Magnitude 4.6 quake hits China
By IANS,
Beijing : An earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale hit China's Shanxi province, but there was no report of any casualty, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said.
The quake occurred at 8.58 p.m. Saturday. Its epicentre was 38.2 degrees north latitude and 112.7 degrees east longitude, at a depth of five km, Xinhua reported.
Over 1,000 civilians died in Yemen conflict: UN
Geneva: A total of 1,068 civilians have been killed and 2,551 others have been wounded since the start of the Saudi-led coalition launched an...
Sarkozy, mayor receive death threats
By DPA,
Paris : French President Nicolas Sarkozy has filed a complaint against unidentified people after a letter containing death threats against him and another politician was sent to the city hall of the southern city of Beziers, the daily Midi Libre reported Tuesday.
"This is a normal procedure," Sarkozy's office said after the letter threatening the lives of the French president and Beziers Mayor Raymond Couderc, and containing a 38-mm bullet, was delivered Feb 9.
Joint media efforts make history in championing Child Rights
By NNN-Bernama,
Beijing : This year's Universal Children's Day shall be remembered as a milestone, not only because the Convention on the Rights of the Child celebrated its 20th birthday, but because it raised global awareness on child rights protection through historic joint media efforts, according to a report Friday by China's Xinhua news agency.
In the kaleidoscopic world that we call home, few issues can make all people see eye to eye with each other. Child rights protection is one of them.
Nepal Maoists call closure of media houses Wednesday
By IANS,
Kathmandu : The powerful trade union affiliated to the Maoists Tuesday said it would enforce a shutdown of trade and transport countrywide 24 hours later, including Nepal's media organisations.
The All Nepal Trade Union Federation-Revolutionary has called the strike Wednesday as part of the series of disruptive protests called by the parent party to force the government into agreeing to censure President Ram Baran Yadav, who the Maoists hold responsible for the fall of their government.
China reassures foreign visitors after murder of American
By DPA,
Beijing, Aug 10 (DPA) Chinese officials Sunday sought to reassure foreign visitors that they were safe in Beijing and said the stabbing to death of the father-in-law of a US Olympic volleyball coach was an isolated incident.
The attack in Beijing Saturday, in which the man's wife and a Chinese tour guide were injured, was an "isolated criminal act" and not linked to the Olympics, said Wang Wei, the executive vice-president of the Beijing Olympic organizers (BOCOG).
Nanotechnology can help India ensure food security: Scientist
By IANS,
New Delhi: Nanoscience and nanotechnology can help India ensure food security by incresing crop yields and reducing consumption, an expert in the field said Thursday.
"Nanoscience and nanotechnology can be used to ensure precise supply of water and nutrients to crops, thereby increasing the yield and reducing wastage," P. Somasundaran, a well known name in the field of nanotechnology, said at a meeting at the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) office here.
South Africa to restrict private security companies
By IANS,
Cape Town: South Africa's Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa Tuesday fielded a bill to parliament with the aim of restricting foreign ownership of private...
Disaster strikes Sri Lanka on eve of tsunami anniversary
By IANS
Colombo : Disaster struck Sri Lanka on the eve of the third anniversary of the tsunami as torrential rains displaced 211,613 people in the eastern and central parts of the island.
The rains lashed areas that had borne the brunt of the killer waves of the Dec 26, 2004, tsunami.
Zimbabwe Rejects Mercenary’s Appeal
By Prensa Latina
Harare : Zimbabwe's Supreme Court rejected on Thursday British mercenary Simon Mann's appeal and at the same time approved his extradition to Ecuatorial Guinea.
Mann will have to face charges for planning and attempting a Coup d ó etat in 2004 against President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
The ex member of a government specialized force in the United Kingdom was captured on March 2004 in that capital when landing with a plane loaded with 61 mercenaries and military equipment.
Human civilisation may collapse earlier than thought
Washington : Growing demands on the world's natural resources and extreme economic imbalances could spell a premature end for modern human civilisation, an alarming...
Secret UFO files revealed to British public
By DPA,
London : Secret files about the sighting of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) over Britain were opened to the public for the first time Wednesday, arousing anew the interest of "sceptics and believers", officials said.
The information, recording among many others a saucer-shaped UFO hovering over Waterloo Bridge in London, is based on details kept by police stations and airbases around the country.
It is being published by the National Archives in Kew, near London, which has kept the information secret for the past 30 years in line with legislation.
Kenyan Muslim cleric shot dead
Nairobi : A prominent Muslim Kenyan cleric, accused by the United States and UN Security Council of supporting the Somali rebel group Al-Shabab, has been killed on the Kenyan coast, a police officer at the scene and a witness said.
Peace talks with Taliban should be Afghan-led: Afghan president
Kabul: Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has said peace talks with the Taliban should be and will be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, the Presidential Palace...
China reports third bird flu fatality in a month
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : China's southern province of Guangdong has announced the death of a 44-year-old woman from bird flu, China's Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday.
The woman died on Monday in hospital, the health ministry said. She became China's third bird flu fatality this month, and its 20th in total.
Local officials carried out emergency vaccination and disinfection on poultry near the victim's residence.
On February 20, the avian influenza killed a 41-year-old man in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
US consumer prices up but inflation hits lowest since 1955
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : For the first time since July, consumer prices in the US rose in January even as the year-over-year inflation rate hit its lowest level in more than a half-century, according to official figures released Friday.
The Consumer Price Index, the key measure of prices at the retail level, was up 0.3 percent in January, in line with the consensus forecast of economists surveyed by Briefing.com.
Bush officials not liable in Muslim arrests: US Supreme Court
By DPA,
Washington : The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that top justice officials in the administration of former president George W. Bush could not be held liable for alleged discrimination in the arrests of 700 Muslim men after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that former attorney general John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller, who has held on to his job in the Obama administration, cannot be sued for mistreatment because they singled out Muslim men using race and religion as their guidelines, the Los Angeles Times reported online.
Islamic face veil to be banned in Latavia
Riga : Latvia has banned women from wearing the Islamic full-face veil in public, despite only three people being known to wear them in...
