Surface water often contaminated with salmonella
By IANS,
Washington : Researchers, who tested stream water over a one-year period in south Georgia, found a high concentration of Salmonella in 79 percent of the samples. Salmonella is a bacteria that causes typhoid and food borne illness Salmonellosis.
"Streams are not routinely tested for Salmonella, and our finding is an indication that many more could be contaminated than people realise," said Erin Lipp, associate professor in the University of Georgia-Atlanta (UGA) College of Public Health.
‘Terrified’ Cameron hunts for school for his kids
By Venkata Vemuri, IANS,
London : There are some things even the prime minister of Britain finds "terrifying". One of them is finding a good state school for his children.
As the resident of 10, Downing Street, Prime Minister David Cameron has to look for state schools that fall under the jurisdiction of the education authority of the Westminster County Council.
His eldest daughter Nancy goes to the St Mary Abbots in the neighbouring borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where he lived before becoming prime minister. Son Elwen will start going to school from next term.
Russia will not change its stance on Kosovo – Medvedev
BELGRADE, February 25 (RIA Novosti) - First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev reaffirmed on Monday that Russia will maintain a firm stand on territorial integrity of Serbia.
"We believe that Serbia is a unified state, whose jurisdiction extends over its whole territory, and we will maintain this position in the future," Medvedev said at the talks with Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica in Belgrade.
Russia Takes Measures against Social Problems
By Prensa Latina
Moscow : Russia has taken measures to guarantee the continuity of the social policy implemented by President Vladimir Putin over the past eight years after the transfer of power.
Less than two months before the presidential elections, Putin is aiming the government's efforts to solve the most pressing social problems.
India has got black money details from Germany: government
By IANS,
New Delhi : Assuring the Supreme Court that it was trying to retrieve black money stashed in tax havens abroad, the government Saturday said it has already secured significant information from Germany and income-tax sleuths were following it up.
The finance ministry disclosed this in a 27-page affidavit to the apex court in response to a lawsuit accusing the government of doing precious little to retrieve Indian black money to the tune of Rs.70 trillion stashed abroad.
Kenyan university students hold rally to condemn terror attack
Nairobi : Hundreds of Kenyan university students on Tuesday held a peaceful demonstration in Nairobi to condemn a terrorist attack that claimed 148 lives...
Lithuania goes to polls in parliamentary election
By RIA Novosti,
Vilnius : Lithuanians went to the polls on Sunday in a parliamentary election, in which no party is expected to win a majority.
As well as electing the country's 141-member parliament, Lithuanians are also voting in a referendum on whether to keep an outdated Soviet-era nuclear power plant operating in the country.
The Ignalina NPP is similar to the one in Chernobyl, Ukraine, the scene of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986.
EU-India summit on November 30
By IANS
Brussels : Portugal, which takes over the six-month rotating Presidency of the European Union July 1, has planned summit-level meetings with all the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), with the 8th EU-India summit scheduled for November 30 in New Delhi.
Russian opposition MP expelled from parliament
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian opposition lawmaker Gennady Gudkov was Friday ousted from the lower house of parliament for engaging in commercial activity while serving as an MP.
‘US deleted five compromise offers on missile defence’
By Xinhua
Moscow : The US has deleted five compromise proposals from a document received by Russia in November on the missile defence plans in East Europe, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
The US offered to make a number of concessions at an October round of talks in Moscow in the "two-plus-two" format joined by defence and foreign ministers of the two countries, said the Interfax news agency Saturday quoting the ministry.
Chinese astronauts return home after landmark spacewalk
By XINHUA,
Beijing : Three Chinese astronauts, who made history after conducting the country's first spacewalk Saturday, returned home safely in a Shenzhou-7 module that landed in China's central Inner Mongolia region Sunday.
Astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming, and Jing Haipeng returned to earth from a 68-hour space flight that included a 20-minute spacewalk.
"It was a glorious mission, full of challenges, but the result was perfect. I'm proud of my country," said Zhigang, sitting on a chair after emerging from the module.
Nepal to hold local elections in January
Kathmandu : Nepal will hold local elections in January 2015 after a gap of 16 years, Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam said Tuesday.
The...
Verizon to Use New Spectrum for Advanced Wireless Service
By SPA
Washington : Verizon Communications Incorporation said Friday it would use the airwaves it was awarded in a government auction last month for its next generation of high-speed wireless services, expected to begin in 2010.
The company said the $9.36 billion worth of new 700-megahertz spectrum would give Verizon Wireless, the second largest U.S. mobile service, enough resources to build a faster wireless data network.
A mobile phone with a battery life of 15 years!
By IANS,
London: SpareOne's mobile phone comes with a battery life of 15 years, whether you charge it or not and is designed for emergencies.
210 killed in anti-terror operation, says Ukraine
Kiev : At least 210 people has been killed since the start of the "active phase" of the Ukrainian government's anti-terror operation in eastern...
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.
Iran sanctions matter of days: Biden
By IANS,
Washington : The UN will impose sanctions against Iran for illegally pursuing nuclear weapons "in a matter of days", US Vice President Joe Biden has said.
During a live appearance on ABC's "The View" Thursday, Biden said UN sanctions, backed by the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including China, will be announced by the end of this month or in the first week of May.
Asia-Pacific stocks surge for third day
By DPA,
Tokyo : Markets across the Asia-Pacific Thursday saw the roller-coaster ride they have been taking in recent weeks make an upward surge with key markets jumping more than 10 percent on news of an interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average ended trading up nearly 10 percent after the US central bank's rate cut as well as boosted profit prospects for Japan's exporters as the yen weakened against the dollar.
