OTTAWA: The opposition toppled Canada's Conservative government on Friday, accusing it of sleaze and mismanagement, and set the scene for a May election that polls indicate the Conservatives will win. Opposition legislators threw papers in the air in glee after voting 156-145 in the House of Commons to defeat the minority government, which they also say has mismanaged the economy and is overly secretive. The defeat paves the way for an election that will likely be fought on two main themes -- ethics and the economy. Likely dates are May 2 or May 9. Canada's dollar was steady at C$0.9810 to ...
Published On: 2011-03-26

LONDON: Thousands of police were preparing for tens of thousands of people to descend on London Saturday for a huge protest march against the government's harsh austerity measures. Trade unions organising the rally said more than 100,000 demonstrators would turn out to oppose cuts introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition to tackle Britain's record deficit. Scotland Yard said around 4,500 officers would be deployed, after several huge student protests against plans to triple university tuition fees turned violent late last year. After coming to power in May, the coalition an...
Published On: 2011-03-26

YANGON: Rescuers struggled to reach remote Myanmar towns hit by a powerful earthquake which killed 75 as rare images from the area showed roads torn apart and wooden homes reduced to piles of timber. The 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the east of the country near the borders with Thailand and Laos and was felt as far away as the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. The towns of Tarlay, Tachileik and nearby villages in Myanmar's Shan state appear to have been most severely affected by the quake, which flattened hundreds of houses and toppled monasteries and government buildings. A few images from t...
Published On: 2011-03-26

DAMASCUS: Troops opened fire on protesters in cities across Syria and pro- and anti-government crowds clashed in the capital's historic old city as one of the Mideast's most repressive regimes sought to put down demonstrations that exploded nationwide Friday demanding reform. The upheaval sweeping the region definitively took root in Syria as an eight-day uprising centered on a rural southern town dramatically expanded into protests by tens of thousands in multiple cities. The once-unimaginable scenario posed the biggest challenge in decades to Syria's iron-fisted rule. Protesters wept over ...
Published On: 2011-03-26

WASHINGTON: To a nation and a Congress seeking answers, President Barack Obama on Monday will offer his most expansive explanation of the U.S. role in the Libyan war, delivering a speech that is expected to cover the path ahead and his rationale about the appropriate use of force. Obama's 7:30 p.m. EDT speech, to be given from the National Defense University in Washington, comes as leading Republican lawmakers and some from his own party have pressed him for clarity about the goals and exit strategy of the United States. Obama and top U.S. security officials spent about an hour talking to law...
Published On: 2011-03-26

YANGON: A strong earthquake that toppled homes in northeastern Myanmar has killed more than 70 people, and there were fears today the toll would mount as conditions in more remote areas became known. The Thursday night quake, measured at a magnitude 6.8 by the US Geological Survey, was centred just north of the town Tachileik in the mountains along the Thai border. It was felt hundreds of kilometres away in the Thai capital Bangkok and Vietnamese capital Hanoi. Myanmar state radio announced today that 74 people had been killed and 111 injured in the quake, but was updating the total frequent...
Published On: 2011-03-25

TRIPOLI: A top African Union official today called for a transition period in Libya that would lead to democratic elections, a rare rebuke from African leaders who appear to be pushing for political reforms that could lead to Moammar Gadhafi’s ouster. A Libyan government delegation is meeting in Ethiopia with five African heads of state who plan to develop a road map to encourage political reform in the North African country. It couldn’t immediately be confirmed if Libyan rebels were also in attendance. African Union commission chairman Jean Ping said in an opening speech that th...
Published On: 2011-03-25

TOKYO: A suspected breach in the reactor core at one unit of a stricken Fukushima nuclear plant could mean more serious radioactive contamination, Japanese officials said today, revealing what may prove a major setback in the mission to bring the leaking plant under control. The uncertain situation halted work at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, where dozens had been working feverishly to stop the overheated plant from leaking dangerous radiation. The plant has leaked some low levels of radiation, but a breach could mean a much larger release of contaminants. Officials are also grappl...
Published On: 2011-03-25

NEW DELHI: Indian aviation authorities have cancelled the licences of 15 commercial pilots for exaggerating their flying time during training.  The pilots received their eligibility certificates from a flying school in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, said EK Bharatbhushan, the director-general of civil aviation. Police have arrested four pilots with fake aviation licences in the past two weeks, leading to concerns about unqualified pilots endangering the lives of thousands of travelers. Opposition lawmakers have accused the government of failing to prevent corruption in l...
Published On: 2011-03-25

Beijing: A state news agency says more than 100 villagers in eastern China have been poisoned by lead emissions from a battery plant built in a residential area.The official Xinhua News Agency cited health and environmental authorities in Zhejiang province as saying today that tests showed that 139 people from three villages in Taizhou city had elevated lead levels. The sickened included 35 children.The report says three villagers had lead levels three times the limit considered safe for humans. But none of the 501 villagers tested required treatment. India nuclear protests New Delhi: Aroun...
Published On: 2011-03-25