Magnitude 6.8 quake strikes off Indonesia
By IANS,
Jakarta : A magnitude 6.8 undersea earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia Tuesday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.
The quake occurred at 04.51 a.m. Tuesday with the epicentre at 262 km northwest of Saumlaki and at a depth of 106 km, an official of the agency told Xinhua. There was no report of damage or casualties.
Minister shot dead in Russia’s Ingushetia
By RIA Novosti,
Rostov-on-Don (Russia) : Ingushetia's construction minister was gunned down in his office Wednesday, an interior ministry official in Russia's volatile southern republic said.
"Unknown gunmen fired at Ruslan Amerkhanov (the construction minister) at about 10.35 a.m. (06.35 GMT). Details of the attack are being verified," the official said on the telephone.
The minister's aide was later reported to have been injured in the attack and two gunmen fled the scene in a car.
The killing is the latest in a series of high-profile attacks in the North Caucasus republic.
Russia will stop Ukraine from annihilating opponents in east: Putin
Moscow : Russia will not allow the central Ukrainian authorities to annihilate its political foes and opponents in the embattled eastern Ukraine, Russian President...
Emirates Airline to pass management control of Sri Lankan to Sri Lanka govt
By NNN-WAM
Dubai : President of Emirates Airline and managing director of Sri Lankan Airlines Tim Clark has said that Emirates Airline has notified the government of Sri Lanka that it will not renew the shareholder's agreement which expires on March 31, 2008.
Accordingly, Clark said Sunday, with effect from April 1 2008, management control of Sri Lankan Airlines will pass to the government of Sri Lanka.
Emirates Airline currently holds 43.6 per cent equity in the company.
ROK rival parties fail to reach compromise on beef import
By Xinhua,
Seoul : South Korea's rival parties failed to reach compromise over the controversial U.S. beef imports deal Thursday, indicating further paralysis of the new parliament, according to Yonhap news agency.
Thursday's meeting between the liberal opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and the ruling Grand National Party ended without progress, as the UDP held firm to its continuing boycott of the parliamentary session.
British doctors to treat Indian girl despite deportation order
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS
London : In an extraordinary move, a London hospital has decided to treat an Indian teenager suffering from a one-in-a-million disease in defiance of a deportation order served on her.
Zarina Rentia, a 15-year-old girl suffering from the bone marrow disease Fanconi-Bickel Syndrome (FBS), was under deportation orders, having overstayed in Britain, when doctors at the University College London Hospital (UCH) stepped in Friday to offer treatment.
French civil servants strike as transport walkout drags on
By DPA
Paris : Schools and post offices were closed, planes were late, newsstands were empty of newspapers and hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in cities throughout France Tuesday as civil servants carried out a 24-hour strike to demand higher wages and fewer job cuts.
In addition, train service throughout the country and public transport in the greater Paris area were disrupted for a seventh consecutive day as unions continued their strike to protest a government pension reform proposal.
Nicaragua joins Russia in recognizing South Ossetia, Abkhazia
By DPA,
Managua : The leftist Sandinista government of Nicaragua has become the second country - after Russia - to recognise the break-away Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The president of the Central American country, Daniel Ortega, said late Tuesday before the leadership of the Nicaraguan Army that he supports the plan by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to bring these territories closer to Russia.
Germany to get first Islamic bank in October
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Berlin : Turkey's Kuveyt Turk investment fund plans to open the first Islamic bank in Germany in October, the Financial Times Deutschland reported.
Global warming likely to impact rainfall patterns
By IANS,
Washington: Climate models project that the global average temperature will rise about 1 degree C by mid-century, if we continue with business as usual and emit greenhouse gases.
The global average, though, does not tell us anything about what will happen to regional climates.
Novel vaccine targets cancer cells’ ‘sweet spot’
By IANS,
Washington : Researchers are working on sugar molecules astride tumour cells' surfaces to develop a new vaccine that targets and halts cancers of the prostate, breast, ovaries and lungs.
The low-cost immunotherapy for prostate carcinoma they are developing may also be effective in a variety of other carcinomas as well.
Alessandra Franco, assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine (UCSDSM) and associates have spent the last decade proving that immune system's 'killer' T-cells can recognise sugars on tumour cell surfaces.
China seizes ‘adulterated’ US food products
By Xinhua
Beijing : China has seized shipments of orange pulp and dried apricots imported from the US that reportedly contain excessive bacteria, mildew and sulphur dioxide.
NATO Air forces to hold exercises in Scotland
LONDON, Jan 11 (APP)-Warplanes from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy and UK will participate in a three-week air exercise from January 14 in Scotland, the British Ministry of Defence announced on Friday.
Dubbed as ‘NATO Tactical Leadership Programme exercise’, approximately 18 aircraft will take part, comprising of F16s, Mirage F1s, Mirage 2000s, Super Entendards and Tornados from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy.
Chinese nuclear power plant starts
By IANS,
Beijing : The Hongyanhe nuclear power station, the first nuclear power plant and largest energy project in northeast China, started operation Sunday.
Nepal PM’s aide shot in capital
By IANS,
Kathmandu : Unidentified persons Monday attacked and injured Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda's personal secretary Shakti Bahadur Basnet in a busy area of the capital.
Basnet had left the prime minister's official residence at Baluwatar around 5 p.m. and was nearing his own residence in the Koteshwor area when he was shot by unidentified attackers, Prachanda's media adviser Om Sharma said.
Obama bars daughters from Facebook
By IANS,
London: US President Barack Obama has barred his daughters from using Facebook because he doesn't want "strangers knowing our business", a media report said.
Seven killed in China accident
By IANS,
Beijing : At least seven people were killed and 30 injured when a tourist bus overturned in a mountainous region in China, officials said.
Snowstorms batter Mongolia killing 21 with 100 missing
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : At least 21 people are reported dead and 100 are missing after snowstorms battered Mongolia over the past two days, the Xinhua news agency cited the country's emergencies officials as saying Wednesday.
Seven provinces in west and central Mongolia were hit hardest, with wind speeds reported at up to 40 meters per second. Buildings and power transmission lines have also been damaged.
Over 300 rescuers and more than 70 vehicles are involved in search and rescue operations.