Talks won’t arrest global warming in next decade: UN climate chief
By Joydeep Gupta, IANS,
Bonn : The ongoing global climate negotiations will not lead to "adequate mitigation targets" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades, but will eventually do so, UN climate chief Yvo de Boer predicted here Monday.
Addressing a press conference at the mid-point of the May 31-June 11 talks here to prepare for the next climate summit in Mexico this November, de Boer said: "I don't see the (negotiating) process delivering adequate mitigation targets in the next decade. But I see it 'ever' doing it."
Salahis to keep mum before Congressional panel
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the infamous celebrity hounding couple who gate crashed a White House dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, won't be talking when they appear before a Congressional panel next week.
"The gate crashers are invoking the Fifth Amendment, their attorney says, after being subpoenaed to appear at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Jan 20," the Politico focusing on politics reported.
Nepal police kill three kidnappers
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Three people, alleged to be kidnappers who opened fire on a police patrol, were killed in a forested area in southern Nepal Tuesday.
Police said a posse searching for five people who were kidnapped while carting cement in a tractor in Banke in Nepal's Terai plains were tipped off that the men were being held inside the Fattehpur forest in the district.
While in pursuit of the kidnappers, police said the patrol came under fire inside the forest Tuesday morning. When they retaliated, three of the kidnappers were killed.
At 73 he has 101 grandchildren
By RIA Novosti
Kemerovo : Alexei Shapoval, a 73-year-old resident of Novokuznetsk in West Siberia, has become a grandfather for the 101st time, one of the man's sons said Wednesday.
One dead, two missing after German house blast
By DPA,
Bruehl (Germany) : One person was found dead while two other family members remained missing Sunday after an overnight explosion collapsed a home near the western German city of Cologne.
At least 27 miners missing in China in accidents concealed by owners
By SPA
Beijing : At least 27 Chinese miners were missing in two separate accidents concealed by mine owners in northeastern Heilongjiang province, AP quoted a state-run news agency as reporting Wednesday.
Xinhua News agency said 14 of the miners were missing after a cave-in at the Jianbao Coal Mine on Feb. 28 in Jixi city.
The mine's manager initially reported only two men were trapped underground, but local authorities began investigations after residents reported more men had gone missing.
भारत को दी जाने वाली ‘मदद’ को ख़त्म करने की तैयारी में है अमेरिका
TwoCircles.net News Desk
वाशिंगटन : अमेरिका विकास फंड के नाम पर भारत को दी जाने वाली मदद को वित्तीय वर्ष —2018 में ख़त्म करने की...
Assange extradition case goes to British supreme court
By IANS,
London: The British supreme court Friday said it would consider an appeal by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange against his extradition to Sweden.
No detailed deal in Copenhagen: UN climate chief
By Joydeep Gupta, IANS,
Bonn: It will be "physically impossible" to have a detailed deal to tackle climate change by this December's summit in Copenhagen, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer said here Wednesday.
However, he hoped, the "Copenhagen (summit) will deliver clarity on key political issues in this debate, that there will be clarity on the extent industrialised countries will reduce their (GHG) emissions, and clarity on what major developing countries (including India) are willing to do to mitigate their emissions."
Cuba Demands US End Blockade at WTO
By Prensa Latina,
Geneva : Cuba demanded Wednesday that the United States unconditionally derogate all current disposition to maintain and step up the economic, trade and financial blockade applied to the Caribbean island.
In the ninth analysis of the Washington policy in the World Trade Organization (WTO), Cuban minister-counselor at international organizations in Geneva Jorge Ferrer gave a central speech on this issue.
US woman charged in 1957 death of daughter
By IANS,
London : A US woman has been charged with killing her seven-month-old daughter, 53 years after the infant's death, a media report here said Tuesday.
Landslides, flash floods kill 11 in Nepal
By DPA,
Kathmandu : Landslides and flash floods triggered by torrential monsoon rain across Nepal killed at least 11 people, media reports said Sunday.
Five people returning from work were buried under a landslide in Dhading district, west of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, Kantipur newspaper said.
At least four others were injured in the accident while another man drowned in the flooded river in the district.
Three people of a family died in Solukhumbhu district, some 200 km northeast of Kathmandu, when their house was destroyed in a landslide.
Millions of Bush-era e-mails recovered
By DPA,
Washington: Millions of e-mails from the George .W Bush administration that were believed lost to history have been recovered, two groups that sued for access to the communications said Monday.
Computer technicians were able to reconstruct the e-mails, said the National Security Archive at George Washington University and the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
The groups has sued the government for failing to take action to recover the e-mails for two and a half years. They had been recorded on back-up tapes that were routinely overwritten.
200 dead in Brazil plane accident; 54 bodies recovered
By IANS
Sao Paulo : At least 200 people, including victims on the ground, were dead after a Brazilian TAM airline jet with as many as 180 passengers on board crashed into a gasoline station while trying to land at Congonhas Airport - the country's busiest air hub.
Traditional medicine a threat to tigers, rare plants: study
By IANS,
Washington : Trafficking in wildlife and unsustainable harvesting, prompted by the demand for traditional medicines, is depleting Southeast Asia's rich and varied biodiversity, according to a new study.
Field studies between 2005 and 2007, carried out by TRAFFIC, the world's largest wildlife trade monitoring network, found that Cambodians and Vietnamese rely excessively on traditional medicine.
