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23.05.2013 The cabinet Thursday approved classical language status for Malayalam, subject to the outcome of a case in the Madras High Court, an official statement said.23.05.2013 About 30 activists of the BJP's youth wing protesting the UPA-II government's corruption scandals were detained when they were trying to march towards Connaught Place in central Delhi.23.05.2013 Nearly two-thirds of Indian households in the high income group have reported a substantial increase in consumption of organic food products in the past five years, reveals a new survey released here today.22.05.2013 While the UPA counted its achievements in the nine years of its rule, the BJP Wednesday said the government was "misleading" the people.22.05.2013 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday urged Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan to sack six allegedly tainted state ministers.22.05.2013 The anti-incumbency factor could affect the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, a Congress MP and former Goa chief minister Francisco Sardinha said today.22.05.2013 A CBI special court here Wednesday sentenced M. Gopalakrishnan, former chairman-cum-managing director of Indian Bank, and another official to one-year jail terms for cheating and abusing their official position.22.05.2013 In a surprise move, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was secretly shifted from a Mumbai prison to a Pune jail early Wednesday, official sources said.21.05.2013 West Bengal's Left Front today charged the Trinamool Congress government with destroying the process of development and participatory democracy in the state over the past two years it has been in power.21.05.2013 Jammu and Kashmir's ruling coalition partners National Conference (NC) and Congress sparred over relief to earthquake victims in Doda and Kishtwar districts of the Chenab valley, with leaders of both parties making charges and counter charges against each other.20.05.2013 Two cabinet ministers in Andhra Pradesh charged in the Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy's disproportionate assets case have submitted their resignations to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, sources said Monday.19.05.2013 Accusing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of systematically covering up the mining scam in Odisha, the Congress party here Sunday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into it.19.05.2013 Jailed YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy's wife Y.S. Bharathi Reddy Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene and stop his victimization and harassment.19.05.2013 Four suspected linkmen of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency were arrested in West Bengal's Darjeeling district Sunday, police said. One of the nabbed was a retired Indian defence employee.19.05.2013 As Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is set to arrive here Sunday late afternoon, Delhi Police have deployed more personnel and shut down certain routes, including near the Chinese embassy.19.05.2013 Two cabinet ministers in Andhra Pradesh charged in the Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy's disproportionate assets case are likely to resign following orders from the Congress central leadership, party sources said Sunday.19.05.2013 There were no protests Sunday in this seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang began his India visit.18.05.2013 Bringing out an assessment report of West Bengal's Trinamool Congress government, two days before it completes two years in office, the Congress today alleged that the regime was moving in a negative direction and was clueless about the course it wanted the state's economy to take.18.05.2013 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today praised Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and asked the CPI-M to introspect and rethink its ideology.18.05.2013 Left parties in Bihar today urged the CBI to appeal in the Supreme Court against the acquittal of former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav in the murder of a CPI-M leader.18.05.2013 Due to lack of funds, several national railway projects in southern Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states would be delayed by a year, an official said here today.18.05.2013 Ecologist Madhav Gadgil has picked holes in former ISRO head K. Kasturirangan's high-level working group (HLWG) report on the environmentally sensitive Western Ghats, saying it endorses "exploitation" of the region's natural resources.18.05.2013 Recording his statement in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case, accused and Aarushi's father Rajesh Talwar Friday answered questions raised by the court from the evidence of the witnesses.17.05.2013 Amid mounting pressure to drop tainted ministers, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy Friday called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi.17.05.2013 Riding high after the arrest of three cricketer, including India fast bowler S. Sreesanth, in spot-fixing in Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Police are still struggling to file a chargesheet 13 years after having exposed the murky world of match-fixing in 2000.17.05.2013 Union Minister of State for Home R. P. N. Singh Friday called upon trainee CISF officers at the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) here to prepare themselves effectively to meet the emerging challenges posed by the new forms of terrorism and militancy.16.05.2013 The Saradha chit fund scam's suspected kingpin Sudipta Sen who earlier had reached out to the CBI accusing West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress of complicity in the swindle, has now approached the court opposing probe by the central agency.16.05.2013 Members of a commission of inquiry led by retired Supreme Court Justice M.B. Shah will visit Odisha again May 24 to further investigate alleged mining illegalities in the state, an official said Thursday.15.05.2013 The central government has sought from all states the number of Muslim youths involved in terror cases lodged in jails, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Wednesday while favouring fast track courts to deal with such cases.15.05.2013 Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today hinted that the government may ask the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the illegal functioning of the controversial CMJ University.15.05.2013 Expressing doubts about the West Bengal government's investigation of the Saradha Group chit fund scam, the Left Front today claimed there might be efforts to "silence" arrested scam kingpin Sudipta Sen.15.05.2013 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today termed "an eyewash" the decision of the central government to form a Group of Ministers (GoM) to look into the issue of autonomy of the Central Bureau of Investigation.15.05.2013 Resident doctors at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital called off their indefinite strike Wednesday after a health ministry official agreed to look into their demands, including better amenities and salaries.15.05.2013 The CBI would today interrogate former Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya for his alleged role in the killing of Kunda deputy superintendent of police Zia-ul-Haq, sources said.15.05.2013 The students wing of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) Tuesday staged demonstration in central Kolkata demanding a proper probe into the chit fund scam, arrest of those involved and compensation to the depositors.15.05.2013 Amid the intensifying debate in the country on the autonomy of the CBI, a petition has been filed in Allahabad High Court seeking to end the control of the Uttar Pradesh government over investigating agencies like the CID and vigilance department.15.05.2013 The Bharatiya Janta Party Tuesday accused the Congress of using the CBI for framing its leader of opposition in Rajasthan and former state home minister Gulab Chand Kataria in Soharabuddin Sheikh killing case.14.05.2013 A Mumbai court Tuesday issued summons to Rajasthan's Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria and three others to appear before it June 4 in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shooting case, a CBI official said here.14.05.2013 The government Tuesday constituted a group of ministers (GoM) to consider autonomy of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the wake of Supreme Court's scathing observations concerning the probe agency.14.05.2013 The central leadership of the CPI-M had sacked three of his staff members but former Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan appeared to have taken it in his stride and today appeared for a party meeting after three months.14.05.2013 The Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) has offered the Uttar Pradesh government financial assistance for the Metro rail project and a host of other projects, including the Agra-Lucknow expressway, officials said Today.13.05.2013 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday stressed that peace and tranquility hold the key to groom and grow the tourism industry in the state for which over Rs.383 crores have been sanctioned during the last four years by his government.13.05.2013 A special court Monday issued summons to Andhra Pradesh Home Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy in a disproportionate assets case involving YSR Congress party leader Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy.13.05.2013 Congress leader Digvijaya Singh Monday launched an indirect attack on the judiciary for calling the Central Bureau of Investigation a "caged parrot".13.05.2013 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today questioned two railway officials in the case relating to bribery for appointment of a senior railway officer to a lucrative post.13.05.2013 In a setback to the West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court rejected its appeal over the panchayat polls issue and refused to suspend the earlier verdict that upheld the primacy of the state election commission.13.05.2013 In a jolt to the Mamata Banerjee government, the Calcutta High Court here today ordered the CBI to take over the probe into a Trinamool Congress worker's death allegedly in the custody of West Bengal Police.13.05.2013 The Congress today said that decision to drop Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar from the cabinet was "joint decision" of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi even as BJP sought his resignation over reports that he was nudged into taking the decision.13.05.2013 Disgraced former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today had a brush with the media here, barely hours after returning from New Delhi where he quit from the union cabinet. The city press club has sought an apology from him.13.05.2013 The long-delayed sacking from the CPI-M of three staff members of Kerala's Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan was effected today at the two-day politburo and central committee meeting of the party in New Delhi.13.05.2013 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will embark on a three-day visit to Darjeeling Hills beginning May 14 during which she will meet the GJM leaders as well as hold talks with the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA).12.05.2013 Meghalaya Governor R.S. Mooshahary today cautioned that Maoists were trying to establish their foothold in India's northeastern region.12.05.2013 United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi will Tuesday lay the foundation stone of a new hostel for girls at the Jamia Millia Islamia here, an official statement from the university said today.12.05.2013 Hundreds of activists of the BJP's youth wing were detained outside Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's official residence here today, demanding his resignation after two union ministers quit over malfeasance and impropriety.12.05.2013 PMK leader S. Ramadoss who was admitted to a hospital here after complaining of breathing difficulty is doing fine, a party official said today.12.05.2013 Further hardening its stand on the Calcutta High Court verdict upholding the primacy of the State Election Commission in holding the panchayat polls, the West Bengal government Saturday said it was ready to take the legal battle to the Supreme Court if it did not get a favourable response from a the division bench.11.05.2013 Further hardening its stand on the Calcutta High Court verdict upholding the primacy of the State Election Commission in holding the panchayat polls, the West Bengal government Saturday said it was ready to take the legal battle to the Supreme Court if it did not get a favourable response from a the division bench.11.05.2013 Revamping of the state administration for efficient delivery of services to the people would be the focus of the Congress government, Karnataka Chief Minister-designate Siddaramaiah said here Saturday.11.05.2013 Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Saturday said that had the Congress-led UPA central government acted in time, the life of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh could have been saved.11.05.2013 Police Saturday raided the headquarters of the chit fund-aided Saradha Group that has gone bust and seized six motorcycles with red beacons and hooters allegedly used by the company's officials to carry money at night.11.05.2013 C.P. Joshi has been given additional charge of the railway ministry, while Kapil Sibal has got the additional charge of the law and justice ministry, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said Saturday.11.05.2013 The Tripura government has launched a crackdown against Rose Valley, one of the biggest chit fund companies in eastern India. Two executives of the group have been arrested and documents have been seized, an official said today.10.05.2013 As Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal appeared likely to quit, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said had the step been taken earlier, the budget session of parliament would not have been wasted.10.05.2013 To further scientific advancements in Kerala, the state government will set up a Central-State Institute for Technology Transfer jointly with the central government, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced Friday.10.05.2013 The Congress today set a record by swiftly naming Siddaramaiah as its chief minister in Karnataka - just about four hours after the meeting of central observers with its newly-elected legislators here. This is perhaps the shortest time the party has taken to decide on its leader in a state.10.05.2013 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and Bhataiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani led MPs in paying tributes to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in parliament's Central Hall on his birth anniversary, a statement said Thursday.09.05.2013 The Congress today ridiculed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for "campaigning against the CBI", claiming that she was doing so to prevent the truth from coming out in the Saradha Group chit fund scam.09.05.2013 The Cabinet today approved amendments in a law for disqualifying MPs for holding an office of profit to exempt the chairpersons of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from its purview, said official sources.09.05.2013 The Left parties today sought a court-monitored CBI probe into the West Bengal chit fund scam and accused the Trinamool Congress-led government of not intervening to check activities of companies with suspicious financial dealings in the state.09.05.2013 The Cabinet Thursday approved amendments to the Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2010, pending in the Lok Sabha, to ensure its provisions are in conformity with the Constitution (Ninety-Seventh Amendment) Act, 2011, an official statement said.09.05.2013 The Supreme Court today said a report from the CAG - a constitutional functionary - commands respect but it could not be solely relied upon for deciding any contentious issue.09.05.2013 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa today requested the central government to release Rs.19,555 crore towards drought relief in the state and said the state government had done its part in finding resources.09.05.2013 Seventeen Pakistani prisoners lodged in Jammu's Kot Bhalwal jail raised anti-India slogans while protesting Sanaullah Ranjay's death, who was attacked in the prison May 3, an official said.09.05.2013 CBI chief Ranjit Sinha Thursday accepted the Supreme Court's observation that the country's premier investigating agency was a "caged parrot" that "speaks in its master's voice".09.05.2013 In India's tech hub, having the largest number of legislative assembly constituencies in Karnataka, an upbeat Congress and a beleaguered BJP shared honours Wednesday, winning 12 seats and 13 seats respectively.09.05.2013 The 14th Karnataka legislative assembly election witnessed a majority of leaders winning, barring one or two, though the beleaguered BJP lost heavily with about 20 of its ministers facing humiliating defeat on Wednesday.08.05.2013 BJP MP Tarun Vijay Wednesday again accused Google of violating India's mapping laws by showing vital military installations with annotations and asked the government to take steps to access the data the company possessed.08.05.2013 The Delhi High Court will Thursday pronounce its verdict on two petitions seeking a CBI probe into the death of a constable who collapsed during an anti-rape protests here last year and quashing of FIR registered against eight youths for his death.08.05.2013 The Supreme Court today termed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a "caged parrot" that "speaks in its master's voice".08.05.2013 Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Wednesday sought the "personal intervention" of President Pranab Mukherjee "to direct the union government" to file a fresh appeal against Sajjan Kuamar in an anti-Sikh riot case.08.05.2013 Nirpreet Kaur, one of the key witnesses and victim of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, broke her six-day-old fast here Wednesday after Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal assured support for her fight for justice.08.05.2013 Parliament was disrupted today as the BJP persisted with its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks, and also demanded that ministers P.K. Bansal and Ashwani Kumar step down.08.05.2013 Karnataka's ruling BJP was Wednesday headed for a rout in assembly election with several ministers, including deputy chief minister K.S. Eshwarappa, trailing as votes were counted.08.05.2013 In a rare gesture, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi Tuesday reached out to BJP leader Sushma Swaraj by placing her arm around her shoulder and walking a few steps with her in the parliament corridor.07.05.2013 The Gauhati High Court has directed the Brahmaputra Board to submit a report within next three months on how it plans to secure the lives and property of people on Majuli island from the devastating annual floods and erosion, a petitioner said Tuesday.07.05.2013 A Delhi court today sent businessman Ajay Garg, an alleged aide of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew and accused in the railways bribery scam, and three other accused to CBI custody till May 9.07.05.2013 A delegation of Goa's mining workforce, who were in Delhi to lobby for restarting Goa's banned mining industry, Tuesday said they met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Minister for Mines Dinsha Patel in Parliament House.07.05.2013 Observing that a CBI probe was imperative in the raging chit fund scam in West Bengal, the Left Front today said it will meet the prime minister and the president in this regard.07.05.2013 Continuing its crackdown in the railways bribe case, the CBI Tuesday raided the residence of arrested Railway Board Member (Staff) Mahesh Kumar in Mumbai, officials said.07.05.2013 Tibetan Prime Minister-in-Exile Lobsang Sangay Tuesday appealed to the US to engage China to restart a dialogue on the Tibet issue, even as 117 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in four years.07.05.2013 The Congress core committee met to discuss the logjam in parliament with the opposition refusing to let the house function till Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and Railway Minister P.K. Bansal resign.07.05.2013 Finland's Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, on a visit to India, set aside time Monday evening to launch his own book with an "intriguing Indian connection".06.05.2013 In the wake of the opposition's demand for a CBI probe into the multi-crore-rupee Saradha Group chit fund scandal, the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal today accused the CPI-M of involvement in the coal scam.06.05.2013 The union home ministry today rejected a proposal of Delhi Police for recruiting about 2,000 personnel for security at the Metro railway stations in the national capital, an official said.06.05.2013 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Monday defended Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, saying it was his personal decision whether to resign or not following his nephew's arrest in a case of corruption in his ministry.06.05.2013 The Supreme Court reserved its order on the bail plea of YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganomhan Reddy in a case of allegedly possessing illegal assets.06.05.2013 A Delhi court today granted the CBI remand till May 7 of three more people arrested for their alleged role in a bribery case in which the nephew of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is also an accused.06.05.2013 Attacking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her predecessor and CPI-M leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today termed as "lies" her statement that she knew nothing about the chit fund scam before the Bengali New Year day.05.05.2013 The core committee of the Congress party met here to discuss various issues including the fate of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Law Minister Ashwani Kumar following the demands for their resignation.05.05.2013 Only right-wing Hindutva leaders can guarantee the security of Muslims in India, BJP leader Uma Bharti said today, as she defended Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, facing fire over handling of 2002 riots in his state.05.05.2013 Kerala's opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) today decided to celebrate the second anniversary of the Oommen Chandy-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government on May 18 as "Betrayal Day".05.05.2013 BJP leader Satya Pal Jain today demanded that the CBI should interrogate Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal who has said that he has no business links with his nephew who was arrested for allegedly accepting Rs.90 lakh to promote a railway official.05.05.2013 At least 10 ABVP activists were detained from outside the house of Railway Minister Pawan Bansal where they had gathered to demand his resignation following his nephew's arrest for taking bribe from a senior railway officer.04.05.2013 Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Saturday that more than 10,000 tents would be needed in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda, Kishtwar and Bhaderwah districts to accommodate people whose homes have suffered massive damage because of the recent temblor.04.05.2013 A Delhi court today granted four days police custody of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla and three others, arrested for allegedly taking a bribe to ensure the promotion of a top railway official.04.05.2013 A court trying the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case Saturday rejected the defence counsel's request to summon the then CBI joint director Arun Kumar and 12 other witnesses included in the original list but not brought to depose, the lawyer said.04.05.2013 A parliamentary committee may have asked the central government to hold back the setting up of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), but a former RAW chief insists that India does not need such an apparatus.04.05.2013 Senior BJP leader Satya Pal Jain Saturday sought the sacking of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal over a bribery scandal, saying that an appointment to the powerful railway board could not have occurred without the minister's knowledge.04.05.2013 Posing embarrassment to union Railway Minister and Chandigarh MP Pawan Kumar Bansal, the CBI Saturday arrested his nephew Vijay Singla and three others for allegedly taking a bribe for the promotion of a top railway official.03.05.2013 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today expressed its willingness to probe the Saradha Group chit fund scam if directed by the Calcutta High Court.03.05.2013 West Bengal Police have found Rs.100 crore in 254 bank accounts of Sudipta Sen, the arrested promoter of the chit fund aided Saradha Group, and were also looking into why the agencies which monitor such companies "did not" do their job.03.05.2013 In support of the Sikh community's protests over the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday joined the hunger strike for a day at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi.03.05.2013 The CPI-M today claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was desperately trying to prevent a CBI probe into the multi-million rupee chit fund scam to save the image of her Trinamool Congress, but said she would "miserably" fail in her efforts.02.05.2013 Attacking the opposition over its demand for a CBI probe in the chit fund muddle, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused the central government of inaction against the burgeoning 'Ponzi' firms.02.05.2013 The Election Commission today told the Supreme Court that it has convened an all-party meet May 10 to demonstrate the voters verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) in the EVMs and evolve consensus on its introduction.02.05.2013 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says he cannot interfere in an investigative matter and is concerned that truth should be told to the Supreme Court in the coal blocks issue, Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran said today.02.05.2013 In the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case, defence counsel pleaded before a special court here today to summon former CBI joint director Arun Kumar as witness.02.05.2013 The Samajwadi Party (SP) Thursday said the government may not last beyond October and early elections seemed inevitable.01.05.2013 The Supreme Court today reserved its order on a petition seeking the review of its verdict quashing the first information report (FIR) in the disproportionate assets case against former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati.01.05.2013 The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has demanded Rs.575 crore from the central and state governments for creating infrastructure for the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) in northern West Bengal's Darjeeling hills now run by the party.01.05.2013 The state government today launched the Delhi Swavlamban Scheme, to offer a pension for workers in the unorganised sector.01.05.2013 The Supreme Court today adversely commented on the home ministry providing security to a Mumbai businessman, indirectly referring to the recent decision of provide Z+ security to Reliance India Limited chairman and CEO Mukesh Ambani by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).01.05.2013 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday mocked the BJP's attack on the central government over corruption, saying that the party does not talk about its former chief minister going to jail for graft in Karnataka.01.05.2013 Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar from the Bharatiya Janata party is using the state vigilance department as his "personal army" to settle political scores with the opposition, the Congress alleged Wednesday.30.04.2013 The West Bengal government today announced it would shut down, by Wednesday, 73 companies against whom the central government has received complaints of indulging in 'Ponzi', or multi-level marketing, schemes.30.04.2013 Tripura's Left Front government may recommend a CBI probe into the illegal activities of the non-banking financial companies in the state following a chit fund scam in West Bengal, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said here Tuesday.30.04.2013 A bill to protect interests of depositors was passed by the West Bengal assembly here Tuesday, but the opposition questioned its validity and said it would go the same way as the Singur bill on land acquisition which has been declared unconstitutional by the judiciary.30.04.2013 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cannot escape accountability on the issue of allocation of coal blocks, the opposition said Today as the government fought allegations that its top law officer had influenced the CBI probe on the case.29.04.2013 Enlarge image
(© picture alliance / dpa)29.04.2013 The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the CBI on a bail plea by YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy who is in judicial custody in cases of possessing alleged illegal assets.29.04.2013 Parties should not play petty politics, but come together to provide relief to the family of Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh in a Pakistani jail, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla said today.29.04.2013 A cabinet minister Monday received a breather in the Andhra Pradesh High Court which set aside a trial court's decision to take cognizance of corruption charges against him without a government sanction to prosecute him.29.04.2013 BJP's star campaigner and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Sunday made a virulent attack on the Congress, especially on its vice president Rahul Gandhi, who he termed "a child born with a golden spoon", asking people never to vote for the party.29.04.2013 Expressing doubt whether West Bengal's Trinamool Congress government intended to dig out the truth in the chit fund scam, CPI-M leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Sunday said the facts could be unsettling for the ruling party which had become synonymous with the tainted Saradha Group.29.04.2013 BJP's star campaigner and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Sunday made a virulent attack on the Congress, especially on its vice president Rahul Gandhi, who he termed "a child born with a golden spoon", asking people never to vote for the party.27.04.2013 Congress leader and unionMinister of State for Health Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, who had earlier batted for the tainted Saradha Group, Saturday admitted it was mistake.27.04.2013 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Saturday told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the direct benefits transfer scheme infringes on the authority of state governments and makes them just bystanders.27.04.2013 Expressing concern over the misuse of central funds in Odisha, a delegation led by state Congress president Niranjan Patnaik met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek a need-based financial package for the state, party leaders said here Saturday.27.04.2013 Nepal's former prime minister and Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' arrives in the Indian capital on a four-day trip, a visit that has been described as a "thaw" by the Nepalese media and one that could go a long way in narrowing the "mistrust and misgivings" between the two sides.27.04.2013 In a setback to YSR Congress Party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy in the disproportionate assets case, the CBI special court Saturday dismissed his plea for joint trial by clubbing together all the charge sheets.26.04.2013 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Friday said the BJP government in Karnataka has created a "world record" in corruption but was talking about corruption of the central government.26.04.2013 Assuring people of justice and swift action for relief in the Saradha Group chit fund case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday lashed out at the erstwhile Left Front regime for not taking the right steps and failing to implement a bill to deal with chit funds during their rule.26.04.2013 The CBI's revelation that it had shared the coal scam report with the law minister and an official of the PMO proved the government's interference with the agency's work, the BJP asserted Friday and called on the prime minister to explain.26.04.2013 In the wake of the multi-crore Saradha Group chit fund scam, the Congress Friday accused the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of trying to dilute the issue to save its "own people".26.04.2013 Compounding the misery of West Bengal's Trinamool Congress government, employees of a news channel run by the Saradha Group have lodged an FIR against the party MP Kunal Ghosh.26.04.2013 CBI Director Ranjit Singh's reported visit to Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy's residence a day before the agency filed today affidavit in the Supreme Court on the coal block allocations has kicked up a political storm.26.04.2013 The Supreme Court today, hearing the petition of the two Italian marines accused of shooting dead two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast, said that the central government would take steps in pursuance of its Jan 18 judgment.25.04.2013 Barring the Saradha Group from making any financial transactions, the Calcutta High Court today asked the West Bengal government to furnish details about the steps taken against the tainted company.25.04.2013 A Congress MP today trained his guns on a Supreme Court-appointed committee and a retired apex court judge for the "fate" of workers rendered unemployed by the mining ban in Goa.25.04.2013 The Congress would be in a position to form a government in Karnataka, getting past the half way mark of 113 seats in the 225-member house while the ruling BJP's tally would go down significantly, a survey said Thursday.25.04.2013 A shooter of notorious underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who was on the run for the last two decades in custom officer L.D. Arora murder case, has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh, police said today.24.04.2013 Arrested Saradha group chairman and managing director Sudipta Sen has named two Trinamool Congress MPs and some Congress leaders, including the advocate wife of a union minister , in an 18-page letter to the CBI.24.04.2013 The BJP today attacked Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for sharing the dais with Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, an accused in the Israeli embassy car blast.24.04.2013 States which hold elections to panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) on time will get benefits from the programme of the central government to fund construction of gram panchayat offices, Panchayati Raj Minister K.C. Deo said Wednesday.24.04.2013 The Left Front today claimed Saradha Group chief Sudipta Sen's letter to the CBI indicting several high profile political leaders in the chit fund scam was a "fixing, aimed at protecting vested interests".24.04.2013 A CBI officer investigating the murders of Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj admitted during his cross-examination Wednesday that he was not allowed to arrest Nupur Talwar, Aarushi's mother and co-accused with her husband Rajesh Talwar.23.04.2013 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today reiterated the demand for setting up a rail coach factory in Jammu and Kashmir for economic development of the region and fighting unemployment in the state.23.04.2013 A CBI investigator told a court here Tuesday that they could not recover the blood-stained clothes of teenager Aarushi's father and suspect Rajesh Talwar and a golf club which he allegedly used for killing her and their help Hemraj.23.04.2013 The Rajya Sabha was disrupted today as the BJP raised a din over allegations of interference in the functioning of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation.23.04.2013 Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Tuesday said his party did not believe that the Congress-led central government has interfered with the CBI report on the coal block allocation scam.23.04.2013 Soft policies towards China will not work, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha said today and asked the government to take "very firm steps" to deal with the reported Chinese incursion in Ladakh region.23.04.2013 Enlarge image
Foreign Minister Westerwelle in Istanbul
(© Photothek)
“Constructive and successful” was Foreign Minister Westerwelle’s verdict after the meeting of the core group of the Friends of the Syrian People in Istanbul on April 20. The core group comprises the Syrian Opposition’s most active partners. The consultations focused primarily on the question of how the international community could bolster the moderate forces in Syria.22.04.2013 With her government drawing flak after the Saradha Group downed shutters, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today blamed the erstwhile Left Front regime for the mushrooming of chit funds, alleging it had not even acted on presidential advice for a strong legislation to contain the menace.21.04.2013 Support of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party would be crucial for the Congress-led UPA during the remainder of budget session of parliament as the government's failure to get the finance bill passed will imply its lose of majority and result in early elections, say analysts and political observers.20.04.2013 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today blamed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in New Delhi for playing "sheer politics" by not yet releasing its share of the funds for the rural job scheme.20.04.2013 A CBI special court here today awarded seven-year rigorous imprisonment to Akali Dal leader Mangat Rai Bansal in an embezzlement case related with the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Twenty-two other convicts were also sent to jail.20.04.2013 Signalling its intention to target Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the 2G spectrum allocation issue in the second half of budget session starting Monday, the NDA Saturday questioned the "leak" of the JPC's draft report and called on panel members to reject its report.20.04.2013 The blame game over the much-delayed proposed Vizhinjam Port resumed Friday with the Left opposition forming a human chain from Vizhinjam to the state secretariat and attacking the Congress-led state and central governments for not taking forward the project seriously.20.04.2013 Enlarge image
One of the main goals for Westerwelle in these talks was how to continue to create a welcoming atmosphere for foreign students.
(© picture alliance / dpa)
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Minister of State Cornelia Pieper met with top representatives from Germany’s higher education institutions to discuss Germany’s position as a key location for research and science in international comparison. During the talks, Minister Westerwelle said:20.04.2013 Enlarge image
Frankfurt is one the the only cities in Germany that has skyscrapers in it's skyline.
(© picture alliance / Klaus Ohlensc)
Berlin may be full of young startups, and Munich may have a ton of muscle in the automobile industry, but when it comes to economic competitiveness, Frankfurt am Main is still on top. Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and the European Central Bank are all headquartered in Frankfurt, so it's easy to see how it has become such an economic powerhouse. A study recently conducted by Berenberg Bank and the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI) reveals that for the third year in a row, Frankfurt am Main is ranked the number one most competitive city in Germany. Bonn and Munich are close followers, but the magnitude of industry, skilled workers, and banks have given Frankfurt a clear shot to the top in the last three surveys, which date back to 2008. The city itself is home to over 650,000 people, and its workforce is well known for its skill level. In fact, the HWWI reports that 18.7 percent of Frankfurt’s workers fall into the “highly skilled” category, revealing an excellent education and university system as well.19.04.2013 Livid at the central government for approving a special package of Rs.12,000 crore for Bihar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday accused the Congress-led UPA of "political discrimination" and "depriving" her cash-strapped state.19.04.2013 Bihar's political parties are divided over the central government's special grant of Rs.12,000 crore for the state, with the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) saying it was not a political move.19.04.2013 Child rights activists today welcomed the government's National Policy for Children launched Thursday, guaranteeing every child in India a right to life, development, education and protection.18.04.2013 Amid speculation over the future of the BJP-JD-U ruling alliance in Bihar, the union cabinet Thursday substantially enhanced the special grant for the state to Rs.12,000 crore for the next four years.18.04.2013 Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda was today released on a three-week provisional bail after spending about 40 months in jail for his involvement in various graft cases.18.04.2013 The government today hiked by eight percent the dearness allowance (DA) for central government employees, which will impose an additional charge of Rs.8,629 crore on the exchequer annually.18.04.2013 Many Muslims in Bihar are not impressed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's latest move to target Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his allegedly communal politics. It is mere "doublespeak", they say, and has little to do with secularism.17.04.2013 After asking his partymen to switch to election gear, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also working president of his National Conference (NC), reiterated today his government's commitment to filling vacancies on a fast-track basis.17.04.2013 Nominations for the May 5 Karnataka assembly poll ended Wednesday with the highlight of the last day of filing papers being richest candidate, Priya Krishna of the Congress, entering the fray in a Bangalore constituency.17.04.2013 An inter-state coordination meeting was held here today to address various issues related to strengthening of policing in the national capital, a police officer said.17.04.2013 The central government is probing the alleged heckling of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Finance Minister Amit Mitra by student activists in New Delhi, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said today.17.04.2013 The main responsibility for effective devolution of functions, finances and functionaries to Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) rests with the central government and not with the states, an expert committee has said.17.04.2013 The Supreme Court today stayed a part of its judgment which had said that the information commissions would comprise benches of two members with one of the two being a judicial member and the other being an expert member.17.04.2013 A Delhi court today fixed April 30 for pronouncing judgment in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and five others are accused.16.04.2013 Bharti Airtel chief Sunil Mittal and Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia appeared before a Delhi court following summons issued to them in a case relating to alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum.15.04.2013 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday opposed the central government's move to introduce new laws to deal with federal crimes.15.04.2013 An NGO today moved the Supreme Court seeking setting up of an SIT to investigate all cases relating to the unlawful and illegal allocation of coal blocks and the government's alleged bid to interfere in the on-going probe.15.04.2013 Congress chief ministers today welcomed the recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) for changes in police set-ups while those from the opposition disagreed with it.15.04.2013 The BJP today accused the UPA government of "misusing" and "abusing" the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which it said has caused damage to the country's constitutional scheme and body.15.04.2013 Indian authorities today said consultations were going on about allowing visas-on-arrival (VoAs) to citizens of around 10-16 countries, in addition to the present 11 nations.15.04.2013 Priyank M. Kharge, son of Minister for Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge, and Ajay Singh, son of former chief minister Dharam Singh figured in the second list of 40 candidates the Congress announced today for the Karnataka assembly polls.15.04.2013 Six Indians injured in a shooting incident in the Central African Republic last month were flown in here today and admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.13.04.2013 The Supreme Court has said that while the president or a governor cannot overturn its final verdict, in appropriate cases they can form an opinion whether a case is made out for grant of pardon or reprieve.13.04.2013 Facing the ire of industry and her colleagues for blocking crucial infrastructure projects citing green norms, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan Saturday said it was her mandate to protect forests and she would strain every nerve to shield them.13.04.2013 An Andhra Pradesh minister's remark calling for hanging of jailed MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy has sparked a furore with the latter's YSR Congress party today staging protests against him across the state.13.04.2013 The Congress today refuted claims of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that the CBI was working under pressure, saying the investigative agency has been functioning independently.12.04.2013 Former chiefs of Maharashtra and Mumbai Police expressed disgust over video pictures of 36 policemen caught taking bribes and said corruption in the force had to go.11.04.2013 An Assam court Thursday granted bail to chief of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) Ranjan Daimary in connection with the Oct 30, 2008, serial bombings that killed over 100 people and injured over 500 others.11.04.2013 Bit coin and crypto currencies are becoming major avenues for money laundering and terror groups often rob banks for funding terrorist acts, a top security expert said.11.04.2013 Even as the CBI is set to probe the poaching of one-horned rhinos in Assam, forest officials and conservationists here feel that tightening the investigative process and denying bail to poachers will deter them from repeating the crime.10.04.2013 Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath Wednesday blamed lack of professionalism and shortage of skilled manpower for the slow implementation of city modernisation projects in some states under a central scheme.10.04.2013 The Delhi High Court today reserved its order on a plea seeking directions to restrain political parties, including the Congress and the BJP, from issuing whips to their parliamentarians on issues of constitutional amendment.10.04.2013 A Delhi court today ordered the reopening of a case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.10.04.2013 Claiming that Gujarat has flourished under his regime, Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said that the BJP-ruled state has given politics a new issue: development.09.04.2013 Andhra Pradesh Home Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy today said she would abide by the Congress leadership's decision on continuing in the cabinet.09.04.2013 The Indian vaccine regulatory system has met the standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), health ministry officials said today.09.04.2013 Enlarge image
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's official website shows Ahmadinejad (Second Left) and Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi (Center) visiting Tehran's nuclear reactor, Iran, 15 February 2012
(© picture alliance / dpa)
To date, Iran has failed to fulfill the conditions stipulated by the United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the suspension of its nuclear program and failed to cooperate comprehensively with the IAEA to clarify questions regarding the possible military dimension of the program. 08.04.2013 India should think big and devise ways to reap its demographic dividend, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said here Monday and accused the UPA government of failing to provide effective governance.08.04.2013 The Supreme Court today offered partial relief to Bharti Airtel CMD Sunil Mittal by directing the 2G case trial court to put off hearing against him till April 16.08.04.2013 The BJP should think of where it was taking politics of the country, the Congress said today after the party asked it to come clean on reported WikiLeaks disclosures that the late Rajiv Gandhi may have been a middleman for a Swedish company looking to sell fighter jets to India in the 1970s.08.04.2013 Keeping up the attack on the West Bengal State Election Commission, the Mamata Banerjee government today charged it with using the government's funds to fight a case against the regime.08.04.2013 West Bengal's Trinamool Congress government has no intention of holding the panchayat polls as it fears its loss of popularity would be exposed, union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said today.07.04.2013 Ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary and assembly elections, the ruling National Conference has reiterated its demand for "autonomy" for Jammu and Kashmir, and revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state.07.04.2013 Terming India's current ratio of 15.5 judges per million people as "indeed grossly inadequate", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today urged states to take the initiative in increasing number of judges to deal with the three crore pending cases across the country.07.04.2013 Conceding that the current pension benefits for the country's ex-servicemen are not sufficient, army chief General Bikram Singh today said he would try to ensure their aspirations and requirements are fulfilled when the Seventh Pay Commission comes up.05.04.2013 Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti today spoke to External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid about the two Italian marines facing trial in India for killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast last year.05.04.2013 Odisha legislators unanimously passed a motion in the assembly here seeking special category status to the state, an assembly official said.05.04.2013 Former Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya has been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to appear before it within a week, in connection with the triple murder at Balipur village March 2.04.04.2013 Targeting UPA over its decision-making, BJP leader Arun Jaitley today expressed apprehension about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being able to implement his formulations on economic problems and stressed the government's elected head must have the last word.04.04.2013 The Kerala unit of the Congress party Thursday sought from the central government a Rs.100 crore assistance package for Kerala emigres who may lose their jobs in Saudi Arabia under its new work policy.04.04.2013 The ruling CPI-M has used the state administration to tamper with electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the recent assembly elections, state Congress unit chief Sudip Roy Barman said here today.03.04.2013 Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Wednesday once again targetted the Congress, saying it intimidated alliance partners and forced them to support it.03.04.2013 Tripura's dissident Congress leader Subal Bhowmik today launched a new party and blamed the central and state party leaders for the Congress' humiliating defeat in the Feb 14 assembly polls.03.04.2013 A study by a leading central government funded marine research institute has debunked a claim by a Brazilian agency that Indian freshwater reservoirs, especially those of dams, were sources of methane.03.04.2013 West Bengal's State Election Commission (SEC) told the Calcutta High Court that the state government has "totally disregarded" its suggestion on deployment of central paramilitary forces, which is necessary for conducting free and fair panchayat polls.03.04.2013 In a twist to the ongoing probe in the triple murder at a Kunda village in which a senior cop was also among those killed, the CBI has sought the removal of all station house officials (SHOs) posted in the police stations of Kunda.02.04.2013 A new Haj Committee will be constituted soon, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said today.02.04.2013 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved continuation of a Rs.373 crore Scheme for Special Infrastructure (SIS) in Maoist-affected states in the 12th Plan period (up to March 31, 2017), said an official statement.02.04.2013 The National Commission for Scheduled Castes Tuesday ordered Delhi Police to arrest the central government's secretary, higher education, for failing to appear before it for hearing in a case.02.04.2013 The Supreme Court today withdrew its March 14 restraining order that directed the government to ensure that Italian Ambassador Daniele Mancini did not leave India.02.04.2013 Stating that quality of education was the government's main focus in the 12th Five Year Plan, Human Resource Development Minister M.M. Pallam Raju urged states and union territories to implement the Right to Education (RTE) Act.02.04.2013 Pope Francis could visit Goa for the 2014 exposition of pioneering Jesuit St. Francis Xavier, said a priest of the church where the mortal remains of one of the first Christian missionaries to India are kept.01.04.2013 As Pakistani authorities denied that Indian prisoner Chamel Singh had died after being assaulted by jail staff, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said today that India was waiting for a full and detailed report on the circumstances of his death.01.04.2013 The West Bengal government said it will contest the State Election Commission's plea to the Calcutta High Court to reject the panchayat election dates it had notified.01.04.2013 With West Bengal's State Election Commission moving the state high court after a long standoff with the government on the upcoming panchayat polls, the Left Front today accused the Mamta Banerjee regime of hatching a conspiracy to stall the elections.01.04.2013 After days of stalemate, the West Bengal Election Commission Monday moved the Calcutta High Court seeking rejection of the panchayat election date notified by the state government.31.03.2013 BJP leader Saroj Pandey, who was today appointed the chief of the party's Mahila Morcha (woman front), said she will try to do her best in the new role.31.03.2013 BJP leader Uma Bharti, who was today appointed party vice president, said the best way to find a solution to the Ayodhya dispute was through talks.31.03.2013 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was today inducted into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary board that will lead the party in the general elections of 2014.31.03.2013 The dispute between the West Bengal State Election Commission and state government seemed headed towards a legal fight yesterday with both sides remaining firm on their respective stands on holding rural body (panchayat) polls.30.03.2013 Jammu and Kashmir's policy to rehabilitate surrendered militants did not work in the case of Sayyed Liyaqat Ali Shah but the state was not at loggerheads with the central government on the issue, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Saturday.30.03.2013 Kazakhstan's experience of promoting interfaith harmony through a world congress of religions which the Central Asian country has been holding in Astana since 2003 was marked at a roundtable here attended by delegates of different faiths.30.03.2013 Sharpening its attack on the West Bengal State Election Commission, the state's ruling Trinamool Congress Friday alleged that letters penned by the panel were being drafted in the office of a rival political party.28.03.2013 West Bengal's opposition Left Front today said the Mamata Banerjee government will have to take responsibility for the stalemate over the coming panchayat (rural body) polls following its friction with the state election panel.28.03.2013 From calling BJP leader L.K. Advani honest to billing Congress leaders "cheats" and "conspirators", the Samajwadi Party (SP) is steadily upping the ante against the Congress.27.03.2013 Entire sections of public life have become corrupt in India, says a book by a former officer of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).26.03.2013 Karnataka's ruling BJP was today hit by new allegations of money-making by its leaders with Excise Minister M. P. Renukacharya claiming he had given huge amounts to former chief minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda. Gowda dismissed the claims.26.03.2013 The central government has extended the scheme for modernisation of state police forces by five years, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said today.25.03.2013 West Bengal's State Election Commission today wrote to the state government seeking clarification about its unilateral announcement of the upcoming rural body polls, even as confrontation loomed large between the poll panel and the government.25.03.2013 In a sharp rebuff to the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Congress and the BJP today said that there was no possibility of a third front central government after the 2014 general elections.25.03.2013 A member of parliament has asked the Indian government to pay attention to the ongoing self-immolation protests in Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said here today.25.03.2013 Describing the Mamata Banerjee government's scheduling of the upcoming rural body polls as "politically motivated", the Congress Monday urged West Bengal's poll panel to use its constitutional power and reschedule the elections in the interest of "good justice".25.03.2013 Muslims organizations have expressed skepticism over the home ministry's proposal to set up special courts for speedy trial of Muslim youth falsely implicated in terror-related cases, terming the move a "lollipop" for the community.25.03.2013 Indian army chief General Bikram Singh today paid a brief visit to the state capital to take stock of the operational preparedness of the central command, headquartered here.24.03.2013 The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Odisha unit today appointed former minister Jayanarayan Mishra as its leader of its legislature party.24.03.2013 West Bengal's Trinamool Congress government today defended its decision to conduct the upcoming rural body polls without the services of central security forces, saying the conditions did not warrant it and it was a wasteful expenditure.24.03.2013 Delhi Police today released the sketch of a man whom the arrested suspected Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was to contact to plan a 'fidayeen' (suicide) terror attack in the capital.24.03.2013 The Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) has in a memorandum to the government demanded March 29 and March 31 as restricted holidays to enable Christian officials observe Good Friday and Easter today.24.03.2013 Top Maoist leader Sudershan was yesterday arrested in Andhra Pradesh's Khammam district bordering Chhattisgarh, police said.23.03.2013 The government was able to pass a mere 11 bills, including nine appropriation bills related to the railways, the general budget and the Jharkhand budget and two against gender crimes, against the 68 listed for the first half of the budget session that concluded Friday.23.03.2013 Two senior Congress leaders have resigned from the party Saturday, blaming the state leadership for the party's electoral debacle in the Feb 14 polls.23.03.2013 The central government is providing financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh for preparing a comprehensive mobility plan for monorail projects in tourists resorts Shimla and Dharamsala, Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath said.22.03.2013 Karnataka's ruling BJP today launched its campaign at a rally here for the May 5 assembly polls though it is yet to decide its candidates while the Congress focussed on finalizing its nominees.22.03.2013 Kazakhstan's Almaty will get an opportunity to taste exquiste Indian tea during its Nowruz celebrations as India's Tea Board is organising a two-day exhibition and tea tasting session for the general public of the central Asian city.22.03.2013 The arrest of top Telangana leaders during a road blockade rocked the Andhra Pradesh assembly with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) stalling the proceedings and ultimately forcing the house to be adjourned for the day.21.03.2013 DMK president M.Karunanidhi today termed the UNHRC resolution passed on Sri Lanka as "useless" and said India did not bother about the Tamils in the island nation.21.03.2013 The central government will monitor the periodical up-gradation of slums in the country by making a "slum upgradation index", a union minister said Thursday.21.03.2013 The surprise raid by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the residence of M.K. Stalin, son of DMK chief M.K. Karunanidhi, today has a Kerala connection in the form of a man supplying luxury vehicles.21.03.2013 The global NGO Loomba Foundation will empower 10,000 impoverished widows in India by providing them employment opportunities, enabling them to lead a life of dignity.21.03.2013 Lashing out at the central government for stopping allocation of additional food grain in backward areas and some targeted groups at cheap rates in the coming fiscal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday said her government would continue the schemes from its own resources.21.03.2013 Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, whose party quit the ruling UPA last year, Wednesday extended support to it on any decision it took on the Sri Lankan issue at the UNHRC in Geneva, but said the concerns and sentiments of the people must be kept in view.21.03.2013 The Delhi High Court yesterday issued notice to the central government on a plea seeking to declare a legal provision on interception of telephone calls as violative of citzens' fundamental rights.21.03.2013 Officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are carrying out a search at the residence of M.K. Stalin, son of DMK chief M.K. Karunanidhi, Today.21.03.2013 Freiburg, Germany is celebrating the International Year of Statistics this week with two events, the 59th Biometric Colloquium and the Joint Statistical Meeting (Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Statistik). The International Year of Statistics (Statistics2013) is a year long event hosted by over 1,800 international organizations. The purpose is to nurture public discourse on the importance of statistics, offer young people an idea of job opportunities in the field, and allow for an exchange of ideas to foster creativity. The events range from ultra specific, like the Freiburg Biometric Colloquium, to broad, like the Joint Statistical Meeting for those who work in the field of statistics. In Germany, 32 organizations are participating in the Year of Statistics, including the Federal Statistical Office and 14 universities.20.03.2013 Accusing some banks of refusing loans to the poor and workers of self-help groups in her state at the behest of the central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said it was shameful such people were being "harassed" for their political colour.20.03.2013 Activists of the Right to Food Campaign here today rejected the National Food Security Bill, which was approved by the union cabinet Tuesday.20.03.2013 The Supreme Court will Thursday pronounce its verdict on the 124 cross appeals by those convicted by a special court for the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blasts, including film star Sanjay Dutt, as well as by the Maharashtra government challenging some acquittals and seeking enhanced sentences for other guilty.20.03.2013 Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah today called for making extensive use of renewable sources of energy to reduce the country's dependence on conventional sources.20.03.2013 Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has called an all-party meeting today evening to find ways to end the parliament logjam, and discuss the resolution likely to be adopted by members over the Sri Lanka issue, a Lok Sabha official said.20.03.2013 A Malaysia-based Tamil lawyer has moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe into reports that India allegedly helped Sri Lanka crush the LTTE in a war that left some 40,000 Tamils dead.19.03.2013 Former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa today said he will not return to BJP and accused its leaders of trying to create confusion among the people ahead of assembly.19.03.2013 The Delhi High Court was Wednesday told by the government that Vedanta Resources Plc and other companies, named in a petition alleging illegal foreign funding for the Congress and the BJP, are not international entities.18.03.2013 The Himachal Pradesh assembly today saw a war of words and wits between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP over the effectiveness of anti-hail guns to protect crops and apple trees.18.03.2013 Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, slamming the central government's decision to lower the age of consensual sex to 16 years saying that it is felt by many that the decision is solely based on culture prevalent in metro cities.17.03.2013 The Congress today said the central government "goes out of the way" to support all backward states and Bihar is not the only one, which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar claimed to have been neglected.16.03.2013 A Delhi court today remanded two alleged operatives of banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), lodged in a jail here, to NIA custody for four days for questioning over the Feb 21 Hyderabad blasts that killed 16 people.16.03.2013 DMK chief M. Karunanidhi Saturday pressed the central government to take a tough line against Sri Lanka at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meet in Geneva.16.03.2013 Three leading Muslim groups are against the government decision to lower the age for consensual sex, saying it will be a blow to family and social values.15.03.2013 A Delhi court today issued production warrants against two alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives, lodged in the Tihar Jail here, in Feb 21 Hyderabad twin blasts case.15.03.2013 Enlarge image
(© picture alliance / dpa)
Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist, the last surviving member of the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler and the founder of what would become the Munich Security Conference, has passed away in Munich. He was 90 years old. 15.03.2013 Italian ambassador Daniele Mancini's position will become untenable if the two Italian marines don't return to India, central minister Shashi Tharoor said today.15.03.2013 Asserting that her government would not acquire land forcibly for industries or roads or power plants, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday said consultations could be held with the people on taking land for infrastructure projects.15.03.2013 With the attack in Srinagar adding to concerns over cross-border terrorism, the government has opted against implementing the proposed group tourist visa facility under the liberalised visa regime with Pakistan from March 15, an official said Thursday.14.03.2013 The BJP today demanded an all-party meeting to resolve the row between the West Bengal government and State Election Commission (SEC) over scheduling of the rural body polls.14.03.2013 The two terrorists killed in Wednesday's attack in Srinagar seemed to be foreign fidayeen (suicide attackers) and items recovered from them appeared to be of Pakistani origin, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Thursday.14.03.2013 An adjournment motion on the killing of five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, moved in the legislative assembly by the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), was Thursday disallowed.13.03.2013 Following the tension that gripped Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir after a 24-year-old man was killed in CRPF troopers' firing, the authorities announced curfew in the city, beginning today midnight.13.03.2013 A fast-track Delhi court hearing the Dec 16, 2012 gang-rape case today abated proceedings against prime accused Ram Singh as he is dead.13.03.2013 BJP member M.M. Joshi today criticised the Congress-led UPA government's "growth with equity" policy, saying growth was meaningless if it did not result in better healthcare, education and jobs.13.03.2013 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said the central government should explain their "action plan" for the return of Italian marines facing trial for killing two Indian fishermen last year.13.03.2013 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday informed the legislative assembly in Jammu that a suicide attack by terrorists on a camp of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on the outskirts of Srinagar left five troopers and two guerrillas dead.12.03.2013 Chhattisgarh assembly witnessed uproar during question hour today as opposition Congress members walked out after accusing the government of ignoring tribals and fudging records on development works.12.03.2013 The BJP today welcomed the Supreme Court observations that the allocation of coal blocks prima facie seemed to be arbitrary and said the party will pursue the issue to its logical conclusion.12.03.2013 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to protect the state's interest in the Cauvery river water dispute.12.03.2013 The Tripura government Today denounced the central government for unilaterally appointing Devanand Konwar as the new governor of the state.12.03.2013 Delhi Police today gave a clean chit to eight people booked in constable Subhash Tomar's death during the anti-rape protests here in December last year.11.03.2013 Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said today that the Delhi government can officially ask his ministry if it wanted administrative control over the police.11.03.2013 The BJP today supported West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's demand for a special central package for the debt-ridden state, but called for a "proper monitoring" mechanism to ensure that the funds are utilised properly.11.03.2013 Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said the government had taken note of JKLF chief Yasin Malik sharing the stage with Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed during his Pakistan visit and action concerning his passport will be taken at the appropriate time.11.03.2013 BJP president Rajnath Singh today said that though Narendra Modi's popularity could not be denied, the party would decide if the Gujarat chief minister would be its prime ministerial candidate.11.03.2013 Separate agitations by a divided opposition against the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party marked the opening day of the budget session of the Maharashtra legislature here today.10.03.2013 Ruling out any alliance between his party and the Trinamool Congress in the current political scenario, Congress general secretary Oscar Fernandes said here today that contrary to Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee's assertion, the UPA government would complete its term.10.03.2013 Firing a fresh salvo at the State Election Commission, West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress today accused its chief of favouring the Left Front and deliberately trying to defer the upcoming rural polls to save it from "an inevitable defeat".10.03.2013 Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo has been appointed as the president of the party's Odisha unit, the party announced here today.10.03.2013 The Yamuna Bachao Yatra that was to enter the national capital today decided camp outside Delhi at Sarai Khawaja in Faridabad.09.03.2013 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Saturday met the widow and family of slain Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zia-ul-Haq at their ancestral village in Deoria in Uttar Pradesh.09.03.2013 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa Saturday declared she would resort to legal action if the central government does not set up the necessary mechanism to implement the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's (CWDT) final award after gazetting it.09.03.2013 Many people joined protests in this city ahead of the visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. At least 35 people were arrested in connection with protests against Ashraf's visit to the 13th century dargah of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti here Saturday.09.03.2013 If India wants its northeast to benefit from the much publicised Look East Policy, it must bring top leaders of south east Asia to that region and encourage dialogue and discussion there, says Surin Pitsuwan, till recently the secretary-general of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).09.03.2013 The paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is in the process of filling its 10 percent vacancies, lingering for the last few years, its chief said Friday.09.03.2013 Hardening its position on the stand-off with the West Bengal State Election Commission aover the schedule of the upcoming rural body polls, the ruling Trinamool Congress Friday alleged that the poll panel was "exceeding its jurisdiction".09.03.2013 To foil any terror strike, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is planning to install 900 more CCTV cameras across the Delhi Metro network this year, its chief said yesterday.08.03.2013 Every Friday, Germany.info and The Week in Germany highlight a different "Word of the Week" in the German language that may serve to surprise, delight or just plain perplex native English speakers.08.03.2013 Finance Minister P. Chidambaram Friday said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should ease policy rates taking cue from the fiscal consolidation path shown by the government.08.03.2013 The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the central and city governments on a plea seeking removal of the mobile towers currently operating in residential areas, schools and hospitals in the national capital.08.03.2013 Sixty-two-year-old six-time legislator P.C. George, currently vice chairman of the Kerala Congress (Mani), the third-biggest ally of the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), is perhaps one politician that not many will dare take on.08.03.2013 The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the CBI on former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's aide Vidya Dhar's plea for bail and suspending the 10-year jail sentence handed down to him for irregular appointment of teachers in 2000.08.03.2013 Effective steps were being taken to guard the India-Bangladesh border and check illegal infiltration from the neighbouring country, union Home Secretary R.K.Singh said yesterday.07.03.2013 The women inmates of Tihar Jail here are set to walk the ramp as part of a fashion show planned to celebrate International Women's Day, an official said today.07.03.2013 In a respite for Robert Vadra, businessman and son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Allahabad High Court today rejected a plea seeking a probe against him following news reports alleging wrongdoings in land deals.07.03.2013 The central government has directed the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to recruit five percent women troopers, a top officer said here today.07.03.2013 There is no dearth of talent in the Congress but the problem is lack of coordination and communication between the leaders, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi said Wednesday and called for interactive sessions up to the block level.07.03.2013 The Supreme Court today reserved its verdict on a petition by Gujarat's former minister of state for home Amit Shah challenging the filing of a separate chargesheet by the CBI in the Tulsiram Prajapati killing case.07.03.2013 The central government is mulling introducing a new scheme to provide export benefits to non-SEZ units, the country's largest IT trade facilitation body Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) said Wednesday.07.03.2013 The Supreme Court today issued notice on a petition seeking to declare unconstitutional new rules that allow that review petitions in death sentence cases should be heard in judges' chambers and not in open courts.07.03.2013 Thousands of people held a peaceful protest here Wednesday demanding universal pension coverage and condemned the government's lack of empathy with the problems of crores of elderly suffering in poverty.06.03.2013 DMK president M. Karunanidhi today urged the central government to announce that it would support the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka in the UN Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).06.03.2013 Reiterating its demand for three-phased panchayat polls in West Bengal, the Congress today said the Trinamool Congress government's decision to urge the state Election Commission (EC) to conduct the upcoming rural body polls in two phases was wrong.06.03.2013 The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the CBI on Ajay Chautala's plea for bail, also suspending the 10-year jail sentence handed down to him for irregular appointment of teachers in 2000.06.03.2013 In the wake of a youth's death Tuesday in the north Kashmir town of Baramulla after security forces opened fire, authorities imposed curfew in many areas across the Valley today.05.03.2013 The DMK-backed Tamil Eelam Supporter's Organisation (TESO) today called a general strike in the state March 12 to urge the central government to support the anti-Sri Lanka resolution to be brought by the US in the UN human rights body.05.03.2013 The Delhi High Court has directed the district and sessions judge to initiate action against officers responsible for non-availability of files of a 20-year-old rape case.04.03.2013 Legislators of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) were today again suspended from the Haryana assembly after they created ruckus inside the house over an adjournment motion seeking removal of their chief Om Prakash Chautala as member.04.03.2013 Bowing to the demands of the widow of slain police official Zia-ul-Haq, killed by a mob in Pratapgarh late Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the murder of the deputy superintendent of police (DySP).04.03.2013 The Himachal Pradesh government has allowed Tibetan prime minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay to use a red beacon atop his official car, an official said here today.03.03.2013 A 39-year-old Nepali actor was arrested here, along with two of his accomplices, for running a human trafficking racket, police said Sunday. He cheated people on the pretext of getting them work visa for foreign countries.03.03.2013 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today launched a direct attack at the Congress, saying the party never tried to develop the nation.02.03.2013 The Election Commission today said it did not favour raising the expenditure incurred by a candidate in the legislative assembly elections.02.03.2013 "Dilli Meri Hai", a special radio campaign is aimed at helping women - from housewives to working women to students, feel safe in enjoying life in the capital - be it in a park, movie hall or at a market place, fearlessly.02.03.2013 Terming the rise in crimes against children "disturbing", the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) today said there was a need to familiarise the city police with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.01.03.2013 A Congress leader today stunned a gathering addressed by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi by demanding importance to loyalists in the party hierarchy.01.03.2013 The Supreme Court today issued notice to the central and Maharashtra governments on a PIL seeking a regulatory framework of rules, regulations and guidelines for effective investigation of cyber crimes without stepping on the fundamental rights of citizens.01.03.2013 The Supreme Court today said it will hear next week former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's plea to restrain a television channel from telecasting an episode based on the teachers' recruitment scam for which he has been convicted.01.03.2013 Former Trinamool Congress legislator Arabul Islam arrested on charges of assaulting CPI-M lawmaker Abdur Rezzak Mollah, was released on bail today.01.03.2013 The Supreme Court today rejected a PIL seeking a court-monitored independent probe into the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopters deal which has been clouded by the allegations of kickbacks.28.02.2013 Enlarge image
Ambassador Ammon speaks at the Global Competitiveness Summit in Charlotte, NC.
