Washington, October 4: US President Barack Obama has cancelled a trip to Asia this weekend as the ongoing government shutdown entered its fourth day on Friday.

Obama had already shortened the trip from four countries to two after the US government partially shut down as the two houses of Congress failed to agree a new budget.

"Due to the government shut-down, President Obama's travel to Indonesia and Brunei has been cancelled. The President made this decision based on the difficulty in moving forward with foreign travel in the face of a shutdown, and his determination to continue pressing his case that Republicans should immediately allow a vote to reopen the government," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.

Obama was scheduled to depart for Indonesia for Asia Pacific Economic Conference and then head to Brunei for the East Asia Summit.

The White House announced earlier this week that Obama was cancelling visits to Malaysia and the Philippines that were scheduled to take place after the summits, because of the shutdown.

Instead of Obama, the American delegation would now be represented in multilateral meetings in Indonesia and Brunei by Secretary of State John Kerry, the White House said.

Carney said the cancellation of this trip is another consequence of the House Republicans forcing a shutdown of the government.

"This completely avoidable shutdown is setting back our ability to create jobs through promotion of US exports and advance US leadership and interests in the largest emerging region in the world," he said.

"The President looks forward to continuing his work with our allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific and to returning to the region at a later date," Carney said.

Obama also called the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"He expressed his regret that the ongoing government shutdown in the United States will prevent him from attending the Summit," the White House said.

Earlier in the day, Carney told reporters that if the Speaker of the House allows a vote and allows the majority to speak, the government will reopen right away.

Earlier, Obama made a passionate plea for reopening the government, asserting that this would mean a growing economy and new jobs.

"The problem we've got is that there's one faction of one party, in one half of one branch of government that so far has refused to allow that yes-or-no vote unless they get some massive partisan concessions in exchange for doing what theyre supposed to be doing anyway, in exchange for doing what everybody else agrees is necessary," he said. 

New York, September 13: US President Barack Obama reviewed the national security of the country on the 12th anniversary 9/11 twin tower attacks of 2001.

Over past several months, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, Lisa Monaco, has convened numerous meetings to review security measures in place for this anniversary, as well as other global threats, including the recent threat emanating from the Arabian Peninsula, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.

The meeting, among others, was attended by the US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, before which he was briefed by senior military planners on Pentagon's worldwide security posture.

"Over the past year, the Department of Defence, in close coordination with the Department of State, has undertaken a number of efforts to increase security planning at US embassies and installations around the world, including augmenting the role US Marine security guards play in certain situations," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

Little said the Department of Defence has also developed, trained and sustained innovative force options, both at sea and at US bases in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

These forces are operating at a high state of readiness and are complemented by air assets and other platforms that can help respond to a variety of contingencies.

Carney said the President's National Security team is taking measures to prevent 9/11 related attacks and to ensure the protection of US persons and facilities abroad.

The President reiterated that protecting the American people, both at home and abroad, is the Administration's top national security priority, he said.

"September 11th has been a day of remembrance for 12 years for Americans and others around the world. The events of last year, losing four brave Americans - Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods - brought home the reality of the challenges we face in the world," he said.

"As we near this day of remembrance, we continue to mourn the death of our cherished colleagues and honour their dedication to public service.

"We remain committed to bringing the perpetrators of the Benghazi attacks to justice and to ensuring the safety of our brave personnel serving overseas," Carney said. 

Moscow, September 13: Russia has handed the United States a plan for the Syrian regime to hand over its chemical weapons in four stages, starting with Damascus becoming a member of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a report said on Thursday.

The plan, first announced by Moscow this week, aims to avert threatened US military action in retribution for a chemical weapons attack outside Damascus that the West says was perpetrated by the Syrian regime.

Revealing the details of the plan for the first time, Russia's Kommersant daily said it had been given to the American side on Tuesday, although Russia only announced on Wednesday evening that the plan had been passed on.

As a first step, Damascus would join the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Kommersant said, quoting a Russian diplomatic source.

Then Syria would have to declare the location of the chemical weapons arsenals and where they are made.

The third step would be allowing OPCW inspectors into Syria to examine them.

