shameen Seoul, September 01: North Korea Tuesday lifted tough restrictions on cross-border traffic with South Korea, the government here said, its latest apparent goodwill gesture after months of hostility.
As of Tuesday the North was allowing 12 northbound crossings and 11 return trips a day, the unification ministry said, compared to just three daily crossings each way under curbs imposed last December.
Kaohsiung, September 01: The Dalai Lama Tuesday led thousands in prayer in his first big public appearance since arriving in Taiwan, as China signalled its ire by postponing or scaling down planned events with the island.
Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader emerged in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 in a stadium in the southern city of Kaohsiung, underlining the devout Buddhism of a large part of the population on the island.
Washington, September 01: The White House has dismissed former vice-president Dick Cheney’s attacks on a probe into alleged CIA abuses of “war on terrorism” detainees and sharply questioned his foreign policy judgement.
“This is the same song and dance we’ve heard since literally the first day of our administration,” spokesman Robert Gibbs said after Cheney blasted the investigation as politically driven and harmful to national security.
Khartoum, September 01: Tribesmen trying to steal cattle attacked a village in southern Sudan, sparking a conflict that killed 46 people, including seven soldiers, the UN has said.
The incident was the latest in a rising wave of tribal violence in the south that has killed more than 2,000 people, including many women and children, and displaced another 250,000, according to the UN.
Tehran, September 01: Iran’s new judiciary chief has called for the swift release of some protesters jailed in the aftermath of the June presidential election, newspapers Tuesday quoted a prominent MP as saying.
“Ayatollah (Sadeq) Larijani said it is necessary to release immediately a group of detainees,” said Kazem Jalali, who is the spokesman of a parliamentary panel set up to look into unrest that followed the disputed poll.
Baghdad, September 01: The month of August witnessed the highest number of deaths from violence in Iraq for 13 months, official figures showed Tuesday, with 456 people killed across the conflict-torn nation.
Statistics compiled by the defence, interior and health ministries showed that 393 civilians, 48 police and 15 soldiers were killed.
The figures marked the highest monthly death toll since July 2008, when a total of 465 people were killed.
August saw two massive truck bombings at the ministries of finance and foreign affairs in Baghdad that killed at least 95 people.
Tokyo, September 01: An estimated 795,000 people from Tokyo and 30 other prefectures took part in annual anti-earthquake drills conducted by the central and local governments Tuesday, the 86th anniversary of the 1923 killer quake, the Cabinet Office said.
The central government held the drill on the presumption that a quake with a magnitude of 7.3 and the maximum intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 pounded the heavily populated Tokyo metropolitan area.
New Delhi, September 01: In yet another confirmation of the expansion of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, a new report has revealed that the Islamabad is readying new nuclear facilities and weapons to go with it.
As per a media report, a top US nuclear scientists group has unearthed new evidence of Pakistan government’s continuing efforts to enhance its nuclear weapon stockpile.
Islamabad, September 01: At least five militants, including two top commanders, were killed and 12 others injured Tuesday by security forces in Pakistan’s restive Khyber tribal region bordering Afghanistan in an operation against a banned group during which three hideouts of insurgents were also destroyed.
The operation against Lashkar-e-Islam group was launched this morning after curfew was clamped in the region. The homes of several militant commanders and three hideouts were demolished by troops at Bara in Khyber Agency and 28 insurgents were also arrested.
Islamabad, September 01: Disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who has admitted leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya, said Tuesday restrictions on his movements had been lifted.
Asked if local newspaper reports that the government restrictions had been removed were correct, Khan said, “By the grace of Allah, yes.”
In February, a Pakistani court declared Khan a free man, five years after the reputed father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb was effectively put under house arrest for operating a proliferation network.
New Delhi, September 01: The coal sector will soon get a regulator of its own, like the ones for insurance and telecom, to oversee key issues such as price for long-term fuel supply and e-auctioning.
“A cabinet note for appointment of a coal regulator has been approved by the Ministry of Coal…It is planned to send the same to Cabinet along with concerned Bill, which will then, after approval, be introduced in Parliament shortly,” a Planning Commission presentation before the full Plan panel chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
New Delhi, September 01: Life has changed for Deepika Chatterjee. She plans to buy a house, travel in a chauffeur-driven car and no longer hesitates before buying expensive airline tickets.
Chatterjee is among millions of government employees in India who are enjoying a substantial hike in pay after the central government last year approved a larger-than-expected wage hike.
Karachi, September 01: Former Pakistan Test player Salim Altaf has been sacked as chief operating officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“The chairman of the board (Ejaz Butt) has said in a letter that the services of Mr Salim Altaf are no longer required by the board,” a PCB spokesman said on Monday.
Altaf told Reuters he had not received any termination letter from the board as yet, adding: “I reserve the right to pursue legal action against the board for this unfair dismissal of my services.”
