Zimbabwe bans all NGO field operations
By DPA,
Harare : President Robert Mugabe's government has banned all aid agencies and charities from carrying out field operations in the country "with immediate effect".
Aid agency officials said the ban would wreak "untold harm" on the country, as thousands of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a critical role in providing food, shelter, health care and education for millions of people in the midst of the country's economic collapse.
Canada’s exports slip lower, but economy creates more jobs
By IANS,
Toronto : Despite Canada's main exports - commodities and oil - slipping lower and North America's third largest stock market here closing the last day of the week on a sluggish note, the economy has created thousands of new jobs in October.
The TSX composite index closed at 9,542.88 points. Compared to Thursday when the index fell 3.36 percent or 331.79 points, the closing day of the week saw a decline of just 12 points.
The day's major losers were the metals sector that fell by 2.3 percent and consumer commodities which slipped 2.1 percent.
Scientists sound alarm bells over impending global catastrophe
By IANS,
Sydney : Scientists have sounded the alarm bells over impending global catastrophe as existing governments and institutions are too powerless to head it off.
The world faces a compounding series of crises - from energy, food shortages, to climate change, to new diseases and increasing anti-biotic resistance - all driven by human activity, which is beyond the capacity of existing institutions to cope with, warns a group of eminent environmental scientists and economists.
Lowest white, highest black turnout helped Obama in US elections
By IANS,
New York : The lowest white turnout and record black women and youth ballots in the historic November election put Barack Obama in the White House, according new poll research.
An analysis of poll data by the Pew Research Center shows that blacks, Hispanics and Asians voted in unprecedented numbers to give Obama a huge edge over John McCain.
Though the whites still accounted for 76.3 percent of the record 131 million Americans who voted in the Nov 4 election, their turnout of 66.1 percent was the lowest in presidential elections.
Spanish web users clash with government over anti-piracy law
By IANS/EFE,
Madrid : Associations of web users and hundreds of Spanish bloggers have said that they were ready to fight measures planned by the government to prevent illegal downloads of movies and music from the Internet, which would include the blocking and closure of offending websites.
The activists announced in Madrid Tuesday the creation of the "Red SOS-tenible" (SOS-tainable Network) as civil society's response to the government offensive to protect intellectual property on the Internet.
Brazilians protest against corruption
By IANS/EFE,
Rio de Janeiro : Thousands of people demonstrated Tuesday in downtown Rio de Janeiro against corruption in a citizens' mobilization convened via Internet social networks.
Dalai Lama reiterates call for greater autonomy for Tibet
BY DPA,
Bochum (Germany) : The Dalai Lama repeated his desire Friday for reconciliation with China and insisted he does not want independence for his homeland Tibet.
"We are not looking for independence," the Tibetan spiritual leader said on the second day of his visit to Germany. All he wanted for Tibet was more autonomy within China, he said.
The Dalai Lama said he hoped for concrete results from the talks between his representatives and the Chinese government held in the aftermath of the Tibet freedom demonstrations in March.
Google buys more than 1,000 IBM patents
By IANS,
New York: Google, which last month failed to grab a huge portfolio of Nortel patents, has bought more than 1,000 patents from IBM.
What Happens When a Viral Experiment Reaches a Place Where Water and Food Are...
Sanjana Chawla, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: In today’s hyper-documented world, it often feels like moments do not exist unless they are posted online. No post, no...
Second Somali MP killed in two days
Mogadishu : Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Somali lawmaker in Mogadishu Tuesday, the second Somali member of parliament (MP) killed since Monday, media reported.
Lawmaker...
Plane evacuated in Chicago airport
By IANS,
New York : Passengers on a plane at Chicago's O'Hare international airport were evacuated after fire broke out in the plane's landing gear.
There were 188 passengers and 11 crew members on board the United Airlines Flight 949 from London's Heathrow airport, airlines spokesman Mike Trevino was quoted as saying Wednesday by the Herald Sun.
Several people who exited the plane on emergency slides were being treated for minor injuries, Chicago fire department spokesman Larry Langford said.
EU to give Kosovo over $385 mn to prepare for integration
By RIA Novosti
Belgrade : The European Union (EU) is to give the government of Kosovo over $385 million to prepare for admission into the EU, the head of the European Commission Liaison Office in Kosovo has said.
Renzo Davidi told reporters in Kosovo capital Pristina Tuesday that 124.7 million euros ($192 million) would be allocated in 2008, 66.1 million euros ($102 million) in 2009, and 67.3 million euros ($104 million) in 2010.
He said the money would first of all be invested in building the breakaway republic's infrastructure.
Sheen praised for bipolar awareness walk
By IANS,
London : Former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen accompanied police officers and several hundred people to raise money for bipolar disorder sufferers.
Russia offers NATO military cooperation deal
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Brussels : Russia has offered NATO a three to five year military cooperation plan, Chief of the General Staff Nikolai Makarov said Wednesday.
Mexico secretly helped CIA against Cuba: US scribe
By IANS
Mexico City : Three former Mexican presidents had supported the US secret service Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in its clandestine campaign against Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the 1960s and 1970s, according to a US journalist, reported EFE Monday.
‘Tamils have not given up demand for separate homeland’
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto: Reacting sharply to reports from Colombo that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has given up its demand for a separatist demand, the Canadian Tamil Congress here said Saturday that the Tamils have not given up their demand for a separate homeland.
"The TNA has been misquoted. They are in constant touch with us and what the media has put out is absolutely wrong. The TNA has not abandoned its four co-principles which include a separate homeland for Tamils,'' Canadian Tamil Congress leader David Poopalapillai told IANS here.
Quake hits Papua New Guinea
By IANS,
Washington : A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The strong quake occurred 130 km east of Kandrian on New Britain island, Xinhua reported.
There was no immediate threat of a widespread destructive tsunami, the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
Obama rejects Crimea referendum, backs new Ukrainian government
Washington: US President Barack Obama Wednesday rejected the legitimacy of a referendum on the future of Ukraine's Crimea region and expressed strong support for...
Novel bioplastic to boost performance of bionic devices
By IANS,
Sydney : A young researcher has developed conductive bioplastics that will boost the performance of bionic devices such as the cochlear ear and the proposed bionic eye.
"Our plastics will lead to smaller devices that use safer smaller currents and that encourage nerve interaction," says biomedical engineer Rylie Green of University of New South Wales (UNSW).
