Port Au Prince, January 31: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Haiti’s leaders on Sunday to adopt an internationally backed solution to untangle an election dispute, saying the poor, earthquake-battered country needed a stable government to rebuild.
Clinton held talks in Port-au-Prince with outgoing Haitian President Rene Preval and leading presidential candidates on a visit overshadowed by the unfolding political crisis in Egypt.
Mumbai, January 31: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex plummeted by over 300 points in opening trade today as panicky fund managers and retail investors gave into selling pressure for the fourth consecutive session, prompted by weak global cues amid concerns over the unrest in Egypt.
The 30-share barometer fell by 301.70 points, or 1.68 per cent, to 18,094.27 points in the first few minutes of trade today. The Sensex had lost 755 points in the previous three sessions.
New Delhi, January 31: The 15 Somali pirates, who were apprehended by the Indian Navy following a gunbattle off the coast of Lakshadweep Islands, will be interrogated in Mumbai today.
“They (pirates) are being brought to Mumbai and their interrogation would take place today,” said Commander PVS Satish, the naval spokesperson.
The pirates were caught after the Thailand-registered ”Prantalay” which was being used by them was intercepted by Navy”s Fast Attack Craft (FAC) INS Canskaro on Friday last in the Arabian Sea.
Colombo, January 31: A group of men broke into the offices of a website and set fire to it Monday, a journalist from the publication said.
Bennett Rupasinghe, news editor of LankaeNews.com, said the fire destroyed everything in the offices.
Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said authorities were investigating the cause of the blaze.
Prageeth Ekneligoda, a columnist for LankaeNews.com, disappeared a year ago and is suspected to have been abducted.
Amnesty International says at least 14 Sri Lankan media workers have been killed since the beginning of 2006.
—Agencies
Gaza, January 31: The president of Cyprus has announced that his country recognizes a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders after several South American states made the similar move.
Demetris Christofias sent a letter to acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, pointing out to the “historic deep relations” between Palestine and Cyprus, Haaretz quoted Palestinian news agency Wafa as reporting.
He also expressed hope that a Palestinian state will be formed with East al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital.
Gaza, January 31: People in the Gaza Strip are stockpiling supplies due to concerns that Egypt’s uprising will affect the flow of basic necessities through the Rafah border crossing.
Egyptian protesters took to the streets for the sixth consecutive day on Sunday to express their rage against President Hosni Mubarak and his government, urging Mubarak to resign.
The protests came after the Tunisian revolution two weeks ago, which toppled President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali after 23 years in power.
Islamabad, Jaunary 31: Pakistan’s religious parties have staged one of the country’s biggest rallies in Lahore to protest against amendment to the blasphemy law.
The main opposition religious party Jamat-e-Islami, along with seven other parties, including Pakistan Muslim League and the banned Jamat-ud-dawa, held the demonstrations on Sunday, a Press TV correspondent reported.
This comes despite repeated assurances by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani that the blasphemy law would not be changed in a bid to gain the confidence of people.
Tunis, January 31: The Arab League’s (AL) secretary general has warned that Arab states are on the brink of revolution, calling for an Arab “renaissance.”
“The Tunisian revolution is not far from us,” Amr Moussa told 20 Arab leaders and other representatives gathered in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday, adding that the Arabs have entered an “unprecedented state of anger and frustration.”
Moussa noted that he wanted to see a multi-party democracy emerge in Egypt, but could not say how soon that might happen.
Islamabad, January 31: Pro-Taliban militants in Pakistan have broken a truce and attacked a village in Kurram Agency, leaving several casualties from both sides.
A council of elders in the region had announced on Friday that Turi Bangash tribes and pro-Taliban militants have agreed on a truce and that the main Thall-Parachinar Road, which has remained closed for about four years, would be reopened within 24 hours.
Cairo, January 31: Israel has provided the Egyptian government with weapons amid the country’s popular uprising demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, reports say.
The reports followed phone conversations between the US, Egyptian and Israeli defense ministers as the anti-government protests entered the seventh day on Monday.
Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi has warned the protesters against defying curfew that has now been extended and is to be in place from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time.
Johanesburg, January 31: The African Union has accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor of double standards, challenging the court’s ability to deliver justice.
Chairman of the African Union Commission Jean Ping accused Luis Moreno-Ocampo of bias, arguing that his scant respect for legal procedures is undermining ICC’s credibility.
“We Africans and the African Union are not against the International Criminal Court. That should be clear… We are against Ocampo who is rendering justice with double standards,” Reuters quoted Ping as saying on Sunday.
Islamabad, January 31: The Pakistani government has announced that it does not intend to hand over an American national, who is charged with the killing of two citizens in Lahore, to the US.
“It is wrong to say that at this stage the government has decided to send Davis to the US. The government will not sit quiet on the shooting of our nationals,” presidential spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, said in a statement on Sunday.
