BEIJING: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged Japan to release a boat captain "immediately and unconditionally," state media said Wednesday, after his arrest in disputed waters set off a diplomatic crisis."Otherwise, China will take further measures," Wen was quoted as saying by the official

NEW YORK: The six powers seeking to curb Iran`s nuclear ambitions prepared to meet Wednesday to review the latest UN sanctions against Tehran and mull its appeals to enter negotiations.The meeting in New York of the permanent five UN Security Council members -- the United States, Russia,

UNITED NATIONS: European leaders have offered one billion euros (1.3 billion dollars) at the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) summit here, amid mounting calls for money to pay for the battle to cut extreme poverty.The huge sum was offered late Monday by EU commission president Jose

MUZAFFARABAD: A school bus carrying up to 35 children plunged into a river in Pakistani Kashmir on Tuesday, killing at least 15 pupils, an official said."We have recovered the bodies of 15 children," said Chaudhry Imtiaz, deputy commissioner for Muzaffarabad, the capital of

Bogota: An airstrike on a rebel camp by the Colombian Air Force may have killed up to 60 people, Admiral Edgar Cely, commander of Colombia`s military forces, said Monday, citing intelligence reports. The bombing raid Sunday in Putumayo province was first believed to have killed of 22

KABUL: Nine foreign troops were killed in a NATO helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the military alliance said, taking the overall death toll among foreign forces to an annual record.Two NATO troops, an Afghan soldier and a US civilian, were also injured, NATO`s

TOKYO: Japan`s top government spokesman warned Tuesday that all sides must avoid arousing "narrow-minded, extreme nationalism" in a row with China over Japan`s arrest of a Chinese fishing boat captain.Tokyo and Beijing are embroiled in their worst dispute in years over the arrest, which

Jerusalem: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders 11 times in three Middle Eastern cities last week, a diplomatic marathon that produced only promises that the adversaries remain committed to the latest U.S.-led peace initiative.Clinton couldn`t

KABUL: Concerns grew about intimidation and fraud in Afghanistan`s parliamentary election as the Tuesday deadline for complaints about the conduct of Afghanistan`s parliamentary elections approached.Millions of Afghans voted Saturday in their second parliamentary poll since the 2001

NEW YORK: Former President Bill Clinton hopes that pledges to help quake-devastated Haiti at his philanthropic "summit" this week will push governments to fulfill promises of billions of dollars in reconstruction.Clinton, who is the U.N. special envoy for Haiti, will hold a special

Washington: The new global power lineup in the US for 2010 compiling the world`s most powerful countries/regions recognised India as the third most powerful country behind the US and China, and predicted that its clout as well as that of China and Brazil would further rise by 2025."Global

COPIAPO, Chile:  A third drilling rig being used in the effort to reach 33 trapped Chilean miners made good progress in its first day of operation, offering hope for accelerating the rescue, officials said Monday.The oil-drilling RIG-421 had burrowed some 23 meters (75 feet) in less than

SEOUL:  North Korea`s ruling party will hold its biggest meeting in decades on September 28 to pick a new leadership, state media reported on Tuesday, and likely anoint an heir to the dynasty as Kim Jong-il`s health deteriorates.Kim, who is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008, has

BAGHDAD: Iraq has recovered more than 600 historical artefacts that had been stolen and then recovered but mistakenly stored in a warehouse in the country for around two years, a minister said on Monday.The 638 items include statues, spearheads and glass cups that were taken from Iraq and

Srinagar: Thirty nine politicians of different ideologies, personalities and opinions touched down in Srinagar on Monday hoping to make a gentle landing in the volatile Kashmir valley. These politicians were seeking a united political consensus in a state that has seen 100 civilian deaths

BHOPAL: Twenty-two people were killed and dozens more injured when two trains collided in central India on Monday, officials said, in the latest fatal smash on the country`s vast rail network.The crash occurred in the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, some 350 kilometres (220 miles)

TORONTO: "The King`s Speech," a movie about a stammering British royal pressed to overcome a speech disorder to rally his empire at war, won the Toronto film festival`s People`s Choice Award on Sunday.The film stars Colin Firth as King George VI, who was plagued by a dreaded nervous

TORONTO: "The King`s Speech," a movie about a stammering British royal pressed to overcome a speech disorder to rally his empire at war, won the Toronto film festival`s People`s Choice Award on Sunday.The film stars Colin Firth as King George VI, who was plagued by a dreaded nervous

STOCKHOLM:  Sweden`s centre-right government looked headed for a second term in office, according to early results from Sunday`s vote, while a far-right party will enter parliament for the first time.Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt`s centre-right coalition won 48.8 percent of votes,

BIRMINGHAM: Pope Benedict XVI flew out of Britain Sunday after an historic four-day state visit, as Prime Minister David Cameron said he had made people "sit up and think."The pope departed from Birmingham, central England, at 6:45 pm (1745 GMT) on board an Alitalia plane and was due to