General Politics

Austrian far right leader Joerg Haider dies at 58

Vienna - Austrian far right leader Joerg Haider dies at 58Austrian politician and populist Joerg Haider, 58, the man behind the resurgence of the country's right wing parties, died in a car crash on Saturday.

With his death, Austria's right loses its most important figurehead, a man both reviled and admired by many Austrians.

The crash occurred near Klagenfurt in the province Carinthia, where Haider was a popular governor.

North Korea airs footage of Kim Jong Il

Seoul - North Korea airs footage of Kim Jong IlNorth Korea's state-run Central Television Saturday released pictures of leader Kim Jong Il inspecting a miliary unit in an attempt to refute speculation over his alleged illness, a South Korean media report said.

Kim, who is said to be recovering from a stroke or brain surgery, was shown in 10 photographs inspecting a women's army unit and watching them undergo weapons' training, the Yonhap news agency said. The images were the first of Kim shown in 58 days.

TDP Changes Stance On Telangana

In what seemed to be a surprise for many, poltical party TDP announced its TDP Changes Stance On Telanganaplan to form a separate state of Telangana from the present province, Andhra Pradesh. The news was quite unexpected as the same party has been working for years to prevent Andhra from being bifurcated.

The TDP Chief, Chandrababu Naidu on its changed stance commented on Thursday that, "The Core committee has decided this on basis of the sentiment of the Telangana people. They have recommended a separate Telangana."

Serbia urges UN to seek legal opinion on Kosovo's independence

Serbia urges UN to seek legal opinion on Kosovo's independence New York - Serbia on Wednesday asked the UN General Assembly to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legality of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told the 192-nation assembly that sending the request to the ICJ at The Hague would "prevent the Kosovo crisis from serving as a deeply problematic precedent in any part of the globe where secessionist ambitions are harboured."

Campaigns grow nasty as Obama, McCain ready for debate

Washington - Campaigns grow nasty as Obama, McCain ready for debateAs Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain prepare for the second presidential debate on Tuesday, their campaigns have taken on a nastier tone on the airwaves and over the internet.

Obama revived McCain's role in the savings and loans scandal of the late 1980s and early 1990s, while the Arizona senator's campaign called Obama "dangerous" and emphasized his meeting in 1995 with a member of a radical 1960s anti-Vietnam war group.

Voter registration for presidential poll begins in Afghanistan

Kabul  - Voter registration for presidential poll begins in Afghanistan The Afghan government began voter registration Monday ahead of a presidential election slated for autumn 2009 despite the country's worsening security situation as it battles a Taliban-led insurgency.

The Independent Election Commission said it started the first phase of the registration process in 15 central and eastern provinces, adding that it would take up to four months to cover the country.

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