World News

By Jon HerskovitzSEOUL (Reuters) - Destitute North Korea on Thursday threatened to end all relations with South Korea, a major source of aid and cash, in anger at the hard-line policies of its conservative president.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese court has sentenced a Shanghai man to 18 months in prison for calling in a fake bomb threat during the Beijing Olympic Games in August, the official Xinhua news agency said.

By John MarinoSAN JUAN (Reuters) - Hurricane Omar strengthened rapidly on Wednesday as it raced toward Puerto Rico and the small islands of the northeastern Caribbean, threatening to bring torrential rains that could trigger dangerous floods and mudslides.

By Steve GormanLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Barack Obama, flush with cash and ramping up his advertising in the final weeks before the Nov. 4 election, is making U.S. political history by placing the first presidential campaign ads in online video games.

By John Whitesides, Political CorrespondentHEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (Reuters) - Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama face off in their final debate on Wednesday, with McCain needing a strong performance to begin to turn around a White House race that could be slipping away.

New York, Oct 15 (DPA) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Cambodia and Thailand Wednesday to exercise utmost restraint and settle their dispute through dialogue.

Toronto, Oct 15 (IANS) Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party Tuesday returned to power with a larger tally but short of the 155-mark for a simple majority in the 308-member parliament, even as the number of Indian Canadians in the house went up from seven to eight.

Washington, Oct 15 (PTI) US President George Bush today said the banks in which Federal government is planning to invest would remain private entities and the government would only be a "passive

New York, Oct 15 (IANS) Iran has strongly criticised the attempts by the Western governments to negotiate with the Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan to restore peace and stability in the war-ravaged country, the official IRNA news agency reported Wednesday.

New York, Oct 15 (IANS) India has shifted focus from mere empowerment of women to recognising them as agents of sustained socio-economic growth and change, a member of an Indian delegation told the UN during a discussion on Advancement of Women.

Why Delhi: The book is dedicated to the people of Delhi. For it is to Delhi that all good and bad things come for resolution. It is the most viscerally connected to the rest of India. Delhi is where the big hinterland of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar lead to. It is also the political capital. But more so, it seemed to me that where India is happening today is in Delhi and not Mumbai.

Brussels, Oct 15 (DPA) The European Union's conservatives Wednesday proposed renewing Jose Manuel Barroso's mandate as president of the European Commission for a second term, German government officials said.

Geneva, Oct 15 (DPA) Russia and Georgia are to resume talks Nov 18 following the suspension in Geneva Wednesday of their first direct parleys since they went to war in August, European Union (EU) Special Representative for Georgia Pierre Morel told journalists.

Geneva, Oct 15 (DPA) Russia and Georgia began the first direct talks since their five-day war in August at a United Nations meeting in Geneva Wednesday to discuss the situation in Georgia.

London, Oct 15 (ANI): Winston Churchill approved millions of dollars in bribes to prevent Spain's General Franco from supporting Germany in Second World War, according to a new book.

Dubai, Oct 15 (IANS) An Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Pakistan's capital Islamabad was forced to land at Karachi Wednesday afternoon following a bomb hoax.

Abu Dhabi, Oct 15 (IANS) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially recognised the Republic of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state.

Dubai, Oct 14 (IANS) Leading global financial institution JP Morgan Tuesday acquired stake in the Middle East's first energy futures exchange, the Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME).

Dubai, Oct 14 (IANS) Media and investors in the Gulf reacted with joy and cautious optimism after regional bourses rebounded Monday after a weeklong slump triggered by the global credit crunch.

Dubai, Oct 14 (IANS) Exhibitors from India are among those from 20 countries participating in a global gem show taking place in Dubai.

Melbourne, Oct 15 (ANI): Former Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews has given evidence at the government-ordered inquiry into the bungled Haneef investigation, less than one month before the inquiry is due to hand in its report.

Melbourne, Oct.15 (ANI): The Supreme Court of the Australian state of Victoria has been told that a senior al Qaeda member had told a Melbourne Muslim convert that Osama Bin Laden "wanted a white boy" to carry out a terrorist act.

Melbourne, Oct 15 (ANI): Australia has topped the global prosperity index, all thanks to its quality of life and economic strength.

Melbourne, Oct 15 (ANI): Roaming around in Beijing's Forbidden City would not require people to take a flight to the Communist nation, for now a virtual three dimensional recreation of the vast palace allows people to tour the grand place without leaving their living room.

Melbourne, Oct 15 (ANI): Australian kids are more internet-savvy than ever, all thanks to the daily usage among children under 10 tripling in the last four years, a survey has found.

It all started with a flurry of text messages warning people that the government was considering sealing personal lockers and freezing foreign currency accounts that Pakistanis can maintain in banks alongside their rupee accounts.

Islamabad, Oct 15 (PTI) Reacting to a fatwa issued by Pakistani clerics declaring suicide attacks as "un-Islamic", the local Taliban today said such attacks, do not amount to suicide as they are

Kathmandu, Oct 15 (IANS) Two people were shot dead in southern Nepal Wednesday, a day after an explosion in the same plains killed three.

Two months after he quit, Pervez Musharraf -- the former president of Pakistan is in "high spirits" and is keeping himself busy playing tennis, squash and bridge.

Beijing, Oct 15 (PTI) China and Pakistan today signed 11 agreements covering a range of fields, including energy, infrastructure, agriculture, trade and space technology as they vowed to