Lawmakers loyal to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave final approval to a legislation on Friday that has raised fears among government opponents of impending socialist indoctrination in schools. The law orders schools to base curricula on what it calls ‘The Bolivarian Doctrine’ — a reference to ideals espoused by 19th-century independence hero Simon Bolivar, such [...]

Pop icon Michael Jackson was clinically dead long before medical help turned up at his LA home, a report said on Sunday. Paramedic chiefs and staff at UCLA hospital have revealed to the News of the World, details of the report which was overseen by three specialist paramedics. The report made on a comprehensive official [...]

US officials said strong winds could ignite more blazes across parched parts of California and force more evacuations in areas already under a state of emergency. The Lockheed fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains blackened close to eight square miles (20 square kilometres) of remote wilderness and prompted mandatory evacuations of the mountain communities of [...]

After his “ordeal” at the hands of immigration officials at the Newark airport, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has said he does not feel like stepping on American soil anymore but ruled out seeking an apology for the incident, which was denied by US officials. Driving straight to the venue of a function at the [...]

The United States on Saturday denied the allegations that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was detained and questioned for two hours at the Newark airport or that the actor was singled out because of his name or Asian identity. The allegations “happen to be incorrect,” the spokesman of the US Customs and Border Protection here [...]

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday lauded India’s “historic successes” in socio-economic development and said that ties with New Delhi are Moscow’s “unconditional foreign policy priority”. In his messages to President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the 63rd Independence Day, Medvedev reiterated Moscow’s foreign policy priority of fostering strategic partnership and friendship [...]

In comments that could reignite the ‘burqa’ controversy in France, a Muslim woman minister from the country has sought a “ban” on the veil arguing that it could help stem the spread of radical Islam. The burqa — the veil and headscarf covering everything but the eyes — represented “the oppression of women, their enslavement, [...]

Iran will on Sunday put on trial 25 more people arrested after protests against the result of June’s disputed presidential election, the ISNA news agency reported on Saturday. “The third session of the elements of recent riots in Tehran will be held on Sunday… in branch 15 of the revolutionary court,” a court statement carried [...]

A deadly blast occurred outside the NATO’s headquarters in Kabul on Saturday. A suicide bomber breached several rings of security police before blowing up a car, near the heavily guarded NATO office. Afghan authorities say 7 people were killed, many more injured. Said Brigadier Eric Tremblay, spokesperson of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force): “At 0835 [...]

The first swine flu vaccines are likely to be licensed for use in the general population in September, the World Health Organization has announced. Several manufacturers have produced initial batches of a H1N1 vaccine and some clinical trials are already underway. WHO director of vaccine research Dr Marie-Paule Kieny also sought to calm fears about [...]

One in five young teenagers suffer headaches at least once a week, say researchers. Of 1,000 12-15 year olds in Exeter questioned for the study, 10% had more than two headaches a week. That group had a poorer quality of life than children with asthma, diabetes or cancer, the British Journal of General Practice reported. [...]

At least 43 people – including 23 soldiers and 20 militants – have been killed in clashes in the southern Philippines, an army commander says. Maj Gen Benjamin Dolorfino said 400 troops launched coordinated attacks on a camp belonging to Abu Sayyaf rebels on the southern island of Basilan. He said soldiers recovered home-made bombs [...]

There was a bomb scare on the Kolkata-bound Indigo Airlines flight number 203 on Wednesday at the Delhi airport. As the news broke out, the bomb disposal squad was rushed to the airport, and the plane was taken to a remote bay. The airlines has now said that no bomb was found on the flight. [...]

Swine flu continued its surge across the country on Wednesday with 115 fresh cases being reported taking the total number of those afflicted to 1,193. Pune remained the worst-hit area by the disease with 61 new cases being reported from the city. Mumbai had 24 new cases, Kolkata (3), Bangalore (10), Shillong (1), Goa (1), [...]

Pakistan’s powerful spy agency ISI has been restructured by the government by weeding out 32 senior officers of the rank of Brigadiers and Colonels in a move to make it trim, a media report said on Wednesday. The retrenchment exercise in the agency has been carried out to make it “more efficient and vibrant”, The [...]

Classic tandoori chicken from India is marinated in yogurt, lemon juice, and plenty of spices, then grilled or broiled. Plan ahead. This recipe needs to marinate at least 8 hours or overnight. Prep Time: 8 hours, 45 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Ingredients: * 1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces, skinned and trimmed of [...]

In an article likely to raise Indian hackles, a Chinese strategist contends that Beijing should break up India into 20-30 independent states with the help of “friendly countries” like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The publication of the article nearly coincided with the 13th round of India-China border talks that ended in New Delhi on [...]

India’s largest bank, State Bank of India, on Friday said that it was launching a three-month long home loan campaign at attractive interest rates and zero processing fee to facilitate home buyers during the forthcoming festival season. Christened SBI My Home Campaign, it will be launched tomorrow, a press release issued here said. The public [...]