‘Third crasher’ at Manmohan dinner insists he was invited
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: The "third White House crasher", who attended President Barack Obama's state dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asserted Monday that he got an invitation in the mail, but could not show any piece of paper relating to the Nov 24 event with his name on it.
"I was invited. I actually got an invitation in the mail. I have the actual invite," Washington businessman Carlos Allen said repeatedly in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America". Pressed, he couldn't produce any piece of paper including a table assignment card with his name on it.
Floods kill 20, leave 700,000 homeless in China
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Twenty people have died and over 700,000 left homeless following torrential rains and floods in southern China over the past one week, authorities said Monday.
More than 700,000 people have been relocated as heavy rains destroyed houses, flooded crops, cut power lines, damaged roads and caused rivers to overflow, according to the latest figures from the provinces of Hunan, Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Non-Aligned Movement calls for nuclear disarmament
By SPA,
London : Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) called for the disarmament of nuclear weapons as the only guaranty to prevent the danger posed by nuclear weapons to the survival of human beings, according to Antara.
Such an appeal was extended in the second preparatory committee meeting of the nuclear weapons non-proliferation conference in Geneva which happened to be part of a review conference of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapon to be held in 2010.
Cuba ready for `respectful’ dialogue with US
By EFE,
Tokyo : Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has said his government was ready for a "respectful" dialogue with the US and noted that there was "less tension" and "less rhetoric against Cuba" since President Barack Obama took power.
There is no change in US policy, however, because the economic blockade of Cuba "remains intact and is applied to its full extent", Rodriguez said at a press conference on the third and last day of his state visit to Japan.
Prison warden shot dead in Guatemala
By IANS/EFE,
Guatemala City : The warden of a maximum security prison in Guatemala's Santa Rosa province has been gunned down by unidentified assailants, authorities said.
Mario Rene Zuñiga, 29, who was appointed a year ago to run the El Boqueron prison, was enjoying a day off, when the attackers shot at him from outside his residence in Jutiapa city Wednesday, interior ministry officials said Thursday.
Zuñiga died at the spot of a head wound, they said, adding that the motive for the murder was not known.
American image remains dim in Muslim world
By Xinhua,
Amman : The image of the United States remains overwhelmingly negative in most of the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed, a latest global poll revealed on its website.
According to the Pew Global Attitudes Project, in Jordan, one of the key regional allies of the United States, 79 percent respondents have a negative light of the world power, registering the highest unfavorable rate among the surveyed Muslim nations. Only 19 percent hold positive views.
The survey was conducted among more than 24,000 people in 24 countries between March 17 and April 21.
Six killed in China road accident
Beijing: At least six people were killed in a collision between a truck and car in China's Hunan province, police said Saturday.
The accident happened...
Turkmen government puts an end to rock-bottom gasoline prices
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Turkmenistan's government has moved to end ten years of virtually free gasoline in the impoverished Central Asian state, raising the price eightfold on Monday from a mere 2 cents per liter.
Cheap fuel was one of the social subsidies introduced by the ex-Soviet republic's late autocratic leader Saparmurat Niyazov, along with free water, natural gas and salt, which remain free to Turkmen citizens.
Seven killed in US mid-air helicopter collision
By Xinhua,
Washington : Seven people were killed and three injured seriously in a mid-air collision between two helicopters in the US state of Arizona, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
All three people on one of the choppers were killed, while four of the seven people onboard the other helicopter lost their lives and the rest injured seriously in the collision, the FAA said in a statement.
The identities of the victims are not yet released.
An investigation into the cause of the collision has been ordered.
This is the second plane crash in the US Sunday.
Spain Digs Deep into CIA Flights
By Prensa Latina
Madrid : The Spanish National Attorney General's Office demanded testimony from people involved in the passage of secret US prisoner flights to Guantanamo base, revealed El Pais Newspaper on Monday.
Prosecutor Vicente Gonzalez Mota launched the demand that involves airport and plane officers as well as military and civil controllers of air bases in Moron de la Frontera (Sevilla), Rota (Cadiz) and Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid).
Blur images of potential terror targets, Google Earth told
By Xinhua
New York : New York state lawmaker Michael Gianaris has called on Google Earth to blur views of potential terror targets on its maps.
Two militant leaders killed in Russia
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The alleged leaders of two insurgency groups in Russia's Dagestan republic have been eliminated, officials said.
Cheap solar power now within reach, says study
By IANS,
Sydney : It has been called the holy grail of the modern era - cheap solar energy. And scientists say it may be within our grasp soon.
A Queensland University team has grown the world's first titanium oxide nano crystals that are likely to revolutionise the way solar energy is harvested and used.
Creating these highly efficient miniature crystals with large reactive surfaces was thought of as impossible by most scientists.
Max Lu, who led the study, sounded upbeat that they were a step closer to the holy grail of cost-effective solar energy with their discovery.
G8 Labour Ministries To Discuss Labour Problems In Japan
By Bernama,
Niigata : Top officials of the G8 labour ministries and agencies will meet in Japan on Monday to discuss the measures on creating an effective recruitment system in conditions of ageing society and the ways of combating the inequity, which the globalisation process brought about.
The ministerial meeting on labour problems involving G8 officials from Great Britain, Italy, Canada, Russia, the United States, France, Germany and Japan will begin in Niigata, Japan on Monday.
Maths dunces: British primary schools to ban calculator use
By IANS,
London: Primary schools in Britain will ban the use of calculators by 11-year-old students in a bid to prevent the kids from becoming maths dunces, according to the government.