The final step would be deciding, in cooperation with the inspectors, how to destroy the weapons.

Kommersant, which is known for its strong foreign ministry sources, said that who would physically destroy the weapons has yet to be decided but it was not excluded that the United States and Russia could do this jointly.

Kommersant said that it was the American side who requested the talks after receiving a copy of the details of the Russian plan. 

Washington, September 11: US President Barack Obama told the Congress that he wants to give diplomacy a chance on the issue of Syria, but backed a limited and targeted military strike against the Assad regime with Congressional authorisation.

Hours ahead of his address to the nation, Obama drove down to the Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers on his assessment of the Syrian situation, and received inputs on his decision to go for a limited military strike against Assad regime.

The President said he wants to work on the Russian proposal to bring chemical weapons of Syria under international control, and simultaneously work with lawmakers on Congressional authorisation for a limited and targeted military strike against the Assad regime.

"The President said he'd decided it is in the core national security interests of the US to conduct a limited, targeted military strike, that doesn't involve putting boots on the ground, to enforce a long-held international prohibition against the use of chemical weapons," a White House official said following the meeting.

Obama, who spent more than an hour each in meetings with the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Senate Republican Conference in the US Capitol, said he was pleased by the seriousness of the public debate that had taken place in the aftermath of his decision to seek congressional authorisation for this limited military response.

"He indicated a desire to pursue diplomatic option that was put forward yesterday by the Russians, in response to the looming threat of the US military force against the Assad regime, and following on the President's discussion with (the Russian) President Putin in St Petersburg," the official said.

Obama told lawmakers that his administration will spend the days ahead pursuing this diplomatic option with the Russians and his allies at the UN, the official said.

"In the meantime, the President said his administration will work with members of Congress on authorising language. Doing so will further strengthen our diplomatic efforts," the official said after Obama's meetings at the Capitol Hill.

The US President drove down to the Capitol Hill amidst a flurry of diplomatic efforts at the international level with Russia proposing to bring the Syrian chemical weapons under international control, which received positive response from Syria, other countries and the US as well.

Following Obama's meetings at the Capitol Hill, Congressional leaders said they have agreed to delay a vote on the use of force in Syria.

"We're going to continue to work on moving forward with this, but keeping pronounced that the credible threat of our doing something about this attack is going to remain," Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, told reporters after the meeting.

"If something can be done diplomatically, I'm totally satisfied with that. I'm not a blood and thunder guy. I'm not for shock and awe. I think it's a situation where we have to be very calm and deliberate in what we do. "If things can be worked out with the international community to get these weapons out of the hands of this madman, then I think that's what we should do," Reid said. 

Canberra, September 8: Australia's Conservative challenger Tony Abbott on Saturday stormed to power with a thumping victory in national polls, as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd conceded defeat ending six years of Labor Party rule.

Abbott, head of the Liberal-National coalition, claimed victory, saying, "I can inform you that the government of Australia has changed."

With two-thirds of the votes counted, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the coalition had secured 85 seats in parliament and was on course to win 91. Labor had secured 54, with a predicted final tally of 55.

The dramatic change of fortune for Rudd came months after he ousted Julia Gillard as Prime Minister and Labor leader.

Rudd had called for elections after defeating Gillard in a leadership challenge in June, amid dismal polling figures that showed Labor on course for a wipe-out.

Earlier, outgoing Prime Minister Rudd conceded defeat and announced that he would not re-contest the leadership of the Labor Party, saying it was "time for renewal".

In his address after victory, Abbott repeated his election pledges, saying the carbon tax would go, the boats would be stopped and the budget would be on track for a "believable surplus".

"From today, I declare that Australia is under new management and that Australia is once more open for business," he said.

"I now look forward to forming a government that is competent, that is trustworthy, and which purposefully and steadfastly and methodically sets about delivering on our commitments to you, the Australian people," he said.

The new Prime Minister elect said that in a "week or so" Governor-General Quentin Bryce would swear in the new government.

"Today, the people of Australia have declared that the right to govern this country does not belong to Mr Rudd or to me or to his party or to ours; but it belongs to you, the people of Australia," Abbott said to a swarm of cheering crowd. Rudd earlier said that he had called Abbott to congratulate him on his victory.

