With External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar set to meet on Wednesday for their first ministerial meeting in India after five months of official-level talks, New Delhi and Islamabad have decided to focus on the “positives” and “convergences” reached during discussions between the Home Secretaries and Commerce Secretaries from both sides. This emerged as a broad theme of the meeting of the Foreign Secretaries on Tuesday.“(They) had very cordial and positive discussions today... they reviewed the progress in talks between different ministries and organisations of the two countries in the preceding months,” said MEA’s official spokesperson Vishnu Prakash after Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao met her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir at Hyderabad House to finalise the agenda for the foreign ministers’ meeting. Read Morehttp://www.indianexpress.com/news/-Not-burdened-by-history---Khar-meets-Krishna-today/822868/
A 94-year-old woman in an outback town struck a kangaroo she thought was going to kill her, hitting the animal with a broom then managing to crawl to safety in her house before police subdued the creature with pepper spray.The householder, Phyllis Johnson, said the red kangaroo attacked her while she was hanging out her washing in her yard on Sunday in the Queensland town of Charleville."I thought it was going to kill me," she told the Courier Mail from hospital where she was treated for bruises and scratches. "It was taller than me, and it just ploughed through the clothes on the washing line straight for me."She said she saw a blur of red fur before the kangaroo knocked her down and kicked her as she lay on the ground. She managed to get to her feet, and then she grabbed the broom to hit the animal enough times to daze it."She fought it off herself with a bit of help from the family dog," said her son, Rob Johnson, who called the police after the incident. The kangaroo had "a bit of a go" at him too, he said.He said his mother has a large gash on her leg but was recovering.Stephen Perkins, head of police in Charleville, said the first officer to reach the house had to spray the kangaroo to avoid being injured."The animal jumped away, then saw another officer at the back of the police car and went for that officer – and he also had to deploy his capsicum spray. So the roo had to get sprayed twice," Perkins said. "After that, it hopped away from the scene, but police could still monitor its location – it didn't go too far."Wildlife rangers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service later trapped the intruder. Red kangaroos are the world's largest marsupials and can stand as tall as a man and weigh about 90kg (198lb).The kangaroo, which is a male, will be examined by a vet before a decision is made about his future, Mike Devery, a government official, said.Read Morehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/26/kangaroo-mugs-94-queensland-phyllis
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- An 8 year-old boy was hanged by militants in Afghanistan's Helmand province after the boy's father -- a police officer in the southern city of Gereshk -- refused to comply with militants' demands to provide them with a police vehicle, officials said.Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the hanging, saying "this action is not permitted in any culture or any religions," according to a statement Sunday, which provided details of the incident.Karzai said he has ordered local authorities to root out the militants and arrest them "as soon as possible."The boy was kidnapped Friday. It was unclear when he was killed.The incident comes amid a recent wave of attacks on local officials who are considered anti-Taliban. Less than two weeks ago, Ahmed Wali Karzai, Karzai's half-brother and a provincial council chief in neighboring Kandahar, was killed in his home by a longtime bodyguard.Elsewhere on Sunday, formal ceremonies marking the handover of security to Afghan forces took place in Kabul and Panjshir province.They are the fifth and sixth areas to be transferred to national forces.Last week, the capital of Helmand province -- Lashkar Gah -- was transferred to local control as NATO begins a drawdown of troops.The area was a scene of heavy fighting and stiff resistance last year as a coalition "surge" swept southward in an effort to drive Taliban forces from their traditional heartland.Read More
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/24/afghanistan.militants.hang.boy/
CAIRO — One woman called for a new revolution. A man called for former President Hosni Mubarak to be executed. An angry crowd in an auditorium here on Thursday night listened to stories of protesters injured or killed during Egypt’s revolution and in demonstrations since, and stood and applauded when a mother spoke of loss. One of her sons was killed by a policeman’s bullet in January, and another son sits in a military prison, after he was beaten and arrested in a protest last week. “I’ve grown tired,” the mother, Amal Zine al Abadeen, told dozens who had gathered as a prelude to a rally of tens of thousands on Friday in Tahrir Square, where the uprising began.“This revolution has done nothing for us,” she said. “I don’t want money. I don’t want anything at all. All I’m asking for is justice.” Read Morehttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/world/middleeast/09egypt.html
