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Indian army soldiers rescue stranded villagers in a boat after floods triggered by heavy rains at Odhri village

Monsoon fury toll mounts in north India, rescue efforts on

Swollen mountain rivers fed by heavy rains destroyed homes and property in many areas in north India even as the monsoon down…

  • Angelina Jolie stunt double sues News Corp over hacking Reuters

    By Jennifer Saba REUTERS - A stunt double for Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has sued News Corp over allegations its British newspapers hacked her phone, the first lawsuit in the United States against the company since the scandal broke two years ago. The lawsuit, filed on June 13 by professional stunt double Eunice Huthart, said reporters from News Corp's tabloids The Sun and the defunct News of the World, hacked her mobile phone while she was working for Jolie on location in Los Angeles. ...

  • United States to meet Taliban to seek Afghan peace Reuters
    United States to meet Taliban to seek Afghan peace

    By Mark Felsenthal, Hamid Shalizi and Dylan Welch WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - The United States will meet the Taliban this week for talks aimed at achieving peace in Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces and the insurgents have fought a bloody and costly war for the past 12 years, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. The Taliban opened an office in Doha, the Qatari capital, on Tuesday to help restart talks and said it wanted a political solution that would bring about a just government and end foreign occupation of Afghanistan. A senior U.S. ...

  • Mother in upscale N.Y. suburb indicted as marijuana dealer Reuters

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - A mother of three in an upscale New York suburb was indicted on Tuesday on charges she ran a sophisticated marijuana operation, federal law enforcement officials said. A federal grand jury indicted Andrea Sanderlin, 45, of Scarsdale, New York, a suburb 20 miles (32 km) outside of Manhattan, said Loretta Lynch, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and other officials in a media release. Law enforcement agents seized 2,800 marijuana plants and a large quantity of dried marijuana worth an estimated $3 million from a Queens warehouse. ...

  • WikiLeaks trial focuses on whether Tweets meet evidence standards Reuters
    WikiLeaks trial focuses on whether Tweets meet evidence standards

    By Medina Roshan FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - The court-martial of the U.S. soldier accused of providing reams of classified documents to WikiLeaks in a case illustrating the challenge of keeping secrets in the digital age must decide whether tweets and Web pages can be admitted as evidence. Lawyers for Private First Class Bradley Manning, 25, who is accused with providing more than 700,000 files to the anti-secrecy website in the biggest breach of classified U.S. data in the nation's history, argued on Tuesday that Twitter postings offered by prosecutors do not meet the court's standards. ...

  • McEnroe calls for Nadal to be seeded four at Wimbledon Reuters
    McEnroe calls for Nadal to be seeded four at Wimbledon

    By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Wimbledon's seeding committee should use its power to promote 11-times grand slam champion Rafa Nadal into the top four, according to three-times former champion John McEnroe. Speaking the day before the seeds are announced for the grasscourt slam which starts on Monday, the American said it would be "totally wrong" if Nadal had to play world number one Novak Djokovic, defending champion Roger Federer or home favourite Andy Murray in the quarter-finals. ...

  • U.S. says surveillance thwarted NYSE attack, Somali funding Reuters
    U.S. says surveillance thwarted NYSE attack, Somali funding

    By John Shiffman and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday identified two of the more than 50 classified cases in which they say National Security Agency eavesdropping helped thwart terrorist plots including a planned attack on the New York Stock Exchange. The other, a San Diego money laundering investigation tied to financing for a Somali militia, is among the 27 cases cited in a Reuters report Tuesday in which the U.S. government filed public notice that it used a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant. ...

  • Aston Villa sign giant Denmark striker Helenius Reuters

    REUTERS - Aston Villa have signed towering Denmark striker Nicklas Helenius from Aalborg, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. The 22-year-old, who stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, agreed a three-year contract at Villa Park after signing for an undisclosed fee. "Nicklas is a young lad but also a full international with a good goal-scoring record in Denmark and he'll prove himself in the Premier League," manager Paul Lambert told Villa's website (www.avfc.com). Helenius scored 16 goals in 33 league appearances for Aalborg last season and has played twice for Denmark. ...