(© CPCC)
The Ambassador, together with Acting US Secretary of Labor Seth Harris, took part in the Global Competitiveness Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina, joining 400 business leaders. One of the key findings of the summit was that German-style workforce training, which is based on the dual principle of work and learning, can help fill the skills gap that employers face in the Charlotte region, as well as in other parts of the US. In his speech, the Ambassador outlined the German Embassy’s Skills Initiative, which is aimed at enhancing skills training in the Charlotte region and beyond.28.02.2013 The government has hiked the allocation for the tourism sector to Rs.1,297.66 crore ($23 million) in the 2013-2014 budget from Rs.1,110.96 crore ($20 million) in 2011-12 keeping in view the importance of the sector as a potential revenue earner.28.02.2013 Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar today described the 2013-14 union budget as "lacklustre" and without "any effective measures to revive the sluggish economy".28.02.2013 The union budget 2013-14 today earmarked Rs.1,815.47 crore for computerisation, augmentation of the judicial infrastructure, reforms and erasing the backlog of over three crore cases.28.02.2013 The federal budget Finance Minister P. Chidambaram presented today targets an aggressive 29.4 percent jump in plan expenditure and containing the fiscal deficit at 4.8 percent of the gross domestic product in the financial year beginning April 1.28.02.2013 The increase in the excise duty on cigarettes, cigars, sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and mobile phones announced in the union budget 2013-14 today received mixed reactions from people.27.02.2013 India and the world would be keenly watching the annual federal budget, the last regular one before the 2014 general elections, that Finance minister P. Chidambaram would present Thursday in which he is expected to unveil economic policies and measures to spur investment-led growth, enforce fiscal prudence and ease people's concern.27.02.2013 The central government increased the plan outlay for health by 13.9 percent to Rs.3,04,777 crore in 2012-13, the Economic Survey said today.26.02.2013 Minister of State for Railways K. Surya Prakash Reddy Tuesday said that justice has been done to Andhra Pradesh in the railway budget but the opposition parties alleged that a raw deal is meted out to the state once again.26.02.2013 Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said here today that he would meet central ministers and MPs from the state in New Delhi Wednesday to discuss steps to protect the state's interests in Cauvery row.26.02.2013 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's demand for setting up a rail coach factory in Jammu & Kashmir to overcome industrial backwardness and economic shortcomings in the state has not been met in today's rail budget.25.02.2013 BJP leader Arun Jaitley today said his party was not opposed to the setting up of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) but it was against giving police powers to the proposed anti-terror hub.25.02.2013 In a government statement delivered in the German Bundestag, Chancellor Angela Merkel has praised the decisions taken at the recent European Council meeting. 25.02.2013 The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the CBI on the appeal of Indian Administrative Service officer Sanjiv Kumar, convicted along with former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala in a teacher recruitment scandal.25.02.2013 Accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of not doing enough for Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Monday complained that the central government had not meted out justice in disbursement of grants to the state.25.02.2013 Himachal Pradesh Speaker B.B.L. Butail called on Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal to seek central assistance for the state assembly to go online.23.02.2013 Finance Minister P. Chidambaram Saturday said the government has introduced "world-class" technology that improved tax compliance, resulting in a boost to the exchequer.23.02.2013 Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla has sought UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's intervention to help the state tide over a financial crisis.23.02.2013 Police have made progress in the investigations into Thursday's twin bomb blasts at Dilsukhnagar, which claimed 16 lives and injured over 100 others, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy said Saturday.22.02.2013 The Delhi High Court today asked the government to grant a freedom fighter's pension to a man who participated in the struggle against the Nizam's government during the British rule.22.02.2013 Congress has never been soft on terrorists, union Health Minister and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today said.22.02.2013 Calling for all parties to come together to fight terrorism, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj Friday said the Hyderabad blasts were a "massive failure", particularly as there was intelligence information that had been passed on to states.21.02.2013 : West Bengal's Trinamool Congress government today claimed the people of the state rejected the strike, called by the central trade unions on its second and final day.21.02.2013 The two bomb blasts in Dilsukhnagar area here today evening claimed 11 lives and injured 80 others, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said.21.02.2013 India will need to take "difficult decisions" to revive economic growth that slumped to a decade-low of 5.4 percent in the first half of the current financial year, President Pranab Mukherjee said Today.21.02.2013 The Congress party is in the process of finalising a team for the 2014 general elections, its vice president Rahul Gandhi indicated today.20.02.2013 The central government today told the Supreme Court that it would not blink and grant permission to Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) to mine Niyamgiri hills to source bauxite for the Vedanta Aluminium refinery.20.02.2013 Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) would soon be replaced with a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to regulate the troubled sector, which has been facing mounting financial and operational issues, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said today.20.02.2013 The demands of the 11 central trade unions that have called the nationwide shutdown:20.02.2013 Claiming that the two-day countrywide strike called by trade unions was a damp squib, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today asked the Election Commission (EC) to ban parties calling shutdowns.20.02.2013 Central trade unions today said that the first day of their nationwide strike in support of demands to contain inflation and employment generation had drawn "overwhelming response".
All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said here that the strike was "unprecedented".20.02.2013 The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the finance and home ministries on a plea to recover tax from social networking websites, arising out of their internet-based business in the country.20.02.2013 The Ministry of Water Resources has notified the final award of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in an official gazette in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court, a ministry release said today.20.02.2013 India needs to speed up the indigenisation process of its defence production in order to root out corruption from the sector, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said today.20.02.2013 Banking transactions across India were paralysed Wednesday with around one million bankers striking work, affecting the clearance of around four million cheques valued around Rs.250 billion (Rs.25,000 crore), said a union leader.20.02.2013 Authorities have imposed restrictions in Srinagar and some other major towns of the Kashmir Valley to maintain law and order during separatist-sponsored protests today.19.02.2013 Goa's 96 iron ore mining leases should be auctioned instead of being merely renewed, in the spirit of an apex court judgment in the 2G spectrum scam trial which makes a case for auctioning of national resources, the Congress demanded today.19.02.2013 A Delhi court today granted two weeks' more time to the CBI to submit documents relating to the resolution passed by three telecom firms for seeking additional spectrum during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime.19.02.2013 Britain will help India in investigations into the alleged AgustaWestland chopper deal controversy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here today.19.02.2013 C.N.R. Rao, the scientific advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Tuesday exhorted India's scientists to work in groups rather than functioning in isolation, citing the team spirit of their counterparts in China which has emerged as a world leader.19.02.2013 British Prime Minister David Cameron today said his government would "respond to any request" for information on the AgustaWestland chopper deal.19.02.2013 Enlarge image
Positive Trend
(© picture alliance / Klaus Ohlensc)
The German Bundesbank expects the slowdown marked at the end of 2012 will be followed by a rapid pickup of the domestic economy. "From today’s vantage point, an increase in the overall economic output is to be expected during the first quarter of 2013", Germany’s central bank said in its monthly report, published on Monday in Frankfurt. A gradual economic recovery looks to be on the horizon for the rest of the year. However, overseas markets are not expected to provide much of a boost to the domestic economy.18.02.2013 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today declared that her government will not allow forcible enforcement of the two-day shutdown called by central trade unions.17.02.2013 Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh met union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram here today and pleaded his state's case for a special economic package of Rs.7,565 crore.17.02.2013 West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra today urged traders and businessmen not to support a call for two-day strike this week by unions and keep their shops and establishments open.17.02.2013 A CBI team is expected will leave for Italy Monday to probe the allegations of kickbacks in the $750 mn/Rs.3,600 crore deal for the 12 AgustaWestland 101 choppers, officials said.16.02.2013 DMK president M. Karunanidhi today charged the central government of not being bothered by statements from political leaders in the states on issues like the attack on Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan forces or fuel price hikes.16.02.2013 Rs.78 crore central government funds meant for hosting the Portuguese Commonwealth Games in Goa this year have "disappeared", Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said today.15.02.2013 As more high-profile names cropped up in connection with bribery allegations in the $750 million VVIP chopper deal, the Indian government Friday put the contract with Italian firm Finmevcanica on hold and began the process to cancel it.15.02.2013 On a day the Delhi High Court refused to give interim relief to Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leaders Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala in a teachers' recruitment scam, the party launched its 'Pol Khol' (expose) campaign against Haryana's ruling Congress.15.02.2013 Enlarge image
This image by photographer Christian Ziegler, Germany, won 1st prize in the Nature Single category of the 56th World Press Photo Contest, it was announced by the organizers in Amsterdam February 15, 2013. A large, flightless bird the Southern Cassowary is a keystone species in northern Australian rainforests because of their ability to distribute seeds over long distances via their excrement.
(© picture alliance / dpa)
German photojournalist Christian Ziegler has won 1st prize in the highly-regarded 2013 World Press Photo competition in the category Nature-singles for his shot of an endangered Southern Cassowary feeding on the fruit of the Blue Quandang tree in Queensland, Australia. The World Press Photo contest is in its 56th year and recognizes the highest achievements in photojournalism in a number of categories.15.02.2013 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa today urged her party cadres to work hard so that the AIADMK wins all 40 Lok Sabha seats (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry) in the next general elections.15.02.2013 The Goa BJP refused to be part of a Sharad Pawar-led delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office to resolve the state's mining crisis, the BJP state president said today.15.02.2013 By unnecessarily dragging the National Democratic Alliance into the $750-million VVIP chopper deal, the Congress-led government aims at diverting attention from the real issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said today.15.02.2013 After rumours swirled that the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh would appoint a "working" chief minister as 78-year-old incumbent Virabhadra Singh would go abroad for treatment, many ministers asserted that no such thing was planned.15.02.2013 The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the CBI on former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's plea for suspending the 10-year jail sentence handed down to him for irregular appointment of teachers in 2000.14.02.2013 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar will discuss "ways and means" to "resolve" the issue of Goa mining ban with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Feb 18, a party official said here today.14.02.2013 The Congress-led UPA government wants to pass the National Food Security Bill during parliament's budget session beginning Feb 21 and will protect the interest of the states, Food Minister K.V. Thomas said today.14.02.2013 With the four-day gag on newspapers in Kashmir Valley coming under criticism, union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today said the centre could not intervene when a state government imposed curbs on media.14.02.2013 Over 90 members of the Afghan parliament are on a week-long visit to India during which they would attend a training programme on parliamentary procedures and practices.13.02.2013 A petitioner today moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the $750-million deal for 12 VVIP helicopters for the Indian Air Force and an independent probe into allegations of bribery.13.02.2013 Fearing disruptions in parliament, the Congress today accused the BJP of politicising the allegations of graft in the VVIP chopper deal and 2G spectrum to raise them during the budget session from Feb 21.13.02.2013 Keeping pace with global developments in drug control, the union health ministry is planning to set up a separate central drug controller for traditional systems of medicine and homeopathy.13.02.2013 The government had requested the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for an early inquiry into the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal and would take "strongest action" after it was completed, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said today.12.02.2013 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said his government has made "concerted" and "serious efforts" in recent months to revive growth and investment, and the Indian economy would recover in the second half of this year.12.02.2013 CPI-M leaders in Tripura today termed as falsehood Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's tirade against the Left government in the state.12.02.2013 He washes his clothes every morning, has just over Rs.10,000 in his name and owns neither house, mobile nor car. Tripura's Manik Sarkar is probably India's poorest chief minister and that rare politician whose honesty is extolled by his staunchest political opponents.12.02.2013 The BJP today attacked the UPA government over the revelations that the chief prosecutor of the CBI in the 2G spectrum case had allegedly discussed prosecution strategy with one of the accused. The party demanded a probe.11.02.2013 After Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioned the wisdom of executing parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, the main opposition People's Democratic Party in the state called India a "banana republic".11.02.2013 Political opponents and civil society groups Monday flayed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for calling photo-journalists "uncivilized" and threatening to slap them, just days after threatening to whip her security personnel.11.02.2013 The CBI today removed its chief prosecutor in the 2G spectrum case after he was allegedly found to have discussed the prosecution strategy with one of the accused.11.02.2013 The central government will ask the Medical Council of India (MCI) to ensure that under-graduate and post-graduate medical curriculum includes autism, a development disorder in children, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said today.11.02.2013 The Communist government in Tripura will be voted out in the Feb 14 assembly election, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said today.11.02.2013 Calling for a countrywide stir to force the central government to change its "anti-poor" policies, former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee yesterday said the Manmohan Singh regime cared little for people.11.02.2013 Condoling the death of pilgrims in a stampede in Allahabad railway station Sunday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told central ministries to extend all possible help to Uttar Pradesh government in relief operations, officials said.11.02.2013 The World Book Fair 2013 ended yesterday on an optimistic note that publishing industry's fortunes in India were on a roll despite the global economic uncertainty.09.02.2013 Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal scuffled with Kashmiri youths at Jantar Mantar over the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru here Saturday.09.02.2013 The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is mulling general elections later this year and it would certainly bite the dust, said BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu today.09.02.2013 Normal life was hit hard in the hills of West Bengal today following a 12-hour shutdown called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) demanding creation of a Gorkhaland state.09.02.2013 Authorities imposed curfew here and all other major towns of Kashmir Valley today following reports that Afzal Guru, convicted for his central role in the attack on the Indian parliament over 11 years ago, had been hanged in Tihar Jail in New Delhi.08.02.2013 The central and state governments are preparing a roadmap for accelerating child survival and development, Minister for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath said today.08.02.2013 Hoping to boost an economy largely dependent on tourism, horticulture and hydropower, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his colleagues are lobbying hard with New Delhi to get central projects and schemes, particularly dealing with infrastructure and connectivity, sanctioned for the state.08.02.2013 Pushed to the wall with the conviction and arrest of its two top leaders in a teachers' recruitment scandal last month, Haryana's opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has taken the attack into the camp of the ruling Congress and blamed it for the mess.08.02.2013 MDMK general secretary Vaiko today led a protest in the national capital against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's India visit.07.02.2013 As many as 200 branches of rural banks will be opened in Assam in fiscal 2013-2014, Rreserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbarao said today.07.02.2013 The Supreme Court today permitted a killed former Congress MP's widow to file a fresh petition challenging the SIT's closure report on Gulberg Society carnage during the 2002 riots.07.02.2013 Manik Sarkar, who has been the Tripura chief minister for 15 years and is leading the CPI-M in upcoming elections, is perhaps India's poorest chief minister.07.02.2013 The central government does not have much powers to act against the Dental Council of India (DCI) as it has been constituted under an act of parliament, union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad said today.07.02.2013 The Union cabinet Today raised the authorized capital of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to Rs.20,000 crore from Rs.5,000 crore and enlarged its operations.07.02.2013 Opportunities for intensifying German-American cooperation in workforce skills development was the focus of a high-ranking roundtable forum hosted by Ambassador Peter Ammon as part of the German Embassy’s Skills Initiative. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Rebecca M. Blank was the keynote speaker at the forum, which also brought together Volker Treier of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), CEOs of numerous German companies invested in the United States, education and training providers, and other experts. 07.02.2013 Industries should contribute regularly to employees' provident funds (PF) since only about 24 percent of the working population has PF accounts, the additional central provident fund commissioner said here on Wednesday.06.02.2013 President Pranab Mukherjee today urged the government to expedite a new law to empower people with disabilities, saying such people fully participate in social life and the entire community benefits when barriers to their inclusion are removed.06.02.2013 Former Gujarat minister Amit Shah today told the Supreme Court that the CBI had made a U-turn by filing a separate charge sheet in a staged encounter case since it wanted to arrest him again.06.02.2013 The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the CBI on former Commonwealth Games (CWG) organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi's plea for quashing of FIR and proceedings against him.06.02.2013 After a seven-week break due to a knee surgery, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Sharmila today resumed her 'padyatra'.06.02.2013 Rapping the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government for "mishandling" the Darjeeling hill issue, former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has said that compromising on the Gorkhaland matter would create severe problems.05.02.2013 Finance Minister P. Chidambaram today asked customs and excise officials to increase efforts to meet budgetary target of Rs.5.05 lakh crore indirect tax collection in the financial year ending March 31.05.02.2013 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leaders Tuesday amid intensified consultations by the party leadership to find a solution to the Telangana issue.05.02.2013 India is witnessing a decline in standards in the quality of higher education and the trend needs to be reversed, President Pranab Mukherjee said today.05.02.2013 Forensic experts Today recorded the voice of MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in a court, which also extended his judicial custody till Feb 19 in a hate speech case.05.02.2013 A three-day Sufi music festival here featuring musicians from Spain, Russia, Iran, Tunisia, Azerbaijan and India will promote cultural dialogue between India and the rest of the world.05.02.2013 The digital revolution is spurring a slow transformation in the spiritual classrooms of one of most conservative bastions of faith. More and more Muslims in India, South Asia and around the world are logging on to the internet to read the Holy Quran, which is moving to the digital domain keeping in tune with the proliferation of e-books.05.02.2013 Immigration and reorientation have changed Jewish society and culture in Germany and made it more diverse.04.02.2013 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today alleged that the Congress-led central government was talking about the food security bill to hoodwink people before next year's general elections.04.02.2013 With its focus on improving quality of education, President Pranab Mukherjee will host a conference of vice chancellors of 40 central universities here Tuesday.04.02.2013 The Supreme Court will look into the constitutional validity of provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act under which a person is treated as a minor till he or she turns 18.04.02.2013 The BJP today welcomed the filing of charge-sheet against former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi but sought to know if action would also be taken against Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for irregularities during the 2010 games.04.02.2013 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana reached Delhi today for consultations with top leadership of the Congress party over Telangana issue.02.02.2013 Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor said he was worried that segments of society claimed the "right to be offended" and pointed out that the expression of heretical views was often necessary for an "evolution of culture".02.02.2013 The West Bengal government has written to the central government asking why former chief minister Buddhdeb Bhattacharjee was not being quizzed by the CBI for his alleged role in the police firing in Nandigram in 2007.01.02.2013 The Delhi Police Friday filed a supplementary charge-sheet in the Feb 13 Israeli embassy car blast here, which mentions details of the vehicles used by the suspects and their telephonic calls.30.01.2013 Amid protests over the move, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Wednesday said his amendments to the Lokayukta bill in Goa were to keep "hostile" governors like H.R. Bharadwaj at bay, who act at the "behest" of the central government.30.01.2013 The cabinet is likely to take up the proposed amendments to the Lokpal bill Thursday.30.01.2013 The Congress, which is facing flak over the Telangana issue in Andhra Pradesh, said it was "not against the formation of the Telangana state" but wanted the process of due consultations to be completed for "an amicable solution" at the earliest.29.01.2013 The Tibetan government-in-exile today sought the international community's intervention against "continued repression of Tibetan people" and urged India to treat Tibet as a core issue in its talks with China.29.01.2013 Enlarge image
Berlinale Award
(© dpa)
Every year in early February, film buffs from around the world turn their eyes to the screens in Berlin. The Berlinale celebrates its 63rd anniversary this year and runs from February 7 – 17. The festival screened its very first film in 1951 – Alfred Hitchcocks Rebecca – and today ranks as one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. In his 12th year as the festival‘s director, Dieter Kosslick has contributed much to its success. Central to the Berlinale – a name coined by the cabaret star Tatjana Sais in the 50s – is the competition. Roughly 20 to 25 feature films are in the race for the golden and silver bears every year. This year, however, only 19 films are competing and the international jury is headed by the Hong Kong director, Wong Kar Wai.29.01.2013 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy Tuesday condemned Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao's "disgraceful" remarks against Congress leaders and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.29.01.2013 Unhappy over delay in parliament passing the Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare today accused the Congress-led UPA government of cheating him and people.29.01.2013 The ASEAN+6 Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement should transform the region by higher economic growth through more cross-border trade and investment, a minister from Vietnam said here today.29.01.2013 The Delhi High Court Tuesday slammed police and warned of "drastic steps" for not filing a proper reply on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the death of a constable during anti-rape protests here last month.28.01.2013 Andhra Pradesh ministers from Telangana region said they were ready to make any sacrifice for a separate state but stopped short of announcing their resignations.28.01.2013 With the central government indefinitely delaying a decision on the separate state of Telangana, the ruling Congress party's public representatives in the region would be pressurised to quit and join the movement.27.01.2013 Artists from the Republic Day Parade tableaux performed again before President Pranab Mukherjee today, this time at Rashtrapati Bhavan.26.01.2013 Senior Congress leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi, today discussed the demands for separate statehood to Telangana in view of the approaching deadline, set by the central government, for a decision on the issue.26.01.2013 Over 500 people, including college students, today gathered here at Mandi House and marched to Jantar Mantar demanding immediate implementation of the recommendations of the Justice J.S. Verma Committee on rape laws.26.01.2013 Protests over Telangana marred the Republic Day celebrations at the office of the ruling Congress party here Saturday.25.01.2013 Germany submitted its national report reviewing its human rights situation to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on January 23, 2013.25.01.2013 Congress MPs from Telangana today said they were ready for any sacrifice if the central government failed to announce its decision on separate statehood for the region by Jan 28.25.01.2013 In a political snub to Kashmiri separatists, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Friday asked them to see the reality and talk to the central government.25.01.2013 The President's Police Medal for gallantry has been awarded to Constable Daler Singh (posthumously) of Jammu and Kashmir, while 874 other police personnel were named for various other medals today on the eve of 64th Republic Day.25.01.2013 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to immediately end the dual pricing in diesel, saying it hurt the common man.25.01.2013 It is a song that is sung on every patriotic occasion, had moved India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to tears and its strong morale-boosting words provided solace to a nation agonized by the defeat in the 1962 India-China war.25.01.2013 Armed with a green signal from India's atomic energy regulator, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is gearing itself to repeat the full systems test - also called the hydro test - of the first unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), a senior official said Friday.24.01.2013 Expressing doubts about the allocation of coal blocks by the central government being in accordance with statutory provisions, the Supreme Court Today questioned its powers to do so.24.01.2013 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Thursday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to dismiss union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister M.K. Alagiri and order an investigation into the loss of around Rs.1,000 crore in subsidies.24.01.2013 The Andhra Pradesh High Court today rejected the bail petition of YSR Congress Party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy in a case related to illegal assets.24.01.2013 The Delhi High Court today disposed of a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against some Anna Hazare supporters for allegedly receiving funds illegally from foreign organisations.23.01.2013 Going back on its word to announce a solution to the Telangana problem by Jan 28, the Congress party today said "one month does not mean 30 days".23.01.2013 India and Rwanda today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in water resources development and management.23.01.2013 A group of retired diplomats, civil society activists and media personnel from India and Pakistan, comprising the Delhi Dialogue, have stressed that both countries need to reinforce the 2003 ceasefire agreement.22.01.2013 Foreign policy and diplomacy are the key factors that could lead India on the path of progress, prosperity and security, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here today.22.01.2013 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday denied saying anything about beating up the prime minister and blamed the media for "distorting facts".22.01.2013 Convicted and condemned to prison for 10 years, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala is likely to end up spending most of his time fighting court cases.22.01.2013 With the population of the hilsa dwindling rapidly in Indian waters, a team of scientists from across the country have embarked on a project to save the fish, considered a delicacy in Bengali cuisine, and revive its numbers through various interventions.21.01.2013 The Congress today said Mamata Banerjee would eventually have to quit as chief minister as she would not be able to run West Bengal for long.21.01.2013 The central government is committed to passing a strong Lokpal (ombudsman) bill in parliament to curb corruption, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told social activist Anna Hazare via a letter, sources said today.21.01.2013 A Delhi court today sent to judicial custody till Feb 1 an environment and forests ministry official arrested by the CBI for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs.7 lakh for getting environmental clearance for a mining firm in Odisha.21.01.2013 More youngsters should come forward and exercise their franchise as "each vote counts", an Election Commission (EC) official said Monday.21.01.2013 The Buddha will smile on the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival this year when the 14th Dalai Lama attends the literary carnival on the eve of the discussion,"The Buddha in Literature' Jan 25. The festival, which is devoting a special segment to Buddhism for the first time, will take a look at the impact of the faith on lifestyles, literature, arts and culture.21.01.2013 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday appealed to the Airport Authority of India allow more flights to ply from the Kolkata airport and construct more airports in various areas of the state, saying it was now a growing investment destination.19.01.2013 The AIADMK said today it would protest against the central government putting up hurdles in the development of Tamil Nadu.19.01.2013 Forging alliances with regional players and ways to reach out to different sections of society to win the 2014 general elections will be debated at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, today evening, said party sources.19.01.2013 For the first time, Karnataka is set to see an assembly poll battle spearheaded by sharply contrasting leaderships.18.01.2013 The Supreme Court Friday issued notice to the central government on a petition seeking that the juvenile accused in Delhi gang-rape case be kept in special custody if he was a psychopath and a threat to society and women.18.01.2013 DMK president M. Karunanidhi today condemned the central government decision to allow oil marketing companies to hike fuel prices by 50 paise per month and said it would hit the poor and middle classes.18.01.2013 A special court here today granted conditional bail to former bureaucrat V.D. Rajagopal in the case of illegal mining in Andhra Pradesh involving former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy.18.01.2013 Scientist Madhav Gadgil, who prepared a report for the central government on the environmental health of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats range, Thursday defended it, saying it was comprehensive.18.01.2013 BJP vice-president Shanta Kumar Thursday said the conviction of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala would act as a deterrent for favouritism.18.01.2013 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi termed the Congress-led UPA government steeped in corruption and said it would be voted out by the people in the next elections.18.01.2013 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa Thursday opposed the decision to peg the domestic diesel prices to international rates, saying it was unacceptable at a time when only 70 percent of India's crude oil is imported.18.01.2013 The Supreme Court today ruled that the Kerala government has no independent jurisdiction to try two Italian marines for shooting down two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast last year.18.01.2013 Enlarge image
Time together: the family walk.
(© picture alliance)
For most people in Germany, the family remains of central importance for personal well-being. More than three-quarters of all people state that they need a family to be happy, a report by the German Family Affairs Ministry reveals. The number of women above the age of 30 who decide to have children has increased significantly in the past years. According to the ministry, the propensity among female academics to remain childless has thus been abated.17.01.2013 Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has demanded a substantial hike in the state's share of central taxes, an official statement said today.17.01.2013 Farhan Akhtar's six-pack abs, his dimpled smile and his crooning may not be the only things to be discussed at Indiafest 2013, one of the biggest pan-India inter-collegiate festivals, set to begin Friday at Goa's popular Baga beach.17.01.2013 Pre- and post-poll alliances, ways to shore up the economy, women's empowerment, foreign affairs, organisational strength and the recent flash mob protests will be discussed at the Congress' strategy session at Jaipur Jan 18-20.17.01.2013 Delhi Metro fares are likely to increase as a committee constituted by the central government is expected to make its recommendation on this in the next five months, an official said Thursday.17.01.2013 Congress leaders from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions of the state today said a division of Andhra Pradesh was not acceptable to them.17.01.2013 An official of the central environment and forests ministry was arrested while receiving a bribe of Rs.7 lakh for giving clearance to a mining project, the CBI said Today.17.01.2013 The CPI-M Today criticised the Congress-led central government's decision to allow public sector firms to hike diesel prices from "time to time", saying the rates will now "go on increasing".17.01.2013 The Manipur government yesterday exuded confidence that the central government will not take any decision against the territorial integrity of the state while resolving the six-decade-old Naga insurgency issue.16.01.2013 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa today urged AIADMK members to work hard and ensure the party's victory in all the 40 seats (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry) in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.16.01.2013 Representatives of the pro-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland in Assam met the union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde here today and appealed to him to expedite the peace process.16.01.2013 Blaming the Congress for the arrest of Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, his mother and YSR Congress honorary president today said the allegations of corruption against her son were false.16.01.2013 Even a month after the Delhi gang-rape, the central and state governments have not pinpointed accountability for the incident, the All India Democratic Women's Association said today.16.01.2013 Giving a new twist to the Telangana issue, two Andhra Pradesh ministers from Hyderabad today demanded separate statehood to Greater Hyderabad.16.01.2013 An industrialist climbing the dais at an investors' summit to sing a popular Rabindra Sangeet. The perhaps unseen scene was made possible yesterday courtesy West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.16.01.2013 Enlarge image
Mercedes Benz Fashion week attracts celebrities, fashion experts and industry representatives to Germany’s capital.
(© picture alliance / Frank May)
Trends in fashion for the next fall and winter seasons are about to hit the runways at Berlin Fashion Week, which kicks off Tuesday, January 15 and continues through Sunday, January 20. The event, which is held every six months, attracts celebrities, fashion experts and industry representatives to Germany’s capital.15.01.2013 The central government today said that the Suspension of Operations Agreement with the National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Progressive (NDFB-P) had been extended till June this year.15.01.2013 She was the faceless woman who bound a nation in concern and shame and made India a talking point across the world. A month after a young physiotherapy intern was gang-raped in the Indian capital and 18 days after she died of her injuries, the spotlight stays resolutely on India's women and their status.15.01.2013 Himachal Pradesh Today got a national award for its achievement in increasing production and productivity of wheat.14.01.2013 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today demanded that the ruins of the state's ancient Nalanda university be included in Unesco's list of World Heritage Sites.14.01.2013 The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad today arrested one man for alleged involvement in the August 2012 Pune serial blasts, an official said here.14.01.2013 President Pranab Mukherjee has rejected the mercy plea of death row convict Saibanna Ningappa Natikar, who had murdered his wife and daughter.14.01.2013 India must isolate Pakistan, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari said Monday after visiting the home of Lance Naik Hemraj, who was killed Jan 8 by Pakistani troops near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.14.01.2013 If you thought a trip to Switzerland was only about romancing in the pristine valleys, eating Swiss chocolates and buying Swiss watch, think again. You may be able to actually craft a Swiss watch, partly atleast, as the mountain nation promotes 'Living Traditions', promoting cultural aspects of the country and inviting participation.14.01.2013 Calling for some tax reforms to revive growth, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) today asked the government to allow higher depreciation rate on plant and machinery from the current 15 percent to 25 percent for the next three to five years.13.01.2013 Keeping in mind the lakhs who will throng Allahabad for the Kumbh Mela starting Monday, the railways have announced steps to help passengers.12.01.2013 The Supreme Court yesterday issued notice to the central government on a PIL seeking "thorough and fair" probe by the CBI into the setting up of an illegal telephone exchange by BSNL at the residence of Dayanidhi Maran during his tenure as communications minister.11.01.2013 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M. Karunanidhi yesterday said the central government has to find out whether there is water in Karnataka dams and take appropriate action.11.01.2013 Holding that there was no safety for women on Delhi's roads, the Supreme Court Court said Friday: "We are failing to treat women with dignity, equality and respect."11.01.2013 Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde yesterday said he was yet to take a decision on the mercy petition of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru after it was sent by the president.10.01.2013 The country's headline inflation may miss the expected seven percent-mark by this fiscal-end if the central government goes ahead with increasing administered prices of diesel, C. Rangarajan, chairman of Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, said today.10.01.2013 The coal ministry today said there is no shortage of coal supply to NTPC's Dadri power plant and Coal India has supplied more than the quantity committed.10.01.2013 China has launched a crackdown on the satellite equipment used by Tibetans, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said here today.09.01.2013 The Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) can boost the government's flagship programme "Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY)", union Minister for Housing and Poverty Alleviation Ajay Maken said here today.09.01.2013 The BJP today called for death penalty for rapists and suggested changing the definition of "rape" to that of "sexual assault" so that it is not just restricted to penile penetration.09.01.2013 The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the central government on a PIL seeking to exclude from the purview of the Juvenile Justice Act those above 16 years committing crimes like rape and murder.08.01.2013 A special CBI team today arrested the main culprit behind last year's communal riots in Assam's Bodo areas, which left over 100 people dead and led to displacement of close to five lakh people, police said.07.01.2013 Initiating early preparations for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has convened a meeting of all its delegates Jan 9, a party official said today.07.01.2013 Planning Commission member Arun Maira today said the government intends to set up several design institutes across the country.07.01.2013 The conference of state directors general of police and chief secretaries has suggested a slew of measures to combat crimes against women, an official press release yesterday.05.01.2013 Taking cognizance of the charge-sheet in the Delhi gang-rape and murder case, a Delhi court Saturday issued a production warrant against five of the six accused.05.01.2013 Enlarge image
Looking into the 2013 glass ball.
(© picture alliance / dpa)
Things are looking up for the German economy in 2013. German associations and experts are predicting slow, but stable growth. Thanks to the new jobs planned by small- and medium-sized businesses, unemployment should not have any recognizable growth. Inflation is also expected to be contained, despite plans by the European Central Bank (ECB) to create a flood of liquidity. These were the new year’s projections given by Dieter Hundt, president of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA), and Wolfgang Franz, chairperson of the German Council of Economic Experts (GCEE), in an interview with the news agency dapd.05.01.2013 Every Friday, Germany.info and The Week in Germany highlight a different "Word of the Week" in the German language that may have serve to surprise, delight or just plain perplex native English speakers.04.01.2013 The Supreme Court today gave the central government time till Jan 31 to decide whether it would notify the decision of the water resources ministry accepting the Cauvery Water Tribunal award on the sharing of Cauvery river water.04.01.2013 Certain payments like bank guarantee commission, depository charges on maintenance of Demat accounts and charges for warehousing services for commodities stand exempted from tax deduction at source (TDS) from the New Year.04.01.2013 The CITU criticised Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, for reportedly pitching for privatization of the coal industry.04.01.2013 The Supreme Court Friday issued notice to the central government on two PILs seeking fast-tracking of all cases of sexual abuse against women and awarding them compensation.04.01.2013 The Delhi High Court issued notice to the central and Delhi governments on the plea of eight people booked for the death of a constable injured in an anti-rape protest.03.01.2013 The BJP Thursday said Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's peace march in memory of the 23-year-old woman who was brutally gang-raped and died Dec 29 was a "drama" and "a complete failure".03.01.2013 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to "fully support" the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal on all fronts, state Congress chief Pradip Bhattacharya said Today.03.01.2013 : A study on migration of Indians to Saudi Arabia says that despite various economic advantages, there is also a social cost that migrants are forced to pay over time for staying away from their kin.03.01.2013 Three days after she was cremated quietly, the Delhi gang-rape victim's family yesterday said they had no objection if her name was revealed and a revised anti-rape law named after her.02.01.2013 Economist Urjit Patel will be new deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India, Financial Services Secretary D.K. Mittal said today.02.01.2013 The Supreme Court Wednesday issued notice to the central government, all states and union territories and the National Commission for Women on a plea seeking measures for the "comprehensive security" for women.02.01.2013 The central government began the New Year by rolling out the ambitious direct cash transfer of benefits covering seven welfare schemes in 20 districts across the country yesterday.01.01.2013 The central government has set up a task force headed by the union home secretary to look into the safety of women in Delhi and to review the functioning of Delhi Police, an official release said today.01.01.2013 A group of Andhra Pradesh ministers from the Telangana region today called on President Pranab Mukherjee and sought his intervention for immediately carving out a separate state.01.01.2013 The central government's direct cash transfer of subsidies to bank accounts of beneficiaries will kick-off in six districts of Maharashtra Tuesday, an official said.31.12.2012 Union Human Resource Development Minister M.M. Pallam Raju today asked the universities and colleges to make the campuses safe for women.30.12.2012 Amidst outrage in the capital over the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year-old who died, a teenaged girl was molested in a city bus by an off-duty conductor, Delhi Police said today. The attacker was arrested, and has been dismissed from service along with two other bus staff.29.12.2012 Thousands gathered near the 18th century Jantar Mantar observatory in the heart of the Indian capital in a mass outpouring of grief for the young gang-raped woman who died today.29.12.2012 The six males whose gang-rape and torture of a young woman caused her death in Singapore will now charged with murder, police sources said.28.12.2012 Taking on the UPA government over the Food Security Bill, union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar Friday said here that huge concessions on food grain could lead to serious problems.28.12.2012 Unhappy over the outcome of the all-party meeting on the issue of statehood for Telangana, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has called for a shutdown in the region on Saturday.27.12.2012 Union Minister M.K.Alagiri's son Durai Dayanidhi was grilled by police in Tamil Nadu's Madurai in connection with illegal mining of granite by a company in which he was a director.27.12.2012 A city court today sent Tejram Parmar, a key accused in 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case, to judicial custody for 14 days.27.12.2012 At least 3,000 security personnel, from Delhi Police and para-military forces, were manning roads in the heart of the capital to stop any violent demonstration, said a senior police officer today.27.12.2012 Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh today sought a greater role for the states in formulating and implementing development schemes.27.12.2012 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today sought the support of the Congress led central government in achieving a state growth rate of 8.5 percent in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17).27.12.2012 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa today flayed the centre, saying it was indifferent to reducing poverty and was busy conspiring against the common man to facilitate foreign investors.26.12.2012 Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said today the central government preferred that the Delhi Police remains under the home ministry and should continue with the responsibility of maintaining law and order in the national capital.26.12.2012 Faced with criticism over the way in which the Delhi Police lathicharged youngsters protesting the Dec 16 gang-rape, the government admitted it was not fully prepared to deal with flash mobs.26.12.2012 The central government today hiked the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat for 2012-13 to Rs.1,350 per quintal, up by Rs.65 over last year.25.12.2012 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa today demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh allot 2,830 MW power produced by central generating stations in the state.25.12.2012 A CRPF trooper shot dead four of his fellow troopers and injured another at a camp in Chhattisgarh's Maoist-infested Dantewada district, police said today.23.12.2012 A day after thousands of protesters gathered at India Gate demanding justice for the gang rape of a young physiotherapist, the Delhi Police Sunday made the venue out of bounds by shutting down eight Metro stations and barricading all major roads around.22.12.2012 Amid speculations of a possible leadership change in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Kira Kumar Reddy Saturday rushed to Delhi on summons from the Congress leadership.21.12.2012 Every Friday, Germany.info and The Week in Germany highlight a different "Word of the Week" in the German language that may have serve to surprise, delight or just plain perplex native English speakers.19.12.2012 Meghalaya will ask the central government for an additional 76 companies of paramilitary forces for the upcoming assembly elections, an official said today.19.12.2012 Maoist violence has been declining since 2011, parliament was informed today.19.12.2012 World Bank chief economist Kaushik Basu today said the central government's direct cash transfer scheme would not have "any net effect" on inflation and that the scheme should be "indexed" to adjust with inflation.18.12.2012 The central government has released Rs.13.60 crore to the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) during 2012-13 against an allocation of Rs.17 crore, the Lok Sabha was told today.18.12.2012 The Lok Sabha today took up for discussion and passing the amended Companies Bill that would give more statutory powers to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) to tackle corporate fraud and protect small investors, regulating loopholes on chit funds.18.12.2012 Private insurer Religare Health Insurance today said it would start talks with the central and state governments on providing services under the government-sponsored health schemes for below poverty line (BPL) people from January.17.12.2012 The Congress today rejected the Samajwadi Party's charge that the CBI was used to influence its decision in the foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail and jobs quota bill.17.12.2012 Around 700,000 employees and officers of the public sector, private sector and foreign banks will strike work all over India Thursday, a bank official said here today.17.12.2012 Family, relatives, friends and large number of people of this coastal Karnataka town will today bid farewell to Indian-origin nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who was found dead Dec 7 in London.17.12.2012 The central government is looking into the issue of some chit funds and Ponzi schemes duping small investors by using legal loopholes, union Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot said here today.16.12.2012 The amended Companies Bill, 2011, will be placed in parliament Monday, union Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot said today.16.12.2012 No force on earth can stop the Congress from coming back to power for the third consecutive time both at the centre and in Andhra Pradesh, said party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.16.12.2012 Chaos prevailed at the day-long state conclave of the ruling Congress party here today with a section of leaders from Telangana insisting the meet pay respects to those who died for a separate Telangana state.16.12.2012 The government should not make any change in the indirect tax rates till the implementation of the proposed goods and services tax (GST) regime, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has said.15.12.2012 Congress president Sonia Gandhi today launched the Delhi government's food security programme for two lakh poor families that are not getting benefits under other welfare schemes.15.12.2012 To reach out to ex-servicemen, the army's Central command today launched a 24x7 helpline for all retired personnel from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Chhattishgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand.15.12.2012 Underlining the government's intent to reduce the fiscal deficit to three percent of GDP by 2016-17, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday said the actions in correcting energy pricing, reducing diesel and LPG subsidies, were for achieving this target.15.12.2012 In a bid to please a major vote-bank in the state, the Haryana government has urged the union government to consider its request for inclusion of Jat, Jat Sikh, Bishnoi, Ror and Tyagi castes in the central list of the state as recommended by the Backward Classes Commission.14.12.2012 India's department of atomic energy (DAE) is planning to install radiation detection equipment at ports to monitor radioactivity in beach sand mineral consignments for detecting high levels of monazite contamination, said an official.14.12.2012 They've been captured on camera. Wildlife officials now want to tag satellite collars on the elusive and highly endangered snow leopard in the steep and rocky cliffs of Himachal Pradesh's Spiti Valley, the country's first collaring attempt on this wildcat species.13.12.2012 Enlarge image
Members of parliament voted on the law on circumcision, amongst other measures, on December 12, 2012.
(© picture alliance / dpa)
By a large, multi-party majority, members of the German Bundestag passed legislation on Wednesday ensuring that circumcision of young boys for religious reasons remains permissible in Germany. The Bundesrat, the other house of parliament, is expected to vote on the measure on Friday. 13.12.2012 The cooperation and assistance of the people is as important as earning the respect of the public for the police, President Pranab Mukherjee said today.13.12.2012 In a setback to Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the Supreme Court today declined to recall its earlier order of directing a CBI probe into the allegation of their possessing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.13.12.2012 The DMK, a part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) central government, would encourage coming together of secular parties in Tamil Nadu to fight the next Lok Sabha polls, party president M.Karunanidhi said here today.12.12.2012 AstroSageIndia, said to be the country's first multi-language astrological YouTube channel was launched today, on the special date of the century - 12.12.12 at 12:12 p.m.11.12.2012 There are a total of 71,397 vacancies in the six central armed police forces and Assam Rifles, parliament was informed today.11.12.2012 Taking strong exception to Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily's remarks on raising the LPG cap, the Election Commission today asked him to explain his action in view of the model code of conduct in place for the Gujarat assembly elections.11.12.2012 In an attack on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said today that only one voice was heard in the state.10.12.2012 The BJP today demanded a transparent inquiry and response from the government on reports that the international supermarket chain Wal-Mart had spent Rs.125 crore on lobbying activities in the US, including on issues related to enhanced market access for investment in India.10.12.2012 Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde made it clear today that the all-party meeting on Telangana would be held on Dec 28 as announced while Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy came under criticism from his own party leaders from Telangana for seeking its postponement.08.12.2012 The ruling BJP in Karnataka Saturday sacked Cooperation Minister B.J. Puttaswamy from the cabinet and suspended Lok Sabha member G.S. Basavaraj from the party, in a bid to deter its ministers and legislators from flocking to its former leader B.S. Yeddyurapapa.08.12.2012 Enlarge image
(© DFG)08.12.2012 Germany.info and The Week in Germany highlight a different "Word of the Week" in the German language that may have serve to surprise, delight or just plain perplex native English speakers.07.12.2012 Bowing to the Supreme Court's directive, Karnataka has begun releasing Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, thus avoiding contempt of court. Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar thereafter flew to New Delhi today morning to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and central Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat to seek relief for the state.06.12.2012 The Direct Cash Transfer Scheme would be rolled out in six districts of West Bengal from March 1, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor said today.06.12.2012 C.N.R. Rao, chairman of the science advisory council to the prime minister, was in discussions with the central government to increase funding to enhance research output, Planning Commission member and space scientist K. Kasturirangan said here today.06.12.2012 The Delhi government today formed a panel to review medical facilities in state-run hospitals a day after four people die due to lack of oxygen at a trauma centre.06.12.2012 The Supreme Court Wednesday directed Karnataka to supply 10,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily to Tamil Nadu for the next five days.06.12.2012 Have you ever wondered where you could visit Germany's oldest trees? Or wanted to follow in the footsteps of the "fairy tale king" Ludwig II? Or how about getting a run down of the weapons systems used by the German army? At govapps.de, a new app directory created by the German government, you can find all these and more.06.12.2012 Enlarge image
Chancellor Angela Merkel during the vote
(© picture alliance / dpa)
The German Bundestag has voted by a large majority to modify the existing program for Greece, thus guaranteeing the further financing of aid for Greece. When the euro zone meets once again on December 13, Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble can now approve the package.05.12.2012 In a dig at Mulayam Singh Yadav, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said today that while the Samajwadi Party chief during the parliament debate spoke against allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, his presence in the Lok Sabha during voting would have ensured the economic move is defeated.05.12.2012 Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan Wednesday said a special committee would be set up to oversee work on the proposed memorial for Babasaheb Ambedkar, "father" of the Indian Constitution, at Dadar in central Mumbai.04.12.2012 The Samajwadi Party (SP) and its rival in Uttar Pradesh, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today invoked Mahatma Gandhi while expressing their reservations on FDI in retail.04.12.2012 Enlarge image
Federal President Gauch spoke at the dedication of the new synagogue in Ulm.
