World news

Mohammed is most popular boys' name in England

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

An air of anticipation in India: Burns

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

Indonesia tsunami toll hits 311, with 379 missing

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 begins loading fuel into core of its first nuclear plant

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 court sentences Tareq Aziz to death

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

Lauren Booth embraces Islam

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

India deserves a seat on the Security Council

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

Huge U.S.-Saudi arms deal

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

Women's equality still a dream

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

Britain to cut 500,000 public sector jobs

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

Canada gets its first Muslim mayor

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

Ayodhya verdict focus at AFMI convention in Michigan

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

Phoenix rises with miners

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

India wins non-permanent seat at UN Security Council

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

Two Americans, British-Cypriot share economics Nobel

STOCKHOLM - The Nobel prize for economics was awarded Monday to U.S. researchers Peter A. Diamond and Dale T. Mortensen, and British-Cypriot citizen Christopher A. Pissarides, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced.The trio were awarded the prize for their "analysis of markets with search f

Palestinians give US one month to curb Israeli settlements

SIRTE: The Palestinians, backed by Arab powers, said on Saturday they would give the United States one month to persuade Israel to halt the building of settlements in the West Bank or risk the collapse of peace talks. The message, issued at an Arab League meeting in Libya, represented a reprieve

Peace Nobel for Chinese activist

Jailed Chinese political activist Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, for his efforts over two decades, to promote democratic rights in China.Jailed Chinese political activist Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a decision the Chinese government has criticised

Literature Nobel for Vargas Llosa

Mario Vargas Llosa (74), celebrated Peruvian-Spanish author and one of the most renowned novelists of his generation, has won the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat".After the award was an