Monday, 07 Oct, 2024

International

Colombian police arrest parrot in crime raid

Bogota: Police in the Colombian city of Barranquilla "arrested" a parrot after it helped several alleged drug dealers and thieves get away during a raid, the daily El Heraldo reported.The incident happened Wednesday, when close to 300 police officers arrived to raid a house following

37 killed in Sudan bus accident

Khartoum: At least 37 people were killed and 26 wounded after a bus collided with another vehicle on a highway in Sudan`s White Nile state, south of Khartoum, authorities said Thursday.After the collision, the bus caught fire and all its passengers were burnt, Xinhua reported.Sudan has

Sarkozy digs new Roma hole at explosive summit

BRUSSELS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy stunned a European summit Thursday, clashing with top officials and tripping up on a claim that Germany was about to copy controversial Roma deportations.Sarkozy angrily rejected suggestions by the European Union`s justice commissioner that drew

Kakuma -- the world`s most cosmopolitan refugee camp

KAKUMA: The 75,000 refugees camped under the burning sun on a rocky plain in Kenya`s arid northwest represent a cross-section of east Africa`s various wars and crises.From Somalia, south Sudan, Darfur, Ethiopia and Rwanda, all have made their way to the town of Kakuma -- close to nowhere

S.Korean team visits North for talks on family reunions

SEOUL: A South Korean team crossed the heavily fortified border to North Korea Friday for talks about restarting reunions for separated families, as tension on the peninsula showed signs of easing."It is an urgent task to help separated families reunite with their relatives. We must not

Number of poor in US jumps to record 43.7 million

WASHINGTON: The number of people living in poverty in the United States leapt by nearly four million last year to 43.7 million, the highest number since the US Census began collecting data on America`s poor 51 years ago, officials said Thursday.One in seven people lived below the poverty

Japan cabinet resigns ahead of reshuffle: ministers

TOKYO: Japan`s cabinet resigned Friday, paving the way for a reshuffle by Prime Minister Naoto Kan later in the day, ministers told reporters.Justice Minister Keiko Chiba and Administrative Reform Minister Renho confirmed to reporters that they had all handed in their resignations.Kan is

Clinton says Mideast peace `within reach`

AMMAN: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday that the Israeli and Palestinian leaders are committed and serious about making peace, which is "within reach."She was speaking in Amman after talks with Jordanian King Abdullah II as this week`s thorny negotiations continue

Afghan election will be `better,` not perfect: US official

WASHINGTON: Afghanistan`s upcoming parliamentary elections will be "better" than the 2009 presidential ballot that was marred by widespread fraud, a senior US official said Thursday."We`ve seen progress" with Afghanistan`s Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Electoral Complaints

Exiled Pakistani politician murdered in London

LONDON: A leading Pakistani politician living in exile in Britain has been murdered outside his London home, his party and sources said Friday.Imran Farooq, a senior member of Pakistan`s Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party, was found with head injuries and stab wounds in north London on

IMF approves 451-million-dollar loan for flood-hit Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday announced it would give Pakistan a 451-million-dollar loan to help the country recover from devastating floods."The board`s approval enables the immediate disbursement of the full amount of this emergency assistance," the

4 Khmer Rouge leaders indicted for genocide, war crimes

PHNOM PENH: CAMBODIA`S UN-backed tribunal on Thursday indicted four former Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the regime`s most senior surviving member.`Brother Number Two` Nuon Chea, who served as deputy to Khmer Rouge founder Pol Pot,

US, European scientists map genome of cocoa-bean tree

WASHINGTON: Scientists have sequenced the genomes of two trees that produce cocoa beans, the basic ingredient in chocolate and a crop which millions depend on for a living, researchers said Wednesday.In the United States, researchers from food-maker Mars, technology giant IBM, several

Church heads not vigilant over sex abuse: Pope

EDINBURGH: Pope Benedict criticized Catholic church leaders on Thursday as "insufficiently vigilant" during decades of sexual abuse of children as he arrived in Britain to win over one of Europe`s most secular countries.The German pope was greeted by Queen Elizabeth at the start of his

Clinton to meet Abbas after threat to quit peace talks

JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas Thursday after he renewed his threat to quit peace talks in a row over Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.The meeting at 10:30 am (0830 GMT) follows two days of inconclusive peace

DPRK proposes military talks with S. Korea: report

SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People`s Republic of Korea has proposed to hold military talks with South Korea, Yonhap news agency quoted military authorities in the South as reporting on Thursday.Pyongyang Wednesday suggested the working-level talks via a military

Rahul Gandhi: Kashmir not a part time job, have to give Omar time, support

Kolkata:  "Kashmir is a tough and sensitive job. We should give Omar some time and support". That`s how Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi described the Kashmir situation while addressing the media after concluding his 3-day visit to Bengal.Rahul Gandhi spoke extensively on Kashmir.

Suu Kyi`s Myanmar opposition party protests dissolution

YANGON: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi`s party on Wednesday protested against its dissolution by authorities in the military-ruled country for its boycott of the first election in 20 years.State media, quoting the election commission, reported late Tuesday that the National

Indian PM urges Kashmir protesters to end violence

New Delhi: Protest in Srinagar on 14 September 2010 Analysts say the protests are the biggest security challenge to Indian rule in 20 yearsIndian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appealed to protesters in Kashmir to shun violence - as police shot dead four more demonstrators.He spoke

Karzai arrives in Pakistan for talks

ISLAMABAD:  Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in Islamabad Wednesday for talks with Pakistani leaders covering issues between the wary neighbours, a foreign office spokesman told AFP.Karzai was greeted by food and agriculture minister Nazar Muhammad Gondal and other senior officials