Washington, April 16 (IANS) New York Police Department has disbanded a controversial surveillance unit started after the September 11, 2001, attacks to catalogue information on Muslim businesses and mosques across the New York region. Developed with the CIA’s help after 9/11, the so-called Demographics Unit-or Zone Assessment Unit-has been the target of controversy and civil lawsuits. […]
Beijing, April 16 (IANS) China’s economy grew 7.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2014, authorities said Wednesday. The National Bureau of Statistics said preliminary data showed the nation’s gross domestic product reached 12.8213 trillion yuan ($2.08 trillion) in the first quarter, reported Xinhua. The figures suggest growth in the world’s second-largest economy was generally […]
Seoul, April 16 (IANS) A passenger ship with 471 people aboard, mostly high school students, was sinking in waters off South Korea’s coast, the media reported Wednesday. The 6,825-tonne passenger ship “SEWOL” was sinking in waters off the Jindo Island, just off South Korea’s southwest corner, sending out a distress signal at around 8:55 a.m. Wednesday. […]
Bangalore, April 16 (IANS) At least six passengers were burnt to death and a dozen injured early Wednesday when the private-run bus in which they were travelling caught fire in Karnataka, an official said. The accident took place in Hiriyur (town) in Chitradurga district, about 160 km from here. “The tragedy occurred around 3 a.m. when […]
Madrid, April 16 (IANS) The Spanish regions of Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla, the Canary Islands and Extremadura had the highest unemployment rates of the entire European Union (EU) in 2013, the EU’s official statistics agency Eurostat said Tuesday. Not only did Spain have the “top five” places in the ranking, but two others regions, Castilla-La Mancha and […]
Beirut, April 16 (IANS) Lebanon cannot bear the burden of more Syrian refugees coming into the country and would work on limiting their number, the interior minister said Tuesday. “Limiting the immigration of Syrian refugees will be coordinated with the concerned organisations and will depend on two factors — defining who the refugees are and limiting […]
Seoul, April 16 (IANS) A ship carrying 350 passengers is sinking off the coast of Jindo, southwest of South Korea, and sent distress signals to the coast guard, media reported Wednesday. The ship “SEWOL”, which departed from South Korea’s Incheon for Jeju, was flooded with sea water and inclined over 20 degrees. Passengers on the leaning […]
Washington, April 16 (IANS) The US Treasury Department said Tuesday that China cannot be ruled as a currency manipulator, but said the pace of China’s currency appreciation has been insufficient. “China’s currency (RMB) appreciated on a trade-weighted basis in 2013 but not as fast or by as much as is needed,” Xinhua quoted the US Treasury […]
Bogota, April 16 (IANS/EFE) The police in Colombian Tuesday seized 2,877 kgs of liquid cocaine discovered in the Caribbean port of Cartagena, where seven tonnes of the drug in solid form were confiscated a week ago. The liquefied cocaine was mixed with dielectric oil – an insulator – and concealed inside an electric transformer set to […]
Santiago, April 16 (IANS/EFE) Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said Tuesday that she will order a master plan prepared to reorganise Valparaiso’s urban design after the port city was devastated by a fire that left at least 15 people dead and 2,500 homes destroyed. “What we’ll do now is create a master plan to imagine the city […]