Month: January 2010

London, January 04: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Sunday he believed a global agreement to combat climate change might still be possible despite the limited results of last month’s Copenhagen meeting.

“I’ve got an idea about how we can actually move this forward over the next few months and I’ll be working on this,” Brown told. when asked what came next after the U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen.

Seoul, January 04: President Lee Myung-Bak’s remarks followed a call by North Korea on Friday for an end to hostile relations with South Korea’s key ally, the United States, and a nuclear-free peninsula.

“This year, South Korea and North Korea should create a turning point in their relations,” Lee said in a nationally television New Year’s address, suggesting the establishment of an inter-Korean dialogue body.

Canberra, January 04: Two strong earthquakes damaged villages and triggered landslides in remote parts of the Solomon Islands on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties, police said.

The magnitude 7.2 and 6.5 quakes struck close together around 2148 GMT and occurred around 55 miles (88 km) south-southeast of the small South Pacific island of Gizo, the U.S. Geological Survey and Pacific Tsunami Warning Centres said.

Seoul, January 04: South Korea said on Monday it was seeking “a turning point” in relations with North Korea and again urged its communist nuclear-armed northern neighbour to disarm.

President Lee Myung-Bak’s remarks followed a call by North Korea on Friday for an end to hostile relations with South Korea’s key ally, the United States, and a nuclear-free peninsula.

“This year, South Korea and North Korea should create a turning point in their relations,” Lee said in a nationally television New Year’s address, suggesting the establishment of an inter-Korean dialogue body.

Beijing, January 04: Young men climb a railing at the back for a better view, while a woman in a Muslim head scarf snaps photos on her cell phone.

Every Friday afternoon, students pack a college classroom in Beijing to catch a glimpse of the sharply dressed professor punching the air as he speaks with surprising candor about the travails of his ethnic group, the Uighurs.

Washington, January 04: Air travelers from Nigeria, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and nine other countries will face full-body pat downs before boarding airliners under new security screening procedures targeting foreign passengers announced by the United States on Sunday.

The procedures, which go into effect on Monday, follow the botched Christmas Day bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner blamed on a Nigerian man who U.S. officials believe was trained by al Qaeda in Yemen.

Beijing, January 04: Heavy snow hit Beijing on Sunday, stranding thousands of passengers at the main airport and casting an unusual quiet over normally busy streets as people stayed out of the freezing weather.

More than 90 percent of flights at Beijing’s Capital International Airport, the country’s busiest, were cancelled or delayed, state television said, with only one of its three runways open.

Airports in the nearby cities of Tianjin, Hohhot and Dalian closed, the report added.

Washington, January 04: The White House on Sunday ruled out any rethinking over its decision to close down the Guantanamo terrorist detention center, amidst increasing call form the Republicans to do so.

“No, it doesn’t, because that was the result of a very meticulous and rigorous process that we’ve had in place since the beginning of this administration,” John Brennan, the Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, said in an interview.

Newark, January 04: Authorities are searching for a man who walked through a screening checkpoint exit into the secure side of a terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport. Flights have been grounded, and passengers are being re-screened.

Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Sari Koshetz says a man was seen walking down an exit lane at Terminal C about 5:30 pm on Sunday. Screening was halted in the terminal while authorities looked at surveillance tapes to identify the man.

Newark, January 04: Authorities are searching for a man who walked through a screening checkpoint exit into the secure side of a terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport. Flights have been grounded, and passengers are being re-screened.

Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Sari Koshetz says a man was seen walking down an exit lane at Terminal C about 5:30 pm on Sunday. Screening was halted in the terminal while authorities looked at surveillance tapes to identify the man.

Washington, January 04: top White House official said on Sunday the plot to bomb a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day exposed errors but he played down the need for a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. security system.

John Brennan, a senior White House adviser on counterterrorism, said there was no “smoking gun” that would have alerted authorities to the attempted bombing.

Facing criticism over the foiled attack on a Northwest Airlines flight, the Obama administration announced plans for closer screening of airline passengers from 14 countries.