Int’l disarmament conference opens in Ashkhabad
By IRNA,
Ashkhabad : An international conference on disarmament in the Central Asia and the Caspian Sea region started here on Thursday with participation of Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
The ministerial conference inaugurated in this Turkmen capital city by the speech of the Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov this morning.
Mottaki is due to brief the audience on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s stands regarding global disarmament.
Mother throws baby from ninth floor
By IANS,
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow: A woman in central Russia's Ryazan city threw her nine-month-old son out of a ninth floor window during a visit by child welfare officers, police said.
Death toll in blast in Sri Lanka reaches 26
By SPA,
Colombo : The death toll in Friday's bus bomb explosion rose to 26 as fighting continued in the northern part of the country claiming the lives of 18 more rebels, officials said Saturday.
At least 63 of the 70 injured in the blast at Piliyandala, 12 Kilometers south of the capital, remained in hospital, while hospital Authorities were releasing the bodies of the 26 killed to their relatives, DPA reported.
China, Germany discuss Ukraine crisis
Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel Sunday discussed their bilateral relations and the Ukraine crisis over phone.
Xi said that as...
Top US commander in Afghanistan probed
By IANS,
Washington: The top US commander in Afghanistan is being probed for alleged "inappropriate" communications with a woman linked to the Petraeus scandal.
Junta’s aid rules delay Myanmar cyclone relief: HRW
By AFP,
Bangkok : New guidelines adopted by Myanmar's ruling generals are further delaying emergency efforts to deliver aid to regions ravaged by the cyclone, human rights experts said.
The rules, issued on Monday, require UN and other aid groups to receive formal permission from Myanmar authorities to travel and to distribute aid.
Indonesian President leaves for G-20, APEC summits
By Xinhua,
Jakarta : Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday left here for Washington to attend the G-20 summit slated for Saturday.
According to the Jarkarta Post, during the summit, Indonesia will convey its response and proposals in dealing with the ongoing global financial routs.
Indonesia plans to propose the establishment of a global expenditure funds collected from rich nations to be used to solve the impact of the financial crisis.
50,000 Indians give standing ovation to UAE for temple land
Dubai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday got a cheering crowd of 50,000 Indians to give a standing ovation to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince...
Myanmar exempts commercial tax to promote export
By IANS,
Yangon : The Myanmar government has exempted commercial tax for exporters for six months to encourage export, Xinhua reported Monday.
US senator says he was sexually abused as a child
By IANS,
Washington : US senator Scott Brown has said he was sexually abused as a child several times by a camp counsellor and also physically abused by his stepfather.
Chinese negotiator in Taiwan for talks
Taipei : Chen Deming, president of the China-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), arrived in Taiwan Wednesday for a new round...
Eva Longoria bares her back for coffee table book
By IANS,
Los Angeles: Actress Eva Longoria posed with her bare back, and covered only her legs, in a photo for a coffee table book titled "Asleep at the Chateau".
Russia’s Lavrov to push new European security deal at UN
By RIA Novosti,
New York : Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will promote the idea of a new European security treaty this week when he attends the UN General Assembly, a RIA Novosti correspondent said Tuesday.
The General Assembly's annual ministerial session opens Tuesday amid uncertainty over the global economic outlook, continuing violence in the Middle East, concerns over Iran's nuclear program and the deterioration of relations between Russia and the West over South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Antarctic under pressure as tourists flock to see icebergs
By Hilke Segbers, DPA,
Hamburg : The Antarctic wilderness is attracting a growing number of tourists keen to experience the icy landscape, yet their presence is posing new risks to this unique marine environment.
In 1992 around 6,000 nature-lovers made the long journey south. But the number rose to 46,000 last season - a clear sign of the boom in travel to the area surrounding the South Pole: It also marks an increase in the number of shipping operators offering cruises to the Antarctic peninsula during the five-month period from November to March.
Medvedev hopes new nuclear arms deal to be signed in December
By RIA Novosti,
Singapore : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed the hope on Sunday that Russia and the United States would be able to sign a new nuclear arms reduction deal in December.
"We, indeed, devoted most of the time to discussing a treaty on the reduction of offensive armaments and recognized the need to provide additional impetus to these negotiations," Medvedev said after his talks with U.S. President Barack Obama at the summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member states in Singapore.
More than 500 people killed in Indonesia during fast-breaking festival
By Xinhua,
Jakarta : More than 500 people were killed in Indonesia during Muslim's fast-breaking festival, official news agency Antara reported on Tuesday.
"As many as 702 were badly injured, while the number of those suffering from light injuries is 1,162," said National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira, quoting police's log between Sept. 25 and Oct. 10.
Abubakar added that the accidents caused a total loss of 3.9 billion Rupiahs (about 407,000 U.S. dollars).
32 killed in road accidents in Spain
Madrid Thirty-two people were killed on Spain's roads during Holy Week celebrations, the country's traffic authority said Monday.
A total of 25 accidents took...
U.S. Navy Conducts First Test of Electronic Railgun
By SPA
Washington : The U.S. Navy ran a test on Thursday of the world’s most powerful electromagnetic railgun.
The test, which launched a specially designated projectile at a velocity of 5,600 miles per hour, marks the latest step in American efforts to develop a futuristic naval gun. The aim of the gun’s development is to hit a target more than 200 nautical miles away with a non-explosive projectile traveling at between five and seven times the speed of sound.
Opposition protests arrest of ex-army chief in Sri Lanka
By DPA,
Colombo : Sri Lankan opposition parties Tuesday protested the arrest of former army commander Sarath Fonseka, who led the military victory over the Tamil rebels before unsuccessfully running in last month's presidential election.
