Cyber attack hits South Korea websites
Seoul: South Korea has issued a cyber alert after an apparent hacking attack on Government websites. The website of the presidential office was one of several official and media sites hit by an apparently co-ordinated attack on Tuesday morning, reports said. The identity of the hackers was not known, a Government statement said. The incident came on the anniversary of the start of the 1950-53 Korean War, which divided the Korean peninsula.
Obama to outline climate strategy
Washington: US President Barack Obama is preparing to lay out a package of measures aimed at curbing climate change, including limits on emissions from power plants. He will also unveil plans for an expansion of renewable energy projects, improved flood resilience and seeking an international climate deal. He will make the address at Georgetown University on Tuesday. He is considered unlikely to broach the issue of the controversial Keystone Xl tar sands pipeline.
Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad hands power to son
Doha: The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has handed over power to his son, the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. In a speech broadcast on Qatari television, he said it was time for a new generation to take over. Rumours had been circulating for days that Sheikh Tamim, 33, was preparing to succeed his 61-year-old father. A peaceful handover is a rarity for the Gulf, where most rulers stay in place for decades, normally until they die.
Turkish PM lashes out at protesters
Ankara: Turkish police on Tuesday detained at least 20 people allegedly involved in violent protests, as the country's Prime Minister continued to lash out at protesters and a BBC journalist he claimed were part of a conspiracy to harm Turkey. Police searched some 30 addresses in the capital Ankara and rounded up 20 people with alleged links to ‘terror’ groups and suspected of ‘attacking police and the environment’ during three weeks of protests that swept Turkey.
Chinese Minister elected to head UN agency
Beijing: China's Vice Finance Minister li Yong was on Tuesday elected the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). li Yong, a senior economic and financial policy-maker in China, will take over from the incumbent Kandeh K Yumkella, whose second term ends in June. The minister fought off competition from candidates of Afghanistan, Cambodia, Italy, Poland and Thailand to win the election, official media here reported.
China provides aid for key projects in Nepal
Kathmandu: Seeking to cement ties with Nepal, China on Tuesday announced grant assistance for three key projects in the country including a proposed police academy. China will support the projects involving construction of Armed Police Force Academy, upgradation of Kathmandu's ring road and logistic support to Nepal's Election Commission for conducting the forthcoming Constituent Assembly elections, it was announced on Tuesday during the official visit to Nepal by State Councilor Yang Jiechi, China's top diplomat.Terming relations with its southern neighbour as ‘exemplary’, Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday praised Nepal for its crackdown on Tibetan ‘separatist forces’ on its soil.