Her plastics are already being tested in prototype bionic eyes and she hopes they will find application wherever researchers are attempting to integrate electronics with the human body.
Sushma Swaraj to travel to China Feb 1
New Delhi : After an intensive engagement with the US during the visit of President Barack Obama, India is now set to engage with...
S. Korea Taps Into Global Talent Pool For English Teachers
By Bernama,
Seoul : South Korea will tap into an offshore talent pool to meet the rising demand for native English speakers at home, inviting college students of Korean descent to teach English on a government scholarship, officials said Wednesday.
The Teach and Learn in Korea program is set to start in August, offering young Koreans overseas the chance to teach elementary school children for six months to one year and receive a scholarship certificate from the Korean government.
China considers amending election law for better representation
By Xinhua
Beijing : China's parliament is considering amendment to the election law to give equal representation to rural and urban residents, said a parliament spokesman here Tuesday.
"Given the increasing urbanization in China, the present election law needs amending," said Jiang Enzhu, spokesman for the first session of the National People's Congress (NPC), at a press conference.
According to the present election law, the number of people a rural NPC member or deputy represents is four times the number of people an urban deputy does.
500 civilians killed in Sri Lanka fighting, rebels say
By DPA,
Colombo : At least 500 civilians have been killed in the past three weeks in heavy fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka, Tamil rebels said Thursday.
About 2,000 other civilians were wounded in the clashes between Sri Lankan army forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said Tamilnet, an Internet site close to LTTE, quoting "medical sources".
Heavy artillery shelling of the last remaining provisional hospital in rebel-held territory killed seven civilians and injured 27 of the patients, the website said.
Japanese PM resigns amid plunging approval ratings
By DPA,
Tokyo : Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama announced Wednesday that he would step down after eight months in office as his party prepares for a July election amid a steady decline in approval ratings for his government.
The plunge in support for his cabinet came after he reneged on a campaign promise to move a US military base from Okinawa. Hatoyama also faced mounting calls to resign from within his own Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).
Racial comments spray-painted on gurdwara in Canada
Toronto: A gurdwara in the Canadian state of Alberta was vandalised with phrases like "Leave Canada' painted on it, media reported.
"Today we discovered something...
Sri Lanka’s flood havoc kills 11, displaces over 150,000
By P. Karunakharan, IANS,
Colombo : Floods and landslides due to heavy rains in several parts of Sri Lanka have left at least 11 people dead and over 150,000 displaced amid warning of further rains and strong winds, officials here said Monday.
Colonel Keethi Ekkanayake, national coordinator of the Disaster Management Centre, said the overnight death toll of four increased to 11 by Monday noon when seven people including children were reported dead due to floods and fresh landslide in the southern Kalutara district.
14 die in China bus crash
By IANS,
Beijing : Fourteen people died in China Sunday when two passenger buses collided with each other, authorities said.
Indian-American physcians launch research foundation
New York : The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic association of medical professionals in the US, has...
A grateful Serbia offers its economy to Mother Russia
By DPA
Belgrade : While Tomislav Nikolic, chief of the extremist, anti-Western Serbian Radical Party, has openly said he "wished" Serbia was a Russian province, the government of more moderate Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has relentlessly been promoting the rejuvenated link with Moscow.
The pro-Russian euphoria among Belgrade politicians reflects Moscow's hardline diplomatic position on the issue of Kosovo, with Russia so far blocking the independence drive of the largely ethnic Albanian breakaway province of Serbia.
Calamities in Japan and tsunami of absurd messages in India
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
The murder of Qandeel Baloch and the ‘honour’ in killing
By Parvin Sultana for Twocircles.net
Of the many vices that inflict a patriarchal society, honour killing is one. It arises from the idea that women’s...
Chinese traffic police to set up chopper squad
By IANS,
Beijing : China will set up a helicopter squad to cope with traffic congestion on the busy roads of Shanghai, the country's financial hub.
The squad equipped with four helicopters, will help police monitor the city's increasingly complicated road conditions and deal with traffic emergencies, China Daily reported Tuesday.
"Work on setting up the squad is in progress. The squad will be in operation in the very near future," Guo Yonghua, deputy head of Shanghai municipal public security bureau, said. The number of staff is yet to be decided.
US envoy heading to Asia for North Korea talks
By DPA
Washington : The top US diplomat for negotiations with North Korea is departing Tuesday for talks in South Korea, Japan and China about the nuclear disarmament deal with North Korea.
Christopher Hill will discuss implementation of the agreement as the deadline nears for North Korea to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear reactors by the end of the year, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
NASA’s giant leaps to space in 2014
Washington: Apart from Orion's test flight towards Mars, cutting-edge scientific discoveries while studying the Earth and space and preparing for the next generation of...
British professionals live longer than labourers: study
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS
London : Britons in professional jobs live longer than those in unskilled or manual occupations, new health statistics reveal.
According to data for 2002-2005 released by the Office of National Statistics here, life expectancy has risen for all social classes in Britain over the last 30 years, but there is also evidence of long-term inequality.
Apologise to Sikhs for Komagata Maru tragedy: Canadian petition
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : A petition was introduced in the Canadian parliament Tuesday seeking a formal apology from the government for the Komagata Maru tragedy of 1914 in which 376 Indians were not allowed to enter the country and sent back.
Brown leads the least popular Labour government ever — poll
By KUNA,
London : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown now leads the most unpopular Labour government in history, according to a new poll for The Independent newspaper Thursday.
The public approval ratings of his administration has sunk below the worst achieved during Labour's darkest days in power in the 1960s and 1970s, when the governments led by Harold Wilson and James Callaghan were engulfed by economic crises.
Markets drop as world worries about US financial meltdown
By DPA,
New York : World leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly in New York were worried about the US financial turmoil as stock markets around the world shed value and Wall Street titans pleaded with Congress to give rapid approval to a bailout plan.
In Paris, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, called for other industrial nations to draw up plans to shore up their own financial sectors because of the globalised nature of the crisis.
Somali pirates seize Greek vessel with 28 people aboard
By DPA,
Manila : Somali pirates have seized a Greek vessel with 28 people aboard, including 16 Filipinos, the foreign department here said Tuesday.
The MT Maran Centaurus was hijacked Monday about 750 nautical miles off the coast of the strife-torn country. Aside from the 16 Filipinos, the crew also includes nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and one Romanian.
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said 70 Filipino seafarers are currently in captivity in Somalia aboard six hijacked vessels.