China's Foreign Ministry warned U.S. officials on Thursday not to meet with visiting exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, saying it hoped Washington "appropriately dealt" with Tibet-related issues.China reviles the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, saying he supports the use of violence to establish an independent Tibet. He strongly denies either accusation, insisting he seeks only true autonomy for the remote region.The Dalai Lama is currently visiting the United States and is due to give a public talk in Washington Saturday.The U.S. State Department said he met on Wednesday with Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero, but that it remained to be decided whether he would have any meetings at higher levels.On Thursday, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and other senior U.S. lawmakers also met the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing's position on the Dalai Lama's foreign visits was clear."We oppose the underhand visits of the Dalai Lama which he uses to engage in activities to split the motherland," Hong told a regular news briefing."At the same time, we also oppose any foreign government or politicians supporting or abetting in such activities by the Dalai Lama," he added."We hope that the United States strictly abide by its promises on the Tibet issue and ... cautiously and appropriately deal with relevant issues," Hong said.The Dalai Lama met U.S. President Barack Obama last year, drawing strong denunciation from Beijing.Read Morehttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/08/us-china-usa-dalailama-idUSTRE7667OI20110708
Lawmakers working on next year's federal finances have taken the ax to the James Webb Space Telescope. That's right, NASA's next-generation space telescope, the successor to Hubble and the space agency's biggest post-shuttle project, may be killed.To be clear, there are many more steps in the budget process before this is final -- lawmakers are working on next year's budget despite a stalemate between the White House and Republican leadership, so a lot could change in the next couple weeks. And odds are decent that at least some lawmakers will fight to preserve this enormous technological marvel (and the jobs associated with its construction). But this is not good news for astronomy, to put it mildly.Read Morehttp://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/06/house-subcommittees-budget-bill-puts-most-powerful-space-telescope-on-chopping/?test=faces
POSH pupils from just five private schools take more places at Oxford and Cambridge universities than Britain’s bottom 2,000 state schools combined, research reveals today.The report by the Sutton Trust also reveals that private school students are more than twice as likely to get into the top 30 universities than comprehensive pupils.Elite schools charging as much as £30,000 a year, such as Eton College where Prime Minister David Cameron was educated, and St Paul’s where Chancellor George Osborne was taught, are in the five.Eton, Westminster School, St Paul’s School and St Paul’s Girls School – all private – and Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge produced 946 Oxbridge entrants from 2007-09 – one in 20 of all the students.Meanwhile, 2,000 other schools and colleges produced a total of 927 students.Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: “We know these stark inequalities are driven primarily by the exam results, yet the data also reveals that university chances can vary dramatically for schools with similar average grades.”Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/07/08/five-top-schools-send-more-students-to-oxbridge-than-2-000-schools-combined-115875-23255186/#ixzz1RUBD6Ttz
Women who have never smoked face a higher risk of being overweight or obese than those who light up, according to a study by Scottish researchers in today’s British Medical Journal.The findings from the study of 3,613 Scottish women who were followed for 28 years suggest that higher smoking rates decades ago masked the true extent of obesity, the researchers wrote. Declines in tobacco use in industrialized countries since the early 1970s may help explain the increase in the number of people who are overweight or obese, they said.The study also concluded that obesity was more prevalent in poorer women, who had higher death rates from related conditions, than in wealthier ones. Women in the study who avoided smoking and kept their weight in check had the lowest death rates, regardless of whether they were rich or poor.“There is a general sense that if you live on the wrong side of the tracks, you are bound to be less healthy,” Laurence Gruer, the lead researcher and director of public health science for NHS Health Scotland in Glasgow, said in a telephone interview. “This shows that’s not necessarily the case.”Nicotine, a stimulant found in tobacco, may eventually explain more about the relationship between smoking and obesity rates, Gruer said. Nicotine appears to suppress the appetite of some smokers and may play a role in why some people who quit smoking go on to gain weight, he said.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-28/women-who-don-t-smoke-face-greater-obesity-risk-scottish-researchers-find.html
