NEW YORK: Fidel Castro, the longtime president and leftist icon who stepped aside during a health crisis but still leads the Cuban Communist Party, has told a reporter that Israel definitely has the right to exist."Yes it does, without a doubt," Castro, 84, told visiting US journalist

NEW YORK: The White House on Wednesday seized on a new expose of President Barack Obama`s Afghan war deliberations by ace reporter Bob Woodward, saying it proved he was a thoughtful, decisive leader.The Washington Post legend`s past blockbusters have often wounded presidents, with their

NEW YORK: Russian immigrants to Israel are a key obstacle to reaching peace with the Palestinians, according to ex-US president Bill Clinton -- words that elicited a terse reaction Wednesday from Israel`s leader.Clinton, speaking Tuesday at the annual Clinton Global Initiative conference,

New York:  Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been honoured with the 2010 World Statesman Award by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an interfaith coalition which promotes mutual understanding, tolerance and peace. India`s Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, accepted the award

BEIJING: China is to give another 200 million dollars in emergency flood aid to Pakistan, Premier Wen Jiabao announced during a visit to New York for a UN anti-poverty summit.The announcement comes a month after Beijing faced sharp criticism of its relief pledges from Washington`s

MOSCOW: President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday signed a decree banning supplies of S-300 missiles and other arms to Iran in a long-awaited move after weeks of deliberations by Russian officials."Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree `on Measures to implement the United Nations Security Council

GENEVA: A UN probe said Wednesday there was clear evidence to back prosecutions against Israel for killing and torture when its troops stormed a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.In a scathing report, it also threw out Israel`s argument that the aid activists were violent, thereby justifying

NEW YORK: NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday the alliance was on a "solid path" to improving ties with Russia, as the United States declared Moscow a partner and not an adversary.In their latest attempt to repair the rift in post-Cold War relations following Moscow`s 2008 war

Washington: A meeting of world powers in New York Wednesday focused on preparing for a possible meeting with Iran to discuss the Islamic state`s nuclear activities, a senior US official said.The foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the Security Council -- Britain, China,

UNITED NATIONS: US President Barack Obama and Iran`s leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad take their political rivalry to the UN General Assembly on Thursday when world leaders start their annual debate.The Middle East, the possible breakup of Sudan, the Iran and North Korean nuclear programmes,

SEOUL: North Korea announced a reshuffle of senior officials Thursday just days ahead of a key communist party meeting expected to pave the way for a power transfer from Kim Jong-Il to his son.Kang Sok-Ju, North Korea`s first vice minister of foreign affairs, has been appointed to the

New Delhi:  In the wake of the Ayodhya verdict on Friday, bulk text and multimedia messages have been banned throughout the country for next 72 hours starting tonight.A plea for deferment of the verdict was filed in the Supreme Court today, but the bench refused to hear the matter saying

BEIJING: Thirteen people died and 33 others went missing as tropical storm Fanapi swept across southern China this week, triggering severe flooding and mudslides, state media reported Wednesday.Fanapi made landfall on the mainland Monday, one day after slamming Taiwan with heavy rains,

JAKARTA: Suspected Islamic militants killed three police officers in Indonesia early Wednesday in apparent retaliation for the arrest and killing of members of their group, police said.Twelve men surrounded a police station at Hamparan Perak, in Deli Serdang district of Sumatra island,

Taipeil: Taiwan raised the travel alert for India late Tuesday, following Sunday`s shooting in New Delhi which left two Taiwanese injured.The alert was raised from yellow to orange, the second most serious level on a four-scale system. The alert applies to the Indian capital New Delhi and

SYDNEY: A fresh rooftop protest broke out at an Australian immigration detention centre Wednesday, officials said, just hours after the end of another tense standoff that followed the suicide of an inmate.Nine people, reported by activists to be mainly Chinese nationals, climbed onto the

Washington: The US and India Tuesday pledged to work together to boost trade ties ahead of President Barack Obama`s first visit to the Asian power next month.Following a meeting in Washington between US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he is considering to put any possible peace agreement with the Palestinians to a national referendum."It is clear to me that any agreement that I will bring will be brought to the nation for a decision, and there are a

NEW YORK: Pakistan on Tuesday urged the United States to pressure India over Kashmir, saying recent unrest showed that New Delhi and not Islamabad was to blame for trouble in the Himalayan territory.On a visit to New York for a UN session on Pakistan`s devastating floods, Foreign Minister

LONDON: Amnesty International on Wednesday accused world leaders at a UN summit of damaging the fight against global poverty through their failure to combat human rights violations.A greater focus on rights would boost efforts to reach a set of key United Nations development goals, which