Death toll rises to 16 in Mogadishu violence
By SPA,
Mogadsihu : Eight more people died in Somalia's capital on Saturday, residents said, bringing the death toll in Mogadishu from two days of violence to 16.
The rubble-strewn city had been relatively peaceful this week during tentative U.N. peace talks in Djibouti between the interim government and opposition figures based in Eritrea, Reuters reported.
But the calm was shattered on Friday when at least eight people were killed, and locals said eight more died on Saturday.
Three killed in China school wall collapse
By IANS,
Beijing : Three students were killed and 21 injured after an under-construction wall of a primary school collapsed in China, Xinhua reported.
The accident took place Wednesday in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region when a group of students were attending classes in the campus, a local government spokesman said.
The under-construction wall suddenly collapsed, injuring more than 20 pupils, the spokesman said, adding that three of them succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
Seven killed in US tornado
By DPA,
Washington : Seven people died Saturday when a huge tornado scrubbed Louisiana and Mississippi with 240-km-an-hour winds, Mississippi officials said.
"There's untold damage," Greg Flynn of Mississippi Emergency Management services told CNN.
The storm system that delivered the twister spawned at least another 40 tornadoes across a broad swath of the US south and mid-west, including Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky and Indiana.
US Army gets its first Sikh graduate in 25 years
By IANS,
Washington : Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a 31-year-old dentist, has become the first Sikh in over 25 years to be allowed to complete US Army officer basic training without giving up his turban or shaving his full beard.
Rattan graduated Monday at Fort Sam Houston after the army made an exemption to a uniform policy that has prevented Sikhs from enlisting since 1984 without sacrificing the articles of their faith.
"I'm feeling very humbled. I'm a soldier," media reports quoted him as saying after the ceremony. "This has been my dream."
Facing biggest slump since 2002, Silicon Valley firms eye India
By Arun Kumar,IANS,
Washington : With major companies in the Silicon Valley suffering the biggest slump since the dot-com bust, some firms are eyeing India and China to recover from the effects of a global economic meltdown.
The total market capitalisation of the leading technology hub's 150 biggest public companies plunged 32 percent to about $850 billion for the last 12 months ending March 31, the worst decline since 2002, according to an annual survey by the San Jose Mercury News.
Tajikistan facing blackout, UN warns of humanitarian crisis
By IRNA
Dushanbe : The lights have gone out in most of Tajikistan, the country is facing an energy crisis in the midst of the coldest winter in more than 25 years.
With millions of people left without electricity, heat or running water, aid organizations are warning of a growing humanitarian crisis.
IRNA reporter in Dushanbe said that for the past 15 days, there has been no heat, electricity or running water in the freezing maternity ward of a small country hospital in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.
Physicians’ group says exams confirm Abu Ghraib, other torture
By DPA,
Washington : A US human rights group has said that medical examinations of prisoners held at prisons in Iraq and Cuba by the US military confirmed that they were tortured.
The Boston-based group, Physicians for Human Rights, conducted an evaluation of 11 detainees who were freed without being charged after being held at the prisons in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sieged Sri Lanka Rebels Seek UN Aid
By Prensa Latina
Colombo : The Sri Lankan insurgency asked the UN on Thursday to recognize the sovereignty of the Tamil nation, amid the fierce offensive of the Army in the northern part of the country, the last bastion of the separatist rebels.
The appeal of the Tigers for the Liberation of Tamil Eelam came after the announcement of the government that it broke the rebel defense line, destroyed 35 bunkers and killed dozens of its militants in north Sri Lanka.
Chinese envoy Calls for establishment of new Silk Road
By IRNA
Khorramshahr, Khuzestan prov : The Chinese ambassador to Tehran on Tuesday called for establishment of a new Silk Road.
Addressing a ceremony to inaugurate Chinese market in Arvand Free Trade Zone, Xie Xiaoyan said that Abadan, located in the
southwestern part of the province, which is an important port city enjoying high oil and gas reserves, plays a key role in expanding bilateral ties.
He noted that the ground is prepared for establishment of other industrial and manufacturing units in the region.
President Hu Jintao gets a new title: microblogger
By IANS,
London : Chinese President Hu Jintao has became a registered microblogger on a Chinese-language site owned by People's Daily, a media report said Monday.
It carried a profile that said: General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
The identity of the microblog account holder on t.people.com.cn was confirmed by the website's receptionist service system Sunday as belonging to the president of China, Global Times reported on its website.
Skeletal remains found in Sri Lanka mass grave
By IANS,
Colombo : Over 80 human bones, including skeletal remains, have been found so far from a mass grave in northern Sri Lanka, police...
US making powerful bomb to hit Iran: Report
By IANS,
Washington: The Pentagon has stepped up efforts to make a bomb capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
Nepal reels under shutdown double whammy
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : The 13-day-old Communist government of Nepal reeled under a double whammy Monday with two of its former allies, the Maoists and the Madhesis, calling separate shutdowns that paralysed almost half of the nascent republic's 75 districts.
The Terai plains in southern Nepal were shut down by the ethnic party Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), which after briefly supporting the coalition government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal withdrew support last week amidst mounting infighting.
Ukraine to evacuate 24 nationals from Syria
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Kiev : Ukraine will evacuate another 24 nationals from Syria, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
Over 500 Ukrainians have left Syria since July last year.
For a professional, free, independent press that is aware of its responsibilities
By NNN-APS
Algier : President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika put forward on Thursday the need for Algeria's development of a "professional, free, independent press that is aware of its responsibilities," in a message on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.
The Head of State praised, in his message, "the role the press played in the consolidation of democracy and the promotion of development all around the world" and paid a strong tribute to the "journalists and executives of the sector, who, during hard moments made huge sacrifices for the freedom to inform."
Danes plan to offer climate change proposal over weekend
By DPA,
Copenhagen : A day after talks at a UN climate change conference broke down in recriminations between developed and developing countries, the Danish host of the event said Thursday the country will offer a proposed deal over the weekend.
The proposal, first mentioned by Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Danish TV overnight, would be the first official one laid forward at the talks. The announcement came after Rasmussen made a surprise visit to the conference Wednesday.
At least 87,000 feared dead in China’s May 12 quake
By Xinhua,
Beijing : At least 87,000 people are feared to have perished in the deadly May 12 earthquake in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, an expert said Thursday in a revised estimate.
"The toll in the quake had topped 69,000 by mid July, with another 18,000 missing," Shi Peijun with the National Wenchuan Earthquake Expert Committee told a press conference here.
