Month: September 2009

Berlin, September 01: Germany and France on Monday reinforced a call for Iran to respond to concerns about its nuclear program in September or face tougher sanctions, and said they wanted wide international agreement on those measures.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pointed to a Group of Eight leaders’ agreement in July to reevaluate their position on Iran at a G-20 summit in late September. President Barack Obama has set a Sept. 15 deadline for Iran to respond to U.S. overtures about negotiating over its nuclear program.

Tokyo, September 01: Japan’s newly empowered Democratic Party said on Tuesday that it was ready to do battle with the mighty state bureaucrats to reduce their tight grip over the world’s number two economy.

The centre-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which scored a landslide victory in Sunday’s general election, has made wresting power from civil servants one of its main policy goals.

Washington, September 01: The Congressional Budget Office may be missing potential savings from various health reform proposals by not looking at efforts to manage or prevent expensive, chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, researchers said in a study released on Tuesday.

The study, published in the Tuesday edition of the Health Affairs journal, comes as members of the U.S. Congress prepare to return to Washington next week and again take up legislation to revamp the U.S. healthcare system.

Melbourne, September 01: The number of Australians tying the knot has hit a 20-year high, reversing the trend for an institution that appeared to be going out of fashion only a few years ago, according to official data.

The figures show 118,756 marriages were registered in Australia last year, up 2.1 percent on 2007 and more than 12 percent on the recent low of about 104,000 in 2001.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics said the increasing popularity of marriage coincided with a fall in the number of divorces, which hit a 20-year low of 47,209 in 2008.

Los Cabos, September 01: Hurricane Jimena grew into a highly dangerous storm as it raced toward Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Monday, scaring tourists, prompting residents to sandbag homes and disrupting a top-level finance conference.

Jimena’s winds strengthened to nearly 155 mph (250 kph), almost reaching the threshold of a deadly Category 5 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Category 5 hurricanes are the top of the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale and can be devastating if they hit land.

Washington, September 01: US President Barack Obama may moderate a meeting between the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority at the United Nations next month in talks that could lead to the resumption of the peace process, Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Monday.

Plans are for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to meet during the U.N. General Assembly to discuss the future of stalled Middle East peace negotiations, Peres said in a Fox News interview.

Port Klang (Malaysia), September 01: Pakistan views Malaysia as a strategic naval partner in combating piracy and terrorism, captain of the visiting Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Zulfiquar has said.

‘We view Malaysia as an important destination and a defence partner, not only in counter piracy and terrorism, but also in maritime assistance,’ Captain Zahid Ilyas said.

Zulfiquar, a Chinese-built ship, was handed over to the Pakistani Navy July 30.

Los Angeles, September 01: A deadly wildfire destroyed more than four dozen homes as it blackened a wide swath of tinder-dry Southern California forest, forced thousands of residents to flee and burned dangerously close Monday to a vital mountaintop broadcasting complex.

Fire crews battling the blaze in the Angeles National Forest tried desperately to beat back the flames and prayed for weather conditions to ease. The fire was the largest of at least eight burning across California after days of triple-digit temperatures and low humidity.

Washington, Sept 01: A Tamil journalist, J S Tissainayagam sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in Sri Lanka for links with LTTE, and whose case has been highlighted by US President Barack Obama has bagged two prestigious international awards.

Global Media Forum and the US Branch of Reporters Without Borders yesterday announced that Jayaprakash Sittampalam Tissainayagam has been selected as the first winner of the Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism. The award would be presented in October.

Washington, Sept 01: The US has taken ‘very seriously’ the reports about illegal modifications made in the American-made Harpoon anti-ship missile by Pakistan, to expand capabilities to strike land targets, a potential threat to India, even as Islamabad has agreed for ‘mutual inspections’.

Los Angeles, Sept 01: Celebrity Indian-American fashion designer Anand Jon was sentenced to 59 years in prison by a court here for sexually assaulting aspiring models.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Wesley announced the judgement following a day-long passionate argument by 35-year-old Jon himself seeking a fresh trial.

In his ruling, Wesley said there were no new grounds for granting such a motion.

Jon showed no reaction as Judge Wesley said he should be incarcerated as long as possible for preying upon young girls and women.

Colombo, September 01: A Sri Lankan reporter, recently named by US President Barack Obama as an example of the way journalists are persecuted around the world, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for writing articles critical of the government’s military operations.

In a case that campaigners say highlights a campaign of intimidation against the country’s independent media, JS Tissainayagam was jailed after a court decided he had breached harsh anti-terror laws. He is the first journalist to be convicted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.