UN Security Council condemns attack on US embassy in Belgrade
By RIA Novosti
United Nations : The UN Security Council Friday condemned attacks on the US embassy in Belgrade by rioters protesting Kosovo's independence.
The Security Council's statement urged Serbs to stay within international law and to respect the status of diplomatic missions.
More than 150 people were injured when the demonstration by some 250,000 protestors turned into running street battles with the police in the Serbian capital Belgrade Thursday.
Obama lifts ban on federal funding for stem cell research
Washington, March 9 (Xinhua) US President Barack Obama Monday issued an order overturning eight-year-old policy banning federal funding for research on human embryonic stem cells.
In 2001, former president George W. Bush limited federal funding of stem cell research only to stem cell lines that already existed. It was a gesture to his conservative Christian supporters who regard embryonic stem cell research as destroying potential life, because the cells must be extracted from human embryos.
Turkey calls for ground action against Islamic State
Istanbul: Turkish president has urged the international community to escalate attacks against the Islamic State (IS) militant group, warning that the armed group could...
Woman dragged along road in bag snatch horror
By RIA Novosti
Tokyo : Thieves in a car dragged a woman for 200 meters along the sidewalk as they tried to steal her handbag in Japan's second city of Osaka, police said.
"The woman who lives in Kyoto and works in nearby Osaka was returning home, when a white car approached her, and an unknown man leant out of the window and tried to snatch her handbag," a police report said.
BBC halts radio services to Sri Lanka’s state-run broadcaster
By DPA,
Colombo : The BBC World Service Tuesday stopped providing radio news to Sri Lanka's state broadcaster because of what it calls "deliberate interference" by government censors.
A statement from the BBC said that its FM broadcasts to the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corp (SLBC) had been suspended with effect from Tuesday.
The move came after many of its news reports in the Sinhala, Tamil and English languages, mainly related to the fighting between government troops and Tamil rebels, had been blocked or only partially broadcast over the past few weeks.
Nepali gov’t to provide relief to victims in decade-long conflict
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : The Nepali government has decided to provide 100,000 Nepali rupees (1,560 U.S. dollars) as relief to the families of each of those killed during the 10-year conflict, local media reported on Saturday.
According to a report of a leading website eKantipur.com, the decision was made on Friday at a cabinet committee meeting chaired by Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel.
According to estimates, 13,246 people lost their lives during the decade-long armed conflict launched by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in February 1996.
Ban Ki-moon announces new UN special representatives in Africa
By NNN-UNNS
United Nations : un Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday announced the appointment of three Special Representatives and two Deputy Special Representatives to act for him in four African countries trying to recover from prolonged war or insecurity – Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Liberia.
UN spokesperson Michele Montas said that Mr. Ban had informed the Security Council of his intention to make the appointments and expected a response from the 15-member body shortly.
Dalai Lama believes he can return to Tibet, says book
By DPA,
Taipei : Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is confident that he can return to Tibet in this lifetime, and believes he will be reborn many times after his death, according to a book published Friday.
In "The Oldest Laughter in the Himalaya", written by Taiwan film producer Liao Wen-yu, the Dalai Lama said that when the situation in China has changed and its leaders become more open-minded, he will be able to return to Tibet, the homeland that he had to flee in 1959.
Slain Indian student’s body arrives from Australia
By IANS,
New Delhi: As the body of 21-year-old Nitin Garg, an Indian student stabbed to death in Melbourne, was flown here Saturday, the Indian government announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 250,000 for his family.
The body arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and was handed over to his relatives to be taken to Jagraon in Ludhiana in Punjab. The cremation will take place Sunday.
An officer of the external affairs ministry was present at the airport to receive the body and hand it over his relatives.
Rising sea levels triggered by global warming threaten New York
By IANS,
New York : Global warming is expected to raise sea level along the northeastern US almost twice as fast as that elsewhere during this century, exposing New York City to greater risk for damage from hurricanes and winter storm surge.
Jianjun Yin, climate modeller at the Centre for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) at Florida State University, said that the sea level rise along this heavily populated coast will exceed the mean global sea level rise by 2100.
The onus of n-deal now on Capitol Hill: US media
By Parveen Chopra, IANS,
New York : With New Delhi having done its part to salvage the nuclear deal, it is now the US Congress' turn to shake India's outstretched hand, major American newspapers said Wednesday while doubting whether Congress will be able to ratify the pact before the Bush administration bows out.
Thirty-three colliers trapped in flooded China mine
By Xinhua,
Zhengzhou (China) : Thirty-three people were trapped in a flooded coal mine early Monday in central China's Henan province.
Previous report said 34 people were trapped, but the Henan provincial government later revised the number after it confirmed that eight workers were able to move to safety.
The Gaomendong coal mine was flooded at about 7.30 a.m. when 42 miners were working in the pit. Eight escaped but 34 others were trapped, according to the national works safety administration.
The cause of the flood was being investigated, officials said.
Russian cargo spacecraft blasts off to ISS
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : A Russian cargo spacecraft, Progress M-62, has lifted off for the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, Russia's mission control said on Sunday.
"The spacecraft was launched in the nominal regime at the designated time (10:12 a.m. Moscow time [07:12 a.m. GMT])," mission control said.
The Progress vehicle's flight to the station will last three instead of two days to prepare the spacecraft's systems for docking with the ISS more carefully, mission control said.
Cuba won’t neglect defence: President
By DPA,
Havana : Cuba will not "neglect" its defence regardless of who becomes the next US president, President Raul Castro has said.
"The defence will not be neglected regardless of the results of the November elections in the US," Castro said Saturday on the 55th anniversary of Fidel Castro's first attempt to topple Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship.
It was the only direct reference to the US that Raul Castro made during his speech.
He called on the Cubans again to make efforts to save in order to confront the worldwide economic crisis.
Ukraine appoints new acting defence minister
Kiev : Ukraine's parliament Tuesday appointed Mykhailo Koval as the country's new acting Defence Minister after his predecessor decided to withdraw the country's forces...
Four die in 50-vehicle pile-up in Chile
By IANS/EFE,
Santiago : At least four people died and 20 were injured in a 50-vehicle pile-up on the highway linking this Chile capital with its busiest seaport, police said.