"Given that it has been three months since the deadly earthquake struck, the hope of survival for the missing is very slim," Shi said.
Rising immigrants in Russia leading to increase in bed bugs
By IANS,
Moscow : Bed bugs have been making life difficult for people in the Russian capital and figures from the country's official health watchdog show the population of the blood-sucking insect has doubled due to the influx of immigrants.
Moscow residents have been making many complaints about bed bugs this year and statistics from health watchdog Rozpotrebnadzor says the city's bug population which is doubling each year may be linked to the ever-growing migrant community, Moscow News reported.
APEC nations back Russia’s WTO bid
By RIA Novosti
Sydney : Russia's envoy to a 21-nation Pacific Rim economic alliance said Australia and other countries in the region support Moscow's bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Vasily Dobrovolsky's comments came after a meeting with senior officials of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) as part of the eight-day forum of the organisation, which opened in Sydney Sunday.
No “true threat” to Obama: US police
By IANS,
Washington : Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama faced no "true threat" from three white men arrested in Colarado, US authorities claimed, even as they charged them with gun and drugs offences.
Dismissing reports that the three men had serious plans to shoot Obama, US Attorney Troy Eid Tuesday said threatening comments attributed to the suspects in media accounts after their arrest in Aurora east of Denver Sunday amounted to "the racist ramblings of three meth heads."
Modi arrives in Sri Lanka on third leg of three-nation tour
Colombo : Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the Sri Lankan capital early Thursday on the third and final leg of his three-nation visit....
Zimbabwe’s Mugabe tells US and Britain: Keep Out!
New York, Sep 27 (DPA) Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe told Britain and the US to stay out of his country's business, and said a recent agreement on constitutional changes with the country's opposition showed Zimbabwe could manage its own problems.
Mugabe Wednesday attacked Britain's new Prime Minister Gordon Brown - who last week called for greater international pressure to bring democracy back to Zimbabwe - and also US President George W. Bush.
German chancellor urges people to act on child abuse
Berlin, Jan 1 (DPA) Amid New Year's Eve celebrations Monday evening, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel struck a sombre note with a television appeal for Germans to keep their eyes out for parents abusing children.
"We need a culture of paying attention, not of looking away," she said in the pre-recorded New Year message broadcast on Germany's two main public channels.
"We wish we had not had to live through some days of this past year. We are all thinking with horror of the news of child abuse, neglect and deaths," she told viewers.
Nepal’s royal palace is now museum, open to people
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : In a brief but emotional ceremony, Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Sunday inaugurated the Narayanhity royal palace, once the nation's seat of power as well as the venue of its darkest tragedy, as a national museum, urging his countrymen to keep the national flag flying high.
Four days after the final exit of deposed king Gyanendra through a back gate, the font doors of the pink palace were opened wide in an unprecedented scene as the government finally claimed it as the people's.
Magnitude 7.8 quake hits Solomon Islands
Beijing: A powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted near Solomon Islands early Sunday, China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said.
The temblor, which...
Nepal talks fail, peace process in danger
By IANS,
Kathmandu : As negotiations between Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda failed Saturday, the former guerrillas vowed to keep up their siege on parliament -- a move that could derail the promulgation of a new constitution next summer.
"We are ready to call off our protest if the prime minister agrees to create a conducive atmosphere in parliament for a debate," former premier Prachanda told the media before departing on a 10-day trip to Britain.
However, he said it would not be possible.
Food assistance reaches over 430,000 Ebola affected: UN
Geneva : The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Friday said it has provided food assistance to more than 430,000 people affected by the...
Clinton: Iran could face “consequences” if didn”t comply with int”l obligations
By KUNA,
WASHINGTON : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton affirmed on Tuesday that President Barack Obama signaled readiness for direct diplomacy with Iran but Tehran could face "consequences" if it did not comply with international obligations regarding its nuclear program.
India, South Africa can jointly help develop Africa, says Zuma
By IANS,
New Delhi : India and South Africa can jointly help in the development of Africa as the next global economic destination, South African President Jacob Zuma said here Friday.
"India and South Africa could both make a significant contribution to the establishment of Africa as the next global growth centre," Zuma said in his address in a meeting with three Indian business chambers.
He said there was a vast potential for economic development beyond the borders of South Africa.
25 hurt in Tajikistan blast
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Dushanbe : Twenty-five people were injured Friday in a suicide car bomb attack on a police building in Tajikistan, an interior ministry spokesman said.
The attack took place at 8.10 a.m. in the country's second largest city of Khujand.
"A car packed with explosives crashed through the right part of the building," the spokesman said.
The building housed the headquarters of the local organised crime department.
There is no information on the driver of the vehicle involved.
US not mulling missile defence systems in Ukraine, Georgia
Kiev : The United States Tuesday categorically ruled out deployment of its missile defence systems in Ukraine or Georgia
"We have no plans for deployment...
Albanian man kept two daughters chained for 22 years
By DPA,
Pristina: A 70-year-old Albanian man kept his two daughters chained for 22 years, saying they were mentally ill and aggressive, local media reported Tuesday.
"They were both ill, and I kept them in chains to keep them from running away," the man told local media. "I have fed them and washed them, but I had no time to go and look for them if they ran away," he said.
The two women, aged 38 and 47, were living in a small room with only a blanket on the floor. Media reported that the older sister had her left foot chained, while the younger one had both her hands in chains.
11 killed, churches razed in central Nigeria
Abuja: At least 11 people were killed and two churches razed by gunmen who stormed two communities in central Nigeria's Plateau State Wednesday, local...
China refutes ‘land grab’ charges in Africa
By IANS,
Beijing : Refuting charges that it has been buying up land in Africa, China has called for "concrete" efforts to enable the continent's agricultural sector develop in a sustainable way.
Bush stops short of accepting compromise with democrats over troops funding
By NNN-KUNA
Washington : US President George W. Bush on Saturday stopped short of saying whether he would accept a compromise over the funding of US troops in Iraq, and pressed for providing the money as soon as possible.
"In this time of war, our elected officials have no higher responsibility than to provide these troops with the funds and flexibility they need to prevail," Bush said.
His remarks came days after his vetoed a 124-billion-dollar bill passed by the Democrats-controlled Congress that set a timetable for US troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Dalai Lama on way to US, Karmapa to follow
By IANS
Dharamsala : Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama reached Japan Thursday on his way to the US. The Karmapa Lama, the only major monk reincarnate recognised by both the Tibetan leader and China, is also set to visit the US.