Snowstorms are common in Mongolia during spring.
Obama tributes from India’s most acclaimed women in films
By IANS,
New York : Barack Obama's election as US president is historic not just for Americans but for people the world over, say three of Indian cinema's best known women - Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair and Shabana Azmi.
Tributes to the president-elect who will be the first African American in the White House poured in Wednesday at the the opening of the five-day MIAAC Film Festival of Indian Independent and Diaspora films.
Teacher throws sandal at Colombian presidential candidate
By IANS/EFE,
Bogota : A Colombian teacher threw a sandal at former agriculture minister and a presidential candidate Andres Felipe Arias during a public event at a theatre in the northern Colombian city of Barranquilla.
The "aggressor", whom Arias pardoned with a kiss, was identified as Leyda Delgado. She belongs to the leftist opposition Alternative Democratic Pole party.
The sandal was thrown at a time when Arias was preparing to speak at the forum being held at Barranquilla's Amira de la Rosa Theater.
Australian warship inquiry set to clear Germans
By Sid Astbury, DPA
Sydney : The first pictures of the HMAS Sydney confirm that sailors aboard the German ship that sank it in 1941 were telling the truth: Australia's worst maritime disaster was self-inflicted.
Captain Joseph Burnett pulled his cruiser parallel to the HSK Kormoran, presenting Captain Theodore Detmers a point-blank target for his six 150-millimetre guns.
It was all over for the Sydney within minutes. The first shell tore away the bridge and left the ship leaderless. Subsequent hits toppled gun turrets and set the ship alight from stem to stern.
Australian jailed for racial attack on Indians
Sydney: A court in Australia has sentenced a man to three years in jail for racially motivated attacks on two Indian nationals.
The Townsville District...
Major powers supply weapons in Syria: UN report
Geneva : A UN inquiry commission report has revealed influential states are supplying Syrian government and opposition forces the weapons to carry out war...
Venezuela accuses US of sponsoring plan to kill Chavez
By DPA,
Caracas : The Venezuelan government Thursday accused the US of sponsoring a plan to assassinate President Hugo Chavez, hours after he ordered an investigation into a military conspiracy to overthrow him.
Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said Caracas had no doubt of Washington's involvement in the plot and would file formal complaints against the US in international fora.
"As investigations move on we will get to see to what extent (the US) was involved," Maduro said.
Three women shot dead in US hair salon
By IANS,
Washington: A gunman shot dead three women in a hair salon in the US state of Florida before killing himself, Xinhua reported Thursday.
China closes Tibetan blogs to gag Dalai Lama news
By IANS
Kathmandu : Unable to stop US President George W. Bush from meeting Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama and furious at the US Congress for bestowing its highest civilian honour on the exiled Nobel laureate, China has stepped up curbs in Tibet, closing down websites and blogs in the latest offensive.
At least five Tibetans were arrested in Tibet's Amdo province for celebrating after the Dalai Lama received the Congressional gold medal while a popular website and two blogs were closed down.
810 foreign observers to monitor Nepal election
By Xinhua
Kathmandu : Around 810 international observers from 29 organisations are expected to monitor the April 10 constituent assembly election in Nepal, The Himalayan Times reported Thursday.
Earlier, the Election Commission had said there would be some 550 international observers from 14 organisations.
The deadline for filing applications for observer accreditation has elapsed but the poll panel said it would make rules flexible.
Injured ex-Congresswoman launches US gun control drive
By IANS,
Washington: Former US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was injured in a mass shooting, has launched a high-profile campaign against gun violence in America.
Nigerian man with 86 wives agrees to divorce 82
By DPA,
Abuja (Nigeria) : An 84-year-old Nigerian man with 86 wives and 170 children has accepted a decree issued by Islamic authorities that he must divorce 82 of them, reports said Monday.
The BBC, quoting a local emir, reported that Mohammadu Bello Abubakar Saturday agreed to the mass divorce.
Abubakar, a former teacher and preacher, faced the death penalty under Sharia law, which was reintroduced to the Muslim-majority Niger State, North-West Nigeria, in 2000.
While the death sentence was lifted, Abubakar still faced eviction from his home.
Myanmar foreign trade to grow by 30 percent
By IANS,
Yangon : Myanmar's foreign trade will grow by more than 30 percent to $16.1 billion in the 2011-12 fiscal year, the commerce ministry said. It was $12 billion in the previous fiscal.
‘Polio-free status for Gujarat an important milestone’
Gandhinagar: The achievement of a polio-free status by India, including Gujarat, was an important milestone in health indicators for the South-East Asia region, Ban...
Mass casualties in New Zealand factory explosion
By DPA
Wellington : Six firefighters were seriously injured and several reported missing after a series of explosions set off a massive blaze at a factory near Hamilton, in New Zealand's North Island, Saturday, news reports said.
Hamilton Hospital said it had received mass casualties and appealed for assistance from outside the city, channel TV3 reported.
It showed film of a huge blaze said to be out of control at the Icepak Coolstores factory, which is next door to a school, and spreading to other parts of the suburb of Tamahere, about 10 km south of the city.
Maldives president unharmed, wife injured in speedboat blast
Male: The president of the Maldives was unhurt but his wife and two others were injured in an explosion on board their speedboat...
Nano-submarine to target infected cells with precision
By IANS,
London : Can you imagine a nano-sized submarine that targets and destroys infected cells anywhere within the human body with unerring precision? Now this concept of fixing faulty cells is closer to realisation, thanks to pioneering research done by Tel Aviv University (TAU) scientists.
The blueprints for the 'nanomarine' were conceived by Dan Peer while at Harvard. It will now be built and test-run in human bodies, by the TAU team that he heads, engaged in cell research and immunology.
British firefighters to use motorbikes fitted with hoses
By IANS,
London : Fire chiefs in Britain have unveiled their latest weapon - a 30,000-pound ($13,600) "fire bike" fitted with a power hose, which will be sent out instead of fire engines if fires are not deemed a threat to people or buildings, a media report said Friday.
Currently, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is trialling two such motorbikes, The Telegraph reported on its website.
