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Af to Free 65 Taliban prisoners

Kabul: Afghanistan on Wednesday said it would press ahead with the release of scores of alleged Taliban fighters from jail despite US objections that the men were a threat to NATO and Afghan forces.

Sikh leader refutes sexual charge

london: Spiritual head of the Namdhari sect Satguru Uday Singh on Wednesday described as "totally absurd" the claims that he sexually abused a 27-year-old Sikh man facing trial for attacking him with an axe in Britain last August.

N, S Korea hold high-level talks

Seoul: North and South Korean officials held their highest level talks for years on Wednesday, seeking to thrash out common ground for improving ties despite a row over South Korea-US military drills.

countered false propaganda: Sri lanka

Colombo: Sri lanka on Wednesday said it has successfully countered "false propaganda of adversaries, both international and local" ahead of a UNHRC resolution over alleged human rights violations during its final stages of war against the lTTE.

Qaeda's ideological center in FATA

Washington: Pakistan's troubled Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) remain the ideological center of global terror network al-Qaeda, according to a top US intelligence official.

‘Iran ready for ‘decisive' battle’

Tehran: Armed forces chief of staff General Hassan Firouzabadi has warned the Islamic republic's arch-foes that Iran is prepared for a “decisive battle” if attacked, local media reported on Wednesday.

NRI lawyer felicitated in UK

london: Prominent NRI lawyer Vijay Goel has been felicitated here on his appointment as the Chairman of Asian Business Association at the london Chamber of Commerce. G P Hinduja, co-chairman Hinduja Group of Companies and Baroness Verma, Britain's Minister of Climate Change and Energy jointly organised a reception on Tuesday night.

US bans commercial ivory trade

Washington: The United States has clamped down on the domestic trade of elephant ivory as part of a new drive to help African countries stem the threat to wildlife from poachers.