Several dozen Japanese devotees and Tibetans were present at the Narita airport near Tokyo to welcome the Dalai Lama, a spokesman for the Tibetan government-in-exile said.
In Seattle, the Dalai Lama will take part in a series of lectures during a five-day conference on 'Seeds of Compassion' starting April 11, the spokesman said.
It takes peanuts to clean water
By IANS
London : Peanut husk, one of the largest waste products of the food industry, may be of some use after all -- it can help improve water quality, says a new study.
According to researchers at Turkey's Mersin University, peanut husk can be used to extract toxic copper ions from wastewater, offering a useful alternative to simple disposal of this food industry by-product.
Findings of the study have been published in the latest edition of the International Journal of Environment and Pollution.
Rebuilding quake-destroyed hospitals to cost Chile $3.6 bn
By IANS/EFE,
Santiago : Chile's health minister has estimated the cost of rebuilding hospitals destroyed in the magnitude-8.8 earthquake that struck the Andean nation Feb 27 at some $3.6 billion.
The work of reconstruction will take at least three years, Alvaro Erazo said, adding that during this period hospitals will be installed in the affected areas of central and southern Chile.
He offered the estimates to reporters while visiting a field hospital set up in the working-class Santiago neighbourhood of Cerro Navia.
Improvised bomb kills 2 Philippine soldiers
By Xinhua,
Manila : Two government soldiers were killed when their vehicle tripped a landmine planted by suspected renegade Muslim rebels on Saturday dawn in southern Philippines, a military commander said.
Lt. Col. Edgardo De Leon, commander of the Army's 73rd Infantry Battalion said three military trucks earlier transported a group of soldiers for a dental, medical and civic actions in Maasin town of Sarangani province. One of the trucks hit a claymore mine. One soldier was killed on the spot while another one died at the hospital.
EU scales back Microsoft monitoring as compliance improves
By DPA,
Brussels : The European Union Wednesday scaled back its monitoring of Microsoft in a case concerning the software giant's publication of key communication codes, saying that the company's good behaviour meant that full-time supervision was no longer needed.
The EU's executive, the European Commission, "considers that the ongoing monitoring that is still necessary can be performed more appropriately with the help of technical consultants" than with a full-time monitor, a statement released in Brussels said.
Nepal fails to meet human rights commitments
By IANS,
London: The Nepal government failed to take significant steps towards fulfilling numerous key human rights commitments in 2012, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.
Ban Ki-moon arrives in Nepal
By IANS,
Kathmandu : Marking a major diplomatic victory for Nepal's Maoist government, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Kathmandu Friday evening on a two-day visit in the course of his four-nation trip to Asia.
The UN chief is the first international leader to arrive in Nepal since the former communist guerrillas formed the government in August.
EU to discuss nuclear pact with Russia
By IANS,
Brussels : The Council of the European Union (EU) Tuesday mandated its executive body, the European Commission, to negotiate a broad nuclear partnership agreement with Russia.
The European Atomic Energy Community and the Russian federation will negotiate an agreement for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, a EU official said in a statement.
180 Deaths In First 3 Days Of Thai Festival
By D. Arul Rajoo, Bernama,
Bangkok : The traditional Thai new year celebration, widely known as the Songkran water festival, continues to be a traffic nightmare for the authorities as 180 people were killed on the road in the first three days.
The Road Safety Centre said that on Sunday alone, 76 deaths and 1,103 injuries were recorded from 1,108 accidents throughout of the country, mostly involving motorcycles.
The number one cause of the accidents was driving while under the influence of alcohol, as well as speeding, the centre said.
Greek Cypriots vote in presidential elections
By RIA Novosti
Nicosia : Greek Cypriots went to the polls on Sunday in hotly-contested presidential elections seen as vital for future negotiations with the breakaway, self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Opinion polls suggest there is little to call between incumbent Tassos Papadopoulos and his two main challengers, Demetris Christofias and Ioannis Kassoulides.
All three claim to be the best person to lead negotiations with the north of the island. Cyprus has been divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974 following a brief Greek-Cypriot coup.
Is the game really over in US presidential poll?
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : With Barack Obama leading comfortably in most national polls, pollsters, pundits and publications are vying with each other to declare him the winner. But election watchers caution against calling the game over so soon.
To make their predictions, the pundits point to polls that put Obama ahead in even such previously Republican states as Virginia, Iowa and New Hampshire, but as some commentators noted there has been great variation in the plethora of polls financed by media organizations, and several have been tightening.
Turkmenian president wins horse race, earns $11 mn
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Ashgabat: Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov earned more than $11 million as he won the first round of a horse racing competition, a media report said.
Obama will revive African-American music: Spike Lee
By IANS,
London : Controversial Hollywood filmmaker Spike Lee is certain that the US presidential hopeful Barack Obama will change the face of African-American music if he wins the election.
According to contactmusic.com, Lee is one of the many celebrities who is supporting the Democratic Party candidate Obama. Lee believes Obama will inspire a revival among artists.
White House gatecrashing undeniable security lapse: probe panel chief
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: A US Congressional panel Thursday began a probe into how a celebrity couple gatecrashed into President Barack Obama's state dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, noting there were "undeniable planning and execution failures" by the Secret Service apparatus. However, the security service chief said the "mistake" did not pose a risk to the dignitaries.
US for working with India in fighting terrorism
By IANS,
Washington : A top US official in charge of South Asia has condemned the terror attack in Jaipur and said Washington needs to work with India, "the glowing light in the region" to fight terrorism.
"It's a sad reminder that even the glowing light in the region, a more stable country that's developing, is still subject to these horrible types of attacks, and we need to work with the people of India as we express our sympathy," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher said Wednesday.
Battles kill 35 rebels, 14 soldiers in Sri Lanka
By SPA,
Colombo, Sri Lanka : Fierce fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels across Sri Lanka's embattled northern region killed 35 rebels and 14 soldiers, the military said Saturday.
The new fighting took place throughout Friday as army troops pushed into rebel-held territory and attacked in the Vavuniya, Mannar and Welioya regions, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Cameron wants to encash goodwill to clear the mess
By IANS,
London : British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is to complete a hundred days in the office this week, insisted Wednesday he wants to sort out the problems faced by the country at the earliest, saying he has a limited time to use the goodwill.