(© picture alliance / dpa)
After an absence of nearly three quarters of a century, the southwestern German city of Ulm has a synagogue again. The new synagogue was inaugurated on Sunday among jubilant celebrations in the presence of German President Joachim Gauck. In a festive ceremony, Torah scrolls were brought into the sandstone building and, as tradition dictates, a mezuzah – a miniature scroll of Torah texts – was affixed to the doorframe of the entryway. 04.12.2012 Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel with Ruth Galinski, right, and Gideon Joffe, chairman of the Jewish Community of Berlin
(© picture alliance / dpa)
Chancellor Angela Merkel has been awarded this year’s Heinz Galinski Prize by the Jewish Community of Berlin in recognition of her conviction and her dedication in building and preserving Jewish life within society, and of her public support of Israel.03.12.2012 Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay today said Tibet "owes its religion to India" and asserted that the day of reckoning for his country was not far and the desire for freedom "will live on".02.12.2012 Arrangements, including security and other measures, are in place for elections Monday for four seats to the state Legislative Council from the panchayat quota, being held in Jammu and Kashmir after 38 years.01.12.2012 Ahead of assembly polls in Tripura next February, separatist outfits are trying to carry out violent activities in the state from their bases in adjoining Mizoram, a minister said here today.29.11.2012 Enlarge image
Central Council President Graumann, Vice President Salomon Korn and Vice President Josef Schuster presented Chancellor Merkel with a Hannukah menorah.
(© Bundesregierung/Orlowski)
Chancellor Angela Merkel became the first German chancellor to address the annual meeting of the Council Assembly of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, held in Frankfurt am Main on Sunday, November 25. The Chancellor’s attendance at the meeting of representatives of Jewish communities from across Germany, during which she held a speech and answered questions, served to underscore the importance of the Jewish communities for Germany. 27.11.2012 Alok Joshi, a 1976 batch IPS officer of Haryana cadre, has been appointed chief of India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).26.11.2012 The Supreme Court today issued notice to the central government on a plea seeking to impose environment compensation charge of 25 percent of the sale value on new private diesel cars in the National Capital Region (NCR).26.11.2012 Ram Jethmalani today said that he has written a letter to BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, whose resignation the veteran lawyer had demanded after Gadkari's name surfaced in the financial dealings of a company linked to him. But the Rajya Sabha member declined go reveal the contents of his letter.26.11.2012 Curfew was relaxed in Haryana's Sirsa town today by the district administration to enable residents buy essential commodities.26.11.2012 Terror convict Aftab Ansari, now on death row for masterminding the American Center attack here 10 years ago, has sought a political prisoner's status, a jail official said today.25.11.2012 Paramilitary forces were deployed in Sirsa today to help Haryana Police maintain law and order in this Haryana town after violent clashes between followers of Dera Sacha Sauda sect and the Sikh community.24.11.2012 The newly-appointed Chinese leaders should accept the requests for official visits to Tibet by the UN nominees and implement recommendations made by its agencies, Tibetan political leader Lobsang Sangay said here today.23.11.2012 A Mumbai court today remanded nine accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shootout case to judicial custody till Dec 7, a lawyer said.23.11.2012 BJP today called upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to keep the appointment of Ranjit Sinha as the new CBI director in abeyance and follow the method of appointment through a collegium as recommended by a select committee on Lokpal.23.11.2012 The Delhi High Court today rejected a plea seeking a review of its order that dismissed an earlier petition for scrapping the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor on arterial roads of the capital city.23.11.2012 The central government has not taken any decision to dump the hazardous spent fuel from the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu in the abandoned mines of Kolar in Karnataka, about 100 km from here, a minister said today.22.11.2012 The BJP today slammed the Congress-led UPA government on the issue of foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail and demanded a discussion in parliament on the vexed issue under a rule which entails voting.22.11.2012 Posters critical of Yashwant Sinha appeared near the BJP's central office here today, days after he demanded the resignation of party chief Nitin Gadkari over financial dealings of a company linked to him. The BJP has condemned the anti-Sinha posters.22.11.2012 Arvind Kejriwal team member Yogendra Yadav today dubbed Trinamool Congress's bid to move a no-confidence motion against the Congress-led central government as "small games" of the parties to "put up a show of being different from one another".21.11.2012 Facing demands from a section of his party for his resignation over financial dealings of a company linked to him, BJP president Nitin Gadkari today said that he is ready to face any probe.21.11.2012 Saying that the execution of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the sole surviving gunman of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks came "late", the BJP today asked the central government to prosecute the conspirators of the attack who are still roaming free.21.11.2012 Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh today welcomed the hanging of Pakistan-based militant Ajmal Amir Kasab, the sole surviving gunman of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and termed it "an appropriate decision".21.11.2012 The Pakistani foreign office today described as "incorrect and baseless" Indian media reports that a note from India about the execution of Ajmal Amir Kasab was not accepted by Pakistan.21.11.2012 The Delhi High Court today reserved its order on a petition challenging Sachin Tendulkar's nomination to the Rajya Sabha.21.11.2012 Ajmal Amir Kasab was buried inside the premises of Pune's Yerawada Central Jail shortly after he was hanged, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said that today.20.11.2012 Stating that the Congress-led UPA central government should be ousted, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said that her party would support a no-confidence motion if the CPI-M-led Left parties move it in the Lok Sabha.20.11.2012 Aggrieved over non-inclusion of his name among the three officers shortlisted for being considered as the next CBI director, incumbent Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar has approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) here, sources said today.20.11.2012 Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar will meet the leaders of various political parties on Wednesday to chalk out an agenda for parliament's smooth functioning during the winter session on Nov 22-Dec 20, officials said.20.11.2012 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today asked the Congress-led UPA government to bring peace in Assam instead of criticising her government for police firing which claimed a life in Nadia district.20.11.2012 Infighting in the ruling BJP in Karnataka is likely to intensify as the party plans disciplinary action against legislators supporting former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who is quitting the BJP to launch his own party next month.20.11.2012 DMK president M. Karunanidhi today urged the central government to consult experts before a decision to make the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) a multi-member body.19.11.2012 D. Subbarao, governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), appeared in a Delhi court today and deposed as a prosecution witness in the 2G case19.11.2012 Meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here today, outgoing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao remarked that it was their 14th meeting in eight years. He added that it would also be, most likely, the last time the two met officially.19.11.2012 The late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's favourite newspapers Saamna (in Marathi) and Dopahar Ka Saamna (in Hindi) sported black front pages as a mark of mourning for the second consecutive day today.18.11.2012 He was considered a right-wing Hindu leader -- but Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray, who died on Saturday, had full faith in a Muslim doctor, who was treating him for the last four years.17.11.2012 The mortal remains of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray will be consigned to the flames Sunday evening at the crematorium beside Shivaji Park, revered as 'Shiv Tirth' by Shiv Sainiks in Maharashtra, a party official said.17.11.2012 The body of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who breathed his last here today afternoon, will be kept at Shivaji Park to enable millions of party activists and Mumbaikars to pay their last respects to the leader from 7 a.m. on Sunday, party MP Sanjay Raut told reporters.17.11.2012 Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi today arrived in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district to study the socio-economic transformation of people in villages brought about by various government welfare schemes.16.11.2012 The water resources ministry will observe Nov 19, the birth anniversary of late prime minister Indira Gandhi, as Water Conservation Day to create awareness about the need to conserve water, an official said today.16.11.2012 Various courts of Delhi today extended the judicial custody of businessman Abhishek Verma and his Romanian wife till Nov 30 in several criminal and corruption cases lodged against them by different agencies here.16.11.2012 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called up Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to discuss the law and order situation in the state after clashes in Kokrajhar and Gossaigaon, where six people have died since Saturday.15.11.2012 Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today said it would oppose the central government's policy on foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail in the upcoming parliament session.15.11.2012 The air pollution at Pusa in central Delhi and Noida in the National Capital Region (NCR) was highest in the region post-Diwali, scientists said today. It was exorbitantly high on hourly scale from 11 p.m. Tuesday night to 1 a.m. Wednesday.15.11.2012 A clash between two factions at a Delhi gurdwara today morning left four people injured, including two seriously, police said.14.11.2012 In a joint operation, the Assam and Nagaland police have arrested seven people, including two Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) cadres, a senior police official said today.12.11.2012 With the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) withdrawing its outside support, the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh may find itself in a crisis.12.11.2012 The central government has told the Supreme Court that it could not achieve the goal of reducing the number of hungry people by half without taking recourse to genetically modified (GM) crops, which could herald the second green revolution in the country.11.11.2012 The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab here today warned the Congress against meddling in the religious affairs of Sikhs.11.11.2012 Tension prevailed in the old city of Hyderabad today following the arrest of eight legislators of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) when they were protesting against the expansion of a temple abutting historic Charminar.10.11.2012 The central and state governments are likely to decide on their e-governance projects by the end of this year, said a top official of EMC Data Storage Systems India.08.11.2012 The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) today condemned China's dismissal of the recent UN statement on Tibet as interference in its internal affairs.08.11.2012 Favouring more Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) with Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said many more of these measures could be focused on his state.08.11.2012 Twelve years after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) imposed a ban for life-time on former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin, the Andhra Pradesh High Court today struck it down as "illegal".08.11.2012 Blaming the Congress-led central government for abnormal rise of fuel prices, the ruling Left Front in Tripura today decided to hike by 20 percent fares of all passenger vehicles in the state, a minister said.08.11.2012 A Delhi court today dismissed a petition asking for a first information report (FIR) against activist-politician Arvind Kejriwal, his colleague Prashant Bhushan and yoga guru Baba Ramdev for allegedly lowering the reputation of parliament.07.11.2012 Virtually approving the CBI's line of probe into suspected wrongdoing in the Aircel-Maxis telecom deal, the Supreme Court today said the allegations levelled by the investigators appeared to be correct.07.11.2012 The Gujarat government today urged the Supreme Court to refer to a larger bench the question whether Governor Kamla Beniwal could have appointed the Lokayukta while bypassing Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers.07.11.2012 Promoters of Loop Telecom today moved the Delhi High Court against the decision of a ministers' group to refund the licence fees only to those telecom companies against whom criminal prosecution was not initiated in the 2G case.06.11.2012 Condemning the central government's decision to dilute reservation norms for compulsory use of jute bags for packaging food grains and sugar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the move would compel the farmers to commit suicide.06.11.2012 Nearly 20 years after 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai killed 257 people and left 713 others injured, Pakistan continues to provide safe haven to fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, India said at an Interpol meeting in Rome on Monday.06.11.2012 Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama today said many Chinese have told him that they support his visits to Japan. He said that he visited Japan annually, as he receives many invitations from that country.06.11.2012 Top leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party are to meet in the national capital today evening, amidst controversies surrounding party president Nitin Gadkari. Some party leaders have openly demanded Gadkari's resignation.05.11.2012 Giving a long list of cinema halls where the controversial Bengali movie "3 Kanya" was being screened, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday accused the media of colluding with the opposition to malign her government's image.05.11.2012 Congress leader Srikant Jena today demanded the resignation of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for "collusion" in the mining scam in the state.05.11.2012 Meghalaya's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos today seized cash over Rs.22 lakh, explosives and electronic gadgets from the residence of an outlawed GNLA rebel leader, a police official said.05.11.2012 Prison authorities in West Bengal are considering installing international calling facilities in city correctional homes to allow over 2,200 foreign inmates connect with their relatives in their own country, an official said today.04.11.2012 Two Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constables were killed early today in a firefight with Maoist guerrillas near an iron ore mine in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said.04.11.2012 Environmental activists here today demanded a white paper on expenses incurred by the state and central governments in the past 25 years on cleaning up the Yamuna river.02.11.2012 Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy today said Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi had not answered his charges of "wrongdoing" in a deal leading to the takeover of Herald House here.02.11.2012 A special court today refused to allot a separate vehicle to Abhishek Verma's Romanian wife to commute between jail and court due to alleged threat to her life from other prisoners.02.11.2012 The group of ministers (GoMs) deliberating the appointment of a coal regulator may come up with its final recommendations on the powers and functions of the proposed independent body within a month, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal has said.02.11.2012 Senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) senior leader and former central minister K. Yerran Naidu died in a road accident in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district early today. He was 55.01.11.2012 The CBI today told the Supreme Court that it would file a status report next week on its probe against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran for his alleged involvement in the controversial Maxis-Aircel telecom deal.01.11.2012 Former Punjab minister Jagir Kaur was today granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.31.10.2012 The Delhi High Court, hearing a petition alleging land allotment at a throwaway price to DIAL for the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, today asked the union government to submit documents related to the allotment of land.31.10.2012 To ensure transparency in the public distribution system (PDS), the union government today launched a web portal that provides all information about the ration system through a single platform.31.10.2012 The ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in Jharkhand today vehemently denied claims of JMM chief Shibu Soren that there would be a "rotation of power" once the Arjun Munda government completes 28 months in office.30.10.2012 Breaking his silence, Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao today warned of a "war" for a separate state of Telangana.30.10.2012 The Supreme Court today asked the central government to place before it the Yamuna River Action Plan with details to prevent the untreated effluents flowing into it.30.10.2012 The Reserve Bank of India today cut a key policy rate by 25 basis points to release some Rs.175 billion into the system for commercial lending with the hope that it will keep inflation under check, while also pushing growth.30.10.2012 Senior officials of India, the US and Japan today held their third trilateral dialogue that focused on firming up strategies to combat piracy, bolstering maritime security and leveraging their strengths to shape the the Asia-Pacific architecture.30.10.2012 Three people were arrested for betting on a cricket match of the Champions League T-20 tournament played in South Africa, police said today.29.10.2012 Launching a sarcastic attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, BJP leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi called him "Maun-mohan" (silent Manmohan) Singh at an election rally here today.29.10.2012 The Shiv Sena today demanded an extension of the deadline from Oct 31 to January 2013 for digitization of cable TV networks in the four metros as acquiring set-top boxes was causing a burden on the poor in the festival season.29.10.2012 S.M. Krishna quit as external affairs minister ostensibly because the Congress wants the services of its tallest leader in Karnataka to recapture power in the state in the assembly polls, due early next year.28.10.2012 Karnataka Police are seeking the help of Interpol to extradite from Saudi Arabia three terror suspects wanted for their alleged role in planning to attack noted politicians, religious heads and media persons in the state, a senior police official said today.27.10.2012 In a road rage incident, a man and his son were beaten up by a motorist ahead, allegedly enraged by their use of the horn to get way to pass his vehicle, police said today. The accused, a property dealer, has been arrested.27.10.2012 Miffed over being ignored for inclusion in the central cabinet, Congress MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao today resigned from the Lok Sabha while another MP is also mulling to quit.27.10.2012 Admitting that corruption has spread in Bharatiya Janata Party ranks, senior party leader and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Shanta Kumar today said that the party was trying to fix the problem.26.10.2012 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa today assured people that the power situation in the state would improve from November on and the state would be free of power crises after 2013.26.10.2012 A suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative who is the fifth accused in the Aug 1 Pune serial blasts case has been arrested, Delhi Police said today. Four others were arrested earlier.26.10.2012 A Delhi court today asked a union home ministry official to appear and verify the forms for serving summons to US-based websites, including Facebook and Google, for allegedly hosting defamatory content on their sites.26.10.2012 The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today said that is has constituted an expert committee to frame guidelines for clinical drug trials, following unethical complaints.26.10.2012 The controversy over payment of bills for providing security to 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who is lodged in a Mumbai jail, is a matter that needs to be debated, union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said here today.26.10.2012 The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and troopers guarding the Taj Mahal had been told not to bar people unless they were specific orders to do so, an official said today, defusing tensions that arose after women wearing Ram Navami stoles were stopped at the entrance of the monument.25.10.2012 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to join the Manmohan Singh government in a cabinet reshuffle scheduled for Sunday, sources in the party and Rashtrapati Bhavan said today.25.10.2012 Commercial vehicles in the interiors of Odisha stayed off the roads today due to a statewide shutdown called by the Maoists against the central government's economic policy, particularly hiking diesel prices and putting a cap on subsidised cooking gas cylinders.25.10.2012 Enlarge image
The memorial's half-submerged triangular stone, on which a new flower is placed daily
(© Stiftung Denkmal / Marko Priske)
During the Nazi regime, 100,000 people pejoratively labeled “gypsies” were tracked down and killed. At the dedication of a memorial to those Sinti and Roma people murdered, Chancellor Angela Merkel reminded listeners to never forget the suffering of the victims.24.10.2012 Enlarge image
The European Council met on October 18-19.
(© picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.com)
“We achieved what we set out to do,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the close of talks in Brussels between European Union heads of state.24.10.2012 President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were among the dignitaries to witness the burning of the effigy of Ravana, symbol of evil, at the Dussehera celebrations today at Subhash Maidan near the historic Red Fort here.24.10.2012 Sohan Joshi, a practicing accountant in Chicago, has been elected president of the National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), an umbrella organization of various Indian community associations, for 2013-2015.23.10.2012 Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit here, India today said it is in touch with Russia to find an alternative site for a Russian-aided nuclear plant in view of the West Bengal government's opposition to the setting up of an atomic plant in Haripur.23.10.2012 Former union minister Virbhadra Singh, spearheading the Congress campaign in Himachal Pradesh, today again came under attack from the BJP on charges of forgery and money laundering.23.10.2012 The sudden downpour in the capital today damaged some effigies of Ravana, Meghnada and Kumbhkarana at several Ramlila grounds a day before they were to be burnt on the occasion of Dussehra, and worried organisers worked overtime to repair them.22.10.2012 Leaders and activists of Telangaa Joint Action Committee were arrested today in Mahabubnagar district as they were heading to stop Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu from entering Telangana.22.10.2012 The BJP in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh will focus on a series of controversies surrounding state Congress chief Virbhadra Singh and party president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, a party leader said.22.10.2012 A police constable dismissed for kidnapping an official was today arrested as he was preparing to take out a bike rally to expose corruption in the Police Transport Organisation.21.10.2012 The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) today expressed concern over the prevailing tense situation in Tibet and asked the Chinese authorities to redress the genuine grievances of locals.21.10.2012 Over a hundred India Against Corruption (IAC) supporters today protested outside Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's official residence here, police said.21.10.2012 Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today exhorted the Jammu and Kashmir government to empower the panchayats elected in June last year and also hold the block development council (BDC) elections soon.21.10.2012 At least 566 personnel of railway, paramilitary and state police were killed on duty in the past one year in the country, an official said here today. Delhi Police lost 19 people while Uttar Pradesh lost 133.20.10.2012 Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar exhorted his partymen to work towards the 2014 national and state elections without "bothering about criticism" today while addressing the party's two-day convention here.20.10.2012 A special court here today sent 26/11 suspect Abu Jundal to judicial custody till Nov 3.20.10.2012 Taking their "battle" against union Law Minister Salman Khurshid a step further, India Against Corruption (IAC) today said it would be coming out with more documentary evidence against the Congress leader Nov 1 at Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh.20.10.2012 Journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmed Kazmi, arrested in March for his alleged role in the bomb attack here on an Israeli diplomat's car in February, walked out of Tihar Jail today, a day after the Supreme Court granted him bail.19.10.2012 Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel in the Bundestag on October 18
(© Bundesregierung/Schacht)
The decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union in a time of crisis is especially meaningful, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday ahead of the meeting of EU heads of state and government, because it thereby serves as motivation and obligation for all in Europe to recognize the core of the current test the EU finds itself in. That core is: The euro is much more than a currency. It stands symbolically for the economic, social and political unification of Europe and has effects far beyond Europe.19.10.2012 Delhi Police have arrested four persons in connection with a daylight robbery-cum-murder in the capital ten days ago, police said today.19.10.2012 National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman K.G. Balakrishnan today emphasised the need to set up more trial courts so that justice is not delayed.18.10.2012 Enlarge image
Germany's ADAC is comparable to America's AAA.
(© picture alliance / Josef Wildgruber)
Tourists coming to German cities often have a full schedule in mind. Many budget-minded travelers see the price of public transportation and attractions as a challenge to getting the most out of their trip. A city card is meant to help travelers on a budget by offering a multitude of discounts and reductions. Regina Ammel from ADAC, Germany’s largest automobile club that also offers travel tips and promotions, says that sometimes these cards do pay off, but “people need to know that as a rule, the cards do not come from tourist offices, but from private vendors.” Naturally, said the ADAC representative, they want to make a profit. However, she said that it did not mean that the cards are not totally without merit. In a recent Europe-wide test, ADAC was able to find several worthwhile offers.18.10.2012 In a relief to former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, the Supreme Court today stayed all proceedings against him before a court in Ahmedabad over the 2006 alleged staged shootout killing of Tulsiram Prajapati.18.10.2012 Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed and four seriously injured early today when Maoist guerrillas triggered a landmine blast in a forested area in Bihar's Gaya district, police said.17.10.2012 Four people were arrested for their alleged involvement in a murder-cum-dacoity case in central Delhi, police said today.17.10.2012 The Supreme Court today reserved its verdict on lawyer R.K. Anand's proposal to give free legal aid to poor litigants for one year as penance for his attempt to derail justice in the 1999 BMW hit-and-run incident here.17.10.2012 A special court here today denied permission to Vectra group chief Ravinder Rishi to visit Britain for medical treatment and business. He is an accused in a defence-related corruption case.17.10.2012 The Bharatiya Janata Party today expelled from the party former central minister and former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa loyalist V. Dhananjaya Kumar for his attacks on the party central leadership and Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar.17.10.2012 Leo Baeck Institute (LBI), the premiere research library and archive devoted exclusively to documenting the history of German-speaking Jewry, has completed the digitization of its entire archive, which now provides free online access to primary source materials encompassing five centuries of Jewish life in Central Europe.15.10.2012 BJP leader Arun Jaitley today questioned former steel minister Virbhadra Singh over allegations that a private firm had made payments to "VBS" during his tenure.15.10.2012 The BJP today urged the Odisha government to convene a special session of the state assembly to discuss the central government's decision to bring down its stake in the aluminium company Nalco.15.10.2012 Attacking on a section of the press, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today alleged that some media houses wanted to control the state government and had turned against her as she did not fulfil their demands.15.10.2012 Bihar leaders Ram Vilas Paswan and Lalu Prasad were detained here today while demonstrating during the daylong shutdown called by the opposition against the killing of three people in police firing in Madhubani town last week.15.10.2012 The security situation in northeast India is now much better compared to three years back, union Home Secretary R.K. Singh said here today.15.10.2012 Trains were blocked and trucks and buses were off the roads in Bihar as a daylong shutdown called by opposition parties to protest the killing of three people in police firing last week came into effect today.15.10.2012 A 35-year-old man, held captive in a dingy room for 17 years by his mother who claimed he was mentally unstable, was rescued today by a lawmaker and doctors in Karnataka, police said.14.10.2012 The central government has sounded a security alert in Manipur about possible terror strikes in view of the general strike seven powerful secessionist outfits have called, an official said today.13.10.2012 Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's remarks on Telangana have evoked sharp reaction from pro-Telangana leaders cutting across party lines.12.10.2012 Enlarge image
(© picture alliance / dpa)
The Nobel Peace Prize is to be awarded to the European Union, it was announced in Oslo this morning, for the contributions the EU and its forerunners have made over six decades to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. “The stabilizing part played by the EU has helped to transform most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a press release.12.10.2012 Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde arrived here today for a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir during which he will visit border areas and the Valley.11.10.2012 Farmers and tribals marching towards New Delhi to press their demand for land reforms today ended their agitation here on the central government's assurance to prepare a policy-frame on land rights within six months.11.10.2012 Hitting out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today said he was trying to mislead the country by stating that the "infirmity of law" was preventing the government from taking action in corruption cases.11.10.2012 A team of a central commission probing allegations of illegal mining in different states today completed its second phase of investigations in Odisha, the team leader said.11.10.2012 The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court today asked the central government to respond to charges levelled against Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, by India Against Corruption (IAC) member Arvind Kejriwal.11.10.2012 The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) restored normal train services today connecting Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam with the rest of India, nearly a week after all night trains in the region were cancelled for security reasons.11.10.2012 The government today approved amendments to a legislation against indecent representation of women, making it more stringent by increasing the fine and jail term, apart from expanding its scope to include audio-visual and electronic media within the ambit of the law.11.10.2012 Enlarge image
Foreign Minister Westerwelle
(© picture alliance / dpa)10.10.2012 Former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who has been attacking his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders for months now, said on today that he would leave the party in December and the decision was final.10.10.2012 The CBI today opposed in a Delhi court the plea of Vectra company chief Ravinder Rishi to go to Britain for medical and business purposes. Rishi is an accused in a defence-related corruption case.10.10.2012 Security forces destroyed a temporary camp of Maoist guerrillas in Abujhmad in Bastar district and razed to the ground two memorials erected to glorify the ultras in Kondagaon district, police said today.10.10.2012 The Supreme Court today asked unauthorised occupants of government houses here why they should not be evicted and ordered their names be published in the newspapers.10.10.2012 There have been reports of Punjab militancy in the recent months, both within the country and abroad, and the situation is being constantly monitored, union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said today.10.10.2012 To invite Narendra Modi or not? That seems to be the Hamletian dilemma for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), part of the ruling alliance in Bihar, with one leader saying yes and the other a firm no.10.10.2012 The Delhi High Court today granted more time to an experts' committee to submit a report suggesting guidelines to prevent rampant use of banned pesticides in vegetables and fruits.10.10.2012 The government was committed to doing "everything possible to ensure transparency and accountability" but the negativity and pessimism sought to be created over the issue of corruption could do no good, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today.10.10.2012 Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel and Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras
(© picture alliance / dpa)
During her visit to Athens, Chancellor Angela Merkel praised Greece's progress towards overcoming the debt crisis. The tempo of reform looks to have sped up, and the chancellor reaffirmed her wish that Greece remain in the euro zone.09.10.2012 Angry people hurled plastic chairs at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today when he reached the Nawada district town to address a public meeting as part of his Adhikar Yatra, police said.08.10.2012 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today denied that he had blocked a proposal to grant special category status to the state in 2002 when the BJP-led NDA ruled India.08.10.2012 Security forces today foiled a major bid of Maoists to wreck havoc on them by recovering a 10-kg tiffin bomb hidden beneath the soil on a road near Dornapal in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, police said.08.10.2012 The BJP will declare a prime ministerial candidate after the Lok Sabha polls, party president Nitin Gadkari said today.08.10.2012 Suspected militants triggered two back-to-back blasts in Haflong town of Assam today evening, forcing the police and security forces to launch a combing operation.07.10.2012 Fear of black flags appears to haunt Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Police said today that those donning black or carrying umbrellas or flags that are black will not be allowed to attend the chief minister's public meetings.07.10.2012 The free medicine scheme launched by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot a year ago on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary Oct 2 has seen a footfall of 70 million people at the distribution centres, officials said today.06.10.2012 West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today expressed her unhappiness over the central government's decision to hike the price of cooking gas by over Rs.11.06.10.2012 Karnataka is facing a drought and water levels in reservoirs across the Cauvery river basin have dropped due to deficit rains, a Central Water Commission (CWC) official said today.05.10.2012 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office today strongly denied that the government had paid the travel and medical bills of UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, describing the Rs.1,880-crore ($363 million) figure as "untrue and misleading".05.10.2012 Bands from the country's police and paramilitary forces will play martial tunes that have inspired soldiers in battlefields to enthral the national capital's residents Sunday at India Gate.05.10.2012 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today told panchayat chiefs in the Kashmir Valley that he would take up the issues of their empowerment and honorarium with the central and state governments.05.10.2012 Four people, including a 40-year-old woman, have been arrested for the assassination attempt on Lt Gen (Retd) K.S. Brar, who led the Indian Army operation into the Golden Temple at Amritsar in Punjab in June 1984, police here said.05.10.2012 Five people were killed and three injured when a mini-van in which they were travelling collided with a lorry-trailer here in the West Bengal state capital Thursday night, police said.04.10.2012 Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said today that his party would do everything possible to address the problems of people in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.04.10.2012 School children might have to go without mid-day meals, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said today, a day after the hike in the price of non-subsidised cooking gas cylinders.04.10.2012 Thirty-four officials of the rural jobs scheme in Bihar have been dismissed from service for corruption today, a minister said, adding that first information reports have been lodged against 43 others.03.10.2012 After camping in New Delhi for 23 days, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao returned to Hyderabad today with the hope that the final round of talks with the Congress leadership would be held soon on the Telangana issue.03.10.2012 DMK President M. Karunanidhi today expressed his dissatisfaction at the rehabilitation and resettlement of internally-displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka.03.10.2012 Welcoming the Election Commission announcement of polls to the state assembly today, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the party is ready for the contest.03.10.2012 Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today said that his government has received inputs on state politicians hobnobbing with militants.02.10.2012 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi should apologise now that his allegations that the central government spent Rs.1,880 crore on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's foreign visits and treatment abroad have been proven false, the Congress said on Tuesday.02.10.2012 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, among others, paid floral tributes in the Central Hall of parliament today on the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.02.10.2012 Maoist guerrillas fired a rocket-like object at a police station in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh today but it failed to explode, police said.01.10.2012 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government suffered a minor setback Monday with the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P), which has two Lok Sabha MPs, announcing that it was withdrawing support over the decision to permit FDI in multi-brand retail.01.10.2012 Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed allegedly by Maoists in a forest in West Bengal's West Midnapore district in the early hours today, police said.01.10.2012 The Trinamool Congress will never ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA or join any front that includes the Left, party general secretary Mukul Roy has said.01.10.2012 The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) late Sunday night called off the Telangana march.01.10.2012 Eleven children today suffered burns while they set a garbage dump on fire here out of mischief, police said.01.10.2012 In a bid to counter Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's sit-in in New Delhi on Monday against FDI in retail, Bengal Congress has planned a rally here the same day to back the central government's economic reforms.30.09.2012 The DMK won't nominate anyone for any ministerial post in the central government in any reshuffle, party president M. Karunanidhi declared today.30.09.2012 The irrigation scam directed against him is an attempt to divert attention from the "coal scam", former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said today.30.09.2012 Kapil Sibal, minister for HRD, communications and IT Saturday said that the Muslim community in India was at the "bottom of the pile" as far as healthcare was concerned.30.09.2012 Four Hizbul Mujahideen guerrillas were arrested from Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir and huge quantity of arms, including four AK-47 rifles, recovered, police said today.29.09.2012 Telangana groups fighting for separate statehood to the region today accused the Andhra Pradesh government of creating hurdles to foil the Telangana march despite giving permission for it.29.09.2012 Millions of people in Mumbai and across Maharashtra trooped out on the streets today to bid adieu to the elephant headed-Lord Ganesha at the end of the 10-day Ganeshotsav (festival) amid tight security at the immersion ceremonies, officials said.29.09.2012 Thousands of devotees hit the roads in this southern city today as the annual Ganesha procession began amid unprecedented security.28.09.2012 After two one-horned rhinos succumbed to injuries caused by poachers, a team of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) arrived in Assam today to assess the situation following the recent spate of poaching of the rare rhinos in Kaziranga National Park.28.09.2012 The Delhi High Court has dismissed the plea of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's mother and sister challenging the proposed confiscation of their properties by the central government.27.09.2012 A day after TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the Telangana issue, the party plunged into a crisis with the resignation of a senior leader from Rayalaseema region.27.09.2012 The central government today extended the ceasefire with Meghalaya's outlawed Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) for another year, according to a spokesman of the rebel group.27.09.2012 Stating that he was not guilty, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today expressed happiness that the Supreme Court had allowed former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh shootout case, to return to the state.27.09.2012 In an interview with Carnegie Europe, and four leading European newspapers, Foreign Minister Westerwelle set out his views about the euro crisis, its impact on Europe’s security and defense policy, and the Middle East. 26.09.2012 In an attempt to counter the Congress in the coming state assembly polls 2012 end, Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi today accused it of using the CBI to fight elections.26.09.2012 Voicing his desire to maintain a personal relationship with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, NCP leader Sharad Pawar today said her party had a right to take its path.26.09.2012 Catholic groups today protested the portrayal in bad light of the clergy and community in Bollywood movies, with specific reference to "Kamaal Dhamaal Malamal" and "Kya Super Kool Hai Hum".26.09.2012 The central government will bring additional areas under wheat cultivation in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as they have the "untapped potential" to produce food grain, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said today.26.09.2012 The BJP today said it was not against economic reforms but indicated that it could scrap the UPA's decision to allow 51 percent foreign equity in multi-brand retail if it came to power.26.09.2012 An NGO moved the Supreme Court today seeking direction to the central government not to permit resumption of iron and manganese ore mining in Goa till the recommendations of a panel that probed alleged illegal mining were implemented.26.09.2012 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa today accused DMK president M. Karunanidhi of adopting double standards on the Cauvery dispute, Kudankulam nuclear project and power shortage.26.09.2012 Launching a scathing attack on the Congress-led UPA regime, the Trinamool Congress today said nationwide protests against the central government are imminent as it is pursuing anti-people policies.25.09.2012 Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, terming as "drama" Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's resignation, today urged Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to accept it and not succumb to the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) pressure.25.09.2012 In a major relief to a senior cabinet minister in Andhra Pradesh, a special court today did not order his arrest in the Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy illegal assets case.24.09.2012 Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today told the Supreme Court that the allegations against him that he wrongfully confined and raped a woman in his Amethi Lok Sabha constituency were an act of "sinister political mudslinging".24.09.2012 The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) today asked the CBI, probing coal block allocations made during 2006-09, to extend its investigations to cover all allocations made since 1993, said agency sources.24.09.2012 A 42-year-old woman has been arrested for posing as a scientist and intruding into the state-run Indian space agency's high-security satellite centre here, police said today.23.09.2012 The bus service between Agartala and Dhaka has been suspended after India's 'Maitree' passenger bus between the two cities was burnt by an angry mob in Bangladesh Friday, officials said here today.22.09.2012 Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today ruled out any threat to UPA government in New Delhi following withdrawal of support by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.22.09.2012 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today registered two new separate cases against two private companies, their directors and other public servants in the coal block allocation case and conducted raids in seven cities across the country.22.09.2012 The Congress will meet West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan today evening to formally convey its decision to withdraw its support to the Trinamool Congress government.22.09.2012 The Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly remained paralysed for the fifth and last day of the brief monsoon session with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) stalling the proceedings to press its demand for passing a resolution on Telangana.22.09.2012 After Congress president Sonia Gandhi's announcement that the Congress-ruled states would raise the subsidised LPG cylinder cap from six to nine, Jammu and Kashmir, where the party shares power with the National Conference, may also follow suit, a state minister said today.21.09.2012 The DMK today urged the the central government, of which it is a key constituent, to save remaining Tamils in Sri Lanka and not fall into the "diabolical net" laid out by Sri Lanka and its president, Mahinda Rajapaksa.21.09.2012 BJP's former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, battling a dozen cases of corruption, today indicated leaving the party but would decide on the step only in December.21.09.2012 Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today came to the rescue of the ruling UPA coalition, which was reduced to a minority following the withdrawal of support by the Trinamool Congress, saying he would provide support to the central government to "keep communal forces at bay".21.09.2012 The Supreme Court today issued notice to the central government and Air India on a petition seeking probe into the "unnecessary" purchase of 111 aircraft for the national carrier costing Rs.67,000 crore to the exchequer.21.09.2012 Fearing law and order problem after the today prayers over an anti-Islam video made in the US, authorities here closed educational institutions and imposed restrictions in old parts of the city.20.09.2012 West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today said people across the country supported the all India shutdown called by the opposition as the issues concerned them.20.09.2012 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today met Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa and pressed him for an early solution to the decades-long ethnic issue and stressed on the need to fast-track rehabilitation of displaced Tamils.20.09.2012 Asserting that the Congress should seek people's verdict before pursuing "unrealistic, anti-people" policies like FDI in retail and hiking diesel prices, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said that there would be no turning back on the decision to withdraw support from the UPA regime.20.09.2012 Police and para-military troopers raided a Maoists hideout today in Chhattisgarh's restive Bastar region and destroyed three arms factories, a senior officer said.20.09.2012 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today dragged in President Pranab Mukherjee into FDI in retail trade row by posting a statement he made as finance minister.20.09.2012 The demand to withdraw support to UPA II went up within the Samajwadi Party (SP) today as a shutdown called by it evoked near complete response in many parts of the state.20.09.2012 Resentment is brewing in the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh with a section of leaders openly attacking the central leadership for talking to the TRS over the Telangana issue.20.09.2012 Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived here tonight for a three-day official visit during which he is to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and also visit Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, even as Tamil Nadu parties protested against his visit.20.09.2012 Tamil Nadu will again approach the Supreme Court to get its due share of Cauvery river water from Karnataka as the award of the Cauvery River Authority was unacceptable, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said here today.06.06.2012 The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security is to raise a proposal concerning pension fund age flexibility in the near future, due to people choosing to retire later and later, the Beijing Times reports.06.06.2012 A former senior official of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region stood trial yesterday for accepting millions of yuan in bribes.06.06.2012 China will stick to property cooling measures, especially the differentiated credit and tax policies, as well as restrictions on buying second or third homes in some cities, said a government official on Tuesday.05.06.2012 The General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the General Office of the State Council have urged more efficient and effective handling of proposals presented by political advisors.05.06.2012 The government of Yulin, a city in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, held a public auction on June 3 to sell luxury cars used by city officials and state-owned enterprises' executives.05.06.2012 A female official in Central China's Henan province who bought a limousine for her husband with money she embezzled was sentenced to 12 years in jail.04.06.2012 A bus overturn killed 4 passengers in northeast China's Heilongjiang province on Sunday afternoon, local authorities said.03.06.2012 Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu has called for innovation in agricultural science and technology while addressing a farming conference in central China's Anhui Province.02.06.2012 A system is to be launched in China to make deals concerning government-financed infrastructure construction projects in water conservancy, transport and railways more transparent.02.06.2012 A symposium was held on Friday to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of a venerated Chinese proletarian revolutionary and Marxist theorist.02.06.2012 China's state-owned electrical power enterprises administered by the central government will invest up to 400 billion yuan (63.2 billion U.S. dollars) over the next decade in Tibet and bid to give all residents in the area area access to electricity by 2015, the National Energy Administration (NEA) announced on Friday.02.06.2012 Jühnde is a place with a lot of energy: the village with 800 inhabitants in Lower Saxony became Germany's first bioenergy village in 2005.01.06.2012 A senior official of the Communist Party of China on Thursday called for efforts to promote ethnic unity and maintain social stability in China's western-most region of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.01.06.2012 A Buddhist temple in Zhuzhou city, in Central China's Hunan province, caught public attention lately for recruiting sales staff with monthly salaries as high as 10,000 yuan (US$1,574), a local newspaper reported on May 30.01.06.2012 Yang Kun, vice president at the Agricultural Bank of China, the nation's third largest bank by market value, is under investigation by the Party's discipline authorities, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.31.05.2012 Premier Wen Jiabao recently visited several children of migrant workers who have moved to urban areas to find work, presenting the children with his well-wishes ahead of International Children's Day, which falls on June 1.31.05.2012 China's railway ministry is to investigate equipment produced by a German company after media reports that its products had failed tests.31.05.2012 Vice-Premier Li Keqiang urged provinces and municipalities to focus more on projects related to people's livelihood and environmental protection when offering aid to support the development of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.31.05.2012 Authorities in central China's Henan province on Tuesday formally approved the arrest of an official on suspicion of raping 11 underage girls.30.05.2012 A seven-episode documentary series on the country's favorite subject has stirred up a crest of culinary interest including millions of blog entries and an increase in sales of regional snacks and traditional foods.30.05.2012 The World Bank on Tuesday approved a loan of US$100 million to China to provide better and safer transport services for the residents in Yining Municipality of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.30.05.2012 Police in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province have busted a gang of human organ traffickers and caught two suspects, local authorities announced on Tuesday.30.05.2012 Hundreds of migrant workers gathered on Monday morning in front of the office building of a township government in east China's Zhejiang Province, protesting over a labor dispute that led to the death of a worker.29.05.2012 A minor planet that was discovered by Chinese scientists, has been named after a well-known late Chinese scientist and educator Yan Jici, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced Monday.29.05.2012 The debris of a carrier rocket hit some houses and high voltage wires in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday night, causing a blackout in a village.29.05.2012 Zhu Lijun wanted to be a "loving driver" and offer free rides in his SUV to passengers he saw on the roadside during his daily commutes.29.05.2012 Four people were killed, and another 10 injured, after an irate villager drove his farm vehicle on a rampage in central China's Hunan Province on Monday, local authorities said.28.05.2012 The death toll from a boat accident in Hunan province rose to two on Monday, while nine other people are still missing.28.05.2012 China's former railways minister, Liu Zhijun, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) after being found guilty of corruption, the CPC disciplinary watchdog announced on Monday.28.05.2012 Two children died and three others were injured after fire engulfed a kindergarten early Sunday morning in central Hunan province, local authorities said Monday.28.05.2012 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said more attention should go to development-oriented poverty reduction in the country and also to further improving the livelihoods of Chinese living in poverty.28.05.2012 Investigators on Monday updated the number of people missing in a passenger boat accident to 10, up from the previously reported eight, on a river in central China's Hunan province.28.05.2012 Schoolchildren eat their free lunch at Xinglong Primary School in a mountainous area of Bijie city, in Southwest China's Guizhou province, last month. [ Photo / China Daily ]27.05.2012 Zhang Gaoli was reelected secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Saturday.25.05.2012 Over the past 20 years, more than 100,000 antique items originally held in China have returned to the country after being bought at auction, Zhang Yanhua, chief of China Association of Auctioneers, said Thursday.25.05.2012 The Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Thursday opened its door to foreign diplomats for the first time in its history.25.05.2012 A policy at one kindergarten requiring non-local parents to have an apartment of at least 80 square meters before their children are eligible to enroll has stirred controversy in Foshan City of Guangdong Province.25.05.2012 A symposium was held Wednesday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of a celebrated speech on art and literature delivered by late Chairman Mao Zedong at the former revolutionary base of Yan'an on May 23, 1942.23.05.2012 About 1,000 monks and nuns in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have initiated a signature campaign to express love for the country and religion.23.05.2012 A blast ripped through a factory workshop in central China's Hubei Province and triggered a fire Wednesday. The casualties are not immediately known.23.05.2012 More than 300 private car owners from a central Chinese city volunteered to offer free rides to citizens to relieve crowded public transportation, but many local people didn't accept the offer for fear of being cheated.23.05.2012 The former chairman of a State-owned food enterprise was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for a massive graft case involving more than 370 million yuan (US$58.5 million).23.05.2012 A new income-distribution framework is set for approval to redress the growing gap between rich and poor, government officials said.22.05.2012 The major offender in an attempted bank robbery in which explosives left two dead and another 15 injured in central China's Hubei province late last year appealed his death sentence to a local court on Monday.21.05.2012 Enlarge image
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle sit next to French President Francois Hollande, Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian at the North Atlantic Council meeting on May 20.
(© picture alliance / abaca)21.05.2012 Are you interested in international politics? Would you like to gain insight into the workings of German democracy as part of the staff of a Member of the German Federal Parliament, the Bundestag? Are you intrigued by the prospect of spending five months in the cultural metropolis Berlin with colleagues from around Europe, Russia, Central Asia and Israel?21.05.2012 The central government is against high entry fees for tourist attractions and bans redundant ticket charges, a senior official said, as reports of possible entry fee hikes at many scenic spots have raised public concern.21.05.2012 Senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) He Guoqiang has ordered enhanced efforts in disaster relief and reconstruction during a trip to a storm-hit county in northwest China's Gansu Province.21.05.2012 Safety violations on a vehicle unloading explosives have been cited following a deadly tunnel blast in Central China's Hunan province that killed 20 people on Saturday.20.05.2012 One body of the 20 victims killed in the central China tunnel explosion Saturday has been retrieved, rescuers told Xinhua in the wee hours of Sunday. [Photos]19.05.2012 The 25th anniversary of the German Historical Institute in Washington DC was celebrated by more than 170 guests on Thursday, May 17, 2012.18.05.2012 Authorities are looking into an accident in which a police car hit a girl moments after she was injured in a hit-and-run incident in Central China's Henan province.18.05.2012 The general office of the State Council, or China's cabinet, on Thursday issued a document calling for greater transparency regarding governmental information disclosures to the public.17.05.2012 Six miners were killed in a gas outburst at a colliery in central China's Hunan Province early Thursday morning, local authorities have announced.17.05.2012 Senior Chinese leader Zhou Yongkang has called for continuous efforts to promote the development and maintain stability in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.17.05.2012 A businessman from the United States is recovering after being stabbed at a popular tourist spot in central Beijing.17.05.2012 Headmasters at a high school in Jingshan county, Central China's Hubei province, were removed from their posts following a book burning to protest extra fees by senior high students on April 5, the Wuhan Morning Post reported Thursday.17.05.2012 The Ministry of Education (MOE) on Wednesday disclosed the results of an investigation into a case in which high school students burned books in anger over questionable charges for textbooks and exam materials.17.05.2012 A nurse combs the hair of a new patient at the Mental Health Center of Zouping, Shandong province, on Friday. [ Photo/ China Daily ]17.05.2012 Enlarge image
French President Hollande visited Berlin on the same day he was sworn in.
(© Bundesregierung/Bergmann)17.05.2012 Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel greets students at a Berlin high school on EU Project Day.