He was a man who moved a nation with his words. And through his words he helped a nation move towards democracy.For many years, the quotes of former president Nelson Mandela could not be uttered in South Africa for fear of a criminal record or a prison sentence.It was only on February 11 1990 that the world listened to a newly released Mandela utter the words: "I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all".Since then, Mandela's words of wisdom have been quoted, often incorrectly, the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory said on Monday.The foundation decided to release a book of his quotes in June to provide an accurate and extensive resource for the public as well as document his life.The collection of over 2 000 quotes spans more than 60 years of "Tata's" life.Gathered from Mandela's vast archive of private papers, speeches, correspondence and audio recordings, the quotes give insight into a man who spent 27 years in prison and emerged to become a revered politician and father of the nation.As he said on July 14 2000 at the International Aids conference in Durban: "It is never my custom to use words lightly."If 27 years of prison have done anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how precious words are and how real speech is in its impact on the way people live and die."
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http://mg.co.za/article/2011-06-28-mandela-on-life-the-universe-and-everything
Kuwait will put on trial two citizens for criticizing Gulf Arab ruling families on social media site Twitter, a security official said on Monday.Nasser Abul, a Kuwaiti Shi'ite Muslim, was arrested for posting criticisms of the Sunni Muslim ruling families in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and Lawrence al-Rashidi posted defamatory comments of Kuwait's emir, he said.He said both would remain in detention for two more weeks before a hearing is scheduled, where they will likely face charges of harming the Gulf Arab state's interests and defaming the country's ruler after being arrested earlier in June.Democracy activists have used social media such as Facebook and Twitter to debate, organize and share information in Bahrain, where the kingdom's Sunni rulers crushed a protest movement in March led mostly by the country's Shi'ite majority.Bahrain called in troops from Sunni-led neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to enforce its crackdown. OPEC member Kuwait, which has a Shi'ite minority, sent naval forces.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/27/us-kuwait-twitter-idUSTRE75Q1UH20110627
With a new package of online applications called Office 365 launching Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. is courting customers who have resisted running some of the company's most lucrative products: small- and medium-sized businesses.If the Redmond, Wash., software maker succeeds with its online applications among those customers, it could tap into a new wave of growth for the venerable Office franchise, which is already used by more than one billion people world-wide, according to Microsoft.The company also faces competitive issues: Google Inc. has won more converts to a rival set of online applications called Google Apps among small and mid-sized businesses than among large companies, according to analysts.Office 365 includes the latest versions of Microsoft's familiar suite of productivity applications—Word, Outlook, Excel and others—combined with online versions of related software for server systems that most people never see. That includes Exchange for messaging, SharePoint for collaboration and Lync for conferencing and communication.For roughly $6 per user a month, Office 365 customers will get the traditional Office applications, either accessing them through a Web browser or by installing them on their PCs. Microsoft will run all of the servers that manage the Office applications in its own data centers.Even if they run the Office productivity applications, the targeted customers—which usually have 500 or fewer employees—have been especially reluctant to install and run Microsoft's Office server programs, in large part because of the costs associated with maintaining technology support staff and purchasing hardware.Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303627104576412223191996248.html#ixzz1QXq4VKl5