Execute WikiLeaks whistleblower: US Congressman
By IANS,
Washington : WikiLeaks whistleblower Bradley Manning, who is accused of leaking over 90,000 intelligence documents, should be given death if he is found guilty, says a US Congressman.
Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Michigan-based WHMI radio Monday that the charges against Pvt. Bradley Manning deserved capital punishment.
Rogers said: "We know for a fact that people will likely be killed because of this information being disclosed."
Iran-Turkey deal not enough to stop UN sanctions: EU
By DPA,
Brussels/Madrid : Iran's commitment to hand over some of its uranium for enrichment to Turkey is not enough to stop work on tougher UN sanctions, a spokeswoman for the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said Monday.
Iran has signed an agreement to swap its uranium in Turkey for enrichment, in a deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil.
Spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said the deal appeared to be "a variant" of what was unsuccessfully proposed as a goodwill gesture last October by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
CNN pitches newspaper wire to US editors
By DPA,
Los Angeles : Coming off an election season that was a financial and ratings success, cable news pioneer CNN convened a meeting of top newspaper editors Monday to outline its plans for a news wire to serve America's thousands of newspapers and their websites.
The meeting of editors from over 30 major newspapers marks the first publicly-released details about the plan which could represent a major challenge to the Associated Press (AP).
FARC releases two hostages
By IANS,
Bogota : Colombia's leftwing group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has released two male hostages kidnapped seven weeks ago, Spain's EFE news agency reported Wednesday.
The rebels released the two because their families were too poor to pay a ransom, Caracol Radio reported Tuesday.
The FARC, Colombia's oldest and largest leftist guerrilla group founded in 1964, has an estimated 8,000 to 17,000 fighters and operatives across the country.
Rescuers find dead miner following Siberian coalmine incident
By RIA Novosti,
Kemerovo : Rescuers have found the body of a miner who died in a coalmine incident in West Siberia, the press office of the regional administration said.
The incident at the mine named after Lenin in Mezhdurechensk in the south of the Kemerovo Region occurred on May 30. A total of 17 miners worked in the coalmine at the time of the rock collapse. Eleven of them managed to make their way out while six others were trapped beneath the rock.
Spacewalkers outfit new space station room
By DPA,
Washington: Two astronauts conducted a spacewalk outside the International Space Station Sunday to outfit the orbiting laboratory's newest room, NASA said.
Nicholas Patrick and Bob Behnken, crew members of the visiting space shuttle Endeavour, connected outside cooling cables to the new Tranquility module. They also installed thermal covers on the Italian-made room and put in place handrails and other equipment to prepare for future spacewalks.
The astronauts spent five hours, 54 minutes working outside the ISS.
China invites Taiwan’s leader to Beijing: Report
By DPA,
Taipei : Chinese President Hu Jintao has invited the head of Taiwan's soon-to-be ruling party to visit Beijing, the Taiwanese United Daily News reported Sunday.
Hu wants to meet Kuomintang or KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung before May 20 - the inauguration date of KMT's president-elect Ma Ying-jeou - apparently hoping to lay the foundation for future ties after Ma has come to power, the United Daily News said, quoting an unnamed source.
KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun will visit China in late April or early May to prepare for Hu-Wu meeting, the newspaper said.
Dabur Nepal hit by fresh protests
By Sudeshna Sarkar
Kathmandu : Dabur Nepal resumed production at its troubled factory in southern Nepal Wednesday with its officials talking to villagers who have been demanding that locals be hired at the unit, said company staff.
The multinational's factory in Parwanipur in Bara district in southern Nepal had been unable to open Tuesday after more than 100 people from nearby villages began a sit-in before the gates, demanding employment.
Myanmar PM says the country welcomes more int’l aid
By Xinhua,
Yangon : Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein on Sunday welcomed more international aid to be extended by the international community, and reiterated the country's thanks for the aid, which has been sent in.
Thein Sein made the remarks here at the ongoing international pledging conference, co-organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations and participated by 52 countries and 24 UN organizations and international non-governmental organizations.
Israeli soldiers fight combat stress on Dutch sailing boat
By DPA
Amsterdam : Thirty Israeli war veterans have been taking part in an experimental combat stress programme in the Netherlands in what has been a first for everyone involved.
The pilot programme, initiated and coordinated by a group called Back to Life and the Israel Centre for Treatment of Psychotrauma, has included veterans of an Israeli military rescue unit deployed to Lebanon in last year's conflict with Hezbollah.
They had been responsible for taking wounded and fallen soldiers from the war zone back to Israel.
Biofuels a risk, but not all bad: UN report
By IANS,
London : The global biofuels boom risks harming the world's poorest people by forcing them off the land they depend on, says a report published Monday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
But the report adds that biofuels are not all bad, and shows that their production can also allow poor groups to increase their access to land and improve their livelihoods if the right policies are in place.
UPS to move Asian hub from Philippines to China
By DPA,
Manila : US freight and logistics firm United Parcel Service (UPS) said Wednesday it is relocating its Asian hub from the Philippines to China in the next three years.
Andy Connelly, UPS senior vice president for South Asia Pacific, said the new intra-Asia hub in Shenzhen, China will be operational by 2010.
The new facility, with a total land area of 89,000 sq mts, will launch 100 flights per week and employ 400 people. It has the capacity to process 18,000 packages an hour, Connelly said.
US pilots lose licence after being lost on flight
By DPA,
Washington : Two airline pilots have had their licences withdrawn after they overflew their destination and were lost for more than an hour while they were toying with their personal laptops, US federal aviation officials announced in Washington late Tuesday.
The pilots' behaviour had been negligent and careless, the officials said, adding the pilots had violated a series of aviation regulations, including failing to respond to instructions by traffic controllers.
U.S. presidential candidates practice diplomacy as British PM visits
By Xinhua,
Washington : Three U.S. presidential candidates displayed their diplomacy on Thursday as they held the one-on-one meeting separately with the visiting British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
Brown, who is on his second visit to the United States since he came in office in June, granted a 45-minute meeting to each of the three White House hopefuls.
