World News

Islamabad, May 14 (IANS) Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said Wednesday his party will restore the sacked judges but it will be done through a 'parliament act' and he cannot give any deadline for it.

Abuja, May 14 (DPA) Niger Delta militants have seized a vessel belonging to the US oil giant, Chevron, a spokesman of special troops deployed to provide security in the region said Wednesday.

Cairo, May 14 (DPA) Arab commentators and officials Wednesday deplored the conditions in which the Palestinians live and berated Israel for its 'crimes' on the 60th anniversary of its establishment, which Arabs mark as the 'Nakba', or catastrophe.

Tehran, May 14 (RIA Novosti) Iran's intelligence officials have foiled a terror plot to blow up the Russian consulate in Iran, the intelligence and security minister said Wednesday.

Brussels, May 14 (IANS) The European Union Wednesday said it 'whole-heartedly condemns' the bomb attacks in Jaipur, EuAsiaNews reported.

Chengdu (China), May 14 (Xinhua) Soldiers and officials Wednesday intensified efforts to search and save more survivors in areas near the epicentre of Monday's earthquake in southwest China, even as the death toll rose to about 15,000 with tens and thousands of people still missing.

New York, May 14 (IANS) Two prominent Indian-American organisations have condemned the terror bombings in Jaipur that claimed 63 lives and appealed to all communities to maintain harmony.

Amman, May 14 (Xinhua) Jordan's state security court Wednesday delivered a 15-year-jail sentence to three Jordanians who were convicted of plotting to kill US President George W. Bush during his visit to the kingdom in 2006.

London, May 14 (IANS) The Indian high commission in London and consulates general in Birmingham and Edinburgh - that often see snaking queues of visa seekers - are to start outsourcing visa-related work in order to cope with a spurt in the number of Britons visiting India, the high commission said Wednesday.

Harare/Johannesburg, May 14 (DPA) The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Wednesday denied that it recently paid off $700 million in debt to the African Development Bank (AfDB), an announcement that had raised eyebrows given the country's severe economic woes.

Yekaterinburg (Russia), May 14 (RIA Novosti) Russia Wednesday urged Iran Six, a group of negotiators on Tehran's nuclear programme, to provide security guarantees to the Islamic country for freezing its uranium enrichment programme.

Moscow, May 14 (RIA Novosti) Two Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers have carried out a routine patrol over remote areas of the Arctic that lasted for almost 20 hours, a Russian air force spokesman said Wednesday.

Bangkok, May 14 (DPA) Myanmar's cyclone-devastated Irrawaddy Delta - the country's rice bowl - will need more than $200 million in agricultural aid soon to prevent a severe food shortage this year and next, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Wednesday.

Ramallah/Gaza, May 14 (DPA) Marking the 60th anniversary of the loss of their villages in what is now Israel, hundreds of Palestinian refugees clashed with Israeli soldiers at military checkpoints in the West Bank Wednesday.

Bangkok, May 14 (DPA) Thirteen days after Cyclone Nargis smashed into Myanmar, the international community has made some progress in getting emergency aid and even aid workers into the reclusive, military-controlled nation, but not enough, the UN said Wednesday.

Vatican City, May 14 (DPA) Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday urged the faithful to join him in 'fervid prayer' for the victims of the earthquake in China.

Kabul, May 14 (DPA) An Afghan teacher who preached against suicide bombings was killed by unknown armed men in the northern part of the country, officials said Wednesday.

Sydney, May 14 (IANS) Indian doctor Muhammad Haneef's lawyers have succeeded in fast-tracking a court challenge securing the release of documents from the immigration department, which they say are crucial to the judicial inquiry into his failed case.

Brussels, May 14 (IANS) The Indian community in Belgium Wednesday condemned the bomb blasts in Rajasthan's Jaipur city that killed at least 63 people Tuesday night, EuAsiaNews reported.