UK court delays transfer of Iraqi prisoners
London, Dec 24, IRNA ,Britain's high court has blocked the handover of the last Iraqi prisoners held in the custody of UK troops pending the outcome of a final appeal on December 29.
Public Interest Lawyers (Pil) said Tuesday that they had won a Court of Appeal injunction in London, preventing the immediate transfer of Faisal al-Saadoon and Khalaf Mufdhi, who are accused of killing two British soldiers.
US court agrees to partial sale of Lehman Brothers
By DPA,
New York : A US bankruptcy court approved the sale of investment bank Lehman Brothers' investment-management division Neuberger Berman, media reports said.
The sale to a group of executives of Neuberger Berman will provide about $922 million worth of stocks in proceeds, which are planned to be passed on to creditors of Lehman Brothers, once the fourth-largest US investment bank.
The Neuberger employees beat two bids by private equity firms Bain Capital Partners and Hellman & Friedmann.
Dutch police foils terror plot in Rotterdam
By Xinhua
Brussels : The police in the Netherlands have foiled a possible terror attack on New Year's Eve in Rotterdam, Dutch paper De Telegraaf reported Thursday.
The paper said that special police forces arrested three suspected terrorists, who they believe were planning an attack on the crowds attending the New Year celebrations around the city's Erasmus Bridge.
Tibetan leader Karmapa Lama flies to the US Thursday
By IANS,
Dharamsala : Tibetan spiritual leader the Karmapa Lama, the only major monk reincarnate recognised by both the Dalai Lama and China, will leave for the US Thursday on a fortnight-long visit, a spokesman of the Tibetan government-in-exile said here Wednesday.
"His eminence the 17th Karmapa, head of the Kamtsang Kagyu sect, will go on a historic visit to the US from May 15 to June 2," the spokesman said.
Russia’s Putin backs ally Medvedev as successor
MOSCOW, December 10 (RIA Novosti) - Vladimir Putin backed on Monday his longtime ally Dmitry Medvedev, widely seen as a moderate pro-business figure, as a candidate for the March 2 presidential election.
Putin's support of First Deputy Prime Minister Medvedev has been received as the president's signal that Russia will stick to its free market aspirations and seek close ties with the West.
Banned British MP to sue Canada for damages
By IANS,
Toronto : An anti-war British MP, barred from Canada for his links to the Palestinian group Hamas, is likely to sue the Canadian government for damages.
George Galloway, who was thrown out of the British Labour Party for urging British soldiers not to fight in Iraq in 2003 and is currently an independent MP, was to visit three Canadian cities for a speaking tour next week.
But the Canadian government banned his entry on grounds of his links to Hamas which is banned here as a terrorist organisation.
Recovery tools: emergency helpers for data crashes
By DPA
Hanover : It can happen very quickly: you empty the Windows Recycle Bin just a bit too quickly, or format a thumb drive unintentionally - and important data is suddenly gone.
Yet hope is not lost, because in most cases the operating system has not actually deleted the file but just released it for overwriting.
"It's similar to a thick book that's had part of the table of contents ripped out. Then you can't find specific pages without a bit of help," says Boi Feddern, an editor at German computing magazine c't.
Polls show conservatives wiping out “Brown bounce”
LONDON, Oct 7 (KUNA) -- Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown's decision not to call an autumn election came as three separate opinion polls showed Sunday the opposition Conservatives had overturned the premier's "bounce" and raced into a lead.
One survey of 83 crucial seats put Cameron's party an astonishing six points ahead - a finding that would have seen Labour's Commons majority wiped out.
Myanmar opens emergency monitoring centre in riot-hit city
Yangon : Myanmar authorities have opened an emergency monitoring centre in Mandalay, the country's second largest city that was hit by sectarian riots early...
Global warming will push up sea level
By IANS,
Amsterdam : Sea levels worldwide are expected to rise by several metres in the coming centuries if global warming continues unabated.
18 killed in train-bus collision in Argentina
By Xinhua
Buenos Aires : At least 18 people were killed and 50 injured in a train-bus collision in Argentina early Sunday, authorities said.
The accident occurred when a train crashed into a bus at a railway crossing near Dolores, some 200 km south of Buenos Aires, the official Telam news agency reported.
The bus was travelling from Buenos Aires to the South Atlantic beach resort of Mar del Plata, the authorities said.
The victims were rushed to nearby hospitals. There was no immediate report on the exact cause of the accident.
North Korea decides to restart n-facility
By IANS,
Pyongyang : North Korea said Tuesday that it has decided to restart operations at the Nyongbyon nuclear facility, which was shut down under...
Cuba: Bush is Desperate
By Prensa Latina,
Havana : US President George W. Bush is desperate because he is about to leave the White House without having been able to destroy the Cuban revolutionary project, Cuba's state-run television claimed.
The Cuba issue is one of the obsessions of the Bush Administration, a television news report said last night, after condemning the latest US provocations against the island state.
The network referred to a video conference Bush had with Cuban counter- revolutionaries on May 6.
Dalai Lama appeals to China to work to resolve Tibet crisis
By NNN-PTI
Dharmsala : Tibet spiritual leader in exile Dalai Lama Friday renewed his appeal to China to hold a "meaningful dialogue" with Tibetans to resolve the Tibet crisis and also urged the Chinese leadership to "exercise wisdom".
"I urge the Chinese leadership to exercise wisdom and to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the Tibetan people," the Dalai Lama said in an appeal addressed to "Chinese brothers and sisters" across the globe.
World’s oldest, 8,000 years old tree found in Sweden
By RIA Novosti
Stockholm : Scientists in northern Sweden believe they have discovered the world's oldest living tree dating back nearly 8,000 years, local media said Thursday.
A Norway spruce, which was found growing at a height of 950 metres above sea level, is more than two metres (6.5 feet) tall and about 20 centimeters (8 inches) in width.
Shortly after the discovery, scientists sent samples from the tree to a laboratory in Miami, US, and were amazed to learn that the tree was 7,800 years old.
Maoists wage war on Terai pact
By IANS
Kathmandu : Within 24 hours of it being inked, Nepal's Maoists Friday rejected a pact signed between the government and a key party from the Terai plains, describing it as a "conspiracy" and demanding that it be scrapped.
