Afghan election chief killed by taliban
Kunduz: Taliban assassins gunned down, Amanullah Aman, the head of the Independent Election Commission in Afghanistan on Wednesday, raising fears that the presidential vote due in April will trigger a surge in violence.
Abbott sworn in as Australia’s new PM
Melbourne: liberal Party leader Tony Abbott was on Wednesday sworn in as Australia’s new Prime Minister, days after his coalition ended six years of labor party’s rule.
Bo Xilai’s verdict on Sunday
Beijing: The verdict in China’s biggest political trial in decades involving disgraced Communist Party leader Bo Xilai would be pronounced on Sunday, the court announced on Wednesday, amid speculation that he could even receive the death penalty.
ban on Beauty contest for under 16 in France
Paris: The French senate has approved a proposal to ban beauty contests for girls under 16 to prevent what a parliamentary report called the “hyper-sexualisation” of children. The proposal was backed by 196 lawmakers on Tuesday evening and 146 opposed it.
mother held for starving 2 to death
Beijing: A drug addicted Chinese woman was sentenced to life on Wednesday for abandoning her two daughters at home for months and letting them die of starvation.
no Indian Drone Plan against Bangladesh
Dhaka: India on Wednesday assured it has no plans to fly drone or unmanned aerial vehicles over frontiers with Bangladesh as the two countries discussed measures to contain trans-border crimes and increase coordinated patrolling to curb movement of insurgents across the boundary.
Egypt's ousted leader talks to family 1st time
Cairo: Egypt's ousted President, Mohammed Morsi, spoke with his family by telephone for the first time since the military removed him from office and detained him in a secret location more than two months ago, one of his lawyers said.
Maldives prez polls await SC orders
Male: The fate of the first round of Presidential Elections in the Maldives, won by former President Mohamed Nasheed, would be decided by a full bench of the SC which started hearing the matter, media reports said here.
Slanka court frees former lTTE leader
Colombo: A former lTTE top rung leader was on Wednesday freed by a Sri lankan court due to poor evidence in a case related to a 2001 attack on a military installation.
US seizes iran owned NYK skyscraper
New York: The United States is set seize control of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper prosecutors claim is secretly owned by Iran, the justice department said, though the ruling is yet to be appealed.
Indo-American guilty of tax fraud in US
Washington: An Indian-American has pleaded guilty of tax fraud by concealing his check-cashing activities from his tax return in an estimated revenue loss of between USD 400,000 and USD 1 million.