UN calls for release of abducted official in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - The UN Friday renewed its call for the release of an UN official abducted by Pakistani militants in southwestern part of the country.

Meerut’s war on polio finds a global face

NEW DELHI - Munzareen Fatima is hardly the toast of Indian showbiz - but the tough Meerut housewife clad in a burqa and a lace shawl covering her head is India’s new face at the 2009 Oscar awards.

Adnan Sami’s wife loses case over property in court

MUMBAI - The Mumbai High Court Tuesday dismissed the plea of singer Adnan Sami’s wife Sabah that he and his parents be evicted from the house they all presently live in. Adnan says he will fight the matter out with her in whichever court she appeals.

Ancient Hindu temple in Malaysia gets state funds

KUALA LUMPUR - A 120-year-old Hindu temple in Malaysia, one of the oldest in the Muslim-majority country, has been granted $175,000 in state funds.

Court fines Finnish PM’s ex-girlfriend for explicit book

HELSINKI - The Helsinki appeals court has fined Susan Ruusunen, an ex-girlfriend of Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, and her publisher, Kari Ojala, for disseminating information that breached Vanhanen’s privacy.

Italian woman at centre of euthanasia row dies

ROME - Eluana Englaro, the comatose woman at the centre of a right-to-die debate in Italy, has died.

Gilani acquitted of corruption charges

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court Wednesday acquitted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in two corruption cases going back to the 1990s, saying the evidence against him was insufficient.

Court pulls up trial court for declaring witnesses hostile

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Monday expressed concern over trial courts in the capital terming witnesses hostile whenever minor differences are found in their statements, saying it was a disturbing feature of the criminal justice system.

RTI query on bureaucrats gets engineer transfer, vigilance probe

PANAJI - Information is not the only return that an application under the Right To Information (RTI) can fetch you. It got Kashinath Shetye a quick-fire transfer, a punishment posting and a vigilance enquiry after he filed RTIs seeking information about the who’s who in the bureaucracy and the police department.

Hillary is secretary of state, clears India link hurdle

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton has become America’s chief diplomat though some lawmakers’ concerns about her husband’s foundation and the former first family’s perceived links with India delayed her Senate confirmation by a day.

Over 50 VCK workers arrested in Tamil Nadu for violence

CHENNAI - Over 50 Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) workers have been arrested from various parts of Tamil Nadu after 51 government buses were damaged in violent protests during the last four days, a police officer said Sunday.

Fiat India launches luxury sedan in India

NEW DELHI - Auto manufacturer Fiat India Friday launched its luxury sedan Fiat Linea in India.

Shyam Benegal told me ‘Tingya’ is like a poem: Director

NEW DELHI - Marathi film ‘Tingya’ might have lost out to Aamir Khan’s ‘Taare Zameen Par’ as the official entry to the Oscars, but the film has no dearth of critical acclaim with ace filmmaker Shyam Benegal appreciating it and comparing it to a poem.

CPI-M for Third Front to defeat BJP, Congress

NEW DELHI - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Saturday urged non-Congress, non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parties to jointly contest the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Security Council fails to reach Gaza resolution

NEW YORK - The UN Security Council was again unable to reach a resolution on the Mideast conflict late Saturday, hours after Israeli troops launched a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip.

Kingfisher follows others, slashes airfares

NEW DELHI - The UB Group-owned Kingfisher Airlines Thursday announced a 21 to 65 percent fare cut on various routes with effect from Jan 1.

Kashmir separatists baffled by high voter turnout

SRINAGAR - Was it an unwise decision by Jammu and Kashmir separatist leaders to call for a total poll boycott during the assembly elections? Some senior separatist leaders are beginning to think so after the high voter turnout witnessed during the polls that went on for over a month.