"I gave it my all but it was not enough for us to win," Rudd told a crowd of cheering Labor Party supporters in Brisbane. Rudd said he was proud he had helped preserve Labor as a "viable fighting force" for the future. 

Damascus, August 26:  The political affairs chief of the United Nations Jeffrey Feltman is to visit Iran on Monday to discuss the war in Syria and unrest in Egypt and Lebanon, a report said.

Feltman is to hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Mehr news agency reported on Sunday.

The agency did not provide any details on the visit, the first by a top UN official since Secretary General Ban Ki-moon travelled to Iran in August 2012 to attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Iran on Sunday warned against any US military intervention in Syria, where the opposition has accused the regime of using chemical weapons last week that killed hundreds.

Iran is the main regional ally of the Syrian government which denies the accusations.

The Islamic republic also backs the powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, whose members have been fighting alongside Syrian regular forces for several months against a range of rebel forces out to topple the Damascus regime.

Lebanon has been hit by two deadly bombings a week apart that killed dozens, in the northern port of Tripoli and in the southern Beirut stronghold of Hezbollah.

Feltman was in Cairo last week for talks with Egyptian officials and Muslim Brotherhood leaders on how the United Nations can help facilitate reconciliation in the unrest-hit country.

The visit comes as Iran is staggering under the weight of UN and Western sanctions imposed over its contested nuclear programme.

Cairo, August 26: The trials of deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and top leaders of his arch-rival Muslim Brotherhood group for inciting violence and killings in separate instances were adjourned on Sunday.

The re-trial of 85-year-old Mubarak and co-defendants, including his two sons and former interior minister Habib El-Adly, on charges of instigating murder of over 800 people during pro-democracy uprising in 2011 were held at the Police Academy in Cairo amid tight security.

The trial was adjourned after the prosecutor-general's office presented new evidence against the defendants. The court ordered the formation of three different committees to inspect evidence provided by prosecutors against defendants until the next session on September 14.

One committee is to inspect the evidence related to corruption charges regarding the illegal acquisition of villas by Mubarak and his two sons. Another committee will inspect charges related to the case of selling gas to Israel at below-market-prices. The third committee will examine material evidence related to the killing of protesters during the 18-day uprising that led to the ouster of Mubarak, Ahram Online reported.

Mubarak arrived at the court by a helicopter to attend the sixth session of his trial for the killing of protesters. State-run television footage showed him in the defendants' cage along with his co-defendant, the interior minister, six security chiefs and his two sons - Gamal and Alaa.

Mubarak was released from jail this week but placed under house arrest by interim prime minister Hazem el-Beblawi. He is being held at a military hospital in Cairo. He was convicted last June and sentenced to life in prison, but a retrial was ordered in January after he appealed. He could face the death penalty in that case, and is also facing charges in several corruption cases.

Meanwhile, another court adjourned the trial of Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohammed Badie and his deputy Khairat el Shater and others. Badie, his deputies and many other leading figures of the Islamist group are facing trial for killing the protesters in front of the presidential palace last December during the tenure of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

70-year-old Badie - known as the Brotherhood's "General Guide" - and deputies were not produced before the court due to security reasons following which their trial was adjourned to October 29, minutes after it opened on Sunday.

The Brotherhood leaders were arrested following the ouster of president Morsi on July 3 by the army and a deadly crackdown on the group by military-backed government has left nearly 1,000 people dead.

Baghdad, August 26: A series of attacks in Baghdad and north Iraq killed 23 people on Sunday amid a surge in violence that authorities have failed to stem despite wide-ranging operations targeting militants.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has vowed to press on with his anti-insurgent campaign, which has reportedly led to the arrest of hundreds of alleged militants and killing of dozens.
But analysts and diplomats say authorities have failed to tackle the root causes the worst violence since 2008, namely anger in the Sunni Arab community over perceived ill treatment at the hands of the Shiite-led authorities and security forces.

Today's violence struck the Baghdad area and in predominantly Sunni Arab towns and cities to the north, but the deadliest of the attacks hit the capital.