(© Bundesregierung / Denzel)
Power of the Word: Leaders, Readers & Writers16.05.2012 The Chinese central government has allocated 7.63 billion yuan (1.21 billion U.S. dollars) in meal subsidies to improve the nutrition of rural elementary and junior middle school students, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday.15.05.2012 The Chinese public are demanding government departments write their budgets in a more simple and detailed manner, as they consider the financial plans are "too general" and difficult to follow, a latest survey shows.15.05.2012 Nearly 90 percent of Chinese families own their houses or flats, a figure much higher than the world level, which stands at about 60 percent, according to a report issued by Southwestern University of Finance and Economics and the People's Bank of China on Sunday.14.05.2012 Doctors in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province are still working full out to save the life of a young teacher who was run over by a school bus as she pushed two students out of the way on Tuesday.14.05.2012 At least 49 people were killed and 23 others were missing as of Saturday after hail and torrential rain hit Gansu Province on Thursday.14.05.2012 China Central Television (CCTV) revealed that some cosmetics sold in China have mercury content much higher than the allowable standard, Beijing Morning Post reported Monday.14.05.2012 Wang Yang.[File photo] 13.05.2012 Three people trapped in Yarlung Tsangpo River Canyon in western China's Tibet autonomous region were rescued Saturday and they are in stable condition, the rescue headquarters said.13.05.2012 Taiwan agricultural authorities confirmed Friday chickens in a farm of the island's central Yunlin county were infected with H5N2, a strain of avian flu that poses little risk to humans.12.05.2012 The 10th Executive Council of the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU) held its third plenary meeting in Beijing on Friday.10.05.2012 A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said here Wednesday that the CPC and Chinese government insist on an open-minded and inclusive attitude in coping with new media.09.05.2012 An ambitious plan has been formulated by the Chinese government to build an army of 1.45 million social workers by 2020.09.05.2012 Three people trapped in Yarlung Tsangpo River Canyon in west China's Tibet autonomous region will be rescued as soon as May 16, a rescuer announced Wednesday.08.05.2012 A nationwide information management system for water resources will be set up within the next three years to improve the country’s monitoring abilities of its fast-growing water consumption and deteriorating water quality, officials said.08.05.2012 Police have rounded up a 20-member gang on suspicion of manufacturing and selling "gutter oil" in East China's Zhejiang province, prosecutors announced over the weekend.07.05.2012 Ordinary people in China wanting to experience what life is like in space can now stay in new budget hotel rooms modeled on an astronaut's living quarters.06.05.2012 Rumors of a possible entrance fee hike for a memorial site devoted to ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius in east China's Shandong Province has sparked anger on the part of netizens, many of whom believe ticket prices for Chinese tourist sites are too high.06.05.2012 A mine collapsed in central China'a Anhui Province Saturday night, leaving three dead and four injured, local authorities said Sunday.05.05.2012 China will launch a campaign this year to eliminate the publication of maps with information that could undermine sovereignty and state security, authorities said Friday.05.05.2012 President Hu Jintao on Friday urged the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) to strengthen its grassroots organizations and serve all of the country's youth.04.05.2012 On May 3, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle gave a speech before the American Jewish Committee and delivered another one to mark World Press Freedom Day at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.04.05.2012 Chinese authorities have announced a three-month special campaign against journalists involved in blackmail or demanding pay-offs in news reporting.04.05.2012 China will intensify efforts in supervising the quality and safety of significant products this year, according to an action plan released by the State Council on Thursday.02.05.2012 More than 1,000 tourists were evacuated early Wednesday after being stranded for nearly two days on a central China highway by rain-triggered landslides, local authorities said.02.05.2012 Police in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, said they have subdued the man who hijacked a bus Monday evening.29.04.2012 In the latest nationwide inspections of medicine capsules, 74 batches made by 15 pharmaceutical companies were found to contain excessive chromium, the State Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.28.04.2012 Products from 15 gel capsule producers have been found to contain excessive levels of chromium, according to a nationwide investigation into edible gelatin and gel capsule production conducted by China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).27.04.2012 The 11th Panchen Lama visited Hong Kong from Wednesday to Friday and attended the Third World Buddhist Forum, marking his first public appearance outside the Chinese mainland.27.04.2012 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (4th L front) poses for a group photo with governmental leaders from central and eastern European countries in Warsaw, Poland, April 26, 2012. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)27.04.2012 The blast site. [File photo]27.04.2012 Archaeologists in Hubei province said that over 200 wells have been unearthed in the capital of a 3,000-year-old kingdom.25.04.2012 A university with an innovative philosophy of education in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, has won official recognition from the Ministry of Education, getting one step closer to its bid for autonomy in student enrollment and overall management.25.04.2012 The profits of prison-run enterprises no longer act as the primary financial source for Chinese prisons, Minister of Justice Wu Aiying said Wednesday.25.04.2012 Pharmacy supervision agencies nationwide are required to strictly monitor the confiscated capsules made from toxic industrial gelatin to prevent them from flowing back into the market, said the top drug regulator.25.04.2012 Large amounts of drug capsules are found in a roadside ditch in Zhengzhou. 24.04.2012 Senior Chinese official He Guoqiang has reiterated the importance of maintaining stable and relatively fast economic development and strict Party administration.24.04.2012 A coach collided with a truck Monday in central China's Henan province Monday. [Photo: weibo.com]24.04.2012 Large amounts of drug capsules are found in a roadside ditch in Zhengzhou.24.04.2012 Police have confiscated more than 77 million drug capsules made from toxic industrial gelatin and shut down 80 illegal production lines across the country, the Ministry of Public Security said yesterday.23.04.2012 On the night of April 22, 2012, German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the largest fair for industrial products with Premier Wen Jiabao of China, which is serving as partner country at the 2012 Hanover Messe. As the expo got underway today, Chancellor Merkel and Premier Wen traveled to Wolfsburg, Germany to visit a Volkswagen factory, where the German automaker announced plans for expansion into China.23.04.2012 Senior Chinese official He Guoqiang urged more efforts to crack down on corruption and build clean government at an anti-corruption forum on Monday.23.04.2012 Three poultry farm workers and quarantine officials have been tested positive for the H5N2 avian influenza strain, but none have displayed flu symptoms, Taiwan's disease control authorities said on Sunday.22.04.2012 A member of staff at the Hebei Xueyang Glair Gelatin Factory was detained by police Saturday evening, after allegedly setting fire to the plant on instructions amid scandal of contaminated drug capsules.22.04.2012 Ten ordinary people have been recognized as national role models, as the results of a quarterly online election were unveiled on Saturday.22.04.2012 Chinese hospitals have been told to stop using medication that may have been packaged in contaminated medicine capsules, the Ministry of Health said Friday.21.04.2012 Chongqing municipal police have vowed better protection of foreigners in the megacity for business, study or tourism, in the wake of a scandal involving the death of British national Neil Heywood.20.04.2012 Chinese police have detained 53 suspects and closed 10 industrial gelatin and gel capsule factories believed to have been involved in producing contaminated medicine capsules.20.04.2012 Around 100 coach drivers who went on strike Wednesday morning over traffic restrictions resulting from bridge maintenance have resumed work in central China's city of Jingzhou, local authorities said.19.04.2012 China's food and drug safety watchdog revoked the production licenses of two gel capsule producers in the eastern province of Zhejiang amid a scandal involving the manufacture of contaminated medicine capsules, according to an official statement issued Thursday.19.04.2012 Police have detained nine more people at two factories that supplied toxic industrial gelatin to drug capsule producers, local authorities said yesterday.19.04.2012 About 100 coach drivers in central China's city of Jingzhou went on strike Wednesday morning to protest traffic restrictions resulting from bridge maintenance.18.04.2012 Police have detained nine more people at two gelatin plants that supplied toxic industrial gelatin to drug capsule producers, local authorities said on Wednesday.18.04.2012 About 20,000 people from a county in central China's Hubei Province will be relocated in 2012 due to the risk of disastrous landslides around the Three Gorges Dam, local authorities said Wednesday.18.04.2012 China's top legislator Wu Bangguo has called for more efforts in building the Central China Economic Zone which highlights a coordination between industrialization, urbanization and modernization of agriculture.18.04.2012 Planned reforms for China's massive public institutions will not decrease their size or weaken their capacity to provide public services, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.17.04.2012 On this pageGerman Economy TodayGerman Economy BasicsGerman Economy Today1. In its annual projection for 2012, the German government forecast GDP to grow this year at a real rate of 0.7 percent. In 2011, the German economy showed a high level of growth: After an acute economic slump following the financial crisis, GDP grew by 3.0 percent. It is above all attributable to the rebound in the global economy. Initial economic stimulus from exports has now spread to domestic demand. Domestic demand is now becoming the driving force behind Germany’s economic expansion.17.04.2012 Throughout the years many German universities have been lauded by various surveys. A poll of graduate students named the University of Heidelberg first in the country in 2010. In 2011 the Bauhaus University in Weimar was voted "best international university." Now two more German universities can be added to the list of well-thought-of educational institutions in the country: RWTH Aachen and Göttingen University.17.04.2012 China's drug watchdog issued an emergency notice late Sunday night to suspend the selling and consumption of a list of capsules with reported excessive chromium contamination.16.04.2012 China is striving to make its public institutions more "public-welfare oriented" and reduce the country's financial burden by transforming some of them into businesses, according to a circular issued on Monday.16.04.2012 Police in east China's Zhejiang Province said Monday they had captured 22 people who allegedly produced and sold pharmaceutical capsules containing excessive levels of chromium.16.04.2012 As dusk falls on Chongqing, the People's Square at the heart of this mega-city on the Yangtze springs to life.16.04.2012 More non-communist Chinese talents would be appointed as chiefs, rather than deputy heads, of governmental agencies, according to an official statement issued on Sunday.16.04.2012 Chinese central authorities' decision to investigate Bo Xilai's serious discipline violations has won wide support for safeguarding the rule of law as well as the purity of the Party.15.04.2012 Rescuers on Sunday are pumping water out of a flooded coal mine in central China's Henan Province, hoping to reach six miners trapped underground since Saturday afternoon.13.04.2012 About 20,000 college graduates will join the annual campaign to volunteer in rural China in the fields of education, farming, medicine and poverty reduction this year, according to official sources.13.04.2012 The People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC), will carry a commentary on Friday stressing the importance of observing laws and Party disciplines.13.04.2012 A growing number of high-level overseas talents have made remarkable contributions to Pudong's development of new strategic industries and shifting development pattern, according to an official statement issued Thursday.12.04.2012 China's top leadership's decision to investigate Bo Xilai's serious discipline violations has won support from ordinary Chinese and grassroots officials.12.04.2012 One in three letters posted in China do not reach their destination, according to a investigation by China Central Television.12.04.2012 Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu has vowed to deepen the healthcare reform initiated three years ago until it "meets the public's expectation."12.04.2012 A man badly injured in a road accident was dumped on a rubbish dump by staff at a hospital in Xintian County in central Hunan Province because he couldn't tell them who he was.12.04.2012 At least 23 people have been killed in a head-on collision between a bus and a sand-hauling truck in central China's Anhui Province on Thursday morning, according to official sources.11.04.2012 All provincial-level governments across China will use authorized software by the end of June, a senior official said Tuesday.11.04.2012 China's long-awaited regulations on school bus safety finally came into force on Tuesday, including an extensive list of measures aimed at reducing the risk of tragedy.11.04.2012 People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC), will carry a commentator's article Wednesday calling for firm support for the correct decision of the CPC Central Committee.10.04.2012 As Comrade Bo Xilai is suspected of being involved in serious discipline violations, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has decided to suspend his membership of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and the CPC Central Committee, in line with the CPC Constitution and the rules on investigation of CPC discipline inspection departments.10.04.2012 Local governments above the county level will be responsible for school bus safety management, according to a recently drafted regulation posted on the central government's official website, www.gov.cn, on Tuesday.10.04.2012 A commentary published Tuesday by the official newspaper of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has stressed strict political discipline and the Party's absolute leadership over the army.10.04.2012 China plans to withdraw 38 types of food additive from the market, in response to rising concerns over food safety.08.04.2012 Beijing residents will have access to water from the Yangtze River within 30 months, as the first-stage construction of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project's central route is expected to be completed in October 2014.07.04.2012 China's top banking regulator has started a nationwide crackdown on irregular banking operations, including unreasonable charging and credit terms, an official announced here Friday.07.04.2012 Chinese President Hu Jintao has praised a high-profile nationwide hunt for fugitives between May and December last year, labeling it a significant move in bolstering social stability and guarding the rights and interests of the public.05.04.2012 Hu Zhen, a 78-year-old woman, shows a wheat crop destroyed by property developers in Jingzhuang village of Shangcai county, Henan province, on March 27.05.04.2012 Police in central China said last night that they have identified a suspect in the shooting death of a boy.01.04.2012 People attend an event to mark the "Earth Hour" in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 31, 2012. [Xinhua]01.04.2012 Charges have been filed against three men in central China's Wuhan City over an explosion outside a bank during an attempted robbery that killed two people and left 15 injured.31.03.2012 Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) has killed four people and sickened more than 11,000 others in south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and more people are likely to be affected by the disease as it enters its peak, health authorities said Saturday.31.03.2012 Seven students at a primary school in Southwest China remain in the hospital after they had eaten a free meal provided by the government and got sick, according to a local official.30.03.2012 China's elite Tsinghua University on Thursday set up a graduate school for financial studies with the central bank and appointed a former deputy governor of the bank as the dean.29.03.2012 Enlarge image
Participants in the German-Palestinian Steering Committee
(© photothek / Trutschel)
The close German-Palestinian cooperation is to be further strengthened and more tightly coordinated, especially in building up state institutions, in economic development, as well as in the fields of education and research. To achieve this, the members of both cabinets came together for the second German-Palestinian Steering Committee meeting on 28 March under the chairmanship of German Foreign Minster Guido Westerwelle and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. In 2010, Germany was the first country to initiate such a bilateral forum to provide long-term support for the establishment of a Palestinian state. 29.03.2012 China's major Tibetan website www.tibet.cn released an article Thursday, refuting the response made by the so-called "Central Tibetan Administration" to a commentary published on the website.29.03.2012 The foundation of Shaolin Kung Fu Museum was laid Thursday in Shaolin Tagou Kung Fu School, three kilometers northeast away from Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan province.29.03.2012 Chemist Zhang Lina became the first Chinese scientist to win the Anselme Payen Award, a prestigious chemistry award, for her contributions to the science and chemical technology of cellulose and its allied products.29.03.2012 A Chinese city resumed blood lead level testing at a leading hospital Thursday amid public suspicions that its halt to the testing in July 2011 -- which officials said was due to equipment failures -- was aimed at blinding the public to harmful pollution.29.03.2012 Xu Caihou [file photo]29.03.2012 Traffic authorities have mounted a campaign to get people to use seatbelts to reduce fatalities on the road.29.03.2012 An environment department official in Huoning County, central Henan Province was punished for using an official car to take his family on a picnic trip on Sunday.29.03.2012 Residents of southwest China's Tibet autonomous region on Wednesday marked the emancipation of 1 million serfs when the theocratic rule in Tibet was abolished in 1959.28.03.2012 China's State Council, or cabinet, Wednesday appointed Leung Chun-ying as the new chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).28.03.2012 Consensus was reached during the recent meeting of the leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang party (KMT) that cross-Strait relations have reached a 60-year peak of stability, a government spokesman said Wednesday.28.03.2012 A sofa belonging to former Tsinghua University employees is abandoned near their homes beside the CCTV Tower on Thursday. Thirteen households refuse to vacate the property set for demolition. 28.03.2012 A Nanfang Daily investigation into the illegal trading of human kidneys has revealed the simple, yet rather unseemly motivation behind the business: Money, and vast sums of money at that.27.03.2012 The Chinese government plans to allocate more than 15 billion yuan (2.38 billion U.S. dollars) from the central budget to the country's National Natural Science Foundation, according to the foundation's director.27.03.2012 At least 20 people were injured, including three people severely injured, after a blast toppled a biopharmaceutical plant in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, Tuesday afternoon.27.03.2012 China has made significant progress on improving nuclear security, according to a government report.27.03.2012 Enlarge image
Foreign Minister Westwerwelle and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan
(© Photothek / Imo)
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle says he expects the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul on March 26 and 27 to bring about a clear commitment to further reducing nuclear risks. From Germany’s point of view, it’s clear, he said, that a “yes” to nuclear security also means a “yes” to nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. The international meeting comes two years after US President Barack Obama hosted the first such summit in Washington, DC. The heads of state and government or ministers of more than 50 states are taking part in this summit, including those from the US, China and India.27.03.2012 The government will mull over the possibility of publicizing assets of officials to a limited circle as an effort to fight corruption, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Monday.26.03.2012 Senior Chinese leader Zhou Yongkang on Monday called for improved work by political and legislative departments, and stressed the Party's leadership.26.03.2012 China's ministries of finance and civil affairs on Monday jointly allocated 200 million yuan (31.76 million U.S. dollars) as relief funds for northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region after a 6.0-magnitude quake shook the region earlier this month.26.03.2012 China's urbanization rate has rocketed over the past three decades, but statistics don't tell the whole story, and the country faces a challenge in improving the quality of urbanization, senior officials said on Sunday.26.03.2012 An on-campus training program targeting 4,200 senior Chinese officials was launched Saturday in Beijing.26.03.2012 A statue of China's legendary ancestor Huangdi (Yellow Emperor). [Photo/China.org.cn, By Zhang Tingting]25.03.2012 A senior official on Saturday urged to thrive the studies of philosophy and social science by making full use of the national fund set for social and scientific researching.25.03.2012 China's major Tibetan website www.tibet.cn has published a harsh commentary which criticizes the 14th Dalai Lama for instigating self-immolation and advocating Nazi-style racial segregation ideas.25.03.2012 The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region held the election for the fourth-term Chief Executive on Sunday morning, as members of the 1,200-strong Election Committee started their voting.25.03.2012 Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission of Hong Kong Fung Wah Saturday called on Election Committee members to cast their votes in the 2012 Chief Executive Election on March 25.23.03.2012 The poor living and school conditions of the children of migrant workers hit the spotlight again on Thursday after it was announced that a 6-year-old girl in Central China had contracted a sexually transmitted disease.23.03.2012 Hu Jintao(R), General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), shakes hands with Wu Po-hsiung, honorary chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) in Beijing, capital of China, March 22, 2012. [Xinhua]22.03.2012 Wu Po-hsiung, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) party, visited a monument to Dr. Sun Yat-sen in the suburbs of Beijing on Thursday.22.03.2012 The government has approved a plan to rejuvenate the economy of northeast China by 2015.22.03.2012 Safety and quality are the top priorities for China's transport infrastructure construction, the State Council said on Wednesday.22.03.2012 Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang, newly appointed Party chief of Chongqing, has promised unremitting efforts to consolidate the municipality's role as a global leader in information technology.21.03.2012 Police are probing an unlicensed kindergarten in Zhuzhou City, central Hunan Province after a six-year-old girl was found suffering from a venereal disease, China National Radio reported.21.03.2012 An NGO aimed at fighting sexual inequality has called on authorities to scrap the "embarrassing procedures" women must go through during the civil service selection process.20.03.2012 This year's internal selection of public servants for central government institutions will feature more servants drawn from government organs, according to a statement released Monday by the State Administration of Civil Service (SACS).20.03.2012 Kuomintang (KMT) Party Wu Po-hsiung [file photo]19.03.2012 A section of new railway in central Hebei Province that sank last week has railway workers and experts concerned about its safety.18.03.2012 Heavy fog in central China's Hubei Province Sunday morning triggered a spate of highway accidents in which at least five people were injured and natural gas leaked from a damaged gas tanker truck.17.03.2012 Looking back on his time as a migrant worker in Dongguan - a manufacturing hub in South China's Guangdong province - the chicken and pig farmer Nong Hongneng, 45, utters a deep sigh.16.03.2012 A National People's Congress deputy from Hong Kong has called for the NPC to help resolve disputes over Chinese mainlanders' right of abode in the special administrative region.16.03.2012 Six Hong Kong members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) jointly drafted a proposal for the central government to grant Shenzhen City the special status of a municipality, similar to Beijing and Shanghai, with the aim of offering the southern Chinese city more freedom to cooperate with Hong Kong, Wen Wei Po reported.16.03.2012 Zhang Dejiang Bo Xilai15.03.2012 Nutritional meals are distributed at a primary school in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [File photo]15.03.2012 China will change three members of the central bank's monetary policy committee, according to a circular released Wednesday by the State Council, or the Cabinet.15.03.2012 China has vowed to improve its permanent residence policy and bolster favorable treatment for high-calibre overseas talents this year in a bid to attract such labor and boost the country's development.14.03.2012 100,000 books, more than 2,000 publishers from 44 countries, many international writers and Europe’s largest reading festival: the Book Fair is opening its doors in Leipzig on March 15, 2012. The four-day fair is the first major book-trade meeting of the year and a forum for new springtime publications. During the fair the city is expecting around 160,000 visitors. Literature from Eastern Europe, for which the Leipzig Book Fair is a traditionally renowned showcase, will again be a key focus in 2012.14.03.2012 Sections of a high-speed railway set to open in May have suffered subsidence, it has been reported.14.03.2012 China is to open up its low altitude airspace from 2015 to enable a growing number of planes for general aviation, including the purchase and use of private jets, the country's top civil aviation regulator said on Monday.13.03.2012 Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday met with officers and professionals of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police on the sidelines of parliament's annual session, where they serve as deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), according to details available on Tuesday.13.03.2012 To balance the country's gender ratio, China should impose harsher punishments for medical workers who conduct illegal sex determination tests, a deputy to the country's top legislature said Tuesday.13.03.2012 For decades, Tan Shijin refused to visit his local community health center. Instead, whenever he was sick, he would travel 5 kilometers to the nearest public hospital.13.03.2012 On Monday, Chinese President Hu Jintao called for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the armed police to pay more attention to the safeguarding of social stability, including that of military personnel.11.03.2012 President Hu Jintao and other top Chinese leaders Saturday joined a tea party for the deputies to the country's top legislature and the members of the top political advisory body who are from the ethnic minority groups.11.03.2012 One person was killed and 17 others injured after a bus ran off road and plunged into a ditch Saturday night in central China's Hunan province, local police said Sunday.10.03.2012 President Hu Jintao on Friday stressed maintaining national integrity, ethnic unity and social stability in Tibet, and other Chinese leaders also joined with national legislators in panel discussions.10.03.2012 Outstanding Performance Deserves Recognition!09.03.2012 China's supervision minister told reporters yesterday that there are as yet no statistics yet for so-called "naked officials", or officials whose family members have all gone abroad.09.03.2012 Motions and suggestions handed by national lawmakers have been well embodied in China's legislation and administration, according to a report from the top legislature Friday.09.03.2012 China's top legislator Wu Bangguo delivered a report on the work of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) to the annual parliamentary session on Friday.09.03.2012 China's top legislator Wu Bangguo said Friday that China should unwaveringly keep to the socialist path of political development with Chinese characteristics.09.03.2012 Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai urged on Friday that the municipality be built into a safe and health city so as to satisfy its 30 million people.09.03.2012 Germany.info and The Week in Germany highlight a different "Word of the Week" in the German language that may have serve to surprise, delight or just plain perplex native English speakers.08.03.2012 China on Thursday will announce a total of 60 finalists in a national campaign designed to select and honor those known for being ready to take up the cudgels for a just cause.08.03.2012 As the world marks International Women's Day on Thursday, China can reflect on many achievements in women's rights.07.03.2012 Similarities found in self-immolations in China's Tibetan-populated regions have pointed to behind-the-scenes orchestration with a transparent political motive, officials said Wednesday.07.03.2012 A citizen of the United States has been fined for illegal surveying activities in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the Xinjiang surveying and mapping bureau announced on Monday.07.03.2012 Are you interested in international politics? Would you like to gain insight into the workings of German democracy as part of the staff of a Member of the German Federal Parliament, the Bundestag? Are you intrigued by the prospect of spending five months in the cultural metropolis Berlin with colleagues from around Europe, Russia, Central Asia and Israel?07.03.2012 The Beijing municipal government is considering ushering in a residential permit system to limit the booming population expansion, a senior official said Tuesday.06.03.2012 China's draft central and local budgets for 2012, submitted for reading at the parliamentary session Monday, caught eyes for increasing government spending on livelihood programs.06.03.2012 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivers government work report at the fifth session of the 11th National People's Congress. 05.03.2012 Hong Kong Electoral Affairs Commission briefed the three 2012 Chief Executive Election candidates on the rules and guidelines, and drew lots to determine the order of names of the candidates on the ballot paper on Sunday.05.03.2012 Farmers' rights to the land are property rights conferred by law, and these rights must not be violated by anyone, says a government report to be delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday. [Highlights of government work report]04.03.2012 China's national lawmakers gathered in Beijing on Sunday to elect a presidium and set the agenda for the legislature's annual session to open on Monday.04.03.2012 About 58,000 chickens were culled in Taiwan after local agricultural authorities found chickens in two farms tested positive for H5N2, a strain of avian flu that poses no risk to humans, local media reported on Saturday.03.03.2012 China's centrally administered state-owned enterprises plan to invest over 80 billion yuan (US$12.7 billion) in Tibet Autonomous Region during the 2011-2015 period, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC).03.03.2012 Zhao Qizheng at the press conference.03.03.2012 Two police officers and a reporter died when a suspect tried to grab the steering wheel of the police van, causing it to plunge into a river in central China's Hunan Province yesterday, China News Service reported.02.03.2012 Enlarge image
The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva during the debate on Syria
(© dpa / picture alliance)
In an urgent debate on March 1 in Geneva, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution by a large majority strongly condemning the “widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms” by Syria’s leadership.02.03.2012 The Communist Party of China has ordered an intensified media coverage of activities of "Learning from Lei Feng" to promote virtues of the nation's most famous Good Samaritan.02.03.2012 China's central bank said Friday that all companies qualified for foreign trade activities can conduct cross-border export settlement in yuan.02.03.2012 Are you interested in international politics? Would you like to gain insight into the workings of German democracy as part of the staff of a Member of the German Federal Parliament, the Bundestag? Are you thrilled by the prospect of spending five months in the cultural metropolis Berlin with colleagues from around Europe, Russia, Central Asia and Israel?01.03.2012 China's population of people aged 60 or above had hit 185 million by the end of 2011, or 13.7 percent of the nation's total population, according to official figures released Thursday.01.03.2012 A system to take homeless children off the streets and return them to their home communities is to be set up this year by Shanghai authorities.01.03.2012 Following a vote by lawmakers Wednesday, China's legislature approved the amended version of the Law on the Promotion of Clean Production, which stresses efforts to cut down on excessive packaging.29.02.2012 The Chinese government and Party organs will look into social problems that might trigger mass incidents in rural areas, a statement from the country's top discipline agency said Tuesday.28.02.2012 The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China's top legislature, deliberated Monday on a report concerning methods for the selection of Macao chief executive and formation of the legislative council.28.02.2012 Chinese Communist Party publicity officers have called for more efforts in promoting the spirit of Lei Feng, a member of the People's Liberation Army, who is widely known for selflessness.28.02.2012 Retired workers with a central China water project contractor on Sunday ended a 6-day protest over pay dispute, as the company has seemingly reached an agreement with the protestors.25.02.2012 The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Thursday called for more efforts to find and train talented individuals from outside of the Party in order to achieve long-term solidarity and stability.25.02.2012 Archaeologists in east China's Jiangsu province said they have excavated a bronze chime and several other artifacts from a tomb dating back to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).24.02.2012 A protest staged by retired workers with a central China water project contractor entered its fifth day on Friday, and the company has yet to reach an agreement with the protestors, who complained that they have been unfairly treated. Former employees of the Gezhouba Group, a major contractor for the Three Gorges Project, blocked traffic in the city of Yichang, Hubei province, demanding hikes in their pension payments.24.02.2012 China has clarified its residence policies to facilitate domestic migrants' settling in small and medium-size cities as permanent residents, a move intended to further push the urbanization drive.24.02.2012 China's central government has pledged to provide equal access to public services for people living in urban areas without proper residential permits.24.02.2012 A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has called upon personnel departments to strictly follow rules in local elections and harshly punish those who try to go around election regulations.23.02.2012 A court case in Guizhou province has sparked a heated discussion over whether trial proceedings should be aired on micro blog.23.02.2012 China will continue to implement a proactive fiscal policy this year amid complicated economic environments both at home and abroad, Minister of Finance Xie Xuren said Wednesday.22.02.2012 China's spending in research and development (R&D) last year surged 21.9 percent year-on-year to 861 billion yuan (139.7 billion U.S. dollars), the country's statistical authority said Wednesday.22.02.2012 The freedom of grain producers in China to genetically engineer produce will be limited under a draft law released on Tuesday by the Legislative Affairs office of the State Council.22.02.2012 Concerns over the quality and safety of contact lenses are growing as they become increasingly popular. 22.02.2012 Enlarge image
Georg Büchner (undated drawing)
(© picture-alliance/dpa)
He was a revolutionary, a scientist and a writer - and one of the most famous Hessians of all time. A major German literary prize is named after him. Georg Büchner died 175 year ago, on February 19, 1837 of typhoid fever. He was 23.22.02.2012 The first-ever G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting has concluded in Los Cabos, Mexico. At their informal get-together from February 18 to 20, the ministers consulted on how the G20 can most effectively approach the most pressing global challenges together. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle commended the “international leadership” of Mexico and its Foreign Minister, Patricia Espinosa. The country has hosted major international conferences twice recently: the G20 meeting in Los Cabos follows the December 2010 climate change conference in Cancún.22.02.2012 Vice-Premier Li Keqiang meets visiting Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro in Beijing on Tuesday.22.02.2012 A Monday report on China's legal development has rated the transparency level of the country's governmental organizations, with the Ministry of Commerce topping the list of 59 central government departments.20.02.2012 China is encouraging local governments to make full use of their financing vehicles in 2012 in an effort to boost financial support for low-income housing projects, the country's top economic planner said Monday.20.02.2012 Retirees of the Gezhouba Group, a main contractor of the Three Gorges Project, Monday staged a protest in the central city of Yichang, complaining about payment disparities among retired employees of the company.20.02.2012 China's State Council, or Cabinet, on Monday announced a number of new appointments and dismissals in a reshuffle of various departments.20.02.2012 The discipline inspection authorities of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will resolutely strengthen the supervision and investigations on issues of most direct concern to the people and safeguard the interests of the public, according to an annual work report published Sunday.20.02.2012 The local government is investigating allegations of insurance fraud against a private hospital in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province.20.02.2012 Two accidents on Friday involving vans carrying commuting students, in which at least three children were killed, have brought school bus safety back into the spotlight.18.02.2012 A lawyer for technology firm Proview Shenzhen denied Friday media reports that Proview is seeking a huge amount of compensation from Apple Inc. following a legal battle over the use of the trademark "iPad."17.02.2012 China last year pumped 90 billion yuan (14.2 billion U.S. dollars ) into supporting education for the poor, benefiting more than 79 million students, an education official said Thursday.17.02.2012 Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong, heading a delegation of more than 20 high-ranking officials, scholars and artists, arrived in Taipei Thursday on a six-day visit to strengthen cultural ties between the two sides.16.02.2012 Tramcars in a coal mine [file photo] 16.02.2012 China will further reform and develop its cultural system by stressing socialist values, promoting innovation, and improving cultural services in a bid to boost the country's cultural influence, according to a blueprint published on Wednesday.16.02.2012 Chinese Communist Party's (CPC's) publicity chief said Wednesday the Party should improve its cultural theory system to guide the nation's building of socialist culture.15.02.2012 China on Wednesday issued a national outline for cultural reform and development for the 2011-2015 period, calling for further efforts to promote the cultural industry's development and boost the country's cultural influence.15.02.2012 China will make further efforts to improve compulsory education for the children of migrant workers, Education Minister Yuan Guiren said Wednesday.15.02.2012 Authorities have recently raised the minimum wage by about 22 percent in a relatively underdeveloped south China region that borders the country's manufacturing hub and has extensive links with southeast Asian nations.14.02.2012 The nomination for the candidates of the fourth term Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region election started Tuesday, and will end on Feb. 29.14.02.2012 Ten bodies have been retrieved and one person remains missing nearly two weeks after a boat capsized in central China's Hunan Province, local officials said Monday.13.02.2012 The government plans to introduce 500 to 1,000 high-end non-Chinese foreign professionals from other countries in 10 years to spur innovation and promote scientific research.13.02.2012 China's Education Ministry has required educational institutions to rein in the practice of charging extra fees from kindergarten students, as it moves to bring under control the excessively high costs of preschool education.12.02.2012 The Beijing municipal government has relaxed the age limit for candidates applying to a scheme designed to recruit senior foreign experts to work in science and technology in China.11.02.2012 News reports by state television that ripped the quality and place of origin of some of DaVinci Furniture's products are confirmed to be "basically true," China's General Administration of Press and Publication said in a statement on Friday.10.02.2012 Enlarge image
The Leipzig String Quartet
(© Leipzig String Quartet)
Founded in 1988, the Leipzig String Quartet is widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting string quartets on the international chamber music scene. The "Neue Züricher Zeitung" described the ensemble as "one of the towering and most versatile quartets of our time," and in 2002 "The New York Times" wrote, "if there is a Leipzig sound, this is it!"10.02.2012 Yutong's parents moved from their hometown in Anhui province over 20 years ago to find work in the northern port city of Tianjin, where the now twelve-year-old boy was born and raised.10.02.2012 The public have been invited to give their opinions on proposed regulations that would limit the amount Chinese commercial banks can charge for their services.10.02.2012 West China's Gansu province will raise its minimum monthly wage by about 13.5 percent in April in a bid to attract more workers and buffer their rising living costs, local authorities said Friday.10.02.2012 Six people died and three were injured after a small truck plunged off a cliff on Thursday in the central province of Hubei, local authorities said Friday.10.02.2012 On the first day of the new semester, thousands of students in Chongming county in Shanghai rode the brand-new school buses to school.09.02.2012 Children with growing difficulties have a happy time with the help of volunteers at Xuchang Social Welfare Institute, Henan province.09.02.2012 A man in southwestern Sichuan Province hit a jackpot of 260 million yuan (US$41 million) last night, becoming the third biggest lottery winner on the Chinese mainland.09.02.2012 Police in central Hunan province are hunting for a man who they say used a homemade explosive to blow up a shop in downtown Changsha, the provincial capital, on Wednesday morning.08.02.2012 China's central government on Wednesday announced funding for the use of water-saving irrigation technologies in major grain-producing regions, a move aimed at boosting grain output for the country's 1.3 billion people.08.02.2012 Some 48 boxes of suspected artificial eggs have been confiscated by the quality watchdog in the city of Leizhou in southern China's Guangdong Province after local restaurants were reported to sell eggs with rubber-like yolks.08.02.2012 Police in south Guangdong province have captured the man who allegedly robbed a jewelry store with a shotgun last week, police said on Tuesday.08.02.2012 The director of Taiwan's Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is being investigated for allegations that he took possession of a precious painting sent to the museum by a Beijing art academy.08.02.2012 China plans to bar government vehicles from using the roads one day a week as part of efforts to conserve energy and curb pollution, China News Service reported on its website today.07.02.2012 China distributed another 1.26 billion yuan (199 million U.S. dollars) in winter relief funds to weather-stricken areas on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.07.02.2012 More disadvantaged citizens have received legal assistance as the government has invested more on legal services, said the Ministry of Justice Tuesday.07.02.2012 German and French government ministers met on Monday for the 14th time since 2003, this time in France, where the key topics were finance and economic issues, as well as the situations in Syria and Greece.07.02.2012 A baby weighing 7.04 kilograms was born on Saturday in central Henan Province, setting a new record for being the heaviest newborn in China, local media reported.06.02.2012 China on Monday vowed to expand financial support for affordable housing projects this year as the government continues its efforts to bring housing prices back to reasonable levels.06.02.2012 A view of the Dongting Lake. [File photo]06.02.2012 Government-backed charity groups must improve transparency or risk losing donors and public trust, an ex-watchdog official said.06.02.2012 Twenty people involved in a 80 million yuan (US$12.69 million) fake health product racket involving banned chemicals have been detained by Hainan police.05.02.2012 Route map of South-North Water Diversion Project [Xinhuanet.com]05.02.2012 Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang urged local governments to soundly implement policies introduced by the central government to boost state-owned enterprises (SOEs).04.02.2012 Senior Chinese leader Li Changchun on Friday called on the organizers of a leading moral model poll to further contribute to the country's initiatives in building socialist core values.03.02.2012 The mayor of Zhangjiajie, a tourist city in central Hunan Province, expressed his sympathy for a pregnant visitor who was beaten up by a local restaurant owner in a dispute and nearly had a miscarriage.03.02.2012 A former husbandry official in central China's Henan Province who turned a blind eye to the use of a banned drug by pig raisers has been jailed for seven years for dereliction of duty and embezzlement.03.02.2012 Even though China's grain output hit a record high last year, the country will continue to maintain grain imports at appropriate levels to balance market demand and supply, a senior official said Thursday.03.02.2012 The list of 11 victims, one dead and 10 missing, in a boat accident in central China's Hunan Province, was released Friday by local officials from the neighboring province of Hubei where the victims came from.03.02.2012 Chinese authorities Wednesday issued its first policy document for 2012, underscoring the importance of scientific and technological innovation for sustained agricultural growth.02.02.2012 The Party chief of Sanya, an seaside resort city in south China's Hainan Province, has made a public apology after thousands of netizens vented their anger regarding overcharging by hotels and restaurants during the recent Spring Festival holidays, exerting overwhelming pressure on local and provincial authorities.01.02.2012 Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie's tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.01.02.2012 Chinese authorities Wednesday issued its first policy document for 2012, underscoring the importance of scientific and technological innovation for sustained agricultural growth.01.02.2012 The spokesman from the country's top poverty reduction authority on Tuesday blamed the "foolish behavior" of a county government in Central China's Hunan province for posting cheerful remarks about being named a State-level poverty-stricken area.31.01.2012 China's government debt is at an "overall safe and controllable" level, said Premier Wen Jiabao, who pledged that funding for key projects would be ensured and steps would be taken to gradually digest the risks.30.01.2012 Authorities in far west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will recruit 8,000 police officers to be deployed in all villages to beef up security in the vast countryside.30.01.2012 China will establish a long-term working system to prevent and cure endemic diseases in key areas, according to a plan jointly issued by the Ministry of Health, National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance.30.01.2012 The week-long Spring Festival holiday ended with another travel peak as millions of travelers returned from family visits to work, raising pressure on railroads and highways.28.01.2012 The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, ran an article on Friday in response to criticisms made against the country's relocation policy in the Tibet autonomous region (TAR).28.01.2012 Germany.info and The Week in Germany highlight a different "Word of the Week" in the German language that may have serve to surprise, delight or just plain perplex native English speakers.27.01.2012 China accepted 2.65 million legal cases in the last five years, with the number growing each year by an average of 23.5 percent, and provided legal advice for 20.78 million people, the number growing 12.8 percent each year on average, said the Ministry of Justice on Thursday.25.01.2012 An online survey has revealed that Chinese people have a mixed opinion on Sunday's Spring Festival TV gala, the 30th of its kind since 1983, albeit many of them agree that there were innovations and improvements in it.24.01.2012 Enlarge image
Foreign Minister Westerwelle in Brussels
(© picture alliance/dpa)
European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to implement further sanctions against Iran as a result of Iran continuing its nuclear program. The possibility of a nuclear arming of Iran cannot be accepted, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Brussels before the meeting. Iran continues to refuse to cooperate with the international community and to adhere to its international obligations. An atomic arming would not only threaten the situation in the region but also the entire world.24.01.2012 The government plans to build up a number of production bases particularly for handicapped rural people in the coming decade, according to the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF).23.01.2012 An explosion triggered by old scores between two villagers in Lianyuan City in central China's Hunan Province killed five people and injured six on Sunday, China's Lunar New Year eve, local police said Monday.22.01.2012 A low-cost magnetically levitated (maglev) train that is more environmental-friendly than conventional ones made its debut on January 20, 2012. 22.01.2012 Hundreds of migrant workers besieged a highway construction firm's office in central China's Hubei Province, demanding 200 million yuan (US$32 million) in unpaid wages.21.01.2012 A cold front sweeping across China will bring down temperatures in some parts of the country to their lowest levels this winter and many parts of the country will see snow over Spring Festival, the National Meteorological Center forecast Saturday.21.01.2012 China's State Council, or cabinet, on Saturday announced a number of new appointments and dismissals in a reshuffle of various departments.20.01.2012 Senior Chinese official Zhou Yongkang on Friday called for deeper reforms to China's judicial system to maintain social equity and justice.20.01.2012 A locomotive producer in central China's Hunan province on Friday rolled out a low-cost magnetically levitated (maglev) train that is more environmental-friendly than conventional ones.20.01.2012 The Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief extended his festive greetings for the upcoming Spring Festival to Taiwan compatriots on Friday.20.01.2012 A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Thursday extended festival greetings to members of the judiciary and police officers of Beijing, ahead of the country's Lunar New Year which falls on Jan. 23.19.01.2012 Thirty-three pimps, part of the biggest prostitution ring uncovered in China, were jailed in Beijing yesterday.19.01.2012 Enlarge image
To assure affordable, safe energy, Germany is setting a course for competitiveness and cost efficiency.
(© picture alliance / dpa )
The German economy looks to be on surprisingly smooth waters for the next six months, according to a closely watched economic indicator. The Mannheim-based Center for Economic Research (ZEW) released their economic indicator for January, which asks finance experts to both gauge current and project future business performance. For the upcoming year it jumped 32.2 points, landing at -21.6 points.18.01.2012 The traffic on China's most bustling railway linking Beijing with southern Guangzhou City has been blocked after a passenger train lost power in Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan province, Wednesday morning.18.01.2012 Disciplinary officials from Beijing are probing a senior member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Guangdong Provincial Committee for alleged corruptions when he was the mayor of Maoming City in Guangdong.17.01.2012 The discipline authorities of the Communist Party of China (CPC) appreciated the positive effects of microblog websites and other new media channels in the country's anti-corruption drive, said an official of the discipline watchdog.17.01.2012 A passenger train collided with a truck which carried sandstone and intruded into the rail track in the northern part of Taiwan Tuesday morning. The train's driver died from wounds.17.01.2012 A gunman wanted for the killing of a bank customer in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing earlier this month is not Zeng Kaigui, another armed killer still at large, the Ministry of Public Security has confirmed.16.01.2012 Major Taiwanese media on Sunday extensively covered Ma's victory in Taiwan's leadership election and conducted in-depth analyses, saying voters have expressed approval of the "1992 Consensus" through their ballots.13.01.2012 China's central bank said Friday that the country's foreign exchange reserves as of the end of the fourth quarter last year had fallen to 3.18 trillion U.S. dollars, down 20.6 billion U.S. dollars from the previous quarter.13.01.2012 The Chinese government believes its newly introduced auditing protocol for domestic foundations may help the country's charity organizations regain public trust through enhanced transparency.13.01.2012 A wine smuggler has been jailed for life for illegally bringing 70,000 bottles worth 45 million yuan (US$7.128 million) to China's mainland.13.01.2012 Enlarge image
(© Germany.info)
The auditorium at West Springfield High School was packed and the excitement palpable. Several cheers went up from the crowd, but where was the band? Students from several high schools had come, some bearing signs, to cheer on Germany's winner of the 2011 SchoolJam battle of the bands competition.13.01.2012 The three candidates for Taiwan's leadership election used various means Thursday to rally support and win votes with less than two days remaining before the Jan. 14 election.12.01.2012 Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission Hu Jintao on Thursday extended Spring Festival greetings to military veterans and ex-officers at an art performance, wishing them a healthy and long life.12.01.2012 A Beijing CCTV tower caught fire on the night of February 9, 2009 when fireworks were lit up to celebrate the Lantern Festival.12.01.2012 The twin boys killed by Si Qing.10.01.2012 A village clinic in central Henan province is connected with a recent outbreak of hepatitis C infection, said a Health Ministry spokesman Tuesday.09.01.2012 Germany and France want to work together to further stabilize the euro, Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy reaffirmed on Monday at their meeting in Berlin.09.01.2012 Enlarge image
In the home stretch, Germany's Magdalena Neuner begins to open up a cushion between herself and Norway's Tora Berger that, by race's end, was a sizable lead.
(© picture alliance / dpa)
After the first two days in the fourth event in this year's IBU World Cup Biathlon, Germany's team had nothing to show their home crowd in the central German city of Oberhof. Two fourth-place finishes, in both the men's and women's Relay events, had the stench of a home-field letdown. And then there was the weekend. From Friday till the event's conclusion on January 8, gold medals were awarded only one country – the one in which they were skiing and shooting.09.01.2012 Five people were killed after a bus collided with a truck Sunday night on a highway in central China's Henan province, according to sources with the Xuchang Public Security bureau.09.01.2012 Beijing municipal authorities said Sunday that real estate control measures will be continued to bring housing prices to reasonable levels.07.01.2012 A college student who went blind in one eye after collapsing following a blood donation received a compensatory payment of 150,000 yuan (23,776 U.S. dollars) from a blood center in east China' s Zhejiang province, a local court said Friday.07.01.2012 A former railway minister and an ex-deputy governor of eastern China's Shandong Province have been placed on file for criminal investigation and prosecution, the latest in a series of high-level corruption cases.06.01.2012 Enlarge image
The German Government launched a redesigned website with the New Year.
(© REGIERUNGonline)
With the start of the new year the German Government has launched a totally revised main website at www.bundesregierung.de. This central Internet platform now contains much easier access to news, features and government social media profiles, like YouTube and Twitter, through an even more clearly arranged modern design.06.01.2012 Almost 1,500 cases of illegal land appropriation and demolition were handled in the year 2011, and 509 people involved were held accountable, a senior official said on Friday.06.01.2012 Local governments throughout China have eliminated the use of the term "migrant worker" ("nong min gong") for official business, in an effort to curb discrimination and promote the integration of workers into society, Worker's Daily reported.06.01.2012 Enlarge image
Young people in Berlin celebrate the new currency with oversized bills on New Year's Day 2002.
(© picture alliance / dpa)
A decade after people were first able to hold euro notes and coins in their hands, we mark the 10th anniversary of the currency traded within an economic and monetary union that maintains the largest GDP in the world. Launched in 1999 as virtual currency and on January 1, 2002, as cash, Europe’s single currency is now shared by 17 European Union countries and 332 million citizens.05.01.2012 During the 2011 reshuffling of leading officials in local Party committees, 73 Communist Party of China (CPC) officials were penalized for discipline violations, said the Party's top disciplinary watchdog in a statement on January 4, 2012.05.01.2012 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has called for confidence in surmounting economic difficulties and stabilizing growth as the country faces a "cooling market."05.01.2012 Fake peanut oil that could potentially cause infertility was confiscated in South China on Tuesday, a fresh warning of food safety in the world's most populous country.05.01.2012 The 19 members of a child trafficking ring, mostly women, received court sentences in central Henan Province for selling 14 babies between 2006 and 2011, the Procuratorial Daily reported today.04.01.2012 China's top economic planner said Wednesday the government will ban the unauthorized collection of kindergarten fees, as its latest bid to crack down on the excessively high costs of preschool education.03.01.2012 Thirteen people died and 41 others were injured, including nine people who sustained serious injuries, when a heavy-duty truck collided with a coach in central China's Hunan Province Tuesday morning, a spokesman for the local government said.03.01.2012 A new amendment to China's Land Management Law is being drafted to better protect farmers' interests in land expropriations, according to a report from the top legislature's environment and resources panel.31.12.2011 A new amendment to China's Land Management Law is being drafted to better protect farmers' interests in land expropriations, according to a report from the top legislature's environment and resources panel.31.12.2011 School bus services in China will accord with national conditions and will not be Western-styled, a senior official said on Friday.31.12.2011 China will scrap 253 types of administrative fees on enterprises charged by provincial-level governments from February 1, 2012.30.12.2011 The Chinese government has pledged an additional 8 million yuan (1.26 million U.S. dollars) for renovations at the Sera Monastery, one of the three leading monasteries in Lhasa, a massive project whose completion has been pushed back to next October.29.12.2011 Police opened fire and killed seven kidnappers in a hostage rescue in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region Wednesday night, local authorities said Thursday.29.12.2011 China's first 3-D television channel will begin a trial run on Jan 1, before its official launch during Spring Festival in late January, according to TV authorities.29.12.2011 The safety of schools and school buses is now at the top of the agenda for China's education authority.29.12.2011 Inspection teams sent by central and local Communist Party of China (CPC) committees across China collected corruption-related information that involved 361 officials at or above county level this year, according to the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.29.12.2011 Vice Premier Li Keqiang said that China will continue its proactive fiscal policy next year and priorities will be given to boosting domestic demand, structural tax reductions, and the improvement of people's livelihoods.28.12.2011 China announced on Tuesday that it has launched pilot reforms on natural gas pricing in two regions, in its latest efforts to steer toward a more market-guided pricing mechanism.28.12.2011 An employee at a gold store in Yiwu, located in east China's Zhejiang province, shows gold jewelry. [Photo/Xinhua]28.12.2011 "The three-decade achievements of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone have proved that the central government's decision was 'absolutely right', " President Hu Jintao said Monday in a congratulatory letter to mark the city's 30 years anniversary as a vanguard in economic development.27.12.2011 Enlarge image
From left, Herbert Wheary, Dominion Resources; Juerg M. Matter, Columbia University; Moderator Dale Medearis, Northern Virginia Regional Commission; Frank R. Schilling, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT); Wolfgang Rolland, Vattenfall Europe Carbon Storage GmbH & Co.KG
(© American Geophysical Union)
The German Embassy hosted a conference entitled “Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) – Viable technology or risky gamble?” on September 9. The evening conference was part of the European Embassy Science series taking place at various European embassies in Washington, D.C.Organized in cooperation with the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the German GEOTECHNOLOGIEN Coordination Office, the event brought together American and German scientists and industry representatives to discuss the viability of carbon capture and storage (CCS) on both sides of the Atlantic.As a world leader in the area of climate policyand new environmental technologies, Germany has made international commitments to considerably reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) plays a central role in these efforts. One of Germany’s approaches – besides preventing CO2 emissions – is thoroughly investigating carbon capture and underground storage.27.12.2011 Premier Wen Jiabao said Tuesday that China should strive to promote agricultural modernization and protect farmers' rights to boost the development of rural areas.27.12.2011 China's annual central conference on rural work, which will map out policies for next year's agricultural and rural development, opens on Tuesday.27.12.2011 Schools in Northwest China's Gansu Province have been asked to install Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in school buses in the latest move to improve school transport safety after an accident that killed 19 children last month.26.12.2011 A total of 2,349 officials with the Communist Party of China (CPC) were found to have illegally possessed or traded affordable houses this year, according to Party and government authorities.26.12.2011 The chief culprit in China's state TV tower fire has had his jail term extended by 13 years for corruption, a court in Beijing said Monday.26.12.2011 While hearing work reports from the chief executives of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) on Monday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stressed efforts to ensure long-term prosperity and stability in both SARs.26.12.2011 A six-meter-tall snow sculpture of Marilyn Monroe will be displayed on a 113-year-old street in the northeastern city of Harbin, local authorities said Monday.26.12.2011 Unlike many other mayors in the country whose salaries are carefully concealed from the public, the pay of Lu Guoxian, mayor of Jiaozuo, a city in Central China's Henan province, is published online.25.12.2011 The railway ministry cut its construction spending for next year but will not stop investing in the rail sector, said a top railway official.24.12.2011 More Chinese cities joined an Internet supervision measure Thursday following Beijing's requirement of local microblog operators to register users with real names, a move designed to purge online rumors and enhance social credibility.24.12.2011 Eight Chinese government-financed universities on Thursday set a precedent by recruiting presidents and chief accountants from both China and abroad.23.12.2011 China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water control and hydropower project, is scheduled to inject water into the lower reaches of the Yangtze River by the end of December or early January 2012.23.12.2011 Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang has called for stronger support for the construction of government-subsidized housing in order to meet the demand of low-income groups.23.12.2011 Ten people have been detained for their roles in a traffic accident that left two students dead and another 25 injured in central Henan province on Dec. 13, according to local police.23.12.2011 Five counties in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region will offer free health checks for couples who are planning to have babies next year, a move to reduce birth defects in the areas.23.12.2011 Tang Xia, a junior at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, plans to go home for a family reunion during the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year festival.23.12.2011 All government departments at, and above, county level will use licensed software by the end of 2013 in the latest move to protect intellectual property rights (IPR).22.12.2011 China has discovered an 89.2-billion-tonne coal reserve at Sha'er Lake in northwest Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which experts say is the largest of its kind in Asia.22.12.2011 More than 15,000 Chinese officials have been punished for graft or dereliction of duty over the past two years during a nationwide check against irregularities in the construction sectors, a central office in charge of the cleanup said Wednesday.21.12.2011 The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Wednesday established the Military Training Department under the General Staff Headquarters, in accordance with an order issued by Hu Jintao, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).21.12.2011 Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) Hu Jintao signed two orders of commendation to honor one military unit and two individuals for their outstanding service.20.12.2011 German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble will be awarded one of the most prestigious prizes in Europe for his efforts to stabilize the euro.19.12.2011 The State Council, or China's Cabinet, on Friday called for efforts to strengthen fire prevention to create a safer environment for people and the country's economic development.19.12.2011 Vice President Xi Jinping Sunday called for better organization construction of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to prepare for the Party's 18th National Congress scheduled next year.18.12.2011 Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Zhou Yongkang has called for efforts to promote a police campaign aimed at better addressing public complaints.17.12.2011 Two nurses have been granted a reward of 100,000 yuan (US$15,754 ) for giving information that led to the arrest of a suspect in a bombing case in central China, police announced Saturday.17.12.2011 China held Friday a rally to celebrate the success of the country's first mission of space docking between the target orbiter Tiangong-1 and the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft.[Photo/CRI]16.12.2011 China's old-for-new home appliance subsidy program had stimulated 300.4 billion yuan (47.68 billion U.S. dollars) in sales by the end of November, the Ministry of Commerce said Friday.16.12.2011 China on Friday put into operation a project extending its ultra high voltage (UHV) system to boost electricity transmission capacity from the country's energy-rich northern regions to the power-short central provinces.16.12.2011 The State Council, or China's Cabinet, issued guidelines on Friday to promote the development of the country's high-tech service industry.16.12.2011 The suspect is a male approximately 1.65 to 1.70 meters tall.[File photo]16.12.2011 Around 50,000 artificially propagated acipenser sinensis, or Chinese sturgeons, have been born in a research institution in central China's Hubei province, experts here said on Wednesday.16.12.2011 A central China court has shortened the prison term for a toll-evading farmer from life to two and a half years after rehearing the case yesterday.15.12.2011 The Chinese character "kong," a word that generally means "control," has been selected as the character of the year in China for 2011.15.12.2011 China has allocated 6.3 billion yuan (about US$1 billion) in funds for the country's disaster-stricken areas to buy winter relief materials.15.12.2011 Police are offering 1.1 million yuan (US$172,953) for information leading to the arrest of a man suspected of killing six people during robberies.14.12.2011 A 130-cm-tall Matsu statue carved from emerald on the Chinese mainland has become the third statue sent as a gift between sister temples across the Strait since 1991.14.12.2011 Hong Kong finally began on Wednesday construction of its part of the world's longest cross-sea bridge linking the city with Macao and Zhuhai, after the project was delayed for a year by a legal challenge over its environmental impact.14.12.2011 The bus driver whose overloaded vehicle collided with a truck at around 8:50 a.m. Tuesday and left two students dead in central Henan province has been arrested, according to local police.14.12.2011 A group of 40 lawyers in central China Wednesday promised to provide free legal aid for migrant workers who ask for defaulted wages as the Spring Festival draws near.14.12.2011 The protection of intellectual property rights should be tied to the performance assessments of regional governments, a senior official said.14.12.2011 Ke Yan, a well-known poet, writer and former member of the Secretariat of the China Writers Association, died of illness Sunday at the age 82.14.12.2011 Two students were killed, and more than 20 others were injured, including seven seriously, on Tuesday morning in a bus-truck collision in Zhumadian city of central China's Henan Province, local government authorities said.13.12.2011 As more mothers from the Chinese mainland have opted to give birth in Hong Kong, the city is expecting to see a peak in children entering its kindergartens and primary schools in the next couple of years.13.12.2011 Two men have been detained in central China's Hunan Province for spreading a rumor that thousands of police officers guarded a wedding procession earlier this month.13.12.2011 A large number of government departments and officials have stepped into the online world through weibo - but most of them are still more show than tell, a new media researcher said on Monday.13.12.2011 High-ranking Chinese officials gathered in Beijing on Monday for the annual Central Economic Work Conference, which will analyze international and domestic economic situations and map out plans for economic development in 2012.12.12.2011 A senior government official is calling for authorities to "strengthen the construction and management of an online culture" and work to promote a "healthy and optimistic" online environment.12.12.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao has called on the nation to be patriotic and learn from the innovative spirit of Qian Xuesen, the late scientist considered the country's "father of space technology."11.12.2011 A senior government official has urged authorities to "strengthen the construction and management of online culture" and work to foster a "healthy and positive" online environment.09.12.2011 A national forum was held Friday in China's capital on dealing with food safety problems through improved legislation and law enforcement.09.12.2011 China plans to see an "obvious decrease" in the death toll caused by natural disasters in the next five years, the State Council, or Cabinet, said Thursday.09.12.2011 A migrant laborer who works as a cleaner stands on the ledge of a high-rise building in Shanghai's Pudong New Area on Aug 21. A recent survey finds that a very small number of young migrant workers are willing to go back home to a rural life. [Photo / Xinhua]08.12.2011 The population of impoverished farmers in southwest China's Tibet autonomous region was reduced from about 1.48 million in 2001 to 168,000 by the end of 2010.08.12.2011 China's Ministry of Commerce and Xinhua News Agency on Thursday jointly selected the country's top 10 news events related to China's entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the accession.08.12.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao met deputies of the Party congress of People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on Tuesday in Beijing. [Xinhua photo]07.12.2011 A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has urged more developed regions to improve public services and create a new model of social management.07.12.2011 China's top business school will start independent admission, with a focus on taking in more students from rural areas in its undergraduate program.07.12.2011 The recent self-immolations of monks and nuns in Tibetan-inhabited areas of southwest China's Sichuan province are linked to overseas plots, a Chinese Tibetologist wrote in a signed article.07.12.2011 Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy met on December 5 in Paris.
