Chargesheet against Varun Gandhi ready: police

LUCKNOW - A chargesheet is ready against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi, say police in Uttar Pradesh after forensic experts confirmed that three CDs of the hate speeches he allegedly delivered in Pilibhit constituency ahead of elections were genuine.

Indonesian scientists reconstructing rare, giant elephant skeleton

BANDUNG, Indonesia — Indonesian scientists are reconstructing the largest, most complete skeleton of a prehistoric giant elephant ever found in the tropics, a finding that may offer new clues into the largely mysterious origins of its modern Asian cousin.

Ore. attorney general clears Portland mayor of criminal wrongdoing in affair with teenager

SALEM, Ore. — There’s no credible evidence that Portland Mayor Sam Adams broke the law in his 2005 relationship with a teenager, Oregon’s attorney general said Monday.

Punjab couple allege son killed in racial attack in Australia

CHANDIGARH - A couple here Monday alleged that their son, found dead in an Australian town under mysterious circumstances in February this year, had fallen prey to racial attacks.

Power struggle among Iran’s clerics bursts into the open as ayatollah’s relatives are arrested

TEHRAN, Iran — A backstage struggle among Iran’s ruling clerics burst into the open Sunday when the government said it had arrested the daughter and other relatives of an ayatollah who is one of the country’s most powerful men.

Zimbabwe’s PM Morgan Tsvangirai defends decision to share power with Robert Mugabe

LONDON — Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Sunday defended his decision to enter a power-sharing government with President Robert Mugabe, a day after being heckled offstage by protesters in London.

Buffett auctions off another charity lunch but bids may not top last year’s $2.1M winner

OMAHA, Neb. — Last year’s winning bid for lunch with legendary investor Warren Buffett topped $2.1 million, but given the economic turmoil, it’s questionable this year’s bidding will approach that level.

3 suicide bombers enter Islamabad, Lahore, may target key installations

LAHORE - The Taliban has dispatched three suicide bombers to carry out attacks in Islamabad and Lahore, it has been revealed.

Immigration officials arrest Mexican fugitive accused of trafficking heroin throughout Midwest

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Federal immigration officials say they’ve arrested a Mexican fugitive who is nicknamed the Ghost and is accused of trafficking high-potency heroin throughout the Midwest.

Iran protester says people want a new election, more democracy under Islamic system

Among the demonstrators who joined Thursday’s protest in Tehran in support of pro-reform leader Mir Hossein Mousavi was a 29-year-old engineering graduate. Reached on the telephone by Associated Press correspondent Lee Keath in the United States, he spoke on condition of anonymity because he said he feared retaliation from the government.

Police say suspected US missile strikes hit Taliban targets in Pakistan, at least 8 dead

ISLAMABAD — Suspected U.S. missiles pounded militant hideouts Thursday in the tribal belt near Afghanistan where Pakistani troops are building up for a major offensive against the country’s top Taliban leader.

Bandit gunned down after 50-hour siege, four cops killed

LUCKNOW - After battling over 400 heavily armed police personnel for more than 50 hours in an Uttar Pradesh village, bandit Ghanshyam Kewat was Thursday shot dead after he tried to escape by jumping off the roof of the house under siege.

NYC tax preparer accused of sending 2 threatening letters to prosecutor who helped convict him

NEW YORK — A New York City tax preparer has been accused of threatening to kill a prosecutor who is handling a grand larceny case against him and supervised his earlier conviction on similar charges.

Not just liberal rich kids: Iran’s opposition now drawing families, religious conservatives

TEHRAN, Iran — It’s not just young, liberal rich kids anymore: Whole families, taxi drivers, even conservative women in black chadors are joining Iran’s opposition street protests.

Thousands amass at LA Coliseum hours before Lakers parade and rally

LOS ANGELES — Thousands of Los Angeles Lakers fans waving flags and wearing jerseys are pouring into the Coliseum for the rally celebrating the team’s 15th NBA title.

CPI-M, Trinamool two sides of same coin, says Maoist leader

KOLKATA - A top Maoist leader in West Bengal Wednesday described the state’s ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the main opposition Trinamool Congress as “two sides of the same coin”, and said his organisation only indulged in counter-violence against “atrocities of the ruling classes”.

Nepali PM expands cabinet, but squabbles do not end

KATHMANDU - Even three weeks after assuming office, Nepals new Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Wednesday failed to reach an understanding with his major allies, being forced to induct only 10 new ministers after sharp criticism at home and mounting international concern.

Turkey stages naval drills off Cyprus amid tensions over offshore oil, gas exploration

ABOARD THE TCG GEMLIK, — Turkish and Turkish Cypriot warships staged search and rescue drills off the island of Cyprus on Wednesday amid tensions over a disputed search for oil and gas.

Rot in church due to affluence: Kerala nun-author (With Image)

NEW DELHI - Money, power and even sex are corrupting the church and anybody who dares speak up is gagged, says a Kerala nun who left her congregation last year amid much controversy and whose autobiography has just been published in English.

Amarnath pilgrimage begins Monday despite bad weather (Lead)

SRINAGAR - A day before the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir begins, the Indian Army Sunday stepped in to augment the snow clearance efforts as the weather gods turned whimsical, lashing the region with continuous rain and snow.

Hina Khar becomes first Pakistani woman to present budget

ISLAMABAD - Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, on Saturday became the first Pakistani woman to present a national budget, though, she found it difficult to pronounce long Urdu economic terms because of her English medium educational background.akistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s finance adviser, Shaukat Tarin, was supposed to present the budget, but as he was not an elected member, he could not so.

Cell phone service appears to have been cut in Tehran, Iran’s capital, after disputed election

Cell phone service down after disputed Iran vote

TEHRAN, Iran — Cell phone service appears to have been cut in Iran’s capital after a disputed election that the government said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won.

Wis. Democrats elect 30-year-old as nation’s youngest state chairman in either party

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Democratic Party says it now has the nation’s youngest state chairman in either party.

Government declares Iranian president winner in election, rival also claims victory

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Interior Ministry claimed hard-line incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was heading for a surprise landslide victory Saturday in the country’s stormy presidential elections. But his pro-reform rival countered that he was the clear victor and accused authorities of voter fraud.

Sarah Palin says David Letterman owes women an apology

NEW YORK — Sarah Palin says David Letterman owes an apology to young women across the country for his joke about her daughter.

Centre will look into Armed Forces Special Powers Act: Chidambaram

SRINAGAR - Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday said that the Centre would look into the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and take into account every essential aspect.

Caribous and reindeers decline by 60 percent worldwide

WASHINGTON - An analysis has revealed that caribou and reindeer numbers worldwide have plunged almost 60 percent in the last three decades.

9/11 memorial at ground zero to feature audiovisual display, with victims’ portraits, stories

NEW YORK — Audiovisual tributes to the thousands of Sept. 11 victims — accompanied with stories from their lives — will form the core of the memorial museum, officials announced Wednesday.

Rebel NCP leaders lash out at Pawar, call him ‘communal’

PANAJI - Members of Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Goa unit, who resigned from the party a day earlier, Wednesday lashed out the party chief and union minister Sharad Pawar calling him “anti-Catholic” and “communal”.

Officials: 2 people shot inside US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — A gunman exchanged fire with security guards inside the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday. One security guard and the gunman were taken to a hospital.