  • Facebook reaches 1 million active advertisers Reuters
    Facebook reaches 1 million active advertisers

    By Jennifer Saba REUTERS (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it now has 1 million active advertisers globally who used the platform in the last 28 days, a milestone for the company that is seeking to revive its revenue growth. A vast majority of those advertisers are small business owners who have flocked to the world's No. 1 social network. Facebook executives are hoping to net even more small advertisers since 16 million local businesses, ranging from jewelry sellers to clothing stores, set up free pages on the network. ...

  • NSA head, lawmakers defend U.S. surveillance programs Reuters
    NSA head, lawmakers defend U.S. surveillance programs

    By Tabassum Zakaria and John Whitesides WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the National Security Agency said U.S. surveillance programs had helped disrupt more than 50 possible attacks since September 11, 2001, as sympathetic members of Congress also defended the use of the top-secret spying operations. In the first hearing dedicated to the programs since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden exposed them earlier this month, members of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee showed little will on Tuesday to pursue significant reforms. Instead, both U.S. ...

  • World Cup success a lift for troubled Egypt Reuters
    World Cup success a lift for troubled Egypt

    By Mark Gleeson MAPUTO (Reuters) - The impressive run of Egypt in World Cup qualifying over the last fortnight has much more significance for the country than just moving the tournament dream a step closer, coach Bob Bradley told Reuters. "At a time when the country is looking for things that are good, this is very important," he said of Egypt's seamless progress to the last phase of African qualifiers for next year's tournament in Brazil. ...

  • Brazil protests pose challenge for World Cup organisers Reuters
    Brazil protests pose challenge for World Cup organisers

    By Andrew Downie RECIFE, Brazil (Reuters) - A wave of protests across Brazil have alarmed soccer organisers concerned that the unrest could affect the current Confederations Cup and even jeopardise next year's World Cup. At least 200,000 people took to the streets of more than half a dozen Brazilian cities on Monday night in the biggest demonstrations in the country for 20 years. The protests were originally sparked by a hike in bus fares but they expanded to embrace broader issues. ...

  • Russia's Putin torpedoes G8 efforts to oust Assad Reuters
    Russia's Putin torpedoes G8 efforts to oust Assad

    By Andrew Osborn and Maria Golovnina ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - Russia's Vladimir Putin derailed Barack Obama's efforts to win backing for the downfall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad at a G8 summit on Tuesday, warning the West that arms supplied to the rebels could be used for attacks on European soil. After two days of intense talks that fell far short of what Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron had been hoping for, Putin fumed against Western moves to supply weapons to rebels while defending his own supplies of arms for Assad. ...

  • Huawei says has no plans to buy Nokia Reuters
    Huawei says has no plans to buy Nokia

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chinese network equipment and cellphone maker Huawei Technologies Co said it "has no plans to acquire Nokia" , responding to a Financial Times report that it would consider buying the Finish phone maker. The denial came from Huawei's vice president for external affairs, Bill Plummer. The story on the FT website on Tuesday had quoted the head of Huawei's consumer business, Richard Yu, as saying: "We are considering these sorts of acquisitions; maybe the combination has some synergies but depends on the willingness of Nokia. We are open-minded." Nokia declined comment. ...

  • Icahn seeks Dell share buyback, buys Southeastern stock Reuters
    Icahn seeks Dell share buyback, buys Southeastern stock

    REUTERS - Billionaire investor Carl Icahn promised Dell Inc shareholders that the company would buy back up to $16 billion of stock if they join his campaign to stop the computer maker from going private. Time is running out for Icahn. Next month, the company's shareholders will vote on whether to accept a $24.4 billion bid from the company's founder, Michael Dell, and private equity firm Silver Lake, and so far shareholders' reaction to two of Icahn's proposals has been mixed. Icahn has said repeatedly that Michael Dell's bid undervalues the company. ...