A series of bombings -- two car bombs and a roadside bomb -- went off between 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) and 5:30 pm (1430 GMT) in Baghdad and its outskirts, killing nine people and wounding 22 others, officials said.

The blasts struck a variety of neighbourhoods across the city, and were the latest in a burgeoning trend of militant attacks in the afternoon and evening in Baghdad.

United Nations, August 25: A top UN envoy was in Damascus on Saturday to press for an investigation into an alleged chemical attack, as Syrian hospitals were reported to have treated thousands of "neurotoxic" cases.  

US President Barack Obama, meanwhile, met his top national security advisers to weigh the response to the alleged massacre.

He is under mounting pressure to act following Wednesday's reported chemical attack near Damascus that opposition groups say was carried out by President Bashar al-Assad's forces and had killed as many as 1,300 people.

The Syrian government has strongly denied the allegations but has yet to accede to demands that UN inspectors already in the country be allowed to visit the sites of the alleged attacks.

"The president has directed the intelligence community to gather facts and evidence so that we can determine what occurred in Syria. Once we ascertain the facts, the president will make an informed decision about how to respond," a White House official said.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that around 3,600 patients displaying "neurotoxic symptoms" had flooded into three Syrian hospitals on the day of the alleged attacks, and 355 of them died.

The victims all arrived within less than three hours of each other, and MSF director of operations Bart Janssens said the pattern of events and the reported symptoms "strongly indicate mass exposure to a neurotoxic agent".

"Medical staff working in these facilities provided detailed information to MSF doctors regarding large numbers of patients arriving with symptoms including convulsions, excess saliva, pinpoint pupils, blurred vision and respiratory distress," he said.

His comments came as UN Under Secretary General Angela Kane was in Damascus, tasked by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with establishing the terms of an inquiry.

Ban is determined to "conduct a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation" into the chemical attack claims, his spokesman said.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, during a visit to the West Bank on Saturday, blamed Syria for a "chemical massacre" and said that "the Bashar regime is responsible."

But Damascus ally Iran blamed the rebels and warned the West against any military intervention. "There is proof terrorist groups carried out this action," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, without giving any details. 

Kabul, August 25: Armed militants killed four people, including two policemen, and torched NATO oil tankers on Saturday in separate incidents of violence in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province.

The militants killed four persons in the volatile Kach and Sibi districts while the oil tankers carrying fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan were torched in Khuzdar district, police said.

"In one incident armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on a car in Tump tehsil in Kach district and two persons inside the car died on the spot," a police official said.

The miscreants kidnapped the third person in the car, the official said, adding that the incident appears to be an act of target killing. In another incident, armed militants opened fire at a police sub inspector on the outskirts of Turbat town, killing him on the spot.

"They killed sub inspector Jan Muhammad in the area," a police official said. Another police official was killed when armed militants opened fire at him in Sibi bazar.

Police said the two gunmen, riding a motorcycle, opened fire on the police constable deployed at the bazaar, killing him on the spot.

The oil tankers carrying supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan were fired at and torched in Pishik area of Khuzdar district tonight. Four gunmen on motorcycles opened fire at the tankers forcing the drivers and cleaners to flee the scene, an official said.

"The militants then torched the two tankers after throwing petrol on them and set them ablaze," the official said.

Tehran, August 25: Iran, the chief regional ally of Damascus, said on Saturday, there is "proof" that Syrian rebels used chemical weapons in their conflict with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

"We are very concerned about information regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and we strongly condemn the use of such weapons," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, quoted by ISNA news agency.
"There is a proof terrorist group carried out this action," Araqchi said in reference to Wednesday's allegedly deadly attacks in the Damascus area, without elaborating.

President Hassan Rowhani also pointed on Saturday to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but without assigning blame.

"The situation prevailing in Syria today and the death of a certain number of innocent people caused by chemical weapons is very distressing," he said, according to a government website.

Rowhani added that Iran, itself a victim of chemical attacks in its 1980-1988 war with Iraq, "totally and vigorously condemned the use of chemical weapons".

During the conflict, chemical strikes by the Iraqi armed forces killed thousands of Iranians, particularly in civilian areas.