–Agencies
London, September 01: Out of form spinner Monty Panesar and Ian Bell are among the six English cricketers, who are set to take off the list of England`s centrally-contracted players when the new deals are announced in the next 15 days.
According to a report, Ryan Sidebottom and Stephen Harmison, who is considering retirement, could also be taken off the centrally-contracted
players` list.
“As many as half of England`s centrally contracted players could miss out when the next wave of year-long deals is announced,” the newspaper reported.
Sydney, September 01: Adam Voges has been added to Australia`s one-day squad on tour in England to replace injured wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
Voges was already in England with Australia`s Twenty20 team but will remain with the side for the one-day series after Haddin returned home for surgery on a broken finger.
“With Brad Haddin`s injury, the national selection panel has taken the opportunity to add Adam Voges to Australia`s squad for the seven one-day internationals against England,” chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said in a statement on Tuesday.
Colombo, September 01: New Zealand`s pace spearhead Shane Bond makes a comeback to official cricket after two years when he plays in a Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka here on Tuesday.
Bond, 34, regarded as the best New Zealand fast bowler since Richard Hadlee, was delighted to be playing again for his country after snapping links with the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL).
“It`s been a long time coming and it`s something I never thought would happen again,” he said. “It feels like I am starting all over again.”
Washington, September 01: The crews of the space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station
Monday transferred a container holding 816 kilograms of cargo to the station.
In the first day of joint operations at the station, the crews used a robotic arm to take the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module out of the shuttle’s payload bay and install it outside the station for easy access during spacewalks.
Beijing, September 01: An Indonesian communications satellite launched from China failed to enter a preset orbit, state media reported, in another setback in China’s efforts to market its space launch capability.
China is rapidly expanding its own space capability and plans to land a vehicle on the moon in 2012.
The Palapa D satellite, owned by Indonesian satellite communications company Indosat, was launched by a Chinese-made Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang launch site in Sichuan province, southwestern China on Monday.
Sydney, September 01: The search for the best observatory site in the world has led to the discovery of what is thought to be the coldest, driest and calmest place on earth.
No human is thought to have ever been there but it is expected to yield images of the heavens three times sharper than ever taken from the ground. The site known as Ridge A is 4,053 metres high up on the Antarctic Plateau.
Mumbai, September 01: Having lived a tumultuous life owing to his spoilt bratty ways, Sanjay Dutt’s real life story has all the elements needed to make a smash hit potboiler. From drug addiction to a much publicized prison term, Dutt makes the perfect poster boy for a man destroyed by wealth and fame.
And now choreographer-turned-writer Ahmed Khan is all set to make an autobiographical film on the actor’s life with Sanju in the lead.
Mumbai, September 01: Noted playback singer Sukhvinder Singh, who has lend his voice to many charbusters including `Jai Ho` from Oscar-winning `Slumdog Millionaire`, has decided to test his acting skills and is all set to make his onscreen debut with `Khudi Ko Kar Bulund Itna`.
Sukhvinder, who has given hit numbers like `Jalwa` (Fashion) and `Dhan Te Dhan` (Kaminey) more recently, said he chose this movie because he identified closely with the film`s subject.
Mumbai, September 01: Rajkumar Santoshi`s `Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani` is all set for a threatrical release on November six.
Santoshi, who has not had box office success for quite some time, has tried his hand at comedy after his debut movie `Andaz Apna Apna`.
He is optimistic that audiences will like the film and his lead pair Ranbir Kapoor-Katrina Kaif.
“Katrina has tried her hand at comedy for the first time and has done a good job,” Santoshi said.
“Ranbir plays Prem in the film. It`s a love story and Prem also stands for love,” he said.
Our Prophet Mohammed , Salla Allahu Wa Sallam, after enlightening us with the way of Islam, before departing from this mortal world left behind for us two things to draw strength , succor and sustenance from and to rely and rally around for all the guidance and light and power – Al-Quran, the Ultimate Word and Testament of God and his Life the Uswa-e Husna- The NOBLE MODEL.
Islamabad, September 01: Investigations into the hijacking of a Russian warship in April by Somali pirates show that Pakistani nationals played an important role in the hijack.
Twelve Pakistanis had been apprehended along with the Somali pirates. Pakistan has so far not launched a probe into the Russian allegations and claimed that 12 men were fishermen, the Times Now television channel reports.
Muscat, September 01: Most of the deaths caused by H1N1 in Oman resulted from patients’ delay in reporting to health institutions, a key official said.
In other cases, Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saidi, Health Affairs Under-secretary, added the infected persons suffered from other diseases.
Nine people, including an expatriate, have lost their lives to swine flu in the Sultanate.
The total number of people affected by the disease since it first broke out in Oman at the end of July is around 900.