Thousands evacuated for fear of flooding in quake-hit China
By Xinhua,
Chengdu (China) : Thousands of people living near a lake and a river in China's quake-hit southwestern province of Sichuan are being evacuated for fear of flooding, disaster relief officials said Saturday.
The Qianjiang River was blocked at many places by landslides caused by Monday's earthquake.
The water level in the Laoyingyan section of the river has reached the danger level mark, officials in Beichuan County said.
"It hasn't burst yet, but we asked people to leave because we need to prepare for the worst," a relief official said.
New Zealand foreign minister opposes China trade pact
By DPA
Wellington : New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Tuesday he would vote against a free trade pact with China that the government signed in Beijing this week because there was "simply not enough in the deal for this country."
Peters said his nationalist New Zealand First party's seven members of parliament decided to reject the agreement after reviewing details of it at a caucus meeting.
UN urges Nepal to end social inequality
By DPA,
Kathmandu: A UN report Monday urged Nepalese political parties to end social inequality in the country to consolidate the gains of peace.
The appeal came in the Nepal Human Development Report 2009, which was released in the Nepalese capital Monday.
The report said the gap between people with access to electricity and other facilities and those without was increasing or had not improved.
"The Human Development Report records the serious nature of uneven development," UN resident representative Robert Piper said.
Ban orders UN envoy to Myanmar, urges cooperation
By DPA
New York : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon decided Wednesday to send an envoy to Myanmar, where clashes between military forces and pro-democracy protesters have resulted in deaths and fears of more violence.
The UN Security Council also will meet later to discuss the situation in Myanmar and possibly make a statement expressing concern.
China asks airline to change name after plane crash
By IANS,
Beijing : China's Henan province has asked the commercial carrier whose plane crashed during landing, killing 42 people Tuesday, not to use the word "Henan" in its name in a bid to protect the province's image.
The Henan Administration for Industry and Commerce announced late Friday that it has ordered a change of name of the airline back to Kunpeng Airlines, which had been changed to Henan Airlines in September 2009, Xinhua reported.
Officials said the name misled the public and tarnished the province's image.
Chinese students protest against Tibet media coverage
By DPA,
London : More than 1,000 Chinese students in Britain Saturday protested against the "distorted" coverage by the western media of the conflict between China and Tibet.
The students, wearing "I love China" t-shirts, gathered in front of the offices of British broadcaster BBC in the city of Manchester to demonstrate against the negative reports on the Olympic torch relay and the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Putin praises Russian-German relations
By RIA Novosti
Novo-Ogaryovo : Russia's outgoing president praised Russian-German relations Saturday at a meeting with the German chancellor.
"I am pleased to note that we have worked well in the past years - both with the previous government and with yours," Vladimir Putin told Angela Merkel, adding that trade in the last six years grew 250% to reach over $50 billion.
"Political contacts are regular, relations between public organizations are good, humanitarian and cultural relations are constantly developing," he said.
‘Straddling bus’ to run above cars in Beijing
By IANS,
Beijing : Beijing will start trial operations next year of an eco-friendly "straddling bus" that can carry 1,400 passengers and allow other vehicles to pass under it, a move that can reduce traffic in the overcrowded Chinese capital.
The capital government has approved its assessment report and started manufacturing the bus and a 9-km route along the West Sixth Ring Road in Mentougou district, where the trial operation is planned to start in July, the Shanghai Daily said citing a Beijing Times report Thursday.
Hostage reveals drama inside Sydney siege
Sydney : Sydney hostage Joel Herat has revealed the drama that unfolded inside the cafe where he and 16 others were held at gunpoint...
Britain toasts health of world’s largest democracy
By IANS,
London: Britain's foreign minister Tuesday praised the outcome of the Indian elections, saying another five years of stable government will enable the two countries to jointly tackle "urgent global and regional challenges".
Welcoming the Indian elections as a testimony to the "health of the world's largest democracy", Stephen Miliband said: "We look forward to continuing working closely with the new Indian government to address the many urgent global and regional challenges we face.
Ruling CPN-M form gov’t political panel
By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) on Friday formed a political committee to decide on government-level political decisions.
The central committee meeting of the party was held at the prime minister's official residence at Baluwatar in Nepali capital Kathmandu.
Putin seeks immediate dialogue within Ukraine
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an immediate "extensive national dialogue" in Ukraine, amid rising tension in the country's east and...
Obama rejects accusations of flip-flopping
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Barack Obama has rejected charges that he has been flip-flopping on his positions since claiming the Democratic nomination to take a more centrist stance in the run up to the November presidential election.
"The people who say this apparently haven't been listening to me," he told a self-proclaimed "reformed Republican" who charged he is changing his pledge to get troops out of Iraq within 16 months at a campaign rally in Powder Springs, Georgia Tuesday.
Mobile phones to notify namaz timings through image
By IANS,
Washington : A new software application meant for mobile phones can alert Muslim users to namaz timings through an image combined with audible alerts.
The screen of the mobile phone shows an image of the sun lining up with a green circle when it is time to pray.
"Users told us that tracking the sun was the most religiously valued method to determine prayer times," said Susan Wyche, doctoral candidate at Georgia Institute of Technology, and member of the team that developed the application.
Tollgate Pile-up Leaves Four Dead, Seven Injured In Northwest China
By Bernama,
Lanzhou : Four people died and seven were injured in a pile-up in front of a highway tollgate late on Monday in northwest China's Gansu Province, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
The accident took place at 7 p.m. at the tollgate of national highway 312 inside Yongdeng, a suburban county of Lanzhou, the provincial capital, said a traffic police official.
The accident occurred when about 12 vehicles were stopped in front of the tollgate.
British press pays tributes to Piara Singh Khabra
By IANS
London : The British press has paid fulsome tributes to Piara Singh Khabra, the oldest MP in the House of Commons, who died earlier this week at the age of 82.
Spike Lee calls Clinton a liar
By IANS
New York : Controversial African-American director Spike Lee is not voting for presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and has called her a liar.
Pagesix.com reports him telling a magazine: "The Clintons (Bill and Hillary), man, they would lie on a stack of the Bibles. Snipers? That's not misspeaking; that's some pure bull (bleep). I voted for Clinton twice, but that's over with."