"The general who fought the terrorists was forcibly dragged away from his office while having a political discussion," opposition lawmaker Vijitha Herath said of Fonseka, who was taken away from his office here Monday night.
Disgraced South Korean cloning researcher found guilty
By DPA,
Seoul : The South Korean scientist initially hailed as a cloning pioneer and national hero until an investigation found some faked research in cloning human embryonic stem cells was convicted Monday of embezzling research grants.
Hwang Woo Suk, 56, was found guilty by a Seoul court after a three-year trial, the national Yonhap News Agency reported.
The sentence was to be announced at a later hearing, but prosecutors were seeking four years in prison.
Nepal capital fears violence as government clamps ban orders
By IANS,
Kathmandu : After a series of peaceful street protests by the former Maoist guerrillas against the communist-led government of Nepal, violence could erupt Thursday in the capital following the ruling alliance's decision to clamp prohibitory orders on large tracts of area around Singha Durbar, the bastion of the government.
Conservatives to field ‘Indian-trained tantric’ in Britain polls?
By IANS,
London : A nightclub owner and self-proclaimed "tantric master" has been selected by Britain's largest opposition party to stand at the next general elections, a newspaper reported.
Andrew Charalambous will bid to be the Conservative MP for Edmonton constituency - a suburban London seat currently held by the ruling Labour Party on a majority of more than 8,000 votes, the Evening Standard reported.
The paper said Charalambous has been described on his website as "a tantric master initiated in India. He has dated some of the most beautiful women in the world".
Argentina declares emergency over bushfire
By IANS,
Buenos Aires : Argentina has declared a state of emergency and shut down highways, as smoke from huge bushfires to clear pasture, was making visibility in and around the capital impossible, Spain's EFE news agency reported.
The federal highway department has urged people not to drive from the capital and Greater Buenos Aires areas toward the interior of the country due to lack of visibility, the report said Friday.
Landslide kills eight in Guatemala rubbish dump
By IANS,
Guatemala City : At least eight people, including two children, were killed in a mudslide at a garbage dump here, Spain's EFE news agency reported.
Authorities said that between 50 and 100 "guajeros" (scavengers) who sift through the garbage in search of sellable items might have been at the bottom of a ravine inside the dump at the time of the mudslide Friday.
There are entire families who subsist on the roughly 100 quetzales ($13.38) a day they can earn extracting recyclables from the dump.
Washington steps up security measures after Moscow blasts
By RIA Novosti,
Washington : Security measures were stepped up in the Washington subway following Monday's twin blasts in the Moscow metro, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said in a statement.
"Today Metro Transit Police K-9 Explosive Ordnance Detection Teams will conduct random station and rail yard sweeps throughout the day as part of heightened security associated with today's terrorist attack on subway stations in Moscow," the statement, issued on Monday, reads.
Enhanced security measures are likely to continue until at least mid-April.
Modi visit won’t hurt Sri Lanka-China ties: Chinese commentary
Beijing : China-Sri Lanka relations will not be affected by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit but only grow stronger, a commentary in the...
Bush Endorses McCain as Presidential Candidate
By SPA
Washington : U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday formally endorsed the now-Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (from Arizona).
McCain, who secured his party’s nomination last night after victory in all of the Tuesday 5 primaries, received the first endorsement from Bush during a press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House.
Though White House press secretary Dana Perino said that arguably “there are differences [in policy choices] between Bush and McCain, the two politicians have “many things… [they] agree on.”
China expects continuity, fears trade protection from Obama
By DPA,
Beijing : China expects continuity but fears trade protectionism once Barack Obama takes office as US president, a leading scholar said Wednesday.
"China's expectation of the new president is the same as the whole world's expectation, that is, to develop US finance and the economy away from the global financial crisis and economic recession," said Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert at People's University in Beijing.
"Meanwhile, China hopes that he (Obama) will develop the cooperation that already exists between China and the United States," Shi told DPA.
Japan struggles to cool n-reactors, toll crosses 12,000
By IANS,
Tokyo : Japan's attempt to cement a cracked concrete pit at a damaged nuclear reactor has failed as the toll in the earthquake that spawned a giant tsunami crossed 12,000.
Chavez wants joint military force against US aggression
By Xinhua
Caracas : Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has suggested creating a joint military force for the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) member nations to see off any possible US military aggression.
Speaking during his Sunday television show "Alo Presidente" alongside his special guest Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, he said "we are going to commission a working paper. We need a joint ALBA defence strategy."
Ortega backed the idea, adding that the US was working via Colombia to threaten "not only Venezuela but also the whole of Latin America.
US disappointed at Iran’s non-cooperation on n-programme
By IANS,
Washington: The US has said it was "deeply disappointed" at Iran's failure to accommodate the UN nuclear watchdog over its controversial nuclear programme.
Obama pushes economic plan
By Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason,BERNAMA,
WASHINGTON : U.S. President Barack Obama sought to rally support for his emerging economic rescue package on Saturday, as he stood by his latest Cabinet nominee to run into tax problems that could impede confirmation.
Obama, in his second weekly radio address since taking office, pledged to help lower Americans' mortgage costs under a new plan to be unveiled soon to help revive the financial system and "get credit flowing again."
Oscar academy gets 1,000 original movie posters
By IANS,
London: More than 1,000 original Hollywood movie posters have been donated to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by a private collector from Chicago, BBC reported.
