain.
Nikkei continues to fall despite coordinated rate cuts
By DPA,
Tokyo : The Tokyo stock market continued to plummet Thursday, even after major central banks made a coordinated easing of monetary policy.
The key Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 79.38 points, or 0.86 percent, to 9,123.94 in the opening minutes of trading.
Sikh who removed turban to help wounded boy felicitated
Wellington: A Sikh from India who removed his turban to help a seriously injured young boy was on Friday recognised for his act of...
US offers $70 mn new aid to Syrian opposition
Washington: The US announced on Friday that it will provide nearly $70 million in new non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, as the conflict...
44,000 immigrants could be deported under UK new rules
By IRNA
London : Retrospective changes to Britain's Highly Skilled Migration Programme (HSMP) will mean tens of thousands of non-EU migrants will have to leave the UK, it was claimed Wednesday.
Challenging the changes made in 2006, the HSMP Forum said that 90 percent of professionals who have entered the UK no longer qualify, an equivalent to 44,000.
Between 2002 and the end of 2006, when the government changed the rules, 49,000 doctors, engineers, accountants and other professionals entered the UK under the HSMP.
Bush committed to create Palestinian state
By Xinhua
Washington : US President George W. Bush has said that he remains "personally committed" to the Middle East peace process by creating a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.
"I remain personally committed to implementing my vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security," Bush said in a statement Sunday.
Hillary Clinton dismisses claims Indian cash swayed her n-deal stance
By Arun Kumar,
Washington : Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has dismissed as conspiracy theory claims made by a new book that cash donations from India...
US withdraws support for power-sharing deal in Zimbabwe
By DPA,
Pretoria : The US Sunday said it could no longer support the planned power-sharing deal for Zimbabwe that would see Robert Mugabe retain the presidency. It also pledged to continue sanctions on Mugabe and those close to him.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer, speaking in neighbouring South Africa Sunday, said the US has lost confidence in Mugabe. She added he was "completely out of touch" and responsible for having turned Zimbabwe into a "failed state".
After SAARC, row over Olympics in Nepal
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : After a flaming row over who should represent Nepal at the SAARC Summit in Colombo, now the caretaker government of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is mired in fresh controversy over attending the Olympic Games in Beijing this week at the invitation of the Chinese government.
Be prepared to protect rights of clones: UN study
New York(IANS) : Global leaders need to reach a compromise that outlaws reproductive cloning or be prepared to protect the rights of human clones from potential abuse, prejudice and discrimination.
A report by the United Nations University's Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) says a ban on human cloning, coupled with freedom for nations to permit controlled therapeutic research, is the global community's best option.
The report, titled "Is Human Reproductive Cloning Inevitable: Future Options for UN Governance" has been authored by UNU-IAS director A.H. Zakri.
Sarkozy calls emergency EU meeting over Georgia
By Xinhua,
Paris : French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for an emergency European Union (EU) meeting Sep 1 to discuss the crisis in Georgia.
France currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.
The meeting would take place in the Belgium capital Brussels, Sarkozy's office said in a statement Sunday.
"This meeting will be dedicated to the Georgian crisis, mainly the position European Union intends to adopt. Aid for Georgia and future relations with Russia would be discussed," the statement said.
Three killed as rebels declare war on Nepal polls
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : With the crucial election just 22 days away, the first anti-poll violence erupted in Nepal, killing three people, including a contestant, and raising fresh doubts about the twice-postponed polls.
Kamal Prasad Adhikari, a nominee from the leftist Rastriya Jana Morcha party, died early Wednesday after being gunned down at his residence in Betahani village in Banke district, midwestern Nepal.
Three gunmen raided Adhikari's house around midnight Tuesday, shooting him in the chest, stomach and hand.
Nine jailed in China for mine flood that killed 38
By IANS,
Beijing : Nine people have been sentenced to varied terms in jail for a deadly flood in a Chinese coal mine that killed 38 people two years ago.
Plane with 163 people overshoots runway in Russia
By IANS,
Moscow: A Tu-154M airliner with 163 people on board overshot the runway while landing at an airport in north Russia, RIA Novosti reported.