Terai leaders deny Kathmandu blast claims
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : As little-known groups started claiming responsibility for Sunday's serial blasts in Kathmandu that killed two women and injured over two dozen people, leaders from Terai rejected them as a ploy to discredit the ongoing Madhes movement.
Journalists in Nepal's border towns received calls from four organisations claiming responsibility for Sunday's blasts.
Of the virtually unknown groups, one called itself Gorkha Mukti Morcha and said it was from western Nepal. The other three claimed to be from the Terai plains.
Taro Aso succeeds Fukuda as Japan’s prime minister
By DPA,
Tokyo : The head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Taro Aso, was elected Japan's prime minister Wednesday after Yasuo Fukuda and his cabinet resigned en masse earlier in the day.
Aso, 68, received 337 votes from the 478 members in the LDP-controlled House of Representatives, which has the final say in selecting a prime minister. The opposition Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa got 117 votes.
The upper house of parliament endorsed Ozawa in a second-ballot vote of 125 to 240. Aso received 108 votes.
PM expresses sadness over Indonesia plane crash
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed sadness over an Indonesian plane crash in which 113 people are feared to...
Citigroup launches counterattack to stabilise firm
By Arun Kumar,IANS,
Washington : Amid rumours about the impending departure of Vikram Pandit, the Indian-American CEO of Citigroup, the banking giant is reported to have launched a counterattack aimed at stabilising the company.
While Citigroup executives and directors continue to wrestle with the question whether drastic changes are needed at the New York firm, its officials have been talking in recent days to Treasury Department and Federal Reserve officials, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Chinese newspaper staff fined for swear-word misprint
By DPA,
Beijing : A misprint over "arse-kissing" officials in a Chinese newspaper story led to fines for the editorial staff, media reports said.
Annoyed by a gushing story of visits by a party functionary to migrant workers, a proof-reader wrote, "How can they kiss arse like that?" on the proof copy, which was mistakenly included in the story when it went into print in the southern Chinese Nanfang Dushibao newspaper.
US to release Osama files
By IANS,
Washington: The US will release documents seized from the compound of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan, a senior White House official said Monday.
China urges peace after Japan increases defence budget
By IANS,
Beijing: China Monday urged Japan to stick to the path of peaceful development after Tokyo announced it will increase the country's defence budget, Xinhua reported.
Obama nominates Mexican-American as housing secretary
Washington : President Barack Obama has nominated San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, one of the Democratic Party's rising stars, to head the Department of...
Spain charges priests with child sex abuse
Madrid: A judge in the southern Spanish city of Granada has charged 10 Roman Catholic priests and two Catholic lay workers with child sex...
Ex-lover costs Canadian foreign minister his job
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : A former lover has cost the Canadian foreign affairs minister his job.
Maxime Bernier, who has been under fire for his former girlfriend's past links with biker gangs, resigned Monday for what the government called his lapse in leaving classified government documents in a “non-secure place.''
Cheney blasts Obama for probe against CIA
By IANS,
Washington : Former US vice president Dick Cheney and former presidential candidate John McCain Sunday took the Obama administration to task for ordering probe against the Central Investigation Agency (CIA) for alleged excesses against terror suspects.
Appearing on Fox News, the former vice president said investigation against CIA was "a political move' by the Obama administration. "I mean, there's no other rationale for why they're doing this," he said.
For Sri Lanka, mega shipping hub status long way off
By P.K. Balachandran, IANS
Colombo : Colombo Port has been a major trans-shipment hub in the Indian Ocean region for a long time. But the 'mega shipping hub' status that Sri Lanka is seeking is still a long way off, shipping experts say.
Former ports minister Dilan Perera said Sri Lanka had the "advantage of location" to be a "mega hub" of the South Asian region. "There is a yawning gap in South Asia which Sri Lanka is well qualified to fill," he said.
China defends rights record after Bush speech
By DPA,
Beijing : China defended its human rights record Thursday after US President George W. Bush gave a speech criticizing its lack of political and religious freedom.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said his government "puts people first" and was committed to promoting "basic rights and freedom" for the nation's 1.3 billion people.
"We firmly oppose any words or acts that interfere in other countries' internal affairs by using human rights, religion and other issues," Qin said in a statement reacting to Bush's speech in Thailand earlier Thursday.
US hopes for climate change accord including India, China by yearend
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : The White House says before the end of the year it hopes to get a global agreement on climate change that will include emerging economies like India and China, a point being insisted upon by US President George Bush.
"We have made progress - I am not saying that we're going to be able to come out of there with a signed deal, out of the G8," White House spokesperson Dana Perino said when asked how optimistic Washington was about a potential deal on emission targets at next week's Group of Eight summit in Japan.
One of world’s most important elections is on – quietly
By IANS,
Washington : While India is busy with the polls, "one of the world's most important elections" is quietly under way - to elect the UN atomic watchdog's head, also known as the nuclear pope.
The election process has been on in Vienna, the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but it is largely outside the public limelight.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner agency has served as the world's guardian of peaceful nuclear power programmes for more than 50 years, ensuring that countries do not abuse their 'right' to atomic energy by building nuclear weapons.
Eating tomatoes could ward off depression
By IANS,
London: Eating tomatoes a few times a week could halve the chances of suffering depression, a study claims.
Greenpeace denounces UN support for GM crops in Mexico
By IANS/EFE,
Mexico City : The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation is supporting the introduction of transgenic, or genetically modified, crops in Mexico and other developing nations, alleged the Greenpeace chapter in the country.
"The only thing these types of tools do is ensure that the biotechnology industry has a monopoly on the seeds that feed the world," Greenpeace Mexico and dozens of national and international non-governmental organisations said in a letter sent Wednesday to organisers of an FAO conference on agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries.
Zambia to fight drug abuse through Commonwealth Games relay
By Devirupa Mitra, IANS,
Lusaka: Zambia has decided to use the Queen's baton relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India to fight drug abuse among children.
There is palpable interest in this southern African country as it awaits the aluminium baton for its two-day sojourn in the country.