Egypt-brokered talks with Israel frozen: Hamas official
Gaza: The Egyptian-brokered indirect talks between Hamas and Israel over enforcing a ceasefire deal are frozen, said a senior Islamic Hamas movement leader Saturday.
Musa...
US Federal reserve leaves interest rates unchanged
By DPA,
Washington : The US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged Tuesday as it battles with the duelling concerns of inflation and sluggish growth in the US.
The US central bank kept its benchmark federal funds rate at 2 percent for the second straight meeting, warning that an ongoing credit crisis could further impact growth while high energy costs continued to spur inflation.
"Although downside risks to growth remain, the upside risks of inflation are also of significant concern," the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement.
Vibrant, bubbling Detroit is now a ghost town
By Jaspal Singh
News reports have stated that there are wild dogs in Detroit that roam the streets and have at occasions attacked small children...
UNHCR launches global drive to end statelessness
Geneva: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has launched a 10-year global campaign aimed at ending the statelessness which affects...
IS women wing terrorising their own gender
London : Islamic State's (IS) women terrorists are terrorising their own sex. They bite and whip any woman who steps "out of line"...
Leaders of Finland, South Africa lead UN development panel
By DPA,
New York : The presidents of Finland and South Africa will lead a high-level panel on global sustainability aimed at working out a "new vision" for the world's economic growth and prosperity, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday.
In setting up the new 21-member panel, Ban said that the world's leading policy-makers and thinkers should "formulate a new blueprint for sustainable growth and low-carbon prosperity for all on a planet under increasing strain, not least from climate change."
Nepal’s ruling parties reach consensus on creating president post
By IRNA,
New Delhi : Nepal's ruling alliance on Wednesday decided to create a post of president ahead of declaring the country a republic and abolishing 240-year-old monarchy in the first meeting of Maoists-dominated Constituent Assembly which was held up for several hours due to last-minute political wrangling.
Two soldiers killed in communist attack in Philippines
By DPA,
Manila : Two soldiers were killed in an attack by communist rebels in an eastern Philippine province, a regional army spokesperson said Friday.
Lieutenant Colonel Armand Rico said the soldiers were constructing school buildings in Calbiga town in Samar province, 555 km southeast of Manila, when the guerrillas attacked them Thursday.
Rico said more troops have been dispatched to the area to secure the engineering team helping construct the school buildings.
School faces ire for teaching pole dancing to kids
By IANS,
London : A dance school in Britain has stoked a public debate and invited criticism for offering lessons in pole dancing to children as young as 12.
Major changes in invest flows crucial to address climate change: UN
By NNN-APP
United Nations : Tackling climate change in the next quarter century will require major changes to patterns of investment and financial flows, according to a new report UN Report.
“The study shows us that a conscious effort to shift from traditional investment to more climate-friendly alternatives will require governments to adopt new policies and change the way they use their funds,” said the the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, Yvo de Boer.
Georgian parliament head denies Tbilisi seeks Russia’s isolation
By RIA Novosti,
Riga : Georgia prefers dialog and cooperation with Moscow to Russia's international isolation, the Georgian parliamentary speaker told Latvian lawmakers on Thursday during a visit to Riga.
"Georgia does not call for Russia's isolation, it is for dialog and cooperation, based on the norms of humanity and international law," David Bakradze said in his address to the Lativan parliament.
The Georgian official also thanked Latvia for its position on the five-day conflict between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia in August.
Modi discusses bilateral ties with Nepal president
Kathmandu : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday discussed bilateral ties with Nepali President Ram Baran Yadav.
Modi in his meeting with Yadav discussed how...
Bush radio address
Washington, October 06, SPA -- President Bush signaled a willingness Saturday to spend more than what he had recommended for a popular children's health program, but provided no specifics on how much higher he would go.
"If putting poor children first takes a little more than the 20 percent increase I have proposed in my budget for SCHIP, I am willing to work with leaders in Congress to find the additional money," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Japan withdraws refuelling fleet from Indian Ocean
By Xinhua
Tokyo : Japan's Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba Thursday ordered the withdrawal of the Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) from the Indian Ocean, which has been undertaking refuelling missions for the US-led military operation in Afghanistan.
The MSDF supply ship, Tokiwa, and destroyer, Kirisame, will return home at midnight Thursday, Japan's NHK TV channel said.
The order was passed after the expiry of the special anti-terrorism law.
Toll in Cambodian festival stampede rises to 347
By DPA,
Phnom Penh : A senior government spokesman said Tuesday that 347 people had died and 410 were injured in a stampede on a crowded bridge late Monday in Phnom Penh.
UNSC adjusts priorities on Darfur
United Nations : The UN Security Council has endorsed Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's revised strategic priorities for the joint African Union-UN mission in the...
15 missing as ship sinks off Indonesia
By IANS,
Jakarta : A total of 15 crew members are yet to be found after a cargo ship with 27 people on board capsized off eastern Indonesia Sunday morning, Xinhua reported.
US critical of Russian decision to create buffer zones in Georgia
By IRNA,
Moscow : The US and France have criticized Russia for creating buffer zones and checkpoints in Georgia violating the terms of ceasefire agreement with Georgia.
Russia announced the full withdrawal of combat forces from Georgia proper on Friday but insisted hundreds of other troops could stay under the ceasefire.
France brokered the ceasefire to end fighting over Georgia's pro- Russian breakaway province of South Ossetia.
IRNA reporter in Moscow said that the terms of the ceasefire are vague about the extent of any buffer zones.
S.Korea to fingerprint foreign visitors from 2010
By KUNA,
TOKYO : The South Korean government will fingerprint and photograph all foreigners visiting South Korea starting next year, as part of efforts to strengthen its immigration control, Yonhap News Agency reported Friday.