The US has expressed concern over reports that Syria is moving troops near the border with Turkey, and warned of a possible escalation of conflict.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the reported Syrian troops movements were "very worrisome".She said it could increase the risk of a border clash with Turkey and worsen the plight of refugees.Syrian tanks and snipers reportedly entered the village of Khirbet al-Jouz, forcing resident to flee to Turkey.More than 1,300 people are said to have been killed since a crackdown on anti-government protests began in March.Thousands more protesters have been detained, opposition activists say.Several Syrian cities - including Homs and Hama - have declared a general strike after deadly clashes with security forces and supporters of President Bashar al-Assad earlier this week.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13899035
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The cellphone of Osama bin Laden’s trusted courier, which was recovered in the raid that killed both men in Pakistan last month, contained contacts to a militant group that is a longtime asset of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, senior American officials who have been briefed on the findings say.The discovery indicates that Bin Laden used the group, Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen, as part of his support network inside the country, the officials and others said. But it also raised tantalizing questions about whether the group and others like it helped shelter and support Bin Laden on behalf of Pakistan’s spy agency, given that it had mentored Harakat and allowed it to operate in Pakistan for at least 20 years, the officials and analysts said.In tracing the calls on the cellphone, American analysts have determined that Harakat commanders had called Pakistani intelligence officials, the senior American officials said. One said they had met. The officials added that the contacts were not necessarily about Bin Laden and his protection and that there was no “smoking gun” showing that Pakistan’s spy agency had protected Bin Laden.Read More
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/world/asia/24pakistan.html
Wildcard Sabine Lisicki produced the shock of the tournament after defeating French Open champion Li Na 3-6 6-4 8-6 in the women's singles.The German world number 62, who has suffered a string of injuries in the last 12 months, could not handle Li's groundstrokes in the first set.But she hit back in the second and saved two match points at 5-3 in the third set before claiming victory.Sixth seed Francesca Schiavone and 18th seed Ana Ivanovic both advanced.Italian Schiavone recorded a 7-5 6-3 victory over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and will play Austria's Tamira Paszek in the third round, while former world number one Ivanovic enjoyed a comfortable 6-3 6-0 win over Greece's Eleni Daniilidou.However, the biggest story of the day was Lisicki's stunning win over world number four Li.The 21-year-old has been beset by numerous injuries as well as illnesses in the last 12 months, including a lengthy ankle injury and appendicitis.And she continued her excellent form in Birimingham last week, where she beat the in-form Daniela Hantuchova to win the Edbgaston championship, at SW19 as Li suffered only her second Grand Slam defeat this year.Australian Open finalist Li had been 4-2 up in the third set and twice served for the match, but Lisicki displayed impressive resilience each time."I really had to start from zero after being on crutches for seven weeks so it just means so much to me, winning the title in Birmingham and getting the wild card here," a delighted Lisicki told BBC Sport."I appreciate it so much, to be back in Wimbledon. It's just a place that I love so much.Read Morehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/13892462.stm
SANA, Yemen — As the Arab Spring has turned to summer, this impoverished nation has fallen into chaos, raising fears in Washington that it will become the next headquarters of Al Qaeda — particularly with the declining influence of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, one of America’s staunchest allies in the fight against terrorism. But Gen. Ali Mohsin al-Ahmar, long one of Yemen’s most powerful military commanders and now a prominent opposition figure, says that familiar scenario has it just about backward.Once it comes to power, he says, the opposition will become a far more dependable counterterrorism ally for the United States than President Saleh ever was. Mr. Saleh, now laid up in a Saudi hospital, is the problem, the general says, not the answer.“As long as this regime is in power, Al Qaeda will continue to exist in Yemen,” said General Ahmar, sitting in his office at the headquarters of the army’s First Armored Division, which he leads. “Now, counterterrorism cooperation is based on material cooperation only. It is for the exchange of funds. How much will you give me if I can kill a person for you?”As soon as political power is no longer consolidated in the Saleh family, General Ahmar vowed: “We will deal with terrorism as a critical issue. It will fight the terrorists as a matter of life or death. Not for material gain.”