Araqchi warned against any Western military intervention in Syria's 29-month conflict, after the United States suggested it was weighing up such a possibility.

"There is no international authorisation for a military intervention in Syria. We warn against any actions or statements that could create more tension in the region. I hope that White House officials show enough wisdom not to enter into such dangerous tumult," Araqchi added.

Syria's main opposition body, the National Coalition, has accused Assad's regime of "massacring" more than 1,300 people in chemical weapons attacks on the outskirts of Damascus on Wednesday, which the regime has categorically denied.

"The provocative words of American officials or sending warships do not help to solve the problem in any way, but make the situation in the region more dangerous," said Araqchi.

Iran is Damascus's key ally in the region, and regularly warns against boosting Sunni Muslim extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda that are fighting in the country.

Harare, August 22: Veteran leader Robert Mugabe was sworn in as Zimbabwe's president for another five-year term on Thursday before a stadium packed with tens of thousands of jubilant supporters.

Mugabe, 89, pledged "to observe, uphold and defend the constitution of Zimbabwe" in an oath administered by Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, extending his 33-year rule.

Supporters clad in clothes emblazoned with the image of the man who has lead their nation since independence in 1980 filled the 60,000-seater venue, a show of force after elections many say were rigged.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai insists the July 31 vote was stolen and his party boycotted the inauguration.

Tsvangirai's spokesman said the opposition leader "can't attend a robber's party."

Former colonial power Britain has called for an "independent investigation" into the conduct of the election, which Mugabe officially won by a landslide.
Unlike previous low-key investitures, today's event -replete with banners, flags and chants carried strong echoes of Mugabe's inauguration as prime minister of a newly independent Zimbabwe in 1980.

A no-show by many neighbouring leaders including President Jacob Zuma of regional power-broker South Africa - did little to dampen enthusiasm.

Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete, Namibia's Hifikepunye Pohamba and the Democratic Republic of Congo's Joseph Kabila were among those leaders who did attend.

Mugabe was greeted in the stadium by thunderous cheers and whistling when he arrived with his wife on board a military truck.

Gates to the Chinese-built stadium, the venue of Mugabe's inauguration as president in 1987, opened shortly after dawn.

The day was declared a public holiday, helping boost attendance.

"Mr Mugabe, you are one of a kind," sang a group of supporters slamming the sides of the minibus taking them to the stadium, while others waved fists as drivers honked their horns.

"It is a great day for Zimbabwe and the world will come to a standstill today," said Alfred Tome, the Harare provincial administrator and spokesman for the organisers.

A concert will include artists from South Africa, Zambia and Jamaica - whose iconic Bob Marley played at Zimbabwe's independence event.

Banners around the oval stadium carried messages praising African leaders and denouncing western governments accused of meddling in Zimbabwe's political affairs.

The inauguration had been delayed after Tsvangirai challenged the poll results in a petition to the Constitutional Court that was later dropped.

The Constitutional Court confirmed Mugabe as president and declared the elections "free, fair and credible", saying the results "reflected the free will of the people of Zimbabwe."

Cairo, August 22: Deposed Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak has been released from prison on Thursday, over two years after he was jailed on charges of corruption and for killing protesters, but will remain under house arrest pending trials.

The 85-year-old ailing ex-President was taken from Cairo's Tora prison by medical helicopter, following a court ruling which ordered his release.

He was initially taken to a military hospital in Maadi, a suburb in southern Cairo, Al Jazeera reported.

A small crowd of supporters gathered outside the prison and cheered as the helicopter took off.

Meanwhile, the April 6 youth movement has called protests on Friday against his release. But his release was met with indifference from many Egyptians, who are more focused on the country's recent political crisis and last week's massacre of supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi.

Mubarak still faces a retrial on charges of killing protesters during the 2011 revolution, and three other corruption cases as well.

But he has already spent more than two years in pre-trial detention, the maximum allowed under Egyptian law, and so the courts have ruled him eligible for release pending trial.

Hazem el-Beblawi, the prime minister, said last night that Mubarak would be placed under house arrest following his release.

It was unclear where he would be held, in Cairo, at his villa in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, or elsewhere.

