International News for December 8, 2008

US economy will worsen before it improves, says Obama
US President-elect Barack Obama has said that he expects the countrys economic performance to worsen before it improves, and has pledged to pursue a recovery plan equal to the task ahead. ANI

Barack Obama wont break strict White House no-smoking rules
US President-Elect Barack Obama has pledged that he would not be violating The White House no-smoking rule.The first African-American to be elected President of the United States, however confessed falling off the wagon when it comes to quitting cigarettes. ANI

Mega Monday will be years busiest day for online sales
Every Monday in December before Christmas has been dubbed as a Mega Monday, as it is the one day of the week when online sales are the busiest. ANI

Economic crisis will affect workers remittances to India, Bangladesh
The global economic crisis will cause a sharp drop next year in worker remittances -- a major source of income for developing countries like India, Bangladesh, Mexico and Philippines, labour specialists have said. ANI

Militants have no connection with Islam: Saudi Arabias Grand Mufti
Saudi Arabias Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh has said that militants have no link with Islam. ANI

Automobile CEOs will have to change or be sacked: Obama
US President-elect Barack Obama has warned top executives of the Big Three auto companies to either agree to drastic reforms or be sacked. ANI

Whisper campaign on Obamas citizenship persists despite winning election
The US Supreme Court is expected to announce on Monday whether or not it will consider two cases contending that Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen, as the president is required to be under Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution. ANI

Obama wants to open White House to artists, scientists, local kids
US President-elect Barack Obama has revealed that he would like to open up the White House to artists, local children and scientists. ANI

Obama says India, Pak must take steps to heal divide
US president-elect Barack Obama has called on both India and Pakistan to take steps to heal their divide over Kashmir following the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and also introduce appropriate measures to counter terrorism. ANI

Bush takes responsibility for the first time for Abu Ghraib scandal
US President George W. Bush has, for the first time, expressed his terrible disappointment over the disgraceful acts that took place inside Iraqs infamous Abu Ghraib prison in 2004. ANI

Rice says Pakistan must take action
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that Pakistan must take action against militants on its territory who may be linked to the Mumbai attacks, and added the argument that the Mumbai attackers were non-state actors is unacceptable. ANI

NWFP Government orders probe into attacks on NATO containers
The Pakistan and North West Frontier Province governments have ordered a probe into the attacks on three terminals of containers carrying goods for NATO forces. ANI

India wants to crush PoK: Lashkar chief Saeed
The chief of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the political wing of the banned militant organization, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has accused India of wanting to destroy Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. ANI

Coming soon, a deodorant to reduce underarm hair growth
Cosmetic giant, Unilever, is set to launch a deodorant which will not only leave you with a lasting fragrance, but would also potentially reduce the growth of underarm hair. ANI

Backpacking Princess Eugenie stayed in œ13 a night Goa hut
Princess Eugenie is said to have been experiencing a backpackers life when she stayed in a hut in Goa costing 13 pounds per night as security guards continued watching out for her. ANI

Wildes earliest surviving letter to gay lover found after 50 years
A collection of letters and manuscripts that illuminate the life and work of celebrated writer Oscar Wilde, apparently lost for more than 50 years, have been found by academics. ANI

Credit crunch sees rise in church attendance
With the ongoing credit crunch thousands of people are once again turning back to religion, the Church of England has revealed. ANI

Brit man slapped with œ80 fine for swearing at TV!
Brit man Martin Solomon has been fined 80 pounds for swearing at his TV while drunk at his home in Stroud, Gloucestershire. ANI

Showing nipples, pubic hair doesnt pull in the charities!
Planning to launch a saucy calendar for charity? Well, make sure there are no nipples or pubic hair exposed, otherwise your plan of making money can backfire, at least thats what an expert suggests. ANI

Indias initiatives to revive tiger population bearing fruit: Expert
Stephen Mills, a writer and film-maker who has spent over two decades watching tigers and other big cats in the wild, believes initiatives by the Indian government, and growing awareness by local people in tiger areas of the need to conserve the animals, offer new grounds for optimism in what has been a remorseless decline over the past 40 years. ANI

Camels, snails, pineapple plants make Top Ten Charity Christmas Gifts list!
A camel might sound bizarre as a Christmas gift, but the desert animal has been named as the most favoured choice in the top ten list of charity gifts for 2008. ANI

Family will have to convince Caroline Kennedy to bid for Senate seat
Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, will in all probability, look to the Kennedy clan to convince her to push to be appointed to Hillary Clintons soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat. ANI

Lashkar says it has devised way to thwart Pak move to curb its freedom
The banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-toiba has said that it has devised ways at the grassroots level to circumvent a Pakistan Government move to curb its activities. ANI

Brit primary pupils to learn more practical skills than traditional subjects
British primary pupils are to learn more practical skills involved in daily life while traditional subjects such as history, geography and religious studies are set to undergo a radical reform. ANI

EU parliament urges Pakistan to extradite terrorists, end infiltration
In a written declaration, the European Parliament has called on the Government of Pakistan to take immediate action to extradite to India leaders of the Khalistan and other terrorist groups who acknowledge their role in terrorist activities in India. ANI

