George Bush Sr. hospitalised with respiratory problems

George Bush Sr. hospitalised with respiratory problems

Washington, Dec 24 (IANS/EFE) Former US president George W.H. Bush has been transferred, as a precautionary measure, to a hospital in Houston after suffering respiratory problems, according to a statement from his office. The former president, 90, was admitted Tuesday to the Houston Methodist Hospital where he would remain under observation as a precautionary measure, […]

Belgian defence minister authorised king’s controversial military flight

Belgian defence minister authorised king’s controversial military flight

Brussels, Dec 24 (IANS/EFE) Belgian Defence Minister Steven Vandeput personally authorised the use of a military aircraft for flying Belgium’s King Philip and his family to Asia for their Christmas vacation, sparking controversy about the use of public resources for private purposes, a media report said Wednesday. Vandeput granted permission for the royal family to […]

Bulky lump in pants of Ronaldo’s statue sparks comments

Lisbon, Dec 24 (IANS/EFE) Three days after its inauguration, a statue of Real Madrid’s Portuguese star striker Cristiano Ronaldo erected in his honour in his hometown in the Madeira Islands has generated a great deal of buzz for what looks like as a bulge in the statue’s pants. On Wednesday, several Portuguese newspapers collected dozens […]

Germany on high alert over terror attack threats

Germany on high alert over terror attack threats

Berlin, Dec 23 (IANS/EFE) German security forces are on high alert as fears grow that terror attacks by radical Islamists might be carried out in any part of the country, according to a leaked report published Tuesday by the Bild newspaper. According to the confidential report seen by the paper, Germany’s participation in the fight […]

Pakistani courts suspend seven execution orders

Pakistani courts suspend seven execution orders

Islamabad, Dec 22 (IANS) Two Pakistani courts Monday suspended the execution of seven convicted terrorists citing various grounds even as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed the country’s attorney general to take legal steps to get such suspension orders revoked. The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi bench Monday suspended the convictions of five prisoners who were […]

Venice curator praises Kochi Muziris Biennale

Kochi, Dec 22 (IANS) The Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB) has made India an important centre for contemporary art with its assembly of beautifully installed exhibits that are well-chosen in their narration and materiality, said curator critic Okwui Enwezor. The KMB 2014 “feels incredibly familiar in a powerful way”, the 51-year-old Nigerian said Monday, adding that […]

Seoul declares war on Uber taxi business

Seoul declares war on Uber taxi business

Seoul, Dec 22 (IANS/EFE) Kim Kyung-ho, the head of South Korean capital Seoul’s traffic division, Monday filed a lawsuit against the Uber mobile application which connects riders to private car owners, promising to punish drivers cooperating with the taxi-hailing service. In statements to the local Yonhap news agency, the capital’s head of traffic claimed that […]

How many alliances are possible in Kashmir?

Srinagar, Dec 22 (IANS) Amid the uncertainty of what will be the election result Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir, two things are certain: there will be no alliance between the BJP and the Congress and none between the National Conference and the PDP. A few other things can be said with some certainty. The Peoples […]

Iraq calls for closer anti-terror cooperation

Iraq calls for closer anti-terror cooperation

Baghdad, Dec 18 (IANS) Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi Thursday urged Arab nations and the world to work even more closely with Baghdad in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) militant group. Abadi made the statement at a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Abdullah Ensour, who is on an official visit to […]

Iran backs Russia’s Syria talks initiative

Iran backs Russia’s Syria talks initiative

Tehran, Dec 18 (IANS) Iran backs talks between the Syrian government and the opposition groups, a senior Iranian diplomat was quoted as saying by media Thursday. Iran supports Russia’s recent initiative to host a “Syrian-Syrian dialogue” in an attempt to end the three-year-old conflict in the country, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, according […]