Jaipur, Curfew has been imposed in parts of Jaipur after serial bomb blasts rocked the city Tuesday evening killing 60 and injuring over 200 persons.

“The death toll in the incident had touched 60 till early in the morning. According to our information over 200 persons have suffered injuries in the blast”, G C Kataria, Rajasthan’s home minister, told IANS.

“As a precautionary measure we have decided to impose a curfew from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in parts of the city”, he said. “The …

Beijing, Military helicopters flew aid Wednesday to settlements cut off near the epicentre of a devastating earthquake in southwest China that killed some 15,000 people and left tens of thousands missing in toppled buildings.

Heavy rain had initially prevented the helicopters from flying emergency aid to Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, while troops were still trying to restore the badly damaged main road to the county.

The nearby city of Mianyang reported more than 7,000 dead and an …

Kochi, Global warming has added a new commodity to the Kerala farmers basket - a virtual commodity called carbon credit - thanks to their use of biogas.

The carbon credits, earned by around 16,000 farmers for their contribution towards controlling emission of greenhouse gases, are being traded now at Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) providing them a small amount annually.

It was an NGO, Anthyodaya, which pioneered the idea of carbon credit for farmers in the state.

“When farmers use biogas in their kitchen, they prevent the …

Myawaddy (Myanmar), It was supposed to be a moment of hope, a breakthrough in the troubled international aid effort for the hundreds of thousands of Myanmarese victims of Cyclone Nargis. Instead, I watched as the delivery of the first overland aid convoy was received with stark indifference by military officials either ill prepared or uninterested in speeding the aid to those in need.

At lunchtime Saturday, seven days after Nargis killed an estimated 100,000-plus people and left up to 1.5 million homeless, Myanmar’s junta finally allowed …

Mumbai, Madhuri Dixit received Padma Shri for her contribution to Indian cinema and the former Bollywood diva says the honour is a result of her hard work and honesty.

“It’s always a wonderful feeling to have your work honoured. One has worked so hard for so many years. The Padma Shri is a culmination of all my hard work and honesty. I think I’m being honoured for doing my work sincerely,” Madhuri told IANS.

Madhuri’s children are in the US with her in-laws and her …

Sydney, The Australian government has set aside an extra A$2.2 million (US$ 2 million) to fund the judicial inquiry into the way official agencies handled the terrorism case against Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef.

The amount has been allocated in the first budget presented by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government.

Haneef, 28, was charged with recklessly providing support to a terrorist organisation by giving his mobile phone SIM card to his cousin Sabeel Ahmed, one of the men accused in the botched British bomb attacks in …

Kolkata, Shoaib Akhtar made an impressive debut as he spearheaded Kolkata Knight Riders win over Delhi Daredevils by 23 runs in an important Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 match here Tuesday.

The controversial Pakistani fastbowler wrecked the Daredevils top order with his raw pace and picked up four for 11 from his three overs to wrap up their innings for 110 runs in 17.5 overs. Knight Riders, after winning the toss, were restricted to 133 for the loss of six wickets in …

Washington, Senator Hillary Clinton claimed victory in the Democratic Party’s West Virginia presidential primary at a televised rally following the close of polls.

“I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance … to be heard,” Clinton said Tuesday, pumping her supporters for more money to keep her campaign alive.

With 68 percent of polling stations reporting, the former first lady had 66 percent of the vote compared to …

Colombo, Remember the famous story about the goose that laid the golden eggs? Well, in Sri Lanka s Jaffna peninsula, it was a cow that yielded a valuable gold chain!

The cow had apparently stumbled upon the chain which had been hidden in a rice pot and gobbled it up. Of course, the animal had to be operated upon to recover the chain from its stomach, according to a media report.

The incident took place in Vadamarachchi. …

Islamabad, A day after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif announced his party’s withdrawal from the cabinet, nine federal ministers of the party Tuesday submitted their resignations over disagreement on the issue of sacked judges.

The resignations come six weeks after the PML-N joined the coalition government led by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The ministers took oath of office March 31.

A close aide of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani said he has not accepted the resignations and a final decision would be …