Cameron said he is on a lightning mission to reform Britain.
In an interview with The Sun, the premier declared he wants to sort out the country quicker than Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair did.
Mandela in London for birthday celebrations
By IRNA,
London : Former South African president Nelson Mandela arrived in London Monday for a week of events to celebrate his 90th birthday.
An outdoor music concert in honour of the former South African president, who turns 90 on July 18, is being held at Hyde Park on Friday.
Mandela was also reported to be also meeting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former US president Bill Clinton during his visit.
His concert coincides with the 20th anniversary of London's Free Mandela concert, which was held to demand his release from prison.
European nations scramble to prevent growing financial crisis
By IRNA,
Paris : European nations scrambled on Sunday night to prevent a growing credit crisis from bringing down major banks as troubles in financial markets spread around the world.
The spreading worries came days after the United States Congress approved a $700 billion bailout package that officials had hoped would calm financial markets globally.
The European Central Bank has aggressively lent money to banks as the crisis has grown.
It had resisted lowering interest rates, but signaled that it might cut rates soon.
Tiny bubbles help bugs survive underwater
By IANS,
Washington : Hundreds of insects remain underwater. But how do they manage to breathe? A University of Alberta has found they create tiny air bubbles around them.
The rough, waxy surfaces of insects and spiders are water-repellent. In some species, water-repellence is so pronounced that creatures may survive underwater for indefinite periods.
Hobbits may have been human after all
By IANS
Sydney : When they were discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2004, the small hobbit-like fossils were considered a hitherto unknown primitive species.
But scientists from the University of Western Australia now suggest that they were, after all, human.
Under a new study that focussed on their bone structure rather than genetics, the scientists have concluded that the small stature and distinctive features of the hobbit-like people were possibly due to severe iodine deficiency.
Pilot killed in light plane crash in Russia
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : An Antonov An-2 light plane crashed in southern Russia's Stavropol region, killing the pilot, police said.
US solar industry ‘injured’ by Chinese solar cells
By IANS,
Beijing : The solar industry in America was "materially injured" by imports of solar cells from China, a US trade panel has claimed.
UK’s Labour government doomed with or without Brown, poll suggests
By IRNA,
London : British voters are increasingly writing off Labour's chances of winning the next election, with fewer people believing that a change of leader or policy would help the party, according to a new poll.
A Populus poll published in the Times newspaper Tuesday found that barely half of respondents, 52 percent, thought that replacing Prime Minister Gordon Brown would improve the government's chances of winning a fourth consecutive term.
Toll in Italy gas explosion rises to 20
By RIA Novosti,
Rome : The toll in the gas explosion at a railroad station in northern Italy rose to 20 after two people injured in the accident died at a hospital, a health spokesman said Friday.
The powerful explosion occurred late Monday in the town of Viareggio when a 14-carriage freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) derailed and two carriages exploded, creating a fireball that engulfed nearby houses, destroying at least two.
At least 50 people were injured, and around 20 were in hospitals in critical condition.
Netanyahu defends Jerusalem building despite controversy
By DPA,
Tel Aviv : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Monday plans for further housing construction in Jerusalem despite sharp international criticism and what was called the worst crisis in Israel's ties with the US in 35 years.
Amid further repercussions from last week's announcement by Israel of new construction in East Jerusalem, US diplomats said that a visit by Washington's Mideast envoy George Mitchell to kick off indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks remained uncertain Monday.
Sarkozy ready to pick up Betancourt from Colombian forests
By DPA
Paris : French President Nicolas Sarkozy would be willing to pick up rebel hostage Ingrid Betancourt personally from Colombian forests in case of her release, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told French media Friday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Romania, Kouchner said if there was hope that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the rebel group holding Betancourt since 2002, were to release her, Sarkozy and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez would travel to the Colombian-Venezuelan border together.
Japan’s central fast-reaction force establishes essential unit
By Xinhua
Tokyo : The Japanese central fast-reaction force held a ceremony on Wednesday at its base in Utsunomiya, north of Tokyo, to mark the establishment of its core unit.
The central fast-reaction unit, made up of about 700 officers and soldiers, is mainly assigned special combat mission such as bush fighting and anti-terrorist battle.
It will give assistance to all parties in domestic disasters and other emergencies, and be dispatched into overseas missions prior to main force for all preparation works and evacuation of local Japanese people.
Merkel urges ‘trailblazing decisions’ at biodiversity conference
By DPA,
Bonn (Germany) : German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wednesday urged a key UN conference on preserving biodiversity to take "trailblazing decisions" to halt global species loss.
"I am convinced that we need a complete change of course in the preservation of species," Merkel told representatives of around 190 countries that have signed the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Merkel pledged that Germany would put up 500 million euros ($785 million) by 2012, the target set to significantly curb species loss.
Sikh motorcyclist challenges turban ban in Canada
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS
Toronto : A Toronto area Sikh, who was fined for driving a motorcycle without a helmet, has taken his battle to court for his right to wear a turban.
Baljinder Badesha, who owns a motorcycle dealership in the Toronto suburb of Brampton, was charged for the offence in Sept 2005 and fined $110. He has not driven a motorcycle even as part of test-driving at his dealership since then.
In moving the court, he says he wants to not only protect his religious right to wear the turban but also get the fine overturned.
Putin signs order to appoint Crimea’s interim head
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order appointing Sergei Aksyonov as the interim head of Crimea.
The order dated April 14 came into...
Sri Lankan government troops take control of strategic rebel town
By DPA,
Colombo : Government troops have taken control a strategic town in northern Sri Lanka after weeks of heavy fighting around the area as the army continues its advance into rebel-held areas, military officials said Wednesday.
Paranthan a town located 385 km north of the capital, was taken by troops Wednesday evening as Mi 24 helicopters provided air support to advancing troops.
There were no details of any rebel casualties.
32 solar cars start trek across Australia
By Syed Azwan Syed Ali, NNN-Bernama,
Darwin, Australia : Thirty-two solar- powered cars including Solar Ranger1 from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) on Sunday start long the trek across Australia in the World Solar Challenge 2009.
The solar cars representing teams from 15 countries were flagged off at Darwin parliament house at 8.30am watched by hundreds of spectators and world media representatives who gathered as early as 7am.
The Netherlands Nuon Solar team with the car Nuna5 was the race favourite.
The less you sit the longer you live
By IANS,
Washington: Restricting the time you are seated to less than three hours daily might boost your life expectancy by two years, says an analytical study.
