World news

South Sudan decides

JUBA, Sudan, Jan 9, 2011 ( REUTERS): Millions of jubilant south Sudanese voted Sunday in an independence referendum expected to see the region splitting away from the north to create Africa's newest nation.People queued for hours in the burning sun outside polling stations in the southern capital Ju

Scientists pinpoint deadly brain tumour's origin

Washington, January 9, 2011 (ANI)A team of researchers have discovered the type of cell that is at the origin of brain tumors known as oligodendrogliomas, which are a type of glioma -- a category that defines the most common type of malignant brain tumour.Investigators found that the tumour originat

71 killed in Iran plane crash

An IranAir passenger jet carrying 106 people crashed as it was making an emergency landing on Sunday in a snowstorm in the country's northwest and broke into several pieces, killing 71 of those on board, Iranian media reported. The others survived with light injuries. It was not clear what caused

Four solar, two lunar eclipses in 2011

Four solar and two total moon eclipses will be observed in different parts of the world, including in India, in 2011.The first solar eclipse will take place Jan 4. It will begin at 06:40 GMT and will be visible from Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa.At maximum eclipse in northern Europe, t

Strong 7.1 magnitude quake hits Chile

A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit central Chile, driving panicked residents from their homes due to fears of a tsunami but causing no injuries or damage, officials said.Last February, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake caused tsunami waves that devastated coastal towns in the same area of the South Ame

Australian government tenders apology to Haneef

MELBOURNE, December 23, 2010 : Admitting their mistake, Australian government on Thursday formally apologised to Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef and said sorry for wrongly detaining him on terror charges.The formal apology, issued by Australian government, came after Dr. Haneef reportedly received a s

'WikiLeaks will not affect India-U.S. ties'

WASHINGTON, December 23, 2010 : The release of secret State Department cables by WikiLeaks will not affect the growing relationship between India and the United States, the two countries have agreed.Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, called Minister of External Affairs S. M. Krishna over telephone

India doctor Haneef wins substantial compensation over bungled case

MELBOURNE: Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef has struck a deal with the Australian government for receiving a "substantial" compensation for his wrongful detention, three years after the traumatic experience which he said had a serious impact on his life and career. Haneef, who was detained after bein

Haneef wins 'substantial' compensation over bungled case

MELBOURNE, December 21, 2010,(PTI):Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef has struck a deal with the Australian government for receiving a "substantial" compensation for his wrongful detention; three years after the traumatic experience which he said had a serious impact on his life and career. Dr. Haneef,

UK varsity scraps Islamic Studies course

LONDON,Dec 21, 2010 (PTI): A UK university has scrapped its two-year course in Islamic Studies due to lack of students enrolling for the lectures, prompting a petition for the subject to continue. The Manchester Metropolitan University ran a two-year course on the religion and Middle-Eastern societ

How criminals use Facebook to commit crime

London - Dec 20 (ANI): Think giving out basic personal information on Facebook is harmless? You might need to rethink, as a reformed burglar has given details on how a criminal can use your user account as a tool for committing a crime. "The information people give out on Facebook, when linked up

Heavy snow hits air travel, roads across Europe

LONDON: Blizzards and freezing temperatures shut down runways, train tracks and highways across Europe on Saturday, disrupting flights and leaving shivering drivers stranded on roadsides.Airports in Britain, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark reported cancellations or delays to flig

3D TV can make you really sick

Avoid 3D TV as it can disorient the brain, causing eye strain, headaches, nausea and sickness, scientists warn.And the closer one is to the screen, the worse one feels, making 3D TVs more problematic than cinema screens.Studies show that in up to 20 percent of the viewers it could even induce physic

New mosque opened in Rotterdam by Al Maktoum Foundation

Rotterdam,18 December. 2010 (WAM): A new landmark mosque, built by theAl Maktoum Foundation at the expense of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin RashidAl Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, was opened here yesterday in the presence of leaders of the Muslim communityin Europe. The openin

'India's Muslim population largely unattracted to extremism'

London, Dec 18, (PTI): India's over 150 million Muslim population is largely unattracted to extremism, U.S. diplomatic cables have said, endorsing India's vibrant democracy, inclusive culture and nationalistic nature of the minority community. "Separatism and religious extremism have little appeal

Needle-free life awaits diabetics

Prospects of a needle-free future make diabetes specialists optimistic about how the condition will be managed in 10 to 20 years from now. By Dina El Shammaa, Gulf News Abu Dhabi,December 12, 2010: Prospects of a needle-free future make diabetes specialists optimistic about how the condition will b

WikiLeaks cables: Pfizer 'used dirty tricks to avoid clinical trial payout'

The world's biggest pharmaceutical company hired investigators to unearth evidence of corruption against the Nigerian attorney general in order to persuade him to drop legal action over a controversial drug trial involving children with meningitis, according to a leaked US embassy cable. Pfizer wa

Hackers target bank, credit card websites in WikiLeaks war

ZURICH: An anonymous group of hackers said Wednesday they had launched online attacks to shut down the websites of credit card Mastercard and a Swiss bank that cut off business ties with WikiLeaks. The self-styled 'hacktivist' group dubbed Anon_Operation said in one tweet that "www.mastercard.co