Maoist supremo Prachanda issued a statement a day after the government signed a 22-point agreement with the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, the guerrillas' prime foe in the plains, saying his party was opposed to the pact.
Thailand hosts the 6th ASEAN Lecture
By ANTARA News,
Jakarta : The 6th ASEAN Lecture was held in Bangkok on Monday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand.
Mr Samak Sundaravej, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, delivered the Lecture on the theme "ASEAN: A New Era with a People Agenda", a press release from the ASEAN Secretariat made available to ANTARA here on Tuesday.
Warrant for Indian student who ran over man in Australia
By IANS,
Melbourne : An Australian court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Indian student Puneet who ran over a teenager while estimated to be travelling at almost 150 km/hour in a 60 km/hour zone.
The County Court heard Thursday that Puneet had not reported to police as part of his bail conditions since June 12, the Herald Sun reported.
Dean Hofstee, a 19-year-old from Queensland, was killed when Puneet, a 19-year-old cookery student, lost control on City Rd, Southbank, in October last year.
Missing Australians rescued from New Zealand mountain
By DPA,
Wellington : Six Australian mountaineers trapped in bad weather while climbing New Zealand's Southern Alps were airlifted to safety Saturday by a search and rescue helicopter.
The four men and two women from Sydney were reported to be well when they were flown to the village at the foot of 3,745-metre Mount Cook.
They were found on a glacier after a brief break in the weather allowed a helicopter to take off and hone in on an emergency beacon that the group activated Thursday night when they ran into difficulties.
China to rebuild three mn houses for villagers
By IANS,
Beijing: The Chinese government plans to rebuild three million dilapidated houses for people in rural areas this year.
Violence in Iraq on rise: Pentagon
By Xinhua
Washington : Violence in Iraq was on the rise despite the US military buildup this year designed to help quell escalating conflict in the war-ravaged country, the Pentagon report has said.
Nepal bus crash toll reaches 25
By IANS
Kathmandu : A day after western Nepal was shaken by the worst road accident in recent times which killed 25 people Monday and left over 40 injured, authorities had yet not been able to identify all the victims.
Nineteen people, mostly women and children, were killed on the spot after an overcrowded bus travelling on a narrow road devastated by rain and landslides veered off and plunged down nearly 300m in Laghuwa village in Palpa district.
US India thinktank scholar Dr Abulsaleh Sharif’s book on Constitutional Rights released, Roundtable discussions...
By TCN News
North America is home to more than 29% thinktanks in the world and a bulk of them is located in Washington, DC. While these think tanks are focused on a wide variety of issues, they play a vital role in shaping policy at the national and international level.
UN starts humanitarian campaign for displaced in Ukraine
United Nations: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Wednesday announced that it is launching an initiative aimed at ferrying aid to Ukraine's internally displaced...
Georgia’s Saakashvili to address PACE despite Russian protests
By RIA Novosti
Strasbourg : The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has invited Georgia's newly re-elected president to address the organization, despite protests from Russia, a Russian official said on Monday.
Mikheil Saakashvili, who received 53.47% of the vote in an early presidential election on January 5, is expected to make a speech at a PACE meeting on January 24, and to answer European parliamentarians' questions.
Commemorations in London, Verdun mark World War I anniversary
By DPA,
London/Paris : Commemorations to mark Armistice Day, the day guns fell silent at the end of World War I 90 years ago, were held in Britain and France Tuesday.
In London, Prime Minister Gordon Brown attended the solemn ceremony and two-minute silence which were led by the three remaining survivors of the Great War, now all well over 100 years old.
In France, ceremonies held at Verdun, the major Franco-German battlefield, were led by President Nicolas Sarkozy and attended by Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall.
No pressure from India on operations against LTTE: Lanka
By NNN-PTI,
Colombo : Acknowledging India's support in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Sri Lanka has said it is not feeling any heat from New Delhi due to its military campaign against the LTTE.
"There has been no such pressure," Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told Parliament yesterday when asked whether pressure was being exerted on Colombo by New Delhi on the operations against the Tiger rebels.
Eight Thai soldiers killed in ambush by separatists
By SPA
Yala, Thailand : Eight soldiers were killed and six wounded in ambushes by suspected separatists in Thailand's South on Monday, army and police spokesmen said.
"The soldiers were ambushed after escorting teachers to schools and eight of them were killed," army Colonel Acra Tiproch was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The ambush occurred near a village in Narathiwat province.
A military Humvee was blown up by a 20-kg (44-lb) roadside bomb, then at least 20 militants attacked, police said.
Obama condoles Manekshaw’s death
By IANS,
Washington : US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is the only American public figure of note to have condoled the death of Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, prime architect of India's 1971 victory over Pakistan to liberate Bangladesh.
"I offer my deep condolences to the people of India on the passing of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw," Obama said, describing the former Indian Army chief of staff as "a legendary soldier, a patriot and an inspiration to his fellow citizens".
Gang that stole chocolates detained in Ukraine
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A gang of four teenagers who broke into some 10 shops in two months to help themselves to chocolates and other sweet treats was detained in western Ukraine.
The police in the Ternopil region were quoted by the Kriminal.tv crime website as saying that the four teenagers mostly stole chocolate bars and ice-creams, and that they were especially fond of Kinder Surprise.
German peace group urges closure of US bases
By IRNA,
Berlin : A major German peace group on Saturday called for the closure of all US military bases in Germany and the removal of all American nuclear bombs.
Talking to IRNA, the spokesman of the Westpfalz Peace Initiative, Detlev Besier said, "It would be nice, if the bases close but we are aware that this won't happen so soon. The long-term goal is not to have any military here. The co-existence of people must be ensured without the military."
Avalanche kill three snowmobilers
By Xinhua
Los Angeles : An avalanche swept up and killed three snowmobilers in Alaska on Friday, authorities said.
The three were snowmobiling near Turnagain Pass, about 70 miles(112 kilometers) south of Anchorage, when the avalanche occurred, Alaska State Troopers said.
The snowmobilers were burried in the snow for nearly an hour before they died, Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said.
Attempts to resuscitate the three were unsuccessful, she said.
The avalanche occurred after 11 inches of snow fell in the area in the past two days.
