Egypt signs deal to supply fuel to Gaza power plant
The Hamas-run authority of energy and natural resources in the Gaza Stripe signed an agreement with Egypt to pump fuels through Rafah border crossing to Gaza power station, Palestinian officials said Monday. The energy authority said in a press statement emailed to reporters that the agreement was signed in Egypt’s capital Cairo between Palestinian representatives […]
IAEA prepares for possible return of nuclear inspectors to DPRK
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies during a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, Feb. 29, 2012. Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that the agreement of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to suspend its […]
Russia says not to provide Damascus with military help
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (R) talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Feb. 7, 2012. <Photo DB: Xinhua> Russia would not provide military assistance to the Syrian government if Damascus is attacked, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday. Russia and Syria signed a treaty on cooperation and friendship, […]
No need for Indonesia to import rice in 2012
The Indonesian government does not need to import rice this year as the domestic supply is forecast to be sufficient to meet the country’s rice stockpile target to counter possible impact of global weather phenomenon, Agriculture Minister Suswono Arsyaf said here Friday. Suswono said that bumper rice harvests in the vast archipelago country this year […]
WB says extreme poverty population declines, more efforts needed
The World Bank said Wednesday that the extreme poverty population in every region of the developing world declined by 13 million between 2005 and 2008, but more efforts are needed to fight against it. The Washington-based institution said in a report about 1.29 billion people lived below 1.25 U.S. dollars a day in 2008, equivalent […]
Annan sees “one mediation process” key to ending Syrian crisis
Kofi Annan, the UN and the Arab League (AL)’s joint special envoy for Syria, said Wednesday that an one and only mediation process accepted by all parties concerned is crucial for the success in the efforts to end the current crisis in Syria. “If we are going to succeed, it is extremely important that […]
Thai mom gets 41-year jail term for prostituting underage daughter
A criminal court sentenced a woman to 41 years in jail for prostituting three girls including her own daughter to an English expat man on several occasions between 2008 to August 2010, local media reported on Wednesday. According to the report, Tim Wongsiri, 50, forced two girls, who were under 15, and her own […]
One third of Indian youth willing to go into politics if given a chance
Indian youth’s interest in politics has consistently risen and a significant number of them are willing to enter the field if given a chance, according to a study carried by local media Wednesday. Moreover, Indian youths of middle class are more in favor of making politics a career than their counterparts in other economic strata, […]
Beijing struggles to reduce carbon emissions
With 350 million tonnes of coal burned a year in pan-Beijing area, it is difficult for Beijing to fulfill its goal of reducing air pollution, officials and political advisors have said ahead of China’s pending legislative sessions. Meng Wei, head of the Chinese Institute of Environmental Sciences and a longtime low-carbon advocator, said Beijing should […]
21-time Mt. Qomolangma summitter awarded with Guinness World Record
Nepal’s mountaineering legend Appa Sherpa was awarded with Guinness World Record (GWR) for climbing the highest mountain Mt. Qomolangma for 21 times on Monday. GWR officials, who were in town since Saturday, took the opportunity of their arrival in Nepal to award Sherpa with the GWR award. The 52-year-old Sherpa, who started to climb the […]