All foreign visitors, including tourists, will be obliged to undergo fingerprinting and have their photo taken before entering South Korea from July 2010, said Yonhap, citing officials at the Ministry of Justice.
The planned fingerprinting policy is primarily intended to regulate illegal entries by foreigners, it said.
Allegedly imported high-grade “ice” flooding Philippines
By Xinhua,
Manila : High-grade, crystal-clear "ice" (methamphetamine hydrochloride) from abroad is now being sold in the Philippine black market, the chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Monday.
It is a sign that illegal drug syndicates have penetrated the country's defenses, said PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago.
"The shabu (local name of methamphetamine hydrochloride) that is circulating in the market right now is 98-percent pure," Philippine TV network ABS-CBN citing Santiago reported.
Election officials say Kiev mayor likely to win re-election
By RIA Novosti,
Kiev : Kiev's incumbent mayor Leonid Chernovetsky is leading in polls to elect a mayor and city council, according to initial results available, election officials said on Monday.
The early polls were called by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko who accused Chernovetsky of corruption.
With the final results to be announced later on Monday, Chernovetsky has so far garnered 37.75%, followed by Oleksandr Turchynov, a candidate from Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc, with 18.46%, and heavyweight boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko, who has 17.61% of votes.
May 28 to see end of monarchy in Nepal
By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : Nepal Monday set the stage for the formal abolition of its two-and-a-half century old monarchy with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala calling the fateful first meeting of the newly elected constituent assembly May 28.
Nepal's seven ruling parties had urged the premier Friday to choose any date between May 25 and 28 to call the first meeting of the 601-member constituent assembly that, according to Nepal's current constitution, will seal the fate of sidelined King Gyanendra.
South Korean leader advises no fear, heavy hand with North
By DPA,
Seoul : South Korean President Lee Myung Bak urged national unity as he called for a tough stance against future provocations from North Korea.
March to honour crash victims turns anti-Lula
By IANS
Sao Paulo : A march held in honour of those killed in a plane crash here this month turned into a protest against Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for what the protestors called the government's failure to ensure aviation safety.
Sao Paulo : A march held in honour of those killed in a plane crash here this month turned into a protest against Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for what the protestors called the government's failure to ensure aviation safety.
Jail smoke bomb thrower: Medvedev
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The thrower of a smoke bomb that injured a top Russian football player must face prison, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday.
Maoists shut down Kathmandu valley after cadre’s death
By IANS,
Kathmandu : Hopes that the political crisis gripping the three-week-old government of Nepal would be resolved Monday with the much-awaited expansion of the fledgling cabinet receded as the opposition Maoist party went on the warpath again, shutting down Kathmandu valley without prior intimation to protest the death of a cadre.
Rajendra Phuyal, an area in-charge of the former rebel group, had been missing for nearly a week and was declared dead Sunday.
Flooded Chinese mine’s toll rises to 21
Beijing : The toll in the flooded Xiahaizi coal mine in southwest China's Yunnan province rose to 21 Sunday as rescuers found two more...
700 observers to monitor Russian presidential poll
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Around 700 international observers will arrive in Russia to monitor the March 4 presidential elections, a top election official said Thursday.
Deputy PM expects Russia to become world’s sixth economy in 2008
By RIA Novosti,
St. Petersburg : First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told an economic forum on Sunday that the Russian economy is likely to become the world's sixth largest by the end of this year.
Addressing the 12th International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, now in its third day, the official also outlined the government's future role in the economy, saying that while new state companies will be set up, the government aims to limit its 'excessive interference' in the economy.
Special advisory body appointed for Sri Lanka’s north
By P. Karunakharan, IANS,
Colombo : An interim Special Task Force (STF), led by ex-militant Tamil party leader Douglas Devananda, has been appointed to handle development and resettlement related works in Sri Lanka's war-ravaged Northern Province, official sources said.
"Cabinet granted approval to a memorandum submitted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to set up a Special Task Force to oversee development initiatives in the districts of the Northern Province," Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said.
Obama names Denis McDonough as new chief of staff
By IANS/EFE,
Washington: US President Barack Obama Friday named Denis McDonough, who had been serving as deputy national security advisor, as his new chief of staff.
Philippines warns against illegal match-makers luring Filipinas to South Korea
By Xinhua,
Manila : The Philippine Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, has warned against illegal matchmaking agencies after learning that some Filipina women married South Korean men through illegal match-making agencies, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement posted on its website Sunday.
Norwegian newspaper reprints controversial Islam cartoons
By DPA,
Oslo : The Norwegian daily newspaper Aftenposten Friday reprinted cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed that generated controversy 2005 when they were first published in a Danish newspaper.
"We have always defended media's right to print these cartoons, and we printed a facsimile when the dispute began 2005," Aftenposten editor-in-chief Hilde Haugsgjerd wrote.
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.
In Tamil Nadu politics, wheel has turned full circle over Sri Lanka
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
New Delhi : Tamil Nadu's political circus over the Sri Lankan conflict is a virtual copy of the 1980s but for a key difference: the Tamil Tigers were poised to grow then; now they face a deathly crisis.
Once anti-Tamil riots engulfed Colombo in July 1983, the same DMK and AIADMK - the latter ruled Tamil Nadu then - took on one another to show who supported Sri Lanka's Tamils more.
DMK chief M. Karunanidhi was the opposition leader at that time and M.G. Ramachandran or MGR was the AIADMK chief minister.