(© REGIERUNGonline/Denzel)
Germany and France would like to see structural changes to the European Union. Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy are both convinced that this would entail modifications to the European treaties. Meeting in Paris on December 5, they have agreed on proposals to resolve the eurozone national debt crisis. They will be sending their proposals to Herman Van Rompuy, president of the Council of the European Union.06.12.2011 The ongoing foggy weather and decreasing air quality that have shrouded parts of China since Sunday has prompted a surge in mask sales and affected the vegetable supply by crippling traffic and closing expressways.06.12.2011 Ten people have been prosecuted over a bus fire that killed 41 and injured six others in central China's Henan province in July, local authorities said Tuesday.06.12.2011 Police have launched a manhunt for a suspect believed to be responsible for an explosion that killed two people and injured 15 others in Wuhan in central Hubei province on Dec 1, according to a spokesman with the city police on Monday.06.12.2011 Police are offering a 100,000 yuan (US$15,724) reward for information that will help them catch a man thought to be responsible for a fatal blast outside a bank in central Wuhan City.05.12.2011 The provincial government of northwestern Qinghai has allocated 160 million yuan in subsidies to help 198,000 quake survivors get through this winter as they have to make do with tents, local officials said.05.12.2011 A senior citizen eats lunch beside a temple wall in Nantong, in East China's Jiangsu province. China's increasingly aging population has led to rising demand for nursing homes.[Photo/China Daily]05.12.2011 The China Volunteer Service Foundation has raised over 80 million yuan (12.6 million U.S. dollars) to fund volunteer services helping migrant workers across China, according to a statement from the Central Civilization Office of China.04.12.2011 Senior Chinese leader Zhou Yongkang has reiterated that more efforts should be made to promote social management in line with the socialist market-oriented economic system.03.12.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday pledged new measures to help people living with HIV/AIDS obtain affordable drug treatment, enjoy fair job and education chances and avoid being discriminated.03.12.2011 An explosion that occurred near a bank in central China's Wuhan city Thursday afternoon has left two people dead and more than 10 injured, according to local police.03.12.2011 Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel speaks to the Bundestag on December 2.
(© REGIERUNGonline/Kugler)
Resolving the current debt crisis and crisis of confidence in Europe will be a process that takes years, Chancellor Merkel said on Friday in a government statement before the Bundestag. In her speech, the Chancellor presented the German government’s goals and guidelines ahead of the European Council to be held on December 8 and 9.02.12.2011 Like recent German history itself, her biography is difficult, divided, complex. She will be remembered as a leading exponent of East German literature, which is justified since the bulk of her life and work was intertwined with the German Democratic Republic, communist East Germany, from its inception in 1949 until the sudden, unexpected demise in 1989.02.12.2011 Huang Sheng.[File photo]01.12.2011 A high-profile publicity official in Southwest China's Yunnan province was slammed by netizens on Tuesday for saying that the construction of four local government buildings cost "only 400 million yuan (US$63 million)" on his micro blog.30.11.2011 Germans have always had a soft spot for their forests. Not just because 11 million wooded hectares cover around one third of the country's area. The Black Forest and the Palatinate Forest are just two of these diverse natural areas which play major roles as economic factors, important ecosystems, and as places for leisure and recreation.30.11.2011 The Chinese government has been stepping up its efforts in scouring the globe for top-notch talents to lead and spur the country's economic innovation and development. In an unprecedented move, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, which manages senior government officials, launched the "Thousand Talents" program in late 2008.29.11.2011 Six people were confirmed to be infected with the Hepatitis C virus in central Henan province Tuesday after a bordering region in Anhui province reported an outbreak of the disease Monday.29.11.2011 Qin Guangrong was elected secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Tuesday.29.11.2011 China is starting a nationwide schoolbus safety check and pledging to spend on buses in wake of a recent schoolbus accident that claimed the lives of 19 preschoolers, the country's safety watchdog said on Tuesday.29.11.2011 A survey of Chinese rural dwellers shows that young villagers are less willing to participate in political issues than the older generations.29.11.2011 The rate of HIV/AIDS infection from mother-to-child in China dropped from 34.8 percent at the start of 2009 to 7.9 percent in 2010, according to a senior official with the Ministry of Health.28.11.2011 Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday pledged government funds to improve and provide school bus services after a deadly crash that killed 19 children.28.11.2011 Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (R, front) talks with construction workers of an affordable homes community in Langfang, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 25, 2011. Li made an inspection on the construction of affordable homes in Langfang on Friday. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen]28.11.2011 Three people who were believed to be responsible for a deadly coal mine blast in central China's Hunan Province late October were arrested, sources with the local procuratorate confirmed Sunday.28.11.2011 More than 30,000 people in Shanghai joined nearly 1 million applicants nationwide in an annual exam for civil service positions yesterday.26.11.2011 An estimated 1.3 million young Chinese will compete for 18,000 civil servant posts in central government departments and their local branches on Saturday and Sunday.26.11.2011 China vowed to harshly crack down on bribery, abuse of power and malpractice in food safety cases as such illegalities have become top concerns for Chinese people, Sun Jungong, spokesman of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), said Thursday.24.11.2011 Zhou Qiang23.11.2011 The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday established a strategic planning department to improve the strategic management of the military, according to a conference marking the department's founding held in Beijing.23.11.2011 An official from Liaoning Province was found dead in a river in Shenyang on September 21. Later police confirmed he committed suicide by drowning.22.11.2011 The Ministry of Education announced Monday that college degrees which are not competitive in the marketplace will be axed, as more college graduates struggle to find jobs, Xinhua reported.22.11.2011 A total of 1,395 suspects were caught in China's latest round of a campaign against organized criminal gangs, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Security on Monday.22.11.2011 The China Marxism Museum will open before the end of this year, the museum's sponsor said on Monday.22.11.2011 Shanghai has become the epitome of China - all of the country's 56 ethnic groups are now represented in the city, according to the latest census.21.11.2011 A former top official with China's drugs watchdog stood trial Sunday for taking bribes, falsely accusing a superior and illegally selling a book he had written.21.11.2011 China has established the world's largest seismological network for monitoring and preventing earthquakes near major reservoirs, a senior scientist said Sunday.20.11.2011 More government investment is needed to make school buses safer, experts say.19.11.2011 Jia Qinglin (R, front), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, shakes hands with participants at a meeting on ethnic policies held in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwest China, Nov. 18, 2011. [Ma Zhancheng/Xinhua]China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Friday called for more efforts to maintain ethnic unity and promote common prosperity in the country's minority regions.19.11.2011 Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (R, front), who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, shakes hands with representatives at a ceremony to honor model individuals and units in charge of logistic services within the institutions under the Party's Central Committee and ministries in Beijing, China, Nov. 18, 2011. [Liu Jiansheng/Xinhua]Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang Friday requested public offices to operate with frugality and integrity, better performing duties and serving the people.19.11.2011 Government officials' preference for luxury cars from abroad seems to have been unaffected by a State Council notice urging them to buy more domestic brands. 18.11.2011 By Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. Published in the Financial Times on November 18, 2011.18.11.2011 Chen Yilong is often found relaxing in his private jet, the real estate tycoon safe in the knowledge that his executive mode of transport lets him get about and keep his empire ticking over. But his peace of mind is only secured by one fact: a road vehicle carrying aviation fuel follows below, ready to step in if China's official refuelling facilities prove inadequate.18.11.2011 Three people died and 24 were injured when a bus crashed into a toll booth on a highway in central China's Hunan province on Friday, the local government said.18.11.2011 The municipal government of Jiayuguan in northwest China's Gansu province on Friday kicked off a repair and construction project focused on the western end of China's Great Wall.18.11.2011 Twelve miners have been trapped in a coal mine that caved in in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, local authorities said Friday.17.11.2011 Six officials are facing charges over lax supervision of a coal mine that flooded on June 20, killing 13 miners in central China's Hunan province, prosecutors said on Thursday.17.11.2011 Government officials and police officers were sacked and sentenced to prison terms after their actions contributed to schoolgirls working as prostitutes in central China's Henan Province.17.11.2011 Enlarge image
Central Council President Dieter Graumann, Federal President Wulff, Central Council Vice Presidents Salomon Korn and Josef Schuster.
(© Central Council of Jews in Germany)
German Federal President Christian Wulff was recognized by the Central Council of Jews in Germany for his outstanding dedication born of his sincere empathy and deep bonds with the Jewish community in Germany, in Israel and the world with the awarding of the Leo Baeck Award 2011 on November 16 in Berlin.17.11.2011 The implementation of the constitutional reform in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is part of the internal affairs, a spokesman of the Hong Kong government said Wednesday, in response to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission 2011 Annual Report on Hong Kong.16.11.2011 Six people have been confirmed dead in a coal mine gas leak in central China's Hubei Province Tuesday afternoon, local authorities said.16.11.2011 Ten people died and 12 others were injured when a home toppled in Central China's Hunan province Monday night, local authorities said Tuesday.15.11.2011 Senior Chinese Leader Li Changchun called for more efforts to boost cultural industries in order to support the country's overall scientific development.15.11.2011 Vice Premier Li Keqiang has called for deepening health care reform in a bid to build a health care system that benefits the entire population.15.11.2011 China's top anti-graft official He Guoqiang on Monday urged greater participation of scholars and the general public in the country's anti-corruption campaign.15.11.2011 Guest contribution by by Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and former Foreign Ministers Hans Dietrich Genscher, Klaus Kinkel and Walter Scheel in the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung on 12 November 201114.11.2011 About 90 percent of civil servants in Central China's Hubei province have been diagnosed as unhealthy, with many suffering serious medical conditions, Wuhan Evening News reported on Monday quoting a report from a local hospital.90% of Hubei civil servants have medical conditions.[Photo/qq.com.cn] 14.11.2011 An asthma drug was found being sold for 20 times its ex-factory price in Beijing hospitals and three times the rates offered in clinics in Shandong Province, state television reported yesterday, a situation it said highlighted flaws in the government's medicine pricing system.14.11.2011 >Fake and pirated products are burned by police in May in Guiyang, Guizhou province. [Photo/China Daily]13.11.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao said Friday that the central government would spare no efforts on matters that benefit Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, and the development of the mainland and Hong Kong.13.11.2011 A Chinese newspaper issued an apology Thursday for its faux pas on its critical report of a man who hid while his wife was raped by a house intruder.12.11.2011 Financial experts have called for an investigation into a charity based in central China's Henan Province as evidence mounts that it uses donations to profit from land speculation and lending.12.11.2011 The Third Forum on the Development of Tibet concluded Friday afternoon in the Greek capital with a consensus on the positive impacts of recent changes taking place in the autonomous region, and an appeal for the international community to contribute to its future progress.11.11.2011 A notice banning wedding photography at the site of a fancy court building in southwest China's Sichuan province has sparked a flurry of criticism from netizens.11.11.2011 After two years on the run from police, a woman accused of trafficking nearly 30 women and children has been recaptured, authorities said Thursday.11.11.2011 China has reformed job placement policies for former service men and women by introducing fresh initiatives to make it easier for veterans to be self-employed or find a job independently.10.11.2011 Three of the four soldiers who escaped from a garrison in Jilin City, northeast China's Jilin province on Wednesday have been killed and one was arrested by police, the official microblog of the Jilin city traffic police has announced.10.11.2011 China will work to give women bigger role as the world strives to protect its environment and seeks a path of sustainable development, Vice President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.09.11.2011 A recent government initiative to prevent rural children from starving has raised the hopes of grassroots philanthropists. This came after the State Council, China's Cabinet, announced that the central government will offer nutrition subsidies to 26 million poor students in rural areas.09.11.2011 New jobs are on offer. And there are 1.8 million of them.09.11.2011 A credit squeeze and safety concerns have prompted China to slow down its galloping pace in building the world's largest high-speed railway network, as the openings of at least four newly built routes have been delayed.09.11.2011 Enlarge image
A Street in Kabul
(© picture-alliance/Zuma Press)
Foreign Minister Westerwelle has spoken in an interview with the German Press Agency about how Germany will remain engaged in Afghanistan. The timetable was in place, he said, for the Afghans to take over responsibility for security. In January 2012, the German Bundestag is to decide the new mandate for the Bundeswehr deployment in Afghanistan. After ten years of building up forces, the intention is for the first time to reduce the size of the German contingent.08.11.2011 Over the course of the year, Germany.info and The Week in Germany will highlight a different "Word of the Week" in the German language that may serve to surprise, delight or just plain perplex native English speakers.08.11.2011 Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said the "one country, two systems" principle has supported Hong Kong's development as China's international financial center and as a global hub for trade, shipping and asset management.08.11.2011 A 10-year-old boy with an intellectual level equivalent to a three-year-old child was confined to his home for eight years, but has been rescued from his allegedly psychotic father in a central China city.08.11.2011 A 24-meter tall stone statue of one of the most prominent women in China's modern history has become embroiled in controversy after the foundation responsible for the construction reportedly denied it resembled Soong Ching Ling.07.11.2011 China is considering to set up a special fund to finance arts creation and cultural performances in the latest move to buoy the development of the country's "soft power," a cultural official said Sunday.07.11.2011 Three critically injured miners remain in stable conditions after rescuers pulled out more than 50 people from a coal mine after a rock burst in central China, a hospital official said Sunday.06.11.2011 A run-down bridge collapsed in a central Chinese city Saturday, sending four vehicles plummeting into the river and injuring two drivers, local authorities said.04.11.2011 Police in Hebei Province have rescued 206 foreign women who were illegally purchased by desperate bachelors over the last two years, local officials said Thursday.03.11.2011 Enlarge image
Chancellor Angela Merkel arriving at the G-20 summit in Cannes today.
(© picture alliance / dpa )
When Angela Merkel meets with other heads of state at the G-20 Summit, which will last from November 3-4, there will be three major thematic pillars: the global economy, reform of the international monetary system and regulation of financial markets. Generally, discussions held in Cannes for the G-20, which convenes among the most important industrial and emerging markets, will center on current developments in the world's economy.03.11.2011 The Communist Party of China (CPC) will include more delegates from the grass-roots level, including migrant workers, at the party's 18th National Congress.02.11.2011 - Translation of advance text -02.11.2011 Police in central China's Henan Province have smashed a "highly professional" counterfeit medicine ring and arrested 114 people.01.11.2011 The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) announced on Tuesday the start of the election of delegates attending the Party's 18th National Congress to be held in 2012.01.11.2011 The Ministry of Finance (MOF) will use fiscal policies to improve China's cultural attractions, it announced Tuesday.01.11.2011 Zhang Chunxian was elected secretary of northwest China's Xinjiang Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday.01.11.2011 Enlarge image
Friedrich Christian Delius holds his certificate after being awarded with the Georg Büchner Prize in Darmstadt, Germany, on October 29, 2011.
(© picture-alliance/dpa)
Novelist Friedrich Christian Delius received the Georg Büchner Prize, Germany's most coveted literary award, in Darmstadt on October 29.01.11.2011 Soldier Li Mingyu's grandma said that the sweetest apple she ever ate was the one Li peeled for her when the family visited him in the military camp.01.11.2011 Rescuers are working at the site of Xialiuchong coal mine in Hengyang city of central China's Hunan Province on October 29, 2011. [Xinhua]31.10.2011 A police officer in connection with a road accident that killed five people and injured three others in Central China has been officially charged, local authorities said Yesterday.31.10.2011 Police in central China's Henan Province on Sunday caught a prisoner who escaped from a local prison five days ago.31.10.2011 The death toll in a coal mine gas explosion in Hunan Province has risen to 29 as the last trapped worker was found dead Sunday morning.30.10.2011 China will make proper fine tuning on its macro policy, keeping it "more targeted, flexible and forward-looking," and continue measures to control consumer prices, China's State Council, or Cabinet, said Saturday.30.10.2011 The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, or China's top legislature, ended its bimonthly session on Saturday, adopting amendments to Military Service Law and Resident Identity Card Law.30.10.2011 A combined photo shows Guo Shuqing (L), former chairman of China Construction Bank Corp. and Xiang Junbo, former chairman of Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. [File photo]29.10.2011 Attempts to collect a "sewing machine tax" in a town in Zhejiang Province have been dropped after children's clothes manufacturers and traders rioted.29.10.2011 China's first methanol futures contracts started trading yesterday, providing producers, traders and users of the petrochemical with a financial tool to hedge against price fluctuations.29.10.2011 Shenzhen is considering extending its nine years of compulsory education to 15 to cover free preschool and senior high school.29.10.2011 Villagers living near a mega prison in Central China's Henan province said they were living in fear two days after a prisoner escaped, China Daily reported.29.10.2011 SW China community closes rural-urban gap by enriching farmers' cultural, recreational lives29.10.2011 China's top legislature on Saturday adopted an amendment to the Military Service Law, promising better placement for demobilized soldiers.28.10.2011 Senior Chinese leader Li Changchun on Friday called for more efforts in strengthening supervision of, and environment for public opinion.28.10.2011 China's Tibet autonomous region plans to build 42,000 subsidized housing units in the 2011-2015 period, local authorities said Thursday.28.10.2011 Certificates issued by health authorities to register permanent residency for newborns have been found on sale for as much as 13,000 yuan (US$2,047) on the black market.27.10.2011 Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel speaks to the press in Brussels early on Thursday morning
(© picture alliance / dpa)
Chancellor Angela Merkel said she is very pleased with the results of the meeting in Brussels, where the leaders of the 17 eurozone countries reached a breakthrough in the early morning hours of October 27, agreeing to cut Greece’s debt and to strengthen the European rescue fund, EFSF.27.10.2011 Seven people have been confirmed dead and 11 others are missing after a gas outburst occurred early Thursday at a coal mine in central China's Henan Province.27.10.2011 A manhunt is underway for a prisoner who escaped from Yubei Prison in Xinxiang City, central China's Henan Province, on Tuesday morning.27.10.2011 The State Council, or China's cabinet, has decided to create a food allowance for about 26 million needy students nationwide, according to a statement issued on Wednesday.27.10.2011 In a high-profile meeting last week regarding China's cultural development, the Communist Party of China (CPC) issued a communique emphasizing the rising significance of culture in boosting national strength and maintaining natural cultural security.26.10.2011 China reported a year-on-year rise of 4.1 percent in cases of illegal land seizure that occurred in the first nine months of this year, the Ministry of Land and Resources said on Tuesday.26.10.2011 The number of people successfully applying to take the national civil servant examination is expected to fall for a second straight year, although competition for a government job remains fierce.26.10.2011 A plan to devolve control of food safety to city and county authorities has divided experts and government insiders over the impact it could have on supervision.25.10.2011 The number of qualified applicants for China's annual national public servant exam has declined for two consecutive years, according to official statistics.25.10.2011 A group of 117 migrant workers from central China's Henan Province who were "trapped" in Russia, doing heavy manual work while not being paid, are returning home after the Chinese embassy intervened.25.10.2011 Two officials have been jailed for divulging state secrets in relation to China's confidential economic statistics, procurators said Monday.25.10.2011 New sex education textbooks were introduced to pupils in Shanghai on Monday after numerous debates on early-age sex education in China.Students mark red for private parts and green for areas that can be touched at a sex education lesson at a primary school in Shanghai yesterday.[Photo/Shanghai Daily]25.10.2011 A court in central China's Henan Province announced on Monday that it will retry the case of a mentally disabled man who was imprisoned for nearly three years after being charged with robbery.24.10.2011 Bulpatman Mamat (back) makes preparation for cooking at her house in the old city zone of Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Oct 21, 2011.[Photo/Xinhua]24.10.2011 An international Taoism forum opened on Sunday, attracting 500 scholars from 21 countries and regions to Hengshan Mountain, a sacred Taoist site in Central China's Hunan province, China Daily reported.22.10.2011 China's Communist Party chiefs ended their annual policy meeting this week with a decision on cultural reforms as the world's second largest economy seeks to maintain its culture amid globalization and enhance its soft power abroad.22.10.2011 More than 70 people were injured when a ferry crashed into a mooring pillar inside a typhoon shelter at one of Hong Kong's outlying islands early Friday morning.22.10.2011 "I just want the students to know that I'm also wearing a green one. And we are all great people and are as good as those wearing red scarves." Bai Yansong, a famous anchor of China Central Television, voiced his support to students wearing green scarves at a primary school in Xi'an by wearing a green tie on a TV program, Oct 19, 2011.21.10.2011 Seventy-six people were injured with three elderly in serious condition after a ferry crashed into a mooring pillar inside the departure port on Friday morning in Hong Kong, and the city's marine department said it would pay special attention to the speed of the ferry at the time of the collision.21.10.2011 The Tibet Buddhist Theological Institute opened in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Thursday, as part of the country's efforts to promote the study of Tibetan Buddhism .20.10.2011 A knack with handling social issues could be the ticket for up and coming officials.20.10.2011 Leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Tuesday adopted a guideline that is aimed at boosting China's soft power and maintaining "cultural security."20.10.2011 Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou said on Monday that the island should consider a peace treaty with the mainland in a decade if most residents on the island reach a consensus, a gesture that mainland experts said could be "a step to end cross-Straits antagonism".19.10.2011 A chemistry-themed song, whose lyrics are written by the president of Peking University, one of China's top universities, has sparked wide debate on the Internet due to its colloquial lyrics and use of many special words popular on the Internet, the Yangtze Evening Post and New Express Daily reported Wednesday.19.10.2011 A man attempted to sue his wife of five years for "violating his reproductive rights" after she had an abortion without his consent, Voc.com.cn reports.19.10.2011 The 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded its sixth plenary session in Beijing Tuesday, adopting a guideline to improve the nation's cultural soft power and advocate Chinese culture.19.10.2011 In its latest effort to regain credibility after a slew of corruption and malpractice scandals, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) is said to be finalizing guidelines for any future cooperation with companies.19.10.2011 One of the largest Chinese charities dedicated to fighting poverty has collected only about half of the money it expected to so far this year.18.10.2011 The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversay of the "big bang" of the Reformation, Luther's legendary posting of his theses on the church door in Wittenberg. The Luther Decade is an occasion for celebration and reflection.18.10.2011 China's top drug watchdog has demanded stricter drug management in medical institutions to provide better protection for consumers.18.10.2011 China's "Panda diplomacy" started from 1950s. From 1957 to 1982, China presented 23 pandas as gifts to nine countries, including the former Soviet Union, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Federal Republic of Germany (former), Mexico, and Spain.17.10.2011 Chickens began being domesticated in China about 8,000 years ago, far earlier than anywhere else in the world, according to a study of fossils in northern China's Hebei Province.16.10.2011 Three doctors have been arrested for illegally harvesting human organs in north China's Hebei Province, local authorities said.16.10.2011 The Shaolin Temple on Thursday said the rumor concerning its abbot's rampant sex life was utterly false and posted a reward for information about the rumormonger's identity.15.10.2011 The 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) opened its Sixth Plenary Session in Beijing Saturday to work over the country's cultural development.15.10.2011 President Grímsson,My colleague Össur Skarphéðinsson,Jörg-Uwe Hahn,Madam Mayor,Mr Boos,Professor Honnefelder,Excellencies,Ladies and gentlemen,14.10.2011 An aircraft plunged Friday morning during an air show in Pucheng county, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. There are no reports of casualties, and witnesses said they saw the pilot was ejected before the bomber fell. [Photo/Xinhua]14.10.2011 A National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment was established by the Ministry of Health and several central departments in Beijing on Thursday in the latest move to ensure food safety.14.10.2011 A bus overturned after its tire burst,injuring 34 passengers -- eight critically -- in central Hubei province early Thursday morning, local authorities said.14.10.2011 China's Internet watchdog on Thursday urged the building of a healthy, orderly environment for microblogging, stressing that there must be no avenue for spreading rumors or illegal information online.13.10.2011 Parents are complaining their children have been ordered by primary and middle schools to buy membership of the Red Cross Society of China.12.10.2011 This year China makes grassroots work experience a requirement for civil service hopefuls eyeing central- and provincial-level posts, aiming to both refine policy-making and to encourage fresh graduates to work in grassroots communities.12.10.2011 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang.[File photo]12.10.2011 Police dogs were used to terrify a former legislator in central China's Henan Province into falsely confessing to running a mafia-type gang, it is claimed.11.10.2011 Several local governments in China have moved to curb lending to indebted universities amid worries of default under tight credit conditions.11.10.2011 A Tsinghua University law student has finally had some success in her quest for information about the duties of government deputy ministers.10.10.2011 A whitening agent that could cause cancer has been found in tissues produced in underground factories in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.10.10.2011 China's migrant population now numbers 221 million, or 16.5 percent of all citizens, and as the numbers grow so do the problems these people face.09.10.2011 The central government will continue to close liaison offices of local governments that should have been shut last year but continue their activities in other guises in Beijing.08.10.2011 Thirty-five people were killed and 20 others injured in an expressway accident in north China's port city of Tianjin on Friday afternoon, raising concern about dangerous and congested roads during China's holiday rush.08.10.2011 A ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of China's 1911 Revolution, or the Xinhai Revolution, will be held on Sunday morning in Beijing.08.10.2011 Twenty-six-year-old Zhao Chunpeng couldn't wait to open his tightly wrapped black parcel and check out the Constellation condoms he ordered online three days ago.06.10.2011 Up to now environmental technologies have led just a shadowy existence at the Hanover Trade Fair, the world's largest industrial technology showcase. But that will change when the new IndustrialGreenTec trade fair platform is launched by Hannover Messe in April 2012.06.10.2011 China's transport minister has called for better regulation and more transparent operation of the country's toll ways as high road tolls fueled public complaints and raised logistics costs.05.10.2011 A museum on the 1911 Revolution will open on the upcoming Saturday in central China's Hubei Province, where the revolution started, said local sources on Wednesday.04.10.2011 China's Ministry of Public Security has warned traffic police to stand alert against "safety loopholes" on road after a bus accident killed at least 16 people Monday.03.10.2011 China's State Council announced this weekend that local governments that have failed to complete the construction of planned subsidized housing projects will not be allowed to construct or buy new official buildings.02.10.2011 A bus crashed into a ravine in a mountainous county in central China's Hubei Province Saturday afternoon, leaving at least 16 people dead and another one missing, local authorities said.02.10.2011 China has banned the production, sale and use of clenbuterol tablets, which are often illegally added to pig's feed, the food and drug authority said on Friday.30.09.2011 Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel amid legislators during the vote on the euro rescue fund on September 29.
(© picture alliance / dpa)
With a strong majority and with clear bipartisan support, the German Bundestag has approved strengthening the euro rescue fund, ESFS, on Thursday. The fund protects countries in the eurozone from the risk of infection from heavily indebted states. The equivalent of approximately $300 billion will be guaranteed by Germany alone.30.09.2011 Seven people were killed and one injured in a coal mine explosion in central China's Hunan Province Thursday evening, local work safety authorities said Friday.30.09.2011 Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday morning met with representatives of the staff members working for the country's first space lab module Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace-1."29.09.2011 On a recent test meant to gauge the transparency of government agencies, 35 out of the State Council's 43 departments received failing grades.29.09.2011 China will as always guarantee the legitimate rights of foreign news organizations and their reporters and provide convenience for their reporting work in the country, a senior official said Wednesday.28.09.2011 Passenger ferry services linking the southern-most Chinese island province of Hainan with other parts of the country were halted Wednesday at noon as typhoon Nesat neared, according to the maritime bureau in Haikou, the capital city of Hainan.28.09.2011 A court in central China's Hunan Province sentenced two leaders of a local organized crime group to death with two year reprieve on Tuesday, according to local authorities.28.09.2011 China yesterday called on the exiled Dalai Lama to respect the historic tradition of reincarnation, after he questioned whether it should continue.27.09.2011 A fugitive who went on the run 17 years ago after killing someone "because of a dream" has been apprehended.26.09.2011 Two new faces appeared on China Central Television's flagship news program "Xinwen Lianbo" on Sunday and received positive feedback from viewers, the Beijing News reports.26.09.2011 Vice Premier Wang Qishan on Monday urged six central China provinces to accelerate the transformation of their economies by developing modern industry and urbanizing at a faster pace.25.09.2011 A court has sentenced the boss of a mafia-like gang in central China to death and the gang's 50 members to varying prison terms, officials said yesterday.25.09.2011 China issued its first evaluation report on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Friday reviewing its development since it was established 10 years ago.24.09.2011 As the nation's grain production is heavily reliant on autumn crops, agricultural authorities should coordinate their efforts to maximize mechanical advantages in production of crops harvested during this season, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Saturday.24.09.2011 Over 170,000 cars purchased and used by government officials have been deemed to be unnecessary or "too luxurious" for official use under a campaign to regulate the use of government cars, the top anti-graft official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said on Friday.24.09.2011 A former fire fighter who imprisoned six women as sex slaves in a self-dug cellar was arrested recently in Luoyang city, Central China's Henan province.[Photo:CRI]21.09.2011 Police in central China's Henan Province announced on Wednesday that they have arrested two suspects in connection with the fatal stabbing of a TV journalist.21.09.2011 A man supposedly executed for robbery nine years ago has been found living with his family in Beijing, New Express Daily reported yesterday.20.09.2011 A TV reporter was found dead with more than 10 stab wounds near the TV station where he worked, local police have confirmed, the Zhengzhou Evening News reported on Tuesday.20.09.2011 By Monday afternoon, rain-triggered floods and landslides had left at least 57 people dead and 29 missing around the nation, causing the central government to launch emergency response plans.20.09.2011 A groundbreaking ceremony for a new skyscraper took place in Beijing's central business district (CBD) on Monday, marking the beginning of construction on what will eventually be the city's tallest skyscraper.20.09.2011 China has set a world record for rice production with its "super rice" achieving an output of more than 900 kilograms per mu (0.067 hectare).19.09.2011 The State Council, or China's cabinet, on Monday ordered local governments to give more support for the construction of low-income housing projects, especially low-rent public housing units.17.09.2011 An official with a local legislature in central China has been fired after screen shots from a sex video of him were posted online last month, local authorities said Saturday.17.09.2011 "The Nude Portrait of Jiang Biwei" that was sold for 72.8 million yuan (US$11.4 million) at an auction in June 2010. 16.09.2011 Chinese police will target criminal gangs involved in monopolizing business and gaining contracts by force, which harmed market order, said Meng Jianzhu, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, at a meeting on fighting organized crimes held in Beijing.16.09.2011 Xi'an, one of the oldest cities in China and home to the world-famous Terracotta Army, opened its first subway line on Friday, taking a major step toward building itself into a metropolis in the country's relatively undeveloped western region.16.09.2011 More than 48 hours after two mangled bodies appeared hanging by ropes from a pedestrian bridge in a Mexican border city, authorities had yet to identify the victims.16.09.2011 Xi'an, one of the oldest cities in China and home to the world-famous Terracotta Army, launched its first subway line on Friday, taking a major step toward building itself into a metropolis in the country's less developed west.16.09.2011 Beijing police on Thursday put the son of a Chinese Army general and respected tenor in detention for one year, after the 15-year-old's violent acts last week stirred up public outrage.16.09.2011 An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale jolted Yutian County in Hotan Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 11:27 p.m. Beijing Time on Thursday, said the China Earthquake Networks Center.15.09.2011 A total of 60,000 people in central China's Hubei Province have been affected by last Saturday's 4.6-magnitude earthquake which hit the border area between Jiangxi and Hubei provinces, according to the provincial civil affairs department.15.09.2011 China will need to spend at least 30 billion yuan (4.69 billion U.S. dollars) over the next 15 years to establish a helicopter rescue system that is capable of serving its 1.3 billion people, experts said Wednesday.15.09.2011 Two preschoolers and four adults were fatally attacked by an ax-wielding assailant Wednesday morning on a street in the city of Gongyi in central China's Henan Province.15.09.2011 Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel at the Palace of Tears Exhibit
(© REGIERUNGonline/Krünkelfeld)
Farewells, longing, fear, desperation, but also hope and joy – all these emotions are attached to the “Palace of Tears,” the moniker given to the pavilion at the Berlin railway station where East Germans said goodbye to their families and visitors going back to West Germany. The building at the Friedrichsstraße S-Bahn station in Berlin’s Mitte district was the central terminal for railway travelers between East and West from 1962 to 1989.Once used as a nightclub after the fall of the wall and now under historic preservation, the Palace of Tears (Tränenpalast) is a unique symbol for the diverse fates of citizens on both sides of the border during the time of German separation.
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The Border Crossing Booth at the Palace of Tears
(© Stiftung Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland )
Opened by the eastern German Democratic Republic in 1962, more than 10 million travelers passed through this building until the Berlin Wall fell. Whether arriving in or leaving East Berlin, travelers came to expect harsh, stressful encounters with border guards, on top of the stress of leaving their families. Harassment was a daily occurrence. Some 200 people even lost their lives.A new permanent exhibition, opened by Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, September 14, now aims to remind visitors of the consequences of this separation and border crossing for the daily life of Germans. The name of the exhibition, “GrenzErfahrungen,” is a play on words, a term that refers on the one hand to extraordinary, even extreme, experiences, but in this case also to experiences on the border crossing between to countries.
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A DDR Passport with a Visa
(© Stiftung Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland )
“Human fates were played out here,” Chancellor Merkel said in a video greeting. When relatives or friends from the West went home after a visit in East Berlin through the Palace of Tears, “one never knew exactly if one would see each other again.” The mental and physical stress of such a trip was visible on the faces of many people who weren’t prepared for such a trip, Merkel recalled15.09.2011 The family of an African-American man who died after allegedly being beaten by a group of white teens and run over by a truck is asking state and federal officials not to seek the death penalty in the case.14.09.2011 China's central government will finance 226 key projects involving a combined investment of more than 300 billion yuan (46.89 billion U.S. dollars) between 2011 and 2015 in order to foster Tibet's social and economic development.14.09.2011 A publicity official fell to his death from an office building in the city of Honghu in central Hubei Province on Wednesday, local authorities said.13.09.2011 Top U.S. officials say they are not ready to put aside threat information received last week that al Qaeda terrorists wanted to attack New York or Washington around the time of the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.13.09.2011 A letter urging the authorities to eliminate discrimination preventing disabled people becoming teachers was submitted to the Ministry of Education on Friday, the day before the country's 27th annual celebration for teachers.12.09.2011 A total of 44 Chinese officials, including a vice-provincial level official, were held accountable for six forced demolition cases that resulted in the deaths of residents, according to a statement jointly issued by four departments.12.09.2011 Senior Chinese officials from the nation's central government departments said that debt risks facing local governments are controllable as regulations are increasingly tightening to prevent such risks.11.09.2011 China's central government allocated 1.98 billion yuan (310 million U.S. dollars) in subsidies for students enrolled in teaching programs at six normal universities, or teachers' colleges, since 2007, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).11.09.2011 China will start "overall and thorough" safety checks on offshore oil exploration and production to eliminate risks in the wake of oil spills in the country's northern Bohai Bay, the work safety authority said Saturday.11.09.2011 The Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water control and hydropower project, started collecting water early Saturday in an effort to reach full-capacity by the end of October, said an official with the project.10.09.2011 AIDS intervention programs have reduced HIV transmission from pregnant women to their unborn fetuses, said a senior health official on Friday.10.09.2011 Readers flocked to bookstores on Thursday to buy the second book published by Zhu Rongji, China's outspoken former premier and top economic planner in the late 1990s, eight years since his retirement.09.09.2011 Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania surveyed the damage Friday caused by near-historic flooding as the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee soaked the region for another day.09.09.2011 Shanghai, China's economic center, plans to build a super-sized exhibition center that is likely to become the world's largest, a municipal official said Thursday.09.09.2011 Yuan Lihai, a 46-year-old woman who has adopted more than 100 abandoned babies over the past 25 years, has aroused the public's curiosity about what kind of person she is, the Henan Business Daily reported Thursday.09.09.2011 Premier Wen Jiabao promised to spend more resources in rural education and improve teachers' welfare in a statement released from the State Council general office on Thursday.08.09.2011 A huge wildfire raging near Austin has destroyed nearly 1,400 homes and is still spreading, officials said Thursday.08.09.2011 Five days after it began soaking the Gulf Coast, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee have settled over the the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, dumping heavy rain and prompting flood advisories from the nation's capital to western New England.08.09.2011 China's top discipline body has urged provincial officials to develop plans to deal with corrupt officials who flee, People's Daily reported on Thursday.08.09.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stressed the importance of preservation of ancient villages and warned of adverse consequences of the forced demolition of farmers' houses while attending a symposium in Beijing on Tuesday, cnr.cn reported.08.09.2011 Kang Keqing.[File photo]07.09.2011 Germany's capital city was the site of a magical open-air festival along the Kurfürstendamm on September 4, when giant mythical creatures hovered over this legendary Berlin avenue.07.09.2011 The Ministry of Education said on Tuesday that greater efforts will be made to improve the quality of rural teachers in a bid to ensure fair education for all.06.09.2011 A number of illegal brick kilns in Central China's Henan province have enslaved and abused mentally disabled workers, local media reported on Sunday.06.09.2011 The Central Military Commission of China issued an internal circular on strengthening the army's auditing work, according to an official news release on Monday.06.09.2011 Authorities in Central China's Henan province are investigating a local charity group that reportedly misused funds, while the Beijing-based China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF) is denying that it has any managerial ties with the charity group using the same name.05.09.2011 Strong winds whipped up several wildfires in central Texas Sunday, threatening homes and forcing some residents to evacuate.05.09.2011 Combining economic development with efforts to improve people's livelihoods is a major task for Asian political parties and governments, Vice-President Xi Jinping said on Sunday.04.09.2011 A bank official who killed a woman while driving drunk has been detained in central China's Anhui Province, according to local police.04.09.2011 Documents seized at the Libyan intelligence headquarters have revealed a surprisingly close relationship between the CIA and their counterparts in the Gadhafi regime.02.09.2011 A senior Chinese official said Thursday that the disciplinary organs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) around the country should receive more petitioners and help them resolve problems with patience.01.09.2011 A low-pressure system in the central Gulf of Mexico has a strong chance of turning into a tropical storm, forecasters said Thursday, prompting oil companies to start pulling workers out of platforms offshore.01.09.2011 Firefighters have made some progress in battling a spreading wildfire in northern Texas, but dry conditions contributed to a rash of new fires as well, officials said Thursday.01.09.2011 Less than a weekafter Irene ravaged much of the East Coast, Hurricane Katia roared to life in the central Atlantic with winds of 75 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.01.09.2011 In south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, an area renowned for its history of musical folklore, local residents have found a unique way to spread knowledge regarding AIDS prevention.01.09.2011 Sandra Manzke paused a moment as an ATV whizzed by her small farm in Wardsboro, Vermont.01.09.2011 Martial art schools are losing luster in Anhui Province and Dengfeng city of central China's Henan Province, China Comment, Xinhua's political commentary magazine, reported.01.09.2011 The State Council, or China's Cabinet, vowed on Wednesday to increase financial support for the country's pre-school education system while improving the evaluation system for primary and middle school teachers.01.09.2011 Vice-Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called on visiting regional leaders to deepen cooperation with China in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.01.09.2011 Authorities have boosted security in Urumqi as the northwestern Chinese city prepares to host the first China-Eurasia Expo, which leaders of China and its neighboring countries in central and south Asia are expected to attend.31.08.2011 A fire fueled by dry and windy conditions destroyed at least two homes and was threatening others in Oklahoma City Tuesday evening, causing the evacuation of a 2-square-mile area of the city, according to a state emergency management official.31.08.2011 He Guoqiang, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), urged strengthening the supervision of influential officials in a bid to prevent corruption by starting at the source.30.08.2011 Residents of Vermont know their work is cut out for them as they struggle for normalcy after enduring the wrath of Irene.30.08.2011 A 19-year-old Chinese student, after graduating from a Shanghai music school, died after falling from a high-rise dorm room only four days after arriving in the United States to continue his music study.30.08.2011 Taiwan's health authorities say they are investigating a case of "critical medical negligence" that led to five patients receiving organs from an HIV-positive donor.28.08.2011 New York City, that land of hustle and bustle, took on a new character Saturday: Quietness, punctuated by bursts of activity.27.08.2011 Sovereign countries cannot be sued in Hong Kong courts, China's top legislature ruled on Friday, a decision that brings the city's judicial system in line with the Chinese mainland's.27.08.2011 The Central Intelligence Agency is denying a news report that it has helped the New York Police Department conduct covert surveillance on Muslims. The agency said suggestions that it engaged in domestic spying were "simply wrong."26.08.2011 National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, approved Friday the termination of a former mayor's NPC deputy title for corruption allegations.26.08.2011 Some of the 30 service members killed in the August 6 helicopter attack in Afghanistan will be buried during a funeral service Friday in Virginia, officials said.26.08.2011 China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Thursday called for authorities to use the achievements of cross-Strait relations to benefit people in both the mainland and Taiwan.26.08.2011 A total of 439 officials from several Communist Party of China (CPC) and central government departments flew from Beijing to Urumqi on Thursday to begin a three-year mission to assist in the development of southwest China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region.25.08.2011 The Chinese government spent over 245 billion yuan (about 38 billion U.S. dollars) on health care in the first half of this year, according to a report submitted to China's top legislature on Thursday.25.08.2011 Chen Quanguo has been appointed secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region,the CPC Central Committee announced Thursday.25.08.2011 The Washington Monument was closed indefinitely Wednesday as engineers studied ways to repair cracks at the top of the capital's iconic structure -- one day after a rare 5.8-magnitude East Coast earthquake.24.08.2011 For best friends Donna Fairchild and Melanie Giarratana, lunch on Mondays was a time for girl talk and small-town gossip. There was plenty to discuss in late January as the women settled into their seats at The 19th Hole, a hillside restaurant popular with the locals in this resort town some 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.24.08.2011 President Hu Jintao said on Tuesday that China should implement a land-saving strategy and continue to adopt strict regulations regarding the protection of arable land.24.08.2011 China has vowed to eliminate safety hazards hidden in thousands of reservoirs which are in need of repairs as they have been operating beyond their service life and pose a threat to nearby villages.23.08.2011 The entire eastern coast of the United States should prepare for Irene, a large and dangerous hurricane churning northwestward over the tropical waters of the Caribbean, the nation's emergency chief warned Tuesday.23.08.2011 The 11th Panchen Lama, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, wrapped up his 13-day visit to northwest China's Gansu Province Sunday, the local government said Monday.23.08.2011 A crack was found on the axle of a CRH380BL train, the type used on the Shanghai-Beijing high-speed line, just over two weeks after the service went into operation, it has been revealed.23.08.2011 The first Atlantic hurricane of 2011 gathered strength Monday as it stormed through the Caribbean, menacing the Dominican Republic and fragile Haiti, as well as Turks and Caicos, after causing widespread flooding, landslides and power outages in Puerto Rico.23.08.2011 The first Atlantic hurricane of 2011 gathered strength Monday as it stormed through the Caribbean, churning just north of the Dominican Republic after causing widespread flooding, landslides and power outages in Puerto Rico.22.08.2011 Wuhan city, the capital of Central China's Hubei province, could be home to the nation's tallest building if new plans get off the drawing board.20.08.2011 Hours after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden finished his lunch Thursday, noodles with soybean paste became the hottest topic on the Chinese Internet.18.08.2011 Joint Statement by Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Syria18.08.2011 In the past, people seemed to require a massive "cue" to form a mob. The New York blackouts of the summer of 1977 resulted in citywide looting, not just because alarm systems were down, but because a whole lot of hot, angry, frustrated people had an excuse to act en masse. Likewise, the verdict on the Rodney King trial served as a spark, synchronizing simultaneous explosions of mob behavior in a dozen North American cities.18.08.2011 Berlin, once famously dubbed "poor but sexy" by its mayor, has attracted artists from all over the world over the past few decades with its comparatively cheap rents and the magnetic pull of an enticing expatriate creative lifestyle.18.08.2011 Despite difficulties and challenges with Hong Kong's economy, the central government will continue to provide strong support to the special administrative region, which will make it grow better, said Vice-Premier Li Keqiang.17.08.2011 Enlarge image
Protests in Baniyas, Syria
(© picture alliance / dpa)
Calling for additional European Union energy sanctions against the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle condemned “the brutal actions of Syrian troops in the port city of Latakia.” Such actions could not be justified in any way, either morally or under international law.17.08.2011 Visiting Vice Premier Li Keqiang, on behalf of the Chinese central government, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, greeted the Hong Kong people on Wednesday evening in his address at a welcoming dinner hosted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government.17.08.2011 A chemical plant implicated in a major dumping investigation in Southwest China has admitted to storing huge amounts of toxic waste for decades, authorities said on Tuesday.16.08.2011 A grassfire in bone-dry central Texas was 50% contained early Tuesday after consuming 15 homes, the state forest service said.16.08.2011 China's State Administration of Taxation (SAT) said on Monday that a widely-circulated document concerning revisions on the country's individual income tax law was forged.15.08.2011 The University of North Dakota is one step closer to retiring its nickname and mascot, but changing the school's 90-year-old Native American moniker -- the Fighting Sioux -- has not been without complications.14.08.2011 At a summer camp in central Florida, students learn the fundamentals of flying an airplane -- not just from a computer simulator, but from an actual airplane cockpit.14.08.2011 Investigators in southwest China's city of Kunming have found that a local official who was recently implicated in a group sex scandal was a victim of extortion. Two suspects have been detained, local police said.14.08.2011 A decade ago, the most favored medium for Chinese people to air their complaints was perhaps through the state-owned China Central Television network.14.08.2011 Local officials seeking profits from land sales are behind China's recent golf course boom, despite a seven-year-old central government ban on the development of new courses, industry insiders say.14.08.2011 Less than 10 percent of couples in the capital city get premarital health checkups, and this has led to an increase in birth defects over the past five years, according to a city health official on Friday.13.08.2011 A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has promised to create more favorable conditions for overseas Chinese professionals who are willing to return to China.12.08.2011 An official in southwest China's Yunnan Province has been dismissed from his post after images showing him taking part in group sex were posted online, local disciplinary authorities confirmed on Thursday.11.08.2011 A court in central China's Henan Province sentenced seven more people to sentences ranging from one to 10 years in prison for selling illegal pig feed additives to farmers, sources with the court said Thursday.10.08.2011 Enlarge image
(© Bundesarchiv)
Fifty years ago the Berlin Wall was erected between East and West, dividing the country and the people. Countless lives were affected by the building of the Wall.10.08.2011 The top charity in China denied on Monday that officials at the organization use cars that are too extravagant for government standards, saying such claims are "nothing but rumors".09.08.2011 Texas and Oklahoma suffered through their warmest months on record as persistent heat scorched central and eastern states from May to July.09.08.2011 The chief official of west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has ordered a harsh crackdown on religious extremists in the region's latest clampdown on terrorism.08.08.2011 Press Release08.08.2011 The shooting down of a Chinook helicopter in central Afghanistan with the loss of 38 lives -- most of them U.S. Navy SEALs -- highlights two crucial aspects of the conflict in Afghanistan, as U.S. forces begin to draw down and Afghan security forces start taking the lead.08.08.2011 A 64-year-old man died Sunday during the swim portion of Sunday's Nautica New York City Triathlon, according to officials.08.08.2011 China is vowing to harshly crack down on sex-selective abortion for non-medical purposes in order to balance sex ratio in a country that traditionally holds that male heirs can ensure their families' bloodline is preserved, according to a government plan released Monday.08.08.2011 Millions of hectares of arable land in central, eastern and southern parts of China are lying unattended in winter as villagers shun agricultural life, experts said.05.08.2011 An official in Central China's Henan province has been suspended after sex video images of him were posted online by a woman who accused him of taking advantage of her, local authorities said Thursday.05.08.2011 China's top economic planner on Thursday denied claims that it has allowed cooking oil manufacturers to raise their prices in recent months.04.08.2011 The number of middle-income residents will increase to half of China's urban population around 2023 as a result of the country's growing economy, local media reported Thursday.04.08.2011 The recent violence that jolted northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region shows marks of religious extremism, which -- if not effectively checked -- will continue to fuel bloody attacks throughout the volatile and ethnic-diverse region, Chinese experts say.03.08.2011 A peacock which had escaped from its home at the Central Park Zoo returned to its own Wednesday, the Wildlife Conservation Society told CNN.03.08.2011 China's kung fu town of Dengfeng, where the famed Shaolin Temple is located, aims to merge its kungfu schools into a martial arts conglomerate able to provide top-rated shows and training for the overseas market, a local official said Wednesday.03.08.2011 Striking cab drivers protested for a third day Wednesday in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, demanding more benefits even though the government has pledged to hike fares.03.08.2011 Driving through China's countryside a decade ago, it was not uncommon to see harsh-sounding family planning slogans painted on the sides of buildings.03.08.2011 The two suspects who fled after a violent terrorist attack Sunday afternoon in China's far western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been shot dead by police, Xinhua reported, citing local authorities.02.08.2011 Drowning in debt and unable to seek concessions from city employees, the struggling Rhode Island city of Central Falls filed for bankruptcy Monday.02.08.2011 More heat is in store for much of the U.S. heartland.02.08.2011 The strike of cab drivers continued in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Tuesday, as more than one hundred drivers and hundreds of other people gathered outside a local police station demanding for release of detained protestors.02.08.2011 The State Council, or China's Cabinet, asked the country's central government departments earlier this year to publicize their spending on overseas trips, vehicles and receptions, three items that are commonly believed by the public to be sources of corruption and waste.02.08.2011 A group of religious extremists led by militants trained in overseas terrorist camps was behind the weekend attack on civilians in China's far-western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that left 6 dead and 15 others wounded, the local government said Monday.01.08.2011 The official website of China's Ministry of National Defense, www.mod.gov.cn, kicked off its full operation on Monday after two years of trial operation.01.08.2011 Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said Sunday during an unannounced visit to Afghanistan that he doesn't know whether soldiers will continue to receive paychecks if an agreement over the U.S. debt ceiling cannot be reached.01.08.2011 China will steadily reform national defense and the army and constantly modernize the military forces, said China's Minister of National Defense.01.08.2011 To fight corruption at the grassroots, China's central authorities have issued the first regulations forbidding township and village officials from appropriation of land, embezzlement and vote buying.01.08.2011 As of Sunday, 19 families of passengers that died in the high-speed train crash in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, had agreed to accept compensation.30.07.2011 Zhou Yizhong, former mayor of Kaifeng in central China's Henan Province, resigned as a national legislator following allegations of corruption and bribery.30.07.2011 An explanation by railway authorities for last Saturday's high-speed train crash has raised more doubts about what happened and about the government investigation.30.07.2011 KFC China yesterday admitted that its soybean milk was made from liquid concentrate or powder, after an outcry from Chinese consumers who felt they were being cheated.30.07.2011 Family planning officials in several villages in central China are turning a blind eye to villagers breaking the nation's population control rules in order to collect fines later so they can meet the quotas for fines set by the authorities.30.07.2011 The vice president of the China Overseas Friendship Association said here Friday that the retirement of the Dalai Lama has a deceptive nature.30.07.2011 A presidential commission charged with addressing what to do with the nation's nuclear waste is recommending that a new "federal corporation" be created to solve the problem.29.07.2011 This year the curtain at Bayreuth Festival Theatre rises for a milestone anniversary: the world-famous Bayreuth Festival, celebrating the music of Richard Wagner, will be held for the 100th time.29.07.2011 The Red Cross Society of China yesterday announced an online information system allowing people to track their donations.29.07.2011 More than 300 doctors from about 20 provincial regions across China on Thursday left Beijing for Tibet, where they will offer free surgery to children with congenital heart disease and people with cataracts.28.07.2011 A tropical storm watch was in place for much of the Texas coast early Thursday as Tropical Storm Don churned into the central Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said.28.07.2011 Some private hospitals in Guangdong province are providing medicines that stimulate ovulation to women who are trying to bypass the family planning policy by having multiple births.27.07.2011 A 14-year-old American citizen has been found guilty in a Mexican court of torturing and beheading at least four people and kidnapping three others.27.07.2011 A total of 89 kidnapped infants were rescued and 369 suspects arrested in two major human trafficking cases this month, police authorities announced on Tuesday.26.07.2011 Wang Yi, director of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, will visit the United States from July 27 to 30, his office said Tuesday in a statement.26.07.2011 Burying parts of the wreckage from Saturday's deadly high-speed rail accident was a part of the rescue operation and not an attempt to hide evidence, a spokesman for the Ministry of Railways said.26.07.2011 One person was given a suspended death penalty and four others got jail terms on Monday for knowingly producing and distributing the fat-burning drug clenbuterol for use in pig feed.26.07.2011 A light helicopter crashed in the suburbs of Beijing Monday evening, killing one pilot, local police said.26.07.2011 A total of 199 million Chinese rural residents had joined the country's rural pension insurance program by the end of June, an official of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) said Monday.25.07.2011 Apple Inc. has submitted plans to New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board to open a new store in Grand Central Terminal, potentially bringing in $5 million in revenue for the MTA, officials said.25.07.2011 A bus catches fire on a highway joining Beijing and Zhuhai on July 22, 2011. 25.07.2011 Police have confirmed the identities of 19 out of 41 victims who were killed in a bus fire early Friday in central China's Henan Province.24.07.2011 Clint Hurdle had lost his mind. What other explanation made sense, after the man chose the Pittsburgh Pirates when he might have been manager of the New York Mets?24.07.2011 An old woman in a state of depression murdered her 8-month-old granddaughter in south China's Hunan Province last month, stirring up public concern regarding the mental health of the country's elderly population.24.07.2011 China's Central Military Commission (CMC) conferred the rank of general on six senior military officers on Saturday, bringing the total number of China's generals to 191.24.07.2011 The State Administration of Work Safety said late Saturday that local governments and work safety departments must make intensified efforts in preventing major deadly accidents.24.07.2011 A court in North China's Hebei province on Friday sentenced Zhang Chunjiang, former deputy general manager of China Mobile, to death with a two-year reprieve, after he was found of taking bribes.23.07.2011 Chinese public is getting its first glimpse into what central government departments spend on official receptions, vehicles and overseas trips - the subject of most suspicions concerning misuses of public money.23.07.2011 A bus catches fire on a highway joining Beijing and Zhuhai.22.07.2011 President Hu Jintao said the government will continue its proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy in the second half of this year, with stabilizing prices as a priority.22.07.2011 Artist Lucian Freud, known for his thick application of paints in painstakingly created, highly stylized portraits, has died at the age of 88, his publicist said Thursday. He died Wednesday night of an unspecified illness at his home in London.22.07.2011 Renowned scientist Wang Daheng, who was the founder of China's optical engineering, died on Thursday at the age of 96 in Beijing.21.07.2011 The blistering heat wave that has brought stifling conditions to much of the United States broke 55 record highs on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said Thursday. That's more than 1% of all temperature records in the country.21.07.2011 The scorching temperatures affecting almost half of the U.S. population isn't just causing heatstrokes -- it's also causing people to feel drained and more susceptible to other health problems. The humidity can wreak havoc and feel suffocating to people who have breathing or heart-related problems.21.07.2011 China's State Council, the Cabinet, on Wednesday ordered a crackdown on illegal land grabs and forced demolitions while ensuring no decline in the country's farmland.20.07.2011 The dangerous heat wave blamed for as many as 13 deaths spread into the eastern United States on Wednesday, extending its reach across nearly half the U.S. population, officials said.20.07.2011 A former vice mayor in southwest China's Guizhou Province rejected rumors that his family went to Beijing to submit a petition after his daughter was raped by a senior official.20.07.2011 Chronic allergy and asthma sufferers experience symptoms which are challenging to treat and whose cause is very often difficult to identify. Carlo Pergola of the University of Jena has been awarded the international "Nunzio Pascale" research prize for his pioneering work to find a new medication to treat suffering patients.19.07.2011 A man facing federal charges of attempting to evade airport security by boarding a cross-country flight without a valid boarding pass or identification pleaded not guilty Monday.19.07.2011 The government is planning to raise the higher education gross enrollment rate in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region to 30 percent in less than five years, meaning that three out of every ten Tibetan students will enter college by 2015, local officials said Monday.18.07.2011 The "dangerous" heat wave baking the central United States is expected to extend its reach eastward in the coming week, and ultimately cover most of the eastern part of the country, the National Weather Service said Monday.18.07.2011 A delegation of the central government led by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrived Sunday in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, to attend a series of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation.18.07.2011 China has strived to protect human rights of all social groups while honoring its National Human Rights Action Plan.18.07.2011 A total of 24 of the 98 central departments have disclosed their expenses for "overseas trips, receptions, and purchase and maintenance of official vehicles" amid rising public calls for transparency of government expenditure.17.07.2011 Rainstorms and floods in China have killed 355 people since June 1, according to the National Disaster Reduction Committee on Saturday.16.07.2011 China will experience a satisfactory autumn grains harvest, providing no major natural disasters occur, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).16.07.2011 The Red Cross Society of China is hit by another two alleged scandals after a young female microblogger "Guo Meimei Baby," who claimed to be the general manager of "Red Cross Commerce," stirred national outrage by flaunting her extravagant lifestyle online.15.07.2011 Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang Friday pledged to propose measures to deal with Hong Kong's housing problem in his October policy address.14.07.2011 Searing temperatures kept a firm grip on more than a handful southern states Thursday as forecasters warned of new areas of excessive heat for the weekend.14.07.2011 Enlarge image
Foreign Minister Westerwelle called the resolution an "an important step forward."
