Hyderabad, Feb 21 (IANS) The serial blasts that rocked Hyderabad Thursday killing 12 people and injuring 80 others is one of the worst terror attacks in the city in recent years.

Hyderabad/New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) Twin bomb blasts rocked Hyderabad Thursday evening, killing at least 12 people and injuring over 50 others, the union home ministry said. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister however put the toll at 11 while eyewitnesses reported 18 deaths.

New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) India were lucky to escape with a 3-2 win over Ireland and continued their winning streak in the men's Hero Hockey World League Round 2 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here Thursday.

New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) The central government Thursday approved the allotment of an apartment free of cost to the family of the Delhi gang-rape victim.

San Diego, Feb 21 (IANS) A less-invasive and biocompatible gel that can repair damaged tissue in heart attack patients has been developed by American scientists.

Mexico City, Feb 21 (IANS/EFE) Actor Joaquin Cordero died at his home in the Mexican capital, the secretary of the ANDA actors guild told EFE. He was 89.

Toronto, Feb 20 (IANS) Believe it or not, seals require only half of their brain to fall asleep, thanks to the presence of specific chemicals, suggests a biological study.

Buenos Aires, Feb 20 (IANS) Argentina will receive Chinese-built trains next year as part of a push to modernize its ageing metropolitan railway network that links the capital Buenos Aires with its main suburbs, a minister said.

Islamabad, Feb 21 (IANS) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 16-man squad for the upcoming One-day International (ODI) series against South Africa, recalling former captain Shahid Afridi back to the team.

Colombo, Feb 20 (IANS) Sri Lanka's former World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga said he will decide by next week if he will contest for president of the Cricket Board or not.

Islamabad, Feb 20 (IANS) A leading Pakistani daily is upset over the cowardice of civilian leaders who don't "name and shame" those responsible for terror attacks.

Islamabad, Feb 19 (IANS) The Karachi Literature Festival may be better served by reaching out more to authors, writers and performers from beyond India, said a leading daily Tuesday.

Damascus, Feb 21 (IANS) At least 16 people were killed and 208 wounded Thursday when a suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives at a busy intersection close to the ruling al-Baath Party headquarters in capital Damascus, the state media reported.

Damascus, Feb 21 (IANS) Divorce rate has gone up by 45 percent and marriage rate has dropped over 40 percent in Syria since the outbreak of protests against the government, show a media survey.

Geneva, Feb 20 (IANS) Human Rights Watch Wednesday urged the UN Human Rights Council to launch "an independent, international investigation into war crimes" committed in the final months of the Sri Lankan conflict.

Geneva, Feb 20 (IANS) The nuclear test Feb 12 was a "self-defence" measure in reaction to America's ever increasing threat, a North Korean diplomat said here.

Kuala Lumpur, Feb 20 (IANS) Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has vowed to combat match fixing in Asian football, at a time when European football has been hit with the scandal.

Singapore, Feb 19 (IANS) Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to build a high-speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur by 2020, the prime ministers of the two countries announced Tuesday.

Singapore, Feb 19 (IANS) Google launched its indoor maps feature in Singapore Tuesday, making the city state the second country in Asia to have it.

Jakarta, Feb 17 (IANS) Landslide and floods in Manado in central Indonesia Sunday killed 10 people, officials said here.

Ashgabat, Feb 17 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkmenistan Saturday held discussions over enhancing bilateral relations in the fields of investment and partnerships.

Bishkek, Feb 12 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A military court in Kyrgyzstan Tuesday sentenced ousted former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev in absentia to 24 years in high security prison over office abuse while being in power.

Tashkent, Feb 7 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The heads of several Uzbekistan banks have been detained for making illegal foreign currency transactions, police said Thursday.

Tashkent, Feb 5 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Uzbekistan has made trading with foreign currency a criminal offence, the latest in a string of measures aimed at preventing the global market slump from eating into the Central Asian republic's reserves.

Beijing, Feb 21 (IANS) Change has been seen in China "though there are still tests and expectations ahead", said Chinese news agency Xinhua as the country's new leaders complete 100 days of governance.