The baton will be arriving here from Malawi Jan 23 and will leave for Botswana Jan 24. "We have tied up with the Drug Enforcement Commission to use the relay to fight drug abuse," media liaison officer of the Queen Baton's Relay committee in Zambia Haroon Ghumra told IANS.
Toll in China bridge collapse rises to 11
Beijing : The toll in a bridge collapse in China's Guangdong province Sunday rose to 11, authorities said.
The under-construction bridge in Liangkengkou village of...
Georgia Recognizes Cluster Bomb Use
By Prensa Latina,
Moscow : Georgian Defense Ministry recognized the use of cluster bombs to attack South Ossetia, in a letter sent to a human rights group, quoted by the local press.
According to the Itar-Tass news agency, the Georgian entity admitted in the letter that it launched M85 bombs against the mentioned autonomous region, in its offensive on August 7, which caused Moscow's military response, reinforcing its peacekeeping troops.
Seoul’s 610-year-old gate collapses in fire
By NNN-Xinhua
Seoul : South Korea's landmark ancient architecture of Sungnyemun Gate, which is located in central Seoul and has a 610-year history, collapsed early Monday after catching fire.
The wooden structure of the gate caught fire at about 8:50 p.m. Sunday (1150 GMT Sunday) and collapsed at around 1 a.m. Monday (1600 GMT Sunday), local government said.
Seoul : South Korea's landmark ancient architecture of Sungnyemun Gate, which is located in central Seoul and has a 610-year history, collapsed early Monday after catching fire.
The wooden structure of the gate caught fire at about 8:50 p.m. Sunday (1150 GMT Sunday) and collapsed at around 1 a.m. Monday (1600 GMT Sunday), local government said.
13 dead in storms and floods in Ukraine
By SPA,
Kiev, Ukraine : Ukraine's Emergency Ministry says storms and floods have killed 13 people, including five children and at least two more are missing.
It says four days of storms have flooded more than 20,000 houses and cut electricity in four western regions. More than 8,000 people have been evacuated, and thousands are in serious danger as the water keeps rising Sunday.
Ukraine has not seen anything like that in 100 years, First Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchinov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
New Zealand authorities concerned with assault of Chinese student
By Xinhua,
Wellington : New Zealand's education minister Chris Carter Tuesday expressed concern and sorrow for a 15-year-old Chinese student who was assaulted by a member of his host family.
Competent authorities will handle the incident according to law, the minister said.
He also expressed the concern that the incident might bring negative impact to the country's endeavor to attract overseas students.
Marine life faces large-scale extinction risk
By IANS,
Sydney: Marine life faces far greater risk of large-scale extinctions than at any previous time in human history, world's leading marine scientists have warned.
Armenian state officials ‘planned post-election coup’
By DPA
Yerevan : Several high state officials loyal to former president Levon Ter-Petrosian planned a coup in Armenia after the defeat of the opposition there in last week's presidential election, the state leadership was quoted as saying Sunday.
The police detained deputy prosecutor-general Gagik Jangiryan, his brother and two justice officials, Interfax news agency reported from Yerevan.
Besides, President Robert Kocharian dismissed the deputy foreign minister and three ambassadors who had backed the opposition, the report said.
Detroit airport terminal evacuated
By IANS,
Washington : A terminal at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in the US was evacuated for about two hours Monday due to concerns over a suspicious device, CNN reported.
Myanmar releases 600 prisoners
By DPA,
Yangon : Myanmar authorities Friday released an estimated 600 inmates, including some political prisoners, from Yangon's notorious Insein Prison as part of an amnesty for 7,114 inmates nationwide.
Insein authorities invited journalists to witness the release of a first batch of 359 prisoners at 1.30 p.m. Another 250 were released at 5.30 p.m.
The amnesty will last several days to release 7,114 prisoners nationwide, Director General of Prison Department Zaw Win said.
Koirala quits as Nepal PM
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : More than two months after constituent assembly elections, Nepal's embattled Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Thursday tendered his resignation following mounting pressure by the Maoists, paving the way for a new government under the former guerrillas.
The octogenarian leader made a rare appearance in the assembly after zero hour, announcing his resignation in a short speech heavy with emotion.
"When you take a decision, you are relieved of tension and feel light," Koirala told the house. "I have appeared before you feeling lighter."
African Intellectuals Respond to Sarkozy
By Prensa Latina,
Dakar : The book "Africa Responds to Sarkozy", by 23 African intellectuals, decries unfortunate views put forward by French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a speech on July 26, 2007.
On that date, Sarkozy hurt deeply African feelings by watering down the slave trade, the plundering of resources and colonialism in Africa.
Coordinator of the work, Professor Makhili Gassama, explained that the text is an anthology of the reaction from authors in this continent to remarks made by Sarkozy in July.
Respect for rights no better under Raul: Cuban dissidents
By IANS,
Havana : The banned Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation has said that the February 2008 elevation of Raul Castro to the presidency brought no "significant improvements" on the island, EFE reported.
"The worst scene in all of Ibero-Americo continues to prevail in the matter of civil, political and economic rights, due to the fact that the Cuban government tramples on each and every one of those said rights," the group says in its latest report.
A list of 205 political prisoners, down from 234 a year ago, is included in the document.
Ukraine calls for international probe into oil license scandal
By RIA Novosti,
Kiev : The Ukrainian government plans to involve the international community in an investigation into a mineral license scandal concerning a U.S. oil company, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Monday.
Ukraine revoked the license of U.S. company Vanco International, a subsidiary of Vanco Energy Company, to develop and produce oil and gas on the country's Black Sea shelf last month. Tymoshenko earlier described the move as "plundering of Ukraine's mineral reserves" and accused President Viktor Yushchenko of lobbying for the U.S. firm.
Paris Hilton to launch kids’ collection range
By IANS,
Beijing : Socialite heiress Paris Hilton is set to launch her own range of children's clothes.
The actress and fashion designer, who already has her own lines of perfumes, jewellery, shoes, pet clothes and women's wear, is keen to branch out into a new lucrative market, reports China Daily.
"Just got home from a long day. About to start drawing the character for my new children's clothing line," the 28-year-old posted on her Twitter, her social networking page.