(© Photothek / Grabowsky)
In New York Westerwelle stated that children were the most vulnerable group in armed conflicts. “That is why the international community has to ensure better protection of children in such situations,” he continued. On 12 July, the German Foreign Minister chaired the open debate in the UN Security Council in which Resolution 1998 (2011) on improving the protection of children in armed conflicts was unanimously adopted.14.07.2011 A retailer of international brand furniture, which has recently been suspected of selling poor-quality fake foreign products at high prices, has insisted it does not play foul with buyers but has admitted "faults" in its employees' sales tactics.13.07.2011 A blistering heat wave retreated to the south Wednesday, bringing some relief to the Ohio Valley and northeastern United States.13.07.2011 Over the past 60 years, Tibet has witnessed a historic leap in its economic and social development, thanks to the care of the Chinese Central Authorities and the support of the whole nation, says a white paper titled "Sixty Years Since Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" issued on Monday.13.07.2011 A warehouse in Wuhan caught fire on Tuesday.12.07.2011 A dangerous heat wave slowly began to ease in the nation's heartland even as it spread into the Northeast, the National Weather Service said.12.07.2011 A top military official on Monday confirmed for the first time in public that China is building an aircraft carrier.11.07.2011 If the still raging fires didn't destroy their homes, New Mexico residents could be done in by flash flooding this monsoon season -- the ravaged landscape heightening the danger, and likelihood, of mudslides and other problems.11.07.2011 A heat wave is building and could reach dangerous levels in parts of the Midwest, the Plains and the Southeast this week.11.07.2011 China's National Audit Office (NAO) has never "underestimated or omitted the country's local government debt burden," a NAO spokesman said on Monday, reiterating its debt figures were correct and reliable.11.07.2011 Police in central China's Hubei Province confirmed on Sunday that 26 people aboard a bus and a truck had died after a rear-end collision on July 4.09.07.2011 Tibet is now in its best period of development, Chinese leaders said, while visiting an exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet on Friday.09.07.2011 Provincial branches of the Red Cross Society of China have been found charging learner drivers a fee for non-existent "rescue training," in a further chapter in the charity organization's ongoing credibility crisis.09.07.2011 Several prominent civil rights groups filed a class action lawsuit Friday challenging Alabama's new anti-illegal immigration law, the latest such legal effort aimed at similar bills passed in various states.08.07.2011 China's central government budgeted 5.92 billion yuan (about 914.92 million U.S. dollars) for vehicle purchases and maintenance in 2011, the Ministry of Finance said Friday.08.07.2011 Hong Kong broadcaster Asia Television Limited (ATV) has apologized for broadcasting an erroneous report of the death of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin on Wednesday night.08.07.2011 Many of the nation's universities are struggling with mounting debts, according to a recent ranking of their financial health by ifeng.com.08.07.2011 Almost all China's central government departments, excluding the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST), failed to publish their expenses for "overseas trips, vehicles and receptions" by the end of June, a deadline set by the State Council, or cabinet.07.07.2011 The State Council, or the Cabinet, said Wednesday that local government debt is relatively heavy and has potential risks, which needs high attention.07.07.2011 Escalators were taken out of service on the Beijing Metro following an accident yesterday that left a 13-year-old boy dead and 30 people injured, three seriously.06.07.2011 Safety fears have been raised over the newly opened cross-sea bridge, the world's longest, that links China's eastern port city of Qingdao to an offshore island, Huangdao.05.07.2011 After celebrating the 90th anniversary of its founding on July 1, the Communist Party of China (CPC) helped foreign diplomats understand the significance of General Secretary Hu Jintao’s commemorative speech.05.07.2011 The country's top work safety watchdog and China's health and labor ministries have jointly called for efforts to be stepped up to protect laborers on excessively hot days and ensure they are not forced to work in conditions that might expose them to heatstroke or accidents.05.07.2011 The Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday held a briefing for foreign diplomats in Beijing on President Hu Jintao's speech on the CPC's 90th founding anniversary.04.07.2011 Mexican authorities said Monday that they had arrested a Zetas drug cartel leader who was connected with the killing of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent this year.04.07.2011 Central government departments' spending on vehicle purchases and maintenance totaled 6.17 billion yuan (about 954.21 million U.S. dollars) in 2010, the Ministry of Finance said Monday.04.07.2011 Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Monday on whether Casey Anthony killed her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.04.07.2011 The State Council, China's Cabinet, has approved the arrest of two senior executives responsible for a gas leak that killed 37 people in Yuzhou of central Henan Province in October 2010.04.07.2011 Copies of a speech made by China's top leader Hu Jintao on the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) have been popular, according to booksellers on Sunday.03.07.2011 China's top work safety supervisor on Saturday ordered local government departments to severely crack down on illegal production and construction at mines and other work sites to prevent deadly accidents.03.07.2011 Police and fire departments across China will begin a five-year campaign to reduce losses caused by fire, vowing thorough canvassing of potential fire risks nationwide and faster emergency responses.03.07.2011 Rousing speeches by gifted orators such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were crucial to the struggle for civil rights in America.03.07.2011 Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Political and Legal Affairs, speaks at the 19th plenary meeting of the CPC Central Commission for Political and Legal Affairs in Beijing, capital of China, July 1, 2011. [Pang Xinglei/Xinhua]A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has urged the nation's judicial authorities to address complex social conflicts and uphold social stability in a "timely and practical manner."02.07.2011 A total of 151 provincial-level officials and ministers have been audited as of the end of 2010, the National Audit Office (NAO) said at a news conference on Friday.02.07.2011 Central government agencies spent 9.47 billion yuan ($1.46 billion) in 2010 on publicly financed vehicles, official receptions and overseas trips, according to the Ministry of Finance.02.07.2011 He Guoqiang, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, left Beijing Saturday morning for an official goodwill visit to France, Poland, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran.02.07.2011 President Hu Jintao made stability a cornerstone of future growth at Friday's grand gathering to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).02.07.2011 The top leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Hu Jintao, hailed China's social and economic achievements under the Party's leadership in a keynote address on Friday, yet trenchantly criticized the problems that may sour its governance.02.07.2011 Celebrations have festooned nationwide for the 90th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Party officials used the occasion to warn against complacency and urged members to "serve the people wholeheartedly."01.07.2011 Enlarge image
Peter Wittig (C), Germany's ambassador to the United Nations (Archive)
(© dpa/pa)
Germany has taken over the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council in what will be an eventful month. Alongside the changes sweeping the Arab world, work will focus primarily on South Sudan’s imminent declaration of independence. Speaking on the eve of Germany’s month as President, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said, “The architecture of the world is undergoing dramatic changes – and this has to be reflected in the work of the United Nations.”01.07.2011 Natural disasters killed 279 people in June and left 93 others missing, according to figures released by the National Disaster Reduction Commission on Friday.01.07.2011 Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, an exhibition is now on display at the Beijing Cultural Palace of Nationalities until July 8. The exhibition opened on June 15.01.07.2011 The Communist Party of China (CPC), chosen by history and the people, has accomplished three major events since its formation 90 years ago, President Hu Jintao said Friday. [More about Hu's speech]01.07.2011 Illegal parking management companies are still operating in Chaoyang's Central Business District (CBD), even though traffic authorities claim they have shut down 24 illegal parking lots in the past month in a parking regulation campaign.30.06.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao and other senior leaders joined an audience of more than 5,000 people on Wednesday at a gala to commemorate the 90th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC).30.06.2011 Ninety years after its formation, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has grown from an over 50-member revolutionary Party to an 80-million-strong political party ruling over the world's most populous country.29.06.2011 President Hu Jintao has urged party committees at various levels to learn from past experience in serving the people and curbing corruption in order to maintain the party's "advanced nature."29.06.2011 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has begun the first steps toward determining whether two species of cave-dwelling bats warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.29.06.2011 Young Chinese join the Communist Party of China (CPC) not for a quick path to wealth or power, but to realize the value of life, grassroots Party workers and members said.29.06.2011 China's charity system is paying a high price for its lack of transparency.28.06.2011 Susan River is surrounded by fire.28.06.2011 Finance Minister Xie Xuren said on Monday that the country's central government expenditures exceeded revenue in 2010, resulting in a fiscal deficit of 800 billion yuan (123.52 billion U.S. dollars), about 50 billion yuan less than the annual budget.28.06.2011 Enlarge image
Chancellor Angela Merkel
(© Press and Information Office of the Federal Government; Chaperon)
The heads of state and government of the European Union are determined to stabilize the euro as a whole and to keep it stable. They hope to achieve this through systematic consolidation programs in Greece, Portugal and Ireland, as well as through additional community aid for Greece, from public and private funds. “The euro is our common currency,” Chancellor Angela Merkel affirmed in Brussels on June 24.28.06.2011 The Supreme Court said Monday it will take another look at government efforts to regulate profanity and sexual content on broadcast television.27.06.2011 Enlarge image
The Free University's new Philological Library was designed by Sir Norman Foster.
(© picture-alliance/dpa)
Thanks to funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Freie Universität Berlin will be opening a new Collaborative Research Center (CRC). The German Institue of Nutrition Research in Potsdam-Rehbrücke, the Max Delbrück Center for Moledular Medicine in Berlin-Buch, and the joint medical school of the Freie Universität and Humboldt-Universität will all be participating.27.06.2011 Nearly 200 taxi drivers went on strike in Zhengzhou, the capital city of central China's Henan Province, on Monday morning to air their complaints about the unfair recall of their operator's licenses by a local taxi company.27.06.2011 Senior Chinese leader He Guoqiang on Sunday urged anti-graft officials nationwide to draw on past experience and resort to renovation to push forward the country's fight against corruption.27.06.2011 Duplicates of historic Communist Party of China (CPC) documents including a handwritten Communist Manifesto of China in 1920 went on display at the Beijing Exhibition Center on Sunday.26.06.2011 China established a national laboratory for hybrid rice research Saturday in central Hunan Province, aiming to cultivate rice that will bring yields of 15 tonnes per hectare.26.06.2011 Songs, stories and sites awash with revolutionary red are no longer merely spiritual assets in China but a potential source of revenue in the hands of today's business-orientated managers.25.06.2011 The swollen Souris River is expected to crest this weekend after already topping its record water level on Friday, giving no respite to the thousands of people in North Dakota whose homes have been inundated by floodwater.25.06.2011 China's individual income tax system should be amended to reduce tax burdens for the country's middle-income earners, a senior expert in finance and economics said.25.06.2011 A wildfire forced the evacuation of 70 to 80 homes in central Oklahoma on Friday, emergency officials said.25.06.2011 The Communist Party of China (CPC) has more than 80.269 million members by the end of 2010, said a senior official Friday at a press conference in Beijing. 24.06.2011 The summer flooding in Minot, North Dakota, will enter record territory Friday morning as the Souris River surges toward a peak, days ahead of original forecasts by the National Weather Service.24.06.2011 Chinese authorities are working to improve post-imprisonment services for ex-convicts by providing them with education, jobs and social counseling to prevent them from turning back to a life of crime.23.06.2011 After saying Casey Anthony's parents do not believe she is innocent of charges she killed her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in 2008, an attorney representing George and Cindy Anthony issued a statement Thursday clarifying his remarks.23.06.2011 A man accused in the shooting death of four people inside a pharmacy in New York will be arraigned Thursday on murder charges.23.06.2011 The top anti-graft body of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said on Wednesday that it has no timetable to implement the much-anticipated asset declaration system for officials due to technical reasons.22.06.2011 As a legion of firefighters battle the stubborn Wallow Fire in east central Arizona and west central New Mexico, colleagues in 10 other U.S. states also have their hands full with dozens more wildfires.22.06.2011 The Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) on Wednesday allocated 175 million yuan (26.92 million U.S. dollars) to help victims of rain-triggered floods in Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and Sichuan provinces.22.06.2011 Residents in Minot, North Dakota, have until Wednesday evening to leave their homes after authorities ordered the evacuation of some 12,000 people from the area because of expected record flooding.22.06.2011 A passenger bus crashed into a car, killing two and injuring 23 at the entrance of a tunnel in the central province of Hunan on Tuesday, local officials said Wednesday.22.06.2011 Beijing officials will explore additional ways for talented people from outside the capital to acquire the city's hukou (permanent residency permit), as long as the applicants accumulate enough grading points, according to a proposal passed on Monday by the city's political advisers.22.06.2011 Former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun is still under investigation, said a senior official with the discipline watchdog of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Wednesday.22.06.2011 Tangxia township government officials in the city of Dongguan, Guangdong province, have recently come under heavy criticism after local media exposed the luxury villa homes they have built in recent years. The officials are suspected of having abused their power to gain the right to land use at very low prices so they could have their luxury villas built.22.06.2011 Wildfires burning across more than 1.4 million acres in the United States have forced the evacuation of 1,800 homes and businesses in one Texas county and claimed the lives of two firefighters in Florida, authorities said Tuesday.22.06.2011 Authorities have ordered the evacuation of some 12,000 people from the city of Minot, North Dakota, and surrounding areas because of expected record flooding, officials said Tuesday.22.06.2011 Wildfires burning across some 1.4 million acres in 12 states have forced the evacuation of 1,800 homes and businesses in one Texas county and claimed the lives of two firefighters in Florida, authorities said Tuesday.21.06.2011 The German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) New York was opened on February 19, 2010, by Federal Minster of Education and Research Annette Schavan and German Ambassador to the United States Klaus Scharioth. 21.06.2011 Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou (left) announced on Sunday that his current "premier", Wu Den-yih, will be his running mate when he seeks re-election as "president" next year. [Wang Yuanmao / for China Daily]20.06.2011 The Supreme Court put the brakes on a massive job discrimination lawsuit against mega-retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc., saying the plaintiffs had not shown justification for sweeping class-action status that could have potentially involved hundreds of thousands of current and former female workers.20.06.2011 The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is resolutely opposed to nationalizing the military, a senior PLA officer has said, urging the PLA to unswervingly uphold the principle of the absolute leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over the military.20.06.2011 Murals unearthed from the tomb of Princess YongtaiRare murals at least 1,100 years old that were unearthed from tombs in northwest Shaanxi Province debuted publicly Monday at a newly-opened exhibition hall in Xi'an.20.06.2011 China's top legislator Wu Bangguo has called for promoting "leapfrog development" and "lasting stability" of northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during his four-day visit of the far western area.20.06.2011 Twelve tourists, including two from the Republic of Korea, were slightly injured after two small electric trains collided Saturday in a well-known sightseeing spot in central China's Hunan Province, a local government source said Sunday.19.06.2011 Heavy rains and ensuing floods continue to batter southern China Saturday, taking their toll in at least three provinces.18.06.2011 A U.S. soldier captured in Afghanistan in 2009 has received his second promotion while in captivity, U.S. Central Command announced Friday.18.06.2011 They've breached or busted the websites of the CIA, PBS and the U.S. Senate, and launched at least part of an extended attack on Sony, whose PlayStation Network was brought to a grinding halt for the better part of a month.18.06.2011 Phillip and Nancy Garrido have started serving sentences in separate California prisons for their roles in the abduction and rape of Jaycee Dugard, the state's corrections department announced Thursday.17.06.2011 China's central authorities on Thursday upgraded its emergency response to level 4 -- the highest-- and sent disaster relief teams to Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces -- where heavy rainfall has triggered serious floods claiming lives.17.06.2011 The death toll has climbed to 37 in Wangmo County in southwest China's Guizhou Province since the downpours started on June 3, leaving 15 others missing and 1,715 injured, local authorities said Thursday.17.06.2011 Corrupt officials used eight major methods to transfer illegal assets overseas, said a report released on Monday by China's central bank.16.06.2011 Enlarge image
(© colourbox)
Twenty young journalists from all over the world are invited to apply for a 10-day trip to the FrankfurtRheinMain region in Germany's central Hesse state to focus on the topic of science and research.16.06.2011 China's central government on Wednesday discussed policies to boost overall development of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, pledging especially to lift the living standards of local residents, improve ecology, and maintain social stability.16.06.2011 Health authorities in Beijing said Wednesday that they had not yet received any reports of tick bite infections from hospitals in the city following reports that a woman and some pets had been bitten.16.06.2011 More than 77,000 people have been evacuated in China's eastern and central provinces of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui and Hubei, which have been hit by a new round of rainstorms since Tuesday.16.06.2011 Policemen examine drugs found with 18 young people in a nightclub in this file photo.14.06.2011 Rain-triggered flooding and landslides in south China have left 105 people dead and 63 more missing over the past 10 days, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday.14.06.2011 The Chinese government on Monday launched a week-long campaign throughout the country which aims to make the public think more about food safety.13.06.2011 China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin delivered a keynote speech Sunday morning at the third Straits Forum, the largest annual platform for mainland-Taiwan exchanges, in southeast China's coastal city of Xiamen.12.06.2011 Authorities in a rain-drenched central China province said on Sunday that a landslide that killed 12 people and left seven others missing earlier this week was not triggered by man-made causes.12.06.2011 Top Chinese political advisor Jia Qinglin said Saturday that the sound development of relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan "must be maintained" and "progress must be advanced."12.06.2011 Six girls, including five primary school students, drown in a pond in central China's Hunan Province Saturday, local authorities said.12.06.2011 The South University of Science and Technology of China has received local government approval for its own regulation of university management, which is considered the first "basic law" for a Chinese university.11.06.2011 Enlarge image
(© dpa - Report)
In recent years Germany's former federal capital Bonn has become an important UN location - 18 of the 25 UN offices in Germany are to be found on the UN Campus there.10.06.2011 Rain and floods battered central and eastern China Thursday night and Friday, killing 44 people and leaving 33 others missing in the provinces of Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi.10.06.2011 China's new rural cooperative medical care system now covers 832 million people, with rural residents getting larger reimbursements for their medical bills, a health official said Friday.10.06.2011 China's flood death toll continued to rise Friday, with 15 more confirmed dead in the central Hunan Province alone.10.06.2011 A photo of a woman covered in blood hit the Internet yesterday afternoon. According to online media reports, she is an employee of China Central Television station (CCTV). Rumor has it her nose and face were slashed yesterday by an aggrieved stranger lying in wait outside the CCTV compound.10.06.2011 The industry insiders said that overseas families wishing to adopt a Chinese child almost always make donations to the welfare home, leading homes to put up more children for adoption and resort to illegal practices to find more children, Xinhua reported.10.06.2011 One out of every eight residents in the city of Lhasa is over the age of 60, according to a recent government survey.10.06.2011 The chief procurator in a county of central China's Hubei Province resigned Thursday following the death of a people's congress deputy, local authorities said.10.06.2011 Confiscated explosives stored in a police office in central China accidentally set off on Thursday, leaving a police driver dead and two others injured, local authorities said.09.06.2011 East Room09.06.2011 After going through a fierce selection process, conducted through written texts and interviews that took nearly half a year to complete, Xiao Jing, 33, has finally made his way from being a village Party head to becoming a senior township official.09.06.2011 Red songs are no longer the exclusive property of Southwest China's Chongqing municipality.The whole nation has begun a musical campaign to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, which falls this year.09.06.2011 China on Wednesday unveiled a nationwide development strategy based on regional environment and resource capacities, in a renewed bid to balance economic growth with natural conservation.09.06.2011 A high school graduate fell to his death from a dormitory building Tuesday in central Hunan Province ahead of the national college entrance examination, local authorities confirmed Wednesday.09.06.2011 The central government is requiring that compensation for properties reclaimed for demolition equal at least the market price to protect property owners' rights and interests and reduce related conflicts.08.06.2011 Floods have killed 52 people and left 32 missing in China since the flood season started in June, a senior official said Wednesday, warning of more heavy rains.08.06.2011 Rain-triggered floods have killed 24 people in China over the past week, with three new deaths reported in east China's Jiangsu Province, the local government said.08.06.2011 Middle managers are feeling blue in Beijing due to a lack of trust and power given to them by bosses, suggests a poll released on Tuesday.08.06.2011 The local legislature in Shanghai Tuesday reviewed a draft regulation ordering strict control of food additive use by food producers.08.06.2011 Enlarge image
Nominations for the Teacher of Excellence Award are currently being accepted.
(© picture-alliance / Image Source )07.06.2011 Democratic leaders took the initiative Monday to go after one of their own, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, hours after he admitted to lying about posting an explicit photo on his Twitter account and carrying on inappropriate relationships with women he'd met online.07.06.2011 The chief of an anti-corruption bureau in central China's Hubei Province was suspended Tuesday following the death of a people's congress deputy, local authorities said.07.06.2011 The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has published its first list of military equipment suppliers as an endeavor to expand reforms concerning the procurement of the military equipment.07.06.2011 China's far western Xinjiang region will earmark 50 billion yuan (7.7 billion U.S. dollars) for poverty alleviation in the next five years, a local official said Monday.07.06.2011 The mainland's largest antibiotics producer, based in Northeast China, has ignored repeated complaints by local residents concerning nauseating smells emanating from its factory, according to media reports.07.06.2011 An official and people's congress deputy in a central China city died Saturday while under investigation over corruption charges, local authorities said Sunday.06.06.2011 The third week of the Casey Anthony murder trial gets under way Monday.06.06.2011 About 16,000 people were swiftly relocated during a recent rainstorm in the city of Loudi in central China's Hunan Province, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.06.06.2011 The driver of a minivan has been arrested for killing three students and a pedestrian and injuring 20 others in a road accident in northeast Beijing.05.06.2011 With an increasing number of people seeking thrills in the great outdoors, injuries and even deaths are climbing. Jiang Xueqing looks at how teams step up to help.05.06.2011 The mainland's top quality watchdog has stepped up its ban on imports of products from Taiwan that have been contaminated by an industrial chemical used to soften plastic packaging.05.06.2011 Jia Qinglin (L front), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, who is also chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, visits residents of ethnic minorities in Maoping Village, Morong Town of Guzhang County in central China's Hunan Province, June 2, 2011. Jia paid an inspection visit in Guizhou Province, Chongqing Municipality and Hunan from May 31 to June 4. [Yao Dawei/Xinhua]Chinese top political advisor Jia Qinglin has called for more efforts to boost the development of a central mountainous region as he wraps up a five-day inspection tour in the area Saturday.05.06.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (1st L) speaks while presiding over a seminar concerning the anti-drought efforts that are currently underway in provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, June 4, 2011. [Li Tao/Xinhua]Premier Wen Jiabao on Saturday called for stronger efforts to combat a lingering drought that has dried up lakes and withered crops in the country's central and eastern provinces.05.06.2011 All Party officials working in China's villages, towns, urban communities and neighborhood committees will attend a training session on "social management" in order to address prominent social problems, safeguard citizens' rights and promote social fairness.04.06.2011 Thousands of school children in Beijing have begun an unprecedentedly long summer vacation this week as primary and middle schools are undergoing revamps to help buildings stand up to earthquakes.04.06.2011 A latest survey shows that housing pressure has resulted in 24.8 percent of China's urban youth postponing marriage, and another 21.3 percent postponing having children.04.06.2011 Han Qunfeng, sits in a court in Dongguan, Guangdong province, on Thursday. She is charged with murdering her twin sons on Nov 20.03.06.2011 State officials pledged to help western Massachusetts residents rebuild Thursday, a day after at least two tornadoes tore through the region.03.06.2011 Local prosecutors have quashed an indictment against seven villagers in northern Hebei Province who stood accused of extorting authorities for compensation in a land acquisition dispute four years ago.03.06.2011 Twenty-seven students in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province were sickened Wednesday in a suspected case of food poisoning, authorities said Thursday.03.06.2011 College graduates may soon have the chance to change their permanent residence permits to any place they work except four municipalities - Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing.03.06.2011 Authorities denied media reports that China is going to write off trillions of yuan in local government debt to reduce mounting risks of local government bankruptcy.02.06.2011 On this pageGerman Economy TodayGerman Economy BasicsGerman Economy Today1. In its annual projection for 2011, the German government forecast GDP to grow this year at a real rate of 2.6 percent. Thus, the German economy is growing substantially faster than the eurozone average.02.06.2011 The Chinese government will ensure that all computer software used by its 135 central government agencies is authorized and legitimate by the end of May, the National Copyright Administration (NCA) said Thursday.02.06.2011 Three officials in a Sichuan Province county have been removed from their posts over the misuse of 81.68 million yuan (US$12.57 million) of post-quake reconstruction funds and the construction of an illegal real estate project.01.06.2011 Authorities in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Wednesday began an overhaul of its coal industry in the wake of the death of a herder who was dragged to death by a coal truck.01.06.2011 Live online on Thursday: A mother stands trial for killing her disabled twin sons at a central Guangdong Province city.01.06.2011 More than 1,600 people within a 10-mile stretch of central Florida's Atlantic beaches have been stung in the past week by a distinctive species of jellyfish not indigenous to North America, a rescue official said Tuesday.01.06.2011 A Beijing Capital Airport Expressway manager threatened her for a story about toll trickery, a China Central Television (CCTV) reporter claimed on Sunday.01.06.2011 Beijing's daily license plate restrictions are to be extended to include bad weather conditions, major events and festivals, according to a municipal work plan released on Tuesday.31.05.2011 Carbon emissions from energy use reached a record level last year, up 5% from the previous record in 2008, the International Energy Agency said.31.05.2011 The Chinese government is carrying out a nationwide investigation into the status of official motor vehicles in a bid to reform the way in which they are purchased and used.31.05.2011 Seven people died and 23 others were injured, including six in critical condition, after a bus overturned inside an expressway tunnel in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, local traffic police said Tuesday.31.05.2011 Hundreds of people trying to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend on Atlantic beaches in central Florida encountered an unwelcome surprise: swarms of purplish, stinging jellyfish.31.05.2011 President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Gen. Martin Dempsey, the relatively new Army chief of staff, to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.30.05.2011 The Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday called for strengthening and innovation in social management so as to address prominent social problems and safeguard the rights of Chinese citizens and promote social fairness and justice.30.05.2011 As the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) approaches, the International Communication Office of the CPC Central Committee announced Monday it will hold a series of press conferences for domestic and international media on the Party's history and development as part of the celebration.30.05.2011 Severe storms pounded south-central Michigan Sunday, knocking out power to more than 100,000 customers and cutting a path of destruction through the city of Battle Creek, officials said.30.05.2011 In a small village tucked into the rugged mountains in east China's Jiangxi Province, every household has a board indicating a person's name, workplace and mobile phone number on the door.29.05.2011 A newly-published 100-volume collection of works on Buddhist medicine was unveiled Saturday at the Shaolin Temple, the shrine of Kong Fu in central China's Henan Province.29.05.2011 A severe drought from April has affected some 34.83 million people in five provinces along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River as of Friday, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.27.05.2011 Severe weather that pummeled large sections of the central United States this week largely spared the eastern third of the country even as the U.S. heartland counted the devastating toll to its communities.26.05.2011 China's national social science research fund will be "used more efficiently" in order to create a stronger and more effective research database, an official said on Thursday.26.05.2011 Forecasters warned thousands to take cover as severe storms pummeled parts of Arkansas and Tennessee early Thursday, while communities in neighboring states picked up the pieces after tornadoes cut a path of destruction a day earlier.26.05.2011 About 1 million copies have been sold of a new book on the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) since being published on Jan. 11, said a statement Thursday.26.05.2011 People purchasing large amounts of prepaid cards will soon have to reveal their real names.26.05.2011 Federal authorities began closing portions of central Louisiana's Morganza Spillway as the swollen Mississippi River receded Wednesday, reducing the need to divert water down another waterway.26.05.2011 Ex-International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has a new place to stay under house arrest -- a luxury townhouse in New York's tony Tribeca, according to a source with knowledge of his whereabouts.26.05.2011 Has the Republican Medicare plan undermined the GOP's 2012 election hopes?26.05.2011 Low-altitude flight restrictions for small planes will be reduced but stricter management will ensure public safety, authorities said.25.05.2011 China's State Council, or Cabinet,acknowledged that getting jobs remains a tough challenge for many college graduates and efforts must be made to help them.25.05.2011 The Government Offices Administration of the State Council has established a website for purchasing genuine software in an effort to crack down on pirated software used by government departments.25.05.2011 Severe weather rampaged across the U.S. heartland, claiming at least 10 lives across Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma, in what has already become a historic spring storm season.25.05.2011 Severe weather's assault on middle America continued Tuesday, as tornadoes and thunderstorms pulverized communities and claimed at least six lives in Oklahoma and Kansas.25.05.2011 A man allegedly killed his mother-in-law and three other family members before committing suicide on Tuesday in central China's Hunan Province, according to local authorities.25.05.2011 Two foreigners were injured and some 500 people evacuated after a high-rise hotel in the Chinese capital caught fire Tuesday afternoon, according to local firefighters.24.05.2011 A vast roster of international political and business leaders flocked to Ma'anshan, Anhui Province on May 23 for the opening ceremony of the fourth annual Global Outsourcing Summit.24.05.2011 An injunction that seeks to prevent people from repeating a past offense is beginning to pick up steam in China.24.05.2011 China's top meteorological authority on Monday said a prolonged drought is to continue during the coming week throughout the country's southern regions along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.24.05.2011 Thousands of jubilant Irishmen and women gave U.S. President Barack Obama a virtual hero's welcome Monday, embracing him as one of their own in a visit that included a campaign-style speech in downtown Dublin and a stop at the president's ancestral home.24.05.2011 Chinese prosecutors have launched investigations on 57 government staff involved in food safety cases this year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Monday.24.05.2011 The death toll rose to three Sunday from the Friday explosion at a Foxconn factory in Chengdu, Sichuan Province as authorities announced an investigation was still under way and provided no information on the victims.23.05.2011 Enlarge image
Green sauce galore: Many shades are achieved when different chefs prepare "their" own version of green sauce.