Beijing, Feb 21 (IANS/EFE) China will impose a new tax on carbon-dioxide emissions as part of policies aimed at protecting the environment and improving air quality, the finance ministry said.

Beijing, Feb 21 (IANS) A fleet of Chinese marine surveillance ships departed Monday to carry out regular patrol missions in the South China Sea, the country's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said Wednesday.

Beijing, Feb 21 (IANS) China's safety watchdog has said it will suspend or shut down operations in over 5,000 non-coal mines this year over their failure to meet required safety standards, Xinhua reported.

Moscow, Feb 22 (IANS/RIA Novosti) State awards will be given to people who distinguished themselves in responding to the recent meteorite strike in Russia's Chelyabinsk region, a minister has said.

Moscow, Feb 22 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) has submitted a bill imposing fines of up to 50,000 rubles (about $1,700) on officials for using American and British "loan-words" that have Russian equivalents.

Moscow, Feb 22 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The Russian Navy's Udaloy I class anti-submarine destroyer Severomorsk will take part in a NATO anti-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden, a navy spokesman said.

London, Feb 21 (IANS) A gigantic asteroid that slammed into Australia more than 300 million years ago changed the face of the Earth forever, says a British media report.

Sydney, Feb 21 (IANS) Kepler-37b, the tiniest planet ever spotted, demonstrates that sun-like stars in our galaxy are capable of hosting much smaller planets than anything detected so far, say researchers.

Sydney, Feb 19 (IANS) Cricket coach John Buchanan feels Australia's pace attack and not spinners will be the key to their success in India.

Sydney, Feb 19 (IANS) Recent interest rate cuts have started to boost under-performing sectors of the Australian economy, according to the minutes of the February Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) board meeting released Tuesday.

Sydney, Feb 19 (IANS) Scientists have sounded the alarm over the mounting threat to marine turtle populations worldwide from climate change and coastal development.

Gros Islet (St.Lucia), Feb 20 (IANS/CMC) West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief Julian Hunte believes the regional women's team victory over Australia in the super-six stage of the ICC Women's World Cup is proof of their development.

Havana, Feb 19 (IANS) An unusual cold front chilled parts of Cuba Monday with the temperature dropping to as low as four degrees Celsius, Cuba's Meteorology Institute (Insmet) said.

Basseterre (St.Kitts), Feb 12 (IANS/CMC) Iconic sprinter Kim Collins says he does not owe any money in child support following his arrest for allegedly not making adequate arrangement to support his children while he goes overseas.

Havana, Feb 12 (IANS) Cuba and Brazil agreed to boost their bilateral sports cooperation after establishing a working group to follow an activity program scheduled for the years 2013-2016.

Gaborone, Feb 21 (IANS) Botswana's cricket national team will depart for Uganda Thursday to compete in the International Cricket Council (ICC) - Africa Cricket Association (ACA) Twenty 20 Division One tournament that starts Sunday.

Pretoria, Feb 21 (IANS) The second day of paralympian Oscar Pistorius's bail hearing ended without a court ruling on his application.

Cape Town, Feb 21 (IANS) The South African government has said it will push the African agenda at the 5th BRICS summit to be held in Durban March 26-27.

Abuja, Feb 21 (IANS) At least three people were killed and two injured in a suicide bomb attack Wednesday in Nigeria's Maiduguri city, Xinhua reported. The dead included the suicide bomber.

Los Angeles, Feb 21 (IANS) With their owner Jerry Buss passing away Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers posted an emotional win over the Boston Celtics in NBA league.

Los Angeles, Feb 21 (IANS) Socialite Kim Kardashian, who is pregnant with her first child with rapper Kanye West, says her reality TV show "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" is still her first priority.

Los Angeles, Feb 21 (IANS) Socialite Kim Kardashian's mother Kris Jenner says she feels guilty as she finds it difficult to divide her time equally between her six children.

Los Angeles, Feb 21 (IANS) Actress Mila Kunis, who is dating actor Ashton Kutcher, says she might quit acting in favour of having a family in the near future because she wants to focus on enjoying a normal life.