Nuclear summit begins, Obama welcomes world leaders
By Manish Chand, IANS,
Washington : The two-day Nuclear Security Summit began Monday as US President Barack Obama welcomed leaders of 46 countries who have gathered in the American capital to ensure bomb-making materials do not fall into the hands of terrorists.
Obama welcomed world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao, shaking their hands and posing for photograph as they entered the Walter E. Washington Convention Centre that has become a virtual security fortress.
Shimon Peres sworn in as Israeli president
By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Shimon Peres was sworn in as the ninth president of Israel in Jerusalem Sunday.
The inauguration started at 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) at the Israeli Knesset (parliament).
Peres, 83, examined the Israel defence forces' honour guard, accompanied by acting president and Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik.
The president then placed a wreath on a monument commemorating Israel's fallen soldiers.
At 6:30 p.m. (1530 GMT), Peres was sworn in and signed a declaration. He is expected to give a speech later.
UN helping Sri Lanka in genocide: Canadian Tamils
By IANS,
Toronto : Refuting a United Nations report from Colombo accusing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of stopping civilians from leaving the conflict zone and killing those who tried to flee, the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) said Monday such statements only helped Sri Lanka in its genocide against Tamils.
``In the past, the UN has denied such statements. We will wait and watch for their official reaction in New York. But if it is true, such statements only help Sri Lanka,'' Canadian Tamil Congress spokesman David Poopalapillai told IANS.
25 hurt in Colombia volcano eruption
By IANS,
Bogota : Twenty-five people were injured Tuesday when a volcano erupted in northwest Colombia, Xinhua reported.
Some soil bacteria act as clean-up agents too
By IANS,
Washington : Not all soil bacteria are bad. Some of them act as good Samaritans as they "inhale" toxic metals, strip them of their toxicity and then "exhale" them, say researchers. In the foreseeable future, they might potentially clean-up toxic chemicals left over from nuclear weapons production decades ago.
Using a unique combination of microscopes, researchers at Ohio State University were able to glimpse how the Shewanella oneidensis bacterium breaks down metal to extract oxygen.
White House vows to cooperate with investigation of CIA videotapes
By Xinhua
Washington : The U.S. government affirmed on Thursday its full cooperation with an investigation on the destruction of interrogation videotapes by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
"We will be cooperating with them on this investigation," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters one day after the Justice Department announced to launch the criminal investigation.
Alternative Forum to Oil Summit Summoned
By Prensa Latina
Madrid : Different Spanish groups are planning a social meeting alternative to the World Oil Summit to be held in Spain in June, sources revealed on Saturday.
The social movement meeting will spread the experience of researchers and activists about "the impacts of oil companies on human communities and the ecosystem, and the search for alternatives to oil dependence."
The so call Oil Summit will gather in Madrid around 4,000 directive board members, representatives and promoters of the most important companies from the oil industry.
2012 Olympics to generate extra 1 billion pounds: British PM
By IANS,
London : The 2012 London Olympic Games will generate more than one billion pounds of additional revenue for British businesses, said the British prime minister.
32 people killed in three days of Philippine fighting
By DPA,
Cotabato City (The Philippines) : Thirtytwo people - 31 Muslim rebels and one soldier - were killed in three days of fighting in the southern Philippines, military officials said Friday.
Nine Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels and one soldier were killed in clashes late Thursday in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao province, 960 km south of Manila, said army spokesman Major Peter Edwin Navarro.
EU-Russia Summit for New Agreement
By Prensa Latina,
Moscow : The European Union-Russia Summit, in Janti Mansiiski Siberia, will be used to start talks for a new bilateral association agreement, affirmed a diplomatic source Tuesday.
It is the most important aspect of June 27 and 28 event, emphasized vice foreign minister Alexander Grushko.
The first round of talks between Moscow and Brussels will be officially held in July 4, according to Monday's notification of Russian representative to the EU Valdimir Chizhov.
US does not rule out Headley-Shahzad connection
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: The United States has not ruled out a connection between two Pakistani Americans, key Mumbai terror plotter David Coleman Headley and failed Times square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, as it probes all angles of the case.
"Well, it could be - there have been multiple plots that have involved the United States and Pakistan, citizens on both sides who have chosen to take these actions," a State Department spokesman said Friday when asked if there was any connection between the two cases.
US jobless top 5 million as claims touch 26-year high
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : The number of Americans living on unemployment benefits has topped five million for the first time with as many as 667,000 filing initial jobless claims last week, the highest since October 1982.
For the week ended Feb 21, 667,000 Americans filed initial claims for unemployment insurance, up 36,000 from a revised 631,000 the previous week, according to a Labour Department report released Thursday. Economists polled by Briefing.com were expecting claims to drop to 625,000.
22 killed in Nepal school picnic smash
By IANS,
Kathmandu : At least 22 people, mostly children, are dead and over 30 injured in a school bus accident in western Nepal late Thursday night as tragedy overtook a picnic party, police said.
The bus was heading towards Bharatpur town in south Nepal from Butwal laden with members of a school picnic party when it veered off a bridge in Nawalparasi district to fall nearly 25 feet below.
The passengers were mostly students and staff of Hill Board Boarding School in Bharatpur.
Obama presidency is new page in history: Canada
By IANS,
Toronto : Canadians, who had overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama during the US presidential campaign, congratulated the first black American president on his inauguration, with the country's black Governor General Michaelle Jean calling it "a new page in the history of civilisations".
In her message, Canada's Haitian-born governor general wished the new president success and hoped his presidency would spread the message of hope beyond his country.
US and North Korean envoys set for nuclear talks in Singapore
By DPA
Singapore : US and North Korean negotiators were set to meet Tuesday in Singapore, raising hopes of progress in stalled nuclear talks with even the venue seen as a positive sign.
Although the US State Department cautioned against expecting too much from the talks, a diplomatic source said Monday that the willingness of North Korea's top nuclear negotiator, Kim Kye Gwan, to come to the city-state was an welcome development.
His US counterpart, Christopher Hill, expressed hopes for "some progress" in Singapore before departing for the city-state from East Timor.
100 mn learning Chinese overseas
By IANS,
Beijing : The number of overseas Chinese learners rose to 100 million by the end of last year, a media report said Friday.
Malaysia awaiting debris verification results
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysia is awaiting a verification as to whether the debris found on Reunion island is from the missing Malaysia Airlines...