  • U.S. lawmakers, businesses demand Indian trade reforms Reuters
    U.S. lawmakers, businesses demand Indian trade reforms

    By Doug Palmer WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of more than 170 U.S. lawmakers joined with a coalition of U.S. business groups on Tuesday to demand increased U.S. pressure on India to change policies that they said threaten American exports, jobs and innovation. "Over the last year, Indian policymakers and courts have taken a series of actions designed to block imports by forcing local production of a wide range of manufactured goods," the lawmakers from the House of Representatives said in a letter to President Barack Obama. ...

  • General Motors recalls 231,000 SUVs over fire risk IANS

    Beijing, June 19 (IANS) US General Motors Co. is set to recall about 231,000 older SUVs over fire risks and has urged owners to park them outside garages until they are repaired, a media report said.

  • US, Taliban to have direct peace talks IANS

    Washington, June 19 (IANS) The US has decided to hold direct peace talks with the Taliban, senior White House officials have announced. The first meet is due to take place in the coming days in Qatar's capital, where the Taliban have opened their first official overseas office, BBC reported.

  • I don't have a home: Will.i.am IANS

    Los Angeles, June 19 (IANS) Singer Will.i.am doesn't have a home despite purchasing properties for several close family members and paying off their mortgages.

  • Sex racket busted in Delhi, woman pimp arrested IANS

    New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) A sex racket was busted here after two Uzbek women who were held hostage for five months in a house and were repeatedly sexually abused by customers, escaped, police Tuesday said. A woman pimp has been arrested.

  • Modi meets Advani to get backing for new role IANS

    New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday met L.K. Advani to get the BJP patriarch's backing for his new role as head of the BJP's campaign committee, an elevation that has split the NDA.

  • G8 condemns use of chemical weapons in Syria IANS

    London, June 18 (IANS) G8 leaders Tuesday condemned any use of chemical weapons in Syria, and that they were deeply concerned by the growing threat from terrorism and extremism in the Middle East country.

  • Lucky to have this character in 'Issaq': Prateik Babbar IANS

    Mumbai, June 18 (IANS) Bollywood actor Prateik Babbar, who will be seen in "Issaq" soon, said that he is lucky to have landed his role in the film as it had everything in it.

  • Missing student found dead in Yamuna river IANS

    New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) A 21-year-old class 12 student, who had been missing for five days, was found dead in the Yamuna river here, police said Tuesday. Victim's family alleged murder while police contended it was suicide.

  • Pakistani leader among 29 killed in suicide bombing IANS

    Islamabad, June 18 (IANS) A member of the provincial assembly of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was among 29 people killed in a suicide bombing Tuesday, media reports said. Over 50 people were injured.

  • Kochi to host World Economic Forum India Meet: Chandy IANS

    Thiruvananthapuram, June 18 (IANS) Kerala's business capital, Kochi will host the prestigious the World Economic Forum's India meet Nov 8-9, said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Tuesday.

  • 163 people rescued from flooded areas in Uttarakhand, Himachal IANS

    New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) A total of 163 people were rescued Tuesday from flood-affected areas caused by torrential rains in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, disaster management officials said.

  • Barasat gang-rape: Protests rock Kolkata, web after Mamata's village visit IANS

    Kolkata, June 18 (IANS) People protested on the streets of Kolkata, women government staff took out a march at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's seat of power, while the web users poured scorn on her Tuesday, a day after she shouted back at demonstrators in a village while on a visit to the house of a gangrape-murder victim.

  • Modi discusses poll strategy with BJP leaders IANS

    New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) After being made head of BJP's poll campaign panel, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi discussed with senior leaders the strategy for the five assembly elections scheduled this year-end as well as the 2014 Lok Sabha battle, party sources said Tuesday.

  • Bengal election panel working half-heartedly: BJP IANS

    Kolkata, June 18 (IANS) The BJP Tuesday accused the West Bengal State Election Commission of playing its role "half-heartedly" in the upcoming panchayat elections, and demanded that the commission call for an all-party meeting within two days to announce the roadmap for the polls.

  • US, Taliban to meet in Doha IANS

    Washington, June 18 (IANS) The US will meet the Taliban in Qatari capital Doha for talks on the peace process in Afghanistan, US officials said Tuesday.