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| January 02, 2009 | Friday | Muharram 04, 1430 |
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Sri Lankan troops capture town near Tigers’ ‘capital’
COLOMBO, Jan 1: Sri Lankan troops on Thursday captured a key town from Tamil Tiger rebels in the island’s north, the defence ministry said, adding that the fall of the Tigers’ political capital was “imminent.”... 
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Malaysian chopper saves Indian tanker from pirates
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1: A Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker from being hijacked on Thursday, foiling the new year’s first attack by pirates in the dangerous Gulf of Aden off the chaotic African nation of Somalia, an official said....
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S. Korean woman fools screening system at Japan airport
TOKYO, Jan 1: A South Korean woman barred from entering Japan last year passed through its immigration screening system by using tape on her fingers to fool a fingerprint reading machine, reports said on Thursday....
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Anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman dies
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 1: Leading South African anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman, who for years was the sole white lawmaker opposed to minority rule, died on Thursday at the age of 91, the SAPA news agency said quoting her daughter....
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22 revellers injured in Philippines
ZAMBOANGA (Philippines), Jan 1: A grenade lobbed into a crowd of New Years revellers injured 22 people, the army said on Thursday....
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UAE to bar low-paid expats from bringing families
DUBAI, Jan 1: Some foreign workers holding low-paid jobs in the United Arab Emirates would be banned from bringing over their families to the Gulf state under new visa regulations, a newspaper reported on Thursday....
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Migrant dies in police firing
RABAT, Jan 1 : An African migrant was killed on Thursday when Moroccan police fired warning shots to stop 80 illegal migrants trying to reach Spain’s North African outpost of Melilla, Moroccan state news agency MAP reported....
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Myanmar to expel 19 North Koreans
YANGON, Jan 1: Myanmar will expel 19 North Koreans who were arrested early last month for illegally entering the military-run country, a senior police official said on Thursday....
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New year’s celebrations: 78 held in London
LONDON, Jan 1: London police arrested 78 people in what they said was a largely good natured New Year’s eve celebration in the capital....
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US hands over Green Zone security to Iraq
BAGHDAD, Jan 1: The United States handed over security control of the Green Zone to Iraq on Thursday as a UN mandate for foreign troops ran out and bilateral military accords took effect....
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Christmas in Paris, luggage in Afghanistan
LONDON, Jan 1: A British family enjoyed a Christmas break in Paris but were flabbergasted to find that luggage containing gifts for their children travelled to Afghanistan, a report said on Thursday....
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Taliban kill 20 police, 2 foreign soldiers
KANDAHAR, Jan 1: Taliban militants attacked a district governor’s compound in Afghanistan’s volatile southern Helmand province on Wednesday, killing 20 police guards, government officials said....
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2 held in US for passing technology to China
LOS ANGELES: Two men were arrested in California and charged with illegally exporting to China thermal-imaging cameras, a national security controlled item, the Justice Department (DOJ) said on Wednesday....
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Niyazov’s image removed from notes
ASHGABAT: Turkmenistan on Thursday moved to remove the image of late dictator Saparmurat Niyazov from its banknotes, issuing new easier-to-handle notes in the latest blow to Niyazov’s personality cult....
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13,000 calligraphers in record attempt
TAIPEI: Thousands of Taiwanese calligraphers on Thursday jointly wrote Chinese characters in a global record attempt aimed at ushering out a turbulent 2008 and ringing in a peaceful and safe new year....
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Financier given ethics lesson by thieves
WASHINGTON: Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff, accused of masterminding a massive investment fraud, has been handed an ethics lesson by thieves who stole a statue from his Florida mansion, and promptly returned it....
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Turkey launches Kurdish TV station
ANKARA, Jan 1: Turkey on Thursday launched its first 24-hour Kurdish-language television station while its prime minister uttered a few words in the once-banned tongue, in a marked shift of policy toward the country’s minority Kurds....
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Blast hits Kathmandu shopping area
KATHMANDU, Jan 1: A small bomb planted by suspected Hindu fundamentalists exploded in a shopping area here on Thursday injuring one person, police said....
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Indians told to avoid needless horn-blowing
NEW DELHI, Jan 1: Indian drivers were asked on Thursday to make a new year’s resolution they seem unlikely to keep: no more endless horn-blowing as they navigate New Delhi’s hectic traffic....
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Revelry, fireworks ring in new year, but misery sours mood
NEW YORK, Jan 1: Revellers rang in the New Year worldwide on Thursday, although global economic jitters, conflict in the Middle East and tragedy in Thailand cast a long shadow on the dawn of 2009....
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Russia restricts jury trials for treason, terror
MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a bill ending jury trials on charges of terrorism and treason, a move critics say marks a retreat from democratic reform....
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Egypt too powerless to act
There was a day when we worried about the “Arab masses” – the millions of “ordinary” Arabs on the streets of Cairo, Kuwait, Amman, Beirut – and their reaction to the constant bloodbaths in the Middle East....
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Circulating fluid keeps donated kidneys healthier
BOSTON: Machines that send fluid circulating through a donated kidney while it is being preserved for transplant keep the organ healthier than the standard method of simply immersing it in fluid and transporting it on ice, doctors reported on Wednesday....
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Ukraine gas cut signals tough Russian foreign stance
MOSCOW: Paying no heed to the supposed season of goodwill, Russia’s decision to cut gas supplies to Ukraine is a clear warning Moscow will continue playing hardball with recalcitrant neighbours in 2009....
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Afghans thirsty for water on tap
KABUL: Elderly Noor Din is angry with his neighbours....
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Unemployment in Spain a social time-bomb
MADRID: Tensions mounting between native job-seekers and immigrants competing for a declining pool of work in Spain will intensify in 2009 as generous benefits for those laid off reach the end of their fixed terms....
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