At least one of those corruption cases against Mubarak could be close to a settlement.

Tehran, August 22: Iran's representative to the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ali Asghar Soltanieh, announced his resignation on Thursday without giving any reason, the Fars news agency reported.

"My mission is finished... and I return to Iran with satisfaction," said Soltanieh, who has held the post since 2005.

On 15th August, new President Hassan Rowhani named Ali Akbar Salehi to head Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation as part of his team.

Salehi, who holds a doctorate in nuclear science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, already headed the organisation between 2009 and 2010 before taking up the post of foreign minister under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Meanwhile, foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araghchi was quoted by the press today as saying "a new ambassador (to the IAEA) has been chosen and will be announced soon."

Western countries and Israel suspect Iran's nuclear programme is cover for a drive for a weapons capability, an ambition Tehran strongly denies.

The IAEA has been probing the programme for the past decade, and a number of international sanctions have been slapped on Tehran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium. That process can lead to producing the fissile core of an atomic weapon.

Talks between Tehran and major world powers have so far failed to yield an agreement.

Johannesburg, August 21:Highlighting the increase in Africa's trade with India, President Jacob Zuma asked BRICS members to use the bloc's Business Council as a platform to explore new models and approaches towards more equitable development and inclusive growth in the world.

Opening the Council meeting on Tuesday, President Zuma highlighted that total trade with India, which is South Africa's sixth largest trading partner, grew substantially from R53 billion (USD 5.23 billion) in 2011 to R67 billion (USD 6.61 billion) in 2012, representing a growth of over 26 percent.

Speaking at the inaugural BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Business Council meeting, he said the strength of the alliance was amplified by the fact that BRICS countries accounted for 43 percent of the world's population.

President Zuma said there was potential within the group, adding that business leaders should take advantage of opportunities present and urged business to advance key issues in the BRICS economies.

"Within South Africa, there is a host of opportunities as well. We invite participation in six areas, which are infrastructure development, agriculture, mining and beneficiation, manufacturing, the green economy and tourism," the African country's government news agency quoted him as saying.

Indian participants in the meeting welcomed the agreement between the five nations to forge a closer partnership for development integration and industrialisation to contribute to the development of the African continent.

"It was a very positive meeting because we could, between the five countries, develop a consensus of partnership and how BRICS countries can contribute towards the growth of Africa from the perspective of industrialisation, beneficiation and added value to Africa," Ambika Sharma, Deputy Secretary General and Head of International at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) informed.

Key recommendations of the Council included working collectively to carry forward the work agenda set by the G20 leaders for promoting stronger, sustainable and more equitable growth.

"We should look to continue enhancing intra-BRICS trade to achieve at least USD 500 billion by 2015 as per agreement from previous Business Forum in India," the Council said in a statement.

Sharma said FICCI members were taking development in Africa very seriously. Although a number of Indian companies have already established footprints in Africa, Sharma said FICCI would now look at newer companies that wanted to expand abroad.

Indian High Commissioner Virendra Gupta said it was most significant that South Africa had also invited business leaders from other African countries to the meet.

Beijing, August 21: China, the United States and Qatar were accused of environmental plunder on Tuesday as green activists marked "Earth Overshoot Day," the date at which mankind has exhausted a year's budget of natural resources.

"In just over eight months, we have used as much nature as our planet can regenerate this year," Global Footprint Network, an international thinktank which calculates the metric, said in a press release.

"The rest of the year corresponds to overshoot. We will maintain our ecological deficit by depleting oceans of fish, trees and other resources, and accumulating waste such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."

It would take more than one and a half Earths to meet humanity's present rate of consumption, the group said, adding: "We are on track to require the resources of two Earths well before mid-century."

In its appraisal for 2012, Global Footprint Network said more than 80 per cent of the world's seven billion people due to rise to more than nine billion by 2050 will live in countries that devour more resources than their ecosystems can renew.

China's total ecological footprint is smaller, per capita, than in Europe or North America.

But, the organisation pointed out, China's footprint is the heaviest in the world in raw size, simply because of its huge population.

If the world's population adopted the lifestyle of a typical resident of China, it would take 1.2 Earths, it said.