(© picture-alliance/dpa)
Grüne Soße (Green Sauce) is a traditional Hessian dish with a recipe dating back almost 2,000 years which is especially beloved in the German financial and trade fair center Frankfurt am Main.23.05.2011 Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned last week as head of the International Monetary Fund in the face of sexual assault charges, told the fund's staff of his "profound sadness and frustration in having to leave under these circumstances" in an e-mail obtained by CNN.23.05.2011 He's tweaked defense attorneys that potential jurors should be brought in from homeless shelters to boost diversity, sternly chastised lawyers for talking over one another, and pushed against having jury members continually shuttled in and out "like a Pop-Tart."23.05.2011 Tibet is "an inseparable part of China" and "its fate has always been closely linked with that of the motherland," said China's top political advisor, Jia Qinglin, at a symposium marking the 60th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation on Monday.23.05.2011 At the foot of the stunning red-and-white Potala Palace, under the five-star flag, pilgrims prostrate themselves on the ground, falling to their knees and then lying flat on their stomachs.23.05.2011 Nearly 200 unemployed and employed workers held a news conference in Beijing Sunday demanding their employer offer reasons for shocking overnight layoffs.23.05.2011 China's tollway system, widely criticized for overcharging shipping companies and the public that uses the roads, employs too many workers and is inefficient, some recent reports suggest.21.05.2011 China's anti-corruption chief, He Guoqiang, on Friday ordered enhanced supervision on the implementation of policies concerning the country's initiative to adjust its economic growth pattern so as to root out corruption from the source.21.05.2011 The Dalai Lama's retirement will have little effect on the Tibet Autonomous Region, said the regional government's top official on May 19, 2011 at a press conference in Beijing.20.05.2011 As the run-up to the 2012 U.S. elections gains momentum, Hispanic Americans may prove to be an especially influential political force. According to a new report, the political mobilization of U.S. Hispanics is an increasingly mobile (as in cell phones) phenomenon.20.05.2011 China's State Council has ordered a prompt special investigation into land expropriations and house demolition practices around the country, in order to put an end to illegal forced demolitions.20.05.2011 Seven people were injured after a five-storey building under construction collapsed Thursday in central China's Hubei Province, said rescuers.20.05.2011 Rescuers are seen at the collapse site of the five-storey building under construction Thursday in Central China's Hubei province. [Xinhua]A body was pulled out and seven others were injured after a five-storey building under construction collapsed Thursday in Central China's Hubei province, said rescuers.19.05.2011 Enlarge image
A member of Amnesty International holds a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
(© picture-alliance/ dpa)
The German section of Amnesty International (AI) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the organization with a “Festival for Human Rights” on May 27 at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of World Cultures) in Berlin. The climax of the celebrations is the presentation of the 6th Amnesty International Human Rights Award to Abel Barrera Hernández of Mexico. He is the founder of a human rights centre that investigates cases of disappearances and attacks carried out by the army on the indigenous population.19.05.2011 Tibet's top government official on Thursday called the 14th Dalai Lama's "exile government" an illegal organization and ruled out talks with or about it.18.05.2011 Enlarge image
Meeting with the King of Morocco
(© Moroccan Foreign Ministry)
Against the background of the upheavals in North Africa, Foreign Minister Westerwelle has again visited the Kingdom of Morocco. First, in Marrakech he visited the location of the recent terrorist attack on a popular café, to pay tribute to the victims. King Mohammed VI received him for an audience. The German Federal Foreign Minister held further political talks in the capital Rabat.18.05.2011 Mexican authorities said they found and detained more than 500 illegal immigrants from Central America and Asia who were crammed inside two tractor-trailers heading toward the United States on Tuesday.18.05.2011 Three managers of a steamed bun production factory in Shanghai were officially arrested Tuesday for producing and selling shoddy products.18.05.2011 China is likely to suffer the worst energy crisis in years as power shortages have gripped many parts of the country in recent months. There are also growing concerns that the country's economic growth may suffer.18.05.2011 Enlarge image
(© dpa - Bildfunk)18.05.2011 Materials taken from Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan confirm that the al Qaeda leader communicated with the Yemen-based group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, according to a U.S. official familiar with the ongoing U.S. analysis of the documents.17.05.2011 A gas leak killed eight miners in a coal mine in central China's Hunan Province on Tuesday with the last four missing miners found dead in the afternoon.17.05.2011 The Party's top member-managing and discipline-inspecting departments have jointly sent supervisory teams to 14 provinces and autonomous regions to ensure there is no misconduct during the local leadership reshuffles as officials at various levels finish their five-year terms.16.05.2011 Unleashed by its U.S. Army minders, the Mississippi River poured across Louisiana lowlands Monday on its way to inundate thousands of homes and businesses as the Corps of Engineers fights to spare Baton Rouge and New Orleans.16.05.2011 Local land departments were urged to monitor forced demolitions and evictions in a notice issued by the Ministry of Land and Resources last Friday.16.05.2011 Restaurants in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality will now be required to disclose detailed information about the additives they use in their hot pot dishes, as part of a move by the government to crack down on the use of illegal additives.16.05.2011 A civilian helicopter crashed Monday morning while spraying pesticide in suburban Beijing, police said.16.05.2011 From 24-hour complaint hotlines to instant detectors, local governments in China are struggling to battle the illegal use of food additives following a string of food scandals, Xinhua reported.15.05.2011 The funeral for Li Desheng, former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and member of China's Central Military Commission, was held here Saturday.14.05.2011 An autopsy is scheduled Saturday for New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard, whose body was discovered a day earlier in his Minneapolis apartment, a medical examiner said.14.05.2011 With the opening of a major spillway all but certain in Louisiana, residents in the flood zone made preparations for the consequences of the decision.14.05.2011 Some Chinese enterprises have misused or fraudulently acquired subsidies assigned by the central government to boost energy efficiency, the nation's top auditing office said on Friday.14.05.2011 The company that manages the 591-year-old Forbidden City, one of China's most famous historical sites, denied allegations made by a famous TV anchor Friday that there is an exclusive club for the world's wealthiest people based in one of its compounds.14.05.2011 Enlarge image
(© dpa / picture-alliance)
Starting in May 2011, German schools abroad that have been deemed worthy by a Federation-federal state inspection team will be awarded the “Excellent German School Abroad” quality seal in the form of a certificate signed by Federal President Christian Wulff.13.05.2011 Eastern China is the most vulnerable part of the country - both economically and geologically -- to the threat of natural disasters, according to a new national risk map.12.05.2011 China has launched a special campaign to regulate the use of public funds for government vehicles, in a bid to reduce unnecessary public spending in this area.12.05.2011 A total of 92 senior Chinese officials met in Beijing for a ministerial-level seminar about food safety management, as the country carries out its largest crackdown on food safety hazards to date.12.05.2011 Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, poses for a group photo with performers after a gala event marking the third anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake in Beijing, capital of China, May 11, 2011. [Xinhua]11.05.2011 All the electric gates of modern apartment buildings in Kaifu District of Changsha City are kept wide open. Once closed, they wouldn't open again because of an ongoing power shortage.11.05.2011 Authorities on Tuesday published enforcement procedures for the Party's Integrity Guidelines, which supervise leading officials.11.05.2011 As the Mississippi River rises in Memphis, one group of students and teachers are distracted by some good news.11.05.2011 A Florida judge dismissed a batch of potential jurors in the Casey Anthony murder trial Tuesday because several members had discussed the case in the jury room.10.05.2011 Courts across China on Monday sentenced to jail at least nine drunken drivers who were the first to be caught after the country's newly-amended Criminal Law penalizing drunk driving took effect on May 1.10.05.2011 Shi Yongxin, the annot of Shaolin Temple.[File photo]08.05.2011 China's top political advisor urged the mainland and Taiwan to promote regularized and upgraded economic cooperation for the people's benefits on Saturday.07.05.2011 Police in central China's Henan Province said they had retrieved 109 relics after they broke up a tomb-robbing gang.07.05.2011 The Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum, a regular forum between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, opened Saturday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.06.05.2011 Three years after the devastating earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province, China has continued to sharpen its disaster reduction awareness and capacity.06.05.2011 Authorities ordered more evacuations near the Mississippi and Ohio rivers as flood waters continued to surge early Friday, drenching farmlands, highways and homes.06.05.2011 A California Republican group censured one of its own Thursday, saying her words and actions since sending an e-mail last month depicting President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee have been potentially offensive, damaging and insincere.06.05.2011 Although he had already taken care to pack all of his belongings, Liu Youshan looked around several times at his empty home on Thursday, afraid he might have forgotten something.05.05.2011 A set of guidelines for resolving social conflicts and disputes, has been jointly issued by 16 government departments and was made public on Wednesday.05.05.2011 Johnny Spann was driving down the road listening to music Sunday when he got the call: Turn on the news.04.05.2011 Navy SEALs live by an unspoken code.04.05.2011 The State Council, or China's Cabinet, on Wednesday pledged to increase both the depth and scope of Party and government financial information released to the public in a bid to enhance public transparency.04.05.2011 Hundreds of thousands of catering industry employees in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, may soon receive more pay because of a contract recently signed by members of a local labor union and their employers.04.05.2011 China is working on creating a more comprehensive national identity card and database for mainland citizens to improve the efficiency of maintaining social order, a Communist Party-run magazine has reported.04.05.2011 Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday urged Chinese youths to work hard and be persistent in achieving their goals while he spent more than two hours chatting with young people on the eve of China's Youth Day.03.05.2011 The United States has adopted numerous measures to make itself safer since al Qaeda slammed planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.03.05.2011 Less than a week after an epic outbreak of violent weather ripped across the South, officials in Alabama are still tallying the dead and trying to restore power.03.05.2011 In an attempt at improving the offerings on television, authorities plan to restrict TV stations' ability to run shows aimed at nothing but entertainment and revise the system used to measure the success of programs.02.05.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday visited a low-income housing construction site in eastern Beijing, extending Labor Day holiday greetings to workers and stressing the central government's determination to stabilize prices of the real estate and to advance a healthy development of the sector.02.05.2011 Senior Chinese official Li Changchun has called for greater efforts to be made to reform the system that hinders the development of the country's cultural sector and boost the transformation of cultural development system.02.05.2011 The current drop in vegetable prices that is causing so much hardship to farmers in China is due to the lack of an information platform to guide farmers to plant according to market demand, industry insiders and experts said.01.05.2011 For a man who considered himself "the ultimate insider" in Washington, Robert Gates made no secret of his desire to become an outsider.01.05.2011 Senior Chinese leader Zhou Yongkang has called for more efforts in enhancing social administration to ensure a vibrant, harmonious and stable society.30.04.2011 Four officials in Shanghai have been punished for dereliction of duty in relation to a recent food safety scandal involving steamed buns, local authorities said Friday.30.04.2011 Chinese Ambassador to Canada Zhang Junsai said Thursday that China's 12th Five Year Plan tells people about the orientation of China's future development, and encouraged his guests to take a closer look at the plan.30.04.2011 Chinese Meteorological authorities said Saturday that strong wind and sandstorm will hit parts of north China over the next 24 hours and storms will sweep the country's eastern provinces.30.04.2011 Strong winds whipped up wildfires in central, south and west Texas Friday, complicating efforts to bring various blazes there under control.29.04.2011 Following an expected 48-hour delay, six astronauts are set to blast off into space Sunday on the space shuttle Endeavour. It's the orbiter's last voyage and the second-to-last mission in the 30-year-long space shuttle program.29.04.2011 A disciplinary official in Luoyang City, central China's Henan Province, fell to his death Thursday afternoon from his apartment, the provincial public security department said Friday in a statement.28.04.2011 Analysts and sources say a combination of experience working with the CIA in the field and political considerations are behind President Barack Obama's expected nomination of Gen. David Petraeus to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.28.04.2011 China began a routine "health check" on the Gezhouba Dam, the first water control project on the Yangtze River, on Wednesday.28.04.2011 The Dalai Lama moved one step closer to "retirement" on Wednesday when his self-declared "government-in-exile" picked a new "leader" – a Harvard graduate who has never been to Tibet.28.04.2011 Eight people died and 17 others were injured in a blast that ripped through the homes of coal mine workers and nearby villagers in Central China's Henan province Tuesday evening, a local official said Wednesday.28.04.2011 China will stick to and improve its current family planning policy and maintain a low birth rate, President Hu Jintao has said.27.04.2011 In the most extensive reshaping of the Obama administration's national security team to date, the president will name CIA director Leon Panetta as his nominee to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary, a senior defense official and another U.S. official said Wednesday.27.04.2011 Another round of severe weather is expected to sweep the eastern third of the country Wednesday, hours after a series of tornadoes, baseball-sized hail and flooding left a trail of destruction in four states and killed at least one person in Arkansas.27.04.2011 Another round of severe weather was ripping through parts of the South Wednesday, packing several possible tornadoes, killing at least one person and leaving a trail of destruction and damage.27.04.2011 Senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Jia Qinglin will attend the cross-Straits forum on economy, trade and culture next month in China's southwest city of Chengdu, said a mainland spokesman Wednesday.27.04.2011 Milk products that were previously suspected of sickening 251 pupils in northwest China's Shaanxi Province were found to be free of toxins or other potential contaminants, a local government commission said Tuesday.27.04.2011 The drafting of a nuclear energy law is high on the State Council's legislation agenda for this year as people raise questions about the safety of reactors following the nuclear crisis in Japan.26.04.2011 At least five people are dead and 14 homes destroyed after a rash of severe weather that tore through Arkansas on Monday.26.04.2011 The central government will begin collecting fees for waste disposal and introduce a compulsory recycling system for packaging sometime in the next few years.25.04.2011 A truckdriver's reckless driving led to a thirteen-car accident which left five dead and six injured in the city of Changsha in central China's Hunan Province on Monday, local police said.25.04.2011 For years, Jeff Ragsdale was in and out of jail, high on drugs and alcohol, and homeless.25.04.2011 State Councilor Liu Yandong (center right) attends the Global Summit of University Presidents and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities' 15th Annual Presidents Meeting at Tsinghua University on Saturday, where she delivered a keynote speech.25.04.2011 Two food poisoning cases in Hunan and Shaanxi provinces over the weekend sent more than 300 people to hospitals for treatment.24.04.2011 Luis Posada Carriles told CNN recently he would "be gentle" with a newspaper reporter who accused him of masterminding decades of violent terrorist attacks in Central America, several to overthrow Fidel Castro.23.04.2011 A North Carolina produce company has issued a recall for cucumbers because they could be contaminated with salmonella.23.04.2011 Acting at the request of an air traffic controller, the pilot of a Southwest Airlines B-737 pulled within one-tenth of a mile of a small, four-seat aircraft last month to check on pilot of the smaller plane, who had not responded to radio calls, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.22.04.2011 Kindergartens in China will be prohibited from parents' sponsorship or contribution fees as a precondition to enrollment or collecting extra fees beyond those approved by the government, according to a set of guidelines issued Thursday by several ministry-level departments.21.04.2011 Six people were arrested this week and accused of luring a 15-year-old boy to a Florida home, shooting him several times, burning his body in a fire pit and putting the remains into paint cans, authorities said.21.04.2011 Xu Zongheng, former mayor of China's southern boomtown of Shenzhen, stood trial Thursday on charges of taking bribes, according to a local court in central China.20.04.2011 A new terrorism warning system will provide the public with information on specific threats, replacing the color-coded alerts put in place after the September 11, 2001, attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday.20.04.2011 If you needed any evidence that landlines are waning, here it is: According to new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one-fourth of all U.S. households use only wireless phones.20.04.2011 Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock said Tuesday his office is looking into the charity run by best-selling "Three Cups of Tea" co-author Greg Mortenson, following reports that key stories in the book are false.20.04.2011 Massive flames, thick smoke and widespread damage marked parts of the Possum Kingdom Lake area between Graham and Graford, Texas, on Tuesday after one of the largest fires plaguing the state more than doubled in size.19.04.2011 Authorities in central China's Henan Province gave prison terms to 61 officials involved in the three most deadly colliery accidents in the past two years, according to the local authorities on Monday.19.04.2011 China is striving to increase the average Chinese wages by 15 percent annually in a bid to achieve a two-fold increase in pay by the end of 2015, the Ministry of Human Resource and Social Security (MHRSS) said according to a report in the Jinghua Times Tuesday.19.04.2011 Members of a body that advises the State Council have added their voices to Premier Wen Jiabao's and called for the government to strengthen law enforcement and supervision to reverse the trend that has seen a growing number of scandals involving food safety.19.04.2011 Addressing NATO Foreign Ministers, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized the international community’s determination “to put an end to Gaddafi’s war against his own people," stressing that each of the Ministers must make their own contribution to implementing Resolution 1973, both militarily and non-militarily. She added that the crucial issue was to find a political solution for Libya.19.04.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has called for increased efforts to heed public opinion in formulating government policies, saying the government will create conditions to encourage people to speak truthfully.18.04.2011 The Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration announced on April 17 that it will apply to the central government for permission to build a duty free zone in a resort of Pudong District.17.04.2011 Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage went on a drunken tear in New Orleans' French Quarter Friday night that ended with his arrest on several charges, including domestic abuse battery, according to a police spokesman.16.04.2011 A technician checks a high-tension wire on April 11 to ensure that mineshafts at a coal mine company in Huaibei, Anhui province, are receiving power in a safe way. [Huang Shipeng/China Daily]16.04.2011 Should Mexican drug cartels be considered terrorist organizations? They murder, plot, kidnap, and dismember bodies. They're also responsible for shootouts, explosions, fires and other atrocities.15.04.2011 A powerful storm system pushed its way into the Southeast early Friday after tearing across the Plains, killing at least five people in Oklahoma and Arkansas, authorities said.15.04.2011 China's Ministry of Science and Technology published its annual budget for 2011 on Thursday, with detailed explanations to address public concerns on such issues as government spending on official trips and use of official cars.15.04.2011 A food safety official in Shanghai on Thursday apologized for the contaminated steamed buns scandal, pledging a thorough investigation and harsh punishment.15.04.2011 China is planning a "New Silk Road" that will run through Central Asia and continue into Europe facilitating improved transport and trade.15.04.2011 Enlarge image
The NATO Foreign Ministers in Berlin on April 14
(© Thomas Köhler, Photothek.net/AA )
For the first time since 1996, the NATO Foreign Ministers are meeting Germany. During the two-day meeting in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin on April 14 and 15 important topics will be discussed: perspectives for Libya and Afghanistan, the reform of the Alliance’s partnerships, and the review of NATO’s deterrent and defence posture.15.04.2011 Police in Shanghai have arrested five managers of a steamed bun baking factory that was allegedly involved in adding illegal chemicals to steamed buns to cheat customers, Xinhua reported.14.04.2011 A significant tornado outbreak could be in store for parts of the southern and central Plains, as well as the Deep South, thanks to a powerful storm system intensifying over the middle of the country.14.04.2011 Enlarge image
(© picture-alliance/ dpa)
Frankfurt is famous as a modern financial metropolis easily accessible via some of the world's busiest air, rail and road networks.14.04.2011 China will launch a two-month campaign beginning the middle of this month, to crack down on "illegal" publicity activities on the Internet.14.04.2011 China's high-speed railways will run at a slower speed than previously expected, according to the newly appointed railways minister.14.04.2011 China will launch a two-month campaign beginning the middle of this month, to crack down on "illegal" publicity activities on the Internet.13.04.2011 Perspectives for Libya and Afghanistan as well as the reform of the Alliance’s partnerships –these are the important topics for the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting April 14 and 15 in Berlin. The “spring meeting” is the first NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Germany since 1996.13.04.2011 Even after 19 years of teaching, Peng Xiaohui still isn't sure how to really turn people on.13.04.2011 The illegal use of land in China is likely to become more common this year since regional governments still encourage economic growth that relies heavily on the use of land for construction projects, the country's land watchdog and analysts said.13.04.2011 About 50 foreign diplomats caught a close glimpse of the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s top disciplinary body Wednesday, learning about the progress of the Party's anti-corruption efforts.12.04.2011 Chinese police said Tuesday they have detained 96 people for producing, selling or using clenbuterol and confiscated over 400 kg of the fat-burning drug in central Henan Province after a tainted pork scandal was exposed last month.12.04.2011 Luoyang has decided to open many of its government office toilets to the public starting April 1.12.04.2011 A system implemented a year ago in Chongqing, aimed at keeping track of what government officials get up to outside working hours, has drawn criticism from web users over its costs.12.04.2011 The Obama administration is considering Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, as the next possible CIA director, an administration official confirms to CNN. The official would not be identified because no announcements have been made about upcoming personnel decisions.12.04.2011 A local couple has been held responsible for intentionally tainting milk that killed three children and sickened 36 others in Pingliang, Northwest China's Gansu province, a government official said on Monday.12.04.2011 The Chinese central government has spent 18 billion yuan (2.75 billion U.S. dollars) over the past two years renovating and consolidating buildings at 65,000 middle and primary schools across the country, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Monday.12.04.2011 A team of 80 coal miners and support staff members finished a 48-hour stay inside an underground refuge chamber in a coal mine in North China's Shanxi province on Sunday, marking success for the country's first manned test of a refuge chamber for underground coal mines.11.04.2011 The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee on Monday notified the public of two discipline violation cases in local elections.11.04.2011 Police in Central China's Henan province have brought 95 people implicated last month in a tainted pork scandal into custody and have successfully solved the case, Henan public security authority announced over the weekend.10.04.2011 A number of security lapses in an airport shuttle system in New York is raising concerns among some Port Authority officers and state senators.10.04.2011 A wave of tornadoes swept across Iowa Saturday night, including a twister that caused enough damage to prompt Gov. Terry E. Branstad to issue a disaster proclamation in one of the state's westernmost counties.10.04.2011 Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman and Taiwan incumbent leader Ma Ying-jeou is very likely to be the only KMT candidate to run for next year's election of the island's leader.10.04.2011 The police of central China's Henan Province announced Saturday that they have closed investigations on the tainted pork in a subsidiary of China's largest meat producer.09.04.2011 A last-minute agreement averted a government shutdown late Friday, but analysts say the high-stakes standoff revealed persistent issues that Washington still must address. CNN Opinion asked a number of regular contributors and guests for their views.09.04.2011 If you like spy thrillers, Sudoku and the daily crossword puzzle, you might want to try this: help the FBI crack a secret code.09.04.2011 A 10-hectare tomb for former Chairman Hua Guofeng will soon be finished but Internet users are debating its 100 million yuan ($15 million) price tag.08.04.2011 The Navy identified Thursday the two crew members who died when their F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed during a training flight in central California.07.04.2011 The census is inherently political, even if most people don't see it that way.07.04.2011 This Chinese business hub is doing more to attract young migrant workers to replenish a labor pool that has become smaller as the local population gets older and the birth rate remains low, a senior population official has said.06.04.2011 A member of a law firm who called for more transparency of information on government cars has expressed her dissatisfaction with figures issued by Beijing government agencies.06.04.2011 Chinese ministries began in early April to issue their budget plans for the year to meet a goal of giving the public a glimpse into their finances, even though critics might contend the budgets fall short of providing enough detail.06.04.2011 Consumers who were sent into a panic recently after a banned and hazardous additive was found in pork are facing up to the fact that the same substance may also be tainting lamb.04.04.2011 The Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief Wang Yi met with Wu Poh-hsiung, honorary chairman of Taiwan-based Kuomintang (KMT) Party, in Shaanxi Province Sunday.04.04.2011 China's State Council, or Cabinet, on Saturday asked local governments not to abuse a reform of rural land use to forcibly occupy the land by demolishing homes of farmers against their will.03.04.2011 At the end of last year, departments and institutions of the Beijing municipal government owned a total of 62,026 vehicles, according to a statement by the city's financial authorities.02.04.2011 Revised regulations on guarding military secrets in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China will take effect on May 1, according to an order signed by Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission Hu Jintao.02.04.2011 Wan Long, board chairman of Shuanghui Group, apologizes at a meeting on Thursday to consumers for a tainted pork scandal.02.04.2011 Expecting to see the number of people living in Beijing increase by about half a million people a year for the next 10 years, city authorities are under pressure to bring the ever-expanding population in the capital under control.01.04.2011 Severe weather tore across central Florida on Thursday, causing damage and spawning an apparent tornado in Tampa, the National Weather Service said.31.03.2011 A farmer in central China's Hunan Province killed five people and injured four others on Thursday afternoon, local authorities said.31.03.2011 Authorities in the central Chinese city of Wuhan have released another "name-and-shame list" of rule breakers Thursday despite controversy over privacy.30.03.2011 In their bruising fight over collective-bargaining rights with Ohio's governor, police and firefighter unions have put their battle cry on a bumper sticker, "Help the Middle Class, Ticket Kasich."30.03.2011 Four-year-old Emily Ruiz flew first class from Guatemala to the United States Wednesday for a tearful reunion with her mom, dad and younger brother.30.03.2011 First, an 11-foot wooden cross was stolen from Saint John's Lutheran Church in Arroyo Grande, California.30.03.2011 Local authorities in east China's Anhui Province have defended the scale of a government building under construction after Internet users accused the building of being "eight times as large as the U.S. White House."30.03.2011 East China's Jiangsu Province revised its regulations for anti-quake measures and disaster relief on Tuesday, according to the legislative affairs office of the province.30.03.2011 Police in central China's Henan Province have detained a construction contractor after he led a group of 300 armed workers in demolishing the homes of 24 families.30.03.2011 A technician is getting pig urine samples to test for clenbuterol.29.03.2011 Think big -- really big -- and you may understand the stakes in an upcoming Supreme Court case that could have a profound impact on nearly every American business with employees.29.03.2011 Central China's Wuhan University doesn't profit from ticket sales to visitors wanting to take a stroll among the cherry blossoms on campus, a university spokesman said.29.03.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for increased consciousness and legal awareness to administrate the state in accordance with law and speeding up the building of a socialist country ruled by law.29.03.2011 The Dalai Lama's announcement of his plan to step down as the political head of the "exiled Tibetan government" is "a self-directed and played out farce", said Shingtsa Tenzinchodrak, a living buddha of Tibetan Buddhism, on Monday.28.03.2011 China's massive population of rural migrants has been excluded from receiving the full benefits -- from health care to education -- of China's rapid urbanization drive, despite their remarkable contribution to this drive, a senior agricultural official said.28.03.2011 Blind and excessive land exploitation in China's urbanization may partially contribute to the sharp decrease of the country's arable land and pose a threat to food security, a senior official has warned.27.03.2011 Despite reports that seven state government workers held the winning $319 million ticket in the Mega Millions lottery, as of Sunday, no one had come forward to claim the prize, a New York Lottery spokeswoman said.27.03.2011 The central computer system for Alaska Airlines was knocked out of service early Saturday morning when a transformer blew out, forcing the airline to cancel 15% of its flights, spokeswoman Bekha Green said.27.03.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao has urged all members of local units of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to strive for excellence in promoting scientific development, social harmony and serving the people.27.03.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday renewed his call to combat corruption, saying he believes corruption could disrupt social stability if it is not properly handled.26.03.2011 One lucky winner in upstate New York chose the right numbers in Friday night's Mega Millions lottery, in which last-minute ticket sales increased the jackpot from $312 million to $319 million, New York Lottery spokeswoman Carolyn Hapeman said Saturday.26.03.2011 The Chinese government is planning a new round of "pairing assistance" projects for the next five years in the western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, giving priority to housing projects, education, boosting employment and building industrial parks.26.03.2011 China's audit authorities said Friday that they had discovered violations involving 550 hectares of land being misused for construction projects.25.03.2011 The Chinese Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Wednesday that it has allocated subsidies worth 10 billion yuan (1.52 billion U.S. dollars) to help farmers renovate their dilapidated homes this year.24.03.2011 An investigation has been launched into a pyramid selling ring suspected of having entrapped almost 100 students in central China's Hunan Province, Legal Evening News reported yesterday.23.03.2011 Two children, who were the subject of an Amber Alert, have been found safe -- and authorities say they are key to an investigation into the death of two people in a south-central Kentucky home.23.03.2011 The Chinese central government will continue to tighten budgets for overseas junkets, receptions and cars to fight against extravagance in 2011, according to a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.22.03.2011 Officials in the Anhui Provincial Administration of Radio, Film and Television admitted on Monday that a large number of unauthorized broadcasting stations have been able to make illegal profits but said the misdeeds are not as serious as reports allege.21.03.2011 Last week on the freeway, a car did a 360 and crashed into the shoulder, right in front of me. I pulled over and called 911, then got out of my car and walked back along the road to make sure the driver was okay. No one else had stopped.21.03.2011 Why can't seismologists predict earthquakes? It's a question and a frustration that understandably springs to mind in the aftermath of a tragedy like the one that continues to unfold in Japan.21.03.2011 The authorities in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, have rolled out a controversial policy aimed at cracking down on bad behavior.20.03.2011 In spite of the fact that snow still covers his farmland, Jiang Chen has been busy stocking fertilizers and seeds to prepare for the coming spring farming season.20.03.2011 China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development announced on Friday that it would conduct inspections on the construction of affordable housing across the country in the third quarter of this year.19.03.2011 China's Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Friday that it has allocated 3.7 million yuan (about 564,024 U.S. dollars) for health and epidemic prevention efforts in quake-hit Yingjiang County in China's southwestern Yunnan Province.18.03.2011 Being looked after by his son and three daughters who live in the same community in Shanghai, Xia Hongqi, 91, is living his twilight years in the traditional Chinese way.18.03.2011 Three animal husbandry heads in central China's Henan Province have been suspended from duty, while other officials were in police custody after pigs tested positive to a chemical poisonous to humans, the provincial government said Friday.17.03.2011 A plant thought to have been abandoned exploded Wednesday, leaving two dead, two missing, in central China's Hunan Province, an official said Thursday.17.03.2011 Chinese scientists have discovered a previously unknown virus carried by ticks which led to at least 36 deaths in six provinces by last September, according to the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine published Thursday.17.03.2011 Nineteen pigs in central China's Henan Province have tested positive to having a banned additive in their urine, the city government said Thursday.17.03.2011 Four children were killed and three others seriously injured after a kindergarten bus overturned and fell off into a roadside pond in central China's Hubei Province Wednesday.17.03.2011 More than 40 percent of companies producing disposable lunch boxes for the Beijing market are supplying inferior and possibly dangerous products, according to a recent survey.16.03.2011 China's largest meat processor Shuanghui Group apologized Wednesday after an illegal additive was allegedly found in meat products in an affiliate of the company.16.03.2011 REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT15.03.2011 A rural Pennsylvania community will say goodbye Tuesday to seven children who were killed when their parent's farmhouse went up in flames last week.15.03.2011 Dawa, a 48-year-old peasant in a small village in the Tibet autonomous region, has seen many recent changes in both his house and life.15.03.2011 Xiao Gu, a resident of Zhangjiajie city in Central China's Hunan province, has been bothered in recent days by a disappointing attempt at shopping online.15.03.2011 Five Somali men were sentenced Monday to life plus 80 years in prison for engaging in piracy and related offenses in last year's attack on a U.S. warship in the Indian Ocean, federal officials announced Monday.14.03.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met the press 12.03.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday urged the armed forces to provide solid security guarantee for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.12.03.2011 The families of victims from a moderate quake that hit a densely inhabited town in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Thursday will get 10,000 yuan($1,515) in compensation, the China News Service reported Friday.12.03.2011 China will not change its plan for developing nuclear power projects but will learn a lesson after a massive earthquake in Japan resulted in a radioactive leakage, Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Zhang Lijun said Saturday.12.03.2011 Judicial organs across the country have improved self-supervision and tightened procedural examination to prevent wrongdoing and ensure justice, the country's top prosecutor and judge said on Friday.12.03.2011 Chinese legislators and political advisors on Friday called on the whole society to cherish the current social stability and harmonious situation and wholeheartedly build a stronger nation.12.03.2011 China's chief justice Wang Shengjun on Friday said that courts in China last year endeavored to solve the evasion of court rulings.12.03.2011 Top legislator Wu Bangguo and other Chinese leaders on Friday joined in panel discussions with deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, during the NPC's annual session.11.03.2011 A coal mine gas explosion killed six workers and left three others missing in central China's Hunan Province Friday afternoon, local authorities said.11.03.2011 The Chinese government's centralized procurement center helped cut the procurement cost by more than 10.8 billion yuan (1.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the past five years, an official in charge of government purchasing said Friday.11.03.2011 The construction of extravagant cultural facilities as image boosters has not only wasted public money but also aggravated popular discontent, the country's top political advisers have said.11.03.2011 After calls by Internet users prevented a farmer from being wrongly sent to prison for life earlier this year, moves to make the provincial court system more open to the public gathered strength, said Zhang Liyong, head of the Higher People's Court of Henan province and a deputy to the National People's Congress.10.03.2011 Enlarge image
Secretary Geithner and Minister Schäuble take questions at a press conference in the German Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin on March 8.
(© Federal Ministry of Finance)
US Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner visited his German counterpart, Federal Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schäuble, at the German Ministry of Finance yesterday in Berlin. In addition to speaking about worldwide efforts to sanction Libya, Geithner praised the euro-zone reforms being implemented following the debt crisis and expressed assurance that the currency block would steady out.10.03.2011 Enlarge image
The annual ITB is one of the big events of the year in Berlin.
(© Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT))
The international travel sector is gathering in Berlin: at the world’s largest trade fair for tourism, the ITB, around 11,000 exhibitors from 180 countries are presenting the latest travel trends from March 9-13. In the 26 halls beneath Berlin’s Funkturm (radio tower) Asian countries are definitely more strongly represented than ever before, reflecting the importance of the tourism market as a major growth factor in the region. The ITB’s partner country for 2011 is Poland. Germany’s neighbour is presenting itself, among other things, as the host of the 2012 European Football Championship and as one of Central and Eastern Europe’s increasingly attractive tourist destinations. 10.03.2011 The Party chief of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, who was appointed in April last year, said on Tuesday that administering the region was a difficult task for him because the regional government had to not only concentrate on economic development and people's livelihoods but also face grave challenges in maintaining social stability.09.03.2011 Eight million more Chinese will be covered by urban basic health insurance in 2011, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said Wednesday.09.03.2011 Enlarge image
A child plays on the Tigerente in Erfurt.
(© picture-alliance/dpa)
She stands on four wheels, yellow and black stripes decorate her wooden body, and a human smile radiates from her kind face – the Tigerente or tiger duck is a figure found in almost every German nursery, kindergarten, elementary school, and daycare center. She was invented by Janosch, one of Germany’s most famous children’s book authors, who turns 80 on March 11.09.03.2011 China's labor shortage is expected to spread to central and western regions, from eastern coastal areas, amid a rising demand for workers, the human resources minister said on Tuesday.09.03.2011 The central government will require an additional three years of use for official vehicles for ministers and governors to reduce the costs of purchasing new cars, media have reported.08.03.2011 Police in Spain found the body of missing U.S. college student Austin Taylor Bice, 22 early Tuesday in Madrid, authorities said.08.03.2011 China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said Tuesday that newly added jobs in urban areas reached over 57 million during the 11th Five Year Plan period, up 35.7 percent from the previous five years.08.03.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao and other senior leaders on Sunday joined panel discussions respectively with national legislators at the annual parliamentary session in Beijing Sunday.08.03.2011 By the end of 2011 China-made supercomputers will bid farewell to foreign microchips and start using their own "Chinese core", according to one of the country's leading scientists, Hu Weiwu.07.03.2011 The government is determined that China should adopt a more balanced and sustainable path of growth in order to improve public livelihoods and the distribution of wealth over the next five years, a development blueprint has revealed.07.03.2011 Readjusting income distribution in China in a reasonable manner was both a long-term task and an urgent issue to address at present, said Premier Wen Jiabao Saturday in his government work report delivered to the annual parliamentary session in Beijing.06.03.2011 Premier Wen Jiabao delivers a report of government work05.03.2011 Eighty-one-year-old labor historian Ken Germanson watches the news from home in Milwaukee every night, mystified.05.03.2011 You could barely hear the dismissal buzzer over the sound of the pressure cleaner. But as school officials tried to spruce up their campus a bit, the buzz inside the hallways was almost as loud.05.03.2011 Finance authorities in this southern city said the 16th Asian Games and Asian Para Games last year had not left the city a huge monetary hole.04.03.2011 Supporters of a proposed high-speed rail system in Florida hope to get the project back on track Friday -- the deadline to accept $2.4 billion in federal funds.04.03.2011 Expat student numbers rise in China04.03.2011 China plans to change its system of distributing social aid to make needy people in both urban and rural areas better able to cope with a continuous rise in consumer prices seen since July.03.03.2011 Firefighters were hoping to take advantage of calmer winds Thursday in battling a Florida wildfire, after gusty winds caused the flames to spread Wednesday night, officials said.03.03.2011 The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top advisory body, will convene its annual session at 3 p.m. Thursday.03.03.2011 Firefighters battling a central Florida blaze were scrambling to get ahead of gusty winds that could hamper efforts to battle the fire, which has burned more than 16,000 acres and closed a stretch of Interstate 95 for a time Wednesday.02.03.2011 Speech by Ambassador Klaus Scharioth at Boston College, Boston, MA02.03.2011 The Chinese government's capacity to secure food safety will be improved by constant efforts to solve problems in the field, especially in supervision, said a key official of the central government.02.03.2011 The country's economic and political achievements since the late 1970s owe to a unique socialism-featured development model, a government think tank said in a report Tuesday.02.03.2011 Another senior official within the Ministry of Railways has been removed from his job amid a probe into possible corruption.01.03.2011 Firefighters in east central Florida were battling a massive, fast-moving wildfire early Tuesday that shut down roads and threatened neighborhoods, authorities said.01.03.2011 Zhang Shuguang, former deputy chief engineer of China's Ministry of Railways (MOR) has been removed from office and placed under investigation over alleged "severe violation of discipline", the ministry said Tuesday.01.03.2011 China's reform of the cultural system does not mean the commercialization of culture, a senior official said on Monday.01.03.2011 A recent survey found some 70 percent of Beijing residents are reluctant to buy domestically produced infant formula because of food safety concerns, even though the latest official test report said there is "no significant difference" between domestic dairy products and their overseas rivals.01.03.2011 Observers have raised doubts about the complexity and effectiveness of a guardian project enabling parents to monitor their children's playing of online games.01.03.2011 Three planks of government policy essential to maintaining stability were laid out by Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday - closing income gaps, ensuring rural residents enjoy equal benefits and opportunities, and eradicating corruption.28.02.2011 A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Arkansas just after 11 p.m. Sunday (12 a.m. ET Monday), the United States Geological Survey said.28.02.2011 Some 70 percent of people choose imported milk powder as they lack confidence in domestic brands, according to a survey by China Central Television (CCTV), the Beijing Morning Post reported Monday.28.02.2011 Heavy winds and dry weather helped set off a rash of fires across a wide swath of north, central and west Texas on Sunday, state forestry officials said.28.02.2011 All reconstruction projects in mudslide-slammed Zhouqu County in northwest China's Gansu Province will be in full swing in April, local authorities said.27.02.2011 Before two pirate leaders departed the yacht where they held four Americans earlier in February, a maritime source says they left instructions: kill the hostages if we do not come back from negotiations.26.02.2011 Some 190,000 local residents in central China will be resettled this year to make way for the country's south-north water diversion project, a senior official said on Friday.26.02.2011 Finance authorities in this southern city said they will unveil an official breakdown of the spending on the Asian Games at an appropriate time after criticism from local legislators who are claiming the sporting spectacle left the city in a huge hole.25.02.2011 Termination notices have been sent to every teacher in the Providence public school system, setting off a wave of anxiety and anger in the Rhode Island city and prompting a union leader to accuse the mayor of anti-union maneuvering.25.02.2011 Liu Zhijun25.02.2011 Chinese people learned on Thursday just how much exercise they should be taking during the coming five years with the release of a set of guidelines for sporting activities known as the National Fitness Program 2011-2015.25.02.2011 Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday ordered local governments to increase funding for affordable housing projects, stressing that the construction of 10 million units was a mandatory task that must be fulfilled this year.25.02.2011 China started the second wave of free pre-pregnancy physical examinations in 120 pilot counties in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions on Thursday.24.02.2011 The latest draft amendment of the Criminal Law, which was submitted to the top legislature for third reading on Wednesday, calls for heavier punishments for people who produce and sell tainted and poisoned food.24.02.2011 The central government will launch a campaign to overhaul the country's large number of unlicensed kindergartens, said a senior official with the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Tuesday.24.02.2011 Enlarge image
(© colourbox)
Every computer and every piece of equipment connected to the internet needs an IP address (a number based on the internet protocol) to communicate. In view of the global growth of the internet, the world is running out of vacant internet addresses based on the current IPv4 standard. At the beginning of February, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology held a workshop on the current status of the move to the new standard (IPv6); it was attended by representatives of companies, business associations, the regional body issuing IP addresses for Europe (RIPE NCC), the Hasso Plattner Institute, and other ministries and administrations.24.02.2011 Villagers from Qinyang city in Central China’s Henan province perform a sedan chair lifting while walking on stilts on Feb 17. The performance is listed as local intangible cultural heritage. 23.02.2011 What is the proper response to tough questions from reporters? What should be emulated from the way Western governments hold news briefing during an emergency? How should a news conference be organized?23.02.2011 At least 515 officials were referred for prosecution or punished for corruption last year in Hainan Province, according to local authorities.23.02.2011 China will invest nearly 63 billion yuan (US$9.3 billion) on reinforcing more than 40,000 small reservoirs across the nation as part of its efforts to cope with the ongoing risks of drought and flooding.22.02.2011 Enlarge image
(© picture-alliance/dpa)
The 63rd annual Frankurt Book Fair, taking place this year from October 6 to 10, will attract vendors and visitors from all over the world.22.02.2011 Local pharmacies have stopped selling Nimesulide Granules, a children's anti-inflammatory drug manufactured by Hainan-based Honz Pharmaceutical, after it was linked to several deaths.22.02.2011 A total of 51 children afflicted by congenital heart disease in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region headed on Monday to Beijing, where they will receive free surgery sponsored by a charity organization.22.02.2011 Government officials who allow the use of pirated software in their offices will face censure amid a drive to promote authorized software.22.02.2011 Enlarge image
The exhibit features objects from the collection of the Leo Baeck Institute in New York.
(© Germany.info)
As part of the Embassy’s ongoing cooperation with the Leo Baeck Institute in New York, Ambassador Klaus Scharioth opened the third exhibition in his Residence featuring objects from the Institute’s vast collections on February 17. Under the title, “The Art of the Book,” the display is devoted to the rich contributions Jewish writers, illustrators, designers, publishers and collectors have made to literature, learning and literacy in Germany through the centuries.21.02.2011 The bones of 80 horses unearthed from the mausoleum of a Chinese emperor who lived more than 2,000 years ago have rekindled an ancient legend about blood-sweating "heavenly" horses from central Asia.21.02.2011 China's farmlands face a serious increase in pests this year, in addition to the current prevailing long-lasting drought, the Ministry of Agriculture said.20.02.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao Saturday urged officials to improve social management capabilities and make innovations in this regard so as to "ensure a harmonious and stable society full of vitality."19.02.2011 Hu Jianhua, 45, formerly an administrative official at a university in the east China province of Jiangsu, became the chief engineer of the Radio Film and Television Bureau in southwest China's Guizhou Province.19.02.2011 China should strive to gain more cultural soft power by discussing its current culture rather than lingering over its traditional culture, said one of the country's top think tanks on Friday.19.02.2011 Enlarge image
(© dpa)
Jens Weidmann, currently Head of the Economic and Financial Policy Division of the Federal Chancellery, is to be the new President of the Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank. Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that she had proposed Mr. Weidmann to the Federal President for this position."We have considered all the options open to us and decided on a good personnel package to ensure a strong, stable euro,” declared Angela Merkel. The Chancellor announced the decision to the press jointly with Vice-Chancellor Guido Westerwelle and Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.Next week the Cabinet will deal with the formal resolution on personnel decisions.Bundesbank President for StabilityThe Chancellor is convinced that Jens Weidmann will use his position as Germany’s representative to work for a culture of stability in Europe, she said.She also thanked the outgoing Bundesbank President Axel Weber for his excellent work. He was fully committed to precisely this culture of stability, she said. Professor Weber announced last week that he was resigning from the post.Jens Weidmann will be the eleventh Bundesbank President. Along with the central banks of the other euro zone states and the European Central Bank (ECB), the Bundesbank is responsible for the monetary and currency policies of the euro zone. It does not answer to the German government.19.02.2011 More than 300 teachers at public schools in a city in Central China have been missing from the classroom for the past two years but have still been claiming their government paychecks, according to an article from Xinhua News Agency.18.02.2011 Two human organ traders were sentenced yesterday by a Beijing court for their roles in deals worth 470,000 yuan (US$ 71,407).17.02.2011 Two former leaders of an elite Chinese university in central Hubei Province were sentenced Thursday by a local court to jail terms of 12 years and 10 years each for taking bribes from companies involved in campus construction projects.17.02.2011 The General Office of the State Council announced on Thursday that it had issued a document that outlines the work that the central government would carry out this year to advance medical reforms for the improvement of medical services to people both in urban and rural areas.17.02.2011 Wang Qinggen has spent the past 50 years of his life making lanterns, but now "flourishing business days" only stay in his memory as today's modern lifestyle in China has been watering down traditional celebrations during the Lantern Festival.17.02.2011 Beijing authorities will turn on 960 surveillance cameras at the historical city's parks and heritage sites to monitor fires on the Lantern Festival, traditionally celebrated with explosions of firecrackers and fireworks.17.02.2011 China is exploring options to restrict the power of chief decision makers at local government agencies and county-level Party committees as they tend to be more prone to corruption, People's Daily reported Tuesday.17.02.2011 China's police forces have formed a nationwide computerized network to share information about fugitives, fingerprints, stolen vehicles and other crimes.17.02.2011 "Naked officials" - the name given to public servants whose spouses have taken up residence abroad and who are suspected to be more prone to corruption - will soon be subject to more scrutiny, according to a senior discipline official.16.02.2011 Jenni-Lynn Watson's shorthand while sending text messages came back to haunt the young man who pleaded guilty Tuesday in Syracuse, New York, to killing the college student, a prosecutor said.15.02.2011 China started a massive well-drilling operation Tuesday as the country's worst drought in decades threatened the winter wheat crop.15.02.2011 A giant hole formed in the ground as a result of land subsidence which occurred at a mining area in Ezhou City of central China's Hubei Province on the early morning of Monday, February 14, 2011.14.02.2011 A 23-year-old Virginia man was arrested Sunday, 150 miles from the rural town where police say he killed three people a day earlier, police said.14.02.2011 Yu Youjun [File photo]13.02.2011 Beijing authorities yesterday announced a ban on setting off fireworks and firecrackers near high-rise buildings during next Thursday's Lantern Festival.12.02.2011 Chinese Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun is under investigation over alleged "severe violation of discipline," Xinhuanet quoted the Communist Party of China's (CPC's) discipline watchdog as confirming Saturday.12.02.2011 Art museums, libraries and other public institutions in China have long been accused of catering to elite academics and professionals, rather than the general public.11.02.2011 China aims to extend its road network in rural areas to 3.9 million km by 2015, according to China's transport authorities on Thursday.11.02.2011 To prevent public officials from using government vehicles for private purposes, the 439 government cars in Songyang county of East China's Zhejiang province will be installed with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices.11.02.2011 Wu Shu-chen, wife of former Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian, was ordered by prosecutors on Thursday to begin her jail term on February 18.11.02.2011 People forcing disabled children to beg in a county in east China's Anhui Province have 10 days to turn themselves in or face harsh penalties from authorities, an official of Taihe county said on Wednesday.10.02.2011 A winter storm spread snow across the Southeast and the Tennessee Valley for the second time in two weeks early Thursday, dumping up to 6 inches in parts of the region.10.02.2011 Chinese citizen will not have to pay to enter the country's public art galleries in two years, said a joint statement by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance released Thursday.10.02.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Thursday called for more efforts to boost grain production, while pledging to make available more funds to the agricultural sector.10.02.2011 A road accident in central China's Hubei Province has left five people dead and another five injured, local police said Wednesday.10.02.2011 Free legal aid for disadvantaged groups in 213 poverty-stricken central and western counties, currently without access to lawyers, will be provided this year in an effort to promote judicial fairness, a senior justice official said.09.02.2011 A powerful winter storm coated Oklahoma in white early Wednesday as yet another round of frigid weather began marching across the United States.09.02.2011 A tractor-trailer clipped one bus carrying students back from a college visit and then struck another head-on, leaving three dead, Mississippi authorities said Tuesday.08.02.2011 Barely a week after a record-setting winter storm roared across the heartland, Mother Nature was ready to dish out more Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.08.02.2011 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today said before a special court here that it had not found any substantial evidence in the Aarushi Talwar murder case and a closure report was its only option.07.02.2011 The Chinese central government has ordered local authorities to secure the production and supply of fertilizers for the coming spring farming season as part of the efforts to stabilize prices.07.02.2011 Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa today backed Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's demand to name Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi as a co-accused in the 2G spectrum scam.07.02.2011 The Bombay High Court today set on Feb 21 as the date when it will pronounce its verdict on the death sentence awarded to Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.07.02.2011 The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has vertically split with the elusive commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah today rejecting the proposed Feb 10 peace talks between New Delhi and the rebel leadership now out on bail.06.02.2011 Cases related to the 2G spectrum allocation scam and black money stashed by Indian citizens in foreign banks in tax heavens are likely to be closely-followed in the Supreme Court in the week ahead.06.02.2011 A day after Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy named him a co-accused in the 2G spectrum scam, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi today sent him a legal notice demanding that he immediately retract his statement.06.02.2011 The Jammu and Kashmir government has received the clearance from the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for the appointment of an income tax officer as the state's first chief information commissioner (CIC), an official said today.06.02.2011 The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) Saturday said an internal probe body has so far found no wrong-doing in its housing arm.05.02.2011 In a bid to ensure justice at all levels, the central government is contemplating introduction of a bill ensuring right to justice for all in the next five to six months, Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily said today.05.02.2011 The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) today said unconditional peace talks with the central government will begin on Feb 10, in a move that may bring the curtains down on more than three decades of insurgency in Assam.05.02.2011 Enlarge image
(© AlexSchelbert.de/ Speilwarenmesse eG)
Around one million toys will be on display in Nuremberg at the International Toy Fair from February 3-8, 2011. The yearly event is one of the biggest events of its kind in the toy industry. In 2010 around 76,000 visitors from 115 countries attended the fair, where they were greeted by around 2,600 exhibitors, representing the toy industry all around the world.05.02.2011 A member of the Chota Rajan gang and an arms supplier were arrested in two separate cases by the Mumbai Police's Crime Branch and arms recovered from them, police said today.04.02.2011 Enlarge image
Defense Minister zu Guttenberg in conversation with Conference Chairman Ischinger
(© Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Germany License; by Sebastian Zwez)
The central theme of the 47th Munich Security Conference from February 4 to 6 will be issues of European and transatlantic security. The current events in Arab states will also be discussed. And for the first time, the conference will focus on the repercussions of the financial and economic crisis as well as cyberwar.04.02.2011 A swirl of sleet and freezing rain barreled through the Gulf states early Friday, yet another winter storm carrying frigid weather to a region unaccustomed to the cold.04.02.2011 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said rising prices presented a strong case for waiving octroi and other local taxes as inflation was posing a "serious threat" to the growth momentum of India and disproportionately affecting the poor.04.02.2011 Two people were killed and 223 have been injured in the Chinese capital amid traditional New Year fireworks frenzy that lasted from Wednesday evening to Thursday noon.04.02.2011 A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Wednesday encouraged college graduates-turned village "heads" to continue to work in countryside after finishing their initial contracts.04.02.2011 A swirl of sleet and freezing rain barreled into the Gulf States Thursday, yet another winter storm carrying frigid weather to a region unaccustomed to the cold.03.02.2011 A secretly taped video by a male and a female posing as sex traffickers purportedly shows a Planned Parenthood employee in New Jersey telling them how to secure abortions and contraception for underage girls, anti-abortion activist Lila Rose told CNN Wednesday.03.02.2011 Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal today asked Tibetans to stop carrying out marches to express solidarity with the 17th Karmapa, who was questioned by police last week over the recovery of unaccounted currency amounting to nearly Rs.70 million from his monastery.03.02.2011 Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK came out in support of its tainted leader A. Raja today even as he was sent to CBI custody for his involvement in the spectrum scam, but said its alliance with the Congress party will continue.03.02.2011 Former communications minister A. Raja and two of his aides were sent to five-day custody by a CBI special court today, a day after they were arrested in connection with the 2G spectrum scam.03.02.2011 Senior Chinese official Zhou Yongkang Tuesday called on law enforcement personnel to take more preventive measures against crime and accidents during the Lunar New Year holiday.02.02.2011 A search warrant filed in Tampa, Florida, Tuesday says a mother was unconscious and wearing a bloody robe and her two deceased children were covered in blankets when police arrived.02.02.2011 Stung by a series of scams involving its land, the defence ministry will soon amend a crucial 107-year-old law that regulates buildings around military installations and also tighten screws to prevent local authorities from misusing clearances for property transfer.02.02.2011 The Delhi High Court today asked the central government and the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to ensure "conducive" atmosphere for a pair of elephants to be sent to Germany from Karnataka, as part of an exchange programme in which two pairs of cheetahs would be brought to India.02.02.2011 The arrest of a former minister and top brass in corruption case is not new to the communications ministry.02.02.2011 The funds for legal aid in China surged by 32.8 percent to 1 billion yuan (152 million U.S. dollars) in 2010, according to the Ministry of Justice.02.02.2011 Online game operators in China will be required to provide services for parents to monitor their children's game-playing in the latest effort to prevent minors becoming addicted to Internet games.02.02.2011 Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan allegedly made undue recommendations to allow allocation to civilians in the scam-hit Adarsh Society during his tenure as the state's revenue minister, said the FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).01.02.2011 Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) P.J. Thomas today told the Supreme Court that it was a matter of routine that, in discharge of their official responsibilities, the officers are slapped with cases which are "trumped up or politically motivated".01.02.2011 China's central government has allocated 1.5 billion yuan (227.96 million U.S. dollars) to support vegetable supplies for key northern cities, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Tuesday.01.02.2011 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today hit out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement about a decrease in Maoist violence during 2010, saying it was "nothing to be proud of" as now more security personnel and civilians were being killed.01.02.2011 The Indian students duped by a fake university in the US face an uncertain future as their appeal is not likely to be heard in a court there before September.01.02.2011 Oklahoma was under a state of emergency and 600 National Guard troops were mobilized in Missouri as the Plains and the Midwest braced Tuesday to take the brunt of powerful winter storm system.01.02.2011 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which witnessed violent protests last year, had improved vastly in the last four months due to measures taken by the state and central governments.01.02.2011 Tens of millions of people are bracing for a major storm system poised to sweep through the central United States and beyond this week, according to weather forecasters.01.02.2011 A man was sentenced to death for kidnapping and caging two girls in a dungeon and raping nine other women, said a verdict of the Intermediate People's Court of Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, on Sunday.01.02.2011 The country is set to resume its development plans for the Nujiang River in Southwest China due to increasing demand for energy.01.02.2011 With central agencies and Himachal Pradesh police probing the huge currency haul from the monastery of the 17th Karmapa Lama, Home Minister P. Chidambaram today said it was difficult to come to any conclusion on the issue till the probe was completed.01.02.2011 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the clearance granted to the Posco project in Orissa by the union environment and forests ministry.31.01.2011 A tribunal headed by a Delhi High Court judge today issued notices to Nagaland and Meghalaya on the central government's plea seeking its nod to extend a ban by two more years on militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).31.01.2011 The Supreme Court today pulled up Haryana government for failing to clear the national highway blockades by the Jat community protesting the arrests of its members allegedly involved in Mirchpur village attack on Dalits.31.01.2011 Chicago was under a blizzard watch late Sunday as portions of the Midwest and Northeast braced for a major storm system that will bring bitter cold and a "long duration" of snow, according to forecasters.31.01.2011 China will intensify efforts to accelerate the development of the nation's water conservancy and promote the sustainable use of water resources, a central government statement said Saturday.30.01.2011 The BJP today slammed the DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu and the Congress-led UPA government at the centre for "inaction" on the issue of Indian fishermen being killed by the Sri Lankan Navy in the Bay of Bengal, and said it will raise the issue in parliament.30.01.2011 Dozens of members of the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) and activists of Left parties marched here today to support rights activist Binayak Sen, convicted on sedition charges last month by a court here.30.01.2011 Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani today said India had slipped three points to the 87th spot in worldwide transparency and corruption index. He attributed the fall to alleged corrupt practices in the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG).30.01.2011 Holding aloft banners and shouting slogans against rising levels of corruption in the country, thousands of people from all age groups stepped out of their homes today to demand an effective anti-graft law.30.01.2011 Groups of U.S. tourists were stuck Saturday trying to find their way out of Egypt amid the chaos and violent protests that have seized the country.30.01.2011 China will carry out strict water resource management measures to fight water shortages, Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei said Sunday.30.01.2011 Two workers were killed and one is missing after a construction site collapsed Friday night in central China's Hunan Province, local authorities said yesterday. Eight others were slightly injured.30.01.2011 Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said West Bengal's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) should compare what they had done for implementation of railway projects in West Bengal during UPA-I government with what has been done by her party during UPA-II.30.01.2011 China's aviation authorities on Friday started to allow helicopters to fly in low-altitude airspace over the tourist island of Hainan on a trial basis for the first time. The aim is to eventually open a part of the country's tightly-controlled airspace to private aircraft.29.01.2011 Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik today claimed that Chief Secretary Sanjiv Srivastava was sitting on a crucial file recommending a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the state's police-politician-drug mafia nexus for nearly two months.29.01.2011 Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley today said the union government should accept the demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum scam for the smooth running of parliament's budget session beginning on Feb 21.29.01.2011 Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said the CPI-M should compare what they had done for implementation of railway projects in West Bengal during UPA-I with what has been done by her party during UPA-II.29.01.2011 Thirty-five convicts in a case related to the multi-crore-rupee fodder scam were today sentenced to imprisonment ranging from six-four years and slapped fines of up to Rs.2 crore by a special CBI court in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi.29.01.2011 Union Health Minister and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad today asked Kashmiri separatists to sit across the table with the central government to sort out the Kashmir issue.29.01.2011 Drought continues to plague many parts of China, with tens of thousands suffering water shortages and millions of others affected.29.01.2011 A lecture by German Federal Minister of Finance Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble in the Forum Constitutionis Europae series hosted by the Walter Hallstein-Institut of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin29.01.2011 Jon Stewart, host of "The Daily Show," was appointed to the board of directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum's board of directors.29.01.2011 Guangdong provincial authorities denied on Friday that they plan to merge nine cities in the Pearl River Delta region into a super-sized metropolis.28.01.2011 The 45-km Chennai Metro Rail project will be completed ahead of the original schedule and the train service would begin in two years time, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said here today.28.01.2011 A winter-weary Northeast was getting back to normal early Friday after a powerful storm dumped a thick blanket of snow throughout the region.28.01.2011 Some out-of-town petitioners who met with Premier Wen Jiabao during a widely publicized surprise visit to the country's top clearinghouse for grievances are now wondering what all the fuss was about.28.01.2011 The local government of one of the poorest regions in China has been criticized by the public for spending more than 18 million yuan (US$2.86 million) on expensive cars for official use.28.01.2011 A department of Nanjing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (Nanjing CHURD) has allotted the OZARK brand outdoors jackets each at a value of 2,998 yuan (US$455) to employees, who mostly stay in-office, the Yangtse Evening Post reported Thursday.28.01.2011 The major snowstorm that pelted much of the Northeast will taper off Thursday, but many schools, government offices and some airport runways are expected to remain closed, officials said.27.01.2011 If an elementary school teacher graded you on your involvement in your child's education, what kind of a grade would you get?27.01.2011 The Chinese government Wednesday raised the minimum down payment requirement for the purchase of a second home to 60 percent of the property's value, previously set at 50 percent, to curb property market speculation.26.01.2011 The Congress today said the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Ekta Yatra' to Srinagar was aimed at diverting attention from terror-related charges faced by people linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).26.01.2011 Eminent singer Dwijen Mukherjee, who was named for Padma Bhushan award, today said Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore never wanted experimentations on his composition.26.01.2011 A Jewish hockey player sued the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, claiming that coaches of one of its affiliate teams subjected him to harassment and anti-Semitic remarks.26.01.2011 A federal judge sentenced Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani to life without parole on Tuesday for his role in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa, which left 224 people dead and thousands wounded.26.01.2011 A fire stranded 27 vehicles inside a 5,200-meter-long tunnel for more than three hours in central China's Hubei Province Tuesday.26.01.2011 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday maintained that its activists will unfurl the national flag at Srinagar's Lal Chowk on Republic Day today even though a large number of party workers and leaders were arrested soon after the crossed into Jammu and Kashmir from Punjab.26.01.2011 Supporting the suggestion for creation of an independent commission against corruption, former chief justice of India J.S. Verma said here on Tuesday that individuals have to be part of the change and everyone must speak up.25.01.2011 During a rare visit to China's top complaints department Monday, Premier Wen Jiabao asked officials to be responsible and dedicated to addressing people's complaints, to create conditions for the public to criticize and supervise the government.25.01.2011 The young man who attacked Rajesh Talwar, father of murdered teen, has been identified as Utsav Sharma, who had earlier assaulted Haryana's tainted former police chief S.P.S. Rathore outside a Chandigarh court, sources said.25.01.2011 Rajesh Talwar, the father of murdered teen Aarushi, was today seriously injured after an unidentified man attacked him with a sharp-edged cleaver outside the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in full view of hundreds of people.24.01.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called on the public to give suggestions on the government work during his visit to central China's Henan Province on Friday and Saturday.24.01.2011 Ten years after the tragic moment that changed her life, Hao Huijun, a former Falun Gong believer who survived a self-immolation, is still struggling with remorse and pain.24.01.2011 West Bengal's ruling Left Front chairman Biman Bose today said the front will stage demonstrations across the state to protest rise in the prices of essentials in the country.23.01.2011 The government has decided to increase the targets for direct and indirect tax collections for this financial year (2010-11), Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today.23.01.2011 Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa today met senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to seek advice on his course of action to face the prosecution case filed against him by two city-based lawyers for alleged corruption.23.01.2011 President Obama said jobs and the economy would be central to his upcoming State of the Union address in a videotaped preview of the speech that was sent to supporters on Saturday.23.01.2011 Zhao Zhengyong was elected governor of northwest China's Shaanxi Province Saturday at the ongoing fourth session of the 11th provincial People's Congress, the local legislature, in the provincial capital of Xi'an.22.01.2011 Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa today ruled out resigning following the filing of criminal cases against him and asserted that he will fight till the end and come out clean.22.01.2011 Six activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were arrested from the Lal Chowk area here today, four days before their party's planned hoisting of the national flag here on Republic Day. Police also seized some posters.22.01.2011 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today said it would stall the coming budget session of parliament over the demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe in the 2G scam and to force the recall of Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj who is behaving like a "Congress agent".22.01.2011 The majority of civil servants recruited by central government departments in 2010 were from ordinary families, which stood as proof of China's efforts to ensure social justice, a senior official at the labor ministry has said.21.01.2011 Enlarge image
Jack Terry is one of the few remaining witnesses to the horrors of the Holocaust. Here he stands at the Flossenbürg Concentration Camp Memorial Site. Terry was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust.