“The law will take its own course and investigations are still going on. Legal process will be observed and respected,” he added.
Madrid, January 31: The Muslim population in Spain will grow by 82 percent by 2030 as the number of people converting to Islam has shown an increase over the past seven years, a new survey shows.
According to the survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Muslims currently account for just over 1 million of Spain’s overall population, which is expected to increase to about 1.9 million in the next two decades, a Media correspondent reported on Sunday.
Mumbai, January 31: He loves her grace, her precision and her moves. Choreographer Remo D’Souza, who worships only late King of Pop Michael Jackson after Jesus Christ, says “Madhuri (Dixit) is like lady MJ”.
“I have always been very fond of Madhuri. I love almost all of her songs and her dance is incomparable. Today’s actresses don’t come close to her dance and expressions. She is so flexible, so emotive – for me, she is completely like lady Michael Jackson,” Remo told IANS.
Islamabad, January 31: Despite repeated assurances including by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani that the blasphemy laws would not be changed, the ‘religious’ right wing parties took out yet another rally in Lahore on Sunday protesting against reforming the provisions.
The rally was one in a series of such protest actions that the ‘religious’ right wing parties have been organising across the country over the past couple of months after the blasphemy law issue was prised open with the award of death sentence to a Christian woman, Asia Bibi.
New Delhi, January 31:Award-winning Indian American novelist and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni tries to heal the distress she encountered in a post 9/11 America by writing books for children. She also strives to explore the complicated identities of diasporic communities in novels for older readers.
New Delhi, January 31:Award-winning Indian American novelist and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni tries to heal the distress she encountered in a post 9/11 America by writing books for children. She also strives to explore the complicated identities of diasporic communities in novels for older readers.
New Delhi, January 31:Award-winning Indian American novelist and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni tries to heal the distress she encountered in a post 9/11 America by writing books for children. She also strives to explore the complicated identities of diasporic communities in novels for older readers.
Cairo, January 31: Anti-government demonstrators defied a curfew to protest into Monday morning in Egypt’s capital, demanding President Hosny Mubarak step down from office after three decades of rule.
Leading opposition activist Mohammed ElBaradei had earlier on Sunday promised tens of thousands of protesters that change would come to their country, as they staged a sixth day of demonstrations in Cairo and other cities.
New Delhi, January 31: Hitting out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today accused the saffron outfit of pursuing terror tactics.
“It was an RSS man who killed Gandhiji. RSS is pursuing terror. It was involved in terror plots,” Azad alleged.
Addressing a function here in connection with Mahatma Gandhi”s 63rd death anniversary, the senior Congress leader said that the RSS” name has surfaced repeatedly in the communal riots across the country in the past few decades.
New Delhi, January 31:Air operations at the IGI airport here virtually come to a standstill this morning due to dense fog which disrupted the schedule of over 20 flights and led to the diversion of two others.
A Jet Airways flight from Abu Dhabi was diverted to Mumbai while a Spicejet flight from Mumbai was diverted to Jaipur after general visibility dropped to less than 50 metres, an airport official said.
Most of flights scheduled to depart early morning were delayed as the runway visibility dropped to 75 metres, far below the required minima of 125 metres.
Brisbane, January 31: Australia claimed the one-day international series against England with a 51-run win in the fifth match at the Gabba in Brisbane on Sunday.
After winning the toss and batting Australia made 249, with second-gamer Chris Woakes picking up a record-equalling six wickets.
It seemed insufficient, but the tourists slumped to 145-9, before a late flurry from Steve Finn (35 off 24 balls) boosted their score to a more respectable 198.
New Delhi, January 31: Around 20 crore people will be diagnosed for various diseases in a soon-to-be launched health care programme by the Centre, touted to be the world’s biggest pilot project in health sector.
“We will launch world’s largest pilot project in health sector in the country. We will soon start screening 20 crore people for various ailments -cancer, diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases in 100 remote and inaccessible districts and in 33 cities in next 14 months period,” Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad told reporters here.
Riyadh, January 31: The Saudi press agency says King Abdullah has told President Barack Obama that there should be no bargaining about Egypt’s stability and the security of its people.
SPA said on Sunday that Mr. Obama phoned the king in Morocco, where he is recuperating from surgery, and that both leaders were not happy with the chaotic situation and looting.
It said the king talked on Saturday to President Hosni Mubarak and assured him that the Saudi government and people stand with the Egyptian government and people.
Davos, January 31: Home Minister P Chidambaram has said “some evidence” has emerged in the 2007 Samjhauta blast case and India will share information with Pakistan once the probe is over.
“We have not said that we will not provide evidence. These are early phases of investigation…once the investigation is complete we will share the evidence with Pakistani authorities,” he said.
Chidambaram said that he had conveyed India’s position to his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik.