Kuala Lumpur - An international piracy watchdog on Tuesday warned of increasing violent pirate attacks in the troubled Gulf of Aden off Somalia, as worldwide pirate
attacks rose by almost 100 per cent for the first three months of this year compared to 2008.

The London-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said 102 pirate attacks were reported from January to March, compared to 53 in the same period last year.

Colombo, Apr. 21: The Sri Lankan Army has begun its final assault on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Puthumattalam on Tuesday after Army's deadline for surrender of LTTE Chief Velupillai Prabhakaran ended at noon.

Puthumattalam is the last LTTE sand bund to be captured by Sri Lanka Army.

Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotbaya Rajapakse categorically said today the Prabhakaran will now have to surrender or perish.

Bangkok - Thailand has targeted June as a tentative date to host regional summits that were derailed earlier this month by protests in Pattaya, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Tuesday.

"We expect the summits to be held in June, possibly in Phuket," Abhisit said after a cabinet meeting.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said consultations were still underway with the other nine members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations

Washington, April 21 : In a new research, scientists have determined that the ancient Maya civilization used a rare type of clay called "palygorskite" to produce Maya blue, a unique bright blue to greenish-blue pigment.

As part of the research, the Spanish research team defined the features of palygorskite clay on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

These findings will make it possible to ascertain the origin of the materials used to produce this pigment, which survives both time and chemical and environmental elements.

The team traced the route followed by the Maya to obtain palygorskite clay, one of the basic ingredients of Maya Blue.

Washington, Apr 21: Aussie actor Hugh Jackman has revealed that he fears his children will grow up spoilt after the lavish lifestyle they have been living.

Jackman, 40, says he enjoys his fortune, as he did not have much as a struggling actor, and that it was only at the age of 30 after he landed a role in the superhero franchise that he was able to enjoy his life better.

But the X-Men star is worried that his adopted kids, Oscar, eight, and Ava, four, with wife Deborra-Lee Furness, will turn into brats with the easy lifestyle he has provided them.