Marching to the same beat improves teamwork
By IANS,
Washington : Armies develop teamwork by marching to the same drum beat, just as citizens sing the national anthem before sporting events. A new study suggests that when people engage in synchronised activity, they are more likely to cooperate with other group members.
Stanford University psychologists Scott S. Wiltermuth and Chip Heath conducted a series of experiments to see how synchronous movement affects group interactions.
Nepal’s ruling Maoists refuse to hand over illegal arms
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Two years after signing a peace pact and now heading the government, Nepal's former Maoist guerrillas Wednesday rejected an ally's plea to hand over their weapons to win the trust of the international community as well as other parties.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, who led a 10-year savage insurrection to overthrow Nepal's royal family but relented in 2006 and agreed to fight an election instead, ruled out his guerrilla army handing over its arsenal.
Lufthansa to cancel 1,200 flights Friday
Moscow: Germany's largest air carrier Lufthansa has cancelled 1,200 flights planned for Friday, when its flights attendants are staging a walkout, The Local news portal reported.
Mutharika wins Malawi’s presidential election
Lilongwe (Malawi) : Malawi's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Peter Mutharika has emerged winner of the May 20 presidential race in the southern...
New hope for cancer patients; Canadian scientists test viral vaccine
By IANS,
Toronto : Spelling new hope for cancer patients, Canadian scientists have successfully tested a viral vaccine to improve immune response to the deadly disease.
The scientists at the local Princess Margaret Hospital and the University of Toronto, in collaboration with international researchers, have discovered how to trigger an improved immune response to cancer. They say their discovery could be included in new clinical trials that use a patient's own cells to destroy tumours.
Hillary’s no-show at fund-raiser upsets Sikhs
By IANS
New York : US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's abrupt cancellation of a scheduled appearance at a festival in a California town to mark the birth anniversary of Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak has reportedly annoyed the Sikh community.
The front running Democrat candidate withdrew as guest of honour at Sunday's festival in Bakersfield. She and former US president Bill Clinton also backed out of a fundraising breakfast where local Sikh leaders had hoped to raise $1 million for her election campaign.
Correa celebrates presidential polls victory
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Quito : Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa celebrated his election to a third term as the country's president, singing and dancing at a meeting with his supporters.
London film fest to be held in October
By IANS,
London: The 2013 London Film Festival (LFF) would be held in October, the organisers said Thursday.
Indonesia cancels tsunami warning issued after quake
By DPA
Jakarta : Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami warning Tuesday following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake off the western coast of Sumatra Island, but it was later cancelled after no giant waves materialised.
The quake struck at 10:43 a.m. (03.43 GMT), 159 km southwest of Bengkulu province and at a depth of 20 km, said Budi Waluyo, an official at the National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Jakarta.
"It was strongly felt in Bengkulu, but so far there are no reports of damage," he told DPA.
China bird flu toll rises to 33
By IANS,
Beijing : The toll due to the H7N9 avian influenza in China has risen to 33, with the death of an 83-year-old woman in Shanghai, officials said Saturday.
Billions of euros in the balance in EU East-West emissions row
By DPA,
Luxembourg : Billions of euros' worth of greenhouse-gas emission permits hung in the balance Wednesday as environment ministers from Eastern and Western Europe fought to break the European Union's deadlock on climate change.
Eastern members are fighting for the right to sell the permits, awarded to them by the Kyoto Protocol. But Western states say that using the permits would destroy efforts to stop global warming.
Two blasts in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia leave six injured
By RIA Novosti,
Sukhumi : At least six people were injured after two bombs went off in the Black Sea resort city of Gagry in Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia, local police said on Sunday.
The bombs went off with an interval of five minutes at 8:10 a.m. Moscow time (4:10 GMT) on Sunday at the Gagry marketplace and near the Continent supermarket, the police said.
Six local residents were hit by the first bomb on the city marketplace while the second bomb caused no damage. No Russian citizens having their vacation in Abkhazia have been hurt in the incident, the police said.
US rights body fights Indian guest workers’ cause
By Lalit K. Jha, IANS,
New York : A leading US rights body has joined a class-action lawsuit against the government, filed early this year on behalf of about 500 Indians, alleging they were trafficked into the US through the H-2B guest worker programme.