EU expects recession until 2011
By DPA,
Brussels : The European Union is facing a recession until at least 2011, with the bloc's economy set to contract by 0.1 percent in 2010 following a worse-than-expected slump of 4 percent in 2009, the EU's executive said Monday.
The 16 countries which use the single currency, the euro, are also expected to see growth contract by 4 percent in 2009 and 0.1 percent in 2010, the European Commission said.
In January, the commission predicted that the EU's economy would contract by 1.8 percent this year before returning to a modest growth rate of 0.5 percent in 2010.
Tamil of Sri Lankan origin is second richest man in Malaysia
By IANS,
New York : A Tamil of Sri Lankan origin is the second richest man in Malaysia, while a businessman of Indian origin occupies the 16th place in the list of 40 wealthiest in the Southeast Asian country published by the Forbes magazine.
T. Ananda Krishnan, 70, whose family originates from Jaffna, runs the telecom firm Maxis, with a net worth of $7.2 billion. In the list, he is behind Robert Kuok, 84, who has diverse business interests and a fortune worth $10 billion.
Fire breaks out at Japan’s n-power plant after quake
By IANS,
Tokyo : A fire broke out at a nuclear power plant in Japan's Miyagi prefecture after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck the northeastern part of the country Friday, Xinhua reported.
Churchill’s great-grandson jailed for drug pedalling
By RIA Novosti
London : The great-grandson of the late British prime minister Winston Churchill has been sentenced to three years in an Australian prison, British media reported Thursday.
Nicholas Jake Barton, 33, was arrested in June 2006 after the police discovered 250,000 psychotropic Ecstasy pills and drug-making equipment in his home. He pleaded guilty "to knowingly taking part in the supply of a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug" in November 2007, the Daily Telegraph website said.
Kenya Orgs Decry Violence, Seek Dialog
By Prensa Latina
Nairobi : Kenyan civic organizations condemned the violence in the country and called for a negotiation process to reestablish order, disturbed after the December 27 presidential elections.
Kenyans for Peace, Truth, and Justice - 20 human rights and attorney associations - presented a document Monday listing the three main causes that led to the recent uprisings that have caused more than 300 deaths.
Nepal government rejects key ethnic demand
By DPA
Kathmandu : Nepal braced for trouble Sunday after a party pulled out of the ruling coalition government, accusing it of failing to address grievances of the ethnic Madhesi community.
The pullout by the regional Sadbhawana Party, which promotes Madhesi interests, followed Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's rejection of demands by ethnic groups for an autonomous state in southern Nepal with the right of self-determination.
Colombia names Silva as defence minister
By EFE,
Bogota : Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has named Gabriel Silva as the country's new defence minister.
Silva, who will succeed Juan Manuel Santos, will join office in August.
Juan Manuel Santos resigned from his post in May.
Colombian Armed Forces chief Gen. Freddy Padilla de Leon ran the defence ministry on an interim basis after his resignation.
Gabriel Silva earlier worked with the National Coffee Growers Federation.
Sikh organisation sues Canadian broadcaster
By IANS
Toronto : A Sikh organisation has filed a $110 million lawsuit against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for allegedly linking it to terrorism and damaging the reputation of the Sikh community.
NATO defence ministers meet on Afghanistan after public spat
BRUSSELS (AFP) - NATO defence ministers will hope to put recent public displays of disunity behind them when they meet in Vilnius on Thursday, following open US criticism of its allies' efforts in Afghanistan.
"This is a critical week for the alliance," said Christopher Langton of the International Institute for Strategic Studies on Tuesday. "There is a big question over countries' ability to sustain operations for what is now coming to a seventh year, and that is a weakness in NATO which perhaps it had not foreseen when it set out on this venture," he said.
Anti-Madhes protesters shut down Nepal’s Terai region
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Twenty-two ethnic organisations opposing the creation of a single state for people of Indian origin Thursday shut down Nepal's Terai plains, blocking highways near the Indian border as well as customs offices and entry points.
An Indian Jeep carrying a wedding party was vandalised in Sunsari district while Birgunj town, Nepal's industrial hub where dozens of Indo-Nepal industries are located, was shut down.
Holy Quran among top religious books in US
Washington – (IINA) January 17, 2008 – The Holy Quran is among top religious books that the Americans thirst to read and comprehend, head of the Washington-based Islamic Teachings Center said. Hojatul Islam Ahmad Bahraini told IQNA that American Muslims and non-Muslims make efforts to promote mutual understanding of Islam. Pointing to the pivotal role of the Holy Quran in consolidating solidarity among Muslim communities, he noted that the holy book enlightens the communities through do and undo commands.
EU says trade pact needed to lift global economy
By SPA,
Brussels, Belgium : The EU's trade chief says a global trade pact would inject fresh confidence to lift economic gloom.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson says a last-ditch attempt to strike a deal next week would help create more trade opportunities to keep the world economy growing.
Failure would be very costly, he said, calling on fast-growing developing nations to help strike a compromise.
Tori Spelling plans adoption
By IANS,
London: Actress Tori Spelling says that she and her husband Dean McDermott would consider adopting a child in future despite already having four kids.
25 militants killed in Pakistan
Islamabad: At least 25 militants, including three key commanders, were killed in clashes with security forces in North Waziristan region of Pakistan on Wednesday.
According...
Kids eat more whole grains when included in tiffin box
By IANS,
Washington : School children eat more whole grains when it is gradually added to their tiffin boxes, according to a study.
Whole grain breads are strongly recommended as part of a healthy diet, but children and pre-teens won't always eat them.
The research is important because it shows that a gradual approach to improving children's overall diets can be successful both for parents and school food-service workers, said Len Marquart, study's co-author and an associate professor at the Minnesota university.
New norms enable leap in cardiac survival rates
By IANS,
Washington : The latest guidelines issued for the use of critical care medical practitioners handling cardiac arrest patients have dramatically improved survival rates.
The guidelines, issued by the American Heart Association (AHA), demonstrate that adherence to the complete treatment protocol quadruples the survival rate for such victims.
Joint raid in US, Europe shuts down 400 illegal websites
London : A raid involving 16 European countries and the US led to the shutting down of more than 400 websites selling illegal items...
