ATHENS - Greece halted foreign mail deliveries on Wednesday after nearly a dozen small parcel bombs were discovered addressed to the leaders of France, Germany and Italy and foreign embassies in Athens. A package addressed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel reached her Berlin offices on Tuesday, wh

BERLIN - A parcel containing an explosive device was on Tuesday intercepted at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's offices, hours after parcel bombs exploded at the Russian and Swiss embassies in Athens. The parcel bomb, purportedly sent by the Greek Economic Ministry, was addressed to Ms. Merkel per

WASHINGTON - With less than 100 hours left for Barack Obama to leave for his historic trip to India, the White House has said that the U.S. President is looking to elevate the Indo-U.S. relationship to a whole new level, far away from the misunderstanding and differences of the Cold War. "We are lo

WASHINGTON - The U.S.-India business community wants President Barack Obama to endorse India for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, and address issues of concern for New Delhi like the H-1B visa fee hike and fears about outsourcing of U.S. jobs to India. Ahead of Mr. Obama's India visit th

London -Mohammed was the most popular name for newborn baby boys in England and Wales in 2009, according to official data released today.But 12 different spellings of the name, each listed separately, meant that Oliver officially topped poll. The name, given to 7,364 children, ended Jack's 14-year

WASHINGTON - There is an air of anticipation in India and people are looking forward to the presidential visit, said a top American diplomat, who returned from New Delhi a few days ago giving final shape to the next week visit of United States President Barack Obama to India. "The mood I found was

The death toll from a tsunami which struck western Indonesia rose to 311 with another 379 still listed as missing more than two days after the disaster, an official said. "Three hundred and eleven people were killed and 379 are still missing," West Sumatra disaster management official Agus Prayitno

Iran has begun loading fuel into the core of its first nuclear energy plant in the southern city of Bushehr, state media reported Tuesday. "Iran's peaceful nuclear programs and activities are going on as scheduled," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters. "The Bushehr

Iraq's high tribunal on Tuesday passed a death sentence on Tareq Aziz, once the international face of dictator Saddam Hussein's regime, over the persecution of religious parties, the court's media office said. The death sentence was the first to be handed down to Aziz, who was well known in foreig

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's sister-in-law has embraced Islam after visiting the holy shrine of Fatima al-Masoumeh (AS) in Iran's holy city of Qom. "It was a Tuesday evening and I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy," Broadcaster and journali

There is an urgent need to reform the post-war structure of the UN, and New Delhi has a vital role to play How can a poor and underdeveloped country such as India, despite its size and democratic commitment, meet its responsibility in world affairs when it cannot keep its own house in order? This w

WASHINGTON - The United States has announced one of the largest weapons sales in its history, worth nearly $60 billion, to Saudi Arabia. Announcing the deal, Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro said the U.S. planned to sell the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a "significant de

UNITED NATIONS - According to the United Nation's report "The World's Women 2010," the gender gap is gradually reducing globally but clearly lots more needs to be done Women's equality is still a dream in a world where there are currently 57 million more men, according to a U.N. report released her

London : Nearly half a million public sector workers in Britain are to lose their jobs as the government plans to reduce more than 80 billion pounds in public spending in the next four years, the biggest cut since the Second World War. Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, unwittingly d

Naheed Nenshi, a Harvard-educated Ismaili Muslim, defeated two white candidates to become the mayor of Calgary Monday night. A Conservative (right-wing) stronghold in Canada, Calgary is also the hometown of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Interestingly, the 38-year-old Nenshi defeated one of the can

Detroit,Michigan:Inthewake of Allahabad High Court verdict on Ayodhya dispute, the 20th Annual Convention of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) became significant as for the first time various Indian Muslim leaders and intelligentsia spoke on the Babri Masjid issue at any

The miracle occurred. Against all odds, the Chilean miners trapped 69 days underground were pulled out one by one from their pocket of survival in a hour-long journey from the centre of the earth. At the time of going to Press, 19 men from the 33 had been brought up in the capsule rightly dubbed The

New York -After years of intense diplomatic canvassing, India has won a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after a gap of 19 years. India needed 128 votes but secured 187 in the 192-member UN General Assembly, which met on Tuesday. India was standing unopposed for the A