15 killed in Peru road accident
By IANS,
Lima : At least 15 people were killed and seven injured in northwestern Peru after a bus plunged into a deep ravine Friday, said the police.
New gas find another reason to boost defence: Chavez
By EFE,
Caracas : President Hugo Chavez said a recent huge natural gas find off Venezuela's Caribbean coast underscores the need to bolster the Andean nation's defences against US "imperialism".
Spain's Repsol YPF said last Friday that the Perla I well, discovered in partnership with Italy's Eni, could contain between 7 trillion and 8 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Prior to the discovery, Venezuela ranked eighth worldwide in gas reserves, with 180 trillion cubic feet. The country is also the world's fifth-leading oil exporter and a key supplier of crude to the US.
Sir Syed Day 2014 in San Francisco Bay Area
By Ras H. Siddiqui, TwoCircles.net,
San Francisco: The Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association of Northern California carried on its annual tradition of holding Sir Syed Day in the San Francisco Bay Area with a fine evening of cultural expression, reflection and entertainment at the ICC in Milpitas on Saturday, September 20th.
Taipei offers free funerals to organ donors
By DPA,
Taipei : The Taipei city government will offer free-of-charge funerals for people who have donated their organs as part of a bid to encourage people to sign organ-donation cards, a newspaper said Wednesday.
The government passed the measure on holding free funeral for organ donors Tuesday. A health ministry funeral subsidy will go to the deceased who have donated their heart, kidney, liver and pancreas, but the city government plans to extend it to also cover those who have donated corneas, bones and skin, the Liberty Times reported.
Six killed in Washington state shooting rampage
By DPA,
Seattle : A man with a history of mental violence has shot six people to death and injured two more in a rampage across Washington state before turning himself in following a high speed car chase.
The incident began Tuesday afternoon when police were called to an incident in the town of Alger about 115 km north of Seattle. When the sheriff's deputy arrived, one person was already dead in the home, and the officer was fatally shot in the head.
Two construction workers were found dead nearby and a fourth body was found at another home in the same area, news reports said.
CNN’s Sanjay Gupta does emergency surgery in Haiti
By IANS,
Washington : Indian American Sanjay Gupta, who is CNN's chief medical correspondent and currently covering the Haiti quake, donned the neuorsurgeon's garb to carry out an emergency brain surgery on a young victim on board a carrier docked off the Haiti coast.
Gupta operated upon the 12-year-old girl aboard the US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, a CNN report said Tuesday.
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti last Tuesday, killing tens of thousands of people.
China to set up ‘pre-emptive’ food safety network: official
By Xinhua,
Beijing : The Chinese government is preparing a "pre-emptive" monitoring system to ensure food safety to prevent recurrence of the countrywide tained baby food scandal that killed six infants and sickened nearly 30,000.
"It means we will try to rid food problems by early detection, early warning and early intervention," Su Zhi, deputy general director of health inspection and supervision bureau in the health ministry, said Wednesday.
UN ponders intervention in Thai-Cambodian temple dispute
By ANTARA News,
Bangkok : The United Nations Security Council will decide this week whether or not it will hold an emergency session to discuss an escalating border spat between Thailand and Cambodia over an ancient Hindu temple, a senior Thai diplomat confirmed Wednesday.
Tidal wave killed 100 in Chile: Report
By IANS/EFE,
Santiago : At least 100 people were killed by the tsunami that hit coastal areas in central and southern Chile after the 8.8 magnitude earthquake Feb 27, the La Tercera newspaper reported Sunday, citing a police agency report.
The government says it has identified 486 victims of the earthquake and tidal wave, but that figure could rise because 79 people are still listed as missing.
Obama gets giant ‘Hanuman’ from India for election success
By IANS,
New Delhi : Amid reports that US presidential hopeful Barack Obama carries a "tiny monkey god" as a talisman, priests at a Hindu temple in the Indian capital presented a gold-plated idol of Hanuman with a prayer for his success in the elections.
Medvedev counts on progress in US-Russia ties
By RIA Novosti,
Barvokha (Russia) : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Saturday hoped there would be progress in resolving all outstanding issues between Moscow and Washington during his upcoming meeting with his US counterpart Barack Obama.
"In early July this year, several days prior to the (G8) summit in Italy, we will have a large meeting (with Obama) in Russia. I hope it can move dialogue to a new level," Medvedev told journalists after talks with visiting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Continuing wars damaging UK’s defence, MPs warn
By IRNA
London : The continuing war in Iraq and Afghanistan are leading to a worsening performance by the country's Ministry of the (MoD) against its key Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets, an influential group of British MPs warned Monday.
"We are deeply concerned that the Armed Forces have been operating at or above the level of concurrent operations they are resourced and structured to deliver for seven of the last eight years, and for every year since 2002," the Defence Select Committee said.
Winter storm leaves thousands without electricity in France
By DPA,
Paris : Nearly 700,000 households remained without electricity in south-western France following the weekend's winter storm which killed at least nine people, French media reported Monday.
In addition, many of the stricken homes were also deprived of drinking water because the pumps were powered by electricity.
The head of the utility EDF, Pierre Gadonneix, said electric current would be restored to 90 percent of the households within a week.
Four years on, Russia remembers Beslan school tragedy
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia Monday marked the fourth anniversary of the Beslan school tragedy in which 331 people, including 186 schoolchildren, were killed by separatist militants of Chechnya.
During the memorial, flowers and floral wreaths were laid and candles lit in memory of the deceased. The proceedings started with the ringing of the school bell to mark the exact time when the school was seized.
UK Muslims urged to face provocation with dignity and wisdom
By NNN-APP
London : UK’s largest Muslim body - The Muslim Council of Britain- has felt disturbed at the deliberate political decision to confer a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie which caused deep hurt to Muslims around the world.
The Council on Friday wrote to its affiliate mosques and organizations urging that they face this current provocation with dignity and wisdom and channel their hurt towards positive and peaceful actions.
Nepal parties call for probe into Maoist bribe tape
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Nepal's largest ruling party is asking for an investigation into a taped telephone conversation that purportedly records a prominent Maoist leader seeking NRS 500 million from a Chinese "friend" to buy MPs ahead of Sunday's prime ministerial election. The ex-rebels say they would conduct a probe themselves.
Iran condoles with families of US school shooting victims
By IANS,
Tehran: Iran Saturday expressed condolences to families of victims of a shooting incident at an elementary school in the US state of Connecticut.