10 killed in Afghanistan explosions

Kabul, May 17 (IANS) At least 10 people were killed Saturday in separate blasts in Afghanistan, an official said. In one attack, one civilian was killed and 12 injured when a bomb attached to a motorcycle went off in northern Takhar province, the official told Xinhua. Five militants were killed early Saturday, when a bomb they […]

Turkey mine disaster toll rises to 299

Ankara, May 17 (IANS) The toll in Turkey’s coal mine disaster rose to 299 after 15 more bodies were recovered from the mine in the western town of Soma, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said Saturday. Rescue teams entered parts of the mine that were previously inaccessible due to a fire after the blaze was largely […]

Dracula’s castle up for sale?

London, May 17 (IANS) You may have some images of the dreaded Dracula’s castle in your mind – the 13th-century fortress in Transylvania called Bran Castle. It is another thing the castle did not actually belong to Dracula but to the Habsburg royal family. The Romanian government has now placed an $80 million (Rs.470 crore) bid […]

Two negative attributes cancel each other in job hunt

Washington, May 16 (IANS) A gay black man may not be as disadvantaged as a gay white or a black straight man in securing a job as was presumed. Researchers now indicate the negative attributes associated with being both a black man and a gay may cancel each other out. Gay men are stereotyped as effeminate […]

Obama asked to reach out to Modi

Washington, May 14 (IANS) With exit polls suggesting that Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi is likely to become India’s next prime minister, a leading US expert has suggested that the US reach out to him. “Whatever else may be believed about Modi, there is universal agreement that he is a decisive leader,” writes Ashley […]

157 killed in Turkish coal mine explosion

Istanbul, May 14 (IANS) At least 157 miners were killed, 75 injured and more than 200 workers were trapped underground after an explosion in a coal mine in the western Turkish province of Manisa Tuesday, officials said. “According to unofficial information, we have 157 dead and 75 injured workers,” Xinhua quoted Manisa Mayor Cengiz Ergun […]

Slovakia lags behind EU in food self-sufficiency

Britislava, May 14 (IANS) Slovakia is lagging significantly behind the rest of the European Union (EU) in terms of food self-sufficiency, a minister said Tuesday. Slovak Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Lubomir Jahnatek made the remarks at an international conference organised by the Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber (SPPK), Xinhua reported. The minister said the […]

Hungary court sentences 92-year-old to jail

Budapest, May 14 (IANS) Bela Biszku, a high-ranking former senior official, was Tuesday sentenced by a Budapest court to five years and six months of imprisonment. The decision is subject to appeal. Biszku was charged with conspiration to commit multiple homicides which qualify as so-called war crimes, Xinhua reported. On December 6, 1956 three people […]

French journalist killed in Central African Republic

Paris, May 14 (IANS) A French journalist was assassinated in the Central African Republic (CAR), French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday. “The corpse of (Camille) Lepage was found after a patrol by (French) Sangaris troops stopped a car driven by anti-balaka groups, in the Bouar region,” Xinhua quoted Hollande as saying in a statement. “Everything […]

OPEC raises oil demand forecast for 2014

Vienna, May 14 (IANS) OPEC has raised its forecast on the demand for its oil in 2014 to 29.8 million barrels per day (bpd), 110,000 bpd higher than its previous projection, the Vienna-based cartel said Tuesday. In its latest monthly report, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said its oil output in April […]