Arctic sea ice thins by 19 percent
By IANS,
Washington : Sea ice in large swathes of Arctic thinned by as much as 19 percent last winter, compared to previous five winters, according to data from European Space Agency's Envisat satellite.
Using Envisat radar altimeter data, scientists from the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at University College London (UCL) measured sea ice thickness over the Arctic from 2002 to 2008 and found that it had been fairly constant until the record loss of ice in the summer of 2007.
UK Muslims reminded to vote in next week’s elections
By IRNA,
London : British Muslim scholars have joined together to urge the country’s two million community to discharge their duty as responsible citizens and vote in next week’s local and European elections.
“Participating in the democratic process is vital. As citizens we have a right to choose the people who represent us and to determine who gets to affect our daily lives. As Muslims, we have an obligation to join hands with others to elect those who will seek the common good,” the scholars said.
Older drivers command vehicles better
By IANS
New York : Older drivers drive better than younger ones although the former pose a much larger risk to themselves than to others because of their poor health, says a study.
In 2001, people aged 65 years and above accounted for about 15 percent of all licensed drivers but caused only about seven percent of accidents in the US, the study's researchers found.
By contrast, people aged 15 to 24 years accounted for just 13 percent of all licensed drivers but caused 43 percent of all accidents, reported the health portal News Medical.
Most New Yorkers don’t want Islamic centre near Ground Zero
By IANS,
New York : Two-thirds of New York City residents want a controversial Muslim community centre and mosque to be relocated farther away from the site of 9/11 terrorist attack, according to a New York Times poll.
The poll indicates that support for the 13-story complex at the Sep 11, 2001 ground zero site in Lower Manhattan, which organizers said would promote moderate Islam and interfaith dialogue, is tepid in its home town.
Hafeez suspended from bowling for one year
Dubai: Pakistani all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was on Friday suspended from bowling in international cricket for the next 12 months following an independent assessment of...
US may give lethal weapons to Syrian rebels: Report
By IANS,
Washington: The US is considering providing lethal weapons to Syrian opposition forces and a decision is expected within weeks, a media report said Wednesday.
Brazilian president to run for re-election
Rio de Janeiro : Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said she will run for re-election in October with or without the support of allied parties...
IAEA team to visit Iran’s nuclear reactor next week
By Xinhua
Vienna : A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will inspect the site of a heavy-water nuclear reactor in Arak, Iran early next week, the UN nuclear watchdog has said.
The announcement was made after Olli Heinonen, deputy director general of the IAEA, held talks with Iran's deputy national security chief Javad Vaeidi here Tuesday.
The talks aimed at working out a plan "on clarifying the open issues associated with the scope and content of Iran's (uranium) enrichment programme".
British terror incidents – model for assault on US?
By IANS
Washington : The next terror assault on the United States is likely to come through relatively unsophisticated, near-simultaneous attacks - similar to those attempted in Britain over the weekend, the Washington Post said Tuesday.
Climate negotiators get down to business in Copenhagen
By DPA,
Copenhagen : A group of indigenous people whose livelihoods are threatened by climate change "cleansed the spirit" of negotiators gathered Tuesday for a second day of talks in Copenhagen.
The North American natives said the purging ceremony would vest conference party leaders with "clarity, compassion, strength and perseverance" so that they may produce "a binding commitment to save Mother Earth".
Bush’s ‘family dinner’ for his Indian friend
By Manish Chand, IANS,
Washington : The nuclear dream was still a step away, no formal speeches were made and the menu at the White House dinner was relatively modest, mostly fish, salad and attractive fruit spreads.
But as US President George Bush sat down for his last dinner Thursday night with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Old Family Dinning Room, the personal chemistry developed over the last four years of their association was more than evident.
US Senate rejects Obama’s wealth tax proposal
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Washington : The US Senate has blocked President Barack Obama's proposal to raise tax rate on those earning over one million dollars a year.
Sustainability award for artificial milk firm led by Indians
London: A US-based company founded by a group of Indian-origin entrepreneurs which produces artificial milk has won a Dutch sustainability innovation prize of 200,000...
Russian construction firm head becomes South Ossetia’s prime minister
By RIA Novosti,
Vladikvkaz (Russia) : The parliament of South Ossetia confirmed Vadim Brovtsev, head of an Urals construction company, as the republic's new prime minister Wednesday.
The former Georgian republic's communications ministry said 40-year-old Brovtsev, head of the Chelyabinsk-based construction firm Vermikulit, was approved by 24 out of 27 deputies in a secret ballot.
His sole candidature was proposed by South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity, the ministry said.
Exit poll shows Saakashvili wins Georgia’s presidential election
By Xinhua
Tbilisi : Georgian former president Mikhail Saakashvili won the country's presidential election Saturday, an exit poll showed.
The exit poll, which gave Saakashvili 53.8 percent of the vote, was based on statistics till 8:00 p.m. (1600 GMT), before the official end of the 12-hour voting.
Previous exit polls, based on statistics at 4:00 p.m. (1200 GMT), also showed him winning more than half of the vote.
Grandma sings for 48 hours to break Guinness record
By DPA,
Wellington: New Zealand grandmother Karen Davy sang for 48 hours to set a new Guinness World Record and raise money for children's kidney transplants, a newspaper reported Thursday.
Davy, who prepared for her attempt by humming and making "tonnes of soup," set the mark entertaining travellers at Auckland Airport's international departure lounge, finishing Wednesday afternoon with a sore throat, the New Zealand Herald reported.
She was allowed a five-minute break after every hour and a pause of no more than 30 seconds between songs.
German lawmaker urges anti-China sanctions over Tibet crackdown
By IRNA
Berlin : The head of the German-Chinese parliamentary group, Johannes Pflug called for economic sanctions against China over its security clampdown on Tibet.
One has to talk about what kind of goods should be delivered to China and how these economic ties would look like, the Social Democratic legislator told Wednesday's edition of the Neuen Osnabruecker Zeitung newspaper.
Jung proposed a temporary export ban of hi-tech goods as well as products for the energy sector in China.
Soldiers human rights breached by faulty equipment, Judge
By KUNA
London : Sending British soldiers out on patrol or into battle with defective equipment could amount to a breach of their human rights, a High Court judge ruled here Friday.