The guest workers, who were brought from India to work in shipyards after Hurricane Katrina, were misleadingly recruited, exploited and mistreated, The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) alleged in a statement Monday.
Canada, EU sign historic deal to open skies
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : Canada and the 27-nation European Union Tuesday concluded a landmark aviation agreement that throws open their markets to each other and lifts restrictions on airline ownership, number of flights, routes and fare prices.
The historic agreement, which may kick in early next year, will allow any airline from Europe to operate to any city in Canada and vice versa. There will no restriction on the number of flights, routes or fare rates.
UK Ministry of Defence accused of helicopter mistake
By KUNA,
London : The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been accused of a "gold standard cock-up" (mistake) over eight helicopters which have cost 422 million pounds but have yet to fly for the Royal Air Force.
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee chairman Edward Leigh said Wednesday that the Chinooks had been "languishing" while troops in Afghanistan needed aircraft.
A National Audit Office report said a string of problems have seen their 259 million pounds cost soar since delivery in 2001.
Aung San Suu Kyi takes oath in Myanmar parliament
By IANS,
Nay Pyi Taw: Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party swept last month's by-elections, was sworn in as a member of Myanmar's parliament Wednesday.
World on thin ice, say green activists
By IANS,
New Delhi : With just 100 days to go for the UN's climate change talks in Copenhagen, green activists Friday unveiled a life-size ice sculpture here and let it melt on grass, warning global leaders to act fast on global warming by reducing pollution and carbon emissions.
Israel denies reports on cyber attacks on Iran n-talks
Jerusalem: An Israeli official on Thursday denied as "baseless" reports that linked Israel to a computer virus that was used to spy on the...
EU to discuss diplomatic hot spots
By DPA
Brussels : Syria, Russia and Kosovo are set to dominate the agenda Friday when the European Union's foreign ministers hold an informal meeting in Slovenia.
The traditional meeting, aimed at giving EU ministers a chance to discuss key issues without the political pressure to come to immediate decisions, is set to begin with a working lunch on Syria's role in the Middle East peace process, according to the invitation sent by Slovenia's Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel.
10 dead as Dominican boat capsizes
By IANS,
Santo Domingo : As many as 10 people died when a boat carrying about 60 Dominican migrants capsized off the country's eastern coast, an official said.
US gurdwaras to help project positive Sikh image
By Arun Kumar,
Washington : Over 100 representatives from gurdwaras across the US have pledged support for National Sikh Campaign's plan to engage top US...
Russian-Ukrainian Presidents to Chat
By Prensa Latina
Kiev : Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Victor Yuschenko will head the inter-state meeting in the Russian capital on February 12, the Foreign Affairs Ministry's press office informed on Thursday.
The date for the second meeting of this kind led by both presidents was scheduled Thursday in a telephone conversation between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vladimir Ogryzko and Russian Assistant Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov.
American west is new global hot spot
By IANS
New York : The American west is heating up more rapidly than the rest of the world, according to a new study that analyses the latest temperature figures.
The average temperature rise in the southwest's largest river basin was more than double the average global increase, likely spelling even more parched conditions, ScienceDaily reported.
Bush condemns Russian recognition of Georgian provinces
By DPA,
Washington : US President George W. Bush has criticised Russia for recognising the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the two separatist regions in Georgia that have been the source of a three-week long military conflict.
Bush said the "irresponsible decision" announced by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tramples on numerous UN Security Council resolutions previously supported by Moscow and violates Georgian sovereignty.
Demonstrations keep on in Myanmar
By Xinhua
Yangon : Myanmar people and monks kept on staging demonstrations in the country's biggest city of Yangon Thursday afternoon, the second day after the imposition of a curfew and a ban on demonstrations in the city since Tuesday night.
The government's security forces and riot police continued to fire warning shots to disperse the demonstrators staging protest on some main roads in central downtown areas.
Extremely shy? You need therapy
By IANS,
Sydney : Extreme shyness can hold people back in social situations, prevent them from meeting other people or even going on a date. Such people need cognitive behaviour therapy, say researchers.
While just about all of us would admit to being shy from time to time in social situations, about one in 20 people suffer from an extreme form of shyness known as social phobia.
Current treatments including cognitive therapy and the common-sense system of teaching people practical skills to manage their fears, can achieve good results.