India

Leonid Shebarshin, a retired senior spy who headed the former Soviet Union's KGB for a day, has apparently killed himself. He celebrated his 77th birthday earlier this week. Born in 1935, Shebarshin had experience as an agent in India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. He was made head of the KGB's foreign intelligence arm, the First Main Directorate, in 1989 and held the post until 1991. That year saw a coup by figures including the KGB's leader Vladmir Kryuchkov against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. When the coup failed, Shebarshin was a

At least 39 people are confirmed dead, dozens injured and numerous buildings are left damaged in several states after series of tornadoes hit the U.S. Midwest March 2. The storm system stretched from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Southern Indiana, northern Alabama and parts of Kentucky and Tennessee were affected the most. The first warning went out around 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and by about 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, at least twelve tornadoes had touched down in three different states. At least fourteen people were confir

Six Italian armed guards face murder charges after shooting dead two Indian fishermen they mistakenly identified as pirates. The accused remain aboard MV Enrica Lexie, the oil tanker they were protecting. Exact details are disputed; Italian authorities insist the vessels were in international waters at the time. Indian officials say the shooting took place in Indian territorial waters. Following the incident near Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, two coast guard boats and an aircraft intercepted the laden ship, which was en-route to Egypt fr

Indian economist Amartya Sen is among nine scholars to receive the US National Humanities Medal tomorrow. No other Indians have received the medal in the sixteen years since it was introduced. A White House citation noted "his insights into the causes of poverty, famine, and injustice" and claimed "by applying philosophical thinking to questions of policy, he has changed how standards of living are measured and increased our understanding of how to fight hunger." A 1998 Nobel Prize for Economics laureate, Sen is currently Harvard University's

The Indian navy yesterday began their ten-year lease of the nuclear submarine K-152 Nerpa, agreed with Russia several years ago, and secured at a cost in-excess of 900 million USD. Reporting on the addition to India's fleet, the Times of India announced the boat had been renamed to INS Chakra II. Indian naval officers assumed control of the submarine at the port town of Bolshoi Kamen, near Valdivostok. Ajai Malhotra, India's ambassador to Russia, Roman Trotsenko, head of United Shipbuilding Corporation, and Konstantin Sidenko, Eastern Military

A court in Gujarat, India has convicted 31 Hindus of murdering 33 Muslims during a race riot by burning down the building they were sheltering in. The convicts were given life sentences, while lack of evidence saw more than 40 others cleared. The case dates back to 2002, when a train caught fire and 60 Hindus died. Muslims were blamed and Hindus seeking revenge rioted in predominantly Muslim areas. Over 1,000 died, mostly Muslims. 28 died inside a house in Sardarpura, Mehsana which was torched whilst they sought refuge inside it, with five mor

Indian ghazal singer Jagjit Singh died today at 8:10 am IST after a brain haemorrhage at the age of 70. He was admitted to Lilivati Hospital in Mumbai just before a scheduled performance on September 23. Despite surgery, he remained on life support. Called "The Ghazal King", he sang in several languages. He also received the Padma Bhushan award. His death was the top story on most Pakistani news agencies' websites.

At least four people died and forty were injured Saturday night as the result of a stage collapsing at the Indiana State Fair, located within the US state of Indiana. The Indianapolis Star has attributed the incident to poor weather. A storm with wind speeds as high as 60 miles per hour (96 kilometres per hour) had been reported. Captain Brad Weaver, an Indiana State Police employee, described witnessing "the framework from the stage start to come over", having given a public safety announcement shortly prior to the collapse. Numerous patients

The state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua reported yesterday that China had sent its first aircraft carrier to sea for a trial. This marks an important step forward in China's efforts to become a leading naval power and challenge US superiority in Asia. China will be joining a small group of nations with operational aircraft carriers — the United States, Italy, the UK, France, Thailand, Brazil, India, Russia, and Spain are the other nations have aircraft carriers in operation. The 1,000-foot carrier is based on the unfinished Soviet aircraft ca

A recently published nationwide survey of US teenagers indicates boys tend to masturbate more — and start younger — than girls. It also finds boys who masturbate are more likely to engage in safe sex than boys who don't. Dr. Cynthia L. Robbins, the study's lead author from Indiana University in Indianapolis, spoke of the need for the academic community to focus more on masturbation. "Many adolescent boys and girls masturbate, and among sexually active teens masturbation is associated with other sexual behaviors and condom use. It is important

A recently-published international study shows that in long-term couples, men are more satisfied with their relationships, and women are more satisfied with their sex lives. The study, which also says that men enjoy cuddling (i.e. hugging and kissing) more than women, was published in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour by the Kinsey Institute in Indiana University Bloomington. More formally known as the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, the organization is also known for reporting in the 1940s that young adults were

Officials announced that a treasure containing sacks of diamonds and gold coins as well as golden idols, jewelry and other riches has been discovered in the secret subterranean vaults of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, in the southwestern state of Kerala, India. Estimates of its worth have been rising and it is now thought to be worth US$20 billion. The Hindu temple was built in the 16th century by the kings of the then Kingdom of Travancore to serve as a royal chapel for the rulers of Travancore. The six vaults containing the treasure have bee