The decision marked a groundbreaking legal defeat for Britains Defence Secretary Des Browne and potentially has important implications for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, commentators said.
Night curfew in cyclone-hit Fiji, seven killed
By DPA
Wellington : A 24-hour curfew from 6 p.m. Wednesday was declared in the town of Nadi, near Fiji's main international airport, after it was flooded by tropical Cyclone Gene which strafed the Pacific island state, killing at least seven people.
Police commissioner Esala Teleni said the curfew was necessary for public safety as the town - the main gateway for foreign tourists heading for Fiji's offshore island resorts - remained flooded, the Fiji Times website reported.
Teleni said the curfew would be reviewed daily.
Atlantis landing postponed due to bad weather
By IANS
Washington : Heavy clouds, rain and thunderstorms have forced the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to postpone the landing of the Atlantis space shuttle carrying Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams and six other crew members to later Thursday.
More people using public transport in US
Washington, March 9 (DPA) More people in the US were using public transportation at present than at any time in the last 52 years, according to an industry study released Monday.
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) said Americans took 10.7 billion trips on buses, trains and trams in 2008, a 4-percent increase from 2007. Ridership has jumped 38 percent since 1995, the study said.
Japan raises sales tax after 17 years
Tokya: Japan Tuesday raised its sales tax rate from 5 percent to 8 percent, marking the first sales tax hike in 17 years, reported...
US rejects Taliban claim for NYK attack
By IANS,
Washington : The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has dismissed claims made by the Pakistan Taliban that it was responsible for an attack in New York State in which a lone gunman killed 13 people.
"Based on the evidence, we can firmly discount that claim," Richard Kolko, an FBI spokesman, said Saturday.
US shooting spree kills one
By Xinhua,
Washington : A 60-year-old man was killed and eight wounded Sunday in a shooting spree at a church in the southern US state of Tennessee, the police said.
“A man opened fire with a shotgun in a church in Knoxville, killing a 60-year-old man on the spot,” police chief, Sterling Owen, said.
The gunman was later arrested.
Five of the wounded are in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.
A witness said there were around 200 people in the church and watching a youth programme at the time of the incident.
Dow industrials dip as S&P, Nasdaq book gains
By DPA
New York : Major Wall Street stock indices were mixed Tuesday amid weakening consumer confidence and plummeting housing prices.
The New York-based Conference Board's index of consumer confidence dropped 11.9 points to 64.5 in March, the lowest level in five years, according to the latest instalment of the continuing survey, issued Tuesday. A private index of home prices in major metropolitan areas fell in January for the 13th straight month.
Shares of retailers lost ground in Tuesday trading, while stocks in commodity industries rallied.
Niqab ban gets unanimous support in Canada
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : Canadians have unanimously supported the niqab ban announced by French-speaking Quebec province this week. After France, the Canadian province is the first in North America to ban the niqab, a top-to-toe dress worn by Muslim women.
The ban, triggered by an Egyptian immigrant woman's refusal to remove her niqab in her French classes in Montreal, will disallow access to government services, schools and colleges and health care to those who don't remove the face veil.
Bush hosts Sarkozy for lunch – new era of relations?
By DPA
Washington : US President George W Bush met French President Nicolas Sarkozy for lunch at the Bush family's Oceanside private estate, eager to underscore a thaw in relations between Washington and Paris.
Bush made plain that smoothing divisions over the Iraq war was one aim of the meeting Saturday, the third between the two presidents since Sarkozy took office in May.
Indonesian Muslims banned from practicing yoga
By IINA,
Jakarta : Muslims in Indonesia are now banned from practicing yoga that contains Hindu rituals like chanting, but will continue to be allowed to perform it for purely health reasons, the chairman of the country's top Islamic body said today. Ma'ruf Amin said the Ulema Council issued the non-binding ruling following weekend talks attended by hundreds of theological experts in Padang Panjang, a village in West Sumatra province. Although the ruling is not legally binding, most devout Muslims are likely to adhere to it — as they consider it sinful to ignore a fatwa.
Aircraft crashes in Puerto Rico
By IANS,
San Juan : A small aircraft with six people on board crashed into the Caribbean near the northern coast off Puerto Rico, EFE reported Tuesday.
Three bodies and pieces of the plane were found floating in the sea during a search operation following the crash near the town of Quebradillas, authorities said.
The plane was on its way from the Dominican Republic and bound for San Juan.
The US Coast Guard stationed in San Juan said it received an emergency call about the crash Sunday evening.
Hong Kong Plans New Checkpoint Linking China Mainland
By Bernama,
Hong Kong : Hong Kong government is studying a plan to build a new checkpoint linking the metropolis with the Chinese mainland in the next decade.
Secretary for Development of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Carrie Lam told the Legislative Council here Wednesday that the proposed Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai boundary checkpoint will offer a quick link between Hong Kong and Guangdong, boosting regional co-operation and development.
UN, US deplore suicide attack in Sri Lanka
By IANS,
Colombo : The United Nations and the US condemned Monday's suicide attack in Sri Lanka by a suspected Tamil Tiger that left 23 people dead and over 60 wounded.
The bomber exploded herself amid Tamil civilians fleeing the war zone in the country's north where the military is battling a cornered Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The dead included children. All of them had been forced out of their homes by the fighting, a UN statement said.
Japanese destroyer makes historic landing in Chinese port
By DPA,
Beijing : A Japanese destroyer arrived in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang Tuesday, making the first port call by a Japanese warship in the country since World War II.
A welcome ceremony was held at the port for the 4,650-ton Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyer Sazanami, which carried 240 officers and crew.
The five-day visit by the warship "finally realizes the upgrading of diplomatic relations between the two countries," Feng Zhaokui, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, wrote in a commentary in the official China Daily Monday.
Hazardous waste conference opens in Bali
By DPA,
Bali (Indonesia) : Representatives from 170 countries kicked off their five-day informal meeting on the Indonesian resort island of Bali Monday, to discuss how to manage the trans-boundary traffic of hazardous waste.
Indonesia's Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar opened the conference, which will focus on the impacts of hazardous waste on human health and livelihoods in terms of the UN's millennium development goals, conference organisers said.