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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/world/middleeast/23mohsin.html
WASHINGTON — The United States and its allies have made dramatic progress in Afghanistan over the past year, seizing the initiative from the Taliban and driving insurgents from key strongholds in the south.The challenge for military commanders now will be to consolidate those gains and shift the military main effort to tackle insurgent strongholds in the east — all with fewer troops.The plan is a "compromise that will be problematic to many of the players," warned David Barno, a retired three-star general who commanded coalition forces in Afghanistan and is now a senior adviser at the Center for a New American Security.Several commanders in Afghanistan had said reductions should be made so as to not jeopardize gains.
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http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2011-06-22-analysis-drawdown-afghanistan-obama_n.htm?csp=34news
A large earthquake has hit north-east Japan in the same area where a massive quake in March triggered a devastating tsunami, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.Japan's meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for the region, but cancelled it about an hour later.Thursday's quake hit about 30 miles (47km) from the shore of Iwate prefecture at 6.51am local time (9.51pm GMT Wednesday), the meteorological agency said. Much of the coast in the area is still heavily damaged from March's disasters.The US Pacific Tsunami warning centre said it did not expect a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami.The quake, 19.9 miles deep, caused tremors across the northern half of the country, including Tokyo, which is about 325 miles to the southwest. It was followed by several smaller aftershocks.Japan is located on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines spanning the Pacific Basin, and is regularly hit by earthquakes.Read More
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/23/earthquake-hits-north-east-japan
World No.1 Rafael Nadal and British hope Andy Murray stayed on course for a Wimbledon showdown on Wednesday as Venus Williams came from a set down to reach the third round of the women's draw.Spanish reigning champion Nadal swept into the last 32 with a brisk demolition of American journeyman Ryan Sweeting, winning 6-3 6-2 6-4 under a closed Centre Court roof as rain disrupted play early on.Nadal, aiming for his third Wimbledon title in four years, will face Luxembourg's Gilles Muller in the third round, who beat him here in 2005"I played well. I had the match under control at 2-1, 40-0 in the third set but then made a few mistakes," said Nadal, who added he preferred to play without the roof covering the action."That's something strange. They told me they were going to open the roof. But at the last minute, they told me they predicted a shower. Never comes."It's a new experience for me, a good experience. But the tournament is outdoor, not indoor and I prefer to play outdoors. I prefer to play with no roof, that's for sure."Nadal is on course to meet Murray in the semi-finals, with the Scottish fourth seed aiming to become the first British man to win at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.Murray was stretched to four sets in his first round match on Monday but faced no such problems against Germany's Tobias Kamke on Court Number One, wrapping up a 6-3 6-3 7-5 win with a minimum of fuss.Murray will take on Ivan Ljubicic for a place in the last 16 after the Croatian veteran made short work of Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4 6-4 6-2."I served well but the rest of my game needs work. It was quite tricky and windy," Murray said."He was hitting the ball very hard and flat, so it was tough to get into a rhythm."Murray was joined in the last 32 later Wednesday by American eighth seed Andy Roddick who had too much class for Romania's Victor Hanescu en route to a 6-4 6-3 6-4 win.Roddick, a three-time losing finalist, will face Spain's Feliciano Lopez in the third round on Friday.Elsewhere on Wednesday, the men's draw went mostly to form, with seeded players Mardy Fish, Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils all reaching the third round.The highlight of the women's tournament saw five-time champion Venus Williams pushed all the way by 40-year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm in a pulsating three-hour battle.Williams, 31, finally prevailed 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 8-6 to advance to a third round meeting with Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez on Friday, who defeated Monica Niculescu 6-3 6-0.Williams, seeded 23, is feeling her way back into tennis after a five-month lay-off following an injury sustained at the Australian Open in January, an enforced absence that has left her hungrier than ever."I think more than anything I've learned I'm very competitive. I've been extremely positive regardless of how my opponent's playing. Just keeping fighting," Williams said
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http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/nadal-murray-through-as-venus-given-scare-20110623-1gftz.html
