World News
Browse all articles and features filed under the News desk.
Swedish court approves detention of WikiLeaks founder
A Swedish court Thursday approved a prosecutor’s request to detain the founder of whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, as part of a probe into alleged rape. The decision was announced after a closed-door hearing at the Stockholm district court. Assange is suspected
Al Qaeda man behind Pune blast plotting attacks in Europe
German intelligence agents have received evidence from the US that Al Qaeda has sent two to four terrorists to Germany and Britain via India and the UAE, media reported Wednesday. The mastermind behind the possible attacks was named as Mohammed Ilyas Kashmiri, a leading Al Qaeda
LeT a profoundly dangerous group: US
The United States says it is working with allies around the world to ensure that a “profoundly dangerous” Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) does not emerge as a major terrorist group as Al Qaeda itself is diminished. “I don’t think I ever said LeT was more dangerous than Al Qa
The world mourns Paul the octopus, Maradona doesn’t
The international football community Wednesday mourned the death of Paul the Psychic Octopus while Diego Maradona was apparently pleased. Paul made a last round of global headlines after his German aquarium announced that he died in the night between Monday and Tuesday. Paul gain
Saudi prince sentenced to life for murder
A Saudi prince was Wednesday given a life prison term for beating and strangling his aide to death in a luxury hotel in London in what the court described as the final act in a “deeply abusive” master-servant relationship. The judge at the Old Bailey court in London ruled that Pr
Israeli army to block social networking sites
The Israeli army plans to block several leading social networking websites, including Facebook and Twitter, for security concerns, an official said Tuesday. According to Xinhua, Gadi Abadi, head of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) intelligence corps information security department
11 killed in Karachi violence, toll reaches 60
At least 11 people were killed Tuesday evening when gunmen fired at pedestrians in Pakistan’s Karachi city, taking the death toll in four days of violence to 60. The violence broke out Saturday night, hours ahead of the Sunday by-poll for an assembly seat in Karachi, capital of P
Delhi was target after ISI-aided Mumbai attack, says Headley
Pakistani-American terror suspect David Headley has told Indian investigators that he had scouted Delhi for potential strike targets, including the prime minister’s residence and key defence complexes, four months after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which Pakistan’s Inter-Serv
Colombia wins spot on UN Security Council
The UN General Assembly Tuesday elected Colombia to hold one of the two non-permanent seats on the Security Council reserved for Latin America and the Caribbean during 2011-12. During the first round of the voting, Germany was also selected by ballot to occupy one of the two seat
Victorious India to step up quest for permanent UNSC
As India Tuesday gained a two-year term on the Security Council after a gap of 19 years, it vowed to step up its quest for a permanent seat on the powerful decision making body of the United Nations. While India’s election for a non-permanent seat on the 15-member body was a fore
India seeks global cooperation to defeat terrorism, piracy
India Tuesday sought structured global cooperation to defeat the “serious challenge” of piracy and terrorism that has reached “transnational proportions”. Addressing the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus eight (Asean+8) defence ministers meeting in this Vietnam ca
Rescue of trapped miners begin in Chile
The first rescue worker was lowered into the Chilean mine late Tuesday, the official beginning of the rescue of 33 trapped miners. “Imagine you’re at the beach,” said one of the rescue workers who helped enclose him in the 54-cm wide Phoenix capsule for the descent 622 metres int
Indian student visa applications for Canada rising
At a time when countries like Britain and Australia are seeing an unprecedented rise in student visa applications from India, Canada is not concerned about this as it has seen a 100 percent rise in applications, a diplomat here said Sunday. “During the last few years, we have see
30 killed in Iraq attacks
At least 30 people were killed and dozens injured in a series of bomb attacks across Baghdad Sunday, according to Iraqi media and military sources. The al-Yaqen news website reported that 18 people were killed in a car bombing in the al-Mansour neighbourhood, in the southwest of
Jama Masjid shooting: US posts security advisory
With the shooting near the historic Jama Masjid Sunday morning renewing security concerns about the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, the US Sunday issued an advisory to its citizens in India asking them to “maintain a heightened situational awareness”. “US citizens are urged to alway
Obama pens children’s book
He may have the weight of the world on his shoulders, but Barack Obama still has time to jot down a few musings for younger citizens. The US president will Nov 16 release an illustrated children’s book called “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters”, publisher Random House said
1.3 mn Haitians still in camps months after quake: UN
Nearly nine months after a devastating earthquake, an estimated 1.3 million Haitians are still living in temporary shelters while the country struggles with reconstruction and rebuilding a government, the United Nations said Thursday in an updated report. The 1.3 million people d
IMF offers $450 mn flood aid to Pakistan
The International Monetary Fund Thursday pledged $450 million in emergency loans to Pakistan to help the country cope with a massive flood disaster. The IMF is also in talks with Pakistan about handing over the next instalment in a loan programme that has been running since Novem
Antony visits South Korea amid row with China
Defence Minister A.K. Antony Thursday embarked on a two-day visit to South Korea to boost military ties with the East Asian nation amid a hushed row with China over visa denial to an Indian army officer and the presence of its forces in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. This is the
Indian student visas fall by half in Australia
The number of Indians granted student visas in Australia during the last financial year has fallen to 29,721, less than half of the number in 2008-09. Overall, the number of international student visas dropped more than 16 percent. The results follow a year of turmoil in the educ