China protests Japanese minister’s visit to war shrine
Beijing : China Saturday protested against a Japanese cabinet minister's visit to the Yasukuni shrine.
"This once again shows the mistaken attitude of the current...
Joe Biden dozes off as Obama delivers speech
By IANS,
London : US Vice President Joe Biden nodded off while President Barack Obama went through statistics and policy goals during a speech, it was reported here.
Balloon accident kills four
By IANS,
London: A hot air balloon hit a tree in a storm and caught fire, killing at least four people and injuring 28 in Slovenia.
Drunk driver jailed for killing seven people
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: A drunk driver who crashed into a bus stop in Moscow, killing two adults and five teenagers, has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.
IMF approves 30-billion-euro loan to Greece
By DPA,
Washington : The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Sunday approved a three-year, 30-billion-euro ($38-billion) loan to Greece, the IMF said at its headquarters in Washington.
The loan is part of a 110-billion-euro, European Union-IMF aid package to help Greece out of its financial woes.
The IMF will make 5.5 billion euros immediately available to Athens, with 10 billion over the course of the rest of the year from the IMF and 30 billion from the EU this year.
15 die, scores missing in bridge collapse in W Nepal
By Xinhua
Kathmandu : At least 15 people died and scores of others went missing when a suspension bridge over the Bheri River in Surkhet district in far-western Nepal collapsed Tuesday afternoon, The Kathmandu Post reported on Wednesday.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, the Armed Police Force confirmed the deaths of 15 including three women and two children.
The Home Ministry, meanwhile, said 32 people including 20 women and 12 men are receiving treatment at Surkhet Regional Hospital, some 375 km west of capital Kathmandu.
Dutch trains to have security cameras
By Xinhua,
Brussels : In a bid to tackle rising crimes in running trains, the Dutch railway company NS has panned to equip all trains with surveillance cameras, Dutch news agency ANP reported Wednesday.
New trains will be fitted with automatic cameras while older ones will be renovated to have cameras fitted, according to ANP.
The first batch of trains to have security cameras will be the 99 new local service Sprinters, due for delivery at the end of the year.
Rice to visit Turkey, Middle East early November
By Xinhua
Washington : U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Turkey and the Middle East from Nov. 1 to 6, the State Department announced Wednesday.
Rice is to attend an international meeting on Iraq in Istanbul, Turkey on Nov. 2-3, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
But before the Istanbul meeting, Rice will have talks with Turkish leaders in Ankara in a bid to ease tensions soaring after deadly clashes on the Iraqi border between Turkish forces and Kurdish rebels.
Thousands join in pro-democracy demonstration in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Oct 7, SPA -- An estimated 5,000 people took part in a protest march in Hong Kong Sunday calling for full democracy in the former British colony by the year 2012, reported dpa.
Protestors marched from the city's Victoria Park to the central government offices three days ahead of the ending of a three month public consultation over political reform.
Several thousand people earlier used yellow and blue umbrellas to spell out the numbers 2012 - the year pro-democracy activists want universal suffrage in the former British colony.
Hundreds injured in California prison riot
By DPA,
Los Angeles : More than 250 inmates were injured and 55 brought to hospital following a riot at a men's prison in California that was brought under control Sunday, media reports said.
The riot broke out between black and hispanic inmates at the Chino prison outside Los Angeles late Saturday and took more than 10 hours to bring under control, the Los Angeles Times reported. The facility remained in lockdown Sunday, prison spokesman Mark Hargrove was quoted as saying.
Myanmar, US hold dialogue on human rights
By IANS,
Yangon : Myanmar and the US have held a dialogue on human rights in Nay Pyi Taw, which marked a step forward in relations between the two countries, official media reported Thursday.
Independent MPs hold key to Australia’s new government
By IANS,
Sydney : With Saturday's election producing Australia's first hung parliament in 70 years, three independent MPs said they might act as a bloc in negotiations over whether Julia Gillard stays as prime minister or opposition coalition leader Tony Abbott replaces her.
The independents said they would press regional issues but want to avoid being seen as chasing wish lists.
I was persecuted, Sobhraj tells Nepal judges
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : As Nepal's apex court delivers the final verdict on Charles Sobhraj, one of yesteryear's most talked about criminals now languishing in a Kathmandu prison for the alleged murder of an American backpacker, the French national has joined his lawyers to argue his case.
Fighting kills 11 Tamils in Northern Sri Lanka
By SPA
Colombo, Sri Lanka : Soldiers destroyed two Tamil Tiger rebel bunkers in northern Sri Lanka while fighting in the region killed 11 separatists and wounded eight soldiers, the military said Saturday.
Troops destroyed two rebel bunkers in the village of Kilali on the northern Jaffna peninsula Friday night, a defense ministry official said.
Two soldiers were wounded in the fighting, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity citing government regulations. He did not have details of rebel casualties.
Obama and Modi can change global climate of inaction
By Rajendra Shende,
It was early morning. I was listening to US President Barack Obama's 2015 State of the Union address in my farm up in the hills in India when I was distracted by a raucous verbal spat. A farmer's wife was exchanging rough and wild words with other women who had come from down in the valley to collect the cow-dung droppings scattered along the slopes.
Obama’s victory symbolises end of racial conflict: Gordimer
By IANS,
Kolkata : US president-elect Barack Obama's victory would symbolically represent an advancement in recognising the human tribe as one, Nadine Gordimer, Nobel prize-winning South African writer and political activist, said here Monday.
Asked about her take on Obama's victory in the US presidential election, she said: "He's been celebrated as a black man. But it's not being pointed out that he's half black and half white. To me, it symbolically represents a kind of advancement in recognising the human tribe as one."
Russian Nobel winner Solzhenitsyn dies at 89
By DPA,
Moscow : Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel prize winner for literature who was exiled from the former Soviet Union for his graphic portrayals of life in Soviet labour camps, died here early Monday. He was 89.
The Interfax news agency reported the news quoting literary circles in the Russian capital, where he was living since 1994 after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The world famous writer and historian had not been seen in public for months, and had reportedly been seriously ill for months. He died from the aftermath of a stroke, according to unconfirmed information.