Abbrvatd txt msg too lng to undrstnd, says stdy
Going through a heavily abbreviated SMS can take twice as long time and only saves the sender a few seconds of typing, says a new research. ANI

Wife in the soup for setting husbands genitals on fire
A woman allegedly set her husbands genitals on fire while he was sleeping. ANI

West pessimistic about North Korea bending during nuclear talks
Western representatives who will attend negotiations starting today on North Koreas nuclear programme, are reportedly pessimistic about any progress being made. ANI

Even nuclear bunker has been hit by recession!
It can withstand enemies attack, but a nuclear bunker failed to protect itself from the dreading effects of the financial credit crisis. ANI

Classic toys make comeback on US kids Christmas wish list
Classic toys are making a comeback this Christmas, with American kids jotting them down on their wish lists as gifts they would like Santa to bring them. ANI

20-1 odds against Caroline Kennedy getting Hillary Clintons NY Senate seat
New York Governor David A. Paterson apparently seems disinclined to nominate Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former US President John F. Kennedy, for the New York Senate to be vacated by soon-to-be Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. ANI

Pakistan to curb financing of terror groups
The Pakistani Government, in its bid to tackle the terror problem amidst rising international pressure, has ordered the police to prevent banned militant organisations from collecting the hides of sacrificial animals.After the Mumbai attack, India blamed Pakistan for not cracking down on banned organisations masterminding such attacks. ANI

Mumbai terror attack has raised the bar for Pak to act: Times
The militants who killed Hindus, Christians and Jews in Mumbai have evidently seen the attack as a part of a struggle connecting India with Kashmir, America, Afghanistan and Britain, reports The Times. ANI

Pakistan still doesnt have anti-terror operations capacity: US
The United States of America has said that Pakistan does not have any capacity to counter terrorists operations inside its territory. ANI

Nepal Constituent Assembly urges parties to form committees
The Constituent Assembly Secretariat (CAS) of Nepal has asked the parties represented in the Constituent Assembly (CA) to constitute committees soon according to the CA regulations. ANI

Prachanda says Nepali Congress reluctant to promote politics of consensus
Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda has accused the Nepali Congress (NC) of trying to flout the politics of consensus and cooperation. ANI

Boob flashing women get Jack Sparrow the sack!
Actors playing Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland have been sacked because of women flashing their boobs at the sexy pirate. ANI

Censoring of Wikipedias naked girl page leaves users fuming
Wikipedia users are enraged after many UK Internet providers decided to block a page on the online encyclopaedia showing an image of a naked girl. ANI

Tribal areas in Pakistan are a breeding ground for Taliban activity
The lawless tribal belt of Pakistan has certainly developed into a breeding ground for the militants of Taliban. ANI

Mumbai attack: Rice denies India setting Pakistan a 48-hour deadline to deliver
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday denied that India had given Pakistan a 48-hour deadline to take action against those behind last months terror attacks in Mumbai that claimed close to 200 lives and caused injuries to about 300. ANI

Blair appeals to Pak, India to calm tensions
Middle East peace envoy and former British prime minister Tony Blair on Sunday called for calming tensions between Pakistan and India in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. ANI

ISI helped Lashkar-e-Taiba to become a more effective terror outfit
The Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant group said to be behind the Mumbai terror attacks, has quietly gained strength in recent years to become a more effective militant outfit with the help of Pakistans main spy agency, the ISI. ANI

Discmans make comeback in UK retail stores as Christmas presents
The long forgotten portable compact disc players are making a comeback in British retail stores, thanks to consumers who are asking for cheap, simple gadgets as Christmas presents. ANI

Ex-ISI chief Gul says he was not involved with Al-Qaeda
Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General, Lt. Gen. (retired) Hamid Gul, has rejected all allegations regarding his connection with banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and also about his involvement in any terrorist activities involving Al Qaeda. ANI

Pakistan, India suspend talks indefinitely
Pakistan and India have reportedly agreed to suspend their composite dialogue in the wake of the November 26 Mumbai attacks. ANI

Pak to respond to Indias second demarche in a couple of days
The Pakistan Government has said that it will respond to the Indian Governments second demarche on what actions the former proposes to take vis-�-vis the Mumbai terror strikes in a few days. ANI

China to build first inland nuclear plant in Hubei
China has announced plans to construct its first inland nuclear plant in the central province of Hubei. ANI

Pak cabinets defence committee to discuss security in wake of tensions with India
The Defence Committee of the Pakistan Cabinet, which has not met for close to a decade, will meet here on Monday to discuss security situation against the backdrop of Pakistans tense relationship with India in wake of the Mumbai terror strikes. ANI

Security forces crackdown on Lashkar-e-Toiba in Pakistan Kashmir
Pakistani security forces have launched a quiet crackdown on activists affiliated with the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the political wing of the banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba on the Pakistan side of Kashmir as well as in other parts of the country. ANI

Peshawar heading on Beiruts path
Peshawar is once again in the news, but for all the wrong reasons. ANI

Cartoon porn kids based on Simpsons are people, rules judge
A judge has ruled against an appeal made by a man charged with showing porn based on children from the animated series The Simpsons, saying that cartoon characters are also people. ANI

Renewables Academy Offers Transfer of German Know-How to Combat Climate Change
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