"Other countries' per capita demands on the planet's ecosystems are even higher: if everybody were to live like United States residents today, it would take four Earths to support the global population," the report said.

"In Qatar, the typical resident requires the resources of six and a half Earths." Global Footprint Network says that, according to its latest crunching of the numbers, Earth first lurched into ecological debt on 29th December 1970.

In 2012, "Earth Overshoot Day" was designated for August 22, but new calculations suggest that a more accurate date was August 23, it says.

Islamabad, August 20: Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been indicted by an anti-terrorism court in the 2007 assassination of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto.

Musharraf, who has been under house arrest for last four months, was charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and facilitation of murder, said state prosecutor Chaudhry Muhammad Azhar.

The 70-year-old former president was brought under heavy security to the anti-terrorism court of judge Habibur Rehman in Rawalpindi.

If convicted, Musharraf can be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

Musharraf denied the allegation on Tuesday in the court and his legal team will continue to defend him in the case in which he has been falsely implicated, the information secretary of his All Pakistan Muslim League, Aasia Ishaq said.

"He was not in the list of accused till 2008 but later his name was included on the basis of an email by Benazir to the US journalist Mark Segal," said Ishaq.

"When this email has been considered by the court, why it has not considered another email by her to Musharraf in which she nominated three people as culprits for her (future) murder."

Ishaq said that the court has fixed next hearing on 28th August and the former president will now face the trial in the case.

Bhutto was killed in suicide attack in 2007 in Rawalpindi when Musharraf was president of the country.

Musharraf had blamed her killing on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike in 2009.

Cairo, August 20: The spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, General Guide Mohammed Badie, has been arrested in Cairo according to Egypt authorities.

Reports said he was detained at a residential flat in Nasr City.

A state of emergency is in force in Egypt amid turmoil following a crackdown on Islamists in which hundreds have died.

A three-day period of mourning has been declared for 25 policemen killed in the Sinai peninsula by suspected Islamists.

And 36 Islamist protesters died in a prison van in the capital Cairo on Sunday.

Almost 900 people, including more than 100 police and soldiers, are reported to have been killed in Egypt since Wednesday, when the army cleared protest camps set up by supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, many of them members of the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Yemen, August 19: The British embassy in Yemen has been reopened on Sunday after being closed for nearly two weeks over worldwide terror threats from Al Qaeda.

"British Embassy Yemen open as normal from Sunday 18 August. Apologies for the brief hiatus," British ambassador to Yemen Jane Marriott tweeted.

On August 6, the Foreign Office said that its embassy staff in Sanaa had been sent home after conversation between Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri and the group's head in Yemen Nasser al-Wuhayshi about an attack was reportedly intercepted.

The US also evacuated diplomatic personnel from Yemen and ordered the closure of nearly 22 embassies across the Middle East and North Africa after the intercepted message revealed one of the most serious plots against American and Western interests since the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Though Yemen welcomed the re-opening of the embassy, the country's foreign minister Abu Bakr al Qirbi was critical of the closures.

Yemen is the base of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which has recently suffered a series of setbacks after the military launched an offensive in June with the help of US forces.

Beijing, August 19: At least 72 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been forced to evacuate in the past few days due to devastating floods in north and south China.

Nine people were killed overnight in floods triggered by continuous downpours in south China's Guangdong province.

Eight people were killed in Puning city, according to the municipal government's publicity department. One person was killed in Zijin county, a local resident
and another remained missing, state-run news agency reported.

The death toll rose to 54 as of this morning after the worst flooding in decades ravaged Fushun city, northeast
China's Liaoning province, said local authorities.

Extreme rainstorms battered Liaoning from Thursday to Saturday, leaving many rivers flooded in Fushun, said the Liaoning provincial flood control and drought relief
headquarters. Water and power supply as well as communication were cut off in the townships of Longwo, Suqu and Shuidun.

A total of 61 reservoirs have reported water levels surpassing the danger lines by Sunday evening, Guangdong provincial flood control and drought relief
headquarters said.

Meanwhile, a landslide has buried at least one truck and trapped an unknown number of people on a highway in Guigang City, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Firefighters are trying to reach the site.