Uzbekistan election fair, say M’sian observers
By IRNA-Bernama
Kuala Lumpur : Despite several criticisms made by the West, Malaysian observers who witnessed Uzbekistan's presidential election on Dec 23 found it to be democratic, transparent, peaceful and fair.
Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar who headed a six-man Malaysian observer team to monitor the election said international observers were given the freedom to choose the locations in making their observations.
Strong quake jolts Tibet
By XINHUA,
Beijing : An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit Tibet early Thursday, the regional seismology bureau said.
There was no immediate report of casualties in the quake which hit Xigaze district in the remote Zhongba county on the border with Nepal, bureau chief Zhu Quan said.
Zhu said the earthquake was one of the many aftershocks of a 6.8-magnitude quake that hit the county Aug 25. "Aftershocks generally last for a month or two, but stronger quakes are unlikely in the area."
Two policemen arrested after theft of their patrol car
By IANS,
Cancun (Mexico) : Four people, including two policemen, were arrested after a police patrol car was stolen in the Mexican city of Cancun, EFE reported Monday.
Two police officers on patrol in the resort city Saturday morning noticed three people having a heated argument inside a car.
While the officers were investigating, one of three men jumped into the police vehicle, threatened the officers with what appeared to be a weapon and drove off.
Bird flu kills 2 people in Indonesia
By SPA
Jakarta, Indonesia : A health ministry official says bird flu has killed two more people in Indonesia.
Ministry official Lily Sulistyowati says the deaths bring the toll from the virus in Indonesia to 107.
She says one of the victims was a 15-year-old boy, while the second was a 12-year-old girl.
Both died last week. They lived in two separate suburbs of the capital, Jakarta.
Clothes, shoes stolen from Victoria’s dressing room
By IANS
New York : Victoria Beckham had tens of thousands of dollars stolen from her dressing room during a concert in Germany.
The Spice Girl singer lost two pairs of shoes worth almost $11,500 per pair, along with costumes, including jackets and jewellery, pagesix.com reports. Beckham was upset when she found out that one of the stolen goods included a red satin dressing robe custom designed by designer Roberto Cavalli.
Russia, Norway to hold joint naval drills in May
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The Russian Navy's Northern Fleet and the Norwegian Navy will conduct joint drills in the Arctic in May, a Russian defence spokesman said Monday.
Nepal Supreme Court upholds Sobhraj’s conviction
By IANS,
Kathmandu : The conviction and life imprisonment awarded to Charles Sobhraj in a 35-year-old murder case was upheld by Nepal's Supreme Court Friday.
A division bench of Justices Ram Kumar Prasad Shah and Gauri Dhakal upheld the 20-year imprisonment handed over to Sobhraj, The Himalayan Times reported.
The bench, which last year began hearing Sobhraj's appeal against the life sentence, wrapped up nearly eight months of arguments by the state as well as Sobhraj's formidable team of lawyers June 23.
Chicago’s Tribune Company weighing bankruptcy option
By DPA,
Washington : Troubled media giant Tribune Company is consulting with bankruptcy experts to consider its options in the face of $13 billion in debt and plummeting advertising revenue, the Chicago-based firm said late Sunday.
In an article on the website of its flagship newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, a spokesman spoke of an "uncertain and difficult environment."
"We haven't made any decision," Tribune Company spokesman Gary Weitman said. "We're looking at all of our options."
Two killed in Russian trainer plane crash
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A pilot instructor and his student were killed in a crash of a trainer aircraft in southern Russia Saturday.
Kenya to deploy 4,600 soldiers in Somalia
By IANS,
Nairobi : Kenya will deploy 4,660 soldiers in Somalia as part of the Africa Union peacekeeping force, a top official said Monday.
900 students buried by eartquake in central China
By SPA,
Beijing : A strong earthquake that struck China on Monday has buried nearly 900 students in Sichuan province, State media reported.
Xinhua News Agency did not immediately give any other details or say if any of the students were thought to be alive.
It already reported that four students were killed and more than 100 students injured when the 7.8-magnitude quake knocked down two schools in neighboring Chongqing municipality.
In Photos: The last journey of J&K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: On Thursday morning, people of Jammu and Kashmir woke up to the news of the...
Manhattan magic, security blues, rebels with a hundred causes
By Manish Chand, IANS,
New York : As over 170 world leaders and hundreds of diplomats descended in New York for the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly, the district of Manhattan, epitomising the city's infectious can-do spirit, morphed into a high-security fortress.
Controversial Danish cartoonist to publish memoirs
By DPA,
Copenhagen : The former Danish newspaper cartoonist who received numerous death threats for his drawing depicting the Muslim Prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban is to publish his memoirs, reports said Tuesday.
That controversial cartoon will be the cover of the book, to be published in November. The autobiography was co-written with journalist and editor John Lykkegaard.
Troops tighten hold on Kilinochchi, vow to hunt down Prabhakaran
By IANS,
Kilinochchi (Sri Lanka) : Sri Lankan troops consolidating their positions in this former Tamil Tiger stronghold have vowed to continue their fierce offensive campaign till they hunt down the elusive rebel chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Two days after the battle-hardened soldiers seized Kilinochchi, a town the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had controlled over for 10 long years, the army is busy consolidating its control over the sprawling area.
Obama poised to win as polls open in historic US election
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Democrat Barack Obama appeared poised to make history as America's first African American president as voters across eastern United States headed for the polls to choose between him and his feisty Republican rival John McCain.
Obama got a head start with a symbolic first win in the isolated New Hampshire village of Dixville Notch where its residents lined up to cast their ballots just after midnight (10.30 a.m.IST).
Hu hosts pre-Olympic banquet for heads of state, IOC
By DPA,
Beijing : Chinese President Hu Jintao Friday hosted a banquet lunch for 80 heads of state and top International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials who are here to attend the opening of the 2008 Olympics later in the day.
"Holding the Olympics is the long-cherished wish of the Chinese people," Hu said in a speech at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
"I believe that with the help of the IOC and the Olympic family we can hold a high-level Olympics with special characteristics," he told guests including US President George W. Bush and IOC President Jacques Rogge.