Yingxiu, China— China said Saturday at least
60,000 people have been killed in its worst
earthquake in a generation and that the death
toll could climb past 80,000. UN chief Ban Ki-moon
visited the ravaged epicentre of the earthquake
in southwestern Sichuan province as
international efforts picked up steam to help
China shelter and care for millions of homeless.
Vienna—The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
needs to double its budget by 2020 if it is to
do its job properly, according to the findings
of an expert study released Friday.
London— The arrest of an academic and a student
from the University of Nottingham for the
possession of extremist material has provoked
outrage on the campus after it was revealed the
apparent offence concerned downloading
information for a PhD, reports, The Muslim News.
Beijing — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on
Saturday praised recent close ties between
Moscow and Beijing as a key to global stability
and said he wants to strengthen their strategic
partnership.
THERE were tears and sweat aplenty in Moscow’s
Luzhniki stadium on Wednesday, but barely any
blood. English fans kept calm. Russia’s police
avoided running amok. The result was that
stereotypes of Russia as a harsh forbidding
place lost another chunk of credibility, and its
quest to be treated as a “normal” country on the
post-Cold War stage advanced a further step.