(© picture-alliance/dpa)
What will happen when there are no more witnesses to the Holocaust left? This is the question haunting Jack Terry, who spent his childhood as the Polish Jew Jakob Szabmacher.21.01.2011 Chinese authorities issued an order on Friday to crack down on various election irregularities prior to the upcoming election of a new term of party committees, people's congresses, governments and political consultative conferences at provincial, city, county and township levels.21.01.2011 The first meeting of the recently-constituted group of ministers (GOM) on corruption was held under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee here today evening, an official said.21.01.2011 The security situation in Kashmir Valley was reviewed at a high-level meeting here today ahead of Republic Day and a proposed march by the BJP to hoist the tricolour at Lal Chowk that day.21.01.2011 Moderate Hurriyat group chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, who will attend a seminar on Kashmir in London, says he would refer to last summer's unrest in the Valley at the Jan 25-26 event.21.01.2011 The peace process between the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) led by its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and the government came under a cloud with the outfit's elusive commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah today rejecting the initiative.21.01.2011 Aid funds appropriated for reconstruction in a county in northwest China hit hard by a 2008 earthquake were still not available on Thursday, although several local officials have been punished for mishandling quake relief funds.19.01.2011 Upset over the delay in implementation of social security schemes for construction workers, the Delhi High Court today asked the government to explain why the benefits under various initiatives had not reached the needy.19.01.2011 Congress party MPs in Andhra Pradesh today said they were unhappy over the "raw deal" meted out to the state in the union cabinet reshuffle.19.01.2011 Authorities have decided to overturn the verdict against farmer Shi Jianfeng, who was given a life sentence for evading highway tolls, citing a "lack of evidence and loopholes" in the initial prosecution.19.01.2011 The Jammu and Kashmir government lost Rs.700 crore during last year's summer unrest in the Kashmir Valley by way of damage to infrastructure and cost of ferrying employees to their duties, an official source said.19.01.2011 The Supreme Court today said stashing away ill-gotten money in foreign banks was a "national plunder" and asked the central government to give it all the information it had on Indians who had siphoned off their illicit money to tax havens.19.01.2011 Facebook wants your address and mobile phone number.19.01.2011 A cheating device that resembles an eraser was confiscated on Sunday by the police during the national entrance exam for postgraduate studies in Chaohu, Anhui province. 19.01.2011 Highway toll fees will be made more affordable nationwide, as the Ministry of Transport will gradually introduce a stable and cheap charging system, a senior official said on Tuesday.19.01.2011 China would not have achieved its current progress in transport had it not put in place its policies to develop toll expressways, said Weng Mengyong, Deputy Minister of Transport, on Tuesday.19.01.2011 China's central bank said Tuesday that it seized fake bank notes worth 338 million yuan (51.2 million U.S. dollars) in 2010, 46 percent less than a year ago.18.01.2011 Police arrested suspected serial strangler Antonio Rodriguez on Monday after DNA testing linked him to the sexual assault and murder of at least three women in a central Philadelphia neighborhood, according to Detective Justin Frank.18.01.2011 China aims to upgrade its national expressway network over the next five years, said an official from the Ministry of Transport (MOT) Tuesday.18.01.2011 Normal life was paralysed in the three hill sub-divisions of Bengal's Darjeeling district today as the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) began a week-long shutdown demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland.18.01.2011 Liu Weiping. [File photo]18.01.2011 A building caught fire in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, early Tuesday.17.01.2011 Four court officials in central China's Henan Province were under investigation after the life sentence they handed down on a farmer for evading a staggering amount of expressway tolls triggered widespread public controversy.17.01.2011 Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani on Sunday took on the Manmohan Singh-led central government over its inability to crack down on corruption, alleging it was doing little to bring back the ill-gotten money kept by Indians in foreign banks.16.01.2011 The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has become the "second name of a conspiracy against the common man" owing to its wrong policies, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley said here today.16.01.2011 Opposition AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa today said the central government was not doing enough to stop attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, as incidents were continuing even after last week's killing.16.01.2011 Hundreds of Jat community members continued to squat on railway tracks near Jind in Haryana for the second day today, disrupting train services over their demand for a fresh CBI probe into the Mirchpur caste violence last year.16.01.2011 A new computer software program is pushing government officials in east China's Jiangsu Province to work hard and behave professionally.16.01.2011 The younger brother of a farmer who was sentenced to life in prison for allegedly evading expressway tolls in central China's Henan Province turned himself in, saying the sentenced farmer was his scapegoat.16.01.2011 One of the founders and former leader of the China Association for Promoting Democracy (CAPD), Lei Jieqiong, who died of illness in Beijing on Jan. 9 aged 106, was incinerated Saturday.15.01.2011 An internal investigation conducted by the Indian Army and records and maps dating back to 1854 reveal that the plot of land on which the controversial Adarsh housing society has been constructed belongs to the military, a senior army officer said today.15.01.2011 Swami Asseemanand, radical Hindu activist, was on today presented before the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) here to record his statement in connection with the 2007 Samjhauta Express blasts case.15.01.2011 Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh has said it "was not desirable" to use the armed forces in anti-Maoist operations as the Left-wing rebellion is being viewed "as a law and order and socio-economic problem".15.01.2011 Most would not consider civil rights the top concern of the nation's spies, but it was standing room only this week as hundreds gathered in the Central Intelligence Agency auditorium attentively listening to speeches on the civil rights movement.15.01.2011 Liu Huaqing, former vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, has died at the age of 95.15.01.2011 "An intensive and truthful presentation of both achievements and mistakes" has been the general impression among Chinese experts about the newly-published history of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which focuses on the 1949-1978 period.15.01.2011 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today welcomed the central government's move to reduce the security forces in the state by 25 percent, saying it will help to consolidate the improving ground condition.15.01.2011 The Congress today announced that D. Srinivas will continue as the party's chief in Andhra Pradesh.15.01.2011 India today rushed a planeload of relief material worth $1 million to flood-hit Sri Lanka to aid the displaced and affected people.14.01.2011 Liu Huaqing, former vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, passed away on Friday at the age of 95.14.01.2011 A court in central China's Henan Province said Friday it would retry a farmer convicted of fraud and sentenced to life imprisonment for evading millions of yuan in expressway tolls.14.01.2011 Stung by a series of land scams and corruption cases, the Indian Army is now planning to set up an internal vigilance wing to keep a tab on its men and prevent such instances from recurring.14.01.2011 The central government has sought the help of India Inc. to curb unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir, a terror-riven state where some 500,000 men and women who are without jobs are often targeted for recruitment by militant outfits.14.01.2011 United Nations rapporteur on human rights Margaret Sekaggya will visit Srinagar on Jan 19 to assess the condition of "human rights defenders" in the conflict-hit Kashmir Valley, a UN official said today.14.01.2011 Construction of government-subsidized apartments accelerated in 2010, as part of a major effort to curb soaring property prices and provide housing for low-income earners.14.01.2011 Almost 20,000 people were left in the cold when the central heating in Linzhou City, central China's Henan Province, was suspended beginning Jan. 5, allegedly to save energy, which has grabbed headlines and caused an uproar online.13.01.2011 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today again asked the Bharatiya Janata Party to halt its Kashmir yatra intended to culminate in hoisting the national flag at Lal Chowk, the historic city centre here, on Republic Day on Jan 26.13.01.2011 Hindutva activist Swami Aseemanand, in custody for his alleged involvement in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blasts, was today sent to 14-day judicial remand by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court here.13.01.2011 Affidavits in the case of a missing 13-year-old Texas girl indicate her mother and live-in boyfriend failed polygraph exams on her whereabouts and they had a New Year's Eve party a few days after she disappeared.13.01.2011 Chinese archeologists have unearthed the ruins of two ancient cities in the central China province of Henan.13.01.2011 A hotel caught fire in China's central Hunan Province Thursday.13.01.2011 A large scale population relocation is going to be launched in Beijing's Xicheng district in 2013, expected to relieve the population pressure of the capital city's central area and improve the living standard of residents, China News Service reported on Wednesday.13.01.2011 A central Florida police chief has been arrested and charged with derailing an investigation into the alleged rape of a minor in order to protect a friend.13.01.2011 Local authorities in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province, have denied media reports that they dispatched thousands of police officers to break a strike by the city's taxi drivers.13.01.2011 Traffic congestion has eased "obviously" in Beijing since authorities launched a string of new, stricter traffic rules and opened five new subway lines last month, a local transport official said Wednesday.12.01.2011 Clashes, road blockade and thin traffic marked the first day of the 27-day phased strike called by the Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJM) in the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling district to pressurise the central government into accepting their demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.12.01.2011 Sixteen people were killed, and 23 others were injured in an expressway accident in Xuchang, central China's Henan Province, in wee hours Wednesday.12.01.2011 The family of a woman, who was crushed to death by a bulldozer on a canal construction site in central China's Henan Province, has received 600,000 yuan (90,630 U.S. dollars) in compensation, said the investigation team Tuesday.12.01.2011 Mineral rich Orissa is likely to seek a ban on the export of iron ore and chrome ore from the state to meet the domestic demand, an official said on Tuesday.11.01.2011 Former Congress MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy said here today that he could bring down the party's government in Andhra Pradesh but was doing it a favour by not asking his legislators to resign.11.01.2011 A farmer in a Central China city has been sentenced to life imprisonment for evading 3.68 million yuan ($560,000) in highway toll fees in eight months, Dahe Daily reported Tuesday.11.01.2011 Police in central China have caught two Internet-addicted teenage boys after they allegedly stabbed and burned one boy's grandfather for money and killed a six-year-old boy and his foster parents.10.01.2011 Chinese President Hu Jintao vowed Monday that the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government will wage the fight against corruption with greater determination and more forceful measures as the situation remains "grave".10.01.2011 China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on Sunday ordered traffic police nationwide to prepare for possible traffic disruptions caused by a lingering cold snap.10.01.2011 Muslim intellectuals today asked the Maharashtra government to free young Muslim men held in connection with the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast, following the recent statements of arrested Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Swami Aseemanand.09.01.2011 Blaming the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for failing to control food inflation, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said the Left parties will organise a big rally in Delhi during the budget session of parliament seeking a curb on rising prices.09.01.2011 Mumbai police today booked six people, including the builder, contractor and maintenance supervisor of Rustomjee Towers where five labourers were killed after a service lift came crashing down today afternoon, police said.09.01.2011 It sounds like another story of a citizen being victimized for exposing misbehavior of officials and saved by the power of the Internet, as a controversial post freed a man who was confined to a mental hospital for nearly 14 years for alleged muckraking.08.01.2011 Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S.Y. Quraishi today expressed concern over the violence in West Bengal and declared almost half of the 51,991 polling stations for the upcoming assembly polls as sensitive.08.01.2011 Black flags hung from trees, walls and lamp posts, people covered their faces with black cloth, and the air was heavy with the wailing of relatives of victims of Friday's Lalgarh firing as Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee marched in Midnapore town with the bodies of those killed.08.01.2011 A total of 146,517 officials across China were punished for disciplinary violations in 2010, an official with the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said Thursday.07.01.2011 Investigators and rescue teams will continue their search Friday for a missing 13-year-old Texas girl, focusing near a densely-wooded area and along the Colorado River.07.01.2011 China is set to complete shareholding reforms of its military industries within three to five years in a bid to accelerate the process of bringing them in line with civilian businesses and to raise more funds from capital markets.07.01.2011 The secretary-general of the Mobile Internet Industry Alliance says he has received threats after alleging that long queues of people lining up to buy mobile phones from a store in Beijing were actually hired by the company to create a false image of the product's popularity.07.01.2011 Job applicants whose parents work for government organs or public institutions will receive preferential treatment during the recruitment process of an official bureau in Central China's Hunan Province, the Beijing News reported on Thursday, fuelling nationwide anger and accusations of unfair practices.07.01.2011 Mega Millions jackpot winners and Washington state residents Jim and Carolyn McCullar stepped forward on Thursday to claim their half of a $380 million prize during a Washington State Lottery news conference.06.01.2011 The State Council, China's cabinet, announced Thursday the appointment of a group of high-level officials including a deputy head of the country's economic planning body.06.01.2011 China's Health Minister Chen Zhu said Thursday the country is striving to eliminate measles over the next five years, as figures show the incidence of the disease in China in 2010 dropped 25.8 percent.06.01.2011 Zhang Jingli, former deputy director of the State Food and Drug Administration, has been discharged from public employment for serious violations of discipline and law, the discipline watchdog of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said Thursday.06.01.2011 A day after Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan rejected the leave application of State Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari, the state government today was still to initiate any action against the official who is allegedly linked to the infamous Adarsh Society scam.06.01.2011 A Delhi court today upheld the CBI plea that the tax notice served on Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi was not linked with the criminal aspect of the Bofors kickbacks scam.06.01.2011 Andhra Pradesh today remained peaceful barring violent incidents on Osmania University campus in Hyderabad and sporadic protests in some other parts of Telangana over the Srikrishna committee's report on the Telangana issue.06.01.2011 A Chinese consumer complaints website was exposed on Wednesday by China Central Television (CCTV) for taking money in return for keeping complaints off its website, however the website has accused CCTV of distorting the facts.06.01.2011 The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and Telangana leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today voiced their disappointment over the Srikrishna Committee report and said no option except formation of a separate Telangana state is acceptable to them.06.01.2011 Enlarge image
Michael Greis, here celebrating the victory, raced the anchor leg for Germany.
(© picture-alliance / dpa)
In front of a home crowd in Oberhof, Germany's men triumphantly captured today's relay leg of the Biathlon World Cup event by skiing and shooting their way across the 4x7.5-kilometer track in 1 hour, 23.53 seconds. In a tough final portion, Germany's last man, Michael Greis, pushed his way to the head of the pack in front of thousands of fans, landing the men's team a spot atop the podium for the first time since the 2006 Winter Games in Turin. Finishing second and third were the Czech Republic and Norway, respectively.06.01.2011 The personal information of 13 heads of pornographic websites has been published for the first time, in a report by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Tuesday, according to the Beijing News.06.01.2011 The rumored prototype of China's "J-20 stealth fighter jet" has created a stir over the nation's defensive advancements, but analysts suggest that any such program would simply reflect the country's industrial military progress.06.01.2011 With its leaders from Telangana and other regions of Andhra Pradesh having different views on Telangana, Congress central leadership on Wednesday said the all-party meeting called by Home Minister P. Chidambaram was only aimed at sharing the Srikrishna report and parties will get time to give their opinion on the issue.05.01.2011 A women officer in red. 05.01.2011 The parents of murdered teenager Aarushi Talwar have alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) closure report in the case is a web of imagination.05.01.2011 A suspect fired his gun inside the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque Tuesday, but no one was injured, the university and police said.05.01.2011 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi arrived at the CBI headquarters here today morning for questioning on the alleged financial irregularities in the preparations for the event.04.01.2011 The Congress party in Gujarat today demanded setting up of a joint legislative committee to probe irregularities in the Vibrant Gujarat investor summit. The government, however, termed it the party's attempt to avoid the demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe in a series of national scams.04.01.2011 Punjab Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan today demanded the prosecution of Congress president Sonia Gandhi for ensuring the safe exit of Ottavio Quattrocchi, the Italian businessman in the Bofors gun case.04.01.2011 Karnataka's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today captured power in 12 of the 30 zila (district) and 68 of the 176 taluka (sub-district) panchayats, far below its ambition of sweeping the year-end polls to the local governing councils.04.01.2011 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, who was supposed to appear before the CBI for questioning about financial irregularities in the conduct of the October Games, evaded the investigative agency today, an official said.04.01.2011 A student has cooked up a monthly income of 15,000 yuan ($2,276) by selling grilled sweet potato on a campus in Changsha, capital city of Central China's Hunan province, the Sanxiang City Express reported Tuesday.04.01.2011 One hundred young migrant workers from South China's Guangdong province will win the chance to study at one of the country's most prestigious universities for free this year, southcn.com reported Monday.04.01.2011 The national trade union federation is planning to introduce collective wage negotiation in all enterprises over the next three years, to reduce labor disputes, a senior union official said.04.01.2011 Nearly 70 percent of the Chinese public do not feel confident about food safety, a national survey has found.04.01.2011 The central government will invest more to improve county-level quality inspection centers to ensure food hygiene over the next five years in response to a number of incidents, a senior official said.03.01.2011 Enlarge image
Foreign Minister Westerwelle
(© picture-alliance/dpa)
At the start of Germany’s two-year term as a member of the United Nations Security Council, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle today (January 2) issued the following statement:03.01.2011 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari today interacted with ten state party units through video conferencing and called upon party functionaries to strive for "accountability and auditing" in every work.03.01.2011 The latest cold front over the weekend saw snow and sleet sweep across the country, stranding thousands of people on highways and disrupting travel plans for thousands more as flights were delayed.03.01.2011 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has stressed that herdsmens' living standards should not be lowered as the nation strives to conserve the grasslands.03.01.2011 China's major portal and news websites on Saturday began running a special column on major events in the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as part of its 90th anniversary celebrations.03.01.2011 The Maoists are prepared for talks if the central government initiates a judicial probe into the death of rebel leader Azad alias Cherukuri Rajkumar, social activist Swami Agnivesh said here on Sunday.03.01.2011 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here on Sunday but his expected meeting with DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi late in the evening did not take place.02.01.2011 Congress MPs from Telangana today threatened to resign if the Srikrishna committee recommends against forming a separate Telangana state.02.01.2011 Rajesh and Nupur Talwar's lawyer Rebecca John today lashed out at the media for branding Rajesh Talwar an accused in his daughter Aarushi's murder case, even though the CBI had not.02.01.2011 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is blaming the Noida police for its failure to get to the killers of teenager Aarushi Talwar.02.01.2011 China has established federations for disabled persons in 40,385 townships and township-level residential districts, or 97 percent of such districts, the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) said Sunday.02.01.2011 A new old-age pension for China's rural senior citizens is giving them economic independence.02.01.2011 More training programs will be offered, at all levels, for spokespersons of government and Communist Party of China (CPC) departments next year to better serve foreign and domestic media organizations.01.01.2011 Reacting to the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) closure report which says that the Aarushi Talwar murder scene was heavily dressed up, which could only have been done by her parents, the Talwars today lashed out at the investigative agency for making "wild" and "speculative" allegations.01.01.2011 The Aarushi Talwar murder scene was heavily dressed up, which could only have been done by her parents, the CBI has said, closing as unsolved case the sensational killing of the teen-ager.01.01.2011 Arabinda Rajkhowa, chairman of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), was today released from the Guwahati Central Jail.01.01.2011 The National Human Rights Commission on Friday slammed the government for opposing the ban on the endosulfan pesticide, stating that this position "has led and will continue to lead to grave violations of human rights".31.12.2010 Chinese President Hu Jintao put the country's economic tasks on top of next year's agenda in a New Year address broadcast Friday.31.12.2010 A self-proclaimed Chinese health therapist who was found to have faked his medical qualifications continues to run his business despite widespread media coverage of his fraudulence.31.12.2010 A former Party discipline chief in a central China city was executed Thursday after being convicted of multiple counts of crime, said a local court.31.12.2010 More training programs will be offered, at all levels, for spokespersons of government and Communist Party of China (CPC) departments next year to better serve foreign and domestic media organizations.31.12.2010 China's crack down on extravagant spending by officials has saved the country 5.7 billion yuan (US$860 million) this year, an official with the top anti-graft authority said Wednesday.31.12.2010 Acting California Gov. Abel Maldonado declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County Thursday because of extreme weather and storm conditions.31.12.2010 Some say he was a cold-blooded killer and a callous thief. Others dismiss his penchant for gun battling and horse stealing as merely "the way it was" in the Wild West. Some celebrate his legendary disdain for authority.30.12.2010 Debra Sholty was just opening up her business Thursday morning in Kokomo, Indiana, when a magnitude 4.2 earthquake rumbled through the north-central part of the state.30.12.2010 After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a closure report on the double murder case of Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj, the parents of the 14-year-old girl are seeking an appointment with the director of the country's top investigative agency.30.12.2010 With the Srikrishna committee submitting its report on Telangana today, parties fighting for the separate state have urged the central government to abide by its Dec 9, 2009 statement, irrespective of the panel's recommendations.30.12.2010 Chinese President Hu Jintao has visited low-income families in Beijing ahead of the New Year, as he extends his best wishes to people nationwide.30.12.2010 A book published by the Congress to mark its 125-year history lays the entire blame for the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition on the Sangh Parivar and contends that the then central government headed by P.V. Narasimha Rao took several steps to control the difficult situation.30.12.2010 People who wanted to express their views about a proposed new law on building requisitions have rushed to submit their opinions before Friday's deadline.30.12.2010 The central government will spend 220 billion yuan ($33 billion) over the next decade to protect China's natural forests.30.12.2010 China Wednesday released its first ever white paper on the nation's anti-graft efforts, expressing its resolve to strengthen the fight against corruption.29.12.2010 The CBI today sought to close Aarushi Talwar's murder as an unsolved case, citing lack of evidence over two years since the 14-year-old was found killed in her Noida home. Her parents said they were "broken" by the move.29.12.2010 Chinese President Hu Jintao has stressed the need to stabilize commodity prices, extend the coverage of the social security network and boost employment to ensure the country develops in a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable manner.29.12.2010 West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has strongly objected to union Home Minister P. Chidamabaram's use of a "nasty" word to describe Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) workers and attacked the Trinamool Congress for organising meetings with Maoist outfits.29.12.2010 Concrete action on tobacco control at State level is far too rare on the Chinese mainland, according to a report released by a non-governmental organization on Tuesday.29.12.2010 China's anti-corruption still faces severe challenges, and the authorities have urged new achievements in clean governance to embrace the Communist Party's 90th founding anniversary next year, according to an official statement.29.12.2010 Six education and traffic officials were sacked Tuesday after 14 schoolchildren were killed in a traffic accident in central China's Hunan Province, local authorities said.28.12.2010 Maoists targeted railway tracks in Chhattisgarh's restive Bastar region for the second consecutive day today, causing the derailment of two engines and disrupting train services, police said.28.12.2010 Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan today demanded the removal of former chief justice K.G. Balakrishnan as the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the wake of the controversy involving the spectacular increase in the assets of his son-in-law, P.V. Srinijan.28.12.2010 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today questioned Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee (CGOC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi's key aides Lalit Bhanot and Manoj Bhore
as part of its probe into corruption in the preparations for the Games.28.12.2010 Amid fears of violence in Andhra Pradesh, Justice B.N. Srikrishna, who heads the panel for examining the contentious issue of statehood for Telangana, today said the committee will present the report by the Dec 31 deadline, even as the Andhra Pradesh government withdrew all criminal cases filed during protests for a separate state.28.12.2010 Chinese netizens who like to create and use cyber words such as "geilivable" might find a new regulation very "ungeilivable".28.12.2010 Chinese and English versions of the 2010 Yearbook of the People's Republic of China (PRC) have been published in China and abroad.28.12.2010 This southwestern city has dwarfed the country's political and economic centers as the only provincial-level municipality listed among China's happiest 10 cities in 2010 on Sunday night.28.12.2010 Chinese officials and Communist Party cadres have been warned against financial violations and extravagance in the name of New Year celebrations.28.12.2010 Newly built villas in the special protection area of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum scenic spot in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, are illegal, officials said on Monday.28.12.2010 Chinese President Hu Jintao and other senior officials Monday attended a national rally to honor model institutions and individuals that contributed to the successful hosting of the Shanghai World Expo.27.12.2010 The Andhra Pradesh government today decided to withdraw 135 more cases registered during the protests for a separate Telangana after MPs of the ruling Congress held a hunger strike on the issue. But the MPs refused to call off their protest till all cases were withdrawn.27.12.2010 Local governments in China being increasingly dependent on land-use fees for revenue has caused social problems, including rapid increases in housing prices, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC) reported Monday.27.12.2010 Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani today said the Supreme Court was the "principal determinant" in "some action" taken by the government in corruption cases and called 2010 "a year of stinking scams".27.12.2010 Setting a new 'benchmark' for probity in politics, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary B.K. Hariprasad today said any Congressman with murder charges against him will be immediately sacked from the party.27.12.2010 The central government will investigate whether any official information was leaked to corporate lobbyist Niira Radia by Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Ananth Kumar when he was the civil aviation minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, a minister said here today.27.12.2010 A vehicle taking children to school plunged into a creek in central China's Hunan Province Monday morning, leaving nine children dead, 10 injured and one missing.27.12.2010 A public servant position reserved for the son of a former senior official in the government of Lengshuijiang city of Central China's Hunan province was abolished on late Sunday after the case drew a spate of criticism from the country's netizens.27.12.2010 People across China marked the 117th anniversary of the birth of late leader Mao Zedong on Sunday with various activities in his hometown in central Hunan Province as well as in other parts of the nation.26.12.2010 Hindu leaders and members of a city-based NGO today demanded the enactment of a law for constructing a Ram temple at the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya.26.12.2010 China's top health officials were grilled on Friday over why the ongoing healthcare reform has failed to substantially ease the difficulties facing the public in seeking accessible and affordable medical care.25.12.2010 The second day of questioning of former communications minister A. Raja on the spectrum scam ended today, with the disgraced DMK leader saying he was "cooperating" with the agency.25.12.2010 China will intensify its construction of water conservation facilities with priorities given to improving irrigation infrastructure for grain security and projects against drought and floods, officials said on Friday.25.12.2010 China's health care reform funds - 850 billion yuan (126 billion U.S. dollars) over three years - were mainly used to build a basic medical insurance system for urban and rural residents, said Minister of Finance Xie Xuren Friday.24.12.2010 The CBI today seized stacks of documents, laptops and computer discs after raiding homes and premises linked to Commonwealth Games chief organizer Suresh Kalmadi in Delhi, Pune and Mumbai as part of a crackdown to unearth corruption that has already led to the arrest of three of his colleagues.24.12.2010 Things are still shaking in Arkansas.24.12.2010 "Equal Justice Under Law" -- the words symbolize the American heritage of democracy and the rule of law.24.12.2010 Twentysix years after the world's worst industrial disaster -- Bhopal gas tragedy, the Madhya Pradesh government has proposed a cell to study hereditary disability caused by Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas among the children of gas victims.24.12.2010 The ruling DMK today began a series of public meetings across Tamil Nadu, explaining the issues involved in the 2G spectrum allocation that cost its party leader Andimuthu Raja the union cabinet berth last month.24.12.2010 Fears of a serial killer stalking women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have prompted some residents to take matters into their own hands -- and onto the internet, with frightful results for one man.24.12.2010 The CBI today raided Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi's homes and office here and in Pune in connection with irregularities in the conduct of the October games, official sources said.24.12.2010 Ten scholars signed and published a letter on the Internet in which they oppose plans to build a Gothic-style Christian church in the hometown of Confucius. They argued the project could trigger religious and cultural conflicts.23.12.2010 Enlarge image
Waldsee Dean Dan Hamilton, Ambassador Scharioth (right) and two young learners at Waldsee pose with the suitcase that will tour the US as part of the campaign "Echo 2010: the German Language Goes on Tour."
(© Concordia Language Villages)
To mark the 50th anniversary of Waldsee at the Concordia Language Villages, Ambassador Scharioth gave a key note speech about the history and importance of this German-language immersion program and took part in the related conference on the future of the German language in the US on July 24, 2010. During his visit, he launched the tour of the suitcase that will travel the US as part of the campaign "Echo 2010: the German Language Goes on Tour."23.12.2010 When Kamala Devi moved to Delhi from Bihar 10 years back, hoping for a better life, she never thought that some day she would want to go back home. But burdened under the rising prices of vegetables, she is mulling over just that - even if only for a while.23.12.2010 Although Christmas was not a significant festival for ordinary middle-aged Chinese, Cui Shaoqi became filled with hustle and bustle as the day draws near.23.12.2010 Chinese auditors found 142 million yuan ($21 million) were wrongly paid to central government departments as reimbursements of fake invoices in June this year, and now 68.31 percent of the funds, or 97.37 million yuan, had been recovered.23.12.2010 A pre-visualization picture of Z15 plot [Photo/qianlong.com]23.12.2010 Chinese lawmakers have heard a series of the State Council's reports on the development of ethnic minorities, and regarding the country's health care reform and service industry, at a meeting Wednesday during the bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.23.12.2010 Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday continued discussing a draft amendment to the country's Criminal Law which, if passed, could criminalize the act of "drunk driving".22.12.2010 India will open two new coast guard establishments in the Arabian sea on Friday to bolster coastal security in the wake of increasing incidents of piracy.22.12.2010 More than 3,000 passengers have been stranded after heavy fog blanketed an airport in northeast China's Liaoning Province Wednesday.22.12.2010 Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi today urged Tamil Nadu Youth Congress members to start working at the panchayat level and capture power at the local bodies.22.12.2010 The government will ensure a level-playing field for all telecom operators, irrespective of the technology platform they operate from, as the overriding objective was to maintain growth, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal said today.22.12.2010 The Yichang-Wanzhou railway, which goes through some of the most difficult terrain in the country and is considered one of China's most expensive rail projects, will begin operations on Wednesday, though the line will not become fully operational until Jan 11, said Guo Bing, an official of the Yichang section of the Wuhan Railway Bureau.22.12.2010 China's top trade union organization launched a program on Tuesday to make sure migrant workers are paid on time during the upcoming New Year and Spring Festival holidays and to provide relief services for needy workers.22.12.2010 Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) head N. Chandrababu Naidu's indefinite fast demanding a relief package for farmers entered the sixth day today as attempts by doctors to administer fluids to him failed.22.12.2010 India and Russia on Tuesday inked 29 bilateral agreements, which include building advanced stealth jets to increasing banking linkages and setting up a steel plant.21.12.2010 Seeking to put innovation and business at the centre of a partnership that has remained mostly defence-centric and setting a bilateral trade target of $20 billion by 2015, India and Russia today inked 19 business-related deals. They also agreed to explore the posibility of a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement.21.12.2010 A witness in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case today said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while filing a closure report in a court ignored his statement that the dead girl's brother was tortured by police.21.12.2010 China's Ministry of Finance Tuesday announced an injection of 3.89 billion yuan (584.11 million U.S. dollars) from the central budget this year to strengthen school buildings.21.12.2010 China's top legislature Monday started the second reading of an amendment to the Criminal Law to increase penalties for food safety crimes.21.12.2010 The country's courts are expected to face an increasing number of cases involving social conflict next year, the country's top court official said on Monday.21.12.2010 The central government on Monday banned fresh permits for onion exports till Jan 15 following a big jump in its price in local markets.20.12.2010 A day ahead of talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna today said India and Russia will discuss their common concerns about terrorism emanating from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and expand their cooperation in combating terrorism.20.12.2010 India and Myanmar will work together to curb trans-border movement of terrorists, smuggling of arms and to prevent drugs trafficking, officials said here today.20.12.2010 DMK leader and disgraced former communications minister A. Raja today said he will meet the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in response to a summons over the 2G spectrum scam.20.12.2010 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned former communications A. Raja in connection with alleged irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation, officials said today.20.12.2010 China on Monday held a celebration rally to mark the successful launch of the nation's 2nd lunar probe Chang'e-2.20.12.2010 The death toll in a fireworks blast in central China' s Hunan Province rose from an earlier announced nine to 12 after DNA tests results were completed , local authorities said Sunday night.20.12.2010 With the extremely cold weather that has swept most parts of China over the past week, soaring demand for heat has led to coal shortages and power cuts in many of the country's provinces.19.12.2010 Search and rescue work has ended at the site of a fireworks explosion where nine were killed and another nine injured Friday in central China 's Hunan Province, said local authorities.19.12.2010 Orissa on Saturday announced a special package of Rs.900 crore for farmers who suffered losses due to unseasonal rain early this month.18.12.2010 Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee today termed West Bengal's Left Front rule as a military dictatorship, saying that if the centre did not look into the matter, she will fight it alone.18.12.2010 Indian Maoists are "not dependent on support from outside India" and are moving towards a more unified command system, says a leaked US embassy cable put out by WikiLeaks.18.12.2010 Enlarge image
Economic data
(© dpa/pa)18.12.2010 Enlarge image
EU heads of state and government met in Brussels on December 16 and 17.
(© REGIERUNGonline/Bergmann)
The EU heads of state and government have agreed on a permanent mechanism to cope with crisis in order to secure the stability of their common currency, the euro. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed satisfaction with the agreement reached in Brussels on December 17 and welcomed the objective of euro states to coordinate their overall economic policy more closely in the future, from the promotion of innovation to social welfare policy.17.12.2010 Investigators in Los Angeles say they've gotten a strong response since they asked for the public's help in identifying women in 180 photographs whose images were found in a suspected serial killer's home this summer.17.12.2010 Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief and National Democratic Alliance convenor Sharad Yadav today termed the 2G spectrum scam as the "biggest-ever loot of the country's property" and lambasted the government form it.17.12.2010 Los Angeles authorities expanded their investigation into the Grim Sleeper serial killer case Thursday by asking for the public's help in identifying women in 180 photographs whose images were found in the suspect's home this summer.17.12.2010 Nearly 80 percent of Chinese recently surveyed by a not-for-profit organization said they were dissatisfied with government websites as the sites lacked useful information, said the survey report made public Thursday.17.12.2010 Chinese are on average taking 10 times as many antibiotics as other nations' populations, a leading drug official said yesterday.17.12.2010 Shanghai municipality will increase subsidies for sea burials by fivefold to preserve limited land resources.17.12.2010 Police have detained a local government official in Central China's Hubei province, who allegedly strangled his pregnant mistress before dumping the body in a river.16.12.2010 The Srikrishna Committee, which is looking into the demands for and against a separate Telangana state, will submit its report to the central government within two weeks, the panel said.16.12.2010 It is not possible to resolve the India-China border dispute unless the Tibetan issue is settled, an aide to the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said today.16.12.2010 The Congress today termed the opposition's demand for a joint parliamentary probe into the 2G spectrum scam as "cheap" and "politically motivated" and asked it to accept the CBI probe into the controversial issue.16.12.2010 An on-air meteorologist for New York's WABC-TV has been arrested, accused of falsely reporting an attempted sexual assault to police, a story she later recanted, according to the New York Police Department.16.12.2010 AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa today blamed DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi for not opposing the common medical entrance exam and for the Rs.3 hike in petrol price.16.12.2010 A special court here today granted union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife exemption from personal appearance in a corruption case.16.12.2010 US concerns about India's nuclear liability law have been addressed by New Delhi signing an international treaty and assuring a level playing field for US companies, says a senior official.16.12.2010 The country's 2008 and 2009 wage growth may have been overestimated, a senior economist with the International Labor Office (ILO) said on Wednesday.16.12.2010 Provincial Party secretaries will soon be asked to submit to financial audits, part of a new drive to weed out corruption from the upper ranks of local governments.16.12.2010 China released an amended anti-corruption regulation on Wednesday in which it sets out unprecedented penalties that include imposing punishments for corrupt Party officials, even if they have left their posts or retired.16.12.2010 After the storm over taped conversations of public relations firm owner and lobbyist Niira Radia, the central government is mulling regulations for corporate lobbying.15.12.2010 The Supreme Court today reserved its ruling on a petition challenging an Orissa High Court verdict that reduced to life term the death sentence of Dara Singh, who killed Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in 1999.15.12.2010 Security will be tightened more during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Tamil Nadu in January after a central security agency warned of a suspected LTTE attack on him, Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi and other leaders, a top police official said today.15.12.2010 India's new aeronautical test range (ATR) for weapons trials became operational today near Chitradurga in central Karnataka, a top defence official said.15.12.2010 The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) raids today on the premises of associates of former communications minister A. Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi as part of the 2G spectrum scam probe are unlikely to create any immediate rift between the Congress and the DMK, political observers feel.15.12.2010 The central government has launched an ambitious program to lure 2,000 talented young people from overseas in five years to boost the country's research and technological capabilities.15.12.2010 The Communist Party of China (CPC) has announced that it would publicize the affairs of grassroots Party organizations by the end of 2011, a further step in its effort to push forward intra-party democracy.15.12.2010 The Chinese government plans to further intensify efforts over the next five years to salvage and protect the country's most important archives, said the State Archives Administration on Tuesday.15.12.2010 Car owners and experts have expressed concern about a draft plan from the local government to increase parking fees in a bid to ease congestion.15.12.2010 A stampede on a malfunctioning escalator at a subway station in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, left 25 people injured Tuesday morning and led to complaints over subway staff's slow response to the incident.15.12.2010 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today raided the homes and offices of business lobbyist Niira Radia and relatives of former telecom minister A. Raja in Tamil Nadu over the spectrum row.14.12.2010 Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa today told Congress president Sonia Gandhi that her charges against him over land deals were baseless, and demanded that she prove these.14.12.2010 The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has asked all ministries to submit details of major contracts for the past three months for scrutiny, an official said today.14.12.2010 A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here today rejected the temporary bail application of N.K. Amin, a policeman accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shootout case.14.12.2010 Four people, including three passers-by and a paramilitary trooper, were injured in a separatist grenade attack in south Kashmir's Pulwama town late today afternoon.13.12.2010 Slating for early February 2011 the hearing on Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata's plea for a ban on publication of the Radia tapes' transcripts, the Supreme Court today asked the central government to submit to it the complaints against corporate lobbyist Nira Radia.13.12.2010 The Supreme Court today pulled up the central government for doing nothing to prevent states' diversion of funds allocated under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGs).13.12.2010 Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken a U-turn after suggesting the scrapping of the Rajya Sabha and said he held both houses of parliament in high esteem.13.12.2010 Toward the end of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's surprise appearance at the TED Women conference Wednesday, she told the story of a girl and her father in a developing country.13.12.2010 About 20 years ago, owning a car was only a dream to many Chinese. Nowadays when more people have their own cars, the "dream" has become a "nightmare" .13.12.2010 As an integral part of China's ongoing health care reform, the country has assigned 47 cities so far to spearhead the reform of government-run hospitals to offer more equitable and efficient medical services.12.12.2010 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today demanded a higher-level probe into the multi-crore mining scam in Orissa, accusing the state government of destroying evidence as an important file went missing last week.12.12.2010 Political leaders will on Monday pay tributes to the nine people, including eight security personnel, killed in the Dec 13, 2001 terror attack on parliament.12.12.2010 Much of the upper Midwest battled blizzard conditions Saturday, with a combination of heavy snow, fierce winds and subzero temperatures pummeling the region 10 days before the official start of winter.11.12.2010 The Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), which is seeking the apex court's monitoring of the 2G spectrum probe, today said that it will oppose Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata's plea seeking to restrain media from publishing transcripts of corporate lobbyist Nira Radia's tapped conversations.11.12.2010 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh today demanded an enquiry against Congress leader Digvijay Singh for his remarks that Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare had spoken to him about threats to his life from Hindu groups just hours before he was killed in the 2008 Mumbai attack.10.12.2010 Enlarge image
Martin Luther, painted by Lucas Cranach, 1529
(© picture alliance/ dpa)
Winter was about to arrive when the Augustinian monk Martin Luther and his fellow monks began their journey one November day 500 years ago.10.12.2010 India has introduced a new online application system for faster, simpler and transparent processing/tracking of the applications for grant of Indian citizenship, officials said today.10.12.2010 Enlarge image
Industrial production increased 2.9 percent in October.
(© picture-alliance/dpa)
Germany is ending the year amid signs that its economy has shaken off concerns unleashed by Europe’s debt crisis, with key data released Wednesday pointing to the country’s recovery from last year’s recession gaining a solid foothold.10.12.2010 A blast at a pharmaceutical factory Friday in a county of central China's Hubei Province has killed four workers and injured five others, said local authorities.10.12.2010 The central government today told the Supreme Court that it was taking every step to ensure that there was no leakage of the telephone tapes of corporate lobbyist Nira Radia in the 2G spectrum scam and that the leaks to the media needed to be looked into.10.12.2010 Chinese parents and education experts have shrugged off a report from an international organization saying Shanghai students are the smartest in the world.10.12.2010 Provincial level officials and ministers will be held more fiscally responsible under an expanded auditing system, the country's top auditor said on Thursday.10.12.2010 A journalist who was hunted by the police after exposing the illegal dealings of a central China company is in the news again -- this time as the subject of corruption allegations.10.12.2010 A grand memorial service was held Thursday for 15 soldiers killed when putting out a grassland fire in the country's southwest.09.12.2010 China will standardize the purchase of essential drugs at government-funded grass-root hospitals and clinics, in a bid to reduce patient health-care costs, an official statement said Thursday.09.12.2010 Pakistan has decided to approach and take up with Interpol the defacing of several official websites by the "Indian Cyber Army", a media report said today.09.12.2010 Construction on what will be the world's third tallest building started Wednesday in central China's Wuhan City, capital of Hubei Province, a spokesman for the developer said Thursday.09.12.2010 The search for an Illinois woman who vanished early Sunday, leaving only tracks in the snow leading to a road after a car crash that killed her husband, has been suspended until weather conditions in the area improve, authorities said Wednesday.09.12.2010 The national imbalance between land supply and demand for construction will increase over the next five years as China's industrialization and urbanization maintain rapid pace, Minister of Land and Resources Xu Shaoshi said.09.12.2010 China is now the proud possessor of the world's longest high-speed railway network, with a combined track length of 7,531 kilometers, where trains could soon thunder along at close to 600 kilometers per hour, the Ministry of Railways and train manufacturers said Tuesday.08.12.2010 People with disabilities will have greater access to education and employment during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) period, a China Disabled Persons' Federation senior official said on Tuesday.08.12.2010 A court in South China's Guangdong province broadcast a trial live online on Tuesday as part of the province's efforts to invite public scrutiny of its judicial system.08.12.2010 Five teenagers were killed after being struck by a car driven by a drunken official in central China's Henan Province Sunday night, the latest in a series of traffic accidents in the country that stirred public outrage over law-breaking officials.07.12.2010 A 14-year-old accused of ruthless killings on behalf of a Mexican drug cartel boss is a U.S. citizen, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said Monday.07.12.2010 The government today rejected the suggestion that Maoist guerrillas were getting foreign financial or military support.07.12.2010 China's government-run welfare lottery has raised a total of 164.5 billion yuan (24.8 billion U.S. dollars) for public welfare funds over the last 23 years, the Welfare Lottery Distribution and Management Center (WLDMC) announced Monday.07.12.2010 Cai Haijun said he was happy to leave his villa and his job as a research manager in Canada for an apartment and a chance to start his own companies in Yancheng, a second-tier city in East China's Jiangsu province.07.12.2010 In a major effort to prevent torture and forced confessions, local prosecuting authorities have published the first regulation to guarantee suspects the right to have their attorneys present during interrogations.06.12.2010 The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether to certify the largest class-action employment lawsuit in U.S. history, a long-standing dispute against mega-retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. over alleged gender bias in pay and promotions.06.12.2010 A day after announcing his decision to quit politics unhappy over the new cabinet formation, Congress MP from Guntur Rayapati Sambasiva Rao today met a close aide of Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the rebel who resigned from the party and also as MP last week.06.12.2010 The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) announced on Monday a reshuffle of provincial Party leaders for provinces of Jiangsu and Hubei.06.12.2010 Anyone who frequently uses the Sheung Shui metro station in Hong Kong, which borders Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, will probably notice a large group of mostly elderly people or young women standing around large boxes during most times of the day.06.12.2010 Nearly half of government officials, intellectuals and office workers see themselves as members of "disadvantaged groups" due to work-related pressure and insufficient rewards from superiors.06.12.2010 The central authority is trying to advance a salary scheme in 1.26 million government-sponsored institutions across China, a key part of a broader push to reform the income distribution mechanism.05.12.2010 On the eve of French President Nicholas Sarkozy's India visit, the Shiv Sena today threatened to oppose the 9,900 MW Jaitapur nuclear project (JNPP), to be set up in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri in collaboration with France's Areva group, to protest the treatment of local protesters.05.12.2010 A security alert has been sounded across Uttar Pradesh and other communally-sensitive places in India ahead of Monday's 18th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya, a home ministry official said.05.12.2010 Accompanied by unusually cold temperatures, snow fell late Saturday from Minnesota east to Virginia, prompting a series of warnings but few major headaches.05.12.2010 China's experience in hosting the Shanghai World Expo should be used to further the country's scientific and social development, said President Hu Jintao Friday.04.12.2010 Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today said that parliament was not the right institution to probe the second generation mobile telephony spectrum allocation issue.04.12.2010 During the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010), China spent 3.26 trillion yuan on social security, an annual increase of 17.6 percent, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) told Xinhua Friday.04.12.2010 The website of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been hacked allegedly by a group identifying itself as the 'Pakistani Cyber Army', which also claimed to have hacked the server of the National Informatics Centre (NIC).04.12.2010 A tractor-trailer slammed into a school bus driven by the mayor of a Louisiana town Friday morning, critically injuring two children.04.12.2010 Foreigners who had joined the trend to explore their opportunities in China's capital Beijing increasingly found that seeking heath care at a hospital was an uncomfortable experience.04.12.2010 China's central government on Friday declared new policies to encourage private funds, including overseas capital, to be channeled to the medical sector to meet the country's increasingly diversified demands on health care.04.12.2010 China's central government pledged on Friday to support the northeastern region by boosting its development of modern agriculture.03.12.2010 Thousands of survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy held rallies at different locations in this city on Thursday to mark the 26th anniversary of the world's worst industrial disaster, and vowed to continue their fight for justice.03.12.2010 On the 26th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas tragedy, the central government today moved a curative petition in the Supreme Court seeking revised compensation of more than Rs.5,500 crore for the victims and consequent environmental degradation.03.12.2010 All the seven miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in central China's Hunan Province Tuesday were found dead early Friday, rescuers said.03.12.2010 A teacher in Central China's Hunan Province who was supposed to be receiving an apology from a disobedient student was recently reduced to his knees after a confrontation in his classroom.03.12.2010 Eminent economist Jagdish Bhagwati said on Thursday that corruption was so rampant in India that even a blind man could say that bribes were being given and accepted.03.12.2010 Police are investigating the first-ever homicide in a Disney-developed town in central Florida, officials said.03.12.2010 China boasts the third-largest population of millionaires in the world, behind the United States and Japan, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said on Thursday.03.12.2010 More Chinese candidates make the list of the Top 100 Global Thinkers, as China asserts a growing influence on the international forum.02.12.2010 Even as former telecom minister A. Raja told the Supreme Court today that he walked in the footsteps of his predecessors in allocating spectrum to mobile companies, he was pulled up by the court for not being "temperate" in his communication to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.02.12.2010 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested an engineer of the Chandigarh pollution control department today while he was accepting a bribe of Rs.25,000, an official said.02.12.2010 A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here today awarded four to five years' rigorous imprisonment to 12 officials and slapped a fine of Rs.1 lakh each for their role in the fodder scam of 1996.02.12.2010 The Supreme Court today issued a notice to the central government on a petition of Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata group of companies, seeking to restrain the unauthorised publication of telephone intercepts of corporate lobbyist Nira Radia in the 2G spectrum allocation scandal.02.12.2010 The central government today handed over the telephone intercepts of corporate lobbyist Nira Radia's conversations with media and politicians in the 2G spectrum allotment case to the Supreme Court.02.12.2010 A senior State Department official conceded Wednesday that, "This was a rough week for American diplomacy."02.12.2010 China will give 350 million yuan (52.4 million U.S. dollars) in subsidies to poor people in central and western China affected by rising prices, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Wednesday.02.12.2010 A Chinese court Wednesday upheld the death sentences with two year reprieves given to two mine bosses found responsible for a gas explosion that killed 76 people at a central China coal mine last year.02.12.2010 There has been an 80 percent increase in the number of computer hacking cases handled by the police in China each year since 2006. The new cases posed a threat to both public and national Internet security, a senior police official told China Daily on Wednesday.02.12.2010 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has visited AIDS patients in a poverty-stricken area in southwest China and urged the better combination of AIDS control work with economic development in less developed areas.02.12.2010 The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh plunged into crisis today, less than 24 hours after the new cabinet was sworn in, with a minister resigning over the portfolio given to him and 10 other senior ministers also expressing their unhappiness amid indications that they too could quit.02.12.2010 Berlin is always at the forefront of contemporary art scene - and now it needs you. Curator Artur Zmijewski is looking for artists from around the globe to submit material for a research project as part of the 7th Berlin Biennale.01.12.2010 Heavy rain was triggering flooding in some eastern locations Wednesday as a severe storm system that raked the Southeast a day before moved through.01.12.2010 The Gujarat High Court today issued notice to the state government and police on a petition seeking registration of a complaint and a CBI probe against Indian Police Service (IPS) officer G.L. Singhal over a residential dispute.01.12.2010 The Supreme Court today asked why the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was silent for two years on 85 ineligible firms bagging 2G spectrum and the remaining companies that got the airwaves failing to rollout services in varying degrees.01.12.2010 A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here today convicted eleven persons in the scam related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.20 crore from the state treasury to purchase fodder for public distribution.01.12.2010 It would be in the best interests of India and of the high office he holds if Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) P.J. Thomas steps down, retired Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas opined today.01.12.2010 A giant menorah will light the sky above New York on Wednesday to mark the start of Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights.01.12.2010 The primary school stampede that left 41 children in hospital in northwest China on Monday was triggered when a girl bent down to pick up a lost shoe on a flight of stairs, the school head told Xinhua Wednesday.01.12.2010 A university student who allegedly stabbed to death a young mother he had injured in a car accident has been arrested, police said.01.12.2010 At least seven miners were trapped in a flooded colliery in Xiangtan City in central China's Hunan Province, local authorities said early Wednesday morning.01.12.2010 Experts have reminded consumers, many of whom have turned to overseas-made dairy products after the melamine scandal in domestic baby formulas, not to believe blindly in foreign dairy items after 670 tons of imported milk products were found to be substandard from March to August this year.01.12.2010 More than 90 employees of a Dutch company in Shanghai were sickened after having lunch Tuesday, local authorities said.30.11.2010 Chinese copyright inspectors are to conduct a nationwide sweep of local and central government computers to ensure they are using only authorized and genuine software.30.11.2010 The Communist Party of China (CPC) will launch in December a nationwide publicity campaign for the Party's agenda for China's development over the next five years, a statement said Tuesday.30.11.2010 A tornado touched down in Yazoo County, Mississippi, on Monday night, causing damage to a downtown Yazoo City courthouse and tossing widespread debris in the area, officials said.30.11.2010 Stating that investors' money in banks was safe, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today that the government would take appropriate action if it finds any irregularities in the disbursement of loans by financial institutions.30.11.2010 The central government today told the Supreme Court that it was not against the court monitoring the CBI probe into the 2G spectrum scam in whatever manner it wanted.30.11.2010 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today raided the homes and offices of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) Secretary General Lalit Bhanot and Director General V.K. Verma.30.11.2010 Former President George W. Bush joined a chorus of U.S. officials calling leaks of sensitive government information "very damaging," telling a forum at Facebook headquarters that WikiLeaks' recent release of 250,000 documents may significantly hurt Washington's image abroad.30.11.2010 State authorities discovered five children in south central Pennsylvania huddled in a condemned house without heat, running water or anything that could reveal their identities.30.11.2010 The nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization wants to sound the alarm on school resegregation, and is hoping a national educational summit will bring attention to what its members consider a huge problem, according to a news release from the NAACP.30.11.2010 More than 70,000 residents in central China's Hubei Province have been relocated to make way for the ambitious south-north water diversion project (SNWD), local authorities said Monday.30.11.2010 A video clip on YouTube showing how a Chinese construction company built a hotel in six days has set off heated discussions over Chinese efficiency.30.11.2010 One child was in critical condition and six others were severely injured after a stampede occurred Monday at a primary school in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, local officials said.29.11.2010 The government today ordered a probe into the leaks of conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and leading businessmen, politicians and journalists.29.11.2010 A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ranchi today convicted 52 people in a scam related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.20 crore from the state treasury to purchase fodder for public distribution and sentenced eight to three years' imprisonment.29.11.2010 Unexpected snowstorms have left hundreds of unprepared herdsmen short of fodder to feed their livestock in Horqin Right Wing Front Banner (county) in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.29.11.2010 Unhappy with the appointment of Kiran Kumar Reddy as the Andhra Pradesh chief minister and subsequent attempts to split his camp, Jaganmohan Reddy, son of late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has decided to quit as member of parliament, media reports said today.29.11.2010 Central China's Hunan Province began building the country's third National Supercomputing Center (NSCC) on Sunday, where the world's fastest supercomputer, the Tianhe-1A, will be installed.27.11.2010 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today met Congress chief and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and was assured of full support to their coalition government in the state.27.11.2010 It was the same people in the same building, but Li Zhenhe felt strangely welcome on a recent visit to the Cheng'an County government. The security guards, unusually, warmly showed him the way instead of blocking him for having no appointment.27.11.2010 Some documents relating to the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam have reportedly gone missing from the society office files, according to a complaint with the Mumbai police.27.11.2010 North China's Shanxi province is suffering a severe power shortage this winter, mainly due to government requirements to cut power use to meet energy-saving goals, media reported.27.11.2010 Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi today termed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the cleanest man in Indian politics today.27.11.2010 The alleged loan scam that resulted in the arrest of senior officials in some banks and financial institutions are individual cases of graft and not fraud, the Central Bureau of Investigation said today, implying the system as a whole was not compromised.26.11.2010 Three men stood on trial Friday in relation to a tax office explosion in central China that left four dead and 20 injured, a local court said.26.11.2010 Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and opposition Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today criticised the central government for adopting a "cosmetic approach" on Kashmir.26.11.2010 Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's decision to order a judicial probe into land deals of the past 10 years has led to a raging controversy. The state's ombudsman is upset over it and the opposition is questioning the suitability of the judge named to head the probe.26.11.2010 The Chinese government will reform its human resources management to attract outstanding professionals to work in the public sector, said Li Yuanchao, head of the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Thursday.26.11.2010 Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh would be appearing before a trial court on Nov 30 in connection with a corruption case against them, a lawyer said today.26.11.2010 New legislation to address China's social assistance program, the last straw for many people who live in poverty, the sick or victims of natural disasters, was stalled during a recent State Council Executive Meeting, Beijing-based Legal Mirror reported Thursday.26.11.2010 Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, said that with an abundant labor force China will be under pressure to create jobs during the next Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).26.11.2010 A major underground central heating pipe near the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) burst in the early hours Wednesday morning, affecting several surrounding government agencies.25.11.2010