Ice storms sweep northeast US, power supply disrupted
By DPA,
Washington : A massive winter storm swept across northeastern US, covering several states in sheets of ice, forcing roads to close and leaving one million people without power.
As crews worked to clear the debris of collapsed trees and power lines that could not withstand the weight of the ice, the governors of Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire declared emergency in their respective states.
While officials hoped that some electricity connections would be restored by Monday, they warned it could take longer.
Debate crucial for Clinton as poll numbers slump
CLEVELAND, Ohio (AFP) - Beset by slumping poll numbers, Hillary Clinton had a last chance in a one-on-one debate Tuesday to slow Barack Obama's roaring momentum before two White House nominating clashes next week.
The besieged former front-runner, her hopes on the edge ahead of must-win contests in Ohio and Texas on March 4, hopes to halt an Obama surge that has seen her Democratic rival snap up 11 straight electoral victories.
Earth-like planet found
By IANS,
London : American astronomers have confirmed the existence of an earth-like planet, dubbed Kepler 22-b, in the "habitable zone" around a star similar to the sun.
Hong Kong reduces plastic bags by 90 percent
By IANS,
Hong Kong: Use of plastic bags in Hong Kong has come down drastically - by nearly 90 percent - in the past 12 months thanks to a "plastic-bags-fine" scheme launched by the government.
Registered retailers in Hong Kong distributed 90 percent fewer plastic bags in the past 12 months in comparison to the situation before the scheme, a clear sign of its effectiveness, Edward Yau, Hong Kong's environment secretary, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Gilani urges US to repatriate Pakistani prisoners from Guantanamo
By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani
Monday urged the US to repatriate all Pakistani nationals held at the
Guantanamo prison in Cuba.
Gilani made the remarks during a meeting with visiting US Assistant
Secretary of State Richard Boucher, the News Network International (NNI)
news agency reported.
Five Pakistanis are currently being held in detention at Guantanamo.
"The Pakistan government has urged the US authorities to facilitate their
repatriation to Pakistan as soon as possible," a foreign ministry statement
said.
Police find $200,000 in bus
By IANS/EFE,
Managua : Police found $220,000 in cash on a bus in Nicaragua, a media report said.
The money was found Sunday in a wooden box in the bus in the northwestern province of Chinandega, on the border with Honduras.
Clinton pledges strong support for Obama
By Xinhua,
Washington : U.S. senator Hillary Clinton told her supporters Thursday that she will "strongly support" senator Barack Obama, who beat her in this year's Democratic presidential nomination race.
In an email letter sent to her supporters, she confirmed news reports that she will end her presidential bid and endorse Obama on Saturday.
Kathmandu airport closed, flights return
New Delhi : Several flights of Indian carriers, carrying friends and family members of the people stranded in the quake-struck Kathmandu, could not land...
US arrests two women for plotting to build bombs
New York:Two female sympathisers of “violent jihad”, accused of conspiring to build bombs for staging attacks on US soil, were arrested in New York...
Two killed in light plane crash in New Zealand
By DPA,
Wellington : Two people were killed when a home-built light aircraft stalled and crashed at an Air Force base in New Zealand, news reports said Sunday.
The plane's pilot 62-year-old Wayne Matthews died instantly with his sole passenger Brent Baldwin, 46, when the Thorp S-18 crashed Saturday at Whenuapai near Auckland.
Matthews was a retired air force commander who recently set a record for a solo flight around New Zealand.
He was also reported to be vice-president of New Zealand's Sport Aircraft Association.
Over 1.6 Million British Unemployed
By Prensa Latina,
London : Another 14,000 people were unemployed in Great Britain from January to March, reaching 1.61 million, the highest level since late 2007, reported the Central Statistics Office Wednesday.
The note detailed that with benefits or not, that means 5.2 percent of the economically active population.
It also specified that the number of people receiving compensation increased by 7,200 cases in April up to 806,300, the largest monthly increase since April 2006.
36 killed in landslides in Nepal
By DPA,
Kathmandu : Unseasonably heavy rains in western Nepal left a trail of destruction Tuesday, killing at least 36 people and injuring several others, official said.
Government officials said landslides struck at least five districts in western Nepal while flash floods were reported in Nepal's plains, known as Terai, after heavy rain began falling Sunday evening, displacing nearly a thousand people.
Worst affected was Accham district, about 400 km west of Kathmandu, where at least 19 people were killed in two separate landslides.
Galileo may have discovered Neptune
By IANS,
Sydney : Galileo's notebooks contain hidden clues that is likely to clinch his discovery of Neptune in 1613, 234 years before the date of discovery accepted now, according to a new theory.
David Jamieson, who heads the Melbourne University (MU) School of Physics, is investigating the notebooks of Galileo from 400 years ago. He believes that buried in the notations is the evidence that he discovered a new planet that we now know as Neptune.
‘UN envoy seriously threatened in Crimea’
United Nations: UN special envoy to Ukraine Robert Serry, who was "seriously threatened" and his car blocked by a group of armed men in...
US markets drop as Japanese devastation threatens global economy
By DPA,
New York : US stock markets fell on fears that the massive devastation from Japan's earthquake could impact the global economy.
Zvonareva named UNESCO Gender Equality Ambassador
By Xinhua,
Paris : Russia's Vera Zvonareva has been named a "Promoter of Gender Equality" by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Zvonareva, 24, is ranked number six on Women's Tennis Association (WTA) charts and has been appointed to call attention to gender equality issues at the national and global levels.
© TwoCircles.net