New Delhi, Dec 25 : A 69-year-old Chinese man begged a court to jail him for a longer period after he was sentenced to two years in prison for robbing a woman.

Besides being jailed, the court asked Fu to pay a fine of 6,000 yuan (875 dollars) for robbing a woman of a bag containing more than 9,000 yuan worth of valuables at Beijing Railway Station, reports the China Daily.

However, Fu begged for longer jail term for his offence so he could spend his twilight years in a warm place where food was aplenty.

He said he was too aged to support himself by doing farm work in Qidong, his hometown in Hunan province.

New Delhi Panji/ Mumbai, Dec 25 : Christmas is being celebrated today with enthusiasm and religious fervor.

Special prayers were held at midnight in the churches marking the birth of Jesus Christ.

In national capital, Hundreds of people gathered the famed Sacred Heart Cathedral and sang carols and lighted candles inside the church to offer prayers.

In Goa, locals and tourists came out in large numbers to offer prayers across various churches in the state amid tight security.

New Delhi, Dec 24 : India and Maldives inked on credit standing facility and air services here today.

The agreements were signed after the talks between Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the visiting Maldives President Mohammad ''Anni'' Nasheed.

Nasheed, who is on a three-day visit to India, said his government was seeking Indian industrialists, entrepreneurs to be partners in joint ventures in running the present state owned industries in Maldives.

Apart from it, the two countries will also push for strengthening ties between the two countries in the changed regime in Maldives.

President Nasheed is scheduled to attend a high-level business meeting with Maldivian delegation later today.

New Delhi, Dec 24 : India''s Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today said that the design for the country''s second moon mission Chandrayaan II is ready.

Talking to the mediapersons here on the sidelines of a function organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to felicitate the members of the Chandrayaan I team, ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said that it is all set for a 2012 launch.

"Chandrayaan II, the design is complete, we hope by 2012, we will be ready for the launch," he added.

The launch of Chandrayaan-2, approved by the Indian government will include a rover that will land on the moon.

New Delhi, Dec 24 : In a statement, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense in the Chinese Government, has said that China will "seriously consider" building aircraft carriers to protect its vast maritime territory.

Huang Xueping, the spokesman, made the remarks at a news conference called to announce details of a Chinese flotilla that will leave for Somali waters on December 26 to protect Chinese ships from pirates.

Asked whether the Chinese navy's first deployment abroad is a good opportunity to build a carrier, Huang said the government would seriously consider the issue.

New Delhi, Dec 24 : President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari today greeted the people on the joyous occasion of ''Christmas''.

In her message, the President said, "On the joyous occasion of Christmas, let us recall the teachings of Jesus Christ and pledge to dedicate ourselves to spread his universal message of love and compassion. Let us also ensure that people from the disadvantaged sections of the society are also able to participate in this celebration, which is indeed the spirit of Christmas."