No media honeymoon as Obama’s spokesman steps to podium
By DPA,
Washington : More than 100 journalists crammed into the White House's tiny press room - formerly an indoor pool - to hurl questions at US President Barack Obama's new press secretary Robert Gibbs for his first briefing.
Gibbs strolled into the room 10 minutes late Thursday for his first moment in the media glare, flanked by an eight-member entourage from the new president's communications staff.
"How are you all?" a smiling Gibbs asked as he surveyed the crowd of reporters gathered staring back at him. "I'm great."
Little response to New York taxi strike call
By IANS
New York : The second strike in two months by New York taxi drivers led by an Indian origin union leader to protest installation of global positioning devices (GPS) and credit card readers had a lukewarm response Monday.
Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (TWA), estimated the number of striking drivers to be 60 percent, but the local news media put the number at no more than five percent.
Prince William world’s most influential man: Poll
By IANS,
London : Britain's Prince William has been named the world's most influential man, beating US President Barack Obama and late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in a poll.
IndiGo plane catches fire in Kathmandu, 182 on board safe
Kathmandu/New Delhi: An IndiGo airlines aircraft from New Delhi caught fire after landing at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) Saturday afternoon but all 182...
Uzbek woman held with 2,000 tortoises
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A 64-year-old Uzbek woman has been detained in Russia while trying to smuggle over 2,000 tortoises into the country, the interior ministry said.
2,000-year-old stoves found in ancient China battlefield
By IANS,
Beijing: Ancient stoves dating back 2,000 years have been found in an ancient battlefield in north China.
Suspected toxic gas leak affects 9 detenus in China
By IANS,
Kunming (China) : A suspected toxic gas leak near a detention facility in southwest China caused the poisoning of nine inmates Monday night, local officials and witnesses said Tuesday.
Myanmar in belated mourning on eve of UN chief’s arrival
By DPA,
Yangon : Myanmar junta Tuesday launched three days of belated mourning for its cyclone victims in the wake of the forthcoming visit of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
State media announced three days of mourning for the catastrophe's victims Monday night, without providing an explanation as to why the government had taken so long to publicly grieve for the estimated 133,650 left dead or missing by the cyclone, which swept over Myanmar's central coast on May 2 to 3.
Iraq success possible without end to violence: Bush
By DPA
Washington : Pressed by Congress to bring troops home from Iraq, US President George W. Bush defined success as reducing - not stopping - the country's deadly sectarian violence.
"There are parts of our own country that have got a certain level of violence to it," he told a Washington audience Wednesday. "But success is a level of violence where the people (in Iraq) feel comfortable about living their daily lives."
Dubai honours Indian expat for ‘green message’
By IANS
Dubai : The Dubai Municipality has honoured a 10-year-old Indian expat
who turned his love for the World Cup into an innovative way to...
Rio cab drivers offered free English courses for Olympics
Rio de Janeiro : Taxi drivers in Rio de Janeiro have been offered free English courses to improve communication with tourists during next...
China’s president calls for further cooperation with US
Beijing(Xinhua) : Chinese President Hu Jintao Thursday called for further cooperation between China and the US, as the two countries wound up their two days of economic talks here that culminated in a series of agreements.
"I hope the two sides can make efforts to perfect the dialogue so that it can better serve the overall development of the Sino-US constructive and cooperative relations," Hu told a delegation to the 3rd Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) headed by US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
North Korea rejects UN resolution on human rights
Pyongyang : North Korea Monday rejected a UN resolution condemning human rights violations in the country.
North Korea "totally opposes and rejects" the resolution, "a...
Hitler’s closest relatives tend cows in Austrian village
By IANS,
London : Adolf Hitler's closest surviving relatives are leading a quiet life in an Austrian village where they rear cows, a media report said.
Fortyfive-year-old Gerhard Koppensteiner, whose grandfather was the dictator's first cousin, plays down the connection as he quietly looks after his cows in a village located in northern Austria.
Gerhard's family are among the F�hrer's nearest relatives because he had no children.
U.S. terror suspect list yields few arrests
By Xinhua
Washington : The U.S. government's terrorist screening database flagged Americans and foreigners as suspected terrorists almost 20,000 times last year, but only a small fraction of those questioned were arrested or denied entry into the United States, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
Slightly more than half of the 20,000 encounters last year were logged by Customs and Border Protection officers, who turned back or handed over to authorities 550 people, most of them foreigners, the newspaper quoted Customs officials as saying.
UNSC slams Bulgaria bombing
By IANS,
United Nations : The UN Security Council (UNSC) Thursday condemned the deadly bombing attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria.
Bank of China dismisses reports it provides services to terror groups
By Xinhua,
Beijing : The Bank of China (BOC) Wednesday dismissed overseas media reports that it had provided services for terrorist organisations as "sheer nonsense".
The Associated Press reported Aug 22 that more than 100 victims of terrorism in Israel filed a lawsuit against the bank demanding it stop transferring money to terror groups.
BOC spokesman Wang Zhaowen said the bank had always conducted business in conformity to the anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist requirements of the United Nations.
Putin to visit China next month
By DPA,
Beijing : Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit China Oct 12-14 to meet Chinese leaders and attend a Central Asian security summit, China's foreign ministry said Tuesday.
Putin's visit was timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, and with a council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters.
A meeting on energy cooperation between China and Russia would precede Putin's visit Oct 11-12, Jiang said.
Italy, Pakistan sign military agreement
By DPA,
Rome: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari presided Wednesday over the signing of a defence memorandum between their two countries.
"The agreement aims to increase the exchange of intelligence and bilateral trade in the military field," Berlusconi said, at a joint news conference with Zardari in Rome.
Zardari, who said he was "impressed by the personality" of Berlusconi, thanked the conservative premier for Italy's "support in the war against terrorism".
British population to hit 70 mn by 2031, says study
By IANS,
London : Britain's population is set to hit the 70 million mark by 2031, independent experts said despite claims by a government minister that managed migration will stem a bulge in numbers.
Research conducted by the independent House of Commons library for a British opposition MP predicts current government immigration policy, based on a Points Based System (PBS), would leave a population of around 70,750,000 by 2031.