RIO DE JANEIRO: India and China Thursday agreed to step up their defence and security dialogue and work to take steps to ensure that the two countries achieve a US$ 100 billion trade target by 2015, Indian media reported.   Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabo spoke of the need to continue with this dialogue at their 40-minute meeting on the sidelines of the Rio+20 ...

  LONDON: Britain's Prince William celebrates his 30th birthday on Thursday, triggering a clause in his late mother Diana's will which could see him receive a £10 million inheritance. The late Princess of Wales left the bulk of her estate to sons William and Harry, who were aged 15 and 12 when she died in 1997, but the executors ruled that the inheritances should not be handed over until both turned 30 ...

MUMBAI: Preity Zinta, one of the fittest and glamorous actresses, finds nothing wrong with being curvaceous The actress believes size issues are a personal choice, and says she supports Vidya Balan for flaunting her curves proudly and setting a new trend. "I think she (Vidya Balan) is a fabulous actress. What's wrong with her? There is always a rule - it takes one to lead and rest to follow. The choice you ...

  MUMBAI: There was a time when Rohit Shetty and his brand of cinema came in for much ridicule from critics and the Indian film industry. The critics don't seem to have stopped, but the industry certainly has. After delivering two billion-rupee hits, Shetty is Bollywood's new darling. Everyone, including Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar, wants to work with the director. Shetty's new film, "Bol Bachchan", ...

    HARAM ABUJA: At least 101 people were killed in last three days in sectarian clashes and gun battles between soldiers and insurgents in two Nigerian cities of Damaturu and Kaduna after suicide bombers attacked three churches on Sunday. In Kaduna city, Christians retaliated the bombing allegedly carried out by suspected members of Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram by burning down mosques ...

A Pakistani woman recording a political rally's proceedings on her iPad. SINGAPORE: Asia-Pacific is leading a surge in the use of mobile devices as they play a more central role in people’s lives and are on track to replace conventional computers, a top Google executive said Wednesday. Aliza Knox, managing director of commerce for Google Asia Pacific, said smartphones and tablets were now becoming the prima ...

Pakistan places its bilateral relationship with US in high regard but would never compromise its sovereignty: Adeel. ISLAMABAD: Concluding a two-day session on Wednesday, the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan said that by demanding one-sided steps from Pakistan, the US cannot get desired results in the region, especially following the Salala incident. “Pakist ...

Makhdoom Shahabuddin. ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has nominated textile industry minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin as a candidate for the new prime minister, state television reported on Thursday. Zardari had been locked in crisis talks with allies to select a consensus candidate to take on the premiership after the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed Yousuf Raza Gilani for contempt. “President Asif Al ...

A PPP worker lights a lamp in Rawalpindi on the eve of Benazir Bhutto’s birthday. The 59th anniversary of former premier and the late Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, will be observed today. To mark the occasion, blood donation camps have been arranged all over Pakistan; both by PPP chapters in various cities and other organisations as well. In Karachi, various camps have been set up by t ...